Growing up, my brother and I were fascinated by insects and spiders. We had many books on them, and used to go out almost every day in the summer to catch them in the field behind our house. This fascination stuck with me as I became a movie lover. Before I got into horror movies, I was weaned on science fiction flicks, and the Big Bug movies of the 50s are what really blew my hair back.
By the time BEAST FROM HAUNTED CAVE came around, I had seen all the major players in the mutant arachnid category, including EARTH VS. THE SPIDER and TARANTULA. I still remember the first time I saw BEAST. I wasn’t thinking much of it until the creature made its first appearance in the mineshaft at the beginning of the film. I had my expectations set very low for what this beast was going to look like, and a humanoid man-in-a-suit was what I was expecting, but that’s not what I got. Instead two hairy cob-webbed tentacles come into frame, with some very weird audio, which I assumed represented more of this beast’s non-humanoid biology.
Okay, movie, you just got my attention.
Continue reading ‘DVD Review: Beast From Haunted Cave’
PRIMITIVE begins with an introduction to a man named Martin Blaine, played by Matt O’Neil. Blaine is a special effects artist who specializes in making monsters. He’s toiling away on his next flick, playing the monster, but it’s obvious he’s got problems. To begin with, the quality of his work is slipping and he doesn’t like the director. His girlfriend is in the movie business too, and she is working with him on this gig. Things finally take a turn for the worse when he spots the director getting too cozy with his chick. He takes his anger out on the director later on during an argument, decking the guy outright.
THE WHISPERER IN DARKNESS is the best adaptation that I have ever seen of an H.P. Lovecraft tale! There, I’ve said it, and I’m sure some of you are glad I did. But, as usual, I’m getting way ahead of myself. Before I prove that statement with some evidence, let’s back this review up and start at the beginning.
SHRIEK OF THE SASQUATCH is about a couple, Julie and Nick, who are on some kind of road trip and run afoul of good ol’ sasquatch. The film starts out with a photographer taking pictures of this hot chick in the woods when he suddenly spots something hairy and humanoid off in the distance.
The trailer was my first exposure to this film. I remember seeing it on TV and it immediately caught my interest simply because of its title—HUMONGOUS! Based on what you see in it, you can easily assume it’s a monster movie, and that’s what I thought it was. I also thought it took place in a jungle and not the woods.
