Is Anyone Home?

Just checking in. No review this time though, as I’ve been feeling a little under the weather, but some bigger things should be coming just around the corner.

While I’m here though, I wanted to give a little update on some recent news and upcoming events:

1. Someone’s obviously been reading the site because DVD releases for both The Scarecrow of Romney Marsh and The Deadly Bees have been announced! Scarecrow, in it’s uncut, original 3-part miniseries format, will be part of the Walt Disney Treasures collection with a tentative street date of 11-11-08, while Legend Films is set to put out The Deadly Bees, but has not announced any specifics as to when it will be available.

2. Next Saturday, June 7th 2008, my good friends at Exhumed Films are presenting a very special screening of the only remaining print of the 1973 “lost” psychedelic classic Malatesta’s Carnival of Blood, partnered with the eerie, dreamlike zombie film Messiah of Evil, an extremely fitting choice to round out this double feature. Both films are fantastic and Malatesta director Christopher Speeth, along with several other members of the cast and crew, will be on hand to discuss the film and answer any questions you might have. I would recommend that anyone who is really a fan of bizarre/obscure horror films attend. It should be lots of fun.

3. I don’t intend to really discuss newer films here (perhaps on occasion) and I normally wouldn’t put in such a shameless plug for myself, but anyone who is interested in going to see The Strangers this weekend might want to read a review of an uncannily similar (and slightly more effective) French film titled Ils(Them) that I wrote for FEARnet.com, if you’re not already familiar with it. It is now available on DVD here in the U.S. (released by Dark Sky Films) and I would recommend checking it out whether or not you end up liking this new Hollywood pseudo-remake (as far as I know it’s not technically a remake, but as I mentioned both films share an unbelievable amount in common, and I think it would be quite a coincidence if they were both made independently without one having knowledge of the other; I guess it wouldn’t be the first time though) as they both explore the theme of home invasion that I’m sure most of us probably find rather terrifying.

Well, that’s all I got for now. Check back soon for more reviews of trashy movies.

Tales From The Dorkside

One of my all time favorite things to do when I find some expendable free time, on a lazy Saturday afternoon perhaps (if I’m not already watching some dumb movie), is to spend a couple hours perusing a few of those “please help me identify/remember the name of this movie” type sites/message boards that I sometimes come across in my never ending search for bizarre films.

You know, the ones where people will write an extremely vague description, often with little or no details, of a plot or scene from a movie (or at least they think it was from a movie, but it could have possibly just been a weird dream, they’re a little foggy on that fact) that they saw as a child on some random TV station late at night 15-20 years ago, and then ask if any of the pantheon of film geeks that are reading it, whose encyclopedic brains are just bursting with useless knowledge, can hopefully remember the title, because they can’t seem to and it’s been driving them absolutely crazy.

Ahh, those are always so much fun to read, aren’t they?

And why, exactly, would I find reading other peoples ridiculously sparse descriptions of movies which they are struggling to fully remember so entertaining?

Well, first of all, I can sympathize. I’m sure we all can. There’s probably not one among us who hasn’t known first hand the absolute mental anguish that comes along with not being able to remember a films title while a particular plot element or a strong piece of visual imagery remains dancing around in your head, destined to torment you for eternity. My brain hurts even thinking about it.

But mostly I like to read them because one of three possible results takes place:

1. I know the movie they are talking about and feel smart

2. I also vaguely recall the scene/plot they are describing, but can’t remember the title and will subsequently also be driven crazy by it unless I find out, prompting me to join in their search

3. I have no idea what the movie is that they are talking about, and I think that it most likely sounds completely made up or could possibly be a combination of parts from several movies that they are confusing, but nonetheless something within the description, real or imagined, has piqued my interest and now I must find out what this film is, if it actually exists, and see it

#3 was the case with Encounter with the Unknown.

The details presented in the brief description I read were quite vivid for once (the person actually remembered entire portions of this ominous curse uttered by one of the characters), which gave me something to start my search with.

It took some time (several hours of fruitlessly scouring the internet for clues), but I eventually was able to find the title. Then, thanks to the folks at retroFLICKS (which I was going to post a link to, but sadly it seems that they are no longer in operation), who released the film, I was able to finally get my hands on a copy and see it.

So, was it worth all the time and effort that it took me to identify and locate it?

Let’s find out.

There’s No Doubt About It…

Spring is in the air.

I can tell by the fresh coat of bright yellow pollen that I find on my car each morning.

April showers have brought May flowers. Which in turn have brought that thick layer of golden dust.

And you know what all that pollen means, right?

BEES

I hate them. Always have. They’re one of the few things that I have a completely irrational fear of. I’m not allergic, as far as I know anyway, and I’ve only ever been stung twice, but there is just something about those little flying a-holes that rubs me the wrong way.

Yet, in honor of the arrival of the beautiful spring weather, I’ve decided to put my fear and hatred aside (for 90 minutes anyway) and watch The Deadly Bees.

Maybe I’m subconsciously trying to confront the fear, in the vain hope that I won’t freak out every time a harmless honeybee tries to land on my ice cream sandwich this summer.

More likely, I just want to see some people get stung to death.

Either way, enjoy.

Vault Disney

Sorry for the delay, kids, but I’ve been out of town. Mere days after the site “officially” went up, I was off with some friends to celebrate my birthday at The Happiest Place on Earth, Walt Disney World. I had a wonderful time while I was there (thanks for asking!), as I always do, but nevertheless couldn’t stop thinking about how excited I was to get things rolling here at Radiation Sickness when I got back. Then it dawned on me, what better way to kick things off upon my return, my head still swollen with daydreams of adventure thanks to numerous rides on Pirates of the Caribbean and a thorough exploration of Tom Sawyer Island, than to sit down and watch one of the timeless Disney live-action classics which capture that very same spirit of adventure so prevalent in much of their work.

But which one? There are literally hundreds to choose from. We’re talking about a studio that’s been producing films for over 80 years now; that constitutes quite an extensive back catalog, as you can imagine. And more importantly, which one would be right for the site? I had to find one that was truly Radiation Sickness material. In other words, nothing too obvious and probably a little creepy.

Well, I did some digging around and came up with what I think is the perfect candidate (actually, there are several “perfect candidates” that will all probably end up on here at some point in time), 1964’s The Scarecrow of Romney Marsh (aka Dr. Syn).

It’s an oldie, but a goodie (at least I think so), and has everything necessary to fuel that sense of adventure present in any imaginative young boy (or in one that is young at heart, even though he’s now almost 30).