Tagarchief: Cult Movies

Turkey Shoot

Posted on by Jeppe Kleijngeld

Director: Brian Trenchard-Smith
Written by: Jon George, Neill D. Hicks
Cast: Steve Railsback, Olivia Hussey, Michael Craig

Year / Country: 1982, Australia
Running Time: 90 mins.

If you are in the mood for some real Ozzy exploitation (ozploitation), you should definitely check out Turkey Shoot. Ridiculously bloody kills? Check. Boobs? Check. Campy humour? Check. Turkey Shoot, also known as Escape 2000, definitely scores quite high on the benchmark for exploitation value.

The screenplay for this movie was not a contender for the Academy Awards. Because of the overpopulation, society has plunged into chaos. To regain control, the government sets up tightly run camps. Whoever doesn’t conform to society’s rules is sent to one of these DEATHCAMPS (Well, that is what it comes down to anyway).

Three innocents are sent to Camp 97 for re-education and behaviour modification. Their stay there is supposed to make them ‘better assets to society’. However, the main dude (Railsback) keeps on challenging the sadistic camp chief Thatcher, so he and four others are selected for the ‘Turkey Shoot’ in which deviants are hunted by the rich and cruel in the forest surrounding the camp. Railsback’s character turns out to be quite a hard target for the hunters.

The first half of this film is a little boring, but as soon as the Turkey Shoot begins, it gets a lot better. The fun of these manhunt movies is that the hunters (real bastards of course) start out all confident and end up as scared prey. Therefore it is a shame that several of the hunted in this movie make immensely stupid and illogical decisions. Railsback for example leaves a gun behind after defeating a baddie twice!! Still some satisfying kills on both sides ensure a very entertaining second half.

Rating:

Biography: Brian Trenchard-Smith (1946, UK) is an English film and television producer, writer and director. He made a large contribution to the ozploitation era in the mid seventies and eighties. Notable examples of these contributions are BMX Bandits, Turkey Shoot, Death Cheaters and the Australian martial arts (!) movie The Man From Hong Kong. In his long career he made around 40 movies and in addition directed about 35 episodes of TV-shows. He currently lives in Los Angeles.

Filmography (a selection): The Marty Feldman Show (1972, TV), Dare Devils (1973, short), Kung Fu Killers (1974, TV doc), The Man from Hong Kong (1975), Death Cheaters (1976), Stunt Rock (1978), BMX Bandits (1983), Day of the Assassin (1979), Turkey Shoot (1982), Frog Dreaming (1986), Dead-End Drive In (1986), Day of the Panther (1988), Strike of the Panther (1988), Out of the Body (1989), The Siege of Firebase Gloria (1989), Silk Stalkings (1991-92, TV episodes), Night of the Demons 2 (1994), Leprechaun 3 (1995), Flipper (1995-2000, TV episodes), Leprechaun 4: In Space (1997), Britannic (2000, TV), DC 9/11: Time of Crisis (2003, TV), Long Lost Son (2006, TV)

Cult Radar: Part 7

Posted on by Jeppe Kleijngeld

FilmDungeon is glad to explore the video trenches to find that oddball treasure between the piles of crap out there. Of Course, a treasure in this context can also be a film that’s so shockingly bad it’s worth a look, or something so bizarre that cult fans just have to see it. Join us on our quest and learn what we learn. Hopefully we’ll uncover some well-hidden cult gems.

Researched by: Jeppe Kleijngeld

Hell Ride (USA, 2008)

Directed by: Larry Bishop
Written by: Larry Bishop
Cast: Larry Bishop, Michael Madsen, Eric Balfour

Larry Bishop, who played in trashy biker films in the sixties and seventies such as The Savage Seven, Angel Unchained and Chrome and Hot Leather writes, directs and stars in a Tarantinoesque homage to the biker film. In it, a decade long battle between two biker gangs takes place; the Victors, lead by Pistolero (Bishop) Vs. the 666ers, lead by Billy Wings (Vinnie Jones). The concept and promising cast (Michael Madsen, Dennis Hopper, David Carradine) raises expectations, but the execution is far below par. Tarantino should have rewritten the script apart from producing. The dialogues appear to have been written by a 14 year old. There is some humor to be found, but it can hardly make up for the terrible script. Also Bishop is unfit to play the lead role. Interesting trivia: Madsen and Bishop share a scene in Kill Bill: Vol. 2 (2004). Madsen plays Budd and Bishop plays his boss in the strip club scene.

The Host (South Korea, 2006)
OT: Gwoemul

Directed by: Bong Joon-ho
Written by: Baek Chul-hyun, Bong Joon-ho, Ha Jun-won
Cast: Song Kang-ho, Byeon Hie-bong, Ko Ah-sung

On orders of a US doctor, a toxic substance is dumped in the Han River. Four years later in Seoul, ordinary Korean folk are enjoying a leisurely day along the river when the final result reveals itself. In 2006, this entertaining monster movie made a successful journey along the important international film festivals and the tentacles of the host soon attained a large cult following. The Host effectively balances between comedy and campy horror. Only with nearly two hours running time and a main character who screams too much the fun is somewhat lessened. Also a monster that looks like sewer calamari can be hardly called scary. Still, a couple of really good jokes and scenes and its undeniable cult appeal make The Host a worthy contender for the Mega Monster Mash.

Bronson (UK, 2008)

Directed by: Nicolas Winding Refn
Written by: Brock Norman Brock, Nicolas Winding Refn
Cast: Tom Hardy, James Lance, Matt King, Amanda Burton

The wacky British indie flick Bronson gives you the life story of Charles Bronson. No not the movie star YOU CUNT! We’re talking about Britain’s most violent prisoner. Since it is directed by Danish director Nicolas Winding Refn from the violent and brilliant Pusher trilogy, I was kind of expecting a gut-wrenching gorefest. It is not that bad, in fact this is more like a comedy. Crucial to the film is the central character who wants to become famous. He can’t sing and he can’t fucking act. So what does he do? This original idea is brought to the screen with Winding Refn’s usual sense of style. Tom Hardy delivers a knock-out performance as the protagonist. Don’t expect a cliché prison drama and you might find a place in your heart for Bronson. Special mention goes to the soundtrack which includes gems such as ‘It’s a sin’ by Pet Shop Boys.

Zombie Self-Defense Force (Japan, 2006)

Directed by: Naoyuki Tomomatsu
Written by: Chisato Oogawara, Naoyuki Tomomatsu
Cast: Kenji Arai, Norman England, Masayuki Hase, Yû Machimura

On the cover of Zombie Self-Defense Force, this movie is compared to Peter Jackson’s Bad Taste. Although the extreme gore is sometimes similar – though far less creative – this is nothing like Jackson’s first movie. It totally misses a master’s touch – this is amateur night and they know it. Poor acting, horrible no budget FX and very little to enjoy overall. During the first half hour, a few nice character touches promise some cult delight, but as soon as a zombie baby appears (a homage to another Jackson classic), things start to look really bad. Pretty much a disgrace anyway you look at it.

Black Devil Doll (USA, 2007)

Directed by: Jonathan Lewis
Written by: Shawn Lewis, Mitch Mayes
Cast: Heather Murphy, Natasha Talonz, Christine Svendsen

He’s a lover! He’s a killer! He’s a muthafu**in’ puppet! ‘A Lewis Brothers fiasco’, credits state after Mubia, a member of the black power movement, is executed. His last words: ‘I like to eat white butt’. We’re up for something special that is for sure. Mubia is brought back to life by big boob teenager Heather while she is messing around with a Ouija Board. Guess what? The dangerous rapist and murderer returns in puppet form! So, the sexploitation version of Child’s Play begins. Not subtle, but sleazy, nasty and offensive. Black Devil Doll does exactly what it promises to do on the cover. At times it is too dirty, but quite often it is pretty hilarious.


Tom Hardy as Charles Bronson in Bronson

Bride of the Monster

Posted on by Jeppe Kleijngeld

Director: Edward D. Wood Jr.
Written by: Edward D. Wood Jr., Alex Gordon
Cast: Bela Lugosi, Tor Johnson, Tony McCoy, Loretta King

Year / Country: 1955, USA
Running Time: 68 mins.

Bride of the Monster is perhaps the greatest display of director Ed Wood’s ‘talents’. It might also be his best film and the only one that was financially successful upon release. A true salute to incompetence.

In this homage to classic monster movies like Frankenstein, the uncanny scientist Eric Vornoff (Bela Lugosi) lives in a mysterious house in the swamps, performing experiments in terror. He is aided by the huge butler Lobo (wrestler Tor Johnson) and a gigantic octopus.

When a number of people disappear, the police, the press and a Van Helsing type of monster expert start an investigation around Vornoff. They find out he has been tempering with God’s creations, resulting in the beginning of an ‘atomic super race’.

There are quite a few hilarious scenes and dialogues in this movie. The highlight by far is the octopus monster. Wood inserted real footage for the underwater scenes and an incredibly fake rubber octopus for the surface ones. The mismatch between the two is spectacularly funny. Whenever a victim is struggling with the dead tentacles you can only think ‘this can’t be serious’. Still, Wood’s passion for the medium is undeniable.

The movie ends with an atomic explosion as a warning for the use of nuclear power. This was one of the demands of the film’s financier. Believe it or not, it is very fitting in the context of this film. Conclusion: if you watch one Ed Wood movie, watch Bride of the Monster. Oh yeah, it’s that bad.

Rating:

Biography: Edward D. Wood Jr. (1924, New York – 1978, Hollywood) is widely considered as the world’s worst filmmaker. His low-budget movies, usually mergers of science-fiction and horror, are mostly complete disasters in terms of production values and continuity. In 1994, Edward D. Wood Jr. became the subject of an amazing biopic directed by Tim Burton called Ed Wood.

Filmography: The Sun Was Setting (1951, TV short), Trick Shooting with Kenne Duncan (1953, short), Glen or Glenda (1953), Crossroad Avenger: The Adventures of the Tuscon Kid (1953, TV short), Boots (1953, short), Jail Bait (1954), Bride of the Monster (1955), The Night the Banshee Cried (1957, short), Final Curtain (1957, short), Plan 9 from Outer Space (1959), Night of the Ghouls (1959), The Sinister Urge (1960), Take It Out in Trade (1970), The Young Marrieds (1971), Necromania: A Tale of Weird Love (1971)

Plan 9 from Outer Space

Posted on by Jeppe Kleijngeld

Director: Edward D. Wood Jr.
Written by: Edward D. Wood Jr., Alex Gordon
Cast: Gregory Walcott, Mona McKinnon, Duke Moore, Tom Keene

Year / Country: 1959, USA
Running Time: 78 mins.

According to Tim Burton’s biography Ed Wood, this is Edward D. Wood Jr.’s favourite movie. It is easy to see why. It is his most epic film if you will, containing all the elements that made his movies so bad in spades; the minimalist sets; the casting of non-talents or over the hill B-stars; the archive footage and the hilarious action.

The story revolves around a hostile alien race that wants to resurrect an army of the dead to march on the capitals of the world, hence the original title Grave Robbers from Outer Space. So far, the aliens only managed to create three zombies, but that doesn’t bother them.

Fans of Ed Wood’s movies will have a riot with Plan 9 guaranteed. This is the movie that set his name in stone as the world’s worst filmmaker. All of Ed Wood’s favourite cast members are present; Vampira, Chriswell, Tor Johnson and Bela Lugosi. For Lugosi, this is his final film. For the first two scenes that is. After his death, he was replaced by Wood’s chiropractor, who holds a cape before his face the whole film. Hilarious.

There are many, many more extremely funny things in Plan 9. The airplane cabin; the army footage that doesn’t match at all with the rest of the film; the flying saucers that are obviously hubcaps; the sudden transitions from night to day in the same scene, etcetera, etcetera.

The beauty of it is that Wood was being serious. There is actually a message in this film about human stupidity for messing with nuclear power. Maybe this is not the most convincing work that tries to bring that message across, but Wood deserves respect for trying. And his tombstone credit sequence IS excellent filmmaking.

Rating:

Biography: Edward D. Wood Jr. (1924, New York – 1978, Hollywood) is widely considered as the world’s worst filmmaker. His low-budget movies, usually mergers of science-fiction and horror, are mostly complete disasters in terms of production values and continuity. In 1994, Edward D. Wood Jr. became the subject of an amazing biopic directed by Tim Burton called Ed Wood.

Filmography: The Sun Was Setting (1951, TV short), Trick Shooting with Kenne Duncan (1953, short), Glen or Glenda (1953), Crossroad Avenger: The Adventures of the Tuscon Kid (1953, TV short), Boots (1953, short), Jail Bait (1954), Bride of the Monster (1955), The Night the Banshee Cried (1957, short), Final Curtain (1957, short), Plan 9 from Outer Space (1959), Night of the Ghouls (1959), The Sinister Urge (1960), Take It Out in Trade (1970), The Young Marrieds (1971), Necromania: A Tale of Weird Love (1971)