Sharkbait Retro Village: The Curse of the Black Widow (1977)

Published May 2, 2014 by biggayhorrorfan

Those who have reluctantly sat on the sidelines will know how half of Hollywood felt upon the 1977 television debut of the Dan Curtis’ horror feast The Curse of the Black Widow. The cast, headlined by perennial television sweetheart Patty Duke and future Knots Landing vixen Donna Mills, featured many familiar faces both from the boob tube trenches and glamorous Hollywood films.

Here, Duke and Mills, as sisters holding a dark and venomous secret, were supported by the likes of famed comedian Sid Caesar, the sassy Roz Kelly (of Happy Days and New Year’s Evil fame), tough guy Vic Morrow, Barney Miller’s Max Gail, Curtis’ old Dark Shadows favorite James Storm and such feminine silver screen royalty as June Allyson and June Lockhart. Now, that’s a party anyone would have wanted to been invited to!

The film that emerges isn’t as quite as fun as the cast would have you imagine – but still has plenty of old school charm and bold amounts of cheesiness. While other directors of television nail biters (like Curtis Harrington) tried to use Val Lewton subtleties for their over-the-top offerings, Curtis goes whole hog. In the final act, he not only showcases major cast members encased in very thick, fake looking webbing, but he also brings out a very clumsy, unnatural looking arachnid to cause tremulous amounts of doom and gloom. And, why not? If you are going do it – do it all the way, baby! Or should I say ‘Spider Baby’?

Further distinctive pleasure can be gained by the continual comic antagonism provided by Kelly, as (private eye) Tony Franciosa’s secretary, and Caesar as her neighbor, a cold blooded lawyer. The sight of Duke in a dark wig sporting a truly mysterious European accent, as her character’s hungry alter-ego, provides a multitude of viewing joy, as well.

Most importantly, Curtis and writers Robert Blees and Earl W. Wallace give the piece a nod to golden suspense flicks such as The Dark Mirror (which starred Olivia de Havilland as siblings suspected of murder) and Dead Ringer (featuring a pair of vengeful twins enacted by Bette Davis). The slow uncovering of the sisters’ mysterious past, while slightly predictable, does ultimately result in a nice feeling of femme powered noir.

Until the next time – SWEET love and pink GRUE, Big Gay Horror Fan!

http://www.facebook.com/biggayhorrorfan

R.I.P to Seedpeople’s Dane Witherspoon

Published May 1, 2014 by biggayhorrorfan

Witherspoon in Seedpeople.

Proof that the acting is one of the most strangely difficult and completely unpredictable professions comes from looking at the career of the quietly compelling Dane Witherspoon, who died at the age of 56 on March 29th, 2014.

Witherspoon, best known for a duo of soap roles on Santa Barbara and Capitol in the mid-80s (and, as noted often in his obituaries, as the first husband of Robin Wright) was the youngest person ever accepted to study theatre at ACT in San Francisco. Afterwards, he spent a year performing at the Utah Shakespeare Festival. A couple of guest shots on nighttime favorites came before his daytime fame but his credits were very sporadic after that.

Thankfully, lovers of cheesy horror flicks can claim him as one of their own due to his upstanding performance of Sheriff Brad Yates in that toothy 1992 monstrous tumbleweed majesty known as Seedpeople. Full Moon’s often silly attempt at an Invasion of the Body Snatchers reimagining found Witherspoon a long way from Tennessee Williams. But for those who can’t resist a cheesy little yarn featuring goo flinging creatures that can transform into weedy bowling balls to capture their prey, Witherspoon definitely entered hero status with this, his last major credit.

Poignantly, Witherspoon can be found on the official DVD’s VideoZone feature accessing his role with flirtatious good nature, making his early passing all the more sorrowful.

R.I.P., to the original Joe Perkins!

Until the next time, SWEET love and pink GRUE, Big Gay Horror Fan

http://www.facebook.com/biggayhorrorfan

Tonija Atomic’s Plain Devil!

Published April 29, 2014 by biggayhorrorfan

Whether you’re scared straight or living la vida loca – sometimes it just feels good to go all Plain Devil!

This is especially true if your kind of Plain Devil happens to be a film about girl gangs in small towns as imagined by stunningly awesome director-writer-musician Tonija Atomic.

With a summertime release date, you can be sure to keep track of this indie sensation at https://www.facebook.com/PlainDevil.

Until the next time – SWEET love and pink GRUE, Big Gay Horror Fan!

http://www.facebook.com/biggayhorrorfan

Shaking, All Nova!!

Published April 22, 2014 by biggayhorrorfan

Nova, Righteous!!

Being a somewhat of a klutz, I generally tend to trip my way through life. Sometimes, though, during lucky moments, I actually feel like I am blasting off (as opposed to merely stumbling)!

One such recent (totally awesome) occasion was when I had the chance to interview the delicious Eliska Hahn! Hahn is well remembered for portraying intergalactic space hunter Nova in the 1990 Troma cult classic The Invasion of the Space Preachers.

Of course, Hahn is more beautiful and personable than ever – as this fun ‘n frisky interview will attest!

Until the next time – SWEET love and pink GRUE, Big Gay Horror Fan!

http://www.facebook.com/biggayhorrorfan

Astro Radio Z: Witchcraft 9 – 11

Published April 19, 2014 by biggayhorrorfan

“Hey guys! I’ve got some toilet paper clutched between my palms!” Stephanie Beaton and crew facing down the horrors of the Witchcrap — Witchcraft series!

Getting beaten down is not a good thing…watching scream queen Stephanie Beaton in a trio of Witchcraft films on the other hand…

Well, honestly, that might be pretty bad, too. But the boys of Astro Radio Z and myself are committed to watching all of this (often really horrible) T and A laced horror series…just so you don’t have to.

The latest episode, focusing on Witchcraft 9 – 11 (which, for some unknown reason, have been my favorite of the series), has dropped. So, if you need something to distract you while undergoing that latest lumbar puncture…this just might be the thing!

Until the next time – SWEET love and pink GRUE, Big Gay Horror Fan

http://www.facebook.com/biggayhorrorfan

P.S.: Just so there is no misunderstanding, I really do love the divine Ms. Beaton with all of my femme freak, horror loving heart!

Review: Bunni

Published April 17, 2014 by biggayhorrorfan

I grew up in Deadwood country where the local, maniacal caterers at shotgun weddings (and other less public functions) would try to get us kids to eat the rabbit legs, that they had prepared, by telling us that they tasted just like chicken.

Well, I have to tell you, that while much meat is exposed, mangled and manipulated in Red Serial Films’ fun, slasher-like Bunni – none of it probably tastes like chicken!

Writer-director Daniel Benedict places his tale on Halloween night which, smartly, allows for his very attractive female cast to be clad in very little costuming due to the plotline and, as a bonus, many of these ladies, including plucky Mercedez Varble (as the piece’s final girl) and Cat Geary (who gives the villainess some saucy menace), have nice volumes of presence, as well.

Wisely, Benedict keeps the action moving once his premise is set up, also. After the protagonists enter a seemingly abandoned warehouse (that holds youthful memories for one of the characters), clothes soon get dropped and blood almost immediately starts spurting. Ben Rich’s special effects make-up designs are gruesomely effective and even hint at a bit of feminism as the most misogynistic male character gets it in the nastiest way.

And while she may not knock Mrs. Voorhees off her mantel as the filmdom’s most famous femme killer, Bunni, herself, brings a nice modern appeal to Benedict’s sisters-doing-it-for-themselves revenge motif. She is a nice focal point, visually and emotionally, for those who believe women are much more powerful (and much more vicious when wronged) than men.

Mostly, though, Bunni is an enjoyable horror film that knows exactly what it is doing and doesn’t waste much time getting there. Its a fun, fast ride and an honorable throwback to those 80s classics that so many of us love and admire.

Bunni is currently wrecking havoc throughout the convention circuit. You can keep up-to-date with showings and release dates at https://www.facebook.com/RedSerialFilms.

Until the next time – SWEET love and pink GRUE, Big Gay Horror Fan!

http://www.facebook.com/biggayhorrorfan

Funds for Joseph Novak.

Published April 15, 2014 by biggayhorrorfan

While I often joke around about being prone to accidents of (both) a physical and emotional nature – real life tragedy sometimes does come calling with major consequences.

Recently, horror enthusiast (and newly minted father) Joseph Novak had a serious accident with a chainsaw. Now, the terror community is responding with a vengeance. Many independent filmmakers have been offering up rare and autographed goodies for sale – with all the proceeds going to help Novak’s medical bills.

You can check these special items out at:

http://extremehorrorcinema.com/index.php?topic=2713.msg31245#msg31245

Until the next time – keep in mind how supportive scare fiends really are – and SWEET love and pink GRUE,
Big Gay Horror Fan

http://www.facebook.com/biggayhorrorfan

Kyra Schon: The Joie de Vivre of Everyone’s Favorite Ghoul Girl!

Published April 10, 2014 by biggayhorrorfan

Holy Cement Spades!! On the eve of her appearance at the Sci-Fi Spectacular 2014 in Chicago, the fun and inventive Kyra Schon, Karen Cooper from the original Night of the Living Dead, took a moment to talk with Big Gay Horror Fan about the film’s legacy and her own artwork.

BGHF: Hi, Kyra! So, if we could go back in a time machine, and you actually were Karen Cooper, what mistakes would you fix?

Kyra: Did she make any mistakes? I don’t know if she did.

BGHF: Murdering her parents…

Kyra: Oh, she didn’t make any mistakes! She was just following her instincts. She was hungry. What are you going to do?

BGHF: So, if she had them, would she have been able to show more control with her own children?

Kyra: I kind of doubt it. (Laughs) When you’re hungry what are you going to do? She would have been eating her babies left and right!

BGHF: (Laughing) True! Hamsters do it; cats do it, fish… She would just be following the whole spectrum of nature.

Kyra: (Laughing along) Right! Exactly!

BGHF: So, fast forwarding to (the real) present, what inspired your jewelry making?

Kyra: Well, I’ve done art my whole life. It was really what I loved to do. In school, it was the only subject that I was ever really good in. The only classes that I did not cut were art classes. So, I wound up teaching ceramics for 25 years in the Pittsburgh Public Schools. I took an early retirement from that, four years ago, because they were cutting funding and cutting hours. I worked at an arts magnet school for creative and performing arts…and they were cutting art classes. Which doesn’t make a whole lot of sense in an art school…but there it is. I had been making jewelry for a number of years and really enjoyed it. So, I thought now I have all my time to devote to this. I really just started doing little sculptures going directly to a mold and then casting them in pewter. So, that’s kind of how I am making a living, at this point. I sell that stuff. I have an Etsy shop. So, that’s what keeps me off the streets now.

BGHF: (Laughing) Unless you really want to be on the streets…then go for it!

Kyra: (Laughs) Exactly! Exactly! Live big!!

BGHF: You have been captured onscreen as Karen, who will be forever young. Do you feel like you have a young heart, yourself?

Kyra: I don’t know. For some people, I am always going to be nine years old. I don’t feel like that myself. I wish I did. I think it would be nice to have that joie de vivre of a 9 or 10 year old. People at conventions look at me and expect me, after 45 years of whatever, to still be 9 years old. No. Time catches up with all of us.

BGHF: (Laughing) It sure does!

Kyra: Yeah! I guess in some universe, I am always going to be that kid. Now, I’ve gotten old …what are you going to do?

BGHF: Well you still sound pretty awesome to me!

Kyra: Thank you! You know, people have actually asked me why I don’t wear a dress like Karen Cooper’s at the conventions. Well…because I am 56 years old. I am not 9. It would be creepy on an entirely different level. I don’t want to go there, thank you! (Laughs)

BGHF: Bill Hinzman could get away with it because his character was an adult.

Kyra: Exactly! He was an adult. Everyone else in the film can get away with it because they were adults at the time, too. Could you imagine what people would be saying about me if I did that? Did you see that crazy woman? She thinks she’s nine years old.

BGHF: (Laughs) Well if you want to get them talking, you have the perfect way to do it!

Kyra: (Laughing) Exactly! Yeah!

BGHF: You mentioned the conventions. Is it a bittersweet for you, now, that people like Bill Hinzman have begun to pass away or retire from the scene due to age?

Kyra: When I think of the conventions that I used to do…my dad would be there and Bill Hinzman. It is sad. We all die. We all lose our family members. But this very small group just gets smaller every year. It’s like…Oh, my god! Who’s going to be the last one? Who’s going to be next? It’s sad and it’s creepy. Now, I’m starting to do cons on my own. I do get lonely. None of my buddies are there. Well, its life…A little slice of real life.

BGHF: Do you think 20, 30, 50 years into the future that this movie is still going have the resonance it has now?

Kyra: That’s a good question. It just seems lately it’s been very overshadowed by The Walking Dead. That’s a completely different audience. A lot of the fans of The Walking Dead are not necessarily Night of the Living Dead fans. They are not necessarily fans of any other zombie movie. They are just sort of The Walking Dead fans. It’s an interesting phenomenon. I don’t know. I’d be really, really surprised if 30 years, 50 years down the road anybody remembers this film. Maybe people in film classes will. I don’t know.

BGHF: So, what has the overall legacy of this film been for you? When you finally stop the convention circuit, for example, what do you think you’ll have taken away?

Kyra: I can’t tell you how amazing it’s been. I am so blessed to have been in this movie. I don’t use that word loosely. I really feel that way. Of all the kids on this planet, I was chosen to be this creepy little ghoul girl. It’s so amazing. I was so lucky. It never goes away. There was a time after we made the movie in 68 that it just kind of went to sleep. I didn’t think about it anymore. I didn’t hear about it anymore. Then, years later in 1988, this guy calls me out of the clear blue sky. He was a promoter. He told me he was a promoter and he’d love to have me at this convention. I was like – what convention? What are you talking about? I had heard of Star Trek conventions and thought that was quite possibly the strangest thing I had ever heard of. He said it’s a Sci Fi Horror convention. I said, Really? These things exist for horror movies? Yeah, yeah, yeah, we’d love to have you! So we did this thing. It changed my life. It was like, “Oh my god! These are my people!” I didn’t feel like a freak. Nobody said that we don’t believe you were in this movie. They were asking me to sign their stuff. Really!? Really!? You really believe I was in this movie and you’re really interested in that? It was fun. I was kind of a geek for all things horror, too. But, I didn’t have anybody to share that with. My friends could take it or leave it. So, suddenly this world just opened up. I thought this was just amazing. So, I don’t think I will ever stop doing conventions. (Laughs) Even if I am not welcome, I’m going anyway!

BGHF: You’ll be there as a fan!

Kyra: Exactly!

Be sure to come meet Kyra in Chicago, this weekend (Saturday, April 14th), at the SCI-SPECTACULAR 2014 (https://www.facebook.com/events/1466423813573628/). You can keep in touch with her, year round, and purchase items at http://www.ghoulnextdoor.com, as well.

Until the next time…SWEET love and pink GRUE, Big Gay Horror Fan!

http://www.facebook.com/biggayhorrorfan

(Bad) CGI Fridays: Super Hybrid (2010)

Published April 4, 2014 by biggayhorrorfan

“You’re heading for a red light
Hot night, bad fight, dynamite
Red light, hot night
Bad fight, dynamite…” – Red Light, as sung by Linda Clifford

While the alien life form that disguises itself as various, swiftly moving vehicles in so-corny-it’s-fun 2010 epic Super Hybrid sees its victims in a reddish glaze…

…the creature, itself, definitely manifests in a very slithery, toothy CGI wave.

Based in Chicago (but obviously filmed in Canada) this timewaster features a kick-ass female heroine named Tilda (spunkily essayed by actress Shannon Beckner) who not only takes on the tentacle laced creature but Oded Fehr’s (The Mummy, Resident Evil: Extinction) dangerously smarmy, self centered boss character, as well.

Until the next time…SWEET love and pink GRUE,

Big Gay Horror Fan

http://www.facebook.com/biggayhorrorfan

(These Are…) The Scares of Our Soaps!

Published April 4, 2014 by biggayhorrorfan

Adams in Lurking Fear

While, it is easy to spot such daytime legends as Melody Thomas Scott (The Young and the Restless‘ long running Nikki) in pre-soap genre fare as The Car, (the original)Piranha and The Fury, now and then those who are known, primarily, for their genre work show up on afternoon serials, as well.

Blake Adams, who played rowdy cowboy types in such Full Moon fare as Lurking Fear (94), Head of the Family (96) and The Killer Eye (99) recently popped up on Days of Our Lives as Cyril, a New Age style guru who almost threw a wrench into daytime television’s first gay male wedding.

Refusing to issue a license to wed to the couple’s chosen minister (the illustrious Dr. Marlena Evans, played for decades by stalwart Diedre Hall) because the energy wasn’t right, Adams/Cyril was paid a visit by the manipulative EJ DiMera.

Adams and James Scott on Days

Cyril, of course, eventually relented while Adams (who used the surname Bailey for many of his fright credits) clearly enjoyed embellishing such an oddly off character.

Keeping a little blood in the soap until next time….

SWEET love and pink GRUE, Big Gay Horror Fan

http://www.facebook.com/biggayhorrorfan