Meet Sybil Danning!

Published March 16, 2018 by biggayhorrorfan

Sybil Danning

Sometimes you’re Danning if you do. Other times, you’re Danning if you don’t. But on Saturday, March 17th, lucky Chicagoans will actually get to meet exploitation icon Sybil Danning at the Sci Fi Spectacular. Danning will be in attendance to talk about Battle Beyond the Stars, the cult classic Roger Corman production that she co-starred in, which is being shown at the event.

Other stratospheric guests for this annual festival include Victoria Price and Noah Hathaway (The Neverending Story, Battlestar Galactica). Held at the historic Davis Theater in the beautiful Lincoln Square neighborhood of Chicago, more information on this one-of-a-kind movie extravaganza is available at https://www.facebook.com/events/1218482144950205/.

Spacesuits, naturally, are optional. I hope to see you there!

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

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Music to Make Horror Movies By: Marilyn Martin

Published March 11, 2018 by biggayhorrorfan

Haters of ‘80s AM pop radio may believe that there is nothing scarier than doing a duet with Phil “Sussudio” Collins. But Marilyn Martin, a pretty blonde with a powerhouse voice, found her greatest success singing the nougat thick romantic ballad Separate Lives with Genesis’ most erstwhile band member.

Unfortunately, Martin’s follow-up hit, Night Moves, got nowhere near the recognition of the song that brought her that first taste of fame. But, it’s sinister synth action and dark, erotically charged energy make it the perfect background song for some obsessive horror flick in the making.

Martin, meanwhile, worked with Patrick Leonard and Madonna, on her second LP, which, sadly, received even less press than her first. After fading from the spotlight for a bit, this slinky chanteuse, thankfully, seems to be making music again and can be reached at www.marilyn-martin.com.

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

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Thriller Nights: Ramon Novarro

Published March 10, 2018 by biggayhorrorfan

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Heralded as one of the big screen’s most exotic lovers, Ramon Novarro’s filmic legacy has often been overshadowed by the notorious circumstances of his death. As a gay man, known to hire hustlers in his declining years, this former matinee idol met his end, violently, by a pair of brothers in 1968. His demise has since been highlighted in short stories, books and songs.

ramon mata But, significantly, Novarro’s early beauty easily matched that of his co-star Greta Garbo, sultry pose for sultry pose, in the fun 1931 spy drama Mata Hari. Later in his performing life, he gave eagle eyed horror buffs a boost with a featured role in the beloved Boris Karloff hosted anthology show Thriller.

In the 1962 second season episode La Strega, Novarro appeared opposite the stunning Ursula Andress as Maestro Giuliano, the mentor to a besotted painter, played by the swarthy Alejandro Rey (Satan’s Triangle, The Swarm, Terror Vision). Working with authority and concern, Novarro supplies the proceedings with a compassionate figure here who believes that Rey’s involvement with Andress could end in tragedy, as her aunt is a powerful witch. Ramon 2

This doesn’t mean Giuliano isn’t up to a little adventure. He accompanies the entwined duo to a black mass which, kudos to the art direction of Howard E. Johnson and the cinematography of Benjamin H. Kline, contains some of the episode’s most fiery and striking visuals. Unfortunately, Guliano finds himself on the receiving end of the sorceress’ revenge here, making Novarro’s appearance an important yet all too brief one. Although, proving the adage that a woman scorned is a dangerous thing, everything does not go well for the characters portrayed by Andress and Rey either.

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Nicely, besides highlighting Novarro’s subtle talents as a performer, this tale is directed with gothic sweep by Ida Lupino. One of the few working female directors in the ‘50s and ‘60s, Lupino is known for guiding taut noir pictures like The Hitch-Hiker and, perhaps less elegantly, for her acting work in such gonzo genre projects as Devil’s Rain and Food of the Gods.

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

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Music to Make Horror Movies By: Yvonne DeCarlo

Published March 4, 2018 by biggayhorrorfan

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Her beauty brought Howard Duff to his knees in 1947’s Brute Force, but Yvonne De Carlo is probably best known to the latch key generation as the gloriously fun Lily Munster. Besides The Munsters, fans of freewheeling horror fare are most likely familiar with her dedicated performances in such late night cable favorites as Cellar Dweller, Play Dead, American Gothic, Satan’s Cheerleaders and Silent Scream.

Her multiple talents extended far beyond genre territory, though. An acclaimed singer, she won praise for her performance in Stephen Sondheim’s Follies in the ‘80s. As the clip below reveals, she was also a vibrant guest on television talk shows and variety specials, as well.

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

yvonne horror

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Shark Bait Retro Village: The Cover Girl Murders

Published March 3, 2018 by biggayhorrorfan

CGM Jennifer Knife

Iconic supermodel Beverly Johnson doing her best imitation of Lana Turner’s The Bad and the Beautiful breakdown in a motor vehicle… Jennifer O’Neill brandishing a knife against Lee Major’s whiskered throat…Adrian Paul exploding in a fiery crescendo… The 1993 USA Network made for television thriller The Cover Girl Murders offers up all of this and so much more.

CGM Bev Crazed Here a series of down on their luck models join Major’s Rex Kingman, a sleazy publishing patriarch, and O’Neill’s secretive Kate, his efficient and concerned editor, on a remote and tropical photo shoot from hell. Kingman manipulates each of the beauties into awkward scenarios, often pitting them against each other…and their own best interests. But is he the one responsible for their mysterious and violent deaths?

Functioning as a bit of Ten Little Indians mystery with a dash of April Fool’s Day, the lovelies expire via poisoned water, suspicious suicide, a gunshot wound and questionable equipment errors. Fairly bloodless in application, director James A. Conter (Buffy, the Vampire Slayer, Shark Swarm) does keep this enterprise jaunting along at a frisky pace and he is aided by the soap operatic elements that highlight the script. Nicely, the teleplay is written by none other than The Fall Guy’s Douglas Barr, known to the terror troops for his appearances in such quirky horror offerings as Deadly Blessing and The Unseen. CGM Crowd

Of course, the cast has plenty of genre credits, as well, adding to the viewing fun. O’Neill graced such projects as Scanners and The Psychic while Majors, who recently added comic flair to the second season of Ash Vs. The Evil Dead, started off his career in the uncredited role of Joan Crawford’s philandering husband in William Castle’s Strait-Jacket.

Besides Johnson, the bathing beauties are represented by Showgirls’ Bobbie Phillips (Evil Breed, Carnival of Souls) and Weird Science’s Vanessa Angel (Sabretooth, Puppet Master Vs. Demonic Toys). Naturally, Angel, playing O’Neill’s jealously vengeful younger sister, gets the best lines. Even more enjoyable, perhaps, the fact that her accent is decidedly British and O’Neill’s is not is deliciously ignored here.

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

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Music to Make Horror Movies By: Carol Lawrence

Published February 25, 2018 by biggayhorrorfan

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Best known for her career defining performance as Maria in the original Broadway production of West Side Story, the exquisite Carol Lawrence also cavorted, gracefully, across television screens on such shows as Murder, She Wrote, Hawaii Five-O and General Hospital.

As other urbane divas before her, Lawrence showed her horror roots by flirting with danger in the 1978 made for TV film Summer of Fear (AKA Stranger in Our House). Directed by the legendary maestro of terror, Wes Craven, here Lawrence found herself being threatened by the supernaturally enhanced Lee Purcell. Nicely, this beloved cult piece that offered Linda Blair a place to hone her act as a feisty damsel in distress, has recently been given a deluxe Blu-ray release by Music Box Films.

That is reason to celebrate, as Lawrence did in 1965, that some people do understand our needs as horror fans…and that they most certainly “got rhythm”!

www.carollawrence.com

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

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Review: Printsploitation 3

Published February 24, 2018 by biggayhorrorfan

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If one needs evidence of the diversity of the horror fan, they have to look no further than the latest issue of Printsploitation magazine. A combination of a comic book, fine art publication and a more traditional genre magazine, this brain child of artist Scott Miller, features drawings from a number of influential indie genre artists devoted to various decades of terror cinema.

Nicely, in the third volume, the glorious black and white artwork is balanced out by a terrific article on the posters of ‘80s sexploitation flicks (and fun reviews of the films themselves) by Heavy Metal Movies author Mike “McBeardo” McPadden and a celebration of acclaimed yet obscure VHS box artist CW Taylor by Dr. Jose.

The art, itself, is an amazing display of eclectic interests and themes. From Don England’s take on Peter Cushing to Putrid’s detailed reimagining of the (much maligned) 1979 monster film Prophecy, this volume has surprises on every page. Favorites here include Corrine Halbert’s darkly innocent take on Michael from the epically trashy Euro horror Burial Ground and the beautiful rendered power profiles of such icons as Susan Tyrell, Debbie Rochon and William Girdler by Klon J. Waldrip.

Capped off by Halbert’s hypnotically quirky take on 1962 indie masterpiece Carnival of Souls on the cover, this beautiful tribute is a must have in the collection of any serious fan of the scare scene.

Printsploitation Issue No. 3 is available for purchase from

www.corinnehalbert.com and

http://printsploitation.bigcartel.com/.

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

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Music to Make Horror Movies By: Sue Saad and The Next

Published February 18, 2018 by biggayhorrorfan

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Kim Carnes may have included the track on her 1982 Voyeur LP, but the underrepresented Sue Saad actually sang the theme to the 1981 science fiction thriller Looker on the film’s soundtrack. Along with her band The Next, Saad received a lot of critical acclaim. Unfortunately, the praise didn’t result in album sales. Thus, the band’s self-titled 1980 release was their last to receive major distribution.

The track Young Girl moves from edgy pop to a more Jamaican rhythm, strong proof of the band’s eclectic nature.

Two of Saad’s band mates, James Lance and Tony Riparetti, meanwhile went on to work, extensively, with cult film director Albert Pyun.

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

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Failing Grace Trailer

Published February 16, 2018 by biggayhorrorfan

failing grace

The official trailer for Concept Media’s upcoming thriller Failing Grace has been released. Rumored to be inspired by director-writer Ryan Stacy’s first year of sobriety, this intense peek into the film has a compelling, queer friendly vibe and makes one intrigued for more information about this soon to be released project.

https://www.facebook.com/failgrace/

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

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Horror Hotel: Valentine’s Day Edition

Published February 15, 2018 by biggayhorrorfan

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Love is slicing through the air today. Of course, romance was always in style for such classic Aaron Spelling shows as Fantasy Island and The Love Boat. These productions featured television names of the era and many faded silver screen legends making their way through a variety of romantic trials and tribulations. Hotel, another of the legendary producer’s creations, took these elements to a more dramatic height, focusing on such issues as rape, mental imbalance, racism, child abuse and (even) homosexuality.

N hotel 4 aturally, many performers known for their work in horror films, made their way down the glitzy corridors of Hotel, offering many sensory delights for true fans of terror. Significantly, the amazing Adrienne Barbeau tears through Tomorrows, the 14^th episode of the show’s first season. In full on Billie-mode, she rips up the scenery as a well-to-do mother caught in the thrall of her drug dealer. There is nothing quite like the sight of Barbeau slamming cocaine in her arm or watching the snarly way she takes down her man once she realizes her son is in danger. Sadly, her son is played by the handsome and talented Timothy Patrick Murphy. Murphy, best known for his roles on soaps like Search for Tomorrow and Dallas, who died at the age of 29 due to complications from AIDS. hotel 5

Interestingly, the premiere season also featured an episode entitled Faith, Hope and Charity that concentrated on a lesbian playwright with the astonishingly hip name of Zane Elliott, sensitively played by Carol Lynley (Bunny Lake is Missing, The Night Stalker, Dark Tower). Coming out to her college friend, portrayed by the crisp and classy Barbara Parkins (The Mephisto Waltz, A Taste of Evil, Circle of Fear) proves to almost be disastrous for their relationship. Horrified by the revelation and even questioning her own sexuality, Parkins’ Eileen Weston enters into a loveless one night stand. Of course, the two friends eventually reclaim their compassionate equilibrium, but not before Lynley gets a little (femme) action herself. (Her character, unapologetically, winds up sleeping with one of the establishment’s pert fitness instructors). Thankfully, these issues of prejudice and misunderstanding are actually addressed with an even handedness unusual for the early ‘80s (when the show was filmed) here. Nicely, the same episode features a jaunty turn from soap actress DeAnna Robbins. Robbins, best known to slasher fans for playing the seductive Lisa in 1981’s Final Exam, nicely puts the screws here to co-star Scott Baio – a fate the notorious, scandal plagued Republican probably deserves in real life – as a rich kleptomaniac with daddy issues.

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

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