Today's Movies

Recent Horror Comedy Movie Night

To escape the rash of low budget 70s and 80s movies we've been watching lately we're going to view these recent movies that have a clear picture, people you recognize and no subtitles in a foreign language.

With plot keywords like "group of friends", "mistaken for gay" "eavesdropping", "misunderstanding" and "body in chipper" you may get the idea that Tucker and Dale vs Evil is like Three's Company. Remember when Helen pushed Stanley in that woodchipper?



Well, you're right. It's pretty much Three's Company except with more T and A. Which is saying something since Three's Company is one of the quintessential "jiggle television" shows:

Jiggle television or "kid porn" were terms coined by NBC executive Paul Klein to criticize American Broadcasting Company's television production and marketing strategy under Fred Silverman.

 Yeah, let's stick with jiggle television Paul Klein.

John Dies at the End is directed by Don Coscarelli, who made BMN movies Phantasm II and The Beastmaster. I went on a Coscarelli-bender recently and discovered, somewhat surprisingly given all the horror movies, that he made the charming slice-of-life movie Kenny & Company



where no one loses a body part. It's my pick of the week! Except these two other movies.

Here's what happened last week:

Today's Movies

Worm Movie Night

It's the grossest Bad Movie Night theme since Killer Invertebrate Night with Slugs. Or maybe Amorphous Blob Night with The Blob. Hmm, just adding slime and a little formlessness seems the key to being gross.

Speaking of Slugs, there was a poster for Squirm in that movie. Maybe that's Juan Piquer Simón's nod to Squirm director Jeff Lieberman. He deserves it. He made the genuinely great Just Before Dawn and the genuinely bizarre Blue Sunshine. "There's a bald maniac in there, and he's going bat shit!.



The star of Squirm just directed The Incredible Burt Wonderstone, fulfilling the law in Hollywood that magic movies have to come out in pairs.



I don't know anything about Runaway Nightmare. The Internet doesn't seem to know anything about Runaway Nightmare. I don't even know where I first came across Runaway Nightmare. Maybe I've always owned Runaway Nightmare. I hope Runaway Nightmare actually exists. Maybe Runaway Nightmare is one of those tapes you watch and then die some time later. If it is, sorry I showed it to you. That's my fault.

Here's what happened last week:

Today's Movies

Jaws Movie Night

I try not to make the movies too similar. Sure there's always a theme. It can even be as narrow as Supernatural High School Sex Comedy Movie Night but even then you got one ghost horror movie and one telekinesis Scott Baio vehicle. With these two movies, hoo boy, we may be in for the same movie twice.

Because both these movies by Italian directors are trying to be Jaws. The Last Shark is directed by Enzo G. Castellari. You might remember him from such movies as 1990: The Bronx Warriors and Light Blast. His shark movie follows the plot to Jaws pretty closely although I can't imagine Jaws including the plot description, "Fearing that a canceled wind-surfing regatta would derail his gubernatorial campaign...". I'm saddened that American politics is so fueled by wind-surfing regattas.



Cruel Jaws is by Bruno Mattei. You might remember him from such movies as Hell of The Living Dead, Rats: Night of Terror, Strike Commando 1 and 2 and Zombi 3. Some of my favorites are on that list, I don't think I've given Bruno Mattei enough credit. Not only does Cruel Jaws follow Jaws closely but it borrows from its imitation, The Last Shark as well. Believe it or not this one also has a wind-surfing regatta!



Here's what happened last week:

Fourth of July Movie Night

Don't think that me putting these movies together is some reference to the time-honored tradition of kids blowing up frogs with firecrackers. It's just a coincidence.



Unless that's what Frogs is playing off of. They did choose to set the movie on Independence Day. But that seems to be a popular time for eco-horror movies. Jaws and The Bay take place then. And in Born on the Fourth of July Tom Cruise holds dominion over insects.



Firecracker is from Cirio Santiago. I've seen A LOT of his movies but none have made it to Bad Movie Night. If that means I'm underrating him or he's just not very good remains to be seen. Firecracker is a more well-known movie of his so it will be a good test. His most famous movie might be T.N.T. Jackson (written by Dick Miller!). So, martial arts movies fronted by women named after explosives. The man had a wheelhouse.

Here's what happened last week: