Halloween 2021: September 26th

Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter (1984)

There's debate over whose idea it was to kill off Jason. Some speculate that Paramount was increasingly embarrassed by the continued success of the “Friday the 13th” series and wanted to wash their hands of it. Frank Mancuso Jr. claims it was his idea, as he was tired of getting no respect for his work on the franchise. Yet other sources simply conclude that Paramount was aware of the slasher genre's waning popularity by 1984. I personally believe that the producers figured part three's 3-D gimmick would be hard to top so another gimmick – the death of the central villain – would be needed to bring in audiences. Whoever made the decision, the fourth “Friday the 13th” would make its intentions clear, from the subtitle on down. Jason Voorhees was finally going to die, for realsies-no-take-backsies this time. Part four was intended to be the last entry in the franchise. That was the intention anyway.

Joseph Zito, previously of excellent indie slasher “The Prowler,” directs while Barney Cohen, who would go on to co-create “Forever Knight,” provides the script. In some ways, you can see they weren't too concerned about specifics here. The fourth “Friday the 13th” has the vaguest plot yet. Jason shrugs off an axe wound to the head and wanders back to Crystal Lake, in the span of a day. (Which means this entry is actually set around Sunday the 15th, which is not as catchy a title.) He finds his way to the Jarvis family cabin, who live near Crystal Lake, and the pack of horny teens who have rented the home next door. I guess news travels slow in 1980s New Jersey, as these kids don't seem aware of the two separate massacres that just happened a little further up the lake. But I feel worst for Mrs. Jarvis and her kids, who apparently live in this hot bed of death.

If the premise had little thought put into it, Zito and Cohen deserve points for adding depth to some of the characters. A random backpacker named Rob seems, at first, to be nothing but a love interest for final girl Trish. That's before we learn Rob is actually looking to avenge the murder of his sister. (Who was apparently Sandra, one half of the impaled humpers in Part II.) That adds a little more intrigue to your standard slasher plot. The film also introduces a final boy, in the form of Trish's precocious little brother Tommy. Tommy is a monster kid who makes detailed masks and special effects in his bedroom. Tommy is obviously something of a stand-in for the enthusiastic horror fans in the audience. This is why his ingenuity and immediate grasping of the series lore makes him the hero. Yet he suffers a great deal of trauma for his heroism and the film ends by making us wonder if Tommy's sanity will be another causality of Jason's rampage, to surprisingly chilling effect.

This is still a “Friday the 13th” sequel, so most of the cast is completely indistinct. I often loose track of which pretty brunette is Samantha, the one who can't stop banging her boyfriend, and which one is Sara, the one who desperately wants a boy to bang her. Perhaps you can owe my face blindness to a pair of literal twins, who might as well be identical in personalities as well as looks, being in the movie. Most of the guys are equally generic Jason fodder... With a few exceptions. Meet Jimbo and Teddy. Ted often teases Jim for his lack of skills in the bedroom, in the most obnoxious way imaginable. You actually root for Jim's exceedingly awkward attempts to get laid. When he's successful, and can throw it in Ted's face, you kind of cheer for the guy. Or maybe it's just because Jimmy is played by the legendary Crispin Glover, whose spasmodic dance moves immediately went down in cult movie history. Either way, Glover's oddball energy, and the strange chemistry he shares with Lawrence Monoson as Ted, makes these guys the de-facto heroes of the movie for me. They're certainly more memorable than Kimberly Beck's Trish, among the franchise's most forgettable final girls.

Joseph Zito knew he was making an exploitation film, so he makes sure to include lots of nudity and sex. (Samantha’s decision to skinny-dip in a freezing cold lake at night seems egregious, even by this series’ logic.) Yet “The Prowler” was among the best looking films of the first wave of American slasher flicks. Zito invites back his cinematographer from that film, former porn photographer João Fernandes, insuring “The Final Chapter” looks equally as good. The night shots are frequently moody, with a blue tint. Shadows are utilized nicely, such as when Rob is seen lurking outside his tent just as Trish is snooping around. Zito also has a hilariously theatrical obsession with shattering glass. When Jason pulls a girl through a window and she lands on the roof of a car, the windshield explodes out dramatically. Later, Trish makes a similar slow-motion dive through a window, this time to her own safety. Yet this is actually a reprise of a totally random, and utterly hilarious, earlier scene devoted to the family dog doing a similar slow-mo dive through a window. I'm glad the dog had the good sense to get the hell out of there as early as possible.

Eighties slasher killers, and Jason specifically, are frequently seen as the avatars of Reagan-era reactionism. That they are punishing horny teens for transgressing against traditional American morality. But if this is the case, why does Jason skewer a random banana-munching hitchhiker? All she did was say a bad word. Why does he spend the last third of the movie trying to kill Tommy, a literal child? His only sin was spying on some teenage hanky-panky. Surely, these crimes wouldn't be on Jason's radar. Is he better compared to a very creative bear, a force of nature, who murders anyone who wanders into his territory? Is Jason symbolic of the random chaos of the universe, that ends lives for no reason at all? The more of these movies I re-watch, the more I realize youth being cut short senselessly is the real motivating factor behind them. 

Whatever his reasons, "The Final Chapter” respects Jason as a mythic figure. Veteran stuntman Ted White plays Jason as exceptionally pissed-off. The hockey-masked one doesn’t stumble around nearly as much as in previous entries. Instead, a palatable fury is visible in his movements, as he busts through doors and windows. He’s never been this intimidating before and it creates a real tension in the last act. Trish smashes a TV over his head and slams a claw hammer into his neck but he simply refuses to stop. At least until Tommy enters in his Kid Jason cosplay, reminding the murderer that he was once youthful too. This gives him pause. If Barry Cohen's original ending – where Jason fondles Trish's breasts as he dies – had been maintained, it would have added even more poignancy to the brute's death. As if he had a dying revelation that he really isn't all that different from his victims after all. 

Matching Jason's rage are Tom Savini's gore effects, which are truly among his nastiest work. Bone-sawing a horny coroner's throat is not enough, as Jason has to ratchet his head around afterwards. Slamming a meat clever into Crispin Glover's face does not satisfy Jason's sadism. So he violently mocks the kid first, by driving the corkscrew he was looking for through his hand. Zico's sharp direction and editing combine with Savini's effect to even make a head-crushing appear utterly brutal. Even a simple axe through a door gag or a butcher knife in the head are spruced up, with an air cannon effect behind the splintering door or blood splattering on the white projector screen behind Teddy's head. But the real showstopper is Jason's death. The hideously deformed killer has never been more sympathetic than when doing the machete brain-pan slide. His tongue wiggles out of his mouth, his eyes bulge out, he grunts in agony. In death, Jason is as scared and innocent as any of the teenage meat he so effortlessly cleaves through. 

In other words, "The Final Chapter" has it all: One or two endearing characters, a bit of weird humor, some grim tension, grisly gore effects, a frightening but interesting Jason, decent photography, and more than enough T&A to satisfy. This is why the film has reminded a fan favorite among "Friday" heads. I vacillate on whether this one or the campy thrills of parts three and six are my preferred flavor of "Friday the 13th." But there's no doubt that "The Final Chapter" cuts to the bone. [8/10]

Diary of a Madman (1963)

Two Halloweens ago, I reviewed A.I.P.'s beloved cycle of Edgar Allen Poe adaptations, most of which starred Vincent Price and were directed by Roger Corman. Though Corman was emulating Hammer's classic monster movies, his movies would end up begetting their own set of imitators. In 1963, the same year “The Raven” and “The Haunted Palace” were released, producer Richard E. Kent and United Artists would put out two of their own Price-starring horror pictures adapted from literary sources. Six months before droll Nathanial Hawthorne omnibus “Twice-Told Tales,” U.A. put out “Diary of a Madman,” an adaptation of Guy de Maupassant's classic horror story “The Horla.” 

After the funeral of magistrate Simon Cordier, his journal is read. It tells the story of Simon, a man still traumatized by the death of his wife and son, who went to visited a convicted murderer one day. The man spoke of an invisible force that commanded him to kill. After the convict's death, Simon finds himself haunted by the same force. At first he fears he's gone mad but soon becomes convinced what he's experiencing is real. Calling itself the Horla, the unseen but corporal entity mocks Simon as he attempts to court a young woman. Soon, the Horla sets out ruining his life and eventually forcing him to kill as well. 

de Maupassant's “Horla” is a literary horror classic. It's an effective story because it plays largely on a sense of paranoia. Throughout most of the story, we are never entirely sure if the Horla is real or if the narrator has gone insane. The story also contains a hint of cosmic horror, suggesting that humanity coexists with an invisible – but superior – race that is preparing to harvest us. (This is why it was a notable influence on Lovecraft.) “Diary of a Madman” brings these heady ideas down to Earth quickly enough. The film toys briefly with the suggestion that Simon is insane and imagining everything. However, this ambiguity is quickly spoiled by the Horla talking directly with Simon, something it definitely didn't do in the story. The creature heckling and conversing with the protagonist makes “Diary of a Madman” feel like a hokier, less intense brand of horror than what existed on the page. This is maybe not surprising, considering the film was directed by Reginald Le Borg, who made a number of Universal Monster movies with Lon Chaney Jr. in the forties. 

Still, “Diary of a Madman” does have a few things in its favor. First off, you can't undersell the value of Vincent Price. This movie allows Price to play to both of his strengths. In the scenes where Simon is flirting with Odette, the young model he falls in love with, he comes off as suitably charming. The romantic subplot between these two provides the film with a lot more pathos than it otherwise would've had. Price also gets to rant and rave with the entity that is haunting him. A scene where his paranoid narration climaxes with him yelling out in frustration is classic Price. Watching this guy ham it up is never not fun.

Even if the Horla itself is kind of a dud, “Diary of a Madman” still manages to entertain in some other ways too. After the creature takes possession of Price's mind – shown with the charmingly cheesy effect of shining a green light on his eyes – he dons a fedora and cape. Scenes of Price of stalking a woman through the streets of Paris, wielding a knife and dressed like a classical villain, undeniably scratch a certain itch for me. The film also has at least one really cool idea in it. Simon is a sculptor and he meets Odette when he asks her to pose for him. The sculpture he makes of her head becomes the key image of the movie, with the Horla's invisible hands changing the smile to a scowl. Later, the same sculpture is used in a way that recalls Corman's “A Bucket of Blood.” That's such a neat image that it made all the posters.

Compared to some of the classic Price starred in throughout the sixties, “Diary of a Madman” definitely stands among his more forgettable efforts. It certainly doesn't compare flatteringly to anything from the Poe Cycle. This is probably United Artists and Richard E. Kent made only one further attempt to copy that style. For whatever it's worth, “Diary of a Madman” is a lot better than “Twice-Told Tales.” It's not as painfully long or self-serious as that one. The truth is, even a mediocre Vincent Price flick has things to recommend about it. I don't know if I'll remember much about “Diary of a Madman” in a few days – and it certainly pales in comparison to the short story that inspired it too – but it's also not worth throwing out entirely either. [6/10]

The Twilight Zone (1959): Nightmare at 20,000 Feet

Earlier this year, Richard Donner – one of the greatest directors of popcorn movies – passed away. Donner began his long career in television and his most distinctive early work is six episodes of “The Twilight Zone.” The first of which is “Nightmare at 20,000 Feet,” undoubtedly the most iconic episode of the entire series and probably one of the most iconic single episodes of American television period. You know the story but I'll recap it anyway: Robert Wilson is recovering from a nervous breakdown, seemingly triggered by his phobia of flying. He is boarding a plane for the first time since his treatment and, despite the reassurance of his wife, is exceedingly nervous. That's when, midway through the flight, he spots a strange, humanoid creature on the wing of the plane. As the gremlin tears up the engine, he tries to convince everyone else on the plane what is happening but only convinces them he's going crazy.

“Nightmare at 20,000 Feet” has been so widely referenced and parodied that it's easy to forget what an economic piece of storytelling it is. The script – from the brilliant Richard Matheson, of course, based on his own story – sets up everything we need to know about Wilson and his wife in only a few minutes. That Mrs. Wilson loves her husband but is, in no way, prepared to handle his emotional state. (She tries to sleep while her husband is obviously having a full-blown anxiety attack.) And neither is anyone else on the plane. The engineer placating Wilson's apparent fantasy is the best approach but, the minute he realizes what's happening, Wilson just feels like an asshole. As someone who's had some emotional episodes while out in public spaces, I relate a lot to this.

Donner makes the limited television budget work in the episode's favor. He emphasizes the cramped interior of the plane by mostly using close-ups, on faces, food service carts, and windows. Music is used sparingly, the natural humming sound of the airplane engines slowly building tension throughout. The shaggy, droopy-faced gremlin is, perhaps, not the most convincing of special effects. Yet even this works in the episode's favor, as the dream-like effect of the gremlin effortlessly floating on and off the plane wing fits in with the possibility that the entire incident is Wilson's paranoid fantasy. While I'm normally a fan of ambiguity, I admire “Nightmare at 20,000 Feet” for revealing at the end that the gremlin is actually real. It fits the narrative of a man who is having a normal reaction that is simply misunderstood by all those around him.

The most famous part of this episode, more famous than even its shag carpet monster, is William Shatner's lead performance. Shatner is often mocked for being hammy and I suspect much of “Nightmare at 20,000 Feet's” infamy is owed to his theatrics here. Yet Shatner's mannerisms are actually perfect for this story. He's a tightly-wound man desperately trying not to loose it. And failing. There is humor in this episode but it comes from the monster so totally fucking with Wilson, smoothly sliding out of view every time Wilson asks someone to look. Shatner's sweaty, gasping performance keeps the suspense building, as we relate to this man who is afraid he's loosing it but desperate to help. All the elements combine to make “Nightmare at 20,000 Feet” a tense, highly entertaining twenty-five minutes of television. [8/10]

Godzilla Singular Point: Enfattico

Episode six of "Godzilla Singular Point" opens with the striking visual of hordes of Rodan, followed by the mysterious red dust, invading Manhattan. This is seen largely from the perspective of a young boy, looking out the window of his skyscraper apartment. From there, the episode shows more kaiju encroaching on the world of man. Jet Jaguar, piloted by Goro, attempts to fight off the surly Anguirus. A giant harpoon to the chest momentarily stuns the creature but it takes Yun and his A.I. system, using his inexplicable genius with physics and robotics, to kill the beast. Meanwhile, the Japanese Navy is utterly powerless to stop a group of Manda from swarming into Tokyo Bay... Along with another, even more intimidating aquatic reptilian monster.

Yes, after six episodes – half of the show's season! – Godzilla has finally appeared in "Singular Point." But don't get too excited. First off, the monster only appears on-screen for a minute. Secondly, this seems to be some sort of larval form of Godzilla that more heavily resembles Titanosaurus. In fact, if it wasn't for the show playing Akita Ifukube's beloved theme music when the monster leaps into the air, you probably wouldn't know it was suppose to be Godzilla at all! 

Despite its continued irksome habit of just giving us fleeting glimpses of the monsters, "Enfattico" is a decent episode of "Singular Point." Despite its flaws, the show understands the point of the kaiju genre: The world of man being totally at the mercy of these giant monsters. Aside from that opening, we have Angurius knocking Jet Jaguar's head off, JSDF machine guns harmlessly bouncing off the monster's spines, and the aquatic monsters just swimming pass several battle ships. The best moment occurs when a local politician poses for an interview in front of Anguirus's seemingly dead body... Only for the armored dinosaur to reawaken right behind the cluelessly prattling man. If Anguirus then stomped the guy or ate him, that moment would've been even better.

"Singular Point" being the show it is, there's plenty of technobabble. Mei uncovers the notes of Professor Aisihara, which seem incomprehensible at first. With the help from a reporter, who points out quotes from William Blake and Walt Whitman in the notes, Mei realizes that Aisihara proved that the Archetype molecule can bend space/time's symmetry. I feel like the show could've gotten to this point a lot faster and with a lot less science jargon. Did we need six episodes to get to the reveal that there's a magic molecule that fucks with the space/time continuum? This stands alongside more minor characters, including that overly poetic journalist, discussing more theories and backstory. It's tiresome. It's also beginning to bug me that Yun and Mei are so uniquely brilliant that they can science out most of the story's problems by themselves. They are beginning to feel less like people and more like plot devices. But at least there's some cool kaiju action in this episode, so I'll give it a [6/10].

CON REPORT: Monster-Mania 47

I was definitely a little reluctant to return to Monster-Mania this year, when a pandemic is still on-going. This was clearly not a concern for everyone else, as Monster-Mania 47 is probably the busiest I've ever seen this convention. The hallways were so crowded at times on Saturday afternoon, I could barely move. I guess people were eager to get back to the convention scene after over a year away. I'd say more people than not were masked today but there were a number of exposed faces. (Especially Friday night.)  Yet I'm still going to agonize about breakthrough cases for a few weeks. That's just my neurotic personality.

This was far from the only weirdness this weekend. I won't go into too much specifics but check-in Friday was a fiasco. There were some issues with JD and I's rooms. I don't know if this is all because of COVID regulations but it seems to me that the quality of the hotel services have declined some since it went from being the Hunt Valley Inn to a Delta Merriot. 

Not to mention, Friday afternoon while still loitering around the hotel while they got our rooms ready, we witnessed an old man fall to the concrete, splitting a huge gash on his forehead. Me and several other people did what we could to tend to this clearly disoriented fellow, before some hotel employees arrived. Definitely unexpected to see so much blood before the horror convention actually started! In-between the frustration with checking-in and seeing someone injury themselves so seriously, I pretty much remember nothing between that and standing in line for Joe Bob Briggs.

Anyway, despite all that, Monster-Mania 47 itself was a great convention. The first guest I actually saw was Alex Winter. I just had to tell him how much I love "Freaked" and "Death Wish 3." How "Bill and Ted" was one of the films JD and I bonded over when we first met, way back in the seventh grade. I also asked about what happened to the remake of "The Gate" he was attached to direct ten years ago or so. He said it fell apart for the reasons these things usually do: Money. Alex definitely seemed pretty chill.

Joe Bob Briggs and Darcy the Mail  Girl happened to arrive at their table just a few minutes later, so we immediately got in line. JBB is clearly someone who takes his time with each person at his table, which I definitely respect. When I got to the table, I asked him – as the drive-in movie expert – his recommendations for the best exploitation movie made or set in my home state of West Virginia. He first mentioned Mothman before Darcy brought up the "Wrong Turn" series, which she apparently loves. (I had to tell her that it really does make my day when she gives me a retweet or fave during the Last Drive-In live-tweets, which she said was "sweet.") Joe Bob then mentioned "The Barn," which is apparently made by a filmmaker stationed out of Wheeling. Coincidentally, this filmmaker also had a table here at Monster-Mania, selling his own films! Anyway, it was a really nice interaction. Clearly, these two value the experience of meeting fans a lot.

The last signature I sprung for Friday night was Richard Dreyfuss. At first, I wasn't sure if I was going to make that purchase, as his asking price was a bit expensive but I decided to go through with it. "Jaws" is a pretty big movie for me, after all. And since I figured most of the questions he'd get this weekend we're about "Jaws" or "Close Encounters," I asked him about his method behind playing Dick Cheney in "W." Dreyfuss explained that all he really had to do to get into character was scowl. His handler then recommended a film where he played Bernie Madoff, which does sound pretty interesting. Anyway, I can now say I had a conversation with an Oscar winner.

As always, the dealers room at Monster-Mania is a big attraction. This year had a pretty interesting selection, a mixture of the DVDs, toys, and shirts you expect but also some quirkier stuff. Here's just the rundown of the coolest shit I got this weekend:

From the good folks at Vinegar Syndrome, I picked up the Blu-Rays of "Silent Madness" and "WNUF Halloween Special." (The latter of which had a bad-ass, VHS box style slipcase.) I then mossied over to the Severin table and got the new 4K box set of "Santa Sangre." Finally, I had to make my yearly visit to the VHSPS booth. I purchased "Meet the Applegates," which may be the subject of an upcoming Director Report Card essay.

On the toy front, I picked up the Morlock and Crate Monster figures from the Amok Time booth. I also grabbed a loose Dr. Caligari Silent Screamers figure, which is one I've been looking for a couple of years now.

One of my favorite purchases I've ever made at Monster-Mania is a pennant depicting David Bowie's different personas as Halloween costumes. The good people at Big Purple Glasses/M. Lineham returned this year. I picked up a shirt depicting Bowie's Halloween Jack persona leaping from a Jack-o'-lantern, in the same style as the aforementioned banner. I also got a second banner devoted to the McBoo trick-or-treat pails, as well as a Kate Bush Christmas ornament, part of their series of New Wave themed ornaments. If you ever happen to see these guys at a con, say hi. Their stuff is great. (I also picked up a Last Drive-In shirt while in line for Joe Bob as well as a shirt featuring "The Burning's" Cropsey.) 

I also picked up some quirkier stuff this year. Itzy Bitzy's sells candles inspired by movies. I'm not normally a candle guy but I'm impressed by the creativity involved in assigning a scent to a character or film. I had to grab a "Pulp Fiction" candle with an I intoxicating espresso scent, obviously inspired by the "serious gourmet shit" scene.

We saw Trick or Treat Studios' Universal Monsters cardboard Halloween decorations, inspired by the old Beistle cut-outs, at multiple booths. I just couldn't resist those. I also found an old cardboard standee from the '90s Universal Monsters Pepsi/Doritos advertising campaign. As I'm obsessed with that particular string of advertising, I had to grab that

Lastly, there's two booths I always have to stop at. First, there's the artwork of Cine Tredici. I just love talking with this guy, because he has artwork inspired by movies you never see merchandise for, even at conventions like this. I bought prints based on "Four Flies on Grey Velvet," "Carnival of Souls," and "A Bucket of Blood." But I could've gotten a dozen different ones. I pointed out paintings inspired by "Wake in Fright" and "Garth Marenghi's Darkplace," and I was apparently the first person to recognize them. We ended up talking about Mario Bava, Brian DePalma, Hammer horror, spaghetti westerns, Barbara Steel and other stuff. He's really cool, check out his stuff

And then there's the movie poster guy. I don't know his name and he doesn't have business cards or an eBay store or anything. I just know he used to own a movie theater and has forty years of posters and memorabilia to move. I always come home with multiple posters from this guy, because he prices to sell. (As opposed to "priced to carry around for fifty years," as he puts it.) He didn't have his giant box of folded poster this year but I still snagged some beauties. Such as original one-sheets for "Near Dark," "Last Action Hero," "Don't Answer the Phone," and the infamous "Slam Evil!" poster for "The Phantom," which I got for free because it had some water damage on it. What a stand-up guy.

Because the convention was so ridiculously packed on Saturday, we did a little less shopping and more looking around. However, we did drop in briefly to snag a signature from Christopher Lloyd. Unfortunately, Lloyd is one of those guests that doesn't personalize his glossies and doesn't say much to you. I guess because his agent or whoever wants you to spring for the professional photo ops. Which I refuse to do as a matter of principal. So JD and I paid way too much just to have Mr. Lloyd sign some glossies nod at us. Granted, we caught him after the line died down, literally right before he left for the day. So maybe he was just tired. But it was disappointing nevertheless.

The second half of Saturday was largely devoted to panels. I knew we had to see the Joe Bob Briggs panel, because he's obviously a guy with some stories. And he was, as the prestigious Mr. John Bloom only needs limited prompting to deliver anecdotes from his years of experience. He talked about weekly spaghetti dinners were exploitation directors like Larry Cohen would meet with stars like Fred Williamson or Henry Silva. He talked about how he actually knew Bill Mosely before his cameo in "Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2," as both used to write for Andy Warhol's Interview magazine. He mentioned, during his MonsterVision days, meeting Ted Turner... Who apparently has hearing loss and shouts a lot. It was an enlightening, entertaining and highly informative hour

JD and I got a seat during the Adrienne King/Amy Steel to prepare for the Robert Englund panel. But we still got the tail end of some touching anecdotes about Betsy Palmer. But the best part was, following an answer to a fan questions, JD:s ringtone – an obnoxious sad trombone sound that I'm always telling him to get rid of – went off. And everybody in the room, including King and Steel, heard it. The chorus of laughter followed and it was amazing. This, somehow, will convince JD to keep the ringtone, I'm betting

So anyway, Robert Englund, Ronee Blakeney and Brooke Bundy showed up shortly after that. He shared some great stories about smoking pot with Scott Wilson on Jan-Michael Vincent’s ranch. Or, during a dinner party while they were making “Nightmare Café,” seeing Wes Craven crack up at the “Headwound Harry” SNL sketch. As I’ve observed in past conventions, Englund often encourages his co-stars to answer questions. Probably because he realizes that he could happily dominate these panels and fans wouldn’t care. Yet it definitely felt, to me anyway, that the last Englund panel I attended several years back had a much more upbeat, funny energy to it. Maybe I was just tired. Also, I had an amazing question about the time Englund appeared as Freddy on a Japanese variety show and the moderator never called on me. 

Of course, JD and I also ate at the Iron Rooster and got Spartacus Pizza, which are traditions of their own by this point. I’m still nervous about doing this kind of shit, especially when rooms can be as crowded as they were today. Hopefully I don’t catch the Delta Variant or some shit in two weeks! And the trouble with the hotel aside, I still managed to have a pretty great time. It definitely feels good to be doing this shit again. Hopefully by the next Monster-Mania, things will be a little closer to normal.

Halloween 2021: September 24th

Friday the 13th Part III (1982)

After the box office success of “Friday the 13th Part 2” – 21 million dollars against a 1 million dollar budget – it was decided that the franchise must continue. Initial ideas revolved around Amy Steel's Ginny returning, recovering from her trauma in a mental hospital when the killing starts again. This was abandoned quickly enough, as Steel couldn't return and producers were afraid of shaking up the formula anyway. Something the producers were adamant about was that “Friday the 13th Part III” would be filmed in 3-D. “Comin' at Ya!,” a low-budget spaghetti western riff from the previous year, had made surprising amounts of money on the back of its 3-D gimmick. Someone at Paramount realized the same gimmick would work great for “Friday the 13th” and they were right. “Part 3-D” would be the most successful entry in the series from its original eighties run. 

The visual gimmick was important to distinguish the third film in other ways too, as the plot was essentially unchanged from the previous two: Bunch of horny teens go into the woods around Crystal Lake – this time at a private farm retreat called Higgins' Haven – and get killed by Jason. (Though, since the sequel is set the day after the previous film's events, it technically takes place on Saturday the 14th.) Yet the decision to shoot “Friday the 13th Part III” in 3-D really does change the tone of the film. By constantly finding excuses to push shit into the camera, the movie quickly moves towards full-blown camp. It's hard to take the slaughter too seriously when a wooden pole, a yo-yo, a wallet, steel chains, a rubber snake, and even a joint are extended out to the audience. All of that is before the killing really starts. By mixing gore effects and 3-D effects, “Friday the 13th” went from trying to scare us with its violence to trying to entertain us with it. How else are we suppose to react to Jason shooting a spear gun at us, sending an eye sailing over our heads, and bisecting a hand-standing dude than with cheers or laughter? The movie is well aware of this tonal shift as well, as it begins with a ridiculous(ly catchy) disco remix of Henry Manfredini's theme music.

The franchise bending towards campiness is also evident in part three's batch of Jason fodder. The first new character we meet in the movie is a slovenly shop owner who shares his food with a rabbit. A cartoonish biker gang, who have names like “Loco” and “Fox,” weaves in and out of the story. There's also a pair of hippy-ish stoners. My favorite cast member is Shelly, played by future entertainment lawyer Larry Zerner. Shelly is basically the required prankster character, as he tests a number of gruesome gags on his unsuspecting friends. Yet Shelly's pranks are born out of extreme social awkwardness, as he knows no other way to break the ice with people. He also references his loneliness and self-loathing a few times which makes Shelly too pathetic not to sympathize with. Even the less distinct characters – like the sexually active Debbie or Shelly's crush Vera – are a little more colorful than the horn-dogs in part two.

Being the kind of stories they are, the last two “Friday the 13th” movies haven't really had time to explore its characters' back stories. Even if Alice and Ginny were our heroines, we still know nothing about their lives outside these events. Chris, part three's survivor girl, has a history though. She's returning to Higgin's Haven for the first time in several years, following a traumatic experience where she went into the woods and was attacked by Jason. It seems to be implied – and the screenwriters would confirm it in “Crystal Lake Memories” – that this attack was sexual in nature. Whether you believe this is in character for Jason Voorhees is another question. (There's certainly nothing in the rest of the series to imply he has a sex drive.) What this does do is give Chris an honest-to-God character arc. By confronting Jason again, she's confronting the trauma of that memory and overcoming it. 

Jason himself undergoes a transformation in “Part III” as well. The scrawny bumbler in overalls with a bag on his head is gone. Now, Jason wears a lumberjack shirt and work pants. Beefy, 6'3 British stuntman Richard Brooker steps into the role. Most importantly, he dons his hockey mask after hiding his deformed faces partially in shadows for half the movie. That immediately iconic image – so iconic it became synonymous with the entire horror genre – changed Jason from just another generic slasher to the slasher. Now that he had the look of an oversized icon, Jason also gained over-the-top abilities. He cuts bodies in two with a single slash of his machete, has deadly accurate aim despite his fucked-up eye, and shoves a red hot fire poker through someone's abdomen with ease. It's hard to imagine baghead Jason squeezing someone's head so hard their eyeball shoots out. Once again, this fits “Part III's” theatrical atmosphere of goofy, gory thrills.

Somehow, “Friday the 13th Part III” fuses the camp obvious in its silly characters and ridiculous kill scenes with the seriousness of a young woman confronting her (ambiguous) sexual assaulter. The last act of “Part III,” when its just Jason and Chris, keeps escalating the tension. Jason chases her through the house, tearing it apart in the process. She jumps into a van, which gets stuck on a rickety bridge. Then she sees it's out of gas, before slamming on the reserve button. The final fight in the farm has her utilizing a rope and a pulley as a weapon against him. (The script makes sure to set all this shit up in the first half too.) When Chris gets the drop on Jason, it makes her seem resourceful, instead of making Jason look like a dumb-ass. It all builds up towards a surprisingly creepy nightmare jump scare at the end. A lot of this is because Steve Miner, back in the director's chair after part two, knows his shit. He manages to generate a sort of eeriness out of images like Jason lurking behind billowing laundry, peering out a window, or the stillness of Crystal Lake after a night of mayhem. 

By the way, I manage to get this much enjoyment out of “Friday the 13th Part III's” campy bullshit without getting the full effect from its 3-D. Even though that version is widely available on Blu-Ray now, I don't own a 3-D TV. So I've only ever seen “Part 3-D” flat and it still really works for me. This mixture of creatively gory special effects, campy characters, a script that's sturdier than it gets credit for, and just enough actual tension and spookiness is everything I ask for from my slasher flicks. “Friday the 13th Part III” would change the series from a pair of simple exploitation flicks into a Hollywood franchise – this was the first entry shot in California, by the way – and I think that was for the best. Watch it and see Jason Voorhees enter horror history forever. [8/10]

Corruption (1968)

Throughout his career, Peter Cushing would appear in over a hundred films and television shows. While he showed up in many different types of films over his life, he's naturally most beloved for his horror movies. No matter how lurid the material might be, Cushing always brought a level of gentility to his horror pictures... Except, seemingly, for once. One of the few films of his that Cushing expressed actual disdain for was “Corruption.” The modern day set film was considered grislier and more exploitative than the classier, period-set monster movies Cushing made for Hammer and its rival studios. Or, at least, that was the perception in 1968. How does “Corruption” hold up in 2021?

Sir John Rowan is an intentionally known surgeon, beloved by his patients and respected by his colleagues. He's also engaged to Lynn, a beautiful model and significantly younger woman. At a party at a swinging London pad, a former photographer friend of Lynn tries to take nude photographs of her. John intervenes, gets into a fight with a man, and knocks over a hot lamp... Directly onto Lynn's face, who is left badly scarred. His wife-to-be left suicidal, John tests his theory transplanting a new pituitary gland into her brain can speed up the healing process. The results are successful but only temporarily, as Lynn's face reverts to its deformed state after a few weeks. This forces Sir John to seek out fresher pituitary glands from living victims.

“Corruption's” lurid advertising campaign clarified that it was not “a woman's picture.” This did little to dissuade the film's image as blatantly sexist trash. Also not helping this perception: The film's bloodshed being motivated primarily by Lynn's vanity and ego, as she urges her husband-to-be to brutally kill like a modern day Lady MacBeth. This means John's victims are almost entirely women. This includes a prostitute – who is topless in alternate, international cuts of the movie – and a comely hippy hitchhiker that's picked up, whose death scene is proceeded by numerous upskirt shots. If you want to accuse “Corruption” of being a nasty work of misogyny, you wouldn't have to search deep for evidence. 

Yet, even if “Corruption” is certainly seedier than most of Peter Cushing's starring roles, the thespian still maintains his dignity. In fact, Cushing's performance goes a long way towards elevating the entire movie. He plays Sir John as a clearly sensible man who is pushed to extreme measures by circumstance. His wife's injury and her mental state weighs heavily on him. This is most notable in a scene where he angrily throws some books around his office, after Lynn's sister informs him how bad her sister's state-of-mind is. As he's driven to kill for the first time, Cushing's eyes go wide. He hears screams and Lynn's voice in his head. It's actually a fantastic bit of acting from Cushing, showing his clear reluctance to commit these horrid acts. That manic desperation only grows as the film goes on, Cushing making sure the audience picks up on that panic.

In addition to its not-very-nice treatment of women, “Corruption” was also criticized upon release for its violence. That seems surprising, considering there's really no more blood on display here than in your typical Hammer splatter-fest. John decapitates his victims but the actual act usually happens off-screen. There's some lines of blood across necks and faces but that's about it, as far as gore goes. What really distinguishes “Corruption” is the ferocity of its violence. Director Robert Hartford-Davis largely focuses on the faces of John and his victims, creating a more intense sense of intimacy during the attacks. This is most apparent during a scene set on a train or the tense stabbing on the beach. The violence may not be that explicit but you really feel the panic and pain of everyone involved. 

“Corruption” does some interesting things, for sure. Ultimately, however, it's undeniably an artifact of late sixties camp. The pivotal party scene, where Sir John is totally out-of-place among the young people in colorful clothes, is obviously a commentary on the youth-establishment divide in sixties England... But it's also pretty funny. Later, a gang of predatory hippies march into John and Lynn's cabin. They are exaggerated caricatures, one munching an apple in a gross way. The aforementioned beach chase scene is also kind of funny, as the hippy chick gingerly runs through the sand dunes in her high heels, waving her arms about in a goofy fashion.

Adding to its downbeat atmosphere, “Corruption” ends in a barrage of nihilistic violence, with a laser beam going nuts and an entire room full of people dying violently... At least before a baffling twist ending that I'm not even sure how to interpret. Considering all I've read about it, I was expecting “Corruption” to be a bit sleazier than it ultimately is. Even though it is downbeat and sexist, Peter Cushing can't help but lend some respectability to the material. There's enough skill on-display in the direction and acting to compensate for the occasional flash of camp or shaky writing. [7/10]

Creepshow: Night of the Living Late Show

For its season two finale, “Creepshow” decides to devote an entire episode to one story. In “Night of the Living Late Show,” Simon is a brilliant inventor whose wife, Renee, is starting to suspect he only married her because she's rich. His newest creation is an entirely immersive V.R. Machine that can seamlessly insert someone into any movie or TV show they want. Simon's favorite movie is the Christopher Lee/Peter Cushing classic “Horror Express.” In particular, he's obsessed with the character Countess Irina Petrovska. (Played by Silvia Tortosa in the original movie and convincing lookalike Hannah Fierman here.) He enters into the movie primarily to romance her. When his wife finds out about this, she's pretty upset.

“Night of the Living Late Show” revolves around a pretty clever EFX gimmick. That would be digitally inserting modern actors, “Forrest Gump”-style, into older footage. There's definitely some amusing novelty in seeing Justin Long interacting with Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing. However, I wish the episode focused more on exploring why people latch onto certain movies. “Horror Express” was chosen presumably because it's in the public domain. (And “Night of the Living Dead” – which is also referenced throughout, via the ugly Creep framing device and the ending – was too obvious a choice.) The original film's premise, of a body-swapping demonic sasquatch, isn't even utilized that much here. Aside from thinking the lead actress is pretty, and a brief anecdote about it being the first grown-up movie his dad took him to, no deeper reason is provided for why Simon latched onto this particular film. We also never get much insight into Simon and Renee's relationship, meaning his betrayal and the inevitable ironic revenge doesn't have much meaning. There's a cool premise inside “Night of the Living Late Show” but it doesn't do enough with it. [6/10]

Godzilla Singular Point: Theorist

The fifth episode of “Godzilla Singular Point” both does and doesn't address some of the issues I've had with the show up to this point. In the mountains, Yun, Kato, and Goro attempt to flush out the mysterious new kaiju they spotted last episode, which the media has quickly dubbed “Anguirus.” The best displays strange powers and is growing at a startling rate. Deep within the Shiva Consortium – the corporation studying the effects of the Archetype molecule and the red dust – another new beast emerges. A third new kaiju, an enormous sea serpent named Manda, also appears in Tokyo Bay. While the giant monsters start to attack, more research and science is passed around. 

“Theorist” is an episode that, on paper, sounds like its full of kaiju chaos. Anguirus kicks up some dirt in the mountains and is given a formidable superpower, in the ability to bend time around the spines of his shell. The new monster that emerges underground is an oni looking beast named Saluga, who is pretty obviously inspired by goofy Showa monster Gabara. One of my favorite moments from this episode once again focuses on how the media responses to the kaiju crisis. Manda's appearance immediately prompts people to ask whether keeping people safe by closing off the bay is more important than the economic effects such actions would have. (This, sadly, reminds me of our on-going COVID clusterfuckery.) While the CGI animation for the kaiju continues to be a questionable choice, I at least think the monsters look pretty cool here.

Sadly, “Singular Point” continues to be an almost obnoxious tease with its giant monster sequence. Saluga appears and is then promptly captured. Manda is only briefly seen. Just when it looks like Jet Jaguar and Anguirus are about to rumble, the episode ends. The reason, presumably, why the show doesn't have time to include more monster action is because it focuses so much time on impenetrable technobabble. Mei and Professor Li seem to have determined that the Archetype molecule somehow allows light to travel through time, which ties into Anguirus' own time-bending powers. This is delivered to the audience via talky conversation, scientific diagrams, and yet more screenshots of text messages. As for the subplot involving a reporter looking into the history of the Ashihara Cascade, I have no idea what the hell any of that means. Once again, “Godzilla Singular Point” remains frustratingly fixated on its convoluted mythology, while handing out just enough giant monster mayhem to keep me watching. [5/10]

Halloween 2021: September 23rd

Friday the 13th Part 2 (1981)

I suspect the executives at Paramount had few expectations for the original “Friday the 13th.” They probably figured it was a cheapie exploitation flick that they scooped up for a bargain, make back its investment in a week or two, and then be totally forgotten. Instead, the movie made 59 million in 1980 dollars, becoming the biggest horror hit of the year. Thoughts immediately turned towards a sequel and I mean immediately. The first “Friday the 13th” came out on May 9th, 1980. The sequel came out a few days shy of a year later on May 1st, 1981. While the idea of turning “Friday the 13th” into a horror anthology series, with each film telling a self-contained story, was briefly considered, it was decided early on that Jason – Mrs. Voorhess' supposedly dead son – would become the antagonist of the sequel. And horror history was made.

But that brings up a good question: How is Jason still alive? “Friday the 13th Part 2” seems to go with the theory that Jason survived his supposed drowning and has been living in the woods around Crystal Lake for thirty years. This raises far more questions than it answered, mainly why did Pamela Voorhees think her son was dead?  “Don't think about it too hard” is probably the best answer. Instead, the sequel runs with the clever idea of Jason becoming a campfire legend. His story is related literally around a fire. Later, a cop briefly spots Jason streaking across the road, like he's Bigfoot or something. That moment is mirrored later on, when we see the killer running in the woods through a window. Before then, Ginny discusses Jason's psychology while out drinking. The legend of “Camp Blood” has grown over the intervening years, with Jason being elevated to mythic status. Jason is an icon now and the sequel could seemingly look into the future and see that, making the masked murderer a legendary figure within its own story.

The iconic status of Jason is really what draws people to the “Friday the 13th” franchise, I think, It's not like the stories have much novelty. “Part 2” functions on the unlikely idea that some jerk named Paul has opened a training ground for camp counselors near the notorious Camp Crystal Lake, which seems like a bad investment. From there, the sequel more-or-less repeats the first film's structure. Characters wander off or get distracted being horny. Nobody notices the bodies are piling up until only one or two people are left. Both films end with a slightly nonsensical jump scare. When not copying the original, the sequel rips off other movies. Jason's appearance is largely taken from “The Town That Dreaded Sundown” while two kills are stolen outright from “A Bay of Blood.” Both of those movies are better than this one and make better use of the pilfered elements. 

While the characters in the first movie were, at best, archetypes, I still found myself relating to their desire to have fun in the summertime. The sequel expands the cast, in order to create a bigger body count, which leaves little time to develop anyone. There's a prankster character named Ted, who the movie seemingly forgets about before it ends. Paul, ostensibly the movie's hero, is as bland as possible. Otherwise, the young characters are defined solely by their desire to get laid. Couple Jeff and Sandra are all over each other. Vickie has her eyes set on wheelchair bound jock Mark and does everything she can to seduce him. Terry – introduced with a lingering shot on her ass in some Daisy Dukes – spends the whole movie worrying about a dog before deciding to randomly go skinny-dipping at which point some creep named Scott steals her clothes. I'm pretty sure that would be classified as some form of sexual assault in 2021!

The point is none of these guys are that interesting or endearing. I guess complaining about the characters in a “Friday the 13th” sequel being indistinct or mildly annoying is besides the point. (Even though the first movie made its vague characters kind of work.) Obviously, the murder scenes are the main draw here. And it must be said that director Steve Miner – who was the first movie's assistant director – knows how to engineer a murder sequence. The opening generates a grim sort of suspense, as Jason steps through a puddle and slowly closes in on Alice, the sole survivor from part one. After that, Miner makes sure the gore hit the audience just right. Whether that be a spear penetrating two fucking teens, a machete buried deep into someone's face, or a litany of stabbed legs or slashed throats, it's all delivered with maximum zest. 

The sequel never quite captures the creepy sense of isolation that worked in the first one's favor. Henry Manfredini's score, composed once again of non-stop shrieking strings, fills most of the quiet places. Miner throws in a thunder storm to build some tension but it doesn't quite work. However, once it's just Jason and final girl Ginny, “Friday the 13th Part 2” picks up a little more steam. Jason's sheer unrelenting quality makes him a viable threat. He drives a pitchfork through the roof of a car or into a door. Sometimes, he just smashes through a window himself as he searches out his intended victim. I'm not anywhere as attached to Amy Steel's Ginny as a lot of fans are. But I do admire her fighting spirit, picking up a chainsaw to take Jason on at one point. Even if she does, inexplicably, piss her pants at one point. That moment always struck me as gross and not in a fun way. 

Jason, as a character, was still solidifying at this point. And not just because he hasn't donned his iconic hockey mask yet. Compared to the stocky stuntmen who played him in the sequels, Jason looks kind of scrawny here. He also repeatedly gets his ass kicked. He stumbles to the ground, snaps his pitchfork in two, and even gets hit in the balls by Ginny. Paul knocks him to the floor as well. Compared to the unstoppable juggernaut of murder he would someday become, Jason here is a dork that is kills mostly by catching his victims off-guard. Even though he figured out how to track down Alice with minimal information in the opening, a sweater is apparently enough to fool Jason at the end. 

Among slasher aficionados, “Friday the 13th Part 2” is pretty well regarded. Many fans list it as their favorite film in the long-running franchise. I've never quite gotten the hype concerning this one, as my middling previous reviews can attest to. Miner does a good job directing the gruesome stuff and Ginny makes for a resourceful final girl. Otherwise, this copies the first one without grasping what made it work and features a Jason Voorhees that is only half-formed. If it wasn't the second part in the eighties' most beloved horror franchise, this would be a stock parts slasher flick with limited charm. But what do I know? [6/10]

Death Line (1972)

Gary Sherman, perpetually the most underrated of the great underrated directors, was born in Chicago. He got his start making commercials and industrial films like still a student at the Illinois Institute of Technology. And yet, this thoroughly Midwestern American made a movie – his first movie, no less – so British, that most people just assume it was made by a British person. Sherman lived for a time in London after graduating and it was during this period that he made "Death Line." The film was well received by critics upon release in 1972 but was largely overlooked by audiences, especially in America. In more recent years, the film has acquired a reputation as a cult classic. 

James Manfred, part of the Order of the British Empire, enters the Russell Square subway station in London looking to pick up a prostitute. Instead, he's attacked by an unseen man. Later, his body is discovered by American student Alex and his British girlfriend, Patricia. They report the incident to the police but the body disappears before they return. Acerbic inspector Calhoun investigates the case but can't conceive of the truth: That a cannibal, hungry for human flesh after the last member of his family dies, is living in the London Underground.

There are long scenes in "Death Line" devoted to nothing more than establishing its setting. The camera crawls through the huge, empty tunnels of the subway station. The funky score takes a break during these scenes, so the only sounds are the far-off dripping of water and the creaks of the structure. The slow pans over the stone walls, broken boards, and decomposing corpses provide a desolate, creepy mood. The London Underground is such a great setting for a horror movie, that I'm surprised more movies haven't utilized it. It's very easy to imagine someone getting lost down there and never resurfacing. 

Inside this place lives the Man, a villain so sympathetic that he hardly qualifies as a villain. He sobs uncontrollably as his partner dies, pathetically attempting to bring her back to life by dripping blood from a recently slit throat into her mouth. He gets beaten viciously, blood gushing from his ear and sore-covered face. His language is composed solely garbled repetitions of "mind the doors!"  Hugh Armstrong – after Marlon Brando supposedly dropped out, a factoid so crazy I actually believe it – plays the part like a desperate, lost animal, broken and alone and doing anything it can to survive. 

Presumably to make the audience sympathize more with the film's monster, who brutally kills people with a shovel or broom handle, Sherman provides a deeply unlikable "hero." Alex is introduced refusing to help a man passed out in the subway, despite his girlfriend's pleas that he do something. The two spend most of the movie bickering. While she's worried about the welfare of the missing man, Alex is more concerned with what movie he wants to see. When he fights back against the cannibal, he comes off more like a bully than a brave hero. We don't want to spend time with this guy and that makes "Death Line" – which has a fairly loose and meandering plot – a less satisfying viewing experience than it otherwise would be. 

Luckily, the movie has another ace up its sleeve. That would be Donald Pleasence as Inspector Calhoun. Calhoun is also kind of an asshole, introducing being annoyed with a secretary who makes tea with tea bags. Yet Pleasence is still absolutely delightful in the part. He brings a keen sense of sarcasm to every line of dialogue he has. A largely plot-free scene has him going to a pub, getting wasted, and playing pinball. There's definitely some novelty to seeing stately, serious Dr. Loomis cut loose like this. Pleasence also shares (or "shares," as they were filmed on separate days) a single scene with Christopher Lee, who is equally dryly hilarious in his cameo as an incensed MI5 agent. 

The hero being such an asshole serves another purpose. "Death Line" is obviously saying something about the class divide in London, where high society descends underground in search of cheap sex and the poor and ill get trampled. Yet the movie probably still would've been better-served if it had just made Pleasence's highly entertaining inspector the protagonist. The probable reason "Death Line" was overlooked in America is because it was retitled "Raw Meat" and given a grisly ad campaign that depicted a whole colony of cannibals. (This was despite the U.S. release cutting out most of the gore, to avoid an X rating.) The film has found its audience since then – Edgar Wright is a big proponent – and Gary Sherman would go on to make "Dead & Buried," his masterpiece. I wish I liked the film more, though Pleasence's performance still makes it worth seeing. [6/10]

Creepshow: Pipe Screams / Within the Walls of Madness

“Creepshow” alternates gross-outs and cosmic dread in the fourth episode of its second season. “Pipe Screams” has a cruel landlord hiring a plumber to fix the pipes in her apartment building, after enough tenets complain. He uncovers the building still has illegal lead pipes but is blackmailed into fixing them anyway. Soon, he discovers an ambulatory glob of hair and grease is living in the plumbing system. In “Within the Walls of Madness,” a man awaits trial after murdering several people at an Arctic research center. He maintains that a race of extra-dimensional entities – summoned by an ancient flute the scientist discovered – performed most of the killing. He tells this unbelievable tale to his court-assigned lawyer, who doesn't believe him... But will soon get plenty of evidence.

“Pipe Scream” has one of the more disgusting monsters I've seen in a horror story lately. A drain clog becoming a living thing is a nauseating riff on the blob monster premise. The special effects brilliantly bring this nasty critter to life and the way it interacts with the plumber, tearing the skin off his hand or launching itself at his face, is probably skin-crawling. Yet “Pipe Scream” is ultimately about a more human type of monster. A gloriously bitchy Barbara Crampton plays the landlord as inhumanly evil. She refers to her tenets as animals or simply by their apartment numbers. Since this is “Creepshow,” which operates under E.C. Comics logic, it's obvious she'll be punished. Her role as a landlord – preeminent symbols of the evils of capitalism – adds some more George Romero-style social commentary here. Joe Lynch's direction is stylish and uses lots of neon colors, making this an overall strong segment.

As for the second segment, I'm mostly surprised it took until the second season for “Creepshow” to do a Lovecraft homage. Considering his popularity, prominence, and influence on the “Weird Tales” style of horror. “Within the Walls of Madness” is a pretty standard riff on Lovecraftian themes. We have a protagonist on the verge of insanity, who has glimpsed things man was never meant to see. There's tentacled Old Ones pushing on the walls of reality, trying to get in and put humanity in there place. A giant, rubber Cthulhu head puts in an appearance at the end. What's most interesting about “Within the Walls of Madness” is seeing how it tackles its cosmic themes on a TV budget. The interdimensional horrors are mostly kept off-screen, most of the episode being devoted to terse conversation between actors. (Including a stern Denise Crosby.) It's not the worst approach, considering Lovecraft's unspeakable horrors are more effective when left unseen. It's still a fairly standard rewarming of these classical ideas, leaving little room for surprise or suspense. [Pipe Screams: 7/10] [Within the Walls of Madness: 6/10]

Godzilla Singular Point: Gadabout 

“Gadabout” is “Godzilla Singular Point's” driest episode yet. Mei is invited by Professor Li, the Chinese scientist that reached out to her last episode, to attend a conference in Dubai. There, she is presented with material made with Archetype, a hypothetical molecule with properties that break the rules of physics. Yun and Kato begin to suspect Misakioku, the company that contacted them in the first episode, has been knowingly attracting monsters. They investigate the sight where the dead Rodans are being kept... And find that one of the corpses are missing. Some sort of giant animal has dragged the carcass into the woods and eaten it. In the episode's final minutes, this creature – seemingly a version of Anguirus – reveals itself. 

Like I said, “Gadabout” ladles on the technobabble in a big way. The first third of the episode is devoted to Mei and Pero-2 trying to decipher a string of code with a MD5 hash function. I can't remember the plot significance of that right now. All the talk about hypothetical molecules and physics also goes over my head a little bit. It's apparent to me that “Singular Point” is building towards the idea of its giant monsters coming from another dimension. Trying to justify all of that with increasingly convoluted science feels unnecessary. 

Yun and Kato investigating the dead Rodans is a little more interesting, especially once it begins to hint at the presence of a new monster. However, Yun accurately guessing that Misakioku is hiding a giant dinosaur skeleton in their basement is another example of his deductive reasoning skills being a little over-the-top. We don't even get much in the way of cute character interaction here, as the cast members are mostly in different locations. This episode also introduces a flock of new characters, the names and faces – much less their function in the story – of which allude me at the moment. This show foregrounding the scientific technobabble while constantly teasing the giant monsters is starting to get frustrating. [5/10]