More than just the monster
When Shochiku studio released The X From Outer Space in 1967, they likely had high hopes for their own successful kajiu eiga (giant monster movie) series, much like Toho Studios’ famed Godzilla (1954), which by then already had seven profitable features. Unfortunately for Shochiku, their monster Guilala failed to have the even modest success of … Continue reading
Movie sign with Mystery Science Theater 3000
Mystery Science Theater 3000 is one of my favorite TV shows of all time. I watched it on Comedy Central back in the day, and followed it to its new home on the Sci-Fi Channel in the late 1990s. Heck, I even watched the Mystery Science Theater Hour, which broke episodes up into two-part, 60-minute … Continue reading
The failed career of Tobe Hooper
For horror fans, few films are as influential as 1974’s The Texas Chainsaw Massacre.
Visceral. Atmospheric. Grotesque. It’s a living nightmare.
Only 30 years old, director Tobe Hooper had announced himself as force to be reckoned with. The beginnings of a long and illustrious career had begun to take shape. 8 years later Hooper would work alongside one of the behemoths of the industry, Steven Spielberg, directing an original script by Spielberg himself. That was 1982 and the film was Poltergeist, another horror classic. The stars seemed to align for Hooper but in fact, Poltergeist would be the director’s death rattle.
