Nightmare USA Films Discussion Thread

[bizarre_eye@Cult Labs]

Impulse (1974)

Impulse opens to a black & white montage of death by sword impalement as a young boy kills a man in an attempt to defend his mother's honour. Flash forward and the meek young killer is now all grown up and also happens to be a sleazy con-man played by William Shatner in his usual gleefully hammy OTT fashion.

Shatner is also partial to a bit of psychotic murder and mayhem thanks in no small part to his childhood trauma, and the women in his life all seem to come a cropper thanks to his exploitative and ultimately murderous nature.

The high-light of the film is easily Shatner vs. the actor who played Oddjob in Goldfinger fighting in a car wash and it is worth watching for this scene alone... but pretty much only this scene.

[bizarre_eye@Cult Labs]

Island Claws (1980)

No creature is left untouched by the 'nature runs amok' sub-genre, so with Island Claws it was the turn of the humble crab to strike fear into the hearts of your average beach-goer.

However, these are no ordinary crabs... instead we have some half-baked scientific mumbo jumbo from 'crab experts' about warm water making crabs grow at an exceptionally fast rate coupled with some news reports about a dodgy nuclear power facility peppered throughout the first portion of the film, so with that in mind the bulk of the film can be pretty much discarded as viewers are aware of and just want to get to the giant crab action!

The giant crab (singular unfortunately) is a pretty impressive site when it does finally scuttle onto the screen (after some semi-ginat efforts crop up here and there) and certainly causes some mayhem, however it's all over a little too quickly and certainly doesn't reach the heights of some of the nature-sploitation fare out there in the carnage department. Still, the effects are pretty decent and at least manages to entertain in parts. It's certainly one of the best if not the best giant mutated crab film I've seen thus far.

[bizarre_eye@Cult Labs]

The Jar (1984)

Despite the thread-bare script and emotionally void 'acting' there was something slightly intoxicating about the highly unimaginatively titled 'The Jar'.

The plot is a simple one: Man picks up someone after an accident and takes him back to his apartment to get cleaned up; man disappears; giant jar dwelling demon remains; demon gradually starts possessing man; the end (pretty much).

However, despite the glaringly obvious short-comings, the possession based events which run throughout The Jar's fairly short running time is where the film really came into its own for me. These events are played out as dream-like sequences involving some nice use of camera effects, lighting and sound almost imbibing an Argento-ish quality at times - although this is where the Argento comparison ends (unless we're talking Dracula 3D or Giallo Argento of course...). Although I am being slightly unfair, as I'd rather re-watch The Jar over the aforementioned Argento pairing any day.

[bizarre_eye@Cult Labs]

The Killing Kind (1973)

John Savage stars as the sociopathic sexually repressed Terry Lambert, who on being released from prison on a rape charge into the care of his over-bearing mother starts to murder his way through the local town's female population.

The thinnest of plots is overcome by a stellar cast and a rather grimy vein of sleaze running throughout as with each flashback or kill we start to build up a picture of Terry. Ann Sothern puts on a good performance as Terry's lonely, coddling mother who is a little too attached to her son for comfort at times... however, it is Savage's intense performance which really makes the film stand-out above similar exploitative fare of the era and in turn makes for a pretty enjoyable time.

[bizarre_eye@Cult Labs]

The Legend of Boggy Creek (1972)

A drive-in staple of the '70s, The Legend of Boggy Creek is a dramatized documentary style film concerning the big foot phenomenon.

Sadly, it's enough to make you fall asleep in your popcorn, although I suppose in some ways it's the perfect drive-in date movie as an otherwise dull 90 minutes can instead be filled with certain other more fulfilling activities...

[Demdike@Cult Labs]

Originally Posted by bizarre_eye@Cult Labs

The Legend of Boggy Creek (1972)

A drive-in staple of the '70s, The Legend of Boggy Creek is a dramatized documentary style film concerning the big foot phenomenon.

Sadly, it's enough to make you fall asleep in your popcorn, although I suppose in some ways it's the perfect drive-in date movie as an otherwise dull 90 minutes can instead be filled with certain other more fulfilling activities...

How can i listen to what you say about Blood Rage (which i'm just searching for) when you spout this nonsense about the utterly wonderful Legend of Boggy Creek?

[bizarre_eye@Cult Labs]

Originally Posted by Demdike@Cult Labs

How can i listen to what you say about Blood Rage (which i'm just searching for) when you spout this nonsense about the utterly wonderful Legend of Boggy Creek?

Wonderful?! As a cure for insomnia it ain't half bad.

[Demdike@Cult Labs]

Originally Posted by bizarre_eye@Cult Labs

Wonderful?! As a cure for insomnia it ain't half bad.

Chill out, take in the backwoods scenery, try and spot Nordy in crowd scenes, enjoy the nature documentary feel then let it chill you to the bone.

[Demoncrat]

Originally Posted by bizarre_eye@Cult Labs

Impulse (1974)

Impulse opens to a black & white montage of death by sword impalement as a young boy kills a man in an attempt to defend his mother's honour. Flash forward and the meek young killer is now all grown up and also happens to be a sleazy con-man played by William Shatner in his usual gleefully hammy OTT fashion.

Shatner is also partial to a bit of psychotic murder and mayhem thanks in no small part to his childhood trauma, and the women in his life all seem to come a cropper thanks to his exploitative and ultimately murderous nature.

The high-light of the film is easily Shatner vs. the actor who played Oddjob in Goldfinger fighting in a car wash and it is worth watching for this scene alone... but pretty much only this scene.

Truly love this film. His. ACTing. Is. A. JOY. tobehold.

[Inspector Abberline]

The Evil (1978)

Wonderfully ludicrous rip off of Legend of Hell House via The Haunting,from Producer extraordinaire Roger Corman.Richard Crenna and his wife Joanna Pettet are trying to refurbish an old mansion to be used as a rehab centre.So when Crenna assembles a team of people to help him re-build the mansion the chances of nothing UN-toward happening to this motley bunch of polyester wearing bunch of 1970's actors are fairly low.Its a pretty well worn premise,throw a load of people into a big house and have something strangely supernatural happening to them one at a time,until they are all dead or the audience have left the building. Well a supernatural force is stopping the films protagonists from leaving the building,they try throwing tables at the windows,but to no avail,even exploitation veteran Andrew Prine comes to no good even when he tries to saw his way out of the building the fol manages to saw straight into his hand DOH what a do-fuss.Even when one of the groups dog,gets possessed,and start running amuck,although when the Alsatian runs down the corridor I swear thy use the sound effect of a Tie-fighter as the dog chases someone down.AS the staff dwindle in numbers and Pettet keeps seeing a ghostly figure who looks remarkably like the ghosts you see in an episode in Scooby Doo,Crenna finally comes to the conclusion that all is not well,especially when he finds a crypt in the basement (always a big giveaway if your house has a bloody great entrance to hell in its basement that something has gone astray),and if having a dirty great big hole under your house was going to diminish its value,then im pretty sure that having a Victor Buono in your basement is not going to add any value what so ever.If ever you needed a reason to sit through a film till the very end ( Howard the Duck being a prime example,very cool monster at the end) then seeing Mr Buono dressed all in white and developing horns is priceless. It does kind of remind me of the ending of Legend of Hell House where Roddy McDowall,confronts Michael Gough,and luckily before Buiono can talk any more nonsense he gets a crucifix stabbed into him.I really enjoyed The Evil,its nonsensical and to talky at times but there's a couple of interesting demises and the whole film is still a fun watch.