Nightmare USA Films Discussion Thread

[bizarre_eye@Cult Labs]

Bummer (1973)

Bummer was a bit of a chore to get through; mainly because the entire film feels as if the various scenes (albeit all involving the same group of characters) are spliced together as a series of loose, dreary vignettes to the extent the film doesn't seem to ever 'go' anywhere. The music cues also don't help, what with the soundtrack jumping from funk/disco/jazz/synth throughout and cutting out abruptly at times too.

Maybe this was the intention, but for me Bummer was a bit of a, er... bummer.

[Rondadoronron]

Children Shouldn’t Play with Dead Things (1972, USA)
I could never understand the animosity this film gets,much maligned but as far as Im concerned it has everything you need from a horror movie from the 1970's.Groovy clothing,whacky camp characters,weirdy beards,hippy chicks,zombies and a smattering of the red stuff.Also this is another of those early 70's horror movies which was given a PG rating?,although not very explicit its about as PG as asking Jimmy Saville and Gary Glitter to baby sit your kids.
It also has an air of perversity about the whole proceedings,the digging up of dead bodies just for the sheer entertainment value of its lead character played by the crazy looking Alan Ormsby (it was only recently that I read somewhere his resemblance to Charles Manson in this film).Ormsby plays his character to the hilt,a snarling mean spirited theater director who treats his troop of actors to as much verbal and psychological abuse as they can stomach,knowing that any rebelliousness will lead to them being made unemployed by there director.
Set on an island where Ormsby drags his actors to,the place has an air of putridness that makes a wonderful location for his zombie opus.In fact when his army of the undead do rise from there earthly graves,I think it's one of cinema's better zombie scenes and predates a lot of future horror movies.
What i find perverse is the almost homoerotic nature of the scenes between Ormsby and his recently dug up friend Orville.Not only do they go thru a mock wedding but the pair end up together on the bed (zombie honeymoon anyone)can't be many films that hint at homosexual necrophilia.That said the two gay characters in the film are ridiculously camp scream queens who are left with the responsibility of digging up a corpse for Ormsby.
Bob Clark made some of the most original and influential horror movies of the 1970's,Black Christmas,Deathdream and CSPWDT before turning his attention to the T & A market with Porky's.Of course Alan Ormsby would go on and give us another dose of necrophilia with Deranged (1974)which again leaves the viewer with the feeling of putrefied flesh burning the back of our throats and nostrils.
If this list proves anything it's that Children Shouldn't Play With Dead Things or try to marry them,you been warned.

[bizarre_eye@Cult Labs]

Nice review, Ron.

Like you, I'm also a fan of Children Shouldn't Play with Dead Things, despite Ormsby playing an insufferable cock for the bulk of the running time. It's a perverse little film and there's nothing quite like it.

[Nosferatu@Cult Labs]

I have a small hardbox of this with the strange title Cemetery of the Dead; what other sort of cemetery is there?

[Rondadoronron]

Originally Posted by Nosferatu@Cult Labs

I have a small hardbox of this with the strange title Cemetery of the Dead; what other sort of cemetery is there?

I can only think of Pet Cemetery,although im assuming there dead also?

[Nosferatu@Cult Labs]

Originally Posted by Rondadoronron

I can only think of Pet Cemetery,although im assuming there dead also?

Yep – that would be a cemetery for dead animals! A more fitting title would be Cemetery of the Living Dead.

[Make Them Die Slowly]

Originally Posted by bizarre_eye@Cult Labs

Bummer (1973)

Bummer was a bit of a chore to get through; mainly because the entire film feels as if the various scenes (albeit all involving the same group of characters) are spliced together as a series of loose, dreary vignettes to the extent the film doesn't seem to ever 'go' anywhere. The music cues also don't help, what with the soundtrack jumping from funk/disco/jazz/synth throughout and cutting out abruptly at times too.

Maybe this was the intention, but for me Bummer was a bit of a, er... bummer.

Is there any bumming in the film, sounds like it would have been better if it had...

[bizarre_eye@Cult Labs]

Originally Posted by Make Them Die Slowly

Is there any bumming in the film, sounds like it would have been better if it had...

If only there were!

[Make Them Die Slowly]

Originally Posted by Rondadoronron

Children Shouldn’t Play with Dead Things (1972, USA)
I could never understand the animosity this film gets,much maligned but as far as Im concerned it has everything you need from a horror movie from the 1970's.Groovy clothing,whacky camp characters,weirdy beards,hippy chicks,zombies and a smattering of the red stuff.Also this is another of those early 70's horror movies which was given a PG rating?,although not very explicit its about as PG as asking Jimmy Saville and Gary Glitter to baby sit your kids.
It also has an air of perversity about the whole proceedings,the digging up of dead bodies just for the sheer entertainment value of its lead character played by the crazy looking Alan Ormsby (it was only recently that I read somewhere his resemblance to Charles Manson in this film).Ormsby plays his character to the hilt,a snarling mean spirited theater director who treats his troop of actors to as much verbal and psychological abuse as they can stomach,knowing that any rebelliousness will lead to them being made unemployed by there director.
Set on an island where Ormsby drags his actors to,the place has an air of putridness that makes a wonderful location for his zombie opus.In fact when his army of the undead do rise from there earthly graves,I think it's one of cinema's better zombie scenes and predates a lot of future horror movies.
What i find perverse is the almost homoerotic nature of the scenes between Ormsby and his recently dug up friend Orville.Not only do they go thru a mock wedding but the pair end up together on the bed (zombie honeymoon anyone)can't be many films that hint at homosexual necrophilia.That said the two gay characters in the film are ridiculously camp scream queens who are left with the responsibility of digging up a corpse for Ormsby.
Bob Clark made some of the most original and influential horror movies of the 1970's,Black Christmas,Deathdream and CSPWDT before turning his attention to the T & A market with Porky's.Of course Alan Ormsby would go on and give us another dose of necrophilia with Deranged (1974)which again leaves the viewer with the feeling of putrefied flesh burning the back of our throats and nostrils.
If this list proves anything it's that Children Shouldn't Play With Dead Things or try to marry them,you been warned.

Great review Ron, can I recommend SHE MAN to Clark fans...his first film and my favourite film about Korean war vets being kidnapped and forced to drag up and live as women whilst starting a love affair with a lesbian. Speaking of which, fans of gay necro action might want to check out the sexploiter THE BUSHWACKER which has a little lady on dead lady action in it.

[bizarre_eye@Cult Labs]

The Capture of Bigfoot (1979)

Troma and Bill Rebane do campy Bigfoot (who is more 'Yeti' than 'Bigfoot').

Compared to Rebane's The Alpha Incident (which I recently watched), The Capture of Bigfoot is a much lighter, more tongue-in-cheek film despite the Yeti/Bigfoot attack scenes and then the coordinated hunt and trap, which often conjured up similarities to King Kong and Moby Dick.

The Yeti/Bigfoot costumes are quite good too, and there are some standout performances - albeit by the way of uniqueness rather than talent - especially the sheriff, played by Wally Flaherty who delights in doing his impressions, and Richard Kennedy as Olsen who's intent at capturing the creature at all costs was maddening.

Overall the film is engaging enough not to be too dull, and although a little slow going at times there is some campy fun to be had.