Reviews (166)

Out of this world!
"Plan 9 From Outer Space" has been dubbed the worst film ever made. I can't disagree with that. Here are just a few of the things that qualifies it for that title.

- When the police drives from the town to the cemetary time somehow switches from night to day back to night.

- The Swedish accent of wrestler Tor Johnson, playing a police officer / walking corpse.

- The six feet tall, blonde chiropractor that replaced deceased Bela Lugosi.

- The plates-glued-together UFO's with strings completely visible.

- The cardboard tombstones that wiggle.

- The cemetery ground, obviously a piece of fabric covered with leaves.

- The plot, or rather lack thereof.

- The dialogue, hilariosly funny only because it's meant to be serious.

- The actors. Nuff said.

Still, it's also one of the best films ever made. Ed Wood Jr. was a filmmaker with a passion. He wanted to make films, so he made films. You can't help but respect that. That's why this movie deserves five stars, and "Deathstalker III: Deathstalker and the Warriors from Hell" deserves none.

Future events such as these...
Uttery obscure until the Medved brothers' 'Golden Turkey Awards' highlighted it as the 'Worst Film Ever Made', this is not so much a 'bad' film as a hysterically incompetent one. Consistently failing to triumph over the lack of money, resources and technique available, it quite neatly shows how films should not be judged in terms of 'bad' or 'good', but in terms of 'entertaining' or 'not entertaining'. Whilst 'Plan Nine' is clearly the work of bungling, but enthusiastic incompetents, it's hugely entertaining in a way that the professionally-done 'Speed 2: Cruise Control' is not. Only 'Robot Monster' comes close the the tone of insane incoherence. Where else can you see such a diverse, iconic cast (featuring the recently-deceased Bela Lugosi, a late-night-television horror movie hostess, a wrestler, and a minor celebrity hypnotist) deliver dialogue such as 'Inspector Clay's dead, murdered, and somebody's responsible'?

Note that there are two DVD releases - this one has a lengthy (longer than the film, in fact) documentary, whilst the other has a plug for Tim Burton's equally-good 'Ed Wood'. This one is slightly more expensive, but worth getting, as the documentary is excellent. Commenting on picture and sound quality seems somehow inappropriate, really.

Well it ain't the worst
In fact besides I'd go as far as to say this is perhaps the most competent Ed Wood movie around. Sure there are glaring errors such as Bela running back and forth to the grave in broad daylight ( when it's supposed to be night-time ) and his replacement is obvious ( come on, he's at least 4 inches taller I reckon ). And indeed the last 20 minutes descended into a farce that unfortunately sunk the film. Yes, it shows a degree of ineptitude on Ed's part but for most of the film there was an almost professional air to how the actors acted.

Ed thought that he'll be remembered for this film. This was his big one and he's right, it's the one we remember him most for. However I don't think he would have liked the tag it's been given but if you want to be remembered he certainly went about the right way in doing it ( even if the results were all wrong )

But if we start at the start with Bela's last real scene where he mourns his lover's death - that was a really touching scene. The emotion in that looks too real that it can't be described as fake or cardboard cut out. If anything that was the most poignant scene Ed ever captured on film. He may have been an inept film-maker but that was a stroke of genius - no kidding!

I get the feeling Ed cast Vampira as Lugosi's wife mainly because if you've seen the Tim Burton movie you'll know that Lugosi thought she was " a honey " and it was certainly a nice gesture to Bela to do that. Vampira doesn't have to do much in this film. Just walk really slowly and look ominous whenever the camera is on her. Looks beautiful while doing so I have to admit. I'm almost certain that she inspired George Romero to make Night of The Living Dead by her walking alone.

Criswell makes his appearance in this film and you have to say, him, along with Vampira and Tor, got almost uncanny lookalikes in Tim Burton's biopic that it seems almost spooky.

Hats off to whoever had the idea of using saucer lids for um the use of flying saucers. Really neat and easily identified even if it was black and white. Still not too bad a job. Oh and who could forget Saturn as a ballbearing - Top Class!

The last 20 minutes are a farce as I've said before mainly because it's supposed to be a showdown between the humans and the aliens....or to be more precise 3 men with guns and a man and a woman in funny clothing that are supposed to be aliens. The acting here is horrifically poor and despite it all being passionately acted it just seems.....well a bit silly. And whatever niggling doubts you had about the film leading up to the last 20 minutes, will no doubt be exposed by the end. A shame because the film showed Ed at his most coherent. And that sadly was the pinnacle of Ed's career.

So all in all it's not the worst movie of all time and certainly not the worst you'll ever see ( unless you're a connoisseur of good taste and in that case what the hell are you reading this for ). Definitely his most enjoyable film. Now if someone could only just tell Criswell to shut up ( I wish Ed had tried, honestly try to do that ).

But for Ed, this would be his shot at greatness and while it backfired, it was about as good as he could make it. Perhaps if he were making these now and not 40 years ago he might have gotten away with it. And I'm sure Ben Affleck would have been great as the dumb pilot if it were made now. Think about it

Here's to Ed though - he may not have been the greatest but he sure knew how to entertain us

Bela Lugosi Lives! (Just not in this film)
How does one describe a movie such as this? Like "Robot Monster," it is a masterpiece, and like "Robot Monster," this is not because "Plan 9 From Outer Space" has even a shadow of an ounce of quality to it. Rather, this is an example of just how wrong everything in any creative project can go if it is in the hands of the right angora-wearing genius.

For nothing (and I mean NOTHING) came out right in this movie. Continuity? Hah! Realistic dialogue? Pish! Convincing acting? Gah! Remotely realistic special effects? Heaven forbid! No, what Ed Wood gave us with "Plan 9" is quite simply a cinematic failure that not even Orson Wells could have duplicated if he had tried. In what other movie is one of your stars dead even before the script is written or shooting begins?

No, "Plan 9" is unique, a thing that we mere mortals can only begin to try and understand. Instead we can only watch, transfixed and trembling in awe that Wood's vision was transmitted so perfectly to the silver screen. This is a movie that well deserves to be ranked among the immortal creations of motion picture history, despite or perhaps because of the fact that it completely lacks any of the features that would normally merit such an inclusion.

To think otherwise can only be the result of stupid minds. Stupid! Your stupid, stupid minds!

"You see. You see. Your stupid minds. Stupid. Stupid."
Also known as "Grave Robbers From Outer Space", Edward D. Wood's masterpiece of horrific filmmaking has been called the "worst movie ever made" by more than a few critics and movie fans. This hasn't kept this unintentially hilarious sci-fi dud from becoming a massive cult classic. And rightfully so. Ed Wood's art for making movies so bad that they're actually good has never been more apparent than it is here.

"Plan 9" revolves around a couple of space invaders in bad suits who fly around in spaceships on strings and resurrect the recently dead to haunt the inhabits of a small town where it seems to go back and forth from night to day a lot. The humans aren't having it though as a joint team of the local police, military, and an overacting airline pilot refuse to be terrorized by the undead creatures (who can't decide whether they're ghouls or vampires). But these visitors from a badly-drawn planet resembling Saturn have their own intentions. They're hear to warn us of a new solar-powered weapon that the Earth will eventually create and wipe out the universe. But our heroes aren't going down without a fight. They've got enough army movie stock footage to send them aliens back where they came from.

What makes "Plan 9" so entertainingly terrible? Where do I start? There's the overly-descriptive narration of Criswell who practically gives play-by-play for every action in the film. You've got Bela Lugosi who appears courtesy of silent footage recorded before his death and with the help of a stand-in who looks nothing like him. And who could forget those cooky cops who don't allow the discovery of their Captain's horrifying death to damper their moods any? Also there's Duke Moore's hards-as-nails detective who fearlessly uses his gun to fix his hat when necessary.From the bargain basement graveyard chalk full of cardboard headstones to the hungry young overactors spitting out silly dialouge, "Plan 9" is truly the "Citizen Kane of bad movies".

For those looking to pick this gem up on DVD, the Image edition is the only way to go. Not only is the picture the best that it's ever looked but it comes with a feature-length documentary, "Flying Saucers Over Hollywood: The Plan 9 Companion" and the trailer for the movie. Avoid the Passport version which has a company logo imprinted in the bottom corner similiar to the ones that TV networks use. ... Read more

Amazon.com

From a match made in heaven comes a movie spawned in hell! Young hotshot director Robert Rodriquez (El Mariachi, Desperado) teamed up with Pulp Fiction auteur Quentin Tarantino (offering his services as writer and co-star) to make this outrageous, no-holds-barred hybrid of high-octane crime and gruesome horror. QT plays Richard Gecko, a borderline psychopath who breaks his career-criminal brother, Seth (George Clooney), out of prison, after which they rob a bank and leave a trail of dead and wounded in their bloody wake. Then they hijack a mobile home driven by a former Baptist minister (Harvey Keitel) who quit the church after his wife's death and hit the road with his two children (played by Juliette Lewis and Ernest Liu). Heading to Mexico with their hostages, the infamous Gecko brothers arrive at the Titty Twister bar to rendezvous for a money drop, but they don't realize that they've just entered the nocturnal lair of a bloodthirsty gang of vampires! With not-so-subtle aplomb, Rodriguez and Tarantino shift into high gear with a nonstop parade of gore, gunfire, and pointy-fanged mayhem featuring Salma Hayek as a snake-charming dancer whose bite is much worse than her bark. If you're a fan of Tarantino's lyrical dialogue and pop-cultural wit, you'll have fun with the road-movie half of this supernatural horror-comedy, but if your taste runs more to exploding heads and eyeballs, sloppy entrails and morphing monsters, the second half provides a connoisseur's feast of gross-out excess. Bon appétit! --Jeff Shannon ... Read more

Reviews (167)

Pulp Fiction Meets Fright Night
I'm a big fan of Tarrentino's work, though he gets alot of bad rap I believe him to be one of the most talented writers alive, starting with Resevoir Dogs, he wrote Natural Born Killers, and Four Rooms, Desperado, and finally coming to From Dusk Till Dawn. This movie was a rocker, holding any clues or hints that there would be deradful horror in the last hour. Teaming up with horror man Robert Rodriguez, they put together this very well made horror movie about two criminal crazy boys [George Clooney, Quentin Tarrentino] who are on the run for Mexico, They kidnap a family on road [Harvey Keitel, Juliette Lewis, and the son]and they come to a bar called the T**ty Twisters, they find that the bar is infact an eledged trap for feeding time for the vampires that inhabit it, they have to become a team with their hostages to survive, not to mention a couple other cast members; Fred Williamson, and the Sex Machine. You actually grow to admire the Gecko brothers [Clooney, Tarrentino]and Tarrentino's fine writing, alot of sick and twisted but also real features you'll see, along with bloody vampires nawing on humans, and a sided 4 man battle over a bloody severed body part battle ground, that turns to chaos. The movie was very well put together, starting out with 2 Pulp Fiction guys that run into a bunch of Fright Night vampires, the idea was to act upon the impressionable idea that Stephen King does himself in his novels, that to draw the audience into the story so that they indeed care about the characters and them BAM! vampires come along, you put the characters in this altered world of life and death. This movie is especially good on DVD, the sound is ausome along with the bonus materials, and the wide screen.

Vampires Might Be Hear To Stay With Cult Classic
In the early months of 1995, talented Mexican director Robert Rodriguez (El Mariachi, Desperado, The Faculty) and cunning cinematic guru Quentin Tarantino (Reservoir Dogs, Pulp Fiction, Jackie Brown) merged artistic passions to compose an intricate genre hybrid that evokes both the artists unique sensibilities, emanates mind-bogglingly unthinkable comical insights, and reveals an abrasively hip yet sophisticated screen persona that supplies unforeseen drama within the forum of an exploitation film. Surging with distinctive Tarantino culture dialogue and references, Rodriguez's go-for-broke action sequences, marvelous performances from Harvey Keitel, George Clooney, Quentin Tarantino, Juliette Lewis, Salma Hayek, John Saxon, Tom Savini, and Cheech Marin (in three supporting roles!!!), an unyieldingly concentrated pace, spectacular comedic splicing with its horror elements, splendid gore and make-up effects, and a predominantly mischievous ambiance of unpredictability that leaves any first-time viewer totally in hands of Rodriguez and Tarantino, From Dusk Til Dawn persists in being a heavily entertaining dual genre piece that attains dramatic grandeur, profound performances, and even moving pathos within the framework of exploitation piece.

The film depicts the story of the infamous Gecko Brothers', Seth (George Clooney) and Ritchie (Quentin Tarantino), odyssey from their violent southern Texas exploits to their arrival at the unforgettable Titty Twister bar. Along the way, the Gecko brothers inadvertently blow up a liquor store, hallucinate flirtations and verbal taunts, "accidentally" rape and murder a seemingly docile hostage, and kidnap a disillusioned pastor's family and their motor home on their way to their bar rendezvous across the Mexican border. Though these characters may seem to be the most unsympathetic characters to be rooting for. Tarantino's knack for instilling humanity into his criminals is second to none, and along the way towards the bar and the film's personality switch, through absorbing dialogue, gritty performances, and realistic plot developments (in the Tarantino half), we are given unusually affable characters that allow the audience just enough audience identification with the characters before they are literally placed into hell incarnate. While watching From Dusk Til Dawn, it crucial to note the film's story arc is essentially one-half Tarantino crime tale/ one-half gory horror gore opus. This was done I believe to introduce the characters, personality dynamics, and innate personal tendencies of the people in their real environments before establishing the horror. What happens quite often in horror films of the last two decades is we, the audience, are immediately transported to the improbable before we even really know our characters. The characters of a movie are our conduits into the realm and the story of a movie. Doesn't it seem probable that if we have an enhanced understanding of the characters we might enjoy the film's narrative a lot more? From Dusk Til Dawn follows this mentality to its most logic summation as character and style overcome commercial convention.

Since it release, From Dusk Til Dawn consistently besieges it audiences with an intoxicatingly visceral affront of violence, mayhem, elaborate chaos, and inventive havoc that entertains and delights beyond anyone's expectations. Though definitely not Academy Award material so to speak, From Til Dawn remains a superlative horror extravaganza.

As for the film's new DVD Collector's Series edition, FDTD contains an informative Rodriguez/Tarantino commentary track, a feature length documentary entitled "Full Tilt Boogie", extensive outtakes, deleted scenes, two music videos, the theatrical trailer, and much much more. A Definite Must for any Horror Fan.

Tarantino and Rodriguez? Excellent!
I've watched a couple Quentin Tarantino movies, and I absolutely loved them. I also liked 'Once Upon A Time In Mexico' from Robert Rodriguez. So as you can imagine, when I heard about this movie, I was very excited. Tarantino is a masterful screenwriter, and Rodriguez definitely has decent skills behind the camera.
After watching the movie, I have to criticize one thing. The first half (about) of the movie was flawless, with QT and George Clooney as two Convicts, the Richie and Seth Gecko. When they embark from the first scene on, it seems as though the movie could go any direction and still be entertaining. However, when you throw in a night club that is flocking with vampires (fitfully so, the club is open dusk till dawn), you can't keep the same movie that you had. I give the story a lower score due to the fact that it doesn't fit well. If you couldn't guess from the title, and you hadn't seen the trailer, you would be oblivious to the fact that the second half of this movie is all vampires. I believe it would've worked better as a full movie of either type. Crime or Horror. But nevertheless, I couldn't resist the acting from QT and Clooney, along with Harvey Keitel and Juliette Lewis. Other than my single complaint, I really enjoyed this movie. As bloody and violent as it is, it's just so fun.

queten tarentino-another excellent director
3 people get abducted by an escaped con and his brother and go to mexico.they hang out in a bar full of vampires all night.george clooney is in it.he does an outstanding job as a escaped prisoner.then theres some freaky sex offender type-not necessary!and the 3 hostages.they are some old preacher dude,juliette lewis and some mexican kid.this is not for children.it is by far and away the best of the from dusk till dawn set.there is a post rape scene at the front that could turn a few heads.thier is a mexican stripper who.........well.....strips and of course the always awesome julieete lewis to look at.every role ive ever seen her play she did an excellent job.she is my favorite actress.the hype says this movie rocks and it does.there is a special apperance by cheech also.filthy and brief.juliette lewis and george clooney both do an excellent job but have better films out there.

sucked
this movie was good for the first 40 minutes....after that it just blew REALLY hard. vampires? come on! i felt like i was watching "Buffy the Vampire Slayer." it had the potential to be a very good movie, but instead pussied out. don't even bother renting this. or option number 2: rent it for the first forty minutes of it, and laugh at the rest. ... Read more

Reviews (375)

There's No More Room in Hell, So the Dead Now Walk the Earth
1978's DAWN OF THE DEAD is the second entry in George Romero's "DEAD" trilogy, though it isn't as scary or as groundbreaking as his first, the classic NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD (1968). Still, for a low-budget sequel, it is an interesting and entertaining film, an unusual mix of action, drama, comedy, and horror that actually functions on two levels: One, it is a stomach-churning study of the depths to which people will sink in order to ensure their survival; and two, it is a dark satire that takes several pokes at Western consumerism.

The plot of DAWN OF THE DEAD builds on the premise of its predecessor. The world is now becoming overrun with the flesh-eating zombies, and in the United States, martial law has been declared and all survivors are required to go to state-run "rescue stations" for shelter and protection. The manager of a TV station and her helicopter-pilot boyfriend decide to defy authorities and seek out their own save haven, and two police officers--friends of the helicopter pilot--decide to abandon their duties and go along with the couple. The group eventually arrives at an abandoned shopping mall, and when they realize that the stores within contain all they need to survive--food, clothing, and weapons & ammunition--they seal off the building, dispose of most of the zombies inside, and take up residence. But when their claim on the mall and its goods is challenged by a band of motorcycle-riding marauders, the quartet is soon fighting for survival against not only the zombies, but also against their own kind.

Although the audience has been made to sympathize with the film's four protagonists, there is no true heroism in this world of Romero's making. Instead, there are only different levels of self-interest and narcissism. After the four move into their new home and start living off the "fat of the mall," they quickly develop a sort of bourgeois attitude towards the comforts they now enjoy. Of course, that is exactly the Western attitude that Romero is ridiculing--that sense of security and satisfaction one feels after amassing material goods. And when the group's right to possession is violently challenged by outsiders, Romero clearly demonstrates just how tenuous a security based on personal possessions really is.

Romero is a master storyteller who knows how to manipulate the emotions of his audience. In this film, he creates a relentless sense of unease by juxtaposing the repulsive and grotesque with the lighthearted and humorous. For example, when the quartet of protagonists first occupies the mall, they turn on the mall-wide Muzak system to mask from the zombies the noises they make while looting the stores. So for several scenes there is this macabre contrast between bloody, pasty-faced zombies and syrupy instrumental music. Uncomfortably comical and humorously disturbing.

Creepy, bloody (FX by Tom Savini), boisterous, and constantly full of surprises, DAWN OF THE DEAD is easily one of the most entertaining zombie movies ever made. True, it does have an underlying anti-materialism message that is none too subtle, but that doesn't detract in the least from the enjoyment of being playfully spooked and repulsed by all the zombie grotesquerie. All in all, horror fans will have a good time watching this minor Romero masterpiece.

The Divimax Edition DVD from Anchor Bay offers an excellent digital transfer of the U.S. theatrical cut (often considered superior even to the director's cut), and there are lots of cool extras, too, not the least of which is a feature commentary with writer/director Romero and FX man Savini. A worthy addition to the film collections of serious horror fans, and well worth amazon.com's very reasonable asking price.

Dawn Of The Dead Is A True Horror Masterpiece!
An intense and overlooked horror classic, George A. Romero's "Dawn Of The Dead", the second and most popular in his Dead trilogy, is probably his most epic tale to date. Regarded by many, including Roger Ebert, as the ultimiate definition in horror films, "Dawn" is truly the thinking man's horror movie. Its horror is far more subtle than that of in-your-face suspense films like "Halloween" or "Exorcist" or for that matter, Romero's first Dead film, "Night". Where most slasher films provide those quick thrills that make us jump but dissapear from our memory almost as quickly as they appeared, "Dawn" creeps into our fears and shows us a view of our downfall as a civilazation.

"Dawn" centers around four survivors, two Philadelphia S.W.A.T. members and a couple from a newstation, who are trying to escape a zombie plague that has engulfed the country. The film opens with chaos ensuing as a handful of newscasters attempt unsuccesfully to put together an emergency broadcast. We move forward to a project house where the tenants are protecting the undead because as one of the central characters explains, "They still believe there is honor in being dead". Guns blaze as seemingly more humans are taken down than actual zombies courtesy of a SWAT team bigit who goes buckwild but ends up getting his before the smoke clears.

As the violence in the city seems to be piling up, our four characters use the local news chopper to escape to the country side where the situation isn't any less of a problem though a handful of trigger-happy rednecks seem to be having a great time with their beers and shotguns. After a brief touchdown at said location where the group runs into a few problems with both the zombies and each other while gassing up their helicopter, they head back up into the sky and eventually land at a shopping center, the film's cental location.

Placing the story at a mall makes for not only a unique and creative backdrop but also allows for Romero to provide an intriguing social commentary on the madness of consumerism that seemed to sweep the late 70's. The zombies who try to break into the center are portrayed as people who loved shopping there so much in life that all they want to do is be there after death.

Romero and make-up effects wizard, Tom Savini are at the most sadistic during the concluding act of this film as our heroes do battle with another band of survivors, a motorcycle gang who shows up and tries to take over the mall for themselves. The zombies, who prior to this were pretty much an afterthought regain their power because their human counterparts are far too busy with each other to notice that they are regaining control of the place. Savini's graphic make-up effects really make for a great finale.

"Dawn Of The Dead" is very much a different film from "Night Of The Living Dead". "Dawn" takes a far different approach to the "dead taking over the world" concept that George helped create in "Night". The mall setting is far less clostrophobic than the farmhouse in the original but it is the nightmare outside that our characters must deal with. In "Night", it was all about getting past the problem that lie in front of them and it's smooth sailing. In "Dawn", the problem is almost reversed. They are safe inside their location, though their safety is an illusion, and it is the outside world that is coming in. They don't want to get away. The outside world is falling apart and the mall is almost a false symbol of protection.

"Dawn" probably will not be an instant overnight favorite. I, myself, was expecting a much different movie than the one I watched. Having caughts bits and pieces of "Day" before I actually sat down to watch it, I was expecting it to have more of the look and feel that I associated with that movie. I honestly didn't know what to make of the weird clothing, the Smurf-blue make-up effects, and the strange Goblins music that popped up through out the film. Within two weeks of watching it, it had become one of my favorite films. All these weird visuals that I found strange actually kept dragging me in over and over again. Though the film is over 25 years old, I can still honestly say that there are very few films of any genre that resemble it.

THE BEST ZOMBIE MOVIE EVER!!! AT LAST!!!
A four disc edition? Who can ask for more? Obviously we saw it coming... the remake was there... the Divimax edition early this year... everybody was saying a big multi-disc edition was coming... and here it is!

To start analyzing this film we must take a look at NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD. This film was a landmark as it introduced the zombies as we know today. Now, DAWN OF THE DEAD set a new landmark. In it, the zombies were a mature (sub)genre in modern cinema.

What makes this film so important? Everything! First it is the brilliant screenplay. The story... you already know: as the zombie population increases more and more, four people barricate themselves inside a big shopping mall, where they endulge themselves with all consumering desires they can think of.

Sounds simple? It is, but there is more than meets the eye: as the zombies try to get in (you'll have to wonder why) the four heroes inside discover their paradise makes them more empty than they would have thought it would... and slowly, life start making no sense.

DAWN OF THE DEAD is the kind of film that has been changing as the decades pass. Its violence seems to have softened if we think of all the action and horror films who came in the decades that followed (just like it happened with other horror landmarks like THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE, FRIDAY THE 13TH, HALLOWEEN and NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD). Its makeup is not comparable to the vast majority of horror films that came after (who had bigger makeup budgets)... but on the other hand, elements like tension, drama, character development and social critique have all grown more powerful then in all of the films that followed.

In other words, audiences who see this film today, many times discover the fact that its weight is changing fields... from graphic horror to social horror. And this kind of horror is no less potent and much more rare.

Mr. Romero is one of those rare horror screenwriter/directors who do have a strong critic point of view (and we can see it as he continues to deliver so in his later third zombie film - the sadly underated gem - DAY OF THE DEAD).

Clearly, this is a multi-layered film that demands multiple levels of reading. You must be aware of all the issues put inside this film. Otherwise, if you're in just for the cheap thrills, gore and violence, you'll probably be disappointed.

As a product of the late seventies, this is a production triumph because it manages to deliver a lot with minimum budget. The remake released early this year made a great update on this basic premisse.

I loved them both.

This edition seems to be more than we've all asked for (now that the simpler Divimax edition made all the money it could...). Here, you'll find all the versions and lots of extras.

But again... DAWN OF THE DEAD is a film that I am sure will be seen and celebrated for years to come. See it with an open mind and you too will discover why.

DAWN OF THE DEAD
A GREAT ZOMBIE MOVIE AND SEQUEL TO NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD. THIS IS A MUST HAVE FOR ANYONE WHO ENJOYS GUT RIPPING,FLESH TEARING ZOMBIE FILMS.VERY WELL DONE AND ACTED WITH LOTS OF GORE.ANOTHER MASTERPIECE FROM GEORGE ROMERO. GET IT!!!! A++++

Can't Wait
I must be honest, I almost got tricked into buying the DiviMax edition aswell, but after taking a look at what features it had on it and hearing rumours about this four-disc edition, I decided not to bother. All in all by looking at the cover art and reading about what will be on it, I believe that this edition will be a great buy for the month of September and for any Dead fan out there and, hopefully it will be the last edition for this particular movie. I can just see it now, six months from now, brand new "SIX DISC" Special Edition, that would be quite a sight . ... Read more

Reviews (30)

Actually quite a good movie.
Okay so it's early Saturday morning, say about 3am. Your flipping through the channels and all that is on are those darn infomercials. Then you strike gold, a good old seventies horror flick. Yup, that about sums my life up, for excitement. In all seriousness, this movie is very good. Scary as hell and pretty grotesque for a PG rated movie. Yes the plot is kinda bleh, but who watches it for it's "save the environent" attempted message. Once you get by all that crap then your down to the "bear" necessities. This is your basic creature feature. Acting comes at a premium, and the characters pull some really idiotic stunts. One such stunt has our few remaining survivors stand, dumb-founded, watching rhe mutant teddy-bear cross the lake. Thinking that it may drowned. Duh??? I think that I would be running like hell. Oh well. The mutant teddy-bear is very cool, kinda cheezy at times, but overall does a good job at making ya jump. Hey, for the seventies the special effects are good. I can understand why the critics would pulverize this movie with negative remarks. Some may say it's cheap and it isn't worth the powder to blow it to hell with. I say otherwise, good for a scare and worth a rent or a latenight looky-see. I would probably stop short from buying it, however.

bear's a wimp- he should've done that to THEIR faces
the title of this message sums it up. All 70's-80's horror flicks suck big time. This bear should have done that to THIER faces he is a bear after all. Grizzly bears(esp mutant ones) can pretty much win every fight and would maim the victim eventually. A human cutting up a bear with a knife and drowning it? c'mon, man! Watch "Grizzly" instead. Yeah it's early 70's feldercarbon, but it is very disturbing to the eye(s).

And Sometimes The Bear Gets You...
Robert Foxworth and Talia Shire are a socially concerned husband and wife, lured to the forests of Maine in order to study the environmental effects of a paper mill. Upon arrival, they find themselves in the middle of a dispute between loggers (led by Richard Dysart) and indians (led by Armand Assante). One evening, Foxworth and Shire are assaulted by a crazed raccoon! Later while fishing, Foxworth sees a duck get swallowed by a five foot long salmon! Does he grab Talia and run back to the plane? Nah, he scratches his head and moves on. Then, he discovers tree roots growing above ground and a twenty pound pollywog! Does THIS force him to reconsider his mission? Nope, he's dead-set on getting to the bottom of this mystery. Foxworth discovers that the paper mill has been pumping mercury into the river for twenty years, causing hideous mutations like the terrifying tadpole and Armand Assante indians. Meanwhile, a dad and his two kids are camping, when suddenly, something huge and ugly attacks! The next thing they know, dad and sis are screaming and junior is flying through the air in his sleeping bag, exploding against a boulder like a down-filled H-bomb! Foxworth, unaware of this, presses on. Talia finds a mutated bearcub in a net and they simply must keep it as evidence. Then, one night while investigating, Foxworth and company are attacked themselves! We finally see the giant, winnie-the-goo, and man is it frightening! Fifteen feet of hairy, drippy, bone-crushing terror! Run away Rob Foxworth! Run away! Too late! The creature is snorting and sniffing it's way through the campsite, looking for it's cub! Oh my! Can our heroes possibly defeat this ecological horror? Watch in wide-eyed wonder! Recommended for fans of fifties mutant movies and the legions of Robert Foxworth followers out there ...

When giant, mutant sausage bears attack!
A medical doctor is sent into the Maine woods to do a scientist's job. Study the environmental impact the local paper mill is having on the land and people. His findings will help settle a violent dispute between the lumberjacks and local native americans regarding ownership of the land. What he uncovers is a monster that chews up more scenery than he does. Director John (The Manchurian Candidate) Frankenheimer crashed and burned with this eco-horror film scripted by David (The Omen) Seltzer. The story is standard b-movie stuff, but the pacing is way too slow and the monsters are not the least bit frightening. Their attacks will cause screams of laughter, not of terror. The only good thing here is that the movie is restored to its widescreen image, which only shows just how poorly Frankenheimer staged the attacks and suspense sequences. Prophecy used to be one of my favorite guilty pleasures and I really wish I could give it a higher rating, but this movie is only for the most devout of monster movie fans.

What¿s that Huffing Sound in the Woods?
I first saw Prophecy as a 10 year old in 1979 and it scared the ** out of me and caused nightmares for a few months. Looking back after seeing it again today, the shambling mutant bear doesn't pack quite the same punch effects wise; but this is still a decent horror flick. The Mambo King plays an Indian and Adrian is the weak pregnant wife along for the ride as a inner-city class conscious doctor attempts to study the environment in Maine and gets wrapped up in a tribal dispute with the local paper mill who has been logging near the village and yes, dumping mercury into the water supply for the last 20 years. This of course has an adverse affect on the flora and fauna, not the least of which is the 12 foot bear that is now chomping down on would be hikers. The exploding sleeping bag w/ feathers floating down is still an image that stays with you, as is the bear slowly sinking across the foggy water trudging towards its victims. The woodland setting is beautiful and Dysart makes a nice company man villain. A nice afternoon time killer. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Jack Arnold's horror classic The Creature from the Black Lagoon spawned not one but two iconic images: the web-footed humanoid gill-man with a hankering for women and the leggy, luscious Julia Adams, the object of his desire, swimming the lagoon in a luminous white bathing suit. Not since King Kong has the "beauty and the beast" theme been portrayed in such sexually charged (though chaste) terms. Arnold turns an effectively B-movie plot--a small expedition up a remote Amazon river captures a prehistoric amphibian man, who escapes to wreak havoc on the team and kidnap his bathing beauty--into a moody, stylish, low-budget feature. The jungle exteriors turn from exotic to treacherous when the creature blocks their passage and strands them in the wilds. Much of the film is shot underwater, where the murky dark is animated by shimmering shards of sunlight, creating images both lovely and alien (the studio-built sets of the creature's underground lair are far less naturalistic, but serve their purpose). As with most of Arnold's '50s genre films, he's saddled with a less than magnetic leading man (in this case the colorless but stalwart Richard Carlson) and a conventional script, but he overcomes such limitations by creating a vivid and sympathetic monster (helped immeasurably by a marvelous suit of scales and fins) and establishing a mood thick with atmosphere. The film was originally shot in 3-D. --Sean Axmaker ... Read more

Reviews (59)

The Demon of the Amazon
The classic feature "The Creature of the Black Lagoon" is the latest DVD in Universal's Classic Monster Collection. In a forbidden lagoon on the Amazon, a scientific expedition searches for the fossilized remains of an "amphibious missing link" and discover a living specimen that falls for the head scientist's female assistant. When attempts to capture the creature failed, the powerful beast plots his revenge upon the scientists. Though not the scariest feature in the Universal Monster Collection, "The Creature of the Black Lagoon" is a solid and effective Sci-Fi film that features one of the most inventive movie monsters. This 1954 film contains a well-paced storyline, interesting characters and great underwater photography. The "Gillman's" scaly design is quite remarkable. The cast includes Richard Carlson, Julie Adams and Richard Denning.

Universal earns high marks for giving a classic monster feature a great DVD presentation. The film is presented in its original fullscreen format. The DVD contains a stunning B&W picture quality with great clarity. The 2.0 Dolby Digital sound is well preserved and surprisingly clear. The DVD also includes audio commentary with film historian Tom Weaver, theatrical trailers and "Back to the Black Lagoon" featurette. With such fine picture quality and interesting supplements, "The Creature of the Black Lagoon" earns a solid "B".

THE GILL-MAN OF THE AMAZON.....
Probably the most celebrated monster film of the 50's (it even had a small role in "The Seven Year Itch"), "Creature from the Black Lagoon" deserves re-issue along with it's two sequels "Revenge of the Creature" and "The Creature Walks Among Us". The legendary tale of an ill-fated expedition up the Amazon after the discovery of a humanoid claw fossil remains a favorite for so many reasons. The Gill-Man monster suit and the leading lady Julie Adams are two reasons in my book. The Creature still looks good on film and Adams was the perfect heroine in her short-and-halter top oufits and, of course, that white swim suit. The underwater scenes of the Creature swimming underneath her in the lagoon have stayed in my memory all these years. Director Jack Arnold created a lasting film that may not hold up as well as it once did, but it's a treasure for sci-fi/horror fans all over the world. Richard Carlson and Richard Denning provided the stalwart male drama and heroics but the Creature's pursuit of Julie Adams is what gives this classic that strange sort of sex appeal that lies underneath the terror. It's a beautifully photographed b&w thrill ride for those of us who never get tired of watching it. Out of print? For now maybe. But he'll be back. And maybe with his sequels...

Should have included a Field Seqential 3-D version!
Not that many people are aware of the Field Sequential 3-D.
This is a 3-D TV system that uses special shutter glasses that can be purchased here through Amazon in a set that includes 3 DVD's using this process. This system Is the only way to view a 3-D film effectively on TV to date. The result is about 90% close to the effect you will see in a theatre showing.. like IMAX and Disney and Universal.
These glasses are made of sturdy plastic and clear not these cardboard red and blue pieces of garbage, so you can view the film without constricted to seeing red and blue colors and with this system you will see more actual 3-D depth with the films true colors.. It's really amazing!
For some add reason the big studios haven't adapted to include a separate version of a 3-D title in this great format.
Films like:
"House of Wax","Kiss Me Kate","Friday the 13th Part 3", "Robot Monster, "Cat Woman on the Moon", "Creature from the Black Lagoon" and "Jaws 3" are all now in 2-D DVD, but were originally shown in 3-D and could have been included using the Field Seqential 3-D system on the same disc with the 2-D version.
In Japan in the late 80's there were a few 3-D titles released using Field Sequential and can be found on e-bay converted to DVD and VHS.
Why aren't the studios producing these now!
I boycott any film DVD release that was originally intended to be seen in 3-D that's only presented in a 2-D version or anaglyph (Red and Blue Glasses).

Since this is out of print maybe we can hope that Universal will wake up and produce a new version containing Field Seqential 3-D!
The studios should really be awaken to this great 3-D system.

Good thing it was made in the 50's
This movie is one of the best horror/scifi/monster movies ever! Its shows how good monster movies could be even after the Golden Age of Universal's horror into the fifties where there were more chessy than classy monsters terrifying audiences. A marine humanoid goes after a human girl for whom he is attrached to. May sound hoaky but this movie is nothing of the sort. If it had been made today, it would proably be another crapfest like "Sabertooth" or "Reptilian" made by the Sci Fi channel. The characters wouldn't be likable (Yeah I think Mark's a jerk) and the Creature would just have no pride. This movie was good enough and the Creature is cool enough to be included alongside Dracula, Frankenstein, the Wolfman, the Mummy, the Invisible Man, the Bride of Frankenstein and the Phantom of the Opera. To stand alongside such a classy work of Gothic art like Dracula or the first two Frankensteins is pretty good. This movie got me into old horror movies. Now I am a classical horror fanatic thanks to this movie. Above are the eight characters I think of when I think of horror

Better than I thought it would be, now one of my favorites.
First of all, I am fairly new to these classic monster movies. I have seen Dracula before but that was it. I knew that the Creature dvd was out of print and considerably rare, so when I stumbled upon it for $25 I knew I had to give it a shot. I am glad because it turned out to be a great movie, a true classic to be sure.

The story revolves around a scientist who discovers the hand of some unknown creature in the rocks. Knowing it was a water based creature, he heads back to get an expedition together to further explore his finding. The thought was that this creature could be the link between man and aquatic animals. When two scientists dive into the black lagoon they encounter the creature, and one of the scientists becomes determined to kill the creature in order to get the credit for this find. Later Kay, played by Julie Adams, goes for a swim in the lagoon and becomes the object of the creature's desires. That is all I will say about the plot, but you need to see this classic for yourself because it has such a great story, great acting, and the underwater scenes look terrific.

I love this movie now, and I am sure any fan of classic monster movies will too, that is if you havent seen it already. I was lucky enough to find this for a reasonable price but since it is out of print it is in high demand, selling for around $60 and up on Amazon/Ebay. Also there are some great extras on the disc, such as the 40 minute Back to the Black Lagoon which goes behind the scenes for The Creature and two sequels made after it. There are also theatrical trailers and posters which are interesting to see. Since I liked this so much I will view The Monster Legacy set, but I am sure the Creature will rank right at the top with the best of them. Get this if you can, you won't be sorry you did.

(...) ... Read more

Reviews (10)

Lacks the mystery and excitement of the original
"The Return of Swamp Thing" isn't anything like the original movie was. Unlike the original, "The Return of Swamp Thing" isn't exciting and it doesn't have the sense of mystery that "Swamp Thing" had. Swamp Thing tries to keep Abby Arcane (Heather Locklear) safe from her father, Dr. Arcane (Louis Jourdan), who has a plan in mind to kill Abby.

Instead of including some action packed and exciting parts in "The Return of Swamp Thing," the movie instead follows two boys who try to be funny, but they're not funny at all.

Overall, I consider "The Return of Swamp Thing" one of the most disappointing sequels ever made. If you want a good Swamp Thing movie, I'd recommend getting "Swamp Thing" and skipping "The Return of Swamp Thing."

It's a great movie. Swamp Thing is the bomb!!
I think Swamp Thing is cool. He is my favorite movie monster, only in the film, he's not evil. I wish there where more movies on him.

Fairly decent.
Dr.Arcane is back,this time his stepdaughter comes to pay him a visit and hes got plans for her.Of course Swamp Things not going to let him harm her.They fall in love,that's about it.

Okay, some people are missing the point (yet again)
I've read alot of negative reviews for this one, and none of the people writing these reviews really seem to grasp the concept of a Jim Wynorski film. Jim Wynorski makes b-movies, ONLY b-movies, and he makes them well. If you're unfamiliar with what a b-movie is, you should'n't be writing a review for this particular film, but I'll give you some background. Remember those old fifties drive-in films, you know, the kind they play on Mystery Science Theater 3000? Stereo-typical characters, guys in rubber suits playing cheesy monsters, and that special 80's touch up, huge breasts every couple of minutes...these are all elements of the b-movie. You're SUPPOSED to make fun of it. You're SUPPOSED to actually enjoy yourself watching a movie for once.
Return of Swamp Thing is an excellent b-movie, and one of Jim Wynorski's best. It's alot different from the original, but alot better, in my opinion. No disrespect to Wes Craven, but Swamp Thing isn't one of his better films. Not as bad as Scream 2, but it's not quite up to par with his usual films.
If you DID enjoy Return of Swamp Thing, I recommend "Not of This Earth" (1986), "Sorority House Massacre II: Nightie Nightmare", and "Hard To Die".

Cult Classic
One of the classiest cult movies you will ever encounter, one of the best comic adaptations ever made, a million times better than the first one proving the Empire Strikes Back theory that it is possible to make a superior follow up. If you are a cult comic/movie fan do yourself a favour and invest the 20 bucks or whatever it is to own this masterpiece. ... Read more

Amazon.com

The peculiar genius of schlock-king Roger Corman is in full bloom with this extremely gory, pointedly offensive homage to 1950s monster movies (with a generous helping of Alien thrown in for good measure), in which a legion of mutated salmon-men terrorize a small town in their search for unwilling female companionship. (Potential viewers should be warned that this movie goes to great lengths to show what earlier films in this genre had only implied.) A guilty pleasure for exploitation fans with a strong stomach and a twisted sense of humor. For what it's worth, director Barbara Peters has claimed that additional shock scenes were inserted by producer Corman without her knowledge. The glop-intensive special effects were devised by Rob Bottin, who later went on to gross out the masses with his work on Seven, Robocop, and John Carpenter's graphic remake of The Thing. --Andrew Wright ... Read more

Reviews (28)

Title sounds very fifties, doesn't it?
With a title called Humanoids from the Deep, you'd probably be pretty dumb to expect anything more than a schlocky B-movie. And since I'm always game for a schlocky B-movie, I actually had decent expectations from this movie (even Leonard Maltin gave it 3 stars out of 4). Maybe not so unsurprisingly, Humanoids turns out to be a pretty lame, but also rather watchable, "monsters run amok" flick.

The fishing village of Noyo has a few problems on its hands, actually rather a LOT, in the form of mutated salmon that want to kill all the men and rape the women. We see this cycle play itself out for, well, the entire movie, so that's pretty much all there is plot-wise, excepting the Native American who has trouble from a bigot (played by Vic Morrow).

I've always said that it's entirely possible to make a truly entertaining film (for all the right reasons) from a fun premise. So Humanoids from the Deep probably could have made for one wild little horror flick if not for the stilted pacing and second-rate creature effects. The movie certainly has its heart set in the right place. We've got all the ingredients we expect from a movie like this: lots of gore and gratuitous nudity. Now only if the director could have crafted this with more competence and fun.

Humanoids feels almost two hours in length, even though it runs barely over eighty minutes. The monotony is occasionally punctuated by the nudity and the kill scenes, but it's a shame all the moments in-between don't hold much interest. This is probably because of the lack of atmosphere; director Barbara Peters doesn't give the film the much-needed creepy edge and look it demands. The movie looks and sometimes feels a little bland.

Not helping matters much are the special effects, which are rather poor. These mutated salmon are obviously just men in shoddy suits covered in seaweed. The gore effects, while nothing great, are adequate enough, particularly in the extremely violent climax, which must have made the R-rating a close call. Hard to believe the effects were done by Rob Bottin, who did such a masterful job on the visuals in The Thing.

Humanoids' pacing does get better in the last half hour, when all hell breaks loose, and we get a pretty nifty massacre at the end. Peters even throws in some gunplay, which I imagine would have been more exciting with better direction and editing. As far as script and acting goes, the former isn't quite as stupid as I'd expected it (don't get me wrong, the science is idiotic, though plot holes are sort of kept to a minimum) to be and the latter is actually not that bad for a Roger Corman production.

The score is done by none other than James Horner(!), who must have been in the budding stages of his career. To his credit, he doesn't rip off John Williams, though the music does have a Bernard Herrman-esque sound to it.

The Classic - very few come close
It is an honor to review this movie. 20 years ago my girlfriend and I were walking in Times Square past the movie house where Humanoids was playing. She saw a poster of the monster and wanted to know if such creatures really existed. At that point I knew I had to marry her.
I would like to give this movie 8 stars ********
Half of the movie is directed by Barbara Peters. This half stars Vic Morrow, Ann Turkel, and Doug McClure. They are solid as they seek to save their seaside community and understand the reptilo-humano-Jaws with gonads menace which threatens them. However, this part of the film is not exciting and not original, so it only gets two stars. The other half of the movie, the secret existence of which these actors and the director herself were unaware of (!!), consists of lovely young women at the beach being impregnated by a giant seaweed-covered sponge. There is a very hot sex-scene-threesome in a tent between a geeky puppeteer, his randy woodie, and a very alluring young thing who tries to seduce the marionette. In the midst of this scene, the puppeteer is disemboweled and the lovely young woman runs out of the tent without her clothes, down the beach, but is caught and impregnated by the seaweed-covered sponge. The scene is not explicit enough that you would have been able to explain his reproduction technique to your biology class, but it offers hints. This secret half of the movie deserves 5 stars because I have never seen anything like it before or since.
Finally, the art on the video box is sublime and deserves a star, too. 2 + 5 + 1 = 8

Whoh mama.
Pretty horrible, but bad in the Burial Ground or Pieces kind of way. The story here centers on a fishing town where the financial hub is evidently salmon. The fish have been thinning out, and all of the fishermen, morose beer-swilling lowlifes for the most part, are bitter. But there is one ray of hope in the form of the cannery that's supposed to revitalize the whole town. Add to this powder keg the Billy Jack-esque Indian guy that wants to preserve the land.

Apparently, a scientist working for the cannery has been tampering with salmon, I guess on some genetic level, to make better salmon or something. What this actually does is create a race of humanoid salmon, buck-toothed monsters with bulging brain sacks and gigantic rubber flippers. The monsters are coming ashore and mauling people, but they are particularly driven towards the chicks. You see, salmon monsters need love too, especially when it comes in the the form of bikini-clad or outright naked beach girls. There isn't much romanace involved. The girls just sort of scream and run, then make sure they fall once or twice so the rubber flipper tread can keep up with them. Now, when the girls aren't entertaining the salmon monsters, they're busy getting it on with land-based degenerates (who just want to drink some beer and have a good time.) More to the point, one girl, tenting on the beach near the tide line for some bizarre reason, is actually coaxed out of her clothes by a puppet with only slightly more finesse than the salmon monsters. There is one blonde girl, voluptuous, milky-skinned, that's kind of pretty, and the salmon monsters really take a liking to her. They take her to their lair, which is above ground, and this is okay, since the salmon monsters just randomly venture miles inland and take to the water only when it's convenient.

Eventually, one of the salmon monsters is killed, giving the salmon scientist a chance to study it and make a round of profound observations. Evidently these humanoid salmon are in fact humanoid, and their amphibious attack patterns suggest the fact that they might be turning amphibious! There's never really any satisfactory explanation as to why they chase girls. Probably it's just an ego thing. Or maybe they ARE just diehard romantics---personally I think that is the true reason. The Creature from the Black Lagoon needed love too, and his defense, they threw a super hot babe into each one of his movies, and that was because the Creature, unlike the salmon monsters, had panache and that quiet kind of cool.

This movie is great if you just want to watch mindless crap, as I very often do. I only got this movie a few days ago, and I've already watched it like five times. It's inexpensive, and for what it is it fits the bill.

IF YOU GOT A TRILL FROM CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON!!
I SAW THIS MOVIE WHEN IT FIRST CAME OUT AND I THOUGHT IT WAS LIKE A SICK JOKE-ROTTEN FANTISY.THESE CREATURES ARE ON THE HOT SIDE .AND THEY DON'T WASTE ANY TIME TRYING TO MATE THE GIRLS& KILL EVERYTHING ELES.I REALLY WISHED THE MOVIE WAS ALOT LONGER.BUT I HAD TO ADD IT TO MY OLD MOVIE COLLECTION ANYWAY.IT IS ALWAYS A REAL PLEASURE TO WATCH THIS MOVIE.!!YOU WILL LOVE IT TOO.

great fun
Hugely enjoyable B movie from the Corman stable. This is certainly the best looking version I've seen of the film - though it does suffer a little from being transferred at the incorrect 4:3 ratio.
Rob Bottin's creatures of the title still hold up surprisingly well today and the film rattles along at a breakneck pace clocking in at a tight 80 minutes. Excellent. ... Read more

Reviews (292)

Truly a cult classic!!!!!!!!!
When I first saw this film it scared the Hell outa me. George A Remero is a genuis. this film spawned a new genre of horror movies like "Halloween," and The "Evil Dead" series. This film is definately the best horror movie of all time. Although Black and White films are mostly corney and dull, this is one of those films that set the standards for future movies to come.
Anyway, A satalite from outerspace let out radiation from the planet Venus and is causing the dead to walk. Barbara (Judth O'dea) and her brother Johnny (Russel Streiner) go to visit a deseaced family member to pay respects.
Barbara and Johnny were attacked by the famous cemetary ghoul (Bill Heinzman). Barbara Escapes to the car and makes it to a nearby farmhouse only to meet her hero Ben (Duane Jones) who helps her through this incredible ordeal. later they find out five people are in the basement hiding out. Ben and the others must come together to defeat these terrible flesheating creatures outside. This is my favorite film of all time and I defenitally recommend it. I give it two thumbs up. I also liked the remake in 1990 by Tom Savini. He did an exellent job of bringing back the characters although it was missing the erie atmosphere the original had. Savini's good, but he'll never be a George Remero.

The original is always best!!!!!!!!!
Night of the living Dead is the best horror movie picture of all time in my eyes. I give it 5 stars for its creepy soundtrack and its great one of a kind feel. It starts with Barbara(Judith O'dea) and her brother Johnny going to visit thier mothers grave to pay thier respects, when all of a sudden "Ther're comming to get you Barbara" says Johnny just fooling around. and it actually turns out to be the creepiest Zombie of the film. Anyway Johnny gets what was coming to him and Barbara gets away and runs to a nearby farmhouse where Ben(Duane Jones)helps board down the doors and windows to keep the flesh eaters out. later on they find out there were five people in the basement hiding. The whole plot is seven people in an isolated farmhouse trying to stay out of reach of the flesh eating ghouls outside the house for the night. The film that started the best and coolest Dead series of all-time, thanks to George A. Remero.

NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD
BY FAR THE ABSOLUTE BEST ZOMBIE MOVIE EVER!!! BEING IN BLACK AND WHITE ONLY MAKES THIS CLASSIC SCARIER.THE MOOD OF THIS FILM IS INCREDIBLE. JUDITH ODEA DESERVES AN AWARD FOR HER ACTING!!SHE GAVE AN EXTREMELY CONVINCING PERFORMANCE.NOT VERY GORY BUT DEFINITELY SCARY!!!!THE SOUNDTRACK IS AWESOME AND IS A BIG PART OF WHY THIS FILM IS SO FRIGHTENING.A DEFINITE TRUE HORROR MOVIE THAT SHOULD BE SEEN AT LEAST ONCE OR TWICE OR MANY, MANY TIMES LIKE MYSELF.A+++++ ALL AROUND!!!! GET THIS MOVIE.

Piece of Crap.
Another terrible movie from that terrible Director George A. Romero. This time, there are only about twenty zombies waiting outside.

The zombies in this look better than those in Dawn of the Dead (1978)but are still very boring and unrealistic. Like i've said before, zombies wouldn't be able to move without certain orgains opertating properly in their bodies. Another thing I have just discovered is the fact that if the heart and lungs were operating and moving the body, then the rest of the organs in the body would be recieving blood, so they would be operating too. Meaning the body would be alive. ALIVE!!!!

The story is terrible. A group of people seek shelter in some house and, for some reason, are afraid to leave. There are about 15-20 zombies waiting outside. Why don't they just brake in the house? Because the man sets a chair on fire and throws it outside. Wait a minute. Why are they afraid of fire? They're dead. They don't know what fire is and they don't get hurt by the flames. Why does it scare them so? Romero never answered that question. It sounds to me like Romero just needed an answer.

Another question not answered. Why are zombies walking around the earth? They put out the idea of radiation from Venus, but never confirmed it. In Dawn of the Dead (1978) they said that there was a possibility of a viral outbreak. So , they still haven't found the answer. I wonder when Romero will tell the answer. If Romero doesn't need to answer the question, why does James Gunn's and Zack Snyder's obviousley superior version of Dawn need an explanation. They set out the idea of a virus, just like the original Dawn. Who knows? It sounds to me like the people are just trying find away to make an argument between which version of Dawn was better. The answer to that is obvious. The new Dawn.

The acting is terrible. I know it was low-budget, but you could get better women performances from the lady serving you at the resteraunt. The women in the movie were just terrible. The men were good, but the women were terrible. I couldn't stand them.

This is a comedy that was poorly done. It wasn't very funny and...What? It's not a comedy? It looked like a comedy. It wasn't scary, or entertaining as a matter of fact. I thought they were trying to be funny. The way the zombies acted, the acting, the lines, the pathetic attempt to gas up the truck. I thought this was supposed to be a comedy.

This is a terrible movie and a terrible DVD. I think it's about time George Romero died. He's just not a good director.

Thank god they fired him from Resident Evil. I can't stand thinking of the name. George A. Romero's Resident Evil. It's the George A. Romero's part that I don't like. Paul Anderson did a better job than Romero would have ever done.

A Classic That Worms Its Way Into Your Dreams
"Night of the Living Dead" is a classic that worms its way into your dreams. Truly amazing stuff. Back when Romero and Russo wrote and films this, they did not yet realize they were created a whole new subgenre of horror. Much as I like the remake, the undead are creepiest in the shadows of black and white film.

I'm writing to respond to one reviewer's nitpick and another reviewer's well-intentioned mistake. Complaining that most of it is in mono is like complaining that it's in black and white. That's how the original was made, plain and simple. Another reviewer complained about how horrible the version with added footage is. That individual is right about that version, but that's the 30th Anniversary Edition and NOT the Millenium Edition. The 30th Anniversary Edition with added scenes and weird, distracting music is too horrible for words, and not even in a "Plan 9 From Outer Space" so-bad-it's-funny way. The Millenium Edition is simply an official DVD made from a cleaned up print, with extras like the interviews. If you want to see the real "Night of the Living Dead" and get some cool extras for your money, this is the way to go. ... Read more

Reviews (35)

Underrated brilliance
I never understood why so many people hate this movie. Even Fangoria called it 'abysmal'. But I consider it a worthy follow-up to the delicious Demon Knight. It has brilliant acting: Dennis Miller is a treat as smartass private eye. Angie Everhart is not only the hottest female vampire in years, no, she even proves that she can actually act. Corey Feldman has one of his very few good roles. But who really chews the scenery is Chris Sarandon (Fright Night), one of the most underrated actors ever: His performance as a TV preacher alone makes this movie worth watching. Only Erika Eleniak is rather miscast. And watch out for Demon Knight veteran William Sadler (another underestimated actor) as mummy. The make-up F/X are not only unbelievably gory for an R-rated movie; they're so excellent they even surprise genre buffs who thought they've seen it all. The characters are wonderfully weird, and although there's loads of black humour in it, I'm glad Bordello of Blood never turns in a fun-splatter movie and still provides some chills. Even if you heard it's awful: Give it a try! It's more than just another vampire movie and has more imaginery than all those new teen horror films that Scream spawned together. I just hope there'll be a final part to the Tales from the Crypt full-length-feature trilogy.

Vampire Prostitutes
Bordello of Blood is the second Tales From the Crypt movie, and I found it very enjoyable.

Unlike the first movie (Demon Knight) this movie did not start out with the television show's opening. It opened more like a movie than an extra long episode.

Bordello of Blood is the story of a down-on-his-luck private investigator (Dennis Miller) looking for a missing teenager. The search leads him to a funeral home that is a front for a bordello run by vampires. Miller's client tells him to drop the case but he really needs the case to succeed if he is going to get his license back. Miller investigates and plays a very savvy investigator who doesn't fall for anyone's lines and is not surprised by what he finds. Added to this is television evangelism, the lore of vampires and their origin, and the key from the first movie.

The action is similar to the series with the same tongue-in-cheek humor (possibly even more so). I particularly liked the investigator's resourcefulness in eliminating the vampires (a long-range, large-capacity squirt gun filled with holy water) and the vampire applying the SPF100 sun block.

If you like Tales From the Crypt, there is no reason you will not like this one.

The reason Tales from the Crypt died
While the first film was a solid, self-contained horror flick with a touch of humor and a fair amount of sophistication and imagination, Bordello of Blood falls apart under poor direction and a far too free-spirited nature. While it is a failure as a sequel it manages to entertain only as a brainless timewaster.

Dennis Miller does his best with the weak material and ad-libs a lot of humor. A little too much, taking the film even further from it's already vague ambitions. But worry not, his humor is still free and easy, unlike his cryptic (no pun intended) football commentaries. Erika Eleniak is marginally engaging and Corey Feldman is well underused. The weakest performances come from Angie Everhart as the ancient vampire Lillith and Chris Sarandon as the outrageously stereotyped southern TV evangelist. It's these performances that keep the film eternally low brow.

It's sad that Tales from the Crypt totally died after this movie but the powers behind it went on to found the Dark Castle production company (check out those movies they're actually quite scary and effective).

This new version of Bordello of Blood is by Universal and is presented in it's proper aspect ratio of 1.85:1 anamorphic and is in Dolby 5.1. The cheapo snapper case has been replaced by a sturdy keepcase and a new cover art. The only new extra is a trailer.

Tales From The Crypt Presents - Bordello of Blood
When a Private Investigator (Dennis Miller) is hire by a church-going, sexy concerned sister (Erika Eleniak) to find her bad-assed brother (Corey Feldman) the case turns into a bloodbath. When they finally find her brother he is found in a local mortuary which tends to have funerals in the mornings and a whorehouse at night. The whorehouse is run by a vampire (Angie Everheart) whose over 1,000 years old. Full of comedy, gore and (of course) sex, Bordello of Blood is very satisfying and has the ability to entertain multiple viewings. The film also co-stars Chris Sarandon. The DVD isn't much. It only have a Theatrical Trailer.

Picture: B
Sound: B-
Special Features: F

Gorey and fun horror romp
The second (but hopefully not last) Tales From the Crypt film, Bordello of Blood is as nasty as it's title implies. Full of scantily clad vampire women and loaded with a surprising amount of gore for an R-rated movie, this film is pure trashy horror fun with comedian Dennis Miller playing a private eye who stumbles upon a bordello full of vampires being funded by an evangilist (Chris Sarandon). Plenty of toungue-in-cheek dark humor, hot babes, and wild gore; Bordello of Blood doesn't hit the same greatness as Demon Knight, but it doesn't try to either. Also featuring Erika Eleniak, Corey Feldman, and Angie Everhart as the mouthwatering vampire master. ... Read more

Reviews (5)

It Sucks
This movie sucks it has nothing to do with zombies all the movie is about is group of Americans who decide to visit an island and witness a voodoo ritual and eventually get killed off by some guys that dress like ninjas or some crap! Don't waste your time with this movie.

Jimi was right... "You're a voodoo child!"
Maybe it's because I've studied voodoo history and island cults for years in grad school, but I highly suggest that you add "Zombie Island Massacre" to your movie collection now.

A group of tourists decide to venture over to the remote island of Who-Knows-Where - Mistake #1. The tourists are too busy screwing around to notice the island is inhabited by blood-thirsty (and might I add, very scary) zombies - Mistake #2.

A few voodoo ceremonies and ritulistic killings later and you're knee deep in a pool of terror! The director does an excellent job of making the picture really dark and grainy, so half the time, you have no idea what's going on. Brilliant!

Throw the lovely and talented Rita Jenrette ("The Malibu Bikini Shop") into the fold, and what you have here is a horror film that is destined to be a cult classic for years to come.

If you don't add this to your movie collection soon, that might be considered... Mistake #3.

Watch out! The zombies are coming to get you!
I'll never forget the first time I saw the terrifying preview for "Zombie Island Massacre" on Pay-Per-View. Even though I was just a child, I remember being strangely attracted to the thought of a movie featuring voodoo rituals, tribal chants and sacrificial killings.

I actually stole the Pay-Per-View authorization key from my parents' room so I could watch the movie in my basement... by myself... BIG MISTAKE! This movie was 10x scarier than I expected it to be. Not even the presence of Rita Jenrette ("The Malibu Bikini Shop") could ease my nerves.

Why this is considered a "B-Movie" is beyond me. It has all the thrills and chills of a good, big-budget horror film. Hurry up and buy this movie before it goes out of print.

By the way, my parents' reaction to seeing "Zombie Island Massacre" on their cable bill was equally as terrifying.

All island, no zombies and a poor excuse for a massacre!
For starters any film featuring 'internationally acclaimed superstar' Rita Jenrette is a must see for every man, woman and beast. Add to this a title to rival 'Demented Death Farm Massacre', 'hedge' zombies, and a bus load of amateur actors (some seem animated in death even without the aid of zombification), and Troma have another glorious money spinner on their hands. As the cod-Vincent Price voice-over tells us in the trailer, we're in for a 'wonderful' holiday of "violence, terror, torture and death." Well, can you remember a holiday brochure that provides the customer with what it promises? All of it though, is shot through with such an endearing sense of fun that it will remain on your video shelf for many holidays to come. Many will criticise the film for its distinct lack of zoms- giraffe-necked Simon (from the Steven Spielberg school of minge)proclaimed, "It's just a man disguised in a bush!" upon watching it, refusing to wait for the denouement when the 'supernatural' element of the film is revealed; notably Jenrette's gravity-defying assets. The beauty of this film is in refusing to provide the audience with what they expect and instead presenting them with a post-Robert Sabbag mystery adventure revolving around cocaine-trafficking. And the character of Reginald Chumley Jones is perfectly indicative of those tour-guides who mislead the general public and contribute to a truly hellish holiday (anyone in England who has seen Judith Chalmers on 'Wish You Were Here?' will understand what I mean.) Perhaps the mystery at the centre of the film is why the Caribbean band that is seen at the beginning is comprised of half 'JOLLY BOYS' and half 'JOLLY BROTHERS'. Are half of them simply wearing skinny rib T-shirts or is a far more sinister implication being made about gangs of men who stick together? Best moment of the film is when the hairy simian-looking boyfriend of Jenrette manages to find a loaded gun in the back garden of a deserted house before Jenrette reveals an intimate knowledge of the joys of cannibalism that would put Jeffrey Dahmer to shame- "German, French and Italian, and its all on cannibalism!" Finally, the art of chowing down on your fellow homo-sapien kindred has gone multi-national and on 'Zombie' island there is even archival proof. Another nugget of wisdom from the end of the trailer....."On Zombie Island, you might lose your heart...you'll also lose your head." With its intellectual complexity and moments of heart-rending emotion, 'Zombie Island Massacre' finally delivers its last promise. Definitely five-star!

Very entertaining B-movie
This Troma-distributed movie follows the adventures of a group of tourists who end up on a tropical island. Once there, they must confront a bunch of zombies who start killing them in various graphic ways. This 1983 film has most of the elements you would expect from a Troma release (in other words, nudity and gore), plus a neat surprise ending. It also stars ex-Playboy model Rita Jenrette as one of the tourists. If you can get past the bad acting, not-so-special effects and overall sillyness, you should give this classic B-movie a try (especially if you are a gore fan). ... Read more

Reviews (49)

An All-time Classic For B-movie Connoisseurs!
One of the most unintentionally funny films ever made, Robot Monster is a Golden Turkey award winner and a serious rival for the coveted title of "Worst Movie Ever Made". The storyline: a invading robot from the planet "Ro-Man" eradicates all life on Earth except for a family of six people, whom the robot monster (conveniently named "Ro-Man" as well) must locate and destroy upon the orders of his leader, The Great Guidance. Ro-Man spends much of the movie lumbering around a canyon searching for the humans, who have this habit of just standing there as he approaches. One wonders where the film's $20,000 budget went, as there are no sets (the whole film takes place outside) and almost no special effects (all effects are stock footage from other movies, except for the infamous Space Platform--watch closely and you can see the hand of the effects guy holding it up). The dialogue is astonishingly bad, enough to give the infamous "Plan 9 From Outer Space" a serious run for its money ("I'm bossy? You're so bossy you ought to be milked before you come home at night!"), and some of the acting just has to be seen to be believed. For those who enjoy movies that are so bad they're good, Robot Monster ranks along with the films of Ed Wood as one of the all time best.

Gives PLAN 9 a run for its money!
PLAN 9 FROM OUTER SPACE is universally considered the worst movie ever because it really is DREADFUL, but also because this sort of "Ed Wood cult" has sprung up. Ed Wood is a fascinating character, and aside from the movie about him (an excellent film) seeing PLAN 9 is the best way to get into this guys head. Also, there are large parts of PLAN 9 that are truly hilarious...laugh out loud funny.

ROBOT MONSTER, I believe, may be even worse. The problem is, the movie isn't quite so hysterically funny. It doesn't have quite so many quotable bad lines. It's just patently ridiculous in its conception. I mean, when Phil Tucker realized he couldn't do any better than a gorilla suit and a diving helmet, the plug should have been pulled on the whole darn thing!!! But no, lesser minds prevailed, and this junk was actually filmed. It is wretchedly acted, with a plot that makes absolutely no sense, and special effects a five year old could improve upon!

By all means, if you're a bad movie buff, you must own this film! Let there be no question. But in terms of sitting around with a bunch of friends to show them just how fun a bad movie can be, PLAN 9 still wins. Some movies are so bad they're funny...others are just bad. ROBOT MONSTER stradles that line.

Behold the awesome calcinator death ray!
In the pantheon of bad movies, few ever achieve the notoriety of Robot Monster (1953), except maybe for Plan 9 from Outer Space (1959), as being among the worst of the worst. Written by Wyott Ordung (Target Earth) and directed by Phil Tucker, Robot Monster, intended to be a allegory of the post modern world of World War II, instead has become a cult classic of cosmic proportions in its' complete and utter badness...

So what's the movie about? Well, apparently us Earthlings have become too smart for our own good, incurring the worrisome wraith of the Ro-Men, aliens with gorilla bodies and diving suit helmets for heads, as their fear is we will someday become powerful enough to destroy them...or they just want our planet (their motivation seemed to flip-flop between these two ideas). Their plan? Send a deadly emissary (only one) armed with a death ray and bubble machine to annihilate the population of Earth, allowing for others to follow...to which they find great success...almost. Yes, the entire population of our planet, about two billion at the time, are destroyed, except for 5 people. Seems these five people share some sort of immunity to the death ray, and now find themselves huddled for survival in bombed out ruins, trying to hide their existence from the alien fiend, who just happens to reside in a cave not to far from their hiding place. Can these lone survivors, these last remnants of humankind, find a way to destroy or make peace with this menace before they find themselves extinct?

Man, this movie, which was shot on location in Bronson Canyon in California, probably one of the most used locations for Hollywood films, was a painfest...cheap effects I can usually take, as I've seen hundreds of B movies, but everything in this film seems like it was scraped from the bottom of some barrel. I guess the most obvious element to start out with is the aliens' extremely cumbersome costume, limiting its' mobility to the point where anytime it would chase someone, for it to actually catch them, the prey would have to either run very slow and awkward, or conveniently trip and fall to the ground. A gorilla suit with a diver's helmet? That's pretty sad, even for a film like this...I especially loved the fact that the person wearing this getup was also wearing a mask within the diving helmet, and so we were unable to see his face, so whenever he spoke, he would usually make all kinds of exaggerated gestures with his hands much like your stereotypical Italian, as if to compensate for lack of facial expressions. And really, what is the deal with the bubble machine? I suspect they got a really good deal (possible free use of it) or something on it, as the company who supplied is listed within the credits, but if I was making a film with the intention of providing chills or scares to my audience, a bubble machine only serves to counteract any terror as bubbles just can help but emote a sense of happiness. I also got really tired of that cheesy view screen the monster kept using to contact his homeworld, where he would then get messages from his leader, known as The Great Guidance, on how to proceed in his task of eliminating these last five surviving members of the human race, which proves entirely too difficult given the ease and speed of which he wiped out the other two billion humans on Earth. The acting was about as bad as you'd expect, and I found myself actually hoping for the alien to eliminate this persistent band of less then plucky survivors. The dialog...once you got past the gorilla suit/diving helmet alien element, the viewer is bombarded by round after round of some really awful dialog. The direction, while not great, is serviceable, but given the mish mash plot, it hardly makes a difference. One bright spot throughout the film was the musical score, presented by legendary Academy Award winning composer Elmer Bernstein, who later working on such films as The Ten Commandments (1956), The Magnificent Seven (1960), To Kill a Mockingbird (1962), and The Great Escape (1963), to name a very few.

The film, which I believe was originally presented in 3-D (in fabulous 2-D here), looks surprising good. The source material used for the transfer has obviously suffered some deterioration over time, but not as much as I would have thought, as the picture, while having many flaws visually, all seem minor at best. The audio was pretty soft here, as I had crank the volume up high to fully catch every bit of riveting dialogue as it was spoken. As far as special features, there is a theatrical trailer present, along with some other trailers, most all for Ed Wood films I believe, and that's it...not much, considering the cult status level of the film, in my opinion.

As I said, cheap effects don't necessarily make for a bad movie, but in conjunction with extremely lame dialogue, incredibly poor acting, passable direction, and a completely incoherent plot equal a cinematic hurting few others have ever achieved. I read that the director, Phil Tucker, took this movie so seriously that when released and the extremely critical reviews began coming in, he was so distraught he attempted suicide, but was unsuccessful, and actually went on to direct about six more films, certainly none as memorable as this, his first. I can't help but wonder when a director makes a film as bad as this, how they can't see just how awful it is prior to releasing it. How deluded would you have to be to think this was actually going to be a good movie? I guess the most important thing to have if you are going to watch this film is a sense of humor, as that is where the main gist of the entertainment lies, unintentional as it may be...

Cookieman108

ROBOT MONSTER Review!
While Ed Wood's "Plan 9 From Outer Space" is often regarded as the worst film in cinema history, anyone who has sat down to watch Phil Tucker's "Robot Monster" will tell you it makes anything Wood has done look like brilliant filmmaking. This one is so entertainingly stupid that it should make for ideal viewing for any group of drunk teenagers looking to do their own MST3K.

Easily the finest apocalyptic sci-fi film to ever feature a giant monkey in a diving helmet, "Robot Monster" could not be any worse if it was penned by a grade schooler who just learned how to write. Fifteen minutes into it, you will literally wonder where half of the movie went as it jumps from the opening to what should be the halfway point of it without so much as an explanation, though the use of unexplained dinosaur stock footage could have been an elaborate distraction to make us forget there was a plot in the first place. When we finally are brought up to speed, we learn that the monkey-suited invaders are the evil "Ro-Mans" who have wiped out the entire planet with an awful-looking light show. Well, everyone except for a family of five, who live in a ditch for some unknown reason, and the heroic "Shirtless" Roy who isn't afraid to show off his amazing torso for no reason at all. In one of the film's most defining moments, Roy is thrown off a cliff, but not before letting out one of the greatest death shreeks in cinematic history. It's all wrapped up nicely with an ending, that in the tradition of the whole film, defies any logic what so ever but is filled with even more stock footage from old dinosaur movies.

"Robot Monster" is just an absolute mess from start to finish but it's all part of the fun. While this was supposedly intended to be a serious message about the fears of the atomic age, it never came across as such in the production. If you have a few extra bucks and you're looking for some absolute barget basement entertainment then you should pick this one up. I recommend looking for the DVD two-pack with "Plan 9 From Outer Space" included.

FUNNIEST SCENE MISSING FROM DVD?
I originally saw this film on a local television station and recall a scene which does not appear in my copy of Image's VHS release. I have to wonder if Image used a different print for there DVD transfer. The scene I am referring to occurs about two-thirds of the way through the film and lasts all of about 30 seconds. It's where RoMan is walking down a hillside and encounters some bushes blocking his path and then violently attackes the obstruction and contiunes on his way. I regard this as the goofiest and funiest scene in the film and would not wish to add the DVD to my collection unless this scene appears intact. Can someone out there who has viewed the DVD please let me know if this scene is included. ... Read more