From My friend Jim Carl of The Carolina Theatre:

“Hey everyone,

As promised, listed below is the January-June 2010 RETROFANTASMA line-up. We’ve got some great titles programmed and eleven of the twelve films have never previously screened at RETRO. (Lifeforce played several years ago.) Next time you come by the Carolina Theatre, please pick-up one of the Souvenir Programs about the series. They’re laying on the tables in the Cinema Lobby.

Also, please don’t forget that we’re opening THE HOUSE OF THE DEVIL this Friday, November 27th. It’s a one week run. The film screens nightly at 7:20 p.m. & 9:25 p.m. and on weekend matinees at 2:20 p.m. & 4:25 p.m.

Plus, we’re also screening MONTY PYTHON’S THE LIFE OF BRIAN as well as MONTY PYTHON & THE HOLY GRAIL starting this Friday, November 27th. There are no screenings of either film on Sunday, November 29th because we have a concert occupying our third screen. THE LIFE OF BRIAN will screen nightly at 9:15 p.m. and will have a Saturday matinee at 4:15 p.m. THE HOLY GRAIL will screen nightly at 7:00 p.m. and will have a Saturday matinee at 2:00 p.m.

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!
Jim”

Frightened Old Men
Friday, January 15, 2010

GHOST STORY

(US, R, 110 min, 1981)

7:00 p.m.

The time has come to tell the tale. Fred Astaire, John Houseman, Melvyn Douglas, and Douglas Fairbanks Jr. play old friends who get together and tell ghost tales. The scariest story of all is the one they never mention. Fifty years ago, the four men accidentally killed a young woman, and now she’s back (with much less meat on her bones) to seek vengeance.

IT CAME…WITHOUT WARNING

(US, R, 89 min, 1980)

Earth is the hunting ground. Man is the endangered species. Jack Palance, Martin Landau, Cameron Mitchell, and a young David Caruso star in this hilarious, rarely-seen sci-fi horror gem that’s never been released on DVD! Made years before Predator, Without Warning features an 8-ft tall alien who uses flesh-eating Frisbees (that look like hairy microwave pizzas) to capture human prey!

Did you know…

Most of the original 35mm prints of Ghost Story and It Came…Without Warning have been lost or destroyed. In conjunction with the archives of Universal Pictures and MGM, Retrofantasma is proud to present the last surviving 35mm prints in the United States . Ghost Story is based on the best-seller by Peter Straub. Receiving mixed response upon its release by many who claimed that too-much of Straub’s original story had been jettisoned, the film is now famous for being the last feature for veteran actors Melvyn Douglas, Fred Astaire, and Douglas Fairbanks Jr. This is a horror film without a single teenager among the principals. Ghost Story was the third highest grossing horror film of 1981, beaten only by An American Werewolf in London and Halloween II. In 1982, the film was nominated for a Saturn Award for Best Horror Film. The special effects were conceived by make-up artist Dick Smith, who also did make-up for The Exorcist. Ghost Story was Universal’s “prestige” horror film of the year and the production values were lavish, using the likes of veteran matte artist Albert Whitlock to create the haunted house and the snowbound town.

Werewolves N’ Wheels

Friday, February 12, 2010

THE HOWLING

(US, R, 91 min, 1981)

7:00 p.m.

Imagine your worst fear a reality. From the director of Gremlins comes the ultimate masterpiece of primal terror. Severely traumatized by a near-fatal encounter with a serial killer, TV newscaster Karen White (Dee Wallace) takes refuge at a secluded wilderness retreat. After nights of being tormented by bestial, bloodcurdling cries, Karen ventures into the woods and makes a terrifying discovery. Now she must fight not only for her life but for her soul!

MAXIMUM OVERDRIVE

(US, R, 97 min, 1986)

9:30 p.m.

The day horror went into overdrive. Get ready for the ultimate battle of man vs. bloodthirsty machine in this terrifying Stephen King classic! When Earth passes through the tail of a mysterious comet, all machines suddenly come to life and terrorize their human creators. Now it’s up to a small group of people trapped in a desolate truck stop to defeat the killer machines – or be killed by them!

Did you know…

A graduate of Roger Corman’s school of low-budget ingenuity, Joe Dante gained enough momentum with 1978’s Piranha to rise to the challenge of The Howling, and he brought along Piranha screenwriter John Sayles to co-write this instant werewolf classic. Makeup wizard Rob Bottin was recruited to create what was then the wildest onscreen transformation ever seen. Originally Rick Baker was doing the special effects for the film, but he left the production to do An American Werewolf in London (1981). Both The Howling and An American Werewolf in London were released the same year and both received praise for their makeup work. Art director Robert A. Burns had previously worked on the sets for The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974). In fact many of the grisly set dressings for The Howling were hold-overs from Massacre. Dick Miller’s bookstore owner, Walter Paisley, gets his name from Miller’s starring role in the low-budget horror film A Bucket of Blood (1959). The Howling won the 1980 Saturn Award for Best Horror Film.

They Came From Up There

Friday, March 19, 2010

LIFEORCE

(UK, R, 101 min, 1985)

7:00 p.m.

In the blink of an eye, the terror begins! Tobe Hooper (Poltergeist) directs this thrilling sci-fi adventure about a mission to investigate Halley’s Comet that discovers an alien spacecraft! After a deadly confrontation, the aliens travel to Earth, where their seductive leader begins a terrifying campaign to drain the life force of everyone she encounters.

KILLER KLOWNS FROM OUTER SPACE

(US, R, 88 min, 1988)

9:30 p.m.

Finally the truth about clowns is out! A spaceship disguised as a circus tent lands in a field near a small town, signaling the attack of deviant, red-nosed, balloon-twisting psychos from another world who plan to annihilate mankind by turning people into cotton candy!

Did you know…

Lifeforce was promoted and filmed under the title The Space Vampires (the title of Colin Wilson’s novel). Cannon Films reportedly spent nearly $25 million in hopes of creating a full blown blockbuster. In fact, the studio siphoned money that had originally been earmarked for Superman IV: The Quest for Peace in order to pay for the pricey special effects in Lifeforce. Prior to the film’s release, Cannon decided that Space Vampires sounded too much like a typical low-budget exploitation film. The title was changed and the film was released in the United States in an edited version which brought in less than half of its production cost. Patrick Stewart’s role was originally cast with Sir John Gielgud, but he departed the production because of a disagreement over his fee. Then Cannon tried to get Anthony Hopkins and Terence Stamp to star, but they also refused to participate. Early film notes also stated that Klaus Kinski and Olivia Hussey were cast in the film, but neither had committed to the project. Even Billy Idol was considered for the role of one of the male vampires!

Broadcast Terror

Friday, April 23, 2010

VIDEODROME

(Canada, R, 87 min, 1983)

7:00 p.m.

Long live the new flesh! When Max Renn goes looking for edgy new shows for his sleazy cable TV station, he stumbles across the pirate broadcast of a hyper-violent torture show. As he unearths the origins of the program, he journeys into a shadow world of right-wing conspiracies and bodily transformation. Videodrome is regarded as one of the most influential and mind-bending science fiction films of the 1980s.

TERRORVISION

(US, R, 83 min, 1986)

9:30 p.m.

People of Earth, your planet is about to be destroyed… We’re terribly sorry for the inconvenience. When Stanley Putterman installs a satellite dish in his backyard, his family ends up getting a lot more than ESPN. His satellite is a perfect receptor for extraterrestrial garbage zapped into his backyard: a hideous, two-ton alien blob with eyes and a never-ending appetite.

Did you know…

Director David Cronenberg recalled how, when he was a child, he used to pick up pirate television signals from Buffalo, New York, late at night after Canadian stations had gone off the air, and how he used to worry that he might see something disturbing not meant for public consumption. This formed the basis for the plot of Videodrome. Canadian rumors of mind-controlling television from right-wing extremists in the United States also inspired the story. The concept of brain tumor-inducing television programs is an urban legend dating to the 1940s, when people believed television signals to cause brain tumors. Videodrome pioneered the flicker-eliminating technology used to film a TV screen’s images; before, film images were superimposed onto blank television screens. At the time of its theatrical release, Videodrome was supplemented in the marketplace by a novelization. Though credited to “Jack Martin,” the novel was in fact the work of acclaimed horror novelist Dennis Etchison. The story told by the novel differs from the final cut of the movie, as Etchison’s lead time required him to base his work on an earlier draft of the screenplay. Alternate titles of Videodrome were Network of Blood and Zonekiller. In 2009, it was announced that Universal Pictures had obtained the rights to produce a remake.

Redneck Rampage

Friday, May 21, 2010

THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE 2

(US, NR, 101 min, 1986)

7:00 p.m.

The buzz is back! From the director of the original Texas Chainsaw Massacre, this ghastly and hilarious sequel descends into your deepest, darkest fears as a wacked-out lawman (Dennis Hopper) goes after human meat-cutters with his own high-octane chainsaws in a horrific showdown with the legendary Leatherface and his entire cannibalistic family.

SQUIRM

(US, R, 92 min, 1976)

9:30 p.m.

When a powerful storm knocks Fly Creek, Georgia’s power lines down onto wet soil, the resulting surge of electricity drives large, bloodthirsty worms to the surface and then out of their soil-tilling minds! Soon, the townspeople discover that their sleepy fishing village is overrun with worms that burrow right into their skin!

Did you know…

When originally submitted to the MPAA, Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 received an “X” certificate. However, TV previews, theatrical trailers, and even the movie posters had the written statement “Due To The Nature of This Film, No One under 17 Will Be Admitted”. When initially released on home video in the late 80s, it still had no rating. In the 1990s, when receiving a DVD release, it was finally awarded an “R” rating by the MPAA. The film was banned in Australia for 20 years. The original uncut version that was issued on video to retailers throughout Australia was done so illegally by a duplicating house. When word leaked amidst the video industry, a number of retailers were raided for possessing infringing copies. The duplicating house was similarly raided by Federal Customs. The film was finally passed for official release in Australia on November 30, 2006. Unlike its predecessor, TCM2 contains gore and features effects from makeup maestro Tom Savini. The emphasis is on black comedy, which director Tobe Hooper believed was not as obvious in the first film.

Watch The Skies

Friday, June 18, 2010

IT CAME FROM OUTER SPACE in 3-D

(US, NR, 81 min, 1953)

7:00 p.m.

Terror In 3-D… Reaching From The Screen To Seize You In Its Grasp! This is director Jack Arnold’s first science-fiction effort and one of the earliest to use a desert setting. An astronomer and his fiancé witness a meteor crash-landing that turns out to be a spacecraft. No one believes them until townspeople start disappearing.

INVADERS FROM MARS

(US, PG, 99 min, 1986)

9:30 p.m.

There’s no place on Earth to hide! Face it: a movie in which Louise Fletcher eats a bullfrog can’t be all that bad. Tobe Hooper’s remake of the 1953 classic is a total hoot, remaining loyal to the original while serving up a kaleidoscopic orgy of fang-toothed beasties, dazzling pyrotechnics, and enough wretched dialogue to choke its enthusiastic cast.

Did you know…

Universal Studios’ make-up department submitted two designs for the aliens in It Came from Outer Space to studio executives. The rejected design was later used as the Mutant in Universal’s This Island Earth (1955). The special effects created for the spacecraft consisted of a wire-mounted tennis ball, coated with incendiary chemicals. The screenplay was by Harry Essex, with input by Jack Arnold, and was derived from an original screen treatment by Ray Bradbury. Unusual among sci-fi films of the day, the alien invaders were portrayed as creatures without malicious intent. “I wanted to treat the invaders as beings who were not dangerous, and that was very unusual”, Bradbury said. He offered two outlines to the studio, one with malicious aliens, the other with benign aliens. “The studio picked the right concept, and I stayed on.” Although credited to Harry Essex, most of the script, including dialogue, is copied almost verbatim from Ray Bradbury’s initial film treatment. Barbara Rush won the Golden Globe award in 1954 as most promising female newcomer for her role.

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