The Twilight Zone Season 1 Episode 7 The Lonely

A Prisoner Falls In Love With A Realistic Robot? What is Love? 

One of my favorite movies from the past few years was “Ex Machina”. But did you know that the Twilight Zone explored this notion long ago? Seriously. On November 13, 1959 the notion of loving machine came into play, and it really shook things up. Rod Serling once again tapped into a very unique circumstance, and gets you thinking about the “What if” factors of what love is. Long before movies started to come into play with this, you are going to think about sex, love, and loneliness when it comes to robots, artificial intelligence, and the realities of loneliness in the seventh episode of the first season of The Twilight Zone.

The plot of this one is simple, as many are. A prisoner is cast off to a planet, alone. He wants to go back to Earth, but the powers that be won’t let him. The same time warp that was in “Interstellar” is described here, as a crew comes to the planet to check in on the prisoner. They say that there is no hope and he is going to stay put. He is given food, and supplies, and the crew leaves. Later a box arrives and in that box is a woman. A woman that is in fact a robot, but has all the elements of humanity, including synthetic skin, and anatomical elements, with an artificial intelligence that feels, cries, and more. It’s essentially a sex robot, come on. The prisoner doesn’t want her at first, but over time, learns to love this robot woman.

The Twilight Zone Season 1 Blu Ray - On Sale here!

Pick Up The Twilight Zone Box Set by Clicking Here, and save up to 40% on the complete Blu Ray Edition of the series!

The crew comes back. And our prisoner named Corry is allowed to go back to earth! However, they have to leave in 20 minutes, and that’s it. The crew that is there to pick him up only has room for him and a few of his things, and not the robot, whom is named Alicia. Corry screams and runs after the robot, and swears that he loves her, and that she loves him, only to find out that the world is a cold, cold place, with Alicia taking a gunshot to the face and dying.

What is love? Can you love a robot? The story here is fascinating, and it truly is epic in light of “Ex Machina” and the themes presented in that movie. There are only 5 people in this cast, and yet you get full emotion. Jack Warden and Jean Marsh put on a good performance, and you really start to feel for the lonely. But reality sets in and shakes you up. What is love? You’re left thinking as Rod Serling’s narration gives you a jolt.

“On a microscopic piece of sand that floats through space is a fragment of a man's life. Left to rust is the place he lived in and the machines he used. Without use, they will disintegrate from the wind and the sand and the years that act upon them. All of Mr. Corry's machines, including the one made in his image, kept alive by love, but now obsolete.”

And that my friends, makes for one of the best episodes of The Twilight Zone yet. It’s beyond good, seek it out. Buy the box set, holy crap. It’s an intellectual proponent that you can easily study as an academic, or at least enjoy as entertainment.

The Twilight Zone Season 1 Episode 6 The Escape Clause Review

The Twilight Zone Explores Immortality 

What if you could be immortal? Would you go for it? That’s the question posed with the sixth episode of the first season of The Twilight Zone. In this case, “The Escape Clause” is the title, and it stars David Wayne, Thomas Gomez, and several others. It was first aired in 1959, and it really does showcase an interesting premise. One that we have explored in horror literature and movies for quite some time. Often, it’s the werewolf or the vampire that lives forever, but what if you didn’t have to be either?

Walter Bedeker is always thinking he is sick; he thinks he’s dying. But out of the blue comes a rogue. The devil shows up and tells him that he can in fact make sure that he lives forever. There is of course an escape clause, and Bedeker can choose to die when he’d like. Simple enough, right?

The Twilight Zone Season 1 Blu Ray - On Sale here!

Pick Up The Twilight Zone Box Set by Clicking Here, and save up to 40% on the complete Blu Ray Edition of the series!

What would you do? I don’t know what I would do, it’d be insane. Bedeker in this case uses his immortality to try and collect on a lot of money. He throws himself into insane situations, and collects money from accidents. After he gets bored of all of this, he ends up losing his wife to a fall off a roof. He admits he murdered her, hoping to go the electric chair and surviving, but nope. He gets life in prison and that’s where he asks for the escape.

And that’s that. It’s not a huge twist, but one that got me thinking yet again. This is a morality tale at heart, and one that asks what you would do with immortality? I don’t know what I would do. I can’t imagine living forever, unless I had a bit of money. I guess that’s the big deal here. Money. One has to live, right? And forever? What a cost! Oh well. This is just an example of how great Serling’s mind was. There is only one Rod Serling, and this morality play showcases that. I loved it.

The Twilight Zone The Sixteen Millimeter Shrine Season 1 Episode 4 (1959) Review

Just when you thought I had thrown in the towel, I come up with a new review for you 2 readers left. This time around, I managed to watch an episode of The Twilight Zone from 1959, the first season. This one came to me right after watching Hot Tub Time Machine 2, which can be easily one of the worst sequels ever made. Regardless, this episode of the pivotal television showcase came out on October 23, 1959, and it starred Ida Lupino, Martin Balsam, Jerome Cowan, and Ted de Corsia.

Four Episodes Into The First Season 

“The Sixteen Millimeter Shrine” is the fourth episode in the first season of the series, and it hinges on what many Hollywood stars must go through. An aging actress is watching old movies of her performances, and wishes that she could go back to a place where she was wanted, adored, and the likes. As her days go on, she is in the darkness, drinking, and just doesn’t really go out. When an opportunity to star in a new movie comes about, she jumps at the chance, but recoils when they ask her to play someone more her, “age”. She goes home and is depressed. In her depression, she decides it’s better to go into the screen and live with the past. Well, in The Twilight Zone, anything is possible, and that’s what happens. Barbara Jean Trenton jumps into the screen, and that’s where she stays forever.

Do Actors Wish For This? 

This television showcase is an interesting one. It reminds me a lot of what many older people go through. I met a lot of aging rock stars in my day, and a lot of them act the way Trenton acts. They want that old glory, but they don’t want to admit they are old. The same goes for action sports. A lot of professional skateboarders are dealing with issues of this type. It’s a sad state, but it’s a true state. It got me thinking. What about me? Will I be there? I’m already there, who am I kidding. I used to own a record label. I used to have a huge record collection. I had a lot going for me, and now, I’m battling anxiety and depression on a regular basis, without any health insurance. The struggles of a writer are real.

Oh, the episode! My bad. Overall, this is an interesting episode. It features that nostalgia of past experience, mixed with the present realities. What if you could escape? That’s the premise. Would you live in your greatness and that’s it? I don’t know. The escapism attached to former glory is incredible, even if you only tasted it for a second. Sometimes I wonder what it would be like to get a second chance at being a record label owner. Then again, I’m a writer. I can dream up a lot of things for myself. But as far as this episode, it’s a good one. It has good acting, clever pacing, and that classic twist you’d expect from Serling and company.

Ida Lupino Is Quite The Actress

Is it my favorite thus far? No. It’s only 4 episodes into the first season. I do like the camera work, scripting, and acting. At one point Ida Lupino behaves drunk, but ever so slightly. You’ll have to watch how she plays it in the agent’s office. There’s a subtly to her movements and it’s stellar acting. Ida Lupino died in 1995, but man did she have a beautiful face in 1959. Such a good actress, and famous too. Anyways, this is a good episode, and I enjoyed it. You may like it too.

Order the complete Twilight Zone on Blu Ray by clicking here, please.

The Twilight Zone Mr. Denton on Doomsday (1959) Review

Mr Denton Contemplates Fate

Back to our regularly scheduled program, we have been discussing The Twilight Zone from start to finish, and here I am with another edition. This time around, we are at episode 3. This episode originally hit the airwaves in 1959. It stars Martin Landau, Jeanne Cooper, and Dan Duryea. It’s well acted, streamlined, and hits you right in the “what if” cycle of life. There are some interesting puns used for this episode, and things really get through to a whole different wavelength then the previous two episodes of the series. This is a serious mind numbing episode, because if you’re like me, you are a bit anxious about your own abilities. The story is interesting, set in the wild west, a drunkard is made to dance and sing for his drink. There is a group of bullies that continually tease and cause him to dance and drink, and he hits rock bottom. Jeanne Cooper here is absolutely beautiful, as she comes out of the saloon to talk to Denton and encourage him for to change. Denton being the drunk.

The Twilight Zone One For The Angels – Season 1 Episode 2 (1959) Review

Twilight Zone - Episode 2: One For The Angels - Blu Ray Here

The second episode of the mighty Twilight Zone series was definitely a serious one. It hit me hard as I watched it again for the purpose of a review for this site. This one written by Rod Serling, is a powerful, and moving story of a man that meets up with death. Ed Wynn plays Lou Bookman, and Murray Hamilton plays “death”. When a man is approached by death himself, he starts to panic, and tries to get out of dying, as he wants to continue staying alive. It’s his time though, but Bookman, finds a way to get a little more time, thinking he has outsmarted death this time around, and therefore puts on a showcase, only to find out that if he doesn’t go, someone else just might. It’s there that the morality play starts and ends, in my opinion.

The Twilight Zone Where Is Everybody – Season 1 Episode 1 (1959) Review

Where Is Everybody? Episode 1 Season 1 of The Twilight Zone

As promised, here we go, talking about all things Twilight Zone. We start with the first episode entitled “Where Is Everybody”. Going back to see this one, my wife and I were guessing as to the plot twist. Knowing full well that Rod Serling twists and turns in his writing, we each had different ideas as to what was going on with the character.

In this episode a man finds himself alone in an empty town. He has a lot of dialogue, and yet he isn’t talking to anyone. He keeps looking for people and eventually gives up. When a phone rings, he figures he has found someone and can call for help. It’s to no avail. As he goes through the empty city, there are signs of life, but he starts to panic. As panic keeps setting in he eventually realizes that he’s alone, and perhaps he may be the last one. The direct symbolism that is shown with the books “The Last Man On Earth” really comes through as our hero runs into mirrors, tries to figure out what is going on, and just can’t seem to figure out what is going on and why he is stuck.

The Twilight Zone Season 1 Blu Ray - On Sale here!

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Earl Holliman here does a great job. He plays it straight before going into a deep madness. When he thinks it’s all over, we see a group of men sitting in a room watching. They are from the Air Force, and it’s revealed that our hero was stuck in a sensory deprivation, virtual reality room. It took him 484 hours and 36 minutes to finally panic from the isolation. As the press rushes in they question the Air Force, and it is revealed that they were testing to see how long a person can last alone, traveling in space, and that Mike Ferris was able to go 484 hours, ample time to get to the moon and back without going insane.

With the Twilight Zone’s first season, you really got a sense for the series. Earl Holliman should be praised for his acting skills in this one. He plays it well and then goes insane over the course of a half an hour. The writing is crisp, even though it was originally aired in 1959. Rod Serling has a way of writing very well, with good overall music by Bernard Hermann, and cinematography by Joseph La Shelle.

This episode made me question isolation myself. How long could you go without human interaction? I work solo, as a writer. I haven’t had a coworker since 2009. I wonder how long it will take me to crack? Until then, this is a great episode of this classic series.

The Twilight Zone Complete Season 1 is available here on Blu Ray. You can also see it via streaming  media, but if you want to collect this, go for it, and get the box set by clicking here. It’s well worth your time, if I do say so myself.

Reviewing The Twilight Zone Episode by Episode

The Twilight Zone 

Here is a novel idea. Why don’t you review all of the Twilight Zone?

Well, since I don’t really have 2 hours of my life to invest everyday, I will be working through every single episode of this iconic show that I can get my grubby hands on and will review them hard style. That’s watching everything from the start, and then moving through daily with each episode. This may work out to be a big bust, but why not test the waters and go for it?

Before I launch, why not take a few moments to look back at all the Twilight Zone related stuff that I’ve covered here. Also, I will be posting up gift ideas for fans of the Twilight Zone out there. I’m a huge fan, and well, it’s time to take a good look at this show.

5 Compelling Reasons We Need A New Twilight Zone Series

Is It Time To Revive The Twilight Zone? (click here)

There’s something great about the moment you hear Rod Serling speak before an episode of his iconic series, “The Twilight Zone”. When you hear his pragmatic, stoic voice, you know that you’re going to enter a world where the rules of this world start to bend and become out of focus. In modern television, there’s not a lot of showcase of the type of science and fiction that came through the iconic series. Even though several different decades featured updated programs with the same name, it’s time to reenter the world Serling and others created. There are 5 reasons why you may agree with this notion, and they may surprise some readers.

There’s A Lot of Great Ideas Out There

Even though some will say that there’s nothing really new under the sun, there are some tremendous ideas floating around. Every day someone tells a story to their children, to their coworkers, or just write things down in a journal. These stories become compelling devices that could very well become great television. Yet they live and die in conversation, in writing, and they never see the light of day. These could be ground breaking, if only someone would give them a chance.

Science Fiction Writing Is Still Thriving

Look at any bookstore today, and you’ll find that there are a lot of science fiction novelists churning out work left and right. They are doing so with the notion that they are one day going to get a shot at the television or movie world. Some fade into obscurity. Others get their work published again and again, and some get adapted to movie and television, albeit in watered down frameworks. The point is, there is a lot of thriving fiction out there, and you can easily twist it to fit the format of anthology television.

Neil Gaiman Could Probably Write Up Some Great Stuff

Have you read anything from Neil Gaiman? He has the notion of fantasy on lock, and you could possibly get him to create a grand display of iconic science fiction. He’s prolific, creative, and quite the charming dude. Ok, perhaps this is a bit reaching, but Gaiman is no stranger to this genre, and could very well put together something on par with Rod Serling’s creative talents.

There Is No Great Anthology Science Fiction Series

Right now, television has a lot of programs that feature anthology story telling. However, none of them have the moniker that “The Twilight Zone” had. Just by that admission alone, there should be something that moves along in this framework. There are more networks than ever before, so it’s not too far out of the reach of many to produce and distribute a show of this type. With a hole in the market, why not fill it with something compelling?

It’s About Time To Go Back Into The Twilight Zone

If the reasons above seem too out of left field, then at least consider that we are about due. There’s been revivals of horror and science fiction before, but in modernity, we have far more financial resources and creative cinematography. It’s just time to go back into a world that is beyond sight, and sound. One that is of mind. It’s due, a new production would be grand.

For those that are nostalgic about all things "The Twilight Zone", make sure that you get the FULL Blu Ray Collection, which collects extra features, interviews, and every episode of the series in full Blu Ray format. You can do so by clicking here. 

Twilight Zone Box Set No Longer Manufactured after December 1

As of Dec. 1st The Definitive Twilight Zone Collection on DVD will no longer be available in this box set. The manufacturers will cease production, get it before it inflates 1,000% on ebay. http://amzn.to/1dqrMeo

Rosemary’s Baby Review

(Buy Rosemary's Baby Criterion)

A Mother’s Worst Nightmare Comes True

Love it or hate it, the slow moving era of movies still reaches to the depths of fear and comes out charging in a relevant way. Whether you’re watching something that came from the mind of Bava or Argento or you’re watching Rosemary’s Baby, you realize that not every horror movie has to have a baby that’s exploding with violence and gore all over the place. Thank you Peter Jackson, but you will have to take a backseat to t his one, as it is far more emphatic through the reveal than anything produced in the last 10 years, although, there was that one movie about the orphan that turned out to be an older woman, what’s that movie called again? Something about adoption, who cares, who knows, let’s talk about this child molester’s movie…what, he was acquitted? No?

Rosemary’s Baby is indeed a classic for a variety of reasons. It could be the naivety that is portrayed by the main character, coming up pregnant amidst what seems like a very odd backdrop. Each 20 minute interval reveals another piece of the puzzle and as the movie continues through a variety of steps, it’s leading up to something big, and you know what the twist is, but you don’t know how it’s going to be revealed. The knowing, the slow pace, deliberate lines and lots of clues lead you to believe that there is something going awry, and when all is said and done, it is truly revealed that the devil is in the details, the little hands, and the laughter, and the coven of witchcraft that has produced the birth of the devil!

The movie is drawn out, long, boring and fully realized by a true artist. You really get tense because of the way the plot thickens into a cesspool of cool. Regardless of your take on the director, you will get a chill up your spine the way things turn out. The scariest moments aren’t really gorey, they are just moments that you see how society has changed in many ways. The hysterical wife that confides in her doctor, only to get taken to her husband, who is in on it, or how everyone involved is very much part of a cult. The whole movie churns its way through several momentous plot points, none of which deliver quite like the pay off.

All in all, Rosemary’s Baby is an example of an older movie that has some scary ideas. However, when it comes full circle it’s actually a tad on the boring side. I liked the overall artistry, it’s a work of great triumph, but in the canon of scary films, this one is not going to win over modern fans. However, if you’re a mother, father, pregnant, or are going to get pregnant, this presents a whole new level of fear that is definitely as scary today as it ever was before. Roman Polanski outdoes himself with such grace here; you don’t really get the age until you start to realize this was made in the late 60s. Mia Farrow and John Cassavetes do a fine job here, and I’m surprised at how much money this made when released. It’s a long one, so strap in for a game of scrabble!

The Raven Review

(buy The Raven here)

John Cusack is Edgar Allen Poe in this dark horror thriller of mediocre proportions. It is available now on blu ray here.

When you think of John Cusack, at least when I think of him, you often times remember the guy that is always chasing that one lost love. Whether he’s in the middle of a break up or he’s trying to win the affections of a hot chick that won’t give him the time of day, Cusack is known for wearing his heart on his proverbial sleeve, and this movie in some ways is a culmination of all his previous work, only it is wrapped in the fat head of Edgar Allen Poe.

The movie is a tale of thrilling proportions, or at least it tries to be, with a gothic feel that is quite interesting. There are a lot of components to the way the actors portray the characters that makes it fit for a stage play rather than a full-length movie. In fact, I often times wondered what it would be like to see this in person live on stage, but that would mean having a lot of money because good quality stage plays cost a lot of money to see live in Los Angeles.

The Raven moves through several acts where Poe played by Cusack, has to go through a series of grizzly murders in order to find a missing person, buried alive. The whole movie rings of Poe’s stories and really does a good job with the visual representations of the writings. However, the movie starts to slow down and get really boring towards the third act. Even though there is a slowdown, it’s still has a great deal of action, suspense, and a plot twist that you may see coming a mile away but cheer for anyways.

All in all, I liked The Raven, even if I did have a few problems with the pacing and the overall story. This work of historical fiction really does make me a tad bit more interested in Poe’s work, even though I already find what I know about his writings to be fascinating. For those that haven’t read his work, you can purchase his books here. For those that are familiar with his work the visuals are going to be cool, but the movie as a whole? Well, that’s debatable. It leans towards greatness visually but lacks a certain gusto that I would want from horror movies. Your opinion will vary, I’m sure.

Top 5 Valentines Day Movies

The month in which lovers decide to enjoy their courtship and all that jazz is fast approaching. For lovers of horror movies the day can mean a nice romantic dinner followed by a movie of epic gore, followed by whatever it is you’d like to do afterwards. For this list, we’ll focus on the top 5 Valentines Day movies. It’s bittersweet for me because February 14 is my birthday, my sister’s birthday, and a day in which society says that I should be even nicer to my girlfriend, although I try to do that daily. Whatever the case is, here are 5 movies you want to check out.

#5 My Bloody Valentine 3D

A mining community gest an insane bloodbath of terror in this remake, which was not necessarily needed, but still got made by Lionsgate. I for one saw it in theaters when it came out, and was thrilled with the way they did it. The 3D is a bit overblown, but I found it to be quite alright when I saw it again at home. In theaters, I didn’t find it to be as good as I did later, and it is now my #5 pick. You can scope this one out new/used by clicking here.

#4 Let The Right One In

I love foreign horror movies, heck I love foreign movies in general. This one is the better version as it is striking and quite insane when the reveal is finally peeled away. This Swedish movie doesn’t force you to use an allen wrench to watch it, it simply presents a budding relationship between a young vampire and a boy, and well, things get bad, really bad. You’ll enjoy it on a level of romance that is sometimes left to childhood sweethearts or tarts, whatever. You can buy it new/used by clicking here.

#3 Scream

Who is killing off teenagers in a small town? The high school kids each gets taken out and when we are introduced to the killer it’s all about a lack of SEX. My girlfriend and I named our cat partially after the main character, and this was an awesome flick that still holds up today. Scream produced a ton of sequels and even the latest one had me enjoying the popcorn one more time. This is a good one; check it out on the special lover’s day. You can buy it new/used by clicking here.

#2 Bride of Chucky

You know you can’t miss this one, it’s a loving tribute to couples everywhere, and Jennifer Tilly is smoking hot as a little doll. Chucky gets a new gal pal and they seriously want to takeover. This is a classic, it’s terrible, but hey, not all horror movies are going to win Oscars, ok. You can buy it new/used by clicking here.

#1 The Bride of Frankenstein

When it comes to custom making a woman, here is an awesome example of why you should just leave it up to God. In t his sequel to the original, the Bride of Frankenstein is created, comes to life but has a mind of her own! Oh now, a woman that thinks for herself? What next women drivers? I kid, I kid, but come on; this is the number one movie for lovers, right? Right? Click here to pick it up new/used or in a box set.

What are your thoughts? Drop me a line, let me know what you think, it’d be nice to have comments on here.

Support Scary Film Review 

If you want to support the efforts of this site, and me (sir jorge) you can do so by buying things on amazon through the links I provide, or you could donate some money via the link in the sidebar. If you would like to see LESS ads, you can subscribe to this website via the RSS feed link on the right. I am 100% freelance, and a pro-writer, I only write and go to grad school, so this site helps me get a cup of coffee and rent horror movies. Please help if you can, otherwise, enjoy the blog.

A Piano In the House Review

When it comes to Twilight Zone, there are episodes that are scary and there are episodes that rely heavily on the human condition. They exhibit humanity in a way that is going to be quite difficult to find scary. In this 1962 episode we go through the human emotions that we most likely have to deal with on a regular basis as adults, that of lying to ourselves.

The show is quite interesting, it features a variety of different takes on the classic notion of be careful what you wish for. Once again, I had to think about a variety of different points in my life while watching this, and each of the plot’s twists and turns recycled moments where I could relate to the showcase. This cautionary tale from the show really uses a great amount of timing to deliver the final punch line of what is otherwise a practical joke on the main character.

A Piano in the House follows the story of a man that wants a player piano in his house for his wife. He gives it to her and tells her that she could never learn to play it, so he buys a player piano that automatically plays music. However, when you play songs it causes the true nature of the listener to come out and that’s where we see some greatness in psychological story telling.

Think about it in your own life, do you ever act differently amidst certain stimulus? If the answer is, no, you’re a liar. There are certain things that make us louder, truthful, and even psychotic. I know for me, drinking opens up a wealth of rambling that is not worth listening to.

This episode was ok, it wasn’t my favorite, but it definitely was worth noting for the way personal relationships can grow sour. There is a cool twist at the end, so make sure that you check this one out.

Support Scary Film Review 

If you want to support the efforts of this site, and me (sir jorge) you can do so by buying things on amazon through the links I provide, or you could donate some money via the link in the sidebar. If you would like to see LESS ads, you can subscribe to this website via the RSS feed link on the right. I am 100% freelance, and a pro-writer, I only write and go to grad school, so this site helps me get a cup of coffee and rent horror movies. Please help if you can, otherwise, enjoy the blog.

The Twilight Zone Complete Series Blu Ray Set 50% Off

The Twilight Zone Complete Series Blu Ray box set is one of the best gifts that you can give a horror fan for any occasion. Not only do you get every episode in high definition glory, you don’t have to wait for those pesky commercials to get in the way. My biggest gripe with the marathons that are shown on television each holiday season is the fact that they edit the show down to fit in as many commercials as possible. Not only that, some of the episodes are skipped, the order is jumbled, and the scenes are deleted. The reason being is because of time constraints, and that’s fair, but here in this edition you get it all and then some.

The first thing that you’ll notice here is the transfer. The transfer of each episode was carefully done to showcase the true power of the hi-def display, and it comes through with shining glorious clarity. The show, videos, and all visuals look stunning and truly are worth the asking price.

When you purchase The Twilight Zone Complete Series Blu Ray box set you will also get a bonus documentary entitled “Rod Serling: Submitted For Your Approval”, which is something that many collectors had previously had to fight to get on eBay an other sites.

The extra features are done right with this set, so you know you’re getting quality. Some of the features that come inside this set include audio commentaries, radio dramas from the original radio broadcasts, video interviews, conversations with Rod Serling, highlights from the seminar featured at the Museum of Television and Radio, isolated music scores, Twilight Zone ads, stills, blooper reel, Saturday Night Live clip, Twilight Zone comic book, and a complete script for twenty-two of the shows with handwritten notes from Serling!

I’ve purchased a lot of box sets in my day, and most of them have isolated features and extras, but this one is really worth checking out, especially for all the episodes that you’ve seen in your past. Never before has the whole show been transferred in such glory, which makes it a perfect example for other studios to follow when releasing sets.

If you have a fan of science fiction, horror, or just television in general, you owe it to yourself to pick up The Twilight Zone Complete Series Blu Ray box set. If you click here today you will be able to get it for 56% off! Now that’s a killer deal. Help this site buy purchasing this for yourself or someone you love today!

Black Sabbath Review

It’s very difficult for me to review older movies sometimes. This movie is nearly 50 years old and therefore I have to really consider the time when the movie was made, the studio, the world around it, and who would actually go and see it. There are a lot of factors that I put into my frame of reference before fully exploring the movie for review, and at times get frustrated with the pacing. It’s hard for me to go back so many years to remember what it was like to see these for the first time, but one must do so in order to get the true essence of horror cinema from the era of the 1960s. Today’s review of Black Sabbath takes us back to the year Kennedy died, 1963. Boris Karloff is creepy, that's for sure.

First and foremost, you should know that this movie is an anthology horror type of film. There are 3 separate pieces within a full movie frame, and that’s not always a bad thing. I like when movies do this, because you really don’t need to waste 90 minutes on a story that has a thin plot, but even though it’s unnecessary so many directors do it, that I might as well save my wrists from typing the thought. The movie begins like an episode of Tales from the Crypt, rather than something you’d get from the 60s, and maybe the producers were trying to capitalize on the popularity of things like the Twilight Zone, I don’t know.

The three stories are set up with a cause and effect sort of scenario, each one starting with a hard push then slowing down until you get the twist that is supposed to get you at the end. The first one is entitled “The Telephone” and it’s a short about a woman who is receiving weird phone calls, only to find out that the voice on the other end would be her tormenter unto death! A mild entrance into horror and despite the woman being a call girl, we get no sense of that, so downgrade a good review to a bad review for lack of boobs! I loved the figures of the 60s too.

The second piece is a vampire tale called “The Wurdalak” which takes us back to the 19th century where a beheaded corpse is discovered and a relic becomes a nightmare for one traveler. When someone comes looking for the relic, the lord of a manner brings them inside only to realize that they are of the undead (vampire) and the mayhem begins. This light romp is nothing like the many other horror tales involving vampires, even the shiny ones, so I found it to be a bit dry.

The last segment is called “The Drop of Water” and it did have a better tone than the previous two. Things go awry for a caretaker when a woman dies and comes back…or does she? A frightening tale of nerves is what we get in the final story and something that reminds of an Edgar Allen Poe story rather than anything from the 1960s.

Overall Black Sabbath is worth a watching, but I’m not sure that I can fathom how it felt to watch this at the time of release. At this point I’ve seen so much horror, gore, sex, violence and beyond that this tame movie doesn’t have the impact that I’m sure it had on audiences at the time. I can appreciate the acting, the easy on the eyes women, and the overall attempts at scaring the audience, but it just doesn’t sit the same with me as some more modern fair. That’s not to say it’s bad, it’s just older, and sometimes-older movies just don’t have that gusto they had before. This is one of them, in my opinion.



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Horror Box Sets You Need Today

With so many different options in terms of shopping for horror out there, it’s hard to define what you want sometimes. This is especially true for those that randomly show up at a video store or a record store and aren’t really sure what to get. If you’ve been shopping around, and have been looking for that perfect gift, purchase or anything along those lines, well here’s a cool post for you. The following are the best horror box sets that you should pick up today. It is in no way a definitive list, but it’s worth checking out for sure.

The Twilight Zone Complete Box Set $101 – This is most likely a limited edition set, but it’s well worth it. 28 dvd’s and you get the complete Twilight Zone in your home for a cool $100. If you’re a fan of the show, you owe it to yourself to finally pick this disc up. The Blu Ray Twilight Zone Complete Set will run you $200, but this one is well worth the price of admission.

The Masters of Horror Season 2 Box Set $72 – This box set is awesome because it comes inside of a full replica skull! That’s right, the box is a skull that you can display on a mantle and no one will be the wiser. You get all the discs and shows from the second season of this amazing series that brings together horror directors with 1 shot movies that will have you screaming.

Hellraiser Box Set $40 – This is a relatively low cost option, but it’s well worth it. The Hellraiser series in a Box Set with the original Hellraiser TOY Box design will creep everyone out, especially those that are big fans of the series. At t his price, you can’t let it pass you by.

Pick up the aforementioned with the links I posted, and get yourself some bloody good horror today!

Twilight Zone Tuesdays: The Grave Review

The Grave is the episode we are going to be talking about today in our supposed trivial postings on Tuesdays about the Twilight Zone. This episode aired in the 3rd season of the show and was quite interesting as it played on a lot of old lore. The show featured a shootuout where a town ganged up on one villain, shooting him to death. Later, a hired gun came to town and was basically called a coward for not doing the job himself, and that the last words from the villain were that he was a coward and wouldn’t face him. Then a challenge went out, for the cowardly gunslinger to go forward to the grave site of his rival and meet him face to face…or else.

So the episode is free and clear an interesting little conundrum about death and what happens. The story continues and our gunslinger goes to the grave where he is met face to face with what we can only assume is the grim reaper! He is killed, and the town is left to speculate as to what happened.

Originally aired in 1961, this creepy tale about death and burial is quite interesting. The cast had a singular set with only three different areas. Lee Marvin, James Best, Lee Van Cleef and Strother Martin round out the cast of this one, and it leaves the viewer guessing as to what really happened at the grave, was it heart attack? Or did the gunslinger finally meet his match? You’ll have to tune in to the show yourself.

Twilight Zone Tuesdays: I Just Want To Be Santa

We all see them, the drunks, the ones that can barely function in society, and for some reason clean up their act for a month to be the mall store Santa. This type of gig is only reserved for those that want to help others, but when entering the Twilight Zone, something magical happens, when you’re down and out.

This episode from the second season of the series is called “The Night of the Meek” and we see a bum, for all intents and purposes trying to walk through the night and out of trouble. He is dirty, he is not welcome and when the sad clown goes down, he is met with Johnny Law. The man gets nearly thrown into jail, but in the course of his night, ends up becoming, the man in the suit.

The episode is a nice welcome change to the series, where most twists end up being cruel and unusual to the protagonist. Not this time, the twilight zone really makes for quite the story and Serling ends it with a little warning for all of us children, that the meek are in fact great, and should be considered in these modern times of ours.

This episode aired on December 23, 1960 and was written by Rod Serling. The actors were Art Carney, John fielder, Robert P. Lieb, Val Avery, Meg Wyllie, Kay Cousins, and Burt Mustin. The unusual story was filmed with a very different camera approach that proliferates the second season, but was later wiped out for later seasons. This is a classic tale for Christmas, one that sends a cool message for the down and out.

Twilight Zone Tuesdays: The Silence Bewilders Gambler

The Twilight Zone pushed a lot of boundaries in regards to horror and science fiction, and it was quite the showcase of twists and turns. In this episode in which the viewer gets sent into a dimension of not only sight and sound, but of mind. Rod Serling writes up a story that is based on an old short story by famed author Anton Chekhov, and we get to see quite the interesting drama of life and times.

A supposed rich man is tired of hearing a loud mouth ramble on about things, so he proposes a sinister bet. He wants his foe to stay inside a glass cage for a year without saying one solitary thing. If he says something he will lose the bet and be forced into ridicule. If he doesn’t say a word he will gain $500,000 and be quite the maverick.

What happens is quite good, and for a 30 minute episode, a great deal of interesting things happen. The gambler is stuck in a box and the rich man provokes him by hurling insults and lots of different things to break his walls down, knowing that the twist is held on his end.

The twist really takes double turns as we find out that the rich man is broke and the loud mouth has altered his vocal box to stay silent chemically. The episode is one of great acting ability, featuring a great attention to slow and methodical pacing. It’s quite interesting to see it all play out, but it is not an episode filled with a lot of the same tactics that made other twists so compelling in the series.

This season 2 episode aired in 1961, and starred four main actors. They were Franchot Tone, Liam Sullivan, Jonathan Harris, and Cyril Delevanti. This episode and far more are available now on blu Ray here, and this is one of the more low key episodes from the iconic series. I recommend it, I thought it was a classic drama.