The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It – Non-Spoiler Review

Friends, I have just finished watching The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It, not in the theater this time but at work through the HBO Max streaming service. I have been in love with the horror cinematic universe started with 2013’s The Conjuring, which has managed to produced spin-off series such as Annabelle, The Nun, The Curse of La Llorona, with more films reportedly on the way. While I obviously would have enjoyed the opportunity to catch this eighth entry in the Conjuring cinematic universe at the local movie theater, my weekend job just doesn’t make that possible, so huddling in the back office I was able to catch the third Conjuring film with one of my best friends. Which I have to admit I was glad I didn’t have to watch it by myself – because the tension and scares in The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It are raised to an entirely new level. As always in my non-spoiler reviews, I will be focusing on what you see in the trailers, but I will go ahead and tell you that the filmmakers and the cast really knock it out of the park with this one.

VIDEO AND ARTICLE IMAGE PROVIDED BY Warner Bros. Pictures.

Both The Conjuring as well as The Conjuring 2 were directed by James Wan (Saw, Aquaman), with the original film being co-written by twin brothers Chad and Carey W. Hayes (House of Wax), based on a treatment by Tony DeRosa-Grund. The treatment was written by De-Rosa-Grund after he was inspired to get a film project in development, thanks to having an audio tape played from the Perron Family case by the real life Ed Warren. With The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It, due to scheduling conflicts Wan handed over the directing reins to Michael Chaves (The Curse of La Llorona), although he provided the story idea that was turned into a screenplay by David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick (The Walking Dead). The third film in The Conjuring series is also based on a real life event, this time focusing on the Connecticut trial held in 1981, where Arne Cheyenne Johnson made history by being the first person in a United States court case to claim that he killed someone while under demonic possession.

Just as I mentioned in the recent review for A Quiet Place Part 2, the latest Conjuring film has an incredibly tense opening sequence. We find Ed and Lorraine Warren, exceptionally portrayed once again by Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga, with the aid of the Glatzel Family and a priest attempting to perform an exorcism on 8-year-old David Glaztel (Julian Hilliard). It appears that they are successful, although it comes at a personal cost to both the Warrens and Arne Johnson (Ruairi O’Conno), who is the boyfriend of Debbie Glaztel (Sarah Catherine Hook).

A few days after the exorcism, Arne is possibly experiencing hallucinations and begins to behave oddly… resulting in the murder of a landlord. The Warrens are contacted and attempt to aid Arne after his arrest, pledging to investigate what they believe might have been a possession, which leads them to the horrifying realization this is not random… the Glaztels were targeted… cursed.

The previous two films in the Conjuring series have focused on both hauntings and possession, the third film however presents something entirely new by adding a human antagonist along with the demonic entity introduced at the beginning of the movie. This naturally ramps up the tension as both the Warrens and others begin to unravel a very dark plot that is affecting a handful of families – it becomes a race against time to try and uncover who is behind all of this pain and death.

Of course the reason that the Conjuring films are just so good are the performances delivered by Farmiga and Wilson, they have an amazing chemistry together and the screenwriters have ground the supernatural elements by focusing on how much the two characters love each other. It is the characters devotion to each other, mirroring the real life relationship of the Warrens as I understand it, that are the anchor of these three films. But you can be assured that the rest of the cast in this latest film deliver strong performances too, in particular though the spotlight should be shined on the performance by John Noble (Fringe), who portrays a character who has seen the power of evil in his younger days as a priest.

In closing out this article, if The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It ends up being the last film in the series, it is a proper way to see off the characters of Ed and Lorraine. I do hope however that we will be seeing more Conjuring movies in the coming years. So, if you are looking for an entertaining film chock-full of chills and thrills with likeable and memorable characters, why not check out The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It in theaters or on HBO Max today?

A Quiet Place Part 2 – Non-Spoiler Review

Friends, the other evening after finishing my shift at the movie theater, I was able to check out A Quiet Place 2, the first film I have been able to watch since becoming an employee as a matter of fact. I had to work very hard to not get spoiled by anything, this was especially tough when acting as an usher, preparing to thank the patrons as they are leaving the auditoriums means that there are times I am standing in front of an open door with the last few minutes of the film playing. With a bit of luck as well as the fact I had some very understanding co-workers, I managed to stay away from anything that would ruin the film before I had a chance to see it. It has been a long wait to see A Quiet Place Part 2 and while I will only touch upon what you might see in the trailers for the film, I can honestly say that I personally felt it was worth the wait.

VIDEO AND ARTICLE IMAGE PROVIDED BY Paramount Pictures.

A Quiet Place Part 2 sheds some light on the origins of the sound sensitive monsters that seem to have rendered the world into a nearly silent post-apocalyptic place. I realize that there are hints given in the first film about where the monsters came from, if memory serves there are newspapers and notes written on the dry-erase board that Lee Abbott (John Krasinski) has set up in his family’s house. But after a pretty intense opening that gives us a glimpse of what it was like when the monsters first arrived in the town of Millbrook, as well as introducing an important new character, the film picks up right after the ending of the 2018 movie. And while the Abbotts might have a way to fight back against the monsters now, thanks to Regan’s (Millicent Simmonds) cochlear implant providing painful feedback to the violent creatures – they cannot stay at the farm due to the fire in the barn and the flooding in the house.

Emily Blunt, who delivers an incredibly strong performance as Evelyn Abbott, must attempt to protect her two teenage children, Regan and Marcus (Noah Jupe), and now a newborn baby in a world where just a rattled glass could bring quick death. It is Regan who notices a lone signal fire in the distant, offering the possibility of other survivors willing to lend them aid. But has a world of silence and the strain of just trying to live one more day without alerting the roaming monsters just changed humanity too much?

That is a very important question posed in A Quiet Place 2, and something that the Abbotts are confronted with when they reach Emmet, played by Cillian Murphy, who is holed up at an old steel foundry. It is pretty evident right from their first meeting that Emmet has prepped the place to not only be alerted of any of the monsters nosing around, but he’s barricaded more than the foundry, the man has done his best to pretty much distance himself from any feelings or connections to the outside world.

Being a post-apocalyptic world isn’t just because of the monsters, the end of the world can bring out the worst in people, even those folks who might have once been neighbors. But the takeaway from the film, which was written and directed by Krasinski, is that there is always hope or at the very least doing the right thing is worth fighting for. A Quiet Place 2 is a rare movie sequel that feels like a logical continuation of the story that delivers thrills and chills as well as plenty of heart. The performances from the entire cast are fantastic but I think special praise needs to be given to Millicent Simmonds, not only does her character carry the weight of the majority of the movie, but she is deftly able to hold her own with the likes of Cillian Murphy (28 Days Later, Peaky Blinders).

In closing out this article, if you liked A Quiet Place, you should do your best to head out to theater and check out the sequel for yourself. Here is hoping that the film will continue to do good business, that way we might get a trilogy out of the series.

Saturday Frights Podcast Ep. 097 – Squeeze

Friends, we do apologize about the tardiness of this episode of the Saturday Frights podcast, I am afraid that the new work schedule has thrown a monkey wrench into the usual recording plans. This week though, the Projectionist and I tackle our first episode of The X-Files, that long-running series featuring the exploits of special agents Fox Mulder and Dana Scully. As brought up in the show itself, this episode was suggested by a listener, and after we presented a poll of the Top 5 scary episodes of The X-Files, the Vault staff as well as the Saturday Frights Facebook group picked the 1993 episode entitled “Squeeze”. In all honesty I really thought it was going to be “Home” that won the poll, especially considering that it caused so much controversy when it originally aired that it was banned from being broadcast again for quite some time.

As this is the first time we’ve talked about The X-Files on the podcast, we have a bit of interesting trivia to share about the creation of the series. In addition to some things you might not have know about “Squeeze”, including a little trouble behind the scenes during the production of the episode. Or how the screenwriters, James Wong and Glen Morgan, were inspired to write the episode featuring the mutant serial killer and fan favorite Eugene Victor Tooms (Doug Hutchinson). In addition to how their popular Final Destination film series was based off what originally had been intended to be an episode of The X-Files. In fact I provide a quote in this episode from an interview with Jeffrey Reddick at Den of Geek on how it would have played out if it had been made into an X-Files episode.

Without further ado, please join the Projectionist and myself at the Haunted Drive-In as we discuss 1993’s “Squeeze” on the Saturday Frights podcast. As always we want to thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule to listen to the show, and hope that you are enjoying season three of the podcast so far.

If you have any suggestions for topics you would like for us to cover in a future episode – or possibly you have comments on the current show itself, email them to me at VicSagePopCulture@gmail.com You can also contact me on Twitter and on Facebook. In addition I certainly hope you will take the time to visit the Saturday Frights Facebook Page. There you can find posts from Rockford Jay, Preston Griffith and myself on a daily basis.

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Who’s Who In The DC Universe: Aegeus

Friends, the fifth entry in the classic Who’s Who: The Definitive Directory of the DC Universe belongs to Aegeus – an arch-nemesis of Wonder Woman! While some of the other characters from DC Comics that we have so far shared in this Who’s Who series of articles, I either knew well or at least had a passing knowledge of, I must admit that I knew nothing of Aegeus before I picked up the first issue. Furthermore, as I have mentioned in the previous articles, while The Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe might have beaten their long-time competitor to the punch by three whole years – Marv Wolfman, Len Wein, and Robert Greenberger in my opinion topped the Marvel version in both quality and range of characters they featured in their encyclopedic series. The trio managed to fill 26 issues with an all-encompassing roster of major as well as minor characters of the DC Universe, the latter of which in my humble opinion is the category that Aegeus happens to fall into.

IMAGE COURTESY OF THE ROCKFORD JAY COLLECTION.

The character of Nikos Aegeus made his first appearance in the pages of Wonder Woman #297, which was published in November of 1982 in a story entitled “Thunder on the Wind”. I must also point out that particular issue featured an incredible cover by Michael Kaluta (who I’ve talked about in The Shadow episode of the Pop Culture Retrorama podcast) and also featured a back-up tale involving the Huntress, in addition to a story involving Superman aiding He-Man and the other Masters of the Universe in defending Eternia.

Back to Aegeus though, the character was co-created by Dan Mishkin, Gene Colan, and Frank McLaughlin – although I’ve seen online where it says that Curt Swan also had a hand in the creation. Mishkin along with Gary Cohn and Ernie Colon were also responsible for co-creating the cult favorite comic series, Amethyst, Princess of Gemworld for DC Comics as well as joining with artist Paris Cullins to produce the Blue Devil comic book series. Gene Colan however might possibly be best known for his work at Marvel Comics with the legendary Tomb of Dracula but he would also co-create the Falcon and even Carol Danvers aka Captain Marvel. Frank McLaughlin not only helped create the character of Judomaster for Charlton Comics but he worked on the Gil Thorp newspaper comic strip too.

As is stated in the character’s entry in Who’s Who: The Definitive Directory of the DC Universe, which features artwork by Don Heck by the way (Iron Man, The Avengers):

Full Name: Niko Aegeus
Occupation: Terrorist
Marital Status: Single
Known Relatives: None
Group Affiliation: None
Base of Operation: Greece
First Appearance: Wonder Woman #297
Height: 5’10” Weight: 175lbs.
Eyes: Blue Hair: Black

As we are introduced to Nikos Aegeus in the story “Thunder on the Wind”, it is through a summons of Diana to return to Paradise Island by her Mother, Hippolyta – Queen of the Amazons. She shows a disturbing vision to her daughter of a possible future where many of their fellow Amazonians fall to some great threat, which of course Wonder Woman vows to track down and stop.

The threat happens to be making itself known at that moment in Athens, Greece, as a poor ambassador is brutally executed by Nikos Aegeus. Realizing the murder will undoubtedly attract the attention of the authorities, Nikos and his fellow terrorists decide to hide out among some ancient ruins upon what they believe to be a deserted island. Only to find out that the ruins aren’t really deserted at all, as the single resident is none other than Bellerophon, the Greek Hero punished for his attempt to fly to Mount Olympus.

The origin of Aegeus pauses there as we find out that days have passed with Diana Prince still attempting to locate the source of the threat her Mother sensed. She is doing this in her military role at the Pentagon as Captain Diana Prince but isn’t coming up with anything, which is when Steve Trevor invites her to participate in an inter-service combat exercise between the Air Force and Navy. During this exercise though is when Aegeus decides to make himself known, appearing in the sky atop the mighty Pegasus and striking down Trevor’s plane with a thunderbolt of Zeus that he fires from a magical bow.

Thankfully for Steve though Diana calls forth her invisible jet to help him land his plane while she confronts Aegeus. The encounter doesn’t go exactly as you might imagine as Aegeus is more amused than concerned by the heroine lassoing his flying steed. Wonder Woman attempts to force Pegasus to land but it is then revealed that it can only be controlled by Aegeus. Before she can reach her foe the villain uses one of Zeus’ bolts to teleport safely away, and when Wonder Woman goes to check on Trevor, as the issue ends we learn that Aegeus has whisked him away as his prisoner.

It would be in the pages of Wonder Woman #298 where it is revealed that Bellerophon is merely using Aegeus to help him achieve vengeance against the Gods of Olympus, Zeus in particular. Blinded and shunned by mankind, Bellerophon waited for the likes of Nikos Aegeus to arrive, and the reason he instructed the now magically augmented terrorist into capturing Trevor was to learn the location of Paradise Island. Doing so in an attempt to gain access to the Purple Ray of the Amazons, which can give Bellerophon back his eyesight and even restore his youth.

The conclusion of Aegeus’ origin story was in issue #299 of the Wonder Woman comic book. I’ll cut to the chase and let you know that not only does the Princess of Paradise Island best the still formidable Bellerophon but she also thoroughly trounces Aegeus… after a mighty swing of a tree up against the side of his head. However, the villain is able to make an escape with the aid of his single remaining thunderbolt of Zeus, vowing vengeance of course in the process.

As the Powers & Weapons section of Aegeus’ entry in the Who’s Who points out, Wonder Woman’s foe returns after managing to acquire the six daggers of Vulcan, which happen to be weapons that are able to cut and penetrate almost all objects, including our heroine’s lasso of truth and her bracelets!

Closing out this article, you might be interested to know that shortly after Aegeus was given the spotlight in the Who’s Who: The Definitive Directory of the DC Universe, the character was wiped out – one of the many victims of the Multiverse collapsing courtesy of the Crisis on Infinite Earths maxi-series. Since that time however, versions of Nikos Aegeus have made appearances in both the 2010 New Earth and 2015 Prime Earth versions of the Wonder Woman comic book series.

Buckle Up For This Awesome Ride-Through Of Godzilla The Ride!

Friends, it would appear that 2021 is a very important year for all of us Godzilla fans. Not only did we have the extremely enjoyable and thrilling Godzilla vs. Kong to enjoy a couple of months ago, but apparently a brand new ride based on Godzilla opened up in the Seibuen theme park located in Tokorozawa, Saitama, Japan. The ride which is entitled Godzilla the Ride: Giant Monsters Ultimate Battle debuted on May 19th, certainly a fantastic way to mark the theme park reopening, after closing their gates to the public much like Disneyland and Universal Studios Hollywood and Florida due to the worldwide pandemic. Godzilla the Ride offers fans of the legendary Kaiju a unique opportunity, finding themselves caught in an attack on Tokyo by the monstrous and always frightening King Ghidorah. In fact as this short video by Luminous points out, the designs of both Godzilla and his foe boast new designs, although I will have to say I think they look quite similar to what we’ve seen from the MonsterVerse film series by Legendary.

VIDEO AND ARTICLE IMAGE PROVIDED BY Luminous.

It appears that Godzilla the Ride was filmed using not only miniature vehicles and buildings, which obviously is a wonderful throwback to the early Toho films, but it was directed by Takashi Yamazaki. The director is perhaps best known for his Always: Sunset on Third Street trilogy, with the second film containing a dream sequence featuring Godzilla by the way. But he has also helmed the likes of 2010’s live action Space Battleship Yamato as well as the astounding CGI animated feature Lupin III: The First back in 2019.

Now then, I think to set up the scenario for Godzilla the Ride I will leave you with the press release provided by Sci-Fi Japan:

“Built on a small hill seen from the shopping area of a Tokyo street sits a movie theater loved by the people of the city. The everyday peace of life as usual is disrupted when a mysterious giant creature, King Ghidorah, suddenly appears in Tokyo.

King Ghidorah moves toward Saitama, knocking down buildings in its path. Then, an emergency broadcast announces that another giant monster is approaching.

The park guests are instructed to get into the deluxe armored vehicles of the “Special Disaster Countermeasures” (特災対, Toku Wazawai Tai) response unit. But, when they are caught up in the unbelievable fight between Godzilla and King Ghidorah, will they be able to escape to safety?”

VIDEO PROVIDED BY Godzilla Brasil.

In closing out this article I must give a tip of the hat to Brad Miska of Bloody Disgusting for the heads up on Godzilla the Ride. I hope that the video doesn’t get yanked any time soon as it is the only way many of us will be able to experience the new thrill ride for ourselves.

New Jungle Cruise Trailer Promises Plenty Of Thrills!

Friends, you might have possibly noticed over the last couple of weeks that I have not been sharing new articles every day like I normally do. The reason for this is I have a brand new job, one that takes up the majority of the evening, and in complete honesty when I return home I find I am a little too tired to write. While in the past, thanks to the arcade as well as my job at the hotel, it afforded me ample opportunity to crack open the laptop and work on a post or the script for the podcasts… I am afraid that type of behavior would be frowned upon at the local movie theater in my neck of the woods.

“Hey, anybody seen a ghost?”

That is correct, although it has been quite some time since I last wore the vest, I am once again working at a movie theater. Things as you can imagine have changed in the past 26 years, not the least of which is helping to make sure the auditoriums are safe by disinfecting the seating. The added benefit of wearing that apparatus in the above photograph is that you not only get to feel like a member of the Ghostbusters but you can subject your co-workers to numerous quotes from the films.

One of the things I am quite happy to report that has NOT changed though is how much fun it is to talk with patrons about movies while serving them at the concession stand. It has been an absolute joy to see how very excited movie goers are at getting the chance to return to the theater once again, to enjoy the likes of A Quiet Place Part II, Mortal Kombat, Godzilla vs. Kong, and others.

That joy naturally extends to chatting with my co-workers before and after the movies begin, while we busy ourselves with restocking, cleaning, and further training. And when I have been assigned the role of usher, as I patrol the theater sweeping up popcorn from the floor and making sure all is well in the auditoriums and bathrooms – I also like to take a second and look at the movie posters on display in the hallways.

Which brings us around to the point of this article, the other day a brand new poster design as well as a trailer for Disney’s upcoming Jungle Cruise film were revealed. At first glance I thought the beautiful poster below, shared on the official Jungle Cruise Twitter feed, was done by the legendary Drew Struzan, but that is not the case as the artist was quick to clarify on his own feed. Most fans believe that it is the talented Kyle Lambert who is responsible for this eye-catching new poster.

All aboard Disney’s #JungleCruise!

Originally tweeted by Jungle Cruise (@JungleCruise) on May 27, 2021.

The brand new trailer for Jungle Cruise promises quite a bit of thrills and supernatural action, promising a throwback to the serials that inspired Steven Spielberg and George Lucas to create Raiders of the Lost Ark. It also seems to boast some familiar elements from such popular movies as The Mummy, Pirates of the Caribbean, and possibly even 1951’s The African Queen.

VIDEO AND ARTICLE IMAGE PROVIDE BY Walt Disney Studios.

Jungle Cruise is scheduled to be released at the end of July and I am quite looking forward to joining Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson, Emily Blunt, Paul Giamatti, and Jack Whitehall on a thrilling adventure.

From the press release:

“Inspired by the famous Disneyland theme park ride, Disney’s “Jungle Cruise” is an adventure-filled, rollicking thrill-ride down the Amazon with wisecracking skipper Frank Wolff and intrepid researcher Dr. Lily Houghton. Lily travels from London, England to the Amazon jungle and enlists Frank’s questionable services to guide her downriver on La Quila—his ramshackle-but-charming boat. Lily is determined to uncover an ancient tree with unparalleled healing abilities—possessing the power to change the future of medicine. Thrust on this epic quest together, the unlikely duo encounters innumerable dangers and supernatural forces, all lurking in the deceptive beauty of the lush rainforest. But as the secrets of the lost tree unfold, the stakes reach even higher for Lily and Frank and their fate—and mankind’s—hangs in the balance.

Jaume Collet-Serra directs the film, which stars Dwayne Johnson, Emily Blunt, Edgar Ramírez and Jack Whitehall, with Jesse Plemons, and Paul Giamatti. The producers are John Davis and John Fox of Davis Entertainment; Dwayne Johnson, Hiram Garcia and Dany Garcia of Seven Bucks Productions; and Beau Flynn of Flynn Picture Co., with Scott Sheldon and Doug Merrifield serving as executive producers. The story is by John Norville & Josh Goldstein and Glenn Ficarra & John Requa, and the screenplay is by Michael Green and Glenn Ficarra & John Requa. Disney’s “Jungle Cruise” releases in U.S. theaters and on Disney+ with Premier Access on July 30, 2021.”

The Road Runner And Speedy Gonzales Teamed Up?

Friends, just like in numerous comic books over the years, it is an amazing thing to see crossovers take place in the Marvel and DC cinematic universe. And while it might be more commonplace in the comics from where the iconic characters of the Avengers and Justice League got their start, it still feels like something special when we see it take place on the big screen. However, it was an almost common occurrence taking place in the golden age of animation with many of the Merrie Melodies and Looney Tunes animated shorts. Having said that though it generally saw the pairing up of characters such as Bugs Bunny with Daffy Duck, or even Porky Pig and Daffy. And while I absolutely love classic animation, I freely admit that until a few days ago I had never seen or heard of the 1965 short titled The Wild Chase. That was thanks to a post from Jerry Beck’s Cartoon Research Facebook page, my mind was completely blown when I realized it teamed up not just the Road Runner and Speedy Gonzales in a race but Wile E. Coyote and Sylvester the Cat in an attempt to stop them.

VIDEO AND ARTICLE IMAGE PROVIDED BY Looney Tunes Channel.

The Wild Chase was originally released to theaters on February 27th of 1965, and while distributed by Warner Bros., the animation itself was handled by DePatie-Freleng Enterprises. The Merrie Melodies short was co-directed by the legendary Friz Freleng and Hawley Pratt, the duo who were responsible for creating the animated intro for 1963’s The Pink Panther film.

I obviously have to point out that the DePatie-Freleng animation style is a little jarring, even when compared with the more stylized approach used by Warner Bros. Cartoons in ’62. And I am no expert but it certainly looks to me like some of the gags used in The Wild Chase were similar to those found in the shorts directed by Chuck Jones.

Doing a quick search online it appears that quite a few fans of animation are less than thrilled with The Wild Chase, especially with the animation. I can understand that viewpoint, but as I’m no historian I am thrilled to find an animated short that I’ve not had the pleasure of seeing before. In addition to the fact that even though they come to an explosive end, when all is said and done it was Wile E. Coyote and Sylvester the Cat who won the race. I am going to assume this was done as to avoid any fans of the Road Runner or Speedy Gonzales being upset at which of the two might have proven to be the fastest?

Retro Radio Memories: Kit Reed’s The Food Farm

Friends, it has been a little bit since we’ve last had a Retro Radio Memories article to share with you. I thought instead of going with some classic old time radio goodness though, we would once again enjoy an offering from Michael Hanson’s iconic Mindwebs series. The radio series originated at WHA radio in Madison, Wisconsin in the ’70s and presented science fiction, fantasy, and horror stories by some of the most celebrated writers of the day. Just a small list of those whose work was chosen by Hanson include Ray Bradbury, Robert Bloch, Ursula K. Le Guin, H.P. Lovecraft, Raymond Chandler, as well as Kit Reed. It is the last author whose story is the subject of the episode of Mindwebs today, a science fiction tale with a dark twist called “The Food Farm”.

Kit Reed, who was born Lillian Hyde Craig, had her first short story published in the April issue of The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction back in 1958. Entitled “The Wait”, the tale involves a teenager who finds herself in a field amongst other women, curiously sitting on small boxes, a ritual known as ‘The Wait’.

“The Food Farm” was originally published in 1967 and focuses on a teenager named Nelly. Besides ‘plugging in’ to enjoy the music of a celebrity known as Tommy Fango, her greatest comfort in life is food. The young girl appears to have an eating disorder however, going so far as to steal out in the middle of the night to obtain food by any means necessary, from panhandling to perhaps selling herself to strangers. Her parents take drastic measures to attempt to curtail her eating but have no luck, shockingly resorting to having their daughter forcibly taken away to a most curious farm. Bordering on starvation from lack of food and a chemical regimen, the titular farm is place where affluent families might send their daughters to insure they will lost weight, so as not to be an embarrassment any longer.

Let us learn of the fate of Nelly and the others imprisoned at “The Food Farm” courtesy of Michael Hanson’s Mindwebs.

You might be interest to know that his episode of Mindwebs was narrated by Jay Meredith Fitts. Let us know what you think of the story in the comments below.

Eric Originally Had A Pretty Shocking Death In 1988’s Mac And Me!

Friends, when you think back to 1988’s cult classic Mac and Me, what are the first things that pop into your mind? For myself I would say Coca-Cola as well as the fact there is absolutely an incredible dance number held in the lobby of a McDonald’s restaurant. Which I promise that I will share with you before I get to the gist of this article. Another thing that most people will remember about Mac and Me is the sheer amount of product placement found throughout the movie, that even includes the original trailer, which just so happened to feature Ronald McDonald.

VIDEO PROVIDED BY Photoland.

Now if you’ve not had the pleasure of seeing the film before, there is a good reason that Ronald McDonald appeared in that ad. For one thing he does make an appearance in the film itself but the producer of Mac and Me, R.J. Louis, happened to have worked with Ronald McDonald House Charities in the past. To say nothing of actually having a hand in the advertising for the restaurant chain. As I understand it, there are conflicting reports on whether McDonald’s actually co-funded the film along with Coca-Cola – honestly, none of that matters. Because what truly matters is that the Ronald McDonald House Charities received a portion of the money from the ticket sales for Mac and Me. Plus there is that awesome dance sequence that I’ve been talking about… if you want to know what it was like growing up in the ’80s just watch this clip, it really is a wonder we ever accomplished anything we were dancing so much.

VIDEO PROVIDED BY Movieclips.

Okay, now as you saw from the trailer at the top of the article, Eric (Jade Calegory) develops a bond with MAC (Mysterious Alien Creature) as they attempt to find the alien’s lost Family. Which is why the young boy of course puts himself in harm’s way when the local Police began firing on the confused aliens outside of a grocery store. In the clip below you will see how things played out in the version of the film seen by American audiences.

VIDEO AND ARTICLE IMAGE PROVIDED BY Movieclips.

It is implied that Eric is caught in the explosion in that version of Mac and Me. The Japanese audiences saw a wildly different version of the film however, thankfully we can see that alternate version of the scene. I think you will agree it is pretty bugnuts, it is just all very bizarre that the scene was even shot this way in the first place.

VIDEO PROVIDED BY Me and My Little Big Mouth.

Happy 50th To The Abominable Dr. Phibes!

Friends, it was 50 years ago today that American International Pictures (AIP) released The Abominable Dr. Phibes to theaters, one of the absolute best Vincent Price films ever made. While that might be a personal opinion, I stand by it, knowing full well that Price appeared in such classic films as The Fly, The Pit and the Pendulum, The Last Man on Earth, and House of Wax to name just a few of his memorable roles. The Abominable Dr. Phibes is an extremely dark comedy with an embarrassment of riches in the solid cast of actors that included the likes of Joseph Cotten, Virginia North,Terry-Thomas, Peter Jeffrey, Hugh Griffith, Aubrey Woods, Norman Jones and many others. It is a rare film indeed where you will find yourself actively rooting for the villain, thanks of course in no small part to the abundance of charisma on display by Price throughout the picture.

If you’ve not had the pleasure of seeing The Abominable Dr. Phibes for yourself, it happens to concern Dr. Anton Phibes (Price), a brilliant inventor and former concert organist believed dead after a horrible car accident. The wreck that disfigured him and forced him to fake his own demise in Switzerland, was due to the news of the passing of his wife, Victoria (Caroline Munro). The medical staff that were in attendance, who truly attempted to save the poor woman are the targets of Phibe’s revenge – using his expertise in theology to bring upon the Ten Plagues of Egypt upon their heads.

VIDEO AND ARTICLE IMAGE PROVIDED BY Debbie Ironmonger.

Directed by Robert Fuest (The Avengers) and co-written by James Whiton (Murder by Phone) and William Goldstein (The Amazing Dobermans), The Abominable Dr. Phibes received generally favorable reviews when it was released 50 years ago. At the very least it proved successful enough that it warranted a sequel, with Dr. Phibes Rises Again being released in July of the following year. To say nothing of the fact that many attempts at sequels and reboots have been attempted since, including a television series pitch in ’72 entitled The Sinister Dr. Phibes – where it certainly sounds like Phibes would have used his genius and vast resources to exact punishment on various evil doers.

Tell me that Vincent Price wouldn’t have been perfect for that series?

In closing out this article, here is to 50 amazing years of The Abominable Dr. Phibes, a film that gave us one of Price’s most memorable characters and performances. And if you happen to be a huge Dr. Phibes fan… or is that Phan… you might be interested to know that William Goldstein as well as his son have written a book series featuring the character and his origins.

You might also be interested to know that The Abominable Dr. Phibes was the subject of one of the early episodes of the Saturday Frights podcast.