Escape from New York (1981) – Episode 157 – Decades of Horror 1980s
Decades of Horror | Horror News Radio
Release Date: 07/01/2020
Decades of Horror | Horror News Radio
he Grue-Crew steps into the theater for STAGEFRIGHT (1987, Deliria), directed by Michele Soavi (The Church, The Sect, Cemetery Man). Part Friday the 13th, part Argento Giallo, all Slasher, Stagefright features an escaped madman donning the Owl Man costume from a stage play to slash and slay the entire cast and crew. What fun! The cinematography looks amazing, the gore is brilliantly executed, and the cast is better than anticipated. The Grue-Crew discuss the cast, the first-time director’s path, and the death count. Do not miss this one. STAGEFRIGHT (1987) Episode 320 – Decades of Horror...
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The Grue-Crew (Jeff, Gregory, and Bill) gather to discuss Mario Bava's film RABID DOGS (1974, CANI ARRABBIATI). The movie, filmed under its original title "L'uomo e il bambino", was shelved before it was finished when the financers died leaving it buried under bankruptcy for decades. From there, its strange road to a DVD release and a subsequent reedit by Bava's son Lamberto Bava continued. Bill, being a massive Bava fan, leads Jeff and Gregory to discuss this strange inclusion in a master director's filmography. Enjoy! RABID DOGS (1974, CANI ARRABBIATI) Episode 277 - Decades of Horror 1970s...
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I WAS A TEENAGE FRANKENSTEIN (1957) is B-Movie gold, perfect for 1950s drive-in nonsense. The Grue-Crew discuss the film's goofy yet gory monster, the mastery of tempered scene chewing that is Whit Bissell, and the extreme lack of teenagers in this teenage monster movie. Is it a good movie? Nah, not really. But that doesn't mean it isn't a brilliantly fun movie of its time. There's plenty to enjoy. And, as Bill noted, somehow when viewing I WAS A TEENAGE FRANKENSTEIN now, it is both better and worse than remembered. Check this review out and enjoy. I WAS A TEENAGE FRANKENSTEIN (1957) Episode...
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For episode 276, Bill picks the early '70s ABC Movie of the Week, THE CAT CREATURE (1973). The TV Horror Movie is directed by Curtis Harrington and features Meredith Baxter, David Hedison, Gale Sondergaard, John Caradine, Stuart Whitman, Keye Luke, and Kent Smith. Written by Robert Bloch, the plot involves a stolen amulet removed from an Egyptian mummy, a deadly black cat, and 40s horror movie homages. What will the Grue-Crew think of this 1970s supernatural throwback? Ah! Check out the podcast to find out. Enjoy! THE CAT CREATURE (1973) Episode 276 - Decades of Horror 1970s Quote: "One thing...
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The Grue-Crew go mythical to revisit and review JASON AND THE ARGONAUTS (1963) battling bronze giants, harrowing harpies, a horrifying hydra, and an army of skeletons. He who loves all things stop-motion, Bill Mulligan, steps up with his selection and results are amazing. The film still delivers awe and action all these years later and Ray Harryhausen’s mastery is in top form. As you can imagine, the discussion goes extra long diving into the cast of characters, the creatures, the stop-motion, and Greek legend. Join us for this episode, it is worth every minute. Thank you, Bill, great...
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For this episode of DOH80s, Doc has chosen THE LAST SHARK (1981, L’ultimo squalo) which is also known as GREAT WHITE and THE LAST JAWS. Yeah, if the last name there makes you wonder how Universal let that slide. Well, they didn’t! This is one of the most notorious accounts of cinematic plagiarism in film history. Universal Studios did sue and won which resulted in THE LAST SHARK being immediately removed from theaters and becoming unavailable in the States for decades. Is the film any good? Hell no, it’s a mess. However, it is so bad it’s good. James Franciscus and Vic Morrow lead the...
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The Grue-Crew head to France (actually Spain) to meet up with Waldemar Daninsky and Countess Wandesa to revisit THE WEREWOLF VS THE VAMPIRE WOMAN (1971, La Noche de Walpurgis). After decades of watching this classic Spanish wolfman film, seeing the restored 4k version is a revelation. Sure, it's a B-Movie, but it's a fantastic B-Movie. Now it is easy to see why this is Paul Naschy's most successful film, it clearly deserves that honor. If you've never seen THE WEREWOLF VS THE VAMPIRE WOMAN, seek out a 4K version or a streaming version of it online, stay away from the graining, overly dark...
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The Grue-Crew follow H.G. Wells and THING TO COME (1936) 90 years into the past to predict 10 years into the future. This film is fully politically charged but incredibly fascinating. While it slogs from time to time compared to modern films, it manages to deliver as a movie by the end. The film spans over four distinct dates: 1940, 1966, 1970, and 2036 encompassing a decades long war and the reformation of civilization afterwards. The main character that we follow is John Cabal as he goes from a cynical visionary to a liberator from the skies as part of the Wings Over the World; for the 2036...
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The Decades of Horror Grue Crews stick with the folk horror subgenre and bring in Scott Wells to help explain some of the details. This time, the film is A CHINESE GHOST STORY (1987), from Hong Kong producer Tsui Hark and director Siu-Tung Ching. The great Leslie Cheung and Joey Wang create the chemistry necessary to believe this “ghost meets innocent, naive tax collector” love story. Of course, they need the help of Wu Ma’s Monk/Swordsman to overcome the hold the Old Dame has over the two lovebirds. Much wire-work, special makeup effects, stop-motion animation, and mystical shenanigans...
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This exercise in lycanthropic folk horror from Argentina catches the Grue Crew by surprise. Lulled to sleep by the slow, freezer-burn pace of the first twenty minutes, they immediately perk up when the Devil shows his face. There are several reasons to watch this film: brilliant cinematography, an excellent performance from Alfredo Alcón, entertaining supporting characters, fascinating folk horror, and a WEREWOLF! Bill and Jeff are joined by Scott Wells, who adds his folklore expertise, and Gregory Crosby, who contributes his usual insightful analysis. Enjoy! NAZARENO CRUZ AND THE WOLF (1975)...
info_outline"I swear to God, Snake, I thought you were dead." Didn’t everybody? Join your faithful Grue Crew - Crystal Cleveland, Chad Hunt, Bill Mulligan, and Jeff Mohr - as they once again travel to the world according to John Carpenter, this time partnering up with Snake Plissken as he tries to Escape from New York (1981).
Decades of Horror 1980s
Episode 157 – Escape from New York (1981)
In 1997, when the U.S. president crashes into Manhattan, now a giant maximum-security prison, a convicted bank robber is sent in to rescue him.
Imdb
- Director: John Carpenter
- Writer: John Carpenter, Nick Castle
- Producer: Debra Hill
- Location Mgr/Assoc Prod: Barry Bernardi
- Music: John Carpenter, Alan Howarth
- Director of Photography: Dean Cundey
- Production Design: Joe Alves
- Special Effects Superviser: Roy Arbogast
- Cast
- Kurt Russell as S.D. "Snake" Plissken
- Lee Van Cleef as Bob Hauk
- Ernest Borgnine as Cabbie
- Donald Pleasence as the president
- Isaac Hayes as the Duke
- Harry Dean Stanton as Brain
- Adrienne Barbeau as Maggie
- Tom Atkins as Rehme
- Season Hubley as Girl in Chock Full o' Nuts
- Charles Cyphers as Secretary of State
- Frank Doubleday as Romero
- John Strobel as Cronenberg
- Ox Baker as Slag
- Jamie Lee Curtis as Narrator / Computer (voice) (uncredited)
Everybody loves Snake Plissken and the Decades of Horror 1980s Grue-Crew is no exception. Chad Hunt calls Escape from New York John Carpenter’s western. There are a lot of flaws in the film’s story and its science fiction dressing and even as Bill identifies some of them, he is also professing his love for the film. Crystal proposes Zac Efron to play Snake if there is ever a remake and one of her crewmates even agrees with her. Escape from New York will forever be one of Jeff’s favorites if only for Ernest Borgnine’s performance as Cabbie and the inclusion of the theme song from American Bandstand.
Escape from New York is highly recommended by your loyal Grue-Crew and is currently available to stream on Amazon Prime and as a Scream Factory Blu ray.
Gruesome Magazine’s Decades of Horror 1980s is part of the Decades of Horror 3-week rotation with The Classic Era and the 1970s. In episode 158, the 80s Grue-Crew will visit director John Carpenter’s work again in Frank Hennenlotter’s Brain Damage (1988).
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