MGibster
Legend
It's time to show some appreciation for the B movie and direct-to-video horror movies. In particular I'd like to mention Full Moon Productions, whose golden age of direct-to-video horror and science fiction movies was from 1989-1996. Not all of the movies on this list are Full Moon Productions, so I'll mark them. Remember, these aren't great movies like Alien or The Thing, but they're pretty fun.
Puppet Master (1989 Full Moon Productions): At an inn in California, a few psychics meet up where they have disturbing dreams and are picked off one by one by some animated puppets. This movie spawned a franchise and there's something like 15 movies in the series.
Subspecies (1991 Full Moon Productions): Some students go to Romania to study folklore and end up finding vampires. The special effects were pretty decent considering the budget and it was actually filmed in Romania. There were six of these movies made, but I think the first one featured shotgun shells filled with rosary beads which I thought was kind of cool.
Doctor Mordrid (1992 Full Moon Productions): This is a Dr. Strange movie. Who ever wrote the script, wrote a Dr. Strange movie and when they couldn't make a Dr. Strange movie they called it Doctor Mordrid. Played by B movie veteran Jeffrey Combs, Mordrid is sent to Earth to stop a bunch of evil wizards from opening the gates of hell. The movies features some creative use of a stop motion dinosaur. One of my favorite Full Moon movies.
Waxwork (1988): This movie has David Warner, John Rhys-Davies, and the guy from Gremlins and Gremlins the New Batch! Look, any movie with David Warner and John Rhys-Davies can't be all bad. Warner invites some folks to his creepy was museum filled with horror scenes, visitors are transported to those scenes, and hilarity ensues.
The Vampire Lovers (1971): All you need to know is that this is a Hammer Horror production and it stars Ingrid Pitt. Peter Cushing is there as well, and he's great, but we're all about Ingrid Pitt here. This is a loose adaptation of the novella Carmilla. Did I mention Ingrid Pitt?
Dr. Caligari (1989): This is not really a sequel to the 1920 silent movie The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari. This is a weird movie about the supposed granddaughter of the original Dr. Caligari who runs an asylum and does experiments on her patients. This movie has a hard R rating mostly due to nudity. Did I mention this was a weird movie? It's weird.
Dead Alive (1992): This Peter Jackson movie is known as Braindead in other markets. This is essentially a fun zombie movie with some of the goriest scenes put to film. They're so over-the-top that it ceases being frightening and is just silly...in a good way. My favorite scene is the Catholic priest martial artists who boldy declares, "I kick ass for the lard!" This is a fun movie.
Them! (1954): One of the earliest nuclear monster movies, nuclear testing leads to giant radiactive ants in the New Mexico area that threaten humanity! This is actually a better movie than it has any right to be and it stars James Arness. You can also spot a young Lenoard Nimoy in an uncredited role as a US Army soldier.
Lifeforce (1985): This British horror movie is about a bunch of space vampires who descend upon London and features Mathilda May running around with no clothes for a significant portion of the movie. The special effects, not counting Mathilda May's impressive figure, are pretty good and the actors put in a solid performance. Look for an appearance by Patrict Stewart.
Mimic (1997): This is a Guillermo del Toro movie about a bunch of mutant cockroaches living in New York. Okay, while that description is technically true it doesn't do the movie justice. Give it a shot. Really taps into our fears about genetically altered creatures.
Puppet Master (1989 Full Moon Productions): At an inn in California, a few psychics meet up where they have disturbing dreams and are picked off one by one by some animated puppets. This movie spawned a franchise and there's something like 15 movies in the series.
Subspecies (1991 Full Moon Productions): Some students go to Romania to study folklore and end up finding vampires. The special effects were pretty decent considering the budget and it was actually filmed in Romania. There were six of these movies made, but I think the first one featured shotgun shells filled with rosary beads which I thought was kind of cool.
Doctor Mordrid (1992 Full Moon Productions): This is a Dr. Strange movie. Who ever wrote the script, wrote a Dr. Strange movie and when they couldn't make a Dr. Strange movie they called it Doctor Mordrid. Played by B movie veteran Jeffrey Combs, Mordrid is sent to Earth to stop a bunch of evil wizards from opening the gates of hell. The movies features some creative use of a stop motion dinosaur. One of my favorite Full Moon movies.
Waxwork (1988): This movie has David Warner, John Rhys-Davies, and the guy from Gremlins and Gremlins the New Batch! Look, any movie with David Warner and John Rhys-Davies can't be all bad. Warner invites some folks to his creepy was museum filled with horror scenes, visitors are transported to those scenes, and hilarity ensues.
The Vampire Lovers (1971): All you need to know is that this is a Hammer Horror production and it stars Ingrid Pitt. Peter Cushing is there as well, and he's great, but we're all about Ingrid Pitt here. This is a loose adaptation of the novella Carmilla. Did I mention Ingrid Pitt?
Dr. Caligari (1989): This is not really a sequel to the 1920 silent movie The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari. This is a weird movie about the supposed granddaughter of the original Dr. Caligari who runs an asylum and does experiments on her patients. This movie has a hard R rating mostly due to nudity. Did I mention this was a weird movie? It's weird.
Dead Alive (1992): This Peter Jackson movie is known as Braindead in other markets. This is essentially a fun zombie movie with some of the goriest scenes put to film. They're so over-the-top that it ceases being frightening and is just silly...in a good way. My favorite scene is the Catholic priest martial artists who boldy declares, "I kick ass for the lard!" This is a fun movie.
Them! (1954): One of the earliest nuclear monster movies, nuclear testing leads to giant radiactive ants in the New Mexico area that threaten humanity! This is actually a better movie than it has any right to be and it stars James Arness. You can also spot a young Lenoard Nimoy in an uncredited role as a US Army soldier.
Lifeforce (1985): This British horror movie is about a bunch of space vampires who descend upon London and features Mathilda May running around with no clothes for a significant portion of the movie. The special effects, not counting Mathilda May's impressive figure, are pretty good and the actors put in a solid performance. Look for an appearance by Patrict Stewart.
Mimic (1997): This is a Guillermo del Toro movie about a bunch of mutant cockroaches living in New York. Okay, while that description is technically true it doesn't do the movie justice. Give it a shot. Really taps into our fears about genetically altered creatures.
