Episode 35 - The Monster Mash IV Afterthoughts

NIGHT OF THE MASH WAS A BODACIOUS TIME. And why wouldn’t it be?

These three movies share more than just shelf order on many of your collections; they share the same attributes that make them beloved movies. Raunchy or funny at times, well executed horror films that never take themselves too seriously. One reason for that is exceptional young talent in all of them. In many cases this was the difference between being forgotten or being cult classics that long outlived their expected Hollywood life. By all accounts these three could have been absolute turds but thankfully they weren’t. Night of the Demons is set apart by Linnea’s usual scene stealing. She made her roles, no matter how small or goofy, stand out and Night of the Demons is no exception to this tendency. Her bizarre lipstick routine, her naughty opening scene in the store, it all adds up along with  a solid young cast to make the film fun to watch instead of being lost with thousands of other turkeys from that period.

 Night of the Creeps had some money behind but that isn't a bad thing. At the end of the day Tom Atkins was just great. The Atkins trilogy you should watch in one evening consists of: Night of the Creeps, The Fog, and Halloween III: Season of the Witch. Just 80’s gold.

Lastly, we have Night of the Comet. In my eyes this is the real cinematic feat of the three. While it is lesser of the three in the long run, I think that they did something special with this one. I mentioned on the show the huge discrepancy in budgets for these films. It is not the viewers job to make apologies for that, but it should at least be kept in mind when assessing its worth. This cast and crew had next to nothing financially in terms of the scope of work they wanted to accomplish. While it isn’t Lawrence of Arabia, I do think they managed to achieve what they set out to do with the aid of the sisters performances played by Stewart and Maroney along with creative approaches for getting by. For what it was and is today, it rocks. 

Bottom line, watch all three! Until next time.....

Beware the moon

The Professor