The Redford Theatre in Detroit, Michigan, premiered The Evil Dead on 15 October 1981. New Line Cinema didn’t agree to distribute it for a year. And they released it only on 15 April 1983.

I love the film. But it is one of those films that has a large and annoying fan base. What’s more, there is even a break-off movement of people who claim all the later films are not canon.

To be clear, I agree with them! Evil Dead II is not a sequel. It is a comedic reboot of the original. And all those films and TV episodes don’t have anything to do with this original film. (But to be extra clear, I love all that stuff too — especially Ash vs Evil Dead, which is pure fun.)

I see why people prefer the funny later stuff. Ash as an idiot is great. But I do prefer The Evil Dead because Ash is just a regular, sweet guy. As such, I’m invested in the story in a way that I’m not with the later stuff. Again: one isn’t objectively better than the other. But I’ve long felt that horror-comedy is a tightrope act with the net; pure horror doesn’t have a net and works better when it works. And it works here.

There isn’t a lot to say about The Evil Dead. It’s hard to say why it works so well. It certainly isn’t because the direction is particularly innovative. The acting is good but nothing you can’t see in lots of other films. And frankly, the “camera on two-by-four” shots haven’t aged especially well. But the film is good. It is engaging. It is committed. Above all, it works.

Any time is a good time to watch The Evil Dead. But its 44th birthday is a particularly good time to watch it!

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The Evil Dead (1981) poster via Wikipedia under Fair Use.

Jack Arnold was born on 14 October 1916.

He is probably the best director you have never heard of. Why do I say that? Because you have heard of his films. The earliest ones were produced by William Alland:

• It Came from Outer Space (1953)
• Creature from the Black Lagoon (1954)
• Revenge of the Creature (1955)
• The Incredible Shrinking Man (1957)
• The Mouse That Roared (1959).

He also directed two blaxploitation films starring Fred Williamson. The first was the action film Black Eye. The second was a comedy western, Boss Nigger, which was also written by Williamson. It seems that both these films are rather good. But I haven’t seen either. I hope to do so soon.

I like every film I’ve seen from Jack Arnold. But my favorite is Tarantula. It is one of the best giant creature films. I prefer Them! But that’s a very high bar.

The film suffers a bit in that the lab is clearly just a house. It’s similar to the “lab” in The Brain That Wouldn’t Die. But the reason I prefer Them! is its portrayal of scientists. There was a strong tendency in the 1950s to portray scientists as evil, fatuous, or both. For example, The Thing from Another World. Given how many problems scientists have solved, this tendency strikes me as particularly unwarranted.

In Tarantula, a scientist creates the problem. But he isn’t presented as a bad guy. Still, it is a film where a scientist creates a problem and the military solves it. Not exactly my experience of the world.

But it’s still a lot of fun. And Jack Arnold’s birthday is a great excuse to watch it!

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Jack Arnold via Wikipedia under Fair Use.

Box Office Spectaculars released Color Me Blood Red on 13 October 1965. This was in Baltimore, Maryland. I assume at the Bengies Drive-In Theatre.

It is the last of the Blood Trilogy. I think it is the best of the films. The first, Blood Feast, is so silly. And the second, Two Thousand Maniacs, is so cruel. As a result, I enjoy this film about a twisted but likeable artist.

The story is simple. Critics dismiss an artist because of his bland use of color. So he uses his own blood for red. And the critics love it! But you can only bleed yourself so long. So he kills his models and uses their blood. What’s not to like?

The cast is led by Gordon Oas-Heim in the central role of Adam Sorg. Oddly, Oas-Heim used “Adam Sorg” for his screen name in the other Herschell Gordon Lewis film he was in, Moonshine Mountain. Here he is Don Joseph.

He gives a spirited, idiosyncratic performance. And this really sells the whole film.

According to producer David F Friedman, the demand for gore films faded. It didn’t make sense to produce more. It’s also worth noting that both Friedman and Lewis must have been wealthy at this point.

But Color Me Blood Red delivers. It is still very much a Lewis-Friedman production with ugly design, mostly amateur acting, and lots of gorgeous gore. All psychotronic fans should watch it at least once. And today is the day given it was released exactly 60 years ago!

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Color Me Blood Red (1965) poster via Wikipedia under Fair Use.

Paramount Home Video released Puppet Master on 12 October 1989. It was one of the earliest Full Moon Features releases. At that time, they weren’t distributing films. But they would soon.

I’ll be honest. I’m not a huge fan of the original Puppet Master. Puppet Master II is better. The third film, Toulon’s Revenge, is the best. And it created a franchise of 15 films — every one of them at least watchable. I know of no other franchise that is so dependable. But Full Moon is good at that. The reason I’m not fond of most of their other franchises is that I don’t much care for the bases of them. That would include Evil Bong and The Gingerdead Man.

But Puppet Master does a great job of setting up the base characters: the puppets. Blade, Jester, Pinhead, and Leech Woman are iconic. The only really memorable one who wasn’t in the first film is Six Shooter (who appeared in the third film).

The problem with Puppet Master is that they kill off André Toulon (William Hickey) at the beginning of the film. Unfortunately, he’s a great character. And the franchise has spent a great deal of energy to bring him back from the dead — either by creating prequels or through metaphysics.

The plot of the film is pretty simple. It is basically an Old Dark House film. People come to a remote place and start dying. (I know that isn’t what happens in the original or remake, but it’s what the format has become.) And all the murders are done by adorable puppets. What’s not to like?!

So let’s celebrate the first film of this amazing film franchise by watching it! After that, watch the third film. Then watch the seventh film. And you’ll be golden!

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Puppet Master poster via Wikipedia under Fair Use.

Bryanston Distributing Company released The Texas Chain Saw Massacre in the United States on 11 October 1974.

This was unfortunate for the filmmakers, Bryanston, mostly due to incompetence, squandered the vast majority of profits. As I recall, Gunnar Hansen only ended up with a couple of thousand dollars. But such is the business of filmmaking. It ain’t pretty.

The film went on to spawn at least 8 other films. Most of them marginally successful. But they really don’t make a lot of sense. The Texas Chain Saw Massacre wasn’t great because of the amazing characters and backstory. In fact, I find these relatively weak. I’ve spent decades trying to figure out just why the film works so well.

I still don’t really know. There are two things that I return to.

1. The production design is fantastic. The house alone is creepy in the extreme. It really couldn’t be better.
2. Leatherface is a wonderful character because of his consternation. People keep coming to his house and he has to deal with it. Imagine a butcher who has random cows coming into his house and you get the idea. His behavior later in the film is far less interesting but that section has a lot of dramatic momentum.

At this point, I don’t watch the film. I’ve seen it a lot. See my article, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre vs The Happening: Comparison of Two Scenes. But now? I still love Tobe Hooper. But if I’m in the mood, I’ll watch The Funhouse or Spontaneous Combustion. And sometimes Eaten Alive. (I sometimes think Eaten Alive is his best film. There are times when nothing else but it satisfies.)

My point is that there are far too many derivative works. And not enough people have seen the original. And if you have managed not to see it on its 51st birthday, now is the time!

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Texas Chain Saw Massacre poster via Wikipedia under Fair Use.

United Artists released Dr No in the United Kingdon on 10 October 1962.

Dr No made a ton of money. And to be honest, I have no idea why. I don’t mind the film. But it’s hardly great. It seems more like a spoof than a serious effort.

Part of the appeal seems to be Sean Connery. But again: I don’t get it. He really isn’t that attractive. And that’s doubly so when he takes his shirt off. But most important, he moves through the film breezily like none of the action is real.

But I could say that of all the Bond films Connery was in. Dr No is in one way better than the rest. It at least starts as a grounded spy film. It’s really only when he gets to the island (and then especially after capture) that it descends into parody.

But parody of what?! It’s the first James Bond film!

People often point to the ridiculous surfing scene from Die Another Day as the point when Bond was just silly. But I think that was true from the beginning.

But don’t get me wrong. If you like these films, great for you! I wish I did!

The big problem is that Bond films take themselves too seriously at the same time that they don’t. And it rarely gels. No one takes the 1960s Batman TV series seriously. Yet it makes just as much sense as any Bond film. Similarly, Dr No’s island is no less believable than Dreyfus’ Bavarian castle in The Pink Panther Strikes Again. And the villains in The President’s Analyst are way better.

The whole thing is fun enough, though. I can definitely think of films that are harder to sit through. But it is galling that so many people promote this film as great (while dismissing far better films) when this is based on nothing more than nostalgia.

But I’m willing to watch it again. Here:

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Dr No poster via Amazon under Fair Use.

Guillermo del Toro is 61. He was born on 9 October 1964.

Del Toro is more than a psychotronic icon. I don’t have a word for it. He even makes great superhero films! I will admit that he picks good superheroes, though. Even his powers may falter under the weight of Thor.

In addition to writing and directing, del Toro has done a magnificent job supporting other artists. My favorite is Guillermo del Toro’s Cabinet of Curiosities. Every episode of it is great and “Autopsy” is one of the best things I’ve ever seen.

When I first heard that del Toro was making a filmed version of Frankenstein, I was skeptical. But then I saw the trailer. And I felt a bit silly to have ever doubted.

Obviously, I don’t doubt the brilliance of Guillermo del Toro. But that doesn’t mean I always like his work. I’m not a big fan of dark fantasy. And that includes Pan’s Labyrinth. Not that it’s bad. I don’t think he’s ever done anything that isn’t good. I just don’t connect with it. And frankly, he has stayed away far too long. So I very much welcome Frankenstein.

But I doubt that any film he makes will ever compete with my favorite, The Devil’s Backbone. The film works on so many levels! The truth is, you could take the ghost story out and it would still be an excellent film. Sadly, few people seem to have seen the film. It’s probably because it’s in Spanish.

I highly recommend celebrating Guillermo del Toro’s 61st birthday by watching this film. But make sure you can focus. The film demands and deserves this.

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Image cropped from Guilliermo Del Toro by LucaFazPhoto under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Kirk Alyn was born on 8 October 1910. He was a successful actor during the early years of the sound film. But we remember him today as being the first live-action Superman.

What I love about Alyn is that he got his start in the chorus of Broadway musicals. And then he became the most badass of superheroes. And it highlights the fact that all this stuff is not very manly. Being a true man is fighting in a war. It isn’t providing harmony for a light opera starlet. And it sure isn’t dressing up in a spandex costume! Maybe this explains why so many modern “real men” are what I will charitably call “whiny bitches.”

This isn’t to take anything away from Kirk Alyn. He was a singer and dancer. And that’s as manly as welding. At least if you ask me. But any reactionary who likes superheroes should seriously consider what their concept of a “real man” is.

Kirk Alyn starred in two Superman serials. The first was Superman (1948). It told a 4-hour story over the course of 15 16-minute parts. Then came Atom Man vs Superman (1950), another 15-part serial. Are they any good? Well, they were TV shows before there was TV. And they are pretty much what you would expect. They’re fine. No worse than anything people are producing now!

Here is the complete second serial. I couldn’t find the first. You can find all the episodes online if you want. But they aren’t in any set location.

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Kirk Alyn via Kirk Alyn. It is in the public domain.

Dwain Esper was born 7 October 1894. Or 1893. It depends on who you listen to.

And who was Dwain Esper? He was an early exploitation filmmaker. The first films were all what we would consider exploitation. Hollywood had professionalized by the late 1920s. And so there was an opening for men like Esper.

This worked because Esper was a showman. And he only produced films to make a buck. It’s hard not to appreciate such a clear vision. It contrasts so well with the pretense of Hollywood.

He worked closely with his wife, Hildagarde Stadie. They married in 1920 and stayed so through his death in 1982. The couple stopped making films in the 1940s. They were very rich by that time, it would seem.

Today, we know Dwain Esper for a handful of films:

• The Seventh Commandment (1932): A country boy goes to the big city only to find debauchery. But once he decides to leave. he learns he has syphilis. Beware, young men!
• Narcotic (1933): A young medical student gets seduced by drug culture and dies. Beware, medical students!
• Sex Madness (1934): A former burlesque dancer with syphilis wants to be cured so she can go back to her small hometown and marry her sweetheart. Beware, burlesque dancers!
• Maniac (1934): A lab assistant kills his mad scientist boss and walls up the corpse. Then he pretends to be the mad scientist. Eventually, the police find the corpse just like in “The Black Cat.” Beware, mad scientists!
• Marihuana (1936): A young woman and her boyfriend go all the way because of the title drug. She gets pregnant but he is murdered working for drug dealers. Beware, young couples!

Esper ran his business much in the way William Castle did during the late 1950s and early 1960s. He traveled around the country promoting and showing his films. Of course, Castle was a great filmmaker. Esper, well, wasn’t. But I do think people overstate his incompetence. I’ve seen worse films — much worse.

I think everyone should watch Maniac. It is such a bizarre film and Esper uses everything in his arsenal. This even includes a topless woman. It was released after the Hays Code went into effect. But that didn’t really apply to people like Esper who distributed their own films.

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Sex Maniac (1934) poster via Wikipedia under Fair Use.

Silver Spotlight Films released CarousHELL on 6 October 2016.

Steve Rudzinski is the brilliant young man behind CarousHELL. A few years back, I signed up for OnlyFans to get access to all his work. I had no idea at the time that the site was primarily for porn. This was especially ironic. Rudzinski mostly creates very sweet, often child-appropriate films.

For example, his Meowy series is as sweet as it is silly. They tell the story of Wally Griswold, the most naive and incompetent cop you have ever seen. Luckily, he has a cat and rat who are way smarter. And they normally get him out of his jams.

He reminds me a lot of Chris Seaver, although without the adolescent sex gags. Of course, Seaver has never made a film as good as CarousHELL. (That might be a little strong. I haven’t looked at Seaver’s work in a long time and he, like Rudzinski, makes a lot of films!)

CarousHELL tells the story of Duke, “the prettiest damned unicorn in the world,” who is cursed to go in circles on a carousel. Fed up with the constant abuse from kids, Duke breaks free and goes on a killing spree. In particular, he targets Lunchbox, a little boy who rubbed his boogers in Duke’s eye.

Rudzinski is a great example for young filmmakers. His first few films are almost unwatchable. But he kept making them and they got better and better. And now he pumps out a couple of features per year.

There are three CarousHELL films. I’ve watched them all. But I don’t remember what happens in the later ones. In the second, he gets married to a woman and has a child. No one seems to notice that he is a carousel unicorn. I recall them being good but not as strong as the original.

I can’t embed the three films. But CarousHELL and CarousHELL 2 are on Plex. And CarousHELL 3 is on Tubi. Here is the trailer to the first one. If you do nothing else, watch it:

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CarousHELL (2016) poster via IMDb under Fair Use.