Really Awful Movies: Ep 64 – Road House

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Will cooler heads prevail? No. A “cooler” is a professional doorman whose job it is to manage other doormen. It’s the top rung in the bouncer profession and here that man is Dalton, played by the incomparable Dirty Dancer himself Patrick Swayze.

In Road House (1989), a bar owner goes on a talent search to find just the guy to clean up his violent saloon. Behind all the violence is a sleazy businessman who wants to ruin all the mom and pop establishments in this town, so he can bring in a mega-mall.

But only Dalton can stand in his way.

There are bar fights galore and for some reason, indie stalwart Ben Gazzara wanders in. Also, a cameo from WWE great Terrible Terry Funk. Road House also showcases a really greasy-looking Sam Elliott as a bouncer mentor (those exist?)

Featuring some of the most quotable lines in action movie history (“pain don’t hurt”) and other philosophical musings by Dalton, Road House is a big hunk of cheese that kicks butt.

Don’t forget to subscribe to the Really Awful Movies Podcast. We talk about fun genre films and have new episodes of the show every week for your listening pleasure. And check out www.ReallyAwfulMovies.com too, for more reviews.

Really Awful Movies: Ep 63 – Phantasm

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An otherworldly mortician, The Tall Man (Angus Scrimm), re-animates the dead as little people zombies in Phantasm, a weird and wonderful Don Coscarelli film.

But have no fear, for on the case is a young boy named Mike. He has the task of trying to convince townsfolk that the absurd plot above is legit.

His older brother and family friend (Jody and Reggie) are finally convinced and they do battle with The Tall Man, who can telekinetically fire deadly metallic baubles.

Phantasm is a decidedly unique experience. It’s an hallucinatory horror film that explores lots of different themes, and the soundtrack is one of the all-time greats.

For a budget that’s only a third of a million bucks, the movie looks incredible and has had a lasting cultural impact, namely making The Tall Man one of the most memorable antagonists in horror history.

Several sequels of varying quality followed, but here we focused on the one, the only…Phantasm.

Really Awful Movies: Ep 62b – H.G. Lewis

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Herschell Gordon Lewis is a maverick. He’s the man behind the splatter genre, directing what is arguably the first of its kind, Blood Feast.

The “Godfather of Gore,” spoke to Jeff from Florida.

His movies were groundbreaking. Without his low budget shlock, we wouldn’t have Friday the 13th or The Texas Chainsaw Massacre.

Lewis and partner David Friedman ventured into uncharted territory with 1963’s very bloody Blood Feast, considered by many to be the first “gore” film (if you’d like to hear our take on that film, check out Episode 61 of the podcast).

The duo was doing juvenile delinquent films, and nudie-cuties and then was able to cater to the the drive-in theater market with Two Thousand Maniacs! (1964) and Color Me Blood Red (1965).

The self-effacing Lewis discussed how he got into exploitation films. Blood Feast, had “a lack of any talent, from acting to production…and zero budget.” And yet people “clamored to see it!”

Lewis weighed in on the 80s splatter boom, which he reluctantly helped usher in.

He also talked about the movie, The Wizard of Gore and star Ray Sager. They shot the film in 1969 in Chicago, for a pittance. It’s about the mad, Montag the Magnificent, a magician who performs mutilation tricks.

Lewis has recently made a film titled Herschell Gordon Lewis’s Bloodmania,  a horror anthology film involving him and Canadian filmmakers. It was filmed in Alberta.

Lewis is an interesting fellow. He took a lengthy hiatus from movies and wrote business/marketing books! He’s something of a pioneer in the field of direct marketing; something you would not expect. But he speaks to us directly, through his quirky, bloody movies.