Possession, but Make It Awkward Some horror movies explore the terrifying idea of being taken over by an evil spirit. J.D.’s Revenge asks, “What if that spirit had bad fashion sense, unresolved family drama, and an inappropriate thing for his own niece?” The result is a blaxploitation horror that wants to be gritty and supernatural … Read More “J.D.’s Revenge (1976) – A Spirit You Wish Stayed Dead” »
A Sermon You’ll Never Forget Pete Walker’s House of Mortal Sin takes the dusty, solemn imagery of the Catholic confessional and turns it into a slasher set piece—because apparently, forgiveness just wasn’t working fast enough. Father Xavier Meldrum, played with unsettling precision by Anthony Sharp, isn’t your friendly neighborhood priest. He’s more like if Judge … Read More “House of Mortal Sin (1976) – The Church of Bad Habits” »
Rock Hudson’s Mad Science Vacation If you’ve ever wondered what would happen if Frankenstein stopped caring about the pursuit of knowledge and just wanted a creepy live-in girlfriend, Embryo has the answer—though you might wish it didn’t. Rock Hudson plays Dr. Paul Holliston, a geneticist who accidentally runs over a pregnant Doberman, then thinks, “Hey, … Read More “Embryo (1976) – Science, Sex, and Stupidity in Equal Measure” »
The Glamour Is Dead (and Apparently So Is the Plot) Some TV movies age gracefully. Others, like Death at Love House, age like a wax dummy left too close to a radiator—which, coincidentally, is the film’s actual plot twist. This made-for-television gothic melodrama tries to marry old Hollywood glamour with supernatural horror, but instead it’s … Read More “Death at Love House (1976) – A Love Letter to Overripe Cheese” »
A Quiet Horror with a Mean Streak Dark August is one of those rare 1970s supernatural slow-burns that looks like it might just be a moody drama about a city guy adjusting to small-town life—until you realize the townsfolk include an old man who moonlights as a curse-slinging assassin and a psychic who makes tea … Read More “Dark August (1976) – Rural Vermont, Urban Paranoia, and One Hell of a Curse” »
Swampy Setting, Soggy Story If you’ve ever wondered what Deliverance would look like if the banjos were replaced by bad dialogue and the river was swapped for a lukewarm swamp, Creature from Black Lake is your answer. Two anthropology students from Chicago head south to find the mythical Fouke Monster—a Bigfoot-type creature—and end up discovering … Read More “Creature from Black Lake (1976) – Bigfoot Needs a Better Agent” »
King Kong’s Cheaper, Drunker Cousin If King Kong is the majestic alpha gorilla of cinema, A*P*E is the hungover, unemployed cousin who insists he’s “just between jobs” while spilling beer on your couch. Filmed in glorious bargain-bin 3-D, this South Korea–U.S. co-production looks less like a monster movie and more like a dare someone lost … Read More “A*P*E (1976) – Attack of the Giant Horny Disappointment” »
House of Whipcord (1974) is a grim, unsettling journey into the world of exploitation cinema, and it’s not for the faint of heart. Directed by Pete Walker, this British thriller, often categorized as an “exploitation horror” film, sets out to shock, disturb, and provoke with its themes of sadism, authority, and moral corruption. While it’s … Read More “Alice, Sweet Alice (1976) – Communion, Chaos, and Killer Catholicism” »
Field Trip to Nowhere Trip with the Teacher begins like an after-school special and ends like a fever dream filmed in a gas station bathroom. Four high school girls, their chipper teacher Miss Tenny, and a bus driver named Marvin head into the desert for a field trip nobody asked for. When the bus breaks … Read More “Trip with the Teacher (1975) – A Dead-End Field Trip into Exploitation Purgatory” »
Welcome to Stepford: Where Feminism Goes to Die in a Sparkly Apron Bryan Forbes’ The Stepford Wives starts innocently enough: a young Manhattan couple, Joanna (Katharine Ross) and Walter, trade the noise of the city for the serene Connecticut suburb of Stepford. The lawns are immaculate, the kitchens are spotless, and every woman looks like … Read More “The Stepford Wives (1975) – Domestic Bliss as Dystopian Horror” »