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Horror Movie A Day: CAMERON’S CLOSET (1988) Pray the door remains locked... to Cameron’s Closet.

Published at:  Oct 03, 2009 10:23:09 PM CDT





Ahoy, squirts! Quint here with the first 2009 Horror Movie A Day.

[For the entirety of October I will be showcasing one horror film each day. Every film is pulled from my DVD shelf, recorded on the home DVR or streamed via Instant Netflix and will be one I haven’t seen. Unlike my A Movie A Day or A Movie A Week columns there won’t necessarily be connectors between each film, but you’ll more than likely see patterns emerge day to day. I will also be pairing each new movie with a horror movie I have seen as a recommendation for a double feature.]

Okay, this was a blind buy. I’m a massive, massive fan of a store here in the states called Big Lots! (that’s their exclamation point, not mine, but I’d give them another two I love ‘em so much). Why am I such a fan?

Every two or three months they tend to get an influx of DVDs priced at $3. Now these DVDs can range from Wal-Mart cheap-o bin titles to really amazing old titles. I’ve gotten titles from Warners Gangsters box sets, Fred Astaire flicks, Noirs and then stuff like Dogtown and Z Boys. They also have $6 TV box sets.

At $3 a piece I pretty much auto-buy anything that jumps out at me. If there’s any genre, star, plot, director or writer that catches my interest it goes in the cart.

This was one of those titles. A late ‘80s horror movie I have never heard of? Done. I didn’t even read the synopsis. I mean, it’s clear from the cover that there’s a kid with a monster in his closet and I saw it was made in the ‘80s… That’s good enough for me.

Now, this film isn’t great, but if you’re like me it might just scratch a bit of a nostalgic itch for you. For instance, if you grew up on the worst of the worst (and sometimes the best of the best) of ‘80s horror, religiously watched Gilbert Gottfried and Rhonda Shear on USA Up All Night and haunted the horror section at the neighborhood mom & pop video store. They always had the best shit… but then there were those odd Supermarket video stores that had surprisingly deep horror back catalogues.

You guys ever notice that? It’s not true as much these days, but then again I don’t know how many supermarkets have a video store anymore. It’s all Redbox DVD rental stations.

So, in this film you follow a little psychic boy named Cameron (Scott Curtis) who accidentally brings a monster into our dimension while playing with his action figures. This monster is, at first, very protective of the boy, even keeping his own father (‘50s and ‘60s Teeny Bopper sensation Tab Hunter) from killing him with a machete. Seems Hunter and his scientist partner have been studying the young boy’s powers to the point where they’re scared of just what this kid can do.

If the focus had been on the “kid and his monster” angle that would have made for a much better movie, but instead there’s a huge B story following a cop that has nightmares and his police-appointed shrink/love interest with shoulder pads. This cop, of course, is investigating the deaths that surround the psychic kid and he becomes the boy’s surrogate father.





Interestingly, the screenwriter, Gary Brandner, is also the guy that wrote the novel THE HOWLING was based on. I wasn’t aware there was an original book that John Sayles adapted for the movie and I’m curious to see what it was like. However, if Brandner’s screenwriting chops are on the same level as his novel writing then I expect Sayles is owed a lot for the success of that film. There’s literally a scene in this movie where the kid and the psychiatrist are talking and the kid says the detective is on his way. Of course, the cop walks in and we get a bit of dialogue between the psychiatrist and cop that goes like this: “He knew you were coming.” “What, is he psychic?” “Exactly.” Yeah…

Director Armand Mastroianni (HE KNOWS YOU’RE ALONE) does an okay job. The acting’s not bad throughout the movie, especially with young Scott Curtis. The real trouble is the lighting. It looks lit like a bad episode of MONSTERS. Nothing but high key lighting with very little atmosphere except for a few moments usually during the nightmare sequences.

The father/son relationship between Curtis and Cotter Smith is actually done pretty well, but that should have been the slowest part of the movie and it isn’t which is a bit of a problem.

I’ve noticed this in other genre films dealing with telekinesis, even the one I’m pairing with CAMERON’S CLOSET below, but it seems that by adding a psychic element to a horror movie means you have to slow everything down two steps for some reason. There’s so much time put in to the “ooohhh, look at the glass move across the table’s surface! Creeeeeppppyyy!” type set-up scenes that we don’t get to the real fun of these kinds of movies… Psychic vs. monster.

I guess there’s an excuse in this flick considering the psychic kid is, like, 10 years old and he doesn’t have much, if any control of his powers, but that doesn’t make it any more entertaining to watch.

Final Thoughts: I’m very middle of the road on this one. There’s no hard recommend or hard criticism I can level on it. CAMERON’S CLOSET is what it is. The movie’s not very good, nor is it very bad. The worst I can say is that I’m indifferent towards it. Had there been a little more exploitation to it the film could have been much more fun or much more silly… either way that’d evoke a stronger reaction.





Now the film I’m going to pair with today’s HMAD is a sequel and it isn’t even my favorite of the series, but I’d be damned if I couldn’t keep this movie out of my mind as I was watching CAMERON’S CLOSET.





That’s right, FRIDAY THE 13TH PART VII: THE NEW BLOOD or “Carrie Vs. Jason” as the horror nerds call it. It’s not my favorite Friday film… hell, I don’t know if I’d even put it in my top 5 favorite Jason movies (I love 1-4 and Part 6).

Oddly enough this installment of the Friday series also came out the same year as CAMERON’S CLOSET and deals with a monster vs. a telekinetic hero. Where Cameron’s Closet got buried in trying to be a somewhat serious movie with a ridiculous monster in it director John Carl Buechler has no trouble embracing the exploitation.

That said, it still does take a while for the shit to get real as the Fresh Prince would say. Instead of watching fridge magnets rearrange themselves on a table we get a matchbook scooting across a desk as the dickish Dr. Crews (Terry Kiser) pushes our young lead, Tina (Lar Park-Lincoln) to get a handle on her psychic powers.

A lot of people view this as the film where the shark was fully and completely jumped. They don’t even try to explain Jason’s return in a real, quasi-scientific way (previous resurrections either ignored it incorporated something like a lightning bolt). Here they show him quite literally being resurrected by the psychic teenager who thinks she’s trying resurrect her dead father who also rests at the bottom of Camp Crystal Lake.

I guess giving someone as much power that comes with telekinesis is writing yourself into a helluva corner. It’s kinda like Hiro on HEROES… if you can control time and space then there’s no challenge, so you have to either keep taking that power away or imposing some kind of limitation on it. The most go to limitation in these films seems to be the “learning to use their powers” formula.

So, I understand. You don’t want to give Lar Park-Lincoln full control of her powers right away or halfway through the second reel she’d just look at Jason and turn him inside-out with a blink of an eye.





This film introduces Kane Hodder’s aggressive Jason and has the famous sleeping bag kill, but the real reason this movie stands out amongst fans of the series is the supernatural fight between Tina and Jason that concludes the film.

And it is undoubtedly the best part of the film. The ratings board was very tough on this installment, so in order to retain an R rating there were a lot of cuts which gives the film a bit of a toothless quality as the majority of the kills are cut aways and implied. When you get 7 films into a slasher series you can’t get away with implied gags.

All that said, the last 20 minutes do make the movie. Pissed off psychic chick making the trees grab onto Jason while snaking live electric wires up to him using only her mind… Yep, that’s right. More of that, please. I especially like the “What the fuck?!?” body language Hodder gives Jason as she first unleashes her power at him.

Friday lore suggests this film was the first planned crossover for Freddy and Jason, but a last minute contract dispute between New Line and Paramount forced them to rewrite for a psychic girl. I don’t know how true that is, but it makes sense that’d be the doorway that’d bring the heightened supernatural story into the Camp Crystal Lake mythos.





Here are the next week’s worth of HMAD titles:

Sunday, October 4th: AFRAID OF THE DARK (1991)





Monday, October 5th: THE PIT (1981)





Tuesday, October 6th: BRAIN DAMAGE (1988)






Wednesday, October 7th: BRAIN DEAD (1990)





Thursday, October 8th: VISITING HOURS (1982)





Friday, October 9th: MACABRE (1980)





Saturday, October 10th: PRIVATE PARTS (1972)





Tomorrow I travel to Ireland for a few days of awesomeness I can’t quite tell you about yet. I should be able to bring you HMAD uninterrupted, but if I’m a few hours late each day you know why.

We have a few more kids in horror to hit before moving on, but we switch gears from ‘80s cheese to what promises to be a classier entry into the genre in 1991’s AFRAID OF THE DARK directed by Academy Award winning screenwriter Mark Peploe (THE LAST EMPEROR). See you folks tomorrow for that one!

-Quint
quint@aintitcool.com
Follow Me On Twitter






HMAD 2009:

October 1st: Nothing But The Night
October 2nd: Beware! Children At Play


Click here for the full 215 movie run of A Movie A Day!




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    Readers Talkback

  • Oct 03, 2009 10:39:42 PM CDT

    FIRST!!!

    by the marquis de side 3

  • Oct 03, 2009 10:40:23 PM CDT

    used to scare the crap outta me as a kid

    by the marquis de side 3

    now they just laugh the crap outta me

    Reply to Talkback

  • Oct 03, 2009 11:09:20 PM CDT

    BIG LOTS!

    by frank cotton

    recently picked up BRICK ($3), and CLIVE BARKER'S JERICHO ($4) there. the only Jason flick i was ever willing to shell out for was JASON GOES TO HELL - for the REANIMATOR/SHOCKER vibe, and the ending, of course

    Reply to Talkback

  • Oct 03, 2009 11:27:17 PM CDT

    Rhonda Shear on USA Up All Night

    by sonnyfern

    Those were the days man, and I remember spending literally hours in my local video store going up and down the aisles of the horror movie section, trying to find that one gem among the movies. Shame all that is gone now.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Oct 03, 2009 11:38:49 PM CDT

    See, now I want to watch all the Friday the 13th movies...

    by soylentmean

    except for the new one, which I haven't even bought yet. It just irked me so much. Oh well, I can't wait to bitch about the new Nightmare on Elm Street series. Man do I fuckin' hate that trailer.

    Right now my Horror marathon is going to continue with my first ever viewing of Phantasm 2!

    Don't forget to buy Trick 'r Treat on Tuesday boils and ghouls!

    Reply to Talkback

  • Oct 03, 2009 11:40:23 PM CDT

    Anybody remember seeing a movie called Beverly Hills Vamp?

    by soylentmean

    I don't know what I saw that movie on (maybe Up All Night, but I think it was HBO), all I can remember is that it was fun (at least to my 6-7 year old self).

    Reply to Talkback

  • Oct 04, 2009 12:00:37 AM CDT

    When that cop discovers that eye-less zombie in the closet..

    by ogreyouasshole

    used to scare me shitless. But that was really the only scary scene for me.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Oct 04, 2009 12:05:58 AM CDT

    Kabukiman

    by continentalop

    Quint explained the history of AMAD and AMAW how it become HMAD for October. He acknowledged that another website has been doing longer than him (which he just found out) and contacted them about changing his title if they had a problem with it - and apparently they don't. All of this was explained in yesterdays TB.
    But of course if you read that TB and excepted what Quint wrote, you wouldn't be able to supply your snide comments.
    In short...fuck off.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Oct 04, 2009 12:07:23 AM CDT

    Fuck

    by continentalop

    Hard to tell someone off when you've got a grammar error.
    "read that TB and ACCEPTED what Quint wrote."
    Still, Kabukiman...fuck off.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Oct 04, 2009 12:10:09 AM CDT

    rriiigghhtt Trick r treat tuesday. AWESOME

    by macready452

  • Oct 04, 2009 12:11:22 AM CDT

    Soylent

    by quint

    Phantasm 2 rules! My favorite of the series! Post back when you finish and let me know what you think. I personally lament Coscarelli never getting to play with a larger budget every time I watch that movie. Even Beastmaster has a hand-made, low-budget feel to it, but Phantasm 2 is spiffy with some great set-pieces.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Oct 04, 2009 12:21:29 AM CDT

    Do they have Tarzan and the Lost City for $3?

    by juansanchez

    I can see paying $9 for it on Amazon.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Oct 04, 2009 12:22:03 AM CDT

    Freddy Vs. Jason

    by bouncy x

    i apologize if i misread but the impression i get is that you think Part 7 was gonna be the Vs. movie as in they just switched Freddy's part for Tina, am i right? because i'm pretty sure that isnt the case. from everything i read, when it was time to make Part 7, they wanted this to be the Vs. movie yes. but when it fell through, they just came up with a new story. it isnt that New Blood was literally gonna be the Vs.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Oct 04, 2009 12:23:15 AM CDT

    What about SPAWN? $3?

    by juansanchez

  • Oct 04, 2009 12:30:45 AM CDT

    I remember the old video stores

    by mponte10006

    We used to get movies every week from the 2 grocery stores in town. 85 cents a night. and they were FULLY stocked on horror films. Ah...the good old days

    Reply to Talkback

  • Oct 04, 2009 12:56:00 AM CDT

    So are you going to pair AFRAID OF THE DARK...

    by admonisher

    ...with DON'T BE AFRAID OF THE DARK? :-P The latter is newly available on DVD, BTW (albeit one of those WB Shop exclusives). And you're right ... some cool stuff pops up in the Big Lots $3 bin. That's how I finally picked up GATTACA (Superbit).

    Reply to Talkback

  • Oct 04, 2009 1:04:54 AM CDT

    Supermarket Video Stores

    by jinxo

    Not exactly a horror film but... Back in college when I discovered David Lynch, had a film teacher show our class Eraserhead. There's a film where first time out you're just like, "What THE fuck???" After it was done I went hunting for that film in every video store I could find. I had friends who would appreciate it melting their brains. I looked EVERYWHERE. Then one day I'm out with someone at a grocery store nowhere near where I live and this grocery stores crap ass video store is the place I find Eraserhead. I could really not wrap my brain around that. Almost as confounding as the film itself. Rented it and drove home laughing and shaking my head in utter disbelief.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Oct 04, 2009 1:09:01 AM CDT

    This one sounds bad.

    by cinemanimetal

    I think I'll skip on this one. I sometimes think that middle of the road movies are really the worst. Not bad enough to get enough hate for and not good enough to have any passion for. Just dead space. As for The New Blood I agree its not one of the best Jason movies. In fact, its one of my least favorites. What kills it for me is all the cuts they had to make. Watching the extra with Kane Hodder and the director talking about (and showing some of) what they had to cut out is just heartbreaking because these two really knew what they were doing. Kane Hodder is the best Jason and he looks so cool in the movie. It's a shame they couldn't utilize him properly due to all the cuts.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Oct 04, 2009 1:10:19 AM CDT

    Oh, also, those supermarket video rentals...

    by admonisher

    God, do I remember those! And yeah ... you frequently found a bizzare concentration of the weirdest, most obscure horror films. This is, believe it or not, one of the most indelible memories of growing up in the 80s for me. Not that I ever actually checked out those videos ... my parents would've freaked! But beyond that I'm not sure I was brave enough to actually watch the stuff. :-P I sure did spend a lot of time freaking myself out by browsing the cases, though. (And boy were some of those cases evocative ... even the low-budget ones!) Knowing what I know now, of course, I'm sure my imagination conjured up more frights than most of those films were capable of delivering. On the other hand, there's something uniquely creepy about 80s horror ... something raw and crude and cheap (and oddly innocent) about much of it that enhances the freaky factor in a way that's missing from most modern horror. Heck, I saw "The Gate" for the first time last month, and found those bizarre little imps more disturbing than any mainstream horror monsters I've seen in years! Anyway ... back to my original point. I truly miss those small-town, mom-and-pop outfit horror rental caches. You still find them from time to time, but not as much ... and I'm not of the age and mindset to appreciate them the way I once did. So thanks for the blast of nostalgia!

    Reply to Talkback

  • Oct 04, 2009 1:47:45 AM CDT

    But Bernie dies!!!

    by darthchimay

    It probably says something that I'm pretty sure I saw Cameron's Closet but not even your review brings anything to mind.

    I will say, however, that I love F13-VII. I know it's not the best of the F13 series (which is a pretty low bar to begin with), but there are 3 things I adore about it:

    1) It was the first F13 I ever saw uncut. Up until that point, I only saw them on local tv stations (WBTV in Jackson) and they were defanged.

    2) I love the beginning spiel and the James Bond eye thing. It's silly and really out of date, but at the time, I thought it was the balls.

    3) The sleeping bag scene is one of the greatest kills in any of the F13 movies.

    Love this column.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Oct 04, 2009 2:11:08 AM CDT

    Yeah the PHANTASM series rocks.

    by lastofthev8interceptors

    I keep my BALL box set prominently displayed in my living room and when people come over to watch movies they are always intrigued by it. I've introduced that series to a lot of people just because of that crazy-ass ball. Don't know why but I just love the whole concept of movies that have bizarro gateways to and from things. THE BEYOND, THE SENTINEL, FROM BEYOND and THE MIST are faves of mine too. I actually wouldn't mind seeing a modern take on THE BEYOND but I really doubt that it would be as random and loony as that Fulci beauty was.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Oct 04, 2009 2:25:38 AM CDT

    Umm...What?

    by nixeclips

    Comparing CC to F-13-7 is ridiculous. Yes, 7 is my favorite version of Jason, and CC is very flawed, but they are two different entities. And other bitchy shit...Bleed on.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Oct 04, 2009 3:12:03 AM CDT

    I'm disappointed in every last one of you...

    by burnhollywood

    The movie's named "CAMERON'S CLOSET" and not a single AVATAR joke? For shame.
    I think you should turn off your computer NOW and seriously rethink your responsibilities to this site. DO IT.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Oct 04, 2009 4:00:36 AM CDT

    Fine, BH.

    by nixeclips

    Quint finally came out of Cameron's eyeball-fucking closet. Happy?

    Reply to Talkback

  • chick in the sleeping bag smacked against the tree of course...sadly its been redone WAY too many times.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Oct 04, 2009 5:21:27 AM CDT

    Aguirre, the Wrath of God

    by iowa snot client

    My local video stores had nothing, but then my college girlfriend takes me to the Yellow Goose convenience store/gas station/video rental joint in rural New York State. Ah, so that's where the keep the Herzog films!

    Reply to Talkback

  • Oct 04, 2009 5:23:33 AM CDT

    HEY QUINT BRILLIANT IDEA HERE!!!

    by pac-man

    Why don't you just copy and paste the actual review of this movie from horrormovieaday.com, I mean really IMHO already jacked their name. Hell in the respects of professional courtesy you can at least show the gang there some love, maybe even a reach-around.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Oct 04, 2009 5:46:37 AM CDT

    Cead Mile Failte, Quint!

    by the gospel according to bastardface

    Hope you have a laugh in Ireland.

    I miss the old "Mom & Pop" video stores. They were full of dusty covers to crazy old films. Such a shame.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Oct 04, 2009 6:00:43 AM CDT

    Cameron has a secret in his closet

    by chakraborty

    A raging secret shaped like a penis.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Oct 04, 2009 6:22:18 AM CDT

    Admonisher! I remember The Gate...I think?

    by connor187

    Fuck! that's a blast from the past. I remember a hole in the ground at the back of that kids garden. He falls in and there's those little creepy fuckers, that attack him in it, yes? Isn't there also a giant one at the end which the kid fires his homemade rockets at? I hope its the same movie.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Oct 04, 2009 6:31:10 AM CDT

    Sometimes Cameron's raging secret...

    by chakraborty

    ...comes out of the closet and goes after moustacchio men, like one moustached man in the shower, and an obese moustached pedophile. But Cameron keeps these secret raging penis suppressed with the use of a large clay dildo. Those of you who've seen this know what I'm talking about...that thing is a dildo.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Oct 04, 2009 6:41:08 AM CDT

    Cameron's closet demons were unleashed by his father...

    by chakraborty

    ...who used to come to his bedroom at night and do bad things while Cameron slept.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Oct 04, 2009 7:42:03 AM CDT

    The Howling novel...

    by loafroaster

    ...is absolutely horrible, nothing but a trashy softcore porno with a few werwolves thrown in.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Oct 04, 2009 8:21:14 AM CDT

    Hey Pac Man! Brillant Idea here!

    by gettingbannedisfun

    Why don't you tell the guy who writes the other HMAD blog about this one? I already know what he's gonna say about it, but I don't wanna spoil it for you. Come on, try it. Or are you scared?

    Reply to Talkback

  • Oct 04, 2009 8:35:18 AM CDT

    Phantasm Remake

    by thepilgrim

    It was hinted at for the longest time. I had trouble trying to picture a someone replacing Angus Scrimm, but after seeing get smart. I know his name. Mahabali-Khali.



    Reggie= Zach Galifianakis



    The remake will probably never happen, call me an asshole, but I was sorta looking forward to the idea of it, of course it was announced before the remake thing got out of hand. Now, no news at all about it period.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Oct 04, 2009 8:37:33 AM CDT

    again knowing you read this Quint "The Home"

    by thepilgrim

    How that going, to much time has passed without any well news, and oh yeah The Amulet!!!! J/K I've given up on that.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Oct 04, 2009 8:46:54 AM CDT

    Cameron's father cultivates Cameron's special talent

    by chakraborty

    His talent for moving balls and oblong objects. Keep it in the closet, Cameron!!! LOL

    Reply to Talkback

  • Oct 04, 2009 8:50:07 AM CDT

    Supermarket Video Stores

    by the amazing g

    hey I remember those! my local Krogers (since long gone) had one, I used to rent Sega Genesis games from it, it's also where I rented "Cats Don't Dance" a pretty underrated animated kid's movie

    Reply to Talkback

  • Oct 04, 2009 9:19:43 AM CDT

    The Gate!

    by iowa snot client

    My favorite part is when the eyeball appears in the kid's palm for no reason whatsoever. "Hey, we've got fifteen bucks left over in the SFX budget! What can we get for $15?" "I dunno. How about an eyeball... in... the kid's hand?"

    Reply to Talkback

  • Oct 04, 2009 9:52:19 AM CDT

    Cameron's Closet but no CELLAR DWELLAR?? UNACCEPTABLE!!!

    by hint_of_smegma

    I mean, seriously. CC was a good laugh though, remember that one fondly from my mullet days. just got my DVD copy, finally, of Vamp from round about the same time - and fuck me, that film doesn't hold up to the memories of it, what a bad movie. HA! Still, got My Best Friend is a Vampire to watch and my bootleg copy of Fox's 1988 "Werewolf" tv show - still the best werewolves ever put onscreen IMHO, with the possible exception of Dog Soldiers, so I'm kept warm and tingly until Trick R Treat Tueasday......! Loving the month of October, dudes.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Oct 04, 2009 9:56:10 AM CDT

    Okay, guys, here's your assignment

    by chakraborty

    Everyone go watch Cameron's Closet (it's posted on Youtube) then come back in the evening and we're all going to discuss it. No, seriously. Go.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Oct 04, 2009 10:46:20 AM CDT

    How disappointing

    by t 1000 xp professional

    I'm still waiting for that overlooked gem that Quint'll find and tell everyone that it's the second coming of horror movies....Or at least one that he doesn't think sucks lol.... I hope afraid of the dark is good... Man would anybody remember some movie with a devil dog that wouldn't die and it would come back and scare the piss of the little boy's( dog's owner) father? lol That movie was left scars as a kid...oh yea, about "The Gate"..Classic!

    Reply to Talkback

  • Oct 04, 2009 10:47:59 AM CDT

    Phantasm 2 is fuckin' badass!

    by soylentmean

    Reggie's quadruple shotgun!

    The Tall Man takes a ball to the face, and fuckin' shrugs it off, after clearly losing a shit ton of bodily fluids!

    The Tall Man's associate cuts off his own hand and still bites it later (in a ridiculously glorious over the top scene of "holy shit, there's a killer knife ball inside me drilling through my guts"). I especially loved how the guy would catch his breath everytime the ball would stop drilling, only to start screaming as he continued to get tossed around.

    The motherfuckin' car, um Supernatural vibe anyone? Hell, Reggie and Mike on their mission to find and kill the Tall Man reminded me so much of the Winchester boys trying to hunt down the Yellow Eyed Demon that I not only appreciated Supernatural more, I fuckin' appreciated Phantasm 2 more for seemingly being the impetus of one of this decade's greatest television shows.

    Phantasm 2 is so much fuckin' fun, I can't believe it took so long to finally hit DVD. The movie is awesome enough that I'm not gonna gripe about the lack of extras. OK, I lied, there clearly should be some fuckin' extras for this DVD. Oh well.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Oct 04, 2009 11:39:04 AM CDT

    THAT'S RIGHT!!! Any news on your movie?!

    by t 1000 xp professional

    Got pretty excited when you announced it and showed the artwork. Anymore updates on "The Home"?

    Reply to Talkback

  • Oct 04, 2009 11:40:15 AM CDT

    Love ya', Quint...

    by jacklucas

    But I can't fucking believe some of the movies you have never seen! Never seen Brain Damage?? For shame. Heheh. You're in for a treat. Whether this concept is ripped off or not, I still think it's a groovy idea and a great way to get folks off their asses to check out some forgotten treasures. Beats watching the same old shit every October. I'm personally running a Hammer marathon this month as well as continuing my girl's horror education by having her watch every title in my horror collection that she hasn't seen. Good times and great flicks!

    Reply to Talkback

  • Oct 04, 2009 11:41:43 AM CDT

    The Gate eye in the hand

    by bouncy x

    its actually not as completely random as it seems. when the walls in the house are covered in bloody symbols, one of them is hand with an eye in the middle. so while no one ever mentions or explains it, it does go along with thats happening. and speaking of that movie, the dvd comes out this week !! i think this will be the first time i see it without commercial interruption since i saw it in theaters. lol

    Reply to Talkback

  • Oct 04, 2009 12:03:11 PM CDT

    THE GATE...

    by lastofthev8interceptors

    .. is a really fun flick. I pre-ordered that bad boy as well. I know someone who's "little people" phobia may be even worse than my "creepy old crone" phobia; and they haven't seen it yet. Good stuff coming out on DVD this month.. yet another reason to love good ol' October!

    Reply to Talkback

  • Oct 04, 2009 12:15:59 PM CDT

    connor187

    by admonisher

    As you may have gathered from other responses, yep -- the movie you describe is indeed THE GATE. (There's a sequel, too, but it's just barely a sequel and pretty much sucks.) And speaking of THE GATE coming to DVD, has anyone seen the god-awful cover? A bizarre photoshop job of some kid who's not even the actor from the movie (they try to cover his face in shadows so you won't notice), wearing different (and more modern) clothes than appear in the movie, with little demon-imps cut-and-pasted all around him. Oh ... and LastOfTheV8Interceptors: DON'T BE AFRAID OF THE DARK actually would make a pretty wicked double-feature with THE GATE for anyone with a fear of tiny, creepy monsters. :-P

    Reply to Talkback

  • Oct 04, 2009 12:38:14 PM CDT

    Gate 2

    by turingtestee

    The wished-for money turning to shit in the middle of a classy restaurant is all that stood out from that one. Double featured with The Lawnmower Man at the drive-in, saw it about a dozen times, barely remember it.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Oct 04, 2009 12:48:44 PM CDT

    Mel Harris Poster

    by malicehighload

    I totally remember that Mel Harris poster -- it's one of those poster you'd see hanging at the video store, back when human beings used video stores to rent movies. Vaguely remember renting the movie. Looking forward to THE PIT review (found a poster of that one in New England a few years ago, had to get it).

    Reply to Talkback

  • Oct 04, 2009 2:10:49 PM CDT

    Best opening line to a movie review ever.....

    by vim fuego

    "Cameron's Closet isn't, as the title suggests, the ultimate coming out movie".
    Barry Norman - Film 88.

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  • Oct 04, 2009 6:39:19 PM CDT

    Hint_Of_Smegma - CELLAR DWELLER is unmissable...

    by spud mcspud

    As a cheesy 80s video flick it's great enough, but those Lovercraftian overtones are hard to miss. Give it a spin, Quint - you will NOT be disappointed with CELLAR DWELLER...

    Reply to Talkback

  • Oct 04, 2009 7:01:47 PM CDT

    Pilgrim & T1000

    by quint

    The stone is being pushed up the hill albeit slowly. The recession almost killed the indie film market and it's not exactly a studio film. I have a good feeling it'll happen, just looking for the last bit of gap financing. We're aiming for a Spring start date. Wish there was more to say, but the business works really slowly sometimes. Baby steps, as Mr. Murray and Mr. Dreyfuss would say.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Oct 04, 2009 7:29:13 PM CDT

    Saw CAMERON'S CLOSET on YouTube a while back...

    by darkman

    Pretty weak, to me. Funnily enough, I had the same reaction that OgreYouAsshole had to the one scene.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Oct 04, 2009 7:54:08 PM CDT

    Kirk Cameron’s Closet.... much scarier

    by brannagins law

  • Oct 04, 2009 7:56:39 PM CDT

    People Under the Stairs

    by brannagins law

    now that little kid kicked ass

    Reply to Talkback

  • Oct 04, 2009 8:08:21 PM CDT

    oh yeah People Under the Stairs...

    by the amazing g

    fucking rocks, check that one out Quint!

    Reply to Talkback

  • Oct 04, 2009 9:37:00 PM CDT

    Quint - PLEASE READ

    by thusspakespymunk

    I think that the interesting thing about this movie is that it triggers in me severe reactions. I wrote a review on my own blog www.spymunk.blogspot.com and I really can't explain everything in that review about why it's so special a movie to me, because it doesn't make a lot of sense. I think a lot of it is, actually, because I grew up gay. There is a strong argument to be made, despite the jokes here, that the "closet" in this story can represent not so much a "gay closet" but rather the burgeoning of adulthood and adult responsibilities as a monster that nobody wants to believe in or see or talk about when you're a kid and you say "Hey, there's some weird stuff going on - help!" and you're asking for that assistance and all your authority figures are telling you you're just going through a phase and everything will be OK and bury this in the past and it's better not to discuss it. You know? Anyway, viewed through the lens as a metaphor for that kind of thing, the movie takes on new meaning and new relevance. I hope you'll consider this.

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  • Oct 05, 2009 12:58:56 AM CDT

    Didn't Martin Lawrence say "Shit just got real"?

    by outlawsdelejos

    Not Will Smith.....just sayin. Like the article though.

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  • Oct 05, 2009 1:01:17 AM CDT

    Frank Cotten - BRICK for $3?

    by outlawsdelejos

    That's a fucking steal, that said I accidently stole my copy.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Oct 05, 2009 10:50:59 AM CDT

    I am sorry i have to disagree about P2

    by ominus

    although a great film,it didnt have the dreamlike,mystery atmosphere of the first film.P2 is heavily influenced from Evil Dead 2,which made a lot more fun and cool to watch it,but less surreal.Imho thats also the main reason why you guys consider it better than P1.anyway.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Oct 05, 2009 12:59:37 PM CDT

    anyone remember ET Nasty?

    by cool_britannia79

    I'm sure I watched a movie in the 80's called ETN (E.T Nasty) about a camping trip that goes awry when an evil ET rip off starts eating the kids?

    Reply to Talkback

  • Oct 05, 2009 6:31:46 PM CDT

    There's a user on Youtube named...

    by chakraborty

    ...80sHorrorMovies, and he's uploaded a bunch of..well, 80's horror movies: Blood Beach, Toxic Zombies, The Kindred, Grave Misdemeanours, and Jaws of Satan to name a few.

    Reply to Talkback

  • Oct 06, 2009 3:38:36 PM CDT

    James Cameron's Closet is full of action and water!

    by mrmysteryguest

  • Oct 06, 2009 4:04:32 PM CDT

    CAMERON'S CLOSET: The Monster comes out of the closet!

    by mrmysteryguest

    And he's FAAAABULOUS!!!

    Reply to Talkback

  • Feb 15, 2010 2:38:31 AM CST

    rmdvIht

    by tmveqk

    nkMfOP rmdvIht

    Reply to Talkback

  • Feb 15, 2010 5:53:39 AM CST

    jHlOpQKy

    by tmveqk

    VLbHuf jHlOpQKy

    Reply to Talkback

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