DEEP RISING (1998) is a rousing horror adventure filled with intrigue, humor and plenty of sea serpent tentacles (courtesy of special effects master Rob “THE THING” Bottin). Written and directed by future THE MUMMY (’99)-helmer Stephen Sommers, this misunderstood mini-masterpiece also features an impeccable cast that includes Treat Williams (RIP, one of the true greats) Famke Janssen, Anthony Heald, Cliff Curtis, Kevin J. O’Conner and Dijon Hounsou among others. Back in my video store working days I was able to attend an advance sneak peak viewing of this fun flick and it remains one of my favorite movie -going memories. The crowd went wild, popcorn flew and all were riveted from the opening credits till the hopeful-for-sequel ending. I was a hundred percent certain it was going to be an unanimously loved hit but for some reason (I blame shockingly uninspired marketing) it did poorly at the box office. Over the years it has slowly collected the devout fans it deserves but if it has somehow evaded your grasp, consider this a reminder to dive into it as soon as you can.
THE KINDRED (1987). Family reunions can be a drag especially when your sibling is a giant fish mutant (don’t I know it!). Let’s face it folks, when 1950’s-style mad science mayhem meets 1980’s level make-up artistry and practical effects, the audience wins every time. Once a late night cable staple, THE KINDRED fell off many a horror fan’s radar after avoiding the jump from VHS to DVD but now that it’s on Blu-ray, there’s no excuse for missing this slime-dripping throwback gem. Sporting a cast of scene-chewing masters (Rod Steiger, Kim Hunter) and engaging then-newcomers (Amanda Pays, Talia Balsam), this agreeably overstuffed B-movie dynamo will have you checking the backseat of your car for creatures stowing away in watermelons for many years to come.
THE ALIEN FACTOR (1978) is simply not content delivering one mere monster from outer space, it delivers three, each being more absurd then the one that preceded it. Created by the unstoppable Don Dohler (FIEND, NIGHTBEAST), this backyard beast feast may be assembled by bubble gum and popsicle sticks but it’s charmingly earnest and more fun than most movies quadruple its budget. You know the drill: UFO crashes to Earth delivering murderous entities and small town sheriff tries to protect the locals while greedy mayor sabotages his efforts in order to insure plans for a future amusement park are not thwarted. I’ll admit the first time I caught this makeshift mock-buster on VHS, my poor soul internally whimpered for a refund, but over the years my aghast pity has transformed into unfeigned respect and slow-clapping, nodding approval. Sure, the creatures presented somewhat resemble oatmeal plastered Halloween costumes strutting down a Jr. High School assembly stage but damn how you can’t keep your eyes off them!
THE CAVE (2005) got slammed by critics and audiences alike and although it’s no masterpiece, much of the animosity towards it may have been due to it being released around the same time as Neil Marshal’s similarly set and far superior, spelunking suspense classic THE DESCENT. I had avoided it for years based one its bad reputation but a recent watch entertained me well enough and I’d recommend it to anyone looking for a low emotional commitment monster mash that plays like an underground version of 2000’s PITCH BLACK. Heck, both pictures even feature the always reliable Cole Hauser (THE CAVE’s full deck cast also boasts Piper Perabo, Lena Headey, Morris Chestnut, Eddie Cibrian and Daniel Day Kim) It’s all rote, predictable and inconsequential for sure but the sets are splendid, the creatures (when visible) are cool, the stunts are impressive and I gotta admit that sometimes (maybe most the time) I find comfort in familiarity. Your world won’t be rocked but this is a fun diversion if you enjoy seeing disposable characters picked off one by one by less than humans beasties.
EQUINOX (1970) was warning folks (particularly KFC chomping picnickers) about the perils of reading from ancient Evil tomes a good decade before THE EVIL DEAD (’81) followed suit. Why didn’t anyone listen? Those lucky enough to stumble upon this eye-popping oddity on late night television (or preferably a drive-in) back in the day can attest to its amusing yet still somewhat eerie power. Fans of cabin-centric locales, Lovecraftian yore, Harryhausen-happy stop motion effects (we’re taking everything from flying winged demons to giant ape dudes), demonically possessed forest rangers and fashions befitting the B-52’s will be left perpetually smitten.
Having grown up as a big fan of WKRP in Cincinnati, seeing Frank Bonner (Herb Tarlek) as one of the leads in Equinox was strange, to say the least.
More to watch – Thanks Unk! I overly rely on you for watch-list suggestions.
Equinox is bonkers. The plot is nonsensical, the acting hammy and the dialogue is … you just gotta see it. But some of the monster stuff is terrific. The stop-motion is hit-or-miss but I recall being very impressed with a forced-perspective bit with one of the heroes and a giant of some sort.
1950's monster films like Attack of the Crab Monsters (1957) and The Deadly Mantis (1957) are not exactly what I'm super into, although I am glad they exist and I'm trying to get more into them. Even classics like The Blob (1958) don't do anything for me (the 1988 remake is superior to it in every way, imo).
They seem to vary so widely in quality as well, it's remarkable.
I do however like Deep Rising quite a lot, due to the dynamics between Treat Williams and Famke Janssens's characters; it's definitely one of my favorites.
Some other monster films that are quite good I feel are Tremors (1990), The Faculty (1998), Ticks (1993), Anaconda (1997), Bats (1999) and There's Nothing Out There (1991) which is also pretty funny; The Brain (1988), Watchers II (1990) and The Night Flier (1997) are also entertaining.
Critters 1, 2 and 3 are favorites of mine (4 is okay); 2 has the greatest alien to human transformation in the history of cinema.
I can't help but like Sssssss (1973).
Starship Troopers (1997) is a great action film featuring monsters/creatures. Inseminoid (1981), The Incubus (1982), The Nest (1988) and The Borrower (1991) are pretty cool.
Guyver 2: Dark Hero (1994) is another good one and rectified the disappointing first Guyver film from 1991, which does have some great special effects but which totally shat on the tone of The Guyver.
Riki-Oh: The Story of Ricky (1991) is what Mortal Kombat (1995) should have been and features some of my all time favorite gore and monster effects.
If you want to see one hell of a movie, check out Tokyo: The Last Megalopolis (1988).
There are some which are okay like Within the Rock (1996)
Then there are some that just aren't good like Blood Tide (1982), Project Metalbeast (1995) and Carnosaur (1993)
Deep Rising is one of my all time favorites. I also finally bought myself The Kindred for Christmas this year and watched it and was delighted.
SDC,
Herb was always my dad’s favorite on that show! Such an added bonus that he’s in EQUINOX! He seems like he got stuck on the wrong channel.
Chuckles72,
I can’t resist those old school special effects. I love the unreal quality and even when they don’t exactly work they’re beautiful!
Ghastlt1,
Yeah, Treat and Famke are excellent together and Kevin J. O’conner was perfect third wheel comic relief. Would have loved to see those three appear in many sequels. Treat Williams could be cast in anything. He should have been getting the same roles as Harrison Ford imo.
TICKS is the best, I was saving that for possible “Nature run Amuck” list. Extremely underrated, I’ll get to it soon!
Kathryngrace,
THE KINDRED is so much fun. It’s really got everything.
Ghastly1: I discovered The Brain thanks to this very website. A few years ago, Unkle Lancifer posted a few screenshots from a Christmas-themed scene in a horror movie. The scene was being shared around Facebook as a meme (I think?), but no one could identify it.spoiler Ug's (Terrence Mann's) heel turn
Someone finally figured out it was the opening scene in The Brain. The movie hadn't been released on blu-ray by Scream Factory yet (I'm not sure it had ever been released in the US before then), so it had been out of circulation for a long while. I picked up a copy of the Scream Factory disc later, and it was absolutely worth it. A hidden gem, for sure (though it turns up on Scream Factory's free streaming service a heck of a lot).
I like the Critters films, but I do not like
SDC,
I'm a fan of WKRP as well.
That's awesome, Unk does a great job at running the site; it's a really great resource for reminiscing about movies as well as discovering ones you might not have otherwise known about, so for that he gets a golf clap.
The Brain was one I discovered back in my video store days and I've liked it ever since I first saw it. The VHS cover drew me in; it looked like a monkey faced meatball floating in space and I just had to see it.
I agree about Critters 4, it's not the worst movie ever made, but it's not great; definitely a drop off in quality from the previous installments. Still, what surprised me about them when I first saw them was how vicious the Crites are and how gory the movies were, I had initially expected them to be kind of cartoony like Gremlins.
OMG my husband and brother-in-law were JUST talking about a shared mystery kindertrauma they watched on tv in the early 90s. After they described it I was driving myself crazy trying to find out what it was- come to find out it's Equinox (1970)! I NEVER would have found it without this post. Thanks, Unk! My spirit can rest now!
LiviaB, That is awesome! Nothing makes me happier than knowing a mystery kindertrauma has been solved!:)