It's a Horror to Know You: Brian Solomon of The Vault of Horror!
1. What is the first film that ever scared you?
It was either the Hammer film Lust for a Vampire, or the original made-for-TV Don't Be Afraid of the Dark. I watched a lot of horror on TV as a small child (big shock!) Back then there was plenty of Hammer on weekend afternoons in syndication, and Lust for a Vampire was the first one I remember watching. Don't Be Afraid of the Dark is a movie that, while maybe not excellent by any means, scared the living hell out of me as a kid. And for years in the pre-Internet age, I went around as an older person not even knowing whether I had really seen it, or if I had just dreamed it.
2. What is the last film that scared you?
Prometheus had some pretty terrifying moments.Visually, it's so vast and haunting, with such unforgettable imagery. And just the concept itself is so completely unnerving.
3. Name three Horror movies that you believe are underrated.
1. Let Sleeping Corpses Lie. Also known as The Living Dead at Manchester Morgue. This was a zombie flick that came out in the decade in between Night of the Living Dead and Dawn of the Dead, and doesn't get the credit it deserves for helping to shape the subgenre.
2. The Last Man on Earth. Still the greatest film adaptation of Matheson's I Am Legend, and another pioneer of the modern zombie subgenre.
3. Grapes of Death. Only the French could come up with a movie in which a zombie plague is spread by contaminated wine. Jean Rollin's finest.
4. Name three horror movies that you enjoy against your better judgment.
1. TerrorVision. A guilty pleasure from my '80s VHS childhood.
2. Troll 2. This one almost goes without saying.
3. Saw. It catches a lot of flak, but the original film in the series is an innovative, well-shot, well written and well acted horror film. It shouldn't be judged by the diminished returns of the sequels.
5. Send us to five places on the Internet!
2. Cruella's Crypt!
4. Proof of a Benevolent God. (my Tumblr page!)
5. Day of the Woman.
Hey wow – B-Sol! Been lurking the Vault for ages – I recommend it highly.
Let Sleeping Corpses Lie is such an oddball film – scary? Gorgeous? Idiotic? I dunno. It sure made me dubious of those ultra-sonic pest eradicators that they were selling on TV a few years ago. Plug one in to drive away the mice and next thing Grandma is eating your intestines.
The opening montage in Manchester is incredible – I would have watched 90 minutes of footage of them driving around town in the early 70s.
I was just thinking about The Last Man on Earth the other day! They didn't sanitize for your protection like so many other horror movies of the time. The depicition of mass body burning is graphic and disturbing now, let alone to an audience then.
Ha ha yes!, Terrorvision, the title track by The Fibonaccis is amazing. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xvkx4JFt74o
A list that's chock full of FUN!
I've been on a Rollin binge and 'Grapes Of Death' is sitting on top of my NF queue at the moment.
I need to see 'Prometheus'… despite all the mixed reviews I can tell there is some gold in those ashes.
'Terrorvision' is such an odd creation… I want a double feature showing of that and 'Blood Dolls'.
'Saw' is my only big departure, taste-wise… but I'll bite my toungue…
Thanks for this excellent IAHTNY B-Sol and thanks for all you do at VOH! I think Prometheus may have provided my last real scare in a theater too. I was gritting my teeth during that emergency operation scene. And I'm right with you on the TERRORVISION front. You can't beat that cast and I can't resist just how eighties it is. Good call on the underrated zombie flick LET SLEEPING CORPSES LIE! I've gotta watch that again soon!
Thanks for letting me take part, Unk! This was a lot of fun. Chuckles, I do appreciate the support, thanks for reading all this time, and feel free to comment at will. Stevil, now I've got that song in my head… "Terrorrr…Visssion…"