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The Weekend Drive-In is officially participating in the Countdown to Halloween! Stay tuned to this blog for updates on TV creature features in October.

Forgotten Zombies

Zombies don't die easily. These days, the lumbering undead are featured in commercials, a TV series and countless movies including the upcoming "Zombie Apocalypse" premiering Oct. 29 on SyFy.

Of course, zombie flicks have been around for decades. According to Wikipedia, 1932's "White Zombie" starring Bela Lugosi is the very first horror movie to feature zombies. In that movie, the slow moving creatures aren't undead at all. They're actually drugged slaves.

It seems, however, that the same old dead man walking movies are always on TV: 2004's "Dawn of the Dead," "Resident Evil," etc. Several pretty cool zombie films should be aired more often including these gems:


Zombi 2 Lucio Fulci 1979 TRAILER by soulpatrol

"Zombie" (ake "Zombi 2"): Like gore? You'll love this gross out extravaganza from Italian schlockmaster Lucio Fulci. This was actually billed as a sequel to George A. Romero's original "Dawn of the Dead" (retitled "Zombi" in Italy) across the pond. It's not connected to that movie, but it still rocks. The action takes place on the cursed island of Matool, where the dead are rising and eating/infecting the living. Look for Mia Farrow's sister, Tisa, as the lead heroine. The zombies are pretty creepy. The guy featured on the movie poster (with worms in his eye) freaked me out when I was kid. VERY graphic!!! Lots of blood, guts and gore, so keep your finger on the fast-forward button if you're squeamish. Also, look for a pretty cool shark vs. zombie battle.



"Shock Waves": This is a super low budget 70s flick. The zombies are actually Nazi super soldiers that have been preserved and living on an island. They're all blond, pale and wearing giant goggles. Brooke Adams is the heroine and stars opposite horror vets John Carradine and Peter Cushing. I loved this movie as a kid! I have not seen it in years but can recommend it. Love the tagline on the trailer: "The faster you run...the quicker you DIE!"



"Night of the Comet": This is a very underrated 1980s movie. It's kind of like a low rent John Hughes movie crossed with "The Omega Man." A comet flies over the earth and disintegrates anyone in its path. Only a handful of people who were shielded from its flyover survive. A few unlucky fools, however, have been transformed into murderous zombies. A pair of teen babes are among the survivors and have to fend off the comet killers, as well as raid the mall. A few other non-zombies also show up. Look for Robert Beltran of "Star Trek: Voyager" and B-queen Mary Woronov (Principal Togar in "Rock n' Roll High School). This has been running on THIS TV...but not very often.

Antie Maim!

As I write this week's entry, I am watching "Glass Trap" on Showtime Beyond. It's yet another movie about giant ants terrorizing people. It's not too bad and features an excellent cast: C. Thomas Howell, Stella Stevens and Martin Kove! It's directed by the great Fred Olen Ray.

The ant special effects are pretty bad, but I can't really think of a movie where giant ants didn't look awful.

If you like SyFy-style giant bug movies, keep your eyes open for this sleazy gem. Better yet, revisit these awesome classics when they're on the tube...or look for the DVDs.



Empire of the Ants (1977): I saw this at a midnight movie when I was a kid. Loved it! Joan Collins stars in this VERY low budget shocker form American International Pictures (the source of of many great B-flicks). It's directed by schlock auteur Bert I. Gordon ("The Amazing Colossal Man"). THIS TV has been airing this movie on weekends, so keep an eye out for it.



Them! (1954): The ORIGINAL big ant movie! This movie preyed upon people's fears of atomic energy. The ants in this movie were apparently created following nuclear tests. They're pretty big...and pretty fake. The cast kicks ass though: James Whitmore, James Arness, Fess Parker! It's the best of the bunch and occasionally runs on Turner Classic Movies.

Happy Birthday Elvira!!!!

Today, the Weekend Drive-In salutes Elvira, Mistress of the Dark (aka Cassandra Peterson)! The popular horror hostess turns 60 today!

Gotta love Elvira. She's hilarious! Plus, her syndicated "Movie Macabre" continues to introduce horror fans to crazy B-movies. Currently, THIS TV airs Elvira's antics at 4 a.m. (CST) on Sunday mornings and midnight on Mondays. This weekend, the mistress presents 1952 amazon epic "Untamed Women."

Of course, Elvira has appeared on countless movies and TV shoes. Among those features is her self-titled 1988 comedy, "Elvira, Mistress of the Dark." It's rarely shown on cable and definitely worth seeking out on DVD. A sequel, "Elvira's Haunted Hills" followed in 2001.

So, have a cocktail and some cake...and don't forget to set the DVR for the next installment of "Elvira's Movie Macabre."

Feeding Frenzy!

"Soylent Green" is a classic. Classic premise...classic shock ending...and of course, it stars the classic Chuck Heston!

These days, I couldn't see the highly Republican Heston supporting a sci-fi movie about the dangers of global warming and overpopulation. Luckily, he starred in this 1971 gem that is currently part of Comcast/Xfinity On Demand's Free Movies selections (look under Preferred Collection).

Many die-hard cult film fans have seen this countless times, and it is certainly worth revisiting.

The film is set in the 21st century. Greenhouse gases have ravaged the earth, and populations are out of control. Manhattan itself has more than 40 million people living there. The city is a steamy, dirty hellhole filled with haves and have nots.

One of the haves, the rich Simonson (Joseph Cotten), is brutally murdered. Grunt detective Thorn (Heston) is assigned to the case and discovers that the slain Simonson was a board member of the omnipotent Soylent Corporation. With food in short supply, the Soylent Corporation manufactures wafers filled with vegetable protein that have become the staples of the American diet. The most recent product, "Soylent Green," is apparently rich with harvested plankton.

Anyways, Thorn finds himself in over his head trying to solve this mystery. He's aided by roommate Sol(E.G. Robinson in his final role), a book-smart senior who remembers the days when the air was clean and food was plentiful. Thorne also finds romance with the HOT Shirl (Leigh Taylor Young), Simonson's concubine. On his tail are a gaggle of thugs led by Chuck "Rifleman" Connors.

If you haven't seen this movie before, what are you waiting for? It actually holds up fairly well and explores themes that are still fairly topical.

I won't spoil the ending, but it's one of 70s sci-fi cinema's most iconic conclusions. Check it out, and let me know what you think.

Triple Trashfest Sunday

What to do after church...if you actually go...today? Pour yourself a stiff drink and relax with a trio of trash flicks on the best movie channel on cable THIS.

First up is "I Saw What You Did" at 12:30 p.m. starring John Ireland and Joan Crawford. Directed by movie gimmick master William Castle, this is a great thriller about a phone prank gone wrong. Some bored teens randomly call a guy (Ireland) who just murdered his wife and say "I saw what you did..." Bad idea. Ireland, who is having an affair with the kids' wild neighbor (Crawford) tracks these teens down. They should have used the ol' "Do you have Prince Albert in a can?" gag. It's better than you would think thanks to crazed performances by the two senior leads and expert handling by maestro Castle. Castle was a bit of a PR guy and usually had some crazy gimmick attached to his films (life insurance policies in case of fright-induced death, floating skeletons in theaters, vibrating seats). According to Wikipedia, he originally planned seat belts for those who might be scared out of their seats. The idea was apparently abandoned.



Next up is Hammer Films classic "The Brides of Dracula" at 2:30 p.m. starring Peter (Grand Moff Tarkin) Cushing. Drac doesn't appear in this one. Instead, we get lame Baron Meinster (David Peel) and a gaggle of vampire ladies. It's pretty typical Hammer fare, but the action-packed ending is worth the wait.



"The Invisible Woman" at 4:30 p.m. concludes this trio of semi-classics. This is the third movie in the "Invisible Man" series. It focuses on a model (Virginia Bruce) who is fired from her department store job. She winds up being a test subject for an invisibility device designed by a nutty scientist (John Barrymore). Of course, she uses this new power to make life miserable for her former boss.

Flight Risk!

Back in the day, traveling by air was an experience. Passengers dressed up to board a plane, flight attendants treated people with respect and airports were magnificent structures. NOW, flying is a drag. Planes are too uncomfortable to wear anything more than shorts and t-shirts, flight attendants look as beaten down as the passengers and airports are the most miserable places to spend time.

This weekend, Retroplex takes audiences back to the glory days of flying with a double dose of disaster flicks..."Airport" and "Airport 1975."

First up is "Airport 1975," which is probably the best of the bunch. After all, it stars the almighty Charlton Heston. Chuck has to save the day when a 747 collides with a small plane. Well, the smaller craft is immediately destroyed and the crew of passenger jet is killed (except for the captain who is left blind). Heston and sidekick George (King of the Disaster Movies) Kennedy come up with a plan to lower a pilot into the cockpit of the runaway jet. It's pretty nuts, but entertaining throughout. Read this past review from an earlier edition of the Weekend Drive-In. "Airport 1975" takes off at 5:10 a.m., Sept. 4.

The original blockbuster "Airport" (based on Arthur Hailey's novel) departs at 8:30 a.m., Sept. 4 This was a smash hit back in 1970 and was one of the movies that launched the decade's "all-star" cast craze. Dean Martin is the pilot, the HOT Jackie Bisset is his lover (HOW did that happen???) and Burt Lancaster is the airport manager. The plot centers on a nutjob demolition expert (Van Heflin) who wants to commit suicide so his wife can collect the insurance money. Unfortunately, he wants to do so by exploding a bomb on a plane!! Add a diamond-smuggling Helen Hayes (who won an Oscar for this) and George Kennedy to the mix, and you have a bonafide 70s celebrity smorgasbord.

Update: I just noticed that these movies AND "Airport '77" are on Movieplex On Demand on Comcast. If you missed 'em Sunday, you can experience the "Airport" series at your leisure.