Sunday, July 08, 2007

Oooo . . .I'm So Scared . . . .


I remember during my late teens when I paid my way through school and uni by working in a delightfully sacky red and white uniform at Kentucky Fried Chicken. Now called KFC to avoid saying the 'fried' word. We had a great bunch of pals working there, all friends or relatives and after closing at 10:00 on a Saturday night, we'd all wind our way back to one of our houses, depending upon who's parents weren't home, armed with a couple of ounces of the green dream, a box of Keiser Stuhl Rose, and a bag full of chicken wings. In those days, pubs closed at 10, TV finished at midnight, there was absolutely nothing to do but make your own fun. So we did. We got shit faced, ate our munchies, danced to Alice Cooper and Grace Jones or watched the Saturday Night Creature Feature.

I've been reminded of this time in life by a couple of other bloggers discussing the corn that used to be on late night TV from 'Them' to 'Attack of the Killer Tomatoes'. Fantastic horror films with larger than life characters, real or otherwise. Giant plants, lizards poor things with something usually glued to their backs or invisible villains and screeming busty women who's makeup and coiffure remained intact through the entire program. High pants heroes with flexible eyebrows. They would be the source of much laughter as the ganja kicked in. Some of the best were the herioc historical films, the Epic Theatre - gladiatorial and usually dubbed in English because they were Italian. Hercules and pals. Over muscled and greased up they walked like they had a carrot stuck up their bums. Ah, they don't make films like that any more. It's all blood and gore, intestines and brains. Nothing is left to the imagination any more.

I love the horror genre and a good horror flick is worth it's weight in plasma but I do miss the silly stuff. I like the idea of Triffids taking over the planet and tomatoes being more than a salad ingredient. Here are a few to keep you mesmerised: Attack of the Giant Leeches; The Blob; Brides of Dracula; The Fly; Carnival of Souls; Terror in the Crypt; The Mummy's Shroud.
If it had Vincent Price and/or Peter Cushing in it - all the better!


2 comments:

  1. Anonymous10:13 pm

    13 Ghosts scared the hell out of me when I was about 8yeas old.
    It came from Beyond
    It came from Outer Space
    It came from Beneath the Sea
    When Worlds Collide
    The Day the Earth Stood Still
    This Island Earth
    Plan 9 from Outer Space
    Earth vs the Flying Saucers

    but more along the line of what you were saying was....
    The Groove Tube
    The Boob Tube
    Any movie made by Ray Harryhousen.
    and the greatest film of the 1970's......
    The Rocky Horror Picture Show
    When was the last time you took toast and toilet paper to a movie theater?

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  2. Crikey Bri, I had to Google my titles, why do I get the impression that yours are locked away between your ears!

    I don't get the toast and toilet paper ref?

    And my husband once went to a fancy dress party as Dr Frankenfurter - he had nice legs!

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