There are a number of actors who have managed
to parlay a distinctive or unusual physical appearance into an iconic screen
image. There’s the great Michael Berryman, unforgettable as the savage Pluto in
THE HILLS HAVE EYES. There’s recently deceased Richard Lynch’s scarred visage glowering
as the chief terrorist in INVASION U.S.A.… and then there’s BURIAL GROUND’s
Peter Bark. [NSFW imagery below!]
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I was at a FANGORIA convention a few years back, with guests
from THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE: THE BEGINNING there to promote the film and
sign autographs. It was nice to see the incredibly hot Diora Baird, but I was
there, as I’m sure most of those on line were, to meet R. Lee Ermey. The
majority had something FULL METAL JACKET-related for him to sign, but I walked
up with the DVD sleeve for THE FRIGHTENERS. I brought up the movie I loved, the
one I wanted to be immortalized. The fact that no one else had FRIGHTENERS
merch in hand just shows how underappreciated this film is. This must stand no
more.
Years ago, I used to watch the old USA Network show UP ALL
NIGHT, which showcased some of the most bizarre, eclectic, off-the-wall—and
also original and highly entertaining—films ever. Unlike the major Hollywood
flicks, these B-movies took chances and got away with plenty of sex, nudity,
violence and absurdity. Take, for example, director Donald G. Jackson’s 1988
cult item HELL COMES TO FROGTOWN, starring former WWE wrestler “Rowdy” Roddy Piper
and Sandahl Bergman.
“Oh, my God. You’re really finding the obscure ones now. [Laughs]
Yeah, that was probably the most crazed thing I’ve ever done. It’s by a
fabulously crazed Polish director called Andrzej Zulawski, with Isabelle Adjani
playing my wife, who was pretty out there at the time as well. [Laughs] We were
shooting in Cold War Berlin, and… It’s sort of a monster movie, but it’s more
about the terrible destruction of a marriage than anything, and if you have the
courage to sit through the whole thing, it has its rewards.”
If you’re seeking a good, old-fashioned ghost story that
sends chills up your spine and has you calling for your mommy, you could do a
lot worse than the 1989 British television production of THE WOMAN IN BLACK.
With the new movie, co-produced by Hammer Films and starring Daniel Radcliffe of HARRY POTTER fame, opening
tomorrow, it’s a great time to take a glance back at the original film version
of Susan Hill’s classic ghost novel.