Back in the '70’s there was the ABC Movie of the Week. They showed, quality, made for television movies with incredible talent. It was through the ABC Movie of the Week that we saw “Kung Fu,” “Brian’s Song” and a host of other good quality shows. One movie that really stood out and got notice was an urban vampire movie called “The Night Stalker” this show was pretty much the talk of the town or, to put it nicely, it rocked!! It starred the late Darren McGavin and the show’s success spawned a series of the same name that may have been influencial the creation of “The X Files”
Here is a tidbit found on Youtube. At 5:27 you will hear score that may have influenced the motifs used in the 5 Venoms (it does sound like Shaw Brothers lifted this one):
Another great vampire movie that came out during the '70’s was called “Grave of the Vampire.”
This movie starred William Smith and was about a man who was searching for the vampire who raped his mother, creating him. Definitely shades of Blade, here.
I remember watching The Night Stalker on Friday nights when I was about 11. If I remember correctly, it premiered in the fall of 1974 and only lasted halfway into 1975. And yes, it definitely was a heavy influence on The X-Files. IMO, the best episode of Night Stalker was probably the first; about Jack the Ripper re-appearing in Chicago. I think the show became a victim of its own premise; every week a new monster (a slime monster, a group of vampires, a Greek goddess, a werewolf, an underground giant lizard, a headless motorcyclist, an evil witch, etc.). However, I still think Kolchak was one of the great TV characters.
The show itself was a spinoff of the original TV movies The Night Stalker (about a vampire) and its sequel, The Night Strangler.
Not a vampire flick, but another quality movie I saw on TV in the '70s (can’t remember what year; either 1972 or '77) was called Gargoyles. I don’t know if it was made-for-TV or not. An odd thing about it was that when I saw it, there was a prologue which claimed it was based on real events(!?). It was about humans encountering gargoyle-like reptilian beings in a desert area of the American Southwest. I think it was a well-made movie, and even a bit scary at the time.
A great made-for-TV vampire flick was the film version of Stephen King’s novel Salem’s Lot. I saw it again recently, and it still stands up today as a good, atmospheric vampire story, and is one of the best Stephen King adaptations ever.
I vaguely remember seeing “Gargoyles.” Someone posted it up on youtube. I do remember the last part, though. I got the feeling this was not made in the USA. I do remember a similar “Gargoyles” movie that featured an underground civilization that spoke a strangely ancient language that was almost like English. They had to use subtitles when one of those gargoyles spoke. These characters were pale looking and had blondish white hair. Do you remember a movie like that? The ending was almost identical, the difference being that they flew off with two human females.
Mickey,
The ones in the Gargoyles movie I saw were mostly small, child-sized(?) beings with maybe beaked faces, but their leader was a tall, winged being that looked a lot like the typical image of the devil. I seem to remember it ending with the winged guy flying off. I think there was a colony of them breeding somewhere in a cave or underground. I don’t remember any blondish hair, but I could be wrong (it’s been over 30 years). I remember a scene where a dead woman is found hanging upside-down from her ankles on a pole. But I thought this particular movie was an American film, could be wrong there, too.
There is a passing resemblance between the alpha leader of these gargoyles and the monster in Jeepers Creepers.
I’m not sure if modern made-for-TV horror movies can compare atmospherically to some of those '70s ones. I find most of the Sci-Fi channel’s TV horror movies are pretty bad, and overstuffed with ultra-fake-looking CGI. Plus most of the actors they get nowadays look like underwear/lingerie models or extras on CSI: Miami.
Actully the Gargolyes moved starred ex-NFL player Bernie Casey (he was also in one of the Revenge of the Nerd movies) as the head gargoyle. I don’t remember them being small though.
the reason i checked them out in the first place was because i loved the x-files. my dad turned me onto them because he used to watch it when it came out.
All you really need to see is the first one, “the Nightstalker.” When you consider the time it was made, it had some very covert anti-feminist, msygonistic undertones. It still does not take away from the movie. The scene where the vampire confronted the cops had everyone talking because we had not associated physical strength with vampires. Up until then, it was more of a mind control, Svengali, type of energy.
One of my regrets is a few years ago, I saw a DVD double-feature on sale that had both the original Night Stalker and Night Strangler on the same disc. I did not buy it, and now haven’t seen it available anywhere for a long time.
Mickey, actually the oldest I’ve seen of a vampire displaying ‘superhuman’ or greater than normal strength was probably in the 1958 Hammer Films movie The Horror of Dracula, with Christopher Lee as Dracula and Peter Cushing as Van Helsing.
Hey Doug, I sometimes wonder how good The Heroic Trio would’ve been if Corey Yuen had directed it instead of Johnny To/Ching Siu-Tung. A Corey Yuen movie about lady vampires would probably be very cool.
When it came to developing a genre of interest, ROBOTRIX really stands out because it combined genres: sci fi, porn, martial arts, and horror. I think the social backlash kept similar movies from being made.
When it came to developing a genre of interest, ROBOTRIX really stands out because it combined genres: sci fi, porn, martial arts, and horror. I think the social backlash kept similar movies from being made.
Have any of you seen it?
mickey[/QUOTE]
dude its a tiny snippet of a teaser you cant tell **** by it. again i say to you
Ever check out the old Mr. Vampire series? Great stuff. My favorite installment was Crazy Safari (Gods Must Be Crazy III) which contained that special brand of insanity that’s signature to HK cinema. I maintain that Crazy Safari had the greatest Bruce Lee impersonation ever.
Gene, I saw Crazy Safari in Taiwan years back. That final Bruce Lee impersonation was great…I even remember them using clips of Bruce from Fist of Fury as his spirit was being channeled. I also think it’s the only time that Lam Ching-Ying cut loose and busted out a form onscreen. Oh, and my favorite Gods Must Be Crazy was part 2.
The first Mr. Vampire movie is a classic. Though it spawned a bunch of sequels and knockoffs, you simply can’t top the original. And even then, it has lots of things similar to Sammo Hung’s Encounter of the Spooky Kind (Spooky Encounters).
[QUOTE=GeneChing;924126]Ever check out the old Mr. Vampire series? Great stuff. My favorite installment was Crazy Safari (Gods Must Be Crazy III) which contained that special brand of insanity that’s signature to HK cinema. I maintain that Crazy Safari had the greatest Bruce Lee impersonation ever.
I’m saying this beats Doug’s Blood: the Last Vampire.
Park Chan-wook > Corey Yuan
What say the rest of you?
;)[/QUOTE]
you when gene, i didnt have to watch the trailer to know this was going to be some good ****. park chan woo= the win. as for corey yuen, lie i’ve said many times before he is on my top 2 of worst fight directors, next to ching siu tung. but unlike ching corey actually is capable of puting together some awesome stuff. he is hit or miss, ching is just miss. when corey gets together with women hecan give a spectacular show.
