A bit ago, I wrote an article presenting five esoteric movies from the 90s that deserve more attention. Naturally, that gets one thinking about other decades, most especially the 1980s. Despite the 80s being sort of played out, the temptation was too hard to resist. So, challenge accepted — once again the depths of a decade that was a pop culture gold mine will again be plumbed for your reading and viewing pleasure. What else could be left after the internet and basic cable pretty much drained the well dry? A lot, actually. And when you only need five, it makes the job easier. But be warned: this list won’t be as kid-friendly as the last one. Better send the little ones to bed before we get to it.
They all tucked in? Okay, on to the main event.
1. Dead Ringers
Based on a book inspired by true events, identical twin gynecologists –both played masterfully by Jeremy Irons– share an unorthodox relationship, co-dependent in every way. They live and work together and even share women. When Beverly, the most volatile of the two, falls hard for one of his brother Elliot’s rejectamenta (Genevieve Bujold) he spirals into a psychotic breakdown.
David Cronenberg has an intriguing status in cinema. He is celebrated as an auteur but to everyone other than his most hardcore fans, where his body of work is concerned, there is The Fly, Scanners possibly, Naked Lunch (kinda), and everything else. Cronenberg is also known mostly for grotesque body horror, content he has walked away from in recent years. Dead Ringers anticipates the path he would take and doesn’t get enough credit for being a noteworthy early attempt at a thriller more cerebral than his usual output. His signature imagery turns up in a dream where Elliot and Beverly are conjoined and with Beverly’s patent for “Instruments for Mutant Women,” but the film unsettles most via a descent into the human psyche tormented by strained familial relations and a lost grip on real life.
2. Humanoids From the Deep
If The Shape of Water is an unconventional love story that wins the heart of the Academy, consider Humanoids From the Deep its twisted cousin. Ugly, horny green amphibious monsters surface and terrorize a seaside community by killing and raping to spread their seed among humans with a graphic sadism that would make a xenomorph uncomfortable. No kidding, if you thought the chest-bursting scene from Alien was crazy, stick around until the end of Humanoids. (Or see Carnosaur beforehand and you’ll get an idea of what to expect.)
Produced by Roger Corman, HFTD had its share of ups and downs in the making of the picture. The initial director left the project over creative differences, and probably in the name of good taste. Corman wanted more nudity and gore and it was his way or nothing. In the end, it was worth it because this remains one of his best monster outings. The aquatic humanoids are still floating about on a shelf somewhere or online. Go check it out and don’t get confused by the sub-par remake for Showtime from a decade later. There is only one.
3. The Entity
“Based on a true story…that isn’t over yet.”
Actually, The Entity is based on a book by Frank DeFelitta (writer also of Audrey Rose and director of another underrated supernatural thriller, Dark Night of the Scarecrow). He was inspired by the story of Doris Bither’s encounter with the paranormal – captured almost beat for beat in the film – which is one of the most notorious accounts ever.
The fictional Carla Moran (Barbara Hershey, decades before Insidious) is besieged and abused by a malevolent, invisible force. Nightly attacks continue and in time Carla learns the entity fixates and follows her everywhere. Seeking answers and a way to rid herself of the poltergeist, she goes to a psychiatrist (Ron Silver), who thinks there is a rational explanation, and later turns to a group of parapsychologists.
While most are in the dark about this movie, The Entity sports a decent enough following to justify sporadic home video releases, the latest being a Blu-ray from Eureka Entertainment. Among other devotees is Martin Scorsese, who ranked it as one of the scariest movies he’s ever seen – a ringing endorsement for sure. One of the most chilling, unrelenting experiences there is, supported by a Charles Bernstein score that’s the stuff of nightmares, don’t watch alone or in the dark.
4. Razorback
“There’s something about blasting the shit out of a razorback that brightens up my whole day.”
The Australian Outback is being terrorized by a grotesque, man-eating boar of enormous size. Claiming the lives of the infant grandson of a trapper (Bill Kerr) – who was framed for murder – and the activist reporter wife (Beth Winters) of an American (Gregory Harrison), the two men vow to hunt and kill the beast. That is unless a couple of nefarious locals have anything to say about it.
The release of Jaws gave rise to a sea of ripoffs and a few adapted the scenario to the firmament, a phenomenon known as “Jaws on Land” – obviously (Jaws on “Trotters” in this case). Shadow and Highlander helmer Russell Mulcahy made his feature-film debut with this simultaneous submission to that subgenre and the category of Ozploitation. By far, the film stands at the top of the heap in either classification. Razorback features a stunning use of matte paintings, spare but effective gore FX, and a creature design that is one of the most eye-popping of the period. Box office for it in the US wasn’t great and it kind of went away, but it picked up a following on VHS and overseas, where the film is far more popular. Sadly, it never made the jump to DVD/Blu-ray in America and was forgotten again. A special edition for North America has never been announced so there is an entire market missing out grievously. Save us, Shout Factory!
5. Lifeforce
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ltiy6COkjqw
“In outer space, they unleashed a force more evil than the world had ever imagined!”
A joint British-American shuttle mission discovers a strange craft in the tail of Halley’s comet with three nude human-looking aliens inside (humanoids NOT from the deep). After losing contact with Earth, a crew is sent to salvage the burned-out remains of the vessel and they bring the mysteriously intact beings back with them. One of them, an attractive female (Mathilda May), wakes up and escapes, overpowering and draining the life energy – hence the title – from all who encounter her. The only one who can stop her is the mission’s lone survivor Col. Tom Carlsen (Steve Railsback), who must reach her before London is brought to the brink of Armageddon.
Lifeforce is an obscure picture from the mind of Tobe Hooper during his Cannon Films period, and it’s one of his best. In recent years, it gained quite a bit of attention but is still shy of full-blown cult status. It has everything: horror, sci-fi, vampires, nudity, an R rating, the director of Texas Chainsaw Massacre, the writer of Alien, the effects wiz behind Star Wars, Patrick Stewart, a zombie outbreak, explosions, and the simple fact it came from the 80s. Tailor-made for a rabid underground following, Lifeforce can’t simply be seen once. It should be added to every collection and adored for its genius.
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