Words Seem Out Of Place

Looking back at the pop culture mainstays of this Gen-Xer's gloriously misspent youth. The most notorious scene in Stuart Gordon's 1985 Lovecraftian science fiction horror comedy Re-Animator involves a talking severed head (!) going down on the young—and stark naked—ingenue, Barbara Crampton. It's as horrifying as it sounds. Ms. Crampton had already proven comfortable with onscreen nudity, baring all in her first film, Brian De Palma's erotic thriller  Body Double . In this scene from Re-Animator, though—just her third feature film—Crampton's fearlessness with her body is downright remarkable. The scene offers a quick, shocking few moments, but is also played partly for some extremely uncomfortable laughs. The film's black humor is unparalleled precisely because it's unafraid to be wildly inappropriate. And it doesn't get more inappropriate than that scene. Crampton would go on to star in a slew of low-budget cult classics, from...

"One more step and I'll blow your balls into outer space." That immortal line is delivered with extreme chutzpah by our tough-talking protagonist Angel (real name, Molly Stewart), played with a disarmingly effective nonchalance by '80s dream girl Betsy Russell, in Avenging Angel (1985). I'm always on the lookout for memorable cult classic, and with this one, I've struck exploitation gold. I don't know where this movie has been all my life, but thank goodness we finally found each other. First, some facts. Avenging Angel, directed and co-written by Robert Vincent O'Neill (who worked in the art department on Easy Rider ), is the middle installment in the Angel trilogy of films. One day I'll have to run the series, but I can't imagine anything else being quite as entertaining as this one. The plot: a former Hollywood Boulevard prostitute turned law student goes back undercover as a prostitute—but steadfastly avoids schtupping any...

This being October, there's lots of horror packed into this latest potpourri post. Over at Horror Geek Life , I recently explored the powerful gender commentary layered throughout  American Mary (2012). The film was written and directed by Jen and Sylvia Soska (pictured above, #twinning), and opened six years ago. Here's an excerpt from the essay: At one point, Mary asks her boss at the club, “Do you think I’m crazy?” Is Mary crazy? Or is she a women pushed too far, by financial distress and the constant, daily, ever-present threat of toxic masculinity?  The Soska Sisters implicate us, the audience, in the sort of male gaze fantasy that's all too common in film. I think it's one of the best horror films in recent memory, a truly visceral and thought-provoking experience. It also features an exceptionally brave performance from Katharine Isabelle, as Mary. The film is also laced with plenty of delicious, dark humor, as well. If you missed it over th...

Looking back at the pop culture mainstays of this Gen-Xer's gloriously misspent youth. Some actors slide in and out of our periphery, costarring in one film or series after another, each of which briefly crossed our radars at some point. Bronx-born actress Tanya Roberts was one such performer for me. She knew how to wear a strategically placed loincloth better than most. I grew up on a steady diet of Charlie's Angels reruns, and no offense meant to Shelley Hack, but when Roberts took over for Hack in the fifth and final season, I definitely took notice. Not to focus on her looks, but geez, her gorgeous feathered hair and sultry bedroom eyes were impossible to ignore. Tanya Roberts had a look, and even all these years later, it basically defines the 1970s/early 1980s for me. Friend to monkeys everywhere, expert falconer, and, once again, strategically placed loincloth wearer extraordinaire. From The Love Boat to Fantasy Island to Silk Stalkings , she ...