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October 20, 2006

Halloween's Coming, pt. 1: Hail, Satan!

Part One:
Some favorite Satan-centric or Satan-worshiping films from the 70s (or very near the 70s):

(1) The Exorcist (1973). Obviously, this has to be #1 on the list.

(2) I Drink Your Blood (1970). When a band of acid-head, devil-loving hippies terrorize a farm family, the chubby blond grandson injects rabies from a dead German shepherd into the hippies' meat pies. Naturally, this turns them into lunatic killers.

(3) Alucarda, ie Sisters of Satan (1978). One of my personal favorites. Two teen girls (well, they're supposed to be teens--they really look about 30) at an ancient Mexican cave-like convent fall under the swoony possession of Satan, then begin to guzzle blood, participate in forest orgies, and terrorize their fat priest and mummylike, blood-sweating nuns. If you're a fan of the band My Life With the Thrill Kill Kult, you're probably aware of this gem, since they nicked tons of their early audio samples from it.

(4) Lisa and the Devil, ie The House of Exorcism (1973). Mario Bava! Telly Savalas! Elke Sommer! Satanism!

(5) The Omen (1976). Sheer brilliance, even if only for a single scene: that nanny hanging. "Look at me, Damien! It's all for you!"

(6) Midnight (1982). Remember in high school, when there was always some trashy sex or horror novel being passed around, tattered and dogeared, read by everyone? Midnight, by John Russo (who'd also co-written Night of the Living Dead), was one of those novels from my high school pass-arounds. The book really, really scared me at the time (and I can still remember its silvery mirrored "skull with dripping candlewax" cover). I didn't see the film until much later. Plot: girl, abused by her creepy stepfather, runs away and hitchhikes, only to wind up caged and tortured by a freaky Satan-worshipping family.

(7) The Sentinel (1977). A model's Brooklyn apartment is quite possibly a portal straight into hell.

(8) Fear No Evil (1981). Kind of a version of Carrie with testosterone. Nerdy high schooler Andrew is tormented constantly, so revenge comes pretty easy when he discovers he's the Antichrist. Lead role is played by Stefan Arngrim, who in reality was the brother of Alison, who played evil Nellie Olsen on "Little House on the Prairie."

(9) Satan's School For Girls (1973). Originally made for TV. Really freaked me out when I first saw it at age 6, but probably doesn't hold up so well now. The title basically explains the entire plot. Notable because it starred two future Charlie's Angels actresses, Kate Jackson and Cheryl Ladd... but also because it starred Pamela Franklin, whom I previously blogged about in another "horror entry" a while back.

(10) The Devil's Rain (1975). This used to get shown on late-night TV constantly. Ernest Borgnine plays the leader of a devil cult. William Shatner and John Travolta are alonghand for overacting cast support.

(11) Beyond the Door (1974). (Couldn't find any decent stills from the film, so above is its original poster + the poster for its equally bad sequel.) Trashy Exorcist rip-off about a pregnant woman--played by then "Nanny and the Professor" star (and future "Passions" witch) Juliet Mills--getting possessed by the Prince of Darkness, thanks to her devil-worshiping ex-boyfriend. More intentionally funny than scary... but I sure remember the radio ads from my childhood.

(12) City of the Living Dead, ie The Gates of Hell (1980). My favorite Lucio Fulci film. Totally gory and disturbing. Saw it at the Hutchinson Drive-In Theater (Hutchinson, Kansas) on a quadruple bill with The Howling, Wolfen, and something else I don't remember. According to the logic of this film, if a priest commits suicide in your local cemetery, you'd better be careful, because the dead are soon going to rise from their graves, making you do things like weep blood and puke entrails.

(13) Rosemary's Baby (1968). Classic. "This is no dream.... This is really happening."