Bloodtype Online
For the best of the Horror/Cult/Exploitation film experience
Volume Two
So, last time I talked about my 'foundation' movies. This time I'm going back a little before that to talk about made for TV movies. There are a few I remember, and several I don't. Some were good, some...not so good. Here are a few that I've picked up recently:
The Legend of Lizzie Borden
I remember this when it came on, but I don't think I could hang with it. It's more of a character driven flick, with all the action coming on in the last 10 minutes or so. That's not to say it's a bad movie. It stars Elizabeth Montgomery of Bewitched fame. She portrays the legendary Lizzie Borden, who we all know took an axe and gave her mother 40 whacks. And of course when she saw what she had done...gave her father more of the same.
The movie starts out just after the murders and we get to see in flashbacks what happened, throughout the movie. It's a slow ride at times, but never reaches boring. There are no standout performances.
There were a couple funny lines: 1. as Lizzie is being interviewed in jail, the reporter tells her that she's "difficult to penetrate" & 2. the prosecuting attorney is told "it's not too late to pull out". Funny in that I have a Beavis & Butthead mentality.
There's a European cut of the movie, which I also have (but have not seen) that supposedly shows brief nudity. There easily could be as in the final flashback sequence we see Lizzie strip bare before killing her folks. Also, I stripped myself naked at this point in the movie in case some girl-girl broke out. Replace "This is the countdown to extinction" Megadeth style with "This is the legend of Lizzie Borden" and you've got yerself a winner.
Doberman Patrol a.k.a. Trapped
I remember when I was just a youngin' my friends and I thought that Dobermans were the pimps of the dog world. This was in the days before Pit Bulls were invented. The Dobermans in this flick will back up my thought.
James Brolin, who some of you may know as Mr. Barbara Streisand or Josh's father or even still Marcus Welby,
M.D.'s sidekick....what was his name....Kiley. Anyway, Jim-bo plays Charles (Chuck) Brenner, former football player, loving father & ex-husband to Elaine (Susan Clark). Our movie opens as Chuck, Elaine & little Carrie, Chuck & Elaine’s daughter, are doing a little shopping at Noonan's Dept. Store. Chuck's purchasing a doll for Carrie when Elaine springs the news on him that she and her new man, fiercely played by Earl Holliman, are moving to Mexico City.
What a kick in the nut sack to Chuck! We find out that the doll Carrie wants is not in stock, but the attractive Miss Havermeyer (shameless solicitor for Employee of the Month votes), will have one shipped via motorcycle to the store in no time. Elaine refuses to wait, as she has a plane to catch. Chuck insists they go and he'll meet them before their plane departs.
This is not the case. The doll arrives and Chuck pays with a *gasp* 50 dollar bill. Ms. Havermeyer explains that she'll have to get change and in the meantime, Chuck rolls out to use the head. Once inside, he falls prey to a couple of ne'r do-wells, who render him unconscious & roll him. He wakes up to find the store closed and protected by none other than the blood-thirsty Dobermans! Oh and a couple of German Shepard’s (who actually do more damage to the Chuckster, than the Dobermans). Can he survive the night?
As I mentioned before, Holliman steals the show with all his fancy acting skills. Some people may know him as Pepper Anderson's (Angie Dickinson,
Police Woman) Lt. Susan Clark went on to star in the television super-series, Webster.
Bad Ronald
Ronald Wilby lives alone with his mother. He's a bit of an artist and very regimented about his diet & exercise. He's not really bad except for this one instance, then- BAM! Bad for the rest of the movie. Up until that point, though, I got the impression that Ronald was more of a geek, I guess. Possibly a nerd. Whatever kind of dweeb he was, he was one the other kids made fun of.
One day on the way home from a particularly embarrassing encounter, he crashes into pre-teen Carol, who mercilessly mocks him. Then she starts in on Ronny's mom and as we all know, there's only one way to deal with that...slam her head again a cinder block, killing her instantly, then burying her in a shallow grave where she'll surely be found.
Ronald goes home, confesses the whole ordeal to dear, old, sickly mom who wastes no time freaking out. Once she gets her bearing, she orders Ron to build a hidden room in the downstairs bathroom, which is surrounded by the kitchen & pantry. The pantry will contain the door, in which meals will be delivered. This is to be Ron's hideaway, 'til the heat dies down.
After a couple months, mom informs Ronald that she needs to have a surgery and she should be back in a week. He is not to leave the room, which he does anyway. Things go downhill for our boy after that. Mom kicks the bucket and a family buys the house, leaving Ronald to his room. But, hey it's not so bad, because the family has 3 lovely daughters & Ronald becomes fixated on the youngest.
This is one of the creepier ABC movies of the week, so do yourself a favor and check it out.
