CHILDREN OF THE CORN (1984) -childhood trauma

I do not like the 1984 film CHILDREN OF THE CORN. I rarely speak of this dislike because I don’t think there are many people out there that actually like it. I can’t at all understand how someone could like the film but for some unknowable reason someone must because they have made at least six sequels over the years. Six! How the hell does CHILDREN OF THE CORN rate six freakin’ sequels? Of course, my reaction and enduring hate of COTC may be tainted by the circumstances around my first viewing. This was the first movie I convinced friends to go see in the theater that turned out to stink. I had a great record up until COTC but this bomb erased all the goodwill I had built up over years of smart choices. I actually apologized to everyone afterward for choosing a crappy movie and ruining the evening. High school was hell.

Back when Stephen King was screaming bloody murder about how much he hated Kubrick’s version of THE SHINING I always thought he should have reserved his ire for crap like this. Kubrick made a good film that King disliked for not being his book but this thing just sucks out loud. King got the chance to make his own version of The Shining as a TV mini-series years later and proved that filming the book was a bad idea. A horror tale shouldn’t bore you to sleep, Mr. King. But in a few weeks there is going to be a TV remake of CHILDREN written by King. Since the original story was very short maybe the new version won’t be long and dull. We can hope. But I suspect that this is a story that should never have been filmed. Not all Stephen King is great and cinematically he is still more miss than hit.

Worlds Unknown in local comic book shop

This past weekend I was in a Nashville comic book store with a young friend. While he was looking over the used video games my eye fell on the comics just beneath the PS3 shelves and I spotted the cover of a 1973 Marvel comic called Worlds Unknown. I’m a fan of the comics of the 1970s as those are the books I grew up reading and I love revisiting those four color dramas of my youth as well as reading the ones I missed. Growing up in rural Tennessee and Alabama meant that I was never able to get every issue of any comic no matter how much I loved it or how hard I tried to make to the few places that sold the beloved things. Marvel comics of that era are especially fun for me and when I get the chance to look through boxes of cheap old comics it is invariably that company's output I gravitate toward. But I had never seen a single copy of this particular title. In the box before me there were six different issues and as I flipped through the bagged and boarded books I realized that the short lived series featured adaptations of classic science fiction short stories. I was interested but not over much until I saw the cover of issue number 3. HOLY CRAP!

This issue contains an adaptation of Harry Bates’ story ‘Farewell to the Master’ that has now been filmed twice by Hollywood as THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL. How had I never heard of this comic book version until now? A while back I read Bates tale and re-watched the 1951 film in preparation for the new version’s theatrical release. At the time I thought I had covered the subject as well as I could but I clearly missed this. Of course I grabbed the issue immediately and happily paid the $2.99 asking price to take it home. I’d love to tell you if it’s any good or if it’s a close adaptation of the short story but I still haven’t pulled it from its comic bag. I just keep staring at the cover in wonder. I even found a scan of the first page online instead of reading the book right in front of me.


I’ll read it soon – really I will. But right now I’m just enjoying the fact that I can still find things of this vintage that I have no knowledge of at all. In an odd way it makes me very happy.

Caroline Munro

I've had a crush on Caroline Munro since my first adolescent viewing of THE GOLDEN VOYAGE OF SINBAD. For reasons best left unspoken I was thinking of Miss Munro today and those thoughts brought a smile to my face. I got to meet (and hug) her a few years ago at a Monster Bash convention in Pittsburgh and she is still a lovely and charming lady. I need to go to more conventions in the future.

THE BATMAN directed by Mario Bava

From the wonderful Bat Blog comes this mock-up of a movie that sadly never existed or even had the chance to exist. I can only imagine the mad, colorful genius that would have saturated the screen. I'm just trying to picture Walken as Bruce Wayne.

TRICK 'R TREAT (2009) trailer

I'm getting very excited to to finally see this film when it comes out in a few weeks. Of course, I'll have to watch it on DVD because the geniuses at Warner Brothers can't figure out how to market a horror film set in October about Halloween. How damned stupid do you have to be to work in Warner's marketing department? IQ equivalent to pocket lint?

The Prisoner comes to Blu-Ray

As reported at TV Shows On DVD -

"This October, A&E Home Entertainment has partnered with the Network DVD to deliver the definitive version of this definitive cult classic with THE PRISONER BLU-RAY EDITION. Featuring a complete high definition restoration, sound re-mix and hours of stunning extras never before seen stateside, the Blu-Ray ($99.95 SRP), streeting just prior to the premiere of the highly anticipated reinterpretation of THE PRISONER (starring James Caviezel and Ian McKellen) on AMC, is certain to continue to mesmerize viewing audiences and build on its place as one of television's most dramatic achievements."

I'm not sure how 'anticipated' the remake of this classic show really is but if that production caused this to happen it has served its purpose for me. No way I'll pay $100 but it'll go on my ever growing 'want' list.

Foreign Science Fiction Movie poster art

THE ANGRY RED PLANET (1960)

I have no idea if this amazing artwork was done specifically for the movie or was pulled from an old pulp magazine and recycled but it is a thing of beauty. Both of these pieces were painted by legendary Italian illustrator Sandro Symeon and you can see more of his work at this post on the excellent blog Pulp International. Vist the place- you'll be glad you did.

PHANTOM FROM SPACE (1953)

What an achingly great image for a film that really doesn't deserve it. Someone should craft a film worthy of this art. Wow!