NetFlix Streaming

One of the most amazing developments in the past couple of years for movie nuts has been the slowly expanding list of movies available to be legally streamed directly to your home screen over the internet. While Amazon and other services have offered this convenience NetFlix has been the leader in this bold new world. Recently they jumped ahead of everyone else by virtue of a series of deals in which they have gotten access to a huge number of films that are not yet available on DVD in any form. This is very exciting for me primarily because of my interest in the stranger side of the world of cinema. Happily there are dozens of extraordinary and obscure movies that can now see at the click of a button that have been difficult or impossible to find for decades. My first discovery was a few weeks ago when I came across the horrendous CAPE CANAVERAL MONSTERS. It is a terrible movie but I am thrilled to have been able to see it, if for no other reason than to bemoan its soul crushing dullness. Luckily not all the Streaming films on offer are as bad- although some are close. I also caught up with the film CONTAMINATION .7 (a.k.a. THE CRAWLERS) which is one of the most god-awful things you will ever see. Made by the same folks that brought you the now legendary alternative classic TROLL 2 this film features a similar mix of the terrible and the miserably bad. It is indeed so bad it must be seen by fans of Bad Cinema. If I were teaching a course on the worst films ever made CONTAMINATION .7 would be featured as part of the required viewing.

I am of two minds about these being presented for streaming instead of as DVDs or even Burn On Demand DVD-Rs. I realize that most of these would just never be released for fear of losing money on such unknown and generally hard to sell titles so this at least gets them out there to be seen. But I would like the option of getting them on a disc to be able to make them part of my collection and to be able to loan them to unsuspecting friends. Who knows- that may be the next step in this fascinating and evolving world of movie access.

A couple of online buddies have compiled a list of some of the obscure Cult movies available through NetFlix and I’ll reproduce their work below. We live in interesting times.

Devil's Angels (WS)
Cult of the Damned [Angel, Angel, Down We Go] (WS)
Angels from Hell (WS)
Invasion of the Star Creatures (82-min UNCUT theatrical version)
Queen of Blood (Gorgeous color/WS print)
Diary of a High School Bride
Burn, Witch, Burn (WS)
Curse of the Crimson Altar [The Crimson Cult] (WS)
Blood and Lace (WS)
Dr. Goldfoot and the Girl Bombs (WS)
The Hard Ride (WS)
High School Hellcats (OM)
Born Wild [The Young Animals] (WS)
Beyond the Time Barrier (some motion artifacting noticeable)
Blood Bath (60-min theatrical version, some motion artifacting)
Sugar Hill (WS)
Master of the World (WS)
It's a Bikini World (WS)
The Glory Stompers (WS)
Maryjane (WS)
Hot Rod Gang (OM)
The Amazing Transparent Man
The Fast and the Furious (OM)
The Incredible Melting Man (WS)
The Cape Canaveral Monsters (OM)
The Man without a Body
The Girls on the Beach (OM)
The Swinger (OM)
Beach Ball
Juvenile Jungle (FF)
Strange Awakening [Female Fiends]
For Those Who Think Young (WS)
The Delinquents (WS)
Young and Dangerous (FF)
The Black Sleep (OM)
Gog (Beautiful COLOR print)
The Explosive Generation
The Party Crashers
The Maze
The Hot Angel
Cry Tough
Edge of Fury (1958)
Return of the Ape Man
Young and Wild (FF)
The Manster (Official MGM/UA edition, crisp and clean but missing final "tag" scene as seen on TCM prints, dammit)
Dr. Terror's House of Horrors (full frame, looks to be the same transfer used for OOP VHS)
Pussycat, Pussycat, I Love You
Ski Party
Five Golden Dragons
Maroc 7
Black Belt Jones
Revolution
Danger Route
Money Talks
Act of Vengeance (aka Rape Squad)
Alakazam the Great
Black Sabbath (AIP version with English dub and stories in different order)
Bobbie Jo and the Outlaw
The Day the Earth Froze
The Devil Within Her (aka I Don't Want to Be Born)
Diary of a Bachelor
The Evictors
Fearless Frank
The Great Scout and Cathouse Thursday
The Magic Voyage of Sinbad
Tam Lin (aka The Devil's Widow)
Android
Are You in the House Alone?
The Awakening
Beauty and the Beast (1962--Edward L. Cahn)
Blood and Roses
The Catman of Paris
Creature with the Blue Hand
Cul-de-Sac
Demented
Face of Marble
Full Moon High
Hands of the Ripper
Hey, Let's Twist
House of Shadows
The Initiation of Sarah
Intruder
Jaws of Satan
The Living Ghost
The Man Without a Body
The Monitors
Monster Dog
Mr. Rock and Roll
Mystery of the 13th Guest
The Neanderthal Man
New Year's Evil
Open House
The Search for Bridey Murphy
The Space Children
The Spirit is Willing
Tales that Witness Madness
Twins of Evil
The Video Dead

American Raspberry (A "sketch" comedy film (ala Kentucky Fried Movie, Groove Tube) starring Kinky Friedman, George Furth & Harry Shearer.)

Joe Dancer: The Monkey Mission - Starring Robert Blake and John Fiedler

Cracking Up (Another "Sketch" film featuring the comedy troupes the Credibility Gap and Ace Trucking Company. Also features a soundtrack by The Tubes early on in their career (vocalist Fee Waybill also does a cameo)Also starring Michael Mislove, Fred Willard, Harry Shearer, Michael McKean, David L. Lander)

TerrorVision - Starring Mary Woronov & Chad AllenNational Lampoon: Lemmings(National Lampoon: Lemmings: Dead in Concert 1973. Satire of Woodstock starring pre-SNL Chevy Chase, Christopher Guest and John Belushi (John even plays bass guitar during a song!)

Gunn - An Italian (?) print from director Blake Edwards, the big-screen adaptation of the classic television show about PI Peter Gunn (Craig Stevens)

Don't Worry, We'll Think of a Title- Starring Morey Amsterdam,Rose Marie & Richard Deacon

Harry in Your Pocket - James Coburn teaches a couple of young pickpockets. Produced by Bruce Geller who created Mission: Impossible and a FANTASTIC soundtrack from Lalo Schifrin!

Mad Ron's Prevues from Hell - Great horror movie trailers!

The Bed Sitting Room- VERY surreal post-apocalyptic comedy starring Spike Milligan, Peter Cook & Dudley Moore

Census Taker - Dark Comedy starring SNL's Garret Morris & soundtrack by The Residents