The NEW Improved I'm So Excited Thread!!

[AcidDragon]

Great titles! Hard-Boiled. One of the greatest action movies I've ever seen.

[secondwhiteline]

Time to get excited again, people! I just went to HUDSON HORROR SHOW XI, and here's the rundown. As always, all films were presented in their original 35mm prints, and there were giveaways, vendors, and trailer reels.

The first film was a mystery movie, so I'll have to leave you in the dark. However, it's a horror/action flick with a female director and tremendous cast, one of my favorite 80s horror flicks.

Finish this sentence before you judge me, because the second film was one of the gayest in horror history, the thinly-veiled coming out metaphor, A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy's Revenge! HHS hasn't done the first Nightmare yet, but it's pretty safe to screen this black sheep installment out of order. Directed by Jack Sholder (a favorite of mine for The Hidden and Alone in the Dark, two amazing and sadly overlooked 80s flicks), Nightmare 2 is a truly insane haunted house/possession story where Freddy Krueger kindly teaches a young man to accept his own sexuality. Or tries to possess him to return to the real world, if you want to pretend to only see the surface plot. This one was a crowd-pleaser for its ridiculousness, earnestness, flamboyance, and a wonderfully deadpan performance by Return of the Living Dead's Clu Gulager as the hero's dad. How we never got Gulager and Leslie Nielsen in a deadpan battle is beyond me.



The third film was the dark, difficult rape-revenge saga, Ms. 45! An exclamation point seems woefully inappropriate there. Miles above similar, I Spit on Your Grave-style films, Abel Ferrera managed to craft an interesting, angry film about control, helplessness, inequality, and the desperation of urban life. It's interesting in light of recent talk about catcalling and public harassment of women to see a 34-year old film begin by making those same points, and to an exploitation audience, no less. It's a troubling film, featuring a mute heroine and shot in an unblinking and often purposely flat style. Not a fun one, but I always end up thinking a lot about it.



The fourth film was one of my favorite slasher films, 1982's Madman! Somewhat overlooked thanks to its late appearance in the first wave of slashers, it's started to receive more attention for its eerie ambiance, campfire tale structure, and unforgettably awesome killer, Madman Marz. Incredible fun, and not only was Vinegar Syndrome on hand with copies of its stunning, recent Blu-Ray release, but producer Gary Sales, and stars Tom Candela, Michael Sullivan, and the Madman himself, Paul Ehlers, were there for autographs and a post-film Q&A! I got my Blu-Ray signed by all four, and I'll have a pic of it up when I get a chance to take one.



The fifth film was one of my biggest cinema dreams, my first favorite film, one of the greatest films of all time...JAWS. I don't need to say more about this one, do I? It's both the greatest film ever made about personal responsibility and giant sharks. I only wish my Funko figures would get here soon.