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Showing posts with label Dawn of the Dead. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Dawn of the Dead. Show all posts

Sunday, June 7, 2026

Our favorite films: Doug Gibson, Rob Craig and Steve D. Stones



Hi Cult Film Fans! We at Plan9Crunch are nerding out a little as summer gets into swing. This week we'll be at Monster Bash, by the way. Anyway, myself, Doug Gibson, acclaimed cult films author Rob Craig, and artist and co-blogger, Steve D. Stones, have named our all-time favorite films, for now. Read on and see how many films you agree should be on the list. And check out the films you've never seen. Believe it or not these films are accessible!


DOUG GIBSON’S FAVORITE FILMS

 

My favorite 3

Night of the Hunter (1950s)

Dracula (1930s)

The Black Cat (1930s)

--

Silent

The Cabinet of Dr Caligari

Nosferatu 

Haxan

The Golem

Three's a Crowd (Harry Langdon)

The General ( Keaton)

The 1930s

The Bride of Frankenstein 

The Old Dark House 

The Dark Horse (Guy Kibbee)

Mr. Smith Goes to Washington 

You Can't Take It With You

Peach O'Reno (Wheeler and Woolsey)

Duck Soup

The Raven 

1940s

Devil Bat

The Corpse Vanishes

Detour

The Grapes of Wrath 

Stranger of the Swamp

Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein 

The Time of Their Lives

1950s

Plan 9 From Outer Space

Bride of the Monster 

Night of the Ghouls

Shane

 

1960s

Wait Until Dark

The Haunting

Spider Baby

The Human Duplicators

The Sadist

The Thrill Killers

Support Your Local Sheriff

Night of the Living Dead 

1970s

Fat City

Rocky

The Godfather Part 2

Torture Dungeon

Halloween 

Dog Day Afternoon 

Meatballs 

The Outlaw Josey Wales

The Legend of Hell House 

1980s

Tootsie 

Planes Trains and Automobiles 

Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade

Crocodile Dundee

They Live

1990s

Can't think of a great film

2000 on

Return of the King

The Others

Sinners

The Grand Budapest Hotel

Mr. Jones

Nosferatu

 


 

ROB CRAIG’S FAVORITE FILMS

 

Top “50” Horror/Sci-Fi Movies 1953-1984

The Angry Red Planet (1960)

The Asphyx (1972)

The Astounding She Monster (1958)

The Atomic Brain (1964)

Attack of the Mushroom People (1965)

The Baby (1973)

Bloodthirsty Butchers (1970)

The Brain that Wouldn't Die (1962)

Brides of Blood (1968)

The Brood (1979)

A Candle for the Devil (1973)

Carnival of Souls (1962)

The Children (1980)

Creation of the Humanoids (1962)

The Crawling Eye (1958)

The Creeping Terror (1964)

The Cremators (1972)

Day the World Ended (1956)

Death Race 2000 (1975)

Demon Witch Child (1974)

Destroy All Monsters (1970)

Dungeon of Harrow (ca 1964)

Evil Brain From Outer Space (1965)

Eyeball (1975)

Face of the Screaming Werewolf (1965)

Fantastic Planet (1973)

First Spaceship on Venus (1962)

Frozen Scream (1975)

Godzilla vs the Smog Monster (1972)

The Ghastly Ones (1968)

Halloween III: Season of the Witch (1982)

The Horror of Party Beach (1964)

Horror of the Blood Monsters (1970)

The Human Duplicators (1964)

The Incredible 2-Headed Transplant (1971)

Invasion of the Blood Farmers (1972)

It Conquered The World (1956)

“It's Alive!” (1969)

Journey to the Center of Time (1967)

Killers from Space (1954)

The Killer Shrews (1959)

The Lathe of Heaven (1980)

The Little Shop of Horrors (1961)

The Lost Continent (1968)

Manos, the Hands of Fate (1966)

The Manster (1962)

The Man With Two Heads (1972)

Mars Needs Women (1967)

Monster Zero (1970)

The Mutations (1973)

Night of the Bloody Apes (1974)

Night of the Ghouls (ca 1960)

Night of the Living Dead (1968)

1984 (1984)

Not of This Earth (1957)

Parts: The Clonus Horror (1979)

Phase IV (1974)

Pieces (1982)

Plan Nine from Outer Space (1959)

Planet of the Vampires (1965)

The Pyx (1973)

Robot Monster (1953)

Shriek of the Mutilated (1974)

The Terror (1963)

Terror From the Year 5000 (1958)

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974)

Torture Dungeon (1970)

The Undead (1957)

Vampire's Night Orgy (1975)

Videodrome (1983)

Voyage the the Planet of Prehistoric Women (1967)

Warning From Space (1964)

War of the Gargantuas (1970)

When Dinosaurs Ruled the Earth (1970)

The Wild World of Batwoman (1966)

The Wizard of Mars (1965)

Womaneater (1960)

Z.P.G.: Zero Population Growth (1971)

 


STEVE D. STONES’ FAVORITE FILMS

 

1). The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1919). 2). Dawn of The Dead (1978). 3). Carnival of Souls (1962). 4). Things To Come (1936). 5). The Crawling Eye (aka The Trollenberg Terror) (1958). 6). The Beast of Yucca Flats (1961). 7). Plan 9 From Outer Space (1958). 8). Torture Dungeon (1970). 9). Star Wars - Episode IV - A New Hope (1977). 10). Nosferatu (1922). 11). Killers From Space (1954). 12). Night of The Living Dead (1968). 13). Faster Pussycat, Kill, Kill (1965). 14). A Bucket of Blood (1959). 15). Black Sunday (1960). 16. Rubin & Ed (1991). 17). Creepshow (1982). 18). Forbidden Planet (1956). 19). The Day The Earth Stood Still (1951). 20). The Thing (From Another World) 1951. 21). Godzilla vs. Megalon (1974). 22). Raiders of The Lost Ark (1981). 23). Die Hard (1988). 24). Predator (1987). 25). Dracula (1931). 26). Two Thousand Maniacs (1964). 27). The Phantom of The Opera (1925). 28). For A Few Dollars More (1967) 29). Pink Flamingos (1972). 30). Multiple Maniacs (1970). 31). Once Upon A Time In The West (1968). 32). Jaws (1975). 33). Dirty Harry (1971). 34). Children Shouldn't Play With Dead Things (1972). 35). The Screaming Skull (1958). 36). Jackie Brown (1997). 37). Hellraiser (1987). 38). Time Bandits (1981). 39). Blade Runner (1981). 40). The Hideous Sun Demon (1959). 41). Curse of The Swamp Creature (1968). 42). The Corpse Grinders (1972). 43). Where Eagles Dare (1968). 44). Shock Waves (1977). 45). The Road Warrior (1981). 46). Murder Mansion (1972). 47). Suspira (1977). 48). Star Wars - Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980). 49). The Good, The Bad & The Ugly (1968). 50). Quatermass II: Enemy From Space (1956).   

Tuesday, August 1, 2017

The Legacy of George A. Romero (1940 - 2017)


By Steve D. Stones

In honor of the legacy of director George A. Romero, here are five of my most favorite Romero films. Romero's impact on the horror film industry cannot be objectively measured or overstated. Romero was a true maverick loved by those who worked with him. He will be greatly missed.
  1. Night of The Living Dead (1968). Here is the zombie horror movie that lays the foundation for every zombie movie that follows. A young woman named Barbara is attacked in a Pennsylvania cemetery by a zombie. She finds her way to a small farm house occupied by five other people hiding in the basement. News footage seen on a television gives the film a realistic, documentary feel that continually puts the viewer on the edge of his seat. The occupants of the farmhouse fight for their lives to stay alive. Our hero is an African-American man, Duane Jones, who does not triumph in the end, but makes a strong political statement on the coat tails of Martin Luther King Jr. and the race riots of the 1960s. Remade in 1990.
  2. The Crazies (1973). Romero continues on with a post-apocalyptic theme seen in Night of The Living Dead, and will continue even further in Dawn of The Dead. Like Night of The Living Dead, this film also has a realistic, documentary feel that leaves the viewer nervous and tense. It shows how our trusted institutions, such as law enforcement, news media and military, can be torn apart in the event of a tragedy. No one is to be trusted or can be turned to in the event of a disaster. A cynical view, but one which permeated American culture in the mid-1970s after President Nixon's resignation. A film which coincides well with the Watergate Era. Also known as Code Name: Trixie. Remade in 2010.
  3. Martin (1978). This creative film is an interesting take on the vampire myth. Martin is a peculiar young man who has a taste for blood – literally and figuratively. There's just one problem. Martin does not have fangs like a vampire, nor does he sleep in coffins during the day or avoid sunlight. All the established vampire iconography is stripped away in this film. Martin even has to use razor blades to get blood from his victims. Romero has often mentioned Martin as his best film. Many film critics agree.
  4. Dawn of The Dead (1979). Occurring just a few years after Night of The Living Dead, this film is a direct commentary on the consumer culture of the American lifestyle. Even in death, American zombies have the mind dulling sense to flock to a shopping mall to consume more stuff they cannot afford. The zombie becomes a parody and cartoon character, adding to Romero's critique of consumer culture. The irony here is that the living want it all too, but eventually end up dead because of their greed. We are all mindless zombies who want to consume more and more, in the eyes of Romero's Dawn of The Dead. Remade in 2004.
  5. Creepshow (1982). An anthology of five short stories in comic book fashion, Romero teamed up with horror writer Stephen King for this installment. The first story, Father's Day, is my favorite of the five. Here, a deceased father exhibits his patriarchal power over his daughter, even from the grave. He crawls his way out of the grave to complain about not getting a Father's Day cake. Actor Ed Harris gets smothered with his tombstone after falling into the grave. The father finishes the day by serving up his daughter's head on a platter. Who could ask for a better Father's Day?

May you rest in peace – George A. Romero, knowing that your zombies have made a profound impact on cinema and the horror genre. We love you George.

Monday, July 21, 2008

Dawn of the Dead and those zombie imitations

Dawn of the Dead and those zombie imitations
By Steve D. Stones
In 1978 George A. Romero teamed up with legendary Italian filmmaker Dario Argento to create a horror masterpiece – Dawn of The Dead. The film was hugely successful, particularly in Europe. It was released in that continent under the title: Zombie: Dawn of The Dead. Immediate rip-offs were soon to follow. To cash in on the success of the film, another Italian filmmaker, Lucio Fulci, quickly made a film entitled Zombie 2: The Dead Are Among Us. Some critics have suggested that this film is superior to Romero’s Dawn of The Dead but I strongly disagree, even though I’m a fan of both films. After all, Romero created the genre, and is a master at using the zombie as a critique of contemporary society. His zombies in Dawn of The Dead reflect just how mindless we are as consumers of “stuff.” Even when we’re dead, we have a desire to want to go to the shopping mall. The shopping mall comforts us, and makes us feel safe and secure as consumers. The living understand the security of the shopping mall too. That is why they choose to make the mall their sanctuary in Dawn of The Dead. In 2004 Zack Snyder made a remake-homage to Romero’s Dawn of The Dead. In this film we see that the zombie is no longer a clumsy, slow walking corpse. Here the zombies are more athletic and can run quickly to catch up to their living victims in no time. Although I enjoyed this film and felt it was well made, there is something more appealing and frightening to me about the slow-moving, clumsy zombie used in Romero’s films. No matter where you run to or hide, the slow-moving zombie eventually catches up to you. This is extremely frightening to me. Snyder’s zombies catch you immediately. There is no fun or fright in this approach to the zombie. Romero’s zombies are playful and a farce of just how mindless and clumsy even living human beings can be. Snyder’s zombies are vicious, mean and downright barbaric. Romero even shows a gentle, softer side of the zombie in his version Dawn of The Dead. In one particular scene the character Francine, played by Gaylen Ross, is looking through the glass of a department store while loading her pistol. A zombie in a baseball uniform looks through the glass on the opposite side as if he is trying to communicate something to her. He doesn’t rush the glass in attack mode as if he wants to eat her. This is a very powerful, touching scene that shows a kinder, softer side to the zombie. As mindless as they may be, the zombies can also have emotions and a desire to want to communicate to the living. This is something lacking in the Snyder film. Another appealing aspect to the Romero film is the strange music score by Italian pop-rock group Goblin. The music of Goblin was also featured in a 1977 Dario Argento film, Suspiria, which is considered Argento’s horror masterpiece. The music of Goblin was featured once again in a terrible 1983 zombie film: Night of The Zombies, which is an obvious rip-off of Romero’s Dawn of The Dead. Night of The Zombies was written by Italian filmmaker Claudio Fragasso, who also served as assistant director. Fragasso has gained a bizarre cult following in recent years for his “best-worst” film, Troll II.