• About
  • podcasts
  • Shop

Surgeons of Horror

~ Dissecting horror films

Surgeons of Horror

Tag Archives: Linda Blair

Retrospective: Hell Night (1981)

28 Saturday Aug 2021

Posted by surgeons of horror in retrospective

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

hell night, Linda Blair, slasher film

Despite being released in arguably the biggest year in horror, Hell Night is one of those forgettable films that could easily be buried in the midst of the other dark genre movies of the time had it not boasted The Exorcist’s Linda Blair as its scream queen heroine.

The concept is a fairly simple one, casting four college students who have been drawn the short straw to spend the night in the local mansion, which previously housed the murder/suicide of a man named Raymond Garth, along with his wife and deformed children. Local legend talks of a fourth son, Andrew, who may have survived the ordeal and lurks within the mansion walls.
So why stay there at all? Apart from to spark life into the film’s narrative that is. For the four students, it’s to win the right to initiate their pledge into Alpha Sigma Rho.

The four students consist of Marti (Blair), a smart, yet poor girl; Jeff (Peter Barton), a boy of wealthy upbringing; Seth (Vincent Van Patten), a stoner/surfer; and Suki (Denise Dunsmore), the licentious and adventurous member of the group.

There are numerous scares that have been set up by the existing house members, to try and liven up their doomed night and scare them away, but this has a negative impact of ‘the boy who cried wolf’ proportions when the murders begin and the body count begins to rise.

Hell Night had enough ingredients to make this work, and with a strong production team behind it which included Chuck Russell (A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors) and Frank Darabont (The Mist), but ultimately it struggles to lift itself out of a mediocre plotline, that is essentially a haunted house, boogeyman set up. It has since picked up a cult following which I find a little baffling, but each to their own. Unfortunately Blair also delivers a pretty shoddy performance that garnered her a Razzie nomination for Worst Actress that year.

  • Saul Muerte

Podcast: The Exorcist (1973)

29 Tuesday Nov 2016

Posted by surgeons of horror in The Exorcist

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

classic horror, Horror film, Horror movies, Linda Blair, Max Von Sidow, podcast, The Exorcist, William Friedkin, William Peter Blatty

The-Exorcist.jpg
OFTEN VOTED best Horror film on some fan bases, The Exorcist has become a fixed entry in the genre and yet it’s makers and stars would taut the movie as a theological thriller, not a horror as it is perceived.

So why is it classified as such?

It’s certainly a film that resonates after viewing and stands firm today in part due to its strong direction and performances to match.

Along with it comes a crew that were dedicated to capturing a believable scenario, in the days when CGI wasn’t around as a device.

Hard to imagine these days, when it has become so intrinsic to the art form.

There are images that have inspired.

There are lines that are all too readily quoted by those swain by the material.

There were talks of a curse that had fallen upon those involved in the making.

And there have been numerous conversations on the lengths that director, William Friedkin would push his performers in order to achieve the results he desired.

All of which have kept The Exorcist in the limelight.

So how does it fair under closer scrutiny?

Check out The Surgeons of Horror podcast below as we take it under the knife and dissect the movie.

https://surgeonsofhorrordotcom.files.wordpress.com/2016/11/soh-the-exorcist-franchise-the-exorcist.mp3

– Paul Farrell

Stranger In Our House aka Summer of Fear (1978)

31 Tuesday May 2016

Posted by surgeons of horror in Wes Craven

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

Horror film, Horror movie, Linda Blair, podcast, Stranger In Our House, Summer of Fear, Wes Craven

Summer-Of-Fear
STRANGER IN OUR HOUSE WOULD BE Wes Craven’s third film as director and his first outing into the television arena.

This would allow Craven to be exposed to a more professional crew and access to equipment that he hadn’t had the privilege to use before such as a dolly.
It would also be the first time that he shot anything on 35mm.

Craven would use this valuable experience to his advantage, soaking up as much knowledge that he could muster.

Part of that experience would be to work with more known actors, among them was Linda Blair, who had just come out of rehab.

Blair was struggling on the social scene and despite still working in the movie industry, Stranger In Our House would be the last TV movie that she would be involved with.

Blair’s performance in this movie wouldn’t exactly turn heads but she definitely holds her own as Rachel Bryant, an All-American-Girl with a love of riding horses and is dating the local stud, Brad.

Her wholesome life is turned upside down however, when her long lost cousin, Julia comes to stay with them after her parents were tragically killed in an automobile accident.

But Julia (played by Lee Purcell in a noteworthy performance) is not all she appears to be.
Over time, Julia turns the tables into her favour and appears to have all the men waiting on her hand and foot.

Who is this Julia really?

What spell does she hold over the men of the town?

Is witchcraft be involved?

Sure this film is a TV movie and certainly has that feel about it when viewing. The make up and visual effects border on B-Movie style, but some of that lends to its appeal.

It certainly isn’t one of Craven’s finest entries to is resume but it’s certainly watchable and the 35% rating on Rotten Tomatoes is a slightly tougher mark than this film probably deserves.

Check out the surgeons of horror podcast below for more thoughts and views.

https://player.whooshkaa.com/player/episode/id/98475?visual=true

Also available in iTunes.

– Paul Farrell

Subscribe

  • Entries (RSS)
  • Comments (RSS)

Archives

  • January 2023
  • November 2022
  • October 2022
  • September 2022
  • August 2022
  • July 2022
  • June 2022
  • April 2022
  • March 2022
  • February 2022
  • January 2022
  • December 2021
  • November 2021
  • October 2021
  • September 2021
  • August 2021
  • July 2021
  • June 2021
  • May 2021
  • April 2021
  • March 2021
  • February 2021
  • January 2021
  • December 2020
  • November 2020
  • October 2020
  • September 2020
  • August 2020
  • July 2020
  • June 2020
  • May 2020
  • April 2020
  • March 2020
  • February 2020
  • January 2020
  • December 2019
  • November 2019
  • October 2019
  • September 2019
  • July 2019
  • June 2019
  • May 2019
  • April 2019
  • March 2019
  • February 2019
  • January 2019
  • December 2018
  • November 2018
  • October 2018
  • September 2018
  • August 2018
  • July 2018
  • June 2018
  • May 2018
  • April 2018
  • March 2018
  • February 2018
  • January 2018
  • December 2017
  • November 2017
  • October 2017
  • September 2017
  • August 2017
  • July 2017
  • June 2017
  • May 2017
  • April 2017
  • March 2017
  • February 2017
  • January 2017
  • December 2016
  • November 2016
  • October 2016
  • September 2016
  • August 2016
  • July 2016
  • June 2016
  • May 2016

Categories

  • A Night of Horror Film Festival
  • Alien franchise
  • Alliance Francaise French Film Festival
  • Australian Horror
  • Best Movies and Shows
  • Competition
  • episode review
  • Flashback Fridays
  • Friday the 13th Franchise
  • Full Moon Sessions
  • Halloween franchise
  • In Memorium
  • Interview
  • japanese film festival
  • John Carpenter
  • killer pigs
  • midwest weirdfest
  • MidWest WierdFest
  • MonsterFest
  • movie of the week
  • Movie review
  • News article
  • podcast episode
  • press release
  • retrospective
  • Rialto Distribution
  • Ring Franchise
  • series review
  • Spanish horror
  • sydney film festival
  • Sydney Underground Film Festival
  • The Blair Witch Franchise
  • The Exorcist
  • The Howling franchise
  • Top 10 list
  • Trash Night Tuesdays on Tubi
  • umbrella entertainment
  • Uncategorized
  • Universal Horror
  • Wes Craven
  • wes craven's the scream years

Meta

  • Register
  • Log in

Blog at WordPress.com.

  • Follow Following
    • Surgeons of Horror
    • Join 181 other followers
    • Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
    • Surgeons of Horror
    • Customize
    • Follow Following
    • Sign up
    • Log in
    • Report this content
    • View site in Reader
    • Manage subscriptions
    • Collapse this bar
 

Loading Comments...