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Your ideal midnight movies


Rutlefan
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So, if you're old like me, you go back to high school in the days before VCRs/DVDs when the only way to see a movie no longer in its theater run was to hope you caught it the one time every five years as it was shown on tv, or go see it as a Midnight Movie. Problem with midnight movies as they tended to be the same ones over and over -- The Song Remains the Same, M. Python and the Holy Grail, Rocky Horror, etc etc. Sometimes they'd mix in cool horror movies like Carpenter's The Thing, Dawn of the Dead, or The Evil Dead, but most the time it seemed to some curious cult film that you might or might not like.

 

So if you're stuck in high school again, and got to pick the midnight movies for ten (or five, or twelve, whatever) weeks running, and this was the only way you got to see these movies (VHS/DVD never invented), what would be your picks? Mine:

 

The Thing (Carpenter's) -- watching mutating alien heads sprouting spider legs and spraying stuff all over is about the best way to spend a Friday night when you're drunk, in high school, and don't have a girl friend.

 

Predator -- He (Arnold) was paid to lead, not to read! (Simpsons movie reference there)

 

Terminator -- the scene at the end, with the fleshless Terminator coming after Sarah Connor, reminded me of Sinbad being attacked by skeletons, which scared the hell out of me as a kid

 

Aliens -- Staying with Wunderkind Cameron, I'm much more a fan of the original, but if I want to whoop it up with buddies I'll go with Marines vs Aliens

 

Deliverance -- Burt Reynolds was the man at one time. Throw in Jon Voight, a killer plot with romantic hillbillies and you've got a huge winner.

 

(Rambo) First Blood. Give Sly credit, he can write a script and carry a movie.

 

Southern Comfort -- similar film to First Blood, directed by the same guy (Walter Hill) who directed The Warriors. Very overlooked film.

 

The Fly (Cronenberg's) -- maybe too thoughtful for a midnight movie, but I'm ok with that.

 

Dawn of the Dead -- maybe the all-time most perfect midnight movie. RIP George

 

The Evil Dead (1981). As star is born, as in Bruce

 

Star Wars -- Because you can never see the original too many times on the big screen, and I'm not even a Stars Wars geek by a long shot. Has to be the pre-CGI version though.

Edited by Rutlefan
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We never had Midnight Movies although we did have a local drive-in that showed dusk-to-dawn features a couple times a month.

Usually they included a mildly popular film, an action flick/monster movie, and a couple of the "Ilsa She-Wolf of the SS" movies.

 

http://girlswithguns.org/wp-content/uploads/2003/01/harem-400x567.jpg

 

I saw Star Wars there at least once. It was pretty cool to see that at the drive-in - the IMAX of its time! (BIG SCREEN)

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Hah,I actually saw Ilsa She-Wolf of the SS at the drive-in. Don't remember much about it except that my adolescent male self wished I could have been a POW in an SS camp. Similar to how I wished I could have been the prisoner of Julie Newmar's Catwoman.
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Rutlefan, nice mention of Southern Comfort. I've talked about it a few times on here but no one seemed to bite. Good collection of actors & characters and mixed with Cajun violence in the bayous.

 

By the time I was 18 in 1990, the midnight movie thang had nearly run its course where I lived. But I remember my older bros going in the late 70s and early 80s. The only midnight movie flick I saw was Rocky Horror...which wasn't special to me like it was to others

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Rutlefan, nice mention of Southern Comfort. I've talked about it a few times on here but no one seemed to bite. Good collection of actors & characters and mixed with Cajun violence in the bayous.

 

By the time I was 18 in 1990, the midnight movie thang had nearly run its course where I lived. But I remember my older bros going in the late 70s and early 80s. The only midnight movie flick I saw was Rocky Horror...which wasn't special to me like it was to others

Just checked and I've seen Southern Comfort, rating it an 8. Been a long time since I've seen it but clearly I liked it. Director Walter Hill had a solid run at the start of his career into the 80s but I don't think he ever made a great film. 48 Hrs. is probably his most famous while The Warriors has a decent cult following. SC should be better known than it is.

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Some great movies that would make great viewing after midnight - pretty much the only time you could see 'em !!

 

 

- Pink Flamingos

 

- Two Thousand Maniacs

 

- Night Of The Living Dead - Carnival Of Souls - Last Man On Earth

 

- Suspiria

 

- Eraserhead

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The only one they had near us was Rocky Horror . . . I didn't mind it too much- Tim Curry gives a pretty good performance in that movie, it just loses steam by the end. After I was in college there was another one and it would always show the very first Friday the 13th- it's pretty frightening! (I've never seen any of the others.)

 

I would love to see Carpenter's The Thing and Star Wars as midnight movies!

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The only one they had near us was Rocky Horror . . . I didn't mind it too much- Tim Curry gives a pretty good performance in that movie, it just loses steam by the end. After I was in college there was another one and it would always show the very first Friday the 13th- it's pretty frightening! (I've never seen any of the others.)

 

I would love to see Carpenter's The Thing and Star Wars as midnight movies!

 

You need Return of the Living Dead and Carpenter's The Thing. I hope to hear praises about both movies from you in the near future.

 

:yes:

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Some great movies that would make great viewing after midnight - pretty much the only time you could see 'em !!

 

 

- Pink Flamingos

 

- Two Thousand Maniacs

 

- Night Of The Living Dead - Carnival Of Souls - Last Man On Earth

 

- Suspiria

 

- Eraserhead

 

And these are some of the "curious cult movies" I was thinking of! :D But I like all these (never seen Suspira but it's on my short list).

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^ Re The Hunger, though I never was into the Goth scene one bit I loved Bauhaus back in the day (still love Tones on Tail). The opening scene with Peter Murphy singing Bela Lugosi's Dead is one of the coolest you'll see. Great movie. Bowie was a natural.
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^ Re The Hunger, though I never was into the Goth scene one bit I loved Bauhaus back in the day (still love Tones on Tail). The opening scene with Peter Murphy singing Bela Lugosi's Dead is one of the coolest you'll see. Great movie. Bowie was a natural.

 

I agree. First time I'd heard that song was when first saw the movie years ago. I went out and bought their album right then. And it's really a cool scene.

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Some great movies that would make great viewing after midnight - pretty much the only time you could see 'em !!

 

 

- Pink Flamingos

 

- Two Thousand Maniacs

 

- Night Of The Living Dead - Carnival Of Souls - Last Man On Earth

 

- Suspiria

 

- Eraserhead

 

And these are some of the "curious cult movies" I was thinking of! :D But I like all these (never seen Suspira but it's on my short list).

 

IMHO, Suspiria is in its own league .. ever since I was a kid and would read Fangoria magazine ( the only outlet that ever gave any info on it ) Suspiria has had this mystique surrounding it .. I'm not sure how many theaters it played in back in 1977, but I certainly don't remember it being successful, and it took forever for it to be released on video .. Even with all the mystery and hype, when I first saw it, I was blown away with it's color, pacing and music ..

 

I know a lot of people who don't think it is very good, but I feel it absolutely deserves the fanatical following it has achieved

Edited by Lucas
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So many good times going to see the mid-night showing of The Rocky Horror Picture Show...The Time Warp, audience participation ("A TOAST!!"), elbow sex...*sigh* so much fun. I still know every word of that soundtrack. :heart:

 

curry1624rockyhorror_1_X.jpg

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So many good times going to see the mid-night showing of The Rocky Horror Picture Show...The Time Warp, audience participation ("A TOAST!!"), elbow sex...*sigh* so much fun. I still know every word of that soundtrack. :heart:

 

curry1624rockyhorror_1_X.jpg

:goodone:
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warriors2.jpg.4a5042d4a46987f4c47362327f6bc3f3.jpg

 

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-teWaUOJEyPs/U_odpM5IEDI/AAAAAAAAKMg/aGTaKwHhY-s/s1600/The%2BTexas%2BChainsaw%2BMassacre%2BLeatherface.jpg

 

kiss-phantom-cap.jpg

 

http://cdn2us.denofgeek.com/sites/denofgeekus/files/styles/main_wide/public/rock-n-roll-high-school.jpg?itok=Z-nofOEd

Edited by Lucas
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The Warriors

 

Escape From New York

 

Blade Runner

 

Day Of The Dead

 

The Fog

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