Shows such as Stranger Things have had us longing for the time of Day-Glo legwarmers, big bad hair, and no Internet. This trend has extended to movies, with plenty of titles being influenced from the decade of the video nasties and social unrest. We’re going to focus on four such films that you may have overlooked on their original release.
The Void (2016)
Directed by Jeremy Gillespie and Steven Kostanski, who are best known as members of the cult Canadian collective Astron-6. The pair co-directed such exploitation fare as Father’s Day (2011) and Kostanski was a member of the team when they made Manborg (2011). The Void is massively different to the work of the collective, lacking the gaudy fun element and playing it as straight as a die. The film is clearly influenced by the lore of H.P. Lovecraft and the visceral imagery of John Carpenter, particularly his terrifying eighties movies such as The Thing and Prince of Darkness. Fans of Clive Barker’s Hellraiser will also get a massive kick out of the blood-soaked finale.
Things are creepy from the very start as a state trooper comes across a young man, bloodied and dishevelled running from the woods. He takes him to the nearest hospital, which just happens to be closing down following a recent fire. His estranged wife is also the head nurse, which adds some more tension. It’s the least of his worries, though, as they soon become under siege from a group of robe-wearing strangers who have a black triangle on their hoods. Things get really bad when ghastly creatures appear to be taking over the bodies of the recently deceased.
Packed full of amazing physical special effects that were part-financed through an Indiegogo campaign, it’s a very satisfying film that flew under the radar of the mainstream when it was released, but is certainly worth checking out. Fans of Lucio Fulci will get a kick out of it as the story brings the characters into a basement that looks as though it’s come through from one of the seven gates of Hell. Cult favourite Art Hindle – best known for the original Black Christmas (1973) and David Cronenberg’s The Brood (1979), another film that The Void shares themes with – makes an all-too brief appearance, but the rest of the cast, particularly Aaron Poole (soon to be seen as legendary guitarist Mick Ronson in the David Bowie biopic Stardust), who plays the deputy who stumbles upon the nightmare situation.
Beyond the Gates (2016)
Following their father’s disappearance, two brothers attempt to clear out his shop. Amazingly, it’s a video shop filled with enough bounty to send VHS collectors into a frenzy. Amongst the stock they find in the locked office is a VCR game that they think might have been the last thing their father may have played on his machine. When they start to view it, an ominous host (played by everyone’s favourite Barbara Crampton) warns of what’s to come before the pair are bombarded by a seizure-inducing white noise. Settling down to play it opens up even more questions as the host says they must collect four keys to save their father’s soul. Obviously this surprises them but they continue to explore the game more.
The success of role playing games such as Dungeons & Dragons (played in movies such as E.T. the Extra-terrestrial and latterly in Stranger Things) and the success of the home video market meant that ‘interactive’ video games that incorporated both visuals and a regular board became more commonplace. The use of the device in Beyond the Gates give the film an atmosphere of days gone by. Hold tight, though, because despite the demure, almost family-friendly (apart from the bad language), first half, when the brothers begin to get into the game, things get very gruesome.
Genre regulars Graham Skipper (Bad Apples) and Chase Williamson (John Dies at the End) play the brothers – surname Hardesty, in a nod to Tobe Hooper’s unfortunate heroine in The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, and director Jackson Stewart interned with Stuart Gordon (Re-Animator), and his influence is seen in some of the later scenes. The interior of the video store the brothers are attempting to clear out is actually Eddie Brandt’s Saturday Matinee, a famous real-life store in North Hollywood that is still running to this day, which as well as selling and renting films is host to two tons worth of old movie production stills. These alone are worth their weight in gold and a reason for checking this place out should you find yourself in the area.
The Final Girls (2015)
The clichés of the summer camp slasher film are both lampooned and celebrated in Todd Strauss-Schulson’s clever and highly entertaining movie. Imagine Friday the 13th and The Burning mashed together with Stay Tuned and The Purple Rose of Cairo and you might begin to get the gist of how messed up in the best possible way this is. American Horror Story’s Taissa Farmiga is still mourning her actor mother (Malin Akerman), whose one big claim to fame was as a scream queen in eighties shocker Camp Bloodbath, when she’s invited to a retrospective screening. A fire breaks out while they’re watching the film, and a group of them escape the inferno through the screen… literally putting them into the heart of Camp Bloodbath.
All the slasher tropes are here: the slutty but bubbly floozy, the over-confident sex addicted but obnoxious jock, the innocent but soon-to-be deflowered (and slaughtered) virgin, and the token black character who won’t make it past the first reel. However, with the modern-day group entering proceedings, all bets are off when it comes to how this massacre will go down.
As well as a healthy (well – that’s what we’re here for!) body count, the film has a lot of heart. The relationship between the mother and daughter is wonderful from the outset, with both actors excelling in their roles. It also touches on the friendship of the others in the group and despite the horror being front and centre, home truths and buried frustrations are brought to a head and cleared up in a beautifully natural way. In true eighties style, the film ends with some outtakes played over the end credits, just to cement the comedy edge. But rest assured, the humour isn’t to the detriment of the gore and terror.
While Scream birthed a franchise, it’s rewarding to know that The Final Girls, arguably the worthy successor to Wes Craven’s property’s crown, has remained a one-and-gone wonder. The fact that it’s not as widely celebrated is a crime, however. The campaign to make this a more recognised cult classic begins here.
WolfCop (2014)
Lowell Dean’s ode to the lycanthrope is a joyous, if schlocky, romp that delighted audiences open minded enough to check it out and spawned a sequel in 2017 (the imaginatively titled Another WolfCop). Leo Farfard is the booze hound cop Lou Garou (French for… well, we’re sure you can guess), who is knocked out while investigating something in the woods and wakes to find he has acute hearing and smell and has a pentagram carved into his stomach and a tendency to become very hairy when the moon is full.
While everybody quite rightly cites the transformation in An American Werewolf in London as the pinnacle of perfection, the moment Lou first changes into his hirsute alter ego takes place in the toilet, and the first part to grow is… well, use your imagination. Like Landis’ masterpiece, this leaves nothing to the imagination and appears as painful as it should be. Unlike every other metamorphosis, the wolf inside literally tears through Lou’s flesh, leaving a snake-like skin behind. WolfCop does out-do American Werewolf in one stake – the love scene takes place with a fully-transformed Lou rather than pre-moon dance form.
Packed with fantastically riotous moments, WolfCop is everything you expect it to be and much more. Occult ceremonies, political conspiracy, ocular trauma, face ripping, shape-shifters, and a donut-eating hairy cop – the film has it all. And all the effects are done practically, which adds so much more charm to the proceedings. And if you’re worried about product placement, pay close attention to the Tennessee whiskey bottles, you’ll find it’s actually Jim Dandie’s Old no. 2 Kentucky Whiskey. You’ll be howling mad if you pass up this any longer.
You can catch this quartet of movies during the STRANGER FEARS season on Horror Channel throughout January. Tune in on Sky 317, Virgin 149, Freeview 70, Freesat 138.
