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Top 10 Most Under-Appreciated Thrillers
A Techtite Feature Commentary
Nightmare on Elm Street, Halloween, and Hellraiser
all had at least one too many sequels. Meanwhile, there are those
thrillers that didn't nearly have enough recognition at all. On your way to the video store
this Halloween, to get a video titled something like "Scream
9” or “I Actually Still Care What the Bleedin’
Heck You Did Last Summer,” be sure to rent (or even buy!)
the following, under-appreciated thrillers.
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The Puppet
Masters Perhaps the
best thriller that Disney's "Hollywood Pictures" ever
distributed, this is based on a popular novel involving an amusing
twist of the "invasion of the body snatchers" plotline. Much like one of my favorite classic Star Trek episodes
of all time --"Operation:
Annihilate!"-- the threat here is a swarm of brain-creatures from outer space who cling to the back of a neck and
take over the victim's mind. With an ending as cool
as any classic Star Trek episode, this film truly delivers. Sadly, this film was so under-appreciated,
I can only offer a link to buy a used video (see link below). However, yes, the original paperback
is still available (click book cover at left to order), and is worth the
read! The Puppet Masters (Used, VHS).
Evil
Dead 2 (click link for Techtite's full review!) Definitely
not to be confused with Evil Dead 1, this extremely dark humored
horror flick puts Bruce Campbell (Xena, Adventures
of Brisco County, Jr.) in a fight against the forces
of evil while visiting...a run down shack in the woods! Sight gags include
a moment when his hand gets cursed, and he's forced to fight with himself
(Campbell's comedic touch is at its best here). In a dark humor tale like
this, this is all par for the course, including an earlier scene, where
Campbell fights with a zombie head that bites him and refuses to let go.
Seeing Campbell use everything from a hardcover book to a hard wall to
force this zombie head to let go, is a total riot. Click the title above, for more detailed
review of the recent DVD release (and how to order), or order the VHS
version, with the link offered here : The Evil Dead 2 (VHS)
Return of the Living Dead (Unavailable!) Perhaps the rarest find --even in rental
stores!-- this film is equally dark humored, yet apparently not
half as popular as Evil
Dead 2. This is probably because it parodies the
many "living dead" films, which are their own parody
all by themselves. Army canisters were accidentally sent to a medical
supply warehouse, each containing the remains of a dangerous experiment
with undead corpses. By the start of the film, one of the containers breaks
open, and the result is a ton of trouble. The toxin, as it turns out,
makes everything dead come to life...though not in a good way! This is the
start of a truly bad day for a medical supply warehouse, with cadavers
everywhere. It doesn't help matters that a cemetery is right next door! One of the reasons
this film probably didn't do well is because of a truly BAD finale, though, hey, it did lead to no less than
two sequels!
Why the film, itself, is so impossible to find is beyond me.
Halloween 3 : Season of
the Witch In between
a slew of films involving the masked serial killer-zombie
(or whatever), was this truly inspired horror yarn, that had
nothing to do with the story from the other films at all! This
is probably why, unfortunately, it is so much harder to find
than the others. A vengeful warlock is attempting to put a curse
on Halloween masks...though how and why is part of the mystery. The open
ending will leave fans wondering why the film didn't lead to a
conclusion/sequel, though the ride there is worth the time watching this
cool thriller! If you're adventurous enough to buy the DVD version, click
the picture shown here. A VHS
version was re-issued for distribution as of August 28, 2001 --(thanks!)--
and can be ordered By Clicking Here...
Freejack Not exactly a horror
yarn as much as a thrilling "chase" for survival, this story is
one of the better sci-fi concepts ever offered in a B-grade film. In the
near future, bodies of people who "died" in the past, are sent
to the future to be used by rich tycoons desperate to prolong their lives,
within a new, younger body. However, when the intended host escapes, they are termed
a "freejack," and everyone avoids them like the plague
(they don't want to get in the bad graces of the military forces
that come looking for him/her). That's the situation for Emilio Estevez, whose
character dies in a racecar accident, yet now
is running for his life in the future, to keep from having his
body "stolen"! Meanwhile, he
must try to reconcile with old girlfriend Rene Russo (who surprisingly
hasn't aged a day; hence the B-grade of the film). The plot is bizarre,
though that's half the fun. The other half is Mick Jagger as
the bounty hunter searching for Estevez! This trio of stars, fortunately,
led the makers of the film to offer it on both VHS and DVD; just click the
following links. 
Freejack (DVD)
, and  Freejack (VHS)
Mimic
I hope its
pitiful sequel, released on video in July 2001, didn't scare you off;
the original was great!
Mira Sorvino plays a scientist
who sliced DNA to create a new breed of bugs that would help
rid the city of a bad infestation. The problem is, these insects
were supposed to only have a short lifespan, and disappear along with the
plague they help destroy. No such luck; they not only
found a way to overcome their limited life spans; their brief life spans
have allowed their progeny to quickly evolve,
into something infinitely worse! Set in the dark, dripping underbelly
of subways and sewers, there's few places in this film that aren't
excellently directed to truly make your skin crawl. In other
words, a fantastic thriller! Mira Sorvino doesn't make
things any harder to watch, either. Click the above title to order the
DVD; VHS version is no longer for sale, though may be released again soon.
Night of the Comet (Unavailable!) Yet another entrant into the "dark
humor" films in this list, this film has 1980's B-film veteran
Catherine Mary Stewart, as a theater usher who suddenly finds
herself one of the few people left on Earth! The problem came
in the form of a comet, whose disintegrating radiation could
only be thwarted by humans who (accidentally or deliberately)
kept behind thick steel. Fortunately for Stewart, her character
was making out in the movie theater's film vault! Unfortunately for her, several people only half-effected by the radiation have
become zombies, and she and two other survivors must fight them
to survive! Brilliant dark humor enhances the fun, including a moment when
she and her sister go to the now "free" shopping mall, only to be attacked by that mall's now-zombie
security guards! This is, as in other cases, a highly under appreciated
dark comedy classic.
 The Thirteenth Floor One of the most recent entrants into
this list is a film that truly salutes some of the better Twilight-Zone plot twists. On the thirteenth floor of a science
building is an experiment with cybernetic intelligence, where
a whole town is "alive" inside a supercomputer housed there! The people in this city live their lives normally
as if nothing is wrong, while people in the "real world" take over the
minds of the artificial characters, so they can live out their fantasies (i.e., do
whatever they wish, without the risks of getting caught like in
the real world). In classic Twilight Zone style, the shoe is soon on the
other foot, when the leader of this cyber-town experiment
starts getting framed for murders he didn't commit, right in the real
world itself! What is actually
going on...? The resulting plot twists make this into the closest thing
yet to the classic fun of an episode of The Twilight Zone.
Click
picture to buy DVD version, or click this link, for
The Thirteenth Floor (VHS)
.
They Live (Offered
"Used" only...) An amusing John
Carpenter thriller, where aliens have invaded Earth, only to control us
with subliminal messages. Only people with special glasses can see the
world's bulletin boards, magazines, and TV commercials, for what they
truly are. Such sunglasses can also let the wearer see the
aliens as they really look; humanoids without skins, as only John
Carpenter could dream them up! This thriller's failures are in what I like
to call a "Scarlet Pumpernickel Ending,"
and a truly
over-extended fight scene between two of the would-be heroes (one refuses
to put the glasses on until he's punched...and punched...and punched...). Still, in other areas, it's a nice video rental. They Live on DVD (Used)
, They Live VHS (Used)
...and my choice for
the #1 most under-appreciated thriller of all time is:
 Time after Time (VHS only).
One of many movies I'm waiting intently to be offered on DVD (please?). This
inspired tale has H.G. Wells (Malcolm McDowell) invent a real time machine...allegedly,
it was his trip in this invention which inspired his classic book.
Unbeknownst to him, however, is that one of his dinner party
guests is none other than Jack the Ripper, who sneaks down and uses the
time machine to escape authorities. Fortunately, the
time machine is equipped with a "return" device for anyone who
uses it besides H.G. himself. Unfortunately, H.G. Wells now needs
to go to the future, and stop this madman before it's too late! I admit,
its bloody "ripper" murder scenes are a bit over the top for
sci-fi...yet by modern standards, they are a walk in the park compared to modern horror yarns. A nice
romance subplot with a modern, feminist banker (Mary Steenbergen), and very effective sci-fi thrills, make this film a
must-see for sci-fi and thriller fans alike.
Time After Time (VHS)
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