Saturday, October 22, 2016

A Cinematic History of Horror for Hallowe'en On Roku - DAY 22: The Evil Dead, Aliens & The Thing! (1979-1982)





Welcome back, Boils & Ghouls...



... to 'Day Twenty-Two' of "A Cinematic History of Horror for Hallowe'en On Roku" in which I shall bring you my next batch of fright flicks from the enormous back-catalogue of macabre movies that have been thrilling cinema-goers for more than a century and can now be streamed to your television sets via the magic of Roku player - so, let's dim down the lights... and get on with the frights! :-O


If you read my special hallowe'en blogathon preview - FOUND HERE - which I published at the end of September, then you'll know that I plan to post one Hallowe'en / Horror related article each day, throughout the month of October, and to feature one horror movie per year from cinematic history, starting in 1895 and ending in 2016. This should average out at about four films per day, so you'll have plenty of choice for your macabre movie viewing as we count down the days to Hallowe'en! ;-)


To get things started, in the first week of this blogathon, we went all the way back to the end of the 19th century for some of the earliest horror cinema ever recorded. The movies on day one were from 1895 - 1898 (inclusive) and featured beheadings, vampires, skeletons and nightmarish dreams. For my second article on day two of this series, I shared four films (one for each year) from 1899 - 1902 (inclusive) and those featured ghostly apparitions, aliens and selenites, plus a visit from the devil to a convent. In my next post on day three, I shared four films (again, one for each year) from 1903 - 1906 (inclusive) and those featured impish devils, demons and ghost brides, plus a man who practices entomology being pinned to a cork like an insect. For my fourth article on day four in this series of posts, I shared four more films (one for each year) from 1907 - 1910 (inclusive) which featured evil spectres, haunted houses, plus the first filmed version of the story of Frankenstein's monster. Following that post, on day five, I shared four films (again, one per year) from 1911 - 1914 (inclusive) and those were all based on works of literature by either Dante Alighieri, Robert Louis Stevenson or Edgar Allan Poe. Next up, on day six, four more films were shared (one for each year) from 1915 - 1918 (inclusive) and those included one about a spooky portrait, another about the victim of a kidnapping, plus a Faustian tale told from a female perspective and another about an artificial creature produced by a mad scientist. For my next post, on day seven, I (again) shared four more films (one for each year) from 1919 - 1922 (inclusive) and those featured an epic account of the horrors of war, plus tales of vampires and phantom carriages, as well as a hypnotist who used a somnambulist to commit acts of murder!


To kick-off the second week of my month-long blogathon, on day eight of this series, I shared another four films (again, one per year) from 1923 - 1926 (inclusive) and those included tales of hunchbacks, phantoms, and a pact with the devil plus a pianist whose hands were replaced by those of a murderer (following a train accident) after which he discovered they had a will of their own! Then for my next post, on day nine, I shared four films (one for each year) from 1927 - 1930 (inclusive) and those included a truly stunning "mood piece" based on the work of Edgar Allen Poe, along with the story of a master criminal who terrorized the occupants of an isolated country mansion, plus the creepiest, spookiest, mystery melodrama ever produced, with an early animated horror short thrown in for good measure. After that, on day ten, I shared four more films (again, one for each year) from 1931 - 1934 (inclusive) and those told various tales of terror, including: two American honeymooners trapped in the home of a Satan-worshipping priest, a colossal gorilla hitting the heights in New York with a movie starlet, a tale of love between a siren, a giant and a dwarf from a circus sideshow, plus the story of the strangest passion the world has ever known! Following on from there, on day eleven, I shared four more films (one per year, as before) from 1935 - 1938 (inclusive) and those featured the story of an escaped convict who used miniaturized humans to wreak vengeance on those that framed him, more tales of the horrors of war, and a Chinese ghost story (of sorts) plus the film which, when first released, was billed as the super shocker of the twentieth century! In the subsequent post, which I made on day twelve, four more films were shared (one per year) from 1939 - 1942 (inclusive) featuring strange creatures such as Werewolves, Cat People and The Hound of the Baskervilles, as well as some light-hearted comic relief (of the horror variety) courtesy of Bob Hope! Yesterday... the four films that I shared, on day thirteen, were from 1943 - 1946 (inclusive) and there was (again) one film per year - as there has been for each of my previous posts from this series. That batch of macabre movies included films about ghosts, zombies, and severed hands, plus what is widely believed to be the forerunner of all the horror anthology films that would follow it - a British film, from Ealing Studios! Yesterday, on day fourteen, I shared four more films spanning the years from 1947 to 1950 (inclusive) with one movie per year (as previously) Those included faceless killers, hidden secrets and a tale of human avarice, plus further light-hearted comedy (of the 'tongue-in-cheek' horror variety) courtesy of Bud Abbott and Lou Costello!


Then, as we entered week three of this month-long blogathon... on day fifteen, I shared another four films (again, one for each year) from 1951 - 1954 (inclusive) and those featured a dinosaur-like beast out to destroy the world, an artist (out for revenge) who created wax sculptures from human cadavers, a woman who visited her local shaman and was turned into a white reindeer vampire, plus... the tale of the thing that turns your blood ice-cold, as it creeps and crawls, then strikes without warning! For my next post, on day sixteen, I shared four more (one film per year) from 1955 - 1958 (inclusive) and those included the tale of of a sadistic boarding school headmaster whose wife & mistress plotted to kill him, another about a doctor with a demonic curse put upon him by a devil cult leader, and one from Hammer Films involving Count Dracula, plus the extraordinary tale of the most awesome fate that ever happened to earth people... with the invasion of the body snatchers from another world! For the next post, on day seventeen, I shared another four films (one for each year) from 1959 - 1962 (inclusive) and those featured a "Haunted House" party where the guests had to spend their night with ghosts, murderers, and other terrors, and; the tale of a woman, caught in a storm while driving, who got off the highway and pulled into a remote motel managed by a quiet young man who seemed to be dominated by his mother, and; another based on a ghost story written by Henry James, wherein a woman experiencing apparitions had to confront the evil spirits & exorcise the demons head onplus one more story... "so unusual, it will burn itself into your mind"! After that, on day eighteen, I shared four more films (again, one per year) from 1963 - 1966 (inclusive) and those included tales of ravens, repulsion, The Red Death and a Gothic horror from Mario Bava! Following on from there... for my next post, on day nineteen, I shared four films (one for each year) from 1967 - 1970 (inclusive) which featured a tale about a group of people beset by flesh-eating zombies, as well as the second part of the "Coffin Joe" trilogy - featuring more possessed corpses and sadistic practices, and another about a demented cremator who enjoys reading the Tibetan book of the dead, plus a surreal tale in which love, fear, sex and religion merge into one fantastic world! The next post in this series, on day twenty, featured four more films (one per year) from 1971 - 1974 (inclusive) and those included a film which is widely considered to be the "grandfather" of the modern slasher, as well as a mystery surrounding a series of child killings in a remote southern Italian town, and the story of a teenage girl possessed by a mysterious entity, whose mother sought the help of two priests in order to save her, plus the tale of some youngsters who had the misfortune to meet a family of cannibalistic psychopaths! After that... on day twenty-one, came four more films (again, one for each year) from 1975 - 1978 (inclusive) and those included the tale of a high school senior who unleashed the full extent of her telekinetic powers on the classmates that humiliated her, as well as an account of a series of grisly murders at a ballet academy involving a coven of witches, and the tale of a psycho-killer who, having been in a mental hospital for 15 years (after stabbing his sister to death), broke-out and returned to his home town, just in time for Halloween... plus a rather well-known story about a Great White shark, menacing the small community of Amity Island, which attacked people as they enjoyed the water at the beach!


All of which brings us rather nicely to this post, as we begin week four of this month-long blogathon, where I will be sharing another four films with you (one for each year) from 1979 - 1982 (inclusive) and those are set to feature stories of mysterious alien life-forms, and evil spirits causing mid-winter havoc for the caretaker-manager & his family in an isolated hotel, as well as five friends who must fight for their lives when flesh-possessing demons are unleashed upon them, as they vacation in a remote cabin, plus the crew of an isolated U.S. research station in Antarctica, who must endure the ultimate in alien terror! As with other movies shared thus far (bearing in mind the time period in which they were made) some may look a little bit dated now, but they are none the less watchable as examples of early movies whose influence can still be seen in some of the more recent horror films.




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First up today... is a feature-length film, born out of a collaborative effort between the UK and USA, that was directed by Ridley Scott, and first released in 1979 under the original title of "Alien"... as I'm sure many of you will have guessed from the director's name, year of release, and title of this post! ;-) The screenplay for this movie, written by Dan O'Bannon, was based upon a story he conceived with Ronald Shusett and tells of a commercial crew aboard the deep space towing vessel, Nostromo, which is on its way home when they pick up an SOS warning from a distant moon. When they send a landing party to investigate, one of the crew is attacked by a mysterious life-form, but they manage to get back to their cargo ship... and continue the journey back to Earth. However, the crew soon realise that they are not alone... when an alien stowaway is discovered onboard their spaceship!






Bolaji Badejo as the "Alien" in Alien (1979)
PHOTO CREDIT: imdb.com






Alien (1979) [Movie Poster]
PHOTO CREDIT: movieposter.com




As with "Jaws" and "Suspiria" shared yesterday, I was unable to find a decent copy of "Alien" that was both free-to-stream and compatible with the requirements for playback on Roku devices. Again, there were rough copies out there... either with reduced aspect ratios, heavily cropped images, or shrunk to less than one quarter screen-size - not to mention those with foreign language audio dubs and/or subtitles, plus a few whose sound and/or picture quality left a lot to be desired. Please feel free to do your own search for those, if you wish. For my part, I'm recommending you go with the best option I found for streaming "Alien" (1979) on Roku devices, and that is... 'Amazon Video'.






If you have yet to install this Roku channel, you will find it under "Film & TV" in the "Official" Roku UK Channel Store that is built-in to your Roku streaming media player(s). Those of you who are Amazon Prime members are out of luck once more, however, as there is no option whereby you can watch this film for free via your Amazon Prime membership. The only available options are to rent the video from Amazon Video UK for £2.49 (SD) or £3.49 (HD)... or, if you prefer, there is also the option to buy the film through Amazon Video UK for £6.99 in either 'SD' or 'HD' - so, no prizes for guessing which one I'd go for! Whatever you decide, it can either be watched via the Amazon Video channel on your Roku player(s) or any other compatible device. Confirmation of these options is provided in the screenshot (below), taken from the Amazon UK website, and there is a link provided beneath the screenshot image which takes you to the webpage where you can buy the film:-





HINT: Please CLICK on the above image TO ENLARGE IT for easier viewing !!



AMAZON UK WEBSITE LINK:- Alien (1979) [via Amazon Video UK]



I also happened to notice that Amazon Video UK are offering "Alien: The Director's Cut", with the rental prices for both 'SD' and 'HD' versions identical to the pricing for the original version above. If you decide to buy this version of the film, however, it will cost you an extra quid but (as before) the pricing for both 'SD' and 'HD' versions has been kept the same at £7.99 - so, if I were you, I'd opt for an 'HD' copy... since, even if you don't have an HD telly now, you can still watch it via a compatible UK Roku device - and you'll be future-proofed for whenever you do upgrade your TV! ;-) As with the original version (above) confirmation of all the purchasing options is provided in the screenshot (below), taken from the Amazon UK website, and (once again) there is a link provided beneath the screenshot image which will take you directly to the webpage where you can buy the film:-





HINT: Please CLICK on the above image TO ENLARGE IT for easier viewing !!






While 'Amazon Video' does provide the cheapest options for buying this film, it's really because you're only getting a 'digital' copy to stream. However, for those who are considering a purchase in the 'HD' format, I'd recommend using 'Sky Store' instead... since, included in your £7.99 purchase price, you get a DVD of the film posted to you - in addition to the digital copy, which (like Amazon) is available to stream immediately after payment has been made. Again, you will find their channel under "Film & TV" in the "Official" Roku UK Channel Store that is built-in to your Roku streaming media player(s). If you have yet to add it to your channel selection, here is the icon to look out for when you're scrolling through the channel store:-






If this is your first experience of using 'Sky Store', you will need to set-up an account with them... but, if you already have a Sky ID or NowTV Login, you can use the same username and password to get registered more quickly & easily. Speaking of which... here's a direct link to the webpage for "Alien" on the 'Sky Store' website, so that (once registered) you can access the film details more easily, too!




SKY STORE WEBSITE LINK:- Alien (1979) [via Sky Store]




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Our next movie in today's post, is another collaborative effort between the UK and USA... but, this time, directed by Stanley Kubrick and first released in 1980 under the original title of "The Shining" - which it shared with the novel (by Stephen King) on which it was based. The screenplay for this film adaptation was written by the director, together with Diane Johnson. Although, apparently, there were so many changes to the script during shooting, that Jack Nicholson claimed he stopped reading it... and would read only the new pages which were given to him each day! Any way he (Jack Nicholson) acted the part of Jack Torrance, a normal writer and former teacher, who signs a contract agreeing to take care of a hotel which has a long and violent history. Moving his family into the isolated hotel for the winter, a spiritual presence soon makes everyone ill at ease and nervous about their situation. His wife, Wendy Torrance (Shelley Duvall), bears witness while Jack slowly gets more violent and angry of his life under the influence of the evil spirits present there. Meanwhile... his psychic son, Danny Torrance (Danny Lloyd) tries to use his special talent, the "Shining", to inform people outside about what's going on in the hotel but, in doing so, sees horrific forebodings from the past and of the future!






Shelley Duvall in The Shining (1980) [Movie Still]
PHOTO CREDIT: imdb.com






The Shining (1980) [Movie Poster]
PHOTO CREDIT: jaysanalysis.com



Unfortunately, like "Alien", I was unable to find any decent quality FREE-TO-STREAM sources (compatible with Roku devices) when performing an online search for this film. As far as I know, the only place you will be able to watch this film for free (albeit via subscription) on UK Roku devices is via the 'NowTV' channel. Those in other regions may have different sources available to them but, at the time of writing, this was the only option for UK users of Roku streaming media players. So, for those with a current 'Sky Cinema' pass from NowTV (formerly, NowTV Movies Month Pass), you will find that Stanley Kubrick's "The Shining" is available via the "Movies" section of the 'NowTV' channel for UK Roku devices. The good news is... if you have not previously subscribed to the NowTV movies pass (in either of it's guises), you could (effectively) watch this movie without incurring any charges, thanks to the FREE 14-DAY TRIAL from NowTV for new subscribers. That being the case, look out for this 'NowTV' channel icon in the "Official" Roku UK Channel Store via the "Featured", "Most Popular" or "Film & TV" genres (i.e. categories) and add it to your device:-








As mentioned previously, you can also take advantage of the Roku "Search" function to find and then install the 'NowTV' channel on your Roku streaming media player. It is FREE-TO-ADD to all UK Roku devices, and the range of no-contract monthly passes for movies, entertainment, sports and kids' programming means there's plenty of flexibility over what you pay for as well as lots of great content to be had whenever you find the free content on other channels is not quite cutting the mustard, so-to-speak, when it comes to newer releases and such like. Not forgetting, of course, there's plenty of "old classics" like this adaptation of Stephen King's novel which, despite the author's disappointment with the final film - that he would often describe as "A fancy car without an engine" - was so successful at the box office that it can't have done his career as an author too much harm! ;-)


Speaking of which... if you'd like additional information on "The Shining", you'll find more details - as well as the option to watch it via web browser, by visiting the 'NowTV' website via this link:-



NOWTV LINK:- The Shining (1980) [IMDB Rating: 8.4]



If, for whatever reason, you'd rather not get a 'Sky Cinema' movies month pass for 'NowTV' (or else, a free trial, where applicable) the next cheapest option for watching this horror film is to rent it for just £2.49 (SD) or £3.49 (HD) from Amazon Video UK and then stream it via the 'Amazon Video' channel on your Roku device(s). As is often the case, there is also the option to buy the film - in this instance, for £6.99 (SD) or £7.99 (HD) - which would mean you can watch it whenever you like and as often as time permits! Either way, you'll find confirmation of all the purchasing options provided in the screenshot (below), taken from the Amazon UK website, and (again) there is a link beneath the screenshot image which will take you directly to the webpage where you can buy the film:-





HINT: Please CLICK on the above image TO ENLARGE IT for easier viewing !!






As with "Alien" above, while 'Amazon Video' provides the cheapest option for buying this film, it's because you're only getting a 'digital' copy to stream. So, for those who are considering a purchase in the 'HD' format, I'd (again) suggest you use 'Sky Store' instead... since you get a DVD of the film, included in your £7.99 purchase price, that will be posted to you for free - in addition to the digital copy, which (like Amazon) is available to stream immediately after payment has been made. For info on installing the 'Sky Store' channel on UK Roku devices, please refer to the details under the entry for "Alien" in this post. Meanwhile... here's a direct link to the webpage for "The Shining" on the 'Sky Store' website, so that (once registered) you can access the details of the film more easily, too!




SKY STORE WEBSITE LINK:- The Shining (1980) [via Sky Store]




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Our third film today is a feature-length film from the USA, which was directed by Sam Raimi, and first released in 1981 under the title of, "The Evil Dead", while also based on a storyline written by the director. It's about five friends (college students) who take time-off from their studies to spend a peaceful vacation in a remote cabin. A book and audio tape are discovered, and they soon find out that the evil therein is very powerful once the incantations are read out loud. So powerful, in fact, they are helpless to stop it as flesh-possessing demons are unleashed, which take them one by one, until only one survivor  remains, who must then endure "the ultimate experience in gruelling terror", and fight through the night against the evil dead, just to survive until the next morning!





Ellen Sandweiss in The Evil Dead (1981) [Movie Still]
PHOTO CREDIT: imdb.com






The Evil Dead (1981) [British Quad Poster]
PHOTO CREDIT: horrorpedia.com



Those of you who "...got up on the wrong side of the grave", or are simply curious to find out why this film is described, "the ultimate experience in gruelling terror", as per the tagline on the movie poster, will be pleased to hear that it's available on UK Roku devices and FREE-TO-STREAM thanks (yet again) to the Roku channel from 'OVGuide'. Now, if you have yet to add this to your channel selection, you can install it easily using "Search" on your Roku device - either from the 'Home' screen, or the built-in channel store - by identifying the following icon from your search results, or else looking for it under "Film & TV"in the Roku UK Channel Store:-








Once you have it installed... and, by the way, it's also FREE-TO-ADD to Roku devices, you'll find that it offers thousands of FREE-TO-STREAM movies (including 750+ under "Horror" alone) over and above this one. So, if it's not yet a part of your own Roku channel selection, I recommend you install it, since there's plenty of FREE MOVIES & TV available in the 'OVGuide' content library! :-) To get details for this movie, or watch it via web browser, visit the 'OVGuide' website via this link:-



OVGUIDE.COM LINK:- The Evil Dead (1981) [IMDB Rating: 7.6]



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Our last film for today, is another feature-length film from the USA... but, this time, it was directed by John Carpenter, and first released in 1982 under the original title, "The Thing"... which I'm sure will be familiar to most (if not all) of you, even if you have not yet had a chance to watch it - until now! This horror, come science-fiction mystery, is based on the story by John W. Campbell Jr. and adapted for the big screen by Bill Lancaster - who wrote the screenplay. Imagine the scene... it's the first week of winter in 1982, at an isolated U.S. research station in Antarctica, and the base is suddenly buzzed and attacked by a helicopter from the nearby Norwegian research station. They appear to be trying to kill one of the dogs from the US base, but no-one is quite sure why. Having dealt with the immediate threat, the members of the U.S. team fly to the Norwegian base, only to discover they are all dead or missing. They do however find the remains of a strange creature, the Norwegians must have burned. The Americans take it to their base and deduce that it's an alien life form. After a while it is apparent that the alien can take over and assimilate into other life forms, including humans, and can spread like a virus. This means that anyone at the base could be inhabited by "The Thing" and, from that moment onwards, paranoia sets in and tensions begin to escalate. It's now up to the individual members to stay alive, be sure of who is still "human" within the group... and who is one of the "Things"?!







The Thing (1982) [Movie Still]
PHOTO CREDIT: imdb.com







The Thing (1982) [British Quad Poster]
PHOTO CREDIT: Cinema Junkyard



As with "Alien" and "The Shining" above, I was unable to find decent FREE-TO-STREAM sources (compatible with Roku devices) when performing an online search for this film. As far as I know, the only place you will be able to watch this film for free (albeit via subscription) on UK Roku devices is via the 'NowTV' channel. Those in other regions may have different sources available to them but, at the time of writing, this was the only option for UK users of Roku streaming media players. So, for those with a current 'Sky Cinema' pass from NowTV (formerly, NowTV Movies Month Pass), you will find that John Carpenter's "The Thing" is available via the "Movies" section of the 'NowTV' channel for UK Roku devices. Again, for those who have not previously subscribed to the NowTV movies pass (in either of it's guises), you could (effectively) watch this movie without incurring any charges, thanks to the FREE 14-DAY TRIAL from NowTV for new subscribers. That being the case, look out for this 'NowTV' channel icon in the "Official" Roku UK Channel Store via the "Featured", "Most Popular" or "Film & TV" genres (i.e. categories) and add it to your device:-









As mentioned previously, you can also take advantage of the Roku "Search" function to find and then install the 'NowTV' channel on your Roku streaming media player. It is FREE-TO-ADD to all UK Roku devices, and the range of no-contract monthly passes for movies, entertainment, sports and kids' programming means there's plenty of flexibility over what you pay for as well as lots of great content to be had whenever you find the free content on other channels is not quite cutting the mustard, so-to-speak, when it comes to newer releases and such like. Not forgetting, of course, there's plenty of "old classics" like this horror sci-fi mystery movie masterpiece by the legend that is John Carpenter! ;-)


Speaking of which... if you'd like additional information on "The Thing", you'll find more details - as well as the option to watch it via web browser, by visiting the 'NowTV' website via this link:



NOWTV LINK:- The Thing (1982) [IMDB Rating: 8.2]




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Anyhow, that's all I've got time for today... but do remember to come back again tomorrow, for more macabre movies from the history of horror cinema, when I serve-up another batch of four films on 'Day Twenty-Three' of "A Cinematic History of Horror for Hallowe'en On Roku" right here on this blog. Meanwhile... please be sure to visit the Countdown To Hallowe'en website and show your support for this annual online Hallowe'en extravaganza... PLUS don't forget to use the links you find there and check out all the other 'Cryptkeepers' taking part this year. I know they'll appreciate it if you visit their blogs & share your thoughts on the contribution(s) they've made.



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BEFORE I GO: Don't forget that, aside from all the Hallowe'en / Horror-themed ghastliness going on around these parts for the next month, you can always keep up with all the UK Roku action (as it happens) by following the companion Twitter Feed: @ukrokuchannels where you will find up-to-the-minute info on all things Roku is posted on a daily basis (well, almost).



Until the next time, then...



That's all folks !!






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