THE DANMAN CAN

It's hard to believe that  Salem's Lot  (1979) was only the second adaptation of a  Stephen King  story. It's also hard to believe that I somehow only managed to watch it for the first time in 2018. King had only written six books by the time that  SL  started filming, so it makes sense (and I say  only  six because he's been incredibly prolific over the course of his career). It's just I sometimes forget that "King Fever" didn't truly ramp up until the '80s (with three feature films based on his works released in 1983 alone). Speaking of the '80s, just six months after  Lot  aired,  Stanley Kubrick 's vastly superior  The Shining   (1980) [ review ] was unleashed—still one of the best King adaptations (and I don't care what the man himself thinks about it). Salem's Lot  aired as a miniseries on CBS over two nights, totaling just over 3 hours in runtime. There was also a theatrical cut (released in Europe and air...

Writer  Dan O'Bannon  and director  Tobe Hooper  crammed  Lifeforce   (1985) to the brim with everything and the kitchen sink—space vampires, zombies, over the top acting, ridiculous dialogue, gonzo special effects, breakneck pace, explosions, London in shambles—all set to a gigantic, rousing score by  Henry Mancini .  Steve Railsback  goes off the rails in one of the most oddball lead performances that truly has to be seen to be believed.  Mathilda May   hypnotizes every male character (and viewer) with her clothes-defying performance and impossibly perfect features.  A lot of films get labeled as "bonkers" or "batshit," but  Lifeforce   is one that truly deserves those descriptors. Even by  Golan  and  Globus  standards it's nuts.   The Cannon Group   gave Hooper $25 million and a sandbox and he created an insane sci-fi freakout that flopped tremendously an...

The Texas Chain Saw Massacre  (1974) is lightning in a bottle. It's one of a handful of horror films worthy of hyperbole. It's required viewing for any horror hound. It's the ultimate grindhouse film. It's one of my  Top 100 Films  (Letterboxd version of that list  here ) and one of my  Top 10 Horror Films .  Tobe Hooper  was never able to capture that lightning in a bottle again. He came close with his over the top 1986 sequel  The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2   ( review )—a much less highly regarded film but one I love as equally as the original—but for totally different reasons. TCM  is a messy, imperfect film. Some of the scenes drag on too long, the action ebbs and flows in weird patterns, and it's quite repetitive at times. The first time you see it, it's hard to decide if the filmmakers are deranged geniuses or flying by the seat of their pants. But it works either way because it builds and builds to that show-stopping dinner scene a...

I didn't grow up with Poltergeist  (1982). I only saw it for the first time in my twenties. I think if I had seen it in the '80s, I'd have more of an affinity for it. I find the film a bit long and clunky at times, and the characters a bit underdeveloped, but it's still very effective. Regarding the debate over who directed the film, I think the stamp of both Tobe Hooper and Steven Spielberg  are all over it and I'll just leave it at that. A fun ride. Tobe Hooper Feature Films Ranked

On "Take 2," the first half of The Funhouse (1981) was better than I remembered and the second half was the same as I remembered (plodding and meandering). It's a shame because the premise is cool, the visuals are great, and the score is fantastic. But  Tobe Hooper 's carnival slasher suffers from poor pacing and tighter editing could have increased the tension. Rick Baker 's mask is pretty good but certainly not his best work. Additionally, the monster is frequently bathed in too much light and shots linger too long on the character, robbing it of menace. I liked the film a bit more this time, but with both viewings I was left feeling underwhelmed. Tobe Hooper Feature Films Ranked

Made as the final film of a three-picture deal for the  Golan  and  Globus -led  Cannon Group , Tobe Hooper 's The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2  (1986) is an insane over the top  Grand Guignol  satire which—courtesy of L.M. Kit Carson 's ( Paris, Texas   (1984); review ) brilliant script (and endlessly quotable dialogue)—revels in the '80s excess that it lampoons. As soon as I saw it, in my twenties, I loved it as much as the  1974 original  ( review ) (and continue to) for the daring about-face it took from the tone of its predecessor. After making the gonzo  Lifeforce  ( review ) the previous year, Hooper was shooting  TCM2  while simultaneously editing Invaders From Mars , which was released less than two months prior. The madman director's stamp is all over this sequel, brought to life via incredibly immersive set pieces, phenomenal production design, Tom Savini  and crew's wonderfully grisly but darkl...