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Posted: |
Jul 31, 2020 - 11:13 AM
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By: |
Bob DiMucci
(Member)
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Margot Kidder co-starred with Olivia Hussey, Keir Dullea, and John Saxon in the 1974 Canadian horror film BLACK CHRISTMAS. The film takes place on a college campus on the eve of Christmas break. Following an end-of-semester party in their sorority house, "Jessica" (Hussey), "Barb" (Kidder), "Clare" (Lynne Griffin), and "Phyllis" (Andrea Martin), are the only ones left in the house, along with house mother, "Mrs. Mac" (Marian Waldman). The girls have been receiving obscene phone calls, but they assume that it's just some pervert. However, Jessica begins to become worried when the calls change in tone -- they go from being lurid to simply being creepy.
Keir Dullea worked only for a week on this film, never meeting Margot Kidder and barely meeting John Saxon, but the film is edited in such a way that he appears to be present throughout. Saxon plays police Lt. “Ken Fuller” in the film. The role of Lt. Fuller was originally supposed to be played by Edmond O'Brien, but due to failing health from Alzheimer's he had to be replaced. Saxon (who was also originally considered for the role) was contacted by composer Carl Zittrer and brought in at the last minute when a space in his schedule opened up.
Bob Clark, who would go on to direct the family classic A CHRISTMAS STORY, helmed the film, which he termed more of a psychological thriller than a slasher film. Upon its initial release in the U.S., the film's title was changed to SILENT NIGHT, EVIL NIGHT because Warner Bros. feared the title BLACK CHRISTMAS might cause the film to be mistaken for a "blaxploitation" flick. However, the film didn't do well under the new title, and it was changed back to the original BLACK CHRISTMAS title, under which it was a success. The picture grossed $2.6 million in the U.S. Not a fortune by any means, but still profitable for a low-budget horror film. Carl Zittrer's score received its first release in 2016 on a Waxwork Records LP.
There were several attempts over the years to produce a sequel for the film. After the failure of a 2006 remake, Bob Clark began work on the sequel before he tragically passed away in a car crash, caused by a drunk driver, in 2007. In all these attempts, Olivia Hussey and John Saxon were to reprise their roles of Jess and Lt. Fuller respectively. Jess would have become the new housemother of the sorority in Clark's treatment for the film back in 2007.
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Posted: |
Jul 31, 2020 - 11:39 AM
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By: |
Bob DiMucci
(Member)
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In STRANGE SHADOWS IN AN EMPTY ROOM, hard-nosed Ottawa police captain "Tony Saitta" (Stuart Whitman) is enraged to learn his sister "Louise" (Carole Laure), a student at the university of Montreal, has been fatally poisoned. Actually, Louise just pulled a prank on "Dr. George Tracer" (Martin Landau), the boyfriend who just broke up with her. Then she dies in front of him, and Tracer becomes the prime suspect. John Saxon is Capt. Saitta’s second in command on the case, “Sgt. Ned Matthews.”
Stuart Whitman, John Saxon, and Martin Landau in STRANGE SHADOWS IN AN EMPTY ROOM
This 1976 Italian-Canadian-Panamanian co-production was directed by Martin Herbert (aka Alberto De Martino). The score by Armando Trovaioli was released on a Beat LP, which was re-issued on CD in 2008.
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Posted: |
Jul 31, 2020 - 3:10 PM
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By: |
Bob DiMucci
(Member)
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THE GLOVE involves mammoth ex-con “Victor Hale” (Rosey Grier) who was sent to prison for a crime he didn’t commit, which left his baby sister raped and scarred for life. Hale is out to enact revenge on the guards who abused him in prison, and his weapon of choice is a hefty riot glove made of lead and steel. In the meantime, divorced, down-on-his-luck bounty hunter “Sam Kellogh” (John Saxon) is offered $20,000 to capture Hale, who is hiding out in an inner-city apartment and protected by his friends and neighbors.
Voice-over narration by John Saxon, as his character “Sam Kellough,” is heard intermittently throughout the film, often revealing his character’s state of mind. Ross Hagen directed the 1979 film. Robert O. Ragland’s score has not been released. THE GLOVE made a below-par $2 million at the 1979 box office.
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Posted: |
Jul 31, 2020 - 4:10 PM
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By: |
Bob DiMucci
(Member)
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Richard Brooks directed WRONG IS RIGHT, a 1982 comedy about the absurdities of television news. The theft of two suitcase sized nuclear weapons, and their sale to a terrorist group, leads television newsman “Patrick Hale” (Sean Connery) on an international chase to track them down, and uncover the twisting maze of apparent involvement of U.S. Government agencies. Along with Hale, “Rafeeq” (Henry Silva), the head of a highly armed terrorist group; “Helmut Unger” (Hardy Kruger), a sneaky international arms dealer; “Homer Hubbard” (John Saxon), a clever and dangerous CIA agent; and his boss (G. D. Spradlin) are all the bombs, which were to have been purchased by “King Awad” (Ron Moody). Robert Conrad co-stars as anti-terrorism chief “Gen. Wombat.” Artie Kane provided the unreleased score.
Richard Brooks first gained approval to develop WRONG IS RIGHT with Columbia Pictures from studio president Frank Price and executive John Veitch. Despite Brooks’ final casting authority, Robert Conrad was cast at the suggestion of Price. Brooks finished the film more than $2 million under its projected $12 million budget. Because of the high cost to film in the African regions of Tunisia, Morocco, and Algeria, the “Hagreb” desert scenes were created by editing footage filmed on a studio lot with clips from National Geographic and American and British television news programs.
In addition, Brooks negotiated a product placement deal with the Sony Corporation, which allowed the production to use $800,000 worth of television monitors and news equipment, and reportedly saved $1.5 million. Finally, he accepted the minimum Directors Guild of America and Writers Guild of America wage of $30,000, which would also be deducted from his percentage of eventual box-office earnings. Hopefully, Brooks had a percentage of the gross, because there were no profits. The film grossed only $3.6 million in the U.S.
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Posted: |
Jul 31, 2020 - 6:30 PM
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By: |
Bob DiMucci
(Member)
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In Dario Argento’s TENEBRE, novelist “Peter Neal” (Anthony Franciosa) jets into Rome to promote his new book. Simultaneously, a killer obsessed with Neal begins a brutal series of murders that are followed by cryptic notes to the author. “Inspector Germani” (Giuliano Gemma) questions Neal, who then begins his own investigation into the bizarre case with the help of his assistant, “Anne” (Daria Nicolodi), and local youth “Gianni” (Christian Borromeo). Meanwhile, Neal's publicist, “Bullmer” (John Saxon), is having an affair with the author's ex-lover, “Jane” (Veronica Lario), making them both potential suspects.
John Saxon in TENEBRE
Dario Argento wrote and directed this 1982 thriller. Three of the four band-members of the progressive rock band Goblin (Claudio Simonetti, Massimo Morante, and Fabio Pignatelli) provided the score, which was released on a Dagored Red LP. The most recent CD release came from Cinevox in 2012.
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Posted: |
Jul 31, 2020 - 6:54 PM
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By: |
Bob DiMucci
(Member)
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A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET was writer-director Craven’s first “spec” script. The story was inspired by news reports of Laotians in various places across the United States who died after each had the same nightmare. Craven was dining with a friend when he was struck by the concept of a dead man getting to you in your dreams and the only way to escape him was to stay awake. During the four years it took to get the film made, Craven researched his story at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) Dream Clinic. Craven completed the script in 1981 and tried to sell it to a major studio, but no one wanted it. He said that "It just flew around" for three years until New Line Cinema picked it up.
Heather Langenkamp plays “Nancy Thompson,” one of the teenagers haunted by the nightmares. John Saxon plays her father, “Lt. Thompson,” who is trying to get to the bottom of the killings.
John Saxon and Heather Langenkamp in A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET
The inspiration for the character of “Freddy Krueger” came from several sources in Craven's childhood. Fred Krueger was a schoolmate of Craven with whom he had shared a paper route, and who had bullied him for several years. In THE LAST HOUSE ON THE LEFT, Craven also used this experience as inspiration, calling the villain “Krug.’ Freddy's appearance (especially the dirty clothes and hat) was inspired by a hobo who Craven saw staring at him through his window one day when he was ten. Robert Englund was not the first choice for the role of Freddy. Craven had initially wanted a stunt man to play the part. But upon testing several stunt men, he realized he needed an actor.
Craven had helped Sean S. Cunningham by working on a few shots for FRIDAY THE 13TH (1980). In turn, near the end of the production of this movie, Cunningham directed a few shots when several units were working at once. The thirty-day shoot was filmed at various Los Angeles locations and at TVC Studios. Following its 9 November 1984 release, in its first three days on 377 screens, the film took in $1.77 million. By 1992, A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET had a worldwide gross of $57 million, on a budget of only $2.5 million. Reportedly, the film saved New Line Cinema from bankruptcy. Unfortunately, Craven sold the rights to any sequels before the film was released and became a success. Charles Bernstein’s score was most recently released on CD by Varese Sarabande in 2005.
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Posted: |
Jul 31, 2020 - 11:26 PM
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By: |
Bob DiMucci
(Member)
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HANDS OF STEEL is set in a dystopian future America (1997). Daniel Greene plays “Paco,” a cyborg assassin who has been programmed by evil industrialist “Francis Turner” (John Saxon) to kill a prominent environmentalist. However, before Paco can complete the hit, he is struck with a crisis of conscience and instead he goes rogue and flees the scene. He ends up hiding out at a diner in the middle of the desert where he meets, and later falls in love with, a waitress called “Linda” (Janet Agren). In order to make some money he participates in arm-wrestling contests and ends up getting on the wrong side of most of the clientele. However, that's the least of his worries. Before long, Turner manages to track him down to the diner and the scene is set for Paco to stop running and make his final stand.
Co-star Claudio Cassinelli died in a helicopter crash on July 12, 1985, during filming in Arizona. According to the National Transportation Safety Board report, the rotor blades of the Bell 206-B struck the underside of a steel bridge and broke off, causing the aircraft to plummet into the canyon below, killing Cassinelli and the pilot. The crash was officially attributed to inattention and poor judgment by the pilot; the NTSB report notes that a bottle of the prescription diet pill Ionamin (phentermine) was found in the pilot's hotel room, and that this drug may cause errors in judgment, but his actual use of the drug could not be verified because his body was never recovered.
John Saxon, strictly adhering to Screen Actors Guild rules, refused to act in any scenes shot in America (all his scenes were shot in Italy) because this was not a union film. He credits SAG with saving his life, as he would have likely been on the helicopter that crashed, claiming the life of his co-star Claudio Cassinelli. Two different but identically painted Bell helicopters were used for filming; the aircraft seen in close-up shots with Saxon has Italian registration, whereas the one seen flying--the helicopter involved in the fatal crash--has American registration.
Sergio Martino directed and co-wrote the 1986 film. Claudio Simonetti provided the unreleased score.
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In NIGHTMARE BEACH, college students “Skip” (Nicolas De Toth) and “Ronnie” (Rawley Valverde) have hit the beach for Spring Break, despite the fact that Skip is depressed due to his lackluster performance in the big football game. Just prior to their arrival, a biker named “Diablo” (Tony Bolano) was executed at the local prison. Now, a dark figure on a motorcycle is patrolling the area, killing vacationers. The Demons motorcycle gang believe that their leader has come back from the dead. Local cop “Strycher” (John Saxon) doesn’t know what to think. After Ronnie disappears, Skip teams up with local bartender “Gail” (Sarah Buxton) to try and figure out what is going on. However, Gail’s connection to Diablo immediately makes her a target.
John Saxon and Rollin Jarrett in NIGHTMARE BEACH
Umberto Lenzi, originally hired to direct, had a falling out with the producer just as production started and wanted to be taken off the film. He stated in a 1996 interview that he found the story "too similar to his earlier film SEVEN BLOOD-STAINED ORCHIDS” (1972) and decided before shooting began that his name would not appear on the film. Screenwriter Harry Kirkpatrick, also known as James Justice, was given the job of directing, and received sole directorial credit, though he convinced Lenzi to remain on the set in an uncredited advisory capacity throughout the entire production. For years, many horror film fans thought Harry Kirkpatrick was an alias for Lenzi, but Lenzi has stated in interviews that there really was a Harry Kirkpatrick who wrote and co-directed the film. He explained, "My contribution consisted solely of providing technical assistance. NIGHTMARE BEACH should be considered the work of Harry Kirkpatrick."
Claudio Simonetti’s score was finally released by Beat Records in 2016. While the film is known throughout the world as NIGHTMARE BEACH, in the U.S., where it went directly to video, it was initially re-titled WELCOME TO SPRING BREAK. Recent video releases have returned to the original title.
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