Happy Horror at 37,000 Feet Day! Here are Ten of my Favorite OMG TV Movie Moments! (MAJOR SPOILERS)

Yes, the day has finally arrived! You can pick up your copy of Horror at 37,000 Feet on DVD here! And, since I dubbed the whole event an official Made for TV Mayhem Holiday, I thought I’d celebrate with some of my favorite OMG TV Movie Moments!

Horror is one of the first scary movies I was able to watch, and through the years, after a lot of these wonderful TV movies stopped re-airing, I never forgot Horror's freaky deaky ending. It wasn’t just jaw dropping in its unexpectedness, it…. Well, I don’t want to ruin the end, but it made me think about the impact, if you will, of that landing!

TV movies are cool that way.

They might not be able to get all gory and sexy, but they often pushed the envelope while playing within the rules. As a kid who didn’t have access to the big screen scares, I found my love of genre films in my very own living room, and Horror was one of the first to indoctrinate me into the wonderful world of the unknown. I salute you, Mr. 37,000 Feet!

Here's  my list (Reader Beware: there are definitely a few spoilers):

 How Awful about Allan (ABC, 9/22/1970) - Blind Guy Drives a Car:

Why is a blind guy driving? I dunno, but he sucks at it.

A Taste of Evil (ABC, 10/12/1971)
Home for the Holidays (ABC, 11/28/1972)
No Place to Hide (CBS, 3/4/1981)
The Ending(s):

Three different films with one director and one distinct ending. If you’ve seen any of these, you know how the others play out. But don’t be fooled, despite the signature #MoxeyTwist, all three films are excellent and stand on their own two creepy feet! Of the three, I have probably watched No Place to Hide the most, but that might come from my girl crush for the adorable Kathleen Beller. Two of the films (Taste and Hide) were written by the great Jimmy Sangster, while Joseph Stefano (yes, the screenwriter of Psycho) lends his impressive skills to Holidays. If you want to see how director John Llewellyn Moxey uses other similar elements in Taste and the ultra-awesome The Strange and Deadly Occurrence, you can read my comparison/contrast review here.

Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark (ABC, 10/10/73) - The Ending: 
There are plenty of hair raising moments in Dark, but it’s the gut-punch of a downbeat ending that made this movie one of the most traumatic of my childhood. Poor Sally. (Check out my week long tribute to Dark here)

Legend of Lizzie Borden - The Murders (ABC, 2/10/1975):

Lizzie Borden took an axe 
And gave her mother forty whacks.
When she saw what she had done,
She gave her father forty-one. 

Need I say more?

Trilogy of Terror (ABC, 3/4/1975) - The Ending:

I think I’ve mentioned this before, but I remember one bright and lovely Saturday afternoon when I came in the house for lunch. My parents’ eyes were transfixed on the television screen. From the doorway, I could only see their expressions and had no idea what they were watching. I slowly walked over to our living room table and turned towards the television. What I saw was beyond words. All I knew was that some tiny little creature was chasing a woman around her apartment. Instant fear! I was not prepared for the ending, which featured a very primitive looking Karen Black exposing a grotesque maw full of sharp, rotting teeth. Egads. The stuff of nightmares.

 Night Terror (NBC, 2/7/1977) - Cop Shot By Creepy Man in Front of Helpless Housewife:

Taking a long road trip, Valerie Harper runs into all kinds of freaky trouble when she accidentally witnesses Richard Romanus killing a police officer. This triggers (no pun intended) a taut chase across the desolate desert. A bone chilling start to a great TVM!

A Vacation in Hell (ABC, 5/21/1979) - Love Interest Goes Down The Tubes, err, A Waterfall:  

A Vacation in Hell is one whacky movie. I love it for so many reasons, one being that it throws you for a loop every so often. If it isn’t Maureen McCormick dancing provocatively for a Vaseline smeared camera lens, then it’s a twist or turn you weren’t expecting. Losing hopeless but adorable Michael Brandon part way through the film was a shocker! And I love the film for going there (and there and there too. Seriously, this film is insane).

The Possessed (NBC, 5/1/1977) - Diana Scarwid is Flammable:

Underneath the ivy and school girl uniforms, The Possessed is really all about sexual repression. So, it doesn’t seem all that strange that a young student finds herself engulfed in the fires of suppressed passion (literally). It’s all the more sexual and telling that only a young Harrison Ford can extinguish her flames!

Amityville: The Evil Escapes (NBC, 5/12/1989) - Garbage-Disposal-Fu:

OK, OK, OK. Amityville: The Evil Escapes isn’t exactly the scariest movie ever made. In fact, most of the time it is pretty darn silly. But if you will allow me to go back to 1989, when I was a teenager and this was a new horror movie. I’m sure you can image that my excitement clouded any and all problems with the film. And if nothing else, Amityville keeps with the theme of 80s excessiveness in its gleeful over the top moments. Case in point, when the high school jock comes to help the family with their garbage disposal problem, he learns the hard way that good guys don't win. I did not see Amityville again until 2013, and was not surprised that I remembered every single moment of this scene. It still makes me shriek! I hope this kid has another career goal, because I think the football team is just about to drop him!

High Desert Kill (USA, 5/1/1989) - This: 
 

My list went well over ten, and I'm sure I'd be happy to swap some titles with others on any given day. Honorable mentions go to:
 
The Norliss Tapes (NBC, 2/21/1973): Frankenstein/Hulk creature rips off a car door!
Scream, Pretty Peggy (ABC, 11/24/1973): The killer's reveal!
Satan's Triangle (ABC, 1/14/1975): The ending! 
Dead of Night (NBC, 3/29/1977): Bobby!
This House Possessed (ABC, 2/6/1981): Blood shower, anyone?
Don't Go to Sleep (ABC,12/10/1982): The ending!
Nightmare at Bitter Creek (CBS, 5/24/1988): Joanna Cassidy gets her vengeful groove-on! 
... and so many more!

What are some of your favorite small screen OMG moments?

Dallas on the Family Feud

It was indeed a truly wonderful moment in TV when the cast of Dallas joined Richard Dawson, along with Eight is Enough (well, in this case five will do just fine) and the crazy crew at One Day at a Time for game show mayhem! The air date was Monday, October 8th, 1979 and several shows, including the ones mentioned and Benson (of man, I adore Benson!) all gathered to raise money for their favorite charities. The Dallas crew went with Charlene Tilton's charity, the Kennedy Child Study Center, located in St. Johns Hospital in Santa Monica.

This was the first time the cast of Dallas appeared on Family Feud and they took it all the way to the $10,000 grand prize! However, the highlight of the show happened when Richard Dawson said he thought he recognized Charlene and she told him a story about meeting him when she was seven. Apparently he offered her candy and a smile, and the dirty jokes flowed for the rest of the show! Charlene was only 19 during this taping and she seems both amused and slightly uncomfortable about the way the story unfolded in front of our sullied eyes. In short, it was awesomeness. Richard, of course, handled everything with just the right touch of humor and all in all, this is what we call great TV! Here are a bunch of images from the episode which available on The All Star Family Feud DVD!



Let's start The Family Feud!




   The crew are literally holding up JR!     However, the Eight is Enough cast look like they have problems of their own!       Here are the gorgeous Dallas contestants:      Don't fret guys, the Speed Round makes us all nervous!      The One Day at a Time cast hopes to botch J.R.'s grand success      Has Dawson finally stumped J.R.?      Nope! Even Mizz Romano had to give J.R. a hand!      Speed Round #2: Same actors, same success!       J.R. puts another notch on his belt! Only this time it's a good notch!  

Halloween Countdown: Day 31 - Summer of Fear

Originally, I was going to do several TV movies, all of which would have aired on this day back in time... but since I'm out of town and didn't have as much time to prepare as I would have liked, and because I'm at a Chiller convention where I was about 5 feet away from Linda Blair, I thought I'd choose this NBC film which aired on this day in 1978.


Linda is cute as a button here as the beleaguered but spunky teenager who thinks her cousin is an Ozark witch! I really like Summer of Fear aka Stranger in Our House. It's got a lot of energy, a great cast and it shows the early potential of Wes Craven who helmed this little flick. It's not my favorite of his TV movie horror films, that would be Chiller, but it's a lot of fun and a movie I find myself enjoying more with each viewing. It's horror-lite, but perfect fodder for a relaxing Hallow's Eve!

And wouldn't you know it, Summer of Fear is on DVD! There is a commentary track with Wes and it's just fantastic. Well worth the price of the disc.

Halloween Countdown: Day 30 - Death Cruise

Terror on the high seas was never this glamorous! This ABC Movie of the Week which premiered on this day all the way back in 1974 has managed to elude me, even though it had a vhs release. It sounds a little bit like Love Boat meets Ten Little Indians, only there's six Indians here. But you get the picture. Three couples win a contest they never entered and find themselves cruising towards... you got it... death. And check it out - this is yet another Aaron Spelling movie! Death Cruise just reeks of awesomeness, don't it? Another one to add to the must see list!

And like yesterday's post, this is in honor of the late Tom Bosley who stars here alongside such wonderful actors as Kate Jackson and Richard Long. Bosley will always be known as Mr. C, but he was so great in anything he popped up in. RIP Tom.

Here's a brief clip:

Halloween Countdown: Day 29 - At the Midnight Hour

I sort of struggled with whether or not I should make this CBS movie, which premiered on this day in 1995, my choice for Scary TV Movie of the Day, but I decided on it for two simple reasons.

The first one is probably obvious... Amanda By Night adores her gothic thriller/romance hybrids. Especially when it's produced by Harlequin! You heard me, the trashy paperback romance company produced some really great little movies back in the 90s. OK, maybe great is overstating it a bit. I mean, it's no Shades of Love or Romance Theater or anything, but they really do fit the bill when you want some love and suspense. I had not heard of this movie until I made this list and the random reviews I've read have been fair to middling, but what can I say, I'm a sucker.

The second reason I picked At the Midnight Hour is because I have been wanting to pay a little tribute to Simon MacCorkindale who passed away on October 14th at the age of 58. I mostly love Simon because he was Manimal, but he also starred in one of my favorite Shades of Love movies (there goes that title again), called Sincerely, Violet. He was always a great romantic lead with that suave accent and Jeff Bridges like features. And let's not forget, he was downright sexy in Jaws 3!

So there's two great reasons to give this movie a go. Sexy and scary! YAY!

Halloween Countdown: Day 28 - KISS Meets the Phantom of the Park

Although it's considered a big ol' train wreck by pretty much everyone involved (and some of the viewers as well!) I still think KISS Meets the Phantom of the Park is pretty wonderful. This NBC movie which aired on this day in 1978 is kind of magical. There, I said it. Produced by Hanna-Barbera, it's pure childish fodder, but instead of a big cartoon bear you've got Gene Simmons. Sure he's smarter than the average bear but he says things like "Star Child!" too! How I love thee! Actually this movie is one of the most fun TV movies of the decade. It's got ultra-silly sound effects and it features the band as superhero types out to foil Anthony Zerbe, aka the Phantom of the Park. He's making certain park patrons into robot-zombie types who will do his evil bidding! Does it get anymore awesome than that? I mean, seriously. Plus Peter Criss' Beth is one of the best songs of all time. It just is.

Just cuz: The band still slams the movie to this day, but I met Peter Criss briefly in the early 90s and I asked him to sign my trusty vhs copy. He looked at it and said, "Cool!" I think we all have a soft spot for this Phantom!

Read more about KISS Meets the Phantom of the Park at TV Party!


Check out this awesome promo for the movie:

Halloween Countdown: Day 27: The House that Would Not Die

Oh man, you've got a creepy house, Barbara Stanwyck, John Llewellyn Moxey and Aaron Spelling... This ABC Movie of the Week made its debut on this day in 1970 and looks sooooo good. I'm ashamed to admit I haven't seen it... yet.

The House that Would Not Die is based on the creepy Barbara Michaels novel called Ammie Come Home, which I am somewhat familiar with. I remember the house in the book isn't Amish, and it's located fairly close to other homes. I've been curious to see how this adaptation worked out and I'm just crazy about movies with seances! This is a definite must see!

Read about The House that Would Not Die over at Kindertrauma and CampBlood!

Halloween Countdown: Day 26 - In the Deep Woods

Serial killer madness struck NBC on this day in 1992! In the Deep Woods is probably best remembered because it was Anthony Perkins' last film (he died about one month before it premiered). It looks like many of those early 90s crime thrillers which brought the TV movie world to a halt, but from what I've read, it's a really fun whodunit and you know, that Perkins guy can do no wrong. Here he plays a cop hot on the trail of a killer and he creates an aura of paranoia around Rosanna Arquette who starts to think she may know the culprit. Also, Kimberly Beck, D.W. Moffat and Will Patton all show up and probably look very cool in that early-90s-Melrose-Place-kind-of-way! Me likey! This movie is available on DVD through Amazon

Halloween Countdown: Day 25 - Bay Coven

Bay Coven aka Bay Cove aka Eye of the Demon aka Strangers in Town aka The Devils of Bay Cove (got that?) premiered on this day on NBC in 1987 and sounds like a last-bastion attempt at the glamorous world of TV horror movies, with all kinds of neat witchcraft and Pamela Sue Martin and stuff!

I have a copy of this movie... somewhere. Back in the early 2000s when I first met my main mancub, he gave me a copy of Bay Coven because he knew the way to my heart was through my vcr. I can't say I remember much now, but by reading some stuff about this movie, I've been re-encouraged to take the Nestea plunge and give it another go. Lord knows where it is in this house, but I see you can buy it for cheap on vhs. YAY!

Read my review of Bay Coven here. 

Also, you can read this great review of Bay Coven at Killer Kittens from Beyond the Grave.

Halloween Countdown: Day 24 - Dark Night of the Scarecrow

Halloween doth approachith... or something like that. As the holiday heads to ground zero, the movies get scarier... Although it's doubtful that anything will be able to top this genuinely terrifying horror film about the vengeance of an idiot-manchild-done-wrong! I know, I'm not really selling it with my pithy synopsis. But seriously, if you haven't seen this super scary TVM, which premiered on this day in 1981 on CBS, then you need to see it now. And as luck would have it, Dark Night of the Scarecrow just got released on DVD! I picked it up, but have only been able to watch bits, and I can tell you the transfer is fantastic and it also features a commentary by the writer and director! Wow, I should drop out of school, cuz it's obvious time is not on my side! Anyway, please support your TVMs!

Halloween Countdown - Day 23: Bad Ronald

I'm not exactly sure else I can add to the discussion of this movie that I didn't already say in the review I did when I first started ye olde blog. Bad Ronald is simply ABC Movie of the Week awesomeness and will forever stand as a grand example of the small scale brilliance TVMs could attain when done right. As I see it, this 1974 shocker is just about perfect... and I'm not just saying that because Scott Jacoby is so damn cute. But, of course, that makes it that much better!
Bad Ronald is now on DVD at Warner Archives!



I'm feeling all charitable so I thought I'd throw out this title too. Mind over Murder aired on this day in 1979 on CBS. It's got Deborah Raffin, Bruce Davidson, Andrew "super hawt" Prine and Robert Englund! Kind of funny Englund appears here as this one is about deadly visions! It was released on vhs under the title Deadly Vision and I can't believe I haven't seen it yet! You can read a hilarious review of it at Camp Blood (that buzz cracks me up!).