Are You in the House Alone? A TV Movie Compendium, 1964-1999... Edited by Yours Truly!

Anyone who visits Made for TV Mayhem certainly has a deep affection not just for retro television, but also for the classic Movie of the Week. In the 1970s, the ABC MOW was churning out film after film, and while that phenomenon only lasted for a few years, the idea of the TVM as an event, as something to stay home for, remained through the rest of the seventies, well into the nineties. Part of the love for the made for TV movie is, of course, nostalgia, but telefilms also tapped into current issues, and brought them into our living rooms night after night. Some movies were forgotten about, while others became fondly remembered classics. British publisher Headpress seeks to reconcile our memories of the obscure, as well as the bona fide hits in their new book Are You in the House Alone? Growing up with Gargoyles, Giant Turtles, Valerie Harper, the Cold War, Stephen King, and Co-ed Call Girls: A TV Movie Compendium, 1964-1999, which I edited.

Are You in the House Alone? A TV Movie Compendium, 1964-1999 (its truncated title) is a book of reviews and essays about network made for television movies. Essays span several topics, ranging from reunion TVMs to the telefilm’s response to sexual assault. And, there are hundreds of reviews covering the most talked about TV movies to some of the most obscure titles. The contributing authors are passionate about the topic, and we did our best to uncover as many of the dusty corners of the small screen as we could.

The book’s official street date is April 6th, 2017, but there will be a special launch for Are You in the House Alone? in November at Monster Fest in Melbourne, Australia. The film festival will be held between November 24th-27th, and I will be there, along with some of the book’s contributors, including Kier-La Janisse, who is the director of MF, and a noted film programmer, writer, and Editor-in-Chief of Spectacular Optical, as well as authors John Harrison (Hip Pocket Sleaze: The Lurid World of Vintage Adult Paperbacks), and Lee Gambin (Massacred By Mother Nature: Exploring the Natural Horror Film). Also joining us will be John’s wife, stuntwoman and actress Marneen Fields, who has appeared in everything from The Spell to The Calendar Girl Murders! We’ll be discussing the enduring legacy of the made for television movie and capping off the evening with a screening of Bad Ronald! You can read more about Monster Fest here, and their press release for their events can be found here.

Here's a peek at the cover of Are You in the House Alone? A TV Movie Compendium, 1964-1999:

After Monster Fest, a hardcover version of the book will be immediately available through Headpress’ website (link to come), but it will not be obtainable through general retailers until April 6th, 2017. This book has been a labor of love, not just for me, but for all of the writers as well as Headpress. I, of course, will keep everyone up to date on any events or signings, but please mark your calendars for April 6th, or if you are in Australia, come to Monster Fest, pick up the book and say hello! Would love to meet you!

Are You in the House Alone? (1978)

Network: CBS Original
Air Date: September 20th, 1978

Randy Stumpf, where are you? I know him best as Andy, Billy’s sleazy co-worker in Silent Night, Deadly Night, but Randy was all over the airwaves in the 70s and early 80s. I just watched him on the first episode of The Brady Brides and I also remember seeing his mug in several other shows. According to IMDb, Deadly Night was Randy’s last foray into world of celluloid, and goshdarnit, I kind of miss that lug. Like, I didn’t know I missed him until I revisited this awesome little potboiler, but I do.


That's Mr. Stumpf next to Mr. Quaid! I could just die!


Randy is E.K. Miller in Are You in the House Alone, and he’s red herring #1 or #2, depending on how you list your red herrings. Too obvious to truly consider him a potential rapist, he’s still got that sleaze thing down pat. He’s the one you love to hate. The other red herring just oogs you out. Big difference. OK, so let me get to the plot here. The beautifully petite and buxom Kathleen Beller is Gail Osborne, a fun and studious teenager who has been looking for love in all the wrong places. E.K. is one of her exes and he’s pretty pissed that he’s no longer a current. When she hooks up with the gorgeous Steve (Scott Colomby from the Porky’s series) E.K. gets pretty indignant. But Gail’s got worse problems. Someone is stuffing creepy notes into her locker and these "love letters" are followed by disturbing phone calls. Gail reaches out in different ways to the principal (Ellen Travolta!), her parents (Tony Bill and Blythe Danner) and even her BFF Allison (Robin Mattson), but they all suggest she simply ignore it. Eventually everyone will come to regret that advice, and Gail’s eventual assault comes with a heavy price for everyone.



I said a large pizza and please hold the psycho, thanks.

Are You in the House Alone is based on a young adult novel by Richard Peck, and while the adaptation (written by Judith Parker) does indeed have an Afterschool Special tinge to it, the underlying message is rather empowering. Gail’s assault, triumph over adversity and the crafty way which she catches her rapist seem rather fresh, considering the 70s was a decade where women were still being held as accountable in the crime as their attacker (A Case of Rape is a great example of this problem). Things don’t come out exactly as good-beats-down-evil, but it does encourage women to own their lives instead of giving it up to fear.


You are, like, early Johnny Depp to me

I don’t know why, but House is often put into the horror genre, and sometimes it’s even narrowed down more into the slasher sub-genre. While what happens to Gail is certainly horrific, there’s not much in the way of true horror here. What we’ve actually got is a solid thriller with lots of build up and a nice payoff thanks to director Walter Grauman's sense of pacing. The cast is amazing, and a young Dennis Quaid really stands out. Between this and Seniors, he was, like, the hottest thing the 70s saw. I’m telling you, he’s got star written all over him! I’ve always adored Scott Colomby and he’s really giggle-worthy here and a great match with Gail. Of course Randy is the perfect sleazeball - I am seriously in love with that guy. The relationships in House are really strong, whether it is Gail and her teachers, Gail and her parents or Gail and her friends. There’s a genuine sense of closeness and safety in her life that makes the attack that much more brutal, and in TV land less has to be more. The only real issue I had was accepting Tony Bill playing a father with a teenage daughter. Seriously, wasn't he the mid 20s-ish studly teaching assistant in The Initiation of Sarah (which also aired in 1978)? Crazy. Oh yeah and that weird photography class where Gail is forced to act sexy in front of the camera is just plain creepy.


There's always someone lighting up Gail's life...

While I don’t remember seeing the original airing, I did catch House a couple of times on TBS in the early 90s and loved it. I remember really enjoying it when I revisited it in the early 2000s, around the time I was reigniting my love of TV movies. And now, after almost another 10 year time span, I still really appreciate this taut little thriller. It works not just because I love that “Have you checked the children?” scenario but also because it’s really well put together. The story is intriguing and I really like the way it all plays out. Beller made a few good TV movies, including No Place to Hide (1981) and Deadly Messages (1985), before she walked away from films to raise her children with her husband Thomas Dolby! How cool is that? Anyway, she is greatly missed. She was always instantly likable and had a true girl next door appeal. Kathleen is perfectly cast here in a movie that has actually been making the rounds online and even on television. Currently, it’s part of Netflix’s Instant Streaming section and it’s also been streaming on Hulu for what seems like forever. And it's shown up on This TV and Encore on Demand. If you love TV movies, and you haven’t seen this, there is really no excuse not to visit it, so let’s get going, K?

And one more plea: Come back Randy. Do it for the ladies...

News, News, and Some News

I'm exhausted, but undeniably glamorous!

I'm so sorry I haven't been able to keep things moving on my blog in the ways I'd like, but I have lotsa news that I'm, like, crazy excited about!

I guess we'll do the time sensitive stuff first: If you are in San Antonio or can get to San Antonio on Saturday, March 3rd, please come see me at the San Antonio Pop Con. I'll be giving a presentation on Made for TV movies at 1:30, and then I'll be signing Are You in the House Alone? A TV Movie Compendium: 1964-1999 for the rest of the day. It's a free con put on by the local library and it looks amazing. Check out the presentation schedule here.

I am thrilled to announce that not only did Are You in the House Alone make Barnes and Noble's Best of Horror list for 2017 (OMG!), but it has been nominated for Book of the Year at the Rondo Awards!

Confession: I wasn't on the original list of nominees, but a few of you dropped the Rondo folks a line and I'm so touched that anyone took the time out to request that I be added to what is a great list of books written by a group of lovely and talented writers. I'd also like to give a big shout out to Mike White, who mentioned my exclusion on his Impossible Funky blog. That meant a lot. You can send your votes to taraco@aol.com. (If you want to throw a write-in vote my way for my commentary for The Spell, I won't stop you)

If you find you must vote for another book then follow your heart, but I think you should all make sure that you've checked off The Twilight Zone Podcast in the Best Multi-Media Horror Site category. Tom always does his best to put together an A+++ show and he deserves an award for all of his hard work (plus, dat voice... **drooling**)! Make sure you vote for the TZ podcast called The Twilight Zone Podcast... there's another TZ show on the list (which I'm sure is wonderful, but still... Tom should win!). Tom even made a post where you can just cut and paste his entry into an email. Easy peasy. Do it!

Hiding from my public

Back to me!

In non-TV news: Arrow Video announced last Friday that they are releasing a US/UK Blu Ray of Wes Craven's first horror film, The Last House on the Left, which my good friend Bill Ackerman (Supporting Characters) and I are providing a commentary track for! I am still pinching myself. I think many of you know that I'm a diehard Craven fanatic, so this opportunity has been a dream come true for me. Last House is due to be released in May, you can pre-order via Diabolik if you are in the US or through Arrow for you UK folks.

That's Joe Ziemba making me sound important

I did my first Made for TV Mystery Movie screening at the Alamo, and it was sold out! The evening and event were so amazing, and I'm beyond grateful for the chance to share my love of TV movies with people. I'll be doing another one in April and will share the link to buy tickets via my social media when they become available. On March 2nd I'm hosting the AGFA Secret Society screening. It's sold out, and I'm just mentioning cuz I'm excited. 

By the by, if you haven't had a chance to check out the Made for TV Mayhem Show, give us a go. We'll be talking Kathleen Beller telefilms in March. Join us.

So, now you can see why I'm not around as much (but did you see I posted a review of Madame Sin as part of a recent Classic TV Blog Association blogathon?), but I'm doing my best to keep the love alive! You can always visit my social media if you want to talk TV and horror. I'm on twitter @madefortvmayhem and my facebook is simply Made for TV Mayhem. Say hi!

I may or may not have more news for you in the near future. But hopefully soon (Amy, soon)!!! Absolutely every single one of you that I've run across in person and online has been so supportive of what I'm doing. Thank you!!!

More News!

Just popping in a with a little news. Also, do you have a cup of sugar I could borrow?

While it's true I don't want my blog to just become a bookmark for other things, I have been so incredibly busy lately that, well, it's become a bookmark for other things. I really, really want to get back to blogging... but for now here's an update on what's going on in my world:

Have we talked about the Rondos yet? I can't remember. I didn't win, but did get an honorable mention, which was amazing. Thanks to everyone who voted for Are You in the House Alone? A TV Movie Compendium: 1964-1999. Your support has been amazing.

Dat artwork! 😍😍😍

Hey guys, one of the most exciting things ever has happened! I have provided a commentary track for Scream Factory's upcoming blu ray release of the classic John Carpenter telefilm Someone's Watching Me! Can I say OH. MY. GAWD. I mean, I just did, but OMG. I'm so excited. The release date is July 24th, but you can pre-order through Scream Factory's site and get it a couple of weeks early! I hope everyone enjoys it. I honestly gave it my all. It's not just an important film because it's early Carpenter, but Someone's Watching Me! is also simply just an amazing movie. And one that deserves all of the love in the world. Also, I'm on the same disc as Adrienne Barbeau. That's it, I'm done! My life is complete. Thank you so much Scream Factory for allowing me to be a part of this! The people at Scream Factory are amazing. It's been wonderful. 

Turns out the very center of hell is kind of awesome. Wes Craven 4lyfe!

In other amazing Amanda news, Arrow's blu ray release of The Last House on the Left was pushed back by a few weeks, but copies have started trickling in all over the world. As you may recall, my good friend Bill Ackerman from Supporting Characters and I contributed a commentary track. The early reviews have been really nice too, which is very exciting. I'm a newbie to the world of commentaries, but I can tell you it's really one of those things you put your heart and soul into because you want to give the film a lot of love and also keep people interested in you for 90s minutes. That's no easy feat, guys. So, even the mild criticism is fine as long as people appreciate the work you put into these things!

Anyway, that's my roundabout way of saying be kind if you review it on Amazon or anywhere else! We work hard on these things, and I'm honored to be a part of them. You can pick up Last House in the UK via Arrow's website, or through Diabolik if you are in the states.

More amazing artwork!

I have also contributed the liner notes to Arrow's upcoming blu ray release of Doom Asylum! Super excited about this. My booklet will only be available on the first pressing so grab a copy now. I will say this, writing liner notes for this project was absolutely one of the most fun writing assignments I've ever had. I was surprised by the amount of information I unearthed... turns out Doom Asylum has been well documented over the years, and it has a fascinating history.

It's also super exciting because The Hysteria Continues provided the commentary track for this release as well. So, I'm in wonderful company. And, I just want to send a lot of love to Arrow for trusting me with Last House on the Left and Doom Asylum. They are a great company full of great people, and I'm so honored to be included somewhere there in the mix! Again, you can pick up Doom Asylum via Arrow's website if you're in the UK or state-siders can go to Diabolik!

Ummm, amazing artwork again!!!

And speaking of liner notes, I also provided some for Retromedia's release of Snowbeast! So, as a company that doesn't normally do liner notes, it's an extra honor, but also something to note because to fit it properly into the packaging my writing has been placed on the opposite side of the insert, so remove the cover if you want to read about Bigfoot and stuff... Again, this was one of the most fun writing projects I've ever had. I'll tell you, liner notes are just a big ball of awesome to work on. I'll never get tired of documenting lost and/or underrated films. I'm so honored people let me do it too!

So, thank you, Fred Olen Ray for allowing me to participate in this release! And check out the commentary he does with David DeCoteau! Good times had by all, to be sure!

By the way, a little while ago I wrote about the blu ray release of The Master for Diabolique. Read it if you are so inclined!

Wonderfully evocative cover art comes courtesy of the talented Jeremy Thompson

I'm also involved in an upcoming book titled Scared Sacred: Idolatry, Religion and Worship in the Horror Film! I'll be writing about two fascinating telefilms, which will be announced via House of Leaves Publishing in the coming weeks. For now, check out the Rue Morgue and Anatomy of a Scream articles, as well as the HoL page which is set up for Scared Sacred. There will be a crowdfunding campaign opening up in the coming weeks, so keep an eye out!

I'll also be submitting or have submitted several essays for a few more projects to be announced in the future. And I may or may not have more commentary news for you soon! Most of it is TV movie related, so yay! I might not be able to update my blog, but I'm doing my best to keep the TV movie love alive. There's been so much positivity coming from both strangers and friends alike, so I hope everyone knows how much I appreciate every kind word, like and share. Thank you!

Talking TV at the Miskatonic Institute of Horror Studies: The Films

For those of you interested in what I discussed whilst I was in London last week attempting to sound scholarly (see how I used "whilst"... I've become so British!), or if you came and were interested in checking out some of the titles I mentioned, here is a list of what I discussed, or screened, along with the topic I placed them under (some titles linked to my reviews or episodes of podcasts where we featured that title):

Topic: TV Movies as an Event

Opening Bumper Reel:
Deliver Us From Evil
KISS Meets the Phantom of the Park
Trackdown: Finding the Goodbar Killer
Midnight Hour

Topic: An Overview of the History of the TV Movie
Maybe I’ll Come Home in the Spring
Strange Possession of Mrs. Oliver
See How they Run
Seven in Darkness

Topic: Popularity of the TV Movie (Nielsens)
Dr. Cook's Garden
Crowhaven Farm
The Girl Most Likely To...
Cry in the Wilderness

Topic: Important Filmmakers:
Dan Curtis
Richard Matheson
John Llewellyn Moxey
Aaron Spelling

Movies discussed (very briefly):
Duel
Satan’s School for Girls
Trilogy of Terror
The Night Stalker

Topic: Marketing the Horror Telefilm
Savages
Look What Happened to Rosemary’s Baby

Promo clip reel:
Born Innocent
Deadly Lessons
The Intruder Within
Someone’s Watching Me!
Invitation to Hell
Bad Seed
Look What Happened to Rosemary’s Baby

TV Guide Section:
The Babysitter
Fantasies
Dying Room Only
This House Possessed
Bridge Across Time (aka Terror at London Bridge)
Midnight Hour
No Place to Hide
Are You in the House Alone?

Topic: So Many Subgenres!
Invitation to Hell (Satanic Panic)
Legend of Lizzie Borden (True Crime)
The Stranger Within (Sci-Fi)
Five Desperate Women (proto-slasher)
Ants! (Nature Runs Amok)
Bad Ronald (Evil Kids)
Mazes and Monsters (Propaganda)
Killjoy (Thriller)

Topic: Popular Subgenre - Supernatural
Subtopic: The Haunted House/Ghost Story Telefilm, and the Intimacy of Grief:
Fear No Evil
Daughter of the Mind
The House that Would Not Die
Don’t Go to Sleep
This House Possessed
She Waits
(*all of the above had companion clips, with the exception of The House that Wouldn't Die)

 
Subtopic: The Paranormal TVM and Second Wave Feminism
The Spell
Midnight Offerings (included clip)
Initiation of Sarah
Night Cries

Subtopic: Tiny Monsters and the Domestic Space

Tiny Monster reel:
Dead of Night segment: Bobby
Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark
Devil Dog: The Hound of Hell
The Intruder Within
Trilogy of Terror

A clip reel I didn't get to show: Big Monsters!

Conclusion: The TV Horror Film from 1985 to Present:
Kicks (revamp of ABC Movie of the Week)
Bad Seed (revamp of ABC Movie of the Week)
The Haunting of Sarah Hardy (USA Original)
Murder by Night (USA Original)
Tainted Blood (USA Original)
The Haunted (included clip)
Grave Secrets: The Legacy of Hilltop Drive
Mark of the Devil (re-purposed Hammer House of Mystery and Suspense)
Spring Break Shark Attack (revival of the horror movie of the week)
Locusts (revivial of the horror movie of the week)
Rosemary's Baby miniseries remake (the telefilm as an "event" continues)

The End!

I'd like to thank Kier-La Janisse and Jennifer Wallis, as well as my publisher, David Kerekes of Headpress, and the Miskatonic Institute of Horror Studies for hosting such an incredible event (the folks at the Horse Hospital were pretty great too). We almost sold out of the book I edited, Are You in the House Alone? A TV Movie Compendium: 1964-1999 (which is now available through Amazon), and I've had some wonderful feedback. Also, two new real life friends, Tom Elliot from The Strange and Deadly Show and Chris Brown from The Last Horror Podcast (along with his gorgeous wife) made the trek from Liverpool to ensure the whole thing was even more memorable. I am so grateful for the last few months, and I hope you continue to join me on this little small screen adventure!

Oh my gosh! Will I ever have time to blog again... is the name of this blog post

Here I am, again, writing a post about why I can't write a post. It's a little annoying on this end. But only a little. I have a lot of really great stuff happening, and just wanted to update anyone who doesn't travel along my social medias, in case you are so inclined.

As many of you know, I have edited and contributed to a book coming out May 1st through Headpress titled Are You in the House Alone? A TV Movie Compendium: 1964-1999. This has given me a little bit of street cred and I find I've been very busy on the promotion trail. Here's what's up:

I will be discussing TV horror movies at the Miskatonic Institute of Horror Studies in London on April 20th at the Horse Hospital. My talk is titled Tele-terrors: The Real and Imagined Horrors Inside the Made for Television Movie, and it's inexpensive and should be fun! I'll be speaking with Kier-La Janisse and Jennifer Wallis, who are two amazing people. So do it for them, if not for me.

To promote this talk, I recently did a couple of podcast interviews and appearances:

You can listen to me on the Last Horror Podcast
website | iTunes

The Kolchak Tapes Episode 2 (interview with me about TV movies)
website | iTunes

The Kolchak Tapes Episode 3 (I discuss The Norliss Tapes)
website | iTunes

Supporting Characters (an interview with me about my writing career and my life in general!)
website | iTunes

Compañeros (discussion of 1990s horror film The Borrower)
website | iTunes

Just One More Thing (talking about the later entry Columbo episode No Time To Die)
website | iTunes


I'm very honored to be featured on all of these shows, as I adore each of them endlessly. Everyone has been so great about supporting my TV movie love! I want to hug the world! Big shout out to Bill Ackerman from Supporting Characters who informed me that I was quoted on Shout Factory's DVD double feature TV movie release of Are You in the House Alone and The Initiation of Sarah! I've owned this double disc since it was released... How did I not know this?

I also had a short academic piece featured on Georgia State University's In Media Res page. I spoke a bit about female agency in The Initiation of Sarah's 2006 remake.

I will also be in the upcoming book from Spectacular Optical titled Yuletide Terror: Christmas Horror on Film and Television (check out Dread Central's article about it here). There's a lot of amazing people featured in the book and I'm beside myself with excitement! Check out Spectacular Optical's dedicated page on their website for more info!

And my good friend Lee Gambin recently announced that he's putting together a new film journal. TV movies will be included and I'll be in the first issue. Will give more deets as this project moves forward. He's also working on a book that I'm contributing too. Again, more info as I get it.

So, it's been quite busy. I suspect when I return from London it will quiet down a bit and I can get back to podcasting/blogging and the like. I've been watching tons of fun telefilms to prep for my talk, so I'm ready! But until then, come find me on facebook or twitter, or check out the blog's companion podcast if you haven't. Our latest double feature is a Tori Spelling Twofer featuring Death of Cheerleader (1994) and Co-ed Call Girl. It's currently on the website and iTunes! Hooray! 

Let's Talk Summer of Fear: An Interview with Lisa Holmes of Music Box Films/Doppelgänger Releasing

 Lee Purcell as Julia Trent in Summer of Fear. © Micheline Keller/Courtesy of
Doppelgänger Releasing

Ummm... can we just call 2017 the Year of the TV Movie? With the release of The Spell, the announcement of The Burning Bed coming out and Music Box Films/Doppleganger Releasing, uh, releasing the most excellent Wes Craven joint Summer of Fear on Blu-Ray, it seems that the oft-maligned telefilm genre is getting its due, and with all kinds of neat bonus features... The love!

Of course, I'm an obvious champion of these movies, and have a particular soft spot for Craven's small screen flicks. I wrote extensively about them in an essay I penned for my book Are You in the House Alone? A TV Movie Compendium: 1964-1999, and I've also reviewed his big three telefilms here, if you want to read my thoughts on Summer of Fear (and Invitation to Hell and Chiller... and you can listen to a podcast episode dedicated to these films as well). I'm so pleased this film is getting a second chance at a new audience, and I should mention it comes with the original Wes Craven commentary conducted on the TV movie's original DVD release from a few years ago. So many great tidbits coming the master himself, a new interview with Linda Blair, and a gorgeous new transfer of a great film! Hooray!

Lisa Holmes, the Director of Sales, Home Entertainment of Music Box Films/Doppleganger Releasing took some time out to discuss the release, which is today, y'all. Go pick up your copy (link above), and leave a review!

Carol Lawrence as Leslie Bryant and Jeremy Slate as Tom Bryant in Summer
of Fear. Courtesy of Doppelgänger Releasing

Amanda Reyes: Why did Music Box/Doppelganger decide to release Summer of Fear?

Lisa Holmes: We saw it as a diamond in the rough, and a great way to start a new direction for the Doppelganger Releasing label. If you look at our catalog, you’ll see that we gravitate toward what I like to think of as a little interesting and different. Summer of Fear fit that bill for us.

AR: It's fantastic that you were able to acquire the original commentary that Wes Craven did for the DVD release in 2003. Out of curiosity, I'm wondering if it is difficult to procure previously released extra materials that were done for another distributor?

LH: We got very lucky in this instance. It always boils down to underlying rights and with older properties in particular, it can be a difficult proposition.

Lee Purcell as Julia Trent in Summer of Fear. © Micheline Keller/Courtesy of
Doppelgänger Releasing

AR: Wes Craven's TVM work has largely been ignored. I'm wondering if you have any general thoughts on his four telefilms, Summer of Fear, Invitation to Hell, Chiller and Night Visions, and how they fit into his overall filmography?

LH: I wonder about that too. I’m no scholar on the subject, but as a viewer I’ve always been of the opinion that Wes Craven’s work was smart and well-crafted regardless of the medium. I never feel like he dumbed anything down, which makes it more interesting. He was willing to go against certain horror tropes – and clearly with the Scream films had no problem making fun of them too.

I think too, unfortunately because he has passed away, people are taking the time to dig in to the broader scope of his work because there won’t be any more. If you want to look at his work completely, the TV films need to have their due as well as the big theatrical releases. On a total side note, one of the things I love about all four of those projects are the casts. It’s totally worth trolling IMDB to see who was in all of those movies. For Summer of Fear, I knew about Linda Blair and Lee Purcell of course, but Fran Drescher and Macdonald Carey were like the cherry on top of the ice cream with the cake. Bobbi Flekman and Dr. Tom Horton in the same movie? My head just exploded.

Lee Purcell as Julia Trent in Summer of Fear. © Micheline Keller/Courtesy of
Doppelgänger Releasing

AR: I was speaking to a couple of people who work for companies that have released TV movies on DVD/Blu Ray and they said they noticed an uptick in interest in the genre. Have you noticed that as well? If so, why do you think that is?

LH: I remember when the moniker “Made for TV” had a certain quality to it that people looked down upon. Perhaps in these days of truly excellent, original television content, viewers and labels alike are keeping a more open mind and are looking at previous made for television films with a new perspective as valid works of art. Of course, it may be driven too by people in my generation who are feeling nostalgic as well. Member Berries anyone?

Linda Blair as Rachel Bryant in Summer of Fear. © Micheline
Keller/Courtesy of Doppelgänger Releasing

AR: I don't want you to give away anything in the interview you conducted with Linda Blair, but can you tell us how she generally looks back on the film, and maybe working with Wes?

LH: Just as a point of clarification, I did not personally conduct the interview. I wish I had! I will say this, when you see the interview I think you cannot be anything but impressed with how professional she is now and how professional she was at such a young age. I wish I could be that professional now. I loved that she spoke of working with Wes Craven as if it were yesterday rather than almost 40 years ago. I hope everyone enjoys the interview!

AR: Do you have plans to release any other TV movies?

LH: Can I say “stay tuned” here without it sounding like a bad pun?

AR: Do you have a favorite TV movie?

LH: SO MANY TO CHOOSE FROM! As a Gemini, I reserve the right to pick two that come to mind right away. The Boy In the Plastic Bubble and KISS Meets the Phantom of the Park left lasting impressions. Salem’s Lot. How do you stop?

End of Year Stuff... and 2017 Goals!

Sometimes you can't go Home for the Holidays again!

So, for the last 100 years or so I've been writing at least one annual holiday post for my blog. I do it because it gets me in the spirit and because it gives me an excuse to watch Petticoat Junction and Vega$. But, life as a social media mogul sometimes has to take a backseat when reality gets in the way... and like sands through the hourglass, so our the days of our lives.

In short, time got the best of me.

One day I'll stop posting pics of this... but it's so cool!

As you may have seen in one of my recent posts, my forthcoming book, Are You in the House Alone? A TV Movie Compendium: 1964-1999 had its launch at Monster Fest in Melbourne, Australia. So, off I went to worlds down under to participate in a very fun panel about made for television movies. I made a ton of great friends, put some faces to a lot of people I've been talking to in the online world, and in general, I had a blast.

(Btw, Birth.Movies.Death gave the book an excellent review. I have no words, just a lot of gratitude and thanks.)

Here's a peek at what the giant theater screen behind the panelists look like!

My first thought when I returned was, "Hey, I am going to get some down time and can go back to blogging and maybe even sleeping!" But I forgot that the fine folks at the Hysteria Continues asked me to join them for their Christmas horror episode, so we could dish on the holiday slasher To All a Goodnight. Good times were had by all.

And, then I got a request to do an interview for my publisher, Headpress' website. That was a lot of fun as well and when I finished I thought, "OK, I have some time to decompress and maybe watch a TV movie and write about it!"

Around this time, I also got the news that my essay on the made for television movie Locusts has been published in the amazing nature-gone-crazy tome When Animals Attack! So, I spent some time perusing the material and it's absolutely fantastic! Editor Vanessa Morgan did an incredible job. Grab a copy! When I finished looking at the book, I let out a satisfied sigh of relief and declared: "Here's my chance... watch something, Amanda!"

Then, I found out that Kier-La Janisse, she of Monster Fest, was hoping to put together something about TV movies to help promote the book (and TV movies in general, cuz she's cool that way) at her Miskatonic Institute of Horror Studies in London, which I sort of volunteered for and which she was kind enough to accept! That event, titled Tele-terrors: The Real and Imagined Horrors Inside the Made for Television Movie will be held April 20th, 2017. If you are in the area, please mark your calendars and stop by for all kinds of small screen goodness!

This is essentially me pouting when I realized I was running out of  blogging time... if I were glamorous

And, before I knew it, it was late December and I hadn't had time to watch a single thing. I did, however, record a holiday-themed podcast with the usual crew, and returning guest, the wonderful Joanna Wilson of Christmas TV History. Finally, I decided to just make a list of links to all of my previous Christmas TVM/specials reviews and holiday-themed podcasts. If you haven't had a chance to check any of these out, and think they may get you in the holiday spirit, please clickity click click and/or download and enjoy!

Free stuff is fun.

Read my Very Merry MeTV Blogathon posts:

Kojak: How Cruel the Frost, How Bright the Stars
Father Dowling Mysteries: A Christmas Mystery

And check out my holday reviews:

A Mouse, a Mystery and Me
An American Christmas Carol
A Very Brady Christmas
Bernard and the Genie
Ebbie
Petticoat Junction: A Cannonball Christmas
Terror on the 40th Floor

Here's a guest review from Joanna Wilson of Christmas TV History:

The Gathering

I returned the favor with  a guest review for Joanna:

Nestor, The Long Eared Christmas Donkey
I also joined her for the 2014 Christmas TV Party!

Finally, The Made for TV Mayhem Show has recorded a total of three holiday podcasts. You can check them out on here:

Home for the Holidays and A Very Brady Christmas: website | iTunes
Bernard and the Genie: website | iTunes
The Christmas TV Movie Game Show: website | iTunes

Happy New Year?

So, what does all of this mean for 2017? Well, there should be a lot of good stuff happening outside of my blog during the first half of the year (or at least the first third), and I'm so excited about it. I can't even tell you how whirlwind and exciting the last few months have been. But, in the end I just really want those who are interested in TV movies to enjoy the book. The promotional end of things is definitely fun because I have been meeting a lot of telefilm fans, and just some genuinely awesome people. But I miss my blog.

I miss it so much.

Before I can jump back in though, I need a small break. I mean a real one. And I'm hoping the time between... uh... today and the beginning of 2017 will give me a chance to become one with the couch. If I don't gain 5 pounds, I've failed. As the cobwebs disintegrate I plan to get back on that horse and do a bit of blogging.

Not sure why it's so important to me, but it is and if I'm gonna make a resolution, it might as well be to do something I love anyway!

In short, everyone have an amazing holiday and see you in 2017!

Miskatonic Talk (No. 3): A list

I just gave my third Miskatonic Institute of Horror Studies talk on February 7th. Again, it was all about TV genre movies, but since it was longer than my talk in London, a few things have changed. Also, please note that I DID NOT update this list with my lecture in New York City, so this will be slightly different from that talk, but closer to it than the one in London (following this, cuz I am not sure I am!). Anyway, here's what was discussed and seen. And again, big thanks to Kier-La Janisse and the fine folks at the Philosophical Research Society for hosting such a great event. And I'm also throwing a lot of gratitude and love towards the audience who have been incredible at all of my talks. Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!!

Topic: TV Movies as an Event

Opening Bumper Reel:
Deliver Us From Evil
KISS Meets the Phantom of the Park
Trackdown: Finding the Goodbar Killer
Midnight Hour

Topic: An Overview of the History of the TV Movie
Maybe I’ll Come Home in the Spring
Strange Possession of Mrs. Oliver

Subtopic: The Intimacy Aspect
The Astronaut / Capricorn 1
The Spell / Carrie

Subtopic: The First Made for TV Movies:
See How they Run
Seven in Darkness

Topic: Popularity of the TV Movie (Nielsens)
Dr. Cook's Garden
Crowhaven Farm
The Girl Most Likely To...
Cry in the Wilderness

Topic: So Many Subgenres!
Invitation to Hell (Satanic Panic)
Legend of Lizzie Borden (True Crime)
The Stranger Within (Sci-Fi)
Five Desperate Women (proto-slasher)
Ants! (Nature Runs Amok)
Bad Ronald (Evil Kids)
Mazes and Monsters (Propaganda)
Killjoy (Thriller)

Subtopic: That's a Pilot TV Movie?!
Madame Sin
Cover Girls
Velvet
Ebony, Ivory and Jade
Samurai
Men of the Dragon

Topic: Important Filmmakers:
John Llewellyn Moxey
Aaron Spelling
Steven Spielberg: Duel
John Badham: It's it Shocking?
John Carpenter: Someone's Watching Me!
David Levinson / William Wiard
Richard Levinson / William Link
Dan Curtis
Richard Matheson

Clip reel (Curtis/Matheson):
Night Stalker
Trilogy of Terror
Dracula
Dead of Night: Bobby

Topic: Climbing out of the Pigeonhole:
Robert Reed
Elizabeth Montgomery
Barbara Eden
Andy Griffith

Clip reel: 
Barbara Eden: The Woman Hunter
Robert Reed: Haunts of the Very Rich

Topic: Marketing the Horror Telefilm
Savages
Look What Happened to Rosemary’s Baby

Promo clip reel:
Born Innocent
Deadly Lessons
The Intruder Within
Someone’s Watching Me!
Invitation to Hell
Bad Seed
Look What Happened to Rosemary’s Baby

TV Guide Section:
The Babysitter
Fantasies
Dying Room Only
This House Possessed
Bridge Across Time (aka Terror at London Bridge)
Midnight Hour
No Place to Hide
Are You in the House Alone?

Topic: Popular Subgenre - Supernatural
Subtopic: The Haunted House/Ghost Story Telefilm, and the Intimacy of Grief:
Fear No Evil
Daughter of the Mind
The House that Would Not Die
Don’t Go to Sleep
This House Possessed
She Waits
(*all of the above had companion clips, with the exception of The House that Wouldn't Die)

 
Subtopic: The Paranormal TVM and Second Wave Feminism
The Spell
Midnight Offerings (included clip)
Initiation of Sarah
Wes Craven's Summer of Fear

TOPIC: Female Ensembles
Five Desperate Women
She's Dressed to Kill
Friendships, Secrets and Lies

Clip reel:
Home for the Holidays
Do Not Fold, Spindle or Mutilate
She's Dressed to Kill


Topic: A Small Screen Nasty Moment
Born Innocent

Topic: Into the Eighties
Dark Night of the Scarecrow
I, Desire
Fantasies
Dark Mansions
A Stranger Waits

TOPIC: THE 90s and Beyond!
The Haunted

Subtopic: The USA Original Movie
The China Lake Murders
Dirty Little Secret

Subtopic: Mother, May I Sleep with Demographics?
Death of a Cheerleader

Promo reel:
Friends til the End
Death of a Cheerleader
A Killer in the Family
Awake to Danger
The Man Who Wouldn't Die
Frankenstein: The College Years
Dark Shadows
Stepford Husbands

Topic: You Can't Keep a Good Concept Down:
Sabertooth
The Perfect Neighbor
Spring Break Shark Attack
Rosemary's Baby

Topic: Monsters!
Promo reel:
The Intruder Within
Don't Be Afraid of the Dark
Devil Dog: Hound of Hell
Snowbeast
The World Beyond
Gargoyles

The End!