As we near MORTAL KOMBAT 1995’s 30th anniversary this month, the nostalgia for this live action film based on what we all know as, the goddamn coolest fighting game of the 90s, still holds down as one of the greatest film adaptations of any game in the last thirty years. And that’s not just the nostalgia talking either. The must-see movie for pretty much any kid in the Summer of 1995, wasMORTAL KOMBAT, and it did NOT disappoint regarding staying faithful to what we knew and loved from the video game. The added Fear Factory soundtrack just elevated the shit out of it. And while some characters I feel got sidelined a bit, like Sub-Zero, because I mean, I expected a lot more screen time out of that guy, Scorpion, played by martial artist Chris Casamassa was an absolute highlight of the film. His fight with Linden Ashby (Johnny Cage) left us fans in the theater on the floor screaming with excitement.
And he’s back to do it all over again-from the screen on our phones.
Chris Casamassa has partnered up with Noah Fleder, who plays Kenshi Takahashi in MORTAL KOMBAT 1, for a three-episode series to be released on INSTAGRAM, with the first episode already out and the following two to be released this week. The pair battle it out in an MK-style match, of course, to see who is the ultimate champion!
And I have to say, as a 40 -something-year-old mega MK fan, it’s pretty damn exciting to see this play out and see these guys really embrace these roles, decades later even, to appease the fandom. It brings a bloody tear to my eye.
I’m almost certain that I hold the record on the horror blog Internet for writing the most pieces about HALLOWEEN 4– Dwight Little actually agrees with me– and it’s a crown I wear with pride as the Queen of Vincent Drug. To my surprise, however, I’ve never thrown in this little doozy of a retailer promo, which is another kryptonite of mine featuring THE RETURN OF MICHAEL MYERS in all its glory.
In case you’re unfamiliar, a retailer promo is an early release of a VHS tape sent to video store owners that will ultimately either sway them to stock the shelves with said movie or give it a hard pass. In addition, some of these screeners would be sent to the media for review. Hard to imagine a time when critics would have to actually wait on the postman to deliver physical media as opposed to a screener email that can be obtained in under 60 seconds, eh?
Can we also appreciate this standee that was seen in Mom and Pop video shops? I covet thee so hard.
That being said, I don’t think HALLOWEEN 4 was ever going to be a hard sell to horror movie fans, but that, of course, never stops the PR machine from pimping the sequel for home video release like it was one of its top hookers on Broadway St. Hell, they were so confident in their success on the video rental market, they couldn’t even bother to spell Freddy’s Nightmares right when talking about television promo partnerships.
That’s a big dick move there, Mikey.
The street date for HALLOWEEN 4: THE RETURN OF MICHAEL MYERS landed on May 18th, 1989, just a few weeks after THEY LIVE and CHILD’S PLAY hit the shelves and five days before PUMPKINHEAD was added to the VHS horror movie rentals of ’89. 1988 was a HUGE year for horror movies-you can check my top 15here-so therefore the Summer months following were a banger for us at the video rental stores.
I mean, they never had to oversell me. I’m the proud mom of two copies, while three others over the past 30 years have been laid to rest from being played to death.
Anyway, enjoy something that brings me a lot of personal joy and fuzziness. Huge shout-out to Tripsy Trailers for uploading this treasure for the rest of us!
Zombies Ate My Neighbors, Dream Phone, and McDees Pizza – three things I recall being as clear as Crystal Pepsi on my then five-year old pop culture radar in 1993. Being little over thirty years now, an interest in discovering (or re-discovering) the ‘90s is evident – it’s a fascinating decade that went through considerable changes by distancing itself from the pastel ’80s to a chrome-toned future of dial-up internet.
After completing a few entries in the Here Lies Halloween Companion series, I aspired to create a new non-holiday-themed collection that would be set during the summer months on specific years. The “Summer of” series gives you the experience of what it was like watching late night TV on a hot summer eve during the ’80s and ’90s – my first entry is 1987, which was picked because many had recollected to me about it being the best year of the 1980’s in their adolescence. But let’s stick to the era of Dunkaroos because I want to focus on the 2nd installment – Summer of ’93.
To date, this is the most difficult tape I’ve created, as not only did I have to stay true to the obvious shift in aesthetics but also nail the final result in capturing the feelings that a five-year-old me had experienced. Per usual, I avoid revealing the contents of my tapes so that your brain receives all the endorphins it can get when recognizing a commercial it hasn’t processed in a long time. But for this article (which I am very grateful Nightmare Nostalgia has let me pen), I gotta delve into a few aspects due to their personal relevance.
The 6hr Summer of ’93 begins with home video footage of a holiday being narrated by an enthusiastic Dad, specifically interested in getting a close up of a sunset as he refers to someone named Heinz. There’s a pan across the horizon where a windsurfer cruises the Atlantic Ocean, and then the camera gives us a look at the campsite – likely a familiar display for many, right down to the Coleman 4 Slice Toast ring. A silver Mazda MPV sits parked nearby as a cemetery eerily looks on from the other side of a fence. We then see a kid helping wash dishes at a picnic table, pulling out a plastic McDonalds spoon and exclaiming to the camera in a jingle-tone “McDonalds TO-DAY”. Cut immediately to a McDees Pizza commercial as we start off a block of YTV content.
This footage is actually from my family’s June 1993 trip to Prince Edward Island, and I am the McDonalds crazed kid. The cameraman is my Dad and Heinz is my Opa – who happens to make a few cameos on the Here Lies Xmas Companion VOL 2. The YTV block that follows is as close to exactly how I remember watching that channel – a kids station out of Toronto, Ontario, Canada – right down to the Maniac Mansion promo and anti-drug PSAs that back then I didn’t understand.
The finished result is six hours worth of capturing a feeling of innocence that co-sides with an abundant sense of optimism that went hard in ’93. An over-reliance on technology hasn’t kicked in just yet, but it’s coming. In the meantime, all the chips are in for environmentalism and stranger danger in the form of various colored vans. Stay alert and stay safe.
This Summer, relive (or see for the first time) what 1993 was like – it’s a fascinating year from the ’90s that captures a distinct shift in aesthetics and consumerism, while continuing to encourage recycling and exercise. Summer of ’93 can be found over at www.here-lies.com in all its 6 hour VHS glory with a free Bonus Digital copy so you can watch it on anything you wish!
