Tag Archives: Retro horror

[Video] RARE Home Videos From The Set Of A “Nightmare On Elm Street 4: The Dream Master”

Image August 19, 2021 Patti PaulterGeist Leave a comment

The great thing about the A Nightmare On Elm Street franchise is that everyone has a favorite installment; and I think it’s fair to say that while Dream Master is considered an off-beaten track sequel to the three that came before it, it doesn’t exclude the immense popularity this film has with fans. Especially since this chapter in particular blasted Freddy in pop-culture superstardom- and now thanks to Bill Forsche, celebrated special effects guru who worked on the film, we get a rare look at some never-before-seen, behind the scenes home video movies on the set of A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master!

Released on August 19, 1988, Nightmare 4 grossed $49.4 million at the domestic box office on a budget of $6.5 million, which made it the highest-grossing film in the franchise in the United States. At least that is until Freddy VS Jason surpassed that mark in 2003. While it would be another year until I myself, first got to see Freddy on the big-screen in the form of The Dream Child, I was already a Freddy Fanatic thanks to the mass marketing campaign Dream Master deployed onto the masses via horror hotlines, toys, lunchboxes, and even a huge MTV special hour presentation dedicated to the Springwood Slasher himself! Not to mention several more music videos made for promotion with the movie played in rotation from the once music-only station. Shortly to follow Dream Master‘s release, the basic cable show of Freddy’s Nightmares took off on the the small screen in a weekly syndicated show giving kids a dose of Krueger without having to go to the theater for it.

What a time to be alive where child serial killers were celebrated with such admiration!

Behind the massive success of Nightmare 4, lies within some of THEE coolest special effects of the franchise alone- including Freddy’s demise at the end thanks to Dream Master Alice. Beyond notable names like Bill Forsche, Kevin Yagher , Screaming Mad George, and John Carl Buechler were a massive team of make-up and effects artists to pull of this innovative spectacle that truly was Dream Master and a big reason why it did so well in theaters. One of my favorites, and I think many others’ as well, being the soul ripping chest from Freddy’s final fight scene where a giant version of Freddy’s chest was made for the shot. Of course, this thing was a pain in the ass for the crew as it was so unsteady and massive, that it was difficult to mount properly and actually fell over during one of their takes. A woman named Michiko supporting the prop from the rafters of the set, came tumbling down when the mighty chest fell over.

But hey, at least we got to see a cameo of Linnea Quigley ripping through the prop, in all her big busted glory. We salute you guys.

Via Bill Forsche’s personal YouTube channel, the special effects master has uploaded some home video shots of behind the scenes action of not only the fore mentioned Freddy’s chest scene, but also some segments of Freddy AND his stunt-double in the make-up chair conversing back and forth before shoots. Also included is Freddy’s scene on the Dream Beach where it is suggested he take on a “Coppertone commercial” for his next project (HEH).

“Very rare and raw footage from the set of “A Nightmare on Elm Street IV: The Dream Master” (1988). The short has some very interesting behind the scenes material, including the makeup trailer where Bill Foertsch aka Forsche work on the makeup for Freddy’s stunt double, while other effects artists goofing around on the set and other events. This short documentary is from Bill Forsche aka Foertsch personal home collection and was made during his employment as special effects technician at Steve Johnson’s XFX, Inc., the company responsible for the most spectacular demise of Freddy that was ever done in the series.”

Pick up the Nightmare collection here!

Retro Reviews

WTF Review: “Look What’s Happened To Rosemary’s Baby”

Image August 2, 2021 Patti PaulterGeist 2 Comments

In 1968, Roman Polanski shocked the cinema world with Rosemary’s Baby, starring Mia Farrow, John Cassavetes, Ruth Gordon, and Sidney Blackmer. Seeming rather tame to today’s standards, the age-old story of trading eternal damnation of your soul for a bit of luxury was fresh entertainment over 50 years ago and remains a tried and true horror classic to the genre that the movie helped progress into more risky territory. So why not give it a worthy sequel, eh ? What became of little Adrian Woodhouse and his Antichrist fate?

Umm. Hmm.

Now, I hear a lot of shit about The Exorcist II: The Heretic being the worst sequel of all time- but I’d challenge anyone that makes that statement has surely never seen Look What’s Happened To Rosemary’s Baby. I had only found out about this sequel a few years ago, and then compeletly forgot about it’s existence until a conversation with my step-mother who was looking for the film- which understandably, had fallen into obscurity. BUT, when there’s a will, there’s a way and thank goddess for YouTube where I found a full version of the movie to indulge my curiosity.

Man. I wished I hadn’t.

The film made as a special Halloween presentation airing on ABC, premiered on October 29, 1976 continues the story of Rosemary, Guy, and their bastard Antichrist child, Adrian- whom Rosemary refers to as Andrew which is what his name had intended to be before he was reveled to be the spawn of Satan. Rosemary (this time played by Patty Duke) and “Andrew” have been lying low with Minnie and Roman (Ruth Gordon and Ray Milland) as with the rest of the cult for the past eight years. The pair flee to LA in the hopes of finding ex-husband Guy Woodhouse (George Maharis) and demanding help. However, “Andrew” is kidnapped by a curious woman who had promised help to Rosemary and the little satanic spawn while running on the road and we never see Rosemary again during the rest of the film.

Fast-forward a few years where Adrian (Stephen McHattie), as he is now being called, is a party rock star with hair that even 1978 John Travolta would envy and has all the looks of what you would envision a cocaine- fueled disco dickhead would look like. At the very least, they left out the cliché medallion off his half-exposed chest. He is still living with his abductor, Ellen, who he obviously has no clue of who she truly is. Minnie and Roman re-appear on the eve of Adrian’s non-specified-age birthday; where they intend to consecrate Adrian’s birthright and move forward only if he hasn’t been too tainted as they put it and his vessel can fully embody his demonic destiny. Following a few rituals and bizarre dream sequences, this turns into one real drugged-out comatose of a film. Now normally I can appreciate that fuzzy 70s’ B-Grade artistic experimental film, but this is a fucked up mess. It’s almost trying to be like De Palma’s Phantom of the Paradise, but far less interesting and done very badly . Adrian with white face paint and a black vest strutting across dance floors to a funky disco, and through a crowd of mindless disco-dancing nimrods as the Castevets, Guy, and the cult stare on as though they are mesmerized by his booty shakes and dream-like Pazuzu transformations is really… something.

I suppose the only redeeming quality to the movie is that Guy Woodhouse gets what he finally fucking deserves, but that’s about the best it gets. It truly doesn’t surprise me that a good majority of fans have never even heard of this film, as it seems to be just an embarrassment to the legacy of what is considered, one of the greatest horror films of all time. If you want a real sequel, I suggest picking up Son of Rosemary by Ira Levin.

Or.. If you dare, here’s the movie generously uploaded by Youtuber Ethan Terra. Either way, don’t say I didn’t warn you.

News

[VIDEO] The Deleted Scene From “A Nightmare On Elm Street” That Reveals Nancy Had a Sibling

Image July 24, 2021 Patti PaulterGeist 1 Comment

Man. The deeper impact this deleted scene from A Nightmare On Elm Street gives to the word “private justice”, should have been left in.

The fact that Freddy-Mania took over the 80s’ and the unforgiving character that lived off the blood of children became a pop-culture phenomenon, kind of blows my mind. I was totally a part of the Freddy Fandom as a kid and still am to this day. However, thinking back now as an adult how Freddy was mass marketed to children from bootleg toys, plastic Halloween costumes, horror hotlines, and even a stint on MTV, just goes to show he was a true force to be reckoned with the future of America.

Yes. We are the generation that holds a child-murderer as a GOD in the genre and we make no apologies for it.

But I kind of feel bad about it now and you might too after learning that Nancy wasn’t always an only child. In fact, Freddy killed him/her. And is what drove Nancy’s parents to the brink of madness in doing what they did to him.

Knowing this now, the final battle between Nancy and Freddy makes it that much more personal; as it would for just about anyone that had a family member killed by a son of a thousand maniacs. Why Wes Craven chose to discredit it entirely and keep this particular dialogue out of the scene between Nancy and her mother Marge in the basement (of which most of the rest was kept in the movie), I suppose we might not ever know. But it surely adds a lot more hatred between the characters. In the rough cut of the scene provided by YouTube Channel Gabi Ferretti below, it also hints Nancy’s friends’ Rod, Tina, and Glen also had siblings that were murdered by the cruelty of Krueger- which would lead us into the private justice and mob mentality nature of his origins. Also, it’s sort of full-circle that the remaining siblings are so close-knit now. Or were rather as they were picked off one by one in the movie.

This could have changed the whole tone of the film, but personally I feel like it should have been kept in. It just adds to the cruelty that really was Krueger. Then again, had they gone into a deeper explanation painting a picture of his pure evil, we may have never had lunchboxes with Freddy’s face on them as kids.

What do you think?