Behold! The Stack of Shame Revised.
Back in August I wrote a post entitled The Stack of Shame, which was comprised of a list of movies I own but have not actually watched yet. Since that time I have watched exactly one movie from the list and added dozens more for a grand total of 135 unloved films.
Reeker, Komodo vs. Cobra, The Dark, Evil Aliens, Peeping Tom, Funny Games, The Devils, Street Trash, Martyr, I Spit On Your Grave, Last House on the Left, Maniac, Nudist Colony of the Dead, The Nun, White of the Eye, Venom, Call of Cthulhu, Snake People, Snake Woman, Black Cobra Woman, Horror Express, Frogs, Curse of the Devil, Fear No Evil, Miner’s Massacre.
The Bunker, Deathwatch, Slash, Fiend, Amityville 3-D, Sleepaway Camp 3 - Teenage Wasteland, Flesheater, Schoolgirl Killer, Bloody Brood, The Haunting, Lady Frankenstein, Rituals, The Prowler, Tom Savini’s Scream Greats, Intruder, Silent Night, Deadly Night, To All A Goodnight, Bad Taste, Blood Diner, The Kiss, Tourist Trap, Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer, Deathdream, Soul Survivor, Begotten, The Curse of the Living Corpse.
Werewolves on Wheels, Legend of Hell House, Don’t Go In The Woods Alone, When The Screaming Stops, The Sorcerors, Bikini Party Massacre, It Came From Beneath The Sea, Tarantulas, Frankenfish, The Tenant, The Brain, The Chilling, My Bloody Valentine, Frankenhooker, Squirm, The Car.
13 Tzameti, The Testament of Dr. Mabuse, Onibaba, Hatchet For The Honeymoon, Hell of the Living Dead, Return of the Evil Dead, The Ghost Galleon, Night of the Seagulls, Satanico Pandemonium, Fury of the Wolfman, Ils, Baise Moi, Tale of Two Sisters, Curse of the Crying Woman, House on Sorority Row, Santo versus the Zombies, Herzog’s Nosferatu, Burst City, The Beast Must Die, Marebito, Images in a Convent, Small Gauge Trauma, Vampyres, The Werewolf and The Yeti, Twins of Evil, The Whip and the Body, Les Demons.
Bird with the Crystal Plumage, Death Carries A Cane, Torso, Blood and Black Lace, Seven Blood-Stained Orchids, Case of the Scorpion’s Tail, The Iguana With A Tongue of Fire, Blood and Black Lace, Amuck!, Lizard in a Woman’s Skin, Your Vice is a Locked Room and Only I Have The Key, Who Saw Her Die?
Son of Frankenstein, Ghost of Frankenstein, House of Frankenstein, Invisible Man returns, Invisible Woman, Invisible Agent, Invisible Man’s Revenge, Dracula’s Daughter, Son of Dracula, House of Dracula, Werewolf of London, Frankenstein meets the Wolfman, She-Wolf of London.
Gojira, Godzilla Tokyo S.O.S., Godzilla vs. Biollante, Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah, Godzilla vs. Space Godzilla, Godzilla, Mothra, King Ghidorah - All-Out Giant Monster Attack, Godzilla vs. Destroyer, War of the Gargantuas, Monster From a Prehistoric Planet, Gamera 2 - Advent of Legion, Gamera 3 - Revenge of Iris, Rodan, Gamera The Invincible, War of the Monsters, Destroy All Planets. Godzilla: Final Wars.
To help whittle the list down a bit, I’d like your suggestions for which one of these films you believe I should put at the top of the pile. Leave your suggestions in the comments below, and I will adjust my viewing habits according to your whims. Help me choose! Thanks!
February 15th, 2007 at 1:07 pm
Rituals. Don’t watch a goddamn thing on that list until you’ve seen Rituals.
Onibaba, and watch the features — they’re fantastic.
Is that Dark Sky’s Flesheaters? If so, it’s a must.
Have you not seen Bad Taste yet? If not, get on it, son.
Gojira (the new edition is really nice)
Marebito (Lovecraftian J-horror awesomeness)
My Bloody Valentine (for all your Can-con slasher needs)
Call of Cthulhu (it’s under 50 minutes, if you don’t have time for a feature)
Bunker and Deathwatch (as a double-bill — they’re similar)
Peeping Tom (a classic way ahead of its time)
Rituals.
Also, Rituals.
Oh yeah, and Rituals.
My own stack of shame is pretty big but not quite that big. I give myself a false sense of accomplishment by watching one movie out of a box set, so at least the plastic’s been taken off. Every DVD addict has their own shame pile. At work we call it the “Jenga Pile” as it’s become so large, you’re risking total collapse if you decide to watch something from the middle.
February 15th, 2007 at 1:19 pm
STREET TRASH.
February 15th, 2007 at 1:24 pm
What’s ‘Rituals’?
February 15th, 2007 at 2:13 pm
So have you not seen these films or just not seen the DVD edition? The cream that rises to the top for me would be:
Peeping Tom - classic
Funny Games - see it before the US remake by the Heneke which is being touted in Hollywood as a horror film…
The Devils - Ken Russell? A must see
Horror Express - Chris Lee and Kojack!
Fear No Evil - was telling a producer two days ago to check this out when talking about an AntiChrist in high school idea
Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer - and make sure you have clean towels for that shower that you will need afterwards
Deathdream - your patriotic duty since it is Canadian (by the dir of Porkys!)
Legend of Hell House - one of my all time faves. Stayed up late as a kid to watch it and kept falling in and out of consciousness that wove the film into my scary dreams
13 Tzameti - tense tense tense. and again, see it before the US remake
Onibaba - a classic
Tale of Two Sisters - the house in this film is a character on its own
Herzog’s Nosferatu - watch then clean house or something while listening to Herzog on the commentary
Bird with the Crystal Plumage - oh Dario, what has happened to you?
Gojira - restored anti-nuke themes that where removed in the Raymond Burr edit
Gamera 3 - Revenge of Iris - this is how you do a giant monster movie!
Godzilla: Final Wars - maybe not how you end a legend, but its a hell of a lot of fun!
February 15th, 2007 at 2:48 pm
Wow! Thanks for the recommendations, gents.
Dave, that’s Flesheater starring Bill Hinnzman, not The Flesh Eaters, which I have seen and really enjoyed. That Omar is one crazy cat, dig?
Colin, I have seen a few of the films on the list, but not in over a decade or not in the format I got them in, so they’re practically unwatched.
I probably should have watched My Bloody Valentine yesterday. I don’t know what I was thinking. The latest episode of Life On Mars came out and I lost my head.
That new edition of Gojira looks lovely. That’s one of those movies I have to wait to watch with J., so it may be awhile. I really want to pick up the two they just put out. Such pretty packaging, and it’s about time somebody paid the Big G some respect in North America.
I may be holding off on Street Trash and a few others for the monthly Grindhouse nights I’m holding starting in March.
Hm. I was originally going to have a Corpse Eaters (thanks, P.)/Garden of the Dead night, but Corpse Eaters and Rituals would make a nice Canuxploitation double bill.
Deathdream has been on the verge more than a few times. I adore Bob Clark. Funny Games is another one constantly on the edge. I’m just waiting for JA to swoop in here and scold me.
I put The Bird With The Crystal Plumage on the server at work and I still haven’t watched it.
Once again, thanks. Because of your recommendations I will now be spending far less time working on the blog.
February 15th, 2007 at 3:29 pm
Herzog’s Nosferatu is beautiful.
Also, Maniac (1934) is bizarrely wonderful Originally made to be played at carnivals and burlesque houses for “adults only” it has some surprising, albeit brief, nudity. Directed by Dwain Esper, known for other cult classics such as Marihuana: The Weed with Roots in Hell and Narcotic. Great fun. Oh, and did I mention bizarre? It is, indeed.
February 15th, 2007 at 4:11 pm
Corpse Eaters would also make a nice double bill with Deathdream. Whatever you do, watch CE first, and have low expectations.
Furthermore, SQUIRM!!
February 15th, 2007 at 9:19 pm
This list overlaps a bit with others (which might be a good sign), but I would recommend:
1 Peeping Tom
2 Horror Express
3 Deathdream
4 Legend of Hell House
5 Vampyres
6 Bird With The Crystal Plummage
7 Blood and Black Lace
8 The Devils
I haven’t seen Rituals or Onibaba, but I’ve heard they’re both excellent.
February 15th, 2007 at 10:49 pm
The sort of cultured part of my brain is saying Peeping Tom, while the sick and twisted part is saying Last House on the Left, but at the same time the love for Peter Jackson is screaming Bad Taste.
February 16th, 2007 at 3:52 pm
My unwatched pile is frankly ridiculous! I keep buying and never watching. I own a bar so that takes up lots of time, but really need to get my trash collection watched.