#NowWatching The Atomic Submarine
For Day Nine of #MonsterMarchMadness, I’m checking out my last 1950s monster movie of the month. Strangely, this is in the Criterion Collection, which makes it somewhat unique amongst all the other 1950s monster films I’ve watched so far.
Happy 20th anniversary to 300, based on the 1998 Dark Horse comic book limited series of the same name. Seventeen helmets were made for Gerard Butler, each representing a stage of degradation throughout the battle.
#NowWatching Beast from Haunted Cave
For Day Eight of #MonsterMarchMadness, I’m checking out yet another 1950s monster movie. This one was directed by the same guy who directed Silent Night, Deadly Night 3: Better Watch Out!, so my expectations are low for this one.
Happy birthday to Robert Brian Wilson, who is most well-known for playing Billy Chapman in Silent Night, Deadly Night, Manny in The Wrong Roommate, Kyle in A Husband for Christmas, and Riley King in Million Dollar Lethal Listing, among others.
My favorite quote from the episode is “WOULD YOU FORGET ABOUT THE SKID MARKS!!”
#NowWatching The Giant Gila Monster
For Day Seven of #MonsterMarchMadness, I’m rewatching another 1950s monster movie about a giant Gila monster. Like with Lost Continent and King Dinosaur, I'll be watching it with the MST3K commentary.
Happy birthday to @joshstolberg.bsky.social, who is most well-known for co-writing Piranha 3D and Sorority Row, writing Jigsaw and Good Luck Chuck, directing Kids in America and The Life Coach, and is the co-host of the podcast “Darren and Josh Make a Movie” with Darren Lynn Bousman.
Seeing as how tonight is the series finale of The Last Drive-in, what is your favorite memory associated with the show, #MutantFam? For me, it was finally meeting Joe Bob and Darcy last year at the Cult Classic Convention. #TheLastDriveIn
#NowWatching Messiah of Evil
Today is Joe Bob Day and you know what that means? It's time for the series finale of #TheLastDriveIn! Tonight's movie is brand new to me, but it’s going to be one heck of a bittersweet night for all of us.
#NowWatching Attack of the Crab Monsters
For Day Six of #MonsterMarchMadness, I’m checking out another giant monster movie that Roger Corman was involved with. This was the film that Alison and Ferdy were watching in Chopping Mall.
Happy 28th anniversary to The Big Lebowski, which revolves around a Los Angeles slacker and avid bowler who is assaulted as a result of mistaken identity. A lot of the Dude's clothes were Jeff Bridges', including his Jellies sandals, which he still owns and uses to this day.
#NowWatching Beast Man Snow Man
For Day Five of #MonsterMarchMadness, I’m checking out a lesser-known Toho kaiju film. It isn't very well-known because Toho removed it from distribution to avoid backlash from the Burakumin.
Happy birthday to Jake Lloyd, who is most well-known for playing Anakin Skywalker in Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace, Jamie Langston in Jingle All the Way, J. J. in Unhook the Stars, Mickey Cooper in Die with Me, and Mike McCormick in Madison.
#NowWatching King Dinosaur
For Day Four of #MonsterMarchMadness, I’m checking out another dinosaur movie from the 1950s. As with Lost Continent, I'm watching it with the MST3K commentary. The big question is will it be better or worse than Lost Continent?
Happy 15th anniversary to Rango, which follows a pet chameleon who gets lost in the desert and becomes the sheriff of a lawless town called Dirt. Rango was the first movie made by Nickelodeon Movies to win the Academy Award for Best Animated Film.
#NowWatching Monster from the Ocean Floor
For Day Three of #MonsterMarchMadness, I‘m checking out a film about a giant, one-eyed amoeba. This is notable for being the first film produced by the "King of the B-movies” himself, Roger Corman.
Happy heavenly birthday to James Doohan, who was most well-known for playing Montgomery "Scotty" Scott in the original Star Trek television series and the first seven movies. He also voiced Scotty and other characters in Star Trek: The Animated Series.
#NowWatching Lost Continent
For Day Two of #MonsterMarchMadness, I‘m checking out a dinosaur film that stars Cesar Romero aka the Joker from the 1960s Batman series. I'll be watching it with the MST3K commentary.
Happy birthday to Bryce Dallas Howard, who is most well-known for playing Claire Dearing in the Jurassic World trilogy, Gwen Stacy in Spider-Man 3, Kate Connor in Terminator Salvation, Victoria in The Twilight Saga: Eclipse, and Story in Lady in the Water, among others.
In 2008, when Paramount owned the rights to The Monster Squad, there were talks of a remake. Platinum Dunes signed on to produce, with Rob Cohen directing and Mark and Brian Gunn writing the script. However, in 2014, it was confirmed that the remake was cancelled. #SinnfulSundays
While Fred Dekker was putting the finishing touches on Night of the Creeps, he snuck in a plug for The Monster Squad a year before it came out. There's graffiti in the bathroom that says “Go, Monster Squad!” #SinnfulSundays
Because the filmmakers didn't have permission to use the classic Universal monster designs, they had to make various changes to avoid copyright infringement. It’s also why The Creature from the Black Lagoon is called the Gill-man. #SinnfulSundays
The late Tom Noonan, who played Francis Dollarhyde in Manhunter, chose The Monster Squad over Near Dark because of its light-hearted nature, even when Kathryn Bigelow kept bothering him and the producers when she showed up on the set. #SinnfulSundays
Michael Reid MacKay got the role of the Mummy after his friend pointed out an ad in Variety that called for an extremely thin actor on the verge of anorexia. He headed straight for the studio and, after showing off some creepy gestures, won the part. #SinnfulSundays
Many people compare The Monster Squad to The Goonies because both share the "kids-on-an-adventure" formula. Mary Ellen Trainor, who plays Emily Crenshaw, the mother of Sean and Phoebe Crenshaw, also played Irene Walsh, Mikey and Brand's mother, in The Goonies. #SinnfulSundays
During the scene when Dracula steals a crate containing Frankenstein's monster from the B-25 Mitchell, written on the side of the bomber is Browning Cargo, a nod to Tod Browning, the director of 1931’s Dracula. #SinnfulSundays
At the beginning of the film, Sean is wearing the iconic shirt "Stephen King Rules". Stephen Macht, who plays Detective Del Crenshaw, Sean’s dad, would star in Graveyard Shift, which was based on a Stephen King short story. #SinnfulSundays
According to Fred Dekker, Shane Black's first draft of the screenplay opened with Van Helsing accompanied by zeppelins and hundreds of men on horseback storming Dracula's castle. It was removed because it would have cost too much. #SinnfulSundays
Duncan Regehr narrowly beat a then-unknown Liam Neeson for the role of Dracula. Neeson was supposed to appear as a human disguise conjured by Dracula to conceal his identity, but the scene wasn’t shot. #SinnfulSundays
#NowWatching The Monster Squad
Tonight on #SinnfulSundays, my co-host @sinnful-redhead.bsky.social and I are hosting an eighties horror classic about a group of kids fighting the Universal monsters. This viewing is dedicated to Tom Noonan, who recently passed away.
