Sunday, September 6, 2026
MR. LOBO'S COFFEE HOUSE OF HORRORS COLORING BOOK: AVAILABLE FOR PREORDER
Mr. Lobo's Cinema Insomnia adapts a new, exciting format.
For Mr. Lobo's Coffee House of Horrors (in Blood-o-Vision) Coloring Book, our humble host's artwork is on grand display, spanning sixty years of Cinema Insomnia-related lore, with special appearances by Dark Sarcasma (aka Penny Dreadful) and the garish Garry Blemmish. And get this: The coloring book was inspired by Roger Corman's beatnik classic, A Bucket of Blood. Oh, yeah! Dig it, man!
Don't be a bum! Get in on the preorder fun!
BELA'S MONSTER: LUGOSI, THE MONSTER, AND FRANKENSTEIN MEETS THE WOLFMAN
Film historian Bill Fleck's Bela's Monster: Lugosi, The Monster, and Frankenstein Meets the Wolfman is a massive exploration, comprised of 447 well-researched pages, adorned by photos and available in hard and soft cover.
The work's focus falls on Lugosi's controversial turn at not playing the Monster and later seizing the opportunity after the success of The Ghost of Frankenstein. In the latter, the creature received the brain of Lugosi's Ygor, which allowed the great, Hungarian thespian to emote through Lon Chaney Jr.'s Monster during the fiery finale.
Fleck proposes that Lugosi's rejection of the Monster in 1931 (or perhaps Universal's rejection of him for the role) set the studio's "monsterverse" on a specific trajectory. Per Fleck, such began when Lugosi became Universal's heir apparent to Lon Chaney Sr. (who many presumed would headline Dracula and Frankenstein). When Lugosi hit big with Dracula, but bypassed Frankenstein, it gave Boris Karloff and later Chaney Jr. the chance to receive roles that Lugosi may have otherwise assumed.
That Lugosi did not helm Frankenstein resulted in him being teamed with Karloff in productions (before and after the evident Son of Frankenstein, where Ygor was introduced). It also gave Lugosi opportunities to flourish in an independent way, as with White Zombie, in which he directed several, uncredited scenes.
Fleck explains how Lugosi's fate came full circle in Frankenstein Meets the Wolfman (for a time entitled The Wolf Man Meets Frankenstein), where the actor was to flaunt his own spin on the entrenched Monster. As the blind, Ygor-minded creature, Lugosi was scripted to verbalize with Chaney Jr.'s Lawrence Talbot and Patric Knowles' Dr. Frank Mannering (Fleck even supplies script excerpts as proof), but these filmed interactions were cut for the movie's mass release, causing what Lugosi had long feared: the Monster's conspicuous lack of articulation.
If anything (and above all), Bela's Monster leaves one yearning for the restored Frankenstein Meets the Wolfman, which would, indeed, be a dream come true for horror afficionados, perhaps second only to London After Midnight's rediscovery.
Beyond any debate, Fleck has given the Universal fanbase a sensible, deterministic analysis, based on Lugosi's ripple-effect decision. As a result, the author's effort is one that no loyal, Universal or Lugosi admirer should be without.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0H6TK2N88?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title
Saturday, September 5, 2026
WEISELBERRY: APES & TREK (THE CLASSIC ORIGINALS)
In January, I posted on reviewer "Jerome Weiselberry," who I consider to be one of the all-time best assessors of movies, books and music. Since such time, Weiselberry has built another impressive queue of reviews. I'm presenting links to three that I believe will appeal to Bizarrechats readers.
The first holds Weiselberry's breakdown of the original five Planet of the Apes movies (1968 - 1973):
The second is her rundown on Star Trek: The Original Series' Episodes 1-12:
The third covers her take on Trek: TOS' episodes 13-19:
If you've never experienced Weiselberry's reviews, you're in for a treat. She's honest but never derisive, knowledgeable but never snide. There's a slew of competing critics out there who could learn a thing or two from her.
And for added edification, be sure to visit Weiselberry's plentiful, YouTube channel. You'll discover there's much to pick from and appreciate.
https://www.youtube.com/@Weiselberry
GOD DAMN THEM ALL TO HELL!: HESTON ON SNL
There was a time when SNL secured sincere, mass appeal. The inserted video is a grand case in point. The 1993 footage not only features the legendary Charlton Heston, but pays tribute to one of his most iconic entries, Planet of the Apes.
I've no doubt that Bizarrechats' simian loyalists will have a ton of fun with this one. Enjoy!🦍
Thursday, September 3, 2026
I SAW ONSLAUGHT
Imagine a divorced, PTSD, Army sniper, living with her daughter in a trailer park, only to face a trio of Frankenstein-ish super soldiers, who flee a military facility to kill, kill, kill. This is the premise of Adam (Godzilla x Kong/You're Next/The Guest) Wingard's thunderous, IMAX offering, Onslaught.
Celeste is the downtrodden protagonist, played by Adria (Morbius/Man of Tomorrow) Arjona, and her daughter is Daisy, played Blake Kennedy. The larger-than-life (and death) leader of the mutated soldiers is the Butcher, played by Alex "Poatan" Periera, who's accompanied by Crybaby, played by Tyler Hall, and Cockroach, played by Dave Campbell. (They invoke an unrelenting, Jason/Michael/Leatherface trios-team dynamic.) Dan Stevens is their mad geneticist/creator, Dr. Hans Kammler (a grandson of a WWII, National Socialist honcho), whose wife, Rebecca Hall's Hanna, acts like a kinky Lady MacBeth/ersatz Eva Braun. Michael Biehn's Baylor adds to the mayhem as an enigmatic bureaucrat and is joined by Drew Starkey's Cyrus, a quirky, clean-up man; Reginal VelJohnson's Josiah, a resolute, Vietnam vet; Eric Wareheim's quarrelsome but decent Kovacks; and Jacob Scipio's Griffin, Celeste's steady-headed, ex-spouse. All in all, the ensemble is agreeable, even when disagreeable, making the over-the-top scenario feel grounded (more or less).
Simon Barrett's screenplay does right by the premise (bolstered by Wingard's Carpenter-esque, The Fog/Assault on Precinct 13-inspired emulations and offbeat, pop-song seasonings). The structure is tight and unpretentious, relying on a survivalist thread, which references George A. Romero's zombie flicks, plus the Jurassic, Terminator and Alien sagas.
In this respect, Celeste is reminiscent of Lori Cardille's Sarah Bowman from Day of the Dead, Scarlett Johansson's Zora Bennett from Jurassic World Rebirth, Linda Hamilton's Sarah Connor from the Terminator movies, and Sigourney Weaver's perennial Ellen Ripley of Alien fame.
Arjona's Celeste is also beautiful and even though she's never dolled up, she remains magnetic throughout the madness, which may diminish her character's gritty, heroic endeavors, but hey, in my book, glamour (even if bloodied up) is always welcome. If Arjona is there to resume a little, old-time, easy-on-the-eyes charm, I endorse the move a hundredfold. (I also suspect Arjona wouldn't appreciate the compliment, but that's another story for another time.)
On the arguable, negative end, Onslaught, is quite derivative, borrowing blaring nuggets from the Outpost franchise, Overlord, Shock Waves, Frankenstein's Army, They Saved Hitler's Brain and The Frozen Dead. It's Nazi horror, even if it bypasses the label, and like the aforementioned examples, the premise at least conveys evil's extremes, though all the while slanted like a Brightburn-ish Captain America redux or more so, The Winter Soldier. And then there's that obvious-as-hell Universal Soldier nod, joined by similar, conceptional elements evident in Haley HeavyMetal's Friday the 13th-meets-Blade Runner, fan feature, Neon Fear, and well, I could go on and on.
I don't know if early September was the best time for A24 to release this one. I think it would have secured a bigger audience closer to Halloween, but there's nothing wrong with it being an early-bird enticer to get audiences set for the autumnal chill. Besides, if one digs bullet-blasting, action-monster movies, this one should please, no matter the day, night, month or season.
Wednesday, September 2, 2026
R.I.P. VICTOR MILLER
For writing Friday the 13th, you became horror royalty, with your grisly effort bestowing Betsy Palmer her most memorable role as the demented Pamela Voorhees. You also gave us the young, dream-invading Jason (Ari Lehman), who'd evolve into a relentless killer in a slew of successful sequels.
Beyond the blood-splattered Camp Crystal Lake, you cowrote (with Earl Mac Rauch) the cult favorite, A Stranger Is Watching, based on Mary Higgins Clark's novel, and directed by Friday's Sean S. Cunningham.
In addition, you scripted Rock, Paper, Scissors, aka Rock Paper Dead (with Kerry Fleming); The Black Pearl (with Tony Record, based on Scott O'Dell's novel); Manny's Orphans (with Steve Minor, fellow Friday collaborator); and Eden Falls (with Martin Rogers and director Michael Coulombe).
To accompany your screenwriting pursuist, you composed many books, nine of which were based on Telly Savalas' Kojak, accompanied by The Book of Worries: Hundreds of Horrible Things That Can Happen to You; Giving in to Get Your Way; Aikido in Everyday Life (with Terry Dobson); Fernanda; Windborne; Toga Party; The Glory Sharer; Hide the Children; Angel's Blood; and the Ancient Rome and American Dynasty trilogies.
On television, you struck gold of a whole other sort, supplying acclaimed and award-winning storylines for The Guiding Light, All My Children, Another World and One Life to Live.
You were exceptional in so many ways, with so many genres, Mr. Miller, possessing a talent that could make one shiver, laugh and scrutinize everyday life. Because of that, your contributions will be recalled and cherished, keeping your legacy forever fastened, forever venerated.
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