Terrific Team-up/Collectible Time: Bog & Mako Drive-in, Double Feature Blu-ray

Dark Force Entertainment delivers a Retro Drive-in, Blu-ray double feature of creepy, low-budget proportions with Mako: The Jaws of Death (uncut) and Bog!

Mako, directed by William (Stanley) Grefe, who cowrote with Robert W. Morgan, was filmed in Key West, Florida and surfaced in the wake of Jaws' mega success, entering the drive-in circuit in 1976. It twists the Jaws variables, however, making the underwater predators the misunderstood good guys, or at least the semi-sympathetic protagonists (more or less exuding the vibe of 1977's Orca: The Killer Whale). 

The story revolves around a Vietnam vet named Sonny Stein, played by Richard (The Dirty Dozen/Starman/The Green Slime/Grizzly) Jaeckel. It appears that after a bungled, gold-smuggling skirmish, Stein came to commune with sharks, thanks to a shaman who bestowed him a telepathic talisman. (As a bit of trivia, a variation of this concept was nearly used for Jaws: The Revenge, but was abandoned during rewrites.)

To buffer Jaeckel's brooding lead, Jennifer Bishop costars, lending captivating, bikini-clad, aquarium scenes, and is joined by character actors, Harold "Oddjob" Sakata, John Davis Chandler, Ben Kronen and Buffy Dee. 

The melodramatic mix is often contemplative, but when need be, vengeance-fueled, especially when Stein confronts those who dare harm his finned friends. 

Bog, directed by Don Keesler and scripted by Carl Kitt, was made three years after Mako, in Oneida County, New York, though reputedly held from release until 1984.  

The plot is reminiscent of 1950s creature features, as well as James H. Sullivan's Night Fright, Bill Rabane's Rana: The Legend of Shadow Lake and John Frankenheimer's Prophesy: The Monster Movie (the latter produced the same year as Bog). 

For the story, an ancient entity roams the modern landscape, with Marshall (It! The Terror from Beyond Space/Fiend Without a Face/First Man Into Space/World of Giants) Thompson as a scientist who tracks the bug-eyed beast, after the wives of two campers are slaughtered in what appears to be a botched, mating ritual. 

Gloria (The Girl Rush) DeHaven plays Marshall's fellow scientist and love interest (in addition to an eerie, bog recluse), and the legendary Aldo Ray is the town's frustrated sheriff. Character actor/author, Leo Gordon, appears as an assisting ichthyologist, with Glen Voros and Rohay North as the distraught husbands, who commence the tale with levity, but their thirst for revenge soon dominates. 

I must confess, I hadn't seen Bog before this Blu-ray release and was surprised by its similarities to my novella, "The Bog Demon Triumphant," featured in Devolution Z. Maybe that's why I found the movie a cozy fit. Alas, critic John Kenneth Muir spewed a different view, stating "They don't make movies like Bog anymore and we can all be grateful for that. This is a monster film made by people with only the most rudimentary knowledge of how to assemble a film. It is poorly acted, shot, written, and edited. It also commits the cardinal sin of being boring."  

Call me uncouth, but I believe Mr. Muir misses the point. Despite its evident limitations, Bog is unpretentious fun and (for the sake of this Blu-Ray presentation) contrasts well with the haunting Mako.  

The transfers for both movies are sharper than most prior releases, with Mako flaunting a 2K scan taken straight from the 35mm negative and Bog presented for the first time in hi-def.  

As an extra treat, Bog includes a publicity gallery, which covers its hardy, drive-in ad campaign; plus, there are several, lurid trailers from other 1970s, horror movies, which accentuate the overall, drive-in experience. 

The Mako/Bog package is a "double dose of shock" that all exploitation fans must own. Order at

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BY1Z6V6Y?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details

IT! THE TERROR FROM BEYOND SPACE: 60 YEARS OF EERIE INFLUENCE!!!

Several of my U.K. friends are celebrating today (by watching) one of the most influential horror/science-fiction films ever made: "It! The Terror from Beyond Space". That's because "It!" premiered in their back yard sixty years ago, November 9, 1958. (I've come to learn that the U.S. premiere was August 13; do forgive my tardiness, but one big premiere is as good as another when it comes to famous, monster movies.) Anyway, these dear blokes asked me to fashion a post regarding the anniversary, and well, how could I say no?

"It!" was penned by Jerome Bixby, writer of  the chilling "It's a Good Life", produced by horror/fantasy/western kingpin, Robert E. Kent; and directed by Edward L. Cahn, who helmed "The She-Creature", "Invisible Invaders"; "Invasion of the Saucer-Men"; "The Four Skulls of Jonathan Drake"; and "Curse of the Faceless Man" (to which "It!" was double-billed on its U.S. run). The film depicts a crew's investigative venture to Mars (in futuristic 1973) and the murderous monster that invades their craft. 

"It!", along with Curtis Harrington's "Queen of Blood/Planet of Blood" and Mario Bava's "Planet of the Vampires/Demon Planet", influenced Dan O'Bannon and Ron Shusett's script for Ridley Scott's "Alien". In fact, it's easy to argue that "Alien" is an unofficial remake of "It!". The creatures' relentless pursuits of their crews is uncannily similar. 

Like "Alien", "It!" features deft, top-drawer performers, including legendary Marshall "Fiend Without a Face/First Man Into Space" Thompson; Paul Langton; Dabbs Grear; Shawn Smith (aka, Shirley Patterson); Ann Doran; Robert Brice; Kim Spalding; Richard Benedict; and cowboy/movie-serial icon, Ray "Crash" Corrigan as the rampaging Martian. 

As with H.R. Giger's weird specimen, creature-creator Paul Blaisdell's costume is detailed and intimidating, holding its own with Milicent Patrick's "Creature from the Black Lagoon" design. Interestingly enough, the mask proved ill-fitting for big-guy Corrigan, whose protruding chin ended up as the creature's tongue, though remained unobtrusive among Blaisdell's formidable textures. 

I recall viewing "It!" in the late '60s/early '70s on any number of Saturday nights (in one instance, before my birthday), enjoying the movie's exquisite air of menace. In my eyes, "It!" was as involving and thrilling as Howard Hawks/Christian Nyby's "The Thing from Another World" or any of the Universal monster classics. To this day, I find "It!" no less significant or remarkable by comparison. 

The indie (United Artists-distributed) production also outshines all those modern, computerized counterparts, hitting a disconcerting mark the old-school way, with an unpretentious set-up; identifiable characters; a foreboding, Paul Sawtell/Bert Shefter score; and of course, one helluva impressive man in an alien suit. Today's heap-it-on filmmakers could learn a ton by watching this less-is-more accomplishment. 

If you've not seen "It!", get yourself in gear. Check out the trailer at ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OZHrCkEmgFo.  A wee taste is all it takes to want more. An undeniable classic!!!