There was a time when clusters of college freshman with the rush of independent living would meander down to the videostore to rent an all night marathon of horror. They were too scared of getting into real trouble. None of them had to worry about dad shouting, “Turn that TV off. We’ve got yardwork tomorrow morning!” The selection of titles became a bit of a game. The only rule was each member’s movie choice had to be a title that less than half of the people had seen. This avoided a night of “the classics.” They’d pick through the VHS boxes on the shelves that looked the most creepy with odd smudges from being handled so much. Since this was the era before the smartphone, the only clue about the quality of the film came from the pictures on the back. The students would rent a tape with the hopes that their film would be the one everyone would gush about as the sun broke. The fear was picking the snooze fest that would make everyone pass out around 3 a.m. or get the dreaded, “Let’s just fast forward to see if it gets better” request. All Night Horror Marathon contains a quartet of films that are the titles that would be stacked next to the VCR in the dorm room.
What’s the Matter With Helen (1971 – 101 minutes) stars Shelley Winters (Lolita) and Debbie Reynolds (Singin’ In the Rain) as the mothers of two your men convicted of killing a woman. Being the mothers of murders doesn’t go over well with their Iowa neighbors. Thus the two women set off for Hollywood. Debbie opens a dance school for girls that dream of being the next big discovery. Nowadays this is only done by the teen girls getting knocked up. But back then, you had to have talent. Helen swears someone from back home has followed them. The stranger is spying on them. Is she going nuts? Or is Debbie too star eyed from dating Dennis Weaver (Duel) to notice a real threat? Helen falls for the radio preaching of Agnes Morehead (Bewitched). Things get nuttier in this tale of Hollywood dreams turning into an old fashioned nightmare.
The Godsend (1981 – 93 minutes) reminds us of the bad things that can happen when you allow a pregnant stranger into your house. Alan (The Campbells‘ Malcolm Stoddard) and Kate Marlowe (Manhunt‘s Cyd Hayman) do the charitable thing of letting Angela Pleasence (Donald’s daughter) stay in their guest room. After the baby pops out, mom goes missing. The Marlowe’s adopt the baby which sounds like the right thing to do. Except this baby is pure evil. We’re not talking normal evil baby things like puking and pooping. This baby has homicidal intent. She (Wilhelmina Green) is intent on being an only child by eliminating the Marlowe’s biological children. The parents begin to notice this child’s selfish behavior. But people think they’re nuts. Can they stop the rampage before they’re down to paying for only one child in daycare? Why is this child doing such horrible things? Who is the real father of the baby? The child’s long bleach blond hair suggests the reveal on Paternity Court could involve Ric Flair. If you are a pregnant woman, you might want to hold off watching this film until your child leaves to finish up their post-doctoral research. This is more child raising stress than The Omen.
The Vagrant (1992 – 91 minutes) reminds viewers that you really need to take care of the due diligence period when you buy a house. Bill Paxton (Big Love) is a yuppie looking to buy his first house. He can’t quite afford his major choices. He settles for a nice place that’s just barely out of his price range. His real estate agents seals the deal by promising to have hook up with him. After Paxton moves into the place, he discovers a infestation worse than termites. He’s got a hobo that can mysteriously sneak into the house. This drives Bill over the edge as he beefs up the security to turn his sweet home into a prison. But nothing seems to help prevent the hobo from using his kitchen. Even worse is that people in the neighborhood are dying and the police suspect the hobo is a disguise for Paxton’s murderous ways. Michael Ironside (Total Recall) is the cop who orders an over the top assault on Paxton’s house. Director Chris Walas won an Oscar for his make up in The Fly. He even directed The Fly II. The Vagrant was produced by Mel Brooks’ company and has the right amount of grotesque humor. But it sadly didn’t get a great release. This is a true dark gem with Paxton being the company man with dreams of living right.
The Outing (1982 – 87 minutes) proves that not every genie that comes out of a lamp is Robin Williams. A dead woman’s prized ancient lamp is sent to the museum. They want to figure out its significance. This is what people did before Rick on Pawn Stars would call up a buddy. Turns out a bunch of pesky kids are getting a field trip to the museum. One of the kids rubs the lamp and releases the genii. This isn’t a charming magical creature that wants to grant wishes. He kills museum personal and make the kids hide in the basement to do his bidding at night. Think of this as The Really Messed Up Night In the Museum. The biggest piece of educational advice from this field trip is to not rub ancient artifacts. The cast is wearing the finest of ’80s fashions and hairdos which is good for a laugh between the scares.
All Night Horror Marathon resembles the choices that would have been snagged at the video store back in 1994. What’s the Matter with Helen? picked off the shelf as the semi-classic psychological fear flick with the big names. The Godsend chosen to frighten you family-style. The Outing will make you hate field trips. The Vagrant is the neglected cult charmer that everyone will talk about when everybody wakes up in time for Sunday dinner at the dining hall.
The video is 1.85:1 anamorphic for all the movies except The Outing. That’s 1.33:1 full frame. The transfers are fine enough to project the scary details in the shadows. Audio is Dolby Digital mono for all the films except for The Vagrant which is Dolby Digital Stereo. The mono mixes won’t give you any surround sound shivers.
No bonus features.
All Night Horror Marathon will keep you up until daybreak with a quartet of lesser known shockers. What’s the Matter With Helen? lets Shelley Winters go nuts. The Godsend will scare people with children. The Outing gives the true story of what happens during a Night At the Museum. The Vagrant deserves a larger cult following with Bill Paxton’s madness in full effect.
Scream Factory presents All Night Horror Marathon. Starring: Bill Paxton, Shelley Winters, Debbie Reynolds, Malcolm Stoddard and Cyd Hayman. Boxset Contents: 4 movies on 2 DVDs. Rating: R. Released: October 8, 2013.
