It Conquered The World

It Conquered The World on VHS video. Movie starring Peter Graves, Beverly Garland, Lee Van Cleef. Directed by Roger Corman. 1956.

It Conquered The World on VHS video. Movie starring Peter Graves, Beverly Garland, Lee Van Cleef. Directed by Roger Corman. 1956.

From the VHS box:

Every man its prisoner… Every woman its slave!

It was part plant and all monster, with crustacean arms and chainsaw teeth. Humanity had never seen anything like it. But whatever it was, It Conquered the World!

Producer-director Roger Corman tapped into the Red Scare of the ’50s with this harrowing tale of a vege-alien from Venus who can bend human minds to his evil will. The terror begins when the monster makes contact with a well-meaning American scientist (Lee Van Cleef, the spaghetti-western star who here packs a microscope instead of a six-gun). The scientist guides the monster to earth… but regrets his hospitality when the newcomer sends out hordes of bats whose bites reduce the townsfolk to zombies.

Peter Graves and Beverly Garland are among those who battle back in this top sci-fi thriller that critic Leonard Maltin calls “well acted… one of Corman’s best.” A creepy monster, blood-sucking bats, screaming victims and earnest men of science: now that’s a Drive-In Classic!

Not found on DVD. It Conquered the World on VHS or DVD-R? Be careful ordering this one.

You know you want the poster: IT CONQUERED THE WORLD *1SH MOVIE POSTER





O

O the movie sealed VHS box cover art scan. Starring  Mekhi Phifer, Julia Stiles, Martin Sheen, Josh Hartnett. Based on Othello by William Shakespeare. Directed by Tim Blake Nelson. 2001.

O the movie on VHS video. Starring Mekhi Phifer, Julia Stiles, Martin Sheen, Josh Hartnett. Based on Othello by William Shakespeare. Directed by Tim Blake Nelson. 2001.

From the sealed VHS box cover:

Trust. Seduction. Betrayal.

Hot young stars, a hip, driving soundtrack plus a provocative tale of jealousy and betrayal combine to create this controversial modern-day version of Shakespeare’s classic, “Othello.” O is Odin James, the school’s basketball player and future NBA hopeful. He has the adoration of all, including the team’s coach and the Dean’s beautiful daughter, Desi. Odin’s troubled friend Hugo, the coach’s son, is deeply resentful of his father’s preference of Odin on and off the court. When Hugo plots a diabolical scheme to sow the seeds of mistrust between O and Desi, it sets in motion a disturbing chain of events which erupts into a firestorm of breathtaking intensity. “O” is a stunning tale that will stay with you long after its final, powerful frame.

Upgrade to DVD: “O”

Watch now: (O) Othello

Summer City

Summer City on VHS video. Starring John Jarratt, Phillip Avalon, Steve Bisley, Mel Gibson. Directed by Christopher Fraser. 1977.

Summer City on VHS video. Starring John Jarratt, Phillip Avalon, Steve Bisley, Mel Gibson. Directed by Christopher Fraser. 1977.

From the VHS box cover:

Mel Gibson in his movie debut

Mel Gibson in his film debut stars in this Australian teen rebel film. Four wild friends go on a surfing weekend at a sleepy little seaside community only to find trouble when one of them gets involved with a local’s daughter. Fun-and-sun surfing film complete with romance, hot rods, and murder.

DVD upgrade: Summer City



Nightfall

Nightfall on VHS video. Starring Jennifer Burns, Winsome Brown, Joseph Hodge (Haj), David Carradine. Based on the story by Isaac Asimov published in 1941 and subsequently expanded into a full novel by Asimov and Robert Silverberg in 1990. Directed by Gwyneth Gibby. 2000.

Nightfall on VHS video. Starring Jennifer Burns, Winsome Brown, Joseph Hodge (Haj), David Carradine. Based on the story by Isaac Asimov (which was inspired by an Emerson quote) published in 1941 and subsequently expanded into a full novel by Asimov and Robert Silverberg in 1990. Produced by Roger Corman. Directed by Gwyneth Gibby. 2000.

From the VHS box:

“The Greatest Science Fiction Story of All Time.” as voted by The Science Fiction Writers of America

The people of the planet Aeon, blessed with six suns, have never experienced night. When an archeological excavation uncovers evidence of an ancient catastrophe, all signs point towards the impending darkness of the very first Nightfall. Panic erupts as the suns slowly disappear one by one. Science struggles against superstition as the people race to comprehend the approaching Nightfall… the end of the world as they know it.

DVD upgrade (scathing reviews): Nightfall

They say the book is always better than the movie: Nightfall

Go back in time and pretend the movie never existed: Nightfall and Other Stories (Crest Science Fiction, P1969)







Manhunter

Manhunter on VHS video. Starring William Petersen, Kim Greist, Joan Allen, Brian Cox, Dennis Farina, Tom Noonan, Stephen Lang. Based on the book Red Dragon by Thomas Harris. Directed by Michael Mann. 1986.

Manhunter on VHS video. Starring William Petersen, Kim Greist, Joan Allen, Brian Cox, Dennis Farina, Tom Noonan, Stephen Lang. Based on the book Red Dragon by Thomas Harris. Directed by Michael Mann. 1986.

From the VHS box cover:

Enter the mind of a killer… you might never return.

“It’s just you and me now, sport.”

He knows how to kill you. And how to get away with it. How to silence the family pet, how to break into your house, where and when you sleep. He’s cool. Cunning. Determined. He is also your only hope. Because he’s the detective tracking down an elusive serial killer who strikes when the moon is full.

William L. Petersen stars as Manhunter Will Graham. Graham has an uncanny knack for getting inside the head of his deranged quarry. That’s great for crimefighting. But is it good for Graham? The line between thinking like the killer and being the killer can be a narrow one.

“It’s the best detective story I ever came across,” says screenwriter/director Michael Mann about Thomas Harris’ Red Dragon, the novel from which Manhunter was adapted. Mann should know a can’t-miss police thriller when he sees one; he’s the executive producer of Miami Vice and Crime Story. And the Miami Vice style he originated — electrifying visuals, a pulsing soundtrack, music video-inspired editing — is the perfect match for this sleek, frightening film.

Read Hannibal Lecter Book 1: Red Dragon

DVD upgrade: Manhunter (Limited Edition)