Comments on: Patty Duke vs Suspiria

By: McBeardo’s Midnight Movies » Chiller Theater Returns to WPIX on Halloween Night!

Wed, 21 Oct 2009 17:19:20 +0000

[...] not get enough of Chiller Theater. It was the scariest thing ever broadcast prior to the petrifying shock-reveal of the Suspiria commercials, and it is a treasured [...]

By: J.R. Taylor

J.R. Taylor — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 00:07:00 +0000

Those SUSPIRIA ads ran down South, and got me down to the Village East Theater that weekend for what my parents thought was another viewing of STAR WARS. I wish I could do justice to the CURTAINS marketing that ran down there. As I recall, it was just a card with the film title, a short snippet of one of the surreal kills from the movie, and then a shot of that creepy doll with the CURTAINS graphic. Made the thing seem like ERASERHEAD. There’s probably an interesting story to how a film with such a stylized body count ended up being so dull.

By: Scott

Scott — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 23:32:46 +0000

Corky -
YES! I remember being freaked out by the MAGIC commercials, with the dummy speaking. I even remember what he said:
“Abracadabra I sit on his knee; presto-chango and now he is me; hocus pocus we take her to bed; magic is fun - you’re dead.”
Thanks for dislodging that memory.

By: Corky Curtiss

Corky Curtiss — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 20:32:24 +0000

The TV commercial for MAGIC is another memorably frightening ’70s trauma. THE SHINING commercial with the Overlook Hotel elevator doors opening and the ocean of blood kept me sleepless on New Year’s Eve 1979 into ‘80. Seeing the HALLOWEEN trailer before the movie came out was scary, as were the descriptions of the film from older kids who’d seen it.

By: John B

John B — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 20:03:56 +0000

I remember that SUSPIRIA ad running during prime time also only because I was at my Grandparents apartment in Astoria when I first saw it and there was no way they’d let us kids stay up that late.

I assume it ran national as well, but I’ve only heard other kids from the Tri-state area speak of it as fondly as we do. It was the talk of all my friends and I in the fourth grade. Freaked me the fuck out.

By: mcbeardo

mcbeardo — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 14:38:55 +0000

Jason:

I’ve written at length in the past about my first trip to the Deuce, but I suppose I can dust it off for revisiting again in the future.

My cousin and I had time to kill when we were waiting to pick up his sister at Grand Central Station. Her train from DC was delayed for several hours. We walked up 42nd and, almost on a dare, went into the Lyric for that one-two punch.

I was terrified by the surroundings, and I loved them. And the movies.

By: mcbeardo

mcbeardo — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 14:37:02 +0000

Fritz:

I read the first line of your post and immediately thought: “Holy shit! My brother had a nightmare about Rosie Grier!…”

By: Jason

Jason — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 03:16:21 +0000

Man, that is a killer double feature. So not to hijack this thread just curious what a young Mcbeardo thought of BEAST WITHIN and HUMUNGOUS?

By: Fritz McSchlitzcan

Fritz McSchlitzcan — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 23:55:57 +0000

Rosie Grier’s guest appearance on The Love Boat caused my one and only nightmare of my childhood. And I shared a room with an insomniac who keep the reading light, AM Radio and TV on all night.

By: mcbeardo

mcbeardo — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 18:25:07 +0000

Jason: BEAST WITHIN was the first movie I ever saw on 42nd Street, as part of a double bill with HUMUNGOUS.