Got in my first Amicus anthology of the Halloween season, deciding upon Asylum (1972) as my choice. It's funny, every time I watch it my favorite segment changes. It's never Mannikins of Horror, though! Nope, despite how watchable Herbert Lom might be, this little walking robot toy with his face is too unbelievably tacky to take seriously. I waffle back and forth, really, between Frozen Fear and Lucy Comes to Stay. FF is a hoot just because of how twisted the idea is, and the execution is clever, inventive, and effective. I mean packaged body parts of a wife (chopped up by her cheating husband so he can have her money and his lay on the side) moving on their own towards those responsible for her demise is visually incredible, if drummed up conceptually by a mad genius. But Rampling and Eklund together in their youth as dueling personalities in Lucy is always under consideration. Rampling does unstable addict sensationally and she's lovely, so lovely. Eklund was at her most delicious during the early 70s, and her Lucy is a mix of loyal friend and critic towards Rampling....this dynamic is fascinating. Being a Cushing fanboy, so saying his performance getting my vote for the best of the film might not have much merit. Just the same, watch as he tears it up sincerely while standing over his son dead in a coffin in a room of his darkened home while tailor Morse demands payment so he can shake off a creditor...it had me right at the heartstrings! The guessing game wraparound has fun casting with Macgee (Marat/Sade) offering Todd a psychiatric position if he'll determine who the hospital's former doc is among the patients locked up, as Bayldon takes him to each cell, not giving any evidence of who the mysterious Dr Starr might be. Bayldon has a great face, and he can turn on a dime impressively like flicking a switch from normal, typical orderly, just minding the boss , to maniac when Todd makes an unfortunate discovery.
4th of July 2025 Marathoning
McDowell and Comi prepare to leave for Mars. Aliens visiting the UN, dropping off their cook book, providing goodies for humans on Earth, easing them into trusting them, spiriting them away to be food for them on their home planet. To Serve Man is nearly 60 years ago. I've been watching Twilight Zone since I was a teenager in the mid 90s thanks to Sci Fi Channel. Many of my family have passed since (for instance, my mother's siblings are all about gone except one last sister), and it wouldn't be right to avoid a marathon during the 4th if just for nostalgic reasons. Syfy didn't see the value of TZ on Independence Day, except last year, so even though I cannot watch episodes like I do during New Year's Eve and Day, it is nice to try and sneak in a block of episodes whenever possible. I started with Death Ship from the fourth season, continuing with Stopover in a Quiet Town and The Gift . To Serve Man would feel like a later afternoon watch but SYFY showed it at 3:...
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