News

Roman Polanski's "Rosemary's Baby" is a controversial horror classic with a legacy that transcends cinema. Not only is it a terrifying tale of Satanic cults and devilish pregnancies, but the apartment the movie was shot in is reportedly haunted. What's more, the wave of real-life deaths surrounding "Rosemary's Baby" has given it a "cursed" reputation, further adding to its eerie sensibilities. Polanski's chiller is infamous, but the same can't be said about its sequel, "Look What Happened to Rosemary's Baby" -- a made-for-television cheapie from 1976 that most people have forgotten about. Either that, or they are trying their best to erase it from their memories.

Directed by Sam O'Steen, the forgotten ABC sequel chronicles Rosemary's son, Andrew (Stephen McHattie), from his childhood through to his adult years. What a life he lives, too, as he's kidnapped by a sex worker, Marjean (Tina Louise), at an early age and...

The American TV-movie has gained a bad rap over the years, but there was a time when folks looked forward to these flicks — and not in an ironic sense or a need to hate-watch.

That period of kinder and less cynical viewership was surely in the 1970s and ’80s when the made-for-television movie became more widespread. The “movie of the week” format took off in the former decade, with the major networks at the time devoting blocks in their schedules to these standalone, small-screen features. And one of the more revisited genres was horror. Duel, The Night Stalker and The Night Strangler, Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark, Trilogy of Terror, Are You in the House Alone?, The Initiation of Sarah. These are just a few of the classic telefilms that scared a whole generation of viewers.

There have been great strides to archive and restore these past horror TV-movies,...

I sure love me some witches. I especially adore the satanic kind, pentagrams, candles, and the whole shmear. Welcome to Bay Coven (1987), where the tropes are oh so familiar yet warm and snuggly like a quilted comforter.

Originally broadcast on Sunday, October 25th, Bay Coven was part of the NBC Sunday Night at the Movies, and was summarily trounced by Game 7 of the World Series as the *checks notes* Minnesotans beat the other ones to win the cup. Or something. Anyhoo, for those who were into horror, especially so close to Halloween, Bay Coven (Aka Bay Cove) was a fun treat; nothing original at all, but merely the next in the hallowed tradition of what I like to call (as of right now) the Killer Hospitality sub-genre: Rosemary’s Baby, Crowhaven Farm, and The Dark Secret of Harvest Home all setting out the chips and dip for what Bay Coven has in store.

The cultural impact of satanic megahit Rosemary’s Baby (1968) was substantial and immediate. All of a sudden supernatural horror was in vogue, whether directly mentioning the Big S or delving into covens and cults. Somehow if money was to be made, Lucifer would be there with his asbestos lined suitcase ready to take donations from one and all. Which brings us to the small screen’s Crowhaven Farm (1970), an ABC Movie of the Week that terrified TV audiences with the knowledge that not all evil has to be metropolitan.

Originally airing on Tuesday, November 24th, Crowhaven Farm’s closest competition was CBS’s Hee Haw, but even those yokels couldn’t beat ABC’s juggernaut, which always won its time slot. And while it may not be a match for Rosemary’s devilish wit and urbane horror (not much is), Crowhaven Farm still offers plenty of spooky, countrified atmosphere.

Let...

Paul Burke was a leading actor from the 1950s and the star of the 1957 horror film The Disembodied. He starred as Tom Maxwell, an author and adventurer who runs afoul of voodoo queen Allison Hayes when he becomes part of a romantic triangle with the queen and her older husband while on an expedition in the deep jungles of Africa.

Burke was born in New Orleans, Louisiana on July 21, 1926, and was the son of boxer Martin Burke. He went to Hollywood in the mid-1940s and studied acting as the Pasadena Playhouse. He began his film career in the early 1950s with small roles in several films including the talking-mule fantasies Francis Goes to West Point (1952) and Francis in the Navy (1955). He moved up to larger roles later in the decade with the voodoo horror film The Disembodied (1957).

He also became a familiar face on television from the 1950s, with...