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Few horror movies are as fantastic or as retroactively controversial as "Rosemary's Baby." Decades after its release, what are we to make of a movie about a woman's bodily agency that was made by a man –- Roman Polanski –- who was later convicted of statutory rape? It's just one of several tricky questions that's elicited by any thorough look back at the film; in addition to Polanski's life story, both of the movie's surviving cast members (see below) have been embroiled in their own complex and traumatic situations in the years since the film debuted in 1968.

It's a tricky legacy for a phenomenal movie that works on the strengths of all involved, including a powerful young Mia Farrow, who turns Polanski's already-sharp take on Ira Levin's great book into something unforgettable. Most of the other actors who made the film a classic are gone now, including John Cassavettes...

If there’s any silver lining to the last year, it was how it compelled creators to think even further outside the box. For director/writer Jeff Baena, the idea for the Showtime anthology “Cinema Toast” came as the result of being unable to direct a feature film in Italy — and transferring his weekly poker game to the online sphere after Covid hit.

In chatting with his friends, Baena joked about doing something similar to Woody Allen’s debut feature — 1966’s “What’s Up, Tiger Lily” — by taking existing features and altering them. “Everyone thought it was funny…and later on that night [the project] started spinning in my head about how that’s actually not a bad idea,” Baena told IndieWire. Baena saw the opportunity to not necessarily dub over something, but use the features as a springboard to create a totally new story and genre than what was originally filmed.

Top: the original DVD release of Michael Mann's Thief. Below: the recent Criterion Blu-ray after Mann's restorationWhen Dr. James Steffen was in high school, a friend had an encounter with a film called Invasion of the Bee Girls, a 1973 exploitation film. His friend described seeing the film—which included a number of scandalous scenes, including an explicit topless scene—broadcast on late night television. But when the film eventually made its way to home video, Steffen felt a little frustrated. Scenes his friend had described from the television broadcast were nowhere to be found. Somewhere along the way, some entity had chosen to excise certain scenes from the picture. All was not lost, however. In 2017, Shout Factory released the full, uncut film on blu-ray, and Steffen finally got to see the film as intended.Today, Steffen is a film and media studies librarian at Emory University, as well as...

As Disney quietly disappears huge swathes of film history into its vaults, I'm going to spend 2020 celebrating Twentieth Century Fox and the Fox Film Corporation's films, what one might call their output if only someone were putting it out.***As the great studios declined like mammoths sinking into tar pits, the films they produced started bifurcating: there were the stodgy, prestige pictures, like Cleopatra (1963) (which nearly sank Fox into the bitumen altogether), and there were trashy low-budget affairs farmed out to bottom-feeding indie producers, the sixties equivalent of the B pictures of yore. These were often more enjoyable than the respectable productions, even when they really were trash.Lauren Bacall counted Shock Treatment (1964) as the worst film of her career, and apart from her tendency to underrate Written on the Wind (1956), she had pretty sound judgement. Director Denis Sanders was among the first film school graduates to make films...

Al Adamson: The Masterpiece Collection

Blu ray

Severin Films

1965 – 1989 / 2841 min.

Starring Russ Tamblyn, Regina Carrol, Lon Chaney

Cinematography by Gary Graver, Vilmos Zsigmond, László Kovács

Directed by Al Adamson, David Gregory

The titles grab you by the collar like a desperate carny barker – Psycho A Go-Go, Blood of Ghastly Horror, Satan’s Sadists – then something for the raincoat crowd – Girls For Rent, Nurses For Sale, The Naughty Stewardesses. The rant turns political, incendiary: Black Heat, Mean Mother, Black Samurai. His last gasp – Cinderella 2000, Nurse Sherri, The Happy Hobo. The Happy Hobo?

Al Adamson: The Masterpiece Collection is an alarming new release from Severin Films presenting 32 of the director’s misbegotten “masterpieces” in beautifully restored transfers with enough added attractions to choke a horse. It’s the story of one man’s twenty year run in exploitation cinema that may be too exhausting for the casual viewer to contemplate. But...

Generation C is being invaded by the B-Girls. 80s cult singer Josie Cotton, best known for blurring the angst of both liberals and conservatives with “Johnny Are You Queer?,” sees the science fiction claustrophobia arising from the coronavirus pandemic and wants to help. Cotton joined the Minutemen’s Mike Watt, the Runaways’ Cherie Currie, and Eddie Spaghetti on the song “Flatten the Curve,” to benefit the Jubilee Consortium and the Sweet Relief Musicians Fund. Everyone else, she advises to cuddle up with a bad movie. Cotton ventured beyond the valley of the dolls in a “so-bad-they’re-good” movie hunt to accompany this real life B-Movie scenario and re-released Invasion of the B-Girls.

The album title is a twist on the Denis Sanders’ 1973 film Invasion of the Bee Girls, where giant killer bees masquerade as sexy women scientists who kill men for their blood during sex. The New Wave pioneer originally...

A never ending mission to save the world featuring Ron Perlman, Peter Ramsey, James Adomian, Will Menaker, and Blaire Bercy from the Hollywood Food Coalition.

Please support the Hollywood Food Coalition. Text “Give” to 323.402.5704 or visit https://hofoco.org/donate!

Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode

Karado: The Kung Fu Flash a.k.a. Karado: The Kung Fu Cat a.k.a. The Super Kung Fu Kid (1974)

Sullivan’s Travels (1941)

The Best Years Of Our Lives (1946)

Mr. Smith Goes To Washington (1939)

Nobody’s Fool (1994)

The Hustler (1961)

Elmer Gantry (1960)

Mean Dog Blues (1978)

Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse (2018)

Mona Lisa (1986)

The Crying Game (1992)

The Hairdresser’s Husband (1990)

Ridicule (1996)

Man on the Train (2002)

The Girl on the Bridge (1999)

Pale Flower (1964)

Out of the Past (1947)

The Lunchbox (2013)

Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace (1999)

The Last Boy Scout (1991)

Raw Deal (1986)

Commando (1985)

The Masque of the Red Death (1964)

The Last Man On Earth (1964)

Invasion of the Body Snatchers...

Back to the ’70s and back to vampires we go; an upgrade was in order as everyone agreed (even Hammer) that bloodsuckers needed to be modernized, rejuvenized (?), and Martinized (blood stains are a bitch) for more discerning audiences post-Night of the Living Dead (1968). The cobwebbed décor and heaving bodices were old hat; it was time for sleek condos and full-on nudity. Progress! While Hammer and Aip were dropping their updated takes, an independent company called Entertainment Pyramid released Grave of the Vampire (1972), a fun, low-budget curiosity with a pretty high pedigree.

Released in October on a reported budget of $50,000, Grave played the drive-in circuit forever; bloodsuckers are always good for parting teens from their dough. As for that pedigree: any film that features Michael Pataki, William Smith, and has a script by future The Sopranos creator David Chase has my full attention. And for the most part, it earns it.

The exploitation films of the ‘70s always offered up the goods to everyone. And by goods I mean a whole lot of sex and violence, and if you were so inclined to notice behind fogged up eyewear, pulpy takes on the relevant social issues of the day. Not all were created equal, of course; they can’t all be clever variants of the form such as Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill!, or Foxy Brown. However, they almost all deal with female empowerment and Invasion of the Bee Girls (1973) more than checks off all the boxes, squeezing every last drop of pulp from its sci-fi fruit.

Released by Centaur Dimension Pictures in June, Invasion of the Bee Girls Aka Graveyard Tramps (it doesn’t really fit, but is one of the best alternate titles I’ve ever heard) managed to fairly impress critics on its tour of local theatres and drive-ins, including Roger Ebert,...

As Scream Factory continues to release pared-down catalogue titles on their now five-year-old label, the brand keeps expanding to include all different kinds of movies. Once known for releasing deluxe special editions of horror fan favorites, the company has diversified over the last half decade and begun releasing new films (as part of their deal with IFC midnight), unknown (and sometimes previously unavailable) cult films, a handful of classics, and even their own in-house productions. This last batch of catalogue titles, the majority of which have been released with only minimum bonus features but new HD scans, continues to broaden the reach of the Scream Factory brand to include a range of titles from secretly successful ’70s sexploitation sci-fi to well-intentioned failures of the 1990s.

First up is the 1958 cult classic I Bury the Living, directed by Albert Band (father of low-budget horror legend Charles Band, who would go on...

This Week in Home VideoPlus 7 more new releases to watch at home this week on Blu-ray/DVD.

Welcome to this week in home video! Click the title to buy a Blu-ray/DVD from Amazon and help support Fsr in the process!

Pick of the WeekPaterson

What is it? A bus driver writes poetry in his spare time about the world and stuff.

Why see it? The brief summation above is pretty much accurate in describing the whole of Jim Jarmusch’s latest, but it doesn’t begin to capture the warmth, humor, and humanity the film delivers. Adam Driver plays the title role and creates a character far removed from the easily antagonized and disgruntled ones he’s best known for. His Paterson is a simple man of simple pleasures, but while most films would mock or sideline him here he’s embraced. Even better, his demeanor and perception of the world are remarkably calming and infectious...

April's Blu-ray and DVD releases are kicking off in a big way, as we have a lot of great genre releases to get excited for this week. Mike Mendez’s Don’t Kill It arrives on both formats April 4th as well as the cult classic Invasion of the Bee Girls, which makes its HD bow courtesy of Scream Factory. Mill Creek has put together a triple dose of terror with their Psycho Circus Triple Feature Blu-ray set, and Sony Pictures Home Entertainment is keeping busy with their releases of Ghost of New Orleans, A Room to Die For, and We Go On this Tuesday.

Other notable home entertainment titles arriving this Tuesday include The Evil Within, Tank 432, Don’t Hang Up and the DVD set for Medium: The Complete Series.

Don’t Kill It (Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, Blu-ray & DVD)

When an ancient demon is accidentally unleashed in a...

Scream Factory releases Invasion of the Bee Girls (1973) on high-def home media beginning April 4th, and we've been provided with three Blu-ray copies to give away to lucky Daily Dead readers.

————

Prize Details: (3) Winners will receive (1) Blu-ray copy of Invasion of the Bee Girls.

How to Enter: We're giving Daily Dead readers multiple chances to enter and win:

1. Instagram: Following us on Instagram during the contest period will give you an automatic contest entry. Make sure to follow us at:

https://www.instagram.com/dailydead/

2. Email: For a chance to win via email, send an email to contest@dailydead.com with the subject “Invasion of the Bee Girls Contest”. Be sure to include your name and mailing address.

Entry Details: The contest will end at 12:01am Est on April 9th. This contest is only open to those who are eighteen years of age or older that live in the United States.

Scream Factory is wishing cult horror film fans a very happy holiday season by announcing five obscure genre titles they plan to release on Blu-ray in 2017.

On Facebook, Scream Factory announced that in the spring / summer of 2017, they plan on releasing Blu-rays of Invasion of the Bee Girls (1973), The Vampire (1957), 1993's Contamination .7 (aka The Crawlers), I Bury the Living (1958), and The Naked Cage (1986).

The five selected titles came from an online vote Scream Factory conducted earlier this year when they let fans know which movies they had rights to and asked them which ones they'd like to see released on Blu-ray. You can read the official announcement below, and we'll be sure to keep Daily Dead readers updated on further release details as they are revealed.

From Scream Factory: "Some of you back in the Fall may remember that we asked you to vote on some obscure titles...

Nicholas Meyer's first directing effort is a classy science fiction thriller best remembered for a charming romantic angle, and for introducing many of us to the marvelous Mary Steenburgen. Clever storytelling pits Malcolm McDowell against fellow time tripper David Warner, in a fourth-dimensional pursuit of none other than Jack the Ripper. Time After Time Blu-ray Warner Archive Collection 1979 / Color / 2:40 widescreen / 112 min. / Street Date November 15, 2016 / available through the WBshop / 21.99 Starring Malcolm McDowell, David Warner, Mary Steenburgen, Charles Cioffi, Kent Williams, Andonia Katsaros, Patti D'Arbanville, Corey Feldman, Shelley Hack, Clete Roberts. Cinematography Paul Lohman Film Editor Donn Cambern Original Music Miklos Rozsa Written by Nicholas Meyer story by Karl Alexander & Steve Hayes Produced by Herb Jaffe Directed by Nicholas Meyer

Reviewed by Glenn Erickson

Known for his smart scripts -- face it, even Invasion of the Bee Girls is an intelligent script -- Nicholas Meyer broke into the writer-director hyphenate...

The Hudson Horror Show returns to Poughkeepsie, NY, on November 16, and this installment of the event is bringing some truly iconic Kurt Russell films as well as some forgotten gems.

Headlined by Russell's classics Escape From New York and The Thing, this edition of Hudson Horror Show may end up being the best one yet. In addition to those two films, you'll also get Invasion of the Bee Girls and Horror Express as well as a fifth "mystery" film which won't be announced until the day of the show.

The last event completely sold out so if you're interested in attending, we'd recommend you get yourself moving and order your tickets today. Plus, yours truly will be there hosting and handing out goodies!

For more info and to purchase tix, visit the official Hudson Horror Show website, "like" Hudson Horror Show on Facebook and follow Hudson Horror Show on Twitter...

The lineup for Hudson Horror Show 8 has been officially announced and includes 35mm screenings of Escape From New York, The Thing, and more:

“Hudson Horror Show is proud to announce our full lineup for the Hudson Valley’s horror and exploitation film festival, Hudson Horror Show. Hhs #8 will be on Saturday, November 16th 2013, at Silver Cinemas South Hills 8 in Poughkeepsie, NY. Doors open at noon, show starts at 1Pm.

Headliner #1 is the 1981 sci-fi/action classic Escape From New York. John Carpenter directed one of the most amazing genre casts ever featuring Ernest Borgnine, Donald Pleasance, Isaac Hayes, Harry Dean Stanton, Adrienne Barbeau, Tom Atkins, Lee Van Cleef and of course Kurt Russell as Snake Plissken, who we all heard was dead.

Headliner #2 is the 1982 horror/sci-fi thrill ride John Carpenter’S The Thing. Carpenter and Russell teamed up again for one of the scariest films ever made, which boasts the...

Femme Fatales Week! concludes at Trailers from Hell with screenwriter Josh Olson introducing "Invasion of the Bee Girls," which centers on a bevy of sultry sirens turned mutated insect women. Trailer below is Nsfw.No, really--not B-Girls, but Bee Girls! Bzzzzzz! "They'll love the very life out of your body!" These women prey on the male population in this gonzo sci fi epic, the last feature from usually sober-minded director/documentarian/Oscar winner Denis Sanders. Reissued as Graveyard Tramps(!). The full movie can be seen at the Internet Archive. (Nsfw)...

Daniel Craig and Harrison Ford contend with goo-dripping aliens in Jon Favreau's sadly humourless sci-fi western

In all the advertising for Jon Favreau's blockbuster Cowboys & Aliens, the latter element of the provocative title is presented in larger type, thus suggesting the current ascendancy of one genre over the other. Among the dozen or so listed producers are a pair of directors – Steven Spielberg, who has been behind a string of sci-fi movies, and Ron Howard, who has made two ambitious westerns, one rather good, the other a distinct failure.

Based (not surprisingly) on a graphic novel, the picture stars Daniel Craig, a stranger both to the west and to sci-fi, and Harrison Ford, who made his name in the Star Wars movies but came a cropper with his only big-screen western. They play a couple of gun-toting hardmen in post-civil war New Mexico territory, the stamping ground of...