Badmovies.org Forum

Lately I've been reading reviews on the z-grade marvels of Mr. Buchanan and have become interested in them. The thing is: I don't know which ones to look for and which to avoid.

So what do you guys recommend?

The only one I've seen (outside of "Eye Creatures" on MST3K) is MARS NEEDS WOMEN.  If you're looking for laughably inept cheese, it's no PLAN 9 but it's a pretty good choice.

I second Mars Needs Women. That is wonderfully horrible stuff.

IT'S ALIVE (1969) - no, not the monster baby movie - but a made-for-TV film (starring TOMMY KIRK) that I can't believe could have ever been aired.  It's truly awful... but, it did make us laugh a lot at its lameness! 

I'd recommend The Eye Creatures.  Inept acting, John Ashley, cardboard sets and they only had one complete alien outfit, so when the gang of monsters are shown at one point, you can see most of them are people in dark bodysuits with the alien head and shoulders on. It made me want to cry and wet myself with laughter all at the same time.

Legend has it Walt Disney himself caught Disney and AIP beach movie star Tommy Kirk doing a stagehand behind the scenes of THE MONKEY'S UNCLE (1965) - and so freeing Kirk up for a career in Larry Buchanan movies.

Buchanan's films, particularly IT'S ALIVE, have quite a surreal feel to them. Not many filmmakers are bold enough to put a Bermanesque flashback lasting nearly 30 minutes depicting the slow and subtle psychological decline of a respected elementary school teacher near the end of their monster movie.

It's art, I tells ya!

I'm partial to ZONTAR: THE THING FROM VENUS (a remake of IT CONQUERED THE WORLD) and CREATURE OF DESTRUCTION (remake of THE SHE CREATURE).

IN THE YEAR 2889 (remake of DAY THE WORLD ENDED) is fun, too, in a Larry Buchanan kind of way. Oddly enough, the drawings of the mutated critters are much better than the ones in the original film.

In case you haven't noticed, many of Buchanan's films were 'remakes' of some classic Corman 50s sci-fi films - made so AIP could show 'em on TV in color. Most of them debuted on local cheap 'SHOCK THEATER'- type programs. That's I first saw 'em, back in the late 60s and early 70s.

It's Alive seems his most original film in many ways so I'd recommend that over most of his others since most of his movies are remakes or rips of other films, most mentioned by others already. The plot to Eaten Alive is surprisingly similar?! :buggedout: . Mars Needs Women is probably the most watchable film of his I've seen though.

He also did expliotation films like COMMON LAW WIFE....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sir1LLpW83Q

I've always wanted to see his "What if..." exploitation film THE TRIAL OF LEE HARVEY OSWALD (1964).

YOU are the jury! Not a Newsreel! Filmed secretly in Dallas!

Funny, like Buchanan's IT'S ALIVE, there was a later much better know film with the same title, but this time starring Lorne Greene and Ben Gazzara instead of Arthur Nations and Charles Mazyrack.

Buchanan's TRIAL is available from Something Weird, but it's supposed to be a real snooze fest. The disc also has Buchanan's THE OTHER SIDE OF BONNIE AND CLYDE, so I think maybe I'll give it a shot - no pun intended.  :tongueout: