Cold-induced Triple Feature, or I Didn't Intend a Trend

[SynapticBoomstick]

Devil Times Five (1974)

A group of kids survive a vehicular crash in the mountains and make their way to a ritzy house where they brutalize a bunch of useless grown men and women who can't put down their drink or pettiness for two seconds to deal with the situation.

Wut? :v

The movie went by the weird title Peopletoys when it first ran in theaters and is possibly what you'd get if John Carpenter had directed Home Alone and was also terrible at his job; I was surprised that it wasn't made-for-TV. I don't know what was more annoying, the music score or the useless adults. The Evil ChildKids were each screwy enough to lend some entertainment value.


Doctor Tarr's Torture Dungeon (1973)

A reporter travels to a secluded asylum where an eccentric doctor treats his mad charges using unorthodox means. I don't remember a lot of the dialogue as my mind is stuck on the Chicken Man, the Room of WTF, and all the cackling. I'm going to have strange dreams tonight.

It's another case of "release under a different title" as this was originally The Mansion of Madness, though the title I got from Mill Creek was the deciding factor in whether or not it went in with my chicken noodle soup. The full title appeared to be "Edgar Allen Poe Doctor Tarr's Torture Dungeon" but I must not be familiar with this particular story that he wrote. that or the name was just pinned on. I can't decide if this movie is supposed to be a farce or if the musical composer was simply that inept but the overacting is phenomenal.


Virus (1980)

The military is stupid. HOW STUPID IS IT?! It's so stupid that it created a deadly virus meant for use as a biological weapon only to have it stolen and accidentally released, resulting in the death of pretty much everybody anywhere. Antarctica, though, the folks there are fine because at sub-zero temperatures the virus goes dormant.

Great. So what now?

Doing an IMDB information search for "virus" is an exercise in madness and I didn't even find this movie listed among the horde because it's yet another movie that isn't going by its original title. This time it's Fukkatsu no hi aka Day of Resurrection. After watching the film, this title's meaning is lost on me. It's all very grim and intended to make you hope for a better future in the real world but all I think is, "We're dumb enough to pull this stuff now, much less in the 80's!"


In all, these movies all shared awful music to one degree or another. I'm also now of the opinion that 1970's singer-song writer tunes do not belong in science fiction movies. My cold also doesn't feel any better but at least I passed a lot of time.

[Jack]

'70s B horror movies always tend to be very weird and not in a good way, and for the most part pretty dull 

Virus sounds kind of interesting, I think I've seen 2 other movies by that name lol.

[SynapticBoomstick]

Of the three, Virus was the most enjoyable for its tone. It's Cold War-era played totally straight and takes into account several social issues that a small group of survivors would most certainly face in the real world. I also just plain like its story structure although there could have been a little more emphasis on the hardships of having to live in Antarctica. You don't see people dealing with food cultivation or having to stay warm. That might not have been the point but it would have been interesting to see referenced. At least nobody fights a polar bear.

[lester1/2jr]

I liked Devil Times 5 just cuz the kids were so evil

[Newt]

Virus...there could have been a little more emphasis on the hardships of having to live in Antarctica. You don't see people dealing with food cultivation or having to stay warm. That might not have been the point but it would have been interesting to see referenced. At least nobody fights a polar bear. BounceGiggle

Yes; be thankful there were no polar bears.     But I bet it could have been improved with a few marauding mutant penguins.  Have you seen them 'fly' through the water?  Little torpedoes.  Thousands of them.  It could be Sharknado crossed with Piranha.

[retrorussell]

Man, the adults totally got what they deserved in DEVIL TIMES FIVE.  Totally annoying, and clueless about the goings-on; though perhaps if they figured it out sooner the running time would be pretty short.  Should be remade someday with smarter adults, or one of the kids turns good, or some sort of interesting twist.

[voltron]

Devil Times Five has been on my "to see" list for a while now. 70s + TV movie vibe? Count me in dude. (see: The Little Girl Who Lives Down The Lane, Don't Be Afraid Of The Dark, Let's Scare Jessica To Death etc etc etc.....)

[SynapticBoomstick]

But I bet it could have been improved with a few marauding mutant penguins.  Have you seen them 'fly' through the water?  Little torpedoes.  Thousands of them.  It could be Sharknado crossed with Piranha.

Piranguin Torpenguins

Man, the adults totally got what they deserved in DEVIL TIMES FIVE.  Totally annoying, and clueless about the goings-on; though perhaps if they figured it out sooner the running time would be pretty short.

The bald guy with the glasses and his drunk wife especially.