Death Race 2000, while violent, wasn't much of sci-fi or horror (if memory serves right). It was more a weird 1970s tale-of-the-times film. I guess it was sci-fi in the notion of being a movie about the future. But that is a fantastic poster for the film - the one on wikipedia is less threatening, more ... campy? posted by filthy light thief at 9:12 AM on October 31, 2008
I love the Dorian Gray one, never seen it before. posted by piratebowling at 9:31 AM on October 31, 2008
Death Race 2000, while violent, wasn't much of sci-fi or horror...
Yeah, and I'm pretty sure Silent Running isn't a horror movie, but it's Halloween and someone wanted to show off a bunch of posters. Sean Connery in that Zardoz outfit is pretty scary, though. posted by pracowity at 9:34 AM on October 31, 2008
As a child, I would stand outside a movie house and just stare at the posters. I was too young to see most of them. On Sundays, the Washington Post would have a huge movie section stuffed with black and white posters from all kinds of movies. I was in heaven. posted by doctorschlock at 9:47 AM on October 31, 2008
Many of these posters turned out to be more exciting than the movies themselves. posted by doctorschlock at 9:55 AM on October 31, 2008
Looks like in addition to the underwater T-Rex, the submarine has to contend with some kind of laser-shooting manta ray.
The world really is a wonderful place. posted by marxchivist at 10:01 AM on October 31, 2008
I always liked the one for Fright Night. Good flick, too. On the other hand, the one for Forbidden Planet always annoyed me. It's so misleading. Not that most of them aren't. posted by Guy_Inamonkeysuit at 10:28 AM on October 31, 2008
Pay attention, self-described "cat people". Tales of Terror is no work of fiction, and that poster is going to be you unless you wise up soon. posted by Wolfdog at 10:34 AM on October 31, 2008
These posters were usually reprinted on the VHS box in the early days. It's the main criteria my brother and I used for their rental. "This one has a crazy robot!" "Yeah, but this one has a crazy ______ (animal du jour ) on the loose!" posted by Asbestos McPinto at 10:36 AM on October 31, 2008
Most likely a shark, if this is any representative sample. posted by Wolfdog at 10:40 AM on October 31, 2008
Death Race 2000, while violent, wasn't much of sci-fi
It was about a (purported) cyborg named Frankenstein that raced crazed lunatics in futuristic automobiles while fighting mad political factions and slaughtering pedestrians, in a dystopian future where the prize for winning the race was anything you desired.
It may not have been as sci-fi as 2001 or something, but it wasn't a travelogue. posted by Shepherd at 10:42 AM on October 31, 2008 [1 favorite]
Fascinating how much terror is inspired by science. I've always thought that the topics for horror novels/movies provide a neat glimpse into our cultural fears. Zombies = uncanny valley, fear of science projects gone wrong, fear of outer space, fear of robots, there's even a dose of fear of women in there. I'm sure some sociologist/cultural studies scholar has written on this stuff - it would be neat to look at.
Also: amazed at how many shark attack movies there were. Were they all a rip-off of Jaws, or was Jaws also derivative? posted by arcticwoman at 10:43 AM on October 31, 2008 [1 favorite]
And thanks for the link, Mitheral! This is great stuff! posted by Shepherd at 10:52 AM on October 31, 2008
Astro Zombie you gotta see 'Jailhouse Rock'. It's outta this world. posted by doctorschlock at 12:06 PM on October 31, 2008
KIller posters.
Silent Running! Not a horror movie , but awesome. posted by Liquidwolf at 1:01 PM on October 31, 2008
Did you know that Silent Running was one of Joel Hodgson's primary influences in creating Mystery Science Theatre 3000? He even styled his suit after Bruce dern's in the movie. posted by Astro Zombie at 1:05 PM on October 31, 2008
posted by filthy light thief at 9:12 AM on October 31, 2008