Deceased’s main metal man King Fowley is the proverbial mouth-that-roared. Always willing to spout off on a variety of subject with the most forthright of honesty, one of his favorite topics has always been horror flicks…particularly of the old school 70s variety.
Who better then to talk made-for-T.V. horror than Fowley, who has carved a career in Deceased by regaling listeners with some of the most macabre science fiction and horror tales for over twenty years? As a staunch veteran of the early American death/thrash scene, Deceased have basically done it all, from the complex, Voivod-ian death metal of their Blueprints For Madness and Luck of the Corpse LPs to the epic, traditional-tinged metal of Fearless Undead Machines and Supernatural Addiction. The band’s latest effort for Patac Records, Surreal Overdose, is a near-perfect amalgamation of the band’s collective influences, serving as a veritable sonic roadmap for Deceased’s metallic tales of terror.
Cape Cod Rock sat down with the inimitable Fowley to get his top ten list from that infamous time of teleplays and sub-cinematic budgeted fare: the made-for-T.V. horror movie. A bygone era of wacked-out plot ideas, extravagantly psychedelic production values and sky high ambitions, the made-for-T.V. horror flicks of the 1970s are still celebrated by fans to this very day, with many examples finally making their way to DVD after years of demand.
Read on…if you dare!
1) Dark Night of the Scarecrow
“A mentally challenged young man is accused of killing a little girl. The only problem is that she's alive and fine, but the town folk have killed him, thinking the worst…then the townsfolk are ending up dead. Is it his ghost back to kill them off one by one, or is it something or somebody else? Legendary!”
2) Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark
“Little creatures live behind a fireplace in a house which a couple has just purchased, and they want the wife, Sally. Very stylish and weird, even showing the monsters beyond what is necessary! Creepy music and a classic ending. A must see!!!”
3) Trilogy of Terror
“Three stories in all, but it’s the third act ‘Amelia' which everyone always talks about. A little tribal doll, a spirit and curse that comes alive. Karen Black runs for her life, but doesn't get away!!! Zuni mania!”
4) Satan’s Triangle
“A ship is torn into the Bermuda Triangle. An odd, horrifying twist comes to the rescue team who has arrived to save a woman who is the only one left alive…or so they believe!”
5) Sybil
“One of the most scariest/saddest films ever made for T.V., as this can really happen to the human mind. Sally Field won awards for her portrayal of Sybil, the girl with at least thirteen personalities. As a kid it really got to me, as I didn't understand it. Sybil's horrible mother only adds to the downbeat film.”
6) Helter Skelter
“The Charles Manson murders from start to finish. The act, the capture, the courtroom, all told through the cold eyes of the camera. Steve Railsback gives a stunning performance as Manson; very creepy, haunting and as we all know really happened! See the full movie and not the edited cuts that end up on T.V. from time to time nowadays.”
7) Dead of Night
“Again its the final act in an anthology that gets you. This time it's 'Bobby'. A boy drowns and his mother wants him back .She calls up supernatural forces in a last ditch effort to bring him back. AND IT WORKS! But all is not what it seems for mother or son. The last shot will creep you for days!!!!”
8) Nightmare in Badham County
“More a hard drama but very shocking. Two girls on a drive end up in the wrong town. Arrested on bullshit charges, they end up in a workers farm for women, where there's more going on than just your sleazy prison guards. A very touching and sad ending! Classic with tons of T.V. folks in their filthiest roles, including Robert 'Mike Brady' Reed and Tina 'Ginger Grant' Louise!”
9) Bermuda Depths
“Made by the team responsible for Rudolph’s Shiny New Year. Santa Claus Is Coming to Town and all those cute holiday classics, this goes down as the most downbeat kids movie ever made. Apollo Creed is there, Burl Ives, Connie Selleca and many more. A giant turtle too! Dark, depressing…ahhh i just can't describe it, just SEE IT!”
10) A Cold Night’s Death
“John Carpenter's The Thing remake sorta borrowed from this. Robert Culp and Eli Wallach have a sense that something more than them is alive at the polar station they are sent to investigate after a recent death. Slow and brooding but delivers!”
DECEASED’S ‘SURREAL OVERDOSE IS OUT NOW ON PATAC RECORDS!
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