#dancurtis

[adamwatchesmovies]

Curse of the Black Widow (1977)

I can’t believe I’ve seen Curse of the Black Widow twice. At least now it’s definitive. This movie sucks. It’s boring, badly acted, never frightening, or even tense.

From the realm of “Made for TV horror” comes this story about a were-spider! When a private investigator named Mark Higbie (Anthony Franciosa) is hired by newly widowed Leigh Lockwood (Donna Mills) to investigate the strange death of her husband, he uncovers a cover-up by the police. A giant spider is killing men! But where did it come from, and how does the arachnid choose its victims? Mark suspects Leigh and her twin sister Laura have something to do with it.

This picture could have been good - in theory - if it weren't missing everything that would make it amusing. Firstly, the mystery is weak. The idea of a "werewolf" whose identity is unknown is solid. It adds a whole new dimension to the case when the killer (or killers) are unaware of the crimes they're committing and if it’s something supernatural going on, it makes for a story that can’t be solved by simply going up to a police station and plopping a bag of evidence on their doorstep. If only so much time wasn't wasted on discovering how one turns into a were-spider. Unless you’re going to find an antidote, it’s useless information that generates more head scratches than interest. I would've gladly traded information for red herrings to keep things less obvious.

My heart goes out to the filmmakers who make low-budget films, but this is an example of a project that needed more money. There’s no gore, no nudity and the special effects in Curse of the Black Widow are not special at all. We are never treated to any cool transformation sequences and the killer arachnid only appears briefly towards the end of the film. Before then we have to endure quick shots of spider leg-like sticks poking soon-to-be victims and dreadful shots of "monster vision". I'm talking about a bunch of filters applied to footage to give us a point of view on what the monster is eyeing before it strikes. Not an inherently bad choice but here's something bad filmmakers never understand: eight eyes doesn't mean the same image repeated eight times.

We’ve got comedic sub-plots that feel totally out of place and several amateur actors so wooden they could stock a hardware store. Then, a giant spider puppet dances around ineffectively while humans pretend like they’re scared until we get to an ending that will make you roll your eyes and sigh in disappointment. There are only two good things about Curse of the Black Widow. The first is that when we finally see the monster, the noises it makes are stolen right out of 1956's Rodan. Any time I can be reminded of this underrated kaiju film, I smile. The second good thing about Curse of the Black Widow? It actually has a full-length, well-researched Wikipedia article! What a relief! Unlike Cellar Dweller or Invader, which have not been documented at all, I didn't need to do any research to complete my review. Hurray for small victories! (On VHS, November 9, 2015)

[thedarkplume]

My latest Amazon orders. Sleepaway Camp & Trilogy of Terror II #sleepawaycamp #1983 #trilogyofterror2 #1996 #80shorror #90shorror #dancurtis https://www.instagram.com/p/B4jVainlP18TcV5mG27uFe78e4fMNaMYQDVLVU0/?igshid=cqxpjdycsxb

[jenjen4280]

I saw this movie on tv when I was a tween or early teen. Chilling out out and watching it again for the first time in 30+ years. Here’s hoping it holds up!

[scifitalk]

Dan Curtis Master Of Dark Shadows

[ericdiesel]

Convalescence Theatre. #burntofferings #bettedavis #karenblack #oliverrreed #seventieshorror #dancurtis #allagash (at West Hollywood, California) https://www.instagram.com/p/CUOjxbqFqKJ/?utm_medium=tumblr

[sergeotokar]

CYCLE MAISON HANTÉE Tiré d’un excellent roman de Robert Marasco qui a d’ailleurs beaucoup inspiré un certain Stephen King pour l’écriture de Shining, Trauma de Dan Curtis (1976) a eu une exploitation très confidentielle en France. Pourtant dans cette thématique de maison hantée, ce long métrage fait partie de mon top 5 du genre ! Ici nous ne parlons pas réellement de maison hantée par des fantômes mais bel et bien d’une demeure elle-même maléfique. La mise en scène est très sobre (peut-être même un peu trop télévisuelle de l’époque) mais sacrément efficace lorsqu’elle doit instaurer des moments de pure terreur. D’ailleurs on peut dire que pour moi les cinq dernières minutes représentent ce qu’on a vu de plus angoissant sur un écran… Quelle fin apocalyptique ! Karen Black et Oliver Reed sont totalement investis dans leurs rôles. Trauma est une œuvre sans concession sur la mort et le temps qui passe. Un très Grand film à ne pas rater !#maisonhantee #horreur #horrormovies #horrormovie #horrorfan #cinema #cinéma #cinephile #geek #geekinworld #terrifiant #fantastique #cinemaclassique #trauma #dancurtis #karenblack #oliverreed #burntofferingmovie #burntofferings https://www.instagram.com/p/CPqg9L6LZYY/?utm_medium=tumblr

[poetponyofmidgard]

David confronts his new mommy about what he saw at the Gazebo... he really should have just texted his dad ⚠️ . #daytimesoaps #darkshadows #60stv #70stv #angeliquecollins #davidhenesy #laraparker #baddecisions #newmommyproblems #cassandracollins #witchesofinstagram #episode489 #soapopera #weneedtotalk #dancurtis https://www.instagram.com/p/CH8g4KBpvYS/?igshid=1d1n5nqg05j39

[vicsage2005]

"I just saw your "so-called killer" wipe up the street with your so-called police force!" - The Night Strangler (1973) #darrenmcgavin #scottbrady #johncarradine #richardmatheson #dancurtis #saturdayfrights #tvhorror #horrorpodcast #ilovehorror #horrorcommunity https://www.instagram.com/p/CFUK9RslhwD/?igshid=16zmlebrly3wy

[mattachinesocial]

Why yes I am 925 episodes into my Dark Shadows rewatch #horror #darkshadows #soapopera #dancurtis #tv #cultclassic (at Waikiki) https://www.instagram.com/p/CDTclWzgEX3/?igshid=40jt8pcxxrha

[jamest541975]

I'm watching this on @amazonprimevideo right now. #dancurtis #darkshadows #masterofdarkshadows #vampires #barnabascollins https://www.instagram.com/p/B9yLOTZAhXs/?igshid=1ctc15rifhhd4

[vicsage-retroist]

Fright Fans, the new Saturday Frights podcast is up on the Pop Culture Retrorama site - for this show we tackle 1976's Burnt Offerings! #dancurtis #bettedavis #oliverreed #karenblack #hauntedhouse #burgessmeredith #williamfnolan #saturdayfrights #horrorpodcast #popculture #horrorcommunity #horrorclassic #robertmarasco #adaptation #podcast #ilovehorror https://www.instagram.com/p/B55Ql1WF-8f/?igshid=1llz81q4b455e

[adafine]

Horror Movie Marathon (2019) October 22nd 55. Trilogy of Terror (1975) Directed by Dan Curtis #trilogyofterror #karenblack #dancurtis #richardmatheson #amazonprime (at El Apartamento De Sweeney) https://www.instagram.com/p/B38ibQ8A4tD/?igshid=7e1mg90wwyd

[cultfaction]

#Repost @gettv_official • • • • • • KOLCHAK: THE NIGHT STALKER debuted 45 years ago today — Sept 13, 1974! ⠀ ⠀ #DarrenMcGavin starred in this spooky series based on the TV movies from producer #DanCurtis — creator of #DarkShadows! #FridayThe13th https://www.instagram.com/p/B2hTH24lyl8/?igshid=usg9wbq0wr1y

[llpodcast]

Season 3: Episode 81 - Dark Shadows - Episodes 72 - 91

[petemosq]

It's 10pm, do you know where your Zuni Fetish Doll is? ;) Scored the Kino Lorber restored edition of the classic #horror film Trilogy of Terror with the legendary Karen Black! #kinolorber #trilogyofterror #karenblack #dancurtis #zunifetishdoll https://www.instagram.com/p/BpGIzivBW5Z/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=b7pf1xz4rord

[owenmccuen]

#HeavySeas #BelowDecks #barleywine #craftbeer #cellaredbeer #2006 #beerporn #LostBoys #David #delicious A little past it’s prime, kinda flat but still darn yummy. 10% abv and a lovely accompaniment to #Dracula from #DanCurtis, mastermind behind #DarkShadows. https://www.instagram.com/p/Boc3tQoF3zf/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=otqsidil0axb