DVD Relief

Thank goodness for Wal-Mart's $5 Halloween Movie Sale. The title is not official, but you now know exactly what I'm talking about. It was just what I needed after school today.

Among the many iterations of Friday the 13th and other "horror" perennials were these absolute gems. The Day the Earth Stood Still is THE sci-fi film of the 1950s. Notice that I used the word film and not movie. Sci-fi movies of the 1950s featured giant ants and lizards. This Golden Globe (TM) winning film is something else. This is science fiction at its absolute best. It has inspired generations of filmmakers. It is only broadly definable as horror, but thanks to the questionable labeling it's now mine for a fin.

Next up, Shock Treatment. Although the "sequel" to The Rocky Horror Picture Show, it absolutely does NOT belong to the horror category. (As if RHPS did.) The most frightening thing about the film is the poster. Having watched it again tonight, I am surprised at its relevance today. Released in 1982, it deals with normal, moral, people thrust in front of television cameras. It tracks the decline of said morals and the corruption of society at large. Reality TV, anyone? Now, this IS a sequel to RHPS so the above message is discernible only through the lens of campy costumes and wacky show tunes. That said, give a try sometime. Once you do, complain here in the comments section.