Can anybody help with what this movie may be?

Joe Brody said:

Any help?

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Sounds like the 1979 version of "Dracula" with Frank Langella. There is a tunnel from a coffin to some mines.

Stoo said:

Sounds like the 1979 version of "Dracula" with Frank Langella. There is a tunnel from a coffin to some mines.

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That may well be it. Man, what a dated looking Dracula. Looks like he just came over from Studio 54.

Help needed to identify 3 obscure sci-fi/fantasy TV shows/films from the '70's/'80's

Hey everyone. I posted this on another board, but hadn't heard anyhing yet, so I thought I'd try my luck here.

For a while now, I've been thinking about three very cool color sci-fi/fantasy TV shows/movies that I saw on TV back in the '80's; the problem is that I don't remember what the titles were . Note that it's been roughly 30 years since I saw these; I only saw each of these once, and in the first two cases didn't see the whole episode/film - so, I remember only small bits and pieces of the plots. Here is what I recall:

- IIRC, the first was a TV broadcast of a '70's (I think) sci-fi film about a guy?! (or group of people) who was somehow thrust into a parallel universe, where he/they ended up in a fascist/totalitarian England?! which was run by a government who employed soldiers dressed in tan?! (or maybe gray) uniforms. The main scene I remember from this film was a soldier firing a machine gun into a wooden door & reducing it to splinters. This may have been a BBC production, but maybe not. And, I don't believe it was Dr. Who.....

- The second was an early '80's fantasy TV show/made-for-TV movie (or, maybe even a TV broadcast of a film) about a group of heroes fighting a group of lizard-like people. The only scene I remember from this show/film was a sequence when the heroes were escaping from the lizard people by running across a lake/river, and they fired an arrow/crossbow into one of the lizard people. The lizard creature then fell into the water, and the water started hissing/steaming (presumably because the creature's blood had a strange reaction to the water).....

- Circa '85-'87 there was a very cool episode of an anthology?! show about a couple who came back from a vacation in Central/South America?! with pictures of some natives they had taken in a jungle?! there. Somehow, the pictures had captured the "spirits" of the natives and these natives then later came out of the pictures and stalked/attacked the couple (and others). Very creepy. Note that I don't think it was an episode of the '80's Twilight Zone or Amazing Stories, since I recently read the descriptions of all of these episodes and this doesn't seem to fit any of them.

Does anyone remember what any of these were? If so, please post here, since I'd really like to track these down so I can see them again - Thanks in advance!

Hi, Phantom train. I'll take some stabs at this.

1) Sounds similar to the short-lived, 1977 TV series, "The Fantastic Journey". A group of people who get lost in the Bermuda Triangle and are thrust into different parallel universes each week. Problem is that this was an American TV show and not a British film but thought it was worth mentioning in case it jogs your memory.

2) Could it be any one of these?
- "Humanoids From the Deep" (1980)
- "V" (1983 TV movie & series)
- "The Starlost" (1974 TV series that was packaged into 5 TV movies in 1980. One of the good guys had a crossbow.)

3) I didn't watch much TV after 1985 so can't help you with that one!

Stoo said:

Hi, Phantom train. I'll take some stabs at this.

1) Sounds similar to the short-lived, 1977 TV series, "The Fantastic Journey". A group of people who get lost in the Bermuda Triangle and are thrust into different parallel universes each week. Problem is that this was an American TV show and not a British film but thought it was worth mentioning in case it jogs your memory.

2) Could it be any one of these?
- "Humanoids From the Deep" (1980)
- "V" (1983 TV movie & series)
- "The Starlost" (1974 TV series that was packaged into 5 TV movies in 1980. One of the good guys had a crossbow.)

3) I didn't watch much TV after 1985 so can't help you with that one!

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Hey Stoo - Thanks very much for your input! This is extremely helpful.

To follow up on your info. & my original post:

1) Based on some research I did after I posted the above & info. I got from some others, I was able to determine that #1 may very well have been a broadcast of the original Dr. Who: Inferno mini-series (1970). The show that I saw was definitely British, and even though I don't remember it as Dr. Who it may have been, given that I saw this close to 30 years ago However, I will also try to check out "The Fantastic Journey" as well, since it may have been that instead.

2) It wasn't "V", but that was a great show. The one I remember was set in a fantasy/medieval world (i.e., Dungeons and Dragons), so I will also definitely check out "Humanoids from the Deep" and "The Starlost". Also, someone else made a suggestion that this may have been an episode from the short-lived mini-series "Wizards and Warriors" from the early '80's.

3) I recently found out that this is definitely an episode called "Still Life" from the very underrated re-imagined "Twilight Zone" show from around 1985/1986. At first didn't think it was this new TZ show, but after someone else made the suggestion I looked this up again, and this matches my description & memory of the episode.

In any case, Thanks again. I really want to see these shows/films?! again, and look forward to tracking them down on DVD.

phantom train said:

Also, someone else made a suggestion that this may have been from the short-lived mini-series "Wizards and Warriors" from the early '80's.

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Holy sh*t! I forgot all about that show! I used it watch it but it only lasted for 1 season. It starred Jeff Conaway from "Grease" and "Taxi". From your descriptions, it's a very good chance that "Wizards and Warriors" is the one you're looking for.

Glad you found the name of the "Twilight Zone" episode. (Which reminds me, there was also a mid-'80s version of "Alfred Hitchcock Presents" that was excellent, as well.)

phantom train said:

1) Based on some research I did after I posted the above & info. I got from some others, I was able to determine that #1 may very well have been a broadcast of the original Dr. Who: Inferno mini-series (1970). .

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one of the best episodes EVER.

featofstrength said:

one of the best episodes EVER.

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Thanks very much - I read reviews of Dr. Who: Inferno and it's received a lot of positive accolades; I look forward to seeing this at some point (hopefully this summer). I have never once seen a full episode of this show (I only saw about 10 minutes of one about 20+ years ago); What has kept me from watching this is that the Dr. Who mythos is so vast & there are so many different shows/series/actors who play the Dr., etc. that I didn't know where to start watching.

Stoo, I have extremely vague memories of seeing & enjoying 1-2 episodes of "Wizards & Warriors" back in the day; unfortunately, this show isn't on DVD (yet).

Re: the '80's version of "Alfred Hitchcock Presents", I also have fond memories of this show - great series that also deserves to be put on DVD.

Also in the mid-'80's, I remember "Amazing Stories", which was a fantasy/sci-fi/horror show in the same vein as the new "Twilight Zone".

And, who out there remembers "Tales from the Darkside"? This was a late-night anthology horror series that was on in the mid-late '80's.

These '80's show were all excellent & underrated, and are largely forgotten today....

phantom train said:

And, who out there remembers "Tales from the Darkside"? This was a late-night anthology horror series that was on in the mid-late '80's.

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Yeah, of course: George A. Romero's venture into television! By far not on the level of his 1970s/80s films. But the music was by Donald Rubinstein with whom I once had the pleasure to have a longer correspondence
Incredibly nice guy.

phantom train said:

These '80's show were all excellent & underrated, and are largely forgotten today....

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I am currently developing a weird fondness to revisit old Glen A. Larson series...

Funny, after being lured into the Bat-Fetish here on The Raven (what's this all about - not that I am complaining: nice butt views and plenty of people appropriately critical of Nolan), I somehow thought about the actress Louise Robey, and about a series with her that ran on German television called "Erben des Fluchs". It featured an incredible amount of cursed antiques that the lead characters had to hunt down and retrieve after having sold them in the first place through their inherited antiques store. It featured several photographic or cinematographic antiques - an interest of mine 'til today. However, it also featured a few very silly MacGuffins such as pink silk boutonnière of Adolf Hitler which controls a ventriloquist's puppet that becomes alive and murderous. Why do I write all this? Buttman? Oh, yes, because of the Countess of Burford and her Raw Deal physical appearance.

phantom train said:

Also in the mid-'80's, I remember "Amazing Stories", which was a fantasy/sci-fi/horror show in the same vein as the new "Twilight Zone".

And, who out there remembers "Tales from the Darkside"? This was a late-night anthology horror series that was on in the mid-late '80's.

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I remember "Tales of the Darkside" but never watched it. "Amazing Stories" was a Spielberg series which (in my opinion) ended up being not so amazing. Amongst myself & my peers, the endings were groan-inducingly dumb. (That's a whole other topic to discuss...)

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Another film that I want to know the title of is REALLY obscure...If someone can find the name, he/she will not only have my eternal gratitude but also get a special prize!

c.1976-1978. Probably a made-for-TV movie: A teenager has a secret hiding place within/behind his bedroom closet that he can enter by removing a panel. The walls are painted black & decorated with those felt, 'black-light' posters from the '70s and he uses the space to smoke marijuana. The father beats him to death after catching him in the act...

This wasn't an ABC "Afterschool Special" because the subject matter was much too heavy and I know that it was shown in the evening during prime-time. (I watched it with my mom & her boyfriend one night.)

Ring a bell, anyone?

Hey, Andy, did you ever find out the title of the movie you were remembering?

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I finally solved my mystery related in the post above. It was, "The Death of Richie", starring Robby Benson as the druggie kid and Ben Gazzara as his frustrated father (plus a young Clint Howard as one of the stoner friends). Indeed, it was made-for-TV as I thought and it aired 10 Jan. 1977 so I had the timeframe correct. To top things off, I found it on YouTube!

Here are the scenes that have been burned into my brain since seeing it on TV back in the day:

Richie gets up in the middle of the night to go into his secret, hiding place. He moves his clothes hangers aside and detaches a panel behind his shoe rack to get inside.



Various shots of Richie tripping out. Strobe lights & music abound each time.



One day, Dad enters Richie's room one and hears noise emanating from the closet. He finds the secret space, beats Richie, tosses him out and proceeds to destroy everything in the hidden room. (This was a very intense scene for a 10-year-old!)



Based on a true story, it's a gripping drama with fine performances by all. Robby Benson was almost always cast as the soft, shy, sensitive type but here he gets to stretch his acting ability, brimming with teenaged angst & confusion. Ben Gazzara also does a good job (as usual).

Full film: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PRwXc-WrTWg

Compilation of clips: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Kpc9M4HwqE

Stoo said:

Hey, Andy, did you ever find out the title of the movie you were remembering?

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Absolutley no joy whatsoever. I'm sure I will see it on TV one day, but for now its a mystery as to what it was.

For the "last survivor" film it might be "The Last of Sheila" (1973).

A year after Sheila is killed in a hit-and-run, her multi-millionaire husband invites a group of friends to spend a week on his yacht playing a scavenger hunt-style mystery game. The game turns out to be all too real and all too deadly.

AndyLGR said:

OK I remember watching a film quite a few years ago now and its only really the final scene I can remeber. But I think the movie was set in a large house or large ski lodge, the guests were being murdered one by one. At the end, either the host of the house or the lone survivor is sitting at the head of a table with a large window behind him (I think its a snowy view outside). He realises either hes the only one left or his plan had backfired or he goes mad and he jumps out of the window behind him and runs away. I seem to remember the guy had large dark glasses on too and was laughing manically (as they do) as he ran away from the window.

I had originally thought it was Ten Little Indians, Murder by Death or And Then There were None but I have all those on DVD and its not them.

I know its a touch on the vague side (understatement) but I cant for the life of me think what the movie is. Hopefully it will jog someones memory.

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Hey, Andy. This is 10 years late but I've never forgotten about the movie you were looking for and think I might've found it. Been wanting to tell you since Hallowe'en 2019 but The Raven was down! Maybe you've solved your mystery by now but just in case:

Could it be "The Evil" from 1978? (a.k.a "The Evil Below" and "House of Evil"). The ending seems close enough to your description and you can see it on the YooToobs. What do you think?

Stoo said:

Hey, Andy. This is 10 years late but I've never forgotten about the movie you were looking for and think I might've found it. Been wanting to tell you since Hallowe'en 2019 but The Raven was down! Maybe you've solved your mystery by now but just in case:

Could it be "The Evil" from 1978? (a.k.a "The Evil Below" and "House of Evil"). The ending seems close enough to your description and you can see it on the YooToobs. What do you think?

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OMG, Stoo - you are back!!!

GREAT NEWS!!!
Thought we'd lost you forever...