Beast Wars!
Even after so many years, I’m still completely in love with Beast Wars. It’s IMO the best of all the Transformers shows and movies, superbly written and with so many awesome characters. It helps that the show — which at first seems maybe a tad mundane — manages to work in some truly mind-blowing twists as it rolls forward.
Here’s the first episode, which is good for sure, but doesn’t really hint at just how good the series would become later. I haven’t written nearly enough about Beast Wars over the years, but trust me on this one: You should definitely buy the DVDs and definitely watch the whole series.
More TFTD!
So annoyed. Just spent 20 minutes building tonight’s After Dark post when I realized that the to-be-featured video was in Dutch. Now I have no movie to post, and like ten seconds to find one.
Eh, fuck it, I’ll just give you another Tales from the Darkside episode:
It’s the totem series of Dino Drac After Dark, after all.
Tonight’s episode is called The Circus. I don’t want to spoil it, but it’s one of the rare Darkside episodes that fits within the horror genre in a perfectly on-the-nose sort of way. And hell, even if it didn’t, it stars William Hickey, so y’all would love it anyway.
You’ll dig this one. Assuming you dig monsters, I mean.
Filmation’s Ghostbusters!
Though many believe Filmation’s Ghostbusters series to be a ripoff of The Real Ghostbusters, the truth is more complicated. Filmation’s series was actually based on The Ghost Busters, a live action series from the 1970s. In fact, the people behind the 1984 Ghostbusters film had to pull some strings to be able to use the name!
Still, this “other” Ghostbusters cartoon never would’ve existed had the movie not been so popular. It debuted in 1986 (a few days before The Real Ghostbusters, if I’m reading things right), and while I certainly watched it every now and again, all I really remember is a talking gorilla and a way cool lead villain that looked like a cross between Skeletor and Satan.
Here’s the first episode. If you dig it, there are many more on YouTube.
House!
Heeeeeeere’s House!
Released in 1986, House has a lot going for it. Norm from Cheers and Bull from Night Court, for starters. It’s a great little horror movie that blends legitimate scares with a somewhat lighthearted tone, making it a good pick if you wanna dip your feet into the genre even if you’re not ready for the “heavy” stuff.
I still say that the sequel was a bigger creative achievement, but there’s no denying that the original is a thousand times easier to digest. You’ll have fun with this, and it won’t hurt your brain too much.
