Cool Variety ads circa 1982-83

No problem. That ad really has my friends and I wondering just what the hell kind of movie that would have been. Bronson as a cop taking on the Golem? Truly another amazing case of "Whatcouldabeen."

And speaking of Bronson, here is how Cannon announced DEATH WISH II in a 1980 issue with the original sequel novel title (made a few years ago with Kevin Bacon) and Menahem Golan attached as director (bleh!):



Cannon also promised this slasher the same year starring Wayne Newton!?!



Cannon in 1987 was promising two sequels that never got made:





HOUSE III eventually became THE HORROR SHOW:



The following two Fulci ads appeared on back-to-back pages in a 1980 issue. The first one, BEAUTY KILLER, never got made.



And a pretty awesome ad announcing the planning for THE BEYOND:

More killer art from a 1980 issue!

Seriously badass art for MS. 45:



Fantastic art for JUST BEFORE DAWN:



IDI AMIN in the house:



Cult classic THE PIT billed as TEDDY:



James Bryan ad:



And a horror vehicle with Renee Harmon, James Bryan's LADY STREET FIGHTER herself:



Great full page ad from Jerry Gross touting his successes:

I have no idea what this is and can't find any reference to it anywhere, but it must be amazing; zany and madcap at the very least:



Color slick ad announcing THE ENTITY:



UK flicks around this time rarely had art this good:



DEMONOID: MESSENGER OF DEATH billed as the equally confusing MACABRA:



Joseph Zito's sleaze classic aka BLOOD RAGE:



Looking at this tagline for an unmade late 80s flick, I can only paraphrase Jack Burton; "What the hell does that mean? Huh? I don't even know what the hell that means!"

Goddamnit!

Why couldn't they have made this movie... with Mr. Las Vegas as the slasher. He could have even crooned the theme song.

Got some nice finds from a 1987 issue. This post specifically highlights the death throes of Charles Band's Empire Pictures. Band announced many a project but by 1988 the company was bankrupt.

Titles on this two-page ad that never got made include BLOODLESS, THE PRIMEVALS, DECAPITRON, APPARATUS, INHUMAN, THE VAULT, DREAM INVADERS, and JOURNEYS THROUGH THE DARK ZONE. Notice the oft mentioned PULSE POUNDERS on there too.

CATACOMBS and SUBTERRANEANS both are listed as "Principal photograph has begun." Now David Schmoeller's CATACOMBS did get finished and came out on VHS from Columbia as CURSE IV: THE ULTIMATE SACRIFICE. SUBTERRANEANS doesn't match anything they completed.



An Irwin Yablans production that never got made:



And it appears Band had lassoed Tobe Hooper to do a feature called INTRUDER (not to be confused with the Scott Spiegel flick):



Band was also partially funding David DeCoteau's Beyond Infinity films and here is some art for their titles. HACK 'EM HIGH became CEMETERY HIGH:



This morphed into the blandly titled DR. ALIEN:



In non-Band stuff, here is a cool ad for DOOM ASYLUM:



And an ad for Fries International; INSECT! became BLUE MONKEY:



SCUM's Alan Clarke and Phil Daniels re-teamed for this musical-comedy (!) which did get made, but I don't think it got a US release:

Goddamnit!

Why couldn't they have made this movie... with Mr. Las Vegas as the slasher. He could have even crooned the theme song.

It looks like LOVER'S LANE was going to be directed by Emmett Alston - who gave the world NEW YEAR'S EVIL (also 1980). Whilst that film was an unmitigated dud, I would have loved to have seen what they would have done with the classic Lover's Lane tale and a Vegas superstar. Maybe it would have rivalled that other unproduced slasher DON’T SEE THE DOCTOR (from Paul Lynch, the director of PROM NIGHT), which was about a demented gynaecologist. The mind boggles!

And more importantly, the amazing DEMONWARP, the greatest Bigfoot/zombie/Satanic space alien/human sacrifice gore-and-nudity flick ever shot in Bronson Canyon with George Kennedy (and his yellow hat)!

NEW YEAR'S EVIL? DEMONWARP? Boys boys boys, you obviously haven't sat through THREE-WAY WEEKEND yet!

What better way to celebrate the Thanksgiving holiday than starting off with this Rene Cardona, Jr. turkey?



Nice EVILSPEAK slick color ad:



Unrealized 21st Century FU MANCHU flick with David Carradine!



Ad for Cozzi's THE BLACK CAT; despite having it, 21st Century never released this in the US.



Promo for BRIDE OF RE-ANIMATOR when it was filming and an unmade Brian Yuzna production of THE INVISIBLE MAN:



Kinski!



This last one is a really odd one and I wonder if anyone has any more info on it. An unmade William Malone (SCARED TO DEATH and CREATURE) sci-fi flick promising a design by H.R. Giger. The ad is from 1987.

Cinefantastique ran an interview with Giger and a feature on THE MIRROR in May '88. It also addresses the touchy subject of THE TOURIST.

The whole shebang can be read online here:
Cinefantastique Giger feature, May 1988

Many thanks for that link Mr. Stangl! There was more than enough info about THE MIRROR. I'm curious as to why it fell apart.

Okay, time to get our 80s horror on! These all come from 1987 issues.

Up first is a cool double page ad showing the success of THE OFFSPRING and THE OUTING at the US box office. Below it are earlier ads for the two films when they sported different titles:



THE OFFSPRING as FROM A WHISPER TO A SCREAM:



THE OUTING as THE LAMP:



I believe Don May & Synapse have this fun little monster flick coming to DVD:



David Keith's directorial debut THE CURSE billed as THE FARM:



KILLER KLOWNS FROM OUTER SPACE as merely KILLER KLOWNS:



Slick ad for RETRIBUTION:



THE VIDEO DEAD always had an amazing VHS cover. Here is an early variation of that cover:

Little known fact - this board only allows 8 pics per post. So I have to do a follow-up here as I'm not done with 80s horror!

One of the few times I've seen DAY OF THE DEAD not use that head artwork:



Sweet NEAR DARK poster:



Buddy and his axe:



Rather bland ad for Michele Soavi's STAGEFRIGHT:



Andrew Stevens is SCARED STIFF!



Jon Mikl Thor's ROCK 'N ROLL NIGHTMARE as THE EDGE OF HELL:



The Mexican ELM STREET ripoff DON'T PANIC:



Finally, a Eurocine production that I can't figure out was made or not. Frank Drew White is Andrea Bianchi and his film MANIAC KILLER would seem to match this one in terms of the vague cult plot on the poster. That did feature a name cast (Bo Svenson, Chuck Conners, Robert Ginty) but this ad promises a release print in March 1988 while MANIAC KILLER was finished and released in 1987.

And one for Kevin Tenney's enjoyable WITCHTRAP. Notice its slight resemblance to the poster for a certain FRIGHT NIGHT. So close you'd think Eli Roth was involved with the production. ;-)

Thank you x's1000000 to the people posting these old adds.

More ads circa 1982!

Helen Sarlui delivering the exploitation goods:















And an ad announcing Marty's favorite 3-D movie:

Obviously, I must see ADAM AND EVE with my man Traaaaash.

I asked Steve Carver if he remembered the “Fu Manchu” project.

He replied “Yes. David and I wanted to do a picture together, but the Fu Manchu script was absolutely horrid…I replaced a director on CRAZY JOE (aka DEAD CENTER) as a favor to Menahem and got the chance to work briefly with David again.”

The fourth David Carradine - R.G. Armstrong film that Carver directed!