Scarlet Cinema Medley: January 2016 Movie Marathon

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What is Scarlet Cinema?

 This is another term for the Universal Monsters. In the 80s there was an episode of Friday the 13th the Series called Scarlet Cinema. In this episode a film student is taking a class on the Universal Monsters. His teacher calls it the Scarlet Cinema. I assume that maybe there was a copy write issue with Universal and the use of that term.

In the episode, this student, Darius Pogue, dreams of becoming a werewolf and discovers an antique camera that will turn him into his favorite movie monster. It was a great episode and the term has stuck ever since.

There are a number of movies (particularly in the 80s) that pay a loving tribute by bringing the monsters into a single motion picture. A monster movie medley.

Here's the list:
  1. Monster Squad (1987) - Every now and then you get a film like this... it's kind of kid's movie one minute and then absolutely not a kids movie the next. Think Gremlins, Invaders from Mars or Krumpus. Monster Squad is required viewing for B-Movie fans and it's a natural home for this kind of tribute. The featured monsters are Dracula, Frankenstein's monster, the Werewolf, the Mummy and the Creature (of the Black Lagoon). The monsters look fantastic even to this day. The story is engaging. It's on Netflix so if you haven't seen it already, please stream it.
  2. Waxwork (1988) / Waxwork 2 (1992) - One of my all-time favorite series and probably my all time favorite guilty pleasure movie(s). It's not for everyone, but I bought the DVDs and will upgrade to BluRay first chance I get.
  3. Van Helsing (2004) - I hated this movie. It's the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen of the Scarlet Cinema. Looking around, it seems that some people genuinely adore the film. I don't know how that's possible, but I think life would be easier if I was more like them. The elements were all there though: solid lead actor, seemingly good budget, steam punk inspired atmosphere. The story just wasn't there... or at least it wasn't as engaging or well-executed as with Monster Squad. I'll admit that it's got a better rating on IMDb than Waxwork 2, but still... Skip it.
  4. I, Frankenstein (2014) - An interesting idea that fails on every level, but it does give further justification that there will be plenty of new material for the revived Mystery Science Theater 3000. But unless Tom Servo and Crow are involved... Skip it.
  5. Underworld (2003) - I thought about leaving this one off the list. I haven't seen the rest of the series and this only has 2 creatures: werewolves and vampires. But I love this movie and I was starting to lose faith in the modern movie makers. It's got atmosphere, it uses its budget very well and Kate Beckinsdale brings her A Game. If it's on Netflix and you haven't seen it, Stream it.
  6. Friday the 13th: Scarlet Cinema (1989) - Like I said above, this was one of the highlights of the whole series. It's on YouTube... Stream it.
Honorable mention to Monsters vs Aliens. I didn't see it this month, but I love it and would've watched it if I had remembered it in time.

Let me know if I missed one.

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