Michael Galley

Teacher, writer, husband, father, wild-eyed leftie and horror film fan. But not necessarily in that order. Author of ‘Dracula, Frankenstein and Friends.’

[Michael Galley @MichaelGalley9]

I Bid You Welcome https://t.co/ea0WDptA0d

[Michael Galley @MichaelGalley9]

The last true double bill not only of 81, but of the double bill seasons as a whole. They returned in 83 after a year’s absence for a last hurrah but only in the form of a re showing of the Universal films before broadcasting rights lapsed. These two were a good way to end…

[Michael Galley @MichaelGalley9]

So committed am I to my fellow horror fans that I’m willing to break from my current Greek idyll to inform you that otd in 1981 the double bill season drew to an impressive close with Karloff in the wonderful ‘The Body Snatcher’ and Price in the also wonderful ‘Theatre of Blood.’

[Michael Galley @MichaelGalley9]

And, of course, now it has.

[Michael Galley @MichaelGalley9]

Always something special about the first game of the season. Mainly that nothing’s gone wrong yet…

[Michael Galley @MichaelGalley9]

45 years ago today the double bill began with my favourite of the Lewton films, ‘The Curse of the Cat People’, which is barely a horror movie at all but a gorgeous evocation of childhood. And then 1969’s ‘Eye of the Cat’ with Michael Sarrazin from ‘Frankenstein: The True Story.’

[Michael Galley @MichaelGalley9]

@CRAIGWILLIAMS4 @HimChatt Thanks Craig. A meeting would be great. Watch this space…

[Michael Galley @MichaelGalley9]

A level results day and firstborn progeny has exceeded the grades she needed. Doing better than you need to is just showing off in my opinion, but never mind. Hashtag proud dad etc. So now it’s official. She’s off to Edinburgh in a few weeks. Any tips, Scottish people?

[Michael Galley @MichaelGalley9]

@HimChatt Thanks. I’ll pass that on!

[Michael Galley @MichaelGalley9]

I’ve mentioned before on here how much I enjoyed ‘Withered Hill’ and ‘Scuttlers’ Cove’ by @davidmbarnett , but, mightily impressive though each was, they were essentially quite conventional folk horror. This is more original, more ambitious, more personal, and hugely powerful.

[Michael Galley @MichaelGalley9]

@CRAIGWILLIAMS4 Another odd coincidence. A family holiday in Southsea in 1976 -the only one we ever had as every other year we just had day trips to Yarmouth - saw me and my cousin watching ‘Taste the Blood of Dracula’ on TV in the guesthouse. My first horror film, before 77 made me a true fan.

[Michael Galley @MichaelGalley9]

So, on this day 45 years ago the horror double bill for Saturday 8th August 1981 was Val Lewton’s ‘The Leopard Man’ featuring that scene with the door, and then some creepiness from 1967 with ‘The Shuttered Room’ featuring Oliver Reed and Flora Robson.

[Michael Galley @MichaelGalley9]

Here I am again, reporting all the latest news from 45 years ago today. Saturday August 1st 1981 offered a double bill that began with another Lewton classic, ‘Bedlam’, with Karloff as the evil asylum director, and then ‘Bug’, a 1975 tale of fire starting cockroaches…

[Michael Galley @MichaelGalley9]

@CRAIGWILLIAMS4 Ooo. ‘I Walked with a Zombie’ and now this. Do I sense a Val Lewton season building? If so, you need to keep your cat happy with my own favourite, ‘Curse of the Cat People.’ A bit of an outlier in not really being either a true sequel or a horror film, but beautiful nonetheless.

[Michael Galley @MichaelGalley9]

@CRAIGWILLIAMS4 They don’t write’em like that any more. Terrific film though, and terrific choice for a Sunday night. I admire your whim.

[Michael Galley @MichaelGalley9]

It's that time once more... Forty-five years ago today, Saturday 4th July saw the first horror double bill of the 1981 season. Launching a Lewton theme that was to last all summer, the first film was the wonderful 'I Walked With a Zombie.' Then it was 'Zoltan, Hound of Dracula.'

[Michael Galley @MichaelGalley9]

@CRAIGWILLIAMS4 @DMcGachey Yes, I thoroughly enjoyed it. Made me properly nostalgic for the days when a curated film season was still a thing.

[Michael Galley @MichaelGalley9]

On this day 45 years ago BBC2 offered us more Lewton, this time with added Karloff, in the shape of ‘Isle of the Dead.’ It was followed by one of the few films to get two showings across the double bill seasons, Romero’s ‘The Crazies’, first shown in 78 and again here in 81.

[Michael Galley @MichaelGalley9]

@CRAIGWILLIAMS4 @DMcGachey I think Moviedrome (at least when Alex Cox was presenting) may be the only other regular TV film season that came anywhere near the importance of the horror double bills to me. I adored it, and I first saw so many wonderful films that way.

[Michael Galley @MichaelGalley9]

@DMcGachey @CRAIGWILLIAMS4 Absolutely. Like pretty much all of Romero’s movies I only came to like Martin - which I do, very much - long after I first saw it. Same for all his ‘Dead’ films.

[Michael Galley @MichaelGalley9]

@DMcGachey @CRAIGWILLIAMS4 When I saw the 78 screening I felt personally betrayed. Before that specific moment, to me horror films only meant Universal, Hammer and Corman’s Poe films and I was genuinely shocked. Not scared, but shocked. By the time I saw it again in 81 I was 16 and really rather liked it.

[Michael Galley @MichaelGalley9]

@CRAIGWILLIAMS4 @chemalino Yes, many reasons why I love my mum and dad, but their wonderful liberalism in this regard is certainly one of them…and as far as I’m concerned 71 vintage makes you spring chicken territory … right at the December end of 64 me, which means Boomer rather than Gen X by 3 weeks…

[Michael Galley @MichaelGalley9]

45 years ago today, Saturday 18th July 1981 offered us a spot of Satan-worshipping subtlety from Val Lewton in the form of ‘The 7th Victim’ and then the not at all subtle Satan-worshipping of Fonda and Oates in ‘Race with the Devil,’ an interesting action/horror hybrid.