July 14, 2015

Double Feature: Texas Chainsaw 2 and Invaders from Mars.

Tobe Hooper went from working with Spielberg to working with Cannon in three years. That's a progression that usually moves in the other direction... But, in 1982 Polterguiest came out under Hooper's direction (and Spielberg's supervision) and in '85 and '86 he cranked out Lifeforce, Texas Chainsaw 2, and Invaders from Mars for Cannon. If you haven't checked out Lifeforce, please do, but in the meantime here's a suggestion for the most polarizing horror double feature from a single director we can think of.

Texas Chainsaw 2:

12 years after making Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Tobe Hooper gives us a look into what Leatherface and crew are up to. This stallment in the TCM series could be considered the most playful of the series partially due to Dennis Hoppers crazed as the Texas Marshall and Bill Moseleys as the iconic Chop-Top. Aditionally, the Massacre family competes in chili cook offs, kidnaps radio hosts, and live in an abandoned amusement park. If you ever wondered where Rob Zombie got most of his influence from, this is it!


Invaders from Mars:

An 80's remake of a 50's B-movie, Invaders from Mars successfully retains the fun of campy horror while delivering really great special effects. Basically it's equal part's Invasion of the Body Snatchers and creature movie, with a script co-written by Dan O'Bannon and starring the ever wonderful Karen Black!




Why this makes a good double feature: These two movies cover two very different tones of horror, and are directed by the same guy. It's a pretty great illustration of how wide the genre and fandom can range.

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