Friday, July 2, 2010

GOOD AGAINST EVIL / ABC TV - 1977

Welcome to Friday Night Drive-In here at the Dungeon with host, Tabonga, and li'l hunchback helper, Ralphie the Tarantula! It's time to get this one out of the way, and, it ain't bad for a TV movie... It's actually a rip-off of two films, THE EXORCIST and ROSEMARY'S BABY. Tabonga's favorite writer, Jimmy Sangster, penned this little horror-romance psycho drama.

This flick is an ABC-TV pilot about a writer, Andy Stuart (Dack Rambo), teaming up with an exorcist, Father Kemschler (Dan O'Herlihy), to battle Satan and a group of Devil worshipers led by Mr. Rimmin (Richard Lynch).

It was meant for a projected television series that did not come about mainly because it offered nothing new for the viewer.

The music is by Argentinian born heavyweight composer, Lalo Schifrin. He also appears on 60 soundtracks!! Lalo composed music for THE WAY OUT MEN (TV), DARK INTRUDER, WAY... WAY OUT, MURDERERS' ROW, COOL HAND LUKE, BULLITT, PUSSY CAT, PUSSY CAT, I LOVE YOU!, THE AQUARIANS (TV), THX 1138, EARTH II (TV), NIGHT GALLERY (TV), THE NEPTUNE FACTOR, MAGNUM FORCE, VOYAGE OF THE DAMNED, THE MANITOU, THE CAT FROM OUTER SPACE, THE AMITYVILLE HORROR, THE NUDE BOMB, CAVEMAN, DOCTOR DETROIT and THE DEAD POOL!

Alright then, on wif' da show!.. Ralphie has his little claw raised and ready to push the big red 'GO' button, so here it comes... GOOD AGAINST EVIL!

As you listen to the oboe strains in the theme, you can start to understand this movie's problems... I mean, come on! Isn't that the Kolchak theme and a scene out of THE EXORCIST?!

We'll skip the nutso birthing scene and go directly to where mom tries to escape from the hospital but is attacked by a black cat and falls down the stairs... and dies!

My work here is done.

Richard Lynch is the consumate evil guy! Other movies Richard was in are THE HAPPY HOOKER, GOD TOLD ME TO, DEATHSPORT, VAMPIRE (TV), THE FORMULA, MANIMAL (TV), NIGHTFORCE, THE BARBARIANS, BAD DREAMS, ALLIGATOR II: THE MUTATION, TRANCERS II, PUPPET MASTER III, MERLIN, SCANNER COP and NECRONOMICON: BOOK OF THE DEAD!

Everbloody's favorite little hellion, Beelzebub!!

Dack Rambo plays Andy Stuart, writer, wanderer and love interest in SF, 1977. He lives in his van, something that you might do back then. I was actually related by marriage to Dack!

Andy meets Jessica Gordon, who is actually the baby taken by the brood 22 years ago, and she's promised to be the devil's bride, unbeknownst to her. Andy wants to get their fortunes told...

Listen up everbloody!.. If Tabonga ever was forced to do this schmuck's 'job,' he would consider harakiri!!.. Anyway, the dude had bad news for the young lovers...

Perfect example of a TV version of a horror alter. Jessica (in the photo) even has a pentagram drawn on her forehead!

Wherever Jessica goes, bad things happen, like this ex-boyfriend that got trampled to death after that same black cat attacked the horses while out riding!

It's messed up if you can't ever relax while taking a freakin' bubble bath!

They can't even mess around without the ceiling window crashing down on them!.. WTF??!!!

Gee, I wonder who was behind that one?!

Hey, I need a fill up!........ Is somebloody there?! Fill up, I need a fill up!!.. HEY, IS ANYBLOODY LISTENING TO ME!!

I swear, that looks like a car wash down on Chester Avenue!

Father Kemschler is brought in to see if an exorcism is what it's gonna take to snap this li'l gal out of her funk. You can hear him overact in the soundclip!

Papers fly around the room and the Father fights a pillow, but we're not sure if any of his participation did any good. Tune in next... Oh, that's right, it wasn't picked up!

Looks like those bed posts were the most important part of the scene!!

4 comments:

  1. so, they had some guy in a box pretending to be a fortune-telling automaton, is that what happened?

    sorry, this doesn't look as good as Halloween III...

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  2. Dack Rambo was born along with his twin brother Dirk in Delano, Calif. on Nov 13, 1941. Their original names were Norman and Orman Rambo! Dirk was killed by a drunk driver in 1967, and Dack died from AIDS in 1994! They are both buried in Delano!

    Eegah!!

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  3. So sorry about Dack. The music clip sounds a lot like microphone feedback.

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