Movie Night! ‘Should have been reading, never mind’ edition.

The plan, for yesterday, was to get so much reading done; there are a number of books that I’ve had on the go for ages and I feel like I’m doing them a disservice by not finishing them. That was the plan anyway. What really happened? I ended up sleeping for as long as I could (didn’t break any records but I thought I did alright) and after I’d got myself something to eat, ended up camping in front of the telly and watching some movies (with another nap in between two of them). No regrets to be honest, I needed a break and I took it ;o)

What’s that? What did I watch? I’ll tell you.

‘V/H/S 85’ (2023)

I’ve been waiting for this movie since the end credits rolled for ‘V/H/S 99’… I won’t go on about it again (well, not too much) but I’m a big fan of the franchise and a new instalment is always a ‘must watch’. ‘V/H/S 85’ didn’t disappoint. While none of the stories surpass my all time favourites, ‘A Ride in the Park’ and ‘Safe Haven’ (‘V/H/S 2’), there’s a greater sense of consistency across the ‘V/H/S 85’ stories as a whole. I’d be hard pressed to pick a favourite, they all have a lot going for them. Okay, I loved the way that 'No Wake' and 'Ambrosia' dovetail, I may have cheered (a little bit) a few minutes into 'Ambrosia'.

‘V/H/S 85’ is only available on Shudder, at the moment, so if you’re a subscriber, you’ve got a treat in store if you haven’t seen it already. If you’re not a subscriber, get yourself the free trial and give ‘V/H/S 85’ a go.

‘Galaxy of Terror’ (1981)

A ragtag spaceship crew sent on a rescue mission encounter a formidable enemy, their worst fears projected by their own imaginations.

Galaxy of Terror? It was more like just the one planet and only a small part of that… ;o) Seriously though, I wasn’t expecting an awful lot from this movie (I’ve seen ‘Battle Beyond The Stars’ and thought it would be more of the same) but I ended up being pleasantly surprised by a movie that set its stall out and hit all it’s targets around creepy moments and messy deaths (although I don’t think the space worm had to take Dameia’s clothes off before it killed her…) And I loved how one seemingly throwaway line, at the beginning, really resonated at the end. By the end, I couldn’t take my eyes off ‘Galaxy of Terror’, it was a lot of fun and I’m glad I gave it a shot.

'Nightmare City’ (1980)

An unmarked military plane exposed to nuclear radiation makes an emergency landing, and dozens of blood drinking zombies burst out armed with knives, guns and teeth! They go on a rampage slicing, stabbing and biting their way across the Italian countryside. News reporter Dean Miller witnesses the city’s collapse in the face of this threat.

If you’re looking for a zombie movie with a plot, I’ll tell you now… Look elsewhere. If you’re looking for just under an hour and a half of radioactive zombies cutting people up and drinking their blood… You’re in the exactly the right place. Welcome to Nightmare City ;o)

I’ve seen ‘Nightmare City’ before so knew exactly what I was going to be watching (wasn’t originally planning to but it was only £1.49 on Prime so I couldn’t really say no). There is literally no plot to speak of so it’s not the easiest movie to watch but there is plenty of ‘radioactive zombie action’ and sometimes, it’s good to just put your brain in neutral and watch said zombies murder their way through an airport, TV station, power station and hospital (amongst others). Yesterday evening was one of those times and Umberto Lenzi does do a good line in radioactive zombies ;o)