80's/90's Made for TV Horror

mixedfeelings

I have a bit of a soft spot for 80's/90's Made for TV or at least that quality/feel horror. Anyone else? I know that what I'm mentioned wasn't really made for TV but I think these films were straight to video in the UK and so have that feel.

I love "Quicksilver Highway" but it's that poor quality that makes me feel warm inside. It reminds me of spending time with a good friend playing computer games and watching horror. Maximum Overdrive is another one, I think maybe it's the Stephen King connection. Hardly high-brow horror but it gives me that Friday feeling.

d0gma

I never liked the Stephen King made-for-tv movies. They got good actors and the stories followed the books pretty well, but what bothered me was that they always seemed too shiny. The colors were too vivid and everything just seemed too polished. I don't know, maybe I'm just weird.

istalkzombies

I know it's 1973 but the original Don't Be Afraid Of The Dark was awesome.

Dark Night of the Scarecrow (1981)
Don't Go to Sleep (1982)
The Intruder Within (1981)
Sometimes They Come Back (1991)
When a Stranger Calls Back (1993)
Terror in the Mall (1998)

im sure theres more but thats all I can think fot he 80's and 90's off the top of my head the 70's and 2000's (mostlythansk to SyFy as far as the 2000's go) are like the main eras for made for tv horror Ive noticed

mixedfeelings

I never liked the Stephen King made-for-tv movies. They got good actors and the stories followed the books pretty well, but what bothered me was that they always seemed too shiny. The colors were too vivid and everything just seemed too polished. I don't know, maybe I'm just weird.

It's kind of strange you say that as to me they always looked poor quality, fuzzy made for TV but in a weird vaseline lens way, I kind of would say polished. I think maybe it was a more innocent time ( :laugh: ) all the horror that comes out is really quite gruesome, I'd say they have the ratios wrong now, 75% gore 25% plot but that transfers to what is on TV. I think it was partly the time as well, I think it all went downhill when dvds came in.

mixedfeelings

I know it's 1973 but the original Don't Be Afraid Of The Dark was awesome.

Dark Night of the Scarecrow (1981)
Don't Go to Sleep (1982)
The Intruder Within (1981)
Sometimes They Come Back (1991)
When a Stranger Calls Back (1993)
Terror in the Mall (1998)

im sure theres more but thats all I can think fot he 80's and 90's off the top of my head the 70's and 2000's (mostlythansk to SyFy as far as the 2000's go) are like the main eras for made for tv horror Ive noticed

I don't think I've ever seen the original Don't Be Afraid Of The Dark , it looks good though. That's the kind of thing I like I think if we go back to the 70's that's when there was some really good "plays" on TV, dramas that were sometimes a bit gritty.

I haven't seen any of those that you mentioned so I'm going to look them up :bigsmile:

I think sometimes it makes a big difference where you grew up to what you got to see, I'm in the UK and growing up there were only 4 terrestrial channels. So for me it was all about renting videos.

istalkzombies

I know it's 1973 but the original Don't Be Afraid Of The Dark was awesome.

Dark Night of the Scarecrow (1981)
Don't Go to Sleep (1982)
The Intruder Within (1981)
Sometimes They Come Back (1991)
When a Stranger Calls Back (1993)
Terror in the Mall (1998)

im sure theres more but thats all I can think fot he 80's and 90's off the top of my head the 70's and 2000's (mostlythansk to SyFy as far as the 2000's go) are like the main eras for made for tv horror Ive noticed

I don't think I've ever seen the original Don't Be Afraid Of The Dark , it looks good though. That's the kind of thing I like I think if we go back to the 70's that's when there was some really good "plays" on TV, dramas that were sometimes a bit gritty.

I haven't seen any of those that you mentioned so I'm going to look them up :bigsmile:

I think sometimes it makes a big difference where you grew up to what you got to see, I'm in the UK and growing up there were only 4 terrestrial channels. So for me it was all about renting videos.

Ya the original Don't Be Afraid Of The Dark is pretty sweet, the new one I thought was a lot better than most give it credit for but still not as good as the original. Ya the 70's made for TV horror movies are some of the best, some of the newer ones on sci-fi are pretty good to.

Dark Night of the Scarecrow (1981) is probably the best of that group so id watch that one first if ya can.

Ya I dunno how often made for tv movies from here get the UK it's weird sometimes theyll release movies over there way before here or vice versa I have a friend in Australia and most of the time movies that have been released here take almost an extra year before they're released there.

istalkzombies

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fortress_(1986_film)


I can't believe I forgot about this gem, I LOVE this movie, you can buy it on Amazon I believe thats where I got it but it's definitly orth the price it's an awesome movie! HIGHLY recommend it.