Monster of the Day #3222

Updated on May 18, 2021 By Ken Begg 24 Comments

As Sunday continued, we watched two horror movies that only faintly offered monsters. The Black Pit of Dr M is probably the best and most atmospheric of the Mexican horror films. It’s crazy, of course, but man, it’s gorgeous. Then we watched an episode of the original The Tomorrow People, and if you think classic Dr Who is cheap looking, wow. This one actually starred an early guest performance by Peter Davison, and wow, what a weird show.

Finally we popped in the 3-D disc for 1961’s The Mask, a film that I knew of but had never seen. There were ‘mask’ shaped 3 D glasses, and in a real William Castle-esque touch (almost exactly like 13 Ghosts), at times someone would put on the insanity-inducity titular artifact, as a voice intones, “PUT ON THE MASK!” Then you’d get these crazy visuals. The 3 D was surprisingly off a TV set. I’m pretty sure this film heavily influenced the Dark Horse comic book back in the 1980s that itself led to the Jim Carrey movie The Mask.

Anyway, that wrapped up Sunday.

Pin It



Related Posts

  • Beckoning Chasm

    I saw this long, long ago and remember nothing except the voice. “Put the mask on, NOW!”

  • That still looks like a scene from a Mexican version of Zardoz.

  • Gamera977

    Looks like the world’s most awesomest pinata!!!

  • I loved Tomorrow People as a kid. Keep thinking about getting the DVDs. I had the first few seasons, and they were… okay? Just not the episodes I remember.

    I will say this: it has one of the best opening themes in Sci Fi.

    Also, Peter Davison has had some career. Doctor Who, Tomorrow People, All Creatures Great and Small. He even had a bite… excuse me, bit sized part in the TV Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. He was even in Magnum P.I., of all things!

  • Beckoning Chasm

    Not to mention being responsible for The Five(ish) Doctors Reboot.

  • That was Hilarious.

  • The Rev.

    Weirdly enough, it turns out I did, as well, although I didn’t know it when we started watching it. There is a brief sequence in this movie where the main character embraces a skeleton (which embraces him back) and then falls through the slab the skeleton was lying on. This is literally the only memory I have of a movie I watched very early in my childhood. Despite its obscurity, the sequence is so perfectly matched to my memory that I have to believe this was what I saw lo those many decades ago.

  • Eric Hinkle

    I remember that years ago one of the old local stations made a big to-do about showing it on TV. Something about how it was the most mind-blowing horror movie of all time. I remember feeling very disappointed after it was over. “That was it?”

  • Ken_Begg

    Those moments where you can put a title to some distantly-remembered fragment are soooo satisfying.

  • Ken_Begg

    Great, now I want to see the Mexican version of Zardoz.

  • Ken_Begg

    Consider it a throw back to how these films were marketed when they were in theaters. Also, we all here watch a lot of weird movies. To many, this film might indeed have been really out there.

  • Kirk

    Me too, but only if it contains an absurd number of midgets.

  • Gamera977

    I hope it would have El Santo replacing Sean Connery.

  • Eric Hinkle

    El Santo would have looked better in that outfit than Connery, that’s for sure.

  • NathanShumate

    I hear you. I got the DVDs, and could force myself through about one episode. “Wow — I had REALLY low standards as a kid!”

  • Ken_Begg

    We’d see him sitting at the desk of his den, reading a book whilst still clad in his red diaper.

  • Ken_Begg

    Nathan! How are you, old bean?

  • Eric Hinkle

    Part of it was my wrong expectations. I was expecting some cinematic version of the Necronomicon that would leave me twitching on the floor, but I mostly just found it confusing.

  • Ken_Begg

    Give it another look if you have the chance. As long as you go in not expecting too much, it’s pretty fun. Although you might not get to see it in 3-D like i did.

  • NathanShumate

    Just plugging along and staring down the barrel of the big 5-0. Remember when we were the young turks?

  • Gamera977

    I hit the big 5-0 at year ago. Where on Earth does time (and my hair) go???

  • Ken_Begg

    No!

    (Because I’m old, you see.)

  • Ken_Begg

    I’m heading rapidly towards 60 myself.

  • That barrel is really, really dark and coming all too quick.