Schlock (film)

Last updated
Schlock
Schlock.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by John Landis
Written byJohn Landis
Produced by
Starring
  • John Landis
  • Eliza Garrett
  • Saul Kahan
CinematographyRobert E. Collins
Edited by George Folsey Jr.
Music byDavid Gibson
Distributed byJack H. Harris Enterprises
Release dates
  • December 12, 1973 (1973-12-12)(U.S.)
  • September 17, 1982 (1982-09-17)(West Germany)
Running time
79 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$60,000 (estimated)

Schlock is a 1973 American comedy horror film written, directed by and starring filmmaker John Landis in his directorial debut.

Contents

The film depicts an apeman in Southern California. After being attacked in his cave, the apeman wanders into a suburb and falls in love with an adolescent girl. His love is unrequited and he resorts to kidnapping the damsel in distress.

Plot

Schlock is a prehistoric apeman who terrorizes Southern California. He emerges from his cavehole after a couple of teenagers venture into it. The police, under Detective Sgt. Wino, is informed where the creature lives, and Professor Shlibovitz ventures into the hole to study the habitat. Schlock returns to the cave, and after a few hijinks, the people realise what he is.

The police try to apprehend the creature, but are powerless to do so. Schlock then ventures into the suburb. He is a menace to some, and a friend to others. He falls in love with the beautiful blind teenager Mindy. She is kind to Schlock at first, but after she regains her sight, she is terrified of him. Her boyfriend Cal defends her against Schlock, by using a flare.

Schlock later crashes a school-party, and takes Mindy to the roof of the building. Cal uses a flare to get Schlock to drop Mindy. A small army regiment then shoots down the apeman, using two rounds of ammunition. Mindy quotes Love Story ; "Love means never having to say you're sorry", while a police officer quotes King Kong ; "It was beauty that killed the beast". Sgt. Wino asks him; "What's wrong with you?". At the end, Professor Shlibovitz emerges from the cave, carrying Schlock's son, teasing the potential sequel "Son of Schlock".

Cast

Production

Shot in the summer of 1971, but not released until 1973, Schlock is the first credited film by John Landis, [1] [2] who also starred in the title role. The feature-length parody of 1950s monster movies was shot in 12 days in the Los Angeles area and had a budget of approximately $60,000, half of which came from Landis' personal savings. [3] [4] Aside from being Landis' first project as a director, the film is also notable for being one of the first jobs for makeup artist Rick Baker. [5] [6]

Release and reception

Landis could not find a distributor interested in releasing the film until 1972 when it came to the attention of Johnny Carson. Carson loved the film and booked Landis as a guest on The Tonight Show , where clips were shown. It subsequently got released theatrically in the United States by Jack H. Harris Enterprises. [7] It opened in Hollywood on December 12, 1973 and in West Germany on September 17, 1982. [8]

The film eventually became a minor cult hit and helped pave the way for the careers of both John Landis and Rick Baker. [6] However, Landis has described the film as "terrible". [7] It holds a 71% score on Rotten Tomatoes. [9]

Home media

The film was released on DVD by Anchor Bay Entertainment on October 2, 2001 and on Blu-ray by Arrow Films on October 16, 2018.

See also

Related Research Articles

<i>An American Werewolf in London</i> 1981 film by John Landis

An American Werewolf in London is a 1981 comedy horror film written and directed by John Landis. An international co-production of the United Kingdom and the United States, the film stars David Naughton, Jenny Agutter, Griffin Dunne and John Woodvine. The title is a cross between An American in Paris and Werewolf of London. The film's plot follows two American backpackers, David and Jack, who are attacked by a werewolf while travelling in England, causing David to become a werewolf under the next full moon.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Landis</span> American filmmaker (born 1950)

John David Landis is an American filmmaker and actor. He is best known for the comedy films that he has directed – such as The Kentucky Fried Movie (1977), National Lampoon's Animal House (1978), The Blues Brothers (1980), An American Werewolf in London (1981), Trading Places (1983), Three Amigos (1986), Coming to America (1988) and Beverly Hills Cop III (1994), and for directing Michael Jackson's music videos for "Thriller" (1983) and "Black or White" (1991).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lloyd Kaufman</span> American film director

Stanley Lloyd Kaufman Jr. is an American film director, screenwriter, producer and actor. Alongside producer Michael Herz, he is the co-founder of Troma Entertainment film studio, and the director of many of their feature films, such as The Toxic Avenger (1984) and Tromeo and Juliet (1996). Many of the strategies employed by him at Troma have been credited with making the film industry significantly more accessible and decentralized.

<i>Quatermass and the Pit</i> (film) 1967 British science fiction horror film by Roy Ward Baker

Quatermass and the Pit is a 1967 British science fiction horror film from Hammer Film Productions. It is a sequel to the earlier Hammer films The Quatermass Xperiment and Quatermass 2. Like its predecessors, it is based on a BBC Television serial, in this case Quatermass and the Pit, written by Nigel Kneale. The storyline, largely faithful to the original television production, centres on the discovery of ancient human remains buried at the site of an extension to the London Underground called Hobbs End. More shocking discoveries lead to the involvement of the space scientist Bernard Quatermass.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Geoffrey Bayldon</span> English actor (1924–2017)

Albert Geoffrey Bayldon was an English actor. After playing roles in many stage productions, including the works of William Shakespeare, he became known for portraying the title role of the children's series Catweazle (1969–70). Bayldon's other long-running parts include the Crowman in Worzel Gummidge (1979–81) and Magic Grandad in the BBC television series Watch (1995).

<i>I Was a Teenage Werewolf</i> 1957 film by Gene Fowler Jr.

I Was a Teenage Werewolf is a 1957 American science fiction horror film directed by Gene Fowler Jr., and starring Michael Landon as a troubled teenager, Yvonne Lime and Whit Bissell. Co-written and produced by cult film producer Herman Cohen, it was one of the most successful films released by American International Pictures (AIP).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Bromfield</span> Actor and commercial fisherman (1922–2005)

John Bromfield was an American actor and commercial fisherman.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michael Burns (actor)</span> American actor and historian

Michael Thornton Burns is an American professor emeritus of history at Mount Holyoke College, and a published author and former television and film teen actor, most known for the television series Wagon Train.

<i>The Dungeonmaster</i> 1984 film by Charles Band and Ted Nicolaou

The Dungeonmaster is a 1984 American anthology fantasy film produced by Charles Band, and is split up into seven distinct story segments, each written and directed by a different person: Dave Allen, Band, John Carl Buechler, Steven Ford, Peter Manoogian, Ted Nicolaou and Rosemarie Turko. The film's theme was influenced by the popularity of Disney's 1982 film Tron and the roleplaying game Dungeons & Dragons.

<i>Equinox</i> (1970 film) 1970 American supernatural horror film

Equinox is a 1970 American supernatural horror film directed by Jack Woods, and starring Edward Connell, Barbara Hewitt, Frank Bonner and Robin Christopher. Though uncredited, producer Dennis Muren also served as a second director. The film focuses on four young people picnicking in a California canyon, where they stumble upon an ancient book used to conjure demons; soon they unleash a plethora of evil creatures.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rick Baker</span> American former special make-up effects creator and actor

Richard Alan Baker, known professionally as Rick Baker, is an American retired special make-up effects creator and actor. He is mostly known for his creature designs and effects. Baker has won the Academy Award for Best Makeup a record seven times from a record eleven nominations, beginning when he won the inaugural award for the 1981 horror comedy film An American Werewolf in London.

<i>Creature Features</i> Genre of TV format shows

Creature Features is a generic title for a genre of horror TV format shows broadcast on local American television stations throughout the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s. The movies broadcast on these shows were generally classic and cult horror movies of the 1930s to 1950s, the horror and science-fiction films of the 1950s, British horror films of the 1960s, and the Japanese kaiju "giant monster" movies of the 1950s to 1970s.

<i>Dracula vs. Frankenstein</i> 1971 film directed by Al Adamson

Dracula vs. Frankenstein, released in the UK as Blood of Frankenstein, is a 1971 American science fiction horror film directed and co-produced by Al Adamson. The film stars J. Carrol Naish as Dr. Durea, a descendant of Dr. Frankenstein who is working on a blood serum for his assistant Groton. The serum soon becomes sought after by Count Dracula, who hopes that it will grant him the ability to be exposed to sunlight without harm. Other members of the film's cast include Anthony Eisley, Regina Carrol, and Angelo Rossitto.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wesley Lau</span> American actor (1921–1984)

Wesley Lau was an American film and television actor, and occasional screenwriter.

<i>Frankenstein</i> (2004 film) 2004 American TV series or program

Frankenstein is a 2004 American science fiction horror television film produced and directed by Marcus Nispel and written by John Shiban. It is a loose adaptation of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, and stars Parker Posey as a police detective on the trail of a serial killer, played by Thomas Kretschmann, in present-day New Orleans. The detective is aided in her search by one of the killer's creations, played by Vincent Perez. Adam Goldberg, Ivana Miličević and Michael Madsen co-star. It was produced by Lions Gate Films, and aired on the USA Network on October 10, 2004.

<i>Land of the Minotaur</i> 1976 Greek film

Land of the Minotaur is a 1976 horror film directed by Kostas Karagiannis and written by Arthur Rowe. The film is also known as Minotaur and The Devil's Men.

<i>Alligator II: The Mutation</i> 1991 American film

Alligator II: The Mutation is a 1991 American monster horror film directed by Jon Hess and starring Joseph Bologna, Woody Brown, Harlan Arnold, Nicolas Cowan, and Brock Peters. It is a sequel to the 1980 film, Alligator.

Ed Bernard is an American actor best known for his roles as Detective Joe Styles on Police Woman, Principal Jim Willis on The White Shadow, and as Lieutenant Bill Giles on Hardcastle and McCormick.

<i>Sharkansas Womens Prison Massacre</i> 2016 American film

Sharkansas Women's Prison Massacre is a 2016 American science fiction action horror film directed by Jim Wynorski and starring Dominique Swain and Traci Lords. It was released direct-to-DVD in the U.S. on May 3, 2016.

Frank Forsyth, sometimes credited as Frank Forsythe, was an English actor, active from the 1930s. He was born on 19 December 1905 in London, England. He appeared in several TV programmes, including Department S (1969), The Adventures of Black Beauty (1972) and Journey to the Unknown (1968), as well as numerous films. His film appearances include eight of the Carry On films. He died on 2 May 1984 in Poole, England.

References

  1. "Schlock".
  2. Gary Arnold (1978-08-13). "The Madcap World Of John Landis". The Washington Post . Washington, D.C. ISSN   0190-8286. OCLC   1330888409.
  3. Landis, John (2011). Monsters in the Movies. Penguin. p. 178. ISBN   9780756688462 . Retrieved 21 August 2017.
  4. Goldweber, David Elroy (2015). Claws & Saucers: Science Fiction, Horror, and Fantasy Film 1902-1982: A Complete Guide. Lulu Press, Inc. p. 1517. ISBN   9781312288034 . Retrieved 21 August 2017.
  5. "John Landis Biography - Facts, Birthday, Life Story - Biography.com". www.biography.com. Archived from the original on 2011-10-04.
  6. 1 2 Hallenbeck, Bruce G. (2009). Comedy-Horror Films: A Chronological History, 1914–2008. McFarland. ISBN   9780786453788 . Retrieved 21 August 2017.
  7. 1 2 filmSCHOOLarchive (2018-05-06), John Landis on "Schlock" & "Kentucky Fried Movie", archived from the original on 2021-12-21, retrieved 2019-02-16
  8. "Schlock". IMDb. 11 April 1973. Retrieved 2008-08-18.
  9. "Schlock". Rotten Tomatoes . Retrieved 2016-10-04.