SHORT TAKES.....

I watched a couple of horror films the other day that deal with aircraft. Both have been discussed here before.

HORROR AT 37,000 FEET 1973 (PARAMOUNT) An all star cast headlines this great made for TV horror film. The premise is about an ancient druid curse that comes to fruition during the flight that is transporting part of an ancient monastery.

Roy Thinnes is the man who is bringing this old relic to America. Soon the terror starts as the plane is suddenly stopped in midair and the evil spirit starts to freeze the inside of the plane.

The 10 passengers start acting like idiots and demand a sacrifice. The evil is beginning to control them as well. This is a slick an well made film, that when it first aired scared the crap outta me. it has a lot of great scares an the cast also features Buddy Ebson, Chuck Conners, Paul Winfield, William Shatner, and France Nuyen. See it and find out how TV used to be entertaining.

GOKE THE BODY SNATCHER FROM HELL 1968 (CRITERION) I was first introduced to this film on a rare VHS from a company called DeGregory Video back in the 80's. It has always remained elusive, but since Criterion brought it out we can all enjoy it.

A Japanese airliner encounters a blood red sky, birds crashing into it and a would be bomber, and an alien spacecraft before finally crashing in a remote area. The survivors are a pretty unsavory bunch including a crooked politician, his wife, an arms dealer who is happy for the current Vietnam War. Also on board is a lovely American woman who hates war and is on the way the claim her dead husbands body.

A hijacker is taken over in a very grisly way by the invaders. His head is split open and a strange silver substance enters into his body. He then stalks the rest of the cast and drains them of their blood. The survivors fight amongst themselves and endanger everyone as the alien closes in.

Finally only the a pilot and a stewardess are alive and they think they have killed the alien. The escape only to find all of Japan infested with the monsters. The earth is doomed.

This is one of four horror films turned out by a small Japanese film company called Shochiku. It's really a remarkable piece of work that all sci-fi fans should see.