Arcade classic: Robotron 2084

While playing The Binding of Isaac in a friends recently, the topic quickly jumped to classic dual stick shooters, and how seldom we see them as a mainstream release these days. The concept is simple enough; the player uses one 'stick' to push the character around the screen, in whatever direction you chose, while the other stick is used to control the direction of your shooting. Sounds straight forward, but it required a surprising level of dexterity to control both sticks and stay alive. So let's take a stroll back to 1982, when Williams was still one of the reigning champions of arcade action and have a look at the classic Robotron 2084.

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Inseminoid (1981)

"Somewhere in the Depth of Space ... A Horrific Nightmare is About to Become a Reality."

In the wake of the smash hit, Alien, came a slew of imitators; all with low budgets, but all hoping to get their grubby fingers on some of that sweet, sweet coinage. Like most cash-ins, they mainly lacked the sheer style and imagination that Scott's film carried, and instead focused on the more exploitative aspects. Inseminoid was one of several films that came out during the early 80's that fell into the 'knock-off' category, but does it deserve its scuzzy reputation?

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The Delta Force (1986)

"They don't negotiate with terrorists... they blow them away!"

I spent a while discussing my lack of interest in Chuck Norris last year, when I watched Missing in Action and was less than enamoured with it. It wasn't just that film, I just hadn't really watched him in anything that made me understand why he was popular. Not to be put off by this, I decided it was time to give another one of his much-loved films a shot. Does The Delta Force hold up any better than Missing in Action?

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Our traditional Hallowe'en Turnip

Most people these days go with the much handier (and prettier) pumpkin for their seasonal carving, but this year I thought I'd go old school and go with the turnip. Well, it was more to do with pumpkins being sold out already...but! A lot of people don't realise that the simple, ugly-looking turnip was the traditional vegetable of choice in Ye Olden Days in Ireland, when we didn't have things like pumpkins (pumpkins only became traditional when we fled to the states, and found something much less awkward to use). Sure, you'll rip your hands to shreds trying to hollow them out, but sure what's Hallowe'en without a little pain and bloodshed? me and my friends used to go straight for turnips for years, but I'd been getting soft in my old age, so was nice to go back to how it was originally done this year. Hope you all have a great Hallowe'en!

Soundtrack Spotlight: Inferno - Keith Emerson

Argento's follow up to his near-instant classic, Suspiria, was never going to be easy, and like many viewers, it took me a long time to warm to Inferno. When I first saw it in the late 90's, it felt like a watered down version of the earlier film, lacking many of the spectacular set pieces, nasty violence and sheer bonkers nature that set the original apart from the rest of the crowd. I kept coming back to it though, and by around the 3rd viewing it finally clicked with me, and I saw the film for the flawed beauty that it was. It had an incredible visual style that was signature Argento, and the dream logic he was pushing hard in his films never seemed to work quite as well as it did here. Those set pieces were there; they just didn't revolve around bloody murders and instead worked to slowly chip away at the reality surrounding the characters.

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Deadly Blessing (1981)

"In the rolling hills of a sinful farm community, untouched by time, a gruesome secret has been protected for generations."

We've discussed Craven's career a few times here at The Nostalgic Attic (recently enough actually, with Swamp Thing) and while many of his minor films have flown below the radar, one that seems to get forgotten about completely is Deadly Blessing. Falling into that grey period between The Hills Have Eyes and career re-launcher that was A Nightmare on Elm Street, is it worth digging out of the vault for a re-evaluation?

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Halloween - Vintage Holiday Graphics by Taschen

For those who don't know, the ideology behind Halloween (or Hallowe'en, if you want to be particular about it) is about the one night of the year when the souls of the dead can wander among us, and by dressing up as something ghoulish it would keep them from bothering you, as they believed you were one of them. Ok, I'm not sure if the last part was added in later, but it's an old pagan tradition that is still well loved and cherished in places like Ireland, bonfires and all (even if the old beliefs are no longer followed), and has largely become a fun festival around the world that most people enjoy these days.

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