Dohler became interested in fantastic films at a very young age dohler was a longtime reader of the popular horror magazine famous monsters of filmland. Nightbeast is a 1982 science fictionhorror film directed by cult director don dohler. Podcaster jon cross discusses don dohlers films at smash. May 06, 2012 don dohler was a baltimore native who became a comic book artist, a selfpublished magazine creator, and is a largely forgotten horror film legend whose bmovie horror films are among some of the best of the genre. In nightbeast, your most basic killer alien invades flick, two exceedingly average police officers griffith and dohlers aunts hairdresser, karin kardian get naked and make love amidst municipal turmoil, serving as a paradigm for small town workplace romance. Donald michael dohler january 27, 1946 december 2, 2006 was an american film director. Starring don dohler, joe ripple, george stover, richard dyszel, eleanor herman, don leifert, tom sullivan, j. The seat of don dohlers makeshift kingdom is a splitlevel house on.
Judgment day and the creature was created by john dods who has since provided special effects for ghostbusters ii, alien resurrection, and the x files. Its the kind of movie thats made for when youre having a drinking party and you and your guests need to have something to goof on while youre getting blitzed. With tom griffith, jamie zemarel, karin kardian, george stover. Shooting the nightbeast an interview with cinematographer richard geiwitz 7.
Dohler s first film, the alien factor, was released in 1976. At 15, he wrote the music for don dohler s nightbeast 1982. Nightbeast by don dohler, don dohler, greg dohler, anne frith. An evil spirit possesses the corpse of a diseased man. What sets nightbeast apart, is its action level, which far outshines any of dohler s other movies. We open with a spaceship hurtling towards earth and crashlanding in a forest.
The house is prominently featured in several of dohler s lowbudget films. Crashing the set an interview with visual fx artist john ellis 6. Every 80s movie reference in nic cages revenge horror. After an elevenyear selfimposed hiatus, 4 dohler returned to filmmaking with alien rampage, 3 where dohler met actorcop joe ripple. With don leifert, richard nelson, elaine white, george stover. Don dohler was born on january 27, 1946 in baltimore, maryland. Jun 14, 2019 a talking film makes you imagine the cast had to blurt out the phone book in two hours. Ramblings and tagged don dohler, george stover, jamie zemarel, john ellis, nightbeast, richard geiwitz, vinegar syndrome.
He was a geeky, mild mannered, conservative man whose favorite film in life was the west side story. Nightbeast wikipedia leifert, a professionally trained actor, worked with charm city filmmaker don dohler, a former journalist, on science fictionhorror films including the galaxy invader, nightbeast, and the alien factor. Faulty flicks whos this handsome devil its birthday. Dec 15, 2018 anyway, nightbeast is a science fictionhorror hybrid made by the thoroughly enthusiastic don dohler. Don dohler was a baltimore native who became a comic book artist, a selfpublished magazine creator, and is a largely forgotten horror film legend whose bmovie horror films are among some of the best of the genre. He had played around for years with the idea of filmmaking, but beyond some short films shot on 8 millimeter, nothing had really come of it. Buy nightbeast bluray with dvd, full frame, 2 pack at. Don dohler s violent space creature, the nightbeast when you find that person who will, uncynically, watch a don dohler film with you, then you have found true love. From ultralowbudget director, don dohler alien factor 1 and 2, the galaxy invader comes nightbeast. Top ten filmmakers who should direct justice league imdb. It is a remake and sequel of sorts to dohler s first film the alien factor. An electric performance an interview with actor jamie zemarel 5.
There are currently four printings of this comic book, all with 50cent cover prices, all published by kitchen sink enterprises, and all with print runs of 10,000 copies. He eventually met don dohler and took roles in the directors trilogy of cheesy alien flicks the alien factor, nightbeast. Dohler followed this success with fiend 1980, nightbeast 1982, galaxy invader 1985 and blood massacre 1987 before a selfimposed retirement from filmmaking. Abrams planned on going to dental school, but decided to study film at sarah lawrence college. When nightbeast hits the town, he first has a small raygun that he uses to dissolve humans away into nothing. Back in the late 70s to early 80s, baltimores own don dohler made a few low budget films that may not have been the best made, but they happened to be pretty entertaining for young horror fans that were eating up different titles at their local video store. Nightbeast, bluray, with dvd, full frame, 2 pack, horror, 814456022093. Expect a deterioration in condition for older comics. Nightbeast nothing can save you now nightbeast is a 1982 science fiction horror film directed by cult director don dohler. Despite his critics, dohler managed to get international distribution for all 9 of his scifi and horror films, as well as tv syndication for his first film. Nightbeast features opening credit effects by ernest farino who created the opening title effects for the terminator, the abyss and terminator 2. Next up in on our don dohler radar screen is 1982s nightbeast, considered by many aficionados of his work to be the pinnacle of his cinematic. It documents the beginning of his career in 1976 all the way to his untimely death from cancer in 2006.
While never a professional comic artist himself, dohler gained some fame as the publisher of the influential filmfanzine cinemagic and director of lowbudget horror scifi cult pictures like nightbeast 1982 and the galaxy invader 1985. Podcaster jon cross discusses don dohlers films at smash or. This smart documentary serves as a wonderful introduction to the man, his achievements, and his unusual path to making movies. The plot involves an alien space craft which crash lands on earth in a rural small town. Mandy theres a chainsaw fight and a nightbeast reference. His goodnatured grass roots approach to filmmaking is to be admired and his directing style is quite satisfying. He was the creator of the comics character pro junior, who originated in a high school fanzine and later inspired a crossover comic book by various legendary underground comix artists. When sheriff jack cinder and the local militia arrive on scene to investigate, a violent battle ensues, leaving only jack, his sensuous lady deputy and a wildeyed redneck and survivors. For a film sensationally titled blood, boobs and beast, this is a quite touching documentary about filmmaker don dohler, his production company time warp films and the slew of films he had a part in churning out between 1976 and 2006. An alien with an appetite for blood and disembowelment is set loose on a small town when its spacecraft crashes and explodes.
Gradings, if provided, are of our personal opinion. Abrams, director of super 8, on how he got his first film gig. When the films of don dohler are being discussed, the name edward d. Dec 20, 2020 don was able to adapt and deliver the goods when he had to, even though his personal preferences were elsewhere. Nightbeast is a 1982 science fiction horror film directed by cult director don dohler.
Don dohler sort by popularity sort by average rating sort by latest sort by price. And just to make things interesting, troma tosses in an example of his work, nightbeat. You play a bloodthirsty wildman named rizzo in blood massacre. While such a coagulated patrimony might be brushed aside by most, his influence and honest prescription for a horror films health has. Don dohler is the baltimore native filmmaker who made alien invasion movies, mad horroraction films, straighttovideo slashers and nudey vampire films in the quiet suburbs. Robert crumb saw projunior and decided to draw a comic about him. Mar 27, 2021 if youre familiar with the films of don dohler alien factor, nightbeast or bill rebane rana. The legend of shadow lake, the capture of bigfoot then you have an idea what to expect here. It is a remakesequel of sorts to dohler s first film the alien factor. The story concerns a small town sheriff who must stop a rampaging alien from killing the residents of perry hall. Jan 02, 2009 in the case of blood, boobs, and beast, outsider auteur don dohler is the subject.
Alien invasion may be rough around the edges but the enthusiasm and love of the genre that went into making it shows. Don dohler had also directed a number of very lowbudget. Star wars fans have nightbeast to thank for jj abrams. The plot was something ripped from the pages of a comic book, with a. Don dohlers projunior 1971 kitchen sink comic books. In nightbeast, filmmaker don dohler rehashes many of the elements of his 1979 film the alien factor, this time utilizing a lizardlike. Meanwhile, drago, a doughy middleaged biker, provides a. In nightbeast, filmmaker don dohler rehashes many of the elements of his 1979 film the alien factor, this time utilizing a lizardlike extraterrestrial as his villain. The nightbeast begins its murderous rampage almost immediately, wiping out a trio of hunters, zapping them into oblivion w its death ray. Donald michael don dohler born january 27, 1946 in baltimore, maryland, usa.
When an alien craft crashes near a small town, terror is unleashed upon the unsuspecting populace. Dohler also published a mad magazine type spinoff called wild in his teen years. Nightbeast with dvd, full frame, 2 pack on tcm shop. The official subreddit for the celebration of movies that are so bad, theyre good. He was the creator of the comics character pro junior, who originated in a high school fanzine and later inspired a crossover comic book by various legendary. The nightbeast appears primarily during the day maybe his name is supposed to be a postironic commentary on our society. The characters are, of course, human furniture, including the poodlehaired sheriff and his team of underachievers. Don dohler was an archetypal filmmaker for the sacred formula of bs as he committed his life to creating and producing such movies as nightbeast, fiend and who can forget alien factor 2. It moves to the suburbs, where, a neighbor begins to suspect something isnt right. The alien pilot inside goes on a rampage and the residents of the town attempt to stop it.
According to the biography book about don titled bmovie horrors the reason galaxy invader came about is because nightbeast was supposed to be part of a video package deal for distribution. The movie and the websites will likely appeal to dohler s fanzine and underground comics fans just as much as don dohler s projunior. Cinemassacre nightbeast 1982 james avgn rolfe discusses this film. Tom griffith, jamie zemarel, karin kardian, george. Jun 24, 2019 nightbeast shines as a lowbudget endeavor and dohler proves himself as an engaging storyteller. A look at the works and life of the late, great don dohler. May 29, 2019 dohlers nightbeast hits bluray may 29, 2019 by jon kitley in misc. While never a professional comic artist himself, dohler gained some fame as the publisher of the influential filmfanzine cinemagic and director of lowbudget. Online shopping from a great selection at books store. Meanwhile, drago, a doughy middleaged biker, provides a laughable side story and unintentional comic relief. The seat of don dohler s makeshift kingdom is a splitlevel house on norway court a quiet culdesac in perry hall, maryland. But here, why dont i let him tell you how this whole nightbeast thing came.
Dohler also published a mad magazine type spinoff called wild in his teen. Dohler made several more lowbudget films during the 1980s, including the galaxy invader, nightbeast, blood massacre and fiend, a serial killer film with a supernatural twist. The plot was something ripped from the pages of a comic book. Nightbeast fantasy i scifi i books i films i world building. Dohler made several of these types of films in the late 70searly 80s, and while he may not be a talented filmmaker, he certainly has passion. It must absorb the life energy of the living, in order for the corpse to not rot away. Blood, boobs and beast 2009 directed by john paul kinhart. This was a departure from the lovable nice guys you typically played in don dohler s movies. Don dohler was just about the last guy on earth you would expect to have a cult following. Abrams, robert long ii, mitch klein, dan snyder, jim wood, joe ripple, richard dyszel. The titular nightbeast in don dohler s 1982 demented scifi horror. Costars the don dohler regulars, including the everpresent george stover. Crashlanding on earth, the nightbeast ravages the countryside, chowing down on human beings whenever he gets the urge.
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