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The Tomb (1986) / Creature From Black Lake (1976)




The first flick in my double feature was a mid 80’s cheese fest called The Tomb, about an ancient Egyptian vampire who re-awakens after her newly discovered tomb is robbed, and seeks revenge on those who stole her treasures.












The movie begins with a scavenger hunter named Banning in Egypt, who goes with his partner into a recently discovered tomb to steal artifacts, including an ancient necklace and a scarab beetle made of gold. An ancient vampire named Nefratis is awakened and starts her killing spree, but not before Banning escapes. Back in Hollywood, he sells the artifacts to Dr. Howard Phillips (Cameron Mitchell) and Dr. Manners. Dr. Phillips is in search of the golden scarab, which is in possession of Dr. Manners, but before they can meet and exchange information, Nefratis kills Manners. His son Dave takes it upon himself to figure out who killed his father and why, and ends up partnering with Helen, the niece of Dr. Phillips, while Nefratis goes on a killing spree throughout the city, searching for her stolen artifacts.











I remember this movie being on TV sometime in the early 90’s, and for years I searched for it, not remembering its name, but just a few cheesy scenes that I had watched. Now that I’ve found it, it was just as corny and bad as I recall. The actress who plays Nefratis (Michelle Bauer) really hams it up, making her character a lot of fun. I especially got a kick at how in some scenes she has vampire teeth, and in others she doesn’t. Everyone else has to keep a straight face while often reciting ridiculous dialogue. John Carradine gets top billing, but is only in one scene. There’s also a funny part during the opening credits where the director of photography is listed backwards, before suddenly appearing corrected a second later. The title of the film even appears twice. There’s not a lot of blood or gore, but plenty of cheesy special effects, such as Nefratis’ eyes glowing, and fireballs and lightning being shot out of her fingers. The soundtrack is littered with a bunch of cool new wave songs, including one called Danger Boy by an artist named Jeff Walton. If you enjoy cheesy 80’s horror, then The Tomb will be right up your alley. I streamed this one on YouTube.












The 2nd flick I watched was a mid 70’s creature feature about two university students looking for an alleged Bigfoot type beast.





University of Chicago students Rives and Pahoo travel to the Louisiana-Arkansas border in an effort to find a guy named Joe Canton, who claims that his buddy was killed by a Bigfoot type monster while fishing. Along the way they interview several people about alleged sightings and encounters, despite everyone being reluctant to talk at first. They eventually cross paths with Joe, who directs them towards the area where the creature allegedly lives. The guys go over there to set up camp, hoping to get evidence of the creature’s existence, and ultimately stumble upon the beast.














The movie is goofy and comedic for most of its runtime, with lots of colorful characters cracking corny jokes. The monster is seen in quick cuts, shadows and flashbacks, most likely to hide the fact that it’s a guy in a suit. Despite that, the sightings and attacks are a lot of fun, especially the climax, where the creature goes on a rampage and attacks the guys in their van. One of the guys (Rives) looks like a young college dude, while the other one (Pahoo) looks like he’s in his mid forties. For the most part, it’s your typical 70’s monster flick, reminiscent of films like The Legend of Boggy Creek. If you enjoy movies like that, then you’re sure to enjoy this one. I streamed it on Tubi.











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