Santa Claus (1959)

When it comes to bizarre Santa Claus movies I don't know which is more bizarre between Santa Claus Conquers the Martians and this Mexican one simply titled Santa Claus.

In a battle of good versus evil, Lucifer sends one of his henchman, a devil called Pitch, to corrupt the children in Mexico and turn them against Santa Claus. Santa observes this from his castle in the sky but is unable to do anything as he can only visit Earth one day a year, that being Christmas Eve. Once that day comes, Santa and Pitch attempt to outsmart each other. Pitch is determined to stop Santa Claus from delivering Christmas presents using every devilish trick up his red sleeve but Saint Nick has tricks of his own (thanks to Merlin the Wizard and Vulcan the blacksmith) and is equal to the task.

James A. Roberson Loves Bad Movies

James A. Roberson is the self-proclaimed “Ed Wood of Cartoon Humor”. If you are familiar with Wood's work (woodwork?) as a film director, you might think that is nothing to brag about. However, Roberson's I Love Bad Movies comic strip is not only an affectionate tribute to crappy cinema, it's also quite funny.

visit www.jarhumor.com

I was fortunate enough to correspond with James by email and he agreed to answer ten questions for this blog.
 

An Interview with James A. Roberson


1. What is your favourite bad movie?

I like that you understand the idea of a good “Bad Movie.” Some people don’t get it. I've always defined a “Bad Movie” as any cheaply made movie that’s too weird for the mainstream, but still has a great deal of entertainment value.

And I don’t know if I can name a single film that I love the most, but there is a type of bad movie I really like... The 80’s Sci-fi Horror. Films like, Chopping Mall, Night of the Comet, TerrorVision, The Return of the Living Dead, Night of the Creeps... you get the idea.

2. When did you start I Love Bad Movies?

In 2004, I started making comics, but I really didn't do much with them because I was focused on becoming a filmmaker. (I was making my own bad movies with friends.)

Then in 2008, I got back into doing comics, and I made one about a group of friends making bad movies. And I called it “I Love Bad Movies.”

That’s when I started getting it out there and BadMovies.org and RogueCinema.com started using it on their sites. And Rogue Cinema still updates my comic every month, so I’m really grateful for that.

3. Is your comic just a hobby or do you have more ambitious plans for it?

The “I Love Bad Movies” comic is still something I do, but it’s a part of a bigger cartoon universe I've created called JARHUMOR. Which includes spoof B-movie posters and funny t-shirts that have a Sci-fi Horror theme.

I’m slowly moving away from the name “I Love Bad Movies” because of ILoveBadMovies.com and the bad movie zine they publish. I like what they do and I think the name fits them better.

I am planning to do a comic book based on the comic strip and my poster art, but it will be called JARHUMOR and the artwork will be a lot better.

4. How would you describe your style?

I call myself “The Ed Wood of Cartoon Humor” because like Ed Wood I have all these great ideas, but I don’t have the skills to make them happen the way I see them in my head.

I never took the time to develop my drawing skills like I should have; I always focused on writing jokes. So, my lack of skill has become my style, (which works in a world where anyone can create a perfect circle in Photoshop.)

5. What tools of the trade do you use to create your comic?

I draw everything by hand, then I scan it, then I use Photoshop to make into something.

And it’s because of the magic of Photoshop that I never have to draw a thing more than once. (This laziness is the reason I never developed my drawing skills.) So, even if you’re looking at a NEW comic, most of the characters and talking balloons were drawn in 2008.

Oh, and the lettering (that looks hand-drawn) is a font I created based on my hand writing. Yep, it’s all smoke and mirrors.

And if you can’t get Photoshop, I would recommend the software GIMP, which is free.

6. Do you plan on making any more motion comics on YouTube?

I’m surprised you've seen them, they’re on my old RobersonHorror YouTube! They’re only 30secs long and an amazing pain in the ass to make. I made them with Adobe Premiere using keyframe editing.

I keep trying to find an easier way of doing them; I even recorded the voice-overs for new ones. I really need to create some new stuff for my JARHUMOR YouTube.

7. You post your comic on several social sites (Blogger, Tumblr, Pinterest, etc.) Which do you prefer?

Most webcartoonist use something called ComicPress on WordPress. I've never used it, but I admire people who are disciplined enough to regularly update their stuff.

I just randomly throw my crap up online. I think Tumblr is great for comics; Pinterest is good for sharing my funny t-shirts... You really have to get your stuff up on as many sites as possible.

There’s a film by the street artist Banksy called “Exit Through the Gift Shop” which is partly about a wannabe artist named Mr. Brainwash who has made a ton of money just by promoting the hell out of his crappy art.

It’s all about promoting!

8. What would you say has been your most popular strip?

Rifftrax was kind enough to repost one of my comics on their Tumblr. It was when they were doing a Birdemic LIVE and my comic is about me making a film called Catdemic. And people really responded well to that one.

9. Who is your favourite horror movie host, if any?

I grew up watching Dr Shock’s X-Ray Chiller Theater; so there’s a special place in my heart for him. I also consider the guys from Mystery Science Theater 3000 as horror hosts and I’ve been really influenced by them.

And I’ve always had a huge crush on Elvira!

10. Have you ever been to a drive-in theater?

I went as a kid, but in the late 80’s, early 90’s; so, it wasn’t a classic drive-in experience. Just whatever lame Hollywood movie had out that summer. My greatest movie experiences were staying up late and watching cheesy horror movies on cable or renting them from a Mom and Pop video store.
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Thank you, James, for taking time to answer my questions. Those are very informative answers.

From this, I learned that James and I have quite a few things in common besides our love of B-movies. We both love Return of the Living Dead. We both love Elvira (how could you not?) Finally, we both like making fun of Twilight.

I'm looking forward to that comic book, too.

Manos: The Hands of Fate

1966 newspaper ad for Manos: The Hands of Fate

Considered to be among the worst movies ever made, Manos was a film reportedly made by its writer, producer, director and star, Harrold P. Warren, because of a bet. The bet in question involved Warren (an insurance and later on, fertilizer salesman) stating that making a horror movie wasn't that hard and claiming he could make one all on his own. He placed a bet with screenwriter Stirling Silliphant. You can see the end result below and judge for yourself.

I'm not going to lie. This movie will test your patience even if you are a dedicated B movie fan. That's because in addition to the amateur production, acting, and editing, the sound is terrible and the film clarity is very dark.

Another obvious bad movie trademark is evidenced by the opening scene, which shows a couple driving along a highway for what seems like an eternity, presumably where opening credits were supposed to be inserted or an effort on the filmmaker's part to pad the movie's running time.

Despite all this, the story is not that bad. It would have been interesting to see what a bigger budget would have done for it, provided the money went towards a professional production crew and actors. As it was, Warren could not afford to pay any of his actors, who agreed to take a share of the film's profits in lieu of a wage. Well, you know what they say. You get what you pay for.

The plot revolves around a young couple on a vacation with their daughter and the family dog. On a road trip, driving around Texas, the family searches for "Valley Lodge" but become lost. Eventually they come upon a house and stop for directions. They are greeted by a strange man who calls himself Torgo and appears to be part satyr. Torgo mentions that he takes care of the place while The Master is away. As for directions to Valley Lodge, he states that there is no way out, yet the family can't stay at the house since The Master wouldn't approve. It's like some alternate Hotel California. After some persuading, the family is allowed to stay. Later, we find out that The Master is the leader of a polygamous pagan cult and intends to make Margaret his latest of many wives, while sacrificing Michael and Debbie. The family spends the rest of the time trying to escape.  

Feature Presentation: Manos: The Hands of Fate 



Read the rest of the review and see the trailer