Connect with us

Editorials

Before ‘Pacific Rim’ There Was Stuart Gordon’s ‘Robot Jox’!

Published

on

This past weekend, the sequel to Guillermo del Toro’s 2013 flick, Pacific Rim, made its way to theaters. Despite finally dethroning Black Panther from the top spot, Pacific Rim: Uprising brought in around $28 million domestic. Granted, it’s already proving itself to be a juggernaut over in China where it was quite literally “engineered” to succeed. That was a Universal exec’s word, not mine.

But long before del Toro brought the crumbling world of Jaegers and Kaiju (not the rubber suited variety) to screens, a little movie from Empire Pictures had already brought the image of awe-inspiring, human controlled battle mechs to theaters. Since that fim’s release, however, it’s mostly loafed around without much in the way of box office or fanfare to make its name known. This specific deep cut of bot-sploitation comes from none other than Master of Horror Stuart Gordon.

In 1987, Stuart Gordon found himself marveling at the rampant success of Transformers. They were one of the most popular toy lines ever, and the concept of giant battle bots struck him as the perfect backdrop for a whizbang, effects laden action picture. Thanks to a failed partnership with award winning sci-fi author Joe Haldeman, Gordon knew who he wanted to bring in to help mold his concept into an full fledged screenplay. The two had met when trying to adapt Haldeman’s “The Forever War” into a mini-series. Funding for that project fell through, but the two were able to repurpose some of it into a stage production. After surviving such a tumultuous trip through development hell together, surely there next production together would be a cake walk? Hmm…

Gordon, who had a wonderful working relationship with Charles Band and Empire Pictures (Re-Animator, From Beyond), felt he could rely on Band to pick up the bill for his Transformers cartoon come to life. Not so fast. Empire was known for pushing out low budget cheapies, and Robojox (as it was originally known) was far from the confined location, quicky horror flick the studio was known for. Gordon’s vision would require extensive effects work at a price tag Band wasn’t comfortable with. It took a series of test shoots featuring stop-motion robot action to convince Empire to come on board. Of course, as thrifty as the company was, that test footage ultimately became the opening scene of the film itself. With a budget locked in around $6 million, Robojox was set to be the most expensive film Empire had ever, or would ever, produce.

With an official greenlight, Gordon and Haldeman began fighting; I mean, writing the screenplay. The story they concocted revolved around a group of elite jockeys, trained to operate giant scale mechs in one on one competitions, tournaments created to settle the disputes of opposing countries. The main point of contention between the two writers was the film’s overall tone. Gordon wanted a satirical, fun take on the material that would still manage to appeal to kids of all ages while Haldeman felt it should be more intelligent, relying upon real science instead of Hollywood hokum. In retrospect, Haldeman has summed up the situation like this, “I would try to change the science into something reasonable; Stuart would change it back to Saturday morning cartoon stuff. I tried to make believable, reasonable characters, and Stuart would insist on throwing in clichés and caricatures. It was especially annoying because it was a story about soldiers, and I was the only person around who’d ever been one.”

Gordon ultimately turned to an uncredited third party to rewrite Haldeman’s draft. When given the chance, the sci-fi author who was looking for his big break in Hollywood set fire to the bridge by writing a scathing critique of the current screenplay. He felt that it piled on all the elements he’d been fighting with Gordon to excise. A couple weeks into the film’s principal photography in Rome, Haldeman got a call. The producers agreed with much of his criticism of their current shooting script and requested he be flown out to Italy in order to help sculpt the film more towards his original concept.

The final film is certainly all over the place. There are moments of real drama interspersed with absurd action sequences (the Jox can apparently fly in space?), and scenes of horrific human casualties. All of this is set to the backdrop of Cold War paranoia. One minute it’s a super cheesy B-movie, the next is ripe with espionage or discussing a widespread infertility epidemic! Still, despite the “too many cooks in the kitchen” scenario, the production went fairly well with all parties wrapping on amicable terms. Before Haldeman left to come back home, he claims Gordon summed up their differences perfectly: “Joe, our problem is that you’re writing a movie for adults that children can enjoy, but I’m directing a movie for children that adults can enjoy!”

The large scale production proved to be too much for Empire pictures, however. The company folded in on itself, filing for bankruptcy. It took two more years for another studio, Epic Pictures, to swoop in and rescue the film. They funded the rest of the money needed to complete the picture (rumored to have ballooned to $10 million). The name was changed from Robojox to Robot Jox due to the threat of legal action from Orion who felt the title was far too close to their own RoboCop. Epic released the film to a quiet audience. It only went on to gross a little over $1 million at the domestic box office. Over the years, the film has garnered quite the cult following and managed to spin off with two Full Moon films (Crash and Burn, Robot Wars) released in some countries as Robot Jox 2 & 3; though outside of giant robots, there isn’t much to link them to Gordon’s original film.

For those who love some Saturday matinee, low-fi/sci-fi realness, Robot Jox is a blast, with impressive effects, a scene stealing maniacal villain (complete with chainsaw dick…you’ll see), and a lighting fast pace. With its focus on giant mech action, it makes a perfect double bill with Pacific Rim. In fact, Gordon has stated that had he the chance to make a Jox sequel, it would have featured the bots going up against evil aliens.

This awesome mashup from Nerd of All Trades imagines a world where the two are one in the same, cut together to form “Robot Jox of the Pacific”…

Editorials

Six Shot-on-VHS Horror Movies to Watch After ‘Frogman’

Published

on

Frogman VHS

Nostalgia is a funny thing. From the unexpected resurgence of vinyl to modern-day flip phones, it’s pretty clear that the technical limitations of the past can often inspire the stylish trends of the future. One of my favorite examples of this is the ongoing analog horror craze, as I find it fascinating how many of the genre’s major creators appear to have been born after the decline of VHS tapes and eerie PSAs.

It’s almost like there’s a subconscious understanding that some stories are best told through fuzzy visuals and heavily compressed audio, which is why I appreciate flicks like Anthony Cousins’s Found Footage throwback Frogman, a cryptozoology-inspired scary movie that dares to incorporate lo-fi aesthetics into its storytelling during a time when most studios encourage filmmakers to make their projects look as generically slick and polished as possible. And if you also enjoyed Frogman and are on the lookout for more VHS-based gems, Bloody-Disgusting has got you covered, as we’ve come up with a list highlighting six shot-on-VHS classics for your viewing pleasure.

As usual, don’t forget to comment below with your own favorite analog thrillers if you think we missed a particularly spooky one. I’d also like to give a shout-out to Bloody-Disgusting’s own long-running V/H/S series, which won’t be included here for obvious reasons.

Now, onto the list…


6. Zero Day (2003)

School shootings are one of the scariest realities of the modern world, but the complicated political elements behind these tragedies mean that most genre filmmakers don’t even try to tell stories about them. There are a few exceptions, however, and one of the most notable is Ben Coccio’s Zero Day, a deeply uncomfortable Found Footage character study that explores just how far ill-intentioned teenagers might go to prove a point.

Inspired by the real-world Columbine Basement Tapes, in which the mass-murderers kept a record of their plans and motivations, Coccio’s film follows a fictional video diary where troubled friends Andre and Calvin discuss their homicidal intentions. Another case where the gritty visuals make the story hit even harder, I’d recommend this one for discerning fans of True Crime media.


5. August Underground (2001)

Out of all the movies on this list, Fred Vogel’s August Underground is simultaneously one of the most fascinating and the hardest to recommend. A simulated snuff film following the exploits of a degenerate serial killer and his deranged filmmaker friend, the low production value and amateurish visuals make this shot-on-video experience even more uncomfortable as you begin to question if it really is just a movie.

And while Vogel would go on to expand on this controversial production with a series of slightly more agreeable sequels that boasted improved visuals, none of the follow-ups can quite compare to the raw thrills of the original. Just make sure that you don’t accidentally pick this one for family movie night if you dare to give it a watch.


4. WNUF Halloween Special (2013)

Frogman VHS list

The only entry on this list produced after the decline of VHS-based media, this 2013 classic still holds up as a convincing masterclass in authentic period-piece horror. A simulated recording of a public access show gone terribly wrong, the WNUF Halloween Special should be on everyone’s spooky season watchlist – though I’d argue that it’s best enjoyed as a background conversation piece during Halloween parties.

From the hilarious yet extremely believable retro advertisements to the not-so-subtle hints of the satanic panic motivating the story, this is a delightful experience even if you weren’t alive back when this kind of TV was still on the air.

And if you like this one, don’t forget to check out the Out There Halloween Mega Tape, which was made by the same director.


3. The McPherson Tape (1989)

Originally made popular by bootleg copies circulating the underground VHS trading scene, there’s no discussing shot-on-video horror without bringing up one of the grandaddies of modern-day Found Footage, the legendary McPherson Tape. Also known as UFO Abduction, this homemade thriller follows a birthday party gone wrong as the Van Heese family is visited by extraterrestrials.

While the flick works better as a terrifying hoax rather than a proper movie due to its odd pacing and general lack of traditional story structure, it’s still a must-watch for Found Footage fans. Just be sure to track down the gritty original, not the 1998 remake, Alien Abduction: Incident in Lake County.


2. Ghostwatch (1992)

Frogman VHS movies

The term “made-for-TV” used to carry some seriously negative connotations in the world of film, with most audiences assuming that this kind of classification meant that they were about to watch low-budget schlock unsuitable for the big screen. However, there were plenty of clever filmmakers that managed to turn the limitations of broadcast television into storytelling tools, and a great example of this is Stephen Volk’s excellent mockumentary, Ghostwatch.

Starring real TV host Sir Michael Parkinson and borrowing details from the infamous Enfield Poltergeist case, this controversial TV special attempted to do for hauntings what Orson Welles’s War of the Worlds radio adaptation did for aliens. And while we’ve seen scarier Found Footage ghost stories in the decades since Ghostwatch premiered, I’d argue that the chilling authenticity behind the production makes it well worth revisiting in 2024.


1. America’s Deadliest Home Video (1993)

Jack Perez’s pioneer POV thriller may not be that well known these days, but this obscure little gem is actually responsible for many Found Footage tropes that we now take for granted. Telling the story of an amateur cameraman who finds himself being kidnapped by a group of criminals during a road trip, this video diary from hell still holds up as a horrific example of grounded Found Footage.

While some questionable acting and convenient story beats sometimes break the carefully crafted immersion, America’s Deadliest Home Video stands out by not only being one of the first of its kind, but also by embracing its amateurish roots instead of being embarrassed by them.


Frogman, which actually was released on VHS, is now available on VOD outlets.

Continue Reading