DAILY CALL SHEET: DECMBER 30, 2025

The Night Walker (1964) Sure, Irene's husband Howard is a millionaire inventor, but he's also psychotically possessive, has an obsession with cuckoo clocks, and records everything that happens in his home, which Irene is never allowed to leave. After Howard seemingly blows himself up, Irene is haunted by surreal dreams of his disfigured ghost lumbering around the house. Convinced her increasingly weird nightmares are more real than fantasy, Irene exercises her new found freedom to return to her old digs in the back of a beauty parlor. Alas, the strange dreams and death follow her there. For once, William Castle eschews any of his trademark gimmicks and counts on the names of Barbara Stanwyck and Psycho scribe Robert Bloch to attract viewers instead. The gamble pays off in a slightly above average thriller, but a gimmick would still have been nice.

TIL: Just because someone uses gimmicks doesn't always mean it's a bad thing. Writing for Catholic Culture, Fr. Jerry Pokorsky notes, "The word 'gimmick' usually has pejorative connotations. A gimmick is a trick or device intended to attract attention, publicity, or the business of a going concern. But not all gimmicks are unworthy of holiness. Jesus is the Master of holy gimmicks. His mighty deeds attract our attention and direct it to the 'going concern' of our salvation … His miracles—healing the sick, raising the dead, and feeding the multitude—are holy gimmicks. He intends to attract our attention so that we recognize the authority of His words as our going concern … [Jesus'] holy gimmicks ensure we encounter the words of eternal life until we see God." 

The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1939) Like most filmed versions of the classic tale, this one retains the basic story of a victimized Romani girl offered asylum within the walls of the church by the titular character, and like most versions it changes her pursuer from a corrupt clergyman to a lecherous public official. However, similarities aside, this take on Victor Hugo's novel is widely considered the best live-action adaptation to date, thanks mostly to Charles Laughton's heartbreaking turn as Quasimodo ("Why was I not made of stone, like thee?") and the absolutely massive sets recreating medieval Paris, especially the exterior of Notre Dame cathedral. No arguments from me.

TIL: The broader concept of granting asylum in religious places predates the Church. The ancient Hebrews even had entire cities of refuge for those who killed someone accidentally. For Christianity in particular, the practice was first recognized in Roman imperial law under the Code of Theodosius in 399 AD, and then sanctioned by Pope Leo I in 460 AD. By the end of the 18th century, however, officially recognized sanctuary was abolished in most places. These days, some individual churches may attempt to offer sanctuary, but it is not canonically recognized and carries no legal status with the authorities.

DAILY CALL SHEET: DECEMBER 24, 2025

The Road Warrior (1981) Leather-clad Max Rockatansky is back and he's madder than ever about the post-apocalyptic dystopia his world has become. This time around, Max finds himself reluctantly offering to protect a small band of survivors operating a barely-working oil refinery in exchange for a few tanks of gas. This is no easy task, however, as a small army of motorized marauders led by Lord Humungus wants all of the fuel for themselves and are more than happy to rape, torture, and murder all who stand in their way of getting it. Luckily, Max has a dog, a feral child, and a gyro pilot to help even the odds a bit. The first Mad Max is a bona fide cult classic, but this follow-up is something else entirely. Not only did it help set the standards for all '80s action flicks to follow, it also shares rarified air with such movies as Jaws, Star Wars, Alien and Halloween, in that it became a template for an entire subgenre of film.

TIL: It's easy to see how The Road Warrior became the source material for around 25 to 30 knock-offs (most of them Italian for some reason). After all, if a filmmaker could get his hands on a desert, a dune buggy or two, some cheap explosives, and a few scraps of leather clothing, then, voila, he could make himself a low budget Maxploitation movie. Not necessarily a good one, but passable at least. Of course, such reliance on another artist's work for inspiration comes easily to us humans. As Hans Urs von Balthasar noted, it's God himself who is the initiating author, director, and principal actor in the "theo-drama" of salvation. He is the transcendent source of all authentic creativity, narrative capacity, and the overarching true story of existence. As such, all human stories, at their best, are sub-creations participating in and pointing toward the original divine narrative.

Harold and Maude (1971) Death obsessed nearly-twenty Harold spends his time driving a hearse, faking suicide attempts, and going to stranger's funerals. It's at one of these he meets 79-year-old Maude, a quirky, upbeat septuagenarian who lives life by her own rules. The two quickly become romantically involved, much to the disgust of most everyone, especially Harold's snooty upper class mother, who unsuccessfully tries to find a more acceptable younger girl for Harold through a computer dating service. Harold wants nothing to do with anyone but Maude, however, as she is the first person to convince him life is worth living and to make the most of his moments of earth. But will time itself allow the odd couple to be happy together? With its lovably eccentric characters, dark yet surprisingly gentle comedy, and a nothing less than heartwarming soundtrack from Cat Stevens, this has deservedly become one of the most beloved cult movies of all time.

TIL: One of the funnier scenes in the movie is when Harold is sent to talk to his priest about his relationship with Maude and the clergyman nearly vomits at the thought of the two engaging in sex. Now, of course, the Church objects to any sexual relationship outside of marriage, but contrary to what the movie portrays, it has no prohibitions against marriages with wide age gaps between the spouses. Canon 1083 §1 states only that a man before completing his 16th year and a woman before her 14th year cannot validly marry (though many dioceses raise this higher to align with civil law). Naturally, prudence is recommended due to potential challenges like differences in life stages, energy for raising children, or companionship in later years. But, as long as both parties are freely consenting and open to life (even if naturally impossible due to age), the Church would not disapprove of Harold and Maude.

DAILY CALL SHEET: DECEMBER 16, 2025

 

Hush...Hush, Sweet Charlotte (1964) Not long after he pens a tune in her honor, young Charlotte's married lover John has his hands and head chopped off, and it sure looks like the blood-covered belle is responsible. Nobody can prove it, though. Decades later, in an effort to save her family estate from being torn down by the Highway Commission, the spinster Charlotte seeks help from her cousin , the local doctor, and an insurance investigator obsessed with the long ago murder. Unfortunately, John's hands and head show up as well, which doesn't bode well for Charlotte's tenuous grip on sanity. And if Charlotte really was the original killer and is now losing her marbles, does that mean more meat cleaver murders are on the way? This spiritual sequel to Whatever Happened to Baby Jane? Is top tier hagsploitation with another great turn from Bette Davis, who really made the most of her later roles.

TIL: St. Pope John Paul II described old age as a "favorable time" for life's fulfillment, a phase of maturity, serenity, and preparation for eternity, blessed by divine favor in Scripture (e.g., long lives of Abraham and Moses).  He described the elderly themselves as "guardians of shared memory" and "privileged interpreters" of values that guide society. Pope Francis expounded on this, criticizing the modern "throwaway culture" where the elderly face abandonment, isolation, and marginalization. In a way, the hagsploitation genre kicked off by Whatever Happened to Baby Jane? and Hush... Hush, Sweet Charlotte embodied JPII's philosophy. Rather than consign elderly actors to the film vaults, it gave legendary thespians like Bette Davis, Joan Crawford, and Olivia de Havilland another chance to prove what made them legends to begin with.

Extra Terrestrial Visitors (a.k.a. Pod People) (1983) Stranded on Earth, something that looks like the unholy offspring of ALF and the Great Gonzo gets ticked off when egg poachers destroy her nest and decides to take her anger out on a rock band camping in the area. Well, alleged rock band. You can decide for yourself if they're deserving of that title. Anyway, one egg survives, and quicker than you can say E.T., the newly hatched alien makes friends with a little boy who christens the creature Trumpy. And as all MSTies know, Trumpy proceeds to do stupid things. However, will Trumpy's silly shenanigans be enough to calm his mad mommy down, or is a sad ending for all involved inevitable? This flick is featured on one of my favorite episodes of MST3K, so it's dear to my heart, but divorced from the show, it's … it's not great.

TIL: Not quite the same response as Trumpy's mom over her murdered children, but in 2 Samuel, there's the story of Rizpah, a concubine of the late King Saul. To atone for Saul's massacre of the Gibeonites, King David allows them to execute seven of Saul's descendants, including Rizpah's sons. As was the law, the boy's bodies were hung on gibbets to be eaten by birds and beast. Rizpah wasn't having it, though, so she camped by the bodies for five months, protecting them from desecration. This shamed David so much, he finally gave them an honorable burial alongside Saul and Jonathan. In response to this righteous act, God ends the famine he had imposed on Israel. So, while it doesn't take away the pain, Rizpah's dignified response to her personal agony becomes a catalyst for broader reconciliation for an entire nation. God can work all things, even the worst ones, for the good of those who love Him.

DAILY CALL SHEET: DECEMBER 11, 2025

The Human Vapor (1960) Ishirō Honda takes a break from directing the Big G to helm this smaller scale thriller in which the police find themselves baffled by a series of seemingly impossible bank robberies. It turns out the thief/murderer is a librarian who, thanks to a well-meaning scientist's experiments, can assume a gaseous form. His reason for pilfering the depositories and leaving a trail of bodies? Love. He wants to use the money to help further the career of a talented Noh dancer he is besotted with, even though she herself is horrified when the source of his funding is revealed. Can the authorities find a way to nab hold of a man who can't be grabbed, or is a woman's touch needed? The Human Vapor is a nifty little sci-fi treat with a surprisingly touching performance from its female lead. If only the subtitles in the version I watched didn't keep referring to the titular character as "the gas man."

TIL: Say what you want about "the gas man," but at least he had good intentions, right? Yeah, well. Intentions are one of the three constitutive elements that determines if a human act is a sin. However, as the Catechism points out, a good intention (for example, that of helping out one's beloved advance in her art) does not make behavior that is intrinsically disordered such as murder or robbery, good or just. In short, the end does not justify the means. This is because sin is not a matter of subjective motive but an objective offense against truth, reason, and love for God and neighbor. Now, good intentions can sometimes influence the degree of responsibility or gravity of a sin, but they cannot change the fundamental moral quality of an act. As for bad intentions, like deliberately intending to commit a grave sin, that kind of speaks for itself.

Queen Kong (1976) If you thought gender flipping in movies started with the 2016 version of Ghostbusters, you've never met Queen Kong. In a world where women are macho and men are meek, movie producer and captain of the good ship Liberated Lady, Luce Habit, kidnaps small time con artist Ray Fay to star in her next adventure flick to be set in deepest, whitest Africa. Once on site, however, Ray catches the eye of a giant amorous ape who eventually ends up chasing him throughout London. The twist is, he sort of likes being chased. This attempt at feminist comedy was only allowed a limited release in Italy and Germany due to lawsuits from Dino De Laurentiis, who inexplicably thought it might hurt the box office of his own King Kong remake. Of course, this just guaranteed Queen Kong a certain cult appeal, but whether it deserves it will likely depend on if you find its Z-grade versions of Benny Hill jokes funny or not.

TIL: The Church holds to the truth that, while equal, men and women are distinct in their masculinity and femininity by divine design, with complementary differences that enrich human relationships and reflect the relational nature of God (as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit). That's why, as Pope Francis explained in Amoris Laetitia, the Church rejects ideologies that view gender as fluid, self-determined, or detached from biology, as such views erase essential human differences and the anthropological basis of the family. However, despite the necessity of the difference between the masculine and feminine, the Catechism notes that men and women share a common vocation to stewardship of creation, work, and service to others, with no inherent hierarchy based on sex. So, there's no problem with a woman being the ship's captain or a man being the "damsel" in distress, just as long as the inherent gender differences are still recognized.

DAILY CALL SHEET: DECEMBER 7, 2025

Don't Open Till Christmas (1984) Guys dressed as Santa Claus are being offed in various ways, and Scotland Yard seems helpless to find the masked killer. As the body count escalates, the police decide to send a bunch of undercover Santas onto the streets. The killer isn’t biting, though, and instead kidnaps a stripper to be the supreme sacrifice to all the evil that Christmas is. This distraction works, allowing the maniac to resume his Santa-slaying ways. Can nothing stop him? And what’s it all got to do with the mysterious package the lead investigator received marked “Don’t open till Christmas”? With all the head-spearing, face-grilling, and castration, this British attempt to replicate American slashers is actually more sleazy and brutal than many of its Yank counterparts.

TIL: Some Christians, particularly from evangelical, Reformed, or fundamentalist traditions, oppose the modern figure of the all-knowing, all-seeing Santa Claus (distinct from the historical Saint Nicholas), arguing that it can subtly erode faith rather than build it. Pope Paul VI was a little kinder. In a general audience on December 15, 1976, the pontiff noted, "Truly, there is something else that brings us to the threshold of the world of fantasy and poetry: the Christmas tree, 'Santa Claus,' and finally, for those who want to see into the historical and religious reality of Christmas: the nativity scene." The hope was that the childlike joy inspired by the former traditions would lead people to look into Christmas's true profound meaning represented by the latter.

London After Midnight (1927) Despite the protestations of his family and staff, Roger Balfour's death is ruled a suicide by Burke of Scotland Yard. Five years later, a sharp-toothed, wild-maned man in a top hat and his extremely pale female companion take up residence in Balfour's mansion. Oddly, the deathly-looking duo's lease bears the signature of the deceased Balfour, prompting Burke to reopen his investigation. All signs point to vampirism, but things may not be as they seem. One of the holy grails of missing films, the only way to "watch" London After Midnight now is either through slideshows of film stills and production photos organized based on copies of the script, or, more recently. through attempts to add some motion to the existing images with the aid of A.I. Sure, it would be nice to have the original film, but what we do have is enough to get the intentions of the movie across. The results may not be quite as visually astounding as some of its expressionistic horror peers, but Lon Chaney's acting and makeup are excellent and creepy as always, and it's a good dry run for Tod Browning before taking on Dracula.

TIL: If you think it's useless to invest time in something composed of pieced-together fragments, then you may as well toss out your Bible. As the Church attests, we don't have access to the original documents. What we do have are copies of copies whose contents are verifiable through fragments recovered piecemeal over the centuries. For most modern translations, the Old Testament draws heavily from bits and pieces found in the Dead Sea Scrolls, which date from 3rd century BC to 1st century AD. As for the New Testament, it's confirmed mostly from the tattered remains of 2nd–3rd century papyri. The good news is that there are literally thousands of these fragments and more being discovered from time to time, which has allowed translators to accurately assemble a text that reliably reproduces the original biblical authors while weeding out transcription errors or later additions that may have creeped into individual snippets.

DAILY CALL SHEET: NOVEMBER 13, 2025

The Running Man (1987) Falsely accused of crimes against humanity, Arnold Schwarzenegger is forced to participate in a government-sponsored game show in which contestants must avoid being hunted down and killed on live television. His pursuers consist of outrageously themed assassins such as Dynamo, an opera singer clothed in Christmas lights who has the ability to toss lightning, and Fireball, a jet-pack wearing firebug armed with a flame thrower. The film has little to do with Stephen King's original novel of the same name, but it does have a nifty synthesized score by '80s stalwart Harold Faltermeyer, dance choreography by Paula Abdul (not joking), a pitch perfectly cast real life gameshow host Richard Dawson as the smarmy antagonist, and Arnie at his wisecracking prime. This is celluloid comfort food, nothing more.

TIL: Written around 200 AD, Tertullian's treatise De Spectaculis (On the Spectacles) pretty much summed up the Church's position on sports involving death, particularly gladiatorial combat. Among his criticisms were that such games promoted cruelty over compassion, eroded Christian virtues by inciting rage and bloodlust, and encouraged hypocrisy by applauding murder in the stadium while condemning it elsewhere. The Romans brushed off such complaints until around 404 AD, when a Christian monk named Telemachus barged into the Colosseum and inserted himself between two gladiators, urging them to stop what they were doing. The audience quickly stoned him to death. Despite this initial reaction to Telemachus' protest, however, Emperor Honorius was inspired by the monk's sacrifice to issue an edict banning gladiatorial combats across the empire.

The Faculty (1998) The teachers at Herrington High don't just act like they're from another planet, they are from another planet. At least, the slug-like alien parasites infecting them are. Fortunately, the freaks and geeks amongst the student body are able to figure out the invaders aren't too wild about caffeine and are able to convince the resident "drug" dealer to donate his stash to the resistance. What, didn't the suppliers at your high school deal exclusively in powdered caffeine? Anyway, just because the kids have a weapon doesn't mean the war is over. For that, they have to identify the queen parasite, but the growing number of infected aren't going to give up her location without a fight. For a post-Scream angsty teenage take on Invasion of the Body Snatchers, this is actually pretty entertaining, even considering its bad guys could easily be killed off with a case of Monster energy drinks.

TIL: While some breakaway sects like the Mormons and the Seventh-day Adventist Church have a problem with some drinks containing caffeine, traditionally Christians have embraced them, at least since the late 1500s. Now don't tell the Protestants, but if you're a Christian and you enjoy a cup of joe in the morning, you owe some thanks to Pope Clement VIII. You see, because coffee made its way to the western world from Muslim countries, it was considered by many Christians at the time to be Satan's beverage of choice, and the Pontiff was eventually asked to forbid its drinking. However, being reasonable, Clement thought it best to taste the stuff first. After a few sips, the Pope declared the devil's drink too delicious to be left to the infidels, and "baptized" it with his blessing. Within 50 years, the first coffee house opened in Rome, and spread throughout Christendom from there.

DAILY CALL SHEET: NOVEMBER 11, 2025

 

Pajama Party (1964) Teen-aged Martian Go-Go is sent to Earth to act as an advance scout for an invasion. As so often happens, though, Go-Go becomes enraptured with beach babe Connie, and decides to put off his duties to help save her aunt from being swindled by the terrible trio of J. Sinister Hulk, Chief Rotten Eagle, and the statuesque Helga, who apparently owns little clothing other than bikinis. As if that wasn't enough plot, surfer-hating biker Eric von Zipper shows up once again to do the things he does. If you're a fan of AIP's other beach party movies, there's no reason you won't find a little something to like in this one, though Tommy Kirk is a definite step down from Frankie Avalon and musical guests The Nooney Rickett 4 shouldn't even be mentioned in the same breath as Little Stevie Wonder. Really, most of the fun is simply spotting all the appearances of stars from Hollywood's heyday.

TIL: Pajamas as the two-piece sleepwear we think of them today really only emerged during the Victorian era. They certainly didn't exist in Biblical times. Back then, the tunic which served as the primary undergarment for men and women both was worn night and day, and worked just fine for bedtime. If things got a little chilly, folks might keep their daytime cloaks on as well. This all-purpose clothing was so important that both Exodus and Deuteronomy contain demands that if a poor person surrendered their cloak as collateral for a loan, it still had to be brought back to them before sunset so they wouldn't be vulnerable to the cold while they slept. Not doing so was considered an unrighteous act in the eyes of God. Even when it comes to something as mundane as pajamas, God expects us to treat others charitably.

Faces of Death (1978) This pseudo-documentary follows a phony pathologist as he travels the world gathering footage of "real" deaths. His finds include a guy getting eaten by an alligator, Nazis dying in battle, parachuting accidents, lots of animal slaughter, an electrocution, and decadent diners beating a monkey to death with tiny hammers so they can eat its brains. Most of the gross stuff in the movie was eventually admitted to have been faked, but the real things like footage from an actual autopsy will still be too much for many. It's hard to explain to the YouTube generation what a big deal this collection of clips was in the pre-Internet days, especially since the whole exercise is pretty dismal in hindsight, but back then Faces of Dearth was a must see for curious teens. My friends and I even skipped class to watch the VHS once we found a copy. Of course, we also skipped class to watch Attack of the Killer Tomatoes, but the point remains.

TIL: If you want a more adult, less sensationalist way of looking death in the face, the Church recommends the spiritual practice of memento mori, a Latin phrase meaning "remember you must die." Based on the advice of Ecclesiastes 7:2 where it says, "It is better to go to the house of mourning, than to go to the house of feasting," memento mori is the act of meditating on the reality of death, not as a source of fear, despair or cynicism, but as a catalyst for living a holy, purposeful life detached from materialism. Practical ways of doing this include praying the Litany of the Dead, contemplating the Last Things (death, judgment, heaven, hell), or wearing a memento mori medal. If you want to go a little more extreme, you can always copy St. Charles Borromeo and sleep with a skull next to your bed. No matter how you engage in memento mori, though, remember the end goal isn't just to remember you will die, but also memento vivere, to remember to live.