HDTGM movies: a brief history
3/29/2010
By Dan Pickles
Staff Writer
Hot Tub Time Machine. Just think about that for a moment. Someone actually put together a proposal to make a movie called Hot Tub Time Machine and it got made - with real actors and real money. If you think about it for long enough, you’ll realize how amazing it is.
Surprisingly, if you look back at history it’s clear that this isn’t an isolated incident, nor is it tied exclusively to Hollywood. Modern entertainment is filled with examples of movies that cause us to ask: how did that get made?
A Brief Timeline of “How did that get made!?” movies. (Referred to as HDTGM? from here forward).
Prefatory Note: The entire grand history of HDTGM? movies is far too substantial to cover in this brief review; I will keep my discussion limited to only those HDTGM? movies from 1980 forward, and only what I perceive to be shining examples of this phenomena.
Time Bandits (1981): A young man unwittingly joins a group of time-traveling dwarves as they move throughout history looking for things to steal.
Truly, a wonderful example of an HDTGM? movie. Watch it, if you haven’t - you’ll thank me. The world would be a better place if everyone watched Time Bandits.
Ice Pirates (1984): In the far future, water has become a valuable commodity; a group of pirates travel through space, attempting to steal large blocks of ice from various cargo ships.
The fact that I found this movie oddly entertaining still frightens me. No person can know what lurks in the dark corners of their soul, I suppose.
Look for Robert Urich in the lead role!
Howard the Duck (1986): A humanoid duck from another planet arrives on earth via a quasi-magical beam - hijinks ensue.
Though my research on the subject is still in its early stages, I firmly believe there to be a connection between the making of this movie and the widespread cocaine usage that was occurring in America during the same time period. This is truly an exemplary example of the HDTGM? phenomena.
Trick or Treat (1986): Heavy metal star Sammy Curr dies in a hotel fire, only to return through a record played backwards; he then attempts to convince his biggest fan (Eddie) to carry out his evil bidding.
Though I feel that Trick or Treat is a prime example, it bears mentioning that it is actually part of a HDTGM? offshoot genre that existed in the early to mid eighties. These movies - unofficially known as heavy-metal horror - consisted of films about satanic heavy-metal bands (or related musical themes).
Other entries in this sub-genre include Terror on Tour (1980), Black Roses (1988), and, more tenuously, The Gate (1987). This era culminated in 1992 with Bad Channels.
Though not each movie involves a band specifically, they each use music as the force for which the malignant force gains access to its victims.
Science may never know how or why these movies got made.
Troll 2 (1990): A young man is harassed by strange creatures when his family goes in a trip to the city of Nilbog (Hint: that’s Goblin, spelled backwards).
Troll 2 is a true rarity. Not only is it an HDTGM? movie, but it’s the sequel of an HDTGM? movie, as well. So, not only did someone green-light one movie about a troll, but they thought that it was so good that the canon just had to be expanded into a second movie.
White Chicks (2004): Two FBI agents go undercover to protect a pair of hotel-heiress sisters.
The horror. The horror. Seriously - how did this get made?
I hope that my short interlude helped to show you the patterns of HDTGM? movies throughout the last couple of decades. Hot Tub Time Machine - the intended subject of this article - will be the most recent addition, to my knowledge. It will be amongst company that ranges from good (Time Bandits) to hideous (Troll 2). But where will it fall amidst that company?
Personally, I think it’s best to give these things a few years prior to judging. The true quality of an HDTGM? movie can only be identified after some time has gone by. Unfortunately, if first impressions are any indicator, I think I will have probably forgotten all about Hot Tub Time Machine by the time enough years have passed for an appropriate ranking.
I guess that probably says it all.
Surprisingly, if you look back at history it’s clear that this isn’t an isolated incident, nor is it tied exclusively to Hollywood. Modern entertainment is filled with examples of movies that cause us to ask: how did that get made?
A Brief Timeline of “How did that get made!?” movies. (Referred to as HDTGM? from here forward).
Prefatory Note: The entire grand history of HDTGM? movies is far too substantial to cover in this brief review; I will keep my discussion limited to only those HDTGM? movies from 1980 forward, and only what I perceive to be shining examples of this phenomena.
Time Bandits (1981): A young man unwittingly joins a group of time-traveling dwarves as they move throughout history looking for things to steal.
Truly, a wonderful example of an HDTGM? movie. Watch it, if you haven’t - you’ll thank me. The world would be a better place if everyone watched Time Bandits.
Ice Pirates (1984): In the far future, water has become a valuable commodity; a group of pirates travel through space, attempting to steal large blocks of ice from various cargo ships.
The fact that I found this movie oddly entertaining still frightens me. No person can know what lurks in the dark corners of their soul, I suppose.
Look for Robert Urich in the lead role!
Howard the Duck (1986): A humanoid duck from another planet arrives on earth via a quasi-magical beam - hijinks ensue.
Though my research on the subject is still in its early stages, I firmly believe there to be a connection between the making of this movie and the widespread cocaine usage that was occurring in America during the same time period. This is truly an exemplary example of the HDTGM? phenomena.
Trick or Treat (1986): Heavy metal star Sammy Curr dies in a hotel fire, only to return through a record played backwards; he then attempts to convince his biggest fan (Eddie) to carry out his evil bidding.
Though I feel that Trick or Treat is a prime example, it bears mentioning that it is actually part of a HDTGM? offshoot genre that existed in the early to mid eighties. These movies - unofficially known as heavy-metal horror - consisted of films about satanic heavy-metal bands (or related musical themes).
Other entries in this sub-genre include Terror on Tour (1980), Black Roses (1988), and, more tenuously, The Gate (1987). This era culminated in 1992 with Bad Channels.
Though not each movie involves a band specifically, they each use music as the force for which the malignant force gains access to its victims.
Science may never know how or why these movies got made.
Troll 2 (1990): A young man is harassed by strange creatures when his family goes in a trip to the city of Nilbog (Hint: that’s Goblin, spelled backwards).
Troll 2 is a true rarity. Not only is it an HDTGM? movie, but it’s the sequel of an HDTGM? movie, as well. So, not only did someone green-light one movie about a troll, but they thought that it was so good that the canon just had to be expanded into a second movie.
White Chicks (2004): Two FBI agents go undercover to protect a pair of hotel-heiress sisters.
The horror. The horror. Seriously - how did this get made?
I hope that my short interlude helped to show you the patterns of HDTGM? movies throughout the last couple of decades. Hot Tub Time Machine - the intended subject of this article - will be the most recent addition, to my knowledge. It will be amongst company that ranges from good (Time Bandits) to hideous (Troll 2). But where will it fall amidst that company?
Personally, I think it’s best to give these things a few years prior to judging. The true quality of an HDTGM? movie can only be identified after some time has gone by. Unfortunately, if first impressions are any indicator, I think I will have probably forgotten all about Hot Tub Time Machine by the time enough years have passed for an appropriate ranking.
I guess that probably says it all.
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