OTD thirty years ago in 1993, Matinee was released in the U.S. Directed by Joe Dante and starring John Goodman, it’s the tale of a teenager in October 1962 during the Cuban Missile Crisis. His father is in the Navy and is one of the sailors aboard the convoy intercepting the Russian cargo ships. Everyone in Key West, where the film’s set, is convinced that nuclear annihilation is imminent. Meanwhile, Goodman as Lawrence Woolsey, the low-budget horror film king, is bringing his latest epic Mant! to town for a special premiere….

I was a baby in 1962, but nevertheless this movie speaks to me. It’s a comedy poking fun at the fears of the time and also extolling the joys of trash cinema as exemplified by the real-life William Castle, whom Goodman evokes with his larger-than-life performance. It’s a ball, filled with Dante’s typical monsters and warmth.

If you don’t have time to see the entire film, at least check out Mant!