May this suggestion project into space, or at least spark discussion!
While sick with what I hope is strep today, I took the morbid road and reread Poe’s Masque of the Red Death. A short YouTube jaunt later, I found this 1989 gem of an adaptation from 21st Century. It’s got Frank Stallone attempting to act, dimestore cornball dialogue, and enough 80s hair to explain our ozone situation.
Looked it up and couldn’t find where this had been riffed. Did I miss it? There is some low-budget gore and cursing, so I’m guessing maybe that took it out of consideration. But if riffs ever tackle light (and terrible) horror, maybe one to consider. Has anyone seen it? Also, my condolences if you weren’t aware of it and now have to be.
Stallone is under-rated. People forget that he wrote Rocky because he played the illiterate, low-class mook to a tee. He played into a lot of it, of course, but I was struck by how, in the latest (last?) Rambo, how different a character that was from Rocky, but how both have been eclipsed by the “star persona”.
I’m a huge fan of the 64 Roger Corman version. I’m definitely going to have to check that out. In fact I may have to rewatch the 64 version just to get the taste out of my mouth afterwards. Spoiler alert, Frank Stallone is just one of the lesser known Baldwin brothers stage name.