Skulls R Us

 

 (imdb)

THE SCREAMING SKULL-1958-Eric Whitlock (John Hudson) takes his new wife Jenni (Peggy Webber; in SPACE CHILDREN the same year) to the house that was designed by his first wife Marion, now dead. Rev. Snow (familiar TV actor Russ Conway) and his wife (Tony Johnson) are there to welcome them. So is Mickey (director Alex Nichol), the weird gardener who doesn't believe Marion is dead (she's buried on the estate). When she's alone, Jenni (who's rich and once spend some time in a mental hospital) gets spooked by noises and some skulls that show up. Eric blames Mickey but Jenni thinks she's cracking up. Eric seems devoted, maybe too much so. But when a skull shows up after they burn a portrait of Marion, John’s real intentions are revealed. 

Very low budget ghost story. The best part is the finale where Marion turns the tables on John. A short disclaimer at the beginning says that the producers will pay the funeral expenses for anyone who dies of fright during the viewing. 

This was actor Alex Nichol's first film as a director. His later work was mostly for TV except for his last, 1971's POINT OF TERROR. Male lead John Hudson did a lot of TV work and was the twin brother of William Hudson (Harry in ATTACK OF THE 50 FOOT WOMAN). Lead actress Peggy Webber, still alive at the time of this writing, had earlier played Lady MacDuff in Orson Welles' MACBETH. The soundtrack was composed by future Oscar winner Ernest Gold.

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Lamb

 

 (imdb)

LAMB-2021-Somewhere in Iceland, a childless, married couple Ingvar & Maria raise sheep. One day an unusual hybrid lamb is born and they decide to raise it as their own. They name it Ada after their dead daughter. Soon the baby is walking on 2 legs, wearing a sweater and eating at the table. Everything seems to be OK but the ewe who birthed Ada hangs around bleating. Maria eventually kills mama and buries her body. Unbeknownst to her Ingvar's brother saw the whole thing before crashing in their barn. The brother Petur shows himself the next day. Needless to say, Petur is weirded out by the situation, especially when he sees Maria taking a bath with “their baby” but Ingvar says not to interfere. Petur wants to kill Ada but later comes to like her. 

After the three have a drunken party, Ingvar kind of passes out and Petur makes sexual advances toward Maria. She refuses but when he tries to blackmail her by saying he will tell Ada that Maria killed her mom, she locks him in a storage room and next day drives him to a bus. While Ingvar is out fixing the tractor with Ada he's shot and killed in a surprise ending. Maria finds her dying husband and falls into despair. 

This is a very strange and interesting movie from director/co-writer Vladimar Johannsson. The ending was unexpected. It was a huge hit it's in native Iceland.

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Kolchak Returns

 

 (imdb)

THE NIGHT STRANGLER-1973-Once again the brash eclectic reporter Kolchak (Darren McGavin) takes tape recorder in hand to investigate the murders of a belly dancer, this time in Seattle, Washington. He meets his former boss Vincenzo (Simon Oakland) in bar and is hired on but is first read the riot act by the publisher Crossbinder (John Carradine). Police Capt. Shubert (Scott Brady) and coroner Webb (Ivor Francis) hold a press conference after a second killing. Another coroner tells Kolchak there was rotted flesh on the victims' necks. Some blood is also missing. They seem to have been killed by a dead man. When Kolchak learns about the abandoned underground city of Seattle, he goes to Titus Berry (Wally Cox), in charge of the city's archives. It seems the same type of murders have happened every 21 years since 1889. 

He befriends another belly dancer (Jo Ann Pflug) and they take a tour of the underground city. But they take a detour and meet a derelict (Al Lewis). He also consults Prof. Crabwell (Margaret Hamilton), an anthropologist who clues him in on a secret "elixir of life" to stay young. After another dancer (Nina Wayne) is strangled, Kolchak tries to convince Shubert what's happening but the captain puts a few holes in Kolchak's theory. Later when a 6th woman is murdered (there was always 6 victims), Kolchak identifies the killer as a 144-year-old Civil War doctor (Richard Anderson). Kolchak destroys the decrepit doctor but loses his job, so does Vincenzo. This ends on a lighter note than its predecessor. 

Producer Dan Curtis also was the director of this great follow up, written once again by Richard Matheson. The short-lived TV series “Kolchak:The Night Stalker” ran in 1974. Curtis produced and directed another “Kolchak” like TV film the same year for another network called THE NORLISS TAPES.

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Tiny

Greetings way back in June of 2023, I posted a review of the movie tragedy called Fireball Jungle. Here's the link in case you're curious: https://moviemeltdown.blogspot.com/2023/06/its-fireball.html

I mentioned the title song was done by Tiny Kennedy. I dug up some info on the guy and have only gotten around to posting it now!

Tiny Kennedy was born in Chattanooga, Tennessee, on Dec. 20, 1925.  He played the piano and recorded with the great bandleader Jay McShann (with whom Charlie Parker had started with years before) in 1949. After a stint with Tiny Bradshaw (no relation), he did some sessions with Elmore James. In 1951, he was sent to Sam Phillips' recording studio (later to be known as "Chess Records"). There, he recorded several songs, including his most well-known, "Strange Kind of Feelin'". After 1955, Kennedy seemed to vanish from the music scene but showed up in 1968 to croon the theme song to the previously reviewed (and atrocious) FIREBALL JUNGLE. Some sources say in was in MR. NO LEGS in 1978. He may still be alive at age 98!

Sources: All Music.com, IMDB.com

Hear Mr. Kennedy:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J1KGR3qnJsQ

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Brain Saved..

THEY SAVED HITLER'S BRAIN-1963-Vic is sent to find out about Dr. Bernard by the CID but his boss seems in league with the enemy. Bernard was working on something called G gas. Vic meets his new partner, Tony Gordon. They have a little argument over her being a woman then go out to interview people. Don't get too attached to them. Within 20 minutes, both are killed.

Enter secret agent Phil Say (Walter Stocker) and wife Kathy (Audrey Caire) who go looking for Prof. Coleman (John Holland) and his daughter Suzanne (Dani Lynn) in the fictional country of Mandoras. They meet a guy named Padua (Carlos Rivas; later in TRUE GRIT (1968) who tells in flashback how his brother (also Rivas) worked for "Mr. H" and did experiments trying to prolong his life. Now Hitler is somewhere in the country. Well, not all of him. Just his head! It's all a plan by neo-Nazis to take over the world. 

Fortunately, Phil gets help from the local police chief (Nestor Paiva) and his excellency, the president of Mandoras (Pedro Regas). This is pretty nutty with "Der Fuhrer" head being toted around in a glass jar. Occasionally he barks orders. 

The first 20 minutes or so was filmed by a UCLA film crew for a distributor who needed a longer cut for TV. The actors in that film received no credit. This was the last film directed by David Bradley whose previous efforts included 12 TO THE MOON (1960) and the 1950 version of JULIUS CAESER (in which he played Brutus to Charlton Heston's Mark Anthony). The director of cinemaphotography was Stanley Cortez, who in better days shot THE MAGNIFENT AMBERSONS, THE NIGHT OF THE HUNTER and THREE FACES OF EVE. 

                                              

                                             Nestor Paiva was not fussy about his movie roles!

                                                                    Padula tells all!

  

                                         

                       A second chance to rot in hell!

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Deep In The Heart Of Texas

 

 (imdb)

PRELUDE TO HAPPINESS-1975-Nurse Susan (Rose Petra) and her fiancée are changing a flat when she is struck by a speeding car. She survives but her leg is mangle and has to be amputated. Just like that her hubby calls off the wedding and leaves her. She becomes depressed but with encouragement from Doctor Hartman (Gary Lee Davis), she breaks out of it and practices on crutches. Eventually, she comes out of her funk and works as a nurse in the hospital. She freezes when she sees an accident victim with bloodied legs but snaps out of it after a doctor slaps her! Later, Hartman helps her find a new apartment but his fiancée' gets jealous and gives him an ultimatum. Her or Susan. He and Susan admit they are in love but Susan turns down his proposal. Later he attends a swanky engagement party and tragedy follows but everything works out in the end. 

This filmed in Texas obscurity is the kind of movie I hate to review. Its message is sincere but it's done in by bad production values and bad acting. Lead actress Rose Petra was really missing her leg. This is the only film directed by Gidney Talley Jr., a theater owner from San Antonio.

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Korean Zombie Attack

 

 (wallpapercave.com)

TRAIN TO BUSAN-2016-A workaholic father (Gong Yoo) having relationship problems with his young daughter (Soo-an Kim) are trapped on a moving train when an outbreak causes people to turn into violent bloodthirsty zombies! It's an insane roller Coaster ride as passengers fight for survival. There's suspense, gore, action and a heart wrenching conclusion in this South Korean production directed by Yeon Sang Ho.

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