Early Morning Reviews!

SH! THE OCTOPUS-1937-Two bumbling detectives Kelly (Hugh Herbert) and Dempsey (Allen Jenkins) investigate the strange goings on in an abandoned lighthouse. Many suspects abound (including a crazy caretaker with a hook hand). It's a typical "Old Dark House" story with characters who aren't as they first appear and the lights going out at critical times. They are all occasionally menaced by an octopus. It's dated and dumb but fortunately it's short length (56 mins.) makes it easier to take. It's based on a 1928 stage play. Familiar character actor John Eldredge is also in it. I saw it on TCM.


EXORCIST: THE BEGINNING-2004-In this meaningless prequel Father Merrick (Stellan Skarsgard in the Max Van Sydow role) is a former priest, now a faithless archeologist because some Nazis forced him to choose who should die in this town during WW2. He goes to East Africa to check out a tomb and eventually has his first encounter with the demon Pazuzu years before it got a hold of Regan. There’s a lot of violence especially against children (one kid is shown graphically being eating by wolves, a little girl is shot in the head). But this figures since original director Paul Schrader was fired by Morgan Creek because they didn’t think his version was bloody enough. They hired hack Renny Harlin to re-shoot it (some reports say 90% of it was re-done and at least two characters were dropped) and after a very slow start gave them what they wanted. Too bad he forgot about the audience…

Actress Izabella Scorupo turns into a Linda Blair look demon (but doesn’t puke) and Ben Cross (who I think might once have been a good actor) has a small role.

Schrader’s original version was released on DVD in 2005 as DOMINION: THE PREQUEL TO THE EXORCIST and is actually very good!



THE WILD WOMEN OF WONGO-1958-This is one of those very strange movies that doesn’t fit into a category unless the category is ridiculous! It’s probably on par with something like QUEEN OF OUTER SPACE and even that’s stretching it! Apparently the community of Wongo has very beautiful women and very ugly men. The neighboring Goona has “pretty men” and ugly women. Trouble starts when one of the pretty boys from Goona visits Wongo to warn them of some ape like invaders from the sea. The Wongo Women decide they like the Goona men better. Everyone looks suitably goofy in loincloths and well done up hairstyles. A parrot makes occasional comments too! There’s a lot of dancing and very funny stilted dialogue. Much of the music is the same as in PLAN 9 FROM OUTER SPACE! This mainly plays like a nudie film that someone forgot to put nudity into! 

Thanks for reading!