More Like A Circle

TRIANGLE-A woman named Jess (Melissa George from 30 DAYS OF NIGHT) with a special needs child goes on a boating trip (without her son) with her boyfriend and some of his friends. They hit a freak storm and the boat is capsized. Luckily a big cruise ship comes to their rescue and they board it. Unluckily it seems to be deserted although a mysterious figure is quickly seen twice. They search the ship (with Jess having feelings of deja vu) but all they can find is the message "go to the theater" written in blood on a mirror. After Jess is attacked by one of the guys, she escapes and meets another couple in the theater where a masked assassin shoots at them from the balcony. The couple is killed but Jess gets out. Later she confronts the killer with an ax. Just before falling over the side, the killer mumbles something about "killing everyone".

Quick movie, huh? Not so fast. The rest of this annoyingly dumb British production borrows ideas from David Lynch's LOST HIGHWAY, MEMENTO and even the low-budget 1960's SF cheapie JOURNEY TO THE CENTER OF TIME. Director Christopher Smith made several horror movies after this. (You've been warned)

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60's Western

HOSTILE GUNS-1967-This AC Lyles production features George Montgomery as US Marshall Gid McCool who transports convicted criminals to the state pen. He needs a deputy but can find no one willing so he "recruits" bad boy Mike Reno (Tab Hunter). Their first prisoner is Hank Pleasant (Leo Gordon) on his way to the gallows for killing a child. They later pick up a corrupt railroad official (Robert Emhardt) and a goat thief (Pedro Gonzales-Gonzales who croons a tune). Their fourth pick up is Laura Mannon (Yvonne DeCarlo), who shot her boyfriend. Laura (she and McCool had once been lovers) manages to come between the duo which leads to them fighting and almost being killed by Pleasant's brother (John Russell) and other family members.

This low budget western has lots of witty dialogue and a great cast which also includes smaller roles with Brian Donlevy, Richard Arlen, James Craig, Fuzzy Knight, William Fawcett, Emile Meyer and Don Barry. It was directed by RG Sprignsteen, a veteran of Westerns since the late forties but by this time (not untypically) he had done a lot of TV. Unfortunately the low budget shows through several times especially with camera crew lights reflecting off the scenery at times!

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Early '50's

CAUSE FOR ALARM!-1951-A woman (Loretta Young) is taking care of her bed ridden husband (Barry Sullivan) who seems to be suffering from a heart ailment. However although she seems to be a dedicated and loving wife hubby believes she and his doctor (Bruce Cowling) are plotting to kill him. He writes a letter to the district attorney incriminating the pair, saying they are poisoning him but in fact he is poisoning himself!  He plans to frame the two of them by over dosing on his heart medicine but for some reason (he's not sane I guess) he decides to shoot his wife. Fortunately for her he dies before he can accomplish this. Unfortunately with the incriminating letter on it's way to the DA and hubby dead circumstantial evidence points at Loretta. What follows is a wild and occasionally annoying "Faulty Towers" like escapade (though serious) with Loretta trying to retrieve the letter and prevent anyone  from finding dearly departed hubby. Familiar character Irving Bacon is the neighborhood mailman and there are bits by Richard Anderson, Kathleen Freeman, Art Baker and Robert Easton. Look quick for Alfalfa himself Carl Switzer!

Director Tay Garnett had started as a gag writer in silent films and made his first movie in 1928. He later directed THE POSTMAN ALWAYS RINGS TWICE and A CONNECTICUT YANKEE IN KING ARTHUR'S COURT. Soon after ALARM he went into TV.

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Germany

BLOODLUST-THE FEATURE-1977-This is a bizarre psychological drama, this time from Germany. It's about a traumatized office worker (Werner Pochath; also in Franco's DEVIL HUNTER) who has become deaf and mute after being beaten by his father as a little boy. He also saw dad molest his little sister. He seems to be a good worker but everyone at his job makes fun of him because he collects dolls (they even play a joke on him with an inflatable doll). He goes to prostitutes once in a while but can never perform and they mock him. The only person who seems to treat him nicely is a (slightly abnormal)  female neighbor who likes to dance around the building they live in but even her mother warns her to stay away from him (I don't think the character has a name and if he does I don't think it's mentioned in the film!). After she falls to her death (it almost seems like suicide) he becomes very unhinged and takes to mutilating and dismembering corpses. He even digs up the dancer's body and tries to revive it with his own blood (it doesn't work). He leaves the word mosquito at the scenes of his crimes and the press dub him "the vampire". Later he kills a couple having sex in a car and drinks their blood. Then the police arrest him. It's actually inspired by a real life German grave robber and necrophiliac.

Director Marijan David Vajda does a good job showing how the character's handicap alienates him from society and makes him the subject of ridicule (even though he can function normally it's people's ignorance and cruelty that are the real culprits) and some have hailed this as an unheralded masterpiece but I found it slow going. The version I saw was dark,choppy and badly dubbed but it has been remastered so you might want to check it out.

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