Calling Lou Ferrigno!

THE LEGEND OF HERCULES-2014-In this CGI laden fantasy that looks more like a video game, Hera allows a woman to bear Zeus's song. 20 years later, the son named Hercules (Kellan Lutz) is in love with the Princess of Crete (Gaia Weiss; later in the TV series VIKINGS) but his jealous half brother Iphicles (Liam Garrigan) gets in the way. When Herc kills a lion with his bare hands Iphicles takes the credit. After Herc is sold into slavery he has to fight a guy who looks like a muscle bound version of the lead singer from “Fishbone”. The fights are comical and Lutz could certainly go down in film history as the most un-Hercules of any Hercules ever portrayed on film! Renowned hack Renny Harkin should find another job he's better suited for.

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Horror in Russia

THE ABANDONED-2006-A Russian born American film producer Marie Jones (Anastasia Hille) returns to her homeland to visit a farm she inherited. After being abandoned by her stupid guide she investigates what's left of the dilapidated house and seems to meet a zombie like version of herself. After nearly drowning she's rescued by a guy name Nikolai (Karel Roden from FRANKENSTEIN'S ARMY). To show her gratitude she smacks him with a log. Later when he wakes up, he claims to be Marilyn's twin brother. They do some snooping around and find human remains then they encounter lookalike zombies. For a while Nikolai disappears but when Marilyn's escape attempt fails they meet up again and they get to see depraved drawn out scenes of their births and the death of their mother. 

This Spanish/Bulgarian/British confused, contrived junk just goes on forever and the finale features wild boars and vomiting.

According to some sources director Nacho Cerda' (from Spain) was suspected of being the director of the infamous “Alien Autopsy” footage because a short he made resembles it!

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The Yeti

THE ABOMINABLE SNOWMAN OF THE HIMALAYAS-1957-Dr. John Rawlinson (Peter Cushing) a botanist doing research in the the Himalayas joins up with a boisterous American climber Tom Friend (Forrest Tucker) to find the legendary Yeti. Friend wants to capture one alive and show it on US TV. Rawlinson just wants to prove it exists. There's a lot of climbing and soul searching and Friend turns out to be a cutthroat swindler. After a little Yeti they capture escapes (actually rescued) the group finds some large footprints. Later a big clawed hand appears sticking in their tent. Their guide goes mad when he sees one and runs away (but somehow makes it back to the village) and the head Lama there acts very mysterious. The Yetis seem to have some kind of mental power over the group who hear voices and do crazy things. After Friend is killed in an avalanche Rawlinson meets the snowmen and we get our only view of them too. Rawlinson's wife leads her own expedition and finds hubby nearly frozen to death. Nursed back to health the doctor now admits he was wrong. There is no Yeti waiting for man to die off.

When I was a kid my friends and I were always disappointed by the brief glimpse of the Yeti but today THE ABOMINABLE SNOWMAN holds up well despite this. The acting is great. Director Val Guest probably took a big chance in not showing too much of the creature in the monster laden age of the late '50's but he still does a good job of story telling. He also made ENEMY FROM SPACE the same year which was also penned by SNOWMAN's screenwriter Nigel Kneale. 

This Hammer production is based on a BBC TV drama entitled THE CREATURE (also written by Kneale).

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'50's Horror with Boris and Lon

THE BLACK CASTLE-1952-In Vienna Sir Roland (Richard Greene; later the star of TV's THE ADVENTURES OF ROBIN HOOD) goes undercover to investigate the deaths of 2 friends he believes were killed by the evil Count Karl von Bruno (Stephen McNally), a sadistic guy with an eye patch who's very mean to his wife The Countess (Rita Corday) and keeps a live panther in his dungeon which he plans to release and hunt in the Black Forest. He's assisted by the mute and equally sadistic Gargon (Lon Chaney Jr.; also in HIGH NOON the same year). There's even a pit of alligators downstairs. John Hoyt and Michael Pate are two foppish nobles loyal to the count. Of course Roland falls in love with the abused countess. Unfortunately Boris Karloff (in his only movie appearance for the year) is wasted in the role of the count's alcoholic doctor who helps the new lovers escape the baron's clutches by giving them a drug that makes them appear to be dead (it almost works too good!).

THE BLACK CASTLE was the first feature film directed by former Oscar winning art director Nathan Juran. Some might like it's fake horror trappings but for me it just wastes the talents of Chaney and Karloff who are good in the few scenes they have. Juran later made many well known horror/Sci-Fi films of the '50's including ATTACK OF THE 5O FOOT WOMAN, THE DEADLY MANTIS and 20 MILLION MILES TO EARTH. He even directed Ronald Reagan and Nancy Davis in HELLCATS OF THE NAVY. Later he did TV work including episodes of several Irwin Allen series.

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Early For Christmas

SILENT NIGHT DEADLY NIGHT-1984-On Christmas Eve in 1971 a young boy is told by his senile grandpa that Santa will punish him and his brother on Christmas. Later the boy named Billy sees his parents killed by an intruder dressed as St. Nick (Charles Dierkop). Three years later the brothers are in an orphanage where Billy gets into trouble with the uptight nuns because of some violent drawings he made. The Fuehrer like Mother Superior whips a boy and girl caught having sex (“punishment is good”) and Billy gets a whipping too because he saw them. On Christmas Eve he's tied to a bed and the head Mother says “I see nothing but greed where there should be gratitude”. He freaks out when Santa visits. Cut to 1984 and Billy (Robert Brian Wilson) has a job hauling furniture in a warehouse but still gets nuts at the sight of Santa. As bad luck would have it, his boss makes him dress like Santa for the company Christmas Party. (“It's six o'clock. Time to get shit-faced!”) He interrupts his foreman trying to rape Pamela, another employee and strangles him with a string of lights. She's not grateful at all and calls him crazy so he stabs her. He kills his drunken boss Mr. Sims with a hammer then uses a bow and arrow on another female worker. 

Bill Claus hits the town killing a baby sitter (Linnea Quigley) who dies topless impaled on some trophy antlers. Her boyfriend puts up a good fight but falls out a window. Later he decapitates a bully. When the police find out how the killer is dressed a stupid cop shoots and kills a priest dressed as Santa! Billy returns to the orphanage (where his brother still resides) to get the Mother Superior but is shot and killed. It ends with his little brother grimacing and saying “naughty”. 

This infamous movie caused a huge controversy when first released because of its depiction of “Killer Claus”. It was eventually pulled form distribution even though it out grossed another horror movie that opened the same weekend: Wes Craven's NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET!

SILENT NIGHT DEADLY NIGHTS's director Charles E. Sellier Jr. only directed three other films but produced many low budget “speculation” documentaries that did well in theaters at the time. (BEYOND AND BACK, THE MYSTERIOUS MONSTERS, IN SEARCH OF HISTORIC JESUS) He also created the hit TV series “The Life and Times of Grizzy Adams”. SILENT NIGHT DEADLY NIGHT is pretty tame by today's standards and spawned several sequels.

Thanks for reading and a Happy Christmas to all and to all a good night!

Chan's Back!

CHARLIE CHAN AT MONTE CARLO-1937-In the famed gambling mecca the famous detective (non-Asian Warner Oland) and his number one son Lee (Keye Luke) stumble across a murder, some stolen bonds and a battle between two industrialists. Of course suspects abound: a bartender, a lackey assistant, a wife, a mistress. This is a pretty good Chan mystery despite too much number one son comedy. The final scene is kind of like the ending of an Abbott & Costello movie! 

With Virginia Field (also in several MR. MOTO entries) and Sidney Blackmer. Director Eugene Forde's career went back to the silent era. This was one of five Charlie Chan mysteries he directed.

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Saturday Night Live Spin-Off?

NOTHING LASTS FOREVER-1984-Strange arty old movie feel (in black & white) fantasy that takes place in an alternate NYC (controlled by The Port Authority!) of the future. A young man named Adam (Zach Galligan; in GREMLINS the same year) wants to be an “artist”. He gets a job watching cars at The Holland Tunnel where Dan Aykroyd plays his boss and lives for a while with his aunt and uncle (Mort Sahl). The film turns color when Adam visits an underground land run by bums and watched over by Father Knickerbocker (Sam Jaffe in his second to last movie). Later he accidentally takes a bus to the moon. Bill Murray plays the ship's captain. In the bus lounge Eddie Fisher performs “O My Papa”! The government sends old people (including King Donovan, his real life wife Imogene Coca and Larry “Bud” Melman) there to shop. Eventually Adam becomes a great pianist and wins the love of a moon maiden named Eloy (Lauren Tom). 

This strange could be a cult film also uses stock footage and silent films and features a cameo by Lawrence Tierney at the end. Paul Frees is the narrator. It was written and directed by Tom Schiller a former writer on Saturday Night Live.

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Super Chuck

FORCED VENGEANCE-1982-Josh Randall (Chuck Norris) is head of security for a gambling casino in China owned by his Jewish father (David Opatoshu) by adoption who's actually retired with the whole operation run by his real son (Frank Michael Liu). Josh lives on a boat with his girlfriend/school teacher Claire (Mary Louise Weller). The real son gets into trouble with some gangsters and he and dad are killed. Later Josh goes on the run with Claire and his half sister Joy (Camila Griggs) because a mob leader wants the casino. His friend LeRoy (Bob Minor) tries to help but is bear hugged to death by a huge henchman (Japanese pro-wrestler Seiji Sakaguchi) who also rapes and kills Claire. Josh puts on his Air Force uniform and gets revenge with a little help from an international agent (Lloyd Kino). Norris beats up a lot of guys in this violent, typical martial arts crime drama. It turns out that the real villain is an old Chinese gang lord and Josh has to fight his weird bastard son. In the finale he avenges Claire's death (a toilet bowl figures in the final fight). 

 The director James Fargo had previously directed Clint Eastwood in THE ENFORCER and EVERY WHICH WAY BUT LOOSE.

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Silent Dickens Classic

OLIVER TWIST-1922-After starring with the legendary Charlie Chaplin in THE KID one year before little Jackie Coogan co-stars with the equally legendary Lon Chaney (although he wasn't a star yet) in this early adaptation of the Dickens classic. The future Uncle Fester is the title character born and raised in a workhouse overseen by the tyrannical Mr. Bumble (James A. Marcus) where at the age of 9 he asks for more. He becomes an undertaker's apprentice but runs away to London and meets the Artful Dodger (Edward Trebaol) who in turn introduces him to the evil Fagin (Chaney) who oversees a gang of pickpockets. He and meanie Bill Sykes (George Siegmann) want Oliver for another scam though but before that happens Oliver is arrested and later taken in by a kindly bookseller Mr. Brownlow (Lionel Belmore). Fagin (who answers to a mysterious guy named Monks) kidnaps the boy when he finds out that Oliver is heir to a large inheritance. Still he and Bill need Oliver's diminutive size to pull off a robbery. When Oliver rebels Bill shoots him! He's only wounded and nursed back to health by a rich dowager and her niece who reunite him with Brownlow. After Bill's wife Nancy (Gladys Brockwell) spills the beans to the bookseller, Bill finds out about her betrayal and kills her. In the end everyone is arrested except for Bill who accidentally hangs himself. Oliver gets his birthright and inheritance.

Director Frank Lloyd was no stranger to adapting Dickens to the screen as a few years earlier he'd made a version of A TALE OF TWO CITIES. He packs a lot of story into the short running time (about 75 minutes) and keeps the tale interesting and exciting. Child star Coogan was at the apex of his career and is very good (and funny) in the lead. Naturally Lon Chaney steals every scene he's in.

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Herman's Back!

MRS. BROWN YOU'VE GOT A LOVELY DAUGHTER-1968-Herman's Hermits tries to emulate The Beatles movie success with inept talky musical. Peter/Herman is an unhappy guy who lives with his mother and works for an advertising agency. He also owns a racing dog named Mrs. Brown. At night he rehearses with the rest of the Hermits. The title cut and “There's A Kind of Hush” are in it but so are some forgettable tunes. A guy named Mr. Brown (Stanley Holloway) sponsors the band so they can raise money to race their dog. Not surprisingly his daughter Judy (Sarah Caldwell) falls for Herman. The weirdest part is that co-stars Holloway, Mona Washburn (as a human Mrs. Brown) and Lance Percival all sing too! 

Director Saul Swimmer later filmed THE CONCERT FOR BANGLADESH. American born screenwriter Norman Thaddeus Vane later returned to his native country and made low budget horror movies (FRIGHTMARE, THE BLACK ROOM). He may have been married to lead actress Caldwell.

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Herman's Hermits

HOLD ON!-1966-Herman's Hermits are a hit in America! They disguise themselves as policemen to get away from screaming fans. Somehow NASA winds up naming one of there rockets after the group. A government employee (Herbert Anderson) investigates the band because the State Department doesn't like the idea of naming a US rocket after an English pop band. Herman falls for American Louisa (Shelly Fabares) and he has a daydream about being a knight in shining armor. There's also a fantasy sequence where Herman dreams he and his manager (Bernard Fox) are astronauts.

This dumb but harmless Sam Katzman produced musical comedy (obviously trying to emulate The Beatles' HELP!, from a year early; both titles end with exclamation points...) also features a side plot about an actress (Sue Ane Langdon) trying to get a publicity shot with Herman. (Character actor Mickey Deems is her agent) In the end Anderson decides “the lads” are just like any other teenagers.

While no Beatles Herman's Hermits had some pretty nice songs (although almost none are in this!). Ray Kellogg (director of THE KILLER SHREWS) and John Hart (who'd played The Lone Ranger on TV for a season or two) play detectives. HOLD ON was written by B-movie Robert Kent under the pseudonym James B. Gordon. He wrote THE FASTEST GUITAR ALIVE (with Roy Orbison) the next year. Director Arthur Lubin had work on several Abbott & Costello movies in the early '40's. Then on the Francis the Talking Mule series. By this time he was doing a lot of TV. The title song and several others were penned by PF Sloane who died this passed November.

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Mongram

THE FACE OF MARBLE-1946-Two doctors perform an experiment that revives a dead man but a storm blows out their equipment and he dies again. Charles Randolph (John Carradine) is an eminent brain specialist. His wife Elaine (Claudia Drake) is a former patient who's life he saved. Their Maria Ouspenskaya like maid Maria (Rosa Rey) uses voodoo to try and make the younger doctor, David (Robert Shayne) fall in love with Elaine. Randolph kills Elaine's great dane Brutus and brings it back to life but now he's more vicious and transparent! When David's girlfriend Linda (Maris Wrixton from THE APE) arrives Elaine gets jealous. Transparent Brutus scares Linda then goes out and drinks the blood of other animals. When Maria accidentally kills Elaine (she was trying to kill Linda) the duo bring her back to life despite Randolph's doubts. Somehow Maria gains control of Elaine and has her kill Randolph. David is charged with his murder. Later Maria sics Elaine on Linda but David arrives in time to break it up. Maria commits suicide and Elaine and Brutus walk into the ocean (?).

William Beaudine directed this Monogram horror story which has a few twists and good acting to take a notch above the studio's usual routine low budget.

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Suffer The Usher....

THE FALL OF THE HOUSE OF USHER-1949-Some stuffy English dudes discuss Edgar Allan Poe at their club. One of them relates the title story.

Jonathan (Irving Steen) goes to visit his friend Roderick Usher (Kay Tendeter) at his castle. Usher says he's inherited a strange family disease. He also says his sister Madeleine (Gwen Watford who later became famous for a British TV work)) has the same disease. She plays the piano, drinks milk and wanders around the castle. The weird family doctor (Vernon Charles) relates a story that the disease is actually a curse placed on the family by a man their father killed (he was having an affair with their mother). He also tells Roderick about a “temple” hidden in the moors.

The three men go there and meet Rodericks's mother, now a decrepit old hag who has her dead lover's head! The doctor says that if they burn the head the curse will be broken. They leave but come back with their gardener (I'm not sure why they needed a gardener to burn a head) but Mrs. Usher overpowers Roderick and kills the gardener. Then Madeleine has a run-in with mom and is almost killed. Jonathan tries to cheer Rod up by painting and reading until Rod suddenly announces that Madeleine is dead (he tells how in a flashback). He puts her in a coffin, nails it shut and places it in the family mausoleum. 8 days later Rod is brandishing a gun at night because he hears strange noises (nails being hammered, a ticking clock) and thinks sis is coming to get him. He shoots the doctor (but Jonathan doesn't hear anything). It seems Madeleine was buried alive and escaped her coffin (after 8 days?). He tries to shoot her and fails and she tediously chases him to the roof where he falls to his death and Madeleine disappears (all the time mom is watching).

Where Jonathan was all this time isn't explained but he shows up in time to escape the burning castle, set on fire by lightening. Your guess is as good as mine...

Director Ivan Barnett did little else but this strange quirky adaptation has it's moments.

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Were-Dogs?

BATTLEDOGS-2013-There's a CGI werewolf outbreak in NYC. People infected are quarantined in a place that looks like Grand Central Station overseen by a jerk-ass army general (Dennis Haysbert). Army doctor Hoffman (Greg Sheffer from NIGHTBREED) is brought in and gets too close to the truth (government conspiracy) so the army sends a werewolf to kill him. Later Patient O escapes the camp and heads to a place that's suppose to be Central Park. It seems O is carrying a bone in his arm that contains an antidote. When all the wolves escape and invade Manhattan the bad black mean looking president (Bill Duke) orders air strikes on all the city's bridges. A car chase was actually filmed in Flushing Meadow Park, not too far from where I live! 

Wes Studi is a mean colonel and Ernie Hudson as a security expert gives a better performance than this THE HULK/THE HOWLING inspired nonsense from The Asylum warrants. Director Alexander Yellen was a cinematographer on stuff like MEGA SHARK VS. GIANT OCTOPUS so you've been warned.

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What Day?

THE DAY-2011-This mean spirited nonsense combines elements of THE HUNGER GAMES meets NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD with a splash of 28 DAYS LATER and probably a bit of THE ROAD.

The self important action gore mess has some young survivors of an apocalypse hold up in an abandon house to stave off an army of flesh eating humans (not zombies for a change). Ashley Bell (THE LAST EXORCISM) is Mary, a reformed cannibal out to kill the invading cannibals. But the group doesn't trust her so they wind up torturing her. Eventually she helps them (unsuccessfully) fight the invading horde. Everyone is killed which means nothing since there are no likable characters except Mary who in the final scene decapitates a little girl (ok, so it's a cannibal little girl....). With the usual jerky camera work, overacting and violence.

Dominic Monaghan (THE LORD OF THE RINGS trilogy) is killed early (he was one of the producers too). 

The director Douglas Aarniokoski was a second unit director on many films before obviously graduating to full director on second rate films.

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Not a Newton Room....

 

THE MAD ROOM-1969-In 1957 two children murder their parents and are placed in a mental institution. Their older sister a witness to the crime is now Ellen Hardy (Stella Stevens) a kind of live-in personal assistant to rich widow Gladys Armstrong (Shelly Winters) who's son () Ellen is engaged to. Things seem to be ok until Ellen gets a letter saying her to siblings are being released into her care. With no other choice Ellen brings them to stay in the Armstrong house where they get almost immediately into trouble for using Gladys private study as their “mad room”, a place to go when they are upset. Gladys winds up hacked to death after she learns the history of the two and her dog carries her severed hand around.

 

The pretty predictable story also features Severn Darden as a builder and Beverly Garland as Mrs. Racine, a drunken floozy who's husband/masseur is having an affair with Gladys. Her death scene is the highlight of the whole film when she commits suicide in a bathroom after making a bitter speech using the word “man-whore”. Another housewife is played by Jennifer Bishop who was later in several Al Adamson films (HORROR OF THE BLOOD MONSTERS, THE FEMALE BUNCH).

THE MAD ROOM is a remake of the 1941 film LADIES IN RETIREMENT, an adaptation of a hit Broadway play. Director Bernard Girard also made the seldom seen THE HAPPINESS CAGE.

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Animation

 

TWICE UPON A TIME-1983-Weird “Yellow Submarine” inspired animated fantasy has an evil guy (voice of Marshall Efron) who sends nightmares to sleepers wanting to control time by using “the cosmic clock”. So he sends some dumb guy named Mum and his annoying “all purpose animal” to get it. One of the monsters seems to be based on the Ro-Man from ROBOT MONSTER but I found it mostly a waste of time.

 

Paul Frees is the narrator and provides other voices along with Lorenzo Music and Hamilton Camp.

 

One of the directors, John Korty had made the TV movie GO ASK ALICE and later made THE EWOK ADVENTURE. The other, Charlie Swenson later worked on the animated kid's show RUGRATS. George Lucas was one of the producers. According to some online sources several different versions exist.

 

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Chan Again!

CHARLIE CHAN IN EGYPT-1935-The unflappable (phony) Asian detective (Warner Oland) goes to Egypt to find a missing archaeology professor. Thanks to an x-ray machine they find him bandaged up in a sarcophagus instead of a real mummy! Chan tries to help the professor's daughter (Pat Paterson) and her injured brother (James Eagles) but winds up just getting blamed for all the bad things that happen. Her boyfriend Tom (Thomas Back) assists Chan who while investigating a tomb seems to be attacked by an Egyptian goddess! It's a little talky but builds up to a nice climax. Frank Reicher is a doctor and Rita Casino (later Hayworth) has a small role. Worst part: Stepin Fetchit as a frightened servant name Snowshoes.

 

 Director Louis King began in silent films and later made several Bulldog Drummond mysteries and the tearjerker THE WAY OF ALL FLESH (1940). One of the few entries in the series where Chan is not assisted by a son.

 

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Kiddie Stuff

CODY THE ROBOSAPIEN-A nerdy scientist (David Eigenberg) creates a kid like robot for search and rescue missions but his evil partner (Kim Coates) wants to sell it as a weapon to a foreign power. After the bot is injured escaping, a genius kid named Henry (Bobby Coleman) who has a mean older sister (Holliston Coleman) and an uncaring mother (Penelope Ann Miller) kind of fixes Cody up. Henry takes him to school where Cody break dances, plays basketball and helps Henry woo a girl he likes. Cody flies too and he and Henry have several dangerous adventures in his ET/Disney inspired children's story filmed in New Orleans. I guess kids might like it....

Apparently the main character is based on “biomorphic robot” created by the Hong Kong based company WowWee. It was written and co-produced by Avi Arad who co-produced many of the early Marvel Comics movie adaptations including the first Spider-Man trilogy directed by Sam Raimi. Another producer Steven Paul had directed stuff like ENTERNITY (1990) and SLAPSTICK (1982). Director Sean McNamara directed a lot of kids TV shows.

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1957! What a Great Year!

THE BURGLAR-1957-Dan Dureya leads a small band of criminals who steal a valuable necklace from an eccentric philanthropist. His partners are a jewel expert (Peter Capell), a thug (Mickey Shaunessy) and his adopted sister (Jayne Mansfield) who everyone has eyes for. The quartet hold up in a house and eventually get on each others' nerves. Meanwhile a weird detective tries to crack the case. When things shift to Atlantic City the story takes a mysterious turn and there are some plot twists. Jayne appears in a bath suit in a very short scene. The screenplay is by author David Goodis who also wrote the novel it's based on. He also penned the novels Dark Passage (adapted by director Delmar Daves 10 years earlier) and Down There (the basis for Francois Truffaut's SHOOT THE PIANO PLAYER).

THE BURGLAR is no classic but it's a good little film noir which marked the film debut of director Paul Wendkos who later made GIDGET and BECAUSE THEY'RE YOUNG and did tons of TV work.

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American Actors In Italy

 

 

THE VISITOR-1979-At an Atlanta Hawks basketball game a little girl named Katy (Paige Connor) seems to make an opposing player lose the game. She's a snot-nosed brat and after having sex her mother Barbara (Joanne Nail) confesses to her boyfriend Raymond (Lance Henriksen who was in OMEN 2 the year before) that she's afraid of her daughter. It turns out Raymond actually works for a cabal led by Dr. Walker (Mel Ferrer) who says the mother carries the genes of “Sateen”. They want the boyfriend to impregnate mom so Katy will have a brother. For some reason Katy gets a revolver for a birthday present and she accidentally shoots mom who winds up paralyzed. A character who may be Jesus Christ (Franco Nero) sends a visitor (John Huston) to check up on Katy. And a weird housekeeper (Shelly Winters, no stranger to horror and exploitation) also hangs around. Meanwhile a detective (Glen Ford who had played Pa Kent in the SUPERMAN movie the year before) investigates until he is killed. Later after Raymond and Katy kill Barbara the visitor sends a flock of birds to kill Raymond and Katy is whisked away to a heavenly place where (now bald) she joins other hairless children under the protection of the Christ like figure.

This Italian/US co-production THE OMEN inspired tale was filmed in and around Rome by Guilio Paradisi (a former actor) under the more American sounding Michael J. Paradise. It's no paradise when viewing this disjointed, badly dubbed horror tale despite the name cast. It could be the US version was badly cut and dubbed making the story fairly incoherent. For example director Sam Peckinpah appears in one scene as a doctor named Collins (Katy and Barbara's last name). It seems in the uncut version it's explained that the doctor is actually Barbara's ex-husband but here it's reduced to a weird cameo by an American director (Peckinpah would make this last movie THE OSTERMAN WEEKEND a few years later). Actor/director Mel Ferrer was in several European horror films around this time and the same year as THE VISITOR was in added US scenes for an Italian horror film SCREAMERS.

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Watch Out!

NIGHTWATCH-1997-A loser (Ewan MacGregor) takes a job as a night watchman in a morgue after the old one (Lonny Chapman) quits. Years before another watchman was caught having sex with the corpses. He gets spooked a lot being alone with the dead but after a series of killings he's accused of necrophilia by 2 weird cops (Nick Nolte & John C. Reilly). His friend (Josh Brolin) and his girlfriend (Patricia Arquette) became involved and Brad Dourif livens things up as pill pushing doctor..

It's a remake of a Danish film by the same director Ole Bornedal but co-scripted by Steven Soderbergh. It mostly plays like a direct to video slasher movie but with a bigger budget and lots of emoting from the well known cast.

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Why 1970?

 

 

FRANKENSTEIN-1970-1958-A TV crew comes the Castle Frankenstein to film a live spook show special to commemorate the 240^th anniversary of Frankenstein. Boris Karloff plays the last descendant of the infamous doctor, a scarred, limping, bitter, slightly insane (and possibly castrated) old man who was forced by the Nazis to do experiments on humans. Deep in his castle he's creating a new monster but since this was made in the 1950's atomic energy plays an important part as the Baron has a reactor in his lab (it was provided by the production company so the Baron would allow them to film in his castle). The manic director (Don “Red” Barry) and the producer (Tom Duggan) seem oblivious to the evil goings on but the Baron's lawyer (Rudolph Anders, the Nazi leader in SHE DEMONS the same year) suspects his client is dabbling in the old family pastime. In fact when Anders hints at this the Baron threatens to cut out his tongue! (He later uses his eyes instead) He also uses his loyal butler. He is polite but creepy toward the lead actress (Jana Lund) who when complaining about past role mentions The Donner Party! The monster is a big bandaged giant (played by pro wrestler Mike Lane) who gets to carry the girl around in the finale and when his bandages are removed has an interesting face.

This low budget Allied Artist production was directed by Howard Koch who'd already made movies like UNTAMED YOUTH and BOP GIRL GOES CALYPSO. He would also serve as producer of Karloff's other AA horror film for that year the much worse VOODOO ISLAND. Soon after this he ventured into television and much later produce AIRPLANE and its sequel. Screenwriter Richard Landau was a prolific TV writer and also penned the aforementioned VOODOO ISLAND.

Despite being villainous and sleazy Karloff still manages (as usual) to instill his character with a few sympathetic tones. I've read many bad reviews for this film but despite the low budget I think it's great! Hey it was Karloff's first film effort in a couple of years! Glad ya came back Boris!

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8 Drunks

 

KUNG-FU OF THE EIGHT DRUNKARDS-1980-More inebriated Kung-Fu hi-jinx. An alcoholic martial arts master, Wu Tseng tries to teach his student Chan Kung (Meng Fei). After some fool who looks radiation scarred causes trouble with some firecrackers Chan Kung meets another fighter named Monkey Thief. They fight in an “8 Immortals Style” tournament. Kung becomes a waiter and that seems to help improve his Kung-Fu but he gets beaten up anyway. When some idiots refuse to pay their check a woman named Pie Yu beats them up. Meanwhile a mysterious figure in black hangs around in the background. There's more plot but it gets very confusing (probably due to the bad dubbing and editing) but there is some intense training sessions for Chan Kung and most of the fights are humorous (despite the serious story line) until the finale which is very violent but it all ends comically.

Director Ma Wu (the word director is spelled wrong on the print I saw) was also a busy actor as well as directing over 40 martial arts films (including WU TANG CLAN and ONCE UPON A TIME IN CHINA).

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Blacula Returns

 

SCREAM BLACULA SCREAM-1973-In this pointless sequel Blacula (William Marshall) comes back to undead-ness through a voodoo ritual gone awry. Voodoo priestess Susan Fortier (Pam Grier) is suspected and the former prince beats up two pimps. Grier's former cop boyfriend Justin Carter (Don Mitchell) helps Sheriff Dunlop (Michael Conrad) investigate the “voodoo killings”. Blacula wants Susan to perform an exorcism and get rid of the “demon” inside him. While she performs the ritual, Carter and Dunlop get rid of Blacula's vampire buddies. A voodoo doll spells his end. It's not nearly as entertaining as the original and very drawn out with a lot of jive talking and mumbo jumbo.

 

Director Bob Kelljan, a former actor, had made both COUNT YORGA movies before this.

Blacula

 

BLACULA-1972-In 1780 Count Dracula (Charles Macaulay) turns an African prince (William Marshall) into the title character because the prince wanted to end slavery. In the present day 2 gay guys buy a batch of African artifacts including the coffin wherein Blacula was imprisoned by the king of vampires for almost two hundred years (like Barnabas Collins). He rises and kills them and medical investigator Dr. Thomas (Thalmus Rasulala) has his suspicions. Blacula goes to a party pretending he's just a plain old ordinary African guy named Mamuwilde despite his long cape. (“Hey, that's one strange dude”) Thomas' girlfriend Michelle (Denise Nicholas) has a sister named Tina (Vionetta McGee) who resembles Blacula's lost long Luva. He tries hard to bring her over to his side but when she is killed he deliberately walks into the sun and disintegrates. Elisha Cook Jr. plays a coroner with a hook hand and Gordon Pinsett is a police lieutenant.

 

Marshall is pretty frightening when he gets angry and overall the movie delivers despite some dumb dialogue. Director William Crain did some TV after this and the horror movie DR. BLACK, MR. HYDE.

 

This was a big hit and AIP produced a sequel the next year.

 

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Mr. Moto

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

THANK YOU MR. MOTO-1937-Peter Lorre starred as Kentaro Moto, a Japanese sleuth created by writer James Marquand in eight “Mr. Moto” films between 1937-1939. This was the second one produced. The Moto character at least in films is very mysterious. Sometimes it's not even clear who he's working for. He almost seems like a free agent working toward his own gains (but in the end always on the side of good). In THANK YOU, the intrepid P.I. investigates a collection of ancient Chinese maps that may lead to the treasure of Genghis Khan. It starts off in the Gobi desert with Moto disguised as a Mongolian. Later he tries to help an art collector Eleanor Joyce (Pauline Frederick). Everyone it seems is after the priceless scrolls a prince (Phillip Ahn) and his mother have especially bad guy Sidney Blackmer. Co-star Thomas Beck who plays Eleanor's love interest was also in several Charlie Chan movies. Sig Ruman is an early victim and John Carradine is a art dealer with a weird accent. Director Norman Foster made other Moto films as well as several Chan entries and is the credited director of Orson Welles' JOURNEY INTO FEAR.

 

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Rondo

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

HOUSE OF HORRORS-1946-Universal's second outing featuring the famed Rondo Hatton as the murdering “Creeper” (after the Sherlock Holmes entry PEARL OF DEATH). He's rescued from a watery death by mad sculptor Marcel (Martin Kosleck; usually a Nazi in many films in the '40's) who wants him as a model for his greatest masterpiece. At night Rondo does his rounds (Virginia Christine plays his first victim), breaking the spines of women but he also takes time to kill a pompous art critic (Alan Napier) who ridiculed Marcel's work. A commercial artist Steve Morrow (Robert Lowery; future Caped Crusader in the BATMAN & ROBIN serial 3 years later)) comes under the suspicion of a deluded police lieutenant (Bill Goodwin). Morrow's girlfriend Joan (Virginia Grey, a busy actress in the '40's)) is another critic who discovers the secret alliance. When Rondo discovers Marcel might betray him it all goes down the drain. Rondo gets shot in the finale but doesn't seem to die (probably because Universal plan to use the character again). Joan Fulton (later Shawlee) appears as a doomed model and the great Byron Foulger is an almost buyer of one of Marcel's statues until dissuaded by Napier.

 

HOUSE OF HORRORS isn't seen much today and would probably totally forgotten if not for the presence of the Rondo Hatton who does an impressive job of trying to be sinister but in fact often comes off as a sorrowful guy done in by his natural appearance (of course in real life the actor was afflicted with acromegaly). Perhaps this was director Jean Yarbrough's intention but since the Creeper's pastime is coldly breaking the backs of innocent people I doubt it. The fast but fairly competent Yarbrough would also direct Hatton in his final feature THE BRUTE MAN later in the year. Universal had planned to exploit Hatton as a new horror star based on his affliction but he died later in 1946 before his final film was released.

 

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The Alamo

THE LAST COMMAND-1955-Jim Bowie (Sterling Hayden) arrives in the Texas/Mexican territory just in time for an uprising of Texicans against Mexico. William Travis (Richard Carlson) tries to convince a committee to resist Mexico's iron fist. When Santa Ana (J. Carroll Nash) rejects the Texicans demands Austin (Otto Kurger) decides it's time to take up arms against them. But when his wife and kid die Bowie becomes a wanderer. Later he and his small group (including Jim Davis and Slim Pickens) decide to fight. Ernest Borgnine is a tough guy named Mike who has a knife fight with Bowie at the beginning of the story and later they become friends. Edward Franz (THE FOUR SKULLS OF JONATHAN DRAKE) is the Mexican representative living with The Texicans. Anna Maria Albergetti (an actress I only remember for doing salad dressing TV commercials in the late '60's)is the senorita love interest who comes between Bowie and Travis. Things really get rowdy when Davey Crockett (Arthur Hunnicutt) shows up. Great battle finale at The Alamo. I won't reveal what happens...

Roy Roberts, Virginia Grey, John Russell and Morris Ankrum also have roles.

THE LAST COMMAND was once of the most expensive pictures ever produced by the low budget Republic Pictures studio. It was suppose to star John Wayne as Bowie but he also wanted to direct it. However when the studio hired the workman like Frank Lloyd (IF I WERE KING, BLOOD ON THE SUN) instead Wayne bolted. He'd get his chance to star in and direct his own version several years later with THE ALAMO (some argue THE LAST COMMAND is more historically accurate).

This version has lots going for it. Action, a strong cast and good direction.

Here's Lorne Greene's version of the historical battle:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9bZu5T1VbVs

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Down Under Murder

 

CUT-2000-In Australia, a young film crew decides to finish a “cursed” horror film even though everyone who has tried before was killed (including the original director). They hire the original American actress (Molly Ringworm) to star again and after playing a cruel joke on the director they all head off to shoot the rest of the movie. Of course someone dressed as the movie killer shows up to kill cast and crew. Some of the death are very nasty (fire, head crushing, decapitation) and the ending goes on forever. Stupidest part has a teacher get a pole driven through his neck but he pulls it and saves the day! Pop singer Kylie Minogue is one of the cast.

 

This Australian effort is violent and derivative and director Kimble Rendall ( a second unit director on THE MATRIX movies) obviously hasn't learned anything from watching US horror movies!

 

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The Mighty Ferrigno

HERCULES-1983-After a very cartoonish opening explaining the beginnings of the universe and Pandora's jar (?), some gods (dressed up like a Christmas pageant with Zeus looking like Santa) living on the moon create some kind of super being to combat evil on Earth in the form of the King of Thebes new born son named Hercules. An evil prince has mom and dad killed but a maid saves baby Herc (with Zeus “lending a hand”). Hera (Rossana Podesta) doesn't seem to care much for the baby and sends some strange snake monsters to slay the infant but he kills them instead! His saving and rescue by a childless couple has echoes of Superman and Moses! The bambino grows up to be the legendary strongman (Lou Ferrigno, a year after his TV series THE INCREDIBLE HULK had ended). He kills a bear that killed his father and tosses it into space. The King of Minos (William Berger) and Deadalus (Eva Robins) scheme with Hera to destroy him. Herc fights a metallic bird monster and throws a log into space too. After winning a tournament and cleaning some stables he falls in love with Cass (Ingrid Anderson)) the betrothed daughter of another king (Brad Harris). He gets some help from Circe (Mirella D'Angelo) but Cass is kidnapped by an evil princess (Sybil Danning) who plans to use her as a sacrifice. With a rainbow bridge, a journey to hell and a chariot ride through space.

 

This filmed in Italy Cannon production has laughable acting and SFX. Writer/director Luigi Cozzi (STARCRASH, PAGANINI HORROR) is credited as Lewis Coates.

 

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Acquanetta

CAPTIVE WILD WOMAN-1943-A Clive Beatty like animal trainer Fred Mason (Milburn Stone) comes back from Africa with a load of wild animals. After he re-captures a loose tiger his girlfriend Beth (Evelyn Ankers) relates a flashback wherein she takes her ailing sister Dorothy (Martha Vickers) to a sanitarium run by a suave and famous doctor Sigmund Walters (John Carradine) because she has “glandular troubles”. Later Walters takes a shine to Mason's pet gorilla Cheela (Crash Corrigan) and has a recently fired handler (Paul Fix) steal the ape so the doctor can use it in an experiment. Using glandular fluid from Dorothy and his nurse (Fay Helm) he transforms Cheela into the beautiful Paula Dupree (Acquanetta) who arrives at the circus just in time to save Mason from a lion as she seems to have some power over the animals. The circus boss (Lloyd Corrigan) hires her to keep an eye on the lions and tigers while Mason performs with them. Everything is fine until Paula sees Mason kiss Beth. Obviously jealous she begins to turn back into her old simian self and tries to kill Beth. Later Walters plans another experiment using both sisters but Paula/Cheela kills him and heads for the circus arriving just in time to save Mason when a lightening storm wrecks the place. She's shot and dies....or does she?

This little horror film may seem like just another Universal quickie but 2 sequels followed. It's been said that the only reason Milburn Stone (later “Doc” on the long running TV western GUNSMOKE) got the lead is because of his resemblance to the real Clive Beatty who is actually working with the animals in the long shots. Director Edward Dmytryk does a good job of matching them together but the strange flashback almost makes it seem as though the movie was re-edited before it's release. Carradine is his usual cool collected self as the mad but total rational doctor but it's the exotic Acquanetta who steals the show, although some may be disappointed by her brief turn as a hairy ape woman.

In real life Acquanetta's origins are a bit of a mystery though born in Wyoming many  biographies list her real name as Mildred Davenport while the actress herself claimed a different moniker. She co-starred in several other Universal movies and returned for  a "Captive" sequel.

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I Don't Get it

THE ROOST-2005-In a black and white intro Tom Noonan is a horror host who introduces the story and even interrupts it later on. Three guys and a girl on their way to a wedding have a car accident. They wonder around a bit then come to a house where earlier an old couple were killed. A cop picks them up but he's killed and one guy disappears. The remaining three are terrorized by vampire bats and the reanimated corpses of the cop and the old couple. It's seems to be some kind of weird found footage horror movie that really makes no sense. Larry Fessenden was the executive producer and appears as a tow trucker driver. Director Ti West later made CABIN FEVER 2 and a segment of V/H/S.

 

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Bad Teen

EXCISION-2012-Misfit Teen Pauline (AnnaLynne McCord, who's actually good in the role) is a smart ass religion obsessed jerk who makes a guy go down on her when she's on her period. She insults a priest (John Waters!) and has bloody fantasies. Her stupid domineering mother is played by Tracy Lords (trying to win an Academy Award). Later she shaves her head and dissects her sister and a friend. There are also small bits by Marlee Maitlin, Ray Wise and Malcolm McDowell. I question the sanity of writer/director Richard Bates Jr. for making this pretty strange horror movie.

 

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Don't Make a Dinosaur (or me either...)

THE DINOSAUR PROJECT-2012-Found footage nonsense depicting a British explorer's trek to a remote part of Africa where dinosaurs are said to dwell. Also along are his assistant (who later on betrays the explorer) and a film crew (plus the explorer's son who stows away). They all seem unprepared for the task and are almost immediately attacked by giant pterodactyl like bats (or vice-versa). Later they are terrorized by a sea monster, T-Rex and other Jurassic Park type nasties but it's mostly the cast talking to the camera and shaky photography. Director Sid Bennett did mostly TV work before this UK production.

 

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Burn The Negative!

BUTCHER BOYS-2012-In San Antonio,Texas 4 assholes run into a gang of wise ass cannibals in this inane horror/thriller written and produced by Kim Henkel who wrote the original TCSM. The poor sap is still trying to cash in on that fact and recapture the cult success it brought. Too bad he can only succeed in making more derivative bullshit reserved for the direct to DVD wasteland.

 

To top it off it boasts two directors (Duane Graves & Justin Meeks)  yet can't even come up with one original idea. I rarely say this but avoid at all costs. Use the 86 minutes this turkey runs to do something constructive, like rearranging your sock draw!

 

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Tamara

 

TAMARA-2005-A high school student named Tamara (Jena Dewan Tatum) is bullied and disliked by her classmates. Her father doesn't treat her much better. In her spare time she practices witchcraft. After some (typical) moronic students play a prank on her in a hotel room she's accidentally killed. Even though one of the girls involved wants to come clean, the others blackmail her to keep quiet and bury the body. Much to everyone's surprise the next day Tamara shows up in class. Apparently she's come back for revenge! In a cringe worthy scene she makes a nerd cut off his ear, part of his tongue then stab himself in the eye. She makes her pervert father eat beer bottles and makes two male jocks have sex together. Then she makes one of their bulimic girlfriends puke up her guts and eat her own fingers. The two remaining teens get help from a teacher Tamara has a crush on. She sends the two jocks to kill the teacher's wife in a scene that goes on way too long (the wife kills both jocks). It really gets ridiculous when Tamara terrorizes what's left of the cast in a hospital devoid of doctors, nurses and patients. The teacher sacrifices himself to destroy Tamara but they forget about one other person...

As back from the dead for revenge flicks go this isn't too bad but like most modern day horror stories it's too long and runs out of steam relaying on long chases and pointless secondary side stories. Director Jeremy Haft directed some video games after this and according to at least one source is writing the screenplay for a film bio of late rapper Tupac Shakur.

They Is!

 

THEY-2002-A woman (Laura Regan)) studying to be a psychologist seems to have a relapse of “night terrors” she experienced as a kid when her childhood friend kills himself. It turns out some blobby monster is after her. It chases her through the subway where she gets lost and attacks her rescuers. She's locked up in a hospital and no one believes her story. Eventually the monster takes her to another dimension. The end. After this director Robert Harmon made several JESSE STONE TV movies with Tom Selleck as a cop and episodes of “Bluebloods” (also with Selleck). Sometimes called WES CRAVEN PRESENTS THEY (I don't know why he'd want to brag about it)......

 

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Lock It Away!

 

STORAGE 24-2012-Hard to recommend this politically correct SUPER 8/ALIEN rip-off made in England. A bunch of idiots with lots of personal problems are menaced by a bloodthirsty creature inside a storage facility. Hearts are ripped out, faces bitten off and bodies are eviscerated The climax is ridiculous. According to the IMDB writer/director Johannes Roberts made the world's first series for mobile phones. I'm so down after watching this movie I can't even make a joke about that. I've wasted enough of everybody's time.

 

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AAA: Another Amicus Anthology

 

 

THE HOUSE THAT DRIPPED BLOOD-An obnoxious police detective (John Bennett) investigates the disappearance of film star Paul Henderson. A real estate agent (John Bryans) tells him strange things go on in the house where a woman has also vanished. He gives the detective the reports on the last few tenants for him to read. They comprise the stories.

In the first “A Method For Murder”, a horror writer (Denholm Elliot) creates a sinister character called Dominic (Tom Adams). It seems the character comes to life and the writer wonders if he's going insane. The twist ending makes no sense.

In the second “Waxworks”, Peter Cushing plays Phillip, a loner who listens to classical music and mourns the death of his lover. He and his friend Neville (Joss Ackland) become obsessed with a wax figure that resembles the dead woman. The museum's mad owner figures into the climax.

 

In the third “Sweets To The Sweet” (related by the real estate agent), Christopher Lee plays a stuck up businessman who treats his seemingly cute and innocent daughter in an overly strict manner. It turns out she's not exactly what she appears to be. Nyree Dawn Porter plays a teacher who tries to help.

In the final story “The Cloak”, Jon Pertwee plays pompous horror star Paul Henderson. When speaking of a film with Dracula in it he says “The one with Bela Lugosi. Not that new fella”. (This was an Amicus production) Henderson buys a mysterious cloak for his latest vampire role and it seems to turn him into a blood sucker. His co-star/lover Korla (Ingrid Pitt) turns out to be the real thing!

In the ridiculous finale Henderson and Korla attack the detective when he goes to investigate.

This is an ok anthology from Hammer Studios' chief English competition at the time and the script by writer Robert Bloch is clever in spots but I thought the stories could have been better. I wasn't really satisfied with the conclusion to most of them and the direction by Peter Duffell seems rushed in parts but it's always good to see a nice old fashioned anthology like this especially with a great cast.

Around this time Bloch was a busy writer doing more stuff for Amicus like ASYLUM and THE TORTURE GARDEN plus TV movies like THE CAT CREATURE and TV show episodes. It's also said that Vincent Price was first offered the role of Paul Henderson but his contract with AIP prevented him from accepting it.

 

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Christmas Corpse

 

 

 

 

A CADAVER CHRISTMAS-2011-Thisblack comedy gore film begins with a toilet bowl flushing. Small town idiots battle corpses come back to life from a morgue in the local college. The group includes a fat bartender, a drunk, a stupid former sheriff, the college janitor and a guy arrested for having sex with a goat (he later has sex with a corpse). Later a female security guard joins them and they fight the zombies with a mop, a plunger and a snow shovel. It's all a REANIMATOR like experiment by a teacher gone wrong, although this clearly influenced more by Peter Jackson's DEAD ALIVE.

 

Director Joe Zerull shot it to look like a grainy super 8 film. There's a ton of gore and some clever and funny parts but goes on too long and gets a little full of its self. I suppose killing zombies while “Oh Holy Night” plays might seem funny to some people...

 

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German Horror

THE DEPRAVED-2011-In Berlin, four young people (3 girls, 1 guy) go on an illegal underground tour to a secret Nazi bunker. At the bunker they find it full of weird 3^rd Reich graffiti. Unfortunately on the way back their German guide is badly injured in a fall after one of the girls takes his picture. Two of the girls go for help. The other two stay behind and meet a laughing German who turns out to be a crazy cannibal who likes to torture and kill. He holds the duo prisoners but the girl escapes into the subway. He follows her and re-kidnaps her despite the presence of many passengers. The killer even cleans up his mess at a station where he kills someone. The ridiculous story ends with the killer brushing his teeth with an electric toothbrush. I'm not sure if the title describes the killer or the director Andy Fetscher.

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Chan Returns

 

 

 

 

 

 

 DEAD MEN TELL-1941-Charlie Chan (Sidney Toler) investigates the mysterious goings-on on the ship planning a treasure hunt after the old woman heading it is scared to death by the “Ghost of Black Hook”. Everyone acts suspiciously. Even the Asian cook! George Reeves portrays an escape con and early victim. Future “Science Fiction Theater” host Truman Bradley is the captain with a talking parrot. Other suspects include a female psychiatrist (Lenita Lane) and her patient (Milton Parsons). Victor Sen Young is Jimmy, number 2 son, who helps a little but mostly gets in the way (and almost gets killed several times). “Trouble like first love, teach many lessons”.

 

This was the ninth of 22 appearances put in by the non-Asian Toler as the famed Chinese detective when the series was still at 20^th Century-Fox. Director Harry Lachman (THE LOVES OF EDGAR ALLEN POE) worked on many other Chan entries before retiring in 1943.

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Have A Cigar

 

 

LITTLE CIGARS-1973-Unusual crime drama (released by AIP) with Angel Tompkins (who had just appeared in Playboy) as a floozy on the run from her crime boss former lover who hooks up with a group of “little people” (in this also referred to as “midgets”) who use a dumb show to cover up their low level crimes. Their leader Slick (Billy Curtis) and Angel become lovers and she teams up with the group to commit robberies (a movie theater, a laundry, a bank) where their diminutive size comes in handy. Later they have a violent falling out and Slick and Angel wind up hawking candy bars at an abandoned carnival site. It's very low budget, preposterous and doesn't show dwarfs in a very good light but it was nice to see little people in the lead roles with lots of dialogue and not just being patsies or evil assistants. Angelo Rossetto appears in a police line up and Michael Pataki has a small role as a mechanic.

 

This is the only feature length movie made by Chris Christenberry who was usually a second unit director. Co-screenwriter Louis Garfinkle had written I BURY THE LIVING and later provided the story for THE DEERHUNTER! Frank Ray Perilli, the other writer later wrote LASERBLAST and DRACULA'S DOG.

 

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Corman/Poe

THE PREMATURE BURIAL-1962-Ray Milland is Guy Carrell, a doctor with a fear of being buried alive and haunted by terrifying dreams. His understanding new wife Emily (Hazel Court) tries to help him. Unfortunately it seems she may have bitten over more than she can chew. A song makes him cranky, he doesn't like flowers and spends most of his time in a mausoleum which he has rigged with gadgets to make sure he's not buried alive. His sister (Heather Angel) hands around suspiciously. His friend Dr. Archer (Richard Ney) tries to help while experimenting with dead frogs. Guy has a strange dream where he's locked in his mausoleum and almost drinks a cup of maggots. Eventually Emily brings Guy back to normalcy and he burns down the mausoleum but there seems to be a plot against him when he suffers a seizure and is buried alive anyway! He's freed from his dirty grave by two grave robbers (one is Dick Miller) and becomes a sunken eyed revenge seeking ghoul who electrocutes his father in law (Alan Napier).

THE PREMATURE BURIAL started out for some reason being made by director Roger Corman for Pathe' studios instead of AIP. (He had already made THE HOUSE OF USHER and THE PIT AND THE PENDULEM for them) He wanted to cast the star of those previous two Poe adaptations, Vincent Price in the lead but he was under contract to AIP so Corman got Academy Award winner Ray Milland to fill in. He does a good job but doesn't have the intensity Price often brought to his roles. Still despite the dumb resolution it's a good entry into the “Poe series”. Charles Beaumont was a co-screenwriter. Corman was busy in '62. He made this, the usually overlooked THE INTRUDER, the kind of remake of TOWER OF LONDON and TALES OF TERROR.

 

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