Rattlers

 RATTLERS-1976-After two kids are killed by rattlesnakes in The Mojave Desert, the local sheriff calls in Dr. Parkinson (Sam Chew), a rattlesnake expert from the nearby college. He's joined by Ann (Elizabeth Chauvet), a female photographer and they argue about women's lib. The snakes attack a family farm, a repairman and then a lady taking a bath. CT-3, a nerve gas is to blame after an army colonel exposed some snakes to it. A hand grenade seems to spell the end of the serpentine killers....or does it? 

This boring typical “nature gone crazy” horror was made by co-writer/director John McCauley who years later made another horror movie DEADLY INTRUDER. 

Personal note: I had once considered calling this blog CT-3.....Thanks for reading....

Night Monster

NIGHT MONSTER-1942-Ingston Towers is full of strangeness. It's guarded by an ominous caretaker (Cyril Delevanti) and his dogs. The place is run by Mr. Ingston (Ralph Morgan; later in THE MONSTER MAKER), a rich reclusive deformed cripple with a lecherous chauffeur (Lief Erickson; in PARDON MY SARONG with Abbott & Costello the same year), a swami named Singh (Nils Ashter), a grouchy housemaid Sarah (Doris Floyd) and smarmy seemingly sinister butler Rolf (Bela Lugosi). Guests for a dinner party Kingston is throwing include psychiatrist Dr. Harper (Irene Hervey), horror author Dick Baldwin (Don Porter; also in WHO DONE IT? with Abbott & Costello the same year) and the three doctors who left Kingston in his sorry state (Lionel Atwill, Frank Reicher and Francis Pierlot). Also thrown in is Kingston's sister (Fay Helm) who every believes is insane. The swami goes into a trance and materializes a skeleton that bleeds. Later the three doctors are murdered and it turns out Ingerston is using the swami's power to give himself new limbs and seek revenge. The estate burns at the end but Rolf's fate is never determined (I assume he died in the fire).

NIGHT MONSTER isn't a bad film by any means. It's well directed by Ford Beebe who keeps it mysterious and creepy up until its strange ending. It's usually thrown aside because neither Atwill or Lugosi have primary roles in it (top billed Bela, a red herring; Atwill, a victim). It does seem a little strange though to have these two guys in it and waste them in co-starring roles (though Bela is suspiciously sinister in several scenes). 

Lugosi reprised his role as Ygor in GHOST OF FRANKENSTEIN the same year.

Thanks for reading!

Master of The World

MASTER OF THE WORLD-1961-This starts off with a kind of out of place montage of the various ill fated contraptions man has devised to conquer the air.

 In Morgantown, Pennsylvania there seems to be an earthquake followed by a disembodied voice issuing a warning. A government agent Strock (Charles Bronson) arrives at the home of Prof. Prudent (Henry Hull) just in time to hear him and his future son in law Phillip (David Frankham) locked in a heated argument as to where a propeller must go on their new balloon. Strock says the government would like to use the new balloon he and Phillip have designed to investigate the earthquake and voice that seem to emulate from a nearby mountain (too tall to climb). You know trouble is brewing when they bring along Prudent's daughter Dorothy (Mary Webster). No sooner do they get near the mountain than a rocket deflates their balloon and they crash. They are taken aboard the flying ship Albatross, the creation of Robor (Vincent Price) a genius inventor who wants to eradicate war with an ultimatum: “Disarm or perish”. Friction builds between Strock and Phillip as Phillip is kind of a pompous macho man who thinks Strock is a coward and a supporter of Robor's philosophy. 

After an escape plan fails (Strock rats them out to save them) Robor hangs Phillip and Strock in mid-air by a rope. Later Robur sees Strock as a threat but instead of killing the agent he'd rather Strock join him. Strock rejects his offer but agrees not to interfere in Robur's plans. When the British navy tries to destroy the Albatross bombs decimate the fleet. Robur flies all over the globe intend on destroying the armies of the world and put an end to war. Finally the four decide the only way to go is that they must destroy the deadly flying ship. Eventually Robur's mania leads to his own destruction. An explosion created by Strock puts the nail in the Albatross' coffin. Rather than abandon ship his crew stays by his side as the flying ship crashes into the sea. Vito Scotti's comedic scenes as the ship's cook seem out of place.

MASTER OF THE WORLD was the biggest budgeted film for AIP at the time. It was written by Richard Matheson and adapted from two novels by Jules Verne. Veteran filmmaker William Whitney was working mainly in TV at the time but also made the seldom seen low budget crime drama THE CAT BURGLAR the same year. Price is good as usual as the obsessed Robur who manages to be more sympathetic than evil. Henry Hull (nearing the end of his long career) is a hoot as the curmudgeonly Prudent. Bronson and the other leads are ok.

Personal note: Actor Gordon Jones who appeared as "Mike the cop" on The Abbott & Costello show in the early '50's is featured in an unbilled role at the begining of the picture.

Thanks for reading!

Universal Horror Classic

SON OF FRANKENSTEIN-1939-At Castle Frankenstein, several years after the events in BRIDE, broken necked Ygor (Bela Lugosi) hangs around scaring children. Frankenstein's son Wolf (Basil Rathbone) comes to town to collect his inheritance. He brings along his wife Elsa (Josephine Hutchinson) and young son Peter (Donnie Dunagan). They have no idea what they are getting into! 

It's great to see Karloff back as the monster (in Jack Pierce's legendary make-up) for the last time even if he really doesn't do much until the finale. Another highlight is the clipped banter between Wolf and the memorable Inspector Krogh (Lionel Atwill) whose wooden arm replaces the one the monster “tore out by the roots” when he was a child. And of course there's Lugosi's Ygor, the broken necked body snatcher who was once pronounced dead (“They die dead. Ygor died live!”) who now uses the revived monster to carry out his revenge on those who condemned him (including Lionel Belmore). Ward Bond has a small unbilled role and some viewers claim Dwight Frye is also in it! 

Producer-director Roland V. Lee keeps things interesting with cavernous sets and shadowy lighting plus a gigantic sulfur pit. The screenplay was written by Willis Cooper, creator the the radio show “Lights Out”. SON, two Mr. Moto entries and providing the story for the serial THE PHANTOM CREEPS with Lugosi) were about all his film credits. SON kind of “ushered out” the first wave of horror films in the sound era and they would never be the same there after...

Thanks for reading!

Life Before Gilligan

THE WARRIOR EMPRESS-1960-Around 600 BC Phaon (Kerwin Matthews) the leader of the people's revolution is wounded when the evil king's minions attack their rebel camp. He seeks sanctuary in the Temple of Aphrodite on the island of Lesbos. Shappo (pre-Gilligan's Island Ginger Tina Louise), a kind of priestess in training hides him in the basement. They fall in love despite Shappo's girlfriends' interference and the fact that she's engaged to another man (Riccardo Garrone who had a role in LA DOLCE VITA the same year). Meanwhile the girls make music and dance. There's some sword fights but it's mostly hokey talky love drama. 

Filmed in Italy, director Pietro Francisci had directed the international hits HERCULES and HERCULES UNCHAINED.  

Thanks for reading!

What Place Is This?

A COMEDY OF TERRORS-1963-AIP presents an all star comedy horror story that takes place in the late 1800's . An undertaker named Turnbull (Vincent Price) is an alcoholic who's horrible to his wife Margolis (Joyce Jameson)) and partner Mr. Gille (Peter Lorre) and is always trying to poison his deaf senile father in law (Boris Karloff). His business isn't doing so well so he goes out at night and kills an old man then conveniently shows up to take care of the funeral but then the old man's widow beats it out with paying. When his stern landlord Mr. Black (Basil Rathbone) demands payment of the rent Turnbull decides to do away with him and have him as a customer. They invade his house to find him reciting Macbeth out loud and swinging a sword. He seems to die from an attack and Turnbull steps in to get the body but Black isn't dead. He keeps popping up with a cry of “What place is this?”. Later when Turnbull rejects his wife for good she and Gille profess their love for one another. Black escapes his coffin with the help of a caretaker (Joe E. Brown in his last role) and gets an ax. While quoting Shakespeare he searches for Turnbull who winds up shooting Black who takes a long time to die! After it seems like everyone is dead they all wake up. Someone calls the police and Gilles and Margolis run away. Dad winds up giving Turnbull the poison. 

Though it has all the earmarks of a Roger Corman film, including an original screenplay by Richard Matheson, THE COMEDY OF TERRORS was the second to last film directed by Jacques Tourneur (CAT PEOPLE, I WALK WITH A ZOMBIE, CURSE OF THE DEMON). His last WAR-GODS OF THE DEEP (1965) was also for AIP and starred Vincent Price. 

Originally it was planned for Karloff to play the Mr. Black role but age and back problems forced him to switch roles with Rathbone, who's very funny.  It's great to see Price teamed with Lorre once again in another enjoyable  comedy/horror outing. 

Matheson had planned a sequel but COMEDY did not perform up to executive producers Samuel Arkoff and James Nicolson's expectations, so no sequel was produced.   

Thanks for reading!

More Corman! More Price! More Poe!

THE MASQUE OF THE RED DEATH-1964-In the village of Kitanya, a red cloaked figure gives an old woman a red carnation and says she should tell her town “your day of deliverance is at hand”. Evil Prince Prospero (Vincent Price) treats the people who harvest his fields like animals. When he is insulted by two men he condemns them to death. A innocent girl Francesca (Jane Asher) begs the prince to spare their lives but he makes her choose which should live or die. One is her father Ludovico (Nigel Greene) and the other her fiance Gino (David Weston). That's forgotten when it's discovered the old woman is carrying the plague. The prince takes the trio to his castle and orders the village burnt. He takes a shine to Francesca despite the protests of Juliana (Hazel Court), one of his guests who brands herself for Satan and has weird (drug induced?) dream/visions. After she thinks he's betrothed to Satan she's clawed to death by a bird. “I beg you do not mourn for Juliana. We should celebrate. She has just married a friend of mine”. 

 Prospero invites princes from all over the region to join him at his castle for a decadent “protection from the plague” party. He's a nasty guy who insults his guests and makes them imitate animals and worship Satan. He especially gets the goat of Alfredo (Patrick Magee) a slimy aristocrat who slaps a little ballerina girl (but maybe she is suppose to be a dwarf as she has a dubbed in “adult” voice) during her dance. This leads to a sub-plot based on another Poe story “Hop-Frog” where her dwarf partner (Skip Martin) convinces Alredo to dress like an ape then burns him alive. After Ludovico is killed, Pospero allows Gino to leave but he goes back and tries to rescue his beloved. The same red cloaked figure who spoke to the old woman tells Gino he will bring Francesca to him later. While the guests entertain themselves Prospero, all dressed in black and looking rather Dr. Phibes-ish, finally thinks he meets his master the Devil but in fact it's Death who's come to claim him. 

Director Roger Corman has said although he holds MASQUE has one of his favorite films he wasn't that pleased with the final scene where Pospero's plague infected party goers crowd in on him and thought it could have been better since he felt it was rushed (he did it in one day). His use of colors is awesome and the photography by Nicolas Roeg (in his only work with Corman) is a highlight. The screenplay was written by Charles Beaumont and R. Wright Campbell. This AIP co-production with the English Anglo-Amalgamated was filmed in England in 5 weeks (long for a Corman production!).

Although she had an un-billed cameo in 1981's THE FINAL CONFLICT, MASQUE  was the last film role for Hazel Court (also featured in THE PREMATURE BURIAL and THE RAVEN by Corman) who settled permanently in the US and only made TV appearances. She died in 2008. 

Thanks for reading!

Quoth The Raven....

THE RAVEN-1963-This comedy-horror film begins with Vincent Price reciting part of Edgar Allen Poe's “The Raven”. Then we are introduced to Dr. Craven (Price) a sorcerer who longs for his dead love Lenore. After his daughter Estelle (Olive Strugess) brings him some hot milk he is visited by a real life raven who demands some wine. Later using ingredients from his father's lab Craven turns the wise cracking raven into his true form, that of fellow sorcerer Dr. Bedlo (Peter Lorre) who was turned into a bird by the evil Dr. Scarabus, another sorcerer who dethroned Craven's father's position as grand master of the brotherhood of magicians years before. Bedlo wants revenge on Scarabus and wants Craven to help but Craven wants no part of it until Bedlo informs him that his lost love is with Scarabus. 

After fending off an attack by Craven's bewitched servant, Craven, Bedlo, Estelle and Bedlo's son Rexford (Jack Nicolson) go to confront Scarabus (Boris Karloff) who welcomes them with open arms. While dining Bedlo once again challenges Scarabus to a duel and seems to die. They are urged to stay the night and Craven sees Lenore (Hazel Court) at his bedroom window. Of course it turns out Lenore is not dead but living with Scarabus who's wealth and power made her leave Craven. While Rexford is snooping around the castle he discovers his father is not dead (it was a trick by Bedlo to deceive Scarabus). Eventually they are all held prisoner by the doctor, however in the finale Craven and Scarabus have an inventive magical duel where Craven defeats Scarabus and rejects Lenore who in turn has rejected Scarabus. 

Shot in 15 days by Roger Corman, it's been said that the inspiration for this feature was the Richard Matheson penned “The Black Cat” segment from the earlier TALES OF TERROR. Corman and Matheson liked doing the comedy scenes and thought a full length film movie was in order. Although stories abound about behind the scenes gripes and complaints (Karloff upset at Lorre's ad-libs, animosity between Lorre and Nicolson) everyone seems to be having a fine time and really throwing themselves into their roles. Samuel Z. Arkoff and James Nicolson were the executive producers on this AIP production along with many long time Corman collaborators: Les Baxter (music), Floyd Crosby (cinematographer) and Daniel Haller (production design).

Thanks for reading!

'50's Science Fiction

WAR OF THE WORLDS-1953-In this classic science fiction film based on the HG Wells novel Earth is invaded by the inhabitants of the planet Mars. An off screen narrator (Sir Cedric Hardwicke) tells us why the Martians chose our planet. When one of their ships lands on Earth residents (who think it's a meteor) of a small town investigate. Vacationing scientist Dr. Clayton Forrester (Gene Barry) investigates. He meets up with Sylvia Van Buren (Ann Robinson) and her uncle Dr. Collins (Lewis Martin), the pastor of the local church. After Forrester decides to stay for a while they all go to a square dance. Meanwhile three locals (Paul Burich, Jack Kruschen (as a Mexican) and William Phipps) check out the object when it opens it's hatch. Armed with a white flag they decide to approach the ship and be friends. They are promptly obliterated and the whole town is thrown into a blackout.

 The army is called in along with General Mann (Les Tremayne). Martian ships eventually show themselves and for some reason Collins sacrifices himself in a last ditch attempt to reason with them. He's killed and the army throws everything they have at the invaders to no avail. Forrester and Sylvia escape in a plane and spend some time evading the invaders but the doc manages to get one of the tri-color laser “eyes”. The Martians themselves are revealed to be little guys with long arms the same tri-color “eyes”. (The martians in the original novel are much more frightening) Meanwhile the Martians devastate the world and despite the US's best efforts including dropping an A-bomb they learn: “guns,tanks, bombs! They're like toys against them!”. After looters steal his truckload of scientific equipment Forrester searches the the devastated city for Sylvia who he finds in a church. Just when it looks like all hope is lost the Martian ships crash and burn and the aliens die (“We were all praying for a miracle”) due to germs in our atmosphere. 

This Sc-Fi/cold war classic was produced by George Pal, who originally planned it to be in 3-D and directed by Byron Haskin, who also worked as a special effects technician on many films which may have helped since WAR OF THE WORLDS 's SFX won an Academy Awa

Thanks for reading! 

Hypnotism Gone Bad

THE HYPNOTIC EYE-1960-This weird shit begins with a woman having her hair set on fire. She also suffers facial burns (“Will I be a monster?”). She seems to have mistaken an open oven flame for a sink. It turns out she is the 12th victim in a series of bizarre mutilations. Detective Dave Kennedy (Joe Patridge) takes his girlfriend Marcia (Marcia Henderson) to see the stage show of a hypnotist much to the chagrin of Dr. Hecht (Guy Prescott). The hypnotist Desmond (Jacques Bergerac) does the usual tricks making subjects think they are in the desert, etc. He also selects three women from the audience to participate in a floating woman stunt. One woman Dodie (Merry Anders) is a friend of Dave and Marcia's and Dave remains unconvinced as to Desmond's powers. Later instead of face cream Dodie uses acid on her face. At another act Marcia volunteers. After she's hypnotized she's wined and dined by Desmond at a beatnik club where a guy reads a beat poem called “Confessions of a Movie Addict” which mentions Clara Bow and THE THING FROM OUTER SPACE. Meanwhile Dave keeps an eye on them. 

When it seems like they have gone back to his apartment for some hi-jinx Desmond's assistant Justine (Allison Hayes; ATTACK OF THE 50 FOOT WOMAN) interrupts and seems to be controlling Marcia through hypnotism. She almost makes Marcia stick her face under a red hot shower but Dave's interference saves her. It seems every woman Desmond has come in contact with has suffered some deformity of the face (but none of them can remember being hypnotized). After he performs his act several times it's revealed that Justine is actually horribly disfigured and taking her revenge out on any beautiful woman Desmond encounters. After Desmond is shot and Justine falls to her death, Dave rescues Marcia and the doctor addresses the audience about being hypnotized. 

This sleazy campy melodrama was filmed in “HypnoVision” by George Blair who also directed several episodes of TV's THE ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN. 

 THE HYPNOTIC EYE also features the only known film role for Fred Demara who's life story was told in THE GREAT IMPOSTER. Former child star Jimmy Lydon appears as a ambulance attendent.  

Co-scripter William Read Woodfield was also a photographer who gained fame later on for taking pictures of Marilyn Monroe on the set of her last (and unfinished) film. He also co-wrote many early episodes of TV's MISSION:IMPOSSIBLE. 

Thanks for reading!    

Judo a Chop Chop Chop!

CHOP SOCKY: CINEMA HONG KONG-2003-This is an excellent documentary despite it's terrible title about the history of martial arts in the Hong Kong cinema. Besides interviews with Jackie Chan, Jet Li, Sammo Hung, John Woo, Dr. Ng Ho, Pei Pei Chang, Run Run Shaw, David Chiang and others it also talks about the real legendary hero Wong Fei Hung, the first martial art film star (showing scenes from his films which I'd like to see more of), ”The Burning of Red Lotus Monastery” (sometimes called the first martial arts film), the Peking Opera House, The Shaw brothers, directors King Woo & Chang Chen and the technique for filming fight scenes called “editing in the camera” and the influence of Japanese epics like the Zatochi series. Of course Bruce Lee is spotlighted for bring realism to the films and beginning “the Kung-Fu craze”. 

Many films are highlighted but some are skipped over. They should have done a whole series. 

Director Ian Taylor made two companion documentaries: THE BEAUTIES OF THE SHAW STUDIO and WU XIA.  

Thaanks for reading!