Sucker

 

BLOODSUCKERS-(INCENSE FOR THE DAMNED)-1971-Tony Seymour (Alex Davion) hears stories about some odd behavior of his friend Richard Fountain (Patrick Mower) in Greece. He visits Richard's fiance Penelope (Madeline Hinde) and her bug up his ass father (Peter Cushing). Tony goes to Greece to investigate accompanied by Richard's friend Bob (Johnny Sekka). Through foreign secretary Derek (Patrick Macnee), Tony finds out Richard is living the life of a jet setter and has a girlfriend Chriseis (Imogen Hassell). People dance on a beach, smoke dope and have sex. An over long psychedelic orgy ends with a woman being stabbed to death. Later Bob gets beat up by some thugs sent by an old woman (who believed Richard killed her daughter) to kill Penelope. It seems murders occurred in other places Richard was visiting. Tony and Bob, along with Derek go to an abandoned fort and rescue Richard but he's in a trance put on by his girlfriend who turns out to be some blood drinking vampire. After Derek falls to his death, Chriseis is also killed running away from Bob. He and Tony take Richard back to England and consult Dr. Holstrom (Edward Woodward). At a big college banquet Richard gives a speech denouncing everyone (especially his future father in law) and thanks the gods. Later he kills Penelope and drinks her blood. He and Bob have a roof top chase until Richard throws himself off the roof and is impaled. This says that vampirism is a product of sexual dysfunction (as “Doctors Wear Scarlet” by Simon Raven, the book it's based on did) but at the end Bob uses some stakes just in case.

 BLOODSUCKERS was directed by Robert Hartford-Davies who had already made the sleazy CORRUPTION with Peter Cushing. He later came to the US and made two “blaxploitation” movies THE TAKE and BLACK GUNN. At one point during filming they ran out of money and the production was closed down. When additional financing was found new scenes with new actors were added. Director Hartford-Davies later “disowned” the final result.

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Evil Cult

 

(imdb)

 

THE DEVIL'S HAND-1961-A man named Rick Turner (Robert Alda) has mysterious reoccurring dreams about a beautiful woman. His fiancee Donna (Ariadna Welter) seems supportive until they visit a doll shop and see a doll that resembles his dream girl. The owner Mr. Lamont (Neil Hamilton) says Turner ordered the doll but he denies it. Then they see a doll that resembles Donna. She gets upset. Lamont seems to be practicing voodoo as he sticks a pin in the Donna doll and she winds up in the hospital. Finding out who it's for, Turner delivers the dream girl doll and meets Bianca Milan (Linda Christian), a breathy beauty who knows all about him. "You're evil but fascinating and beautiful…" he says. She belongs to a cult that worships "Gamba, the devil god of evil". Turner falls under her spell and dumps Donna. Although he's pledged his allegiance to Bianca and Gamba, he sneaks into their basement temple one night and removes the pin from the Donna doll. When Lamont finds out, he and Bianca plan to sacrifice Donna to their god (Bianca really just wants her out of the way) but Turner shows who he really cares about in the fiery finale where he saves Donna and frees himself from Bianca's spell...or does he?

 Little black & white supernatural thriller is like an overlong episode of 'Thriller". Not bad but drawn out. Director William Hole Jr. also made THE GHOST OF DRAGSTRIP HOLLOW (1959) and worked mostly in TV. Bruno VeSota and Jeanne Carmen have small roles. Lead actresses Christian (who was once married to Tyrone Power) and Welter were sisters. Screenwriter Jo Heims later wrote PLAY MISTY FOR ME.

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They Ain't Mr. Ziffel

 

(IMBD)

INVASION OF THE BLOOD FARMERS-1972-A narrator trying to sound like James Mason tells us about the Sangre Druids who went into hiding and 50 years after the death of Christ disappeared. However they are still around occasionally making blood sacrifices. In some quiet burg in upside New York, an old drunk suffers a bloody death. Two scientists, Dr.Anderson (Norman Kelley), an older guy and his young assistant Don (Bruce Detrick) studying the dead guy's blood, find it seems to be multiplying. In a bar some burnout cleaning up the bloody floor says he saw the"demons from hell". Later a guy in overalls with a limp and a cane spies on the two scientists and beats the family dog to death and drinks its blood. Later he's joined by another Mr. Green Jeans type and they kill a newlywed couple. It seems they are part of a druid blood cult and their prissy leader wants to resurrect their dead queen. When Don finds an ancient key one of the idiots dropped, Anderson calls his friend to see if he can identify it. He's very interested especially since he's part of the cult! Then a hooded figure stabs a guy in the eye with a syringe. After much talking and blood work, the cult kidnaps the old scientist and his daughter Jen (Tanna Hunter; also Don's girlfriend who earlier went to pieces over the dead dog).

The climax features a ritual which revives the cult's queen and when Don jumps in to break it up the whole thing resembles a Monty Python skit. The terrible acting and cliched script plus awful night time scenes shot in broad daylight make me feel this could have been an intentional set up, still done ineptly though. Director Ed Adlum (from Queens, NY) co-wrote the screenplay (with Ed Kelleher) while working for Cashbox magazine. A few years later he wrote the even worse SHRIEK OF THE MUTILATED.

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