You Say Iorga, I Say Yorga

 

 (the moviedb.org)

THE LOVES OF COUNT IORGA, VAMPIRE-aka COUNT YORGA, VAMPIRE-1970-At a botched seance trying to help a woman named Donna (Donna Anders), the medium Count Yorga (Robet Quarry) is later revealed to be a vampire. He puts the bite on a woman named Erica (Judy Lang). Her boyfriend Paul (Michael Murphy) suspects the count. A doctor named Jim Hayes (Roger Perry) examines Erica and finds her anemic with two puncture wounds on her neck. Later Paul and his friend Mike (producer Michael McCready) find Erica eating a rat (?). With his odd servant Brutah (Edward Walsh), Yorga plans to make Erica his eternal bride. After Paul is captured, Donna, Paul and Hayes go to the count with the plan of keeping him up until sunrise! That doesn't work. Yorga captures Donna and Hayes confronts Yorga. The doctor becomes a victim of the Count's vampire brides (including Marsha Jordan), leaving Mike to destroy the count. He succeeds but….

Vampire narration by George McCready (Michael's father). I never really cared for this movie. It's drawn out but effective at times. Supposedly planned as a soft-core porn film, it was later changed to straight horror but still maintains a kind of cheap porno atmosphere. Could have been better but considering the time….

Former actor Bob Kelljan made SCREAM, BLACULA, SCREAM in 1973 but worked mainly in TV.

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Ants!

PHASE IV-1974-In a geodesic dome in the Arizona desert, two scientists Lesko (Michael Murphy) and Hubbs (Nigel Davenport) investigate the local ant population that seem to be changing their food patterns and building monoliths out of sand. They are actually developing into intelligent and poisonous ants who could be really more than a bother at the next family picnic. The duo get trapped in their lab (along with a local girl named Kendra (Lynne Frederick)) when the insects assert their power. After Hubbs gets bitten he goes crazy and hunts for the queen. He becomes ant bait. Later Kesko goes after the queen himself but fails. He and Kendra seem to become evolved “slaves” for the new invaders. 

This interesting British-American co-production is the only film directed by Saul Bass, the graphic designer known for his credit sequences in films. The exterior scenes were actually filmed in Kenya, while the interiors were done at Pinewood studios in England. Some critics found it too “vague”. It was written by Mayo Simon who'd written the screenplay for MAROONED several years earlier and later created TV's THE MAN FROM ATLANTIS.

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Holyywood Weirdness

THE LEGEND OF LYLAH CLARE-1968-A once famous director Louis Zarken (Peter Finch) decides to make his first film in 20 years using an unknown actress Elsa Campbell (Kim Novak) to star in a bio-pic of the ill fated Lylah Clare, a legendary actress from the 30's who died under mysterious circumstances. She also happened to be Zarken's wife and died on their honeymoon. Once again Zarken (who says things like "Happiness is a word for idiots. I haven't used it in years") becomes obsessed with his leading lady who sometimes appears to be possessed by the dead actress and talks with a German accent (or is she acting?). Coral Browne has a scene stealing role as a powerful columnist with a leg brace and Ernest Borgnine is great as the uncaring power crazy producer Barry Sheean ("I make movies, not films!"). Michael Murphy is his verbally abused son and Milton Selzer is a harried producer.

It's a weird movie that tries to show the depraved decadent side of Hollywood but does so in a stilted almost laughable style. Also with Gabriele Tinti, Valentina Cortese, Lee Meriwether, Ellen Corby and Dave Willock.

Director Robert Aldrich made this between THE DIRTY DOZEN and THE KILLING OF SISTER GEORGE. LYLAH also features Robert Cornwaithe, George Kennedy and Dick Miller in unbilled roles.

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