Ed Wood: Adviser

 

 (bleeding skull)

THE ASTOUNDING SHE MONSTER-1957-Wealthy socialite Margaret Chaffee (Marilyn Harvey) is kidnapped and taken to a hideout in the San Gabriel mountains. A "visitor beyond imagination" lands on Earth around the same time the two kidnappers (one is Keene Duncan) along with their "moll" (Jeanne Tatum), a drunken floozy and Chaffee, hold up in the isolated cabin of a geologist (Robert Clarke). The rather voluptuous radioactive alien (Shirley Kilpatrick) walks around the forest, kills a dog and later a bear. She kills one kidnapper then terrorizes the rest who flee into the woods. They try to set her on fire but that fails. They run back to the cabin. They do this several times. 

This black and white cheapie was made by Ronnie Ashcroft who had been assistant director on Ed Wood's NIGHT OF THE GHOULS (which starred Duncan). It's said Wood was the movie's “adviser” and his influence is all over it. Loud out of place music, more talk than action, characters spouting quasi-philosophical dialogue. Soon after this Ashcroft produced the short “Trick Shooting with Keene Duncan”.

 “She Monster” Shirley Kilpatrick had a successful career as a model but her only movie after this was an un-uncredited role in THE GENE KRUPA STORY in 1959. After several troubled marriages, she became a psychic! Unfortunately, at age 38 she died of a drug overdose in 1971.

 

Shirley with Jack LaLane

Thanks for reading!

Italy in America

 

 

CONTAMINATION 7-1993-Something is killing folks in a forest near a power plant conducting some shady business. A hick who drives a DeSoto and his girlfriend who just returned from living in "the city" investigate when they find a dead body. An alcoholic doctor discovers a lot of radioactivity in the woods but his bosses only want to cover it up. They send 2 hit men to kill him but the thing in the woods kills them. When he complains to the asshole sheriff he's locked up. It seems roots from carnivorous trees are killing everyone. 

This Italian production directed by Fabrizo Laurenti was filmed in the state of Utah and later known under the titles THE CRAWLERS and/or TROLL 3 (despite there being no trolls int it). It was produced by Joe D'Amato (ANTHROPOPHAGUS). Bad acting and direction rolled together in one mess of shoddy shit.

Thanks for reading!

 

Harryhausen Beast

 

THE BEAST FROM 20,000 FATHOMS-1953-In the Arctic, Prof. Tom Nesbitt (Paul Hubschmid aka Paul Christian) & Colonel John Evans (Kenneth Tobey) await the arrival of a plane as part of "Operation Experiment", an atomic explosion. While checking for radiation Nesbitt and his pal Prof. Ritchie (Ross Elliot) run into a giant dinosaur which causes an avalanche. Nesbitt is rescued. 

Of course Evans and his doctor (Frank Ferguson) and a psychiatrist (King Donovan) don't believe him. After the monster sinks a ship and Nesbitt reads about it he hightails it to NYC to convince Prof. Elson (Cecil Kellaway) to organize an expedition. His assistant Lee (Paula Raymond) tries to be helpful but to no avail. Eventually Nesbitt convinces Elson the monster exists and asks Evans to help. He in turn asks his Coast Guard friend (Donald Woods) for assistance and finds out the monster wrecked a lighthouse in Maine. When Edson goes down in a diving bell he encounters the monster confirming its existence. Unfortunately he's killed and the monster attacks Manhattan. 

People flee in terror, buildings are wrecked, cars are crushed and in the movie's most famous scene a cop is lifted by his head and eaten. It's also discovered that the beast is carrying deadly germs. Nesbitt says shooting it with a radioactive isotope is the only way to kill it. He and an army sharpshooter (Lee Van Cleef) wind up on a roller coaster in a Coney Island like setting to destroy the beast. 

BEAST was one of the biggest money making films for 1953. Eugene Lourie does a fine job directing and there's lots of familiar characters throughout but of course what really makes this film is the excellent stop motion animated giant monster created by the one and only Ray Harryhausen. His painstaking effects are incredible! Based in part on a short story by Ray Bradbury.

Thanks for reading!

Giant Sized Dinosaur

THE GIANT BEHEMOTH-1959-Some time after a fisherman named Tom is burned to death (his last word is “behemoth”), American scientist Doc Carr (Gene Evans) lectures some stuffy English eggheads about radiation and Bikini island. When “thousands” of dead fish are washed up on the English coast Carr and Prof. Bickford (Andre Morell) investigated the goings on in Cornwall. Naturally there's a giant radiation created dinosaur prowling around. Besides being very big it can also shoot a radioactive ray that burns its victims to cinders. It makes its way to the Thames and sinks a ferry, then rampages through London. After killing the beast, Carr and Bickford get some bad news in the final scene. Jack MacGowran is also featured a paleontologist who helps out.

THE GIANT BEHEMOTH is a fun movie but Willis O'Brien's stop motion animation isn't as good as most of his US output, probably due to budget restraints and the fact that the movie was filmed in England while the special effects were done (with his assistant Pete Peterson) in Los Angeles. 

Director Eugene Lourie (THE BEAST FROM 20,000 FATHOMS) co-wrote the screenplay with blacklisted writer Daniel James who'd go on to pen the screenplay for GORGO (which Lourie would direct) in 1961.

Thanks for reading!

Black & White Hammer

THESE ARE THE DAMNED-1963-American vacationing in London Simon Wells (Macdonald Carey, a little too old for his role) is beat up by a gang of Teddy Boys. Although they all dress in leather jackets their leader King (Oliver Reed) wears a suit jacket. Somehow Simon winds up falling in love with King's sister Joan (Shirley Anne Field). While hiding from King on an island they come upon a group of children who are being used in a government experiment involving radioactivity.

This black and white thriller directed by ex-patriot American Joseph Losey (he'd gone to England after being blacklisted in the '50's) takes a little time to get started but is very effective and has an eerie climax. Also with Viveca Lindflors, Alexander Knox and James Villiers.

The above poster makes it seem like a horror film when it's actually a science fiction drama with some social commentary, This was a Hammer-Seven Arts co-production and the executive producer was Michael Carreras.

Thanks for reading!