Can't Keep A Good Vampire Down

 

 (imdb)

DRACULA HAS RISEN FROM THE GRAVE-1968-In this sequel to DRACULA, PRINCE OF DARKNESS (set a year later), a monsignor, Ernst Mueller (Rupert Davies) comes to a small town where Dracula had been sent to a watery grave, to find everyone still afraid especially since a villager was found hanging from a church bell. The monsignor and the local priest (Ewan Hooper) hike to Dracula's castle. Unfortunately, the priest is kind of a coward and while running away, falls and cuts his head. His blood trickles into the Count's mouth and resurrects him. The priest then becomes the count's slave and helps him to secure a coffin. Meanwhile, Mueller hosts a party for his niece Maria (Virginia Carlson) and her boyfriend Paul (Barry Andrews). The monsignor gets upset when Paul tells him he's an atheist. Paul leaves and gets drunk. Drac's first victim is barmaid Zena (Barbara Ewing). Drac has his digs under the pub where Paul works (for Michael Ripper) and sets his teeth on Maria. 

In this rather bloody (and sexual) sequel, a prayer must be read to kill a vampire once the stake has been driven. Nice use of color filters by director Freddie Francis. 

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Horror Movie

 

 (imdb)

THE UNHOLY-2021-in this supernatural religious tale a mute young woman (Cricket Brown) begins to talk and is in contact with the Virgin Mary. She heals a cripple boy and a priest, Father Hagen (William Sadler). A disgraced reporter Gerry Fenn (Jeffery Dean Morgan; "The Walking Dead" TV series) investigates and discovers it's not Holy Mary but a witch who was burned at the stake in 1845. She's back posing as Mary. A stupid priest (Cary Elwes) has his own agenda. 

Not bad especially in this day and age for what passes as supernatural horror. Director Evan Spiliotopoulos (in his directing debut) had previously worked for Disney and later wrote THE POPE'S EXORCIST.

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Cohen Returns

 

 (imdb)

GOD TOLD ME TO-1976-This opens with a sniper on a water tower killing people in NYC. Police officer Peter Nichols (Tony Lo Bianco) tries to take him down but the sniper jumps to his death after saying “God told me to”. Later Nichols visits a guy in the hospital who randomly stabbed a bunch of people. When asked why, he replies “God told me to”. At the St. Patrick's Day parade, a cop (Andy Kaufman) goes crazy and shoots several people. Before getting fatally shot he yells “God told me to”. The religious cop has a hard time coping while investigating and is eventually suspended. People riot when it seems 'God's own hand” is driving the murders. A drug dealer kills a cop and this too is blame on God. Meanwhile a cartel of businessmen worships a “living” God. Actually, a glowing, sexless offspring of an alien (Richard Lynch) and an Earth woman (Sylvia Miles in the present). Later the alien seems to take over Nichols and he makes a pimp kill some other thugs then himself. The alien/God wants a kid of his own but Nichols causes its destruction in the freaked-out finale, ending with Nichols arrested for murder and committed to a mental hospital. Some of the plot also involves Nichols' ex-wife (Sandy Dennis) and his new girlfriend (Deborah Raffin). 

This quirky, even strange, story was the concoction of writer/director Larry Cohen (two years after IT'S ALIVE) and as usual features weird dialogue and characters but some of the scenes seem out of place, not part of the story.

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Alice

 

 (imdb)

COMMUNION-(aka ALICE SWEET ALICE)-1976-A weird young kid named Alice (Paula E. Sheppard) takes delight in tormenting her little sister Sally (Brooke Shields) who is getting ready for her first communion. They live with their divorced religiously devout mother Catherine (Linda Miller; Jackie Gleason's daughter) in a rooming house run by the ginormous Mr. Alphonso (Alphonso DeNoble). Alice likes to wear a yellow raincoat and a Halloween mask, so when Sally is killed right before the ceremony by someone dressed like that, it seems Alice has gone too far. Catherine's shrewish sister (Jane Lowry), who has a wimpy husband, suspects her niece. Alice's estranged father Dom (Niles McMaster) with the help of police detective Brennan (Tom Signorelli, a terrible actor), who says “people do crazy things”, snoop around. A priest, Father Tom (Rudolph Willrich) tries to help out too. Mr. Alphonso tries to put the moves on Alice (eek!) but she kills his cat to get away. Alice has a secret room in the basement where she raises cockroaches! Later someone dressed in a yellow raincoat attacks the sister. Alice is examined by Dr. Whitman (Louisa Horton) who wants to lock her up. A long scene involves dad in a warehouse where the real killer is revealed. Father Tom's grouchy housekeeper (Mildred Clinton), who's own daughter died before her first communion is jealous of mom's relationship with her boss. She kills dad while Alice is released from the mental ward. Alice puts roaches on the sleeping Alphonso who's then killed when he accidentally runs into the killer in the hall. During Alice's own communion, the housekeeper slits Father Tom's throat. In the panic everyone ignores Alice who takes the killer's bloody knife... 

This is a really wacko production that got some notice later because of the involvement of the future famous Brooke Shields. 

This movie also marked the first film for singer/actress Lillian Roth (who plays a pathologist) since her last in 1939. A popular entertainer in her time, a series of personal tragedies and alcoholism ruined her career for a while but in the fifties, she made a successful comeback in nightclubs. Her autobiography “I'll Cry Tomorrow” was made into a film starring Susan Hayward. 

Pro wrestling legend Argentina Rocca also has a cameo as an undertaker (don't blink). McMaster and Alphonso were in the notorious BLOOD SUCKING FREAKS the same year. Co-star Paula Sheppard was in one more movie, the cult film LIQUAD SKY (1981) and retired from acting. Director Alfred Sole, usually a production designer, also made the bizarre TANYA'S ISLAND.

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Lemora!

 

LEMORA: A CHILD'S TALE OF THE SUPERNATURAL-1973-Gangster Alvin Lee (William Whitton) kills his wife and her lover. While escaping he's taken prisoner by the mysterious Lemora (Lesley Gilb in her only film role) and her pale faced followers. Lemora learns that Alvin's daughter  Lila Lee (Cheryl Smith), is "the singin' angel" at a church run by an uptight Reverend (director Richard Black-burn) who is also Lila's guardian. Lemora writes a letter to Lila supposedly on behalf of her father asking Lila to come see her dad as he is dying. Lila kind of runs away and takes a bus driven by a sleazebag (Hy Pyke) who rants about the town Astaroth and it's inhabitants. The bus is attacked by some kind of zombie monsters who kill the driver. Lila is taken prisoner.

While trying to escape she meets Lemora, obviously a vampire. Later she discovers that Lemora is kind of a vampire queen who drinks the blood of children. Creatures in the woods have some kind of disease that makes them animalistic. They are at war with Lemora's followers. Meanwhile The Reverend searches for his charge. It seems Lemora either wants Lita for her successor, partner or both. 

This movie is very strange, well directed and acted but not perfect right up to the ambiguous final scene. 

Director Blackburn later wrote EATING RAOUL and was the voice for Dr. Zaius in the animated “Return To The Planet Of The Apes” TV show. Unfortunately Lemora portrayer Glib was killed in an automobile accident in 2009. The tragic Cheryl Smith was in CAGED HEAT and THE SWINGING CHEERLEADERS the next year.

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Mars

 

RED PLANET MARS-1952-Prof. Chris Cronyn (Peter Graves) and his wife Lynn (Andrea King; THE BEAST WITH FIVE FINGERS) visit a giant telescope site where scientists there have just taken pictures of Mars which they believe show signs of life. This doesn't surprise Cronyn much as he claims to be getting radio signals from it. Meanwhile somewhere in the Andes a communist scientist Franz Calder (Herbert Berghof), a Nazi war criminal who once experimented on humans, tries to contact Mars for his superiors (led by Marvin Miller). Since he is the person who actually invented the device that Cronyn is using, he's rather bitter. Calder is not successful but can monitor Cronin's progress. Using Pi Cronin gets his Martian response. However this doesn't bode well with the US and it's economy starts to crumble. Everybody wants a piece of Cronyn but a Naval commander (Walter Sande) is sympathetic to him. The secretary of state (Morris Ankrum) wants the lab closed down and he and a General (Tom Keene) want the president (Willis Bouchey) to declare war on Russia. Just when all hope seems lost it's discovered God is on Mars! 

Communist Russia is destroyed by a religious uprising! However later when world peace has been established Calder shows up and drops a bombshell on Cronyn. He was the one sending the message replies, not Mars! Calder plans to tell the world of his charade but then a message really does come from Mars. Calder destroys the machine killing himself and The Cronyns but they die heroes. Vince Barnett, Henry Kulky and Gene Roth among others have small roles. 

This wild cold war propaganda movie was the debut film for director Harry Horner, also a production designer who who later made THE WILD PARTY. RED PLANET MARS is based on a play by John Balderston (who co-wrote the screenplay) author of the screenplays for FRANKENSTEIN (1931) and BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN (1935).

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Based on The Truth

 

39 STRIPES-1979-Director/co-writer Ron Ormond presents this dramatization of the real life preacher Ed Martin (Tim Ormond who wrote the script with dad), a former chain gang convict who found Jesus and was born again. Boring with too much talk. The acting and direction suck.

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I Am The God of Hell Fire!

 

BURNING HELL-1974-A preacher tries to convince everyone that the Bible says there is a real Hell and sinners will burn there forever if they do not repent and accept Jesus. He's mocked by 2 bikers but when one of them is decapitated the other goes to hear the preacher's sermon which tells the story of a king of Babylon who goes to Hell where sinners are a burnt bloody mess. Maggots eat up Herod in another scene. Then there's the parable of Lazarus and the rich man. The greedy rich man winds up frying in Hell while the beggar Lazarus ascends to heaven and sits with Abraham (who looks like Rip Van Winkle). "The Bible says" is his favorite term. 

This Christian scare film is badly made and acted and co-written and directed by Ron Ormond who along with his wife June and son Tim (who plays the surviving biker in this) made many more religiously twisted exploitation films.

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Italian Horror

L’OSSESSA-1974-Danila (Stella Carnacina) an art historian/painter helps with the restoration of an ancient odd sculpture made of wood that depicts a man being crucified. Her boyfriend Carlo(Gianrico Tondinelli).wants her to move in with him but she can't seem to give up living with her parents. At a party she sees mom having sex with her lover (while dad is in the other room playing cards). She goes to the place where the statue is being kept so she can finish her painting. While there the statue comes to life, turns into a human, tears off her dress and screws her. The place goes on fire but it's all a dream. She calls Carlo for help. He lectures her then takes her home. Walking around in the dark she hears footsteps and her name being called. Chanting voices overwhelm her to orgasm. Mom and dad return to find daughter in full sexual arousement. So much so she comes onto dad (“There's no such thing as incest. It's an invention of the priests”). He slaps her a couple of times to bring her out of it. 

Their doctor suggests a trip to the country. So mom, dad, daughter and Carlo head out for a nice drive. Along the way they get a flat. Wandering around she meets a guy (with an out of control mustache) who’s restoring murals in an old structure. When she looks around she discovers a guy nailed to the cross laughing maniacally. Some extremely pale faced women seem to be getting ready for a human sacrifice. One of them bids her to drink a mug of “fertile sustenance” and then the crucified guy jumps off his cross and nails her to it! This too seems to be a dream/vision/illusion as she wakes up in bed. When their doc can't explain the bloody holes in her hands and feet he calls in some eggheads who agree an exorcism is needed. Their priest thinks it's too big a job for him so they transfer her to a convent where a real exorcist can do his thing. She goes kicking and screaming and later escapes and runs through the deserted streets. Eventually the priest performs the exorcism and Satan (Ivan Rassimov) appears. She tries to seduce the priest and when he is aroused he leaves the room and whips himself. A second exorcism seems to do the trick but he dies. 

This Italian production has it's moments but occasionally drags. Director/writer Mario Gariazzo also made EYES BEHIND THE STARS, an alien encounter movie that played a lot on late TV in the '80's. 

L'OSSESSA is also known as ENTER THE DEVIL and THE EERIE MIDNIGHT HORROR SHOW.  

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Milligan Again

GURU THE MAD MONK-1970-In medieval times, a monk named Father Guru (Neil Flanagan) kills and tortures in the name of God at his “Lost Souls Church of Montavia”. Simpleton Karl (Paul Lieber) wants to save his girlfriend Nadja (Judith Isreal) from death so he makes a deal with Guru. If Karl can get corpses for Guru to sell to a medical college then the monk will give Karl’s beloved a potion that will appear to make her dead but she just be in a kind of coma until an antidote can revive her. Karl agrees but he has to get the drug from Olga (Jacqueline Webb), who wants human blood for her “experiments” (she's a vampire). Guru brands victims, has their hands and heads cut off, eyes burned out. He seems to have a love/hate relationship with his hunched back slave Igor (Jack Spencer) and talks to his evil self in a mirror. After he kills a stranger who wanted to repent, Nadja tries to bond with Igor. When a pregnant girl goes to Guru for help the vampire lady bites her. Then “The Holy Father” arrives with Guru’s replacement, Father Polonski. Their  conversation shows Milligan wasn't a fan of the Catholic church! When the holy one chastises Guru for taking care of the vampire woman and says Guru will be leaving, Guru kills him. Though Igor helps lead Polanski to his doom, he tries to save Nadja from Guru's molestation. For his trouble he’s nail to a wall and has his tongue cut out. Then Guru and Olga have a falling out and she tries to kill him, but he kills her her instead. Somehow Igor escapes and there's a frenzied chase up a flight of stairs. Quite comically Guru  stabs Igor to death then gets tangled in bell ringing ropes and dies. 

Like most outings by writer/director Andy Milligan this features bad acting,atrocious sfx and endless talk. Filmed in and on the grounds of a NYC church.

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Happy Fourth of July!

OF ONE BLOOD-1944-This fable/melodrama starts off in “the hall of records” where a white haired old man with a long white beard relates the story of Zeke Ellis, his wife and three sons. They leave their home for higher ground after a flood warning but don't make it. They get hit by the flood and Zeke and his wife are killed. Two brothers Zebedee and Zion swim to safely separated from third brother Zachariah who also swims safely to the shore. They are taken in by The Red Cross but an older boy Wesley convinces them to hop a freight with him. The older boy gets left behind at a stop and the duo wonders if they will ever see their brother again. 

Years pass and the boys are now men. After shining shoes for a while Zeb becomes a cop while Zion studies to be a lawyer. A woman named Zelma tries to dissuade him. “Hard work is for mules and fools”. In 1941 a big band plays and two women do a tap dance. Newspaper publisher Jordan, Zelma's father runs a campaign against a bootlegger in a derby hat who bosses a bunch of dumb henchman. Then two community leaders give very good speeches about race and violence and inequality. After Zelma has a riding accident coincidentally near the bootleggers hideout, the worker the gang refers to as “The Dummy” (writer/director Spencer Williams) hides Zelma and calls the police. Lawyer Zion and policeman Zebedee go the hideout to get Zelma. When the boss is about to shoot Zeb “the dummy” hits him over the head with a bottle killing him but not before he reveals to Zeb that he is actually their long lost bro Zachariah and “the dummy” is their long lost friend Wesley, now an FBI agent! It may be the only movie I’ve ever seen where a glass bottle didn't break when hit over someone’s head! Couldn't afford a fake one?

 Interesting story hampered of course by bad editing, acting and effects. But still enjoyable! Like most of Spencer Williams directorial out (THE BLOOD OF JESUS, GO DOWN, DEATH), OF ONE BLOOD was thought to be a lost film until being rediscovered in 1983.

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Religious

THE BLOOD OF JESUS-1941-After a baptism ceremony Martha (Cathryn Caviness), a devout religious woman is accidentally shot by her “heathen” husband Razz (Spencer Williams). It's believed she won't survive and everyone prays for her. After she appears to die she is visited by an angel and her spirit leaves her body. The angel takes her on a tour of the spirit world where hooded figures walk around graves. The angel tells her to go to the crossroads to find her fate and almost immediately the devil (who laughs like a lunatic) sends a dapper guy named Judas to tempt her (“Ok Judas. Do your stuff”) and lead her off the road of righteousness with a nice dress and fancy shoes. He takes her to a nightclub in the city that features singers and some weird dancers. Unfortunately she becomes a prostitute but later runs away chased by some guys who think she stole a wallet. At the crossroads (a sign has “To Hell” pointing one way and “To Zion” pointing another) there's a flat bed truck with a jazz combo (the devil is the driver). Just when the men are about to stone Martha the Lord's thundering voice sends them running. A heavenly choir and the blood of Christ bring her back to the living and everyone sings (for some reason one guy faints). 

This “race film” was the brainchild of actor/director/writer Spencer Williams (who'd provided the screenplay for the notorious SON OF INGAGI a few years before). Said to have been made on a budget of $5,000 and I wouldn't doubt it as BLOOD's special effects are crude and the actors (most were amateurs) deliver their lines with little emotion. Yet there is something that makes this movie click (at least for me). Perhaps it's Williams' belief in his subject matter. Whatever the case it's a low budget winner in my book! 

 Williams directed 10 more films after this (at least one is lost) and after leaving the film business for a while played Andy TV's “The Amos and Andy Show” from 1951-1955. He died in 1969.

Final note: IMDB lists no date for death for one of the actors in BLOOD, that of Juanita Riley who plays one of Martha's friends. If still alive she'd be 99 at the time of this writing!

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Bunuel

SIMON OF THE DESERT-1965- Penitent Simon (Claudio Brook) has stood on a high column in the desert for over six years so he can be closer to God. Priests and followers now gather as he is given a new taller tower. After refusing a blessing from a priest because he believes himself unworthy he ascends the new tower and promptly restores the hands of a man who had them cut off for stealing. The man's first act is to abuse his child. The crowd seems unimpressed by this and leaves. Later Simon is tempted several times by the devil who takes the form of a woman (Silvia Pinal) dressed like a little girl, then as a shepherdess (with a beard!) and later as a scantily clad female who arrives in a moving coffin. Satan takes him away and they wind up in a modern '60's disco where the band plays surf guitar music and young people do the newest dance crazed called “Radioactive Flesh”! When Simon says he wants to go home he's told he has to “stick it out till the end”. 

 Although only 43 minutes long SIMON somehow manages to be surrealist director Luis Bunuel's most anarchistic outing and continues his long obsession with the mocking of organized religion. It's also hilarious! The short running time owes to the fact that Bunuel simply ran out of money after less than three weeks worth of filming. He followed this two years later with BELLE de JOUR. 

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Is It Really The Last One?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

THE LAST EXORCISM-2010-A phony preacher (Patrick Fabian) goes to a rural Louisana farmhouse to perform one last exorcism on a young girl. He brings along a camera crew so once again we have a horror tale from the “found footage” genre which is fast being beaten to death by filmmakers. After the preacher does the ritual, things go from bad to worse with the girl (Ashley Bell) going crazy and terrorizing the crew while her redneck father insists another exorcism should be performed. She even slashes her dim wit brother across the face. The group has plenty of chances to escape but always finds some distraction to stay. When the girl is found to be pregnant incest is suspected.

 

Like most of this kind of story the herky-jerky camera work begins to wear on the viewer and the confused hectic plot goes on too long but I liked the unexpected ending. After this director Daniel Stamm worked on TV series called THE INTRUDERS. An unnecessary sequel followed.

 

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Italy

L'AMORE-1948-This landmark film (actually two short films) by Italian neo-realist Robert Rossellini was banned in many parts of the US until a Supreme Court decision citing "artistic expression" was protected by "freedom of speech". The film is also a tribute/tour de force for it's star Anna Magnani. 

The first story is "The Human Voice" written by Jean Cocteau (based on his play). It's about a woman speaking on the phone to her lover who no longer loves her. It takes place entirely in the woman's bedroom. The second story called "The Miracle"  (co-wrtten by Rosellini & Fredrico Fellini) is the one that caused the controversy. It concerns Nammi (Magnani again), a simple very religious peasant who meets a stranger (Fellini) she believes is St. Joseph.  He gives her too much wine and she passes out. When she awakens (and the stranger is gone) she goes on her way only to discover a few weeks later she is pregnent. She thinks it's immaculate conception but the town shuns her and later publicly humiliates her. She goes off alone and has her baby. The end.

Despite all the controversy the reason it was rarely seen for years had to do with a copyright on the Cocteau play.

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Seeing Is Believing

BLACK DEVIL DOLL FROM HELL-1984-Some movies really have to be seen to be believed. When I tell people about this thing they usually look at me strangely (well, stranger than they usually look at me). That's why I don't tell anyone about this..um..movie anymore. Fortunately when I first saw it , I was with my friend Tony so I have a witness. 

This shot on video insanity is about a religious but sexually repressed woman (Shirley L. Jones) who after some endless conversations about religion, dating and sex visits a doll shop and buys a strange puppet (it looks like the popular Jerry Mahoney but with dark skin and dreadlocks) that the store keeper says can grant the owner's “heart felt wish”. She buys it, takes it home and puts it on the toilet bowl where she proceeds to strip and take a shower. The puppet comes to life and watches her. He (it?)attacks her (his first works are “how do you like that,bitch?”) and ties her to a bed (some scenes of his feet and hands are obviously a little kid). She yells “Untie me, you wooden headed bastard!”. He abuses and rapes her but she decides she likes it! 

Seeing a puppet having sex with a grown woman is pretty strange. It's not a quick scene. It goes on for a while! 

The next day the puppet is gone. She searches the house (“Mr. Wonderful, where are you?”) but he's nowhere to be found. She throws her bible away and seduces a street hustler who grunts and groans but she's just bored. Later she goes to Elmo's bar and picks up a guy. They have sex but once again she is unfulfilled. She gets the puppet back and pleads for sex but the dummy is unresponsive until she tries to destroy it. A toy rabbit playing cymbals is featured in the bonkers ending. 

 While I've seen many shot on video horror films. BDDFH takes the cake. It comes right off a hand held camcorder with very little editing. The stop and start button being the most commonly used device. There's a way too loud Casio like musical soundtrack that at times obscures the dialogue. It's offensive, embarrassing and hilarious. Especially when you take time to think that adults made and acted in it! The writer/director Chester N. Turner remains a mystery man. No one seems to know anything about him except he made one other “feature” called TALES FROM THE QUADEAD ZONE (also with Jones). Rumors say he was killed in a car accident in the early '90's.

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Rock and Religion

THE WORLD’S GREATEST SINNER-1962-Rock god or sinner? 

Bored insurance salesman Clarence Hilliard (Timothy Carey) quits his job to write a book. That doesn’t work out so after seeing a rock band perform (the musician looks like he’s 12 years old) he decides to start his own group and throw some bible thumping in besides. He stands on street corners with his faithful friend Alonzo (Gil Barreto) and gets some followers (one of them is Titus Moede, later in some Ray Dennis Steckler movies).

He forms a kind of cabal with a bunch of nitwits to devise a plan (“Let’s be different. Let’s not hate anybody”). He seduces an old lady for money then dons a phony goatee and plays some numbers with his band (it’s very noisy) and shakes and yells like he’s having a fit. He preaches a loony kind of Nietzsche like philosophy that man is the only god and his followers run riot in the town. After his followers start calling him “God” the devil (who also narrates) visits him and convinces him to enter politics (“Just get rid of your guitar, Clarence”). He starts “The Eternal Man’s Party” and a montage of scenes depict how he’s corrupted by sex and power while campaigning as “God” Hilliard. After he loses the election it all goes down the drain and he cracks up, loses his family and blasphemes God. In the finale the devil as a snake is super-imposed around his body and the screen turns red negative!

For years I read all sorts of stuff about this movie. Michael Wheldon of “Psychotronic Video” fame gushed over it many times. It is entertaining. If more people get to see it (TCM showed one night at 2 AM) it could become the "PLAN 9" of the21^st Century!

Star Carey (a familiar and weird character actor who had scenes in the bigger budgeted films HOUSE OF NUMBERS and CONVICTS 4 the same year) wrote, produced and directed. It’s badly edited and some of the acting is quite funny. In his scenes before he becomes “God” Carey seems like he’s drunk. Paul Frees is the voice of Satan.

Frank Zappa wrote and performed the theme song and some incidental music is also obviously his (some of it sounds like his “Holiday In Berlin”, a theme he used many times over).

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