Joan Runs A Circus

 

BERSERK!-1967-Something's up at the circus owned by Monica Rivers (Joan Crawford). A trapeze artist is hanged during his act. Monica seems fairly cold blooded and sees the accident/murder as a box office boost. Her business partner/boy toy Dorado (Michael Gough) wants her to buy out his share. She hires Frank Hawkins (Ty Hardin) as a new tight wire artist. He wants to have an affair with her but she rejects him (it's a switcheroo!). Then Dorado gets a spike through his head. 

The circus people (including Diana Dors & Milton Reid) get together and some of them accuse Monica. A police commissioner (Geoffrey Kean) sends Det. Brooks (Robert Hardy) to investigate. Matilda (Diana Dors) unsuccessfully tries to put the moves on Jack. Little person Bruno (George Claydon) hangs around. Later Monica's troublesome daughter Angela (Judy Geeson) shows up after being kicked out of finishing school. Then Gustavo (Peter Burton) really saws Matilda in half. Angela becomes part of a knife throwing act. When Frank is killed the murderer is revealed and electrocuted. 

This not half bad little murder mystery horror film was co-produced (and shot) in jolly old England by Herman Cohen who in the 1950's had produced several films for AIP including I WAS A TEENAGE FRANKENSTEIN, I WAS A TEENAGE WEREWOLF and BLOOD OF DRACULA. Prior to that he was associate producer of BELA LUGOSI MEETS A BROOKLYN GORILLA and producer on Abbott & Costello's last feature DANCE WITH ME,HENRY. He later worked with Crawford again on TROG. One story goes that Cohen wanted to cast Joan's real life daughter Christina Crawford in the role that eventually went to Judy Geeson but Mommie Dearest 86'd it. 

Co-producer and co-writer (with Cohen) Aben Kanel had worked with Cohen at AIP and on Cohen's previous England lensed features (KONGA, HORRORS OF THE WAX MUSCEUM and THE BLACK ZOO). Director Jim O'Connolly later made THE VALLEY OF THE GWANGI and THE TOWER OF EVIL.

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The Devil You Know...

 

SANANTIS: THE DEVIL'S MASS-1970-This is a documentary about Anton LeVay and his "Church of Satan". He's a slick snake oil salesman like any other phony religious leader. He talks a lot of mumbo jumbo when his whole point seems to be total sexual freedom. Satan's just a bystander. In interviews his "followers" seem high. Other people voice their opposition. The Satanic rituals shown (including nudity, boa constrictor and a whipping) seem staged for the camera. Although interviews with neighbors and priests try to make it seem like they are stupid, it's plain everyone can see through him. It ends with his wife saying "I understand he was tremendously busy during Halloween". It's the only movie director Ray Laurent who once worked with Ray Dennis Steckler, made.

                                           Some of LeVay's books...

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Nimoy

 

BAFFLED!-1973-American race car driver Tom Kovack (Leonard Nimoy) has strange visions of Wyndam Castle in Devon and a woman and child in danger. An English woman Michelle Brent (Susan Hampshire) tells him he has a special power. Meanwhile actress Andrea Glenn (Vera Miles) and her daughter Jen (Jewell Blanch) move into the castle Kovack saw in his vision (they were also there). Mrs. Farraday (Rachel Roberts) sees to their needs. After Kovac has another vision where he falls out a window, he goes with Michelle to stay at the castle (which takes guests). It seems someone is hiding out in the castle grounds and only Jen knows it.

 Jen gets a medallion with a wolf on it that seems to possess her but it all has to do with an old woman who wants to use Jen's psychic powers (but not really). 

Nimoy is good in the lead role with some nice touches of humor but the story isn't much. It was a pilot for a proposed TV series directed by Phillip Leacock who was doing a lot of American TV episodes at the time.

Happy Memorial Day! Love long and Prosper!

Francostein Monster

 

THE (EROTIC) RITES OF FRANKENSTEIN-1973-Just as Dr. Frankenstein (Dennis Price) and assistant Morpho (your director Jess Franco) have resurrected the monster, Cagliostro (Howard Vernon) and Melisa (Anna Libert), his vampire bird-girl kill them and take the monster. Before he dies Frankenstein asks Dr. Seward (Alberto Dalbes) to save the monster ("my legacy"). 

At the doc's funeral Seward meets Vera Frankenstein (Beatriz Savon) who at night steals her dad's corpse with the help of her nurse. She brings dad back to life for a few minutes and he tells her to get his monster back. She vows revenge against Cagliostro. Later Melisa has the monster kidnap a woman and in a bizarre ceremony the woman's head is severed from her body while Cagliostro and un-dead ghouls look on. When the monster kidnaps an artist's model, it meets Vera who convinces him to take her instead of the model. Held prisoner, Vera beats a henchman in a cruel game where the henchman winds up impaled. Cagliostro hypnotizes Vera so she will obey him. He wants to build a mate for the monster and start a new race. Meanwhile Steward and a police inspector investigate. 

Poor dead Dr. Frankenstein is found and brought to life once more by Steward but the doc attacks Steward until the inspector throws acid on him. Then using "magnetic rays and an incisor machine", Vera helps make the perfect mate. Melisa goes into a blood frenzy on a hapless victim. Before the monster can consummate with "his bride" Steward convinces him/it to turn against Cagliostro and his minions. He kills Melisa and tries to do in Vera but the inspector shoots him. Laughing madly Cagliostro escapes and Vera warns he'll return….

Mindless but entertaining Spanish-France horror mess from Franco who also made a "hotter" version  with more nudity (not an uncommon move for for the director). Franco (1920-2013)  made upwards of 10 movies in 1973!

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Forgotten New Age Stuff

 

THE PYRAMID-1976-A news reporter Chris Lowe (CW Brown) is fired from his job by his boss who doesn't like his "visual masturbation". He goes on a personal journey to record things he thinks matter. He doesn't have much success but his therapist girlfriend and pyramid power help him see a happy future (it was wrong though ..). 

Filmed in Texas, this new age low budget arty story was directed by Gary Kent who acted in movies by Al Adamson, TV Mikels and Ray Dennis Steckler. He also did technical behind the scenes work for many B movies.Years later Kent and the cast and crew reunited for a short called THE PYRAMID: LOST & FOUND.

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Henry's Last Ride

 

FULL METAL NINJA-1989-After some clad in black ninjas threaten a guy dressed in yellow, they fight a guy dressed in pink who gives them a message for their boss "The judge is here". He shoots one of them and lets the other go. 

Then a village is pillaged and most of the people killed. Then a guy named Eagle (Renato Sala) jumps out of the water and cuts down a tree with his sword. The guy in pink is Leon (Pierre Kirby) who's seeking revenge against Boris, an evil guy who killed Leon's family. Eagle has a lot of fights (including vs. a dude who breathes fire). He's looking for general Lo. He meets Jade and after beating a big guy in a contest gives her the prize money. He stays the night with her and her father. Meanwhile Leon the pink fights some multicolored ninjas sent by Boris. Leon shoots one of the attackers but runs out of bullets and let's the other one live. Meanwhile, while preparing to leave Jade's home, Eagle is attacked by a Ninja with a bow and arrow that turns out to be Jade's father. Eagle wounds him but after confessing to his daughter, he kills himself. Eagle leaves her crying over dad's corpse. 

After Jade tries to unsuccessfully kill Eagle, a monk tells Leon he is good and Boris is evil. He should seek Eagle's help. Eagle is captured by Lo after being drugged by a giggling woman, He escapes and is almost killed again but some monks save him. At their monastery he meets Leon. Well sort of... 

If you haven't guessed by now this is two movies pasted together. The main movie is a 1984 Korean feature WARRIOR. Geoffrey Ho (hiding under the name Charles Lee) created this paste up job with his usual incompetency. This was star Pierre Kirby's last movie outing. He seemed to disappear with several stories surrounding his demise.

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Sorority Kill

 

HOUSE ON SORORITY ROW-1982-Some stupid college frat women want to hold a party in their frat house but their weird house mother Mrs. Slater (Lois Kelso Hunt) won't allow it. When a prank they play on her winds up killing her, they dump her body in the dirty pool and have the party. Someone starts killing them (although the first victim is a Weird Al Yankovic clone). A strange doctor, an hallucinogenic drug and Slater's thought to be dead son are the culprits as well as the doctor's fertility experiments. 

This horror story uses unusual colors and hallucinations to try and break out of the typical for the time slasher mode. The director Mark Rosman must have done something right as it did fairly well when first released and has gain a cult following. Couldn't shake off the familiar '80's slasher ending though...

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