Corman Tackles Racism

 

 (the movie database)

THE INTRUDER-1962-Smooth talking snake oil salesman Adam Cramer (William Shatner) comes to town to stir up racial tension on the eve of school desegregation. He represents "The Patrick Henry Society" and wants to fight against integration even though it's the law. Lots of dumb racist hicks (including Robert Emhardt) rally to him. He leads the KKK through town and is indirectly responsible for the death of a black minister. He uses a newspaper owner's daughter (Beverly Lundsford) to bring phony rape charges against a black student (Charles Barnes). Salesman Sam Griffin (Leo Gordon) knows Cramer is only smoke and mirrors and a pathetic coward. This all comes out in the finale which takes place in a schoolyard. 

The script is by Charles Beaumont (based on his novel) who also plays a persecuted teacher. Two other writers, William F. Nolan and George Clayton Johnson, have small roles. Pretty daring stuff for director Roger Corman to tackle in 1962 but he does a fine job. Brother Gene co-produced it.

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Made For TV

 

FRANKENSTEIN-2004-Meandering bs about a 2000-year-old mad surgeon (Thomas Kretschmann) who creates a bunch of monsters that terrorize New Orleans. 

His "monster" (Vincent Perez) searches for him while a policewoman (Parker Posey) and her partner (Adam Goldberg) try to figure it out. Everyone whispers in the dark gloomy setting and Michael Madsen is another cop. From the ending, the producers (including Martin Scorsese) thought this junk was going to have a sequel.

 Originally called “Dean R. Koontz's Frankenstein” because USA network hired him to write the thing but they had a falling out and Koontz left and wrote a series of “Frankenstein” books. Director Marcus Nispel had made a remake of THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE the year before. He went on to remake FRIDAY THE 13^th (2009) and CONAN THE BARBARIAN (2011).

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Horror Remake

 

 (imdb)

WEB OF THE SPIDER-1971-An American reporter Foster (Anthony Franciosa) meets Edgar Allan Poe (Klaus Kinski) in England and winds up making a bet to spend the night in a haunted castle. After investigating the place he meets two women, Julia (Karin Field) & Elizabeth (Michele Mercier). They don't seem to like each other. It's clear that something is going on. After Elizabeth seduces Foster, a man breaks in and seems to kill her. Foster shoots the man but his body disappears. Then Elizabeth's body also vanishes. While searching for the missing bodies, Foster meets doctor Carmis (Peter Carsten) who vanished years before. He proves through some apparitions/flashbacks that everyone in the house is dead. 

This stylish remake of NIGHTMARE CASTLE directed Antonio Margheriti (under the pseudonym Anthony Dawson) is good but I prefer the original. This was one of 10 films Klaus Kinski made in 1971.

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Poe X 3

 

 (imdb)

SPIRITS OF THE DEAD-1968-3 tales loosely based on stories by the legendary Edgar Allen Poe by 3 different directors. 

The first is "Metzengerstein" by Roger Vadim, about a cruel countess (Jane Fonda) whose life of debauchery is changed by the death of her mysterious cousin (Peter Fonda) and a wild horse he owned. "William Wilson" by Louis Malle is about a psychotic man (Alain Delon) plagued by another man who has the same name. He plays cards with a woman (Bridgitte Bardot) and wins by cheating. To pay her debt, he whips her but the other Wilson exposes him. They have a duel; both end up dying. "Toby Dammit" by Federico Fellini is about a burnout film star (Terence Stamp) who agrees to be in an Italian movie because the producers promise to give him a Ferrari in lieu of payment. It seems to be a plot by the devil, in the guise of a sinister little girl, to get his head. 

Strange trilogy that could have been better. Despite the three directors, it's missing something. Originally, Orson Welles and/or Luis Bunel were supposed to direct a segment. When AIP released it in the US it had opening narration by Vincent Price.

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Fightful

(imdb)

FRIGHTMARE-1983-Some idiot fans of the recently deceased horror star Conrad Razoff (Ferdinand Mayne; THE FEARLESS VAMPIRE KILLERS (1967)) steal his corpse and have a party where they get drunk and dance with him. Later they put him in the attic. His wife contacts a psychic (Nita Talbott) who performs a seance that brings Conrad back to life. He kills most of them (including Jeffery Combs in his third film) and a fat cop investigates. One guy (future director Luca Bercovici) is cremated alive. Leon Askin (from TV's "Hogan's Heroes" has a small role). 

Confused typical '80's slasher nonsense written & directed by Norman Thaddeus Vane who many years earlier penned The Herman's Hermits movie MRS. BROWN, YOU'VE GOT A LOVELY DAUGHTER (1968).

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Ruined

 

 (imdb)

THE RUINS-2008-Some stupid Americans (Jonathan Tucker, Jena Malone, Laura Ramsey, Shawn Ashmore) on vacation in Mexico are terrorized by mysterious locals and killer plant roots but it's mostly characters screaming and crying. Carter Smith directed. Co-male lead Ashmore played Ice Man in the original X-Men film series.

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Solar Times 2

 

 (amazon)

SOLAR DESTRUCTION-2008-Solar flares threaten Earth. A 15-year-old math genius asshole (Chris Brochu) predicts what will happen but nobody believes him even after two scientists (Tracey Gold, Cliff DeYoung) back him up. An evil rich guy works against them. I've seen worst but this is pretty bad. The acting really blows. Low budget boredom from director Fred Olen Ray. Aka SOLAR FLARE.

 (the moviedb.org)

SOLAR IMPACT-2019-Forgettable 28 DAYS LATER rip-off about a group of dummies trying to survive after solar debris has turned most of the population of England into crazed zombies. Later it becomes a NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD talk fest. Directed by Craig Tudor James.

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