Movie of the Week

 

 (imdb)

WHERE HAVE ALL THE PEOPLE GONE? -1974-This is an ABC movie of the week presentation. Steven Anders (Peter Graves; a year after MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE ended) and his kids Debbie (Kathleen Quinlan) & Alex (George O'Hanlon Jr.) are on vacation, exploring some caves. After his wife leaves to attend to her job, they go to explore a cave. There's an intense flash of light and an earthquake. Everything seems OK but the friend who was with them dies of what seems to be radiation poisoning. They high tail it back to town but the place is devoid of people. In another town, they find the shell-shocked Jenny (Verna Bloom; in HIGH PLAINS DRIFTER the year before) and an angry dog. Later they are held up and stranded when a gun toting motorist steals their car. They come upon a farm and meet Michael (Michael James-Wixted), a young boy whose parents were killed. They travel by a horse drawn buckboard and run into some more canine trouble. When it's discovered wife/mom is dead everything almost falls apart. When Jenny is saved from suicide Ander's survival speech gives them all hew hope. 

What exactly happened isn't explained precisely. Maybe a solar flare caused some kind of epidemic. 

Director John Llewelyn Moxey (from Argentina) began his film career as an editor and second unit director. In 1960, he directed Christopher Lee in THE CITY OF THE DEAD (aka HORROR HOTEL). He did lots of BBC TV productions and in 1966 again directed Lee in CIRCUS OF FEAR. Later he relocated to the US where he worked largely in TV and directed the standout TV horror movie THE NIGHT STALKER (1972).

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Wood on TV?

 

 (youtube)

FINAL CURTAIN-1957-In an empty theater, the lead actor (Duke Moore) in the play "The VAMPIRE" investigates the spirit world which is supposed to exist after the living have left. He thinks about various spooky things and screams when he hears the cries of a cat. Later he decides to explore. In one room he finds a life like mannequin (Jenny Stevens; also in NIGHT OF THE GHOULS) which seems to come to life. Eventually, he finds what he's looking for. 

This short film (22 minutes) was produced, written and directed by Ed Wood Jr. as a pilot for a planned TV series “Portraits in Terror”. If the scenes with the mannequin seem familiar, most of it (probably Wood's best work) was used in his NIGHT OF THE GHOULS (1959). The bombastic desperate out of control but typical Wood) narration is by Dudley Manlove.

Once thought to be a lost film, a copy was discovered by the great grand-nephew of Paul (Kelton the Cop) Marco.

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German Robles

 

 (imdb)

EL ATAUD DEL VAMPIRO-(THE VAMPIRE'S COFFIN)-1958-A mad doctor steals the coffin of an infamous vampire Count Lavud (German Robles; returning from the first film) in the sequel to EL VAMPIRO. The doctor's greedy grave robbing companion wants the medallion the vampire wears which is unfortunately partially wrapped around the stake embedded in the vampire's heart. Naturally he pulls out the stake and the count returns, making his savior his slave in the process. A doctor (Abel Salazar; also back from the first film) tries to convince anyone a vampire is loose, to little avail. Meanwhile, the Count hides out in a wax museum and sets his fangs on a nurse (Alicia Montoya; also returning from the first film) who is also a dancer. 

Not bad, although the count is kind of wimpy in his fight with the doctor in the finale. Directed by Fernando Mendez (THE BODY SNATCHER (1957); THE BLACK PIT OF DR. M (1959)). Star bloodsucker Robles (in only his second movie) went on to play another vampire Nostradamus. in a series of Mexican produced movies.

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Early Boris

 (imdb)

THE PUBLIC DEFENDER-1931-Rich playboy Pike Winslow (Richard Dix) is actually the mysterious crime fighter The Reckoner who investigates a group of corrupt businessmen who framed their partner, the father of Pike's childhood sweetheart Barbara (Shirley Grey; later in THE MYSTERY OF THE MARY CELESTE). He's assisted by the erudite Professor (Boris Karloff) and big lug Doc (Paul Hurst). They meticulously plan each attack they make on the bad guys looking for evidence to clear the wronged man. 

THE PUBLIC DEFENDER seems similar to "The Shadow", also created in 1931 and may have been an influence on the creation of Batman (although that was 8 years away). 

Star Dix was an Academy Award nominated best actor in 1931 (for the western CIMARRON, the first movie to win the best picture Oscar). Karloff was just a few months away from playing the monster in FRANKENSTEIN. Interesting ahead of its time crime drama directed by J. Walter Ruben. 

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Late Karloff

 

 

 (imdb)

TARGETS-1968-Famous horror star Byron Orlok (Boris Karloff) decides to retire. He feels he's too old to be working. His director Sammy (Peter Bogdanovich) tries to talk him out of it. His personal assistant Jenny (Nancy Hsueh) isn't happy either. Meanwhile, local boy Bobby Thompson (Tim O'Kelly) stockpiles guns and ammo. He seems to have something terrible in mind. 

Though it appears he has a nice family life with his parents and wife, his domineering father and guns seem to occupy his life. There's obviously something wrong but no one seems to realize it. While Orlok agrees to do a live drive-In appearance, Bobby goes on a killing spree. After shooting and killing from a tower overlooking a highway, Bobby hides out behind the screen of a drive-in movie where Orlok will make a personal appearance. After more killing, the two have a confrontation. (The real Karloff film THE TERROR is used on the screen). 

This is a great modern horror film made only because Karloff still owed producer Roger Corman a couple of days work and features one of Boris' best performances (his reciting of “The Appointment in Sumara” is awesome!) and it's only been in recent years that the film has been getting it's due. It was also release around the time of the assassinations of Martin Luther King and Robert Kennedy which caused AIP to withdraw the film then re-release it with a prologue about gun control. 

This is Karloff's last great performance. He made THE CRIMSON CULT a little later and two TV appearances. His last movies unfortunately were the four productions for Mexican producer Luis Enrique Vergara but all of Karloff's scenes were shot in LA by Jack Hill. 

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It Started Here!

 

 (imdb)

LA LLORONA-1933-In Mexico a man dies on the street after hearing a wailing voice. Then a doctor (Ramon Pereda) and his wife (Virginia Zuri) have a birthday party for their 4-year-old son. The doctor's father-in-law Don Fernando (Paco Martinez) is worried because his own son disappeared on his fourth birthday and was later found dead. Unbeknownst to them, a hooded figure is spying on them. Don Fernado tells the doctor the story of how La Llorona, "the crying woman" came to be, set in " New Spain". After this rather long flashback, in the present the hooded figure kills Fernando and tries to steal the son but is unsuccessful. The police are called in. Another flashback and the hooded culprit is revealed. 

This slow moving, talky Mexican horror tale was the first to use the legendary La Llorona which later was featured in several horror films. It was directed by Ramon Peon.

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Kick!

 

 (wikipedia)

AMERICAN KICKBOXER-1991-An arrogant stupid kick boxer BJ Quinn (stuntman John Barrett) accidentally kills a man in a fight. He's convicted of murder, goes to jail and is suspended from competing. After he gets out of jail, he helps an up and coming fighter Hunter (World Karate champion Keith Vitali) in a kickboxing tournament where asshole dirty fighter Jacques Denard (Brad Morris) fights. After a few misadventures and a lot of talk, Quinn winds up in the ring with Denard and despite getting his ass kicked for most of the match, survives to destroy his rival.

 Standard martial arts fare from Cannon, who specialized in this type of thing at the time. The acting is pretty bad. It was the last of a handful of movies directed by Frans Nel.

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Bram Stoker?

 

 (imdb)

BRAM STOKER'S SHADOWBUILDER-1998-A weird priest with a gun (Michael Rooker) battles a shadow demon who wants a kid in a small town. Bugs sting a deputy to death, an old man axes his wife, dogs turn on their master, fun stuff like that. The town lunatic (Tony Todd) helps out. The script and acting are pretty bad.

 The script is based on the story “The Shadow Builder” by Bram Stoker from a short story collection “Under The Sunset”, published in 1881 and of course it's nothing like this movie. Director Jamie Dixon did visual effects for other movies.

Illustration from Stoker's original story

(classic-literature.com.uk)

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Ghost on The Beach

 

 (imdb)

THE GHOST IN THE INVISIBLE BIKINI-1966-Recently dead old guy Hiram Stokley (Boris Karloff; he did HOW THE GRINCH STOLE CHRISTMAS the same year) is told by his dead sister Cicely (Susan Hart) that if he wants to go to heaven and be young again, he has to do one good deed. He decides to make sure his estate goes to his rightful heirs. Chuck Phillips (Tommy Kirk), "not very bright but a nice boy", Lili Norton (Deborah Walley), Myrtle Forbush (Patsy Kelly), plus his attorney Reggie Ripper (Basil Rathbone; in QUEEN OF BLOOD the same year) and his "vile sidekick" J. Sinister Hulk (Jesse White). 

After Myrtle's nephew Bobby (Aron Kincaid) and his friends arrive, Nancy Sinatra sings "Geronimo". The young people frug arrogantly and act dumb at the pool. Ripper introduces his daughter Sinestra (Quinn O'Hara) and she tries to kill Bobby. Then Princess Yolanda (Bobbi Shaw) and her Indian companion Chicken Feather (Benny Rubin) with a gorilla (George Barrows) show up to help get rid of the relatives. The Rats, a motorcycle gang led by Eric Von Zipper (Harvey Lembeck) arrive because their stupid leader falls in love with The Princess. Then Stokley's butler Malcolm (Francis X. Bushman in his last movie role) shows up to warn Chuck to leave. Meanwhile, Stokley watches on a crystal ball and comments and Cicely intervenes to help. Chuck's not very bright friend gets terrorized by some fake monsters and the slapstick finale takes place in a torture chamber. The Bobby Fuller 4 also perform. 

Director Don Weis made this hokey dated beach movie but the old guys seem to having a good time.

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Stan & Ollie

 

 (imdb)

CHICKENS COME HOME-1931-The owner of a fertilizer company Mr. Hardy (Oliver Hardy) sees his political career jeopardized by an old flame (uncredited Mae Busch). He sends his general manager, Mr. Laurel (Stan Laurel) to stall while he has a dinner engagement with his wife (uncredited Thelma Todd). Stan tries to stop the woman from going to Hardy's house. An old biddy tells Stan's wife (Norma Drew) he's fooling around. Mrs. Laurel goes after him with an axe. James Finlayson plays Hardy's butler. Pretty hysterical Laurel & Hardy short.

Director James W. Horne had worked with the team before and would direct them again in THE BOHEMINAN GIRL and WAY OUT WEST. Later he directed several serials.

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Thor!

 

 (imdb)

ZOMBIE NIGHTMARE-1987- After his father is killed by some punks when he was little, Tony Washington (Jon Mikl Thor) is a nice muscle-bound softball coach who lives with his mom, but he's run down and killed by some new punks. His mom hires a voodoo woman to exact revenge. Tony comes back as a ghoul and kills his killers. Things really take a downturn when stupid police captain Tom Churchman (Adam West) shows up to investigate and examine his cigar. Turns out he was involved in the murder of Tony's father. Terrible talky trash from Canada with West giving a bad performance. 

Before this director John Bravman made porno movies under a pseudonym. Screenwriter John Fasano (who plays Tony's father) directed ROCK AND ROLL NIGHTMARE the same year which also featured Heavy Metal singer/body builder Jon Mikl Thor. I once saw Thor perform at a comic convention where he also bent metal with his teeth and blew up a hot water bottle until it burst! ZOMBIE NIGHTMARE was also the feature film debut for actress Tia Carrere.

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Witchtrapped

 

 (the moviedatabase)

WITCHTRAP-1989-A group of psychic researchers go to the haunted Lauder House. 3 moronic security officers accompany them. The first victim of the group is Ginger (Linnea Quigley), who takes a nude shower and has the good sense to get killed (by a shower head) early on. A woman named Whitney (Kathleen Bailey) has a lot of seizures. A psycho handyman roams around too. The acting is terrible. 

Writer/director Kevin S. Tenney (who also has a role) also made WITCHBOARD, NIGHT OF THE DEMONS and THE CELLAR.

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Crime Drama

 

 (imdb)

CAGE OF EVIL-1960-Inspector Melrose (John Maxwell) narrates the story of police detective Scott Harper (Ron Foster), a hot-headed jerk, disgruntled at being passed over as he investigates a robbery of diamonds that involves murder. (Robert Shayne plays the owner) His partner Murray Kerns (Harp McGuire) is a little better. Harper winds up falling in love with Holly (Patricia Blair from THE BLACK SLEEP (1956)), the girlfriend of Romack (Howard McLeod), the gangster who staged the robbery. Harper and Holly plot to kill him and keep the diamonds and Harper winds up killing his partner. It ends in Mexico where he finds out once again crime doesn't pay. 

Another crime drama that seems like an overlong TV show by the Robert Kent-Edward L. Cahn-Orville Hampton team after they stopped making horror movies. Several actors appear un-billed small roles: Ted Knight, Greg Martell, Henry Darrow and Eve Brent.

Star Foster was in THE WALKING TARGET (directed by Edward L. Cahn) the same year. He made appearances in many TV shows and was later in THE HOUSE OF THE DAMNED (1965).

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UK

 

(imdb)

DEAD OF NIGHT-1945-An architect Craig (Mervyn Johns) visits a countryside cottage where he gets a big rush of Deja Vu. He says he's met the group of people there in his dreams. Thus begins this anthology.

1. “The Hearse Driver”-Race car driver Hugh Grainer (Anthony Baird) suffers a near fatal accident. Later, a dream saves his life. Just like a future “Twilight Zone” episode, directed by Basil Dearden.

2. “The Christmas Party”-At a party for young people, Sally (Sally Ann Howes) finds a secret room where a young boy Francis is crying and says his stepsister is trying to kill him. Directed by Alberto Cavalcanti. This is adapted from a story by Angus MacPhail, which in turn is based on a true story.

3. “The Haunted Mirror”-A wife (Googie Withers) buys her husband (Ralph Michael) a mirror. When he looks in it, he sees the background of a completely different room. He seems to be taken over by the spirit of the former wife killing owner. Directed by Robert Hamer.

4. “The Golfer's Story”-Two friends George Parratt (Basil Radford) and Larry Potter (Nauton Wayne), both golfers, play a round for the love of a woman named Mary (Peggy Bryan). Parratt wins and Potter commits suicide. After he marries Mary and goes to play some golf, he hears Potter's voice mocking him and calling him a cheat. This is actually a lighthearted ghost comedy directed by Charles Crichton and based on a story by HG Welles.

5. “The Ventriloquist's Dummy”-Frere (Michael Redgrave), a ventriloquist, is accused of trying to kill another ventriloquist named Sylvester (Hartley Power) but he blames his dummy Hugo, who seems to have a life of his own. Standout segment directed by Alberto Cavalcanti.

In the nightmarish wraparound finale, Craig isn't what he seems to be….

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Nobody Asked Me But....

Books I'd like to recommend. A little something for everyone!

 

Switcheroo

 

 (imdb)

DOCTOR JEKYLL & SISTER HYDE-1971-During the Jack the Ripper time, Dr. Henry Jekyll (Ralph Bates; in LUST FOR A VAMPIRE the same year) writes a testimonial that turns into a flashback. Jekyll is working on an anti-virus vaccine. When the pompous but crazy Prof. Robertson (Gerald Sim) says it would take too long to perfect his serum, Jekyll becomes obsessed with doing it quicker, working day and night continuously. He's experimenting with female hormones using corpses from a morgue. When he runs out of corpses, he hires Burke (Ivor Dean) & Hare (Tony Calvin) to help him. You know what that means. After some experiments with flies, Jekyll takes his own concoction and becomes a woman (Martine Beswick). She becomes Jack The Ripper in this early gender bender horror story directed by Roy Ward Baker and written by Brian Clemens for Hammer Pictures.

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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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Bava

 

 (the moviedb.org)

BLACK SABBATH-1963-Three tales of terror are hosted by Boris Karloff in this Italian American co-production presented by AIP. 

The Drop of Water-A woman (Jacqueline Pierreux) is terrorized in her apartment after stealing a ring off a dead woman. Dripping water, weird lights and the dead woman seemingly back for revenge all help in the thief's demise. Credited as based on a story by Anton Chekov but he never wrote such a story.

The Telephone-A woman named Rosie (Michele Mercier) receives threatening phone calls from a man she thought was dead. Credited as a story by Tolstoy but not Leo, the author of “War and Peace” but a minor author Aleksei.

The Wurdaluk-A man (Mark Damon) stays with a family and awaits the return of their grandfather (Boris Karloff) who may now be a vampire. Based on a story by Guy de Maupassant. Usually said to be the only time King Karloff played a vampire.

Mario Bava directed this using lots of style and clever camera work. The original Italian version has a different story order, different music and alternate narration by Karloff. Plus an unusual ending for the vampire story. Bava made THE WHIP AND THE BODY the same year.

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Silent Talkie

 

 (tcm.com)

THE MYSTERIOUS ISLAND-1929-Count Dakkar (Lionel Barrymore) is a brilliant scientist who along with his daughter Sonia (Jacqueline Gadsden) and her fiancé Roget (Lloyd Hughes) invents fantastic submarines to go look for a civilization deep in the sea. But he's betrayed by his friend Baron Falon (Montagu Love) who wants to be dictator of nearby Hetvania. 

This silent film has several scenes with characters speaking and their voyage to a strange undersea kingdom populated by fish men is quite eerie as is a giant octopus attack. Some prints featured tinted color scenes. The SFX are great for the time but some of the scenes with dialogue drag a little. Most likely only used simply because the advent of sound interrupted the production. Snitz Edwards and Gibson Gowland also appear. 

It's loosely based on the 1874 Jules Verne novel of the same name which was a sequel to "200,000 Leagues Under the Sea". A more faithful remake was made in 1961. 

This is only one of three movies directed by Lucien Hubbard who went on to become a producer and writer. A few added scenes were directed by Maurice Tourneur and Benjamin Christensen.

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Von Stroheim

 

 (imdb)

THE CRIME OF DR. CRESPI-1935-Teutonic, grouchy, self-assured Dr. Crespi (Erich Von Stroheim; 2 years before GRAND ILLUSION) agrees to operate on his former lover's husband Stephen Ross (John Bohn), a highly decorated doctor who used to be Crespi's assistant. The operation is a success but Ross dies anyway. Or does he? It seems Crespi is a mad scientist who injected Ross with a drug that makes him appear dead when in fact he can see and hear everything. Crespi wants him buried alive and even gloats about it to Ross' prone body. Ross is buried but is inadvertently saved when Dr. Thomas (Dwight Frye; in BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN the same year) exhumes the body believing Crespi poisoned Ross. Hungarian born John H. Auer directed this creaky melodramatic sort of horror tale with the credit “suggested” by Edgar Allan Poe's “The Premature Burial”.

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3 By Curtis

 

 (imdb)

TRILOGY OF TERROR-1975-Very good TV horror anthology directed by Dan Curtis. In the first story “Julie” (written by William F. Nolan & Richard Matheson), Chad (Robert Burton), a college jerk becomes obsessed with nerdy teacher Julie (Karen Black). He drugs her, takes her to a hotel, takes pictures of her and rapes her. Then he blackmails her and he and his friends use her (not shown, only implied). But in the twist ending he finds out she's not what he thinks she is....

In the second “Millicent & Therese” (written by Nolan), Millicent (Black) complains about her sister Therese (also Black), being evil, practicing witchcraft and seducing men. She warns Therese's boyfriend (John Karlen) about her but he ignores it. Then Therese tries to seduce their doctor (George Gaynes). Millicent decides to do away with her sister using her own witchcraft. This story is ok but the ending is fairly guessable.

In the third and most famous episode “Amelia” (written by Matheson), Amelia, a woman with mother problems buys a weird Zuni fetish doll for her anthropologist boyfriend. After a fight with her mother, she breaks her date and is then terrorized by the evil looking doll that has big teeth and makes strange noises. 

Once again director Curtis shows that just because it's made for TV, horror stories can still be good.

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Better To Be a Cockroach..

 

 (imdb)

METAMORPHOSIS-2007-In Budapest, the daughter of Elizabeth Bathory (Irena Hoffman) comes back to life as a vampire. She hooks up with an American (Corey Sevier) doing a book about her and his two friends. She likes him because he has sympathy for her and she beats up a local mugger. Later, after they crash their car, they meet Igor (Zolee Ganxsta) and Sabine (Florentine Lahme), two local tourists. They hook up with a priest and nun and are chased by wolves. And then Christopher Lambert shows up to chew the scenery. Pretty tough going. Director Jeno Hodi also made AMERICAN KICKBOXER 2 (1993).

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Who Remembers Count Dante?

Martial Arts Ads from Comic Books in the late '60's-early '70's

 

Hooked on Vampires

 

 (imdb)

VAMPIRE HOOKERS-1978-Tom Buckley (Bruce Fairbairn) & Terry Wayne (Trey Wilson) are two sailors on leave in The Philippines. While looking for a missing buddy, Tom stumbles upon old vampire Reed Richmond (John Carradine) and his 3 vampire brides (Karen Stride,Lenka Novak,Katie Dolan) who pose as hookers to lure unsuspecting victims. They are assisted by the pathetic Pavo (Vic Diaz) who wants to ge a vampire but for some reason isn't. A running gag is his farting. Richmond says things like “Walt Whitman must have been a vampire”.

 It's pretty cheesy despite the good-looking vampire girls. Reed Richmond was actually Carradine's real first names. 

The screenplay is by Howard R. Cohen who later wrote a lot for Roger Corman productions (SPACE RAIDERS, DEATHSTALKER). Director Cirio H. Santiago (FIRECRACKER (1981)) made around 100 movies.

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Too Tufts To Die

 

 (imdb)

SERPENT ISLAND-1954-A rummy sailor Pete Mason (Sonny Tufts) agrees to help Miss Ricky Andre (Mary Munday) find the family treasure using the infamous Andre Letter which she carries. They charter a boat for Haiti from Capt. Ellis (Tom Monroe) who doesn't like Mason and vice-versa and eventually they have a fight. Pete and Ricky go off to an island as he doesn't believe the gold is in Haiti. On the island Pete puts his moves on Ricky. At first, she resists but then accepts it and judging by the scenes of crashing waves they have a great time! Pete and Ricky are captured by the island natives. There are actually only two. The rest is stock footage. Pete even knows the head priestess (Rosalind Hayes). Her servant Jacques (Don Blackman) has a couple of fights with Pete. The gold they are looking for is an idol worshiped by the locals. A giant snake almost kills Ricky but Pete saves her. Ellis however has other plans but he's bitten by a snake. Pete & Ricky escape, gold-less but in love. 

This romantic adventure story is very cheap with a minimal cast. This was writer/director Tom Gries debut but he went on to TV in the '50's and '60's and much later made some bigger budgeted movies like WILL PENNY (1967), the TV mini-series HELTER SKELTER (1976), THE GREATEST (his last in 1977) and others. Mr BIG himself Bert I. Gordon was the producer and cinematographer, a year before he directed his first film, KING DINOSAUR! Star Sonny Tufts had been in CAT-WOMAN OF THE MOON the year before.

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Warren Strikes Again!

 

 (youtube)

ATTACK OF THE MAYAN MUMMY-1964-Dr. Munson relates to a newspaper publisher (uncredited Bruno VeSota) the strange case of Dr. Redding (Ramon Gay) and his regression experiments with one Ann Taylor (Rosita Arenas), a reincarnated Mayan princess. They visit a Mayan tomb and are chased away by a scary looking mummy. 

If this all sounds familiar, it should. This is actually the first Aztec mummy movie reedited by Jerry Warren. He added around 30 minutes of new footage which is basically American actors (including Warren regular Steve Conte) talking endlessly about nonsense. The final shot is a wastepaper basket. Rafael Portillo was the original director.

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Oh My Goodness!

 

 

 (imdb)

PAUL LYNDE HALLOWEEN SPECIAL-ABC-1976-I've read about this special and how awful and bizarre it is but really it's probably not much different than any other TV variety special being produced at the time. It reeks the '70's with everyone trying to be hip, disco dancing and Kiss. Yes, Kiss is the musical guest and they do three songs! There's bits involving truckers, rhinestone cowboys, etc. But the guest list besides Kiss includes Tim Conway, Billy Barty and some woman who was on Happy Days at the time (she was fired after a couple of episodes) and cameos by Betty White and Donny & Marie! In a strange move two witches are thrown in. Billie Barnes as Witchie Poo (from TV's “H.R. Pufnstuf”) and Margaret Hamilton reprising her role as the Wicked Witch! 

Lynde made several specials under his ABC contract after none of his sit-com pilots were picked up. He seems very sincere in his closing monologue. Director Sid Smith made most of anything Bob Hope later did on TV.

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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.

Thanks for reading this short review!

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.

Double Thanks for reading!