Legend

 

 (themoviedb.org)

BRUCE LEE THE LEGEND-1984-This documentary has rare scenes of Lee as a child actor (some with his comedic actor dad), his now famous black & white interview, scenes of him as Kato and TV's "Longstreet". Raymond Chow, head of Golden Harvest, explains how Lee convinced him to make "THE BIG BOSS (FIST OF FURY in the US) and FISTS OF FURY (THE CHINESE CONNECTION in the US). Both were huge hits. Then writing, directing and starring in THE WAY OF THE DRAGON. Good behind the scenes footage from ENTER THE DRAGON and GAME OF DEATH. 

There's speculation on his death and interviews with Nora Miao (his WAY OF THE DRAGON co-star), Betty Ting Pei (long thought to be his mistress) and director Robert Clouse. This Golden Harvest tribute is good but hardly a definitive bio. Leonard Ho, normally a producer, directed.

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Caged Boredom

 

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CAGED TERROR-1973-Co-workers Richard (Percy Harkness) and Janet (Elizabeth Suzuki) go to a secluded cabin but they seem to be hiking there forever. Rich acts a little nutty and Jan is sad when he shoots a rabbit. After philosophical bs and sex, they arrive at a rundown cabin. Nothing much happens until around the 54 minute mark when 2 guys, Jarvis (Leon Morenzie) & The Troubadour (Derek Lamb), show up, saying they live in the cabin. Unfortunately, one of them croons a song. Later the 2 guys leave but come back at night and Richard shoots at them. 

This movie filmed in Canada is real garbage with an ending that makes no sense. This was directed by Barrie Angus McLean and was originally called “The Golden Apples of the Sun”.

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They Never Learn (and neither do I)

 

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THE GANZFELD HAUNTING-2014-4 college fools go to a remote house to conduct and film an experiment in telekinesis using banned equipment made in the 1950's. They don't sleep, do drugs, curse a lot and the girls do an erotic dance and kiss. They lose touch with reality and smoke cigarettes. It's pretty bad. With Billy Zane in a flashback and Dominic Purcell as a detective. Director Michael Oblowitz also made THE FOREIGNER starring Steven Seagal.

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Ghost Stories From Japan

 

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KWAIDAN-1965-"The Black Hair"- A samurai (Rentaro Mikuni) abandons his devoted wife (Michiyo Aratama; CHUSHINGURA (1962)) and marries into a noble family just to gain a position. Finding his new bride (Misako Watanabe; SAMURAI SPY (1969)) to be cold and self-possessed, he realizes too late he still loves his first wife and misses their life together. Eventually, he returns to her. Everything seems the same until….

"The Woman of The Snow"-Woodcutters Mosaku and his apprentice Minokuchi (Tatsuya Nakadai; later the star of FACE OF ANOTHER (1964)) are caught in a blizzard. They find shelter in a hut. They are visited at night by a mysterious eerie woman in white who kills Mosaku but allows the young man to live provided he never tells anyone of their encounter. Later he meets Yuki and they marry and raise a family. Then one night he tells Yuki about his encounter…

"Hoichi the Earless"-The battle of Don-no-ura is a great battle sequence. Hoichi, a blind biwa player lives at a temple with several other attendants. One night he is visited by a mysterious samurai who says his master wants to hear Hoichi play. He goes with the samurai every night but refuses to say where. He won't even tell his master (Takashi Shimura; in GHIDORAH the same year). He also appears to be growing paler. When Hoichi leaves during a storm, 3 attendants follow him. It turns out Hoichi has been playing his biwa in a graveyard to the spirits of dead warriors. There's more though…This also features a great battle of Don-no-ura sequence.

"In a Cup of Tea"-A writer relates a story that has no ending. Sekini, a samurai guarding a lord, sees the face of a mysterious man in his teacup. Later that night he is visited by the same man who appears to be a ghost. When he tells the other guards, they laugh at him. Later he duels 3 ghosts who are attendants of the other man. Sekini seems to beat them but there the story ends. The writer's publisher comes to visit him. He and the landlady find the writer trapped in a large jug of water.

 (imdb)

This is director Masaki Kobayashi's (THE HUMAN CONDITION series) only foray into the realm of Japanese ghost stories. It's an excellent anthology but some “western” audiences might find it too slow moving. The stories come from a 1904 book by Lafcadio Hearn, an author born on a Greek island, who had a hardscrabble childhood, lived in several countries (including the US) but settled in Japan permanently in 1890.

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Jackula

 

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DRACULA-1974-Jonathan Harker (Murray Brown; also in VAMPYRES the same year) goes to Transylvania and meets Dracula (Jack Palance) who's looking to relocate to Carthax Abbey in England. In due course Harker learns his employer is a vampire and becomes a victim of Drac's wives. 5 weeks later The Count is in England. Mina (Penelope Horner), Harker's fiancée, visits her best friend Lucy (Fiona Lewis; she was in LISZTOMANIA the next year), who Dracula took a fancy to when Harker showed him a picture. Lucy is sick in bed with a wound on her throat. Her boyfriend Arthur (Simon Ward) brings in Dr. Van Helsing (Nigel Davenport; PHASE lV the same year) who has his suspicions. Of course, Lucy is a victim of vampirism. Despite their best efforts, Lucy dies and she comes back to try and put the bite on Arthur. Fortunately, Van Helsing intercedes and later puts a stake in her. The Count goes crazy when he finds Lucy dead (apparently, she looked like his long dead love). When he sets his sights on Mina, Arthur and Van Helsing move into action. 

This is a not bad adaptation of the Bram Stoker classic, in fact very good for a TV movie, with Palance putting his own personal touch on his interpretation of the character. Virginia Whetherell, Sarah Douglas and Barbara Lindley play the count's undead wives. Director Dan Curtis and screenwriter Richard Matheson also made the not as good SCREAM OF THE WOLF the same year.

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Poe One

 

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THE HOUSE OF USHER-1960-Philip Winthrop (Mark Damon who died in May 2024) comes to the Usher home to visit his fiancée' Madeline (Myrna Fahey). Brother Roderick (Vincent Price) says he must leave because Madeline is confined to her bed. Rod says that Philip can never marry her because both siblings suffer from an inherited disease that he calls a curse. Philip is told by Bristol, the butler (Harry Ellerbe) that Madeline walks in her sleep. Philip is determined to take his future wife away but Roderick forbids it. He shows Philip portraits of his ancestors who all came to bad ends. After a fight with her brother, Madeline dies. When she is put in the family tomb, Roderick admits he buried sis alive! After Philip has a nightmarish dream, Roderick seems to lose his mind believing Madeline is coming for revenge. However, it appears he's right! 

A great fiery climax caps this the first Edgar Allan Poe adaptation by Roger Corman and Richard Matheson (and Vincent Price). It may just be me but at times Damon's voice sounds like Derek (David Love) from TEENAGERS FROM OUTER SPACE!

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Curtis Threesome

 

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DEAD OF NIGHT-1977-TV movie trilogy by director Dan Curtis and screenwriter Richard Matheson, narrated by John Dehner. 

 In "Second Chance"-A guy named Frank (Ed Begley Jr.) restores an old car that had been in a car crash (killing two people) in 1926. While driving it on a back road, he's transported to 1926. His car is stolen and he's stranded but the next day he's back in his own time. He meets Helen (Christina Hart) and her father (EJ Andre) & mother (Ann Doran) who have the exact same car. It seems Frank may have changed the past. From a story by Jack Finney.

In the second story "No Such Thing As A Vampire"-Prof. Gheria (Patrick Macnee) calls on his friend Michael (Horst Bucholtz) to help his daughter Alexis (Anjanette Comer) who he says has been attacked by a vampire. Elisha Cook Jr. is his butler. This has a good twist ending. From a story by Matheson.

"Bobby"-A woman (Joan Hackett) uses witchcraft to try and bring back her dead son. He (Lee Montgomery) comes back but wants to murder mom. His "friend" shows up in the finale. Based on the WW Jacobs classic short story "The Monkey's Paw". 

Director Dan Curtis made this a year after the feature film BURNT OFFERINGS. It's very good (especially for TV) but is usually pushed aside in favor of his earlier anthology TRILOGY OF TERROR (1975). 

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Corman/Argentina

 

 (imdb)

DEATHSTALKER-1983-Some warrior dickhead called Deathstalker (Richard Hill) is convinced by a witch to get an amulet of power from the stronghold of the evil Kang (Victor Bo) and reunite "the 3 powers". Along the way he meets another loser, Ogris (Richard Brooker; Jason in FRIDAY THE 13-PART 3) and warrior woman Kaira (Lana Clarkson; later the star of BARBARIAN QUEEN (1985)). Deathstalker saves a woman (Barbi Benton) Kang planned sacrifice. 

One of ten films Roger Corman produced in Argentina when he owned New World, it features outrageously bad sfx, acting and dialogue. 

Directed by John Watson who under his real last name Sbardellati was mostly an assistant director. Written by Howard Cohen, who besides writing a couple of sequels also penned VAMPIRE HOOKERS (1978) and THE UNHOLY ROLLERS (1972). Tragically, co-star Lana Clarkson was murdered by Phil Spector in 2003.

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Low Budget Trilogy

 

 (imdb)

ENCOUNTER WITH THE UNKNOWN-1973-Very low budget trilogy of tales involving the supernatural much of it narrated by the great Rod Serling. In the first, 3 smart ass college kids set up Johnny, a naive guy with a phony date. When he's accidentally shot and killed, his spooky mom (Fran Franklin) puts a curse on the 3. One of guys tells the story to a priest who gets upset when the curse seems to come true. In the second story, after a kid loses his dog, he and his father discover a mysterious giant hole in the ground. The father is lowered into the hole. When they bring him up, he's gone crazy. What he saw is never revealed. Annabelle Weenick (DON'T LOOK IN THE BASEMENT) is his wife and (Larry Buchanan regular) Billy Thurman is a hillbilly. The third is based on “the legend of the girl on the bridge”. After a car drives off a bridge, a dude picks up a mysterious young woman (Rosie Holotik) who says she wants to go home. In a flashback we find out that the girl Susan had a fight with her father (Gene Ross) over a guy she wanted to marry. Of course, it turns out Susan is dead and her ghost is trying to get home. Holotik and Ross had also been in DON'T LOOK IN THE BASEMENT the same year. 

 (imdb)

Another narrator sums up everything at the end with a kind of condensed version of the movie shown again. Filmed in Little Rock, Arkansas by Harry Thomason who filmed another movie SO SAD ABOUT GLORIA simultaneously with this extremely low budget anthology. Thomason (still alive at the time of this writing) was a close friend of Bill & Hilary Clinton and later worked on the TV show “Designing Woman”.

                                  Rosie Holotik on the cover of Playboy magazine in 1972!

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Lou On His Own

 

 

 (themoviedb.org)

THE 30 FOOT BRIDE OF CANDY ROCK-1959-Small town rubbish collector inventor Artie Pinsetter (Lou Costello), a "world famous scientist who isn't famous yet", is in love with Emmy Lou (Dorothy Provine; THE BONNIE PARKER STORY (1958)) who's uncle the grouchy mayor Raven Rossiter (Gale Gordon) doesn't like Artie and won't allow them to get married until he thinks Emmy is pregnant. 

Unfortunately, Emmy wanders into a strange mist and grows to 30 feet tall! Rossiter is trying to run for governor and is followed around by a TV reporter (Peter Leeds) which helps Artie when he needs Rossiter's help. The mayor is also head of The Boosters, a club Artie would like to join. Other boosters include Charles Lane, Doodles Weaver, Bobby Barber and Joey Faye. Eventually Emmy gets mad and invades the town. Later, a goofy army patrol thinks Emmy is from Mars and orders missiles to destroy her. Artie's computer-like machine Max turns the army into a confederate army and then into cavemen. It also makes Artie airborne. Max cures Emmy's gigantism but then shrinks her out of existence. But in the end, Emmy is cured and Artie becomes a hero. Also with Will Wright and Veola Vonn. 

This was the last role for comedian Lou Costello (and his only starring role without Bud Abbott) and was released about 5 months after his death in 1959. While it's not very good with old gags and some situations that are supposed to be funny but don't succeed, Costello tries hard and shows that if given the right material he probably would have made it as a solo performer. 

Director Sidney Miller (also an actor) didn't really seem to have a grasp as to what was going on. Lead actress Provine was also in RIOT IN JUVENILE HALL the same year and later co-starred in two short lived TV series “The Alaskans” and 'The Roaring 20's”.

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From The Philippines

 

 (imdb)

WOMAN IN THE WOODS-2020-Jason (Brian Sy), a Canadian of Philippine extraction, returns to The Philippines after the death of his father. Getting lost in the jungle, he meets Magayon (Mercedes Cabral), a spirit no one else can see, who's wounded. He gets help from Batibat, a local woman who tells him a legend. Then he starts on a tedious aimless adventure while being pursued by a pack of warriors. 

The giant with the tusks was kind of cool but the rest of this is meandering nonsense. The director Kevin Ang also worked as an animator on several Marvel productions.

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Your Guess Is As Good As Mine

 

 (themoviedb.org)

BUCKSKIN-1968-Marshall Chaddock (Barry Sullivan) tries to bring law to the town of Glory Hole and help the homesteaders there while raising his American Indian son. Land grabbing Marlow (Wendell Corey; same year as ASTRO-ZOMBIES) wants him dead and the homesteaders ran out. He gets help from the crooked ex-sheriff (Lon Chaney). A scarred gunslinger (John Russell from TV's “Lawman”) is looking to kill Chaddock too but later changes his mind and joins up with Chaddock as does tough guy Travis (Leo Gordon) and the town doc (Barton MacLane). Chaddock seems to want to do a lot for the homesteaders, but they don't want to help. Even a couple (Bill Williams & Barbara Hale; married in real life) whose son is killed by Marlow's gang. A former schoolteacher (Joan Caulfield) now working in Marlow's saloon tries to reform. George Chandler, Richard Arlen, Aki Aleong and Emile Meyer have supporting roles. 

Interesting finale that could have been better. It was directed by Michael D. Moore who did much more work as an assistant director. Russell and Chaney were also in FIREBALL JUNGLE the same year. 

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The Mummy Lives!

 

 (the moviedb.org)

THE MUMMY-1959-Steve Banning (Felix Aylmer), his brother John (Peter Cushing) and their uncle Joseph (Raymond Huntley) are digging around ruins in Egypt. After finding princess Ananka, Steve accidentally calls forth her mummy guardian and goes crazy. Years later, an Egyptian brings the mummy to Steve (now in an asylum) in England. A flashback reveals how it all came about. How when the princess died and high priest Kharis tried to bring her back to life, was caught and buried alive. The now mummified Kharis (Christopher Lee) goes for revenge, killing Steve and Joseph. His killing of John fails when he notices that John's wife Isobel (Yvonne Furneaux) resembles the princess. A disbelieving police inspector (Eddie Byrne) helps set up Kharis in the finale. 

Another great Hammer horror picture directed by Terence Fisher, a remake of the 1933 Boris Karloff film.

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Demon In The Celler

 

 

 (themoviedb.org)

CELLAR DWELLER-1988-A comic artist Colin Childress (Jeffery Coombs), using a Necronomicon like book for inspiration, brings to life one of his creations. (Typical '80's Empire Pictures demon) He destroys it by burning the page but kills himself in the process. 

30 years later, Whitney Taylor (Deborah Mullowney) visits the Throckmorton art Institute run by Mrs. Briggs (Yvonne DeCarlo). Whitney's a horror comic book artist who wants to make a new version of the horror comic Cellar Dweller created by Childress. Others in "the colony" include Amanda (Pamela Bellwood), Phillip (Brian Robbins), Lisa (Cheryl Ann Williams) and Norman (Vince Edwards), an ex-PI/would be writer. When Amanda tries to frame Whitney for plagiarism, the demon kills her. Then when Norman is snooping around, the demon kills him. It seems someone else is also drawing her story. Poor Lisa who didn't do any except walk around nude after taking a shower, is the next victim. Whitney is kind of responsible for the deaths but manages to make up for it before screwing up one final time. 

Filmed in Italy by John Carl Buechler who also worked on the special effects. Charles Band was a co-producer.

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Cool Anime

 

 (imdb))

COCOLORS-2017-Nice looking short Anime about inhabitants of three worlds living underground because of a flesh destroying germ in the air. The lead character Aki doesn't talk, he communicates through whistles. It's very well done but like a lot of Japanese story lines, it has a sad ending. The director Toshihisa Yokoshima was a former recluse.

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I Have A Gift For Disaster

 

 

 (themoviedb.org)

THE MEDUSA TOUCH-1978-A French police inspector Brunel (Lino Ventura; A PAIN IN THE ASS (1973)) investigates the burgeoning almost death of a famous writer, John Morlar (Richard Burton). Brunel tries to put together a motive. Morlar's psychiatrist (Lee Remick) says Morlar was paranoiac who said he killed an evil nanny and his unloving parents. An assistant commissioner (Harry Andrews) puts pressure on Brunel to find the culprit. Morlar's publisher (Derek Jacobi) relates a flashback involving a tramp. In fact, most of this film is told in flashback by people who knew him. It seems everyone who wronged him dies. A lawyer (Alan Badel), a fortune teller (Michael Hordern), a judge (THE HORRIBLE DR. HITCHCOCK's Robert Flemyng), his wife Patricia (Marie-Christine Barrault) and her lover (Jeremy Brett). According to his cynical doctor (Gordon Jackson), Morlar's own mind is keeping him alive.

 Great disastrous climax with a twist ending. Unheralded all-star horror mystery directed by Jack Gold (THE NAKED CIVIL SERVANT (1975)). The year before this, Burton had made the almost unwatchable THE EXORCIST 2 but was also nominated for a best actor Oscar for EQUUS.

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Father Fritz

 

 (imdb)

JAWS OF SATAN-1981-In a small Alabama town, Evelyn, a modern-day witch (Diana Douglas) tells a disillusioned priest Father Tom (Fritz Weaver), the devil is after him. Meanwhile, a satanic snake slithers around killing people. A local doctor (Gretchen Corbett) calls in a herpetologist (Jon Korkes, a terrible actor) to look at some toxic corpses. The priest consults his monsignor (Norman Lloyd) who clues him in on what's happening. A crazy cursed druid is to blame, an ancestor of Tom's. 

The whole story is kind of murky and there are some unintentional laughs. This is one of the few feature films directed by Bob Claver, a busy TV director. It also features Christina Applegate from TV's “Married With Children” in her first role.

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Zap!

 

 (themoviedb)

ZAPPA-2020-This documentary opens with Frank Zappa addressing a audience in Czechoslovakia right after The Velvet Revolution at what would be his last recorded concert. Then it's mostly FZ pontificating on his life, music, the record business, the government, Edgard Varese', etc. What really makes this interesting is that all the interviews are found footage. Nothing was recorded by FZ (who died in 1993) for this bio. There is also some amazing footage of the original Mothers, a young Captain Beefheart, photo shoots and concert footage. Alice Cooper, Ruth Underwood, Bunk Gardner, The GTOs, Ian Underwood, Bruce Bickford, Steve Vai, Ray White, Gail Zappa (who died in 2015), Mike Keneally and others are interviewed in new footage. 

Nice effort by director Alex Winter (BILL AND TED'S EXCELLENT ADVENTURE). He's directed a lot of movies apparently but the only other one I've seen is FREAKED (1993).

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Never Made

 

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JODOROWSKY'S DUNE-2013-This is a documentary about the "greatest film never made". Really, if you're interested in hearing about several happily insane individuals who all got together to try and make a film adaptation of Frank Herbert's “Dune” this is a great movie for you. Alejandro Jodorowsky Never (EL TOPO)  talks about his "dream" of making this adaptation, how he cajoled people like Salvadore Dali and Orson Welles into taking roles and other actors he wanted (David Carradine, Gloria Swanson, Udo Kier, Mick Jagger), hiring Dan O'Bannon, HR Giger, Chris Foss and Moebius to create the storyboards and scenery and how Hollywood studios liked the idea but "feared" Jodorowsky as the director. Since the humongous storyboard was shopped around so many studios, the film makes a good point that even though it was never filmed Dune influenced Star Wars, The Terminator and a whole host of others. Directed by Frank Pavich.

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Rise Of The Rip-Off

 

 

 (imdb)

RISE OF THE ZOMBIES-2012-A group from a research lab venture into the city because they believe a cure for a zombie plague is there, created by a scientist (French Stewart) with a monkey. Meanwhile another scientist (Levar Burton) stays behind doing experiments on the living dead (including his wife). This is another blatant rip-off from The Asylum, this time copying Romero's Dead series (especially DAY). The cast (including Mariel Hemingway, Danny Trejo, Ethan Suplee, Heather Hemmens) is whittled down and eaten. 

Director Nick Lyon also made ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE (2011).

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If I Only Had A Brain Machine

 

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THE BRAIN MACHINE-1972-Four people volunteer for a government experiment run by two weird male doctors (Gil Peterson and Doug Collins) and female doc (Barbara Burgess) for the Environmental Control Center. Nothing much happens except the 4 have a lot of hang ups. Everything goes awry in this confused low budget boredom. 

With Gerald McRaney as one of the guinea pigs, Stuart Lancaster as a senator and James Best as a preacher. Director Joy N. Houck Jr. had previously made NIGHT OF BLOODY HORROR (1969) and WOMEN AND BLOODY TERROR (1970), both with McRaney.

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Happy?

 

 (imdb)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY-2023-More self-indulgent horror junk from incompetent people who think they know how to make a movie. An escaped killer terrorizes some jerks at a secluded house. This convoluted nonsense has bad acting, a terrible script and piss poor direction. The lead actress is named Kim Sandwich but you'll be wishing you ordered a meatball hero and were watching another movie.

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Revoke Her Visa!

 

 (tmdb)

EMANUELLE IN AMERICA-1977-Low budget sex-oriented junk with fashion photographer Emanuelle (Laura Gemser) getting involved with a white slavery ring and snuff films while taking off her clothes at the drop of a hat. As usual Gemser's then husband Gabrielle Tinti co-stars. Pretty badly made, this Italian production was directed by Joe D'Amato (ANTROPOPHAGUS (1980),ABSURD (1981) and many other titles with the name Emanuelle in them).

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The Acker-Monster

 

 (imdb)

HOORAY FOR HORRORWOOD-FAMOUS MONSTERS OF FILMLAND-1991-Forrest J. Ackerman (occasionally appearing as a vampire) talks about himself, his creation "Famous Monsters of Filmland", the Acker-Mansion, Karloff, the monster, Chaney Jr. & Sr., Vincent Price, Metropolis, Orson Welles' "War of the Worlds" broadcast and more. A guy named Bill Malone explains a lot about “Robby the Robot”.  

It's awesome to see all the relics in "The Acker-Mansion" but it's also sad to realize it no longer exists….

Ray Bradbury, Linnea Quigley, Robert Englund, Zacherle, Sara Karloff, Mick Garris and Bobbie Bresee also appear.

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Spook Stooges

 

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SPOOKS!-1953-In this 3 Stooges (Moe, Larry & Shemp) short (originally shown in 3-D; one of two they made in '53) the trio are detectives trying to rescue a young woman Bea Bopper (Norma Randall) from the clutches of two mad scientists Dr. Jekyll (Phillip Van Zandt) and Mr. Hyde (Tom Kennedy) who want to put her brain into a gorilla (Steve Calvert). Naturally pies play a role in the story and a lot of things are thrust at the screen (a hypo, a bat, Larry's face, Moe's eye poking fingers, a knife, etc.). However, the strangest effect is the bat that looks like Shemp! (5 years before THE FLY!) It's pretty hilarious. 

The Stooges made all of their 190 (!) short films for Columbia Pictures from 1934-1959. This is said to be one of quickest made as the studio wanted to cash in on the 3-D fad. Jules White directed and/or produced the lion share of the trio's shorts. Screenwriter Felix Adler was an experienced gag man who also wrote for Laurel & Hardy and Abbott & Costello.

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