Demon Under The Influence

 

(imdb)

THE INCUBUS-1981-After two teens are viciously attacked, the boy dies but the girl who is brutally raped is barely alive. Dr. Sam Cordell (John Cassavetes) operates on her and does an autopsy on the boy. Later, a museum curator is also victim of a rape/murder. A police guy (John Ire-land) investigating butts heads with newspaper editor Laurie Kincaid (Kerrie Keene) who reminds Cordell of his dead wife. Meanwhile, Cor-dell's daughter (Ellen Flannery) is dating a guy who has weird dreams. Many more people are slain violently and the boyfriend reveals that he thinks he is the killer. A demon rapist with red sperm is the culprit. More violence follows with a twist (?) ending. 

Story goes Cassavetes rewrote most of the script which shows as the characters talk endlessly in this dark, sick story directed by John Hough (TWINS OF EVIL (1971), THE LEGEND OF HELL HOUSE (1973)). He had made THE WATCHER IN THE WOODS for Disney the year before.

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Dead Talking

 

 (mubi.com)

THE DEAD TALK BACK-1957-After some dark scenes of a woman being stalked, Henry Krasser (Aldo Farnese), a weird cigar smoking self- proclaimed “metaphysic” talks to the camera and says he doesn't believe you're dead when you die. He shows various projects he's working on. He also mentions a murder case he's helping the police with. Then he proceeds to give a rundown on the people he lives with at a boarding house including a weirdo named Fites Freuger (Curtis Roberts), soon to be victim model Renee (Laura Brock), Raymond Millburn (Myron Natwick), Christy (Kyle Stanton), a Bible spouting loony and others. Krasser helps a cliche cop (Scott Douglas) solve a bow and arrow murder. 

Talky low budget junk, produced, written and directed by Merle S. Gould. Star Farnese was a kids TV host in Philadelphia. Co-star Natwick was in many TV shows later on. In 2000, he was in TV Mikels' THE CORPSE GRINDERS 2.

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Lisa, The Devil And You

 

 (themoviedatabase)

LISA AND THE DEVIL-1973-In Italy, Lisa (Elke Sommer) sees a mural of the devil then meets a guy (Telly Savalas) who looks like the mural. She gets lost and is a given a lift (after she seems to kill a man) by Francis (Eduardo Fajardo) & Sophia (Sylva Koscina) and their chauffeur George (Gabriele Tinti) who's having an affair with Sophia. The car breaks down at the residence of Maximilian (Alessio Orano) and his blind mom, the Countess (Alida Valli). Their manservant, Leandro, is the same guy Lisa met earlier. There also seems to be one other person in the house. 

Weird things happen and then George is killed. Max romances Lisa. His mom scolds him. Lisa seems to be pursued by the man she killed. After Sophia runs Francis over with their car (about 5 times), she's bludgeoned to death by Max who thinks Lisa is his long dead love, Elena. Later, Lisa winds up on a jet with the dead people as passengers and Leandro as the pilot. She turns into a corpse. 

Pretty crazy stuff especially when you consider it was co-written and directed by Mario Bava! When it failed to get a distributor at Cannes, the producer Alfredo Leone had Bava shoot a framing sequence with Robert Alda as priest and called it “House of Exorcism” (THE EXORCIST was big at the time). Only years after Bava's death was his original finally released.

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AlohaTV

 

 (imdb)

CODE NAME: DIAMOND HEAD-1977-In Hawaii, agent Johnny Paul (Roy Thinnes) (his code name is Diamond Head) is assigned to find out why criminal Sean Donovan (Ian McShane) is on the island. He gets help from entertainer Zulu (Zulu; TV's "Hawaii 50") and club owner Tso Tsing (France Nuyen). A German hit man Graeber (Eric Braeden) and a Japanese assassin Sakai (Michael Frank Liu) are also there. Apparently, Donovan is also a master of disguise. He impersonates an Army Colonel and learns that a research facility has created a powerful something. With Kent Smith and Ward Costello (TERROR FROM THE YEAR 5000). 

Not much TV movie, director Jeannot Szwarc made this failed TV pilot while doing a lot of TV shows (Baretta, The Rockwood Files). He later made the feature films JAWS 2 (1978) and SOMEWHERE IN TIME (1980).

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Umma

 

 (youtube.com)

UMMA-2022-Amanda (Sandra Oh), a Korean beekeeper living in the US with her American born daughter, Chrissy (Fivel Stewart) is afraid of electricity. Her honey making business is booming but then her stinky uncle comes with news that her estranged mom has died and he's brought her remains from Korea. After she tells him to get lost, she starts to hear screaming and sees weird visions, many of them connected to her dead mom. When her daughter shows an interest in going to college, it seems Amanda is going off the deep end but later it's clear mom is possessing her. Dermot Mulroney is a helpful neighbor. 

Good acting but story is unoriginal. Sam Raimi was one of the producers. Written and directed by Iris K. Shim.

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Home? I Have No Home…

 (imdb)

 

BRIDE OF THE MONSTER-1955- Mad scientist Dr. Eric Vornoff (Bela Lugosi) is so far unsuccessful in his attempts to create a race of atomic superman. In his cheapo lab where he fries victims’ brains, he has a stove, refrigerator and a giant octopus. In town, the deaths are blamed on “The Monster”. Police Capt. Robbins (Harvey B. Dunn), who has a pet parakeet, discusses the case with Lt. Dick Craig (Tony McCoy) and his fiancée reporter, Janet (Loretta King) who is investigating the monster story. The suspicious Prof. Strowski (George Becwar) thinks the monster might be like the one in Loch Ness. On her way to Lake Marsh, Janet has a car accident. She faints but is rescued by Lobo (the one and only Tor Johnson), Vornoff''s hulking servant. Craig and his partner Marty (Don Nagel) go to the lake to find Janet, who's kind of being held prisoner by Varnoff. Meanwhile, Strowski visits the bad doctor.

Turns out the professor is from an unnamed country that had exiled Varnoff years before. Strowski wants to take Varnoff “home” but he will have none of it and throws Strowski to the octopus he happens to have on the premise (that's the monster). Varnoff decides to make Janet an atomic bride (complete with wedding gown) but Lobo has other ideas. He frees Janet and straps his boss to the operating table. Lobo and Craig have a fight (the Lieutenant fairs well). Somehow Lobo manages to turn Varnoff into a monster (now portrayed by stuntman Eddie Parker; no stranger to playing monsters..). Robbins, Marty and Kelton the cop (Paul Marco) arrive just as their tussle begins. Lobo is killed and now atomic Varnoff takes off with Janet. All's well that ends well as the doc becomes a victim of his own octo-monster. Robbins sums it all up: “He tampered in God's domain”. 

Several other Ed Wood “stock players” appear: Conrad Brooks (uncredited), Bud Osbourne, Ben Frommer and of course Dolores Fuller in a bit role as another reporter. Former “Bowery Boy” William “Whitey” Benedict also has a small role. Saying this is director Ed Wood, Jr.'s best movie might be stretching it but despite its so-so acting, weird plot, the who gives a shit editing and not too special effects, it's fun to watch and not see nearly as much as PLAN 9 has been in recent years. There's stock footage, of course and the scenes where the octopus kills its victims are pretty pathetic but after watching a few modern horror/Sc-Fi movies recently, I have to say for its entertainment value, BRIDE beats them all! 

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Early Alfred

 

 (imdb)

BLACKMAIL-1929-It takes a little while to get started but a woman Alice (Anny Ondra) has a fight with her policeman boyfriend Frank (John Longden) then goes with an artist (Cyril Ritchard) to his studio. Un-beknownst to her Frank sees them. After some flirtation he tries to rape her but she stabs him to death. The police investigate and Frank finds Alice's glove and sees that the dead man is the one she was with. When a man shows up at Alice's father's tobacco shop attempting to blackmail Alice, Frank devises a plan to pin the murder on the blackmailer. A chase through a museum highlights the story. Guilt ridden Alice wants to confess. 

This was Alfred Hitchcock's tenth movie and though originally done as a silent film it was decided midway way through the production that a sound film would also be made. This silent version is very well done with Hitchcock showing many of the traits he would use in subsequent film classics. It also features the longest of his many cameo appearances. The new score is a bit overwhelming.

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Damned Kids!

 

CHILDREN OF THE DAMNED-1964-Two doctors, Neville (Alan Badel) & Llewelyn (Ian Hendry) try to figure out what do to about a young boy named Paul, who has phenomenally high intelligence. His mother says Paul (Clive Powell; also in the original film)) has no father and isn't human. A UNESCO doctor tells the two that there are 5 more just like Paul scattered around the world. They are from Russia, India, China, Nigeria, Moscow, USA and all seem to be fatherless and have mysterious powers. When Webster (Alfred Burke), a sneaky government worker tries to take Paul from his aunt Susan (Babara Ferris), Paul causes a small car crash. The kids get together and hold up in an abandoned building with Paul's aunt and use her as a conduit to talk. When the police kill their dog, the kids’ eyes glow and they make the shooter kill his partner and himself. When it's discovered they are not human, it's decided they must be destroyed but Lewelyn doesn't agree. Another scientist learns that the kids’ DNA is what mankind's will be like in a thousand years. Things go awry in the tragic finale. 

There doesn't seem any reason for this pointless sequel that offers no explanation for the children unless you accept it's the same as in the first (and much better) film. It's also interesting to note that the two doctors appear to be a gay couple (Homosexuality was still illegal in England at the time). This is only one of two feature films directed by American Anton Leader.

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Ghost Revenge

 

 (imdb)

EMPIRE OF PASSION-1978-In a village, a married woman (Kazuko Yoshiyuki) has an affair with a much younger man (Tatsuya Fuji). At the man's urging they kill her rickshaw driving husband and throw his body in a well. 3 years later, their passion has cooled except for brief periods and her lover has grown distant Then her husband's ghost shows up. A police officer investigates as her life crumbles against ghost sightings and gossip. 

This Japanese-French co-production is renown director Nagisa Oshima's only real foray into a ghost story but it's excellent. Too bad he didn't do another one. He also wrote the screenplay based on a novel. Oshima made the infamous IN THE REALM OF THE SENSES in 1976 (also with Fuji). His next movie was 1983's MERRY CHRISTMAS, MR. LAWRENCE.

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Into The Unknown

 (imdb)

THE UNKNOWN-THE FORMS OF THINGS UNKNOWN-1964-Two women (Vera Miles & Barbara Rush) kill a blackmailing gigolo (Scott Marlowe). After they wreck their car during a storm, the two seek refuge at a remote mansion where Tone Hobart (David McCallum) and his blind butler Kolos (Sir Cedric Hardwick in his last acting role) live. Hobart is experimenting with a "time tilt" machine which he says can bring back the dead.

There's a lot of talk and weird camera angles and it kind of reminded me of a Harold Pinter play! This was originally devised by THE OUTER LIMITS writer Joseph Stefano and director Gerd Oswald as the pilot for a new series to be called THE UNKNOWN. ABC rejected the idea and it became (with a different ending and credits) the finale episode of THE OUTER LIMITS' first season.

McCallum was in another episode the same season, the memorable THE SIXTH FINGER.

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Phantom Take 2

 

 (the movie database)

PHANTOM OF THE OPERA-1943-Technicolor remake of the Lon Chaney silent classic from Universal studios (who also made the first one).

Claudin (Claude Rains), violinist with the Paris Opera, is fired by his conductor because he can't play like he used to. His boss and his bitchy landlady, think he has a lot of money but in reality, he's spent all his dough secretly providing lessons for opera singer Christine Dubois (Suzanna Foster) from Signor Ferrati (Leo Carrillo). When he hears Franz Liszt (Fritz Leiber) playing his concerto he thinks a guy named Pleyel (Miles Mander) has stolen his music. He kills Pleyel but his floozy student throws acid in the composer's face. He escapes into the sewers. 

Meanwhile, Christine is pursued by singer Anotole Garron (Nelson Eddy) and Inspector Raoul Daubert (Edgar Barrier). Claudin sneaks around the opera house in a mask and cloak and listens to Christine sing after he drugs lead diva Biancarolli (Jane Farrar) so Christine can take her place. When she recovers, Claudin kills her. However, to set a trap for the phantom, the inspector has another singer replace Christine and plans to have Liszt play one of Claudin's compositions. The phantom doesn't like it and has the huge chandelier fall on the crowd. In the panic, Claudin snatches Christine. The poor misunderstood phantom dies when the sewer walls collapse but not before Christine unmasks him. Also with J. Edward Bromberg, Fritz Feld, Steven Geray and Hume Cronyn.

There is too much music and not enough phantom in this pretty lavish production directed by Arthur Lubin who directed the first five Abbott & Costello movies before this. It got mixed reviews but was a box office hit. A sequel was planned but it was never made due to the unavailability of Rains. The script was later re-worked to become THE CLIMAX starring Foster and Boris Karloff (who was actually the first choice to play The Phantom).  

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Ator Returns

 

 (imdb)

CAVE DWELLERS-1984-In from this sequel to ATOR, an alchemist Akronas (Charles Borromel) tells his daughter Mila (Lisa Foster) about the warrior Ator (flashbacks from the first movie). He sends her on a quest to find him. On her way, she fights some soldiers and is shot with an arrow. She finds Ator (Miles O'Keefe) and his mentor Thong (Kiro Wehara). After she proves who she is, she convinces Ator to help her dad. The three head back for the castle. After Ator and Throng fight invisible beings, Mila is taken prisoner by cave people but the Ator saves her. The villain is Zor (David Cain Houghton), a very unintentionally funny long-haired guy who sounds like “The Master” from MANOS, HANDS OF FATE at times! Ator is betrayed by his hometown and nearly sacrificed. He even hang-glides. For some reason there's an atomic explosion at the end. 

Director Joe D'Amato (real name Aristide Masaccesi) hid behind the pseudonym David Hills for this as he did on Part 1. CAVE DWELLERS is the TV version of ATOR 2: THE INVINICBLE (aka THE BLADE MASTER) presented by Film Ventures with scenes from another movie shown during the credits.

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Comedy On Purpose

 

 (Wallpaper Cave)

  

ATTACK OF THE KILLER TOMATOES!-1978-This sci-fi comedy is an anything goes, made bad on purpose film. There's lots of crazy jokes and crude animation. A Japanese scientist talks with dubbed English voice. A weird looking woman reporter investigates. There are a lot of stupid characters and some sing! Most of the jokes are more goofy than funny. At first regular sized tomatoes attack but later some giant ones appear. The helicopter crash was real. 

Director John De Bello made three sequels and the film inspired a Saturday morning cartoon show.

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Pigs!

 (imdb)

PIGS-1973-A woman named Lynn (Toni Lawrence) kills her father after he rapes her. She's com-mitted to a mental hospital. While a doctor and nurse are having sex, she somehow gets out of her padded cell and escapes. While she wanders around, a pig farmer named Zambrini (Toni's dad Marc who also wrote, produced and directed) is feeding people to his pigs. Sheriff Tom (Jesse Vint) investigates when townsfolk go missing. Lynn goes to work in Zambrini's diner. When a doctor from her hospital comes to take her back, she kills him. 

Terribly made regional horror film with some of darkest filmed scenes ever (even in the daytime). 

Do it all veteran character actor Lawrence had to take out a second mortgage to finish the film. Aka DADDY'S LITTLE DARLING.

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You Are The Devil And You Are Bad!

 

 (themoviedatabase)

PRIME EVIL-1988-A 15th century monk renounces God for Satan and kills the monks who disagree with him. In the present, a group of devil worshipers, led by Tom (William Beckwith), sacrifice the daughter of one of their members. Then a bishop and a nun have a discussion about how the nun was almost a human sacrifice when she was a girl. They agree she (Mavis Harris) should go undercover and join the evil cult. 

Meanwhile, Cathy (Ruth Collins), an ex-junkie/hooker has sex with her new boyfriend, Sam. A psycho maintenance man breaks in, kills Sam (despite him knowing martial arts) and kidnaps the woman for the cult. Then Cathy's social worker, Alex (Christine Moore) tells her boyfriend the reason she won't have sex with him is that her father used her in porno films when she was a child. A stupid cop (Glen James) investigates Sam's murder. Unfortunately, Alex's grandfather plans on giving her to the cult for a sacrifice. During a black mass orgy, a toy monster shows up and the nun kills it. Everyone turns old but Tom gets away. The acting is bad. 

Roberta Findlay was a so-so director but she was also the Director of Photography and she excelled at that so despite all its flaws, it doesn't look bad. One of the writers, Ed Kelleher also wrote INVASION OF THE BLOOD FARMERS (1972) and SHRIEK OF THE MUTILATED (1974).

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Norliss!

 

 (imdb)

THE NORLISS TAPES-1973-Author David Norliss (Roy Thinnes) is hired by his publisher Sanford Evans (Don Porter) to write a book debunking the supernatural. However, 6 months later Norliss calls Evans to tell him he can't write the book, then disappears. Evans goes to Norliss’ home and finds some cassette tapes (remember them?) which he listens to. 

Norliss gets involved with widow Ellen Court (Angie Dickinson) who encountered some kind of ghoul one night that she claims was her dead husband, Paul. She tells Norliss the story of her husband's debilitating disease and this lead him to the occult, a mysterious ring and some Egyptian gods. After talking to Ellen's sister, Marsha (Michele Carey), he relates the story of a young woman in a car crash who was strangled and had all the blood drained from her body. The local hick sheriff (Claude Akins) wants to cover it up. Norliss tells gallery owner Mr. Langton (Hurd Hatfield) about the ring and that it was placed in the coffin with Mr. Court. When Langton tries to get the ring, he's killed. Then Norliss and Ellen are attacked by her dead husband but the redneck sheriff doesn't believe their story. Next victim is Marsha who's killed in a motel. Madame Jeckiel (Vonetta McGee) appears and tells Ellen how she turned Paul on to the ring that could cure his disease and bring him back to life. He's making a statue of the evil Sargoth, using clay mixed with blood. When the statue is completed Sargoth will be free and Paul gets immortality. She and Ellen go looking for Paul to try and remove the ring. But of course they go like 2 minutes before sundown. Paul kills Jackiel and chases Ellen. After Norliss rescues her they find the completed statue. Paul seems to bring it to life but Norliss uses a fire ring of blood to destroy it. He seems ok at the end of his story (despite Sargoth grabbing his arm for a moment) and Evans puts in another cassette tape. Stanley Adams is a truck driver. 

This pilot for an unsold series was written by William F. Nolan and directed by Dan Curtis, obviously in an attempt to create a new “Kolchak” like series (although it is based on a story by Fred Mustard Smith). Curtis directed “The Night Stalker” sequel, THE NIGHT STRANGLER the same year.

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Bava In Space

 

 (imdb)

PLANET OF THE VAMPIRES-1965-A group of astronauts land on a mysterious planet looking for a missing spaceship. At first they act strangely. They find the spaceship they were looking for but the crew is dead. The captain, Mark Markary (Barry Sullivan) deduces some kind of force is trying to control them. They find giant dinosaur like skeletons, the remains of a dead civilization. But the inhabitants are still around possessing dead bodies and killing who's ever still alive. 

There's a twist ending in this well directed but slow-paced horror sci-fi from Mario Bava which was co-produced by AIP. Star Sullivan promoted this film on an episode of “Celebrity Password”. Susan Hart (AIP co-owner James Nicholson's wife) was originally supposed to play the female lead. Director Bava's future director son, Lamberto was the assistant director.

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Shoot It

 

SHOOT IT BLACK, SHOOT IT BLUE-1974-A corrupt cop (Michael Moriarty) shoots an unarmed purse snatcher. A student Lamont (Eric Laneuville) doing a film on insects films it. The victim’s wife decides to sue and hires lawyer (Paul Sorvino). The cop searches the city for Lamont but the victim's brother has his own plan. Art Ellison, who played the minister in CARNIVAL OF SOULS is a bartender. Dated, misguided talky trash from director Dennis McGuire (his only directorial effort).

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Herc Is Back!

 

 (imdb)

HERCULES UNCHAINED-1959-In this sequel, Hercules (returning Steve Reeves), his new bride Iole (also returning Sylvia Koscina) and a young Ulysses (Gabriele Antonini, also returning) are on their way home to Thebes. They encounter the giant Antius (Primo Carnera). Herc van-quishes him, even though he draws his power from the Earth. Soon, Hercules learns the king has been replaced by his son, Etecoles (Sergio Fantoni) who will not give the throne up to his brother Polonices (Mimmo Palmara), as he is supposed to. 

Hercules agrees to mediate but on his way to Thebes, he drinks from the water of forgetfulness and comes under the spell Queen Enfale (Patrizia Della Rovere), who convinces Hercules he's the king of the land and her lover. Herc seems happy but poor Iole frets at home. Ulysses helps Herc regain his memory and discovers the Queen's secret. She has her former lovers killed and made into statues. Fortunately, Laertes and his men show up and help Hercules & Ulysses escape. The queen kills herself. Later, Hercules fights some tigers and the brothers fight to the death. 

Director Pietro Francisici was back to make this fairly entertaining sequel which like its predecessor was a worldwide hit. Director of Photography Mario Bava may have directed some scenes as well. There were Dell Comic adaptions too.

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