The Title Is A Bit Over The Top

 

 (imdb)

THE EARTH DIES SCREAMING-1964-After a plane crash, a car crash, a train crash and people dying and then credits, American Jeff Nolan (NY born low-budget western star Williard Parker) drives through an English village and finds everyone dead. He sets up in a hotel and tries using a TV and shortwave radio. He meets Quint (Dennis Price) and Peggy (Virginia Field), a couple pretending to be married. Then meets Edgar (Thorley Waters) and Violet (Vanda Godsell). No sooner do they all get together when Violet is killed by some weird looking robots, who disappear as suddenly as they appeared. Another couple, Mel (David Spenser) and Nona (Anna Palk) (who's pregnant) show up. 

Later on, Violet turns up, obviously reanimated with white round eyes. Quint kills her and they all decide to leave. When Quint forces Peggy to leave with him, she's menaced by some zombies and Quint is killed. Jeff saves her but then Nora decides to have her baby. While Jeff and Mel search for the transmitter that controls the robots, dead Quint and the robots terrorize Peggy, Nona and her baby Fortunately, they destroy the transmitter. A drunken Edgar comes to his senses and kills Quint. The survivors leave by plane to find others. A full explanation to the invasion isn't given. 

This mysteriously dark, black and white science fiction film was directed by Terence Fisher the same year he made THE GORGON (with Lee & Cushing) and THE HORROR OF IT ALL (with Pat Boone and Dennis Price). It was written by Harry Spaulding who also penned WITCHCRAFT the same year. Robert Lippert was one of the producers.

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Preying Mantis?

 

 (imdb)

THE DEADLY MANTIS-1957-After a lot about radar and the creation of the Dew line, Col. Parkman (Craig Stevens) arrives at the North Pole just in time to hear about an isolated outpost being wrecked. When a plane is destroyed, a large claw is found. A panel of experts led by General Ford (Donald Randolph) is stunned. They call in Dr. Jackson (William Hopper) who's a fossil expert from the Museum of Natural History. He seems to think it is a giant insect on the loose. An old professor (Florenz Ames) thinks this theory is crazy but a giant praying mantis is alive and killing Greenland Eskimos. Jackson goes off to the North Pole but is kind of forced to take the female editor of the museum magazine, Margaret Blaine (Alix Talton) with him. All the men at the pole go ga-ga over seeing her. Parkman in particular. After the men dance with Marge (and each other) the mantis attacks the base. Jackson and Parkman address the situation on TV and the mantis tries to make its way to warmer climates. The Air Force engages it but fail to kill it. Later the mantis invades DC and climbs the Washington monument. It goes to NY and crawls into the Manhattan tunnel (Holland tunnel?). Parkman leads a group into the tunnel and they succeed in killing the now wounded mantis but Marge is almost killed. Parkman saves her (terrible final effect). Also with Pat Conway and Bing Russell.

THE DEADLY MANTIS was produced and co-written by William Alland who had previously produced all 3 “Creature From The Black Lagoon” movies. He got his start in Orson Welles' “Mercury Theater” and played the reporter trying to uncover the meaning of “rosebud” in CITIZEN KANE (1941). Director Nathan Juran (sometimes Hertz), who in 1941 won an Academy Award for art direction, also made 20 MILLION MILES TO EARTH and THE BRAIN FROM PLANET AROUS the same year. In 1958, he'd direct ATTACK OF THE 50-FOOT WOMAN!

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Snake Woman

 

 (imdb)

THE SNAKE WOMAN-1961-Dr. Horace Adderson (John Cazabon) is experimenting with snakes and gives his pregnant wife injections of snake venom to cure her insanity. She gives birth to a strange baby girl. Aggie (Elsie Wagstaff), the mid-wife, also the town witch, says it's a demon and tries to kill it. Adderson and Dr. Murton (Arnold Marle) prevent her. The doc takes the baby to a farmer to hide it for the night. However, before Adderson can pick up his kid, the villagers, led by Aggie, destroy his lab and set it on fire. Dad gets snake bit and dies.

20 years later the village lives under the curse of the snake demon with various villagers dying every so often from snake bites. A young Scotland Yard investigator Charles Prentice (John McCarthy) goes to the village to help a former army colonel (Geoffrey Denton). Prentice meets the grown-up baby (Susan Travers) and kind of falls for her but he kills her while she's in snake form and she turns back into a human. Prentice returns to London and his boss burns his report.

Talky mumbo-jumbo directed by Sidney J. Furie (DR. BLOOD'S COFFIN the same year). This British production was written by American Orville Hampton (THE FOUR SKULLS OF JONATHAN DRAKE (1960).

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Alucard

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SON OF DRACULA-1943-In Louisiana, Dr. Brewster (Frank Craven) and Frank Stanley (Robert Paige) go to meet Count Alucard at the train station but he doesn't show. Meanwhile, Kay Caldwell (Louise Allbritton) waits for the Count (who she met in Budapest) with her sister, Claire (Evelyn Ankers). Kay seems to have some physic rapport with the missing Count. She visits Queen Zimbo (Adeline DeWalt Reynolds) who warns Kay about the Count and says “I see you marrying a corpse”. Then she dies when a bat flies into her hut. Kay's dad, the Colonel (George Irving) throws a party for Alucard (Lon Chaney Jr.), who now watches from outside. He turns into a bat and kills the Colonel. Kay's fiancé, Frank wants to take her away but she seems obsessed with Alucard. Almost from the beginning Dr. Brewster suspects Alucard to be Dracula and gets in touch with Dr. Lazlo (J. Edward Bromberg) who warns Brewster to be careful. After some hubbub over a will with a lawyer, Brewster and Claire discover some things about Alucard spelled backwards. Kay runs off into the swamp where Dracula's coffin rises from the swamp and he appears from a misty fog. They get married and just when Dracula wants to put the bite on Kay, Frank barges in and the Count knocks him down. For some reason, Frank pulls out a gun and shoots the Count but the bullet goes through him and kills Kay. 

Frank wanders the swamp and almost becomes vampire fodder but is saved by a cemetery cross. Frank goes to Brewster and confesses everything. Meanwhile, Alucard/Dracula prepares a coffin for Kay. When Brewster investigates, he finds Kay alive. After Frank confesses again, the sheriff (Pat Moriarty), a judge (Samuel Hinds) and Brewster find Kay dead in her coffin. Lazlo arrives to help. Alucard/Dracula visits them and talks insanely. Lazlo's cross saves them. Later Kay visits Frank in his jail cell and admits she doesn't love Alucard/Dracula. She only used him to gain immorality and now she wants to share it with Frank. With Kay's help, Franks discovers the King of Vampires' hiding place and burns his coffin. The vampire king becomes a skeleton when the sun rises. Frank hightails it to the morgue and promptly sets fire to Kay's coffin (with her in it..). 

Sometimes maligned, this stand alone Universal vampire tale is still a nice entry into their horror catalogue with interesting cobweb opening credits. Some sfx are very good. Not a great title though. Bit roles by George Meeker, Walter Sande, Sam McDaniel & Cyril Delevanti. Director Robert Siodmak (THE SPIRAL STAIRCASE (1946)) does a good job keeping things moving and eerie. Screenwriter Eric Taylor was fairly prolific around this time and among other films, wrote the color remake of THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA starring Claude Rains. 

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No End

 

WORLD WITHOUT END-1956-4 astronauts on a spaceship probing Mars have trouble getting home. John Borden (Hugh Marlowe) is the kind of leader. There's also Dr. Galbraithe (Nelson Leigh), Ellis (Rod Taylor) and Jaffe (Christopher Dark). They crash land on an unknown planet that has gravity, oxygen and snow. After they encounter two giant spiders, they bed down for the evening and are attacked by disfigured caveman. Of course, they are actually on the future Earth (after an apocalypse). They retreat to a cave and meet the underground survivors of mankind. A bunch of male fuddy duddies and beautiful short-skirted women all led by Timmak (Everett Glass). The men wear bathing caps. The jealous Mories (Booth Colman) plots to destroy the astros when Borden falls in love with Garnet (Nancy Gates), the leader's daughter. Later they build a bazooka and fight the mutants. Borden then has to fight the mutants' one-eyed leader. Borden wins the fight and mutants and humans live together in harmony. 

This science fiction post-apocalyptic adventure is pretty funny with the astronauts conveniently landing on Earth (no spacesuits), travelling in regular hiking clothes with knapsacks and the weapons being guns and an axe. Still the premise is fairly interesting. 

Paul Brineger, Strother Martin, Mickey Thompson and Herb Vigran have uncredited roles. Sam Peckinpah was the dialogue director. Director/writer Edward Bernds was working on the “Bowery Boys” series around this time and later worked a lot with The Three Stooges.

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Big Monster On Campus

 

MONSTER ON THE CAMPUS-1958-Prof. Donald Blake (Arthur Franz), a college paleontologist receives a dead fish (coelacanth). A student Jimmy (Troy Donohue) doesn't see when his dog drinks some water the fish is in and grows fangs and goes mad. A cut on the doctor's hand and some of the fish water turns him into an ugly caveman killer who promptly kills Nurse Riordan (Helen Wescott) who tries to help him. When the dead nurse is found hanging from a tree and Donald can't remember anything he becomes the number 1 suspect of the investigating police Lt. (Judson Pratt) but eventually he's cleared. 

Later a dragon fly nibbles on the fish and turns into a prehistoric fly. Don kills it but some of its blood drips into his pipe which he smokes and turns prehistoric again, killing a police guard (Ross Elliot). Once again Donald awakens, barefooted with no memory of what happened. Prof. Howard (Alexander Lockwood) and Dr. Cole (Whit Bissell) think he's overworked. Don comes to realize that he might be the killer so he takes a leave of absence in the mountains. Jimmy and his girlfriend spill the beans about the giant dragonfly. Don's girlfriend Madeline (Joanna Moore) decides to visit him while Don is setting up an experiment to prove to himself that he is/isn't the monster. He has a camera and tape recorder set up to document his transformation, which happens. He gets a hold of an ax just in time to terrorize Madeline, who crashes her car. He carries her through the forest but she escapes. 

Don transforms back to human and meets Madeline at his cabin. They check out a picture that was taken and there's the monster wearing Don's loud lumberjack like shirt to which Madeline can only say “Donald, he's wearing your clothes...”! In the finale, Don turns himself back into the killer cave monster so the authorities can shoot him down. They do and of course he turns back into his human form in a long transformation scene. 

Eddie Parker played the actual monster. He played Mr. Hyde earlier in ABBOTT & COSTELLO MEET DR. JEKYLL AND MR. HYDE (1953). If the Hyde mask in that film looks similar to the caveman monster in this film, it's because Bud Westmore and Jack Kevan created both!

This low-budget wonder with some unintentionally funny scenes is kind of saved by the direction of the great Jack Arnold who'd already made several classic science fiction and horror films: IT CAME FROM OUTER SPACE (1953), THE CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON (1954) and its sequel, THE INCREDIBLE SHRINKING MAN (1957) to name a few.

Screenwriter David Duncan wrote several other low-budget horror films (THE MONSTER THAT CHALLENGED THE WORLD, THE LEECH WOMAN and others).

Other Abbott & Costello related notes: Arthur Franz and Helen Weston both co-starred in A & C MEET THE INVISIBLE MAN. Eddie Parker played the mummy in A & C MEET THE MUMMY.

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Westward Ho

 

 (imdb(

RIDE BEYOND VENGEANCE-1966-In Texas, a bartender (William Bryant) tells a census taker (James MacArthur) the tale of buffalo hunter Jonas Trapp (Chuck Connors) who returns after 11 years hunting in Kansas. Unfortunately, he's mistaken for a cattle rustler by rancher Brooks Durham (Michael Rennie) and his two nutty henchmen, Johnsy (Bill Bixby) and Elwood (Claude Akins). They beat him up, brand him and steal his $17,000. While unconscious he dreams about meeting his future wife Jessie (Kathryn Hays) and arguing with his adopted father (Gary Merrill). 

He's rescued by Hanley (Paul Fix). He finds Jessie but she doesn't recognize him and she rejects him, saying Jonas is dead. She's ready to marry Durham. He gets help from a local Mexican (Jamie Farr) to get revenge on Johnsy who's planning to run away with an unhappy wife (Gloria Grahame). After killing Johnsy with a branding iron, he visits his father. Then Frank Gorshin as a ranch hand Tod Wisdom has a standout scene explaining how Johnsy died. Jessie isn't happy with Jonas being around and blames him for the death of her aunt (Ruth Warwick). Then he beats up Buddy Baer! Joan Blondellbernard is Mrs. Lavender, a madame. 

The meandering story line is made up of weird cameos, some related to Connors TV shows. Fix was a regular on “The Rifleman”. Bryant was Gen. Grant on episodes of “Branded” on which Rennie and Akins (who also was in at least one episode of “The Rifleman”) both appeared. Also with Harry Harvey. It's narrated by Arthur O'Connell. Director Bernard McEveety later made THE BROTHERHOOD OF SATAN (1971) and a few other movies but worked mostly in TV. 

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Crabbe Brand

 (imdb)

GUN BROTHERS-1956-A just discharged Calvary Sgt. Pat Santee (Buster Crabbe) meets singer Rose Fargo (Ann Robinson from WAR OF THE WORLDS (1953)) on a stagecoach to Laramie. Pat is going to meet his cattle rancher brother Jubal (Neville Brand), who also turns out is the leader of a band of robbers who hold up the stage. In town, Pat has a big problem with Blackjack Silk (James Seay), a gambler who likes Rose. He starts trouble and the sheriff arrests Pat who escapes but is wounded in the process. An Indian woman (Lita Milan) and Rose bring him to Jubal, whose flunky Shawnee Joe (Michael Ansara) agrees to remove the bullet but it's Rose who actually saves him. The Indian woman betrays the gang to the sheriff as long as Pat isn't arrested. Pat and Rose watch from afar as the posse wipes out the gang, but Jubal escapes and confronts the Indian woman and kills her. He meets up with Joe (who also survived) who convinces Jubal that Pat was responsible for the double cross. 

Meanwhile, Pat and Rose get married in Jackson Hole (Slim Pickens is there) and they do well in the fur trading business. Jubal and Joe go for revenge but Pat convinces his brother he's wrong (using Cain & Abel scriptures). Joe doesn't like it and gets some hired guns. Pat and Jubal make a stand and get the bad guys but Jubal is killed. Also with Ray Bancroft, Walter Sande, William Fawcett, Lane Bradford and Harry Lauter. 

This is an ok standard western directed by Sidney Salkow (TWICE TOLD TALES (1963)) who later was the US director on LAST MAN ON EARTH (1964).

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Twinkle Twinkle

 

 (themoviedatabase)

THE 9^th CONFIGURATION-1980-According to a narrator, after the Vietnam war many soldiers claimed psychosis and authorities thought they were faking so the government set up special facilities to investigate them. This takes place in No. 18, the last of those facilities, where a bunch of nuts (Joe Spinell, Robert Loggia, Alejandro Rey, Moses Gunn) insult each other and Grouper (Neville Brand), the officer in charge. 

An army psychiatrist (Stacy Keach), who imagines the Crucifixion at a moon landing, comes to investigate the inmates including an astronaut (Scott Wilson) who aborted a mission. Later, the shrink makes them dress as Nazis but he's not what he seems. 

Also with Jason Miller, Ed Flanders, George DiCenzo and Tom Atkins. Steve Sandor and Richard Lynch are motorcycle gang members. This very deceptive, psychological thriller was written and directed by William Peter Blatty (author of “The Exorcist”) from his own novel.

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Goodbye to Mr. Laurel and Mr. Hardy

 

 (wikipedia)

UTOPIA-(aka ATOLL K)-1951-In London, Laurel & Hardy (themselves) inherit a rundown yacht to take them to an island they also inherited. A “stateless man” Antoine (Max Elloy) goes along as their cook. There's also a stowaway named Giovanni (Adriano Rimoldi). They encounter a storm and are stranded on an atoll. Then a narrator explains how the 4 survive. 

In Tahiti, Cherie LaMour (Suzy Delair), a singer, planned to marry a Lieutenant but their engagement is broken. To get away, LaMour goes to the atoll too. After the men all try to impress her, her boyfriend shows up to survey the land. Uranium is found on the tiny island, so in order to keep the island for themselves they dub the atoll “Crusoeland” and make a constitution with Hardy as the president. When the rest of the world finds out about Crusoeland, which has no laws, no taxes and no jails, among other things, folks flock to the island. 

This political satire fails badly but the worst part is Stan Laurel who looks terrible having many health complications. Oliver Hardy also fell ill. The movie was a sordid production with language barriers and a shooting schedule of 12 weeks that ballooned to one year! There were at least 4 writers who worked on the script (including Stan Laurel who contributed gags). Communication was so bad between the team (who's last feature film had been in 1945) and director Leo Joanon that it's been said blacklisted American director John Berry was brought in to help. At least 8 versions exist and somewhere down the road the copyright on this version lapsed making it the most easily accessible of Laurel & Hardy's movies!

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Jack In The Attic

 

 (imdb)

MAN IN THE ATTIC-1953-The mysterious Mr. Slate (Jack Palance) rents a room from Mr. & Mrs. Harley during the Jack the Ripper murders. Slate fits the description, stays out late and talks strangely. His landlady Helen (Frances Bavier; the future Aunt Bee on TV's “The Andy Griffith Show”) suspects him immediately but husband William (Rhys Williams) thinks everyone is just in a panic. Slate takes a liking to Helen's niece Lily Bonner (Constance Smith), a singer who's “the toast of England”. Inspector Warwick (Byron Palmer) looks for fingerprints. Slate, a kind of a confused mamma's boy, almost does in Lily but relents. He escapes in a horse drawn coach with Warwick in pursuit. Although Slate seems to drown, they don't recover his body. 

This fictional account of the Ripper murders is of course based on fact and also on the two film versions of THE LODGER that came before it. One, a 1927 version directed by Alfred Hitchcock and a 1944 version starring Laird Creger and George Sanders. This low-budget production is really held together by Palance's performance. 

Argentina born director Hugo Fregonese does a good job of keeping the mood but sometimes the plot focuses more on Lily than it does on Slate. Star Palance was in SHANE the same year but lead actress Constance Smith's career never took off. Her time as an actress was marred by bouts of drugs and alcohol, a stabbing, jail time and several attempted suicides. She died in 2003.

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The Bat

 

 (imdb)

THE BAT-1959-Mystery writer Cornelia von Gorder (Anges Moorehead) stays in a house called “The Oaks” where evasive murderer “The Bat” committed homicide several months before. Cornelia's maid Lizzy (Lenita Lane) talks about vampire bats. Meanwhile, a bank VP, uncovers a million-dollar bank theft. The prime suspect seems to be Victor Bailey (Mike Steele), an innocent clerk. Then in the Northwest, bank president John Fleming (Harvey Stephens) and his doctor, Malcohm Welles (Vincent Price) are on vacation. John reveals that he took the million and now wants the doc to help him fake his own death. When a forest fire breaks out, the doc shoots and kills John. 

Back at The Oaks, Lizzy talks about The Bat ripping out women's throats and sees a clawed hand at the door. It's apparent a sinister figure is prowling around so the two women barricade themselves in a bedroom and call the police. The figure gets in but is scared away by the cops. Later local police Lt. Anderson (Gavin Gordon) spies Welles experimenting with bats. Cornelia deduces that the embezzled money is hidden somewhere in the house and tries to figure out where. John's nephew Mark (John Bryant) gets involved trying to find the floor plans. A secretary named Judy (former female “Our Gang” member Darla Hood) turns up with testimony that could clear Victor. When it seems like Mark is the culprit, he's found dead in a secret room. The weird lieutenant tries to pin the murder on Warner, the butler (John Sutton), then Judy is killed. The Bat and Welles fight in his lab and the doctor is killed. In the secret room (where Cornelia nearly suffocates) they find a safe. Warner saves the day and the Bat's identity is revealed (it's easy to figure out; there's hardly anyone left). 

This was the third remake of the story which is based on a 1920 stage play based on a 1908 book. Director/co-writer Crane Wilbur (screenwriter of HOUSE OF WAX (1953)) doesn't do much to update the plot so it's rather dated but still entertaining in its way.

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Cowboy Blood Sucker

 

 (imdb)

CURSE OF THE UNDEAD-1959-In this unusual horror-western, a disease seems to only strike young woman. Buffer (Bruce Gordon), a mean rancher, wants the ranch owned by Dr. Carter (John Hoyt). Buffer is actually kind of a coward and backs off when the sheriff (Edward Binns) tells him to. Meanwhile, a mysterious cowboy dressed in back hangs around. When the doc is killed, his son Tim (Jimmy Murphy) vows revenge. After the funeral, the mysterious cowboy opens up Carter's coffin and gets in it! After Buffer kills Tim, his sister Dolores (Kathleen Crowley) advertises for a gun for hire. Of course, the mysterious cowboy, who's named Drake Robey (Michael Pate), takes the job much to the chagrin of local preacher Dan (Eric Fleming). That night Robey reveals his true self to Dolores. He's a vampire and puts the bite on her. Buffer wants protection from Robey although Dan says it's all Buffer's fault. Dan convinces Dolores to get rid of Robey and they declare their love for each other but Robey comes back and mesmerizes Dolores who fixes him up near the cemetery. “The Dead don't bother me. It's the livin' who give me trouble”, he says. 

The whole vampire thing is revealed in a flashback where a family named Robles was cursed when one brother killed another. (why he became a vampire isn't explained) He declares his love for Dolores but she's clearly under his thrall. When the sheriff advises Dolores to get rid of Robey, he kills the sheriff. Robey and Dan have a confrontation and argue good vs. evil. Robey almost kills Dan but is interrupted. Later Robey puts some more biting on Dolores. Robey winds up killing Buffer than going after Dan who uses bullets with crosses on them to kill Robey who withers away. 

This unusual vampire western was produced by Universal Pictures Music supervisor Joseph Gershenson (MONSTER ON THE CAMPUS (1958), THE LEECH WOMAN (1960)) and directed and co-written by Edward Dein (SHACK OUT ON 101 (1955); the aforementioned THE LEECH WOMAN). They pretty much succeed at making a different kind of vampire and supply a few eerie scenes.

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More Shadow

 

 (mubi.com)

THE SHADOW: INVISIBLE AVENGER-1958-In New York, Lamont Cranston (Richard Derr; WHEN WORLD'S COLLIDE (1951)) visits New Orleans after receiving a phone call from his friend Tony (Steve Dano) just before he's stabbed to death. As The Shadow, Cranston makes himself nearly invisible, appearing only as a shadow with an echo voice and creepy laughter. He's accompanied by his kind of guru, Jogendra (Mark Daniels). The main plot is about a dictator who runs the fictitious South American country, Santa Cruz. There's a firing squad execution on the local nightly news and two brothers are on the opposite side of the military dictatorship. 

This embarrassingly cheap production started out as several episodes of a planned TV show featuring the mysterious crimefighter (created by Walter Gibson in 1931). Three directors are created including the great cinematographer James Wong Howe. Another is named Ben Parker. Some sources say this is the same guy who later directed the nutty TEENAGE STRANGLER (1964) but somehow, I doubt it.

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Who Knows?

 (crimereads.com)

THE SHADOW: THE CURSE OF THE COTTON KIMONO-1954-Lamont Cranston (Tom Helmore; later in Hitchcock's VERTIGO (1958)), a police psychiatrist, helps a cheerful police commissioner (Frank M. Thomas) and a dour detective (Norman Shelly) solve the murder of a seemingly innocent woman. He's assisted by girlfriend Margo Lane (Paula Raymond; THE BEAST FROM 20,000 FATHOMS (1952)). The dead girl's boyfriend Bromm (William Smithers) leads Cranston to music teacher Rollo (Alexander Scourby). Cranston becomes the Shadow laughs and threatens Rollo who's killed before being of any help. 

This pretty dull TV pilot failed to impress any network and was never picked up as a series. Directed by Charlie Haas who early directed episodes of the ill-fated Dick Tracy show.

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No Shadow

 

 (imdb)

INTERNATIONAL CRIME-1938-Disappointing crime drama features Lamont Cranston (Rod La Rocque; a silent film star who retired in 1941)) as a crime fighting reporter who writes a column and broadcasts a radio show both called “The Shadow Knows”. He's kind of assisted by Phoebe Lang (Astrid Allwyn) and a short cab driver (Lew Hearn). He doesn't “cloud men's minds” or laugh in this. He's just a regular guy. 

Director Charles Lamont went on to directed many of Abbott & Costello's “Meet” movies.

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Come In Anytime. I'm Always Open

 

 (themoviedatabase)

FROM BEYOND THE GRAVE-1973-Excellent horror anthology from Amicus, revolving around an antique shop run by The Proprietor (Peter Cushing). 

 In “The Gate Crasher”, art dealer Edward (David Warner) buys a mirror and says he cheated the proprietor. Then he and his friends hold a séance. Edward finds himself inside the mirror. He's grabbed by a hairy hand but it's only an hallucination. Soon after, he sees a hairy corpse like head in the mirror that says “You must feed me”. He brings a hooker back to his place and kills her. He wakes up with traces of blood in his apartment but no body. Next time the head says “Feed me blooood!”. He picks up another girl and kills her. He breaks the mirror but it fixes itself. He invites his girlfriend over (the head says “You are learning”). David doesn't kill her but instead kills a downstairs neighbor. The head turns up young and in the flesh and kills David. Later when his apartment is redone, the mirror watches different tenants occupy the place until one of them gets the bright idea to hold a séance and it's David who's in the mirror.

In “An Act of Kindness”, an unhappy business clerk, Christopher Lowe (Ian Bannen) with an unpleasant wife Mabel (Diana Dors), who's complaining and insulting and a bratty kid becomes friends with a former vet named Underwood (Donald Pleasance) who sells laces and matches. To impress him, because he was not in the army, Lowe wants to buy a DSO medal but can't without the proper papers, so he steals it. Later, he goes to Underwood's house for dinner and meets his daughter Emily (Pleasance's lookalike daughter Angela), who he takes a shine to. Meanwhile someone is shadowing Mabel, taking pictures of her, stealing a lock of her hair. Emily shows Lowe a doll she's made of his wife. When she sticks a pin in it, Mabel dies. Later, he and Emily get married. On their wedding cake is figures of a bride and groom. When Emily cuts off the head of the groom figure, blood spurts from the Lowe's head and he dies. Apparently, this was his son's wish.

Next is “The Elemental”. At the antique shop, a businessman Reginald Warren (Ian Carmichael) switches snuff boxes, then is told by the eccentric Madame Orloff (Margaret Leighton) that there is an “elemental” on his shoulder. His wife Susan (Nyree Dawn Porter) accuses him of hitting her even though he didn't. She even has a mark. Later she says he tried to choke her in bed. Orloff tries to help him. She seems to banish the spirit (and wreck his house) but the spirit takes over Susan and she kills Warren with a poker.

In “The Door”, William Seaton (Ian Ogilvy) buys an elaborate door which he says leaves him broke. While the dealer's back is turned, he eyes the money he just spent. He leaves and the dealer counts the money. He and his wife Rosemary (Lesley-Anne Warren) mount the door on a closet but later that night, William opens the door and finds a mysterious cobwebbed room. He hears footsteps and runs out. When he looks again, it's just a closet. He finds a book that mentions a guy named Richard Sinclair who created a “ghost room”. When Sinclair (Jack Watson) kidnaps his wife, William destroys the door and the room starts to crumble. Before the decrepit Sinclair can choke William to death, Rosemary whacks him a few times sounding the evil guy's death knell. They get their closet back, the dealer's money is all there and they live.

Finally, a robber who was hanging around outside the whole time, visits the shop. He threatens the dealer with some old guns. When he fires them, they have no effect and the robber winds up in a coffin.

This was directorial debut of Kevin Connor (THE LAND THAT TIME FORGOT (1972); AT THE EARTH'S CORE (1974)), a former film editor. Screenwriters Raymond Christ and Robin Clarke adapted the segments from the stories of R. Chetwynd-Hayes (his stories were also basis for THE MONSTER CLUB, also produced by Amicus' Milton Subotsky and Max Rosenberg). Cushing was in THE BEAST MUST DIE!, MADHOUSE and FRANKENSTEIN AND THE MONSTER FROM HELL the same year. 

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Killer Party Time

 

 (themoviedatabase)

KILLER PARTY-1986-This opens with a movie at a drive-in. A girl then rebuffs her date's advances and goes for popcorn at a deserted concession stand. Then as a weird 80's pop rock band plays, the girl is attacked by zombies. Surprise! It's really a cheesy music video by a band called White Sister. Anyway, some sorority sisters hold their “goat night” in an old house where the owner, a woman who talks to her brother's grave, is beaten to death before the party starts. A killer is dressed in a diving suit and one girl becomes possessed. After she's killed, her friend Phoebe is possessed. It goes from slasher movie to “Evil Dead” rip-off. The diver murders are never explained. Paul Bartel is a teacher who's electrocuted. 

Director William Fruet also made FUNERAL HOME in 1980 and many TV episodes. Screenwriter Barry Cohen also penned FRIDAY THE 13TH: THE FINAL CHAPTER the same year.

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The Last Whistle

 

 (imdb)

THE RETURN OF THE WHISTLER-1948-A man (Michael Duane) and woman (Lenore Aubert) want to get married but the minister is away. Meanwhile someone sabotages their car. Since this is the 1940's they can't stay together in one room. The next day he goes to her room and she's disappeared. A private eye (Richard Lane)) tries to help him and flashbacks reveal how the two lovers met. Double crosses, evil in-laws and an inheritance all figure in the wild plot. Uncredited roles go to Trevor Bardette, Ann Doran, Wilton Graf and Olin Howland. 

This last installment into the series was directed by D. Ross Lederman. 

Lead actress Lenore Aubert was in ABBOTT AND COSTELLO MEET FRANKENSTEIN the same year.

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Secret Whistler

 

 (imdb)

THE SECRET OF THE WHISTLER-1946-After the usual intro, a woman (Mary Currier) buys a headstone for herself (from Byron Foulger). Her husband Ralph Harrison (Richard Dix) is called away from a party he's throwing because his wife, Edith has a heart attack. He meets a model Kay (Leslie Brooks) and begins to romance her while waiting for his wife to die. Somehow, his wife gets better and overhears Harrison telling Kay how much he loves her. Edith throws him out but he returns at night and switches her meds with poison. She dies and he marries Kay. Everyone suspects him of murder but Kay finds the old wife's diary that has an entry that seems to clear Ralph. Both wind up dead and the Whistler keeps whistling. John Hamilton and Arthur Space have uncredited roles. 

This is another weird entry into the series (the sixth installment), this time directed by George Sherman (THE LADY AND THE MONSTER (1944)). Star Dix would make one more film in the series, which be his last film appearance as he died in 1949 at age 56. His death may have been hastened by alcoholism.

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Still Whistling

 

 (imdb)

THE POWER OF THE WHISTLER-1945-In this strange drama, Richard Dix is a man who suffers a blow to the head and can't remember his name or the purpose of an important mission he knows he has to perform. Jean Lang (Janis Carter)) reads his fortune in a Greenwich village cafe and deduces he's in danger. She and her sister (Jeff Donnell) decide to help him from clues he has on him. (a lighter, a Canadian dollar, a bakery slip and a doctor's prescription). It all comes together when it's discovered he's an escaped lunatic out for revenge. John Abbott is a book shop owner and I. Stanford Jolley, Kenneth MacDonald, Nina Mae McKinney, Eddie Parker and Frank Scannell have small roles. 

Screenwriter Aubrey Wisberg later wrote and produced THE MAN FROM PLANET X (1951) and wrote THE NEANDERTHAL MAN in 1953. Prolific low-budget film director Lew Landers made this sometimes eerie film noir mystery. It's the third in the series.

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The First Whistler

 

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THE WHISTLER-(1944)-In the first of the series, Earl Conrad (Richard Dix) is a businessman who blames himself for the death of his wife and decides to have a hit man knock him off. Later, when it appears his wife is still alive, Conrad changes his mind and doesn't want to die. His journey takes many twists. A psychotic hit man (J.Carroll Nash in standout performance) tries to scare him to death. Conrad almost winds up as a stowaway on a ship bound for Japan. 

Nice little film noir directed by William Castle. Also with Gloria Stuart, Byron Foulger as a flophouse attendant, William Bennidict as a mute delivery boy, Trevor Bardette, Ralph Dunn and George Lloyd. It's based on a CBS radio show created by J. Donald Wilson. This was the first of 8 Whistler films produced by Columbia Pictures. Richard Dix was the star of the first 7. The titular character is the narrator (Otto Forrest). 

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Alfred as a Scientist

 

 (imdb)

ISLAND OF LOST WOMEN-1959-Two pilots Mark Bradley (Jeff Richards) and Joe Walker (John Smith) have plane trouble enroute to Melbourne and are forced to land near a mysterious island where just before they crash a disembodied voice tells them to stay away. They are greeted by Dr. Paul Lujahn (Alan Napier; later Alfred in the Batman TV series) and his three beautiful daughters: Mercuria (June Blair), Venus (Venetia Stevenson) and Urana (Diane Jergens). They live in a cave with furniture, books and lighting. Lujahn was one of the scientists who help create the A-bomb and decided to get away from reality with his wife and kids. 

Unfortunately, his wife died. He's now invented a newer, quicker way to enrich uranium. Bradley wants to blab the doc's story to the whole world so Lujahn destroys their plane with a flame thrower pistol so they can't leave. The two older sisters help the guys build a raft. They become sweet on each other and Walker kills a shark. Things go awry when a fire breaks out and Walker is locked in a nearby room. Lujahn gets conked on the head but Walker is rescued just before a complete meltdown of the island. Needless to say, the atomic explosion gets the world's attention and they are saved. 

Crazy low-budget sci-fi romance from director Frank Tuttle (THIS GUN FOR HIRE (1942)) who's career went back to silent movies. He was blacklisted in the late '40's and struggled to get work, This was his last movie.

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Undercover

 

 (imdb)

BORDERLINE-1950-A woman cop, Madeline Haley (Clare Trevor) goes undercover to infiltrate the dope smuggling operation of Ritchie (Raymond Burr) and Deusik (Don Diamond). She winds up with Ritchie's rival drug runner Johnny (Fred MacMurray). They travel from Mexico to the US falling in love along the way. Surprise! Johnny is an undercover cop too! Roy Roberts is Johnny's gang boss. Morris Ankrum, Gregg Martel, Chris Pin-Martin and Charles Lane are in it too. 

Director William Seiter was more at home with comedy having made DIPLOMANIACS (1933) with Wheeler & Woolsey, SONS OF THE DESERT (1933) with Laurel & Hardy, ROOM SERVICE (1938) with The Marx Brothers and many others.

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Orlof (f)

 

THE AWFUL DR. ORLOF-1962-Jess Franco's famous horror opus about Dr. Orlof (Howard Vernon), a mad doctor in 1912 Paris trying to cure his daughter Melissa's (Diana Lorys) disfigurement. He is assisted by abused blind servant Morpho (Ricardo Valle)) who goes out at night and kidnaps females to fuel his boss's skin transplants. He likes to bite victims on the neck before taking them. Only Orlof's female servant Arne (Perla Christal) shows the guy any sympathy. After some experiments fail, Orlof notices a woman Wanda (also Lorys) who looks very much like his comatose daughter. She's the fiancé of Tanner (Conrado San Martin), the inspector who's investigating the disappearances! 

After Orlof kills Arne accidentally, he kidnaps Wanda (she'd been posing as a hooker) and takes her to his castle. But things go awry for the doc when Morpho discovers Arne's dead body. He kills Orlof and takes the unconscious Wanda for a stroll on top of the castle. Tanner and a drunk (and former suspect) save her. Morpho is killed and somehow Wanda who was up on the castle is suddenly on the ground embracing her husband to be. 

When WPIX in NYC showed this on TV in the early '70's, it was a kind of incoherent mess but since it's been restored, it's a nice mix of dark horror, medical experiments and Morpho! Orlof would return (usually played by Vernon) in several “sequels” by Franco.

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“What's a Vampire?”

 

 (imdb)

DRACULA 3000-2004-In the future when dope is legal and no one believes in God, Captain Abraham Van Helsing (Casper Van Diem) leads a salvage team (which includes Erika Eleniak, Coolio and Tiny Lister). There's also a whiny guy in a wheelchair who's like a cross between Eddie Deezen and Robbie Robertson. They investigate a 50 year old derelict space ship. Coolio turns into one of the worst vampires in vampire film history. Count Dracula is somehow on board. He's from planet Transylvania in the Carpathian solar system. 

Really! I didn't make it up! 

Udo Keir is also in it. 

Written and directed by Darrell Roodt (PREY (2007))

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Argento Againo

 

 (imdb)

TENEBRAE-(UNSANE)-1982-Peter Neal (Anthony Franciosa) is the bestselling author of the horror novel “Tenebrae”. After a shoplifter is killed and pages of the novel are found in her mouth, police suspect the killer is emulating murders in the book. More murders occur and the killer takes photographs of the mutilated victims and sends Neal weird notes. There's a lot of mumbo-jumbo dialogue on the psychology of Neal's writing and if it exploits women (the actual film seems to). A prissy book reviewer (John Steiner) gets an ax in the head. Neal's assistant Anna (Daria Nicolodi) thinks it's Neal's ex-wife. One woman escaping the killer, runs right into his hideout. She finds a lot of evidence but is killed in a long chase scene. Neal, Anna and go-fer Gianni (Christian Borromeo) investigate. Neal's manager, Bullmer (John Saxon) seems a likely suspect but he's killed in broad daylight. After Gianni is killed, the killer's identity is revealed. The killer fakes his death and kills a police detective. He goes after Anna but is impaled. 

This is another interesting psychological “giallo” from writer/director Dario Argento though I thought the outcome was guessable.

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Dreadful Things

 

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SOMETIMES AUNT MARTHA DOES DREADFUL THINGS-1971-This is the story of two guys, Paul (Abe Zwick in his only film) and Stanley (Scott Lawrence aka Wayne Crawford in his film debut). Stanley is a pot smoking dullard who killed an old lady. Paul is his accomplice who dresses in drag. They argue a lot like a demented psychotic version of “The Odd Couple”. When Paul brings home a woman and kills her, the film turns negative. Stan hangs out with some locals and two women dance topless until he tries to strangle them. Stanley's friend Hubert (Don Craig), a drug addict comes to live with them. When a pregnant neighbor dies, Stanley cuts her unborn baby out of her. Later they decide to leave the country and hold up in an abandoned movie studio where it's revealed Paul is the one doing all the killing. He stabs Stanley to death, then commits suicide. 

Director Brad Grinter is a police Lieutenant and Thomas Wood (aka Rooney Kerwin; from BLOOD FEAST 1963)) is a cop (and one of the grips). His brother Harry Kerwin was 2^nd unit director. Thomas Casey, who wrote and directed this strange movie, edited MONSTER A GO GO (1965) and wrote the screenplay for FLESH FEAST (1970).

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Not A Gas

 

 (amazon.com)

GASS-S-S-S-1970-A gas accidentally released kills anyone over 25! Coel (Robert Cuff, a very bad actor) is a dumb hippie who with his girlfriend Cilla (Elaine Giftos) roams the country meeting other freaks (portrayed by Ben Vereen, Bud Cort, Cindy Williams, Talia Shire, et. al.). Edgar Allan Poe rides around on a motorcycle and comments on the plot. Country Joe and The Fish make an appearance and provided the soundtrack. 

This was Roger Corman's last directorial effort for AIP and he said the studio cut the last scene where God appears. I'm not sure what the point of this movie is. Some kind of satire, maybe? The acting is terrible. It's been called Corman's most personal film. He should have kept it to himself. Screenwriter George Armitage later directed VIGILANTE FORCE (1976) and GROSSE POINTE BLANK (1997).

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No Fight

 

 (imdb)

LADY STREETFIGHTER-1980-This shit show starts off with a woman being tortured and killed. Then a woman named Linda (producer/screenwriter Renee Harmon) is set up to be a hit and run victim but she escapes. While talking to some asshole we learn the murdered woman was Linda's sister and she wants revenge on a gangster Max Diamond. Meanwhile, an FBI agent, Rick Pollard (Jody McCrea) watches a grotesque strip show featuring Liz Renay! At a party of criminals where men are dressed in togas, Linda walks on Diamond and whips him. Then she and Pollard have an affair. They have a fight on the beach and he knocks her out and a guy she thought was a friend turns out to be a hitman. Mindless junk directed by James Bryan (DON'T GO IN THE WOODS (1981)). He and lead actress Harmon later made THE RETURN OF LADY STREETFIGHTER (1990).

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Sho Shows Them

 

 (imdb)

PRAY FOR DEATH-1985-In Japan, a black clad ninja fights some other ninjas and a guy in a demon mask but it's just a TV show called “The Black Ninja” being watched by the two sons of Japanese businessman Akira Saito (Sho Kosugi) and his American wife. He wants to start his own local business but she wants to move to the US. Saito doesn't seem to know any martial arts and his kids urge him to learn Karate. However, when Saito encounters an old man (actually his adopted father) in a temple, they have a sword fight which disproves Saito's lack of fighting skills. A flashback shows he kind of killed his brother, a red ninja, because he is actually a former ninja himself! No sooner do they get to America and have problems. Sam Greene (Parley Baer) sells them a restaurant in a bad neighborhood. They ran afoul of gangsters looking for a priceless necklace who beat up Greene and kill him in a fire. The kids (Kosugi's real life sons, Kane and Shane) run into older bullies but beat them up. 

The stupid gangsters think Saito has the necklace so they kidnap his son Tomo for a Mafioso boss (Michael Constantine). He has a sadistic henchman named Limehouse (James Booth; also the screenwriter). Saito goes to the police but 2 corrupt officers block his progress. After his wife and other son wind up in the hospital, he invades a mob yacht and beats up a lot of white guys. Stupidly, Limehouse kills Mrs. Saito and Saito prepares for revenge. Even one son gets into the act with a supped-up bike. Saito invades the mob mansion. He cuts them all to ribbons but Limehouse lams it. The finale where Limehouse uses an ax and a chainsaw to try and kill Saito is great. Limehouse's demise literally has him praying for death. If they thought America was violent then, they should be around today! Also with Robert Ito.  

The acting is not so good but action-packed direction by Gordon Hessler (SCREAM AND SCREAM AGAIN (1970)) saves it. Star Kosugi was already pretty well known for his appearances in ENTER THE NINJA (1981) and its sequels and the short-lived TV series THE MASTER (1984) starring Lee Van Cleef. 

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Bad English Thing

 

 (imdb)

SPELLCASTER-1989-A bunch of dorks win a contest to the remote Diablo Castle for a treasure hunt hosted by skinny English VJ Rex (Richard Blade) and moronic English singer Cassandra Castle (Bunty Bailey). The first victim is a French woman killed by the chair she's sitting in. The drunken singer Castle is terrorized by a bunch of rotting corpses. A fat guy turns into a pig. A suit of armor comes to life. The VJ is killed by a winged monster. A female hunter is eaten by a dog. One woman meets Diablo (Adam Ant)), a sarcastic jerk with a crystal ball. In the end, when the crystal ball is destroyed, everyone comes back to life. Filmed in Rome by director Rafal Zielinski. Really bad

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Camping Massacre

 

 (imdb)

4/20 MASSACRE-2018-Two dweebs are searching for marijuana on government land. They find it but one of them seems to be killed by a monster. After the credits, 5 women go camping for one member's birthday. They are warned by Ranger Rick to stay clear of illegal pot farmers. The group meets the dweeb who didn't get killed before the credits. He gives them his stolen weed and after they leave, the monster disembowels him. Later they meet a redneck hunting rabbits. Later the monster (obviously someone in a costume) puts a lit joint in his eye. 

Meanwhile, the women drink and get high. The first camper to die has her bong shoved through her head. Two more are hacked to death. Of course, the ranger is in league with the monster. Jess, the last survivor and birthday girl, meets the rabbit hunter, now blind and he's killed helping her stab the monster. After she kills the ranger, she smokes a joint while a Rap song plays. 

The director/writer Dylan Reynolds is probably out there right now plotting more shitty movies.

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More Cars

 

 (themoviedatabase)

HOT CARS-1956-Happily married used car salesman Nick (John Bromfield) is fired from his job for being too honest. To support his wife (Carol Shannon) and sickly baby son, he takes a job selling cars for the shady Mr. Markel (Ralph Clanton), working for manager Smiley Ward (Mark Dana; in PHAROAH'S CURSE the next year). Later he meets police detective Davenport (Dabbs Greer) who's investigating the stolen car racket. Ater the delivery of some “hot” cars, Nick realizes he's part of the stolen car ring. 

He quits Markel but when he gets home, he finds his wife in hysterics because their baby is in the hospital. He goes back to Markel and meets head hot car guy Otto (Kurt Katch) and learns “the business”. He almost has to sell a stolen car to Davenport but Smiley helps him out of it. Nick hooks up with Karen Winters (Joi Lansing), then gets involved in Davenport's murder. She could provide him with an alibi but pretends not to know him. Markel decides to do away with Nick and a fist fight on a rollercoaster between Nick and Smiley caps this story. 

his average crime drama was one of the few feature films directed by Don McDougall, a very versatile TV director. Star Broomfield was in CURUCU, BEAST OF THE AMAZON the same year. 

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The Endest, Man

 

 (imdb)

GHOST OF DRAGSTRIP HALLOW-1959-After the great ghost credits opening, a news reporter (Russ Bender) does a story on a teenage hot red club where a band shoots off guns while playing “Geronimo”. Lois Cavendish (Jody Fair; THE BRAIN EATERS (1958)) is a car crazy chick. The club's kind of leader is Stan (Martin Braddock) who informs everyone they are going to be evicted from their clubhouse. Lois has an eccentric aunt (Dorothy Neumann) who plays the flute and has a pet parrot. Rival hot rodder Tony (Jack Ging) makes trouble before they all go to the aunt's old haunted house. Weird things happen and the shadow of a familiar monster hangs around. It's a male version of the She-Creature! The gang have a costume party and a guy named Jimmie Maddin sings a song called “Tongue Tied”. A guy named Dave shows off his talking car. It turns out the monster is real life SFX creator Paul Blaisdell (in the last film he ever worked on) who's mad because he wasn't in THE HORRORS OF THE BLACK MUSEUM! 

But the rock and roll music drives out a real ghost. 

Sometimes known as the film that ushered out the '50's teenage horror/rock and roll boom, it was directed by William Hole (THE DEVIL'S PARTNER (1961) and written by AIP veteran Lou Rusoff. The uncredited singer Maddin was more well known as a nightclub owner than for the few singles he released in the late 1950's.

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More Rods

 (imdb)

HOT ROAD GANG-1958-Hep cat hot rodders drag right down Main Street. College student John Abernathy (John Ashley) rehearses with his combo in a place owned by landlord Al (Dub Taylor). After almost running down a guy, John sings “Hit and Run Lover”. He's also the heir to his grandfather's fortune and has two eccentric aunts (Dorothy Neumann and Helen Spring). His lawyer sets him up with Lois (Jody Fair; starred in THE GHOST OF DRAGSTRIP HOLLOW the next year), the daughter of the lawyer's new partner (Doodles Weaver). John takes Lois to his gang's hangout where they meet John's girlfriend (Maureen Arthur) and he has a fight with a rival. Later Lois introduces John to Gene Vincent (himself) who invites him on his TV show. John wears a disguise and becomes a big sensation but is framed for burglary and arrested by a tough cop (Russ Bender). The real burglars try to break up the gang's sock hop and things get a little nutty. John beats down the real bad guy in the end. 

This AIP teen hot rod drama was coming near the end of its genre. The executive producer was silent screen star Buddy Rogers. Co-producer and screenwriter Lou Rusoff wrote many AIP productions. This was one of the last features directed by Lew Landers who years before (under the name Louis Friedlander) directed THE RAVEN (1935) with Karloff and Lugosi. After this he did mostly TV work and died in 1962. Music is by Ronald Stein and the cinematographer was Floyd Crosby.

 (imdb)

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Hot Rods

 (imdb)

HOT ROD-1950-Two brothers convince their dad to sponsor a racetrack in their town to stop teenagers from illegally drag racing. Dave (James “Jimmy” Lydon) is the bicycle rider brother who wants to work for a newspaper and Joe (Myron Healy) is a cop. Their father is a judge (Art Baker, later a host of TV's “You Asked For It”). Dave has a whiny friend named Swifty (Gil Stratton). When Dave gets a car, showoff hot rodder Jack (Tommy Bond from “Our Gang” shorts) makes him eat dust and embarrass him in front of Jane (Gloria Winters), a girl he's sweet on. He and Swifty try to supe up his car but Jack steals the car and Dave is charged with a hit and run accident. Before anything really bad can happen, Jack admits he did it. Dave and Swifty almost get into more trouble chasing a crook but then help capture him. In the end, the town teens get their legal racetrack and Dave gets Jane. 

This low budget Monogram production was directed by Lewis D. Collins who made many westerns around this time. Former child actor Lydon had been in Edgar Ulmer's STRANGE ILLUSION in 1945. He later had parts in LIFE WITH FATHER (1947) and JOAN OF ARC (1948). 

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