It Happened Twice?

 

DEADTIME STORIES-VOL. 1-2009-Cheap anthology hosted by George Romero (!).

“The Valley of the Shadows”: A woman leads an expedition into the jungle to find her missing husband. The party is terrorized and killed off by a mysterious head-hunting savage. Guess who? Written and directed by Jeff Monahan, an actor who was in later Romero features.

“Wet”: An alcoholic finds a hand on the beach. A jerky antique dealer (Nick Mancuso) tells him it's the hand of a vicious mermaid he chopped up. The alky brings her back to life and she kills him and the antique dealer or something like that.. Directed by Michael Fischa (MY MOM'S A WEREWOLF (1989))

“House Call”: A mother tells her doctor about her son who's obviously some kind of vampire. Directed by Tom Savini.

VOL. 2

“The Gorge”: 3 spelunkers get trapped in a cave and resort to cannibalism. Directed by Matt Walsh, who was usually a sound engineer.

“On Sabbath Hill”: An arrogant college teacher impregnates a student who's driven to suicide. Her ghost comes back to haunt him or is it in his mind? Probably the best of the lot. Directed by Jeff Monahan.

“Dust”: A security guard gives an untested drug (made of dust from Mars) to his dying wife. It cures her...for a while. This one makes no sense. Directed by Michael Fischa.

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They're Not Scaring Anybody

 

SCARECROWS-1988-A bunch of dumb bank robbers in a hijacked plane go to a cornfield to get their hidden loot. One of them parachutes out planning on taking the 3 million for himself. The others land the plane and go looking for him. He's killed by a scarecrow, then brought back to life and beats up some of his partners until they decapitate him. Scarecrows seem to be running around the cornfield, resurrecting dead people and borrowing their limbs. 

Sound good? It actually sucks. 

The only actor (?) I knew in it was Ted Vernon, the little bald guy from that Florida wrestling movie HAMMERHEAD JONES (1986). Co-written, produced and directed by William Wesley in Florida. Cinematographer Peter Deming had already shot EVIL DEAD 2 (1987) and went on to work with David Lynch and do many high-profile movies like the “Austin Power” series.

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Another Time

 

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MACHETE MAIDENS UNLEASHED-2010-Great documentary about exploitation film making in the Philippines in the 1970's. It covers women in prison, blaxploitation, the Blood Island films, collaborations with Hemisphere and New World companies. Plus interviews with John Ashley, Cirio Santiago, Bobby Suraz, Roger Corman, Joe Dante, Jack Hill, Chris Mitchum, Sid Haig, Gloria Hendry, Marlene Clarke, Eddie Garcia, Eddie Romero, Weng Weng and many more. 

Director/co-writer Mark Hartley (from Austraila) made many other documentaries and music videos before making the feature film PATRICK: EVIL AWAKES (2007).

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Magic and Wonder at Lincoln Center

 

Palance in Charge

 

 

WARRIORS 5-1962-An American paratrooper (Jack Palance) teams up with 5 Italian soldiers (including Venantino Venantini) and a hooker (Giovanna Ralli) to blow up a bridge to slow down the German army's advance right after Italy has surrendered during WW2. 

This slow-moving Italian production, directed Leopoldo Savona, was presented by AIP in the US. Co-star Venantini years later was in several infamous Italian zombie movies. Star Palance was in BARABBAS the year before and would star in Jean Luc Godard's CONTEMPT the next and have his own short lived TV series “The Greatest Show On Earth”.

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Violent Trio

 

 (themoviedatabase)

THE VIOLENT ONES-1967-In New Mexico, after a young woman (Melinda Marx; daughter of Groucho) is raped and beaten, embattled sheriff Manuel Vega (Fernando Lamas, who also directed) picks up 3 men (Aldo Ray, Tommy Sands and David Carradine) as suspects. When the girl dies, the town demands a lynching. He and his deputy (Ned Romero) try to quell the tension. For some reason, after the town gathers for trouble, the sheriff decides to handle things his own way. He chains the 3 suspects together to take them to another town across the desert. Unfortunately, they crash, fight each other and are chased by a gang led by the dead girl's father. In the end the real killer is exposed. 

Since Lamas directed, there's no one to tell him when to stop shouting. It's an ok TOUCH OF EVIL knock off, I guess. With Lisa Gaye as a nurse and Rudolfo Acosta.

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Condors

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EASTERN CONDORS-1987-Some Chinese convicts go to Vietnam to destroy a stockpile of munitions left behind by the US. It's part martial arts, part DEERHUNTER, part DIRTY DOZEN with great fights. Sammo Hung and Yuen Biao beat up everyone. It's violent and action packed with Academy Award winning actor Dr. Haing S. Ngor. The villain is played by Wah Yuen who made many movies after (and before) this, He was in the big budgeted SHANG-CHI AND THE LEGEND OF THE TEN RINGS in 2021. Director Hung (real name: Kam Bo-Hung) directed the Jackie Chan film DRAGONS FOREVER the same year (he also co-starred). From 1998-2000 he starred in the US TV show “Martial Law”. 

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Who Needs It?

 

 (themoviedatabase.org)

THE HOWLING: REBORN-2011-This boring shit has something to do with a nerdy kid and a bunch of assholes who are werewolves. There's a lot of talk, overacting and eventually some werewolves show up at the end. Obviously made to cash in on the success of the TWILIGHT franchise, this was filmed in Canada and co-written and directed by Joe Mimziki who was once an executive with Sony Pictures.

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Not Testing

 

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THIS IS NOT A TEST-1962-A bunch of motorists are held at a roadblock by a dictatorial traffic cop (Seamon Glass) during the start of a nuclear war. The cop seems determine to keep everyone there even if by force. He makes then all unload a tractor trailer that he says they can hide in when the bombs fall. Meanwhile a young killer hangs around.  

This is at times a chilling low budget cold war drama directed by mystery man Fredric Gadette in his only feature film although according to one source he also directed episodes of TV's “You Asked For It” and “ABC's The Wide World of Sports”. He died fairly young in 1967 of lung cancer.

 (imdb)

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Bow and Arrow Stuff

 

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AVENGED-2013-Zoe (Amanda Adrienne) deaf woman traveling alone in California is tortured and killed by a group of white trash scumbags. An American Indian Grey Wolf (Joseph Running Cloud) finds her body. During some kind of burial ritual, she's brought back to life now inhabited by a vengeful Apache spirit. She screws most of up her killers pretty good, mostly with a bow and arrow. The spirit is a mean looking green guy who's getting revenge because a retarded redneck family killed a lot of Indians. 

Lots of flashing lights, yelling and emoting. It might sound good but it's badly made by director Michael S. Ojeda. 

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Kimono Murder

 

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THE CRIMSON KIMONO-1959-A standard crime drama is taken one step further by writer/director Sam Fuller's unique touch. In LA's Little Tokyo, American detective Charlie Bancroft (Glen Corbett, in his film debut) and Japanese American detective Joe Kajaku (James Shigeta) are trying to catch the murderer of a stripper. They are best friends until Christine Downes (Victoria Shaw) comes between them.

 Interesting love triangle twist that also touches on Asia-American racism. Also with Anna Lee and Paul Dubov and Water Barry and Stafford Repp in uncredited roles.

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Horoscope Mystery

 

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WHEN WERE YOU BORN?-1938-Interesting but forgotten Warner Brothers mystery feature with Anna May Wong as astrologer Mei Lei Ming and her pet monkey. She predicts the death of a merchant named Corey (James Stephenson) who's partner (fake Chinese) Mr. Gow (Leonard Mudie) wants some letters Corey had in his safe. Through the use of the horoscope Mei helps fat police Sgt. Kelly (Frank Jacuet) and Inspector Gregg (Charles Wilson) solve the case. Who's the culprit? Doris Kane (top billed Margaret Lindsey), Corey's fiancée? Her brother Harry (Anthony Averell), who had an argument with Corey? How about Shields (Eric Stanley), Corey's butler? Olin Howland is a lawyer in one scene. 

Bela Lugosi's pal, Manly P. Hall (who's credited with the original story) explains that astrology is a science in an introduction to the film. Also Jack (Clayton) Moore and Maurice Cass. Director William C. McGann (SH! THE OCTOPUS (1937)) made over 50 movies and also did SFX on many others (THE HORN BLOWS AT MIDNIGHT (1945), THE BEAST WITH 5 FINGERS (1946)).

It's a shame this wasn't considered for a whole or at least a sequel but perhaps Hollywood's prejudice toward Asian actors (American born or otherwise) at the time had something to do with it. A white American actress has top billing over the Asian American real star after all!

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It's War!

 

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BLACK ENFORCERS aka THE BLACK GESTAPO-1975-The People's Army, a black military like group formed by “white money” for “blacks to help blacks” wear red berets and arm bands. Their leader The General (Rod Perry) is sincere but his second in command, the Colonel (Charles Robinson) wants war, especially after some thugs hassle nurse Marsha (Angela Brent) and beat up one of the army's members. Later, after dirt bags Vito (Phil Hoover) and Ernie (Wes Bishop, one of the writers) beat up and rape Marsha, the Colonel and his small faction castrate Vito while he's taking a bath. His group eventually drive the wig wearing crime boss (the movie's director Lee Frost) and his gang out of town. 

The Colonel and his troops occupy a mansion and train for battle. They switch to all black uniforms and Swahili names and take over the numbers, protection and prostitution rackets. This all goes on right under the General's nose as he's too busy trying to save the neighborhood and having sex with Marsha. Eventually, the General brings them all down. Uschi Digard makes a brief appearance. 

Terrible Blaxploitation movie with a bad script and ridiculous acting. Director Lee Frost started his career in the early '60's and seemed to make every kind of exploitation film: HOUSE ON BARE MOUNTAIN (1962), MONDO BIZARRO (1966), CHROME AND HOT LEATHER (1971), THE THING WITH TWO HEADS (1972) among them.

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Opium Kung Fu

 

 (themoviedatbase)

OPIUM AND THE KUNG FU MASTER-aka LIGHTENING FISTS OF SHAOLIN-1984-Tieh (Lung Ti; THE SENTIMENTAL SWORDSMAN (1977)) is the leader of a Chinese militia and martial arts teacher. A master turns his place into an opium den. Many of the men become addicts, abandoning their wives, losing their jobs and generally slacking off. Ti is defeated by his nemesis Yung Feng (Kuan Ti Chen) because of his own addiction to opium. After his son is killed, a blind priest helps Ti break his habit. He goes through the usual back breaking retraining. In a rematch, Tieh not only has to fight Yung but his two henchmen who have huge shields. 

The movie features some great fights but the strangest part is that a kind of comedic character becomes an addict, leading to the deaths of his wife and children and his suicide. One of three movies actor Tang Chia (SHOALIN INTRUDERS (1983)) directed for the Shaw Brothers.

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New Fox

 (themoviedatabaae)

NEW TALES OF THE FLYING FOX-1984-Two “heroes” have a sword fight. Hu Feng (Alex Wong) is a knife (scimitar) master and Miao (Alex Man) is a sword master. They fight but are evenly matched, however Miao's brother and his wife put poison on Miao's sword and when Feng gets a little scratch he dies. His wife commits suicide after his death entrusting the care of her son to Miao but before he can pick up his new charge, a servant takes the baby and runs. The baby Wu-Fei grows up to be an excellent Kung-Fu guy who wants revenge against Miao who he believes killed his father. Later there's a lot of talk about poisoning. After several awesome fights, Miao and Wu Feng must fight a group from Tibet and then the evil brother who has two powerful weapons. 

This Shaw Brothers production directed by Sze-Yu Lau, is based on book by Louis Cha. 

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Deadly

 (themoviedatabase)

THE DEADLY KNIVES-(aka FISTS OF VENGEANCE)-1972-A young man named YenTzu-Fei (Yun Ling) returns to his village with Kuan Yue-Hua (Li Ching), his new love. His adopted sister Cha-Cha (Lily Li) is jealous. “Evil” Japanese want a forest for timber but Yen's father, who has a deed to the land, stands in their way. Ogawa (Miao Ching), a pervert, declares this love for Cha-Cha quite violently after fantasizing about her taking off her clothes. An all-out battle ensues at the end of course. 

This Shaw Brothers production was directed by Il-Ho Jang (THUNDERBOLT FIST (1972).

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Fistful

 

A FISTFUL OF DYNAMITE-aka DUCK, YOU SUCKER!-1971-An ignorant violent Mexican bandit (Rod Steiger) and an IRA explosive expert (James Colburn) on the run from the British team up with a doctor (Romolo Valli) and his revolutionaries in Mexico to rob a bank. Unfortunately for them, there's no money. The bank was being used to house 150 political prisoners. They are liberated and the bandit becomes a reluctant political hero. 

This overlooked “spaghetti western” was the last western directed the legendary Sergio Leone (also a co-writer). He hadn't planned on directing but one story says Steiger insisted on it. 

Of course there's also a great score by Ennio Morricone. New Zealand actor David Warbeck who years later was in 2 films by Lucio Fulci appears in a flashback.

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Purple Haze

 

JIMI HENDRIX-1973-Great documentary about Hendrix (made 3 years after his passing), better than any recent bio. Lots of good performances from the Marque Club, Woodstock, Monterey, the Fillmore East and even his last performance at the Isle of Wight. There are interviews with his father, Mick Jagger, Pete Townsend, Eric Clapton, Billy Cox, Eddie Kramer, Mitch Mitchell, Lou Reed, Little Richard and lots of drug talk. Experience bass playing Noel Redding wouldn't give a new interview as he was suing the Hendrix estate over royalites at the time. 3 directors are credited.

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Warren Oates

 

CHINA 9, LIBERTY 37-1978-Weird western (made in Italy) with Warren Oates as Matthew, a miner with a young wife Catherine (Jenny Agutter) who's visited by Clayton (Fabio Testi), a condemned man hired by the railroad to kill Matthew. Of course, Catherine and Clayton have an affair. She stabs Matthew and the two run away. Matthew and his brothers go looking for them. The couple visit a circus where Sidney Lassick works. Sam Peckinpah shows up too as well as Helga Line (HORROR RISES FROM THE TOMB (1973))! 

A modern song during a sex scene seems out of place. Cult director Monte Hellman was no stranger to unusual westerns having made THE SHOOTING and RIDE THE WILD WIND (both 1966) earlier.

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Film Noir Robbery

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ARMORED CAR ROBBERY-1950-Dave Purvis (William Talman) masterminds a hold up at LA's Wrigley Field with Al (Steve Brodie), Ace (uncredited Gene Evans) and Benny (Douglas Fowley) who hopes the money from the job will help him win back his ex-wife Yvonne (Adele Jurgens), a stripper now with Purvis. They botch it up and a policeman is killed. The slain officer's partner Lt. Cordell (Charles McGraw) vows to get the killers. 

Fast paced, cool little film noir directed by Richard Fleischer (son of animator Max). Also with Don Haggerty, James Flavin, Paul Bryar, Frank Scannell and Anne Nagel.

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Dialogue of a Dead Man

 

 (imdb)

THE FINAL COMEDOWN-1972-Rats terrorize children. Cops shoot black people. A white pawnbroker charges 2 dollars for everything. Jimmy Johnson (Billy Dee Williams) is a black militant racist who hates whites and believes violence is the only solution. One character says “Your blood brother is losing blood” and there's a pretty hysterical drug induced Vietnam flashback. Apparently all the white cops have to annihilate the blacks. Some white hippies try to help but everyone gets killed including Jimmy's mother (Maide Norman). D'Urville Martin plays his friend, Billy Joe. 

This was released by Corman's New World company and was written, produced and directed by Oscar Williams (DEATH DRUG (1978)). Corman had Allan Arkush add some new scenes and re-leased as BLAST. Williams was in LADY SINGS THE BLUES the same year.

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In Your Pants

 

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EMPIRE OF THE ANTS-1977-Con woman Joan Collins tries to interest a boat load of prospective suckers into buying Florida swamp land. 

Unfortunately for the party, giant ants (contaminated by radioactive waste) decided to invade and munch on the cast. The phony insects superimposed on the screen is a riot. They're too big. “Oh my God, they're herding us like cattle!” says one disgruntled character. Robert Lansing holds things together as the grizzled boat captain (with an earring). John David Carson (THE SAVAGE IS LOOSE) helps out. Brooke (daughter of Jack) Palance gets killed. When Albert Salmi (also in THE COMING for the same director) shows up as a sheriff it develops into a conspiracy story involving a sugar factory and slavery lead by the queen ant. 

Bert I. Gordon (who died in 2023 at the age of 100) made this giant bug movie which seems influenced by his earlier projects, FOOD OF THE GODS and VILLAGE OF THE GIANTS. Gordon from Wisconsin made TV commercials before making his first feature KING DINOSAUR in 1955.

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You Go, Streetfighter

 

 (themoviedb.com)

SISTER STREETFIGHTER-1974-When her undercover cop brother (Lee Long) is exposed and captured by gangsters, the police enlist his sister Tina (Etsuko Shihomi), a cute but dangerous Kung-Fu fighter to help get him back. The head gangster has lots of henchmen (one is called Hammerhead) and Tina gets to fight them all. She also gets help from the original streetfighter (Shin'Ichi “Sonny” Chiba) who seems to have a little problem with women as streetfighters. 

Shihomi made 2 sequels and is also in MESSAGE FROM SPACE (1978). She and Chiba also starred in LEGEND OF THE EIGHT SAMURAI (1978). Director Kazuhiko Yamaguchi also directed the two SISTER sequels and KARATE BEAR FIGHTER (1975) and KARATE FOR LIFE (1977) with Chiba.

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No Arrvial

 

 (themoviedb.org)

SECOND ARRIVAL-(aka ARRIVAL II)-1998-Slack ass computer dork Jack (Patrick Muldoon from “The Days of Our Lives” soap opera) stumbles upon a alien invasion plan after his brother is killed. The aliens can assume human form and have collapsable knees. Michael Sarrazin is a helpful professor. TV actress Jane Sibbett is an investigative reporter. It's pretty dull. 

Director Kevin Tenney made the entertaining NIGHT OF THE DEMONS (1987) and WITCHTRAP (1989) both with Linnea Quigley but his recent efforts have been pretty boring.

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Not Really Horror

 

 (imdb)

FACE OF FIRE-1959-In a small town, a good old boy named Monk (James Whitmore) saves his employer's son from a fire. The kid is ok but Monk severely disfigured. A judge (Robert F. Simon) suggests he should be killed but his employer (Cameron Mitchell) wants to help him. Monk tries to act normal but no one wants anything to do with him. After a lot of conflict there's a happy ending. Also with Royal Dano, Bettye Ackerman, Richard Erdman and Lois Maxwell (a few years later she was “Miss Moneypenny” in the James Bond series). 

Albert Band directed and co-wrote the screenplay which was adapted from the Stephen Crane story “The Monster”. This is not a horror movie although it was sometimes advertised as one.

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I Don't Know Any Sane Ghouls. Do You?

 

THE MAD GHOUL-1943-Dr. Alfred Morris (George Zucco), who teaches at a local college recreates a poison gas that an ancient Mayan tribe used to cause “life in death”. He hires a student, Ned Allison (David Bruce), to help him over the summer. Ned is in love with a radio singer named Isabel Lewis (Evelyn Ankers). When Morris says things like “There is no good or evil. Only true and false”, it's obvious he's mad. To top that, he's in love with Isabel too and in order to get Ned out of the way, the deranged doc turns his student into a living dead slave via the ancient concoction. Ned turns into a pasty-faced ghoul who carries out the doc's bidding. 

 (imdb)

Later they visit a cemetery where ghoul-Ned performs a cardiectomy because a human heart is needed to bring Ned back to the land of the living. Police Sgt. Macklin (Miburn Stone) and newspaperman “Scoop” McClure (Robert Armstrong) investigate. It turns out the antidote isn't permanent. Ned goes to another town where Isabel is performing to propose but Isabel doesn't love him anymore. She now prefers her pianist Erik (Turhan Bey). After she spurns him, he turns back into a ghoul and he and the doc visit a cemetery and take the caretaker's heart. When the doc finds out Isabel & Erik are an item, he sends Ned to kill Erik but Isabel's scream saves him. Meanwhile McClure figures out that a new heart stealing murder happens whenever Isabel gives a recital. He sets a trap to catch the deadly duo but he's killed in the process. The Sgt. and his detective Garrity (Charles McGraw) up their game to catch the killer. Later, when things get too hot and Ned suspects he's being used, (“What am I? Alive or Dead?”), the doc sends Ned to kill Erik then himself but Ned tricks the doc into inhaling the gas himself. Ned goes to the recital hall but is killed by the cops before he can carry out the murder. The doc dies at the cemetery unable to procure a human heart. Also with Rose Hobart and Addison Richards. 

This enjoyable, eerie Universal quickie was the last film directed by James P. Hogan (LIFE RETURNS (1934) who died of a heart attack shortly after this was finished. He had also been directed much of the “Ellery Queen” series at the time. The great George Zucco had another banner year in 1943, appearing in SHERLOCK HOLMES IN WASHINGTON, 2 PRC productions: DEAD MEN WALK and THE BLACK RAVEN and The Ritz brothers comedy NEVER A DULL MOMENT. Top billed David Bruce was in the “Inner Sanctum” entry CALLING DR. DEATH the same year as The Mad Ghoul. Leading lady Evelyn Ankers was also in among other things SON OF DRACULA.

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Phantoms (?)

 

 (imdb)

PHANTOMS-1998-A woman (Joanna Going) and her younger sister (Rose McGowan) visit an old resort town in Colorado and find the whole population missing. After they discover some decapitated bodies, they meet the local sheriff (Ben Affleck) and his two deputies (Liev Schreiber and Mickey Katt). Katt's character is such an asshole but thankfully has his face ripped off by some kind of giant moth. It turns out something dubbed “The Ancient Enemy” is controlling things. The army steps in and walks around in decontamination suits. It kills in various ways and reanimates its victims. Peter O'Toole hams it up as an expert on the blob like amoeba monster. 

Typical loud violent nonsense with the standard “shock” ending. Also with Robert Knepper and Bo Hopkins. It was adapted by author Dean R. Koontz from his own novel. Director Joe Chappelle had made the infamous HALLOWEEN: THE CURSE OF MICHAEL MYERS in 1995. After PHANTOMS he went into TV.

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More Spencer Williams

 

GO DOWN, DEATH!-1944-In this long forgotten “race” film, Big Jim Bottom (Spencer Williams who also directed) runs a gambling joint. He decides to frame the new reverend Jasper Jones (Samuel H. James) because he has too much influence on the town. His goons take an incriminating photo of Jones and a woman hired by Big Jim. Jim's adopted mother Caroline (Myra D. Hemmings) pleads with her son to end his bad ways but he refuses. She prays for guidance to a picture of her dead husband. His ghost/spirit comes back to help by taking the incriminating photos out of Jim's safe and giving them to Caroline. Jim tries to take them away from her. He pushes her to the floor and she hits her head. He pretends to not know anything when niece Betty Jean (Eddye Houston) comes into the room. Caroline lies in bed dying and a choir sings. Betty and Rev. Jones discuss the circumstances while Jim paces and drinks. When Caroline dies, the reverend gives a long sermon while images of heaven are shown. Jim's conscious gets the better of him and he drinks even more. He tries to run away but he can't escape the sinister accusing voice which shows him a vision of hell (from a foreign movie) where he'll “be with his own kind”. Later they find Jim dead in a canyon. 

Much like THE BLOOD OF JESUS it uses crude sfx, characters superimposed on other scenes and gospel singing. Sometimes there's dialogue but the actors' mouths don't move. The sermon the reverend gives is the poem “Go Down Death” by James W. Johnson. Although the acting and editing isn't very good it's nice to see this film rescued from obscurity. This is one of 14 movies actor Spencer Willimas directed between 1928 and 1949. Some were religious morality tales like this. Others were cool musicals. Williams later played Andy on the (now) controversial TV sit-com “The Amos 'n Andy Show”.

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Ozu Double Feature (sort of...)

 

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A STRAIGHTFORWARD BOY-1929-Once a 38-minute silent short, all that remains of this adaptation of an O. Henry story by Yasujiro Ozu is about 14 minutes. You get the gist of the comic tale, two kidnappers grab a little boy but he proves too much for them. It has a funny final scene.

 (imdb)

I GRADUATED, BUT…-1929-Unfortunately, this feature silent film by Ozu is very incomplete. Only around 10 minutes survives! A recent college graduate turns down a receptionist job thinking it's beneath him. He has no other offers and has to keep his secret from his wife and mother.

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McHale's Shop of Mystical Wonders

 

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MERLIN'S SHOP OF MYSTICAL WONDERS-1996-A grandpa (Ernest Borgnine) tells his grandson a story about the title place. While two women talk about not getting pregnant, one woman's son wanders into the shop and meets Mr. & Mrs. Merlin. Then jackass columnist Jonathan and his wife visit while some trolls watch them. Merlin gives him an ancient book of spells and tells him not to use it. Of course he does. Merlin also gives Jonathan's wife (who wants a baby) a wishing stone. For some reason, Jonathan turns his cat into a demon cat and it almost kills him. He also ages dramatically. When he makes a potion (using his wife's blood) and drinks it, he turns into a baby and the wife gets her wish. Next, a burglar steals a toy monkey from the shop. A woman gives it as a birthday present to a young boy. Plants die and then a goldfish. Later a fire breaks out and kills a doorman. A psychic tells the boy's father he has to perform an exorcism on the monkey. He throws it away. When it almost kills his son, he buries it. When grandma visits, she brings the monkey as a gift. It seems like it might kill them but Merlin saves the day. The second story which in some ways resembles a Stephen King short story written years before, is actually a re-edited short with a new ending, Writer/director Kenneth J. Berton never made another movie.

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English Wolf

 

 (imdb)

NIGHT WOLF-2010-Bloody awful English horror film with a family being terrorized in their house by a bloodthirsty creature. Simon MacCorkindale (in his last movie role) is their doomed father. After this director Jonathan Glendening followed with STRIPPERS VS. WEREWOLVES (2012). Also known as 13 HOURS. 

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More Spaghetti

 

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THE GREAT SILENCE-1968-Somewhere in the old west (Italy), bounty hunters like Loco (Klaus Kinski; in I BASTARDI the same year)) are out of control and the governor wants to put a stop to it. Roaming the countryside is Silence (Jean-Louis Trintignant from A MAN AND A WOMAN (1966)), a gunfighter who's hired by families to kill bounty hunters to avenge the deaths of their loved ones. A widow (Vonetta McGee; later in BLACULA (1972)) hires Silence to kill Loco who murdered her husband. Meanwhile, a store owner hires Loco to kill Silence. In recent years critics go on and on about this western allegory that tries way too much to be like Leone (Ennio Morricone scored it) and director Sergio Corbucci (also one of the screenwriters) needs a history lesson. 

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The Lash of LaRue

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GHOST TOWN RENEGADES-1947-The Cheyenne Kid aka Marshall Davis (Lash LaRue) and Fuzzy Jones (Al St. John) are dispatched by the chief Marshall (Henry Hall) to investigate the disappearance of 2 surveyors. They come up against evil lawyer Vance Sharp (Jack Ingram) who wants the land owned by Diane Trent (Jennifer Holt; sister of Tim). He has two henchmen (Terry Frost and Lane Bradford). Although Fuzzy is pretty tough and good in a fight, he still supplies the comic relief when they spend the night in a ghost town. Also with William Fawcett. 

Pretty decent low budget western (only 59 minutes) from PRC. One of several Cheyenne Kid features LaRue (who uses his trademark bullwhip several times) made between 1945 & 1948. Prolific director Ray Taylor made several serials and many more westerns (some with LaRue). Screenwriter Patricia Harper wrote screenplays for many movies in the 1940's after a brief turn as an actress.

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Boggy

 

 (imdb)

BOGGY CREEK ll: AND THE LEGEND CONTINUES-1983-Anthropologist Dr. Brian Lockhart (writer/director Charles B. Pierce) takes 3 students, Tim (Chuck Pierce), Tanya (Serene Hedin), Leslie (Cindy Butler) on a trek to find “The Boggy Creek Creature” in Arkansas. They wander around and Lockhart tells some Bigfoot stories (shown in flashbacks). At night, while camping they have a creature encounter. Lockhart shoots it with a tranquilizer dart but nothing happens. The “dumb” girls go joy riding and get stuck in the mud. They kind of encounter the creature and run away. Later, they meet Old Man Crenshaw (Jimmy Dlem), a fat, shirtless hillbilly in overalls who's holding a wounded baby creature. During a storm, the creature attacks but Lockhart gives it the baby and it leaves. 

Stupid, low budget, badly acted sequel although it is actually the third movie in the “Boggy Creek series”! Chuck Pierce had previously starred in his dad's WINDS OF AUTUMN (1976).

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Time Travelling On A Budget

 

 (themoviedb.org)

TIME CHASERS-1994-Nick (Matthew Bruch) invents a plane that can travel through time. Unfortunately, he signs a contract with a huge corporation GenCore who only want to exploit it for evil. A female reporter Lisa (Bonnie Pritchard) warns him but to no avail. They become lovers and have dinner in a diner in the 1950's. Later they discover a post apocalyptic future that was created when he told corporate head J.K. Robertson (George Woodward) about the plane. Nick and Lisa go back in time to try and change things. Everyone winds up during the Revolutionary War (obviously a battle reenactment). 

Low budget time travel film written and directed in Vermont by David Giancola, who later made ICEBREAKER (2000) with Bruce Campbell as a bald villain. The movie lost money but when “Mystery Science Theater 3000” picked it up, the licensing fees brought profits into the black.

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It's Mutiny!

 

 (imdb)

SPACE MUTINY-1988-On a spaceship going somewhere, the evil, insane Commander Calgon (John Phillip Law) plans to take over. He's assisted by the sadistic McPearson (James Ryan; KILL AND KILL AGAIN (1981)). Some alien women called Bellerians who speak telepathically are also aboard. Commander Jansen (Cameron Mitchell, with Santa beard) is in charge and his daughter, Lea (Cissy Cameron) blames pilot Dave Ryder (Reb Brown; HOWLING 2 (1985)) for the death of a professor. Of course, they fall in love. 

This very cheap looking filmed in a warehouse space opera was started by director David Winters who left for personal reasons. It taken over by Neal Sundstrum with scenes of the Bellerians added by David A. Prior after filming was finished. None of them were happy with the final product. Filmed in South Africa. Brown and Cameron are married in real life.

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Go Back To Sleep!

 

 (imdb)

PATRICK:EVIL AWAKENS-2013-Nurse Cathy (Sharni Vinson) goes to work for Dr. Roget (Charles Dance) and his uptight daughter Cassidy (Rachel Griffiths) in a ward for comatose patients. She meets Patrick (Jackson Gallager), a young man who's in a coma and Roget's “special case”. There's one patient who is awaken though, Mr. Frazier (Chris Fortuna), a victim of an electrical fire who operates a lighthouse. Cathy becomes friends with Paula the other nurse there. She comes to believe that Patrick is aware of things around him. She has weird dreams. But Patrick is controlling things, even using a computer and makimg her boyfriend burn both of his hands. 

Drawn out junk from Australia directed by Mark Hartley. It's based on the 1978 Richard Franklin film PATRICK.

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Jethro Makes Bad

 

 (imdb)

MACON COUNTY LINE-1974-Two ignorant redneck brothers Wayne (Jesse Vint) & Chris (Jesse's real life brother Alan) drive around causing trouble before they are scheduled to join the army. They pick up hitchhiker, Jenny (Cheryl Waters). While waiting for a mechanic (Geoffrey Lewis) to fix their water pump, they run into deputy sheriff Reed Morgan (Max Baer; Jethro Bodine from TV's “The Beverly Hillbillies”). He questions them and picks up his son (Lief Garrett) at military school. Two perverted criminals kill Baer's wife. After killing a cop, they are arrested. Baer believes the brothers are responsible and with his 10-year-old son in tow, goes after them. 

Terrible, violent low budget drive-in fodder. Also with Doodles Weaver, Jay Adler, Sam Gilman, Emile Meyer and Joan Blackman. Jed's nephew was a co-writer (with director Richard Compton) and co-producer on this obviously trying to throw off his dumb hayseed image.

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Lee Leaves

 

 (kungfufandom.com)

WHAT ARE YOU GONNA DO, SAI FUNG?-1999-Short docu-drama about Bruce Lee’s last days in Hong Kong before leaving for his temporary stay in the US. It stars Stephen Au who also produced, wrote and directed it and has become a big item in Asia. One story says Lee's estate stopped it from being release. It's also been announced that Au was working on a re-tooled DVD release.

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