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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Empire Ghouls

 

 (imdb)

GHOULIES ll-1987-In this sequel, mean little monsters, the spawn of Satan, hitch a ride with a traveling circus after a priest fails to kill them. They cause death and destruction. The circus is run by an old guy (Royal Dano) and his nephew Larry (Damon Martin). After the old man is killed, a yuppie co-owner name Hardin (J. Downing) hangs around wanting to close down the circus. With the help of Nicole (Kerry Remsen), a belly dancer and Nigel (Phil Fondacaro), a little person, the nephew conjures up a giant demon that eats the ghoulies. But then they have to contend with the demon. 

Tasteless, useless sequel from Richard Band's Empire Pics filmed in Italy by Band's father Albert (I BURY THE LIVING (1958)). Somehow, 2 more sequels followed.

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Bloodhound?

DRACULA'S DOG-1997- In this strange horror movie some Romanian soldiers unearth a vampire tomb and Count Dracula's pet dog Zoltan escapes. The pooch also frees Veidt (Reggie Nalder), the count's human servant. He and the demon dog go to California to make a guy named Michael Drake (Michael Pataki) their "new master". While Mike and his family are on a camping trip Viedt has Zoltan terrorize the family by making their dogs (including a puppy) into dog-pires! Later an inspector (Jose Ferrer) shows up to help and he and Michael are attacked in their cabin. Somehow the inspector overpowers Veidt and kills him with a stake. Michael is attacked  by the pack but the inspector and 2 hunters save him. In the weird finale Michael reveals his cross to Zoltan and the dog falls off a cliff impaled on a fence. But the evil puppy lives! 

This crazy canine caper is more bizarre than bad. The screenplay was written by Frank Ray Perilli (also an actor) who also penned the soft core porno movie CINDERELLA (directed by DOG'S star Pataki) the same year. Albert Band (who produced CINDERELLA) directed.

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Space and The World

RIDERS TO THE STARS-1954-Scientist Herbert Marshall needs a meteor from outer space. He and a group of scientists set out to find three men to fly rocket ships (with wings) into space a get one. William Lunigan (a busy TV actor at the time) is the scientist most qualified. He’s also Marshall’s son. He falls in love with Martha Hyer while being trained. Richard Carlson (who was in THE CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON the same year) co-stars and directs as well. I’ve read “film doctor” Herbert Strock directed some scenes un-credited. It’s an early serious science fiction tale (based on a story by Ivan Tors) and it’s in color! Curt Siodmak wrote the screenplay.

BETWEEN TWO WORLDS-1944-Excellent but overlooked fantasy from Warner Brothers.

A group of people is killed during an air raid attack in London. They wind up on a mysterious ship along with a couple (Paul Henreid and Eleanor Parker) that committed suicide. The ship’s steward (Edmund Gwenn) eventually informs them they are dead and on their way to meet The Examiner (Henreid’s CASABLANCA co-star Sydney Greenstreet) who will decide if they will go to heaven or hell (but it’s actually the same place). As The Examiner states “You see my son, you make your own heaven and hell for yourselves on Earth, you only bring it with you here”.

John Garfield headlines as a cynical reporter. George Coulouris is an industrialist who realizes too late money can’t buy everything. Faye Emerson is a fame hungry actress. George Tobias, Isobel Elsom, Dennis King and Sara Allgood are the others. The second half when the groups’ lives are “examined” is the best part. It’s based on the play OUTWARD BOUND first produced on Broadway in 1924 and revived in 1932. Director Edward A. Blatt was usually a dialogue director and directed only three films.

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