Corman Produced

NIGHT OF THE BLOOD BEAST-1958-John Corcoran (Michael Emmet; later in ATTACK OF THE GIANT LEECHES), the first man to orbit the Earth in a satellite crash lands coming back and is killed. This upsets his fiancee Dr. Julie Benson (Angela Greene). Dave Randal (Ed Nelson; in CRY BABY KILLER the same year), female photog Donna (Georgianna Carter), the analytic Dr. Wyman (Tyler McVey) and Steve (John Baer) take John's body (which has not decomposed at all) back to their lab where they discover a strange contusion on his arm. Also their radio doesn't work. After Dave has an encounter with an unknown creature and they lose electric power and their car and truck won't work, it's obvious something is keeping them there. They also discover a magnetic barrier surrounds their compound. 

At night Dr. Wyman’s bloody headless body is found hanging in their lab and John has come back to life. He’s very confused and says “It didn't come here to destroy!”. It turns out to be a weird looking alien that's using John's body as a breeding ground for new aliens (they look like sea horses). The monster kind of looks like it's covered in dried mud. It attacks but they drive it off. The next day, Dave, Steve and Donna are searching for the monster which briefly captures Donna. Eventually John realizes the alien doesn't want to help Earth, It just wants to replace humans with its race. John kills himself and Dave and Steve burn up the monster. 

Director Bernard Kowalski made his directing debut earlier in the year with HOT ROD GIRL (which Nelson and McVey appear in) and later made ATTACK OF THE CRAB MONSTERS. He does a good job keeping everything eerie and claustrophobic and though obviously inspired by THE THING the US-Russian space race figured into it too. The monster is strange looking but doesn't look like it would come from outer space. 

This AIP production was produced by Roger and Gene Corman. 

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S Seven Times

SSSSSSS!-1973-A scientist working with snakes, Dr. Stoner (Strother Martin) hires college student David (Dirk Benidict) to help him with his experiments after his original helper "quit suddenly". When not experimenting with his reptilian pets Stoner gives exhibitions with a king cobra assisted by his daughter Kristina (Heather Menzies). Stoner of course has an ulterior motive in his hiring of the cheerful David. He wants to turn him into an intelligent king cobra!  While David and Kristina kind of fall in love, Stoner gets revenge on a college bully (Reb Brown) who killed his pet snake and a former colleague (Richard B. Schull) who discovers his secret. In the confused abrupt climax: Kristina discovers dad's former assistant is now a serpent man in a side show run by Tim O'Connor. David turns into a real snake. Stoner seems to want it to fight the real king cobra but he's bitten to death. The sheriff (Jack Ging) shoots the cobra. David-snake is killed by a mongoose. Kristina arrives too late to do anything and upon seeing her beloved mangled by the mongoose lets out a scream which is freeze framed for the final scene.

S X7 isn't bad and it's helped by the great character actor Strother Martin in the lead role. The story doesn't make a whole lot of sense especially when at one point Stoner warns his daughter not to have sex with David when it's already apparent they have. This little tidbit seems forgotten later. He doesn't elaborate on it so maybe Kristina may become a snake herself. We'll never know...

Director Bernard Kowalski used real venomous snakes which had the cast rather nervous. Probably the worst thing about the movie is the title!

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