I Have A Gift For Disaster

 

 

 (themoviedb.org)

THE MEDUSA TOUCH-1978-A French police inspector Brunel (Lino Ventura; A PAIN IN THE ASS (1973)) investigates the burgeoning almost death of a famous writer, John Morlar (Richard Burton). Brunel tries to put together a motive. Morlar's psychiatrist (Lee Remick) says Morlar was paranoiac who said he killed an evil nanny and his unloving parents. An assistant commissioner (Harry Andrews) puts pressure on Brunel to find the culprit. Morlar's publisher (Derek Jacobi) relates a flashback involving a tramp. In fact, most of this film is told in flashback by people who knew him. It seems everyone who wronged him dies. A lawyer (Alan Badel), a fortune teller (Michael Hordern), a judge (THE HORRIBLE DR. HITCHCOCK's Robert Flemyng), his wife Patricia (Marie-Christine Barrault) and her lover (Jeremy Brett). According to his cynical doctor (Gordon Jackson), Morlar's own mind is keeping him alive.

 Great disastrous climax with a twist ending. Unheralded all-star horror mystery directed by Jack Gold (THE NAKED CIVIL SERVANT (1975)). The year before this, Burton had made the almost unwatchable THE EXORCIST 2 but was also nominated for a best actor Oscar for EQUUS.

Thanks for reading!

I See Nothing...

 

 (imdb)

I SEE YOU-2019-Weird things happen in the house of a family of a detective (Jon Tenney) investigating the disappearance of a local boy that seems to be related to a series of murders committed 15 years prior by a guy who's in jail. Added to this is the detective's wife (Helen Hunt) who recently had an affair and their resentful son (Judah Lewis). Another cop Spitz (Gregory Alan Williams) who worked on the original case helps out. When the wife's lover turns up dead in their house and the son is attacked, it seems someone else is in their house. Flashbacks reveal what's really going. 

Clever plot but slow going. Directed by Adam Randall.

Thanks for reading!

https://youtube.com/shorts/UiJfAFNzvrs?feature=shared

It Started Here!

 

 (imdb)

LA LLORONA-1933-In Mexico a man dies on the street after hearing a wailing voice. Then a doctor (Ramon Pereda) and his wife (Virginia Zuri) have a birthday party for their 4-year-old son. The doctor's father-in-law Don Fernando (Paco Martinez) is worried because his own son disappeared on his fourth birthday and was later found dead. Unbeknownst to them, a hooded figure is spying on them. Don Fernado tells the doctor the story of how La Llorona, "the crying woman" came to be, set in " New Spain". After this rather long flashback, in the present the hooded figure kills Fernando and tries to steal the son but is unsuccessful. The police are called in. Another flashback and the hooded culprit is revealed. 

This slow moving, talky Mexican horror tale was the first to use the legendary La Llorona which later was featured in several horror films. It was directed by Ramon Peon.

Thanks for reading!

TV Pilot From Canada

 

 (imdb)

984: PRISONER OF THE FUTURE-A group called "The Movement" (headed by an old fart Dr. Fontaine (Andrew Foot)) has taken over the US and charges a guy named Weston (Stephen Markle) with "crimes against humanity" and locks him up in a prison run by "The Warden" (Dan Francks), a bad Dr. Smith wannabe. Flashbacks tell a lot of the story but I was still confused as to exactly what this whole thing was about.

Director Tibor Takacs (before his more well-known movies) does try hard to present a Kafkaesque nightmare with a few doses of The Prisoner and Brave New World but a minuscule budget, poor script and only so-so acting undermine it. Actually, a CBC unsold TV pilot.

Thanks for reading!

"One Of You Has Got To Die"

 

 (wikipedia)

FOUR BOYS AND A GUN-1957-4 "boys" rob the box office of a boxing arena. In the melee a cop (un-billed Joseph Campanella) is shot and killed. 

They are all arrested and flashbacks reveal what led up to their predicament. Asshole Eddie (Tarry Greene) is dumped by his girlfriend who likes her boss better. Ollie (Frank Sutton) who's having an affair with Eddie's sister gets in trouble with the boss he runs numbers for. Stanley (William Hinnant) is a nice wimp from a decent family but is corrupted by Eddie and Ollie. Amateur boxer Johnny (James Franciscus) has a pregnant wife but is told by his manager (J. Pat O'Reilly) that he doesn't have what it takes to be a pro. They throw a party to raise the money but a gangster spoils it. The abrupt ending seems to say they will all go to electric chair. 

Director William Berke was working mostly in TV at the time but in the '30's and '40's directed tons of low budget films (Jungle Jim, Dick Tracy, westerns). Screenwriters Phillip Yordan (Bogart's last film THE HARDER THEY FALL) and Leo Townsend (who later wrote several AIP “Beach” movies) adapted the story from a novel by Willard Wiener.

Thanks for reading!

Hammer Again

 

THE LOST CONTINENT-1968-This begins with a funeral at sea with very unusual mourners then a flashback. On a ship full of fools, the grouchy, weird captain Lansen (Eric Porte; later in THE HANDS OF THE RIPPER) is running illegal explosives that are dangerous when wet. Most of passengers are on the run or have done something illegal including Miss Eva Peters (Hildegard Knef), Harry Tyler (Tony Beckley), Dr. Webster (Nigel Stock) and his daughter Unity (Suzanna Leigh; THE DEADLY BEES one year earlier) and Ricardi (Ben Carruthers).When the first mate leads a mutiny, the idiot passengers decide to stay aboard the volatile vessel and help the bossy unappreciative Lansen. When the ship can't be saved the losers abandon it. They drift at sea, bicker and eventually fight with several deaths occurring. They wind up in a foggy killer seaweed infested area of old abandoned ships. Later they're attacked by some very strange inhabitants, descendants from Spanish galleons and other lost seafarers. They are ruled by a pompous teenager called "El Supremo". Later a giant turtle and scorpion show up. 

Semi-imaginative story hampered by unlikable characters and sub-par SFX. One of Hammer Studios least known films, it was written and directed by head honcho Michael Carreras from a novel by Dennis Wheatley.

Thanks for reading!

Mind?

 

JENNIFER ON MY MIND-1971-Loser (Michael Brandon, not very good) meets decadent bimbo Jennifer (Tippy Walker). She od's and dies and he needs help disposing of the body. Flashbacks show how they met and started a relationship. Pretty boring stuff with comic Chuck McCann as a good Samaritan,unknown Robert DeNiro as a cab driver and Barry Bostwick as a minstrel in small roles. It was made by the aforementioned Noel Black.

Thanks for reading!

Moon in Scorpio...How Did it Get There?

 

MOON IN SCORPIO-1987-This begins with a woman in a straitjacket saying “Moon in Scorpio. What does it mean?”. After the credits a patient escapes from a mental hospital killing two people. Then the police investigate a boat drifting at sea. They find a woman who stabs a cop. Later she's interviewed by the head of the hospital (Robert Quarry) and she talks about ghouls, assassins and a death ship. Flashback to Vietnam: Mark (Lewis Van Bergen), Burt (William Smith) and Allen (John Phillip Law) kill some villagers. Later Allen marries Linda (Britt Ekland). Burt invites Allen and Linda and her friends on his boat. Allen agrees though it's clear he's traumatized and doesn't like water. Besides Burt and his alcoholic wife Claire (Julian Kesner; FIRECRACKER) their mutual friends Mark and his weird girlfriend Isabelle (April Wayne) go along. This flashback is interrupted by an idiotic police officer talking about the escaped patient (the actor is terrible). Back in the past: Before the group leaves an unseen killer does in a fisher-man. Despite all being buddies no one seems to get a long. Also it's apparent the killer is on board using a crossbow. One by one everybody is killed. The killer turns out to be Isabelle the escaped patient. She goes insane. You might too.......

Director Gary Graver was a cinematographer on over two hundred projects including work with Orson Welles and Al Adamson and a lot of porn (some which he directed under a pseudonym). This crazy murder mystery is a miserable paste up job. 

Nominal male lead Van Bergen was in the star of the short lived TV show "Sable". 

Thanks for reading!

Ape Sequel

JUNGLE WOMAN-1944-After the events chronicled in CAPTIVE WILD WOMAN, at inquest Dr. Fletcher (J. Carrol Naish) is investigated after he admits murdering one of his patients at his sanitarium. In a flashback the doc tells all. A storm wrecks the circus freeing lions and tigers during lion tamer Fred Mason's act. Paula (Acquanetta), now a full ape saves Mason (Milburn Stone) but is shot down by the police, Fetcher gets the body and at his lab he revives it. Then Mason relates his own flashback (inside Fetcher's!) about the first time Paula Dupree showed up. (Mason's wife Beth (Evelyn Ankers) also tells about almost being attacked by Paula). We also learn that Fletcher now owns the sanitarium of the departed Dr. Walter (played by John Carradine in the first film). The revived ape escapes but when the doc and Willy, his slow witted assistant (Eddie Hyans) search the grounds all they find is a mysterious but beautiful woman. His examination of her is interrupted by a visit from his daughter Joan (Lois Collier) and her boyfriend Bob (Richard Davis/David) who Paula takes a sudden interest in (she finally talks too!). Once again Paula grows jealous. She kills Willy then tries to drown the happy couple when they go canoeing. For a while Bob thinks Fletcher is abusing Paula. Paula menaces Joan but Fletcher kills her. He's exonerated after Paula's corpse is examined which has now reverted to it's original ape form. 

Douglas Dumbrille appears as a non-believing DA, Samuel Hinds is a judge and Tom Keene is a curious doctor. Director Reginald LeBorg made three movies with Lon Chaney (THE MUMMY'S GHOST and 2 INNER STANCTUMS) the same year he made this 61 minute Universal sequel. It would be followed by a second (and last) sequel.  

Thanks for reading!

Horror in Russia

THE ABANDONED-2006-A Russian born American film producer Marie Jones (Anastasia Hille) returns to her homeland to visit a farm she inherited. After being abandoned by her stupid guide she investigates what's left of the dilapidated house and seems to meet a zombie like version of herself. After nearly drowning she's rescued by a guy name Nikolai (Karel Roden from FRANKENSTEIN'S ARMY). To show her gratitude she smacks him with a log. Later when he wakes up, he claims to be Marilyn's twin brother. They do some snooping around and find human remains then they encounter lookalike zombies. For a while Nikolai disappears but when Marilyn's escape attempt fails they meet up again and they get to see depraved drawn out scenes of their births and the death of their mother. 

This Spanish/Bulgarian/British confused, contrived junk just goes on forever and the finale features wild boars and vomiting.

According to some sources director Nacho Cerda' (from Spain) was suspected of being the director of the infamous “Alien Autopsy” footage because a short he made resembles it!

Thanks for reading!