Tell Tale

 

 (imdb)

THE AVENGING CONSCIOUS or THOU SHALT NOT KILL-1914-A man (Henry B. Walthall) is raised by his uncle. When he's an adult (and Edgar Allan Poe fan), he works for the old man (Spottiswoode Aitken). All goes well until he meets a young woman Anabel (Blanche Sweet). He spends more time with her than uncle would like. When the uncle insults her, nephew quits. At a party, they meet “the stranger” (Ralph Lewis). When the nephew realizes that as long as his uncle is around, he and the girl can never be happy, he plots to kill uncle. 

Unfortunately, for him “the Italian” (George Siegman) sees him murdering unk and blackmails him. Nephew walls up the corpse in the fireplace. His guilt gets the best of him and he sees his uncle's ghost and has a breakdown. He goes to a sanitarium and seems to be cured but he suspects the stranger to be a detective (he's right) and hires the Italian to keep an eye out. Later, while being questioned by the detective, he has a fiery vision of demons in hell. He goes insane at the sight of his uncle's ghost and reenacts the murder in front of the detective. He flees but is pursued by a posse and hangs himself. The girl commits suicide but…. 

This DW Griffith directed adaptation based on Edgar Allan Poe's “The Tell Tale Heart” is sometimes called the first great American horror movie. The ending might be a letdown to some. It also features the ill-fated Wallace Reid as a doctor.

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Amicus Strikes Back

 

(imdb)

AND NOW THE SCREAMING STARTS-1973-Catherine (Stephanie Beacham) & Charles (Ian Ogilvy) come to live in the ancestral Fengriffen. No sooner are they there when Catherine becomes mesmerized by a portrait of Charles’ grandfather Sir Henry and a bloody hand tries to grab her. After their wedding, a severed hand is seen crawling across the floor. Later, she sees a ghoulish, eyeless corpse, missing one hand. Then she's scared by Silas (Geoffrey Whitehead), a sinister looking woodsman with a red birth mark, who lives on the estate. After their lawyer (Guy Rolfe) is murdered, Catherine sees more apparitions and the family doctor, Whittle (Patrick Magee) informs the couple Catherine is pregnant. Then Charles and Dr. Whittle discuss telling Catherine some secret about the family. 

When the maid decides to help Catherine, she's killed. The severed hand seems to be controlling things. When her aunt Edith (Gillan Lind) decides Catherine should leave Fengriffen, she dies. When it seems like Catherine is really cracking up, Whittle calls in Dr. Pope (Peter Cushing). In a flashback, Charles reveals his granddad Sir Henry (Herbert Lom) turned Fengriffin into “a house of debauchery” and “filled it with the scum of the earth”. Then on Silas’ father's wedding night, Henry rapes his bride, while his goons hold down Silas. Henry chops off his hand and Silas puts a curse on him. Later, Catherine gives birth to a baby with no right hand and a reddish birth mark. 

Good cast and story but not a great ending. This Amicus production was directed by Roy Ward Baker who also made THE VAULT OF HORROR for the same company in'73. It's based a on a novel by American novelist David Case.

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Pistola

 

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THE CURSE OF LA PISTOLA-2022-Sleep inducing bullshit about two couples with relationship problems camping out in a South America forest that is haunted by some kind of vampire ghost. It's talky and dark and very annoying. Feature film debut for director AJ Jones. He also acts in it as do several of the film's other producers. It's based on an actually Latin America legend. 

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Supernatural TV Pilot

 

 (imdb)

THE GHOST OF SIERRA DE COBRE-1964-Architect/psychic investigator Nelson Orlon (Martin Landau) is called in by Vivia Mandore (Diane Baker in Hitchcock's MARNIE and Castle's STRAITJACKET the same year), wife of Henry Mandore (Tim Simcox), a wealthy blind man who's getting strange phone calls from his dead mother. After Paulina sees a horrifying ghost, Orlon investigates. Their new housekeeper, the spooky Paulina (Dame Judith Anderson) hangs around and doesn't like Orlon because he called the ghost of her town a fake. Things are not as they seem. Leonard Stone as Mandore's business partner and Nellie Britt as another housekeeper are skeptical. 

Alternatively spooky and talky, this is a failed TV pilot turned into a full-length movie by writer Joseph Stefano (who did the screenplay for PYSCHO (1960) and many OUTER LIMITS episodes).  He took over directing (his only time as a director) when original director Robert Stevens fell ill. Future Academy Award winner Landau was in an episode of "The Twilight Zone" and "The Outer Limits" the same year. 

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Wood on TV?

 

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FINAL CURTAIN-1957-In an empty theater, the lead actor (Duke Moore) in the play "The Vampire" investigates the spirit world which is supposed to exist after the living have left. He thinks about various spooky things and screams when he hears the cries of a cat. Later he decides to explore. In one room he finds a life like mannequin (Jenny Stevens; also in NIGHT OF THE GHOULS) which seems to come to life. Eventually, he finds what he's looking for. 

This short film (22 minutes) was produced, written and directed by Ed Wood Jr. as a pilot for a planned TV series “Portraits in Terror”. If the scenes with the mannequin seem familiar, most of it (probably Wood's best work) was used in his NIGHT OF THE GHOULS (1959). The bombastic desperate out of control (but typical Wood) narration is by Dudley Manlove.

Once thought to be a lost film, a copy was discovered by the great grand-nephew of Paul (Kelton the Cop) Marco.

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Steele

 

 (imdb)

THE GHOST-1963-In Scotland 1910, wheelchair bound and sickly, Dr. Hitchcock (Elio Jotta) conducts some weird seances while his younger wife (Barbara Steele; in Fellini's 8 ½ the same year) and his doctor Livingstone (Peter Baldwin) plot his demise. After they kill him, some strange things happen and a key they need to open a safe is entombed with hubby. They get the key but they see hubby several times. Is it his ghost? 

Everybody dies in this well-made thriller by Riccardo Freda (THE HORRIBLE DR. HITCHCOCK) only hampered by atrocious dubbing.

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What?

 

 

 (imdb)

THE WHIP AND THE BODY-1963-Kurt Menliff (Christopher Lee), a sadistic disowned son returns to his family because his brother Christian (Tony Kendall) is about to be married. Kurt's return doesn't sit well with his dad, The Count (Gustavo De Nardo). In fact, Christian is going to marry Kurt's ex-fiance Nevenka (Daliah Lavi) but Kurt blew it when he had an affair with a servant girl who later committed suicide. Kurt has come back to claim his birthright which he seems to think includes Nevenka. When two meet on the beach, he whips her and they have sex. Later Kurt is stabbed to death but it seems his ghost has come back for revenge. 

Great atmospheric photography by Mario Bava. An incomprehensible version titled "What!" used to play on local TV in the '70's. It's since been restored but the version I saw was dubbed (Lee's voice included).

 (imdb)

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Mr Big Is Back!

  (photo: IMDB) 

TORMENTED-1960-On a coastal island in an abandoned lighthouse, Jazz pianist Tom Stewart (Richard Carlson) let's his former lover Vi (Juli Reding) fall to her death when she threatens to blackmail him with some incriminating love letters which would spoil his upcoming marriage to rich girlfriend Meg Hubbard (Lugene Sanders). 

Almost immediately he starts to feel guilty. He sees VI's corpse floating in the ocean but when he swims out to retrieve it, he finds it's just a pile of seaweed. Then he sees strange footprints in the sand. Meanwhile Meg's very young sister Sandy (Susan Gordon, the director's daughter) performs a magic trick. He has a weird dream where he's menaced by Vi's ghost. Then he sees a disembodied hand wearing Meg's wedding ring. Then Meg's wedding dress is wrapped in seaweed. His blind housekeeper Mrs. Ellis (Lillian Adams) suspects a ghost. A boat operator (Joe Turkel) who brought Vi to the island tries to blackmail Tom. 

Later he has a conversation with VI's disembodied head. At Vi's urging Tom kills the blackmailer. Unfortunately Sandy witnesses the whole thing! The wedding doesn't turn out as they planned either. All the flowers die. Later when Tom goes to the lighthouse and tells Vi she's won but Sandy follows him and tells him she knows he's a killer. Tom plans on pushing Sandy off the lighthouse but Vi's ghost causes him to fall off and die. Tom and Vi are united in un-dead matrimony. Gene Roth and Merrit Stone have small roles. 

Not a bad little low budget ghost story from Mr. BIG himself Bert I. Gordon (Still alive at the time of this writing!).

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Japan

 

PITFALL-1962-After running away from a mining camp a guy (Hisashi Igawa) and his young son and his friend hideout digging coal for an old man. A man dressed in white with a pith helmet seems to be following and photographing them. After deserting that job they take another hauling dirt. He's told about a job in another village but when he and his son go there they find it deserted save for one woman shopkeeper. When he finally encounters the man in white he's attacked and stabbed. He dies but his spirit wanders the village where other spirits reside. Later he follows the police investigation and finds the mysterious things happening have an explanation. After the shopkeeper is raped the man in white kills her. The backdrop is two mines, the old pit and the new one. 

Director Hiroshi Teshigahara presents monster what appears to be an allegory on the protests of conditions for miners. A big issue at the time in Japan. It's both sad and thought provoking. 

Based on a novel by Kobo Abe who also wrote the screenplay, he and Teshigahara would team for four more films including FACE OF ANOTHER.

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Blood Bath AKA

 

BLOOD BATH-1966-After it seems like a vampire killed a woman, some beatniks (including Sid Haig & Jonathan Haze) check out Max (Karl Schanzer) the artist's new painting. Then waitress Daisy (Marissa Mathes) has a discussion with ballet dancing Dorean (Linda/Lori Saunders) about a secret meeting she has with a man. 

While looking at some paintings Daisy meets artist Antonio Sordi (William Campbell), who's artist ancestor was burned at the sake after being betrayed by his mistress Melizza. While having a flashback/hallucination, he turns into the vampire and kills Daisy with a meat cleaver. Sordi is also the person Dorean was meeting on the beach. Later at a party, he attacks a woman who falls into a pool. Daisy's sister Donna (Sandra Knight) goes looking for her (Max recognizes her from Sordi's latest painting) but Sordi denies knowing her. She learns about Sordi's ancestor who came back as a vengeful vampire after being burned, eventually being staked. 

Donna sees a connection between the missing women and Sordi. She decides to shadow him but he kills her on a merry go round (while others do nothing). His vampire self terrorizes Dorean but she escapes. Max has a fight with the vampire who seems to fall to his death but his body disappears. Poor Dorean seeks shelter at Sordi's bell tower residence where she discovers a dead corpse (Patrick Magee). Sordi isn't dead and thinks Doreann is Melizza come back to him. Fortunately some of his victims come back to life and throw him in bubbling wax. 

This movie has a crazy history. It started out life as a US-Yugoslavian production called “Operation Titan” for which Roger Corman provided American actors William Campbell and Sid Haig as he planned to distribute it in the US. Corman was unhappy with the resulting film and finally asked Jack Hill to write a new script and shoot new scenes while incorporating some of the original. Hill turned it into a horror film called “Portrait in Terror”. Corman was still unhappy with this new version and hired Stephanie Rothman to shoot more scenes. Unfortunately star William Campbell refused to do anymore re-shoots and an unidentified actor portrays the vampire monster which is why the Sordi character transforms into a totally different monster! Sid Haig's character also grows a beard for his later scenes! New scenes were also shot for a TV version called “Track of The Vampire”. 

There's always a story with Roger Corman!

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Recent Horrors

 

THE CURSE OF LA LLORONA-2019-Anna (Linda Cantellini) a child abuse case worker investigates the death of two children under her care. The kids' mother blames La Llorrona, the weeping woman, a Mexican ghost/demon condemned to wander the Earth looking for children to kill. Anna's own children seem to be next on La Llorona's list! When the evil spirit leaves burn marks on her kids' arms she's investigated for child abuse. Eventually the priest from ANNABELLE (Tony Amendola) sends them to a defrocked priest (Raymond Cruz) who performs some weird rituals that seem to work until the daughter breaks the protective barrier. When the mother of the dead kids shows up things get even worse but a well placed cross helps get rid of the evil...I guess...

This stand alone entry into the “Conjuring” universe is an nice thriller that doesn't go overboard and provides some good chills. It was directed by Michael Chaves and produced by James Wan.

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The Red Queen

THE RED QUEEN KILLS SEVEN TIMES--1972-In this Italian production, Evelyn, a dark haired little girl steals her blond haired sister Kitty’s doll. They argue in front of their grandfather and large painting. Evelyn stabs the doll and cuts off it's head. The two tussle but Gramps calms them down and tells them the story behind the painting which depicts the Black Queen killing the Red Queen. Years later Kitty (Barbara Bouchet) accidentally kills Evelyn when they have a fight. The death is covered up by their older sister Franziska (Marina Malfatti) and everyone is told Evelyn went to America.  When a mysterious figure that looks like the Red Queen visits Gramps he dies of fright. Kitty believes it's Evelyn. Later after Grandpa's will is read a sleazy character with a knife threatens Kitty with blackmail saying he knows Evelyn's dead. Kitty’s boss Hans (Bruno Botocci) and top model Lulu (Sybil Danning) go for a drive in the park looking for a prostitute for a threesome. Hans is stabbed to death by the cackling Red Queen. The police release a sketch of the murderer and someone mentions it looks like Evelyn. Then Kitty gets a scary voice-mail from her! Just to make sure she’s dead, the sisters check an underground catacomb where Evelyn's rotting body is. Kitty's married kind of boyfriend Martin (Ugo Pagliai) who becomes her boss is a suspect. He visits his wife Elizabeth at a mental hospital. She says she goes on nightly jaunts with someone named Evelyn and when she gets a knife she’s going to kill Martin!

 Kitty's co-worker Rosemary says she knows who the Red Queen is but is abducted and murdered before she can tell anyone. After Martin and Lulu have sex, Elizabeth is lured to her death by the queen. Circumstantial evidence grows against Martin. Kitty admits to him that she killed Evelyn. Peter the blackmailer gets money from Kitty then rapes her. After it's revealed he’s a druggie, he’s dragged to his death by the red caped murderer who he recognizes as Evelyn. Then while visiting Franziska and her husband Herbert she sees the red murderer and chases her/him. She nearly falls to her death. 

In the confused whack out ending, Martin is stabbed and Kitty nearly drowns in a flood full of rats. The killer (s) are also revealed. Pretty slow going despite some interesting murder scenes. Sybil Danning completists might want to check it out. Director Emilio Miraglia also made THE NIGHT EVELYN CAME OUT OF HER GRAVE.

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