You Are The Devil And You Are Bad!

 

 (themoviedatabase)

PRIME EVIL-1988-A 15th century monk renounces God for Satan and kills the monks who disagree with him. In the present, a group of devil worshipers, led by Tom (William Beckwith), sacrifice the daughter of one of their members. Then a bishop and a nun have a discussion about how the nun was almost a human sacrifice when she was a girl. They agree she (Mavis Harris) should go under-cover and join the evil cult. 

Meanwhile, Cathy (Ruth Collins), an ex-junkie/hooker has sex with her new boyfriend, Sam. A psycho maintenance man breaks in, kills Sam (despite him knowing martial arts) and kidnaps the woman for the cult. Then Cathy's social worker, Alex (Christine Moore) tells her boyfriend the reason she won't have sex with him is that her father used her in porno films when she was a child. A stupid cop (Glen James) investigates Sam's murder. Unfortunately, Alex's grandfather plans on giving her to the cult for a sacrifice. During a black mass orgy, a toy monster shows up and the nun kills it. Everyone turns old but Tom gets away. The acting is bad. 

Roberta Findlay was a so-so director but she was also the Director of Photography and she excelled at that so despite all its flaws, it doesn't look bad. One of the writers, Ed Kelleher also wrote INVASION OF THE BLOOD FARMERS (1972) and SHRIEK OF THE MUTILATED (1974).

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Bad Blood

 

 (imdb)

BLOOD FEAST-2016-American Fuad Ramses (Robert Rusler from the "Babylon 5" TV show) and his wife Louise (Caroline Williams; THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE 2) run a diner in France, trying to put their daughter (Sophie Monk) through college. She gets mad at them because they are serving old meat. Fuad who works a night shift at a museum, stops taking his medication. One night, Egyptian Queen Ishtar (Sadie Katz) says she wants him for her lover. Through Professor Hershell (Herschell Gordon Lewis!) Fuad learns that a guy named Tammuz once killed 14 children and served them to their parents. Thus, Ishtar became his lover. Suddenly Fuad has an altar to Ishtar in his basement and is going to recreate the feast for her. 

Garbage production with terrible acting and a stupid script. Director Michael Walz needs to reevaluate his career choices.

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Superstition, Perhaps. Baloney, Perhaps Not

(alarmy)

 

THE BLACK CAT-1934-Peter Allison (David Manners) and his wife Joan (Jacqueline Wells aka Julie Bishop) on their way to Vichgrad, must share their honeymoon rail car with Dr. Vitus Werdeghast (Bela Lugosi) who's on a mission of vengeance after having spent 15 years in a POW camp. When the talkative driver (Herman Bing) smashes up their cab, the newlyweds are forced to seek shelter in the art deco home of the sinister Hjalmar Poelzig (Boris Karloff), the very man Werdeghast (who has a fear of cats) has come to see. Joan is injured in the crash. Poelzig is a traitor who has built his domain on a killing field. Besides that, he stole Werdeghast's' wife and daughter. Un-fortunately, both are now dead. Poelzig even has her preserved dead body. 

But Karin, the daughter is now actually Poelzig's lover/wife/prisoner. Still, he seems to lust for Joan. When the couple wants to leave, they are prevented by Werdeghast's servant (Harry Cording). Later, Joan meets Karin and Poelzig punishes her. Poelzig is a devil worshiper who plans to have a black mass with Joan as the special guest sacrifice. Werdeghast rescues Joan and tells him his daughter is still alive. With the help of his servant Werdeghast overcomes Poelzig and skins him alive. But when he tries to help Joan, dummy Peter mortally shoots him. Husband and wife escape as Werdeghast blows up the castle. 

This sometimes-disturbing pre-code, Universal horror film shows director Edgar Ulmer at his finest. He seems to be pushing the envelope with some of the situations that are only implied. This is also one of Karloff's best villainous roles with Lugosi giving a good performance, but his demise is kind of a letdown (couldn't he or Karloff had lived at the end of at least one of their movies?!). 

John Carradine has a small role as a satanic organist. Some of the other uncredited cult members include King Baggott, Symona Boniface (from 3 Stooges shorts), Michael Mark and Andy Devine.

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Un-Sold TV Series

 

 (etsy.com)

SPECTRE-1979-Arrogant supernatural investigator William Sebastian (Robert Culp) asks his ex-partner alcoholic Dr. Hamilton (Gig Young) on a case involving the Cyon family. After killing a succubus, Sebastian and Hamilton go to England on a plane piloted by Mitra Cyon (John Hurt). Inspector Cabell (Gordon Jackson) is there to greet them when they visit the burned-out house of Sebastian's friend. The demon Azmodious was accidentally sent free by Mitra’s stuck-up brother (James Villiers). It seems Mitra's sister Anitra (Ann Bell) is to be sacrificed. Also with Majel Barrett as Sebastian's housekeeper and Jenny Runacre. 

Gene Roddenberry was executive producer and co-writer of this pilot for a TV series that was rejected and shown instead in Europe as a feature film with (it's said) some nude scenes added. This was one of several TV pilots that Roddenberry was involved with in the 1970's that were never picked up. Filmed in England by director Clive Donner (WHAT'S NEW, PUSSYCAT?) whose next theatrical release would be the “Get Smart” movie THE NUDE BOMB in 1980.

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Satan Strikes

 

 (imdb)

NIGHT VISITOR-1989-Billy Colton (Derek Rydall), a moronic high school student who's always late for class spies on his new single hot neighbor Lisa (Shannon Tweed). He has a dopey friend Sam (Scott Fults) and a kind of girlfriend Kelly (Teresa Van der Woude). When Billy decides to climb to a window of Lisa's house to get some pics, he sees her ritualistically killed by a masked Satanist who turns out to be his teacher Mr. Willard (Allen Garfield) who lives with his weird brother Stanley (Michael J. Pollard) and have a kidnapped hooker in their basement. Unfortunately, the police (lead by Richard Roundtree) don't believe Billy because he's known to be a liar. Billy goes to an ex-cop Devereaux (Elliot Gould) for help. Meanwhile Willard and Stanley sacrifice the hooker to Satan. The police consult an authority on Satanism (Henry Gibson!). Later, when Kelly is kidnapped, Billy and Devereaux invade Willard's house. 

The out-of-control finale saves this from time wasting boredom and the annoying Billy character! Brooke Bundy plays Billy's mom. Director Rupert Hitzig earlier had produced WOLFEN (1981) and JAWS 3-D (1983).

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Minor Minotaur

 

 

 (imdb)

MINOTAUR-2006-This mythological drama begins with a prologue about a queen who mated with the god Minotaur and had the baby cut out of her stomach. A guy named Theo (Tom Hardy; VENOM (2018)) lives in a village ruled by his father (Rutger Hauer) where human sacrifices are made. Theo still mourns for his lost, sacrificed love. An oracle with leprosy (Ingrid Pitt) tells him his beloved Fion is not dead but held prisoner in a labyrinth and he must kill “the beast” to free her. An evil prince (Tony Todd) wants to sacrifice Theo and his friends but the princess Raphaella (Michelle Van Der Water) has other ideas. 

The Minotaur is a pretty bad effect. Not a man-bull but a snarling 4-legged kind. Todd gets props for his performance, but his scenes almost seem like part of another story. Film in Wales and Luxembourg by Jonathan English (IRONCLAD (2011)).

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Hall-Montez

 

 (imdb)

COBRA WOMAN-1944-Ramu (Jon Hall) & Tulia (Maria Montez) are to be married. On their wedding day she's kidnap by Hava (Lon Chaney), a sinister looking guy pretending to be blind. Ramu's friend McDonald (Moroni Olsen) says Tulia has been taken back to the treacherous "Cobra Island" where she was born. Ramu journeys to the island to rescue her accompanied by a local talkative young guy Kado (the one and only Sabu). Once there Ramu spies Tulia swimming and goes to her. They embrace but she seems rather distant. After they part, he's captured and sentenced to die. Kado meets up with Tula and the Queen of the island (Mary Nash).

It turns out the woman Ramu met was not Tula but her evil sister Narja who rules the island using sacrifices to a volcano and the help of evil fiancée, Martok (Edgar Barrier). It turns out Hava is not bad but a servant of the Queen who brought Tulia back to rule.

Universal made several of these Technicolor tropical adventures with Hall & Montez. Mostly considered camp, they do have a cult following. A dance in front of a cobra is kind of funny and Chaney is once again wasted in a mute role. Directed by Robert Siodmak, a year after making SON OF DRACULA with Chaney.

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Santo Saves!

 

 (wikipedia)

SANTO VS. THE HEADHUNTERS-1969-After our hero Santo of the Silver Mask (himself) beats up four guys, he discovers one of them has an ancient knife. Meanwhile, an explorer Don Alonso Grijalva (director/co-writer Rene Cardona) tells his guests about The Jivaro Indians and their propensity for collecting human heads. He even shows them a shrunken one. His daughter Mariana (Nadia Milton) is also present. Meanwhile one the guys Santo beat up is part of the headhunter cult and he tells the leader of his troubles. With the help of a Jivaro spy aka Don Alonso's butler, they kidnap Mariana and plan to make her a sacrifice. Santo leads an expedition to save her. And besides encountering hostile locals, Santo has to fight a crocodile and a leopard. Later the luchador extraordinaire fights the biggest warrior to save Mariana's life.

Another crazy south of the border production. Director/actor Cardona also made SANTO IN THE TREASURE OF DRACULA and the comedy SANTO VS CAPULINA as well as NIGHT OF THE BLOODY APES.

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The Tomb

 

THE TOMB-1986-An idiot racist named John Banning (David O'Hara) has a disastrous time when he tries to sell an artifact to a woman named Jade (Sybil Danning). The credits roll while a band dressed like Egyptians sing "Tutti Frutti". John and his equally racist dimwit partner Tyler (Craig Hamann) find the ancient sarcophagus of Queen Nefradis. Before they can double cross and kill their guide the decrepit looking queen comes to life and kills the guide and Tyler. She (Michelle Bauer) becomes young from drinking blood. John escapes but she goes to get him. He has a fight in a bar where Kitten Navividad does a topless dance. A doctor Howard Phillips (Cameron Mitchell) says "I don't want to be seen with people like you". 

John sells him an artifact. He meets up with Nefradis again and she puts a scarab in him to control him. She wants the stuff he stole from her tomb and kills a doctor named Manners. Manners' son David (Richard Hench) and Phillips niece Helen (Susan Stokey) investigate and visit Dr. Andoheb (John Carradine) who fills us in on the blood princess. She almost sacrifices Helen but is destroyed. Maybe? Bad acting really ruins this low budget horror movie directed by Fred Olen Ray (HOLLYWOOD CHAINSAW HOOKERS).

Director Ray also made ARMED RESPONSE tha same year:

https://moviemeltdown.blogspot.com/2014/08/armed-response.html

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1960

THE LEECH WOMAN-1960-A stuck up scientist Paul Talbott (Phillip Terry) insults his alcoholic wife June (Coleen Gray; still alive at this writing) at his clinic where he's trying to reverse the aging process. An ancient woman named Malla (Estelle Hemsley) visits him and claims to be 142 years old. She says that her tribe in Africa holds the secret to eternal youth. After some tests, Talbott decides to take a journey there and convinces June to come along. He acts very cheerful and nice but only wants to use her. They hire a European guide (John Van Dreelan) and are eventually captured by the tribe where they meet Maila who promises to show them the eternal youth ceremony but then they must die! Malla does turn young (and into actress Kim Hamilton who just passed away in September) but the secret ingredient is human fluid found at the base of the skull. So a life has to be sacrificed when doing it. When June is offered the "treatment" she gets her revenge on hubby by picking him as her victim/sacrifice. She turns young and hightails with the guide to civilization but not before June starts to turn old again and kills the guide. 

Back home she's beautiful and youthful (and bitchy) and posing as her own niece where she seemingly mesmerizes her lawyer Neil Foster (Grant Williams; THE INCREDIBLE SHRINKING MAN), much to the irritation of his fiance' Sally (Gloria Talbott with a terrible hairstyle). When she gets old again June (now posing as herself) puts on her finest jewelry and lures an unsuspecting robber/gigolo (familiar TV actor Arthur Batanides, who had an un-billed role in SPARTACUS the same year!) to his death.

Just when June thinks she has everything going her way (she kills Sally for her vital fluid and plans to have Neil all to herself) the injections fail to work, she turns permanently old and falls out a window to her death.

Director Edward Dein (SHACK OUT ON 101) moves the episodic story along quickly (maybe too quickly!) giving it  a "Corman" type of feel. Producer Joseph Gershenson (also a music supervisor on many films) work on lots of things including MONSTER ON THE CAMPUS and several Abbott & Costello comedies.

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Fontaine's Last Stand

THE WITCHES-(THE DEVIL'S OWN)-1966-Gwen Mayfield (Oscar winner Joan Fontaine in her last feature film role and still alive at the time of this writing) is a school teacher still recovering from an occult experience in Africa who goes to teach at a school in a small English town. Everyone seems to like her despite some oddballs like Alan Bax (Alec McCowen) who wears a priest's collar despite not being a priest. She becomes friends with Allan's sister Stephanie (Kay Walsh), a writer. After some mysterious goings on involving 2 teenagers and some disappearances Gwen has another breakdown and is sent to a hospital/nursing home. The doctor there (Leonard Rossiter) seems to be keeping her a prisoner....or is he? She later escapes and finds out the town's secret. Witchcraft is to blame and a young girl is to be a sacrifice!

This partnership between 7 Arts and Hammer films isn't as bad as I've sometimes read it's suppose to be though there's not a lot of action and in a way it's fairly easy to figure out the character who's behind it all. The devil worshipers do a really wild dance and there are some very haunting native masks. Screenplay (adapted from a novel by Norah Lofts, a female writer who sometimes wrote under the pen name Peter Curtis)) is by Nigel Kneale who wrote 2 of the Quatermass TV series and FIRST MEN IN THE MOON among other films. Director Cyril Frankel did a lot of BBC TV shows.

According to some sources the book's rights were purchased by Fontaine herself who brought the project to Hammer.

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The Terrornauts

THE TERRORNAUTS-1967-For several years a trio of scientists have been working on a government funded project to communicate with life in outer space. Their project director Dr. Shore (Max Adrian) wants to shut them down. They finally hear an unusual transmission but the group head Dr. Burke (Simon Oates) heard them before when he was a child and believes them to be an SOS. They try to make contact with the aliens and their whole building is whisked away with Burke, his two assistants Sandy (Zena Marshall) and Ben (Stanley Meadows) and comical characters Mrs. Jones (Patricia Hayes), a coffee vendor and Mr. Yellowtees, an accountant (Charles Hawtrey from CARRY ON movies) in tow. They wind up on a spaceship which is actually a space fortress build by long dead aliens to protect Earth from enemies to are heading to Earth. A robot meets them and they figure out through strange cubes and a headset that looks like a bathing cap with wires on it how to stop the invaders. At one point Burke and Sandy are transported to a planet of green people where Sandy is almost made into a sacrifice! The beginning is pretty talky but once the story gets on the spaceship it gets funnier. There's lots of cheap effects including "PLAN 9" like UFOs  but that makes it all the more enjoyable. 

This Amicus production is based on an novel by American Sci-Fi writer Murray Leinster and the screenplay is by English S.F. writer John Brunner.  Irish born director Montgomery Tully later made BATTLE BENEATH THE EARTH.



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The Devil's Bride Rides Out

THE DEVIL'S BRIDE-1968-Excellent black magic tale from Hammer features Christopher Lee as The Duc de Richleau, on the side of good for a change trying to save the soul of his deceased friend's son (Patrick Mower) from the evil Mocata (Charles Gray) and his circle of devil worshippers. Nike Arrighi is Tanith, another would be convert and after she dies Mocata wants to transfer her soul to a little girl. Even a winged angel of death makes an appearance. It's very well made by the great Terence Fisher but some might be disappointed by the very happy ending. Lee's serious tone keeps everything from falling apart but some of the characters act a little to hasty playing right into the villains' hands. Also with Leon Greene and Paul Eddington.

The screenplay is by Richard Matheson and based on an novel by Dennis Wheatley. 1968 was another busy year for Lee who also starred in DRACULA HAS RISEN FROM THE GRAVE, CURSE OF THE CRIMSON ALTAR and THE BLOOD OF FU-MANCHU. Also known as THE DEVIL RIDES OUT.

"I shall not be back but something will..tonight..."

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The Tide Should Have Stayed Out

BLOOD TIDE-1982-Awful bore fest filmed in Greece. Martin Kove and his wife come looking for his sister (Deborah Shelton) on an island full of superstitious villagers. Jose Ferrer is their doomsayer matriarch. In ancient times a ceremony was performed there that required a human sacrifice to ward off evil. James Earl Jones is a strange talking scuba diver who awakens the evil. Shelton is to be the next real sacrifice. A phony looking monster shows up once in a while and munches some swimmers and the local nuns.

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