Reformed Vampires

 

 (imdb)

SUNDOWN: THE VAMPIRE IN RETREAT-1989-A prologue tells us that a community of vampires (Purgatory) live somewhere out west, no longer drinking human blood, using sunblock and other modern devices so that someday they can live in harmony with humans. David Harrison (Jim Meltzer), his wife Sarah (Morgan Brittany) and their 2 monster loving daughters come to town to help make artificial blood for the vampires. The town is run by Mardulak (David Carradine). Meanwhile, Jefferson (John Ireland) is planning a revolt and is gathering a vampire army. Another vampire Shane (Maxwell Caulfield), a former rival of David's ìs in league with Jefferson and invents wooden bullets to kill Mardulak's followers. Another visitor is Robert Van Helsing (Bruce Campbell), who's helped by Sandy, a waitress vampire (Deborah Foreman). Of course, Mardulak is really Dracula and there's a huge shootout between the two factions as a finale. 

Dabbs Greer is a German vampire. John Hancock is the sheriff. Emmett Walsh is a gas station attendant who decapitates a punk and Bert Remsen is his brother. Buck Flower is impaled with an umbrella. 

The story is part horror parody and part serious horror and it doesn't always mesh but Carradine, Campbell & Ireland are good. “Town Without Pity” and “Earth Angel” are played over the closing credits. 

This was director Anthony Hickox's second feature (after WAXWORK in 1988). His dad, Douglas directed Vincent Price in THEATER OF BLOOD (1973).

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Dickens/Serling

 

 (imdb)

CAROL FOR ANOTHER CHRISTMAS-1964-An updated version of Charles Dicken's A Christmas Carol written by Rod Serling for The United Nations. 

A man, Daniel Grudge (Sterling Hayden) left bitter by the death of his son in the war is visited by 3 ghosts, Past (Steve Lawrence), present (Pat Hingle) and yet to come (Robert Shaw). In the H-bomb devastated future, Imperial Me (Peter Sellers) tries to make survivors think only of themselves while Grudge's butler (Percy Rodrigues) tries to unite humanity and is ridiculed. 

This all-star TV special also features Ben Gazzara, Eva Marie Saint and James Shigeta. Directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz a year after the colossal flop CHEOPATHRA.

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Huh?

 

 (indb)

BLACK MOON-1975-In the future Lily (Cathryn Harrison), a young woman, travels around the countryside in a land ravaged by a war between men and women. After seeing a unicorn, she follows a woman riding a horse and encounters some naked children playing with a pig. She enters a house where a piglet is in a highchair. After drinking a glass of milk, she's almost strangled by a bed ridden woman (Therese Giehse) who afterwards gives a description of Lily in a radio transmission (“She has a punk nose”). Later the woman seems to strangle herself to death and Lily meets the opera singing gardener (Joe Dallesandro) named Brother Lily. He and Sister Lily (Alexandra Stuart) seem to be in charge of the children. It ends with Lily getting ready to breast feed the unicorn. 

If you like movies that seem to make no sense but might be some kind of allegorical puzzle with fantasy and horror aspects, you might enjoy it. 

French director/writer Louis Malle filmed much of it on his own estate with Sven Nykrist as the cinematographer (he shot most of Igamar Bergman's films). Star Harrison (1959-2018) was the daughter of Noel Harrison and granddaughter of Rex Harrison.

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Restored Silent

BEHIND THE DOOR-1919-Amid anti-German sentiment at the beginning of WWI, Capt. Krug (Hobart Bosworth) and his toughest rival Tavish (James Gordon) join the navy. Krug also marries Alice (Jane Novak} against her families wishes. Ostracized, she stows away on her husband's ship (Tavish is his first mate). Their ship is eventually torpedoed by a German sub which finds Krug and Alice in a lifeboat. Lt. Brandt (Wallace Beery), the sub commander has Alice taken aboard but abandons Krug to the open sea. He survives and vows revenge. Alice is gang raped by the crew, then killed and her body thrown overboard. Later both Krug and Brandt meet again and Krug gets his revenge big time. 

This rediscovered classic, which uses stills for some missing scenes, starts off like some typical “DW Griffith” drama and ends like a nightmare that may have influenced Edgar Ulmer. It kind of manages to say ethnic hatred is wrong but still shows the German as being very bad. It's based on a story by Gouverneur Morris.

Director Irvin Willat made THE GRIM GAME starring Harry Houdini the same year.
 https://moviemeltdown.blogspot.com/2017/10/houdini.html

They Came?

THINGS TO COME-1936-Interesting prophetic English adaptation of the novel by HG Welles (who also wrote the screenplay). In Everytown (much like London) the residents prepare for a war at Christmas time in 1940. When war does break out it lasts 30 years, culminating in a disease called “The Wandering Sickness”. When the war finally ends a group called “Wings Over The World”, lead by an engineer named Cabal (Raymond Massey) tries to restore civilization but faces many obstacles. Ralph Richardson is great as “The Chief” a petty dictator who has taken over the war torn Everytown (in 1967). Later everyone lives underground and all diseases (including the common cold) have been cured. Cabal's grandson wants to send people to the moon but Theotocopulos (Cedric Hardwick) (who's role was originally played by Ernest Thesiger) leads a revolt. It's long on rhetoric but the acting and SFX (especially in the later parts of the film) make this worth watching.

Produced by Alexander Korda (THE THIEF OF BAGDAD) THINGS TO COME boasts a screenplay by Welles who was subject of many stories involving his “control” over the project. Some say he even started out as the director!

Director William Cameron Menzies was better known as an art director and set designer (GONE WITH THE WIND, FOR WHOM THE BELL TOLLS) but later made THE MAZE and INVADERS FROM MARS.

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