THE MAJORETTES

Kevin Kindlin

THE MAJORETTES (1986). Director: Bill Hinzman. Screenplay by John Russo, based on his novel of the same name. 

Vicki (Terrie Godfrey) belongs to a high school cheerleading squad called the Majorettes. She lives her with elderly grandmother, Elvira, a stroke victim who is being taken care of by nurse Helga (Denise Huot), who has sinister ulterior motives for helping her. Helga's son, Harry (Harold K. Keller), is a creep who secretly takes photos of the majorettes while they're showering. One day he captures a killer on his camera, a figure who is working his way through the majorettes by assaulting them and slicing their throats. One of the victims is the girlfriend of football star Jeff Halloway (Kevin Kindlin), who gets revenge on a gang of drug dealers after one of them is responsible for another girl's death.

Denise Huot as Nurse Helga

One thing you have to say about The Majorettes is that it's unpredictable. There are about three plot lines going on here, and the main plot of the killer-on-the-loose is sort of jettisoned midstream so that Jeff can play Rambo in a violent protracted sequence. Kevin Kindlin, who acquits himself nicely in this (and made a few more movies), does well in these scenes, but viewers may wonder about the sudden switch in storyline. The actual maniac is revealed about halfway through the movie. Tom E. Desrocher has some effective moments as head drug dealer and suspect, Mace Jackson, and Denise Huot makes a good impression as the hateful Helga. This was her only film. Some of the kill scenes are well-handled. The director, who only helmed one other movie, plays Sgt. Sanders and screenwriter John Russo plays the coroner. The priest is played by Russell Streiner, who was Johnny ("They're coming to get you, Barbara") in Night of the Living Dead. The cast, apparently culled from local Philly talent, is better than expected for a low-budget slasher flick. The effective musical scoring and sound FX help a lot.

Verdict: Has enough good things in it that you wish it were better. **1/2. 

THE KILLER IS ONE OF 13

Ramiro Oliveros and Patty Shepard

THE KILLER IS ONE OF 13 (aka El asesino esta entre los trece/1973). Director: Javier Aguirre.  

"They killed him savagely with a knitting needle."

Lisa (Patty Shepard) is convinced that her late husband, who played around on her and died in a plane crash -- he was the pilot -- was murdered. Apparently someone he knew paid a call on him and doctored his coffee just before his flight. Was revenge for his adulterous behavior -- a jealous husband or discarded mistress -- the motive, or did Lisa's husband know too much about illegal financial affairs? She invites all of the suspects to her rambling home in the country and confronts them. Then the murders begin ...

Paloma Cela and Simon Andreu

There are plenty of suspects for both the murder of Lisa's husband and of his assembled "friends:" Playboy Harry (Simon Andreu), who has a wandering eye, especially for married ladies; Francis (Eusebio Poncela), a creepy guy who can't keep his hands off women; his hateful, domineering mother, Bertha (Trini Alonso); grumpy Jorge (Alberto Fernandez), who may have had some unsavory business practices, and his horny wife (Paloma Cela), who is rejected by Harry. Then we mustn't forget the servants: the driver Ernest (Paul Naschy of A Dragonfly for Each Corpse), who's boffing maid Elena (Rosa de Alba), and handsome Harry (Ramiro Oliveros), who's boffing Lisa in addition to his other duties.

The Killer is One of 13 takes its time in getting there, and a good hour has gone by before the murders occur in rapid succession. This Spanish film is almost more of an Agatha Christie-type murder mystery than a horror film, but it's somewhat entertaining and fun on that level. Some of the sleazy characters and some more-than-adequate acting help put it over, and the ending is perfectly rational and satisfying, if not entirely unexpected. 

Verdict: More suspects than murders! **1/2. 

THE HARDY BOYS: THE GHOST AT SKELETON ROCK

THE HARDY BOYS: THE GHOST AT SKELETON ROCK. Franklin W. Dixon. Grosset and Dunlap; 1957.

In this classic Hardy Boys tale they get involved with more intrigue when their rotund pal Chet Morton develops an interest in ventriloquism. He buys a famous "Hugo" dummy with a purple turban that some desperadoes try to steal because the dummy's eyes supposedly hold diamonds. In one exciting scene the boys are shot at in their plane -- causing the engine to burn as depicted on the cover -- by a confederate of a crooked psychic also known as Hugo and who also wears a turban (coincidences abound in the Hardy Boys stories)! It isn't long before the action switches to Puerto Rico, where the boys have to contend with Abdul with the Big Head, as well as a gang member who looks just like Joe Hardy and causes a lot of mischief. At one point the fellows nearly fall into some sugar-crushing machinery. There are sequences at the fort called El Morro and at pineapple plantations, as well as a climax at a sinister island which has a spit of land known as Skeleton Rock, where natives worship a giant god that comes out from below and hovers over the rock. The Boys and Chet are guests at a fancy estate on this island, but aren't certain if their pleasant, corpulent host is part of the gang or not. Before this adventure is over, they'll get their answer and also learn the secret of the god -- or ghost -- of Skeleton Rock. 

Verdict: Dig out your old Hardy Boys books and dig in! You know you want to! ***. 

THE YOUNG SWINGERS

Molly Bee and Rod Lauren

THE YOUNG SWINGERS (1963). Director: Maury Dexter.

Mel Hudson (Rod Lauren) manages a Hootenanny club called the Vanguard. The owner of the building, a witch named Roberta Crawford (Jo Helton), wants the club out of there and employs dirty tricks to get them gone, using her lawyer Bruce Webster (Justin Smith) to do most of the work for her. Her granddaughter, Vicki (Molly Bee), takes over while Roberta is out of town, and strikes up an acquaintanceship -- and more -- with Mel. Can they get her aunt to change her mind? Meanwhile everyone, including Mel, Vicki, Fred (Gene McDaniels), Pete (Larrs Jackson, who also does impressions), and the Sherwood Singers perform some perfectly pleasant numbers. 

Gene McDaniels

The Young Swingers is not a good movie, but at least everyone in it has a more than decent voice, and most sound much better than the pop singers of today, most of whom sound alike (and are auto-tuned on top of it). Rod Lauren sings better than he acts in this -- he seems tranquilized most of the time -- but he was to become more expressive in such films as Black Zoo (in which he played a mute character). Years later he was accused of hiring someone to murder his Filipino wife. Molly Bee first came to fame at 13 warbling "I Saw Daddy Kissing Santa Claus" and had a respectable vocal career with only a few film credits. Larrs Jackson (aka Jack Larson), who does a lousy impression of Groucho but isn't bad at Ed Sullivan and Walter Brennan, had quite a number of credits after this. Of all the singers in this perhaps the most impressive is Gene McDaniels, who sings two snappy numbers and sings them really well. He should have become as famous as Johnny Mathis and others. 

Verdict: Good songs, good singing, but no real story. **1/4. 

ARIZONA TERRITORY

Whip Wilson

ARIZONA TERRITORY (1950). Director: Wallace Fox. 

Prospector Jeff Molloy (Whip Wilson) comes across a pretty gal, Doris (Nancy Saunders), in a runaway wagon and rescues her. Along with her ex-con Uncle Otis (John Merton of Radar Patrol vs Spy King), Doris runs a trading post in the wild territory of Arizona. Suspecting Otis of going back to his old ways of counterfeiting, Jeff teams up with an undercover U.S., Marshall named Luke Watson (Andy Clyde). Another player in this undistinguished oater is Greg Lance (Dennis Moore) who wants to marry Nancy but is secretly in cahoots with her uncle. Meanwhile Jeff is hoping that Nancy is on the up and up. 

Dennis Moore

Although he made a couple more films than Lash Larue, Monogram's Whip Wilson was probably the least of the western cowboy stars and isn't much remembered today. His comic book for Atlas/Marvel only lasted three issues. This is one of the very few films in which he didn't play himself, but it scarcely makes a difference. Handy with a whip, Wilson proves to be an amiable if minor-league screen presence, although he handles the dialogue and action scenes professionally enough. Veteran character actor Andy Clyde, who supported Whip in several films, was 58 but looked quite a bit older. There was a forty-year gap in the acting career of Nancy Saunders, who stopped acting in the late fifties and took it up again in the nineties! Dennis Moore of The Purple Monster Strikes -- he had 264 other credits! -- gives the best performance. 

Verdict: Nothing special in this B western, but it's always nice to see Moore! **. 

INDIANA JONES AND THE DIAL OF DESTINY

Indiana Jones in flashback

INDIANA JONES AND THE DIAL OF DESTINY (2023). Director: James Mangold. 

Professor "Indiana" Jones (Harrison Ford) is retiring when who should show up but his god-daughter, Helena (Phoebe Waller-Bridge), who hopes that he didn't keep his promise to her father to dispose of an ancient relic that is supposed to be able to mess with the time-space continuum-- because she wants it -- badly. Someone else who wants it is an old adversary of Jones' named Dr. Voller (Mads Mikkelsen), a Nazi who wants to kill Hitler back in the past because in his opinion the German leader screwed up so badly. Helena seems quite amoral, although she may have other reasons for wanting the "Dial of Destiny" aside from avarice. As the good guys and bad guys go through car chases and gun fights in various locations, Indiana and the others do indeed wind up back in time -- although not exactly in the decade that Voller might have wished for. 

Indy at 81

The cast is enthusiastic, James Mangold's direction seems a bit better than Spielberg's on the last Indiana Jones film, and the plot is a little more interesting than the last time, although this can't be called any kind of classic. In flashback scenes during which Jones first meets Voller, Ford's face is digitally made young again through artificial intelligence -- it's quite effective if a little weird. Ford was actually eighty-one when he made this film and although he doesn't look too much younger, he hasn't lost any of his charisma and screen presence. The action sequences are generally well-done -- a business with eels near a wreck in the ocean falls flat, however -- and the underground cavern scenes are especially convincing. 

Verdict: Fun enough if you're not too demanding. **3/4. 

A DRAGONFLY FOR EACH CORPSE

Paul Naschy and Mariano Vidal Molina

A DRAGONFLY FOR EACH CORPSE (aka Una libelula para cada muerto/1975). Director: Leon Klimovsky. 

In Milan Inspector Paolo Scaparelli (Paul Naschy, who also co-wrote the screenplay) has been assigned to catch a serial killer who goes after people he believes to be immoral and always leaves a plastic dragonfly on top of each corpse. As the bodies pile up -- and there are quite a few -- Paolo's girlfriend, Silvana (Erkia Blanc of So Sweet ... So Perverse), thinks she's come up with an important clue, which he, unfortunately, dismisses. 

Erika Blanc with Naschy

Dragonfly is a Spanish imitation of an Italian giallo film and it's better than a lot of them. While Leon Klimovsky's direction doesn't have much style to it, the film does work up a lot of suspense, and has many flavorful aspects to it. Naschy, who many consider the King of Spanish horror films, is a unique and unusual-looking leading man. Angel Aranda of Planet of the Vampires is one of the suspects and Mariano Vidal Molina is Naschy's boss, the police commissioner. One odd thing is that the police never seem to try to find out where the plastic dragonflies were manufactured or sold. Otherwise, this is quite interesting.

 Verdict: Absorbing murder mystery from Spain. ***.  

THE SLASHER ... IS THE SEX MANIAC

THE SLASHER ... IS THE SEX MANIAC (aka Rivelazioni di un maniaco sessuale al capo della squadra mobile/1972). Director: Roberto Bianchi Montero. 

"I may be homosexual but I am not homicidal!" -- "Cleopatra." 

An unknown killer is running around murdering women who are having affairs. The maniac leaves photos of the women and their lovers, although the latter's faces are scratched off. (Which begs the question: how can the police be so certain that the man in the photo is the lover and not the husband? At least we know that the killer gets the photos while stalking his victims.) In any case Inspector Capuana (Farley Granger) is assigned to track down the killer and pursues a number of leads before getting distressing information about the extracurricular activities of his own wife (Sylva Koscina of Hercules Unchained). Along the way he consults with Professor Casali (Chris Avram of The Killer Reserved Nine Seats), stumbles over a number of corpses, and interviews the lawyer Santangeli (Silvano Tranguilli), who's having an affair with a neighbor even as his own wife goes off for a dalliance. (You need a scorecard to count the affairs as well as the corpses.) Farley Granger, Koscina, and the other cast members acquit themselves professionally and the film is undeniably suspenseful, with a satisfying climax. Luciano Rossi plays the weird Gastone and Nieves Navarro is another victim. 

NOTE: New hardcore footage with porn star Harry Reems was inserted -- no pun intended -- into this film under the title Penetration. It was taken out of release in the U.S. after Farley Granger threatened a lawsuit. 

Verdict: Definitely one of the better giallo films. ***

THE FRENCH SEX MURDERS

Anita Ekberg

THE FRENCH SEX MURDERS (Casa d'appuntaento/1972). Director: Ferdinando Merighi. 

In Paris Madame Colette (Anita Ekberg) runs an exclusive brothel. One night Francine (Barbara Bouchet of Agent for H.A.R.M.) is murdered and her jealous suitor, Antoine (Peter Martell), is the main suspect. Escaping from custody after being convicted and vowing revenge on everyone, Antoine is beheaded in an accident. For unaccountable reasons Professor Waldermar (Howard Vernon) wants the severed head for "experiments" and is granted its disposition by his friend, the Judge on the case, George Teschi (William Alexander). In the meantime a sinister figure is running about violently killing people involved in the case while Inspector Fontaine (Robert Sacchi) pursues all leads, investigating not just Madame Colette but Pepi (Rolf Eden), owner of a nightclub and his associates, including sometime girlfriend Marianne (Rosalba Neri). While all this is going on the professor's assistant, Roger (Franco Borelli), tries to pursue a relationship with the man's daughter, Eleonora (Evelyne Kraft). Another suspect/potential victim is Dick Randall (Renato Romano), a reporter who is doing a story on French prostitutes. 

Robert Sacchi and Rosalba Neri

Robert Sacchi not only resembles Humphrey Bogart, but whoever dubbed his voice makes sure he sounds a lot like Bogie as well, including the trademark lisp. French Sex Murders is reasonably absorbing and intriguing, although the many murder sequences are not handled with any particular elan. Director Merighi simply repeats the same shot of a throat being slashed, head lopped off and so on five times, as if he has no clue of how to stage an effective kill scene. Filmed on Paris locations, including the Eiffel Tower, this is a true International production: Italy-France-West Germany. Sacchi was born in Italy, raised in the Bronx, and starred as The Man with Bogart's Face. This film was his first credit. 

Verdict: So-so giallo with some interesting aspects. **1/2. 

NINE GUESTS FOR A CRIME

Arthur Kennedy at the wheel 

NINE GUESTS FOR A CRIME (aka Nove espiti per un delitto/1977). Director: Ferdinando Baldi.

Liberto (Arthur Kennedy of Impulse) takes members of his family for a two-week vacation on his private island. His guests include his young, unfaithful wife, Giulia (Caroline Laurence), who only married him for his money; his sons Lorenzo (John Richardson of Torso) and Michele (Massimo Foschi); their wives Greta (Rita Silva) and Carla (Sofia Dionisio); psychic Patrizia (Loretta Persichetti); son-in-law Walter (Venantino Venantini); and Aunt Elisabetta (Dana Ghia). For the first few hours they spend their time on the island berating each other and cheating on their spouses. Then one of the members of the party drowns. A killer begins stalking the others, and Elisabetta talks hysterically of how her lover Charles was murdered and buried on the island twenty years before ... 

John Richardson

Nine Guests keeps you watching, but the film has absolutely no style and very little tension. Characterization only consists of people being bitchy with each other and talking about how much they all hate each other -- to say these people are unsympathetic is an understatement. The gore is minimal, and a severed head that tumbles off a bed looks just like the phony prop it is. Some of the murder scenes are actually comical, and when the killer is revealed you can't quite imagine that this particular person could be responsible for all of these deaths. 

Verdict: Mediocre giallo. **1/4.

THE GIANT BEHEMOTH

The behemoth stomps through London

THE GIANT BEHEMOTH (1959). Director: Eugene Lourie. American version of Behemoth, the Sea Monster. Colorized. 

The coast of Cornwall is covered with loads of dead fish. A fisherman is found horribly burned to death on the shore. A huge animal emitting waves of radiation comes out of the sea to destroy a farm and its inhabitants. And then an ocean liner. Steve Karnes (Gene Evans) and Professor Bickford (Andre Morrell) team up to try to find this "behemoth" that may be responsible for the devastation. Bickford isn't so certain that this creature exists, but the paleontologist Dr. Sampson (Jack MacGowran) insists it is a "paliosaurus" that has somehow managed to survive until modern times. And then it emerges from the river Thames and stomps through London ... 

The behemoth dwarfs a bus

I have seen this fun, creepy and often intense movie dozens of times but I must say that the colorizing process made me feel like I was seeing it for the first time. It definitely adds a new dimension. As usual, I find it interesting how midway through the film the monster switches from being an unknown animal created by radiation to just another dinosaur that has become irradiated. One suspects this change happened because director/writer Eugene Lourie also helmed the superior Beast from 20,000 Fathoms (there is also a colorized version of that). 

Monster hunters: Evans and Morrell

The scenes of people being turned to cinders by the monster's radiation have even more of a grisly impact in color. Evans and Morrell play with sincerity, John Turner is effective as the Welsh fisherman John Duncan, and Henri Vidon as Tom Trevethan has a great death scene on the beach as he intones the word "behemoth." Leigh Madison is merely decorative as his daughter. Maurice Kaufman is realistically frightened as the mini-sub captain who sneaks up on the behemoth in the climax. Jack MacGowran plays his role in somewhat campy fashion. The effects in this low-budget movie are uneven but Willis O'Brien and Pete Peterson contributed some rather good stop-motion sequences. Edwin Astley's score is a plus as well. The original British version may have a slight edge on the American print. 

Verdict: What can I say? I dig this movie (others beware). ***. 

THE KILLER RESERVED NINE SEATS

Chris Avram

THE KILLER RESERVED NINE SEATS (aka L'assassino ha riservato nove poltrone/1974. Director: Giuseppe Bennati. 

Patrick Davenant (Chris Avram) recently broke off his engagement to Vivian (Rosanna Schiaffino) -- who then married Albert (Andrea Scotti of Mission Bloody Mary)  -- while Patrick took up with the younger Kim (Jane Agren). Patrick seems unaware that Kim is still fooling around with Russell (Howard Ross) and that she is more interested in Patrick's money than anything else. Inexplicably, Patrick invites these and other people -- including his sister Rebecca (Eva Czemerys), her lover Doris (Lucretia Love), Patrick's daughter, Lynn (Paola Senatore) and her boyfriend Duncan -- to a theater he owns, and which has not been in use for decades. Apparently mass murders took place there a hundred years ago on this very date. An uninvited guest is the mysterious Pat (Eduardo Filipone), who seems like some kind of guru. It isn't long before one of the party turns up stabbed to death ... 

Rosanna Schiaffino

One thing you have to say about The Killer is that it is absorbing and suspenseful, as you do get caught up in wondering which of the cast members is offing the others. In addition to this killer, there are also supernatural events to confuse the issue, with a creepy underground finale. The violence is not too horrific, although the killer has the habit of stripping female victims of their clothing and dignity before slaying them. There are some unanswered questions even after the revelations, and Patrick emerges as someone who will never win a prize as Father of the Year!  

Verdict: Somewhat arresting Italian giallo film is wildly imperfect but some fun. **1/2. 

BARE BONES 17

 bare bones 17 Winter 2024. 

Yes the new barebones 17 is now out and available on Amazon. This scholarly and fun publication, edited by Peter Enfantino and John Scoleri, is chock full of fascinating articles. We've got pieces on THE FUGITIVE TV show; on the Mexican NOSTRADAMUS movies; ALFRED HITCHCOCK'S MYSTERY MAGAZINE; surveys of sleazy paperback thrillers; Randall D. Larson on fanzines; and much more including a piece on the forgotten post-Peter Gunn Craig Stevens series MAN OF THE WORLD by yours truly.

https://www.amazon.com/Bare.../dp/B0CW9VLMVT/ref=sr_1_1...

PARANOIA/A QUIET PLACE TO KILL

Carroll Baker and Jean Sorel

PARANOIA/A QUIET PLACE TO KILL (1970). Director: Umberto Lenzi. 

After an accident, Helen (Carroll Baker), a race car driver, is invited by (whom she thinks is) her ex-husband, Maurice (Jean Sorel), to his estate, where he now lives with his wealthy wife, Constance (Anna Proclemer). Helen discovers that Constance actually issued the invitation, and there are early hints -- later discarded -- that she has a yen for her. Maurice is an unapologetic gigolo who left Helen when her money ran out. Constance has good reason to hate Maurice -- one revelation is kept towards the end of the film -- and offers Helen $10,000 if she'll help her kill him. But as usual in these kind of movies, things don't go as expected. 

Proclemer with Sorel

Carroll Baker gives a very good performance in this, one of several thrillers she did for director Umberto Lenzi. Sorel, who may or may not be dubbed, is comparatively listless, however. Proclemer makes a better impression, as does Marina Coffa as Constance's nubile daughter, Susan. Another film inspired a bit by Diabolique -- wife and ex-wife as opposed to wife and mistress -- the lack of originality, despite some minor twists, keeps this from being memorable. The theme song, "You," is horrible and horribly sung! A nominal giallo film essentially devoid of grisly murders. 

Verdict: The picture pulls one along but there's no pay-off. **.  

BOMBAY WATERFRONT

Dainton, Bentley and Arthur Hill

BOMBAY WATERFRONT (aka Paul Temple Returns/1952.) Director: Maclean Rogers. 

Scotland Yard man turned mystery writer Paul Temple (John Bentley of Calling Paul Temple) and his wife, Steve (Patricia Dainton of The Third Alibi), get embroiled in the case of a mysterious figure known only as the Marquis, who has committed multiple murders for unknown reasons. Steve comes to suspect Inspector Ross (Ronald Leigh-Hunt) to the incredulity of his boss, while Paul is highly suspicious of the strange Sir Felix Raybourne (Christopher Lee of Alias John Preston) whose beautiful home is full of incense and other weird accoutrements. Others involved in the case include Storey (Grey Blake), whose fiancee was one of the victims, and Slater (Robert Urquhart), an actor who once appeared in one of Temple's plays and is now in the employ of the villain. 

Patricia Dainton with Christopher Lee

Bombay Waterfront is smooth and entertaining, with Bentley as good as usual as Temple -- his third and last time playing the character -- but Chris Lee, as expected, offers the most flavorful performance as Felix Raybourne. Grey Blake is also notable as the distraught Storey. Dan Jackson plays Sakki, the brother of the Temples' original Indian manservant. Arthur Hill has a very small role as a friend of the Temples. While the musical score is too often inappropriate, the picture does manage to build up suspense, and there are a few exciting scenes, although many will not be much surprised when the Marquis' identity is finally exposed.  

Verdict: Satisfying if unspectacular Paul Temple adventure. **3/4. 

THE LOUISIANA HUSSY

Peter Coe and Nan Peterson

THE LOUISIANA HUSSY (1959). Director: Lee Sholem. A Bon-Air Production. 

In a stretch of the bayou called The Pit, brothers Jacques (Peter Coe) and Pierre (Robert Richards) love the same woman, Lili (Betty Lynn), but she prefers Pierre. On their wedding day a stranger who calls herself Minette (Nan Peterson of The Hideous Sun Demon) shows up in town, and is taken in by the newlyweds. Right away Minette is making passes at Pierre -- which he initially does little to reject -- and then moves in on -- and with -- Jacques. Pierre and Lili are convinced that Minette is bad news so they decide to investigate her past, bringing them to an estate and a drunk, grieving widower named Clay Lanier (Harry Lauter of It Came from Beneath the Sea). 

Betty Lynn, Robert Richards, Harry Lauter

An atmospheric melodrama, The Louisiana Hussy is reasonably absorbing and mildly titillating, although some of the love scenes are kind of intense for a fifties movie. Although Nan Peterson is rather  average-looking to play a femme fatale, with her push-up bra she manages to assert her sexuality in scene after scene. Betty Lynn is best known as Barney Fife's girlfriend on The Andy Griffith Show and she's bland but adequate in this. Richards had only a few credits, Peterson twice as many, and Coe amassed over eighty appearances. Also in the cast, as a doctor, is Tyler McVey of Attack of the Giant Leeches. 

Like many movies from this period and after, the film is hypocritical when it comes to the question of marital affairs. This is one of those films in which the trampy gal who goes after married men is seen as being much, much worse than the husbands who simply don't abstain, and get all moralistic about the mistress while ignoring and justifying their own behavior. Lee Sholem also directed Pharaoh's Curse.

Verdict: Sizzles but never quite boils. **1/4. 

THE STRANGE VICE OF MRS. WARDJ

George Hilton and Edwige Fenech

THE STRANGE VICE OF MRS. WARDJ (aka Lo strano vizio della Signora Wardh/1971). Director: Sergio Martino. 

In order to get away from her abusive lover, Jean (Ivan Rassimov), Julie  (Edwige Fenech) married her more pliable husband, Neil Wardh (Alberto de Mendoza), first secretary at the American embassy. Jean is still pursuing her when she meets the cousin, George (George Hilton), of her friend Carol (Conchita Airoldi), and with some initial reluctance begins an affair with him. Meanwhile a mad razor slasher is running around the city of Venice where they all live, brutally murdering young women. The latest victim, who went to a park to confront a man blackmailing Julie over her affair, is Carol. Unable to deal with it all, Julie runs off to Spain with George, where her final fate awaits her ... 

the underground garage sequence

The Strange Vice of Mrs. Wardj is better-known in shortened versions under the titles Next! or Next Victim! or Blade of the Ripper. Although listed on imdb.com as being 81 minutes long, Strange Vice actually runs 97 minutes (and could have used a little trimming frankly). Still, it's an intriguing giallo film under any title. There is a terrific sequence in an underground parking garage where the killer pursues Julie, and another suspenseful sequence in the gardens of the Schonbrunn Palace. And, of course, the umpteenth shower murder sequence, although this is not done with much elan. Sergio Martino's direction is adequate but not exactly stylish. 

Ivan Rassimov

Edwige Fenech, who made a career starring in movies like this and stripping to her birthday suit at the drop of a hat, is adequate as the unsympathetic heroine, but she was never hired for her acting skills. Born in Uruguay, George Hilton has a certain presence and appeared in a large number of foreign productions, as did Ivan Rassimov, who was actually born in Italy. He was also in Planet of the Vampires. Sergio Martino also directed Torso. 

Verdict: A twisty and unpredictable script will keep you guessing. ***.  

THE LITTLE SISTER Raymond Chandler

THE LITTLE SISTER. Raymond Chandler. 1949.  

Private eye Philip Marlowe is hired by a young lady whose brother has gone missing. As he looks for this fellow, who seems a bit on the shady side, Marlowe keeps tripping over dead bodies. The trail leads to a glamorous movie star, Mavis Weld, who is afraid of scandal, and her friend and rival, a tempestuous Spanish beauty who makes more than one play for Marlowe. There's a lot of discussion about a photograph taken of Mavis in a nightclub in which she is sitting with a gangster who was supposed to be in jail at the time. And there are more corpses and murderers before the story is done.

Perhaps it's because so many years have gone by since the publication of Little Sister, but the book today almost reads like a parody. Of course there have been so many similar types of stories in the years between, and Chandler -- who is a good writer -- was one of the earlier practitioners of the 

genre, but much of the book borders on the idiotic, and the dialogue doesn't often ring true. The worst thing I can say about the book is that it is neither especially suspenseful nor even entertaining. Were this the first book of Chandler's I'd ever read, I would probably not have read another. There are some good sequences, however, such as when Detective French defends his police department. The story was filmed as Marlowe with James Garner playing the private eye.

Verdict: Chandler has written better books, but this one hasn't stood the test of time. **. 

THE DARK IS DEATH'S FRIEND

Devil's deal: George Hilton; Antoine Saint-John

THE DARK IS DEATH'S FRIEND (aka L'assassino e costretto ad uccidere ancora/1975). Director: Luigi Cozzi. 

Giorgio (George Hilton) has started to realize that it is getting more difficult to control his wealthy, suspicious wife, Norma (Terre Velazquez). One evening Giorgio happens upon a strange man (Antoine Saint-John) as the latter is disposing of the body of his latest blond victim. Giorgio offers the stranger a large of sum of money if he will make Norma the man's next victim. The stranger accepts the offer, but after he puts Norma's body in the trunk of his car, he discovers a young couple, Luca (Alessio Orano) and Laura (Cristina Galbo), have driven off in  his mercedes! 

Alessio Orano and Cristina Galbo

The Dark is Death's Friend begins so well, with an excellent initial premise, but then pretty much collapses into tedium. Most of the film is actually taken up with the uninteresting antics of Luca and Laura as they make their way in the stolen car to the seashore and break into an empty villa. The stranger follows them to this house. A blond that Luca picks up when he goes to get food is savagely stabbed to death by the stranger, a brief spurt of action. The picture simply has no urgency and very little suspense. One plus is that the dubbing is not only very well done, but the voices have been chosen with great appropriateness, aside from Laura, whose nattering becomes very annoying. Nando de Luca has written effective credit music, but the rest of the score is very uneven. French actor Antoine Saint-John has a very distinctive presence and gives the best performance. 

Verdict: Starts well, then becomes routine. **. 

HAMMER THE TOFF

Patricia Dainton and John Bentley

HAMMER THE TOFF (1952). Director: Maclean Rogers. 

Susan Lancaster (Patricia Dainton of The House in Marsh Road) is the niece of a professor (Ian Fleming, not the creator of James Bond), who has developed a secret formula for a certain process useful in defense. When he is murdered via a hypodermic needle in a briefcase, Richard Rollison (John Bentley of The Flaw), aka The Toff, takes it upon himself to protect Susan from a nefarious character called the Hammer. Up to now the Hammer has been seen as a kind of Robin Hood, helping the poor people of the East End of London, but now he and his gang are resorting to murder. Or is there another person calling himself the Hammer? With the help of Inspector Grice (Valentine Dyall), Sergeant Barrow (Ben Williams) and Rollison's major domo Jolly (Roddy Hughes), the Toff tries to find out the truth. Then Susan is kidnapped ... 

John Robinson with Bentley 

Hammer the Toff is the second of two films starring Bentley as the John Creasy creation the Toff -- the first was Salute the Toff -- and it is much better than the first, with a more complicated storyline and a lot of action. Bentley is perfection as the Toff. The entire cast plays this kind of light yet dramatic material with panache. John Robinson gives a smooth performance as a suspect and never quite gives away his guilt or innocence. Wally Patch is the crusty but likable bar owner who briefly turns against the Toff when he thinks he's betrayed an associate to the police. 

Verdict: Well turned out British suspense film. ***. 

IT, THE TERROR FROM BEYOND SPACE

"IT" on the rampage

IT, THE TERROR FROM BEYOND SPACE (1958). Director: Edward L. Cahn. Colorized. 

The first ship to explore Mars has only one survivor, Colonel Edward Carruthers (Marshall Thompson of Mystery Street), who is suspected of murdering the other crew members to conserve dwindling food supplies for himself. Carruthers insists that a hostile life form killed the others, and he's right -- this highly dangerous creature sneaks aboard the ship holding the members of the second expedition and kills them off one by one while Colonel Van Heusen (Kim Spalding), Ann Anderson (Shirley Patterson of The Land Unknown) and their colleagues try to figure out how to destroy the beast. 

Bice, Doran, Greer and Spalding

It, the Terror from Beyond Space, written by Jerome Bixby, whatever its low-budget flaws, remains a highly entertaining and suspenseful space monster flick, well-directed by the prolific Cahn. Spalding and Paul Langton probably give the best performances, although the others -- including Ann Doran, Dabbs Greer, Robert Bice and others -- are also effective. It uses the same score as Kronos, which came out the previous year. The picture moves fast so that you might not wonder how on earth it's a good idea to use grenades on a space ship! As has been noted by me and others many times, this film was very influential on the big-budget Alien, which uses the same plot and some of the same plot elements -- blasting the creature out of the air lock at the end, for instance -- as well. Ray Corrigan [The Monster and the Ape] plays the monster and the ubiquitous Pierre Watkin is an official back on Earth.

Verdict: Memorable sci fi creature feature which works quite well in color. ***. 

OUT OF THE FOG (1962)

David Sumner

OUT OF THE FOG (aka Fog for a Killer/1962). Director: Montgomery Tully.  

Released from prison, George Mallon (David Sumner) takes up residence in a kind of halfway house for ex-cons. He gets a job driving for a furniture company, but can't get rid of the massive chip on his shoulder. Even his own mother (Olga Lindo) wants nothing to do with him. When blond women are strangled on what is known as "the flats" each full moon, George becomes the prime suspect. Sgt. June Lock (Susan Travers) is assigned to get a job at the furniture company and ingratiate herself with George. On the next full moon George decides to forget about going to the movies with June, and instead takes her for a walk in the flats ... 

David Sumner and Susan Travers

Out of the Fog is a minor but well-acted British suspense film that could have used another twenty or thirty minutes of character development as well as a few tense murder sequences. It comes off much more like a 1940's production than something made two years after Psycho. David Sumner with his sensitive features so at odds with the bitter unpleasant character he plays makes a decided impression in the film, and a wide variety of character actors also make their contribution. A ridiculous bit has to do with Det. Supt. Chadwick (John Arnatt) ordering some more men to the flats once he learns June has gone there with George, but considering it was a full moon -- the only time murders occur -- why the hell wouldn't he have had a lot more men there already? Montgomery Tully also directed The Third Alibi. 

Verdict: Very good lead performance with a so-so script. **1/2. 

SO SWEET ... SO PERVERSE

Jean-Louis Trintignant and Carroll Baker

SO SWEET ... SO PERVERSE (aka  Cosi dolce ,,, cosi perversa//1969). Director: Umberto Lenzi. 

Jean Reynard (Jean-Louis Trintignant) lives with his wife, Danielle (Erika Blanc), in a Paris apartment. Danielle has stopped sleeping with Jean, which necessitates his having affairs. Jean becomes intrigued with the woman, Nicole (Carroll Baker of The Fourth Victim), who has moved into the apartment upstairs, and learns that she is being dominated by a lover named Klaus (Horst Frank). It isn't long before one of these people is murdered, while the other three accuse the others of pretending this victim is still alive -- which may even be true ...

Jean-Louis Trintignant and Erika Blanc

So Sweet ... So Perverse is essentially a retread of Diabolique, with its own twists, including that one of the female characters has come to realize she is a lesbian. The actors use their real voices, but the over-dubbing makes their performances, especially Baker's, seem a little off. Erika Blanc decidedly gives the most impressive performance. An unintentionally hilarious moment occurs when the police insist on one character making an ID in the morgue, although the corpse has been described as "completely unrecognizable!" This is one of four movies that Carroll Baker did for director Umberto Lenzi: Knife of Ice; Paranoia, which was originally called Orgasmo; and A Quiet Place to Kill, which was originally called Paranoia! Go figure!

Verdict: Minor but absorbing suspense film -- and nominal giallo -- with some new twists on an old idea. **1/2. 

MR. MONK'S LAST CASE: A MONK MOVIE

Tony Shalhoub and James Purefoy

MR. MONK'S LAST CASE: A MONK MOVIE (2023 telefilm). Director: Randy Zisk. 

Adrian Monk (Tony Shalhoub) comes out of retirement to investigate when his stepdaughter Molly's (Caitlin McGee) fiance, Griffin (Auston Scott), dies in a bungee jumping accident. Molly is convinced that Rick Eden (James Purefoy of Injustice), an Elon Musk-type who runs a vast Amazon-style corporation, is somehow behind the man's death and possibly others. In fact Griffin was sure that Eden had murdered his late business partner and was attempting to get some solid information when he died. 

Tony Shalhoub and Caitlin McGee

It's a delight to see Monk again, although some of the fun is vitiated by the fact that Adrian spends much of the movie contemplating suicide, and the recurring appearances by his late wife, Trudy, become tiresome (in fact the sentimental after-life sequences, meant to be poignant, come dangerously close to being sappy). At least Shalhoub is in good trim, and it's a pleasure to see Natalie (Traylor Howard), Stottlemeyer (Ted Levine) and Randy (Jason Gray-Stanford) again. James Purefoy makes a sexy and compelling adversary as well, liming the role of a narcissistic sociopath with chilling understatement. The solution to this is quite clever as well. As usual, some of the grimmer aspects of the story don't quite jell with the light-hearted approach. 

Verdict: Despite some annoying aspects, this is a very good bet for Monk fans. ***. 

THE DARK MAN

Maxwell Reed and Natasha Parry

THE DARK MAN (1951). Written and directed by Jeffrey Dell. 

An unidentified man (Maxwell Reed of Shadow of Fear) commits a murder, and then decides to kill off the cab driver who has driven him away from the murder scene. Unfortunately, a pretty young actress named Molly (Natasha Parry) sees the latter action and immediately goes to the top of Reed's hit list. Molly manages to get away this time, and is soon taken under the wing of the lustful Inspector Viner (Edward Underdown), who seems to spend more time thinking of her and kissing her than he does in doing a decent job of protecting her. No one bothers to even check out her flat when she goes home from the theater where she works, so naturally "the Dark Man" is waiting for her -- in the dark, of course. The climax takes place at a military testing range where there is some minimal excitement, but the movie is essentially mediocre. There is some moody photography by Eric Cross, and an interesting, dissonant score by Hubert Clifford. 

Verdict: **1/2. 

ATTACK OF THE GIANT LEECHES

Yvette Vickers and Michael Emmet

ATTACK OF THE GIANT LEECHES (1959). Director: Bernard L. Kowalski. Executive producer: Roger Corman. Colorized. 

Portly Dave Walker (Bruno VeSota) has a hard time keeping his sexy wife, Liz (Yvette Vickers of Attack of the 50 Foot Woman), under control. She goes off with Dave's alleged friend, the much sexier Cal (Michael Emmet), and Dave discovers the two of them making love in the swamp. As Dave is threatening them with his shotgun and forcing them into the water, they are attacked by two giant leeches -- or leech men, if you prefer. Everyone suspects Dave of murder but then more people start disappearing. Game warden Steve Benton (Ken Clark of Mission Bloody Mary), along with his girlfriend, Nan (Jan Shepard), and her father, Doc Greyson (Tyler McVey of Teenage Thunder), investigate but come into conflict with each other when Doc wants to bomb the swamp ... 

Ken Clark and Jan Shepard

With its backwoods bayou atmosphere, a sleepy score by Alexander Laszlo (also used in Night of the Blood Beast), and some decent acting, Attack of the Giant Leeches may not be a world-beater but at least it holds the attention if you're a devotee of creature features. The color adds a degree of gruesomeness to the scenes in the underground lair of the leeches, and the sequence of dead bodies rising up in the lake has always been kind of creepy. Vickers is as vivid as ever, and VeSota and Emmet are effective and professional. Ken Clark, who showed much more charisma playing a superspy in some eurospy features, is stalwart as the game warden. Although she apparently never appeared in anything that allowed her to make much of an impression, Jan Shepard amassed over eighty credits and had a long career, as did Tyler McVey, who had over 220 credits! Kowalksi also directed Michael Emmet and McVey in Night of the Blood Beast, which is better than Leeches. Art director Daniel Haller went on to better things.  

Verdict: You know it isn't especially wonderful but there's just something about it ... **1/2.