DEMENTIA 13

DEMENTIA 13 (1963). Director: Francis [Ford] Coppola.

When Louise Haloran's (Luana Anders) husband John has a fatal heart attack, she decides to cover up his death and pretend he's gone on a trip so she can still inherit from his mother. (Apparently it doesn't occur to her that a widow might still come into a share of the estate.) But this is only one of the secrets at the spooky and stately Castle Haloran in Ireland, where a barely seen figure with an axe roams about hacking and beheading his victims, and each year the family reenacts the funeral of the young daughter, Kathleen, who drowned seven years before. (None of the characters seem to realize the terrible impact the child's death would have had on Kathleen's mother, who is a bit "off.") 

ax attack on Louise

This early film from the director of The Godfather trilogy is modeled on Psycho in that we at first follow a blond character who is then brutally dispatched a la Janet Leigh nearly forty minutes into the film. Anders is very vital as Louise, as are Bart Patton as her brother-in-law, Billy; Ethne Dunn as Lady Haloran; and Patrick Magee as the family's creepy and tactless physician. William Campbell is Billy's brother, Richard, and Mary Mitchel is his oddly-named girlfriend, Kane. The film is atmospheric, has an effective score by Ronald Stein, and boasts a very well-handled and suspenseful sequence in which Simon, a poacher (Karl Schanzer), is stalked and decapitated. Bart Patton did mostly television work; Luana Anders, who also appeared in The Pit and the Pendulum with Vincent Price, was a busy actress up until her death in 1996.

Verdict: Odd, confusing at times, but strangely compelling and vivid! ***.

BLACK ZOO

BLACK ZOO (1963). Director: Robert Gordon. 

This long-unseen horror thriller is one of three films producer Herman Cohen did with star Michael Gough (the other two are Konga and Horrors of the Black Museum). Like the others, Black Zoo is lurid, somewhat campy fun. Gough is owner of a zoo as well as member of a weird cult of animal worshipers. Threatened with losing the zoo and his beloved tigers and lions -- who lie around his living room like treasured and pampered guests -- Gough sics his pets on anyone who dares to get in his way. His wife Edna (Jeanne Cooper) has a trained chimp act and wishes that hubby were kinder to the handsome mute boy Carl (Rod Lauren) who helps him with the murders. Gough is florid and easily enraged, but as an actor he puts on a lively, energetic show, and Cooper is excellent and equally energetic. The interesting cast also includes Virginia Grey as a booking agent, Jerome Cowan as an entrepreneur, Elisha Cook, Jr. as a zoo worker, and even Ed Platt ("the chief" on Get Smart) as a detective. One of the most interesting scenes is an funeral for the dead tiger Baron that takes place in a misty forest by night. Cooper and Gough have a great, lively dinner scene that ends in an hysterical (in more ways than one) fight. Cooper played Katherine Chancellor on The Young and the Restless; one of her co-stars on that show was Jerry Douglas, who plays a police lab man in Black Zoo. (He's not very good at his job, however, as he thinks a gorilla is "a member of the chimp family!") What's most surprising about this entertaining picture isn't the final revelation as much as how moving it is. Rod Lauren (of The Young Swingers) hasn't a word of dialogue but his expressive face says volumes. (Ironically, the actor-singer was accused years later of hiring someone to murder his wife.) Script by Herman Cohen and Aben Kandel. Robert Gordon also directed It Came from Beneath the Sea. 

Verdict: Lions and tigers and apes, oh my! ***.

EARTH VS. THE SPIDER

EARTH VS. THE SPIDER (aka The Spider/1958). Director: Bert I. Gordon. Colorized. 

For inexplicable reasons a gargantuan bird spider which has been snacking on luckless spelunkers decides to come out of its cave and kill the father of high school student Carol Flynn (June Kenney). Science teacher Art Kingman (Ed Kemmer) instructs the authorities, including laconic Sheriff Cagle (Gene Roth), to fill the cavern with gas. Thinking the huge arachnid is dead, the group takes the creature to the high school, where it  is put on display and wakes up during band practice! As it goes on a rampage, Carol and her boyfriend Mike (Eugene Persson) go into the cave to see if they can find a gift that Carol's late father bought for her birthday. Naturally the monster comes back. Now it's a question if the teens, lost in the cave, will die of starvation or become instant bug food! 

There's something oddly likable about The Spider, Bert I. Gordon's imitation of the superior Tarantula, although one could certainly point to plenty of dumb moments and glaring imperfections. The movie could have been a nail-biter but never achieves that level of tension. The cast generally plays it straight, which always helps, and June Kenney is rather good as Carol. Still the actors have to take a back seat to that spider. Its rampage is quite limited, and the last quarter of the film is a bit on the slower side, but the flick is still entertaining if you like creature features. The color, as usual, adds a new dimension. Albert Glasser's score is effective as well. 

Verdict: A fun big bug movie. **3/4.

THE FOX WITH THE VELVET TAIL

Husband (Kendall), wife (Gade), lover (Sorel)

THE FOX WITH THE VELVET TAIL (aka In the Eye of the Hurricane/1971). Director: Jose Maria Forque. 

Wealthy Ruth (Analia Gade of The Murder Mansion) is bored with her husband, Miguel (Tony Kendall of Kommissar X: Kill Panther Kill), and tells him she's filing for divorce. She takes off for her gorgeous summer place with her equally attractive new boyfriend, Paul (Jean Sorel of Paranoia). Things are going great for the couple until Ruth nearly dies in a couple of accidents, and then Miguel shows up. She wonders if Miguel was somehow responsible for her near-death incidents, but Paul poo poos. A beautiful woman named Danielle (Rosanna Yanni) observes everything from a distance, and then Ruth overhears the two men in her life having a very strange conversation ... 

Jean Sorel

Bolstered by beautiful locations and some adept players, as well as a stylish and romantic aura, The Fox with the Velvet Tail is an intriguing if basically bloodless suspense tale. Analia Gade offers a comparatively perfunctory performance, but the two men are better, and the whole production is smooth and well-paced. The scene when Ruth's brakes fail is thrilling, and a completely silent attempted murder scene late in the picture is very well-shot and edited. Of course, as in most of these movies, there is a slight touch of lesbianism. Viewers expecting a gory giallo film will have to look elsewhere, but this somehow works despite the lack of gruesome killings. 

Verdict: Sorel makes a convincing lover boy. ***. 

THE NANNY

THE NANNY (1965). Director: Seth Holt. Screenplay by Jimmy Sangster.

A ten-year-old boy, Joey Fane (William Dix), suspected of being responsible for the drowning death of his younger sister, comes home from an institution and gets into a battle of wits with the middle-aged nanny (Bette Davis) -- in the process testing the patience of his stern father (James Villiers) and fragile, emotionally-devastated mother (Wendy Craig). But does his hatred of the nanny perhaps have a basis in reality? This very suspenseful movie keeps you guessing nearly until the end, and Davis' excellent performance (for once her latter-day affected style works to her advantage) doesn't give it away. Little Dix, a remarkably confident and talented child actor, is more than a match for Davis, and the other performances, including that of Jill Bennett as his aunt with a weak heart, are all very effective. Pamela Franklin is also good as a young upstairs neighbor who wonders if it's nanny or little Joey who's nuts. Very interesting story with a moving finale. Dix later appeared in Doctor Doolittle but his career did not continue into adulthood. 

Verdict: This is one of Hammer studios' best pictures. ***. 

THE HYPNOTIC EYE

THE HYPNOTIC EYE (1960). Director: George Blair.

In this sick but entertaining movie, a series of women are horribly disfiguring themselves and then claiming they were completely unaware they were doing so. Could these terrible accidents have something to do with hypnotism? Naturally a detective on the case (Joe Patridge) takes his spunky girlfriend Marcia (Marcia Henderson) to see the act of the sensational Desmond (Jacques Bergerac), who hypnotizes, among others, Marcia's friend, Dodie (Merry Anders), who winds up washing her face in acid later that evening. Brave Marcia decides to find out exactly what happened between Dodie and Desmond, and does a lot more to solve the mystery than her boyfriend. Desmond's assistant is zestily played by Allison Hayes of Attack of the 50 Foot Woman, although her portrayal here makes her giantess seem positively benign. Ghoulish and a bit ugly at times, but an undeniably effective shocker. See if you can spot Henry Aldrich himself, Jimmy Lydon [Corky of Gasoline Alley], in the role of an emergency room doctor; I completely missed him. George Blair also directed The Adventures of Superboy pilot and many B movies. 

Verdict: Compelling shocker. ***. 

POLAROID (2019)

POLAROID (2019). Director: Lars Klevberg. 

Bird (Kathryn Prescott), a young high school student, discovers an old polaroid camera in an antique store where she works, and begins taking pictures with it. The first person she photographs is Tyler (Davi Santos), a co-worker, who is attacked and killed. The next person Bird snaps with the polaroid is a party hostess, who is also found dead the next day. Bird comes to realize that whoever she photographs with the camera winds up dying, and that there is an evil entity inside the camera. She and her friends, all of whose images have been captured by the camera, set out to learn the secret of the polaroid so they can save themselves. This brings them to the widow of a demented man who captured, tortured and murdered four teens, but her story may not be the whole truth. Can Bird destroy the entity before she and the others succumb ... 

Polaroid, rated PG-13, is an engaging and interesting horror film that gets its points across without resorting to overly graphic mayhem or sadism. The acting is effective, and that includes Mitch Pileggi as the town sheriff, who has secrets of his own. The camera creature is creepy looking and there are several suspenseful and well-handled sequences. 

Verdict: A satisfying if unspectacular horror film with a premise straight out of EC comics. ***. 

PHENOMENA / CREEPERS

PHENOMENA (aka Creepers/1985). Director: Dario Argento. 

At the Richard Wagner International School for Girls in Switzerland, Jennifer (Jennifer Connelly), a new student with a sleepwalking problem, develops a strange affinity for insects. This comes in handy in tracking down an unknown maniac who is murdering several of the students. Donald Pleasence plays the entomologist, McGregor, and Daria Nicolodi is Frau Bruckner, who is keeping a deadly secret. Heroine Connelly is too inexperienced to convincingly carry the film, but considering the things she's called upon to do one has to say that she earns her pay and then some. Pleasence, Nicolodi, and a lovable chimp are much better. This is a somewhat zany but likable picture with a few memorably gruesome sequences. 

Verdict: A fascinating Gothic nightmare. ***. 

FIRE MONSTERS AGAINST THE SON OF HERCULES

Reg Lewis as Maciste

FIRE MONSTERS AGAINST THE SON OF HERCULES (aka Maciste contro i mostri/1962). Director: Guido Malatesta.

Aydar (Luciano Marin) and his woman Raya (Birgit Bergen) are menaced by an unconvincing sea monster, and Maciste (Reg Lewis) comes to their rescue, destroying the beast. Aydar is the new leader of the Sun people, a group of nomads who have settled in a valley. The Moon people, who live in dank caves, attack the Sun people, dragging off their women. Maciste leads an attack on the moon people and is aided by Moah (Margaret Lee), a beautiful woman who hates Fuan (Andrea Aureli), the bestial leader of the moon people. Although Maciste gives a good accounting of himself, he still winds up buried up to his neck along with Moah. Unable to free any of his limbs, the situation looks hopeless ,..

Luciano Marin as Aydar

There are actually no "fire monsters" in Fire Monsters, just the aforementioned sea (or lake) monster, underwater fanged snakes, a quick shot of a wandering giant lizard, and a mechanical foam rubber cave beastie that nearly snacks on Maciste and Moah. Fire Monsters is a dubbed Italian peplum film that in its American version is one of the "Sons of Hercules" movies -- they even have their own theme song. The Sun people are depicted as being much nicer than the Moon people, but even they think it's okay to put a woman to death if she doesn't obey her husband. Basically women are treated like garbage. 

Reg Lewis and Margaret Lee

The Moon people try to forge an alliance with the Uma tribe, who are apparently cannibals who snack on their enemies. The best fight scene in the whole movie doesn't concern Maciste, but is the exciting climactic battle between Aydar and Fuan. As for muscle man Reg Lewis, he only appeared in five movies and this was his only peplum film. He was discovered by no less than Mae West and appeared with other body builders in her nightclub act, becoming her frequent escort. 

Verdict: Barely acceptable peplum fare for monster, muscle and Margaret Lee enthusiasts. **1/4. 

GIANT FROM THE UNKNOWN

GIANT FROM THE UNKNOWN (1958). Director: Richard Cunha.

Many monster movie fans will be disappointed to know that the “giant” in this movie is not of Bert I. Gordon proportions like The Cyclops or Amazing Colossal Man but is only a very tall, bear-like actor named Buddy Baer. Baer plays a nasty Spanish conquistador who has been in suspended animation for 500 years, but has come back to life to attack people and livestock in the vicinity of Devil's Crag. This conquistador, Vargas by name, was known as “the Diablo Giant” due to his size. Ed Kemmer [of Earth vs. The Spider infamy] plays Wayne Brooks, who hooks up with an archaeologist named Cleveland (Morris Ankrum of Earth vs the Flying Saucers) and his not-terribly-scientific daughter Janet (Sally Fraser, who appeared in War of the Colossal Beast and other genre films). Fraser is better in this picture than in others, and she and Kemmer play a nice, charming love scene together. 

While it's become obligatory to snicker at Giant from the Unknown, the fact is that it's not such a bad movie at all. It is fast-paced, professional, continually suspenseful, and not badly directed by Cunha, who handles several sequences quite adroitly. The film is also very well edited. Albert

Sally Fraser and Buddy Baer

Glasser's score, as usual, adds a lot to the picture as well. There has been some confusion over a scene when it appears that Vargas revives during a lightning storm even though people and animals have already been attacked earlier in the picture. It's possible that in this scene Vargas is merely awakening after sleeping for awhile, and that he covered himself in leaves and the like so that he wouldn't be attacked while asleep. Unfortunately the dialogue refers to the lightning as a source of resuscitation, further muddying the waters. (Maybe it was the continuity person who was asleep.)

Verdict: Some giants are bigger than others. ***. 

HOMICIDAL

HOMICIDAL (1961). Director: William Castle. Screenplay by Robb White.

A cold, rather weird-looking blond named Emily (Jean Arless) pays a handsome bellboy (Richard Rust) to marry her, then immediately after the ceremony, takes out a butcher knife and plunges it into the stomach of the justice of the peace, drawing much blood. Emily is apparently the wife of a slender young fellow named Warren, who lives with his old nurse Helga (Eugenie Leontovitch), who has suffered a stroke and is being taken care of – in more ways than one – by Emily. Then there's Warren's half sister Miriam (Patricia Breslin) and her druggist boyfriend Carl (Glenn Corbett), both of whom come to suspect that there's more to Emily than meets the eye. The whole business is tied into Warren's upcoming inheritance and the macabre truth about his birth. 

Castle's shameless imitation of Psycho is an entertaining picture in its own right, if decidedly less “artistic.” While Homicidal may be rather stupid all told, it is an effective horror comic with fascinating elements and some well-directed murder sequences. Castle obviously didn't take it too seriously – it's often overwrought like a burlesque -- and the picture emerges as a very amusing black comedy once you're clued in to its psycho-sexual dynamics. 

Watch out! Arless goes after Leontovich

Castle introduces the picture in an unnecessary prologue, and offered theater patrons a “fright break” so they could leave the theater before the gruesome climax. Critics of the period were either amused or outraged, with some opining that the great Leontovitch was debased by appearing in such a film, and that Jean Arless had the most embarrassing debut of any actress in movies. Actually, Leontovitch offers an excellent, intelligent performance despite the fact that she hasn't a word of dialogue (not to mention her tumbling head in the movie's sickest – or funniest – sequence), and Jean Arless – according to imdb.com – was better-known as Joan Marshall, who later played an old girlfriend who's prosecuting Captain Kirk on an episode of Star Trek. Marshall also married director Hal Ashby and had a small role in his film Shampoo (1975) with Warren Beatty. Arless is definitely not Leslie Parrish, as some have theorized, who also appeared on Star Trek and was in movies [Li'l Abner/1959] under her own name before Homicidal was made. Castle also directed Strait-Jacket and many, many others.

Verdict: Not at all in the same league as Psycho, but zesty and amusing nonetheless. ***. 

THE LOST CITY

THE LOST CITY (1935). 12 chapters. Super Serial Productions. Director: Harry Revier.

While this is hardly one of the better serials it does have its entertaining moments. Kane Richmond [The Tiger Woman] stars as Bruce Gordon, an electrical engineer who determines the source of energy that is causing havoc around the world. He traces the signals to Africa and takes off with a party to discover what and who is behind the problem. In a hidden city lost in the jungle, the madman Zolok (William Boyd) is determined to take over the world. He forces an elderly scientist, Manyou (Joseph Swickard) to turn native slaves into giants with his equipment. (These “giants” are simply very tall black men who wouldn't look out of place on a basketball court although everyone in the cast seems abnormally startled by their appearance. The fright wigs they wear make them seem as comical as they are moderately scary.) Sam Baker is the head giant, Hugo.

The wide cast of characters include Zolok's somewhat hulking servant Appolyn (Jerry Frank), Manyou's daughter Natcha (Claudia Dell) – despite the “native"- like name she is actually a blond – assorted bad guys (who cause more problems for our heroes whether or not they're allied with Zolok), an Arab ruler looking for giant slaves, and the campy and vampish Queen Rama (Margot Duse), who blinds Richmond when he refuses her advances and has Natcha hurled into a lion pit in one of the serial's more suspenseful scenes. (There is also a juicy bit involving some descending spikes.) There is also a dog-sized jiggling spider prop that drops a web onto our heroes, and assorted clips of wild animals on the loose.

Richmond is stoic and able, if a bit wooden, as the hero. William Boyd is pretty awful as Zolok, chewing the scenery and spitting out his lines with a fury that may have been meant to suggest madness but only comes off as dreadful overacting. (He makes one appreciate the comparatively understated Charles Middleton as Ming the Merciless even more.) Older and more intelligent-looking than many serial actresses, Claudia Dell somewhat resembles Jeannette Macdonald; you keep expecting Natcha to break into song at any moment. She is not a bad actress, and has a nice moment when she reaches out to tenderly stroke Richmond's hair as he's tending to her. Dell not only played Spanky's mother, she was Octavia in the 1939 Cleopatra and according to imdb.com was the original model for the Columbia logo.

There is quite a bit of bad acting in The Lost City, but a bigger problem is the absence of music. It also doesn't have the color, action or pace of the Flash Gordon serials, being similar only in its absurdities. Still, it's fun enough in its own minor way, and there have, unfortunately, been much worse chapter plays inflicted on the public.

Verdict: Watch Dick Tracy vs Crime Inc. instead. **. 

THE 30 FOOT BRIDE OF CANDY ROCK

Lou Costello and Dorothy Provine

THE 30 FOOT BRIDE OF CANDY ROCK (1959). Director: Sidney Miller.

So somebody got the idea of doing a spoof of Attack of the 50 Foot Woman (which came out over a year before this film did), a movie which was already amusing and in fact has a lot more laughs than this atrocious "comedy." It may have seemed a good idea to put Lou Costello in it (appearing without his usual partner, Bud Abbott), but the little guy has such poor material that there's nothing he can do to save it. 

Costello [Blaze of Glory] plays Artie Pinsetter, a small-town junk man and part-time inventor. After an argument, his girlfriend Emily (Dorothy Provine) runs into a cavern and the next thing they know she's grown into a giant. (After taking a shower she grows even larger, about fifty feet or more.) The Army thinks she's a giantess from Mars and her uncle (Gale Gordon), who's running for governor, just wants her to disappear. (He insists that she and Artie get married because he misunderstood what Artie meant when he said his niece had gotten "bigger.") Although Provine could play the blond bimbo with the best of them, in this she sort of plays it straight, which doesn't work at all. The movie has approximately five mild chuckles, although the expected gag at the end is funny. To make matters worse, Gale Gordon -- who could be very clever at times but is not amusing in this -- stinks up the production even more. 

Verdict: This is an effort to sit through. *1/2. 

A SIMPLE FAVOR/ANOTHER SIMPLE FAVOR

 A SIMPLE FAVOR (2018). Director: Paul Feig.

ANOTHER SIMPLE FAVOR (2025). Director: Paul Feig. 

In A Simple Favor widow Stephanie (Anna Kendrick) bonds with Emily (Blake Lively) because their little sons are buddies. Emily seems quite a bit edgier than Stephanie, but the latter has her own secrets, such as sleeping with a sexy guy even though she knew he was her half-brother. Emily asks Stephanie to watch her kid for a few days, but she never comes back. Then her body is found, drowned in a lake. But why does her little boy insist that he sees and even talks to his mother? Stephanie decides to investigate, and discovers a weird plot going on ... 

A Simple Favor is entertaining, although it employs over-familiar suspense elements and doesn't have the most original plot. The acting is good, but the light-hearted approach and almost campy style doesn't serve the story as well as a more serious approach might have. Brief girl-on-girl action is thrown in more for the usual titillation than for any other reason, which actually makes the film seem more hokey than edgy. The lead characters are not at all likable.   

In the sequel Another Simple Favor -- an Amazon Prime original movie -- the two ladies and actresses are back for another round, and things are somewhat more intriguing. Emily, now engaged to a handsome mafioso, has every reason to detest Stephanie, but instead of strangling her she demands that she be her maid-of-honor and fly with the wedding party to Capri. Afraid of being sued by Emily because of things she said in her book about her, Stephanie agrees to go but can't help worrying over what exactly the sociopathic female might be up to. Then there are a couple of murders, for which Stephanie is accused. Another Simple Favor, which is even more of an out and out black comedy than the first film, is unpredictable, but some of its developments are as irritating as they are unexpected. The contrivances quickly outweigh the logic and the kind of "girl power" finale, while interesting, doesn't necessarily work. 

Verdict: These movies may hold your attention, but they won't stay in your mind for long. A Simple Favor. **1/2. Another Simple Favor **1/2. 

PREHISTORIC WOMEN

 PREHISTORIC WOMEN (1950). Director: Gregory G. Tallas.

Tigri (Laurette Luez) is head of a group of supposedly prehistoric women who hate and hunt men from another tribe, one of whom is Engor (Allan Nixon of Outlaw Women), who inspires a fairly zesty cat fight among the ladies. There is a nine foot giant who snatches up women and runs off with them, as well as a "giant flying dragon" -- according to the ever-present narrator -- that more resembles an outsized pelican or sea gull. There are no dinosaurs or even lizards, no special effects to speak of, and a budget of about 99 cents. Luez made more of an impression in the TV series The Adventures of Fu Manchu as the Oriental doctor's mistress, and also had a notable role in D.O.A. with Edmond O'Brien. 

Verdict: This isn't even a fun "bad movie." *. 

THE FAN (1981)

Michael Biehn and Lauren Bacall

THE FAN (1981). Director: Ed Bianchi.

Sally Ross (Lauren Bacall) is a former movie star turned theater actress who is just about to star in her first Broadway musical. She is still regretting her divorce from her ex-husband, Jake (James Garner), whom she still loves, and is shielded from annoying people and fans by her loyal secretary Emma (Maureen Stapleton). Her biggest problem, however, quickly becomes Douglas Breen (Michael Biehn), a deluded, mentally-disturbed fan boy who hopes to turn the middle-aged actress into his lover. Maybe if she had the chance to actually see him before he began slicing up her acquaintances with a straight-razor, but after that ...? Douglas takes violent exception to anyone who comes between him and his aging movie star crush, including Emma, Sally's dates, and other unfortunates. 

Old unmarried couple: Bacall; Garner

The Fan is somewhere between a psychological thriller and a slasher film, and apparently Bacall was not pleased that the original script became more violent in the style of the time. Basically playing herself, she's fine in the movie, and James Garner blandly saunters through without raising a sweat. Stapleton, Hector Elizondo and a few others are a bit more memorable, and Biehn, in his first major role, walks off with the movie. (This did him little good at the time as The Fan was a box office bomb.) Pino Donaggio's score helps a little in creating some excitement, but while the film's plot holds your attention, the direction lacks real style and energy. The song "Hearts and Diamonds," sung by Sally on opening night, won a  Razzie award but it may have had more to do with Bacall's horrible croaking of the tune than with the song itself. 

Verdict: A slasher film of sorts with more interesting elements than usual but ultimately not that memorable. **1/2. 

NIGHTMARES (1980)

Jenny Neumann and Gary Sweet

NIGHTMARES (aka Stage Fright/1980). Director: John D. Lamond. 

Helen Selleck (Jenny Neumann) has wrongly felt responsible for her mother's death in a car crash years ago when she was a child. She gets a part in a stage production of an avant garde comedy and it isn't long before people connected to the production are being sliced and diced by an unseen assailant wielding broken pieces of glass. Potential victims and suspects include soap opera actor and new boyfriend Terry (Gary Sweet), the bitchy director George (Max Phipps), the even bitchier critic Bennett Collingswood (John-Michael Howson), stage manager Angela (Briony Behets), ever-horny Bruce (Edmund Pegge), actress Judy (Nina Landis of Four of a Kind), and others. As opening night arrives, the body count grows ever higher ... 

Who's the bitchier? Max Phipps and John-Michael Howson

Nightmares is an oddball Australian slasher film that has some decent acting, lots of nudity and boobs, several bloody (if not too graphic) murder sequences, and a strange plot. Throughout the film there is a steady attempt to conceal the identity of the killer even while making it pretty clear who it is in all other ways. Therefore the suspense is minimized and there is absolutely no final twist. Brian May's music score tries very hard to drum up excitement in key moments, but ultimately the picture is somewhat slapdash and generally uninventive, although there are attempts to make it more cinematic. The critic Collingswood is called an "old queen" more than once, grabs Helen's breast at one point, and later on comes on to Bruce, who seems to briefly contemplate putting out for a good review. 

Verdict: Mediocre Aussie horror film with some zesty moments. **1/4. 

THE COUCH

Grant Williams

THE COUCH (1962). Director: Owen Crump

Charles Campbell (Grant Williams of The Monolith Monsters), psychiatric patient and ex-con, phones a police lieutenant (Simon Scott) and tells him he is going to kill someone exactly at 7 PM that evening -- and he does, more than once. Is there method to his madness? Campbell is dating Terry (Shirley Knight) -- the niece of his doctor (Onslow Stevens of Outside the Law) -- who also works as the shrink's receptionist, and boards in the home of the upbeat Mrs. Quimby (Hope Summers) and her nubile daughter Jean (Anne Helm). 

Shirley Knight with Williams

Robert Bloch scripted this post-Psycho "thriller" from an idea by Blake Edwards and director Crump but the results aren't as impressive as you might hope. Even though we know who the culprit is and what he'll do from the first (although there are still some minor surprises on that score), there are still plenty of opportunities for suspense, none of which are exploited that much by Crump, whose direction is generally uninspired. Frank Perkins' score is often quirky and interesting, but it does little to help the picture. On the plus side are the performances, with an especially notable Williams (The Incredible Shrinking Man) making a favorable impression, as does Knight. Another nifty element is that eerie old estate that is visited by the main couple while they're on a date. The amusing postscript is left to Hope Summers, who also scores as the sunny landlady who gets quite a shock at the finale. This is another movie that was in some ways influenced by Agatha Christie's classic "The A.B.C. Murders." Crump mostly directed documentaries and TV shows; this was his only American theatrical film.

Verdict: Williams certainly scores as an especially handsome psycho. **3/4. 

WOLF MAN (2025)

WOLF MAN (2025). Director: Leigh Whannell.

When his long-missing father is finally declared dead, Blake (Christopher Abbott) and his wife, Charlotte (Julia Garner), and young daughter, Ginger (Matilda Firth), head out to the old man's farm in Oregon. Along the way they nearly run over a feral creature who appears to be at least partly human. This creature keeps attacking the farmhouse even as Blake begins to transform into a wolf-like version of himself who can no longer understand English just as his wife and child can no longer understand him. Now Charlotte and her daughter face terrible danger from two sources, the carnivorous monster outside and her husband, who is slowly mutating into something just as dangerous ... 

Leigh Whannell, who wrote and directed the creditable Invisible Man, doesn't hit one out of the ballpark with this new picture. Despite attempts to make this some kind of family drama -- Charlotte is bothered by the fact that her daughter has bonded more with her father than with her -- Wolf Man, despite some exciting moments, just never catches fire. The acting is good, but you're never really on the edge of your seat, and the plot is just too insubstantial. Another problem is that the film is seriously underlit during several key sequences, further blunting the impact. An interesting aspect is that when a neighbor who tries to help the family gets attacked by the monster, the little girl asks if he survived, but not the mother. Not one of the more memorable werewolf pictures. 

Verdict: Watch Scream of the Wolf instead. **1/2. 

PSYCHO MOTHER-IN-LAW

Romy Rosemont as the psycho mother-in-law

PSYCHO MOTHER-IN-LAW (aka Mad Mom/2019 telefilm). Director: Jean-Francois Rivard. 

Sharon Vickers (Romy Rosemont) works as a nurse for hospice care and thinks nothing of helping her patients along on their journey to the other side. When her daughter, Amber (Victoria Diamond), gets engaged to Luke (Matthew Raudsepp), Sharon travels from Cleveland to Boston to meet Luke and his mother, Jill (Kari Matchett), staying in Jill's stylish and beautiful home. Sharon doesn't mind that the engagement party will take place at Jill's, but is distressed to learn that so will the wedding ceremony and reception, and that Jill has talked Amber out of wearing her mother's old-fashioned wedding dress. Fearing that she is being pushed out of the plans as well as her daughter's life, the paranoid sociopath embarks on a campaign to correct these perceived injustices. Before it all comes to a boil, things will definitely get out of hand ... 

Diamond, Raudsepp, Matchett

Psycho Mother-in-Law is essentially a fun, easy to take, Lifetime movie that is all too reminiscent of similar pictures. The two lead actors are more than competent, but let's face it, this kind of movie really cooks if you've got two very strong presences in the film, but obviously Bette Davis and Joan Crawford weren't available. The other cast members are all okay, with Salvatore Antonio making the best impression as Jill's gallery partner, Evan. When Sharon nurses Jill after an "accident," Jill seems to take forever to finally ask the unpleasant woman to leave, and while this may not be a slasher film, it's ridiculous that a sequence in which someone gets their throat cut displays virtually no blood. The musical score gives the film the energy that the direction lacks, but the closing theme is a little too Psycho-like to suit me. 

Verdict: At least the ending is neat! **1/2. 

THE MASKED MARVEL

The Masked Marvel (Tom Steele) drives into action!

THE MASKED MARVEL (12-chapter Republic serial/1943). Director: Spencer Gordon Bennet. Colorized. 

The Worldwide Insurance Company is being particularly hit hard by acts of sabotage committed by Mura Sakima (Johnny Arthur of The Ghost Walks) and his treasonous underling, "Killer" Mace (Anthony Warde) and others. When the head of Worldwide is murdered, his daughter, Alice (Louise Currie of The Crimson Key), is unaware that her late father's associate, Martin Crane (William Forrest of Spy Ship), is secretly working with Sakima. Four investigators come forward to help in the battle against Sakima: Jeffers (Richard Clarke); Morton (Bill Healy); Arnold (Rod Bacon); and Barton (David Bacon, no relation to Rod). One of these four is revealed to be the Masked Marvel at the very end, but throughout the serial the Marvel is actually played by stuntman Tom Steele. (Without the mask, Steele also plays one of Sakima's underlings, especially an assassin who stabs a cohort in the hospital before he can talk.)

Forrest, Currie and the 4 investigators

The Masked Marvel is one of the best Republic serials. Although there was at least one character in the comic books called the Masked Marvel, this one was invented by Republic studios. The business of hiding which of four men is the actual hero was borrowed from The Lone Ranger, as otherwise it seems a bit pointless. What matters is that Masked Marvel moves at a breathless pace, has one great action sequence after another, and features some highly entertaining cliffhangers: Alice placed beneath a freight elevator and about to be crushed; a truck that crashes through a warehouse wall; a bomb inside a briefcase that threatens everyone in the boardroom; the Masked Marvel using his wits and a clever rope trick to escape from another runaway truck; a thrilling business involving a hand car packed with explosives that is heading for a train carrying important war products. 

Bad guys: Forrest; Arthur; Warde

The furious, furniture-busting fisticuffs are fabulous, especially a fistfight between the Marvel and a gunsel in a warehouse. Louise Currie isn't much of an actress, but Johnny Arthur is a hoot as the nasty Japanese Sakima, spitting out his lines with an almost sublime contempt for everyone. Anthony Warde always scores as the cold-blooded chief hood who has no respect for human life or anything else. Other serial specialists who make appearances in this include Stanley Price of The Invisible Monster, Roy Barcroft of Manhunt of Mystery Island, and Ken Terrell of Attack of the 50 Foot Woman and numerous cliffhangers. 

Verdict: Serial fans will love The Masked Marvel. ***1/4. 
 

BLUEBEARD'S TEN HONEYMOONS

BLUEBEARD'S TEN HONEYMOONS (1960). Director: W. Lee Wilder.

"One round trip. The other one way." -- Landru to ticket agent while taking victims to his cottage. 

Loosely based on the murderous career of Henri Landru (also the basis for Chaplins' Monsieur Verdoux) -- although it follows the basic facts accurately enough (eliminating Landru's wife and children) -- this stars the estimable George Sanders as a man who woos wealthy widows and then murders them (he never does get around to marrying them, however). In real life, Landru's motivation was essentially profit, but in this film he needs money so he can shower his trampy girlfriend Odette (a zesty Corinne Calvet) with gifts. Although in the true story most of Landru's victims were elderly, in  this movie the shame is that they are very attractive and warm middle-aged women who would have made Landru a much better and more loving mate than Odette. As in real life, the sister of one of the victims helps the police track Landru down. Sanders is terrific as Landru, backed by a highly able supporting cast, including George Coulouris [Womaneater] as a furniture dealer. Fast-paced, darkly amusing, and memorable. Wilder also directed Killers from Space and Manfish, but this is vastly superior to both.

Verdict: Whatever its flaws, the picture  -- and Sanders -- are damned entertaining. ***.

BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN

Elsa Lancaster and Colin Clive

BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN (1935). Director: James Whale.

Outrageous, campy, over-the-top and even bordering on the edges of schlock at times, Bride of Frankenstein is still a fascinating and highly entertaining picture, fast-paced (it just never stops), and beautifully photographed by John J. Mescall, with a fine score by Franz Waxman and rich art direction by Charles D. Hall. The monster survived the fire at the end of Frankenstein, and meets up with the nutty Dr. Pretorius (a gleeful Ernest Thesiger), who kidnaps Elizabeth (now played by Valerie Hobson) to force Henry Frankenstein (Colin Clive) to make his monster a mate. Dwight Frye is back as another sinister, grave-robbing assistant. The film is, oddly, very contemporary in its casual amorality and scenes of black comedy (interspersed with pathos, such as the long scene between the monster and the kindly blind violinist -- O.P. Heggie -- which also borders on black comedy). Una O'Connor as the hysterical maid Minnie is perhaps more irritating than amusing. The little people that Dr. Pretorius created and shows off to Henry have nothing to do with Shelley's novel and remind one of the later Attack of the Puppet People. Alternately child-like and frightening, Boris Karloff (billed as "Karloff" above the title) is magnificent. John Carradine has a small role as a hunter. Followed by Son of Frankenstein.

Verdict: Whatever its flaws, this sequel is much more entertaining than the original. ***. 

NAKED PARADISE

Beverly Garland and Richard Denning

NAKED PARADISE (aka Thunder Over Hawaii/1957). Produced and directed by Roger Corman. 

Duke Bradley (Richard Denning of The Black Scorpion) owns a charter boat and takes on passengers including gangster Zach Cotton (Leslie Bradley of Attack of the Crab Monsters), his "secretary" Max MacKenzie (Beverly Garland of Gunslinger), and nasty gunsels Mitch (Dick Miller) and Stony (Jonathan Haze). After pulling a robbery the gang set out for an island where Duke learns that Zach plans on forcing him to take them all in his small boat to the mainland, a ridiculous proposition. Duke and Max set sail by themselves but have to turn back due to an approaching hurricane, and are at the mercy of Zach and his cohorts. But all may not be hopeless ... 

Creeps: Miller, Bradley, Haze

Obviously Naked Paradise was considered a more exploitable title than the original Thunder Over Hawaii. The movie, which moves at the expected brisk pace, is reasonably entertaining and also unpredictable -- you're not really certain which of the participants will survive. A major asset of the film, also as expected, is the performance of Garland, who always raises things a notch. The others are all competent but unexceptional, and Bradley completely lacks charisma, essential when playing a gang leader. Miller and Haze have done better work elsewhere, and Denning displays his customary bland charm. The picture has a satisfying wind-up. Shot by Floyd Crosby and with a score by Ronald Stein. 

Verdict: At least the actors got a trip to Hawaii out of it! ***. 

TERROR TRAIN 2

Robyn Alomar and Tim Rozon

TERROR TRAIN 2 (2022). Director: Philippe Gagnon. A Tubi Original. 

In this sequel to Terror Train, medical student Alana (Robyn Alomar) is still feeling the effects of her battle with a serial killer in the first film. Alana's roommate Claudia (Nia Roam) importunes her to follow her shrink's advice and face up to her fears by taking another trip on the "Terror Train" on New Year's Eve, a pretty ridiculous notion considering. Of course another killer begins slicing his or her way through the passengers, which include the President of the Fraternity (Dakota Jamal Wellman); the Magician (Tim Rozon); the obnoxious, hateful Pet (Romy Weltman); Pet's pal, Mary (Tori Barban); returning conductor Sadie (Nadine Bhabha); and her new assistant JP (Matthew Villeneuve). Could the mad killer from the first installment, whose body disappeared, still be on the loose? If a lunatic on the loose weren't bad enough, Pet and her friends' callous attitude towards what happened in the first film just makes things worse for Alana. 

Dakota Jamal Wellman

Much of the multi-cultural cast who survived the first film return for this sequel. In general the acting is quite good, with these young people dealing with their roles and the often absurd situations with aplomb. Tim Rozon, returning as the Magician, makes a nice impression. Claudia, who is keeping secrets, apparently has a huge crush on Alana, and this business is handled rather awkwardly, out of keeping with more modern looks at gay characters. But the biggest problem is that Terror Train 2, filmed back to back with the first film, seems a bit thrown together, and while it holds the attention, it doesn't emerge as an especially memorable horror movie. 

Verdict: They should have stuck with just one. **1/4. 

TERROR TRAIN (2022)

Matias Lucas and Robyn Alomar

TERROR TRAIN (2022). Director: Philippe Gagnon.

In this Tubi Original remake of the 1980 slasher film, some medical students maneuver a nerdy guy into bed with a corpse and he winds up in a mental institution. While this doesn't seem especially believable, the film then jumps forward three years to a Halloween party on a train. At first people believe the corpses the party-goers stumble over are fake, but finally Alanna (Robyn  Alomar) realizes that her friends are being slaughtered one by one. Does this have something to do with that practical joke from years before, or is something else behind the body count? Alana eventually finds herself in a desperate struggle against the true killer. 

Robyn Alomar and Tim Rozon as the Magician

I freely admit I enjoyed Terror Train, finding it well-acted, suspenseful, and fast-paced, with several exciting scenes. While there are some gruesome sequences, the movie is never vomitous, which is probably why some gore geeks didn't care for it, but the film works perfectly well without the grisly upchuck stuff. The young cast is enthusiastic, and I was particularly impressed with Matias Lucas as the somewhat nasty or misunderstood "Doc," who is charismatic and effective in his portrayal, although everyone is pretty decent. Robyn Alomar acquits herself nicely as the "final girl," so to speak, although she isn't the only survivor. I also liked Mary Walsh as the head conductor, Carne, and Nadine Bhabha as her younger assistant, Sadie. Followed by a sequel shot back to back. 

Verdict: Fun contemporary slasher flick. ***. 

THE EMBALMER

Pitiful victims of the Embalmer

THE EMBALMER (aka Il mostro di Venezia/The Monster of Venice/1965). Director: Dino Tavella.

In Venice an unknown figure in a scuba outfit is swimming the canals and popping out to grab innocent young women who are never seen again. In a sinister underground chamber this crazy embalms the women with his special formula -- to keep them beautiful forever -- and puts them on macabre display. In addition to the police, a reporter named Andrea (Luigi Martocci) investigates the crimes, and gets involved with Maureen (Maureen Brown), a brave woman who is the leader of an all-female tour group. Other characters include her elderly friend, Catherine (Paola Vaccari) and Catherine's nephew, Nicky (Elmo Caruso), an archeology professor. When Maureen investigates a passageway to the underground from a certain person's apartment, she finds herself in serious trouble. Will Andrea be able to save her? 

The Embalmer on the prowl

The Embalmer has a good and very macabre premise (later used in the film Amsterdamned), which is the movie's main strength, along with that great on-location Venetian atmosphere that serves the story so well. Dino Tavella's direction is generally uninspired and slow, with some sequences and takes going on much too long. Another problem is the musical score, which is effective in some spots and horribly overdone and overly bombastic in others. The killer in this wears a cowl and hood and a skull-like face mask, and not only swims the canals but prowls the dank underground recesses of Venice. In this dubbed version the heroine is called "Maureen," which is actually the name of the actress. Director Tavella and stars Martocci and Brown each did only two films apiece. 

Verdict: Despite its flaws, this is rather creepy and interesting, with a downbeat ending. ***. 

PARANOIA

Carroll Baker and Lou Castel

PARANOIA (aka Orgasmo/1969). Director: Umberto Lenzi. 

Kathryn (Carroll Baker), recently widowed, moves into her wealthy late husband's fabulous estate in Italy. Her only companion is the dyspeptic housekeeper, Teresa (Lilla Brignone), with occasional visits from family lawyer Brian (Tino Carraro), who wants to marry her. Into her life pops hunky Peter (Lou Castel), a comparatively penniless young man who moves in on Kathryn and eventually into her home. Then who should show up but his free-spirited sister, Eva (Colette Descombes), who seems to have a hankering for Kathryn. But is Eva really Peter's sister, or something more? It isn't long before Kathryn begins to regret ever meeting the couple. 

Baker, Castel, Descombes

Paranoia is an entertaining and well-acted suspense-thriller that presents some truly despicable villains even if their victim isn't entirely sympathetic. There's another twist at the end and a satisfying denouement. This is one of several films that Baker did for director Umberto Lenzi. (This is not to be confused with another Baker/Lenzi collaboration entitled Paranoia or A Quiet Place to Kill.) Lou Castel was a Columbian actor who appeared in a number of Italian/International productions. Like most of the other films Baker did with Lenzi, lesbianism or bisexuality figures in the plot. Most of the others remind one of Diabolique, but not Paranoia.

Verdict: Absorbing story with intriguing plot and some very good players. ***.