BERSERK

Joan Crawford and Ty Hardin

BERSERK (1967). Director: Jim O'Connolly.

Tough broad Monica Rivers (Joan Crawford) is at first not too concerned -- to say the least -- when one of her high-wire performers is killed in an accident as she feels it will attract the ghoulish to her circus in droves, which it does. When her business partner Albert (Michael Gough of Horrors of the Black Museum) gets a rivet pounded into the back of his head, Monica is free to do what she chooses -- and the murders continue. Monica begins an affair with the hunky new high-wire artist Frank Hawkins (Ty Hardin) who wants a piece of the circus action for himself. Two other women cause issues: Matilda (Diana Dors), who does a saw-the-lady-in-half act with her husband and can't keep her hands off Frank; and Monica's daughter Angela (Judy Geeson), who gets thrown out of school and insists on joining the troupe. Who will be the next to die?  

Diana Dors with Hardin

Berserk is a very entertaining film that manages to work up significant suspense even as it shows us some amazing acts from the real-life Billy Smart Circus -- trained elephants, horses, and poodles, not to mention the lions. Crawford plays with her customary authority although at times she just seems to be reading her lines the way she would at a rehearsal. Ty Hardin, better-known for his beefcake status than for his acting, is actually quite good in this and even manages to do love scenes with the much-older Crawford with conviction-- they are unlikely lovers, however. Dors is her usual vivid and zoftig self and there is also good work from Geeson, Gough, George Claydon as the little person Bruno, and others. The circus performers do an amusing number called "It Might Be Me." The Billy Smart Circus was also featured in the earlier film Circus of Horrors. 

Verdict: Genuinely suspenseful and a lot of fun. ***. 

BLAIR WITCH (2016)

BLAIR WITCH (2016). Director: Adam Wingard. 

In this second sequel (after Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2) to The Blair Witch Project, James (James Allen McCune), goes with friends to see if he can find his long-missing sister, Heather, who disappeared 15 years ago in the woods supposedly haunted by the Blair Witch, who was murdered there many, many years before. The group, which includes Peter (Brandon Scott) and Ashley (Corbin Reid), hooks up with two locals, Lane (Wes Robinson) and  Talia (Valorie Curry), who are more familiar with the area. These last two fake a little evidence at first to get the group intrigued, but eventually when weird things begin to happen it is clear that they couldn't be behind the mysterious and frightening happenings. James is determined to find the spooky house that appeared in the original found footage (that forms the first movie) and he does -- more's the pity. 

the talented cast of Blair Witch

As found footage movies go, Blair Witch is better than most, and while the film engendered some serious hate, I found it much better and more professional than the original. If I recall correctly, the 1999 movie meandered along and was somewhat boring with only a creepy final few minutes, but Blair Witch manages to sustain the eerie atmosphere and tension almost throughout the entire movie. The climax, especially the discovery and exploration of the horrible old house, not to mention a bit when Lisa (Callie Hernandez) crawls her way through a narrow underground tunnel to, hopefully, escape and you get the disquieting feeling that you're down there with her, is marvelously effective and chilling (excruciating for claustrophobes). All of the actors are on top of things. The movie includes a drone camera that can fly over the woods to give the group some aerial views, but this doesn't add too much to the movie, and there's a little gore as well. 

Verdict: Atmospheric and suspenseful and for my money much better than the original film. ***. 

ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN MARVEL

Tom Tyler crashes through!

ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN MARVEL/12 chapter Republic serial/1941). Directed by John English and William Witney. 

Very young reporter Billy Batson (Frank Coghlan Jr.) accompanies some scientists to the Valley of the Tombs in Siam. There they uncover some secret chambers,  one of which holds ancient lenses that could be used to create a devastating weapon. In another chamber Billy meets the old wizard Shazam, who imbues him with special powers based on the gods of legend. All he has to do is utter the magic word "Shazam!" and he instantly transforms into the powerful hero, Captaim Marvel (Tom Tyler)!

The sinister Scorpion wants those lenses!

Back in the States, both nerdy Billy and the super-butch captain will need their wits about them because they have an adversary, a masked man who calls himself the Scorpion and who is secretly one of the scientists on the expedition.  The lenses have been divided up among the other men and the Scorpion will stop at nothing to get them so that he can create a "Solar Atom Smasher." Billy, CM, and secretary Betty (Louise Currie) all find themselves in doom-traps thanks to the Scorpion and his equally evil henchmen. These include a guillotine, a bomb in Billy's plane, a machine gun safe trap, and a car with Betty inside careening floor by floor down a parking garage, among others.   

Captain Marvel takes to the air

"Junior" Coghlan is boyishly earnest and although older than the character in the Captain Marvel comic book this is based on, he manages to come off as a juvenile even though he was 25-years-old at the time. Former cowboy hero Tom Tyler has limited dialogue but he makes an impressive Captain Marvel, and the flying sequences and other FX are well-done by the Lydecker brothers. Captain Marvel is a tough character who takes no prisoners, tossing crooks around like tenpins, and even throws one guy off the roof of a building to his death in chapter five, in which he also gets trapped by a river of molten ore. 

Frank (Junior) Coghlan Jr. as Billy Batson 

Among the supporting cast, the best impressions are made by Reed Hadley [Public Defender] as Rahman Bar, who is working with the Scorpion, and John Davidson as the Indian Tal Chotali, who is also a suspect. An unseen Gerald Mohr is the voice of the Scorpion and apparently plays the part while masked, but when the villain is unmasked he is revealed as someone else entirely. An exciting scene in chapter ten has the gang trapped on a floundering ship, and Billy suggests they use a breeches buoy to get everyone off of it before it sinks. It's a suspenseful sequence, but one can't help but think that Captain Marvel could have simply flown everyone off the ship in a quarter of the time. Nevertheless, this is a very entertaining serial. 

Verdict: More entertaining than the comic books, frankly. ***.                                                              

AMERICAN PREDATOR

AMERICAN PREDATOR. Maureen Callahan. Viking; 2019. 

While you've heard of Jeffrey Dahmer and Ted Bundy, you may not have heard of serial killer Israel Keyes, whose career was ended after he kidnapped a young woman from a coffee kiosk in Alaska before murdering her. After Keyes was caught, it developed that he had been responsible for other deaths and disappearances in previous years, including a middle-aged couple that he raped (both of them) and slaughtered. Author Callahan looks at the investigation into Keyes activities, focusing on how a prosecutor named Feldis insisted on doing the interviewing of Keyes even though this was a serious breach of professional conduct and that he was not very adept at it.

Two portraits of Israel Keyes

Callahan looks into the bisexual (as he described himself) Keyes' background, as well as into his bizarre early family life, which might have driven anyone crazy (not that his actions were in any way justified). Keyes had a relationship and a child with a woman named Tammie, then became engaged and lived with another woman who had no idea of what he was up to. He kept "kill kits" hidden in various places that he might use when the proper circumstances and victims presented themselves and he was in a sadistic mood. Callahan suggests that Keyes might have been allowed to kill himself in prison. 

Verdict: Horrifying story of one sick individual, but somehow this is not a classic true crime book and probably not the last word on Keyes. **1/2. 

WHERE HAVE ALL THE PEOPLE GONE?

Kathleen Quinlan and Peter Graves

WHERE HAVE ALL THE PEOPLE GONE? (1974 telefilm). Director: John Llewellyn Moxey. Teleplay by Lewis John Carlino. 

Steven Anders (Peter Graves of Beginning of the End) and his children David (George O'Hanlon Jr.) and Deborah (Kathleen Quinlan) are out camping when they investigate a cave and discover something bizarre has happened while they were inside. Their friend Clancy (Noble Willingham), who was not inside the cave, becomes very sick and eventually dies while they are taking him to civilization. What's weirder, his body disappears. Back in town the Anders discover that somehow solar flares (and, ironically, a virus) have killed off most of the populace, turning their bodies into dust. In addition there are no phones or electricity. Steven's wife did not go camping and now his primary focus is to fight off both animal and human predators and make his way back to his spouse. 

Verna Bloom as Jenny

Where Have All the People Gone? is a compelling and suspenseful story that at times comes off like an eerie Roger Corman movie. The characters, including a woman survivor named Jenny (Verna Bloom) whose husband disintegrated and whose children were attacked and killed by maddened dogs (a side effect of the solar flares), are well-developed and the acting is quite good -- with the exception of lead Peter Graves, who rarely works up the consternation and emotion Steven would be feeling. Steven eventually finds his wife, but it is not a happy moment. It might have been good if the script offered some more detail as to what's happened, but it works as a nominal end-of-the-world scenario that is not without hope for the future. 

Verdict: Depressing but quite good doomsday telefilm. ***.

JUNGLE GIRL

Acuff, Gifford, Neal

JUNGLE GIRL (15 chapter Republic serial/1941). Directed by William Witney and John English. 

Nyoka (Frances Gifford) lives in the jungle with her father, Dr. John Meredith (Trevor Bardette). Nyoka has never been told that her faher has an evil twin brother, Bradley, who shamed the family with his criminal actions and jail time. With the help of an associate, Latimer (Gerald Mohr of The Catman of Paris), Bradley traps his brother, murders him, and takes his place. The two men are after diamonds that belong to John and are hidden in caves guarded by natives. Then there's the problem of the wicked witch doctor, Shamba (Frank Lackteen), who wants to get rid of Nyoka and her pals -- including pilot Jack Stanton (Tom Neal) and his buddy Curly (Eddie Acuff) -- so he can be the most powerful man in the place. For this reason he also covets a sacred lion amulet.

Trevor Bardette and Gerald Mohr

Jungle Girl is an excellent serial that particularly percolates in the second half when the stakes are raised and the good guys -- and gal -- seem in increasingly frightening danger.  While one certainly can't rave about Ms. Gifford's acting skills, the character she plays is admirably strong, brave, and resourceful; the same can be said of little Kimbu, (Tommy Cook), the jungle boy who comes to everyone's assistance on several occasions, along with his adorable monkey. The other cast members are all satisfactory, and Gerald Mohr as the slimy Latimer easily takes the acting honors. In addition to some exciting cliffhangers, there are other thrilling moments throughout the serial. 

Don't buy a used car from this man: Frank Lackteen

Nyoka and her buddies wind up trapped in a pit with a hungry lion; on a rope bridge overhanging a stream full of gators; dealing with an outraged and very strong gorilla, and caught in a fire-spear trap, among others. The best sequences have to do with Nyoka trying to pull Jack out of quicksand while natives lob arrows at Curly; a scene when the trio are trapped inside a stone chamber as the floor slides into the wall to reveal a very deep and deadly drop; and especially a classic bit when Jack is placed on a conveyor belt with his body being pulled towards a huge, crushing block of stone that may crash down on top of him at any moment. The climax features Jack hanging to the bottom of his plane as Latimer takes off, but one of them comes to a pretty grim ending. 

Little Kimbu (Tommy Cook) and his pet monkey

Ken Terrell [Attack of the Fifty Foot Woman] who appeared in many of these serials, has a larger part than usual as the native, Mananga. Things get confusing at times because Mananga seems to switch sides in each chapter, and more than one extra looks an awful lot like the actor, as if he put his relatives to work. Little Tommy Cook, who gives a boyishly earnest performance, grew up to appear in such films as Missile to the Moon. The African natives are all played by Caucasian actors. Briskly edited and directed, Jungle Girl is one of the best serials ever made by Republic or any other studio. 

Verdict: How do you think Indiana Jones and James Bond got up to their own stunts? ***1/2. 

CIRCUS OF HORRORS

Anton Diffring

CIRCUS OF HORRORS (1960). Director: Sidney Hayers. 

A plastic surgeon flees England after a job on a woman's face goes wrong -- although he claims she didn't follow his instructions -- and winds up in France, where he re-invents himself as Dr. Schuler (Anton Diffring) and takes over a circus once owned by Vanet (Donald Pleasence). Ten years go by and Schuler has filled the circus with criminals whose faces he has changed and who have somehow developed abilities as performers. The late Vanet's daughter, Nicole (Yvonne Monlaur), thinks of Schuler as her uncle and is grateful that he healed her childhood scars. 

Griffith, Hylton, and Diffring

Schuler may seem like a hero to Nicole, but in reality he becomes very possessive of the women he remodels, and a number of them die in "accidents" while they are performing. The police and a reporter are suspicious, but there's nothing they can pin on Schuler. His latest acquisition is a woman named Melina (Yvonne Romain), who is cast as Helen of Troy and apparently trained as a lion tamer! Schuler's associates Martin (Kenneth Griffith) and his sister, Angela (Jane Hylton), who is in love with Schuler, are starting to get antsy. And we mustn't forget the lady back in England, who still has a horribly scarred face ... 

Donald Pleasence

Anton Diffring gives another winning performance in Circus of Horrors, and there is also good work from Donald Pleasence, Griffith, Hylton, and some of the ladies. The script, written by George Baxt, has to be taken with a grain of salt, as Schuler finds it incredibly easy to turn crooks, whores and so on into skilled circus performers, the deaths of so many women should have brought in the authorities much sooner, and it's especially hard to believe anyone, such as trapeze headliner Elissa (Erika Remberg),  would actually do their dangerous act after trying to blackmail the even more dangerous Schuler. Still, the movie is absorbing and at times delightfully lurid if never distastefully graphic.  Hayers also directed Burn, Witch, Burn. 

Verdict: Zesty British horror film. ***. 

ELEVATION Stephen King

ELEVATION. Stephen King. Scribner; 2018.

In this interesting if unremarkable novella by King -- a homage to Richard Matheson (to whom the book is dedicated) in general and his novel The Shrinking Man in particular -- hero Scott Carey (the name of the hero of Matheson's novel) discovers something very strange is happening to him. According to his scale he is losing weight rapidly, but his appearance isn't changing at all. His doctor is utterly baffled, but Carey is afraid that sooner or later his complete lack of mass -- despite what he looks like, a pot-bellied middle-aged man -- will send him soaring into the heavens. Carey's neighbors are a lesbian couple who are trying to run a restaurant in King's fictional Castle Rock but encountering difficulties due to prejudice. It's not just that they're a gay couple but that they're married. Carey makes it his business to help them, even though one of the women comes off like a stereotypical man-hater with a chip on her shoulder. In this testament to how friendship can overcome all barriers, the two women eventually become concerned friends of Carey's.

While the gay aspects of the book, however well-meaning (especially after King's nasty depiction of a gay male couple in Needful Things), are a bit awkward, his heart seems to be in the right place. The book is as well-written as anything by King, but some readers might be a little put off by the ending, which is somewhat moving but also a little comical and inexplicable. It's a good, fast read, but by no means a King classic.

Verdict: Worth an hour of your time if you don't expect too much. **3/4. 

X MARKS THE SPOT

Damian O'Flynn

X MARKS THE SPOT (1942). Director: George Sherman. 

Eddie Delaney (Damian O'Flynn of The Hidden City) is a private eye who is about to go into the Army. His father, Timothy (Robert Homans), is a beat cop who is shot to death when he confronts some suspicious characters at a warehouse. Eddie is determined to find out who murdered his dad, but he is warned by Police Lt. Bill Decker (Dick Purcell) that he can't become a vigilante no matter how he feels. When a suspect named Marty Clark (Jack La Rue) is shot and killed in his own nightclub, Bill arrests Eddie for the crime. In tried and true PI fashion, Eddie slugs Bill and takes off to solve the crime on his own. He has help from his "dream gal," Linda (Helen Parrish), a woman whose voice he has only heard when he asks for a song on the jukebox but who got involved in the murder when someone asked her to say there was a black-out and she tells everyone to turn out the lights. 

Helen Parrish and Damian O'Flynn

X Marks the Spot is a standard WW2 private eye melodrama that doesn't boast too many surprises. Not as rugged as other private dicks, O'Flynn still makes a reasonably appealing protagonist, and Dick Purcell is also good as the head cop on the case. Helen Parrish is acceptable as Linda but there are more interesting females in the movie, such as Lulu (Anne Jeffreys), who dallies with Marty, and Billie (Edna Harris), Linda's amusing older co-worker. The only other well-known cast member in the movie is Neil Hamilton, who plays a man who hires Eddie to find out who stole two empty trucks that belonged to his company.

O'Flynn with Dick Purcell

The motive behind everything may seem strange today but we have to remember that during WW2 rubber was a hot commodity. This is another movie that takes advantage of the fact that decades before the jukeboxes with which we are familiar, people in clubs could get tunes by calling up an exchange wherein the "d.j" would play records at a central location and pipe them out to different establishments (or something like that; it's a bit confusing, frankly). George Sherman also directed The Lady and the Monster. 

Verdict: Acceptable PI meller. **1/2. 

GENERAL ELECTRIC THEATER: BLAZE OF GLORY

Lurene Tuttle and Lou Costello

 "BLAZE OF GLORY." General Electric Theater. 1958.

This was the first episode for the seventh season of General Electric Theater, hosted by has-been and future president Ronald Reagan. Lou Costello plays Neal Andrews, a plumber who gets a phone call from a woman needing emergency service. His wife, Ginny (Lureme Tuttle) isn't bothered so much by the fact that the client is female as that the whole thing sounds suspicious: Lou will be picked up by a man and must wear a suit and tie instead of his plumber's outfit. Driven to a hotel by guys who seem like thugs he learns that he has been taken off by a gang of jewel thieves. 

Joe Corey and Jonathan Harris 

At the hotel, Neal meets the head of the gang, an elegant man named Favier (Jonathan Harris). A diamond has apparently dropped down the sink and Neal is required to obtain it -- or else. But with the help of a dissatisfied gun moll, Gladys (Joyce Jameson), he just might be able to outwit the thieves. Well, when they were talking about "the golden age of television," I doubt they meant this mediocre, if well-acted, episode, which isn't much different from the type of stuff Costello did in the movies minus the slapstick. A cast stand-out is Harris, who downplays the campiness he displayed on Lost in Space and delivers a fine performance as the oily and rather sinister Favier. 

Verdict: Costello is as amiable as ever even if the material is trite. **.