THE BLACK SCORPION

The voracious black scorpion

THE BLACK SCORPION (1957). Director: Edward Ludwig. Colorized. 

The eruption of a volcano in Mexico causes enough loss of life, but things are made much worse by the emergence of gigantic man-eating scorpions from suspended animation. Rancher Teresa Alvarez (Mara Corday of Naked Gun) and geologists named Hank (Richard Denning of Assignment Redhead) and Artur (Carlos Rivas of Machete) help Dr. Velazco (Carlos Muzquiz) and the military wipe out the monsters, but one gargantuan scorpion -- a black scorpion -- survives to wipe out any others and then advances on heavily populated Mexico City. 

The Black Scorpion downs a copter!

The Black Scorpion is one of the zestier -- and grimmer -- giant bug features that came out in the wake of Them! Stop-motion animation work by Willis O'Brien of King Kong fame and Pete  Peterson helps create some very lively, scuttling horrors to give the creeps to the audience, and the close-ups of the salivating monstrosities with their movable fangs are also unnerving, especially when accompanied by the rattling, scary sound FX. One scene in particular -- an attack on a train when the giant pincers of the scorpions pick out hapless, screeching passengers to devour and tear apart -- is a vision of hell. 

Mara Corday, Carlos Rivas, Richard Denning

The colorizing process makes the movie seem even more intense and horrifying, although it can't compensate for the fact that some of the sequences are underlit. Other highlights of the film include a tense business with a scorpion grabbing hold of a cable and nearly pulling a crane down into an abyss, and the exploration of said abyss with its scorpions, giant worms and so on, An unintentionally comical moment occurs when Dr. Velazco says that the monsters "are somewhat slow and lethargic," which scene after scene proves is definitely not the case! The Black Scorpion has a standard B movie cast and all are perfectly okay even if they offer nothing more than what is indicated in the script. Paul Sawtell offers an eerie and effective score.

Verdict: Absorbing monster movie with more than decent FX work. ***. 

THE EXORCIST: BELIEVER

Two possessed girls

THE EXORICST: BELIEVER (2023).  Director: David Gordon Green. 

Two young girls -- white Katherine (Olivia O'Neill) and black Angela (Lidya Jewett) -- go missing for three days and are found with no memories of what happened. Afterwards they begin displaying strange, violent tendencies and acting oddly, things that point to demonic possession according to Katherine's church-going parents. However, Angela's father, Victor (Leslie Odom Jr.), does not believe in such nonsense but is finally driven to contact Chris McNeil (Ellen Burstyn), who wrote about her own experiences when her daughter, Regan (Linda Blair), was possessed and successfully exorcised. Regan hated the world-wide attention and cut off contact with her mother because of the book. Now Chris is determined to help these two new families who are facing an unfathomable evil. 

Frail but feisty: Ellen Burstyn

There have been so many Exorcist sequels and imitations that Believer comes off like a parody at times, and has little suspense. The protracted sequence that features dual exorcisms eventually becomes tedious -- the movie is almost two hours long --  and aside from an eye stabbing of one pivotal character, and an unfortunate incident involving a priest, there is so little action that you begin longing for even the slimiest of slasher flicks. Believer severely limits the thrills and chills and substitutes some minor character development and little else. The FX are okay and over-familiar. The performances of the young girls are fine, and Ann Dowd scores as Ann Brooks, a nurse with some experience with the occult. David Gordon Green also directed Halloween (2018). Linda Blair doesn't show up until the very end of the movie and has about one line. 

Verdict: Definitely won't make a believer out of you. **.

THE BRAIN FROM PLANET AROUS

The Brain

THE BRAIN FROM PLANET AROUS (1957). Director: Nathan Juran (as Nathan Hertz). Colorized. 

Nuclear scientist Steve March (John Agar of Bait) and his associate Dan (Robert Fuller of Death in a Red Jaguar) think that something weird is happening out at the isolated Mystery Mountain. Inside a cave they discover a huge floating alien brain creature named Gor who flash-fries poor Dan and takes over Steve's mind. Gor is fascinated by the human female, Sally (Joyce Meadows), Steve's fiancee, whom the brain finds "very exciting," and Sally discovers that Steve's new extra-passionate nature seems to know no bounds. His kisses go from being much more enthusiastic to downright brutal. Eventually Sally and her father, John (Thomas Browne Henry), discover the truth from another, friendlier brain that has taken up residence in Steve's dog. Meanwhile "Steve" destroys airliners with his mental power and tells an international council that he will wipe out capital cities if they don't comply with his demands. He is out to take over not only the earth but the entire universe!

John Agar

The Brain from Planet Arous is very much like a sci fi comic book story from the fifties. Despite its absurdities it plays reasonably well thanks to the acting by the principals. John Agar is commanding and sinister as the Gor-controlled Steve, laughing uproariously as he destroys planes and threatens the annihilation of entire cities. Joyce Meadows admirably plays with complete conviction whereas lesser actresses might have simply tossed off the lines with a pained expression. E. Leslie Thomas also deserves kudos as General Brown, especially in a well-played sequence when he confronts the evil Gor at a conference. Dale Tate, who was the TV news anchor in Attack of the 50 Foot Woman, herein plays another professor and also does the voices of Gor, the friendlier brain, and an announcer on the radio. Tate was an associate producer on the film. Joyce Meadows amassed 75 credits. 

Verdict: Watch out for Agar's popping eyes! **1/2. 

SLUGFEST

SLUGFEST: Inside the Epic 50-Year Battle Between Marvel and DC. Reed Tucker. Da Capo Press; 2017.

DC Comics, which came out with such iconic characters as Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman, found itself with real competition from upstart publisher Marvel, whose comics were considered crude in comparison. (In the early days of comics there were many other publishers but most of them eventually fell by the wayside.) But Stan Lee, who was the face of Marvel for decades, took "perfect" super-heroes and made them more flawed and human, igniting the interest of older readers in super-hero comic books and leading to such books as Fantastic Four, Amazing Spider-Man, and Uncanny X-Men. Marvel eventually overtook DC in sales, and this interesting, well-written tome looks at the two major comics publishers over the decades and the various ways the companies and their staff battled it out for ascendency, both on the printed page and now in the movie theater. Although many writers and artists have worked for both companies and even jump back and forth between them -- and DC eventually adopted the Marvel style of storytelling --  there are some comics fans who insist on only reading the work from one company, which I've always thought was ridiculous. While Tucker does on occasion overstate things, the book does a good job of showing all the changes in these two companies and indeed in the industry itself. Although the quote doesn't appear in this book, Stan Lee once claimed, accurately, that the main difference between both firms was the age of its readers, although that would change. 

Verdict: A surprisingly good read that actually builds up some suspense. ***. 

SPY SHIP

Maris Wrixon and Craig Stevens

SPY SHIP (1942). Director: B. Reeves Eason. Colorized. 

Pam Mitchell (Irene Manning) works for a committee that wants to keep the United States out of WW2, but she is actually a spy for the Axis powers, paid good money by German agents operating out of a ship in New York's harbor. Her sister, Sue (Maris Wrixon), has no idea of this but disagrees with her public isolationist policy. Sue is the girlfriend of reporter Ward Prescott (Craig Stevens of The Hidden Hand), who has become suspicious of Pam's activities; Pam's father (George Irving) seems to actively hate her. Pam is stringing along a poor sap named Gordon (Tod Andrews of From Hell It Came) but is secretly in love with another traitor, Martin Oster (William Forrest), who is more interested in getting his hands on some incriminating letters he sent her. Then Koshimo Haru (Keye Luke) shows up on the ship to tell him that Japan is about to take certain steps -- the next day Pearl Harbor is bombed. 

Stevens on the story

Despite everything going on, including the bombing of Pearl Harbor, Spy Ship is dull and seems much, much longer than an hour. Irene Manning makes a good villainess, but the death of this horrible creature occurs off-screen, providing no catharsis for the audience. It is also unbelievable that Ward's editor (Frank Ferguson of The Big Night), would get so excited about covering her murder on the very day of Pearl Harbor -- that's all that anyone would be talking or reading about! Craig Stevens walks through the movie with one expression, and his character never seems to get all that excited about anything. Maris Wrixon is acceptable as the good sister, but she's too bland to be memorable. 

Verdict: Not even Keye Luke can save this. *1/2. 

MEG 2: THE TRENCH

Statham vs the shark

MEG 2: THE TRENCH (2023). Director: Ben Wheatley.

Jonas Taylor (Jason Statham) and several other researchers descend into a deep trench, run into a problem, and discover that an escape submersible has been sabotaged -- they're (temporarily) trapped on the bottom. Jonas and the others have two enemies to worry about: several more hungry megalodons from the depths, and their greedy business partners, who are willing to engage in murder to get what they want. The megs and a huge tentacled horror then emerge from the deep and head towards a vacation paradise called Fun Island. 

Jason Statham

I wasn't that impressed with The Meg, but I really hated Meg 2. Despite some good FX work and a couple of exciting scenes, the script is just awful, spending way too much time on hit men chasing after Jonas and his buddies and that sort of thing instead of concentrating on the monsters. Even the good guys in this don't seem to really care about anybody, including innocent victims being gobbled (although to be fair Taylor risks his life more than once to kill the monsters). It's also irritating that the character of Jiuming Zhang (Jing Wu), who starts out as a somewhat foolhardy but dignified individual, suddenly turns into comedy relief -- as do others -- later in the movie. The movie seems to have been cobbled together from different screenplays thrown into a blender, and is never especially cohesive. Meg 2 also can't make up its mind if it's a creature feature or a Jason Statham Action Movie. As for Statham's acting, I'll have to reserve my opinion until I see him in something halfway decent. 

Verdict: Pretty much a mess. *1/2. 

THE MOLE PEOPLE

John Agar, Nestor Paiva, Hugh Beaumont

THE MOLE PEOPLE (1956). Director: Virgil W. Vogel. Colorized. 

A group of archeologists including Roger (John Agar), Jud (Hugh Beaumont of Pier 23), and LaFarge (Nestor Paiva) ascend a mountain to come across some Sumerian ruins. A section of ground collapses, revealing a deep tunnel. The men descend, ostensibly to find the body of the scientist who fell through the crack, but are much more interested in finding the rest of the lost city. A rock slide kills another man and the survivors are trapped underground. (No one bothers to mourn or even remark upon either of the dead men.) There they find the lost city, which has inhabitants, humans as well as weird creatures who can burrow into the ground and are treated like slaves. King Nazar (Rodd Redwing) and the High Priest Elinu (Alan Napier) at first think the three men are gods, messengers of Ishtar, and that their flashlight is a mystical weapon. But when the batteries wear down the scientists may find themselves in a spot of trouble ... Elinu doesn't want anyone threatening his power.

Right into real estate: Cynthia Patrick as the doomed Adad

The early climbing scenes of The Mole People are well-done and the movie begins auspiciously, but after awhile what began as a fun popcorn flick becomes a little tedious and constantly threatens to turn into utter schlock. For some feminine pulchritude the movie introduces Adad (Cynthia Patrick), a beautiful serving wench who is somehow different from the rest of the lovely ladies -- she doesn't get burned to a crisp when they are exposed to sunlight, for instance (not that this does her much good, considering her ultimate fate). Patrick had mostly bit parts both before and after appearing in Mole People and eventually went into real estate. The other actors do the best they can with a silly screenplay. The music helps a lot. Virgel Vogel also directed the superior The Land Unknown and even The Kettles on Old MacDonald's Farm!

Verdict: This gets worse with each viewing and the color doesn't help. **1/4. 

THE MONOLITH MONSTERS

The monolith monsters "attack"

THE MONOLITH MONSTERS (1957). Director: John Sherwood. Colorized.

Geologist Dave Miller (Grant Williams of Doomsday Machine) returns from a trip to discover the nearly petrified body of his partner, Ben (Phil Harvey of The Land Unknown). The office is wrecked and full of odd black rocks. Miller discovers a similar situation at the home of a little girl who was on a field trip with his gal pal, Cathy (Lola Albright). Now the child's parents are dead, their home is wrecked, and the girl's arm is nearly turned to stone. While Dr. Hendricks (Harry Jackson) does his best to save the child's life, Miller, Police Chief Corey (William Flaherty), Prof Flanders (Trevor Bardette of Jungle Girl) and Dr. Reynolds (Richard H. Cutting) try to figure out what the deal is with these rocks. Eventually it is determined that this strange material comes from a meteor, and that when it is exposed to water it expands ... and expands .. and apparently affects human tissue. If the population of the town isn't petrified -- literally -- the whole place may be wiped off the map by tons of crushing rocks!

Grant Williams must deal with giant rocks

The Monolith Monsters might have worked better as an episode of, say, Science Fiction Theater rather than a full-length movie as its menace -- however potentially disastrous the situation -- doesn't compare to rampaging dinosaurs or bad-tempered giant insects. These are just, well, rocks. However, the movie is fast-paced and entertaining, and the cast, including stalwart Williams, pretty Albright, and the rest, play it all with absolute conviction. Les Tremayne, who appeared in dozens of these "B" productions, distinguishes himself with his fine performance as frustrated small-town newspaper publisher, Martin Cochrane. 

Verdict: A lesser "monster" movie but not without interest. **1/2. 

BATMAN: HUSH

BATMAN: HUSH (2019). Director: Justin Copeland. 

Batman/Bruce Wayne (Jason O'Mara) finds himself with an unknown and deadly adversary in the form of "Hush," who not only tries to kill him but attacks his associates, killing a very dear friend of Bruce Wayne's, Thomas Elliot (Maury Sterling). Batman wonders if any of a number of villains -- Joker, Harley Quinn, Two-Face, Scarecrow, Riddler, Bane -- could be the face behind the mask of Hush. Lady Shiva is an early casualty. Others in the cast include Amanda Waller of Suicide Squad, young Damian Wayne, Nightwing, Batgirl, Catwoman (Jennifer Morrison), and Poison Ivy (Peyton List), who hypnotizes Superman by kissing him with her special lipstick and orders him to attack the Bat and the Cat, leading to some perilous moments. 

In the original comic book stories this film is based on (which were probably better) there was some initial suggestion that Jason Todd, the Robin who was murdered by the Joker, had come back to life, a notion that years later proved to be true. Damian Wayne did not appear in the original stories because he didn't exist. In addition, the ending of the story and the ultimate identity of Hush has been changed. In the movie Batman reveals his true identity to Selina Kyle/Catwoman. There are some colorful and exciting sequences, especially when Superman takes after the Caped Crusader.

Verdict: Entertaining if not outstanding animated feature. **1/2.  

KRONOS

Gigantic Kronos strides across the land

KRONOS (1957). Director: Kurt Neumann. Colorized. 

Scientists Leslie Gaskell (Jeff Morrow of The Giant Claw) and Arnold Culver (George O'Hanlon) know something is wrong when a meteor they are following suddenly changes course in space! As the meteor splashes into the sea off the coast of Mexico, project head Dr. Eliot (John Emery) has his mind overtaken by a sinister alien presence. Down in Mexico an enormous monolithic machine -- which Gaskell christens Kronos -- rises from the depths and then begins striding through the land, causing destruction and absorbing the energy of same. As it heads towards an atomic plant, Gaskell has to figure out how to stop it before it -- and others like it (called "accumulators") -- drain the earth dry and obliterate it. 

Jeff Morrow and Barbara Lawrence

Kronos has never been a top favorite with most monster movie fans because Kronos is merely a mindless machine operated by unseen aliens; it doesn't have the "personality" of big beasties or malevolent bugs. Despite its widescreen aspect -- this was filmed in "Regalscope" -- and the fairly decent FX work, the movie screams "third-rate" as compared to more memorable sci fi epics of the period. Still, the premise isn't bad and is pretty original as well. Morrow gives his usual committed performance, and Barbara Lawrence as his girlfriend and project photographer is competent and decorative. Morris Ankrum, Robert Shayne, and Richard Harrison have smaller roles. Kronos was photographed by Karl Struss. The score (by Sawtell and Shefter) was basically re-used the following year for It! The Terror from Beyond Space, a much more entertaining picture. 

Verdict: Somewhat interesting if ultimately unsatisfying sci fi. **1/2.