IN THE DEVIL'S GARDEN

Suzy Kendall

IN THE DEVIL'S GARDEN (aka Assault/1971). Director: Sidney Hayers. 

A girl, Tessa (Lesley-Anne Down), is sexually assaulted in the woods and is so traumatized that she is unable to speak. Then another girl is not only raped but murdered. Dr. Lomax (James Laurenson) tries to get through to the mute girl without success. Detective Velyan (Frank Finlay of Lifeforce) is frustrated by the lack of clues in the case when Julie West (Suzy Kendall of Torso), the arts teacher at the nearby girls' school, gets a glimpse of the killer, but can only describe him as being "like the Devil." Nevertheless she, a reporter (Freddie Jones) and Velyan and his associates cook up a plan to use the brave Julie as a decoy. Meanwhile there are a few suspects, including the headmistress's sleazy husband, Leslie (Tony Beckley of Beware My Brethren), and even Dr. Lomax and some of the police officers. Julie discovers that the killer is much closer than anyone realizes ... 

Frank Finlay and James Laurenson

In the Devi's Garden, originally released under the dull title Assault, is an interesting and suspenseful thriller with some solid performances. The ending is dragged out a bit too much, and the identity of the killer is telegraphed a bit too soon, but there are some intriguing developments nevertheless. Lesley-Anne Down was introduced in this film -- it was actually her fourth movie -- and is unrecognizable at 17. James Cosmo, Dilys Hamlett, Patrick Jordan, and Anthony Ainley also have significant roles. Sidney Hayers also directed Circus of Horrors.

Verdict: Reasonably worthwhile suspense-thriller. **3/4. 

NIGHT OF THE SKULL

The skull-faced killer 

NIGHT OF THE SKULL (aka Le noche de los asesinos/Night of the Killers/1974). Director: Jesus Franco (Jess Franco).

On a dark and stormy night in 19th century Louisiana, Lord Archibald Marian (Angel Menendez), originally from England, is buried alive by an assailant wearing a skull mask. Marian's wife, the vicious Cecelia (Maribel Hildago), is next, chained to rocks as the tide comes in. As the murders continue, all of them seemingly centering on the will and who will gain from it, there are numerous suspects: the weird servants, Rufus (Luis Barboo) and the ill-tempered Deborah (Yelena Samarina of House of a 1000 Dolls); Marian's two bastards, Rita (Lina Romay) and Alfred (Antonio Mayans); Baron Tobias (William Berger) and his wife Marta ((Evelyne Scott); Albert Pagan (Dan van Husen) and his wife. Inspector Bore (Vincente Roca) has just begun investigating when Major Oliver Brooks (Alberto Dalbes) from Scotland Yard arrives to take charge of the baffling case. 

getting ready to read the will

This is one of the prolific director Jess Franco's better movies, which, sadly, isn't saying much. The shame of it is that the film has atmosphere and a very good plot with an excellent twist, but the direction is as uninspired as ever.  Yet the picture isn't boring and has many intriguing aspects to it. Despite the credits, the movie has absolutely nothing to do with Edgar Allan Poe and is not based on any of his writings, but apparently was ripped off from an Edgar Wallace novel. Made in Spain.

Verdict: A pretty good mystery story that would have been much better with someone other than Jess Franco at the helm. **1/2. 

WATCH ME WHEN I KILL

 WATCH ME WHEN I KILL (aka Il gatto dagli occhi di giada/1977). Director: Antonio Bido. 

Mara (Paola Tedesco), an actress who needs some aspirin, is nearly on the scene when a pharmacist is murdered, and the killer seems to think she knows more than she does. When another person is brutally murdered, her boyfriend Lukas (Corrrado Pani), thinks it all may have to do with a jury trial and a murderer who has escaped from prison. Upon further investigation -- and more murders -- Lukas realizes that there is something very different at play here. But will he arrive at the solution before either he or Mara become victims of the killer?

Watch Me When I Kill is an intriguing and suspenseful movie with a convoluted plot and solution that reminds one quite a bit of the storylines of Dario Argento's movies. Alas, director Antonio Bido is not Argento, and aside from one energetic if clumsy bathtub murder (with opera in the background), the film doesn't have much style. Lukas spends an awful lot of time running around from place to place asking questions. An unusual aspect of the movie is that for once the killer has a perfectly plausible motive for snuffing certain individuals. The screenplay is not strictly logical, however. 

Verdict: Take with a grain of salt and this is quite entertaining. ***.  

THE FISH WITH THE EYES OF GOLD

Ricardo Vazquez and Wal Davis

THE FISH WITH THE EYES OF GOLD (aka El pez de los ojos de oro/1974). Director: Pedro L. Ramirez.

In Girona, Spain Zachary (Ricardo Vazquez) witnesses the murder of a woman on a beach by an assailant wearing a scuba outfit. Coincidentally his friend, Derek (Wal Davis), spends the night with a woman who picks him up and when he awakens finds her butchered in the bed. The Inspector (Barta Barri) is suspicious of Derek, who maintains his innocence. Meanwhile the murders continue, and Derek comes to suspect Marco (Rex Martin), a gigolo who is having an affair with Zarchary's wife, Virginia (Norma Kastel). Derek also begins a relationship with Marina (Ada Tauler), whose grumpy father runs an aquarium. While Derek and Zachary are on their way to confront Marco, the brakes on their car fail ... someone is out to keep them from finding out who the killer is. It all seems to tie in with a piece of jewelry shaped like a bizarre fish ... 

Ada Tauler as Marina

The Fish with the Eyes of Gold is a pitiful attempt to come up with a twisty, convoluted, Dario Argento-type shocker along the lines of The Bird with the Crystal Plumage. Forget it! -- this dull movie has a silly and confusing plot line, a poor musical score, virtually no suspense or style, and if you keep watching it's only because you want to learn who the killer is and what his or her motive might be. It's not worth waiting around for. One murder -chase sequence is presented in slow-motion, which makes it even less exciting. One victim is stabbed in the shower, a scene that does not compare favorably with Psycho. 

Verdict: Very poor Spanish giallo. *1/2. 

RADAR MEN FROM THE MOON

Commando Cody takes to the air!

RADAR MEN FROM THE MOON (12-chapter Republic serial/1952). Director: Fred C. Brannon. Colorized. 

With their air running out and facing extinction, aliens on the moon, led by Retik (Roy Barcroft), decide to wipe out earth and take it over. To do this they send one man -- that's right, one man -- Krog (Peter Brocco) to our planet, where he enlists the aid of criminals such as Graber (Clayton Moore of The Lone Ranger), to commit acts of sabotage (which in retrospect are kind of pointless without an army to back it up -- however the Radar Men do have a deadly ray weapon).

Bakewell, Wallace, Towne

Up against the moon menace are Commando Cody (George Wallace) who flies through the air with his jet pack, and his associates Ted (William Bakewell) and plucky, brave Joan (Aline Towne), as well as an associate they report to, Henderson (Don Walters). For twelve chapters our intrepid trio try to get material and weapons from the Radar Men (flying to the moon in their own ship on two occasions), while Graber and his buddies try to wipe them out and destroy their rocket. The good guys face explosives, poison gas, ray guns demolishing their planes, automobiles going over cliffs, a flow of molten rock in a moon cavern, and so on in some exciting cliffhangers. While Radar Men from the Moon may not be an outstanding serial, it is nevertheless fast-paced, silly fun with a more than competent cast. Clayton Moore would eventually graduate from villain roles to serial hero. Footage from previous Republic serials, especially King of the Rocket Men,  is sprinkled liberally throughout this cliffhanger.  

Verdict: Whatever its flaws, this is a fun serial. ***. 

THE CURSE OF THE LIVING CORPSE

"He's after us -- one by one!"

THE CURSE OF THE LIVING CORPSE (1964). Written, produced and directed by Del Tenney. 

When Rufus Sinclair, the miserable patriarch of a 19th century family finally dies, everyone remembers how he was always afraid he'd be buried alive. In spite of that, son Bruce (Robert Milli) has the funeral as soon as possible. When people start dying in gruesome ways -- the maid, Letty (Linda Donovan), winds up with her severed head on a serving platter -- and the patriarch's coffin is found empty, the assumption is that he is still alive and out for revenge. "He's after us -- one by one," exclaims his "widow," Abigail (Helen Waren). Other potential victims include son Philip (Roy Scheider of Jaws), his wife, Vivian (Margot Hartman), lawyer James Benson (Hugh Franklin), nephew Robert (Dino Narizzano) and his girlfriend Deborah (Candace Hilligoss of Carnival of Souls), and others. Who will survive? 

Roy Scheider with Helen Waren in background

The Curse of the Living Corpse reminds one a bit of those "old dark house" movies as we have a cloaked, gloved figure moving through hidden panels and the like. The acting is pretty good, with Robert Milli getting into the Gothic atmosphere of the piece a bit more than the others even if he's a little hammy at times. (He played Horatio in Richard Burton's Broadway production of Hamlet.) Scheider is amusingly  flamboyant in a role quite different from the everyman he essayed in Jaws, and Helen Waren and Hugh Franklin are perhaps the most professional in the rest of the cast, although no one is that bad. Jane Bruce is also amusing as the disapproving and horrified cook, who just wants to hand in her notice even though one boss after another is quickly murdered. George Cotton is also fun as the constable who gets drunk when he should be watching the house and its inhabitants. Margot Hartman was married to the director, Del Tenney. This is low-budget but not badly made in spite of it. 

Verdict: Fun little horror flick with some good performances and a sense of dark humor. **3/4.  

FINAL SUMMER

The killer on the loose!

FINAL SUMMER (2023). Written, directed and produced by John Isberg. 

A young boy is somehow accidentally killed on the last day of summer camp, and counselor Lexi (Jenna Kohn), whose younger brother was run over years ago, feels responsible (as well she should). Not much later a man wearing a skull mask and carrying an ax, begins murdering the other counselors at Camp Silver Lake. Could it be the strange Warren Copper (Robert Gerard Anderson), the camp handyman, whose grandson was killed? A variety of young men and women try to survive while the maniac stalks them and the suspense mounts ... 

Jenna Kohn as Lexi

As Friday the 13th clones go, Final Summer is by no means terrible. The acting is generally good, there are some genuinely tense sequences, and the flick boasts some excellent, moody cinematography (also by director John Isberg). Isberg's screenplay, however, lets the movie -- and movie-goer -- down, as he tries to be too clever, perhaps in hopes of coming out with a sequel. There are too many illogical and confusing moments and anti-climaxes, and I don't know what the hell the killer's motivation was when the ultimate architect behind the murders is revealed (a homage to the original Friday). It is also never explained why the likable Peter (well-played by Wyatt Taber) is captured instead of killed, aside from the fact that the audience may be rooting for him. The ending is way too dragged out. One assumes nobody uses a cell phone because the film takes place in 1991, before their widespread use. While there is plenty of violence, gore geeks will be disappointed that the movie is never bloody disgusting. Thom Mathews, who briefly plays Sheriff Parmer, was Tommy Jarvis in Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives. 

Verdict: Slasher flick just misses. **1/2. 

DEAR DEAD DELILAH

Agnes Moorehead as Delilah

DEAR DEAD DELILAH (1972). Written and directed by John Farris. 

Delilah Charles (Agnes Moorehead) lives in a southern mansion called South Hall with her niece, and nurse, Ellen (Elizabeth Eis) and Ellen's husband, Richard (Robert Gentry), and servants. Richard accidentally bumps into a woman named Leddy (Patricia Carmichael) in a park, knocks her down, and invites her to stay at South Hall, where she is hired as a companion for Delilah. At dinner Delilah tells her brothers Morgan (Michael Ansara) and Alonzo (Dennis Patrick), and younger sister, Grace (Anne Meacham), that she has only a short time to live and is leaving the estate to the state for preservation. However, she insists their late father hid $600,000 in the house or on the grounds and all they have to do is find it. As someone begins taking an ax to various family members and others, Leddy -- who went to an institution after chopping up her hateful mother -- is afraid she is falling back on old ways. But there may be more to this than meets the eye ... 

Robert Gentry as Richard

Moorehead is delightful in her last theatrical film, and she is one of the chief reasons to watch the movie, which is modestly entertaining in any case. Better known as a horror novelist, John Farris proves a better screenwriter than director, although the picture has a pretty good pace. The dysfunctional characters are interesting but the actors really bring them to life. One problem is that when you think about who else could be responsible for the deaths, only one person really springs to mind, minimizing the suspense. Some of the murders are gruesome, especially a wheelchair decapitation with the murderer on horseback -- which is certainly dramatic but not terribly sensible -- but nothing as graphic as today. Meacham was one of Tennessee Williams' favorite actresses, and she appeared in several of his plays. Robert Gentry became a popular soap opera actor, especially on Generations and Another World. Will Geer plays the lawyer Roy. 

Verdict: This low-budget ax fest needs a slicker production and zestier direction but it has its moments. **1/2. 

MY TEACHER, MY OBSESSION

Rusty Joiner ignites his student's interest

MY TEACHER, MY OBSESSION (aka Dad Crush/2018 telefilm). Director: Damian Romay.  

Single dad and high school English teacher Chris (Rusty Joiner) moves with his daughter, Riley (Laura Bilgeri), to a new community where she meets a sullen classmate named Kyla (Lucy Loken). Kyla warns her new friend that mean girl Tricia (Alexandria DeBerry) has got a big crush on her father, and doesn't want her becoming friends with her. But Kyla has also noticed how "hot" the new teach is, and she is rather put out when he starts dating her mother (Jana Lee Hamblin). Kyla determines to change this appalling situation any way she can, and get her hooks into hunky Chris come Hell or high water. 

Chris confronts his daughter

Movies like My Teacher, My Obsession can be a lot of trashy fun, they can be handled with some adult sophistication, or they can be neither, which is the case with this bit of treacle. My Teacher is modestly absorbing but it never develops into anything that entertaining or trenchant. The performances are adequate, and even good at times, although some of the cast members could have shown more emotion at certain points given the circumstances. Kyla's homicidal psychosis seems to come out of nowhere, but characterization is not the telefilm's strong point. Rusty Joiner is a model who turned to acting with mixed results.  

Verdict: Good-looking cast helps put this over ... barely. **. 

EDGE OF THE AXE

The maniac at large

EDGE OF THE AXE (1988/aka Al filo del hacha/1988). Director: Joseph Braunstein (Jose Ramon Larraz).  

A woman killed in a car wash by an ax-wielding maniac is the first of several female victims in the small town of Paddock, which has only two cops. There are plenty of suspects: computer geek Gerald (Barton Faulks); his best friend, the exterminator Richard Simmons (Page Mosely), who married his older wife Laura (Patty Shepard of The Killer is One of 13) for her money; Police Chief McIntosh (Fred Holliday), who tries to discourage everyone from thinking a serial killer is on the loose; creepy Father Clinton (Elmer Modlin); and others. 

Christina Marie Lane and Barton Faulks

Now you might think that the residents of this town, not to mention the (unseen) mayor, would insist that the Police Chief call in the FBI when there is murder after murder with no one being arrested. Then it develops that all of the victims are connected, but only the computer nerd figures it out and only near the very end. The only thing more ridiculous is the identity of the killer -- this come out of nowhere -- who really doesn't seem physically capable of the killings, which are gruesome if not too graphic. The script is disjointed, as if if were written on the fly, or if scenes were left on the cutting room floor. Barton Faulks gives a more than decent performance as Gerald, but both he and best buddy Richard are pretty obnoxious characters. Apparently the director has some sort of following but it's hard to see why, as this film -- while it may have some suspense -- has no style or special flair to it at all. You wouldn't know that this was a Spanish production as the American cast all speak English and no one is dubbed. The movie was filmed at Big Bear in California.

Verdict: An ax murder movie you can miss. **1/4. 

ROBOT MONSTER

George Nader and Ro-Man

ROBOT MONSTER (1953). Produced and directed by Phil Tucker. Screenplay by Wyatt Ordung. Originally shown in 3-D. Colorized. 

"You look like a pooped-out pinwheel!" -- little Johnny to Ro-Man.

After a nuclear war an alien race have wiped out the rest of earth's civilization, aside from a handful of people: a professor (John Mylong) and his wife (Selena Royle); their daughter Alice (Claudia Barrett); their little boy Johnny (Gregory Moffett); his sister Carla (Pamela Paulson); and Alice's sometime boyfriend, Roy (George Nader of Death and Diamonds). Ro-Man (George Barrows; voiced by John Brown) is unaware that these people are immune to his ray guns because of an antibiotic they've taken. Ro-Man -- who appears to be a gorilla wearing a diving helmet -- seems taken with Alice, but will his interest in her be enough to save them? Things get grim in this comic bookish nightmare ... 

Claudia Barrett, John Mylong, George Nader

Behind the opening credits of Robot Monster are a variety of science fiction magazines and comics, which is especially appropriate because the movie is like a kid's comic book story, with ridiculous "science" and not much logic. The basic idea of a family trying to hold out against an all-powerful invader is perfectly good, but the movie -- especially its depiction of the ludicrous invaders -- is even sillier than some of those much-more-entertaining Republic sci fi serials such as Radar Men from the Moon. Still the acting is generally good, with Royle and Barrett playing with conviction, no easy feat considering the movie's absurdities. It's strange that the movie has such downbeat sequences as a child being murdered, however, considering the general tone of the picture. To pad out the running time there is stock footage of dinosaurs with some flimsy excuse for their appearance. Elmer Bernstein's theme music is better than the picture deserves. George Barrows also wore a gorilla outfit in Hillbillies in a Haunted House fourteen years later. Every cast member, aside from the children, had dozens and dozens of credits. 

Verdict: It's not very good but it may hold your attention in spite of it if only to see who survives. **1/4. 

NO ONE HEARD THE SCREAM

Vincente Parra and Carmen Sevilla

NO ONE HEARD THE SCREAM ( aka Nadie oyo gritar/1973). Director: Eloy de la Iglesia. 

Kept woman Elisa (Carmen Sevilla) maintains her own residence in a sparsely populated apartment building. One afternoon she catches her neighbor, failed writer Miguel (Vincente Parra), throwing his dead wife's body (Maria Asquerino) down the elevator shaft. Although apologetic, Miguel forcibly insists that Elisa help him dispose of his wife's corpse, which she does, driving off with him beside her and the wife's body in the trunk. Strangely, Elisa does not try very hard to get away from Miquel, and soon their relationship starts to head in unsettling directions. They have more in common than either had imagined but Miguel may be keeping secrets ... 

Sevilla with Tony Isbert

One thing you have to say for No One Heard the Scream -- it's certainly unpredictable. There is also a nifty sequence when our odd duo come across a highway accident and are told by cops that they must put a couple of victims in the back seat and their large suitcase in the trunk! A third person, an attractive young man named Tony (Tony Isbert), shows up and has a couple of appearances, but this doesn't really lead into anything that interesting. The final twist is interesting, although it raises unanswered questions. The whole thing might have been more absorbing if the two leads were a lot hotter or dragged Tony more into the story. 

Verdict: Intriguing Spanish suspense film comes close but doesn't quite cut it. **1/2.  

MIAMI UNDERCOVER

MIAMI UNDERCOVER (1961/syndicated). One season and 38 hour-hour episodes. 

In this lost crime series from the sixties, Lee Bowman (of The Lie) plays Jeff Thompson, a special investigator for the Hotel Association in Miami, where the show was filmed. Rocky Graziano (of Country Music Holiday) plays Rocky, who owns a nightclub -- Rocky's, of course -- and who apparently lives with Jeff. Another regular is Lt. O'Malley (Hugh Lawrence) of the Miami Beach Police Department, who has a pretty good relationship with Thompson. Michael Shayne, which debuted the previous year, also featured a private dick in Miami and lasted a little longer. 

There are only five episodes of the show available on the Internet, and it's too bad because Miami Undercover is an entertaining series. In "Miss Venus" the female partner in "Fair Lady" Enterprises is strangled, and the victim's sister works with Jeff to bring the killer to justice. In "School for Girls" Jeff and Rocky try to find out if it's a student or a teacher who's committing robberies at a girls' school. In "The Thrush" Larry King briefly plays a DJ who is murdered because he refuses to accept a bribe to play a record that is actually pretty decent. The singer is played by Jill Corey of Senior Prom and she gives a terrific dramatic performance. In "Bet Your Death" Suzanne Lloyd is excellent as a temptress who offers Jeff $10,000 for two days work selling bonds, but he knows something is fishy and uncovers a plot to assassinate a diplomat. In "Sunken Treasure" Nora Hayden of The Angry Red Planet is a duplicitous female who embroils an innocent young couple in a murderous scheme involving a phony treasure hunt in the Florida Keys. All of these entertaining episodes, with the exception of "Miss Venus," are also available in a DVD collection. 

Verdict: Interesting old series worth resuscitating. **3/4. 

SHADOW OF TREASON

John Bentley and Anita West

SHADOW OF TREASON (1964). Director: George P. Breakston. 

When Steve (John Bentley of Salute the Toff) saves the life of singer and club owner Tina (Anita West) in Trieste, she hires him as her bodyguard. Apparently her late father was blackmailing certain traitors and one of them is afraid that his daughter has knowledge of their activities. Steve tracks down some of these people, including Nadia (Faten Hamamah) and her crippled father; Mario (Ferdy Mayne), and former Nazi Michel Duval (John Gabriel), who tries to form an alliance with Nadia. This whole bunch wind up on a trek through East Africa, searching through a cave for incriminating documents and blackmail money. 

Ferdy Mayne and Faten Hamamah

Shadow of Treason throws together war criminals, rampaging elephants, large, sinister snakes and big spiders and still manages to be one of the duller movies to come out of Britain. The two women become jealous of each other but the dissipated-looking Bentley hardly seems the type to inspire that much lust, not that the ladies are such raving beauties. Much of the story is confusing in any case. The liveliest scene has a hit man being stabbed by Nadia's father, who comes rushing at the man, knife in hand, in his wheelchair -- both wind up dead. Shadow of Treason tries very hard to be exciting and sexy but it's a losing battle. It has decent performances, a poor musical score, a flaccid pace, and insufficient direction. Hamamah appeared in a great many Arabic films while West had only a few credits in Brit pictures. 

Verdict: Makes the worst eurospy picture seem like the best of Bond. *1/2. 
 

SENIOR PROM

Carter (Tom Laughlin) and his chipmunk (Jill Corey)

SENIOR PROM (1958). Director: David Lowell Rich. 

College student Gay Sheridan (Jill Corey) is practically engaged to childhood buddy and equally wealthy Carter Breed III (Tom Laughlin) but her heart starts going pitter patter when she meets aspiring singer Tom Harper (Paul Hampton). It makes some sense that she would go for Tom, but little sense that Carter -- who is handsome, suave and rich -- would go for Gay, who looks like a chipmunk. Gay's friends include Dog (James Komack), who drags his bass everywhere, and his gal pal, Flip (Barbara Bostock), who is not even as attractive as Gay. Trying to impress Gay, Carter promises the senior prom entertainment committee that he can get "the hottest act in show biz" -- Louis Prima and his wife (one of several) Keely Smith -- to perform. But does Gay really prefer Tom to dreamy Carter? 

Paul Hampton and James Komack

Senior Prom eschews rock music in favor of pastiche show tunes that are pleasant enough but wouldn't make Rodgers and Hammerstein lose any sleep. One of the numbers, "Big Daddy," is a rather snappy and memorable tune and it is very well performed by Jill Corey, who is not untalented. She was primarily a singer and had only a few film and TV credits. Paul Hampton, who is primarily a composer as well as an actor, amassed quite a few credits after this, his first film. James Komack had many credits as actor, writer and producer. Barbara Bostock was the beatnik dancer in Jerry Lewis' Visit to a Small Planet. Tom Laughlin later became "Billy Jack" in several hit movies.

Chipmunk in love!

An actor who somewhat classes up this cheap Columbia production is Freida Inescort (of The She Creature), who plays Gay's mother, and who doesn't think Tom can take care of her in the style to which she is accustomed. But Tom winds up with a hit record and even appears on the Ed Sullivan Show. The climax is the performances of various entertainers at the senior prom, most of which you can easily miss. Louis Prima is not much to speak of, but Keely Smith had a terrific voice and a lot of energy. When he sings in this Paul Hampton comes off like a California beach boy who is trying to be a Latin Lover boy! David Lowell Rich also directed The Horror at 37,000 Feet. 

Verdict: Smooth if forgettable. **. 

THE BEAST FROM 20,000 FATHOMS

The rhedosaurus surfaces in Manhattan

THE BEAST FROM 20,000 FATHOMS (1953). Director: Eugene Lourie. Colorized. 

When Dr. Tom Nesbitt (Paul Christian, aka Paul Hubschmid of The Day the Sky Exploded) of the Atomic Energy Commission is nearly killed by a revivified dinosaur after an atomic test in the Arctic, he has trouble getting anyone to believe his story. Only the testimony of an independent witness from a shipwreck, as well as several bizarre incidents of death and destruction, alert the authorities -- and paleontologist Professor Elson (Cecil Kellaway) -- that Nesbitt may be on to something. Elson spots the enormous creature in a diving bell, which is gulped by the monster. Then the rhedosaurus, as it is called, pops up in New York Harbor and lays waste to Manhattan ... 

The beast swallows a brave police officer (Lee Phelps) 

A big hit for Warner Brothers, Beast was the first time a prehistoric creature stomped across Manhattan since King Kong twenty years earlier. Ray Harryhausen did the stop-motion effects for the film and they are still excellent, with the rhedosaurus being rather beautiful in its own bizarre way. The success of Beast not only inspired Godzilla but engendered a whole slew of monster/creature movies (Warner Brothers followed up Beast with the first giant insect feature, Them!). The sequence when the beast picks up a police officer (Lee Phelps) in its teeth and swallows him whole -- reportedly excised in theaters but shown on television -- is still quite horrifying and very well-handled. 

Paul Christian and Paula Raymond

The actors in this come in second after the monster, but they are professional and convincing, with Christian a solid lead and some fine support from Paula Raymond as Elson's assistant and Kellaway as the ill-fated doctor. (When you go down in a diving bell to look for a monster, you know it won't end well -- this is another very well-handled sequence.) Others in the cast include Kenneth Tobey [It Came from Beneath the Sea] as Colonel Evans; Ross Elliott as the beast's first Arctic victim; King Donovan as a shrink; James Best as a radar operator; Donald Woods as Captain Jackson; Michael Fox as a doctor who determines that the rhedosaurus carries a plague; Lee Van Cleef as the sharpshooter who brings down the beast with a radioactive isotope at Coney Island; Merv Griffin as an (unseen) radio announcer; among others. David Buttolph has contributed an exciting and highly effective score. As usual, the colorizing process adds a new dimension, although this version is very imperfect and a bit fuzzy at times. Eugene Lourie later directed Gorgo and Behemoth the Sea Monster. 

Verdict: Classic monster movie still remains one of the very best. ***1/2. 

THE FIRST OMEN

Nell Tiger Free as Margaret

THE FIRST OMEN (2024). Director/co-screenplay: Arkasha Stevenson. NOTE: This review reveals important plot points.

Raised in an orphanage and supervised by Cardinal Lawrence (Bill Nighy), Margaret (Nell Tiger Free) is brought to another orphanage in Rome to help out as she prepares to take her vows. Margaret is contacted by the strange Father Brennan (Ralph Ineson), who tells her an unbelievable story: a faction in the Catholic church, dismayed by how so many people have abandoned the church, has decided upon an outrageous scheme to create more of the faithful and bring them back into the fold -- bring the anti-Christ into the world! Understandably Margaret finds this hard to believe, but when she investigates uncovers some highly disturbing facts. Has she been chosen to give birth to the anti-Christ? 

Bill Nighy as Cardinal Lawrence

The First Omen is, of course, a prequel to The Omen (1978) and its sequels. In the original film, it was Satanists who wanted their very own anti-Christ, but in this, it's a secret group within the church (although the film implies that it is pretty much the Catholic church itself). The whole notion of unleashing a great evil into the world to bring people back to the church -- creating more problems than it solves (for one thing won't the formerly faithful possibly be attracted to the anti-Christ?) -- is fascinating but fairly ludicrous. Are none of these nuns, priests or even the Cardinal able to see the sheer evil of their actions, which include murder? (Admittedly, I'm no great fan of the church but this is ridiculous.)

Sonia Braga as Sister Silva

As for the movie itself, its main strength are the performances, with Tiger Free offering a compelling portrait of the increasingly frightened and confused Margaret. Nighy and Ineson are also on target, and Sonia Braga is a stand-out as the rather demented Sister Silva. Andrea Arcangeli also scores (literally!) as Paolo, the handsome man in the disco who comes to a bad end in the film's grisliest sequence. Tawfeek Barhom, Nicole Sorace, and Maria Caballero also offer some good work. Charles Dance appears briefly in an early scene. The First Omen is slow-paced, but full of interesting (if familiar) and ghastly images. One could argue that the film's best moment is when we hear Jerry Goldsmith's great music from The Omen on the soundtrack. 

Verdict: Creepy moments, good performances, but not nearly as good as the original Omen. **1/2. 

THE VENETIAN AFFAIR

Robert Vaughn and Karl Boehm

THE VENETIAN AFFAIR (1966). Director: Jerry Thorpe.

In Venice a nuclear disarmament conference is shattered by an explosion that causes many deaths. It is later determined that the now-dead U.S. representative was the one who brought the bomb in -- but why? Dr. Vaugiroud (Boris Karloff of Before I Hang), who has been experimenting with a mind-control drug, may have the answer. Former CIA man Bill Fenner (Robert Vaughn) is sent to Venice by his boss at a wire service, where he encounters his ex-boss Frank "Rosey" Rosenfeld (Ed Asner), old friend Mike Ballard (Roger C. Carmel), Bill's ex-wife Sandra (Elke Sommer of Ten Little Indians), who is some kind of double agent, and the sinister Robert Wahl (Karl Boehm), who wants to get Sandra in his clutches. 

where's Illya when you need him?

Despite some interesting elements, Venetian Affair is too low-key -- a bit dull, in fact -- to keep the viewer's interest for long. Not every spy movie has to be James Bond or The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (in which Vaughn starred) but the quieter spy movies still have to have some suspense, a sense of dread and urgency, and this does not. The performances are all on target, although Vaughn never seems quite real, and when a drug makes him recoil in terror from a tiny mouse, you expect him to call for Illya. Others in the cast include Felicia Farr, Luciana Paluzzi, Fabrizio Mioni, Wesley Lau from Perry Mason, and Joe De Santis. There are some scenic views of beautiful Venice, but not nearly enough of them. 

Verdict: Watch U.N.C.L.E. instead. Audiences probably thought this was a theatrical version of that show anyway, which it isn't. **1/4. 

FOREVER AND A DAY

FOREVER AND A DAY. A James Bond Novel. Anthony Horowitz. Harper; 2018. 

Horowitz' second 007 novel after Trigger Mortis is a prequel that takes place before the events of Ian Fleming's first Bond adventure, Casino Royale, post-WW2. The original 007 is killed while investigating Corsican mobsters who have for some reason seemed to have left behind the highly profitable heroin trade -- but what are they up to now, M wonders. James Bond is given the License to Kill and asks to take the 007 number as a homage to the late operative, and continues the dead man's investigation in Marseilles. There he encounters CIA agent Reade Griffith as well as a beautiful older lady, an adventuress, named Sixtine, whose back story is fascinating. Sixtine not only teams up with Bond, but in some retrograde continuity that some readers may choose to reject, she's in part responsible for his taste in martinis and his bedmanship abilities. 

There are two main villains in Forever and a Day: Jean-Paul Scipio and Irwin Wolfe. The former is a monstrously corpulent mobster who threatens Bond's face with an acid bath although he doesn't really want to wreck his good looks. (Bond is confused over this even though a report on Scipio suggests that he's homosexual, making 007 seem not only unsophisticated but a bit dumb). Irwin Wolfe is an American billionaire who makes film stock and is bitter over the deaths of his two sons in WW2. The two have cooked up a scheme on Wolfe's huge new ocean liner that threatens society. Against all odds, the captured Bond and Sixtine do their level best to sink the liner and its cargo. 

For most of its length Forever and a Day is suspenseful and entertaining, although your eyebrows may rise over certain actions and attitudes of Bond, especially during the post script. Making Scipio gay seems more regressive than anything else, and his plans for 007 -- to turn him into a heroin addict who will become compliant in everything Scipio wants so the agent can get his fix -- is in questionable taste. Despite some very good scenes, Forever and a Day is a step backward from Trigger Mortis. 

Verdict: Bond fans do not have to consider this adventure canon. **3/4. 

THE DELINQUENTS

Eddy (Richard Bakalyan) checks out Scott (Tom Laughlin)

THE DELINQUENTS (1957). Written and directed by Robert Altman. 

Scotty (Tom Laughlin) is a nice young man who is going steady with 16-year-old Janice (Rosemary Howard), whose parents think she is too young to be dating one older boy. Encountering Cholly (Peter Miller) and his pals during a misadventure at a drive-in, Scotty is grateful when Cholly offers to pretend to be Janice's date, pick her up, and deliver her to Scotty -- the catch is they have to go to a party the gang is  holding without permission on an isolated estate. Thinking that Scotty tipped off the cops about the party, they basically kidnap him and then Janice -- and things get worse from there. 

Peter Miller and Richard Bakalyan

This alleged study of juvenile delinquency was written and directed by Robert Altman, his first film. Supposedly -- and inexplicably -- Alfred Hitchcock was so impressed that he hired Altman to helm some of the episodes of his TV series. (Let me make it clear that except for That Cold Day in the Park and maybe Popeye, I've never been a particular Altman admirer.) There is little impressive about this picture aside from the fact that it moves at a fairly good pace and is well acted by most of the cast. Laughlin certainly makes an impression in this. Years later he directed and starred in Billy Jack, a film that cost little to make and grossed 65 million! (Despite that, he never quite made the A list in Hollywood.) Peter Miller and Richard Bakalyan are also effective as the nastier members of the gang; Bakalyan had an especially long career. 

Verdict: They smoke, they drink, they make out -- and it's still not that interesting. **1/4. 

CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON

Stunning portrait of the Gill Man

CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON (1954). Director: Jack Arnold. Colorized.  

A group of scientists go the Amazon to search for more fossils from a presumably extinct creature, possibly the missing link. Dr. Reed (Richard Carlson), his girlfriend, Kay (Julie Adams) Dr, Maia (Antonio Moreno), Dr. Thompson (Whit Bissell), and the ambitious project head Dr. Williams (Richard Denning) should have known something was up after they find the torn bodies of Maia's crew, but they proceed to the "black lagoon" where this creature hangs out anyway, upon the advice of ship's captain, Lucas (Nestor Paiva). Williams wants to capture the creature and bring it back to civilization for study, but as this clawed and dangerous animal begins to decimate the members of the party, this seems more and more unlikely ... 

the gill man is fascinated by Kay swimming above

Creature from the Black Lagoon gets points for being something decidedly different from the other Universal monsters. Although at times the creature looks perhaps more comical than frightening, he is still a formidable figure. Creature is often illogical -- and forget about the "science" of the piece -- but that doesn't matter up against the tension and atmosphere that the film often generates. The best scene has the lonely gill man (why does no one wonder if he has a mate or if there are others of its kind in the vicinity?) swimming underneath Kay and reaching out to nearly touch her, a strangely erotic moment. 

Denning, Paiva, Adams, Carlson

The acting is credible even if no one in the film has much of a reaction to the horrible deaths of the hired men, and the characters only seem to show emotion towards the end when one of their number is mauled. The colorization process is generally good on the version I watched, giving the film a new dimension, and helping with the often murky underwater scenes. The blasting musical score, from a variety of sources, helps put over some of the slower sequences. There were two sequels to this film, although neither were as good, and a projected remake never materialized. Originally shown in 3-D.

Verdict: Entertaining classic horror flick with a very lively and unusual monster. ***. 

FLIGHT OF THE LOST BALLOON

Marshall Thompson and Mala Powers

FLIGHT OF THE LOST BALLOON (1961). Written and directed by Nathan Juran. 

When Dr. Joseph Faraday (Marshall Thompson) learns that the fiance, Sir Hubert (Douglas Kennedy), of Ellen Burton (Mala Powers of The Unknown Terror) -- daughter of explorer Adam Burton (Robert W. Gillette) -- has disappeared in Africa, he suggests a novel and quicker way of traversing the continent to find him: by balloon. But when it comes time to go, a mysterious man and guide known only as the Hindu (James Lanphier) arranges it so that Ellen goes along with him and Faraday instead of Adam Burton. Along the way the intrepid trio encounter a drunk cannibal queen and her cohorts, a flock of screeching attacking birds, bad-tempered gorillas, and a hostile 7 or so foot native named Golem (Felippe Birriel). On an island in Lake Victoria, the Hindu reveals his true colors. It all has to do with the ancient treasure of Cleopatra. 

James Lanphier

I suspect that Flight of the Lost Balloon was rushed out to compete with the following year's Five Weeks in a Balloon, as anything associated with Jules Verne -- who wrote Five Weeks -- was considered fair game after the success of 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea and Journey to the Center of the Earth. The movie is perhaps too low-budget to take advantage of its plot and scenery, with most of the trip by balloon -- which is never "lost" -- occurring via a mediocre blue screen process. 

Douglas Kennedy with Mala Powers

The actors are another story, as they handle the material with aplomb, especially James Lanphier as the very sinister Hindu, who is perfectly willing to torture Ellen to get her fiance to reveal the location of the treasure. Douglas Kennedy is also quite effective as the greedy Sir Hubert, who would rather spend years in captivity than give up the fabulous treasure he has been searching for. There's a good musical score by Hal Borne, but there isn't enough of it to drum up some excitement in key moments. Despite a lot of activity the film still threatens to become a bit tedious at times. Nathan Juran also directed First Men in the Moon and many others. NOTE: According to the Internet Movie Data Base this was an uncredited and very loose adaptation of Five Weeks in a Balloon, but 20th Century-Fox, who were working on their own version, forced them to remove all references to Jules Verne. 

Verdict: Rocket ships and subs are more fun than balloons. **1/4. 

FIVE WEEKS IN A BALLOON

The huge cast of Five Weeks in a Balloon

FIVE WEEKS IN A BALLOON (1962). Produced and directed by Irwin Allen. 

Balloonist Fergusson (Cedric Hardwicke) wants to explore Africa by air but also has a deeper concern: beating a group of slave traders to a certain uncharted territory so that it can be claimed for England instead of by them. The balloon eventually fills up with a riot of motley individuals: the fussy Sir Vining (Richard Haydn at his fussiest); Fergusson's handsome assistant Jacques (Fabian), who handles the engine; American ne'er-do-well reporter Donald O'Shay (a miscast Red Buttons); rescued slave, Makia (Barbara Luna); another rescued slave, Susan (Barbara Eden); and even the slave trader himself Ahmed (Peter Lorre). There are way too many people on this balloon!

Buttons, Luna, Fabian

Five Weeks in a Balloon is the second film version of Jules Verne's first novel of the same name. Flight of the Lost Balloon, made the previous year, is a cheaper copy with very different plot points. Released by 20th Century-Fox in CinemaScope, Five Weeks has much better production values. Unfortunately this adaptation is just as loose and silly. After The Brothers Four warble the title tune over the credits, Fabian reprises it twice -- I can't get the damn thing out of my head. It is slightly better than the title tune for Flight of the Lost Balloon. Instead of a drunken fat cannibal queen as in Flight, this version offers an equally fat and drunken sultan. There's a sandstorm that doesn't really amount to much, a few wild animals, minor romances, and a fairly exciting climax in the forbidden city of Timbuktu. 

Chester aka Duchess: a "simian sot!"

Fabian [Bus Stop] actually manages to give a decent performance, although there is absolutely nothing of the 19th century about him, especially his hair style. I had trouble understanding a lot of Hardwick's mushy speech. Hadyn seems to essentially be playing the same part he played in The Lost World and many other films. Eden and Luna are reasonably competent and decorative. Peter Lorre is too cute by far for a rather loathsome and conscienceless slave trader. The slave trade is condemned but not very forcefully and black natives are never mentioned. Henry Daniell shows up briefly as a Sheik, and Herbert Marshall is the prime minister. Chester the Chimp plays the Duchess, who likes her liquor. "A simian sot," Hadyn declares her. Score by Paul Sawtell and photographed by Winton Hoch. 

Verdict: The surplus of silliness works against it. You keep hoping some dinosaurs will show up to enliven things! **1/4.