STAY TUNED, TOO!

B MOVIE NIGHTMARE is on temporary hiatus while I finish up a new book project. Work, work, work!

We will be back in the new year if not before!

SON OF FRANKENSTEIN

Karloff and Lugosi

SON OF FRANKENSTEIN (1939). Director: Rowland V. Lee. Colorized.

Baron Wolf von Frankenstein (Basil Rathbone of Hillbillies in a Haunted House) arrives in the town where his father created his monster with his wife Elsa (Josephine Hutchinson) and little boy, Peter (Donnie Dunagan), in tow. No one in the village is pleased to see this new Frankenstein, but at least the Inspector (Lionel Atwill of Captain America). whose arm was torn off by the monster, is willing to provide protection for him. Wolf learns that not only is the monster still alive, but that the malevolent Ygor (Bela Lugosi of Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein) has been using him to kill off those who sentenced him to die for graverobbing. (Instead he just wound up with a broken neck.) The monster has been inactive since being struck by lightning, but Wolf stupidly decides to revive him. Naturally havoc ensues ...

Rathbone and Hutchinson

Son of Frankenstein is a fun and absorbing picture with weird art deco sets and some terrific performances. Lugosi arguably gives the best performance of his career as the gleefully conniving and cackling Ygor. Rathbone, Hutchinson and Atwill are also excellent, and little Dunagan gets by on sheer adorableness. Karloff is basically mute in this but still quite effective. The film has genuine suspense and moves at a swift pace. If there's any problem with the movie it's that Wolf Frankenstein is essentially an asshole, endangering his wife and child, and never really gets his comeuppance for this. The film also has a very interesting score by Frank Skinner. 

Verdict: Wonderful old Universal horror flick. ***1/4. 

THE OUTER LIMITS: THE INVISIBLE ENEMY

Adam West watches Martian monster approach

THE OUTER LIMITS: The Invisible Enemy. Season 2, episode 7/1964. Director: Byron Haskin. Colorized. 

When the two astronauts sent on the first expedition to Mars vanish without a trace, a second expedition is sent, with strict instructions that the members must remain in sight at all times. Unfortunately, when one man ducks down to inspect a piece of wreckage, he screams and disappears! Another man vanishes, and crew member Buckley (Rudy Solari) figures out that there's something out there in the Martian sand. That something is a huge, flesh-eating reptilian creature that swims through sand like a shark swims through water. Eventually Major Merritt (Adam West) winds up cornered on a small piece of rock as one of the creatures tries to make a meal out of him. 

Rudy Solari and Adam West

The Invisible Enemy has a great and creepy idea going for it, although the execution isn't entirely satisfactory. Buckley is a stupid character, and he lowers the whole tone of the enterprise. At least Solari's performance is acceptable, which is not the case for Adam West. The future Batman shows his obvious contempt for the material by barely working up a sweat. An implausible aspect of the script is that none of the astronauts have the slightest reaction when their colleagues are gobbled up, as if they barely knew them when they've obviously been working together for months. It almost doesn't make sense that the second expedition finds the first rocket ship in pieces as if it crashed on landing, when the prologue makes it clear that this is not the case.

Joe Maross and Ted Knight at Earth Control

However, The Invisible Enemy, directed by sci fi specialist Byron Haskin (The War of the Worlds; The Power; Robinson Crusoe on Mars), is still quite eerie, with an effective musical score. While the creature itself -- it turns out to be only one of many, of course -- may not have the greatest design, it is still a fearsome-looking thing with rather large teeth and claws. (Decades later, more than one low-budget filmmaker has stolen the premise and come up with actual "sand sharks" to bedevil people on Earth's beaches.) Joe Maross and Ted Knight play worried people waiting miles away in "Earth Control" -- Maross, in particular, plays with far more passion than West. His character has to make a difficult decision to possibly leave the surviving astronauts behind on Mars. Byron Haskin also directed Captain Sindbad. This episode may have influenced the Tremors movies even as it may have been influenced by the sand monsters in Dune. 

Verdict: Although nearly done in by dumb elements, Invisible Enemy is a noteworthy episode of the series. ***. 

13 GHOSTS

Rosemary DeCamp, Donald Woods, Martin Milner

13 GHOSTS (1960). Produced and directed by William Castle. Colorized. 

Cyrus Zorba (Donald Woods of The Black Doll), who works in a museum, inherits a house from his late uncle, a researcher in spirits. Cyrus movies his wife and two children into the spooky manor, then learns that his uncle actually collected ghosts and they are haunting the place! A special viewer that resembles weird binoculars enables Cyrus to see the ghosts, which include a headless lion tamer, the lion, an axe murderer, and others. But Cyrus may have more problems besides ghosts -- the uncle left a fortune in the house and a certain individual will stop at nothing to get his hands on it, including murder!

Martin Milner and Jo Morrow

13 Ghosts is a fun movie that may, at times, be sillier than it needs to be even if it occasionally has a darker tone to it as well. Woods is fine as the hapless Cyrus, and he gets good support from Rosemary DeCamp as his wife, Jo Morrow as his daughter, and Charles Herbert as his little boy, Buck, not to mention Martin Milner as an amiable lawyer who dates Morrow and befriends her brother. John Van Dreelen (of The Leech Woman) is Wood's boss -- smooth as ever -- and Margaret Hamilton is adequate as the crusty housekeeper.  Jo Morrow, a very appealing actress, also co-starred in The Three Worlds of Gulliver. 

Verdict: One of Castle's better movies. ***. 

MANIAC (1963)

MANIAC (1963). Director: Michael Carreras. 

Jeff Farrell (Kerwin Mathews, of 7th Voyage of Sinbad fame), is vacationing in France when he comes across an inn run by a pretty young woman, Annette (Liliane Brousse), and her stepmother, Eve (Nadia Gray). Jeff romances both but winds up falling for Eve, who tells him how her husband Georges (Donald Houston of The Flaw) was institutionalized after taking a blow torch to the man who raped his daughter four years before (this is detailed in the prologue). Eve has fallen in love with Jeff and hopes to free the hopefully cured Georges so he can get his life and daughter back, at least, while she goes off with her new love, Jeff. Jeff agrees to help Eve break her husband out of prison, but things go awry when Georges apparently murders the asylum employee who aids him in his escape. Now what do they do? Maniac holds the attention but it has absolutely no style or atmosphere and veteran cinematographer Wilkie Cooper's work is unimpressive. Just about everything about the movie is unconvincing, including the mostly flat acting (especially from Mathews and Gray, who generate little heat) and especially the twist ending, which comes as a surprise but seems to make everything a bit pointless. Jimmy Sangster's [Fear in the Night]  typically convoluted screenplay is not one of his better ones. Like other films, the title was supposed to create an identification with Psycho, but this is nowhere in the same league as Hitchcock's thriller.

Verdict: Watch once and then forget it! **1/4. 

THE LAST VOYAGE OF THE DEMETER

Dracula!

THE LAST VOYAGE OF THE DEMETER (2023). Director: Andre Ovredal.

Taking its cue from references in Bram Stoker's classic novel "Dracula," Demeter examines what happens on that ship when Dracula, inside a box filled with Transylvanian dirt, is transported to London, feeding on the crew all the while. This is certainly a neat idea for a movie, but the execution is something else again. What could have worked as a 30 or 60 minute TV show is stretched out to two hours, and the movie is s l o w www. 

Corey Hawkins

This is unfortunate, as Last Voyage of the Demeter boasts impressive scenic design and some excellent performances, especially from lead Corey Hawkins as the black ship's doctor (no, this character does not appear in Stoker's novel), Liam Cunningham as the captain planning on retirement, and little Woody Norman as the ill-fated cabin boy, Toby, although the entire cast is effective. Dracula himself is depicted in his half-human, half-bat stage with wings and grinning maw. He shows up way too late in the game. The film is on occasion illogical and often underlit. The closing theme music by Bear McCreary has the energy that is completely lacking from the movie itself. 

Verdict: Good idea pretty much frittered away. **1/2. 

THUNDERBOLTS

Thunderbolts prepare for action

THUNDERBOLTS (2025). Director: Jake Schreier. 

Valentina Allegra de Fontaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) runs black ops for the government -- her group is called Oxe -- but is coming under scrutiny from Congress. She decides to eliminate several of her operatives by unknowingly pitting them against one another in a warehouse where each has been told to "take out' whoever is there. These include Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh); John Walker or U.S. Agent (Wyatt Russell), who briefly filled in for Captain America; Yelena's father, formerly the Russian hero the Red Guardian (David Harbour); Bucky Barnes or the Winter Soldier (Sebastian Stan), Captain America's one-time partner; Ava Starr, a woman who can dematerialize and is also known as the Ghost (Hannah John-Kamen); and Robert Reynolds, an "experiment" in creating super-heroes that resulted in both Sentry and his evil alter ego, the Void (Lewis Pullman). Instead of destroying one another, these six second stringers decide to team up as the Thunderbolts to take down Valentina. But it won't be easy when the Void takes over Robert and has him apparently vaporizing most of Manhattan ... 

Louis-Dreyfus and Wendell Pierce

Most of the above characters originally appeared in Marvel comic books decades ago and their cinematic counterparts are alternate versions of them. Thunderbolts was also a comic about a group of villains pretending to be heroes for their own gain, but eventually metamorphosing into genuine good guys. Sentry was a member of the Avengers for a time as well. Valentina was not a ruthless villainess (pretending to be a good guy) in the comics as she is in this and other Marvel movies, but she is very well played by Louis-Dreyfus. The other cast members, including Wendell Pierce as Congressman Gary, are also notable. People who are completely unfamiliar with the comics will wonder who the hell some of these people are -- I certainly did!

Sentry (Lewis Pullman) goes after Val

Thunderbolts only really gets going late in the movie when Sentry, under the influence of Valentina, goes on the rampage, with some effective action and FX work. Unfortunately, this sequence is much too brief, and dissipates into some tiresome dream-type sequences with the members of the Tbolts encountering images from their pasts. Thunderbolts is also much too long, considering how little of the film is really memorable. At the end of the film Val pulls a fast one and rechristens the team the New Avengers, but it is highly debatable if this team will have any staying power. Florence Pugh also appeared in Don't Worry Darling, and is so different (and versatile) that you will hardly recognize her. 

Verdict: Fair to middling Marvel movie will probably disappoint most fans. **1/2. 

THE PSYCHOPATH

THE PSYCHOPATH (1966). Director: Freddie Francis.

Despite its title and the fact that it was written by Robert Bloch (who wrote the novel Hitchcock's Psycho was based upon), The Psychopath is not quite a psycho-shocker with an emphasis on gruesome deaths (although there are some of those, of course, but they're not too graphic). Rather it's a comparatively tasteful mystery about a series of murders of men who may have wrongly accused a German man of being a war criminal. The man's widow, Mrs. Von Sturm (Margaret Johnston) and son Mark (John Standing) are suspects, but there are other possibilities as well. The killer leaves dolls that resemble the victims at the scene of each murder. The mystery deepens when people who have no connection to the Von Sturm's start being targeted. Absorbing, well-acted thriller (Johnston is particularly good if slightly hammy at times) is no Psycho but it has its moments (including some awkward, stilted ones). There's a good climactic fight in a shipyard (with classical music in the background) and an effective credit sequence with evocative music by Elisabeth Lutyens. Patrick Wymark is the inspector on the case; he's bland but more than competent. The epilogue when the killer is finally revealed is nicely chilling and disturbing. 

Verdict: This is suspenseful stuff in a minor key. ***. 

M3GAN 2.0

Gemma and M3gan

M3GAN 2.0 (2025). Director: Gerard Johnstone. 

In this sequel to the unremarkable M3gan, the robot's inventor, Gemma (Allison Williams), discovers -- when FBI agents knock on her door -- that there is a rogue government android, Amelia (Ovanna Sakhno), who seems to have developed her own agenda. Gemma is accused of being behind this, and even of being a traitor. Then she learns that M3gan's consciousness might still be active -- could she be of help or only cause more trouble? This all leads to the complicated unraveling of a terrible conspiracy ... 

Ovanna Sakhno and Jemaine Clemont

M3gan 2.0 is one of the only movies that I found entertaining and yet boring at the same time! For one thing, at two hours it is way too long. There is a lot of messy, often dull and silly running around to what seems like little purpose. The snippets of humor are sometimes genuinely amusing, however. Jemaine Clemont is quite funny and adept as shady tech billionaire Alton Appleton and Aristotle Athari scores as Gemma's friend and colleague, Christian. Jenna Davis and Sakhno are perfect as the wily robots. The frequent discussions of artificial intelligence, especially its dangers, are often interesting. The large supporting cast is game. But this is nothing that I would ever want to sit through again. 

Verdict: Both savvy and dumb. **1/4. 

PRETTY POISON

PRETTY POISON (1968). Director: Noel Black.

A twisted romance develops between a disturbed young man named Dennis Pitt (Anthony Perkins of Chillers) and an even more disturbed young woman named Sue Ann Stepanek (Tuesday Weld). Pitt, who was institutionalized for a time, draws Sue Ann into games in which he pretends he's a CIA agent involving her in his dangerous assignments. This leads to more than one murder and a plot by Pitt to get even with the man who fired him. Reasonably entertaining film holds the attention and features some good performances -- especially from Beverly Garland as Sue Ann's unpleasant mother -- and is very well photographed by David Quaid. Good supporting performances from John Randolph and Dick O'Neill (of Gammera, the Invincible). Screenplay by Lorenzo Semple Jr. Noel Black also directed Prime Suspect. 

Verdict: Some good moments but nothing really special. **1/2.

GHOST OF ZORRO

Clayton Moore as grandson of Zorro

GHOST OF ZORRO (12-chapter Republic serial/1949). Director: Fred C. Brannon. Colorized version. 

Ken Mason (Clayton Moore), grandson of Don Diego Vega, the original Zorro, is in New Mexico after the Civil War where Rita White (Pamela Blake) hopes to build a telegraph line beginning in Twin Bluffs. Bad guys George Crane (Gene Roth) and Hank Kilgore (Roy Barcroft), along with a host of other desperadoes, fear that the telegraph will help bring law and order to the territory. Ken is importuned by his buddy, Moccasin (George J. Lewis), to ride as Zorro to combat the various schemes of Crane and the others, and this he does. Explosions, attacks by Indians working with Crane, wagons flying over cliffsides, and more will not keep Zorro and Rita from completing that telegraph line. 

George J. Lewis and Pamela Blake

A sort of sequel to Son of Zorro, this is a cut below that serial but still entertaining and frequently exciting. Marshall Reed and Tom Steele are two of the nasty gunsels, and the latter gets a bit more to do than usual. George J. Lewis proves his versatility, as he often played bad guys as he did in Federal Operator 99 and many others. Pamela Blake was in a number of serials as well as Daltons' Women with Lash LaRue, but in this production she is competent but lacks enough oomph. Cliffhanger serials aren't always logical, but I'm still scratching my head over a scene in chapter two in which Mason/Zorro, riding behind Rita in a wagon, jumps off his horse, climbs a cliff, and somehow manages to jump into said wagon which is now, impossibly, behind him. (If the wagon went around some kind of curve, the logistics of this aren't shown.) Still, Ghost of Zorro is fun.

Verdict: Probably not the last gasp for Zorro. **3/4. 

RING-A-DING RHYTHM

Craig Douglas and Helen Shapiro

RING-A-DING RHYTHM (aka It's Trad, Dad/1962). Director: Richard Lester.  

The mayor (Felix Felton) of a small British town is convinced that the new music the kids are playing is not only disturbing the peace, but lowering moral values. Craig (Craig Douglas) and Helen (Helen Shapiro) think the answer is to organize a jazz festival to show that the music is not that bad, but who can they get to host it? They travel to a studio to try to find a host, and encounter a large number of both British and American musical acts. But can they convince the mayor of the rightness of their cause?

"Another Tear Falls:" Gene McDaniels

Douglas and Shapiro were minor singers in the UK who were tapped to essentially host this concert movie, which makes use of such acts as The Paris Sisters, Gary (U.S.) Bonds, Gene Vincent, the Brook Brothers, Del Shannon, Chubby Checker, and others, most of whom (with the exception of Checker) are forgotten today. The musical highlight is the very talented Gene McDaniels singing "Another Tear Falls." Douglas has a pleasant voice and appealing manner, but Shapiro's voice is very odd and too deep. John Leyton (of The Idol) is billed as a special guest star, but he only shows up to sing one number. The final segment features some excellent Dixieland jazz bands, and the mayor finally gets to shaking his booty! Director Richard Lester assures that the movie is visually inventive, although producer Milton Subotsky's "script" doesn't amount to much. Lester later directed two films starring the Beatles as well as Superman III. From Amicus studios. 

Verdict: Musically interesting, but not much of a movie. **. 

AN UNLOCKED WINDOW: ALFRED HITCHCOCK HOUR

T. C. Jones, Louise Latham, Dana Wynter

AN UNLOCKED WINDOW: The Alfred Hitchcock Hour. (Season 3, episode 17/1965).  Directed by Joseph M. Newman. 

In the middle of a thunder storm, two nurses, Stella (Dana Wynter of The View from Pompey's Head) and Betty (T. C. Jones), and a cook/housekeeper (Louise Latham of Marnie), are alone in the house with their patient, Glendon (John Kerr), who is in bed in an oxygen tent. The caretaker has been sent off to get another tank of oxygen, and the ladies are nervous because several nurses in the area have been murdered by an unknown maniac. Stella is determined to make certain that every door and window in the house is locked, but down in the basement she is startled by a mouse, and forgets to lock a window swinging in the wind ... Something nags at Stella, who does seem forgetful at times, as Betty reminds her.

Nurses in the bedroom with John Kerr

Based on a story by Ethel Lina White, and with a script by James Bridges, An Unlocked Window is one of the most memorable episodes of The Alfred Hitchcock Hour. The big reveal at the end is not as shocking as it was back in the sixties, and if you know anything about the actors you will be clued in early on, but the program is still quite suspenseful and well-acted (even if in some scenes Wynter doesn't act quite as terrified as she should). The show is well-directed by Joseph M. Newman for maximum tension. Admittedly there is one scene that is a bit of a cheat, rather impossible in fact -- people simply can't be in two places at once -- but this doesn't completely ruin things (blame it on the editing).  Busy director Newman's most famous film is probably This Island Earth. Writer James Bridges later directed such films as The China Syndrome and Urban Cowboy. 

Verdict: Very creepy, with a chilling finale -- you just can't trust anyone, can you? ***. 

VIOLENT BLOOD BATH

 VIOLENT BLOOD BATH (aka Pena de Muerte/Penalty of Death/1974). Director: Jorge Grau. 

Oscar Bataille (Fernando Rey of The French Connection and The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie) is a French prosecutor who is married to the younger Patricia (Marisa Mell), whom he neglects. At a resort hotel, Patricia runs into an old flame, Wilson (Espartaco Santoni), who -- unlike Oscar -- objects to the death penalty and wants to interview and debate him on the subject. He also wants to renew his romantic relationship with Patricia, although she insists that she loves her husband and resists Wilson's entreaties. When a family is slaughtered in the town, Oscar realizes that the murder scene recreates one of the terrible crimes he prosecuted. Oscar is afraid that more copycat murders will follow, and on this he is right. As Wilson and Patricia become closer, Inspector Navarro (Julian Navarro) investigates two unlikely suspects in the form of plain would-be actress Laura (Elisa Laguna) and her temporary boyfriend, actor Javier Duran (Maximo Valverde). One of these people will also become a victim. Then Patricia finds a certain scarf draped over a dead body and begins to wonder if her husband is losing his mind ... 

Fernando Rey falls asleep watching Violent Blood Bath

Violent Blood Bath is the lurid English title of a Spanish thriller that contains very few thrills. While the movie doesn't quite go in the direction you think it will, once it makes up its mind it doesn't deviate, meaning there is no final twist and nothing of much interest happening on the screen. If you're a gore geek hoping for a literal "blood bath," be advised that all of the murders occur off-screen. When the scene comes along in which Fernando Rey is napping in his bed, you may think your time would be better spent doing the same (without Rey) instead of sitting through this movie. 

Verdict: Pretty much a waste of ninety minutes. *1/2. 

SON OF ZORRO

Zorro in action!

SON OF ZORRO (13-chapter Republic serial/1947). Directors: Spencer Gordon Bennet; Fred C. Brannon. Colorized version. 

In a post-Civil War period rancher Jeffrey Stewart (George Turner) returns to Box County and discovers that crooked politicians and their cronies have taken over. These include Judge Hyde (Ernie Adams), Sheriff Moody (Ed Cassidy), a desperado named Boyd (Roy Barcroft of Manhunt of Mystery Island), and others, all of whom report to a mysterious "Chief" behind the scenes. Jeff has two main allies: his foreman Pancho (Stanley Price of The Invisible Monster), and the post-mistress, Kate Wells (Peggy Stewart of When the Clock Strikes). These and others who are opposed to the plans of the Chief will have a tough time fighting off his sinister schemes. Pancho gives Jeff the idea of dressing up as his ancestor, the famous Zorro!

George Turner as Jeff Stewart

Son of Zorro is an exciting, well-made Republic serial with lots of action, lively well-choreographed fist fights, and a snappy musical score. George Turner is fine and appealing in the actor's only starring role, and the other cast members add some zest as well.  Memorable cliffhangers include a huge ore crusher that threatens to smush Kate; an avalanche caused by dynamite; our hero and Kate trapped by rushing water inside a cave; a wagon that hurtles off a cliff during a landslide; an inferno in the jail where Kate and Jeff are trapped; and others. Other familiar players in the serial include Ken Terrell and Tom Steele as bad guys. Price isn't entirely convincing as the Hispanic foreman, and the identity of the Chief comes as no great surprise. 

Verdict: Highly entertaining and fast-paced western serial. ***. 

GIRL ON THE RUN

Efrem Zimbalist Jr.

GIRL ON THE RUN (1958). Director: Richard L. Bare. 

Private investigator Stu Bailey (Efrem Zimbalist Jr.) is hired by a man to find a young lady named Kathy Allen (Erin O'Brien), a singer who has changed her name and is working in a nightclub. Bailey doesn't know that Kathy ran off after she witnessed a murder -- a labor leader was shot in a parking lot -- and felt that the police couldn't protect her (a sniper fired into the hotel room where the cops were guarding her). We know the identity of the perpetrator from the first: a district attorney named McCullough (Shepperd Strudwick), who is obviously as dirty as they come. Once Bailey finds out the truth his job is two-fold: protect Kathy (and himself) and ferret out the identity of the murderer and her tormentor. Meanwhile a hit man named Smiley (Edd Byrnes of Reform School Girl) is also on the trail. 

Edd Byrnes as the smiling psychopath

Stuart Bailey was introduced in novels written by Roy Huggins, then appeared on two episodes of Conflict, an anthology series, where he was also played by Zimbalist. Girl on the Run was a telefilm that also served as the pilot for 77 Sunset Strip, the long-running LA-based private eye show. Girl on the Run was released as a theatrical feature in non-USA markets. Although playing a sleazy bad guy in this, there were things about Byrnes' portrayal that appealed to producer William Orr, and when the series started, Byrnes was retained in a good guy role ("Kookie") who shared some of the more benign qualities of the hit man Smiley.  A hilarious aspect to this is that every time Byrnes appears, we hear the kind of sexy music that is usually associated with beautiful babes -- it's weird. Even weirder that the Byrnes "theme" was retained for 77 Sunset Strip! A funny sequence has the hitman laughing at a Daffy Duck cartoon in a movie house.

Erin O'Brian

Despite knowing who the villain is from the first, Girl on the Run has some suspense as Bailey, well-played by Zimbalist, tries to outwit both Smiley and McCullough (well-played by Strudwick). Erin O'Brian also delivers in her role of the somewhat feisty but frightened witness. Harry Lauter (of The Louisiana Hussy) plays a man that Bailey hires to play drunk and annoy Kathy so that he can come to her rescue. Marion Hargove did the screenplay and Howard Jackson composed the score.

Verdict: An interesting intro to 77 Sunset Strip. **1/2. 

MY DEAR KILLER

MY DEAR KILLER (aka Mio caro assassino/1971. Director: Tonino Valerii.

Inspector Luca Peretti (George Hilton) is called in when a man named Paradisi (Francesco Di Federico) is beheaded by an excavator machine which he had rented to dig into a swamp. Peretti discovers that Paradisi was an insurance investigator, and had been assigned to a case where a little girl, Stefania, was kidnapped, with dire results. As Peretti tries to learn more about this case, there are a whole series of other killings, with the victims always being somehow involved with the kidnapping even in oblique ways. One teacher is attacked by an assailant wielding a portable saw. Peretti gathers the suspects together and confronts them with a surprise bit of evidence that the child herself was directly responsible for. 

George Hilton investigates

My Dear Killer is a complex, often fascinating giallo that seems a touch far-fetched at times but never goes completely over the edge. George Hilton [The Dark is Death's Friend] is fine as the detective, as is William Berger [The Murder Clinic] as one of the suspects. Both actors appeared in a number of international productions and horror films. Ennio Morricone's musical score is quirky and unnerving and adds much to the film's effectiveness. Director Tonino Valerii stages some sequences quite well and the film is undeniably creepy and suspenseful. Not quite on the Dario Argento level but interesting.

Verdict: Imperfect but effective giallo with some striking sequences and an interesting plot. ***. 

DAUGHTER OF DON Q

Delores hangs on for dear life!

DAUGHTER OF DON Q (12-chapter Republic serial/1946). Directors: Spencer Gordon Bennet; Fred C. Brannon.

Delores Quantero (Lorna Gray appearing as Adrian Booth) is one of the descendants of the wealthy Don Quantero. She is unaware that a greedy and sociopathic cousin named Carlos Manning (LeRoy Mason) has learned that Quantero's heirs may be in for millions due to certain land grants. Manning wants all the money for himself and hires Mel Donovan (Roy Barcroft) to kill Delores and all of the others! With the aid of reporter Cliff Roberts (Kirk Alyn), Delores tries to warn her scattered relatives and keep herself alive during repeated attacks. 

Roy Barcroft corners Kirk Alyn

Daughter of Don Q is another exciting and snappy Republic serial with plenty of action, bone-crushing fist fights and some terrific cliffhangers, including Delores hanging onto a curtain for dear life, a huge pane of glass that threatens to become a guillotine, and a rail car loaded with explosives that is heading directly for a racing train. The climax on a bridge with Delores trapped inside a crate and dangling on the railing is absolutely thrilling! 

Verdict: Nifty Republic serial! ***. 

THE POE CINEMA: A Critical Filmography.

THE POE CINEMA: A Critical Filmography. Don G. Smith. McFarland; 1999. 

Author Smith looks at films that have been based on or influenced by the works of Edgar Allan Poe in this well-written, illustrated tome, beginning with the silent period. Sometimes the only connection to Poe is the title. Films covered include the Corman films such as The Fall of the House of Usher and The Premature Burial, the British Tell-Tale Heart with Laurence Payne, Italian films like Castle of Terror with Barbara Steele, German flicks such as The Torture Chamber of Dr. Sadism with Lex Barker, various versions of The Masque of the Red Death, and many, many others. Smith even includes such oddities as the 1989 slasher entitled Buried Alive starring Robert Vaughn. Each essay in The Poe Cinema has background notes and solid critical observations. Absorbing, informative, and highly interesting.  

Verdict: Possibly the last word on the Poe influence on movies. ***1/2. 

HAWAIIAN EYE Season One

Connie Stevens, Anthony Eisley, Robert Conrad

HAWAIIAN EYE TV series Season One (1959).

77 Sunset Strip was such a successful private eye show that Warner Brothers producer William Orr decided to use the same formula -- good-looking guys involved with dames and intrigue -- on a series set in Honolulu instead of Los Angeles and the result was Hawaiian Eye. Anthony Eisley and Robert Conrad played the detectives, who have an office complete with bedrooms and swimming pool inside the Hawaiian Village Hotel (which still exists) for which they do security. They also have time to take cases for people who are being threatened or searching for someone who's disappeared etc. 

Douglas Mossman as Moke

There are two other recurring characters, the cab driver and kibitzer Kim (Poncie Ponce), and the singing photographer Cricket Blake (Connie Stevens). Cricket is a petulant, annoying, 12-year-old in a woman's body who has a serious crush on Tracy Steele (Eisner of The Wasp Woman). She not only adds little to the program -- there are plenty of attractive women in the stories -- but her contract obviously gives her the right to sing a song in virtually every episode. This wouldn't be a problem if it weren't for the fact that Stevens' whispery so-called singing is pretty mediocre. Actually Poncie Ponce, who like Stevens is afflicted with terminal cuteness, has a much better voice and is a more talented singer. Others who appeared frequently in the first season and afterward include handsome Hawaiian native Douglas Mossman as security officer Moke and Mel Prestidge  as Lt. Danny Quan, another native Hawaiian who was also a real-life sheriff at the time the show was filming. 

Anthony Eisley and Robert Conrad

Hawaiian Eye was a good and entertaining series if not necessarily a great one. It lasted four seasons, however. Notable episodes include "Beach Boy" with Troy Donahue, Faith Domergue and Robert Lowery in a story of a young man who may or may not be the wealthy heir who supposedly drowned ten years earlier. "Secret of the Second Door" features Harry Bartell in a story of a woman who wants Tom Lopaka (Conrad) to find a stolen cache of money. "Dead Ringer" stars an excellent Dianne Foster and Warren Stevens in a tale of a sinister plot that enfolds Lopaka simply because he resembles Foster's husband. "The Kikiki Kid" stars John Gabriel as a nightclub singer with major show biz aspirations who pursues and romances a columnist (Jean Byron) who can help him while neglecting his wife (Myrna Hansen). Kim is accused of stealing a diamond worth half a million dollars in "Cut of Ice" with Robert Clarke and Frank Albertson. 

Verdict: Fun colorful series with interesting leads and guest performers. ***. 

KING OF THE MOUNTIES

Allan Lane returns as Sgt. Dave King

KING OF THE MOUNTIES (12-chapter Republic serial/1942). Director: William Witney. Colorized version.

After the success of King of the Royal Mounted, Allan Lane was brought back as Sgt. Dave King of the RCMP in this new cliffhanger with even more formidable adversaries. A deadly triumvirate consisting of Japanese admiral Yamata (Abner Biberman); German Marshal Von Horst (Wilhelm von Brincken); and Italian Count Boroni (Nestor Paiva) are working behind the scenes to destroy Canada. Professor Brent (George Irving of Spy Ship) has invented a special device that can detect the activities of the Axis trio's "Falcon," a rocket-controlled aircraft which takes the group into their HQ inside an active volcano. Traitors working for the Axis include Blake (Bradley Page) and Harper (Douglass Dumbrille of The Catman of Paris), with Anthony Warde and Jay Novello on board for more nefarious activity. William Bakewell plays another Mountie and associate of King's, Peggy Drake is Brent's daughter, Carol, and Duncan Renaldo is Harper's right-hand Pierre. 

Axis trio: Paiva, Biberman and von Brincken

King of the Mounties is another exciting serial with Lane making the most of his role, and such memorable cliffhangers as a car exploding with Carol inside it; King being dropped right out of the bomb bay of the Falcon; planes colliding in mid-air; and a runaway car that smacks into King as he stands at the edge of a cliff. As usual, you can easily lose count of how many fist fights with broken furniture there are -- at least two in every chapter -- and there are plenty of chases and breathless escapes. The actors are all game as well. There's a splendid climax inside the exploding volcano where our villains come to a satisfying ending. 

Verdict: Fine follow-up to King of the Royal Mounted. ***. 

CAPTAIN AMERICA: BRAVE NEW WORLD

Captain America takes flight

CAPTAIN AMERICA: BRAVE NEW WORLD (2025). Director: Julius Onah.

Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie), formerly known as the Falcon, has become the new Captain America but kept his wings. He has a difficult relationship with the U.S. President, Thaddeus "Thunderbolt" Ross (Harrison Ford), who apparently made a deal with the devil, a sick character named Samuel Sterns (Tim Blake Nelson), who is manipulating everyone behind the scenes. (Sterns is a variation of the Leader from Hulk comic books.) While Wilson and his partner Joaquin (Danny Ramirez) investigate when old friend Isiah Bradley (Carl Lumbly) seems to try to assassinate Ross, they uncover Stern's secret laboratory and eventually join forces with security adviser Ruth Bat-Seraph (Shira Haas) to take him down. But before that can happen Sam has to try to stay alive as Ross, transformed into the powerful and humongous Red Hulk, tries to do what the Hulk does best -- smash! 

The Red Hulk about to rampage through Washington D.C.

Captain America: Brave New World may have gotten lukewarm reviews, but I found it quite entertaining and suspenseful, and the Cap-Hulk battle is a decided highlight. Instead of the Serpent Society featured in Captain America comic books, there is a sinister (essentially unseen) group called SERPENT, of which the deadly Sidewinder (a zesty Giancarlo Esposito) is a member, along with Copperhead (who has less to do). Then there's a place called Celestial Island where there is a huge amount of adamantium, which Ross wants the U.S. to get his hands on, briefly bringing him into conflict with the Japanese. Mackie makes an excellent alternate Captain America, the large supporting cast is game, and Harrison Ford simply gives one of the all-time best performances of his long career. 

Verdict: There's still quite a bit of life in those Marvel Movies. ***. 

DAY THE WORLD ENDED

Mike Connors and Adele Jergens

DAY THE WORLD ENDED (1955). Produced and directed by Roger Corman. In SuperScope. Colorized version. 

The world has been mostly destroyed in an atomic war. In a sheltered valley, scientist Jim Madison (Paul Birch) and his daughter, Louise (Lori Nelson of Hot Rod Girl), horde food supplies and mourn the apparent death of Louise's fiance. Over Madison's objections, several people converge on the house: gun-toting crook Tony (Mike Connors); his hard-boiled if slightly soft-in-the-middle moll, Ruby (Adele Jergens); the old prospector Pete (Raymond Hatton of Girls in Prison) and his beloved donkey; handsome geologist Rick (Richard Denning of Assignment Redhead); and Radek (Paul Dubov), a man so contaminated by radiation that he's transforming into a mutant who prefers raw meat. Meanwhile, hovering around the house is a fully-transformed mutation who might have some connection to Louise even as Tony makes a play for Louise, Ruby seethes, and Rick does what he can to protect the frightened young lady from rape.

Day the World Ended is an absorbing melodrama which has some surprisingly adept performances -- even Nelson is better than usual -- and a creepy atmosphere. The monster (Paul Blaisdell) somewhat resembles one of the Zanti Misfits that later turned up on The Outer Limits. The characters could be categorized as types, but Lou Russoff's screenplay adds some dimension to them. It's interesting that the hood Tony never touches alcohol, and ill-fated Ruby is so devoted to her man even though she knows he's a total crumb-bun. Several years before Night of the Living Dead, this movie has man-eating ghouls, although in this case it's the living eating the dead instead of the other way around. As usual there's an interesting score by Ronald Stein. 

Verdict: Low-budget yet intriguing end of the world (more or less) story with Corman's customary cheap flair. ***. 

DROP

Meghann Fahy and Brandon Sklenar

DROP (2025). Director: Christopher Landon. 

Violet (Meghann Fahy) has not been on a date since the death of her abusive husband, but she seems to have met a likable guy in photographer Henry (Brandon Sklenar). They have chosen a truly fabulous, swanky high-rise restaurant for their first date, but there's a decided complication when she gets threatening messages on her smart phone. Then the security system shows a masked intruder with a gun in the home where her little boy, Toby, is being babysat by his aunt. Violet is told if she tells the police or anyone what's going on, Toby will die, and then is given instructions for poisoning her date ... 

Meghann Fahy

Drop certainly sets up an intriguing situation and is very suspenseful as a desperate Meghann, unable to tell Henry what is really going on, wonders who else sitting in the same restaurant is behind this horrible scheme. There isn't a dull moment in the picture, which turns violent and melodramatic towards the very end. Fahy, Sklenar and the rest of the cast give solid performances, and the film is well directed by Christopher Landon, the son of Michael Landon. (Landon also directed Happy Death Day.) There is one moment that is a bit of a cheat, but otherwise the plot, while far-fetched, doesn't seem too illogical. 

Verdict: Quite good but somehow not a classic. ***. 

COMPANION

Sophie Thatcher as Iris

COMPANION (2025). Written and directed by Drew Hancock.

Josh (Jack Quaid) brings his girlfriend Iris (Sophie Thatcher of The Boogeyman) to the impressive home of Sergey (Rupert Friend) for a weekend in the country. Other guests include Sergey's girlfriend Kat (Megan Suri) and the gay couple Eli (Harvey Guillan) and Patrick (Lukas Gage). It isn't long, however, before one of those aforementioned winds up dead, and a highly bizarre secret is revealed. Then it's a question of who will be left alive before it's all over and the chase is on.

Jack Quaid

I have deliberately not revealed too much of the plot of Companion because I knew little about it when I watched it and I think that made it all the more surprising and entertaining, as it has several twists. Initially I felt that this bizarre story would work better in a shorter length, but the film managed to keep me absorbed in any case, and is well-acted by all. I will say that Companion is a far-fetched but compelling black comedy that does borrow from a few other films for its basic premise, but manages to strike an original tone as well. Jack Quaid is the son of Dennis Quaid and Meg Ryan.

Verdict: Into the Twilight Zone. ***. 

BATMAN AND ROBIN

The dynamic duo!

BATMAN AND ROBIN (15 chapter Columbia serial/1949). Director: Spencer Gordon Bennet. Colorized. 

Commissioner Gordon (Lyle Talbot) calls in Batman and Robin to help him with a sinister foe called the Wizard who uses a remote control device and can even turn himself invisible at times. Also investigating is reporter Vicki Vale (Jane Adams), who hangs out at the estate of always-tired Bruce Wayne (Robert Lowery) and his ward Dick (Johnny Duncan), and whose brother Jimmy (George Offerman Jr.) is a member of the Wizard's gang. Suspects as to the true identity of the Wizard include dyspeptic Professor Hammil (William Fawcett); radio announcer Barry Brown (Rick Vallin); private eye Dunne (Michael Whalen); and Hammil's valet, Carter (Leonard Penn). 

WHO is The Wizard? 

Batman and Robin is one of the best of Columbia's chapterplays, building up real suspense in the final chapters, and featuring exciting fight scenes, chases, and cliffhangers. Lowery and Duncan make a good pair of stalwart heroes, Adams is plucky and pretty, and even Lyle Talbot scores as the commissioner, with Offerman also effective as the ill-fated Jimmy. The Wizard is voiced quite well by Gerald Mohr (of Angry Red Planet). 

Verdict: Despite its obvious absurdities, this chapterplay really plays. ***1/4.