THE MASKED MARVEL

The Masked Marvel (Tom Steele) drives into action!

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

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

Forrest, Currie and the 4 investigators

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

Bad guys: Forrest; Arthur; Warde

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

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

BLUEBEARD'S TEN HONEYMOONS

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

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

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

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

BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN

Elsa Lancaster and Colin Clive

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

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

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

NAKED PARADISE

Beverly Garland and Richard Denning

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

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

Creeps: Miller, Bradley, Haze

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

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

TERROR TRAIN 2

Robyn Alomar and Tim Rozon

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

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

Dakota Jamal Wellman

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

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

TERROR TRAIN (2022)

Matias Lucas and Robyn Alomar

TERROR TRAIN (2022). Director: Philippe Gagnon.

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

Robyn Alomar and Tim Rozon as the Magician

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

Verdict: Fun contemporary slasher flick. ***. 

THE EMBALMER

Pitiful victims of the Embalmer

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

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

The Embalmer on the prowl

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

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

PARANOIA

Carroll Baker and Lou Castel

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

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

Baker, Castel, Descombes

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

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

HIDDEN WORLD

HIDDEN WORLD. William Schoell. 2025. Raven Tale Publishing.

My latest, brand new horror tome.

Veronica Altura had gathered together a team to explore a lost city buried deep in the bowels of the earth, keeping secret her desperate reasons for doing so, but they were woefully unprepared for what they would face ten miles below the surface of the Greek island: Rat-like creatures that struck with surprising swiftness; huge reptiles with jaws that could practically swallow a person whole; and—worst of all—cannibalistic giants with a taste for human flesh and a ferocious, terrible demeanor. And literally hovering above everything was the most frightening horror of all, a demonic presence that wanted to make sure that none of them left this world alive.

Now available on kindle at Amazon! (Paperback coming soon!)

AMUCK!

Barbara Bouchet and Farley Granger

AMUCK! (aka Alla ricerca del piacere/1972). Director: Silvio Amadio. 

Greta Franklin (Barbara Bouchet of Danger Route) is sent from a New York publishing house to Venice to be the new secretary for author Richard Stuart (Farley Granger of The Slasher ... is the Sex Maniac). His last secretary, Sally (Patrizia Viotti) disappeared, and Greta hides the fact that she not only knew Sally, but was her lover, and wants to find out what happened to her. The other people in the household include Richard's wife, Eleonora (Rosalba Neri), who drugs and makes love to Greta, and fisherman Rocco (Petar Martinovitch), who lives in a nearby cottage. Greta eventually begins a relationship with Richard, but his story of what actually happened to Sally may not be the complete truth. 

Rosalba Neri and Petar Martinovitch

Amuck! is an interesting, well-acted giallo film with an absorbing storyline and some memorable sequences, such as a suspenseful bit when Greta has to be rescued from quicksand by Commissioner Antonelli (Nino Segurini), and the sexy flashback sequence to the death of Sally. As in many giallo films, the women all seem to be predatory bisexuals, sleeping with and romancing men but coming on to other women with abandon -- all of this not for any edification of sexual lifestyles or orientations but to turn on some of the male viewers. Silvio Amadio also worked with Neri in Smile Before Death. 

Verdict: Intriguing Italian mystery with lots of naked breasts for those who like that sort of thing. ***.