THEM!

Joan Weldon about to face a humongous man-eating ant!

THEM! (1954). Director: Gordon Douglas. Colorized. 

Gigantic mutant ants, due to radiation from the first atomic test, have come into being in the deserts of New Mexico. These creatures are not only humongous, but are man-eaters. Sgt. Ben Peterson (James Whitmore), who came across a traumatized little girl (Sandy Drescher), and FBI agent Robert Graham (James Arness), team up with two professors from the Department of Agriculture: Dr. Medford (Edmund Gwenn); and his daughter, Pat (Joan Weldon). They find the nest in New Mexico but then discover that two flying queens have escaped and may have started new nests -- but where? Humankind is facing extinction if they don't find out -- and soon!

Edmund Gwenn and James Whitmore

Despite the fact that their previous monster movie, The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms, was a tremendous hit, Warner Brothers was nervous about Them! and canceled plans to have it released in color and 3-D. It is still an extremely effective picture, and nowadays it's easy to forget that this was a completely fresh idea back in the day -- Them! ushered in a flood of movies about outsized insects and arachnids of varying quality. The film is bolstered by the performances of James Whitmore and Edmund Gwenn, and Arness and Weldon are professional enough, if a cut below. Other cast members include Onslow Stevens [The Couch], Ann Doran [It, The Terror from Beyond Space], Leonard Nimoy (in a bit), Olin Howland [The Blob], and Sean McClory [Valley of the Dragons]. 

Stevens, Gwenn, Weldon, Arness

When Whitmore notes at the opening that the walls of both a trailer and general store were not pushed inward, a viewer might wonder how the giant ants could get inside these places to push the walls outward. But Whitmore says that the walls were pulled out -- by the giant ants' pincers. However, it's less easy to explain why it's made clear in New Mexico that the ants leave the nest at night to forage, but are inside the storm drains of Los Angeles at night during the climax. One could explain the inconsistencies away by saying these big bugs are mutations, so who knows what they may be up to. One has to assume there were lots of missing persons in L.A. after the ants moved in. The citizenry of Los Angeles certainly take it comparatively calmly -- and accept much too readily -- that the ants exist and are on the loose. No mass exodus? In any case, the Internet Archive has a beautifully  colorized print of Them! As usual, the color adds a new and exciting dimension to the picture. The second half of the film seems a little dragged out, but the climax is eerie and suspenseful. NOTE: You can read more about this movie and others in my book Creature Features: Nature Turned Nasty in the Movies. 

Verdict: Excellent big bug movie is chilling and very effective as both horror and science fiction. ***1/2. 

THE SURVIVOR

Peter Sumner and Robert Powell

THE SURVIVOR (1981). Director: David Hemmings.  

A pilot named Keller (Robert Powell of Asylum) is the only survivor of a devastating airline disaster that kills over 300 people. As Keller tries to find out what the investigators know about what caused the tragedy, he is contacted by a lady psychic named Hobbs (Jenny Agutter of Child's Play 2), who claims he is the only one who can help the souls of the dead passengers find peace. Keller also asks for the help of a priest (Joseph Cotten). Meanwhile there are odd incidents in the town near the airfield where the remains of the plane are scattered. Eventually Keller will have a confrontation with the man responsible for the crash and the deaths of so many innocent people.

Powell with Jenny Agutter

The Survivor is based on an excellent, pulpy horror novel by prolific British author James Herbert. David Ambrose's screenplay throws out most of the book aside from the basic premise. In the novel Keller was the co-pilot, his girlfriend was a stewardess on the plane, and he had a one-night-stand with the pilot's wife, which he fears might have led to something bad happening on the plane before the crash. There is a lot of suspense worked up over who might have destroyed the plane, suspense that is entirely lacking in the film adaptation. Hobbs is not a young female in the novel but a middle-aged man. Most of the horrifying incidents that Herbert describes so well in the book are completely scrapped in the screenplay. The neo-Nazi who was on the plane in the novel and influences some of the passengers to do evil is abandoned. Even director Hemmings -- one of the actor's few directorial assignments -- felt it was a mistake to go for subtle tension instead of the out and out horror of Herbert's book. Reportedly Herbert claimed the film put him to sleep.

Powell with Joseph Cotten

No wonder. Because The Survivor is confusing and slow, and poorly directed with few exceptions. There is a disquieting scene on railroad tracks where a photographer who made a killing taking photos of the accident encounters the ghost of a dead little girl, and there is a well-staged finale where the perpetrator is revealed. But otherwise, The Survivor is a major disappointment. Powell acts throughout the film as if he's merely perturbed, Agutter seems confused, and the audience gets bored long before the conclusion. Joseph Cotten is completely wasted.

Verdict: Read the book instead. **.

ROAR OF THE IRON HORSE - Rail-Blazer of the Apache Trail

Jock Mahoney and Rick Vallin

ROAR OF THE IRON HORSE - Rail-Blazer of the Apache Trail (15-chapter Columbia serial/1951). Directors: Spencer Gordon Bennet; Thomas Carr. Colorized.

In 1867 there are forces who are opposing the building of a transcontinental railroad. On one side is railroad agent (and secret Deputy  Marshall) Jim Grant (Jock Mahoney) and his allies -- including crusty old Rocky (William Fawcett) and brother and sister Carol and Tom Lane (Virginia Herrick and Harold Landon) -- and on the other side is a man called the Baron (George Eldredge), and his allies, including Homer Lathrop (Jack Ingram), who runs the railroad but is working against it, and the nasty Scully (Rusty Westcoatt). The baron also has many Indians on his side, with the exception of White Eagle (Rick Vallin). 

Mahoney visits with a U.S. Marshall (uncredited)

Throughout the serial's fifteen chapters Jim and his allies are nearly burned at the stake, trapped in a box canyon with explosives being lobbed at them; caught in a variety of gun battles; and Carol nearly goes over a cliff in a runaway wagon. Mahoney -- billed as Jock O'Mahoney -- handles all of this with aplomb, and the rest of the cast, including Fawcett and Myron Healey as Ace, provide good support. A rousing musical score by John Leipold helps a lot. 

Verdict: If you like western cliffhanger serials, this one is a good bet. ***. 

THE BLACK PHONE / BLACK PHONE 2

The Grabber (Ethan Hawke)

THE BLACK PHONE (2021). Director: Scott Derrickson.

BLACK PHONE 2 (2025). Director: Derrickson.

In a small town in the 70's a series of high school boys have been abducted by an unknown creep known as the "Grabber" (Ethan Hawke). The latest victim is 13-year-old Finney (Mason Thames). Finney finds himself in a  locked sound-proofed basement where the Grabber -- wearing a hideous mask (modeled, I suspect, on Batman's Joker) -- visits him from time to time. Things turn especially strange when a disconnected phone in the basement begins to ring -- and Finney finds himself talking to the ghosts of the previous victims. Can one of these dead boys tell him how to escape, and will it be in time? In the meantime Finney's psychic and potty-mouthed sister, (Madeleine McGraw), tries to find him.

Mason Thames and Ethan Hawke

I had mixed emotions while watching The Black Phone. I admit I'm not overly fond of stories in which children are in danger and are physically or psychologically tortured. At least Phone is not overly graphic and can not be considered "torture porn." If the Grabber has a sexual interest in the boys it is not explored, although one imagines he does. The storyline borders on the pretentious at times and actually gets a little silly. But after awhile the efforts of Finney to escape and of the police, Gwen and others to find him, become compelling. Thames and Hawke give excellent performances, and there are also notable supporting performances from the victims and others. 

Verdict: A bit overlong but creepy. **3/4. 

BLACK PHONE 2 shows us Finn and Gwen four years later, where they decide to try to get jobs as counselors at a Christian winter camp where their late mother had worked. Snowbound, they come across another phone that is disconnected but somehow rings, and both brother and sister have conversations with people from the afterlife, including their mother and the Grabber. Seems the maniac killed three young boys but their bodies have never been found, and until they are, for some reason, the Grabber will have power in the real world -- he does his best to kill the teens and others. Black Phone 2 is a mostly unoriginal combination of a grainy found footage movie, the Blair Witch, and especially the Nightmare on Elm Street films with its surfeit of dream sequences. The Grabber is revealed to have been "Wild Bill," a maintenance worker at the camp. The acting is generally good -- Miguel Mora gets major points for his versatility by playing both the shy Ernesto in this film and his brash, rough brother Robin in the first movie -- but the picture is too tricky for its own good. There are some well-handled and moderately exciting sequences, but after awhile I just wanted the damn thing to be over. There's more gore in this film than in the first but nothing over the top. Way too long! 

Verdict: Where's Freddy Krueger when you need him? **. 

SMOOTH AS SILK

Milburn Stone, Kent Taylor, Virginia Grey

SMOOTH AS SILK (1946). Director: Charles Barton. Colorized.

Defense attorney Mark Fenton (Kent Taylor) and prosecutor John Kimble (Milburn Stone) have been friendly enemies for years, but there are complications when Fenton becomes engaged to actress Paula Marlowe (Virginia Grey). She desperately hopes that producer Stephen Elliott (John Litel) will star her in his next production, which seems a given after Fenton successfully defends Elliott's nephew, Don (Danny Morton), in a vehicular manslaughter case; Don is guilty as sin. However, Elliott has other plans for the role until Paula begins to work her wiles on him, igniting intense jealousy in Fenton. He concocts a scheme to take out his rival, but will he get away with it ...?

John Litel and Danny Morton

Smooth as Silk is a short, fast-paced crime melodrama that boasts some fine performances, with Taylor [The Crimson Key] on top of things as the reptilian lawyer; Litel [Runaway Daughters] effective as the lustful producer; Milburn Stone [Swing It Professor] lending solid support; and Grey [Black Zoo] practically stealing the show as the bitch Paula who uses men right and left in one career move after another. Danny Morton was also in The Mysterious Mr. M. 

Verdict: Absorbing if minor meller. **1/2. 

LOVE SLAVES OF THE AMAZONS

Don Taylor surrounded by green-painted Amazons

LOVE SLAVES OF THE AMAZONS (1957). Writer/Producer/Director: Curt Siodmak.

Dr. Crespi (Eduardo Ciannelli of Mysterious Dr. Satan) tries to convince Dr. Peter Masters (Don Taylor) that he not only knows where there are a race of women living near the Amazon, but that they guard a fabulous treasure that is theirs for the taking. The two men set sail but are beset by Fernando (Wilson Viana), who takes over the ship. Fleeing into the jungle, Peter just happens to run into the Amazon women, and is taken to their camp. Many of the women, including the queen (Ana Maria Nabuco), take a liking to Peter, and hope to use him as replacement for Mario (Tom Payne) who has sort of been forced into stud service. Along with Mario, Gina (Gianna Segale) is being held captive by the Amazons. Peter hopes to charm the queen and the others until he can figure out a way to escape ...

Eduardo Ciannelli and Don Taylor

Filmed in Brazil, Love Slaves of the Amazon doesn't quite deliver what the title promises, although it tries. In one scene a dozen or more amazons force Peter into a bathtub with his pants on. The music, contributed by no less than six composers (probably lifted from earlier films), does most of the work, although the performances are generally good. Crespi and Peter are determined to protect the secret of this lost civilization even though the amazons keep people captive and slaughter all male babies at birth! Who cares if modern society destroys these monsters? Siodmak also directed The Magnetic Monster. 

Verdict: Not one of Siodmak's better movies despite moments of interest. **1/4. 

THE PRIMEVALS

The Yeti on the rampage!

THE PRIMEVALS (1994/2023). Director: David Allen. 

A team which includes Matt Connor (Richard Joseph Paul), guide Siku (Tai Thai), and Dr. Claire Collier (Juliet Mills) goes to the Himalayas to see if they can catch a living yeti (or abominable snowman) after a dead one is exhibited on a college campus. They eventually find themselves in a lush hidden valley where there is not only an alien spaceship, but a race of lizard men who try to pit intruders against the yeti in an arena. The yeti, who is the size of King Kong, seems to be controlled by the nasty lizards ... 

Juliet Mills and Richard Joseph Paul

Most of The Primevals was actually shot in 1994 but not completed for decades. The director, a stop-motion specialist named David Allen, died in 1999 and the rest of the animated footage was done years later. The problem with the movie is that despite all of the fantastic elements, it has no real atmosphere and comes off like a cheap made-for-cable production. The FX work is good, however, the performances are more than adequate, and Richard Band's musical score is a plus. 

Verdict: For fans of stop-motion animation who have always wanted to see this film. **1/2.

HYSTERIA

HYSTERIA (1965). Director: Freddie Francis.

One of Jimmy Sangster's worst scripts is the main problem of this silly pseudo-thriller in which an American (Robert Webber) traveling from France to England winds up losing his memory in an auto crash. The dead driver's widow, Denise (Lelia Goldoni), arranges for his treatment in a clinic and for him to stay in her luxury apartment. Trying to summon up comparisons with Psycho, there's some business with a bloodied knife and then a corpse being found in or near a shower stall with the water running and so on -- but this is no Psycho and doesn't even come close. The film never works up more than the mildest of suspense as it tries to make you wonder who Webber really is and how he fits in with Denise, the dead body, and Dr. Keller (Anthony Newlands), the doctor who's been treating him. Jennifer Jayne from The Crawling Eye plays Gina, a nurse and romantic interest. A riot of loose ends and stupid contrived murder "plots," Hysteria is simply tedious and terrible and never makes much sense. Goldoni had a better role in Theatre of Death a couple of years later. Sue Lloyd of Corruption briefly plays a zesty French hooker. Dan Banks' jazzy score is pretty bad.

Verdict: Unmemorable British thriller. *1/2. 

THE MAD EXECUTIONERS

The sinister court convenes

THE MAD EXECUTIONERS (aka Der Henker von London/1963). Director: Edwin Zbonek. Colorized.

In London a secret court convenes periodically, kidnaps people who have gotten away with assorted crimes, and pronounces a sentence of death -- with hanging corpses discovered in the morning. The same rope is used each time and continues to disappear from police HQ no matter what precautions are taken! Inspector John Hillier (Hansjorg Felmy) is determined to uncover the identity of the leader of this court. He is equally desperate to find out who murdered his sister, one of the victims of a sex maniac targeting young women who rapes and beheads them. One of the suspects in the former case is a retired judge, Sir Francis Elliott (Rudolf Forster), which is awkward as he is the father of Hillier's girlfriend, Ann (Maria Perschy of The Castle of Fu Manchu). Ann sets out to find the killer of Hillier's sister, and runs into a man named Dr. Ferguson (Dieter Borsche) ...

Felmy and Wolfgang Preiss

The Mad Executioners is based on the story "White Carpet" by Bryan Edgar Wallace, the son of Edgar Wallace, who clearly followed in his father's footsteps. The movie has a lot of rich atmosphere, although at times it becomes confusing, especially as it pertains to Ann's father. When the head of the tribunal is unmasked, we remember this same character watching the court from a distance (there may well be an explanation for his anomaly, but the audience never learns it). Wolfgang Preiss [Die Slowly, You'll Enjoy It More] plays another inspector and Felmy's boss. Chris Howland plays reporter Tom Jenkins, who is a master of disguise and lends a hand to the inspector. (It is a mercy that Eddi Arent wasn't given this role!)

Verdict: Two puzzles for the price of one. ***. 

BORN TO BE BAD

Joan Fontaine and Robert Ryan

BORN TO BE BAD (1950). Director: Nicholas Ray. Colorized. 

As a child Christabel (Joan Fontaine of Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea) was sent to live with her maiden aunt (Virginia Farmer) -- a woman of modest means -- instead of with her wealthy uncle, so she has grown up wanting what others have. This includes Curtis (Zachary Scott), the rich fiance of her uncle's secretary, Donna (Joan Leslie),  with whom she moves in to work her wiles. Christabel, who seems sweet, shy and innocent, sets her cap for Curtis, subtly dissuading him away from "mercenary" Donna, but also can't keep her hands off the more virile author, Nick (Robert Ryan), who also falls under her spell. One of these men she will snare and bring to the altar, but that won't stop her from wanting the other man as well ... 

Zachary Scott and Joan Leslie

With Born to be Bad, Fontaine enters Bette Davis-Joan Crawford territory, but as she plays a character who employs a more sinister, shady technique instead of sharp, vitriolic bombast, she may seem less vivid than those other actresses. But Fontaine is nevertheless excellent in the role, and her almost constant smiling -- no matter what she's saying or thinking -- makes her seem like the most hideous of sociopaths. The other cast members are all top-notch, and this includes Mel Ferrer as painter and observer Gobby, who is both amused and appalled by Christabel and makes funny and sardonic comments. The trouble with this very entertaining soap opera is that the wind-up is rather flat. This movie was spoofed on The Carol Burnett Show as "Raised to Be Rotten!"

Verdict: Joan schemes, wins, and loses in grand style. ***