FACES IN THE DARK

Mai Zetterling and John Gregson

FACES IN THE DARK (1960). Director: David Eady. Colorized. 

Richard Hammond (John Gregson of Fright) is a gruff and unpleasant developer who is working on a revolutionary new light bulb called the Apollo. This bulb explodes, blinding Hammond. His wife, Christiane (Mai Zetterling), who was about to divorce Richard, decides to stay and take care of him, and she takes him for a rest stay at their place in Cornwall. Other guests and residents include Richard's mistreated business partner, David (Michael Denison), Richard's irresponsible brother, Max (John Ireland of Gunslinger), the chauffeur Clem (Tony Wright of The House in Marsh Road), and the maid Janet (Nanette Newman of The Painted Smile). Richard actually seems to be adjusting to his vision loss rather well, but then he gets the notion that things in the household just aren't right. Is he being paranoid or mentally unstable, as his wife suggests, or is he truly the victim of a diabolical plot?

Gregson with Tony Wright

Faces in the Dark is based on a novel by the authors of the source material for Les Diaboliques and Vertigo. It is also a tricky suspense tale that will keep you wondering exactly what is going on in the background. Gregson gives an excellent performance, perfectly convincing in his blindness, and remaining true to his grumpy characterization throughout, although he eventually becomes pitiful. Zetterling, Denison and the others are all on target, with the exception of Ireland, who gives a surprisingly  perfunctory performance. Although the film lacks the slick quality and pacing of other British thrillers of the period, it's great in its depiction of the harrowing struggle of Richard to uncover the truth, whatever it may be, and survive. The movie makes clear, as Richard states, that a blind person is easily fooled by his enemies. 

Verdict: Solid lead and supporting performances help bolster this interesting suspense film. ***. 

GOLIATH AND THE DRAGON

Mark Forest as Goliath

GOLIATH AND THE DRAGON (aka La vendetta di ercole/1960). Director: Vittorio Cattafavi.

King Eurystheus (Broderick Crawford of Adventures of Nick Carter) covets the kingdom of Thebes and hopes to get it away from the heroic Emilius, who is popularly known as Goliath (Mark Forest of Goliath and the Sins of Babylon). Goliath objects to his brother Illo's (Sandro Moretti) romantic relationship with Thea (Federica Ranchi) because he believes her parents murdered his own. But Illo is convined that Goliath is in love with Thea despite the fact that the muscle man is  married to Dejanira (Leonora Ruffo). In Eurystheus' court there is a sinisterly conspiring courtier, Tindaro (Giancarlo Sbragia), and an equally conspiratorial slave girl named Alcinoe (Wandisa Guida). Before the soap opera can get too thick, there are brief appearances by a phony, fire-breathing three-headed dog, a kind of winged bat-creature in a costume, and a pitiful stuffed bear that doesn't even appear to be alive. And more.

Broderick Crawford and Giancarlo Sbragia

Goliath must enter the Cave of Horror on two occasions: to get back a blood diamond given to him by the Gods, and to rescue his wife from a dragon. This pathetic dragon, which appears on two occasions, is strictly of the Beanie and Cecil variety, with a couple of brief, crude stop-motion shots that would have had Ray Harryhausen crying "foul!" and a big mock-up of its cranium with limited mobility. An interesting sequence has the king using elephants to crush the heads of his enemies (not shown graphically) and Goliath arriving not only to save his brother -- the next victim -- but to lift up the elephant's leg and topple it to the ground (this actually seems to be done by the muscular Forest without the aid of camera trickery). It's hard to judge the acting in this due to the dubbing -- we don't get to hear Crawford's trademark gravelly voice, nor Forest's Brooklyn-born intonations (he looks great in a beard) -- but everyone seems enthusiastic enough, especially Sbragia. The score for the American version is a real hodge-podge. Gaby Andre of The Strange World of Planet X has a very small role. The original title for this was Hercules' Revenge. 

Verdict: If you're looking for decent monsters in this peplum film, look elsewhere. **. 

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. ***. 

MIDNIGHT LACE

Doris Day in jeopardy

MIDNIGHT LACE (1960). Director: David Miller.

Heiress Kit Preston (Doris Day) has never had a difficult day in her life, so the perky but somewhat neurotic lady is unprepared when she starts to get death threats from a sinister, cartoon-like voice in the London fog and over the telephone. Kit recently wed businessman Anthony Preston (Rex Harrison), and while he is concerned, neither he nor Inspector Byrnes (John Williams) are absolutely certain that Kit has been hearing anything. She is suspicious of everyone she encounters, including her maid's nephew (Roddy McDowall of Dead Man's Island); a hunky contractor working on a house next door (John Gavin); and an odd fellow who keeps following her (Anthony Dawson). Then someone pushes her in front of a bus ...

Day, Harrison, Williams, Gavin, Loy

Midnight Lace is a smooth and entertaining suspense film with a host of good actors, including those mentioned and Myrna Loy as Kit's aunt and Herbert Marshall (of Gog) as Anthony's business associate. Natasha Parry [The Dark Man] and Hermione Baddeley are also notable. As for Day, she gives a convincing if borderline comical performance of a incredibly overwrought woman who is admittedly in a tense situation but has no clue as to how to handle it without getting hysterical -- and I do mean hysterical. One has to witness her incredible meltdown on the staircase to believe it! The picture is fun however. It has some structural similarities to another film directed by David Miller, Sudden Fear. (In that film Joan Crawford handles things with much more vigor than Day does). 

Verdict: Unless you really hate Day you should enjoy this. ***. 

TORMENTED

Richard Carlson and Lugene Sanders

TORMENTED (1960). Director: Bert I. Gordon. Colorized.  

Artist Tom Stewart (Richard Carlson) wants to marry into a wealthy family and has gotten engaged to Meg Hubbard (Lugene Sanders). But what to do about his girlfriend, Vi (Juli Reding of Why Must I Die?), who objects to his plans and tries to blackmail him? Fortunately for him the railing gives way on the balcony outside of an abandoned lighthouse where they have secret rendezvous, and Vi finds herself falling to the rocks below. Tom could have reached out and saved her, but chooses not to. Soon Tom is seeing images of the dead woman and hearing her voice everywhere he goes. Her ghost is determined to keep him from going through with the wedding plans ... 

Carlson at the lighthouse

Bert Gordon didn't just direct movies about big people and creatures, but also helmed a few thrillers of varying types. While the premise may not be terribly original, Tormented has a good plot, more than decent performances -- Carlson is especially good -- and is quite entertaining. One especially good sequence has Carlson's blind landlady (Lillian Adams) trying to communicate with the ghost -- which she definitely believes in -- in the aforementioned spooky lighthouse. A bit with the ghost's disembodied head showing up isn't quite as effective. This was the last credit (of four) for Hubbard, who is not classically beautiful but is nevertheless appealing and talented. Susan Gordon, who plays her younger sister, was the director's daughter, and is fine. Another notable cast member is Joe Turkel, who plays a sleazy blackmailer. As usual, the contributions of composer Albert Glasser and cinematographer Ernest Laszlo are not to be discounted. 

Verdict: No giant monsters but the flick is still fun. ***. 

THE HYPNOTIC EYE

THE HYPNOTIC EYE (1960). Director: George Blair.

In this sick but entertaining movie, a series of women are horribly disfiguring themselves and then claiming they were completely unaware they were doing so. Could these terrible accidents have something to do with hypnotism? Naturally a detective on the case (Joe Patridge) takes his spunky girlfriend Marcia (Marcia Henderson) to see the act of the sensational Desmond (Jacques Bergerac), who hypnotizes, among others, Marcia's friend, Dodie (Merry Anders), who winds up washing her face in acid later that evening. Brave Marcia decides to find out exactly what happened between Dodie and Desmond, and does a lot more to solve the mystery than her boyfriend. Desmond's assistant is zestily played by Allison Hayes of Attack of the 50 Foot Woman, although her portrayal here makes her giantess seem positively benign. Ghoulish and a bit ugly at times, but an undeniably effective shocker. See if you can spot Henry Aldrich himself, Jimmy Lydon [Corky of Gasoline Alley], in the role of an emergency room doctor; I completely missed him. George Blair also directed The Adventures of Superboy pilot and many B movies. 

Verdict: Compelling shocker. ***. 

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. ***.

THE FALL OF THE HOUSE OF USHER

Mark Damon, Vincent Price, Myrna Fahey

THE FALL OF THE HOUSE OF USHER (aka House of Usher/1960). Produced and directed by Roger Corman. Screenplay by Richard Matheson. 

"It's just that he's highly overwrought, sir." -- Bristol. 

Philip Winthrop (Mark Damon of Naked You Die) follows his fiancee, Madeline (Myrna Fahey), back to her ancestral home where she lives with her strange, affected brother, Roderick Usher (Vincent Price of Twice-Told Tales) in a crumbling estate on a moldering, foggy acreage. Roderick suffers from an abundance of sensitivities, such as to noise and light, while Madeline is becoming unhinged, convinced she is on the verge of death. There is a great fear she will be buried alive, while the house crackles and a fissure in the wall grows ever wider and manservant Bristol (Harry Ellerbe) rubs his hands and worries ... 

The eerie Usher estate

Loosely based on Edgar Allan Poe's study of a highly dysfunctional family, Roger Corman's Usher is attractively produced, well-acted, and entertaining, albeit imperfect. Although the picture has a creepy atmosphere, it never quite develops into anything that would give it truly classic status. Price is good, and plays it in the way you would expect, while Damon is even better as Philip, playing a difficult role in just the right note. Les Baxter has written some good theme music -- which plays for several minutes on a black background with no visuals before the credit sequence -- but the chorus is rather hokey. Neurotic Roderick's paintings are quite well-done. In Poe's story the protagonist is an old friend of Roderick's and is not engaged to his sister, whom he has never actually met. Richard Matheson's script is faithful to the spirit of Poe's story if not the letter.  

Verdict: Fun and absorbing, but just misses being a real classic. **3/4. 

THE TERRIBLE PEOPLE

Elisabeth Flickenschildt and Joachim Fuchsberger

THE TERRIBLE PEOPLE (aka Die Bande des Schreckens/1960). Director: Harald Reinl.

Before he is hanged for his many crimes, Clay Shelton (Otto Collin) -- who was captured during a bank robbery -- vows to kill Inspector Long (Joachim Fuchsberger), the judge, the hangman, even a woman, Mrs. Revelstoke (Elisabeth Flickenschildt), who got in his way as he tried to escape, and others. As usual in these kind of movies, the police do a lousy job of protecting these folks, who are killed off one by one. Shelton's grave is empty, and people keep seeing the supposedly dead man in the distance. Then there are the sinister members of a gang called The Gallow's Hand. Long comes to realize that his own father (Fritz Rasp) may somehow be involved in the case, along with Nora Sanders (Karin Dor), who is Mrs. Revelstoke's confused and frightened secretary. Will Long be able to find out what's going on and who is responsible before every witness is killed off?

Fuchsberger with Fritz Rasp

This is another West German Edgar Wallace adaptation, and it is suspenseful and fun, if rather far-fetched. Clay Shelton makes a creepy-looking adversary, and the identity of the true mastermind behind it all comes as a big surprise. The action scenes in the film, especially at the climax, are very well handled. One interesting sequence has the hangman himself being strangled with a noose. When Long receives a written message, someone asks him: "Menacing message or love letter?" To which he replies: "Love letters are always menacing." Eddi Arent plays a crime scene photographer who keeps fainting every time he sees a body, a recurring joke that is never that funny. There are times when this seems very much like a Dr. Mabuse movie.

When I watched this for free on Tubi, the last twenty minutes or so suddenly switched from the dubbed English version to the German-language version -- with no subtitles. Fortunately Amazon Prime also had the film -- in English -- so I was able to learn what everyone was saying, although I had to rent the darn thing to do so.  

Verdict: Another interesting West German crime film. ***. 

ROADRACERS (1960)

Joel Lawrence

ROADRACERS (1960). Director: Arthur Swerdloff. 

Rob Wilson (Joel Lawrence) has a difficult relationship with his father, Harry (John Shay). Harry is obsessed with car racing and sort of forced his son into the sport. When a man dies during a race, Harry blames Rob, who takes off for Europe. Coming home he takes up racing again, but tells his father he hates it -- and him. He is also upset over his former girlfriend, Liz's (Marian Collier) relationship with a rival racer, Greg Morgan (Skip Ward). It doesn't help that Harry has decided to sponsor Greg instead of his own son.  Naturally the two drivers will have a grudge match at the American Grand Prix in Riverdale, California.  

Rivals: Joel Lawrence, Marian Collier, Skip Ward

Roadracers, a slick black and white flick from American International, has some good acting and a script that leaves many cliches of the genre intact: the rival drivers after the same girl; the conflict between a father and his son; the driver haunted by someone's death in a race etc. The script at least tries to flesh out the characters and the performances help, but the movie sort of strains for dramatic currency. The racing scenes are fairly exciting but they've been done better elsewhere. The good-looking lead, Joel Lawrence, is solid as Rob but mostly appeared on television after starring in this picture. Ditto for Skip Ward, although he also played Hank the driver in Night of the Iguana. Marion Collier sings the memorable "Here You Are" at one point but doesn't have much of a voice. However, she's much better than Jimmie Madden croaking out "Leadfoot" over the opening credits. Sally Fraser and Mason Alan Dinehart are also in the cast. 

Verdict: Standard race track meller with some decent acting. **1/2. 

THE BIG NIGHT (1960)

Randy Sparks

THE BIG NIGHT (1960). Director: Sidney Salkow. 

High school student Frankie (Randy Sparks) hangs out with a bad crowd but has a loving widowed father, Ed (Dick Foran), and a pretty girlfriend, Ellie (Venetia Stevenson). Frankie discovers a briefcase full of loot from a bank robbery in town and decides to keep it, although Ellie isn't so certain it's a good idea. Nevertheless, having this nice chunk of change inspires Frankie to turn his life around, and he gets a job and new clothing and even wins the approval of Ellie's mother (Anna Lee) and boss (Frank Ferguson). Unfortunately, an ex-cop named Wegg (Jesse White of Country Music Holiday) and a sinister figure named Farrow (Dick Contino of Daddy-O) are also after the money ,,, 

Venetia Stevenson and Randy Sparks 

The Big Night is a minor crime drama but it is bolstered by some very good performances, with an appealing Randy Sparks hitting all the right notes. Venetia Stevenson is a nice actress who also offers a sensitive turn as Ellie. Dick Foran makes the most of his role as the somewhat depressed and defeated Ed. Jesse White is Jesse White -- a totally bland portrayal -- but Dick Contino proves as effective as a murderer as he was as the hero in Daddy-O. Ferguson and Lee are fine, as is Paul Langton [The Hidden Eye] as the head cop on the case. There's a decent romantic score by Richard LaSalle and Jesse White is given a snappy and violent death scene. Randy Sparks was also a composer and the founder of the New Christy Minstrels. He had only a few acting credits. Sidney Salkow also directed Twice-Told Tales. 

Verdict: Some engaging players make this palatable. **3/4. 

THE LEECH WOMAN (Another view)

Grant Williams and Coleen Gray

THE LEECH WOMAN (1960). Director: Edward Dein. 

Wealthy June Talbot (Coleen Gray) is ten years older than her not-so-adoring husband, Dr. Paul Talbot (Phillip Terry), and his disaffection has driven her to drink. Paul gets an idea to make lots of moola when he encounters Malla (Estelle Hemsley), a native woman who claims to be over 140! Paul importunes June to travel to Africa with him -- along with guide Bertram Garvey (John Van Dreelen) -- so they can discover Malla's secret from her tribe. June discovers the secret -- and how! -- and returns to the States (sans Paul) looking so young and beautiful that she can masquerade as her own niece. She sets her cap for her "aunt's" gorgeous lawyer, Neil Foster (Grant Williams), which sets his fiancee Sally's (Gloria Talbott) teeth on edge. Meanwhile bodies of murdered men are being found in both New York and California ... 

Estelle Helmsley, made up to look even older

The Leech Woman is a fun B movie with an interesting premise that actually could have used another 15 minutes or half an hour to develop the characters and milk the situations further. The picture certainly exploits the universal terror of aging. Coleen Gray gives a vivid lead performance in this, although 73-year-old Estelle Helmsley (mother of comic actor Sherman Helmsley) makes a strong impression as well. (When Malla becomes young and beautiful again she is played by Kim Hamilton.) Phillip Terry, former husband of Joan Crawford, offers an effective portrait of a slimy opportunist. Van Dreelan is fine and Williams [The Incredible Shrinking Man] doesn't have to do much but look dreamy enough to excite the interest of both Sally and June, something the handsome blond easily accomplishes. 

Verdict: One woman's revenge on callous male age-bigots? ***. 

WHY MUST I DIE?

Debra Paget cornered by lady convicts

WHY MUST I DIE? (1960). Director: Roy Del Ruth.

Lois King (Terry Moore of Postmark for Danger) tries to make a new life for herself after blowing off her boyfriend, Eddie (Lionel Ames), and father, Red (Fred Sherman), both of whom are crooks. She winds up singing at a tony nightclub owned by Kenny Randell (Phil Harvey of The Land Unknown) and the two begin a romance. Unfortunately, just when things are looking up Eddie and his new girlfriend, the hardboiled safecracker Dottie Manson (Debra Paget), re-enter Lois' life. Lois has to give them information that will enable them to rob the nightclub, but a tragedy results from this. Lois and Dottie wind up in the same penal institution where one of them is on death row and the other hides a guilty secret. 

Phil Harvey and Terry Moore

Why Must I Die?, which also makes a plea against capital punishment, was clearly modeled on I Want to Live, released two years earlier. It's absorbing enough, but low-budget and second-rate, although it was photographed by no less than Ernest Haller. Terry Moore, who also produced the picture, is okay in the lead role but she hardly has the acting chops of Susan Hayward, star of I Want to Live, and overacts quite a bit when she's called upon to get hysterical. That is not the case with Debra Paget, who steals the movie from Moore with her intense and dynamic portrayal of the hard-as-nails Dottie. She's terrific and utterly loathsome.

Lionel Ames and Debra Paget

Other cast members in Why Must I Die? include Robert Shayne (of The Rebel Set) as another club owner who falls for Lois; Bert Freed as her lawyer, Adler; Sid Melton as an agent; Juli Reding as the sexy Mitzi, who also canoodles with Eddie; and Jackie Joseph (of Little Shop of Horrors) as another club employee who is having a fling with Kenny, for shame. Eddie's deadly fall off of a fire escape is well-handled as is the ending in the prison, which has a certain amount of minor power. Parts of Dick LaSalle's musical score remind one of Vertigo. 

Verdict: Paget makes her mark! **1/4. 

MA BARKER'S KILLER BROOD

Family portrait

MA BARKER'S KILLER BROOD (1960). Director: Bill Karn. 

Ma Barker (Lurene Tuttle) is a no-nonsense, vulgar, cop-hating termagant who wants the best for her boys -- and for herself. Against her weaker husband's wishes, she encourages her boys to go out and commit jobs at an early age. She has no patience with young Herman (Don Grady), who would prefer to play his fiddle like a "sissy." Herman is the first of the gang to come to a bad end. Before long, Ma is involved with the likes of Machine Gun Kelly, Pretty Boy Floyd, and John Dillinger. After robberies, murders and kidnappings, she holds off the Feds in an hours-long battle at her farmhouse, but crime does not pay ... 

Tuttle with Ron Foster

This low-budget film probably came about because of the success of the TV show The Untouchables, which in its first season had an episode on Ma Barker played by Claire Trevor. Tuttle is just as good and as tough as Trevor, but Killer Brood is not as good as that TV episode, although both vehicles are similarly brutal. Nowadays people claim that Ma Barker was at worst an accessory, that she knew her boys were criminals but took no part in their crimes and certainly didn't plan them. Whatever the case, she has entered folklore as "the most murderous mother of them all." (Shelley Winters also played the part in Bloody Mama.) Other cast members include Ron Foster as handsome son "Doc," and Byron Foulger as a crooked physician who comes afoul of nasty Ma. Tristram Coffin has a good if small role as Barker's second husband, and he is given a notable death scene. The film follows the basic facts along with much embellishing, and has an exciting enough climax. 

Verdict: Lurid, low-budget, and really not very good despite an effective turn by Tuttle. **. 

THE LOST WORLD

Yehudi, the fire monster, pops in for supper

THE LOST WORLD (1960). Produced and directed by Irwin Allen. 

"This is the greatest moment of your lives." -- Professor Challenger. 

The peppery Professor Challenger (Claude Rains) insists that he saw dinosaurs on a South American plateau from the air and wants to mount an expedition right away. Against his better wishes and despite skepticism, he assembles a team consisting of explorer Lord Roxton (Michael Rennie), reporter Ed Ames (David Hedison), the doubting and persnickety Professor Summerlee (Richard Haydn), and late arrivals Jennifer Holmes (Jill St. John ) and her brother David (Ray Stricklyn). Rounding out the motley crew are pilot Manual (Fernando Lamas) and his pal and helpmate, Costa (Jay Novello). The group do find the expected dinosaurs, as well as a race of decidedly unfriendly cannibals. It's not only a question of how they will get off the plateau but which will kill them first -- the monsters or the natives?

The explorers get their first look at a dinosaur

Very loosely based on the novel of the same name by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, the movie is fun and colorful as long as you don't take it too seriously. The monsters are genuine lizards who are placed into process shots of varying effectiveness with the actors -- there's a marvelous scene with a monster's huge tail nearly sweeping Hedison and St. John off of a cliff as two dinosaurs have a battle nearby. The climax, greatly embellished and extended from Doyle's novel, features a cavern with a giant skeleton, angry pursuing natives, and a fire monster that makes a tasty snack out of poor Costa. It's ironic that he is so terrified of being sacrificed to cannibals but winds up eaten by a monster instead. 

Hedison, Stricklyn, St. John

Novello is probably the best actor in the bunch aside from Rains, who appears to be having fun if nothing else. The others all perform with a certain stalwart dignity, although many critics noted that St. John in her "shocking pink knee boots" seems out of her element. The film is well photographed in CinemaScope and Technicolor by Winton C. Hoch, and the score by Paul Sawtell and Bert Shefter is quite effective. 

Verdict: The biggest star is the Fire Monster. ***. 

DINOSAURUS!

Ward Ramsey and Paul Lukather

DINOSAURUS! (1960). Director: Irwin S. Yeaworth, Jr. 

On a tropical island two engineers, Bart Thompson (Ward Ramsey) and his partner Chuck (Paul Lukather), come across two frozen dinosaurs -- and a caveman -- inadvertently freed by their blasting. When the monsters and the caveman thaw out, havoc ensues. Not only do the men have to worry about Bart's girlfriend, Betty (Kristina Hanson), but also a little orphaned kid named Julio (Alan Roberts), who is in danger from both a hungry tyrannosaur and the kid's nasty ward, Hacker (Fred Engleberg), who hopes to sell the caveman for a profit. 

Kristina Hanson and Gregg Martell

Dinosaurus! is one of the least memorable dino-on-the-loose films ever made. The premise is fine, but the monster models and stop-motion FX -- this is definitely not the work of Ray Harryhausen -- are mediocre at best. Far too much of the running time is given over to the silly antics of the caveman (Gregg Martell), who is meant to be comic relief but is only irritating. A scene when the T-Rex attacks a bus and apparently crushes the screaming passengers inside is out of sync with the rest of the childish movie. Julio is meant to be just a cute, likable kid, but he acts more like a five-year-old than someone twice as old, and he becomes tiresome very quickly. 

steam shovel vs. T-Rex

This was the first film for Ward Ramsey, who had just a few undistinguished credits afterwards. Paul Lukather had a great many credits, mostly on television. Kristina Hanson, who was more decorative than anything else, only had five credits, and Alan Roberts had a few more as a child actor. A hilarious scene has Betty coming across the T Rex and fainting -- while underwater! The somber score by Ronald Stein is better than the picture deserves. Widescreen photography and color don't add that much to the proceedings.

Verdict: Watch The Land Unknown or The Lost World instead. *1/2.  

THE TELL-TALE HEART (1960)

Laurence Payne

THE TELL-TALE HEART (1960).  Director: Ernest Morris. 

Edgar Marsh (Laurence Payne of The Trollenberg Terror) is a shy librarian who lives alone in his house and has a hirsute best friend named Carl (Dermot Walsh). One day a pretty young lady named Betty (Adrienne Corri) moves into an apartment across the street. Advised by Carl to make the acquaintance of the woman, Edgar summons up his nerve and before long they are dating -- although Edgar is smitten and Betty, new in town, just needs company. Betty, however, is galvanized when she meets Carl, and it is apparent that he feels the same about her. The trouble is, if something develops between the two, how will Edgar react?

Payne with Adrienne Corri

The Tell-Tale Heart, loosely based on the famous story by Edgar Allan Poe, is an intelligent and well-made expansion and revisioning of Poe's work, playing upon the theme of guilt and the resultant madness. Laurence Payne gives an outstanding performance as Edgar, and there is fine work from Walsh and Corri. Well-paced and suspenseful under Ernest Morris' direction, the film has atmosphere and is often surprisingly gruesome, including a grisly sword murder and an impalement, like something out of a Hammer film. (In fact the film opens with an announcement that the squeamish should immediately close their eyes when they hear the sound of a heartbeat!) This is a British film from Danziger productions. 

Verdict: Admirable horror film with an impressive Payne. ***. 

THUNDER IN CAROLINA

Rory Calhoun at the wheel

THUNDER IN CAROLINA (1960). Director: Paul Helmick. 

Race car driver Mitch Cooper (Rory Calhoun) has an accident on the track, breaks his foot, and smashes his auto. He decides to cool his heels for awhile and looks up an old friend but discovers that he's passed away. The garage that friend used to own is now owned by Les York (Race Gentry) and his wife Rene (Connie Hines), who invite him to stay. Les helps Mitch fix his car and importunes him to let him race it as well, although Rene is not crazy about having to become the camp follower of a race car driver. Still she goes along with the idea, becoming as worried about other women as she is about Les being injured or killed. 

Race Gentry, Calhoun, Connie Hines

Despite the title, Thunder in Carolina is an awfully dull picture. Even the climax which employs real footage from a race track is put together in such a way as to minimize thrills. This was the second of only two films helmed by Paul Helmick, who isn't able to do much to save the film. The occasional provocative sequence -- Mitch thinking a woman in the motel shower is an old girlfriend when it's really Rene and an catfight that never really materializes -- are too minor to amount to much. Supposed to be a hell-raiser and lover boy, Mitch basically takes a back seat to Les York's activities, which would scarcely raise an eyebrow. Race Gentry was a handsome if limited actor who had a few credits, mostly on television; he makes a favorable impression in this. Connie Hines was introduced in this film but she had over a dozen television credits beforehand. This was her only theatrical feature and she is much better known for the TV series Mr. Ed. Alan Hale Jr. is fine as a mechanic on the track and a friend of Mitch's. Many of the cast members only appeared in this one movie. 

Verdict: Even an attractive cast can't save this stinker. **.

CHILLERS

CHILLERS (1990 TV series). 

This French-English TV series with a foolish title is based on the work of novelist Patricia Highsmith of Talented Mr. Ripley and Strangers on a Train fame. The title makes one imagine that this will be a series of scary stories, but while there are a few creepy moments, that is not exactly the case. The main trouble is that not all of Highsmith's short stories translate well to the screen, and when I looked up some of the stories that had been adapted, I didn't find the originals all that great, either. Flat wind-ups do not make for compelling episodes. Perhaps Highsmith worked better in the longer form, although there are many who might disagree. While none of the 12 episodes of this short-lived series -- hosted amiably by Anthony Perkins -- are outstanding, there are a few that are notable. "A Curious Suicide" has a man killing an old friend, now a widower, who married the woman he loved; Nicole Willamson and Barry Foster are excellent as the two principals. "Old Folks at Home" finds a middle-aged couple regretting it after they take in an elderly couple who at first seem sweet but then become more and more demanding. In "Sauce for the Goose" a woman murders her husband to be with a younger man, a singer, then winds up fearing for her own life. Ian Holm stars in "The Stuff of Madness" in which a woman has numerous pets stuffed and spread throughout her garden while her husband obsesses over an old flame. In "Under a Dark Angel's Eyes" a man isn't told that his hateful mother has died so he can keep paying the bills for the couple supposedly looking after her -- Ian Richardson and Peter Vaughn offer exemplary performances in this. 

Stephane Freiss in "Puzzle"

One episode, "The Thrill Seeker," I found too poor  to even finish. Two others are notable for vastly different reasons. "Puzzle" offers a fine performance by Stephane Freiss as Harry, a handsome executive who is caught between two attractive girlfriends who don't know about each other. Like many other episodes, this is entertaining but is not at all a "chiller" and also has a flat resolution. "The Day of Reckoning" is notable if only for the fact that it was helmed by well-known director Samuel Fuller. But the plot, a weird one about tensions between both humans and poultry at an automated chicken farm, is evocative but goes nowhere, becoming rather silly all told. I can only imagine what Fuller thought when he was handed the script!

Verdict: Some very good premises that initially stir the imagination but don't quite hold up for the most part. **1/2. 

CIRCUS OF HORRORS

Anton Diffring

CIRCUS OF HORRORS (1960). Director: Sidney Hayers. 

A plastic surgeon flees England after a job on a woman's face goes wrong -- although he claims she didn't follow his instructions -- and winds up in France, where he re-invents himself as Dr. Schuler (Anton Diffring) and takes over a circus once owned by Vanet (Donald Pleasence). Ten years go by and Schuler has filled the circus with criminals whose faces he has changed and who have somehow developed abilities as performers. The late Vanet's daughter, Nicole (Yvonne Monlaur), thinks of Schuler as her uncle and is grateful that he healed her childhood scars. 

Griffith, Hylton, and Diffring

Schuler may seem like a hero to Nicole, but in reality he becomes very possessive of the women he remodels, and a number of them die in "accidents" while they are performing. The police and a reporter are suspicious, but there's nothing they can pin on Schuler. His latest acquisition is a woman named Melina (Yvonne Romain), who is cast as Helen of Troy and apparently trained as a lion tamer! Schuler's associates Martin (Kenneth Griffith) and his sister, Angela (Jane Hylton), who is in love with Schuler, are starting to get antsy. And we mustn't forget the lady back in England, who still has a horribly scarred face ... 

Donald Pleasence

Anton Diffring gives another winning performance in Circus of Horrors, and there is also good work from Donald Pleasence, Griffith, Hylton, and some of the ladies. The script, written by George Baxt, has to be taken with a grain of salt, as Schuler finds it incredibly easy to turn crooks, whores and so on into skilled circus performers, the deaths of so many women should have brought in the authorities much sooner, and it's especially hard to believe anyone, such as trapeze headliner Elissa (Erika Remberg),  would actually do their dangerous act after trying to blackmail the even more dangerous Schuler. Still, the movie is absorbing and at times delightfully lurid if never distastefully graphic.  Hayers also directed Burn, Witch, Burn. 

Verdict: Zesty British horror film. ***.