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. 

NIGHT OF THE SKULL

The skull-faced killer 

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

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

getting ready to read the will

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

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

KILLDOZER

The killer bulldozer about to squash an unfortunate

KILLDOZER (1974 telefilm). Director: Jerry London.

A group of construction workers are putting in an air field on an isolated island in the Pacific when an ancient, extraterrestrial lifeform is unleashed from some ruins. This lifeform then inhabits the hulking, metallic form of the project's special bulldozer, coming to life at unexpected times and whenever it chooses. At first the group think the dozer must be remote-controlled, but this is not the case. The driverless machine proves quite formidable as several victims are unable to get out of its way, and at least one is squashed inside his jeep. Finally the survivors try to concoct a way to stop the killer bulldozer for good. 

Clint Walker

Killdozer is based on a story by Theodore Sturgeon. The telefilm has some eerie, suspenseful, and exciting scenes, but never really turns into a thrilling or nail-biting experience. Clint Walker has given some good performances elsewhere -- such as in Scream of the Wolf -- but in this his mind seems to be on something else. Robert Urich is killed off early on, James A. Watson Jr., Carl Betz and Neville Brand [Adventures of Nick Carter] are more than okay, and James Wainwright arguably offers the best performance as the ill-fated Dutch. If nothing else, the picture is absorbing. 

Verdict: Stay away from construction sites. **1/2.

THE KILLER RESERVED NINE SEATS

Chris Avram

THE KILLER RESERVED NINE SEATS (aka L'assassino ha riservato nove poltrone/1974. Director: Giuseppe Bennati. 

Patrick Davenant (Chris Avram) recently broke off his engagement to Vivian (Rosanna Schiaffino) -- who then married Albert (Andrea Scotti of Mission Bloody Mary)  -- while Patrick took up with the younger Kim (Jane Agren). Patrick seems unaware that Kim is still fooling around with Russell (Howard Ross) and that she is more interested in Patrick's money than anything else. Inexplicably, Patrick invites these and other people -- including his sister Rebecca (Eva Czemerys), her lover Doris (Lucretia Love), Patrick's daughter, Lynn (Paola Senatore) and her boyfriend Duncan -- to a theater he owns, and which has not been in use for decades. Apparently mass murders took place there a hundred years ago on this very date. An uninvited guest is the mysterious Pat (Eduardo Filipone), who seems like some kind of guru. It isn't long before one of the party turns up stabbed to death ... 

Rosanna Schiaffino

One thing you have to say about The Killer is that it is absorbing and suspenseful, as you do get caught up in wondering which of the cast members is offing the others. In addition to this killer, there are also supernatural events to confuse the issue, with a creepy underground finale. The violence is not too horrific, although the killer has the habit of stripping female victims of their clothing and dignity before slaying them. There are some unanswered questions even after the revelations, and Patrick emerges as someone who will never win a prize as Father of the Year!  

Verdict: Somewhat arresting Italian giallo film is wildly imperfect but some fun. **1/2. 

TEN LITTLE INDIANS (1974)

Lom, Frobe, Attenborough, Reed and Sommer

TEN LITTLE INDIANS (1974). Director: Peter Collinson. 

Several people receive invitations to an empty luxury hotel built in the Iranian desert near some ruins. While there they learn that their unknown host has assembled them for past misdeeds and an unseen killer strikes at them one by one, the murders related in some way to a nursery rhyme. Eventually the rapidly-dwindling group comes to realize that the murderer is one of their own. Paranoia sets in as the deaths continue and everyone falls under suspicion. 

Unlikely lovers: Elke Sommer and Oliver Reed

This is the second of three versions of Agatha Christie's venerable story that was produced by Harry Alan Towers, who would seemingly produce any piece of shit if he thought he could turn a profit. At least he has assembled an interesting cast in this misfire: Richard Attenborough as the judge; Elke Sommer and Oliver Reed [The Shuttered Room] as the unlikeliest pair of young lovers ever; Stephane Audran as the actress who may have murdered her husband; two Bond villains -- Gert Frobe of Goldfinger and Adolfo Celi of Thunderball -- as, respectively, a detective and a general; French entertainer Charles Aznavour as the drunken first victim; Herbert Lom [Mysterious Island] as Dr. Armstrong, and no less than Orson Welles as the voice of the host. 

The most notable things about this production are the settings and the cinematography of Fernando Arribas. The musical score is atrocious, and the clumsily-directed film -- there are way too many long shots and the murder scenes are devoid of elan -- has virtually no tension or suspense. The acting is generally good, with Attenborough coming off the best. Towers had one more version of the story to go. 

Verdict: Another tax write-off for Towers. **. 

WHERE HAVE ALL THE PEOPLE GONE?

Kathleen Quinlan and Peter Graves

WHERE HAVE ALL THE PEOPLE GONE? (1974 telefilm). Director: John Llewellyn Moxey. Teleplay by Lewis John Carlino. 

Steven Anders (Peter Graves of Beginning of the End) and his children David (George O'Hanlon Jr.) and Deborah (Kathleen Quinlan) are out camping when they investigate a cave and discover something bizarre has happened while they were inside. Their friend Clancy (Noble Willingham), who was not inside the cave, becomes very sick and eventually dies while they are taking him to civilization. What's weirder, his body disappears. Back in town the Anders discover that somehow solar flares (and, ironically, a virus) have killed off most of the populace, turning their bodies into dust. In addition there are no phones or electricity. Steven's wife did not go camping and now his primary focus is to fight off both animal and human predators and make his way back to his spouse. 

Verna Bloom as Jenny

Where Have All the People Gone? is a compelling and suspenseful story that at times comes off like an eerie Roger Corman movie. The characters, including a woman survivor named Jenny (Verna Bloom) whose husband disintegrated and whose children were attacked and killed by maddened dogs (a side effect of the solar flares), are well-developed and the acting is quite good -- with the exception of lead Peter Graves, who rarely works up the consternation and emotion Steven would be feeling. Steven eventually finds his wife, but it is not a happy moment. It might have been good if the script offered some more detail as to what's happened, but it works as a nominal end-of-the-world scenario that is not without hope for the future. 

Verdict: Depressing but quite good doomsday telefilm. ***.

THE BEAST MUST DIE

Calvin Lockhart

THE BEAST MUST DIE (1974). Director: Paul Arnett. 

A black man named Tom Newcliffe (Calvin Lockhart) is chased by what appear to be white mercenaries through a forest and is apparently shot and killed. But Newcliffe turns out to be the wealthy owner of the island, and the men have been hired to test him and his security equipment. Pavel (Anton Diffring) is the chief security officer and watches everything that happens on the island through not-so-hidden cameras.

Peter Cushing

Newcliffe has become convinced that one of his guests, all of whom have some dark secrets in their past, is a bonafide flesh-eating werewolf,  and as the full moon approaches he is determined to find out who the guilty party is. Suspects include painter Paul Foote (Tom Chadbon); pianist Jan (Michael Gambon); Jan's girlfriend Davina (Ciaran Madden); the businessman Pennington (Charles Gray); Dr. Lundgren (Peter Cushing), who is knowledgeable about the loup garou;  and even Newcliffe's beautiful wife, Caroline (Marlene Clark). As victims with torn-out throats start piling up, and the survivors are unable to leave the island, panic begins to set in and the already slightly unhinged Newcliffe becomes even more manic and possibly dangerous.

Anton Diffring and Calvin Lockhart

The Beast Must Die benefits from an excellent premise and a suspenseful and exciting screenplay by Michael Winder (taken from a story by James Blish). Paul Arnett's direction is satisfactory. It is interesting that the lead role is played by handsome Nassau-born "blaxploitation" star Lockhart [Myra Breckenridge], whose flamboyant acting style doesn't quite work with this material. A frail Peter Cushing [The Gorgon] has little to do as the doctor who dispenses wisdom about werewolves, but he does it well. Anton Diffring [The Man Who Could Cheat Death], another old pro like Cushing, plays with his customary adeptness and authority. The other actors are mostly professional and on target in their portrayals. Marlene Clark is dubbed by Annie Ross, which may be why her performance seems a bit odd at times. The film has a "werewolf break" in which the audience has thirty seconds to decide who they think the monster is. Aside from this one theatrical feature, Paul Arnett directed British television productions. From Amicus Studios. Douglas Gamley's theme music is awful and completely inappropriate. 

Verdict: Imperfect but entertaining and unusual werewolf-on-the-loose flick. ***. 

BETRAYAL

Amanda Blake

BETRAYAL (1974 telefilm.) Director: Gordon Hessler. 

Gretchen (Tihsa Sterling of The Name of the Game is Kill) makes a living as a companion to older ladies with money, and then robs them with the help of her abusive boyfriend, Jay (Sam Groom), who winds up murdering their latest victim. Gretchen next sets her sights on Helen Mercer (Amanda Blake), who is not quite as helpless as Gretchen might like, and certainly doesn't need her help with her finances. Pretending to be Gretchen's formerly estranged husband, Jay moves in as the two women bond. Gretchen just wants to live a normal life and leave Helen in peace, but Jay has no intention of walking away from a big score.

Tisha Sterling

Betrayal is a fairly standard telefilm that has a couple of twists and holds the attention. The performances are okay. Tisha Sterling is the daughter of Ann Sothern and Robert Sterling -- she's not a bad actress, she's just not very distinctive in this. A major cast surprise is that Helen's male friend who wants to marry her is played by an unrecognizable Dick Haymes, actor, singer and former husband of Rita Hayworth; he's fine. Sam Groom is also capable as the rather slimy Jay. The movie actually has an interesting plot but the execution is mediocre. At times this almost plays like a love story between Helen and Gretchen, and the ending is very satisfying. 

Verdict: Okay TV time-passer with some interesting elements. **1/4. 

SCREAM OF THE WOLF

Clint Walker and Peter Graves

SCREAM OF THE WOLF (1974 telefilm). Producer/Director: Dan Curtis. Screenplay by Richard Matheson. 

A series of gruesome deaths are attributed to an unknown wild animal that authorities fear can transform from a four-legged creature into something that walks upright. John Wetherby (Peter Graves) is called in to search for the beast, and tries to enlist the aid of old hunting buddy Byron Douglas (Clint Walker). John's gal pal, Sandy Miller (Jo Ann Pflug), is convinced that Byron is somehow behind the deaths, especially when he refuses to help John entrap the beast. John feels that the killings are making the whole community feel "alive." Then someone or something breaks into Sandy's home and tries to kill her ...

Old friends turned enemies? Graves and Walker

Scream of the Wolf is one of Dan Curtis' better horror telefilms as it is well-directed and has a lot of eerie atmospherics and suspense. The cast, including Philip Carey as the sheriff, is fine, with Clint Walker delivering an excellent performance as Byron. Some viewers have seen homoerotic elements in the movie, centering on a relationship between Byron and his employee, houseman Grant (Don Megowan of Creation of the Humanoids), whom he met in a bar, as well as a bit of dialogue when Byron says to John "can't you even hold me for a minute?" which actually refers to  an arm-wrestling match! Sandy accuses John of wanting to go off hunting the beast with Byron even if he were the killer! One can read all sorts of things into this scenario, but whether scripter Richard Matheson meant them to be taken that way is debatable. 

In any case, Scream of the Wolf  is worth catching on the Late Show, although viewers might wonder why no one in the movie ever ponders the possibility that the mysterious beast who can walk on two legs or four and tear a man apart might be -- a bear? (It isn't.) 

Verdict: Creepy horror teleflick with a notable Walker. ***.

UFO TARGET EARTH

Nick Plakias

UFO TARGET EARTH (1974). Director: Michael A. DeGaetano. 

Alan Grimes (Nick Plakias) is a communications researcher attached to a small-town college. One day some telephone lines are crossed and he inadvertently overhears a conversation at the nearby military base about UFOs. Grimes becomes convinced that there is some strange activity occurring out near a power plant and the adjacent lake, and enlists the help of psychic Vivian (Cynthia Cline), Dr. Mansfield (LaVerne Light), and associate Dan Rivers (Tom Arcuragi). Alan discovers that there is indeed something weird in the lake, and encounters strange aliens of pure energy who have a rather unhealthy use for him. 

That hair! Phil Erickson and Nick Plakias

The memory can play tricks on you. I actually saw this film in theaters long ago and my recollections told me to take another look at it. Too bad. Yes, it has its eerie moments, but it's not very good. The acting can best be described as earnest but uninspired. It has the look of an ambitious student film that is padded with all sorts of stuff just to get an acceptable running time. One of the most amazing things in the movie is the hairdo affected by Dr. Whitham (Phil Erickson), which reminds one of Donald Trump's! General Gallagher, whom Alan tries to interview at the military base, is played by Brooks Clift, the older brother of the famous Montgomery Clift! Most of the people who participated in this film had few if any additional  credits. 

Verdict: Atmospheric but rather dull hodge podge. *1/2. 

THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE

Marilyn Burns 

THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE (1974). Director: Tobe Hooper. 

"No need to torture the poor girl."

Sally (Marilyn Burns), her brother Franklin (Paul A. Partain), and some friends travel to their childhood home to see if any of their relatives' graves were disturbed by grave robbers. Investigating what seems like a perfectly nice house nearby, two of the young people are almost immediately set upon by "Leatherface" (not referred to as such in the film) an obese, squealing man in a mask of flesh (Gunnar Hansen). Setting out to find their missing chums, Sally and Franklin come across Leatherface wielding his chainsaw. The only survivor of the attack, Sally is taken captive by Leatherface and his family,  and tries to hold onto her sanity as well as her life. 

The edge of disaster

Texas Chainsaw has been excoriated by people who have never seen it, because they imagine it is a grisly bloodbath, but the effects of the chainsaw upon flesh are never actually shown (which is not true of the sequels and remakes). However, the film is intense, with a disturbing and horrifying atmosphere. The emotional torture of the heroine eventually becomes repellent and can even seem misogynous to some. The soundtrack consists more of jangling eerie noises than music. It's interesting that the house Leatherface and his family live in appears so attractive and well-kept-up, at least on the outside. When Franklin refers to his grandfather's house as the "Franklin place," are we to assume that his full name is Franklin Franklin, or  was this just a mistake? 

Marilyn Burns

Many years have gone by since Texas Chainsaw premiered and there have been loads of similar films since then. How does it hold up? Well ... Despite all the gruesome goings-on in the final quarter, the movie actually becomes a little tedious, the ending isn't nearly as exciting as remembered, and there are times it seems rather schlocky to boot, although the art direction of the house of horrors is swell. Considering everything Marilyn Burns has to go through, she gives a damned good performance in this, never going over the top, detailing her character's shock and hysteria with aplomb (the repeated close-ups of her bulging eyes are over-the-top, however). She also appeared in Hooper's lousy follow-up, Eaten Alive. Edwin Neal is certainly vivid as the crazy Hitchhiker who is also a part of the family. All and all, Texas has been over-rated over the years. Psycho may not shock as it once did, but it is still a masterpiece. Texas was never a masterpiece, and it certainly isn't now. 

Verdict: Zesty if half-baked horror film. **1/2.