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. ***. 

EARTH VS. THE SPIDER

EARTH VS. THE SPIDER (aka The Spider/1958). Director: Bert I. Gordon. Colorized. 

For inexplicable reasons a gargantuan bird spider which has been snacking on luckless spelunkers decides to come out of its cave and kill the father of high school student Carol Flynn (June Kenney). Science teacher Art Kingman (Ed Kemmer) instructs the authorities, including laconic Sheriff Cagle (Gene Roth), to fill the cavern with gas. Thinking the huge arachnid is dead, the group takes the creature to the high school, where it  is put on display and wakes up during band practice! As it goes on a rampage, Carol and her boyfriend Mike (Eugene Persson) go into the cave to see if they can find a gift that Carol's late father bought for her birthday. Naturally the monster comes back. Now it's a question if the teens, lost in the cave, will die of starvation or become instant bug food! 

There's something oddly likable about The Spider, Bert I. Gordon's imitation of the superior Tarantula, although one could certainly point to plenty of dumb moments and glaring imperfections. The movie could have been a nail-biter but never achieves that level of tension. The cast generally plays it straight, which always helps, and June Kenney is rather good as Carol. Still the actors have to take a back seat to that spider. Its rampage is quite limited, and the last quarter of the film is a bit on the slower side, but the flick is still entertaining if you like creature features. The color, as usual, adds a new dimension. Albert Glasser's score is effective as well. 

Verdict: A fun big bug movie. **3/4.

KING DINOSAUR

King Dinosaur licks his chops

KING DINOSAUR (1955). Director: Bert I. Gordon.

A new planet named Nova is orbiting around the sun, closer to the Earth than any other planet. A team of four scientists are sent by rocket ship to explore this new world. They are Ralph Martin (William Bryant), his fiancee Pat Bennett (Wanda Curtis), Nora Pierce (Patti Gallagher) and Richard Gordon (Douglas Henderson of Invasion of the Saucer Men). On Nova they discover that the planet is very Earth-like, but as Earth was during the prehistoric era. After encounters with an alligator and a giant ant -- which none of the four even remark upon -- they decide to explore an island and discover it is full of carnivorous monsters! A particularly hungry lizard, referred to improbably as a T-Rex -- hence "King" Dinosaur --  is hell bent on having them for a snack! 

Bryant, Curtis, Gallagher, Henderson

King Dinosaur was the directorial debut for Bert I. Gordon, Mr. BIG, who came out with several movies starring outsized monsters, such as Beginning of the End with its huge grasshoppers. King Dinosaur is not an auspicious debut by any means, but the movie has a certain zero budget charm to it. Although some of the musical score reminds one of a poor man's "Bolero," it whips up some suspense and excitement during the climax on the island. The sound FX are excellent, as they generally are in giant monster flicks. The actions of our heroes are at times inexplicable, and it's also hard to believe that an iguana -- I believe that's what King D actually is -- could beat a crocodile in a fair fight! Both Bryant and Henderson had a long list of credits. Patti Gallagher did only a few films, and Curtis, who was basically a singer, appeared only in this movie. 

     

Verdict: Low-grade monster flick is of interest to Mr. BIG fans. **1/4. 

SERPENT ISLAND

Mary Munday and Sonny Tufts

SERPENT ISLAND (1954). Written and directed by Tom Gries. Produced,  photographed, and edited by Bert I. Gordon. 

Pete Mason (Sonny Tufts) is a laid-back sailor who knows a lot about Haiti, and is importuned to sign on as a crew member for the dyspeptic Kirk Ellis (Tom Monroe). He is doing this at the request of Ricki Andre (Mary Munday), who insists that there is a treasure in Haiti that belongs to her family  -- all somebody has to do is find it. The three set sail and have a number of arguments, even as different people keep trying to steal a letter that has clues to the treasure's location. Pete suggests that the treasure is not on Haiti, but on a nearby island, where he re-encounters a woman named Ann Christoff (Rosalind Hayes) and her sinister, machete-wielding companion Jacques (Don Blackman). But then there's also a malevolent boa constrictor to deal with.

Ricki "struggles" with a boa constrictor

Be forewarned that the above synopsis makes Serpent Island sound more interesting than it actually is. In fact for most of its length it's an indifferently photographed (by Bert I. Gordon) travelogue with scenes of supposed Haitian ceremonies that seem to go on forever. The sequence when Ricki wrestles with a large boa is unintentionally hysterical. The acting is actually okay, with a feisty Munday going on to have many more credits. Don Blackman has a striking presence and also had several future credits. Tufts, who became better-known for his off-screen drunken shenanigans than for his acting, is perfectly convincing as the laconic Pete. Bert I. Gordon switched from photography to directing and helmed quite a few movies that are much more entertaining than this. Munday and director Gries were married after filming. 

Verdict: A real stink bomb. *.

WAR OF THE COLOSSAL BEAST

The Colossal Man makes an entrance

WAR OF THE COLOSSAL BEAST (1958). Director: Bert I. Gordon. 

In this sequel to The Amazing Colossal Man, there are reports that Glenn Manning may be alive down in Mexico. His sister, Joyce (Sally Fraser) -- his fiancee from the first film is out of the picture, literally and figuratively -- tries to convince the authorities, especially Major Baird (Roger Pace), that her brother is subsisting on food from trucks that he snatches off the roads. Joyce and Baird find the wrecked trucks, and Manning -- now played by Duncan Parkin and with his face horribly disfigured -- does put in a startling appearance. Can Glenn be captured and brought to some island where he can live out his days in peace? 

Baird and others hide from the giant 

Despite its grim premise, War of the Colossal Beast is a fun movie, and the Colossal Man makes a lively monster. There's a terrific scene when the giant pursues a truck in the hopes he'll eat some of the doctored food inside of it and fall asleep, which he does after trying to grab the men and crushing one poor sheriff as he topples. Glenn also escapes from captivity in an airplane hanger more than once, grabbing a bus full of screaming children at the Griffith Observatory in L.A. at the finale, although it's incredible that no one spots the big guy until then.

Peek a boo! 

The acting in this is serviceable. Sally Fraser comes off like a talented high school student as opposed to a professional actress, although it's not her fault that Joyce seems delusional and stupid, desperate to keep her brother alive when he would probably rather be dead. War of the Colossal Beast uses a lot of footage from the previous film, but new footage includes Glenn's tug of war involving some soldiers and a rope; his brief rampage when he gets loose in the airport and terrifies a woman in the control tower; and a black comedy bit when one agency after another tries to pass on their responsibility as far as the out-sized Manning is concerned.  Typically for Gordon, the FX are uneven but generally effective.

Verdict: Despite its absurdities and its amusing veneer, and not to be pretentious, but the tragedy of the decent Manning's fate is always there under the surface.. ***. 

THE AMAZING COLOSSAL MAN

Glen Manning struts through Las Vegas

THE AMAZING COLOSSAL MAN (1957). Director: Bert I. Gordon. 

"What sin could a man commit in a single lifetime to bring this upon himself?" -- Glenn Manning 

Korean War vet Lt. Colonel Glenn Manning (Glenn Langan of Jungle Heat) is caught in a Plutonium blast while heroically trying to save the pilot of a downed aircraft. The radiation miraculously heals his injuries in record time, but his cells keep multiplying, and he begins to grow taller at an alarming rate, 8 to 10 feet a day  -- except for his heart muscle. The race is on to stop, and perhaps, reverse his growth before his heart gives out. But there is also the danger that his mind will go first ... 

Cathy Downs with William Hudson

This imitation of The Incredible Shrinking Man is nowhere in that league but it is an absorbing science fiction drama nevertheless. While the special effects are variable, the film's main strengths are a credible enough screenplay and the performances of Glenn Langan as the tragic hero and Cathy Downs [Missile to the Moon] as his loving fiancee Carol Forrest, who is treated quite badly by the military establishment. The opening with the bomb is quite tense and well-done (and may have influenced the origin of the Marvel Comics character, the Hulk), but eventually the movie becomes a bit schlocky. A scene in which Dr. Linstrom (William Hudson) reveals a miniature elephant and camel is ludicrous, although a bit with a giant needle that skewers one unfortunate soul is effective. 

Glenn Langan with Cathy Downs

Actor William Hudson would be forever linked with giant people because he also appeared in Attack of the 50 Foot Woman, playing the heroine's husband. (Mark Hanna wrote the screenplays for both pictures.) There's a newscaster named "H. Wells" --- Gordon would later film Wells' novel The Food of the Gods, twice. Albert Glasser contributes his typically effective brassy score. Gordon also did a sequel to this picture, War of the Colossal Beast.

Verdict: Despite deficiencies, this is an entertaining picture with Langan making the most of his unusual role. ***. 

BEGINNING OF THE END

giant locust attacks 

BEGINNING OF THE END (1957). Director: Bert I. Gordon. 

Ace lady reporter Audrey Aimes (Peggie Castle) is perplexed, to say the least, when she is told by the military that the whole town of Ludlow, Illinois has been cordoned off. Later she learns that every building in town has been completely demolished and all 500 inhabitants have disappeared. She encounters entomologist Dr. Ed Wainwright (Peter Graves of Death Car on the Freeway) who uses a small amount of radioactivity in his experimentation. Investigating a grain storage facility that was wrecked from the inside out, Wainwright's deaf-mute assistant Frank (Than Wyeen) is suddenly set upon and devoured (off-screen) by a humongous locust. Now Audrey knows what happened to those 500 missing people! 

Peter Graces and Peggie Castle

Aside from fans of "Mr. Big," Beginning of the End has been roundly excoriated, but I will gladly say that the movie has always given me the creeps, along with those scary giant grasshoppers (even if the cheap process work makes them look washed out). The picture has a solid script, a fast-pace, unnerving sound effects of the critters chirp-chirrrping before an attack, and a very effective score by Albert Glasser. Graves and Castle make convincing enough leads, with the female emerging as just as courageous as the male, if not more so. The well-constructed climax has the couple attracting the monsters to their building in downtown Chicago so that they can flick a switch that will, hopefully, send them out into the river so they can drown. But will they manage to survive long enough for that to happen?

locust and truck

One can certainly quibble about some of the cheap effects, but that doesn't stop the movie from being entertaining. The "battle" scenes between soldiers and locusts are well-done and often horrifying. For inexplicable reasons the official DVD of the film cuts a shot of a giant locust nearly catching up to a truck full of soldiers upon whom it would certainly pounce, so just to catch that nifty, chilling moment I watch an inferior TV print (see pic on the left). Some well-known character actors are in the cast, including James Seay, Thomas Browne Henry [20 Million Miles to Earth], Hank Patterson, and Morris Ankrum as the general in charge of the whole operation. Gordon also directed Earth vs the Spider and many others. 

NOTE: For more info on this film and many others like it see Creature Features: Nature Turned Nasty in the Movies. 

Verdict: Low-budget insect disaster film with disgusting and voracious monsters. ***. 

SECRETS OF A PSYCHOPATH

Mark Famiglietti as Henry

SECRETS OF A PSYCHOPATH (2015.) Director: Bert. I Gordon. 

Henry (Mark Famiglietti) lives with his sister, Katherine (Kari Wuhrer), in their large family home. Apparently the only woman Henry can have sex with successfully is his sister, but he makes attempts with other women he meets on the internet and at the movies. He has gone so far as to get engaged to Grace (Mary Anthony), whom he has also met online. But when Grace shows up at the house to tie the knot, she finds a jealous future sister-in-law  waiting, and discovers she is in the midst of a deadly and frightening situation ... 

Secrets of a Psychopath is a comeback of sorts for Mr. BIG, aka Bert I. Gordon, who worked on so many fun creature features in the fifties through seventies such as Earth vs the Spider, The Magic Sword, The Food of the Gods and The Cyclops. Gordon even managed to snare no less than Orson Welles to star in one of his minor B productions, Necromancy. At the ripe young age of 93 Gordon directed this, his last feature to date -- no mean achievement. Unfortunately, while I'd like to report that this is Gordon's masterpiece, it's not that great a movie, and certainly much, much less fun than Mr. BIG's flicks on giant spiders, grasshoppers and Amazing Colossal Men. 

Wuhrer, Anthony and Famiglietti

The shame of it is that Secrets of a Psychopath has some damn good things going for it. There's the attractive lensing by Brett A. Hart which gives the picture a clean and polished look, and an effective score by Scott Glascow (although it generally tends to be a bit too languid, unfortunately, along with the film's pacing). Then there's an excellent lead performance by the appealing Mark Famiglietti, who makes Henry another charming if no-less-deadly sociopath. Although I have never heard of her, apparently Kari Wuhrer has achieved some kind of minor fame in little-known B horror flicks, and she is good as Henry's sensual sister, Katherine. Mary Anthony is also very good as the ill-fated Grace. However, most of the rest of the cast, including Henry's other victims, are played by amateurs who lower the whole tone of the movie.

The film's premise is workable, but Gordon's script is full of holes and moments of illogic  -- Henry buries one body in broad daylight, and there's this whole incredible business with two children improbably drowning in a small plastic lawn pool and the apparent lack of repercussions to this. As mentioned, the pace of the film at times seems glacial and there's only a decent spurt of energy at the very end. Gordon's direction betrays none of the flair that would make this psycho-thriller really sing. Too bad. 

Verdict: Psychologically dubious and not much fun but it's still Mr. BIG! **. 

EARTH VS THE SPIDER

The spider saunters past sheriff's office

EARTH VS THE SPIDER (1958). Director: Bert I. Gordon. 

A gigantic bird spider of unknown origin wakes up in a cave and begins eating the locals. One of the first victims is Jack Flynn (Merritt Stone), whose daughter Carol (June Kenney) and boyfriend Mike (Eugene Persson) find his desiccated corpse. Initially put down by gallons of DDT, the spider is presumed dead and put in the gymnasium, until a band's practicing wakes it up and off it goes on a rampage. Now the town has to figure out a way to destroy the monster for good, but are science teacher Art Kingman (Ed Kemmer) and Sheriff Cagle (Gene Roth) up to the challenge?

The deputy: pitiful victim of the giant spider

Earth vs the Spider, clearly inspired by the superior Tarantula, is another of Burt I. Gordon's  (Mr. BIG) monster movies with its usual attempts at characterization, variable special effects work, and a few grisly touches that might have provided shocks for teens in the fifties. The picture has some suspense, a few disturbing moments, and is a lot of fun. Like normal-sized spiders, this monster immobilizes its victims and sucks all the juice out of them, although this business is never actually depicted; we only see the results. The film was supposedly filmed in the famous Carlsbad caverns. The "teens" in this movie were mostly played by adults. Joe the bandleader, is played by Troy Patterson, who was thirty-five at the time! 

NOTE: You can read more about this film and others like it in Creature Features: Nature Turned Nasty in the Movies. 

Verdict: You can't go completely wrong with Mr. BIG! **1/2.