"TWICE THE THRILLS! TWICE THE CHILLS!"

"TWICE THE THRILLS! TWICE THE CHILLS!" Horror and Science Fiction Double Features, 1955 - 1974. Bryan Senn. McFarland; 2019. 

In this genuinely thrilling and well-written -- and humongous -- tome, author Senn covers all of the famous and infamous double-bills from various production companies (including AIP and Hammer Studios) throughout the fifties, sixties and early seventies. Senn writes with flair and intelligence about these mostly "B" horror/sci-fi/exploitation flicks, and it may make you want to revisit some of these gems or search out any movies that you have yet to see. They're all here, starting with Revenge of the Creature and Cult of the Cobra, continuing on with The Wasp Woman and Beast from Haunted Cave as well as Joan Crawford in Berserk and Torture Garden and winding up with Frankenstein and the Monster from Hell and Captain Kronos, Vampire Hunter. Senn doesn't condescend to these movies, no matter how low the budget, and thank goodness he sticks to accurate and informative analysis instead of pretentious psycho-twaddle. Of course you're not going to agree with his estimation of every movie, some of which he likes way better than I do (and vice versa), but that's just part of the fun. A minor complaint is that Senn perhaps spends too much space on those atrocious Andy Milligan films -- even reading about them is a bit tiresome -- but he is nothing if not complete. Oversized trade paperback that is packed with illustrations. 

Verdict: If you love these kinds of movies, this book is a rare treat! ***1/2.

THE SAINT'S GIRL FRIDAY

Louis Hayward as The Saint, Simon Templar

THE SAINT'S GIRL FRIDAY (aka The Saint's Return/1953). Director: Seymour Friedman. Colorized. 

"Did you really drop a man into a vat of acid?" -- elderly lady partygoer.

"No. It was a woman." -- Simon Templar.

When Simon Templar (Louis Hayward of Son of Dr. Jekyll) learns that Judy, an old girlfriend of his, died in a mysterious car accident, he flies to London to investigate, whereupon Chief Inspector Claude Teal (Charles Victor) warns him to stay out of trouble. Learning from her guardian that Judy had huge gambling debts, Simon tries to find which illegal gambling club she was a patron of, and then who the mysterious chief is who owns the place. He enlists the aid of Carol (Naomi Chance) who works for the club to pay off her own debts, and whom Simon affectionately calls his girl Friday. She resists helping him and he and his butler Hoppy (Thomas Gallagher) try various stratagems to collar the gang -- called the River Mob -- and its unknown chief. Then they learn Carol is in serious danger ...

William Russell and Naomi Chance

The always-debonair Louis Hayward makes an excellent Simon Templar and gives a smooth and expert performance. The other cast members, including Jane Carr as the effervescent Katie French; Diana Dors [Berserk] as a lascivious blonde moll in a bad guy's apartment; Fred Johnson as counterfeiter Irish Cassidy; William Russell as gambleholic Keith Merton; and Ian Fleming as his father, Lord Merton, among others, are all quite effective. Sam Kydd has a small role, too. Hayward hadn't played the Saint in fifteen years, since The Saint in New York, and would never play it again. This is fast-paced, has a degree of suspense, and a couple of surprises to boot. For my money, the colorizing adds to the enjoyment. Although it is considered the 9th and final entry in the RKO Saint series, this is a British film from Hammer studios. 

Verdict: Easy to take intrigue from the UK. **3/4.  

FEAR IN THE NIGHT

FEAR IN THE NIGHT (1972). Produced and directed by Jimmy Sangster.

Newlyweds Peggy (Judy Geeson of Berserk) and Robert Heller (Ralph Bates) have moved into a cottage on the grounds of a boys school owned and run by headmaster Michael Carmichael (Peter Cushing of The Beast Must Die). Michael has a much younger wife named Molly (Joan Collins). Peggy has already been attacked by a man with a prosthetic arm back in the city, when this same man breaks into the cottage. Robert, who knows that Peggy was seeing a doctor after a nervous breakdown, isn't certain whether to believe her or not. One evening he has to go on an errand for Michael, and Peggy is left all alone in the house. Bad things are going to happen ... 

Ralph Bates and Judy Geeson

Fear in the Night is an intriguing and suspenseful Hammer thriller with some excellent performances. Even if you get clued in to some of the things that are going on, there are still some interesting twists to the story. Once everything has unfolded there is also a degree of pathos when you realize how cruelly one of the innocent characters has been used. The great Peter Cushing adds some class to the picture as he generally does, Bates doesn't give away if he's keeping secrets or not, Collins is suitably tough and forceful in her portrayal, and Geeson generally manages to deal with all of the sinister goings-on with aplomb. Sangster, who also co-wrote the screenplay, never lets the pace flag. It all builds to a quite satisfactory conclusion. 

Verdict:  Notable Hammer suspense film with fine performances. ***. 

WHISPERING SMITH VS. SCOTLAND YARD

WHISPERING SMITH VS. SCOTLAND YARD (aka Whispering Smith Hits London/1952). Director: Francis Searle. 

Famous American detective Steve "Whispering" Smith (Richard Carlson) comes to England for a Welsch vacation but is immediately importuned to solve a murder in London. A young woman named Sylvia has been found drowned, an apparent suicide, but her father is convinced it was murder. His secretary, Ann Carter (Rona Anderson of The Flaw), begs Smith to take the case but at first he seems more interested in romancing her. Smith goes about interviewing several people who knew Sylvia: her lawyer, Hector Reith (Alan Wheatley); her fiance, a puppeteer named Roger Ford (Herbert Lom of Mysterious Island); and one of her best friends, Louise Balfour (Greta Gynt). When someone tries to run over Smith and Ann it's clear that somebody is violently opposed to his investigation. 

Richard Carlson and Greta Gynt

Whispering Smith, a character first introduced in a novel and then in movies, was actually a 19th century railroad detective known for being rather quiet, hence "whispering." Alan Ladd played the part in a 1942 western. In this one-shot movie starring Richard Carlson the character has been updated to the 20th century, but he doesn't seem very quiet, but rather brash in the way of most American private eyes. Carlson gives a very good performance, Rona  Anderson is cute and charming, Greta Gynt radiates a certain sensuality and menace, and Wheatley and Lom make convincing antagonists; Lom is especially effective, as usual. Reginald Beckwith [Doctor in Love] is cast as a man who was a victim of vicious blackmail. Usually a comic figure, he gives a good, if brief, dramatic performance in this. An interesting element has to do with a sinister nursing home called Star Opaque, which is actually a mayhem-for-hire outfit run by the creepy Dr. Taren (Daniel Wherry). An early production from Hammer studios, this is better than their usual mysteries, well-acted, with an interesting plot (even if the ending is not that big a surprise) and characters and a swift pace. Nice score by Fred Spencer.

Verdict: Some more Whispering Smith films with Carlson would have been welcome. ***. 

TWINS OF EVIL

Madeleine and Mary Collinson

TWINS OF EVIL (1971). John Hough. 

Gustav Weil (pronounced "vile") -- played by Peter Cushing  of The Beast Must Die -- is a witch hunter who cares nothing about putting innocent women to death by burning. He has his hands full when his two nieces -- Maria and Freida (Madeleine and Mary Collinson) -- become his wards, as at least one of them has no intention of staying pure and virginal. Indeed she is fascinated by the decadent Count Karnstein (Damien Thomas), who is not only a vampire but offers sacrifices to Satan. The choirmaster, Anton (David Warbeck), intervenes when the wrong twin is accused of being in league with Karnstein. Two sides of the same coin, Weil confronts Karnstein in the climax, but it's a question as to which of these loathsome creatures will ultimately win. 

Damien Thomas as Karnstein

Twins of Evil is a highly entertaining and well-mounted Hammer horror film. Peter Cushing offers his customary excellent performance, but while he gets away with being overwrought, the same is not true of some of the actors playing the church elders. The Collinson twins, who I believe posed for Playboy years ago and go bare-breasted in this, are certainly attractive and deliver adequate performances, although all of their dialogue was dubbed by unknown British actors. Damien Thomas is strikingly effective and simply wonderful as Count Karnstein, but although he had many other subsequent credits and is still working today, he never did another horror film, more's the pity. Warbeck, Kathleen Byron [Profile] as Weil's wife, Dennis Price [The Horror of It All] as Karnstein's associate Dietrich, are all notable as well. It's never explained how Karnstein, whose image can't be seen in a mirror, can walk about in broad daylight. This is the final film in the trilogy consisting of The Vampire Lovers, Lust for a Vampire, and Twins.

Verdict: Blood, vampires, witch hunters, and boobs! ***. 

THE GORGON

Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing

THE GORGON (1964). Director: Terence Fisher. 

Near the turn of the century, a village is bedeviled by a series of bizarre murders where the victims are turned to stone. Dr. Namaroff (Peter Cushing) seems to know more about what is going on than he is willing to tell Professor Jules Heitz (Michael Goodliffe), whose son, Bruno (Jeremy Longhurst) was one of the victims. When the professor himself succumbs to the strange ailment, his other son Paul (Richard Pasco), comes to investigate. There he begins a romance with Namaroff's lovely associate, Carla (Barbara Shelley), which greatly complicates matters. But does she have anything to do with this weird legend about the spirit of one of the three gorgons of mythology inhabiting a human female ... ? 

Barbara Shelly and Richard Pasco

On one level, The Gorgon is somewhat ridiculous -- one has to assume there are good reasons why those in charge recognized these were actual petrified corpses and not just statues put in place of the victims --  but despite the viewer's foreknowledge the movie manages to be absorbing and suspenseful for the most part, almost with the bittersweet quality of a fairy tale. One thing that helps tremendously are the performances by the entire cast. As usual, Christopher Lee -- playing an associate of Paul's -- and Cushing perform very well together, and Pascoe, Shelley, Goodliffe and the others also play with absolute conviction. The film also has an eerie atmosphere and good art direction, and moves at a fairly good pace thanks to director Terence Fisher. The gorgon's brief appearances are always creepy although one might quibble about aspects of her make up. James Bernard's score is also a decided plus. 

Verdict: Medusa herself might have enjoyed this look at one of her sisters. ***.