THE CARD PLAYER

THE CARD PLAYER (aka Il cartaio/2004). Director: Dario Argento.

A maniac who kidnaps women wants to play poker with the police with the stakes being the life of the woman he holds captive, all played out over the Internet. Rome police inspector Anna Mari (Stefania Rocca) and John Brennan (Liam Cunningham) from Interpol are the team trying to find the women and stop the "card player;" they enlist the aid of a young poker expert named Remo (Silvio Muccino). The Card Player is different from a lot of Argento's shockers in that it's a fairly straight-forward crime thriller, which boasts a tense, exciting climax on the train tracks. It is also a lot better than some of the other films Argento made during this later period. Some Argento fans -- gore geeks -- hated it because it wasn't gruesome enough.

Verdict: Absorbing and suspenseful for the most part. ***.

21 BEACON STREET

Dennis Morgan

21 BEACON STREET (ABC television series/1959). 13 half-hour episodes. 

Before there was Mission Impossible there was 21 Beacon Street, a very short-lived series that had a similar premise. (Filmways, which owned the rights to the series, sued CBS for copyright infringement.) Private eye Dennis Chase (movie star Dennis Morgan of In This Our Life) and his team -- consisting of Joanna (Joanna Barnes), lawyer and former marine Brian (Brian Kelly) and inventor Jim (James Moloney) -- take on dangerous and difficult assignments and use various tricks to achieve their goals. Most of the episodes were solid "B's" but a few were above average. Jean Yarbrough directed "Double Vision," in which a reporter with info on the mob is thrown out of a window. The gang must secretly get a list with incriminating info out of a racketeer's safe. There is a great scene when Dennis is trapped outside on a windy ledge. The clever "Execution" has an innocent man (Ross Elliott of Tarantula) who was convicted of murdering his wife facing death, and the team must uncover the true murderer. "Safety Deposit" has the group trying to get incriminating love letters from a safety deposit box in Mexico to spare a politician's wife embarrassment. The team film a fake movie in the bank, but as they do so the key to the box gets stuck ... 21 Beacon Street definitely had possibilities, but it's a little too low-key. That mistake was not made with Mission: Impossible, which also has a terrific musical score. This series is on DVD and streaming on Tubi. 

Verdict: A few tense moments, but not enough of them. **1/4. 

BLACKOUT (1950)

Maxwell Reed and Dinah Sheridan

BLACKOUT (1950). Director: Robert S. Baker.

Chris Pelley (Maxwell Reed of Shadow of Fear) lost his sight in an accident but is scheduled to have an operation that will restore it. Before that he goes to an appointment and discovers that he has entered the wrong flat and  even stumbled over a dead body. The body disappears and nobody believes him. After a successful surgery, Chris returns to the flat and encounters Pat Dale (Dinah Sheridan of No Trace) and her grumpy father (Kynaston Reeves of Fiend without a Face), who has been out of sorts ever since his son died in a plane crash. Attracted to one another, Chris and Pat begin their own investigation into whoever the dead man was as well as whosoever killed him. Because of this both of them not only find themselves in danger but discover that sometimes dead men walk again ...

Chris is in a bit of a pickle -- Michael Evans on the far left

Blackout has superior photography and scoring, and all told is not badly done, and well-acted as well. But somehow it just never catches fire and comes off as a decent but distinctly minor crime drama. Maxwell Reed, who I have seen in many working class roles, this time plays a dapper, urbane type and is as good as ever. Dinah Sheridan is a bit bland but okay. Annette D. Simmonds offers more spice as a gal who is in with the bad guys but tries to help Chris to her regret. Patric Doonan is Chalky, an old pal of Pat's brother who may know more than he's telling, and Michael Evans (of The Young and the Restless) is effective as Guy Sinclair, who is mixed up in the thick of things. An eerie house that figures in the story looks like something out of Psycho. Robert S. Baker also (co-) directed the much more interesting Jack the Ripper. Maxwell Reed married Joan Collins two years after this film but their marriage only lasted four or so years. 

Verdict: Acceptable suspense story with some good settings and performances. **1/2. 

THE UNKNOWN

Jim Bannon, Jeff Donnell, Mark Roberts

THE UNKNOWN (1946). Director: Henry Levin. 

An old Southern family is shattered when daughter Rachel (Karen Morley) tells her parents that she has married Richard (Robert Wilcox of Mysterious Dr. Satan) instead of the fiance who had been chosen for her. After accidentally shooting Rachel's father, he flees the house. Decades later, Rachel and Richard's daughter, Nina (Jeff Donnell), arrives at the creepy old Confederate mansion for the reading of her grandmother, Phoebe's (Helen Freeman) will. Accompanying her are a lawyer (Mark Roberts of Exposed) and two private detectives (Jim Bannon of Dangers of the Canadian Mounted; Barton Yarborough). Rachel has been a bit batty for years and doesn't realize Nina is her daughter, and her two uncles (James Bell; Wilton Graff) are grumpy and unwelcoming. Then someone is found stabbed in the family crypt. 

Robert Wilcox

The Unknown is a modestly entertaining and rather suspenseful variation on an "old dark house" mystery. In addition to crypts and murders, we've got babies crying in the night, a wandering cat, secret rooms and cobwebby passageways, but all in all it's a trifle far-fetched and doesn't add up to that much. The back story of the secret marriage and its repercussions is not without interest, but most of the modern-day story has very little to do with that. The acting is a bit stilted at times. The Unknown was the third of three films based on the "I Love a Mystery" radio series. Jim Bannon played Jack Packard in all three (the other two were I Love a Mystery and The Devil's Mask). 

Verdict: Pleasant but unspectacular time-passer. **1/2. 

ANGEL FACE

Robert Mitchum with Jean Simmons

ANGEL FACE (1952). Produced and directed by Otto Preminger. Colorized.  

Frank Jessup (Robert Mitchum) is an ambulance driver who encounters Diane Tremayne (Jean Simmons) when her stepmother, Catherine (Barbara O'Neil), nearly dies due to an "accident" in her home. Although he has his misgivings, as well as a steady date in Mary (Mona Freeman of Shadow of Fear), he is drawn to Diane and eventually becomes her family's chauffeur. Although Frank warned himself not to get involved with the dangerous Diane, he winds up on trial for murder -- along with Diane -- when a terrible accident results in two deaths. The defense attorney (Leon Ames) cooks up a scheme that might free them -- or might not. 

Leon Ames with Simmons

Angel Face is a film that I really enjoy every time I see it, and I find it far more compelling and entertaining than Laura, the film arguably most associated with Preminger. Simmons underplays beautifully throughout the movie, so that you're never quite certain what she's up to, and Mitchum offers his typical rough-hewn portrayal and is equally effective. O'Neil and Herbert Marshall (of Midnight Lace) as her husband and Diane's father are also excellent, and Leon Ames nearly walks off with the show in his incisive turn as the lawyer. Jim Backus as the prosecutor and Kenneth Tobey [It Came from Beneath the Sea] as another ambulance driver are also in good form, along with Freeman as the cast-off girlfriend who can't quite imagine a life with Mitchum at her side. 

Simmons with Robert Mitchum

While it is interesting to muse what Angel Face might have been like had it been directed by the great Alfred Hitchcock, Preminger does a nice job with the picture and keeps things moving (although others have found it slow). Are there improbable moments -- most likely, as is the case in most of these thrillers today and back then, but nothing out of the ordinary. Many have argued that Mitchum's actions at the very end seem rather stupid, but nobody ever said that Frank Jessup was a genius. In any case, Angel Face has a nice score by Dimitri Tiomkin and is well photographed by Harry Stradling, Sr. Apparently Ben Hecht contributed to the screenplay by Nugent and Millard. 

Verdict: Something about this picture ... and it's not just the smash of an ending! ***1/2. 

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. 

FOG ISLAND

Formidable adversaries: Atwill; Zucco

FOG ISLAND (1945). Director: Terry O. Morse. Colorized.

Leo Grainer (George Zucco) has a lot to be ticked off about. He believes he spent time in jail because he was framed by certain associates. He also believes that one of those associates murdered his wife. He now lives on an isolated island with his stepdaughter, Gail (Sharon Douglas), and invites all of the suspects there. For their own reasons -- including the possibility of finding a treasure cache -- they all agree. The guests include Ritchfield (Lionel Atwill of Lady in the Death House); fortune teller Emiline (Jacqueline deWit); Grainer's former secretary, Sylvia (Veda Ann Borg of Naked Gun); Doc Kingsley (Ian Keith), who was in jail with Grainer; Kavanaugh (Jerome Cowan of Black Zoo); and others. As the fog rolls in -- and in and in -- people start dying one by one. 

Sharon Douglas and John Whitney

The best -- and best-acted -- scenes have to do with Zucco and Atwill, two excellent performers who make the most out of weak material. Their scenes together are too brief to amount to much, however, and the rest of the creaky movie takes a while to really get going. John Whitney plays a love interest for Gail, who is pretty miserable to him for most of the running time. At the conclusion the picture is enlivened by a death trap sequence in which several of the characters are trapped in a locked underground chamber that is rapidly filling with water. Otherwise this is not that memorable a movie. 

Verdict: The fog machines on the sound stage were working overtime! **1/4. 

THE SWEET BODY OF DEBORAH

Carroll Baker and Jean Sorel

THE SWEET BODY OF DEBORAH (aka il dolce corpo di Deborah/1968). Director: Romolo Guerrieri. 

Deborah (Carroll Baker) marries handsome Marcel (Jean Sorel) after only knowing him a few weeks. Marcel had been practically engaged to a woman named Suzanne (Ida Galli) who committed suicide when he left her. Visiting his hometown, Marcel sees signs that his former lover is either still alive or someone is trying to make it look that way. Deborah begins to receive unsettling phone calls and fears for her life. Then there's the angry Phillip (Luigi Pistilli of A White Dress for Mariale), who was in love with Suzanne and is furious at the way Marcel treated her. After Deborah and Marcel rent a truly fabulous house, they run into their neighbor, Robert Simack (George Hilton of The Dark is Death's Friend), who seems to have his own agenda. But then maybe everyone in this movie does -- a sinister plot eventually unfolds ... 

Jean Sorel

The Sweet Body of Deborah is a smooth if minor bit of romantic suspense that has some plot similarities to, of all things, Midnight Lace with Doris Day. Baker is so beautiful, and her character seems so completely appealing,  that it's a wonder anyone would think all she had going for her was her money. As usual Baker and Sorel make a good and sexy team; the couple also appeared together in Paranoia. Galli, Hilton and Pistilli all appeared together in The Case of the Scorpion's Tale. 

Verdict: Reasonably absorbing Italian mystery with an attractive cast. **3/4. 

A SIMPLE FAVOR/ANOTHER SIMPLE FAVOR

 A SIMPLE FAVOR (2018). Director: Paul Feig.

ANOTHER SIMPLE FAVOR (2025). Director: Paul Feig. 

In A Simple Favor widow Stephanie (Anna Kendrick) bonds with Emily (Blake Lively) because their little sons are buddies. Emily seems quite a bit edgier than Stephanie, but the latter has her own secrets, such as sleeping with a sexy guy even though she knew he was her half-brother. Emily asks Stephanie to watch her kid for a few days, but she never comes back. Then her body is found, drowned in a lake. But why does her little boy insist that he sees and even talks to his mother? Stephanie decides to investigate, and discovers a weird plot going on ... 

A Simple Favor is entertaining, although it employs over-familiar suspense elements and doesn't have the most original plot. The acting is good, but the light-hearted approach and almost campy style doesn't serve the story as well as a more serious approach might have. Brief girl-on-girl action is thrown in more for the usual titillation than for any other reason, which actually makes the film seem more hokey than edgy. The lead characters are not at all likable.   

In the sequel Another Simple Favor -- an Amazon Prime original movie -- the two ladies and actresses are back for another round, and things are somewhat more intriguing. Emily, now engaged to a handsome mafioso, has every reason to detest Stephanie, but instead of strangling her she demands that she be her maid-of-honor and fly with the wedding party to Capri. Afraid of being sued by Emily because of things she said in her book about her, Stephanie agrees to go but can't help worrying over what exactly the sociopathic female might be up to. Then there are a couple of murders, for which Stephanie is accused. Another Simple Favor, which is even more of an out and out black comedy than the first film, is unpredictable, but some of its developments are as irritating as they are unexpected. The contrivances quickly outweigh the logic and the kind of "girl power" finale, while interesting, doesn't necessarily work. 

Verdict: These movies may hold your attention, but they won't stay in your mind for long. A Simple Favor. **1/2. Another Simple Favor **1/2. 

THE SCREAMING SKULL

John Hudson and Peggy Webber

THE SCREAMING SKULL (1958). Director: Alex Nichol. Colorized. 

Eric Whitlock (John Hudson) brings his new wife, Jenni (Peggy Webber), home to his estate where his first wife died in an accident. Insecure and neurotic, Jenni has spent time in a sanitarium -- and not just for a rest cure. Now she begins seeing a skull lying and even moving about when no one else is around. Eric suspects the culprit is the simple-minded caretaker and gardener, Mickey (Alex Nicol, who also directed), but he denies all. Jenni wonders if she should just pack it in and head back to the nuthouse ...

Webber with Alex Nichol

The plot isn't much in this standard thriller, but it's well acted, competently directed by Nicol, and well-photographed by Floyd Crosby, who did a lot of work for Roger Corman (including Attack of the Crab Monsters). John Hudson was the twin brother of William Hudson of Attack of the 50 Foot Woman fame. Although not especially attractive by conventional Hollywood standards, Webber was a very talented actress and acquits herself admirably in this pot-boiler. Nicol isn't always convincing as a simpleton, but he generally gets it across. The story mixes touches of the supernatural with a heinous human plot but this approach doesn't always blend well.    

Verdict: Good performances help put this over but it isn't that memorable. **1/4. 

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.  

IN THE DEVIL'S GARDEN

Suzy Kendall

IN THE DEVIL'S GARDEN (aka Assault/1971). Director: Sidney Hayers. 

A girl, Tessa (Lesley-Anne Down), is sexually assaulted in the woods and is so traumatized that she is unable to speak. Then another girl is not only raped but murdered. Dr. Lomax (James Laurenson) tries to get through to the mute girl without success. Detective Velyan (Frank Finlay of Lifeforce) is frustrated by the lack of clues in the case when Julie West (Suzy Kendall of Torso), the arts teacher at the nearby girls' school, gets a glimpse of the killer, but can only describe him as being "like the Devil." Nevertheless she, a reporter (Freddie Jones) and Velyan and his associates cook up a plan to use the brave Julie as a decoy. Meanwhile there are a few suspects, including the headmistress's sleazy husband, Leslie (Tony Beckley of Beware My Brethren), and even Dr. Lomax and some of the police officers. Julie discovers that the killer is much closer than anyone realizes ... 

Frank Finlay and James Laurenson

In the Devi's Garden, originally released under the dull title Assault, is an interesting and suspenseful thriller with some solid performances. The ending is dragged out a bit too much, and the identity of the killer is telegraphed a bit too soon, but there are some intriguing developments nevertheless. Lesley-Anne Down was introduced in this film -- it was actually her fourth movie -- and is unrecognizable at 17. James Cosmo, Dilys Hamlett, Patrick Jordan, and Anthony Ainley also have significant roles. Sidney Hayers also directed Circus of Horrors.

Verdict: Reasonably worthwhile suspense-thriller. **3/4. 

WATCH ME WHEN I KILL

 WATCH ME WHEN I KILL (aka Il gatto dagli occhi di giada/1977). Director: Antonio Bido. 

Mara (Paola Tedesco), an actress who needs some aspirin, is nearly on the scene when a pharmacist is murdered, and the killer seems to think she knows more than she does. When another person is brutally murdered, her boyfriend Lukas (Corrrado Pani), thinks it all may have to do with a jury trial and a murderer who has escaped from prison. Upon further investigation -- and more murders -- Lukas realizes that there is something very different at play here. But will he arrive at the solution before either he or Mara become victims of the killer?

Watch Me When I Kill is an intriguing and suspenseful movie with a convoluted plot and solution that reminds one quite a bit of the storylines of Dario Argento's movies. Alas, director Antonio Bido is not Argento, and aside from one energetic if clumsy bathtub murder (with opera in the background), the film doesn't have much style. Lukas spends an awful lot of time running around from place to place asking questions. An unusual aspect of the movie is that for once the killer has a perfectly plausible motive for snuffing certain individuals. The screenplay is not strictly logical, however. 

Verdict: Take with a grain of salt and this is quite entertaining. ***.  

UNMASKED

Raymond Burr may need Perry Mason 

UNMASKED (1950). Director: George Blair. 

Roger Lewis (Raymond Burr of Abandoned) is a ruthless man who publishes a rag exposing the peccadilloes of prominent citizens. His main backer is actress Doris King (Hillary Brooke of Confidence Girl), a barracuda who wants to divorce her husband -- down on his luck producer Harry Jackson (Paul Harvey) -- and marry Roger, although he's much more interested in his secretary, Mona (Grace Albertson). Early in the film Roger gets rid of the annoyingly insistent Doris and manages to pin the murder on her estranged husband. As detective Jim Webster (Robert Rockwell) tracks down Jackson, his devoted daughter, Linda (Barbra Fuller), tries to get him to turn himself in. Meanwhile both Jim and Linda are determined to prove that the reptilian Roger Lewis is actually behind the murder, but Lewis may be too clever for them ... 

Barbra Fuller

Unmasked is a minor suspense film that is bolstered by a terrific lead performance by Raymond Burr, who seemed to specialize in bad guys (a la Rear Window) before landing the plum assignment of Perry Mason. Rockwell, most famous as the principal on Our Miss Brooks, is pleasant but unexciting as the detective, Brooke is snappy in her customary fashion, Harvey is suitably desperate, and Fuller offers a good, intense performance as Linda. Norman Budd also makes an impression as "Biggie," a character who unwittingly and unwisely pits Lewis against his main enemy, the mobster Johnny Rocco (John Eldredge, who is also excellent). Barbra Fuller figured that taking an "a" out of her first name would be more distinctive, and she did it years before Barbra Streisand did the same thing. George Blair also directed Insurance Investigator with Eldredge and Brooke.

Verdict: Despite several good performances, this doesn't really make the grade. **. 

MYSTERY IN MEXICO

Jacqueline White and William Lundigan

MYSTERY IN MEXICO (1948). Directed by Robert Wise.

When one of his colleagues, Glenn Ames (Walter Reed), disappears, insurance investigator Steve Hastings (William Lundigan) flies down to Mexico to try to find him. He isn't certain if Glenn might be involved in dirty business concerning a stolen necklace, so he attaches himself to Ames' sister, Vicky (Jacqueline White), to see what she knows -- he's also not certain about her. Vicky is a nightclub singer who goes to work for club owner John Norcross (Ricardo Cortez), who has a jealous girlfriend named Delores (Jacqueline Dalya) --she makes a play for Steve even as Vicky is fighting her attraction to him. When a bartender (Armando Silvestre) who may have information regarding Glenn is killed in a suspicious accident, Steve realizes he is on the right track and there may well be danger involved. 

Lundigan looks for clues

An early film directed by Robert Wise, Mystery in Mexico is pleasant, well-acted, and moves swiftly at a little over an hour's running time. It is also extremely minor-league. Lundigan could do this type of material in his sleep, Cortez is suitably oily and makes a rather loathsome villain, and Jacqueline White is  perfectly adept as the heroine. White was a pleasing leading lady who had a handful of credits and whose most famous film is Narrow Margin. Released by RKO.

Verdict: Acceptable if decidedly minor mystery. **1/2. 

SHADOW OF FEAR

Jean Kent and Mona Freeman

SHADOW OF FEAR (aka Before I Wake/1955). Director: Albert S. Rogell. Colorized. 

April Haddon (Mona Freeman of Angel Face), who has been in the U.S. for several years, comes home when her stepmother, Florence (Jean Kent), notifies her that her father has died in an accident. April is very suspicious of Florence, especially when she tells her that her late mother, who was nursed by Florence, was supposedly a hopeless drunk, something April refuses to believe. She also uncovers incriminating evidence about the boat  accident in which her father died. April's old boyfriend,  Michael (Maxwell Reed), now a doctor, listens to April but is unconvinced that her stepmother, whom everyone loves, is the monster she portrays her as. April learns that the fortune her father left her will be in trust until she turns 21 in three weeks -- but April is convinced her stepmother plans to do away with her before the time is up. Florence was left the house and money but April fears that she wants it all ... 

Mona Freeman and Maxwell Reed

Shadow of Fear is a low-budget but absorbing British thriller with good performances, especially from Jean Kent as Florence, who keeps the audience guessing as to whatever her true character, motivations, or plans may be, sinister or otherwise. Mona Freeman is also excellent as the distraught daughter who finds her efforts to get justice for her parents continuously stymied. Marshall Reed was a British matinee idol who was once married to Joan Collins and he's stalwart enough as the good doctor who comes to April's aid after being initially dismissive. Supporting performances are all on target and the film is quite enjoyable. 

Verdict: Minor but entertaining suspense film with good performances. ***. 

FRIGHT

 FRIGHT (1971). Director: Peter Collinson. 

Amanda (Susan George) comes to an isolated mansion to babysit the little son, Tara (Tara Collinson), of Helen Lloyd (Honor Blackman of Account Rendered) and her husband, Jim (George Cole). Helen's ex-husband, Brian (Ian Bannen), the father of Tara, has been institutionalized since he tried to murder both Helen and their son. As the Lloyds have dinner and talk things over with Brian's shrink, Dr. Cordell (John Gregson), Amanda has the feeling that someone is stalking the grounds of the estate. A wannabee boyfriend, Chris (Dennis Waterman), shows up, wanting sex, but there's a far worse visitor in store for the terrified babysitter.

Fright has some genuine scenes of suspense, tension and creepiness, but the final quarter is far too drawn out, so that you're almost screaming for the damn thing to finally be over. Susan George gives a generally good performance, while Blackman and Ian Bannen are really top-notch. Bannen, in particular, seems always on the edge of a terrible violence. The film is rather unpleasant, however, and some may not enjoy the fact that a small child is endangered throughout. The boy is portrayed by the director's own four-year-old son. Another problem with the film is that it has several illogical moments. In at least one sequence you have to wonder why the heroine doesn't just run out the back door? Collinson also directed the 1974 version of Ten Little Indians for producer Harry Alan Towers.

Verdict: Comes quite close but somehow drops the ball. **1/4. 

 

WHEN THE CLOCK STRIKES

WHEN THE CLOCK STRIKES (1961). Director: Edward L. Cahn.

The Cady Lodge, owned and run by Cady (Henry Corden), is located not far from a prison. That very night a man, Pierce, is about to be executed, although witness Sam Morgan (James Brown) isn't so sure about his identification of the condemned man. On the road Sam picks up Ellie (Merry Anders of Legacy of Blood), who turns out to be Mrs. Pierce, the wife of the man on death row. Apparently there's $600,000 floating around and both Sam and Ellie want a piece of it -- could the answer be in the condemned man's effects? As the couple conspire, Sheriff Mitchell (Roy Barcroft of G-Men Never Forget) drops by for his usual beer --- and there's two other visitors to the lodge: Martinez (Jorge Moreno), who insists that he killed the man allegedly murdered by the now-dead Pierce; and yet another "Mrs. Pierce" (Peggy Stewart)!

Corden, Brown and Anders

When the Clock Strikes, while illogical at times, certainly has an intriguing premise as well as a few good twists. It's fun to see major serial villain Roy Barcroft playing a good guy for a change. Brown and Anders offer lead performances that are competent but suggest there wasn't much rehearsal time for this very low-budget opus. Edward L. Cahn was the prolific director of seemingly a thousand B movies, including The Four Skulls of Jonathan Drake, Invasion of the Saucer Men, and Voodoo Woman. 

Verdict: Minor but intriguing little mystery movie. **1/2. 

STAR TRAP Simon Brett

STAR TRAP. Simon Brett. A Charles Paris Mystery.  

Simon Brett began his Charles Paris mystery series with Cast, In Order of Disappearance in the seventies, but the title was the only worthwhile thing about that book and it's surprising that it wasn't the last in the series. The alcoholic actor Charles Paris did not make a terribly convincing amateur sleuth -- something that has always been a bit of a problem for the series -- but eventually Paris himself began to grow on the readers. So Much Blood, in which Paris does a one-man show at a festival in Edinburgh, had him again involved in murder and spending limited time with his mostly estranged wife. It was slightly better than the first book. 

Then Brett hit his speed with the third book in the series, Star Trap, in which he is hired for a small role in a musical based on She Stoops to Conquer. In addition to being in the cast, Charles is also told to keep an eye out for someone who might be committing acts of sabotage on the production. (One doesn't quite buy that anyone would ask this semi-drunk to do much more than remember his lines!) The star of the musical is an egomaniacal actor who has become famous as a lovable character on a very popular British sitcom, and it isn't long before he takes over the entire production, almost literally. Along with the suspense over what might happen to whom, and who is responsible, Brett examines the very nature of stardom, the behavior of actors who have hit the heights and are terrified of falling, and illuminates where everyone else in a production might fit in or not while dissecting what goes on behind the scenes. As the star makes wholesale changes the musical resembles She Stoops to Conquer less and less. Star Trap -- the title refers to a kind of trapdoor as well as being a pun on "Star Trip" --  is more serious and thoughtful than other Paris mysteries, and it is very well-written. I confess the ending was not entirely satisfying to me, but Brett does more or less wrap up everything  in a compelling fashion. The latest Charles Paris novel is A Deadly Habit. 

Verdict: Very engaging mystery with interesting twists. ***. 

GOODNIGHT MOMMY (2022)

GOODNIGHT MOMMY (2022). Directed by Matt Sobel. (An Amazon Prime streaming original.)

Two young twin boys named Elias (Cameron Crovetti) and Lukas (Nicholas Crovetti) are dropped at their mother's large house by their father. The mother (Naomi Watts of King Kong) has her face entirely swathed in bandages or some kind of mask. As the visit progresses, the boys become convinced that this woman is not their mother, even running away and being returned by a kindly police officer, a black lady named Sandy (Crystal Lucas-Perry) and her more laid-back partner. Then things take a dark turn when the boys decide to find out from this supposed stranger exactly where their mother is ... 

Goodnight Mommy is a remake of a 2014 Austrian movie which is supposedly much darker. However this version is well-made, suspenseful, and features some excellent performances by Watts and those two wonderfully gifted Crovetti brothers. 

That being said I was rather shocked by the ending of the film, which completely rips off the "big reveal" of Thomas Tryon's novel "The Other" and the film version thereof. (I don't know if the Austrian film has the same twist at the end.) This is too bad because the film intelligently explores how attitudes change in children towards their parents and vice versa as they all grow older and it has some strong and moving sequences. 

Verdict: The Other redux. Thomas Tryon would not be pleased. **1/2.