THE CASE OF THE SCORPION'S TAIL

George Hilton

THE CASE OF THE SCORPION'S TAIL (aka La coda dello scorpione/1971). Director: Sergio Martino. 

Lisa Baumer (Ida Galli) discovers that her wealthy husband has died in a plane crash, and flies from London to Athens to claim a one million dollar insurance policy. Insurance investigator Peter Lynch (George Hilton) rescues her when her late husband's former mistress, Lara (Janine Reynaud), and a hulking associate, threaten her it she doesn't turn over half the money. Peter is confused to learn that Lisa cashed the insurance check and has booked a flight out of the country. Meanwhile a figure in a black mask, outfit and gloves, is attacking assorted people involved in the case with knives. Peter teams up with reporter Cleo Dupont (Anita Strindberg) to get to the bottom of things. 

Anita Strindberg

The Case of the Scorpion's Tail is a pleasant surprise, one of the few giallo films that has a truly interesting and twisty plot along with a few surprises. In that way it reminds one of a Dario Argento film except for the fact that Sergio Martino's direction is nowhere near as stylish as Argento's. However, there are still some good scenes in this, such as a suspenseful attack upon Lara in her gothic-like townhouse, and an exciting finale that reveals the true perpetrator. George Hilton, an attractive actor from Uruguay who appeared in a number of giallo films such as The Strange Vice of Mrs. Wardh, gives a strong performance, as does the quite beautiful Swedish actress Anita Strindberg, as well as Reynaud as the bitchy Lara, Luigi Pistilli as Inspector Stavros, Alberto de Mendoza as an Interpol agent; and others. The title has to do with a pair of cufflinks found at a crime scene. If this movie only had somewhat better characterization and a much better musical score, it really would have been a contender, but it's quite entertaining as it is. NOTE: Not to be confused with The Night of the Scorpion or The Black Scorpion!

Verdict: Superior giallo. ***.  

THE GOLDEN VOYAGE OF SINBAD

The goddess Kali vs. Sinbad

THE GOLDEN VOYAGE OF SINBAD (1973). Director: Gordon Hessler. 

In the mythical kingdom of Marabia, Sinbad (John Phillip Law of Miner's Massacre) encounters the evil wizard Koura (Tom Baker). The disfigured Vizier (Douglas Wilmer), who always wears a mask and is now the ruler of Marabia, warns Sinbad that Koura is out to take over the kingdom any way he can. Accompanied by the Vizier, young Haroun (Kurt Christian), whose father pays Sinbad to take him along, and the beautiful former slave Margiana (Caroline Munro), among others, Sinbad sets sail for the lost world of Lemuria, an island that is all that's left of the mythical sunken continent. There Sinbad hopes to find the third part of a fabulous necklace or tablet with a map on it, as well as a great treasure. But he will face many challenges and monsters ... 

Caroline Munro and John Phillip Law

The Golden Voyage of Sinbad, with stop-motion FX work by Ray Harryhausen, may not be in the same league as such Harryhausen masterpieces as 7th Voyage of Sinbad and Jason and the Argonauts, but it is still an exciting, entertaining and very colorful fantasy flick. Law gives a personable and amusing performance as Sinbad, even if he may not be as beloved in the role as Kerwin Mathews. Tom Baker is good as Koura, but he lacks that certain flair and sinister charisma of such actors as, say, Torin Thatcher or Christopher Lee. Munro is decorative and adept enough and Christian displays a certain gauche charm. Takis Emmanuel scores as Achmed, Koura's uncertain assistant. An uncredited Robert Shaw plays the Oracle of All Knowledge who appears, unrecognizable, in a burst of fire. 

homunculus, Takis Emmanuel, Tom Baker,

As usual Harryhausen's creations steal the show: the tiny, winged homunculus that spies on the group for Koura; the wooden lady figurehead who pulls free of the ship and barrels across the deck; the slavering horror of the one-eyed centaur, who either wants Munro for his mate or dinner. The griffin is a slight disappointment, but the six-armed Kali statue who comes to life to dance and then battle Sinbad and his crew, is simply magnificent. Another plus is Miklos Rozsa's excellent score. One of the best scenes has nothing to do with monsters but is a suspenseful bit with Sinbad climbing out of a cavern through a hole in the ceiling as he dangles high in the air and nearly falls to his death. 

Verdict: Highly enjoyable adventure-fantasy film with some great FX work. ***.  

SWORD OF VENUS

"catfight" at the Black Cat tavern: Clarke, Stapp, De Marco

SWORD OF VENUS (1953). Director: Harold Daniels.

Robert Dantes (Robert Clarke) is the gal-and-life loving son of Alexander Dumas' famous Count of Monte Cristo, who got revenge on those who had him falsely convicted and confined. Now some of these enemies, especially Baron Danglars (Dan O'Herlihy), want to get even with the Count via a diabolical plot to frame his son and steal the family fortune. At first Claire (Catherine McLeod) goes along with the scheme to entrap Robert, but later her conscience gets the better of her. Nevertheless Danglars forces her to continue, along with certain associates, such as the drunken lawyer Valmont (William Schallert). Sentenced to hard labor in a rock quarry, how can Robert get his life back?  

Robert Clarke and Marjorie Stapp

Robert Clarke is best-known for a number of low-budget sci fi films, but he did work in other genres, including this sequel to "The Count of Monte Cristo." It has many of the diabolical twists and turns of Dumas' original book, but the film itself is only moderately successful. Both Clarke and especially Dan O'Herlihy, marvelously underplaying in a most sinister fashion, give good performances, along with the rest of the cast, but a certain intensity and panache is missing. The liveliest sequence is when Robert takes the married Countess Lily (Marjorie Stapp) to the notorious Black Cat tavern, where she gets into a catfight with the dancer Suzette (Renee De Marco). The two really give each other some good whacks! 

Verdict: Minor-league historical melodrama with some good performances and a zesty "catfight." **1/2. 

THE INCREDIBLE PETRIFIED WORLD

Clarke, Noonan, Coates, Windsor

THE INCREDIBLE PETRIFIED WORLD (1959). Produced and directed by Jerry Warren. Colorized.

Professor Millard Wyman (John Carradine of Female Jungle) has invented a diving bell through which he hopes to reach uncharted depths. Inside the bell on its first dive are Craig Randell (Robert Clark of The Man from Planet X), Paul (Allen Windsor), Lauri (Sheila Noonan), and no-nonsense reporter Dale (Phyllis Coates of Panther Girl of the Kongo), whose fiance has just told her to get lost. Something goes wrong with the bell and the foursome wind up stuck on the ocean bottom, but are able to swim out -- where they somehow find themselves inside empty caverns and discover a grizzled old man (Maurice Bernard) who has been stuck there for fourteen years! With chance of rescue unlikely, will they ever be able to reach the surface? 

Robert Clarke and Allen Windsor

Although Incredible Petrified World is almost universally excoriated, I find the premise intriguing and the film itself, aside from some tedious padded stretches, absorbing. True, this is not a grand adventure film with a big budget, but it has genuine suspense as you wonder how on earth the principals will get out of this depressing predicament. John W. Steiner's script presents characters with some dimension to them (with typical fifties attitudes), although it can't overcome the sheer illogic of the film. There doesn't appear to be an air lock in the diving bell, so it makes no sense that it wouldn't get flooded when the participants emerge. Exactly where in hell the caverns are in  relation to the bell and the surface is never made clear. Why don't they just swim to the surface? (One can only imagine that the diving bell is stuck in some crevice under the caverns, but this is never made clear.) The scene when Craig confesses his love to Lauri and says that they can be happy with each other -- stuck Lord knows where in endless caverns for the rest of eternity! -- hardly comes off as especially realistic. 

John Carradine (behind ladder) with the cast

The actors do the best they can with the material, with Carradine as professional and adept as ever as the professor. Windsor, Noonan, and Bernard had very few other credits, although Clarke and Coates had busy careers. Coates, almost as bitchy in this as her Lois Lane in The Adventures of Superman, makes a good impression in the movie, which she did as a favor to old boyfriend Jerry Warren; she never got paid for it! The film has atmosphere, due to the settings in Tucson Arizona's Colossal Cave, and the colorizing process works well. 

Verdict: Hardly for every taste, but not as awful as its reputation. ***. 

THE CRAWLING HAND

The hand runs amok

THE CRAWLING HAND (1963). Director: Herbert L. Strock. Colorized.

Captain Lockhart (Ashley Cowan) is the latest in a line of astronauts who are taken over by some strange kind of force while out in space. Lockhart's ship explodes, but his severed arm is found on a beach by Paul (Rod Lauren of The Young Swingers) and his girlfriend, Marta (Sirry Steffen), who freaks out. Inexplicably, Paul takes the arm home, where the hand strangles his landlady, Mrs. Hotchkiss (Arline Judge). Then whatever affected Lockhart in space begins affecting Paul. Will Sheriff Townsend (Alan Hale Jr. of Thunder in Carolina) be able to get Paul under control after he attacks Marta or will he have to shoot him? 

Sirry Steffen and Rod Lauren

The Crawling Hand has some interesting elements and could have been turned into a fairly good movie, but it goes in all the wrong directions and is never as creepy as intended. Probably the most interesting thing about it is the cast, which includes the Skipper from Gilligan's Island, former star Richard Arlen, old-time actress Arline Judge, Kent Taylor [The Crimson Key] and Peter Breck as scientists, and Allison Hayes of 50 Foot Woman fame, criminally wasted as a secretary with only a couple of scenes. Tristram Coffin of King of the Rocket Men also shows up for one sequence as a security chief. Rod Lauren gives an uneven performance, but Steffen showed promise; she only had six other credits, though. Herbert L. Strock also directed Gog.

Verdict: Had possibilities, but this doesn't really work. **. 

THE POSSESSED

Peter Baldwin

THE POSSESSED (aka La donna del lago/1965). Directors: Luigi Bazzoni; Franco Rossellini.  

A novelist named Bernard (Peter Baldwin) tells his unseen girlfriend that he is obsessed with a young woman he met some months ago and has to go see her. Arriving at the village where this lady, Tilde (Virna Lisi), worked at the Lakeside Hotel, he takes a room there and tries to find out what happened to her. Speaking to the hotel's proprietor, Enrico (Salvo Randone), he learns that Tilde supposedly committed suicide. However, a photographer named Francesco (Pier Giovanni Anchisi) tells him that Tilde was actually murdered, but that this was covered up. There are rumors that she was pregnant and either Enrico or his son, Mario (Philippe Leroy), may be responsible. Bernard determines to find out the truth, whatever it may be ... 

striking photography

The Possessed is a moody, strikingly photographed (Leonida Barboni) picture but I'm at a loss as to what genre it belongs to. It's not a horror film, and as a suspense film or murder mystery it falls short. Deliberately-paced, to put it mildly, the film offers some wonderful images as well as close-ups of the poetically handsome Peter Baldwin, but the story is only mildly intriguing and the denouement -- if you can even call it that -- is completely unsatisfying. Pia Lindstrom, the daughter of Ingrid Bergman -- who later became a television journalist -- appears in a small role as Mario's wife. Valentina Cortese is cast as Enrico's daughter, Irma. Both ladies make a positive impression in this. Virna Lisi has too little to do and although Baldwin is credible -- it's hard to judge his dubbed performance -- his chief asset seems to be his looks. He later became a director. 

Verdict: Very good to look at, but it's too "arty" for its own good and never catches fire. **. 

THE LIVING IDOL

James Robertson Justice, Liliane Montevecchi. Steve Forrest

THE LIVING IDOL (1957). Written and directed by Albert Lewin.

Down in Mexico Dr. Alfred Stoner (James Robertson Justice) leads Terry, a photographer (Steve Forrest), and Juanita (Liliane Montevecchi), the daughter of a colleague, up an inner staircase into a recess of a pyramid to see the idol of a jaguar god. Juanita is badly frightened, and Alfred wonders if she might be the reincarnation of a young lady who centuries ago was sacrificed to the god. When Juanita's father, Manuel (Eduardo Noriega), is crushed by a stone with a jaguar representation on it, she is even more freaked out. Alfred and his wife, Elena (Sara Garcia), take the orphaned Juanita under their wing, but Alfred develops an insane plan to get her out from under the alleged influence of the jaguar god. 

Beautiful beast: a stalking jaguar 

I had never heard of The Living Idol but hoped this might be a lost gem when I saw some familiar names in the cast, saw that it was in CinemaScope and Technicolor, and that it was photographed by Jack Hildyard. But my hopes started to fade the minute I saw the phony-looking and not very frightening jaguar-idol, which Alfred brings back with him to Mexico City. Forget about Juanita, the only one who seems to have an odd relationship with a jaguar is Alfred, who lets the beautiful beast out of a zoo in his crazy, senseless scheme to let it have an encounter with the poor young lady. Lest you mistakenly think that this all sounds interesting, be forewarned that The Living Idol is deadly slow and dull, with very little happening during a nearly two hour running time. At times the film almost seems more like a romance than a horror film, if that's what it even is. The shame of if is it could have gone off in so many different, much more fascinating and frightening directions, but it basically goes nowhere ... slowly. Manuel's death scene occurs off-screen and is poorly handled. Some nice scenery can't save this. You would never know that director Lewin had actually helmed a couple of pretty good pictures. This was his last one. 

Verdict: A major disappointment and pretty terrible movie. *1/2. 

THE NIGHT OF THE SCORPION

Jose Antonio Amor and Nuria Torray

THE NIGHT OF THE SCORPION (aka La casa de las muertas vivientes/1972). Director: Alfonso Blacazar.

"Your father has been dead a long time now and I consider you part of my inheritance." -- Sara. 

Oliver (Jose Antonio Amor) believes that he was responsible for the falling death of his wife, Helen (Gioia Desideri), during an argument when he was drunk. A year later he arrives back at his castle-like home with a new wife, Ruth (Daniela Giordano), whom he barely knows. The household now consists of the newlyweds; Oliver's sister, Jenny (Teresa Gimpera of The Black Box Affair), who was in love with Helen; and Oliver's stepmother Sara (Nuria Torray), who is hopelessly in love  -- and lust -- with him.  At night Sara becomes a peeping Thomasina, peering at Oliver and Ruth -- as she did Oliver and Helen -- through a hole as they make love. Ruth decides to bring a private detective  (Osvaldo Genazzini) into this twisted situation so that he can get at the truth, but things may not work out quite the way the young woman intended ... 

Amor with Teresa Gimpera 

The Night of the Scorpion -- there's no explanation for the title -- takes a good while to build up any steam. The first murder doesn't occur for a full hour. The dubbed actors all seem more than competent, but when the action finally starts it occurs at a comically fast pace. We're asked to believe that Ruth would go down into a dark cellar by herself  right after she's found two corpses! The best scene is a violent and erotic fantasy of Sara's in which she murders Ruth and then has sex with her stepson. A dubbed Spanish-Italian co-production. 

Verdict:  Delightfully sick at times but ultimately third-rate. **1/2. 

THE LIE

Lee Bowman

THE LIE (1954). Director: Harold Young.

John Hamilton (Lee Bowman) has a night on the town with his friends, an aerialist called "The Great Wilhelm"(Harald Maresch), and Philip (Joachim Brennecke), who is the brother of John's girlfriend, Marlene (Ramsay Ames of G-Men Never Forget). While drunk and nearly passed out, he is confronted by a threatening man who is later found murdered. John is arrested for the murder, and during the trial is astounded when both Wilhelm and Philip lie about going with him to the apartment where the murder took place -- they claim to know nothing even though he knows they were there. John is convicted and the only one who goes to bat for him, eventually getting him out of prison, is Margot (Eva Probst), Philip's former fiancee, who knows something is rotten in Germany. Now John decides to confront his former friends, as well as Marlene, and discover who the real killer is.

Brennecke and Maresch

If The Lie seems like a TV production, it's because it is, filmed in a studio in Germany with mostly German actors. The acting is good, with Ramsay Ames, surprisingly, being more of a stand-out than usual with her unsympathetic role. Viennese Maresch appeared in a number of international productions while Brennecke appeared primarily in German productions. The Lie has a very slight degree of suspense, but there isn't much surprise when it comes to the identity of the murderer, and the whole thing is relatively routine. 

Verdict: Doesn't amount to much. **

THE KILLER IS ONE OF 13

Ramiro Oliveros and Patty Shepard

THE KILLER IS ONE OF 13 (aka El asesino esta entre los trece/1973). Director: Javier Aguirre.  

"They killed him savagely with a knitting needle."

Lisa (Patty Shepard) is convinced that her late husband, who played around on her and died in a plane crash -- he was the pilot -- was murdered. Apparently someone he knew paid a call on him and doctored his coffee just before his flight. Was revenge for his adulterous behavior -- a jealous husband or discarded mistress -- the motive, or did Lisa's husband know too much about illegal financial affairs? She invites all of the suspects to her rambling home in the country and confronts them. Then the murders begin ...

Paloma Cela and Simon Andreu

There are plenty of suspects for both the murder of Lisa's husband and of his assembled "friends:" Playboy Harry (Simon Andreu), who has a wandering eye, especially for married ladies; Francis (Eusebio Poncela), a creepy guy who can't keep his hands off women; his hateful, domineering mother, Bertha (Trini Alonso); grumpy Jorge (Alberto Fernandez), who may have had some unsavory business practices, and his horny wife (Paloma Cela), who is rejected by Harry. Then we mustn't forget the servants: the driver Ernest (Paul Naschy of A Dragonfly for Each Corpse), who's boffing maid Elena (Rosa de Alba), and handsome Harry (Ramiro Oliveros), who's boffing Lisa in addition to his other duties.

The Killer is One of 13 takes its time in getting there, and a good hour has gone by before the murders occur in rapid succession. This Spanish film is almost more of an Agatha Christie-type murder mystery than a horror film, but it's somewhat entertaining and fun on that level. Some of the sleazy characters and some more-than-adequate acting help put it over, and the ending is perfectly rational and satisfying, if not entirely unexpected. 

Verdict: More suspects than murders! **1/2. 

THE HARDY BOYS: THE GHOST AT SKELETON ROCK

THE HARDY BOYS: THE GHOST AT SKELETON ROCK. Franklin W. Dixon. Grosset and Dunlap; 1957.

In this classic Hardy Boys tale they get involved with more intrigue when their rotund pal Chet Morton develops an interest in ventriloquism. He buys a famous "Hugo" dummy with a purple turban that some desperadoes try to steal because the dummy's eyes supposedly hold diamonds. In one exciting scene the boys are shot at in their plane -- causing the engine to burn as depicted on the cover -- by a confederate of a crooked psychic also known as Hugo and who also wears a turban (coincidences abound in the Hardy Boys stories)! It isn't long before the action switches to Puerto Rico, where the boys have to contend with Abdul with the Big Head, as well as a gang member who looks just like Joe Hardy and causes a lot of mischief. At one point the fellows nearly fall into some sugar-crushing machinery. There are sequences at the fort called El Morro and at pineapple plantations, as well as a climax at a sinister island which has a spit of land known as Skeleton Rock, where natives worship a giant god that comes out from below and hovers over the rock. The Boys and Chet are guests at a fancy estate on this island, but aren't certain if their pleasant, corpulent host is part of the gang or not. Before this adventure is over, they'll get their answer and also learn the secret of the god -- or ghost -- of Skeleton Rock. 

Verdict: Dig out your old Hardy Boys books and dig in! You know you want to! ***. 

THE YOUNG SWINGERS

Molly Bee and Rod Lauren

THE YOUNG SWINGERS (1963). Director: Maury Dexter.

Mel Hudson (Rod Lauren) manages a Hootenanny club called the Vanguard. The owner of the building, a witch named Roberta Crawford (Jo Helton), wants the club out of there and employs dirty tricks to get them gone, using her lawyer Bruce Webster (Justin Smith) to do most of the work for her. Her granddaughter, Vicki (Molly Bee), takes over while Roberta is out of town, and strikes up an acquaintanceship -- and more -- with Mel. Can they get her aunt to change her mind? Meanwhile everyone, including Mel, Vicki, Fred (Gene McDaniels), Pete (Larrs Jackson, who also does impressions), and the Sherwood Singers perform some perfectly pleasant numbers. 

Gene McDaniels

The Young Swingers is not a good movie, but at least everyone in it has a more than decent voice, and most sound much better than the pop singers of today, most of whom sound alike (and are auto-tuned on top of it). Rod Lauren sings better than he acts in this -- he seems tranquilized most of the time -- but he was to become more expressive in such films as Black Zoo (in which he played a mute character). Years later he was accused of hiring someone to murder his Filipino wife. Molly Bee first came to fame at 13 warbling "I Saw Daddy Kissing Santa Claus" and had a respectable vocal career with only a few film credits. Larrs Jackson (aka Jack Larson), who does a lousy impression of Groucho but isn't bad at Ed Sullivan and Walter Brennan, had quite a number of credits after this. Of all the singers in this perhaps the most impressive is Gene McDaniels, who sings two snappy numbers and sings them really well. He should have become as famous as Johnny Mathis and others. 

Verdict: Good songs, good singing, but no real story. **1/4. 

ARIZONA TERRITORY

Whip Wilson

ARIZONA TERRITORY (1950). Director: Wallace Fox. 

Prospector Jeff Molloy (Whip Wilson) comes across a pretty gal, Doris (Nancy Saunders), in a runaway wagon and rescues her. Along with her ex-con Uncle Otis (John Merton of Radar Patrol vs Spy King), Doris runs a trading post in the wild territory of Arizona. Suspecting Otis of going back to his old ways of counterfeiting, Jeff teams up with an undercover U.S., Marshall named Luke Watson (Andy Clyde). Another player in this undistinguished oater is Greg Lance (Dennis Moore) who wants to marry Nancy but is secretly in cahoots with her uncle. Meanwhile Jeff is hoping that Nancy is on the up and up. 

Dennis Moore

Although he made a couple more films than Lash Larue, Monogram's Whip Wilson was probably the least of the western cowboy stars and isn't much remembered today. His comic book for Atlas/Marvel only lasted three issues. This is one of the very few films in which he didn't play himself, but it scarcely makes a difference. Handy with a whip, Wilson proves to be an amiable if minor-league screen presence, although he handles the dialogue and action scenes professionally enough. Veteran character actor Andy Clyde, who supported Whip in several films, was 58 but looked quite a bit older. There was a forty-year gap in the acting career of Nancy Saunders, who stopped acting in the late fifties and took it up again in the nineties! Dennis Moore of The Purple Monster Strikes -- he had 264 other credits! -- gives the best performance. 

Verdict: Nothing special in this B western, but it's always nice to see Moore! **. 

INDIANA JONES AND THE DIAL OF DESTINY

Indiana Jones in flashback

INDIANA JONES AND THE DIAL OF DESTINY (2023). Director: James Mangold. 

Professor "Indiana" Jones (Harrison Ford) is retiring when who should show up but his god-daughter, Helena (Phoebe Waller-Bridge), who hopes that he didn't keep his promise to her father to dispose of an ancient relic that is supposed to be able to mess with the time-space continuum-- because she wants it -- badly. Someone else who wants it is an old adversary of Jones' named Dr. Voller (Mads Mikkelsen), a Nazi who wants to kill Hitler back in the past because in his opinion the German leader screwed up so badly. Helena seems quite amoral, although she may have other reasons for wanting the "Dial of Destiny" aside from avarice. As the good guys and bad guys go through car chases and gun fights in various locations, Indiana and the others do indeed wind up back in time -- although not exactly in the decade that Voller might have wished for. 

Indy at 81

The cast is enthusiastic, James Mangold's direction seems a bit better than Spielberg's on the last Indiana Jones film, and the plot is a little more interesting than the last time, although this can't be called any kind of classic. In flashback scenes during which Jones first meets Voller, Ford's face is digitally made young again through artificial intelligence -- it's quite effective if a little weird. Ford was actually eighty-one when he made this film and although he doesn't look too much younger, he hasn't lost any of his charisma and screen presence. The action sequences are generally well-done -- a business with eels near a wreck in the ocean falls flat, however -- and the underground cavern scenes are especially convincing. 

Verdict: Fun enough if you're not too demanding. **3/4. 

A DRAGONFLY FOR EACH CORPSE

Paul Naschy and Mariano Vidal Molina

A DRAGONFLY FOR EACH CORPSE (aka Una libelula para cada muerto/1975). Director: Leon Klimovsky. 

In Milan Inspector Paolo Scaparelli (Paul Naschy, who also co-wrote the screenplay) has been assigned to catch a serial killer who goes after people he believes to be immoral and always leaves a plastic dragonfly on top of each corpse. As the bodies pile up -- and there are quite a few -- Paolo's girlfriend, Silvana (Erkia Blanc of So Sweet ... So Perverse), thinks she's come up with an important clue, which he, unfortunately, dismisses. 

Erika Blanc with Naschy

Dragonfly is a Spanish imitation of an Italian giallo film and it's better than a lot of them. While Leon Klimovsky's direction doesn't have much style to it, the film does work up a lot of suspense, and has many flavorful aspects to it. Naschy, who many consider the King of Spanish horror films, is a unique and unusual-looking leading man. Angel Aranda of Planet of the Vampires is one of the suspects and Mariano Vidal Molina is Naschy's boss, the police commissioner. One odd thing is that the police never seem to try to find out where the plastic dragonflies were manufactured or sold. Otherwise, this is quite interesting.

 Verdict: Absorbing murder mystery from Spain. ***.  

THE SLASHER ... IS THE SEX MANIAC

THE SLASHER ... IS THE SEX MANIAC (aka Rivelazioni di un maniaco sessuale al capo della squadra mobile/1972). Director: Roberto Bianchi Montero. 

"I may be homosexual but I am not homicidal!" -- "Cleopatra." 

An unknown killer is running around murdering women who are having affairs. The maniac leaves photos of the women and their lovers, although the latter's faces are scratched off. (Which begs the question: how can the police be so certain that the man in the photo is the lover and not the husband? At least we know that the killer gets the photos while stalking his victims.) In any case Inspector Capuana (Farley Granger) is assigned to track down the killer and pursues a number of leads before getting distressing information about the extracurricular activities of his own wife (Sylva Koscina of Hercules Unchained). Along the way he consults with Professor Casali (Chris Avram of The Killer Reserved Nine Seats), stumbles over a number of corpses, and interviews the lawyer Santangeli (Silvano Tranquilli), who's having an affair with a neighbor even as his own wife goes off for a dalliance. (You need a scorecard to count the affairs as well as the corpses.) Farley Granger, Koscina, and the other cast members acquit themselves professionally and the film is undeniably suspenseful, with a satisfying climax. Luciano Rossi plays the weird Gastone and Nieves Navarro is another victim. 

NOTE: New hardcore footage with porn star Harry Reems was inserted -- no pun intended -- into this film under the title Penetration. It was taken out of release in the U.S. after Farley Granger threatened a lawsuit. 

Verdict: Definitely one of the better giallo films. ***

THE FRENCH SEX MURDERS

Anita Ekberg

THE FRENCH SEX MURDERS (Casa d'appuntaento/1972). Director: Ferdinando Merighi. 

In Paris Madame Colette (Anita Ekberg) runs an exclusive brothel. One night Francine (Barbara Bouchet of Agent for H.A.R.M.) is murdered and her jealous suitor, Antoine (Peter Martell), is the main suspect. Escaping from custody after being convicted and vowing revenge on everyone, Antoine is beheaded in an accident. For unaccountable reasons Professor Waldermar (Howard Vernon) wants the severed head for "experiments" and is granted its disposition by his friend, the Judge on the case, George Teschi (William Alexander). In the meantime a sinister figure is running about violently killing people involved in the case while Inspector Fontaine (Robert Sacchi) pursues all leads, investigating not just Madame Colette but Pepi (Rolf Eden), owner of a nightclub and his associates, including sometime girlfriend Marianne (Rosalba Neri). While all this is going on the professor's assistant, Roger (Franco Borelli), tries to pursue a relationship with the man's daughter, Eleonora (Evelyne Kraft). Another suspect/potential victim is Dick Randall (Renato Romano), a reporter who is doing a story on French prostitutes. 

Robert Sacchi and Rosalba Neri

Robert Sacchi not only resembles Humphrey Bogart, but whoever dubbed his voice makes sure he sounds a lot like Bogie as well, including the trademark lisp. French Sex Murders is reasonably absorbing and intriguing, although the many murder sequences are not handled with any particular elan. Director Merighi simply repeats the same shot of a throat being slashed, head lopped off and so on five times, as if he has no clue of how to stage an effective kill scene. Filmed on Paris locations, including the Eiffel Tower, this is a true International production: Italy-France-West Germany. Sacchi was born in Italy, raised in the Bronx, and starred as The Man with Bogart's Face. This film was his first credit. 

Verdict: So-so giallo with some interesting aspects. **1/2. 

NINE GUESTS FOR A CRIME

Arthur Kennedy at the wheel 

NINE GUESTS FOR A CRIME (aka Nove espiti per un delitto/1977). Director: Ferdinando Baldi.

Liberto (Arthur Kennedy of Impulse) takes members of his family for a two-week vacation on his private island. His guests include his young, unfaithful wife, Giulia (Caroline Laurence), who only married him for his money; his sons Lorenzo (John Richardson of Torso) and Michele (Massimo Foschi); their wives Greta (Rita Silva) and Carla (Sofia Dionisio); psychic Patrizia (Loretta Persichetti); son-in-law Walter (Venantino Venantini); and Aunt Elisabetta (Dana Ghia). For the first few hours they spend their time on the island berating each other and cheating on their spouses. Then one of the members of the party drowns. A killer begins stalking the others, and Elisabetta talks hysterically of how her lover Charles was murdered and buried on the island twenty years before ... 

John Richardson

Nine Guests keeps you watching, but the film has absolutely no style and very little tension. Characterization only consists of people being bitchy with each other and talking about how much they all hate each other -- to say these people are unsympathetic is an understatement. The gore is minimal, and a severed head that tumbles off a bed looks just like the phony prop it is. Some of the murder scenes are actually comical, and when the killer is revealed you can't quite imagine that this particular person could be responsible for all of these deaths. 

Verdict: Mediocre giallo. **1/4.

THE GIANT BEHEMOTH

The behemoth stomps through London

THE GIANT BEHEMOTH (1959). Director: Eugene Lourie. American version of Behemoth, the Sea Monster. Colorized. 

The coast of Cornwall is covered with loads of dead fish. A fisherman is found horribly burned to death on the shore. A huge animal emitting waves of radiation comes out of the sea to destroy a farm and its inhabitants. And then an ocean liner. Steve Karnes (Gene Evans) and Professor Bickford (Andre Morrell) team up to try to find this "behemoth" that may be responsible for the devastation. Bickford isn't so certain that this creature exists, but the paleontologist Dr. Sampson (Jack MacGowran) insists it is a "paliosaurus" that has somehow managed to survive until modern times. And then it emerges from the river Thames and stomps through London ... 

The behemoth dwarfs a bus

I have seen this fun, creepy and often intense movie dozens of times but I must say that the colorizing process made me feel like I was seeing it for the first time. It definitely adds a new dimension. As usual, I find it interesting how midway through the film the monster switches from being an unknown animal created by radiation to just another dinosaur that has become irradiated. One suspects this change happened because director/writer Eugene Lourie also helmed the superior Beast from 20,000 Fathoms (there is also a colorized version of that). 

Monster hunters: Evans and Morrell

The scenes of people being turned to cinders by the monster's radiation have even more of a grisly impact in color. Evans and Morrell play with sincerity, John Turner is effective as the Welsh fisherman John Duncan, and Henri Vidon as Tom Trevethan has a great death scene on the beach as he intones the word "behemoth." Leigh Madison is merely decorative as his daughter. Maurice Kaufman is realistically frightened as the mini-sub captain who sneaks up on the behemoth in the climax. Jack MacGowran plays his role in somewhat campy fashion. The effects in this low-budget movie are uneven but Willis O'Brien and Pete Peterson contributed some rather good stop-motion sequences. Edwin Astley's score is a plus as well. The original British version may have a slight edge on the American print. 

Verdict: What can I say? I dig this movie (others beware). ***. 

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. 

BARE BONES 17

 bare bones 17 Winter 2024. 

Yes the new barebones 17 is now out and available on Amazon. This scholarly and fun publication, edited by Peter Enfantino and John Scoleri, is chock full of fascinating articles. We've got pieces on THE FUGITIVE TV show; on the Mexican NOSTRADAMUS movies; ALFRED HITCHCOCK'S MYSTERY MAGAZINE; surveys of sleazy paperback thrillers; Randall D. Larson on fanzines; and much more including a piece on the forgotten post-Peter Gunn Craig Stevens series MAN OF THE WORLD by yours truly.

https://www.amazon.com/Bare.../dp/B0CW9VLMVT/ref=sr_1_1...

PARANOIA/A QUIET PLACE TO KILL

Carroll Baker and Jean Sorel

PARANOIA/A QUIET PLACE TO KILL (1970). Director: Umberto Lenzi. 

After an accident, Helen (Carroll Baker), a race car driver, is invited by (whom she thinks is) her ex-husband, Maurice (Jean Sorel), to his estate, where he now lives with his wealthy wife, Constance (Anna Proclemer). Helen discovers that Constance actually issued the invitation, and there are early hints -- later discarded -- that she has a yen for her. Maurice is an unapologetic gigolo who left Helen when her money ran out. Constance has good reason to hate Maurice -- one revelation is kept towards the end of the film -- and offers Helen $10,000 if she'll help her kill him. But as usual in these kind of movies, things don't go as expected. 

Proclemer with Sorel

Carroll Baker gives a very good performance in this, one of several thrillers she did for director Umberto Lenzi. Sorel, who may or may not be dubbed, is comparatively listless, however. Proclemer makes a better impression, as does Marina Coffa as Constance's nubile daughter, Susan. Another film inspired a bit by Diabolique -- wife and ex-wife as opposed to wife and mistress -- the lack of originality, despite some minor twists, keeps this from being memorable. The theme song, "You," is horrible and horribly sung! A nominal giallo film essentially devoid of grisly murders. 

Verdict: The picture pulls one along but there's no pay-off. **.  

BOMBAY WATERFRONT

Dainton, Bentley and Arthur Hill

BOMBAY WATERFRONT (aka Paul Temple Returns/1952.) Director: Maclean Rogers. 

Scotland Yard man turned mystery writer Paul Temple (John Bentley of Calling Paul Temple) and his wife, Steve (Patricia Dainton of The Third Alibi), get embroiled in the case of a mysterious figure known only as the Marquis, who has committed multiple murders for unknown reasons. Steve comes to suspect Inspector Ross (Ronald Leigh-Hunt) to the incredulity of his boss, while Paul is highly suspicious of the strange Sir Felix Raybourne (Christopher Lee of Alias John Preston) whose beautiful home is full of incense and other weird accoutrements. Others involved in the case include Storey (Grey Blake), whose fiancee was one of the victims, and Slater (Robert Urquhart), an actor who once appeared in one of Temple's plays and is now in the employ of the villain. 

Patricia Dainton with Christopher Lee

Bombay Waterfront is smooth and entertaining, with Bentley as good as usual as Temple -- his third and last time playing the character -- but Chris Lee, as expected, offers the most flavorful performance as Felix Raybourne. Grey Blake is also notable as the distraught Storey. Dan Jackson plays Sakki, the brother of the Temples' original Indian manservant. Arthur Hill has a very small role as a friend of the Temples. While the musical score is too often inappropriate, the picture does manage to build up suspense, and there are a few exciting scenes, although many will not be much surprised when the Marquis' identity is finally exposed.  

Verdict: Satisfying if unspectacular Paul Temple adventure. **3/4. 

THE LOUISIANA HUSSY

Peter Coe and Nan Peterson

THE LOUISIANA HUSSY (1959). Director: Lee Sholem. A Bon-Air Production. 

In a stretch of the bayou called The Pit, brothers Jacques (Peter Coe) and Pierre (Robert Richards) love the same woman, Lili (Betty Lynn), but she prefers Pierre. On their wedding day a stranger who calls herself Minette (Nan Peterson of The Hideous Sun Demon) shows up in town, and is taken in by the newlyweds. Right away Minette is making passes at Pierre -- which he initially does little to reject -- and then moves in on -- and with -- Jacques. Pierre and Lili are convinced that Minette is bad news so they decide to investigate her past, bringing them to an estate and a drunk, grieving widower named Clay Lanier (Harry Lauter of It Came from Beneath the Sea). 

Betty Lynn, Robert Richards, Harry Lauter

An atmospheric melodrama, The Louisiana Hussy is reasonably absorbing and mildly titillating, although some of the love scenes are kind of intense for a fifties movie. Although Nan Peterson is rather  average-looking to play a femme fatale, with her push-up bra she manages to assert her sexuality in scene after scene. Betty Lynn is best known as Barney Fife's girlfriend on The Andy Griffith Show and she's bland but adequate in this. Richards had only a few credits, Peterson twice as many, and Coe amassed over eighty appearances. Also in the cast, as a doctor, is Tyler McVey of Attack of the Giant Leeches. 

Like many movies from this period and after, the film is hypocritical when it comes to the question of marital affairs. This is one of those films in which the trampy gal who goes after married men is seen as being much, much worse than the husbands who simply don't abstain, and get all moralistic about the mistress while ignoring and justifying their own behavior. Lee Sholem also directed Pharaoh's Curse.

Verdict: Sizzles but never quite boils. **1/4.