CURSE OF NOSTRADAMUS 1960 (SINISTER CINEMA)

This is the first of 4 movies featuring the vampire son of Nostradamus from South of the Border.

German Robles stars as the evil vampire and in this, the first one he warns a scientist that he will kill 13 people until the scientist starts believing in the supernatural.

There are some creepy moments in this film including a man being buried alive and nobody can hear his pleas. The plot is simple and straight forward but it does move at a very good clip.

There were twelve 25 minute chapters to the original serial which played in Mexican theaters. K. Gordon Murray took the chapters and edited them into 4 films which played in theaters and later on TV syndication packages.

This is by no means a classic, but it is a fun little film that will keep your interest. It all ends rather abruptly, but no worries, the others films start right back up again, but it can be a disjointing experience for people not familiar with this.

The other films are "The Monster Demolisher", "Genie Of Darkness" and "Blood Of Nostradamus". All are fun so check them out.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO...

Catherine Hicks is 69, Lisa Boyle is 56, and Sarah Lawson is 92.

THE SEVENTH COMMANDMENT 1961 (SOMETHING WEIRD)

One of the darkest film noir movies I have ever seen.

I have loved this genre of film since way back in the day and this film and the 1946 Edgar Ulmer classic entitled "Detour" are two of the best ever made.

This was directed by Irving Berwick, the same man who brought us the 1959 head ripping "Monster Of Piedras Blancas". The story is about a young man named Ted Mathews (Jonathan Kidd) who, during a moment of passion with Terry James (Lyn Statten) while driving have a head on collision.

Ted wanders away from the wreck and sees the other driver dead and drifts into amnesia. He wanders into a man travelling the country named Rev. Noah Turnbull (Frank Arvidson). Flash forward a few years and Matthews is a very successful preacher named Tad Morgan.

One night while giving a sermon, he spots Terry in the crowd and suddenly his memory comes crashing back as to who he really is and what happened. This shatters Matthews, and Terry has some vicious plans of her own.

Terry is now married to an abusive drunk named Pete (John Harmon) and she decides to blackmail Matthews. To get her off of his back he writes her a check for 1000 dollars. However, Terry and Pete spend it like water and Terry steps up her game. She forces Matthews to marry her, and his life is in a very steep downward spiral.

Things get so bad Ted decides to kill Terry by pushing her off of a bridge. This bitch does not die easily and she comes back and attempts to shoot Ted but instead ends up killing Pete by mistake.

Needless to say it gets worse. I won't give it away, but my God what a film!! Statten is a beautiful woman and she plays the part of an evil female to perfection.

Kidd is also very, very good in his role as a sap who has gotten mixed up with the wrong woman. The cast is solid and the performances are all very good. This is included on the SWV DVD called "Weird Noir" and it probably the best one of the set of 6 films.

This gets a HIGHLY RECOMMENDED from me, and if you're a noir fan you shouldn't miss this one.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO...

Tawny Kitaen is 59, Wanda Ventham is 85, and Joan Weldon is 90.

THE MAN WITH THE GLASS EYE 1968 (SINISTER CINEMA)

This is the 14th and final Edgar Wallace film directed by Alfred Vohrer.

Horst Tappert stars as Insp. Perkins who is called into investigate a white slavery operation that runs between England and South America.

There are a lot of knife throwing bloody murders here and some comedy thrown in for good measure. One line is very memorable and it goes by so quickly you may not even notice it. The Inspector says to his assistant Sgt. Pepper (Stefan Behrens) "Does that ring a bell, Pepper?"

Lines like that go all thru the film, but they are delivered with dead seriousness which makes it all the more fun. The cast also includes the lovely Karin Hubner, Ilse Page, Christiane Kruger and Hubert Von Meyerinck.

This Krimi moves along at a very quick pace and, of course, there are plenty of plot twists and a very good climax with the police rescuing a truck full of Las Vegas showgirls who have been kidnapped and are being sent to South America.

Again, the colorful photography is stunning and the print is gorgeous. There were tons of these Edgar Wallace mysteries filmed in Germany during the 60's and 70's and the color ones were not as good as the black and white ones, but this was a most entertaining entry.

It played in theaters with "Horror Of Blackwood Castle" which I wrote about a few days ago. I forgot to mention to look for sexy as hell Ewa Stromberg in a supporting role as "Doris".

This is an easy to recommend German Krimi film.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO...

Margaret Lee is 77.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO...

Butch Patrick is 67, Apollonia Kotero is 61, and Susan Denberg is 76

HORROR OF BLACKWOOD CASTLE 1968 (SINISTER CINEMA)

An interesting and bizarre Edgar Wallace murder mystery.

The 1968 Krimi was directed by Alfred Vohrer and is a very colorful story that sometimes seems very British for a German production.

It seems that several people have been killed by a huge dog with two very large fangs and the authorities have been called in to investigate the murders.

There are plenty of interesting characters introduced into the story and there is even some comedy, which I thought was rather unique. I kept thinking of the story "Hound Of The Baskervilles" as I watched the film.

If you're a fan of Krimi films you'll recognize such familiar faces as Heinz Drache, Karin Baal and Horst Trappert. The plot has a lot of twists and turns and sometimes it's hard to tell who the good guys are from the baddies, but if you pay close attention you can figure it out.

The theme music over the opening credits is bizarre to say the least, but it is catchy and the brilliant color photography rally stands out. Made in 1968, it didn't see release here until 1972, and it's one of a very long list of Wallace mysteries made in Germany in the 60's and 70's.

Sinister provides and simply beautiful widescreen print of the film and if you're a collector of this kind of movie you need this in your collection. It played in certain drive-in theaters with another Wallace film entitled "Man With The Glass Eye" which I will write about here soon.

All in all, not a bad way to spend 88 or so minutes.

MASTER STROKE 1967 (SINISTER CINEMA)

Very interesting caper film that also plays like a spy film.

An actor in Madrid named Arthur Lang (Richard Harrison) is hired by a group of men to impersonate another man named Owen for a short time. Owen, it seems, is a diamond pickup controller.

The men who hired him are thieves who have a very complicated scheme to steal the diamonds. Their leader is Mr. Bernard (Adolfo Celi) and he is a very evil man who lusts for diamonds more than anything else.

Lang also gets involved with a beautiful young woman named Evelyn (Margaret Lee) who is also good at killing people. The first 45 minutes of the film detail the diamond heist and it's quite a good scene.

It's a rare little film that hasn't been seen much and I am surprised by that. Celi makes a perfect villain and has appeared in hundreds of films. This performance is one of his best.

Gerard Tichy also stars as well as Antonio Casas, Ennio Balbo and Andrea Bosic. The print quality is very good and I found myself getting really wrapped up in this little film. As I said, it goes from being a clever heist movie to spies and espionage and the transition is almost seemless.

A RECOMMENDED gem that you should try and find.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO...

Monique Gabrielle is 57, and Vivica A. Fox is 56.

DOUBLE CONFESSION 1950 (SINISTER CINEMA)

Rare film noir starring Peter Lorre.

A man named Jim Medway (Derek Farr) discovers that his wife has been murdered and tries to uncover who did it.

He tries to turn suspicion on someone who actually had an affair with her and finds himself mixed up with actual murderers. That is the basic plot, and yes it does get confusing as this movie tries to bring out to many different plot lines.

Lorre's character of Paynter is extremely bizarre, and he always seems like he wants to kill someone no matter who it is. His friend Charlie Durham (William Hartnell) is the very rich and powerful man Medway tries to frame for the killing of his wife.

Paynter will do anything for him and it all comes to a very good final 12 minutes involving Medway, Paynter and Durham. This was once thought to be a lost film and to this day many people have not seen it, which is a shame.

The print is excellent and the black and white photography is beautiful. The rest of the cast includes Joan Hopkins, Naunton Wayne, Leslie Dwyer and Mona Washbourne.

If you feel so inclined check it out. You might like it.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO...

Roz Kelly is 78, Robert Fuller is 87, Tina Krause is 50, Delia Sheppard is 60, and Scott Steiner is 58.

NO ORCHIDS FOR MISS BLANDISH 1948 (SINISTER CINEMA)

One of the darkest film noirs ever made.

This film receives a LOT of bad reviews and criticism I just don't understand.

It's a very simple story. John Blandish is a very wealthy man worth about 100 million dollars and his lovely daughter, the Miss Blandish of the title (Linden Travers) is all set to marry a man named Foster Harvey.

A small time crook robs her of 100,000 dollars worth of jewelry, but a criminal female named Ma Grisson (Lilli Molnar) decides to have Miss Blandish kidnapped figuring that they will get a million dollars in ransom from her father.

Ma has no intention of letting Blandish live after the ransom is paid, but her son Slim Grisson (Jack La Rue) who knew Blandish from way back when they were kids decides to turn tables on his mother and he helps her escape.

This puts both their lives in danger and they go on the run. Blandish falls in love with Slim, but in typical noir fashion, it simply cannot be. Slim kills his mother and is hunted by the police who kill him in a gun battle. His love, Miss Blandish kills herself soon after.

This is a very dark and moody film that really captures the noir feeling. When it was released it caused quite a stir and it still holds up well as one of the finest British noir films ever made.

There are a lot of brutal set pieces that are unforgettable and some great, snappy dialogue which is never forgotten. The print from Sinister is very good and it was a pleasure to see this for the first time since I had heard so much about it.

Leading lady Linden Travers does a very good turn as the doomed lover of a man she can never have and of a life she hates. Jack La Rue gives an excellent performance as Slim and both actors work very well together.

If you get a chance you might want to check this one out. I call it a "hidden gem" that really has yet to be discovered by a mass audience of noir lovers. RECOMMENDED.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO...

Elizabeth Berkley is 48, Nina Axelrod is 65, and Lisa Gastoni is 85.

RIP OLIVIA DE HAVILLAND 1916-2020

A screen legend has died.

In a career that spanned over 50 years, de Havilland was one of the last actresses from the "Golden Era" of film making.

She started her career in 1935 in the film "Alibi Ike" and was soon on her way to superstardom. She starred in the 1936 production of "Charge Of The Light Brigade" and I first saw her as Maid Marian in "The Adventures of Robin Hood".

She was also the last surviving cast member of "Gone With The Wind" which is an iconic film from 1939. Her performance is one of the best I have ever seen in a film. Her list of films in an impressive one and also includes "The Dark Mirror", "The Snake Pit", "Hush...Hush Sweet Charlotte", and "The Swarm" for Irwin Allen in 1977.

Her film career will never be equaled by any other actress. She passed away in Paris, France on July 25th, 2020 at the age of 104 from natural causes. She was the older sister of Joan Fontaine who passed in 2013 at the age of 96.

The legacy of films this woman leaves behind is and forever unmatched. RIP to a truly talented and beautiful woman.