NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD 1968 (LIONSGATE)

The film that started the modern day zombie movie trend that is still going strong today. In my opinion, the greatest horror movie ever made!! Essential viewing for Halloween!!
I don't really need to say much because everyone who comes to this blog knows this is the classic zombie film directed by George Romero.
THE MOST RECOMMENDED MOVIE I COULD EVER PUT HERE.

FIRECRACKER 1977 (SHOUT FACTORY)

Highly enjoyable chop socky effort directed by Cirio Santiago in the Philippines and starring the gorgeous Jillian Kesner, who was a real life Karate champ as a young woman looking for the killers of her sister. She finds an illegal drug smuggling operation and a "ring of death" where fights to the finish are wagered on by gangsters.
This movie is NEVER boring and Darby Hinton as the man who loves Kesner is very good in his role. Jillian was one of the nicest people you would ever meet and she was married to Gary Graver, one of the worlds most notable cinematographers.
Kesner dies in 2007 from a staph infection. A huge loss. Her husband, Graver had died in 2006, Kesner was only 58.
This movie is part of the 2 disc set Lethal Ladies and is part of Shout Factory's Roger Corman Cult Classics collection. recommended!!

BLOODY PIT OF HORROR 1965 (MILL CREEK)

This is my all time favorite Italian horror film, and it is one of the strangest Euro-horror films ever. Mickey Hargitay plays Travis Anderson, a man who has chosen to live in seclusion in an old castle that several models and photographers come to to take pictures for lurid book covers.
Walter Brandi and Alfredo Rizzo are both agent and talent scout while Rita Klien, Luisa Baratto and the very sexy Femi Benussi are some of the models.
After several strange deaths the group becomes aware they are being stalked by a madman who turns out to be Travis who thinks he is the actual former owner of the castle, The Crimson Executioner, a man who was put to death in the 17th century for torturing people.
Before long the women find themselves being tortured with knives, hot molten lead, the stretching rack and more. This is great kitch and over the top pulp fun if I ever saw it.
The print from Mill Creek is wide screen and excellent.
VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!

TARANTULA 1955 (UNIVERSAL)

Excellent Universal film about a spider that grows to over 50 feet after being injected with a miracle food drug. John Agar, Mara Corday and Leo G. Carroll star in this first rate giant bug flick.
The effects aren't bad and director Jack Arnold does a very credible job. Clint Eastwood has a small role as a fighter pilot, and he actually had quite a few roles in the early stages of his career at Universal. The quality of this movie is top notch and the DVD is flawless.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED and one of the best monster movies ever made.

GOKE THE BODY SNATCHERS FROM HELL 1968 (DVD-R)

When most people in the west think of Japanese horror or sci-fi they think of Godzilla and such, but this is an entirely different kind of movie.
It seems earth is being invavded from a planet called Gokemeidoro and they want the earth for their own. An airline crashes and the survivors do nothing but fight against themselves making it much easier for the aliens to invade heir bodies and kill the other passengers.
This is a little more thought provoking than most Japanese horror films, and it has some very disturbing images in it as well with people's heads splitting open so the alien invaders can enter the body.
This should be available on DVD, but it isn't. Mine is from TCM which aired it in 2006 in letterbox format with English subtitles. Recommended!!

ZOMBIE 1979 (SHRIEK SHOW)

The all time classic italian zombie movie from Lucio Fulci!! This classic tells he tale of a zombie invasion on a small island, and the people who must fight for survival on it. The plot is threadbare, but the effects are what make this movie a real treat for horror fans. See heads split wide open, eyes implaed on wooden stakes and much, much more.
This contains some of the best gore effects in a modern film, and this also catapulted Fulci to cult status in the USA. Tisa Farrow, Ian McCulloch, Richard Johnson and the lovely Olga Karlatos do a great job with their roles.

The iconic symbol for zombies in Italy is the one from this film which is the shot os a rotting corpse coming out of the grave with worms in it's eye. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!

ROBOT VS. THE AZTEC MUMMY 1959 (BCI)

Third and final entry in the trilogy of Aztec Mummy movies featuring Popoca. This time the mad doctor Krupp has created a robot he thinks will kill the mummy and allow him the aztec treasure. Romon Gay and Arenas Alvarado are on hand once again trying to stop him.
This is a 64 min. film which has about 20 minutes of footage from the previous entries, and sometimes that is hard to get through, especially if you've seen them already, but the fun comes when the robot is attacking the Aztec Mummy.
The battle is brief and silly, but my god what fun!! This entire trilogy is entertaining as hell and highly recommended for fans of horror films from south of the border.

DEVIL'S MESSENGER 1962 (ALPHA)

Lon Chaney, Jr. stars in this three part story based on three episodes of  the never aired tv show 13 Demon Street. The stories involve bizarre things such as women encased in ice, and even a 5 megaton bomb that will wipe out mankind.
Chaney looks like he is enjoying his role, and this is really a treat for those who have never seen it. Herbert Strock and an unbilled Curt Siodmak directed these strung together episodes.

TOMBS OF THE BLIND DEAD 1971 (BLUE UNDERGROUND)

Amando De Ossorio made horror film history with this first of four films involving the rotted walking corpses known as The Knights Templar. The corpses rise out of their tombs and ride horses, which are also dead.
Made in Spain in 1972, this shocker is totally uncut with plenty of gore for all.
The entire film is excellent, the leading ladies are all gorgeous and the music, especially when the Templar ride is amazing. This disc has both the US cut and the uncut Spanish version with US subtitles, and it is that version I recommend the most.The ending is a real kicker.
Highly Recommended Halloween viewing, and one of the best Euro-horror films around.

TNT JACKSON 1974 (SHOUT FACTORY)

Lovely Jeannie Bell plays a young woman who goes to Hong Kong to find her brothers killer. Cirio Santiago directed this gem with plenty of Karate action and a bit of sex thrown in. You gotta love Bell and her topless karate battle with thugs in a motel room!! This is an interesting combo of blaxploitation and chop socky epics.
New World released this film in 1974 and it was another made in the Philippines hit for Roger Corman's company. This is part of Shout's Lethal Ladies 2 disc set and the film never looked better than it does here. Highly Recommended!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO....

Henry Winkler is 66.

DAWN OF THE DEAD 1979 (ANCHOR BAY)

When you say Zombie movie the first thing most fans of horror think of is this all time classic film from George A. Romero.
Made in 1978 at the Monroeville Mall, this is a continuation from Night Of The Living Dead with the dead increasing in numbers and the living loosing ground. Four people escape Philadelphia and head to a seculded mall and then they decide to stay and make a life for themselves.
The zombies are ever menacing and the four protagonists are very fleshed out characters thanks to great acting by Ken Foree, David Emge, Gaylen Ross and Scott Reiniger.
A landmark film in the history of horror, this is what a great film should be. The Anchor Bay four disc set is still the best DVD set ever released for ANY film.
2 documentaries, hundreds of interviews, a Monroeville Mall tour, and much mych more are included as well as 3 versions of the movie.
Movies don't get better than this and if you haven't seen this film you simply must!!! One of my top five movies of all time.

EQUINOX 1970 (CRITERION)

One of my five favorite films of all time, this film is a student made film from 1967 that Jack Harris bought, had some new scenes shot and released as a feature in 1970. Four young people travel into the mountains to meets with a college professor only to find him missing and a strange book which turns out to be a bible of evil.
They run into a Ranger who just happens to be Satan and he creates a few monsters to destroy the four and get the book back.
This is a two disc special with the theatrical version of the movie, and the original film as is was made by film students including Dennis Muran. One of the best sets you could ever own for your collection, and Criterion does it's usual smash job of presenting it.
The second disc is all the supplements including interviews with Frank Bonner and much more. Check it out!! It is excellent Halloween viewing, and was some of the inspiration for the Evil Dead.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO,,,,,

Richard Dreyfuss is 64, Gabrielle Union is 39, Kate Jackson is 63, Dina Merrill is 88, and Mary Wilcox is 64.

COMING SOON......

I am told that the classic 70's shocker ZAAT is being released in December on a Bluray/DVD combo, but have not gotten any official confirmation on this yet. I would very much welcome this into my collection as I love this giant catfish movie!!
On Nov. 15th Code Red will release another in the Maria's B Movie Mayhem series. This time it's a double feature of Teenage Hitchhikers and Teenage Tramp, and wow, that is one hell of a double bill, one that I cannot resist.
On Jan. 24th Shout Factory will be releasing Lethal Ladies 2, which is part of the Roger Corman Classics line and will include The Arena, Fly Me and Cover Girl Models. My goodness, Shout is THE comapny to watch for!!

DEADLY MANTIS 1957 (UNIVERSAL)

Classi giant monster movie features Craig Stevens, Alix Talton and William Hopper as three people trying to stop a giant mantis from destroying all in it's path. The Clifford Stein effects are good the era and I hold this up as a shining example of great 50's monster movie filmmaking.
The scene where the mantis attacks the headquaters of the Army is very well done as well as it landing on the Washington Monument.
If you like 50's monster movies like I do, this is an absolute must. Highly Recommended!!

BLOOD HARVEST 1987 (RETROMEDIA)

This is easily one of the most bizarre films I have ever seen. Filmed in Gleason, Wisconsin by Bill Rebane, this film stars Tiny Tim as Mervo, a strange man who sings and paints his face like a clown.
In a small farming town people are being murdered by a madman who cuts their throats, and of course the audience is supposed to suspect Mervo for a while, but it turns out to be....well you have to see it to believe it.
Rebane has made a bunch of movies in his day, and most of them I like because I am crazy, and this is one of them. Tim is totally believable as Mervo and I suppose it is nothing but an actual extension of the real man himself.
Most reviews I have read tear this film apart, but mine won't. it's low budget and I like it. The leading lady, Itonia Salchek is very attractive and handles her role well. This is long out of print, but if you can find a copy watch it and see if you don't agree with me.

BLOOD OF DRACULA'S CASTLE 1969 (SINISTER CINEMA)

This has always been my favorite film from Al Adamson, and it probably comes from many, many viewings on Nightmare Theater on KCPX tv in Salt Lake City during the 70's.
It seems Count Townsend (Dracula) and his wife live in a castle and are soon to be evicted by the new owners. That proves to be a problem as they have a few young women chained in the dungeon for blood drinking and a man named Johnny lives there too and her is a werewolf.
Gene O'Shay and the sexy Barbara Bishop are the young couple who inherit the castle and Alex D'Arcy is Count Townsend and Paula Raymond is his wife. John Carradine is the Butler and Robert Dix is Johnny.
This print is the one that includes several inserted shots of a werewolf stalking and killing women. This is an untra rare print, and this is one I recall seeing many years ago.
Vicki Volante is Ann, the victim taken to the castle after her car breaks down. I always liked Vicki and thought she was so damn hot. This is a fun film, not to be taken seriously but just to be enjoyed.

THE MOLE PEOPLE 1956 (UNIVERSAL)

I love this movie!! John Agar and Hugh Beaumont star as explorers who find a mysterious subterranian world run by albino people who rule a race of mole people they use as slave labor. The albino race decides to kill Agar and Beaumont because they fear them. Nestor Pavia is also on had as another scientist but he dies after being attacked by a mole man.
Agar is one of my favorite actors and no matter what he was in I had to watch it. Cynthia Patrick is his girlfriend in this bizarre world and she actually escapes with John to the surface only to die seconds later after an earthquake.
The ending is a bummer but it still works very well for the story. I love the monster costumes and I can only say I love this movie a lot.
This is for lovers of 50's horror and a great Halloween movie.

LA NAVE DE LOS MONSTRUOS 1966 (LIONSGATE)

One of the besy Mexican sci0fi films ever made!! Known here as Ship of Monsters, this story is about two incredibly sexy female aliens played by Anna Berthe Lepe and Lorena Velazquez who land on earth and bring with them a robot and several weird looking monsters.
They meet a singing cowboy played by Eulalio Gonzalez aka "Piporro" with whom Lepe falls in love. Velazquez is the evil alien who is also a vampire, and she eventually lets the monsters loose. They include a cyclops, a huge brained creature and a hairy insect type being as well as a laughing skeleton!! Incredible is all I can say, but this is an excellent film and one not to be missed by sci-fi fans.
There are no subtitles provided, but do you really need them?? Recommended!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO....

Lara  Parker is 74, and Jayne Kennedy is 60.