Wednesday, May 20, 2015

SHORT TAKES.......

As you know I have Sinister Cinema in the spotlight this month and I watched a couple of movies this weekend and one was from Sinister. Both have been talked about here before, but I figured they deserved a second look.

DIMENSION 5 1966 (SINISTER CINEMA) This is a fun and well made spy film starring Jeffrey Hunter as a secret agent who is working with a sexy Chinese agent to stop the import of materials into Los Angeles to build an atom bomb. France Nuyen is gorgeous as Kitty, and Harold Sakata is menacing as Big Buddha.

Hunter and Nuyen use time travel belts to help them thwart the criminals, and that is what makes this film fun. I have always liked this movie and am very glad Sinister has released it.

HORROR HIGH 1974 (CODE RED) I first saw this on "Nightmare Theater" on KCPX from Salt Lake City many years ago, but I had never seen the UNCUT version until Code Red turned out this great DVD.

Pat Cardi is a nerdy high school kid named Vernon Potts who is constantly tormented by the jocks and ignorant teachers. Vernon is working on a project in science class with his only friend, "Mr. Mumps" a guinea pig. The serum Vernon is working on turns the guinea pig into a killer that kills the janitors cat.

The janitor fins out and forces Vernon to drink his own formula, and of course this leads to trouble as he is transformed into a wild killer. The janitor and several others are killed in very brutal and bloody ways. Teachers and tormentors are killed by acid, amputation of fingers, and stomped to death.

Austin Stoker is Lieutenant Bozeman, who suspects Vernon, but just can't prove it. His cool style is very odd against the high school background, but it really works. This film was shot in Irving, Texas and the rest of the cast includes the lovely Rosie Holotik, John Niland, Abner Hayes, Chuck Beatty and many other football stars.

This is a great film with a cool score, good actors and pure, undiluted 70's taste. No matter how violent the killer is, the audience cannot help but root for Vernon. RECOMMENDED!!

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