For lovers of movies from the silent era to modern day with an emphasis on horror, sci-fi, exploitation, WIP, westerns and anything of the fantastic and bizarre. THIS SITE IS DEDICATED TO BOB WILKINS, GEORGE ROMERO, ALAN FREED ,ROGER CORMAN, CAROLINE MUNRO, JOHN FREDRIKSEN, JOHN ZACHERLE, CLEO MOORE , ROSALBA NERI, ERIKA BLANC, FEMI BENUSSI, SHIRLEY CORRIGAN, ROSANNA YANNI, MIRTA MILLER and, of course, CASEY KASEM.
William Christopher who was best known for playing the Father on the show MASH died today at the age of 84 after fighting lung cancer.
In the 1960's show Gomer Pyle, Christopher played Lester Hummel, and after appearing in a few more TV shows and movies he landed the role of Father Mulcahy and rocketed to fame.
In 2012 Christopher appeared on Days Of Our Lives as a recurring character known as Father Tobias.
10.VENGEANCE OF LADY MORGAN (SINISTER CINEMA)... Sexy Erica Blanc stars with Gordon Mitchell in this super atmospheric Euro horror gem. Filmed in beautiful black and white and in widescreen!! One of the best films ever offered from Sinister and one of two films from them in the top 10.
9.BOY WHO CRIED WEREWOLF (SHOUT FACTORY) BLU-RAY...Kerwin Matthews stars as man bitten by a werewolf and nobody will believe his son when he sees his father become a monster. This has never been available on any form of home media, but Shout Factory rectified that major oversight. The first of three from Shout in my top 10.
8.BEWARE THE BLOB (KINO) BLU-RAY...When I reviewed this film I believe I mentioned that this film scared the heck outta me when I was 10. The blob returns and practically eats an entire town in this follow up film directed by Larry Hagman. This is the highest rated Kino release this year.
7.DOLL OF SATAN (SINISTER CINEMA)...The highest rated Sinister Cinema release this year. I had never seen this film, but always wanted to. Great Euro horror starring the gorgeous Erna Schurer as a young woman who inherits a castle and the grounds from her dead uncle. Murder and torture soon follow the reading of the will.
6.RABID (SHOUT FACTORY) BLU-RAY...Epic David Cronenberg horror film starring Marilyn Chambers as a young woman who is given radical plastic surgery after a motorcycle accident. She soon develops a parasite under her arm that requires her to only eat human blood. One of my all time favorite horror films. The Blu-ray from Shout is highly recommended. This was released in mid November and barely made the survey period time.
5.BRAIN THAT WOULDN'T DIE (SHOUT FACTORY) BLU-RAY...This is the highest rated Shout release of the year! The classic film about a mad doctor keeping the head of his girlfriend alive while seeking a perfect body for her is given the Blu-ray treatment it is so deserved. This version is complete and uncut and even offers the long unseen nude footage, if only in the extras as the scene has no sound. This print is excellent and looks better than I have ever seen this film.
4.THE RACKET (WARNER ARCHIVE)... Released in early Nov. of this year, it squeezed into the survey period I have and was I ever glad to see this film!! One of my favorite film noir gems starring Robert Mitchum, Robert Ryan and Lizabeth Scott. Ryan is a top gangster in a large city that is fighting both the police and a crime syndicate that is taking over his territory. I cannot praise this film enough!! This is the only film in the Top 50 from Warner Archive.
3.BLOOD BATH (ARROW) BLU-RAY...One of the most comprehensive DVD collections ever released!! This is a limited set from Arrow and one that is simply A MUST for any film fan. This set shows the evolution of a film from a Krimi style crime film into a bizarre vampire film!! Operation Titian is a crime film not seen in the USA. William Campbell is an artist who arrives in Dubrovnik to steal a painting. The film was produced by Roger Corman. The second film is entitled Portrait In Terror and rearranges several scenes, cuts some down and adds a murder scene with obvious doubles. Still, this is an interesting film and well worth seeing. The third film is Blood Bath which had scenes from Titian used and Stephanie Rothman directed other scenes with new actors including Sandra Knight and the dialogue changed to imply that the Campbell character of the artist Sordi is actually a vampire. The final film is Track of The Vampire, and this is a recut of Blood Bath to make it long enough to sell to American TV. This is the first version I ever saw and it was somewhat confusing, but now everything is made a little clearer thanks to this remarkable set from Arrow.
2.THEY CAME FROM THE SWAMP (BALLYHOO)...In the spring of this year Ballyhoo released this title and what a release it was. This documentary covers the entire career of William Grefe, the man who made some of the most entertaining movies ever to come out of Florida. There are plenty of interviews with Grefe, Frank Henenlotter, John David Chandler, David Friedman and many more. Clips from all of Grefe's films are shown and that is also a treat. Ballyhoo has done their usual top notch job with this presentation. The second disc contains the rare Grefe film "Whisky Mountain". We really need more releases like this!!!
That brings us up to the number one film of the year. Without further ado.........
1.MONSTER OF PIEDRAS BLANCAS (OLIVE) BLU-RAY...Yep, this is my favorite release of the year 2016. Only available on VHS for many years, Olive brought this to DVD and Blu-ray for the very first time. A small coastal town is terrorized by a sea monster that resembles the Creature from the Black Lagoon, but is far more vicious. Don Sullivan stars as a young scientist who is trying to stop the monster. For lovers of 50's monster movies this release was extremely welcome, and the film looks better than it ever has. Olive topped the mountain this year and came with the release I consider to be the best....MONSTER OF PIEDRAS BLANCAS!
Well there you are...the final chapter of my Top 50 for the Year 2016. But, before I bring this to a close I want to acknowledge a couple of films that deserve Honorable mention.
HONORABLE MENTION #1...THE CONJURING 2 (WARNERS) BLU-RAY... Extremely well made modern horror film taken from the case files of the Warrens about the Endfield haunting in England in 1977. Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga reprise their roles as Ed and Lorraine Warren. James Wan also returns as director. A perfectly scary film.
HONORABLE MENTION #2...MELINDA (WARNER ARCHIVE)...I reviewed this a few days ago with a TCM viewing, but it has been made available on DVD. Calvin Lockhart is a young DJ who falls for a beautiful young woman with a very dark secret. When she is brutally murdered, Lockhart finds himself framed for murder. This is an excellent film, not to be missed. It also stars Rosalind Cash and sexy as hell Vonetta McGee.
I want to thank everyone who reads this for staying with the countdown for the last five weeks and sending in some interesting comments. HAPPY NEW YEAR and we will see what 2017 has in store for bizarre movie lovers everywhere.
This regional horror film shot in Oil City, Shreveport and Bossier City Louisana was directed by Joy N. Houck, Jr. and released by Howco.
The reports of a mysterious swamp creature attacking two fishermen and killing one of them prompts two college students to persuade their professor to let them investigate.
They arrive in Oil City and are met with some hostility when they try and talk about the monster. They are warned by the local sheriff to stop the investigation. They proceed anyway and come across one of the fishermen who first saw the creature. Jack Elam turns in a great performance as Joe Canton, a man most people consider crazy, but spins a terrifying yarn about the monster.
The students, Pahoo (Dennis Fimple) and Rives (John David Carson) finally manage to set up a camp deep in the swamp and soon fin they may have bitten off more than they can chew as the creature reveals itself. The final battle between the two men and the beast is very well handled by director Houck.
The cast is rounded out by Dub Taylor as a man who had a previous encounter with the monster that killed his daughter. Bill Thurman as the sympathetic Sheriff and Jim McCullough, Jr. as the grandson of Dub Taylor. The characters are totally believable and that helps pull you into this scary story.
The print quality from Sinister is very good and it's widescreen. Highly Recommended film!!
I now you all now the plot and every single piece of information about this film, so I will keep this brief.
The movie has been hailed as one of the worst films ever made, and that is a title is should no longer hold after the crap that Hollyweird has turned out over the last 10 years.
Plan Nine is like an old friend you haven't seen for a while.it was nice to see this after about 8 years. I am never bored or amused by this film. I just watch it and enjoy it and accept it for what it is.
Ed Wood directed as well as he could and who couldn't love a movie with Bela Lugosi, Tor Johnson, Vampira and Criswell in it?
I just wanted to include this film because I think it deserves a spot on this blog, and I love the film.
Just one day after her daughter, Carrie Fisher died, her mother, Debbie Reynolds passed away as well. Renolds died on Dec. 29th at the age of 84.
Her career spanned 48 years and even though she made no movies that are considered "B" pictures her mention here is out of total respect for her entire body of work.
Reynolds starred in such films as "Singing In The Rain", "Tammy and The Bachelor", "Unsinkable Molly Brown" and many, many more.
Reynolds considered herself a "movie-holic" and is known to have a very extensive collection of movie memorabilia. She suffered a stroke brought on from her tragic loss of her daughter Carrie Fisher on Dec. 28th.
She will always be remembered for her many contributions to the movie industry as a whole and her movie and TV work will continue to entertain millions.
I have always been a huge Tracy fan, and this movie to me anyway is a total delight.
Warren Beatty is Dick Tracy, the comic book hero created by Chester Gould Tracy is up to his eyeballs in trouble as a top gangster called Big Boy Caprice (Al Pacino)kills another top gangster, Lipps Manliss (Paul Sorvino) and begins taking over the city.
Things are further complicated by the involvement of Breathless Mahony (Madonna) who wants Tracy for her own and will testify against Caprice if Tracy says to her face that he wants her. However, Tracy is a very dedicated man who only has one love in his life and that is Tess Trueheart (Glenne Headly).
The film delivers on the comic book look like no other film had up to that point except for "Creepshow". No film since 1990 has captured this flavor, and probably won't.
Beatty also directed this epic and he handles the job quite well. There are so many characters in this film it is hard to remember them all. William Forsythe turns in a top performance as Flattop which was actually the most popular character in the comic strip.
The rest of the cast in this very impressive film includes Seymour Cassel as Sam Catchem, James Keane as Pat Patton, Stiog Eldred as Shoulders, Mandy Patinkin as 88 Keys, R.G. Armstrong as Pruneface, Dustin Hoffman as Mumbles, Kathy Bates as Mrs. Green, Dick Van Dyke as D.A. Fletcher, Henry Silva as Influence, James Caan as Spaldoni, Michael J. Pollard as Bug Bailey, Estelle Parson as Mrs. Trueheart, Mary Woronov, Mike Mazurki, Henry Jones and last but not least Charlie Korsmo as Kid. The list could include many, many more.
Hard to believe 26 years have passed since this film came out, but it still looks fresh and new and should be seen by every Tracy fan. Highly Recommended!!
She had had a heart attack on a flight from London to Los Angeles on Friday, Dec. 23rd and died of complications on Tuesday Dec. 27th.
In 1977 she rocketed to international stardom by playing princess Leia Organa in Star Wars. Her career was established with that film and she made many, many TV appearances and movies after that.
She was also a screenwriter and author. Her accomplishments in the movie industry were many and she will be missed by family and friends. Her mother is Debbie Reynolds. She was 60.
Silva is John Chandler, a man who awaits death in jail for murder. In the opening of the film we see him in his last desperate moments. As the electric chair is started the scene immediately switches to another character named Phillip Chandler, also played by Silva.
Yes, there are many tricks and double crosses in this film, and the viewer has to pay close attention to it. The CIA wants to use Phillip as a double agent to track enemy agents, and it seems like a nightmare world of a very sick man...lol.
Silva is excellent in the role and the print from Sinister is a beautiful letterboxed treat. I can't see any crime fan not liking this obscure gem. I cannot praise this film enough.
Director Emilio Miraglia keeps the viewer on the edge of their seats in a bizarre guessing game that pulls the rug out from under the viewer many times, and the ending is very surprising and unexpected.
I really don't want to say too much about this film here. I feel it is better for everyone to see it. It's unique, well acted, well directed and very film noirish.
A martial arts actor foils the attempted murder of a man by the Mafia.
This starts the Mafia trying to kill the actor, so they set him up with a phony movie in order to kill him. As with all films like this, there isn't much in the way of plot that makes any sense, but it is a fun watch, at least I think so.
What I find really odd is that the gorgeous Shirley Corrigan is in this film as a young woman who falls for our oriental hero and ends up saving his ass on more than one occasion.
There are several unforgettable scenes including our hero, Wang, shoving a would be killer in a fireplace and he burns to death! It is also odd to see this shot-in-Rome oddity with Gordon Mitchell as a Nazi fighting Wang with martial arts. If that last sentence seems odd, try this film!
Anything with Corrigan in it is worth a watch. Sadly, she does no nudity here, but she still looks fantastic.
Yasuaki Kurata is the lead in this film and is ok. If you like this kind of film see this one if you can.
This entry finds Jo Walker (Tony Kendall) and Capt. Tow Rowland (Brad Harris)being hired to protect a very wealthy woman from a group of kidnappers that belong to an underworld power.
Dan Vadis is a man named King, and he leads the killings of several people and proves himself quite a challenge for Walker and Rowland.
The young woman in question is Babs Lincoln, played by the gorgeous Ann Smyrner who just passed away recently. She is perfect in the role, turning in another good performance.
The print from Sinister is beautiful and should be seen by all fans of these films. The plots are all simple and straightforward but always fun.
Lots of jungle fights and adventure just add to the flavor of the film. Recommended!!
20. INVISIBLE INVADERS (KINO) BLU-RAY...One of my favorite 50's sci-fi films finally came to Blu. John Agar, John Carradine, Jean Byron and Robert Hutton star in this great little film about invisible invaders inhabiting the bodies of the dead in order to conquer Earth.
19. MILLION EYES OF SU MURU/GIRL FROM RIO (BLUE UNDERGROUND) BLU-RAY...Double feature of bizarre action films. Lovely Shirley Eaton stars as Su Muru, an evil and sadistic woman who plans on taking over the world via her all female army. The second feature is a sequel and just as entertaining. They just can't make movies like this today. Highly Recommended.
18. ALICE, OR THE LAST ESCAPADE (SINISTER CINEMA)...Fantastic film about a woman (Sylvia Kristal), who leaves her husband and has a small auto accident. She spends the night in a mansion with an elderly man and his butler, but come morning her world has turned into a nightmare. Greg Luce did us all a favor turning this out. In French with English subtitles.
17. SCALPS (RETROMEDIA) BLU-RAY...One of my favorite 80's horrors! The spirit of a demonic Indian warrior possesses a young woman on a college road trip. A Fred Olen Ray classic that shouldn't be missed. The Blu-ray really makes the film look better than it ever has.
16. THE PIT (KINO) BLU-RAY...Demented classic filmed in Wisconsin about a very twisted child who likes taking naked pictures of one of his teachers, has a talking teddy bear and a pit full of mutant monsters. This film must be seen to be believed!!! Thanks Kino!
15. INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS 1978 (SHOUT FACTORY) BLU-RAY... One of the best remakes ever stars Donald Sutherland and Brooke Adams as the two central characters. They try and stop an invasion of emotionless pod people from taking over San Francisco. A very dark and moody horror film.
14. RANDOLPH SCOTT ROUNDUP VOL. 2 (MILL CREEK)... A western fans' dream come true!! Mill Creek brings us 6 more classic westerns with Scott tearing up the screen. The six films are SANTA FE, STRANGER WITH A GUN, HANGMAN'S KNOT, MAN IN THE SADDLE, THE NEVADAN and DESPERADO. They released a vol. 1, but I didn't include that as all the films are on the Budd Boettcher set released a few years ago. These six films look beautiful and cannot be recommended enough.
13. SHIELD FOR MURDER (KINO) BLU-RAY...Great film noir with Edmund O' Brian as a cop turned crooked. There are a hell of a lot of excellent visuals in this film and one of them is, of course, gorgeous Marla English. Kino keeps turning out the little, obscure gems.
12. CURSE OF THE FACELESS MAN (KINO) BLU-RAY... Another great 50's horror. Richard Anderson stars in this Edward L. Cahn thriller about a lava encrusted slave who died in the eruption of Mount Vesuvius that comes back to life to seek his long lost love. Saw this as a kid and have loved it ever since. Watched this many times on KCPX Nightmare Theater.
11. THE EMBALMER/THE RED HEADED CORPSE (RETROMEDIA)...The Embalmer is a great Euro shocker about a bizarre killer who kidnaps and kills women and then embalms them and keeps them in a private "museum". The RED HEADED CORPSE is the main reason I love this disc so much. Farley Granger stars as an alcoholic painter who paints a mannequin's face and it suddenly becomes a very living woman...or does it? Anyway it drives him to commit murder. Gorgeous Erica Blanc looks better than ever both in and out of her clothes.
That wraps up the fourth week of my countdown. Next week I will be presenting top 10 top releases of the year. Have A MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!
Francis D. Lyon directed this little film starring Michael Ansara as Count Mario Romano, a man who is planning on stealing some "laser rubies" that can power a killer laser beam.
Richard Egan is the agent who is sent in to stop him.
Made by the same people who brought us "Destination Inner Space", "Dimension 5" and a few others. I have always liked this film and the others I just mentioned.
John Ericson turns in a good performance as a traitor to America who starts having second thoughts and Khigh Dhiegh is the man whom Ansara's character is supplying the rubies.
Not a lot of action, but what the film does have holds my interest and I hadn't seen this film for ages. It is only available from Sinister Cinema on a double bill with "Doomsday Machine".
I recommend this film for fans of B movies.
An ancient curse haunts a man who killed a monkey and has been cursed by the great God Khali.
The curse follows him back to his homeland and a killer ape also figures into the plot. There are also some comic elements in this film and just some plain bizarre stuff.
It appears to be an independent film as there are no major stars and the production company is Paul Malvern Productions. Fan of this genre should find the film enjoyable. I liked it.
If I am not mistaken this film was first shown on TV back in 1950 on WPIX TV on Night Owl Theater. Just a piece of trivia if you're interested.
An environmental group called Doomwatch investigates a small island whose inhabitants have been eating fish contaminated with toxic chemicals.
The people on the island have been suffering from deformities and violence and so a lone scientist is first sent in. Dr. Del Shaw (Ian Bannen)is met with hostility when he arrives.
He meets a young and beautiful teacher named Victoria Brown (Judy Geeson)who slowly warms up to him and agrees to help him investigate. The islanders have other ideas an will stop at nothing to hide what is going on.
The topic of this film is more timely today than it was back in 1972. Pollution and garbage in our food has gotten out of control, but still nowhere near what happens in this film.
I hadn't seen this film since I owned the VHS from Thriller Video back in the 80's. This Blu-ray presentation came as quite a surprise. Kino has done a good job with the film and it makes a good addition to my collection.
I have never known exactly how to classify this film, but I do find it very watchable. Rounding out the cast is Simon Oates and George Sanders.
This came out in the summer of 2016, and I have finally gotten around to watching it. This is easily one of the top releases of the year.
John Agar, John Carradine, Robert Hutton and Jean Byron star in this film about invisible beings coming to Earth and taking over the bodies of the dead.
They plan to destroy the Earth in three days and take it over. Carradine is a scientist who is killed at the beginning of the film and comes back as a walking corpse. Agar is an Army major while Hutton and Byron are scientists locked in an underground bunker with Agar and Byron's father played by Phillip Tonge.
This is, in my opinion one of the best of the 50's sci-fi films. I first caught this on a Sunday afternoon in the early 80's on KCPX TV from Salt lake City on a program called "Science Fiction Theater". I fell in love with it.
The film first came out on DVD paired with "Journey To The 7th Planet" and now I have both of them on Blu-ray. The picture and sound quality is beautiful and I cannot see any sci-fi fan passing this one up.
Highly Recommended!!
I caught this film on TCM thru a friends DVR and enjoyed it quite a bit. I had never seen this blaxploitation gem before.
Calvin Lockhart stars as Frankie Parker, a top DJ in Los Angeles. One night at a club he meets a stunningly beautiful woman who calls herself Melinda. This role is essayed to the gorgeous Vonetta McGee.
Melinda doesn't divulge too much about her past but she and Frankie fall in love. Soon after she is savagely killed in his apartment and Frankie is framed for the murder.
Frankie enlists the aid of his ex-wife (Rosalind Cash) and his karate instructor (Jim Kelly) to help him clear himself.
The movie starts out as a drama and quickly slides into violent crime territory. Rockne Tarkington is excellent as a "yes man" named Tank. Tank takes his orders from a white crime boss named Mitch (Paul Stevens) who is absolutely ruthless. Mitch claims that Melinda left Frankie with a valuable item that he wants back.
I love this kind of film, especially from the 70's and with an all black cast. This is how all crime dramas should be made. The rest of the cast includes Ross Hagen, Renny Roker, Judyann Elder and Jan Tice. This was Jim Kelly's debut.
Highly recommended!!
Zsa Zsa Gabor has died at the age of 99. Her career as an actress was overshadowed by her extravagant lifestyle and her nine marriages.
I was first introduced to her in "Queen Of Outer Space" from 1958 and then on "Gilligan's Island" on an episode in which she played a wealthy woman who ended up on the island for a short time.
She was born in Budapest Hungary. One of her siblings was Eva Gabor who of course went on to fame starring in "Green Acres". Gabor made a lot of TV and movie appearances including movies like "Picture Mommy Dead", the already mentioned "Queen Of Outer Space", "Moulin Rouge" and many others.
Her Tv appearances included "Night Gallery", "Falcon Crest", and "Batman" as Minerva, the final villain of the show. No doubt she has left a very lasting legacy like it or not.
There are seven "Kommissar X" films and I have written about several of them here in the last few weeks. This is the first one.
Tony Kendall is Joe Walker (Kommissar X) and Brad Harris is Capt. Tom Rowland. Together they investigate several murders of politicians and scientists.
There is plenty of action and beautiful women as was usual with all of these films. The men eventually stumble upon an army of female assassins and they handle it with their usual style.
The print and color quality are excellent. Much better than any other prints I have ever seen. I can easily recommend this for any fan of the series or Euro spy films in general. The cast is rounded out by Maria Perschy, Christa Linda and Ingrid Lotarius.
Filmed in West Germany, Yugoslavia and Italy.
