INFERNO 1953 (20TH CENTURY FOX)

One of the greatest and overlooked films ever made.

The plot to this 20th Century Fox, 3D, stereophonic film is quite simple.

A tough as nails business tycoon breaks his leg on a trip in the desert and is left to die by his scheming wife and her lover. Robert Ryan turns in another excellent performance as Don Carson, a spoiled exec who must fight for his life in the desert.

The opening credits play over the wife, Geraldine (beautiful Rhonda Fleming) and her lover, Joe Duncan (William Lundigan) covering their tracks and attempting to lead authorities astray.

Fleming and Lundigan are very believable as the two lovers who believe they have pulled off the perfect crime. There performances go from a little uneasy, to relaxed to absolute panic once they discover that Don is still alive.

Roy Ward Bake, who helmed many Hammer horror films directed this and one can see that his career was headed straight for the top. The 3D effects are not overdone in the least and I swear to God Fleming was born for Technicolor!!

The climactic fight scene was added at the last minute because the producer thought the ending was too low key. I disagree, but it still works, and that is because of Baker.

One of the film noirs that works in color, this is a must see film!! As you can see the cast is top of the line and the film builds a great deal of tension. This was a favorite film of my late friend John Fredriksen who also interviewed Lundigan about the film, and Bill said he really liked the role and wished the film was better known.

If you get a chance, see this movie. I know it's available on Blu-ray from Twilight Time. A HIGHLY RECOMMENDED film noir gem. The rest of the cast includes Larry Keating, Henry Hull, Carl Betz and Robert Burton.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO...

Christopher Walken is 75, and Diane Jergens is 83.

ATOMIC MAN 1956 (SINISTER CINEMA)

Interesting mixture of sci-fi and film noir.

An atomic scientist is found floating in a river after being shot. The scientist, Stephen Rayner (Peter Arne) is taken to the hospital and dies for 7 1/2 seconds on the operating table.

He suddenly comes back to life. Meanwhile, a reporter, Mike Delaney (Gene Nelson) is put on the story along with his girlfriend and photographer Jill(Faith Domergue). They discover that the pictures taken of him show that he is surrounded by a mysterious radioactive halo.

To make matters worse it seems that Stephen Raynor is actually alive and well and still working at the scientific facility. Delaney delves more and more into the mystery. The injured man, believed to be the real Raynor has one other major problem...his mind has been thrown 7 1/2 seconds into the future which accounts for him answering questions before being asked.

This is a well written and played out film that has a very unique twist. Things get really interesting as the reporter begins to unravel the story.

I hadn't seen this movie in years and found it to be very enjoyable. It's always good to Domergue in any film. The Sinister print is very watchable and in pretty good shape.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO...

Warren Beatty is 81, John Astin is 88, and Dana Gillespie is 69.

ENEMY GOLD 1993 (MILL CREEK)

Andy Sidaris' son Drew takes over the directing chores on this one.

After being put on indefinite suspension for over stepping their authority on a drug bust, three Federal agents, Chris Cannon (Bruce Penhall), Mark Austin (Mark Barriere) and the gorgeous Becky Midnite (Suzy Simpson) decide to hesd to the great outdoors in rural Texas.

They stumble upon an old buried treasure from the Civil War and soon find themselves hunted by Santiago (Rodrigo Obregon) who is the same man whose drug operation they busted up and were suspended for.

Santiago wants the treasure for himself and will stop at nothing to get it. He hires a beautiful killer named Jewel Panther (Julie Strain) to help him.

Panther and Santiago make several attempts on the agents lives and the three call in their agency friends to help them out of this tight spot. This is a turning point in the Sidaris films as the three main leads, Donna, Nicole and Edy are nowhere to be seen.

They are missed in this film but Suzy Simpson more than makes up for that. Drew Sidaris directs much different than his father and you can really tell the difference. I like this film, but it does drag in a few spots which is something you never had in a film from Andy.

Plenty of boobs and blood and action, but at a very different pace.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO...

Lucy Lawless is 50, and Michael Seitz is 59.

FIT TO KILL 1993 (MILL CREEK)

Donna and Nicole return in another Sidaris thriller.

Donna (Dona Speir) and Nicole (Roberta Vasquez) are up to their lovely breasts in this very well made action film.

This time they are trying to protect a valuable diamond called the Alexa which is owned by a chinese business man named Chang. He stole it in WW@ and plans on returning it to the Russians during a big dinner.

The diamond is stolen by a man named Kane (Geoffrey Moore) and now the women must hunt him down and get the jewel back. The is ample action, explosions, naked women and a ton of plot twists that are pretty good.

Every one of the films follows the same template and while some are more entertaining than other, this is one of the best there is. The rest of the cast includes Bruce Penhall, Cynthia Brimhall, Rodrigo Obregon and Julie Strain as Blu Steele.

This is one Sidaris film I would recommend to anyone who likes action, adventure and beautiful women. Again, all of them are good in my opinion, but this one takes the cake.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO....

Robin Hawdon is 79, and Richard Backus is 73.

NINJA 3: THE DOMINATION 1984 (SHOUT FACTORY) BLU-RAY

I had never seen this little gem until the other day.

The beautiful Lucinda Dickey stars as Christie, a young aerobics instructor and telephone repair woman who is possessed by the spirit of a deadly black Ninja.

Her boyfriend cop tries to figure out what is going on as she has violent mood swings and nightmares. Jordan Bennett is good as her boyfriend Billy but Lucinda steals the show.

When she is possessed by the spirit she goes on a violent killing rampage to avenge the spirit. She kills the cops that shot him to death with over 100 bullets at the beginning of the movie. More on that in a while.

Billy takes her to a Japanese priest who tries to perform an exorcism and gets way more than he bargained for. Very soon a mysterious man named Yamada (Sho Kosugi) shows up and explains what is happening and that he has come from Japan to destroy the ninja as only a Ninja can kill a Ninja.

This is one of the most highly entertaining films I have seen in many years, and it could only have been made in the 80's. In the opening scene we see that the black ninja has possessed a man who then goes to a golf course to kill a scientist and his sexy girlfriend. The body count was about as high as the entire film of Rambo, and this was in the first 20 minutes!!!!

This is a wonderful film that you shouldn't miss. See it for Lucinda Dickey! See it for the exorcism scene! See it for the spectacular opening sequence!! For God's sake, just SEE IT!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO...

Talisa Soto is 51, and Michael York is 76.

WRONG TURN 2003 (FOX)

The two standouts in 2003 horror film are Stan Winston's make-up effects and gorgeous Eliza Dushku.

This is a pretty standard plot. Several young people are stranded out in the middle of nowhere in West Virginia after a car accident.

They stumble upon a horror they find hard to accept at first. They are hunted by a family of inbred cannibals who have been living off of people they have captured thru the years.

Eliza Dushku makes for a very sexy heroine, and I have to admit I first saw this film because of her and her alone. There are some disturbing scenes in this film, especially when you know these killers have eaten children.

This was a very successful film and has so far spawned 5 sequels, none of which I have seen and I have no intention of seeing them.

If you like early turn of the century horror films (sounds so weird saying that) this is a good place to start. I would call this film a "Deliverence" on steroids, and the Stan Winston make-up is terrifyingly wonderful.

All I can say is check it out if you haven't already. I am assuming most of you have over the years. Did I mention Eliza Dushku is in it?

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO..

Diana Ross is 74, and Scotty Morrow is 72.

BEATRICE CENCI 1969 (SINISTER CINEMA)

Interesting Lucio Fulci film.

Those looking for a Fulci horror film are looking in the wrong place with this one.

Factual movie about an Italian Noblewoman named Beatrice Cenci who conspires with her lover and her family to kill he very abusive father.

This act of murder causes an uproar with the Catholic church. Seems the Catholics are ok with sexual abuse but not killing the person who did it, and that is exactly the statement Fulci makes here.

Beatrice and all involved are tortured and eventually killed by the church for these so called crimes they committed. There are some pretty disturbing things in this film and they will stick with you.

Adrienne Larussa makes for a beautiful Beatrice and Tomas Milian is just as good as her lover. The print from Sinister is a beautiful widescreen presentation.

If you have never seen this film, I recommend you do. It's beautiful in it's camerawork and spot on in it's representation of the Catholic Church. It;s AKA Conspiracy Of Torture, but no matter what the name, it's an interesting little film.

HARD HUNTED 1992 (MILL CREEK)

Another gem from Andy Sidaris.

Dona Speir and Roberta Vasquez return once more in the 7th Andy Sidaris film about buxom federal agents and their beefcake companions.

In this outing Kane returns seeking a nuclear trigger that is being smuggled in from Asis. In the last film, Do Or Die, Kane was played by Pat Morita, in this film he's portrayed by Geoffrey Moore, the son of Roger Moore.

Donna Hamilton and Nicole Justice are called in when a federal agent tries to steal the trigger and is murdered. Moore does a good job playing Kane, as long as you put your mind on hold.

There are the usual amounts of T&A, but the story does move along quickly and is never a disappointment. The rest of the cast includes Bruce Penhall, Cynthia Brimhall, and Carolyn Liu as Silk.

Yes, this is part of the 12 film Sidaris set turned out by Mill Creek which I have been reviewing over the past few weeks. It's called "Guns, Girls and G-Strings" and it's a hell of a set. The five remaining films on the set will be reviewed in the coming days here.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO...

William Smith is 85.

HELGA, SHE WOLF OF STILBERG 1971 (MVD VISUAL)

Does Ilsa have any competition?

This Italian "Ilsa" wanna be isn't too bad and Melisa Longo does a very good job as the sex hungry and sadistic warden of a political prison for women.

Helga meets her match with a very stubborn prisoner named Elisabeth Vogel (Patrizia Gori) who is a rebel leaders daughter. Elisabeth finds herself on the receiving end of much sexual and physical abuse by Helga and her guards.

All of the women are subjected to hard labor and abuse and finally Elisabeth plans an escape. The escape works at the cost of many lives, but this gives the rebels a chance to storm the prison and rescue the women and kill Helga.

Trust me, no matter what you read, this film is nowhere near as brutal as the Ilsa films, but it does follow the same pattern. The sadism is much lighter in this film and that is probably why many people have never heard of this film.

I love seeing Melisa Longo in just about anything. Her acting in the recently reviewed "Passion Plantation" is almost the same as here. She is good at playing a sadistic woman who wants absolute control. These two films back to back would make a sleazy and enjoyable 4 hours.

I didn't mind the film at all, but I thought it was overly long as it ran about 108 minutes. However, if you're a fan of the Ilsa films and WIP movies as I am this will keep you entertained.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO...

Barbara Rhodes is 72, Corinne Clery is 68, Lori Williams is 72 and Terry Alexander is 71,

WHERE DANGER LIVES 1951 (TCM VIEWING)

A Film Noir gem!!

Robert Mitchum stars as a young doctor at a small hospital. One night he is called to the emergency room to tend to a young woman who has attempted suicide.

The woman, Margo (Faith Domergue) recovers and slowly she and Mitchum's character of Jeff Cameron fall in love. When they decide to get married, Jeff stops over unexpectedly at Margo's home, only to find her with an older man.

Turns out the man, named Lannington (Claude Rains) is Margo's husband. Jeff starts to leave after feeling betrayed but Lannington, who wants to destroy his wife for having many affairs convinces him to stay.

There is a brief argument and it appears that Lannington is killed so both Margo and Jeff flee the house. They quickly become fugitives and try to make it to the Mexican border.

I have always loved Faith Domergue, and this role is one of her best. She is completely insane as the demented Margo, who leads Jeff down the path to destruction, and Mitchum is perfect as her unassuming victim. It is another perfect example of how film noir should be. The climax is intense and very well done, with the usual film noir elements.

It has been way too long since I saw this film, and it was nice to catch it on TCM a while back. If you like these kinds of films, check it out.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO...

William Shatner is 87, May Britt is 85, and Barbara Wilkin is 78.

RIP ANNA LISE RUUD 1935-2018

The simply beautiful actress from Norway has died.

Gorgeous Anna Lise started her acting career in the USA in 1958 in an episode of the western series "Sugarfoot" and she made one hell of an impression.

From then on she appeared in many TV shows including "Perry Mason", "Maverick", "Sea Hunt" and many more. I remember this beauty from the Three Stooges film "Have Rocket, Will Travel" and the sci-fi film "12 To The Moon".

In the TV series "Black Saddles" she starred as Nora Travers. The tall beauty was always a welcome sight in any TV show or movie. She died in Norway just 9 days short of her 83rd birthday.

RIP JAMES HENDRICKS 1946-2018

Oh wow, this is another HUGE loss for us monster movie fans.

The man, who for 4 glorious years entertained me on Saturday afternoons on the USA network has died.

The man was also known as COMMANDER USA and he hosted COMMANDER USA'S GROOVY MOVIES. Jim was a very private person and I have no birthdate for him, but I understand he passed away on Sat. March 17th.

This show introduced me to a LOT of wild Mexican horrors I had never seen as well as great Euro horror titles. The humor was some of the best for a hosted movie show.

Jim's passing is another nail in my life coffin. Thanks for the great memories, movies, and most of all the laughs.

DO OR DIE 1991 (MILL CREEK)

The lovely playmates return.

Donna (Dona Speir) and Nicole (Roberta Vasquez) return in this action paced Andy Sidaris film.

These two lovely federal agents must fight what seems like and endless wave of assassins hired by a man named Kane (Pat Morita) who wants them dead.

Kane wants them dead because they have caused him endless trouble with his illegal activities. He sets six teams of killers after them one by one all the time while planning the collapse of the US stock market. Kane is an interesting villain. He's very calm and collected, somewhat quiet and spend all of his free time with a beautiful woman named Silk (Carolyn Lu), and who can blame him..she is stunning.

The teams fail one by one and it becomes obvious that Kane will have to take even more drastic measures to kill Donna and Nicole.

This is a very well made and fun film. Again it has plenty of men for the female viewers and women for the male viewers. Erik Estrada returns, but in an entirely different role, this time as a federal agent helping the two women.

The rest of the cast includes Bruce Penahll, Cynthia Brimhall and William Bumiller. Good entry by Sidaris.

GHOST STORY OF OIWA'S SPIRIT 1961 (SINISTER CINEMA)

Very bizarre Japanese terror tale.

This is a superb, but very, very obscure Japanese ghost story. I couldn't find too much information on it anywhere.

The story centers around a demented samurai warrior seeing to reunite with his ex-wife who has left him. She cannot tolerate his murderous ways.

The Samurai pulls out all the stops to get her back, but suddenly all of his plans go awry because of the appearance of a revenge seeing ghost from his past.

This is a lavish and well produced ghost story with some excellent scenes. The print from Sinister is widescreen and subtitled. If you like rare Japanese horror, then this is for you.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO...

Kathy Ireland is 55, and Steve Borden is 59.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO....

I made an omission in the birthdays today.

Jan Shepard turns 90 today.

GUNS 1990 (MILL CREEK)

More babes, boobs and blood from Andy Sidaris.

Erik Estrada stars as a gun runner named Juan Degas aka The Jack Of Diamonds.

He and his men kill several members of the L.E.T.H.A.L. organization and they leave the Jack Of Diamonds playing card on all of their victims.

Degas hires several people do kill the two top agents, Donna Hamilton (Dona Speir) and Nicole Justin (Roberta Vasquez). This proves to be much harder than expected and Degas grows very impatient.

Having Vasquez go from sexy villain in the previous film to Government Drug Agent in this film is quite a surprise, but hey, that's movie making back in the day.

This film moves along very quickly, and Estrada is very good as the insane baddie who goes so far as to kidnap Donna's mother, Kathryn played by the still gorgeous Phyllis Davis.

I found the role of Cash, the girlfriend of Degas, to be one of the best performances in the film. Devin DeVasquez is not only sexy as hell, but a very cold blooded killer as well. She is a standout in a cast of standouts. I wish she had made more films for Sidaris.

The rest of the cast includes Bruce Penhall, Cynthia Brimhall, Michael Shane, Chuck McCann and Danny Trejo.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO...

Ursula Andress is 82, Patricia Morison is 103, and A.J. Mendez is 31.

THE MANIPULATOR 1971 (ALPHA)

One of the oddest damn movies I have ever seen.

Mickey Rooney stars as a demented former makeup man named B.J. Lang who keeps a woman hostage in an old abandoned studio. He proceeds to force her to act in his private play of Cyrano De Bergerac.

Luana Anders is Carlotta, the hapless woman who spends a good deal of time tied to a wheelchair. Keenan Wynn also appears in a small role as Charlie, but his character is killed off quickly.

Rooney has been in some bizarre movies in the past, but this one easily takes the cake. This is a three person movie and even though Anders does an excellent job as Carlotta, it is Rooney who rules the roost here.

Both characters slowly fall into madness and there are some scenes in this film that will make your jaw drop. I have read many, many things about this film and most people claim this to be an unwatchable piece of garbage. I strongly disagree.

Films like this are not for everyone, but they are unique. For three actors and minimal sets, I'd say this study in insanity turned out very well. If you get a chance see this oddity. You haven't lived until you hear Rooney sing Chattanooga Choo Choo and watch Anders have visions of Rooney's character moving in fast motion!

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO...

Peggy Dow is 90.

BYLETH 1973 (SINISTER CINEMA)

Strange but good Euro horror.

Mark Damon stars as a young man named Lionelle Shandwell who has a small problem. Ever since he was a small child he has been possessed by Byleth, the demon of incest.

He is madly in love with his sister who is aware that her brother has a problem, but she does not know a demon possesses him. This is a very rare and obscure Euro horror film and nowhere near as tasteless as the title might suggest.

Damon turns in a very good performance and there is ample female nudity which is about normal for this kind of Euro horror. The print from Sinister Cinema is widescreen and subtitled.

If you get a chance you might want to check out this rare Italian shocker. A Big thanks to Sinister for making it available.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO...

Kurt Russell is 67, and Laurene Landon is 61.

BLOOD MANIA 1970 (SINISTER CINEMA)

This is one twisted movie.

A crazy female nymphomaniac named Victoria kills her father in order to gain an inheritance, and when she finally kills him, she seduces the doctor, Craig Cooper (Peter Carpenter) to lie on his death certificate. Cooper agrees because she has promised him $50,000 which will help the doctor get a blackmailer off of his back.

However, at the reading of the will Victoria gets a huge surprise as the bulk of the estate goes to her sister Gail (Vicki Peters), which causes Victoria to have a nervous breakdown.

Insanity slowly takes center stage as Victoria starts killing various people. Maria De Aragon is simply stunning as the beautiful but insane Victoria. Her performance alone makes this bizarre film worth seeing.

I hadn't seen this movie for many, many years. It was first introduced to me on KCPX TV and Nightmare Theater and of course it was an edited version, and as a "monster" kid I was not too thrilled by this movie.

Flash ahead to 45 plus years later and I can really appreciate it more. The Sinister Cinema print is culled from both a 35mm and 16mm print and it's all put together for the longest version of this film currently available. It runs 105 minutes!

Yes, it does drag at times, but it is worth checking out and if you're so inclined do it. De Aragon steals the show.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO...

Isabelle Huppert is 65, Erik Estrada is 69, and Joseph Pilato is 69.