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.
Monday, May 31, 2021
Sunday, May 30, 2021
STAGECOACH WAR 1940 (PLATINUM)
Lesley Selander directed this entry in the Hopalong Cassidy series, and this one has a bizarre twist to it.
Hoppy (William Boyd) and Lucky (Russell Hayden) are driving a shipment of horses to a stageline when they run into trouble.
A band of men are intent on stealing the horses and they succeed, at least at first. What is unusual about this entire film is that there are 3 songs, which a more than I can recall for any Hoppy film, and the songs are sung by the bad guys!!
The leady bad guy is named "Smiley" (Rad Robinson) and it is unusual to have the baddies sing as it makes them appear to be the good guys!!
I enjoyed this film, but it is the oddest entry I have seen so far and I have a lot of Hopalong films left to write about so who knows. Check it out for something completely different.
http://www.obscurevideos.com
Saturday, May 29, 2021
RIP GAVIN MACLEOD 1931-2021
Captain Merrill Stubing has died.
Gavin Macleod is best known for the above mentioned role on the TV series "The Love Boat", but he had quite a career.
Starting in 1957 he appeared in two episodes of "The Walter Winchell File" and from then on he was visible on the small screen in such favorites as "Whirlybirds", "Dr. Kildare" and "The Untouchables".
His most famous role came along in 1970 when he starred in "The Mary Tyler Moore" show as newswriter Murray Slaughter. Right after that show ended he get the starring role as Capt. Stubing, and the rest is history.
Gavin MacLeod died on on May 29th, 2021 at the age of 90.
Friday, May 28, 2021
MONSTER MADNESS: THE GOLDEN AGE OF THE HORROR FILM 2009 (TUBI)
This is a great documentary.
Anyone reading this blog probably knows everything about the movies discussed in this film, but it's still fun to watch.
The film takes a look at what is considered the Golden Age of horror from 1931 to 1949. As usual there are many, many clips from such films as "Dracula", "Frankenstein", "The Mummy" and more.
It really takes you back to a much better time in cinema when things were fresh and new and people actualy enjoyed going to the movies. We also have interview clips with such people as Sara Karloff, Robert Clarke, Boris Karloff and others.
These kinds of prgrams are simple and fill a need for nostalgia, and bot do I have a need for that at the moment. The one film missing from the how was "Freaks" by Tod Browning.
Anyway, if you're in the mood for just kicking back and watching something that while it isn't new, it's very entertaining, then check this out.
Thursday, May 27, 2021
RIP SHANE BRIANT 1946-2021
A great actor in many Hammer horrors has died.
Briant first started acting in movies in 1971 in the Roger Corman film "Von Richthofen And Brown" and kept working from then on.
Some of his genre films include "Demon Of The Mind", "The Picture Od Dorian Gray", Captain Kronos: Vampire Hunter" and the unforgettable "Frankenstein And The Monster From Hell".
He will be missed by Hammer horror fans, but his legacy will live on.
Briant passed away on May 26th at the age of 74.
CAPTAIN KID AND THE SLAVE GIRL 1956 (AMAZON PRIME)
An obscure little gem I found on Amazon while surfing the selections.
Aubrey Wisberg and Jack Pollexfen wrote this Lew Landers directed tale that I found to be very interesting and I cannot understand why it isn't more well known.
Anthony Dexter is Capt. Kidd who is saved from a hanging by The Earl Of Bellomont (James Seay) who wants the Captains treasure. The Earl has his own evil plans which involve a young woman named Judith Duvall (Eva Gabor).
He plants he onthe ship with Kidd as a slave girl and then the Earl follows Kidd's ship while getting signals sent to him via lantern at night by Judith.
Judith and Kidd soon fall for each other and this puts a lot of complications onto the Earl. I found this to be a fun little film and it had a few surprises in it.
Alan Hale, Jr. as Jay Simpson, Kidd's best friend steals a lot of the scenes he's in. The rest of the cast includes Lyle Talbot, Sonia Sorel, Richard Karlen and Laurette Luez.
I was pleased to see Laurette Luez in the film as I have always thought she was one of the most beautiful women to ever appear in film or TV, but I noticed that she is uncredited and this film isn't even listed on her filmogrophy.
I recommend this movie for sheer escapism and for something a little different.
http://www.obscurevideos.com
Wednesday, May 26, 2021
Tuesday, May 25, 2021
LEATHER BURNERS 1943 (PLATINUM)
More fun out west with Hoppy and the gang.
As I go thru the set of Hopalong Cassidy films I am always fascinated by the casts and the lively adventure of each one.
This story concerns a man named Dan Slack (Victor Jory) who is involved with cattle rustling. He and his men will stop at nothing to get their way.
Johnny Travers (Jay Kirby) of the Bar 20 ranch calles in Hoppy William Boyd) and California (Andy Clyde) to investigate. Hoppy has some close calls as he is challenged in a bar to a fistfight with a gunman and it goes Hoppy's way and it is a well staged fight. I thought it was interesting that the man William Boyd was fighting was Robert Mitchum.
The film comes to a good end, as usual and once the brief running time of 58 minutes has run its course you feel disappointed it's over. It's a great action film with top notch cast that also includes Ellanora Needles, George Reeves, Bobby Larson and George Givot.
Nothing new here, just good clean fun with Hopalong and his friends.
http://www.obscurevideos.com
Monday, May 24, 2021
NIGHT BIRDS 1970 (SEVERIN) BLU-RAY
A change of pace for director Andy Milligan.
A young man named Dink (Berwick Kaler) is living on the tough streets of England's East end.
He meets a young woman named Dee (Julie Shaw) and she shows him some kindness and even lets him sleep at her place instead of on the streets. This surprises Dink, but he finds some contentment in life for a while.
Everything seems to be ok for a while and the two falls for each other and form what the viewer is lead to believe is a good relationship.
However, one must keep in mind, this is an Andy Milligan film and things won't stay quiet for long. After a while Dee all of a sudden turns on Dink and tells him he has an hour to leave.
The devastated Dink plunges off of the roof of the building and dies. Immediately we see Dee starting to help another homeless man. The cycle starts again.
Milligan shows us that once again, the female is nothing but evil and will only use men to get what she wants. This is pretty standard for Milligan, and while others will knock his films for this, I won't.
The film is plodding at times, but I found it to be a good change from the usual Milligan fare. It's a rare little film that Severin has released on their Andy Milligan Set and it's a good looking Black and White print.
http://www.obscurevideos.com
Sunday, May 23, 2021
Saturday, May 22, 2021
IN OLD COLORADO 1945 (PLATINUM)
Another great "B" western featuring William Boyd as Hopalong Cassidy.
A man named Joe Weiler (Morris Ankrum) instigates a fight over water rights between two ranchers. It is his hopes that they will do each other in and he can move in.
Helping him in this little scheme is Hank Merritt (James Seay). It's up to Hoppy, Califoria and Lucky to stop this building fued.
This outing is directed by Howard Bretherton and he handles the chore very well indeed. Of course it helps that the fine cast are all old hands at this and everything runs smoothly.
The rest of the cast for this fine and fast moving film include Andy Clyde, Russell Hayden, Margaret Hayes and Sarah Padden. If you're a fan of the Hopalong Cassidy films, this is a must see.
http://www.obscurevideos.com
Friday, May 21, 2021
PERFUME OF THE LADY IN BLACK 1974 (SINISTER CINEMA)
Great little thriller with an ending I never saw coming.
Beautiful Mimsy Farmer stars as a young woman named Sylvia who is an industrial scientist with a very dark past.
Her mother killed herself and it seems that she was molested or something by a lover of her mother. These thoughts are on her mind almost all the time.
She sees visions of her mother as well as the man who tried to molest her. Slowly, she sinks into depression and nobody believes her when she tells them that she is being haunted by her visions.
As things get worse she quits her job and starts living with a child who seems to be her at a young agew. Yep it gets really weird from this point on, and it finally builds to an ending that comes right out of left field.
I won't give away anything else, but if you like bizarre Italian films that want to be a giallo then switch to horror in the blink of an eye, you'll want to see this.
The print from Sinister is gorgeous and widescreen. The colorful photography really helps the film and there are some really great set pieces here. By all means, see this film...it comes HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
http://www.obscurevideos.com
Thursday, May 20, 2021
Wednesday, May 19, 2021
THE DEVIL'S PLAYGROUND 1946 (PLATINUM)
A fun Hopalong Cassidy western.
Hoppy (William Boyd), California (Andy Clyde) and Lucky (Rand Brooks) stumble upon a young woman who has been shot.
They take her to a cabin and nurse her back to health, but then she steals some of California's clothes and takes off again in fear of someone unknown.
They soon discover that she is looking for stolen gold and wants to return it. She is being pursued by men who want the gold for themselves and her out of the way.
It's a fun little western that moves along quite well and everyone handles the material quite well. The cast includes Elaine Riley, Robert Elliot, Francis McDonald and Nedrick Young.
http://www.obscurevideos.com
Tuesday, May 18, 2021
Monday, May 17, 2021
THE STRANGE VICE OF MRS. WARDH 1971 (SINISTER CINEMA)
The gorgeous Edwige Fenech stars as Mrs. Wardh, an ambassador's wife who returns with him to Italy and thats when the fun begins.
One of the men in her life, she believes is a killer who uses a straight razor to kill his victims. It's either her husband, and ex-lover or her current lover.
The killings are brutal and one takes place in a shower which will remind you of Psycho very quickly. This is a beautfully directed film from Sergio Martino and it will keep you guessing to the very end.
The lush and beautiful photography is eye popping and Edwige is ALWAYS stunning to see. The ending is quite a twist with an extra added twist and it will cause you to do a double take.
It's a top notch Giallo film with a great cast that also includes George Hilton, Conchita Airoldi, Manuel Gil and Ivan Rassimov. The print from Sinister is a widescreen beauty and English dubbed.
If you've never seen a Giallo film, this would be an excellent place to start. One of the best of the genre and certainly worth your time for some thrilling and entertaining 96 minutes. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!
No, I didn't say too much about the plot because I think you should see this.
http://www.obscurevideos.com
Sunday, May 16, 2021
Saturday, May 15, 2021
THE BODY BENEATH 1970 (SEVERIN) BLU-RAY
I reviewed this film a couple of years ago, but revisited it due to the Andy Milligan blu-ray set.
This is a strange tale, but one that works well and holds the attention...well it did mine anyway.
A family of vampires headed by Rev. Alexander Algernon Ford (Gavin Reed) take hold of a place in England called Carfax Abbey with a very odd plan in mind.
He contacts several women whom he claims are related to him and asks them to come over for a lunch date sometime. When the women agree, they soon find themselves trapped in the abbey by Ford and his vampire brides.
The reason he wants them there is to use a breeding stock to keep their depleted bloodline alive and well. Suffice to say things don't go as planned and so the vampires decide to move to America and start all over again.
This is a pretty standard vampire film with the usual Milligan gore effects, of which there isn't much. I liked this movie and find it to be one of Milligan's best efforts.
The Severin Blu-ray comes from a nice 2k scan of the only remaining elements, and while the movie has a few rough spots, it's not to shabby at all. This Andy Milligan set is a great addition to any horror fans library, and there will be many more of his films reviewed here in the future.
The rest of the cast for this little thriller includes Jackie Skarvellis, Berweick Kaler, Susan Heard and Richmond Ross. Recommend thriller.
http://www.obscurevideos.com
Friday, May 14, 2021
FALSE COLORS 1943 (PLATINUM)
Highly entertaining Hopalong Cassidy entry.
A youn ranch hand and friend of Hoppy's is ambushed and killed right after a cattle drive. The young man, Bud Lawton (Tom Seidel) was to inherit a ranch and run it with his sister, whom he hadn't seen in years.
Hoppy, California and Lucky go to the ranch to see Bud's sister Faith (Claudia Drake). When they arrive they stumble upon a bizarre mystery.
A local cattleman named Mark Foster (Douglass Dumbrille) has set things up so a lookalike of Bud will come to the ranch, take over and then sell the ranch to Foster so he has all the water rights in the valley.
Hopalong is on to their game and he plans to stop it. Once again you have a lot of great action, light comedy and a very good plot. If you're a "B" western fan, this is a very good time.
The rest of the cast includes Andy Clyde, Jimmy Rogers, Robert Mitchum, Glenn Strange and Roy Barcroft.
http://www.obscurevideos.com
Thursday, May 13, 2021
THE GHASTLY ONES 1968 (SEVERIN) BLU-RAY
The Andy Milligan Blu-ray set has arrived and it will be reviewed here over the next few weeks.
I am slowly introducing my wife to the wonders of Milligan and we started with this one. I told her I had never seen this film, but it turns out I was wrong. I have this on a Sinister Cinema double bill with "Headless Eyes".
The story is pretty simple. Three couples are invited to the mansion of their late father and must spend three days there in order to collect an inheritance.
They find the house already inhabited by two housekeepers and a nitwit hunchback named Colin (Hal Borske). One by one people are killed in the house by gruesome means including pitchforks, disembowelment and dismemberment.
This is a typical Milligan production shot for about $13,000. The effects aren't very good, but what can one expect for that kind of money. It's not a bad film considering, and if you're a gore fan you'll go for this.
The opening scene with the gory murder of a couple is never explained but it seems to have been tacked on for shock value. The print from Severin is as nice as it gets and I don't think anyone would be disappointed.
My wife survived this epic and I intend on showing her more of the works of Andy Milligan. Check it out.
http://www.obscurevideos.com
Wednesday, May 12, 2021
Tuesday, May 11, 2021
DANGEROUS VENTURE 1947 (PLATINUM)
Hopalong Cassidy must stop some dangerous men.
Cassidy (William Boyd), along with his friends California (Andy Clyde) and Lucky (Rand Brooks) are asked by Sue Harmon (Betty Alexander) to join her and her party on an expidition.
The expidition is to find ancient Indian artifacts. Unknown to everyone is that the leader of the party, Atwood (Douglas Evans) has made a deal with a local cattle rustler named Dan Morgan (Harry Cording) to "loot the valuables instead of selling them.
This leads to a lot of trouble as Hoppy must solve several murders and bring the men to justice as well as saving the artifacts.
This is a fun entry and a little bit different as it deals with Indians and their sacred burial grounds. It moves along at a break neck speed and should entertain any western fan.
Actor Kenneth Tobey made his acting debut in this film as a character named "Red". RECOMMENDED!!
http://www.obscurevideos.com
Sunday, May 9, 2021
LUST FOR A VAMPIRE 1971 (ANCHOR BAY)
Hammer lets loose with this great little vampire film.
Jimmy Sangster directed this classic vampire tale set in 1830. It has been about 40 years since the evil Karnstein family spread terror across the land and now they are back.
A young woman arrives at a girls finishing school. Her name is Mircalla (Yutte Stensgaard) and she immediately grabs the attention of a teacher named Giles Barton (Ralph Bates).
Barton has been doing research on the Karnstein legend and he discovers that Mircalla is actually Carmilla Karstein. One night he follows her back to the castle and pleads for her to make him one of the undead so he can serve her forever. This however, does not go as he planned it to and Giles is killed.
Another teacher, Richard Lestrange (Michael Johnson) also falls for Mircalla and refuses to believe she is anything but a very beautiful woman. This leads to all kinds of problems as girls end up missing or killed and the school tries to cover it up.
There is a lot going on in this film and it holds ones attention for the entire running time. I love this film and there are plenty of beautiful young women on display here, but the standout is, of course, Yutte Stensgaard. I don't think I have ever seen a more beautiful vampire in all of the films I have watched.
If you like Hammer horror, this is a MUST see. The rest of the cast includes Suzanna Leigh, Mike Raven, Barbara Jefford, Helen Cristie and Pippa Steele.
Saturday, May 8, 2021
RIP TAWNY KITAEN 1961-2021
The stunning actress of "Bachelor Party" and a few Whitesnake videos has died.
Kitaen made herself known worl wide in the 1984 movie "Gwendoline" and there was no looking back. After her stunning beauty was recognized by fabs worldwide she starred in "Bachelor Party" as Tom Hanks girlfriend and then moved on the a music video for the hard rock group Ratt.
In 1986 she starred in the classic Kevin Tenny film "Witchboard" and horror fans discovered the red heaird beauty. She went on to appear in three videos for the group Whitesnake and became a rock music icon.
She kept working thru 2019 and she had several run ins with the law for drug possession and alcohol abuse. These demons finall took their toll. She passed away on May 7th, 2021 at the young age of 59.
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