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.
Tuesday, February 28, 2023
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO...
Ali Larter is 47, Rae Dawn Chong is 62, Mimsy Farmer is 78, Stephanie Beacham is 76, and Cristina Raines is 71.
Monday, February 27, 2023
Sunday, February 26, 2023
THE CYNIC, THE RAT AND THE FIST 1977 (TUBI)
A great Italian giallo directed by Umberto Lenzi.
Maurizio Merli stars as a detective named Leonardo Tanzi. He is left for dead by a henchman of a gangster, but he does indeed recover.
He relentlessly goes after all the crime bosses in Rome including Frank Di Maggio (John Saxon) and makes his life a living hell. Tanzi also turns the mobs against each other and enjoys watching them kill each other over drugs.
The local police department doesn't want him involved, so he does everything in secret. The young woman he loves, Nadia (Gabriella Lepori) is targeted by the mobs so Tanzi will back off.
The action really never stops in this wild film that will no doubt remind American viewers of such films as "Dirty Harry" and other such crime films.
It's always nice to see Saxson in movies and he even got to dub his own voice. If you enjoy Giallo films, I can't see you not liking this. It moves quickly, has some great set pieces and beautiful women as usual.
This is a highly recommended film.
Saturday, February 25, 2023
CREEPSHOW SEASON 3 2021 (RLJE FILMS)
Not too shabby, but it always disappoints me that seasons for TV series only consist of 6 episodes anymore.
These six episodes again consist of 2 stories and they aren't too bad at all. Here is a rundown.
MUMS/QUEEN BEE 9/23/21... In the first tale called MUMS a young boys mother is taken away from him by his insane father. He buries he body in her flowwer garden with horrifying results. In QUEEN BEE a trio of teenagers find out that the pop star they love so much isn't what they think she is.
SKELETONS IN THE CLOSET/FAMILIAR 9/30/21... The first tale, SKELETONS IN THE CLOSET surrounds a man who collects movie props and he will not let anything get in the way of his collecting. FAMILIAR is a horrifying tale of a man who is being haunted by a demon. This episode is really a standout.
THE LAST TSUBURAYA/OK, I'LL BITE 10/7/21... In THE LAST TSUBURAYA a billionaire buys a very rare and never seen painting only to burn it before anyone can see it except him. He then finds the demon in the picture coming for him. OK I'LL BITE is a gruesome tale of a prisoner in jail who raises spiders and the problems this causes when he is killed in jail. Creepy as hell I thought.
STRANGER SINGS/METER READER 10/14/21... In the first story a siren lures a man into giving her an operation to make her human again. METER READER is the shocking tale of a teenage girl who fears that her family has been infected with a demonic disease. This tale reminded me of the short story "The Wurdulak".
TIME OUT/THE THINGS IN OAKWOOD'S PAST 10/21/21... A young man always looking for more time finds it's available in a wooden closet, but there is always a price to pay. The second tale is an animated one about a small town with a very, very dark secret.
DRUG TRAFFIC/A DEAD GIRL NAMED SUE 10/28/21... In DRUG TRAFFIC a young woman who does not get her meds turns into a floating head monster that must eat human flesh. This was a very disturbing tale indeed. A DEASD GIRL NAMED SUE concerns a small town that takes the law into their own hands after the dead start coming to life.
A pretty good season with the final episode being the two best tales of the entire bunch. A must for the fans of the show.
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Friday, February 24, 2023
SWORD AND THE CLAW 1975 (AGFA)
Another fine slice of Turkish cinema.
This dandy action film is a very fast moving tale about a child raise by lions that is really the son of a king.
After he grows up he uses his animal-like cunning and his claw-like hands to take revenge against the current, evil ruler. This is like all Turkish films, it never stops to catch a breath when it gets started.
There are endless battles and bloodshed. When the fighter for justice has his hands burned off with acid during a brawl, a local man makes him a pair of steel claws which he then uses to continue to kill the men in the evil rulers empire.
This is a rare film and the beautiful 4K scan was taken from the only print known to exist. If you're looking for nothing but fun, then this is for you. I enkoyed this a hell of a lot and I bet you will to. Not much on plot, but who cares.
Wednesday, February 22, 2023
HIRED TO KILL 1986 (TUBI)
By no means an original film, but it was fun to watch.
Brian Thompson stars as Frank Ryan, a soldier of fortune who is called on for a very interesting job.
It seems a small Central American country is being overthrown and the USA has decided to stop it. Ryan is told he is to adopt the persona of an American fashion photographer and hire seven women to pose as models to take with him.
These women are to come from all over the world and be trained in the art of killing. This story is simply a rehash of such films as "Magnificent Seven", "Seven" and Roger Corman's "Secret Invasion". This is not to say the film doesn't have merit.
It moves along at a great pace and is fun to watch. The rest of the cast for this shot in Greece film includes Oliver Reed, George Kennedy and Jose Ferrer.
Some of the location work is simply beautiful and it was nice to see Thompson is a rare leading role. I can recommend this for action fans who are not too pickey in what they watch.
Tuesday, February 21, 2023
Monday, February 20, 2023
Sunday, February 19, 2023
3 NUTS IN SEARCH OF A BOLT 1964 (TUBI)
It has been a long time since I first saw this little comedy film.
Directed by and starring Tom Noonan. Noonan plays an out of work actor named Tom. One day at the unemployment office after asking actor Anthony Eisley (playing himself) for an autograph he meets a beautiful blone named Saxie Symbol (Mamie Van Doren). She and her two housemates hire Tom to go see a therapist since they cannot afford it. He is to bring all their problems to the doctor, Myra Von (Ziva Rodann) and then tell thenwhat her advice is.
Dr. Von believes she has a one of a kind case involving one patient and one of her events is televised. This leads to all kinds of trouble when a movie producer wants to make a low budget movie out of what they believe is Tom's real life problems.
I rather liked this film and for the first time I saw it with the color inserts. I have always been a huge Van Doren fan, so this was a no brainer for me. Of course Ziva Rodann is gorgeous as well.
Mamie was at the top of her game here, and this little film should be better known than it is. If you care to see it you can. It's streaming for free on TUBI.
The rest of the cast includes Paul Gilbert, Howard Koch, T.C. Jones, Alve Moore, John Cronin and Marjorie Bennett. See it for Mamie...man that woman was a complete package.
RIP STELLA STEVENS 1934-2023
Another favorite actress passes away.
Stella Stevens career spanned over five decades and she appeared in hundreds of movies and TV shows.
TV saw her in such shows as "Bonanza", "Ben Casey", "Wonder Woman" and so much more, but it was her film career that really took off.
Stevens starred in such films as "Sol Madrid", Posedion Adventure", "Arnold", "Day The Earth Moverd", "Cleopatra Jones And The Casino Of Gold", "The Manitou", "Terror Within 2" and more.
I always found her a great face in later genre films and welcomed seeing her in anything. Her most well known role is in the film "The Nutty Professor", but I still remember her more for genre films.
Stella Stevens died on Feb. 17th, 2023 at the age of 84 from alzeimer's. She leaves on son, actor and producer Andrew Stevens.
Saturday, February 18, 2023
ATTACK OF THE BEAST CREATURES 1985 (AGFA) BLU-RAY
WOW!! Finally brought to Blu-ray!!
I have been waiting for years to see this get a release and had amost given up hope. I've talked about this film twice before on the blog, but hey, the third time is a charm.
A small group of shipwreck survivors find themselves on a deserted island, well it appears deserted anyway. First they find what they think is water and it's really an acid pool. The scene of the acid taking off the face of one of the men is very well done.
They also find themselves stalked and soon attacked by odd little monsters that look like wooden doll carvings with extremely sharp teeth. One by one the humans are killed and some of the attack scenes are well staged thanks to quick editing cuts.
There is also a great scene where these folks see hundreds of these little monsters worshipping an idol that appears to be their God. This is one of the most enjoyable films I have ever seen and the presentation here comes from the original 16mm negative.
There is also an interview with the director and the writer plus test footage and the original 1 inch VHS presentation. This is a no brainer as far as purchases go this year. Vinegar Syndrome is to be thanked for releasing this unsung gem of 80's independent horror.
Friday, February 17, 2023
THUNDER IN CAROLINA 1960 (TUBI)
This was a fun little picture with drama and NASCAR races.
Rory Calhoun stars as race driver Mitch Cooper who has a bad accident during a race and smashes his ankle.
Mitch then takes up with a young cocky driver named Les York (Race Gentry) whom Mitch decides to manage, much to the shagrin os Les' wife Rene (Connie Hinds).
The combo proves very successful until Les lets fame and glory start tearing apart his friendships and his marriage. There is some great NASCAR footage and it's a real time capsule for fans of the sport.
This was filmed in North Carolina and was one of many films to be shown only in southern drive-ins during the period. Connie Hines went on to star in the TV series Mr. Ed and this appears to be her only movie credit.
The rest of the cast includes Alan Hale, Jr. Helen Downey, Ed McGrath and Ann Stevens. I liked this film and it was nice to see it available on streaming. Rare and worth a look.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO...
Jim Brown is 87, Yvonne Romain is 85, Denise Richards is 52 and Paris Hilton is 42.
Wednesday, February 15, 2023
RIP RAQUEL WELCH 1940-2023
One of the most beautiful actresses ever to grace a movie has passed away.
Raquel Welch has died. The gorgeous lady had an acting career that spanned 53 years. Welch shot to superstardom when she appeared in the 1966 Hammer film "One Million Years B.C." as Luana. Her cavegirl bikini will NEVER be forgotten by anyone my age. I used to have an original poster with her on it from the movie and it sold for quite a bit.
Welch also made many other great films including " Fantastic Voyage", "Hannie Caulder", "100 Rifles", "Fathom", "Lady In Cement", "Bedazzled" and so more.
Raquel Welch was always a favorite of mine and there will never be another. She is and was the epitome of what real women are. A huge loss for the acting profession and her legion of fans will never forget her. Raquel Welch had class, sex appeal and was the staple for great actresses in my generation.
Welch passed away on Feb. 15th, 2023 at the age of 82.
Tuesday, February 14, 2023
Monday, February 13, 2023
Sunday, February 12, 2023
SEVEN NOTES IN BLACK 1977 (TUBI)
This Lucio Fulci directed giallo is also known as "The Psychic".
Gorgeous Jennifer O' Neill stars as Virginia Ducci, a young woman who sees things in her mind as they actually happen or have happened.
She finds the skeleton of a woman behind the wall of her husbands home and seeks to find out how she died. There are some great set pieces here including the opening scene of Virginia's mother jumping off of a cliff and killing herself.
As the clues start coming together, Virginia learns more and more about the victim and her husband, and the ending is quite a shock as things take a very bizarre turn.
I don't want to give too much away for those who haven't seen the movie, but rest assured I think giallo fans will appreciate it. This was just before Fulci exploded on the horror movie scene with his groundbreaking "Zombie" and I think every Fulci fans will like it.
The rest of the cast includes Gabriele Ferzetti, Gianni Garko and Evelyn Stewart. I do recommend this little film.
Saturday, February 11, 2023
CARNIVAL OF BLOOD 1970 (AGFA) BLU-RAY
This trash was shot at Coney Island.
Burt Young made his film debut in this terrible excuse for a film. The plot, if you can call it that is about a mad killer loose in Coney island.
I hated this film in 1982 when I first saw it and I still hate it. Just plain garbage with stupid gore effects.
That is all I am writing about this worthless film. No redeeming value whatsoever. Avoid at all costs.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO...
Tina Louise is 89, Becky LeBeau is 60, Brandy Norwood is 44, and Catherine Hickland is 67.
Friday, February 10, 2023
CURSE OF THE HEADLESS HORSEMAN 1972 (TUBI)
You'd think I learned my lesson sitting thru "Carnival Of Blood".
The same director made this dreck as well, and yes I sat thru it. A man inherits his late uncles old ranch that is said to be baunted by the ghost of a headless horseman who returns on certain nights to seek 8 gunmen who, if I followed this horrible plot killed him.
A LOT of rediculous dialogue and boredome results as nothing really happens. John Kirkland couldn't make a movie to save his life and I DARE you to watch this and "Carnival Of Blood" back to back.
It's films like this that give low budget movies a bad reputation. If I was a drug user I'd make films like this. I have more fun watching paint dry.
This is another loser to avoid at all costs. Damn, after watching this and Carnival I had to sit on the toilet and get rid of all the crap I ingested watching this garbage.
