SPECTRE 1996 (NEW HORIZONS)

This movie is also known as "House Of The Damned" and it's not too bad.

Roger Corman produced this shot in Ireland film about a haunted house.

A couple, Maura (Alexnandra Paul) and her husband Will (Greg Evigan) along with their daughter Aubrey (Briana Evigan) movie into an old house in the country (Ireland in fact) and get a very rude awakening.

The house was owned by a man who practiced black magic and weird things start to happen the day they move in.

This is by no means an original movie, and everything in it has been done to death. Now, there is nothing wrong with that, but one would expect a small twist now and then.

You don't get that with this film. It's not boring...just nothing original. You can probably live without seeing this as you've seen it all before.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO...

Brooke Shields is 59, and Clint Eastwood is 94.

MERCHANTS OF DEATH 1980 (TROMA)

A strange film.

This is also known as B.O.R.N. and I watched it because the cast is made up of favorites of mine.

The plot surrounds the kidnapping of three young women whose organs are being harvested for rich patients around the world and the father who is fighting to get the girls back.

Ross Hagen directed and stars as Buck Cassidy, the father who witnessed the kidnapping of his daughters by a speeding ambulance. He rushes to a friend named Charlie Stock (Hoke Howell) and both men start trying to find the girls before it's too late.

P.J. Soles is Liz, a young woman running ther black market business with the help of a doctor called Farley (William Smith). Both are cold blooded and love nothing but money. Working for them also is Hugh, a very, very crazy madman played by Russ Tamblyn. Hugh kills Buck's wife and his grandchild in a scene I didn't see coming at all.

Buck and Charlie eventually bring an end to the evil, but bot without great personal cost. It's a very downbeat ending indeed. The rest of the cast includes Amanda Blake, Clint Howard, Rance Howard, and Debra Lamb.

With a cast such as this I would watch any movie, but it is one I am not really sure I liked or not. You might want to see it and decide for yourself.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO...

Ruta Lee is 89, Jake Roberts is 69, and Jennifer Ellison is 41.

SOUL SURVIVORS 2001 (ARTISAN)

This was an ok film, but I thought a lot of potential had been lost.

This is a cross between such films as "Carnival Of Souls" and "Sole Survivor".

Melissa Sagemiller stars as Cassie, a young woman heading to college with some friends. On their way they stop at what one character calls a roving party.

Cassie is spotted by some bizarre men and when the kids leave, they are pursued by the car full of weirdoes. There is a crash and the young man Cassie loves, Sean (Casey Affleck) is killed.

Cassie finds her world turned upside down and she seems to be switching between life and death as she sees visions of Sean, and then of the people from the party. Those people seem to be trying to kill her.

This is a strange movie and I don't really know if audiences of 2001, especially the young people it was targeted for understood it. I may be wrong. I do know this was cut severly in order to attract more young people to the theater, but I don't know if it worked or not.

The rest of the cast includes Wes Bently, Angela Featherstone, Luke Wilson and Eliza Dushku and she was the main reason I watched this movie. She is stunning and looks fantastic in leather.

Anyhow, this may or may not be for you, but it's passable.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO...

Anita Strindberg is 87.

SECRETS OF CHINATOWN 1935 (SINISTER CINEMA)

Interesting filmed in Canada murder mystery.

The story takes place in and around Seattle and Vancouver.

There is a rather large organization of black robed men who are into very serious crimes which includes drug smuggling. These crimes take place all over the world including China.

There are several supernatural elements involved here as well. One is a mysterious coin that is mailed to people who come too close to what the gang is doing. When you receive this coin, you die.

The second involves a man who falls in love with a mysterious white girl who is tied in with the gang, but can disappear at any time. Very odd stuff here indeed.

This is great low budget fun and a unique film for the era in which it was made. It runs about 62 minutes and there are many things that are left unexplained in the movie, but I really don't think you'll care too much This movie is too much fun.

This is a rare film that hasn't received gthe attention it deserves. It's much different than anything else from around the same time. I recommend you check tis out.

The cast includes Nick Stuart, Lucile Browne, Raymond Lawrence and James Flavin.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO...

Carroll Baker is 93, Gladys Knight is 80, and Kevin VanHentenryck is 71.

OFFICER DOWN 2013 (LIONSGATE)

Not too bad of a thriller.

This is another movie I checked out because of AnnaLynne McCord.

Stephen Dorff stars as Detective David Callahan, a cop who was once a bad cop addicted to drug and booze, but who aftwer being shot has had second thoughts about his life and turned it around.

He is married and has a teenage daughter. His wife Alexandra (Elisabeth Rohm) had faith that her husband will stay sober. Everything is fine until one day hje meets a man who says he was the one who saved him after he was shot.

The man gives him a diary he says was written by his dead daughter Zhanna (AnnaLynne Mccord) who worked in a strip club and was raped. She later killed herself.

David gets pulled into a dark and dangerous trap when he finds that all is not what it seems and he is being used as a puppet in a bizarre scheme for revenge and murder.

I liked this movie and could see some things that didn't fit very well, and then doing research I discovered that the movie has been tampered with to some degree without the concent of the director.

All in all however, not a bad film, and of course AnnaLynne is smoking hot, but her part is sadly way too short.

The rest of the cast includes Stephen Lang, David Boreanaz, James Woods, Kaitlyn Black and Bree Michael Warner.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO...

Lee Merriwether is 89, and Linnea Quigley is 66.

MURDER CLINIC 1966 (REEL VAULT)

A fine Italian horror/giallo.

I hadn't had a chance to see this for many years, and it's just as good as I remember it.

The plot is pretty simple. The patients and staff at a secluded mental hospital are being killed off by a maniac who wears a hood and carries a straight razor.

William Berger stars as Dr. Robert Vance, the man who runs this institution. Early in the film we are introduced to a horribly disfigured woman who lives in the sttic, and it turns out she fell into a pit of lime and it burned her.

Dr. Vance was accused of pushing her in and lost his practice and well planned future, so now he is running this small asylum and is always haunted by the memories of his past.

As the story moves on we see several more brutal killings until the final reveal which has a great twist. The rest of the cast includes Francoise Prevost, Mary Young, Barbara Wilson, Herriet Medin and Massimo Righi.

As usual all of the leading ladies are simply beautiful.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO...

Pam Grier is 75, Stevie Nicks is 76, Olivia Pascal is 67 and Ingrid Goude is 87.

BELATED BIRTHDAY TO...

Felissa Rose turned 55 on May 23rd.

CRUCIBLE OF HORROR 1971 (SHOUT FACTORY) BLU-RAY

Here is another movie I never appreciated when I was young, but now it's a different story.

This very underrated movie stars Michael Gough as Walter Eastwood, a very sadistic man who lives with is wife Edith (Yvonne Mitchell), his son Rupert (Simon Gough) and daughter Jane (Sharon Gurney).

Edith's life has been completely destroyed by her husband and she retreats into a world of painting. Jane is allowed to see nobody and Walter likes every chance he gets to whip her. Rupert is the only one Walter respects and treats kindly.

After much abuse Edith and Jane plot to murder Walter when he is at the family retreat over a weekend. They poison him and make it look like a suicide. They report him missing and when Rupert orders them to go to the cabin, they do and discover that his body is no longer where they put it.

Is he still alive? Was this just a dream? I won't give it away for those who haven't seen it. This was written by actor Olaf Pooley who also has a role in the movie, but it will no doubt you think of the 1955 thriller "Diabolique".

Everyone turns in a great performance, but Gough steals the show. Sharon Gurney is a beautiful young woman and the viewer really keeps hoping that her dad will die somehow.

It also has a great music track in my opinion. Check this one out.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO...

Leslie Uggams is 81, and Ann Robinson is 95.

PIRANHA WOMEN 2022 (RETRO MEDIA)

Outrageous horror film directed by Fred Olen Ray for Fullmoon Productions.

A woman who is slowly dying from a disease which is not specifically mentioned, but the viewer suspects it's cancer goes to see a new doctor who has touted a treatment that might work.

The woman, Lexi (Sof Puchley) takes the treatment and suddenly recovers, but her boyfriend suspects something is wrong when she disappears and leaves him a "dear John" letter.

He enlists the aid of two detectives, Shayne (Richard Gabai) and Rogers (Michael Gaglio) who are not too bright. We learn that the doctor uses Piranha DNA and injects it into the sick women. Only problem is they become flesh eating killers with very sharp teeth and their breasts develope teeth as well.

The mutant women are a very obvious ripoff of the demon possessed character played by Bobbie Bresee in :Mausoleum" and it works well for this film. I do wish the running time was a little longer than one hour, and the film feels rushed at times.

The rest of the cast includes Jon Briddel, Houston Rhines, Shary Nassimi, Keep Chambers, Carrie Overgaard and Laurel Butler.

I recommend this one...it's a hoot and the women are boffo.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO...

Sybil Danning is 77.

RETURN OF DAIMAJIN 1966 (SECTION 23) BLU-RAY

The second in the Daimajin series.

This is not much on plot, but it's not a bad movie. Majin is a giant stone god that some very small village in medieval Japan worships.

When an evil Warlord decides to conquer the village and torment the people living there, Majin comes to life and destroys the Warlord and his entire army.

That is the entire movie right there, and the first one of this series also has a similar plot. It is always nice to see Majin kill his enemies, and I do wish they had made these films with a different plot, but hey, who am I.

Don't get me wrong, I like these films, but writing something about them is hard when they have a very threadbare plot. I am still waiting for the first in the series to stream.

I will recommend you check this out, especially if you're a Japanese giant monster fan.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO...

Joan Collins is 91.

MYSTERIOUS 2007 (FREESTYLE DIGITAL MEDIA)

Very interesting film.

This was shot in the Bahamas, and it looks beautiful. The film opens with a man jogging on the beach and he spots a woman floating in the water. Hia name is Mike Pace (Antonio Sabato, Jr.) and he rescues her and takes her to his home.

He is simply enamored with her and after she wakes up with no memory of who she is he names her "Morning". This beautiful woman is played by gorgeous AnnaLynne McCord and who can blame Mike for falling for her.

He finds himself falling so hard they sleep together and when Mike is awakened by his beautiful wife Sherry (Joanna Bacalso) in the morning, he realizes it was just a dream.

He decides to make a movie based on the dream and is shocked to discover the very same woman from his dreams auditions for the role and Terry Bamba (James Brolin) hires her for the lead.

One by one people on the film die in mysterious ways and Mike discovers just how dangerous Morning is. This does have a bizarre twist and the ending is done well..it's pure horror.

AnnaLynne McCord easily steals the show as the mysterious woman who is simply drop dead gorgeous and reeks of sexuality. She is referred to as a Siren, and it's easy to understand that. No man could resist her.

If you get a chance you should see this movie. Ignore the bad reviews and judge for yourself. This is also known as "Bad Girl Island" which makes it sound like a very different movie.

The rest of the cast includes Simone Griffeth, Stacy Ann Rose, Dalas Davis, and Avery Sommers. Oh by the way, did I mention AnnaLynne is gorgeous?

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO...

Barbara Parkins is 82, and Marilyn Joi is 79.

AMERIGEDDON 2016 (UNIVERSAL) BLU-RAY

Not too bad of a film and I am a little surprised at the low rating from everyone, but then maybe I'm not.

Mike Norris, the son of Chuck directed this movie that is really close to reality only 8 years after it was made.

In modern times the US Government sells out the country to the UN and a small group of patriots in the state of Texas decide to defend what is left of America after a terrorist group brings down the power grid.

It's a very timely film as this is what is slowly happening today in the real world. The cast does a good job and every part is totally believable. In my opinion if Mike Norris hadn't been directing this film would have been much different.

The cast includes Aliya Astaphan, Rick Bentz, Giovannie Cruz, and the always gorgeous AnnaLynne McCord.

I hope you check this out and like it. The ending is open, but that is how it should be with a movie like this.

FURTHER ADVENTURES OF TENNESSEE BUCK 1988 (MOVIES UNLIMITED)

Now this is a fun film.

David Keith stars as Tennessee Buck, a down on his luck type of guy who leads an expidition into the deep jungles of Borneo.

When we are first introduced to Buck we see him fight a huge local man named Argo (Stephen Davis) over a sexy female native Buck has been having an affair with.

This sets up his character perfectly. His clients on the trip are Ken Manchester (Brant Von Hoffman) and his gorgeous wife Barbara (Kathy Shower). There is a lot of comedy between the three which is kind of odd, but it works.

They are soon captured by headhunters and then things take a more serious turn. Ken is hunted down and killed and Barbara is oiled down and raped by the chief of the tribe. This particular scene caused a lot of problems for the film as it was much longer and more graphic and the film got an X rating from the MPAA.

It was cut down and re-done, but I do know the longer version has been shown on cable TV back in the 90's. The movie is a good watch, at least for me, and I really got into the story.

Of course it helps that Shower is naked a lot and I have always considered her one of the most beautiful women ever to be in movies, and she didn't make a lot of them.

If you like adventure movies with a sometimes comedic twist, you'll enjoy this I think.

The rest of the cast includes Sydney Lassick, Sillaiyoor Selvarajan, and Sumita Mudannayaka.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO...

Constance Towers is 91.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO...

Nancy Kwan is 85.

GEISHA GIRL 1950 (SINISTER CINEMA)

Light action adventure film from George Breakston.

Two American soldiers heading from Korea to the US stop over in Tokyo. Rocky Wilson (Steve Forrest) and Archie McGregor (Archer MacDonald) are just looking for kicks.

They get tangled up with a sabatoge plan and some explosive pills. Rocky and Archie get help from Peggy Burns (Martha Hyer) who is a government agent posing as a stewardess.

This was filmed during the occupation of Japan after WW2 and it's always good to see how things looked in 1950's Japan. This is a short film running only 67 minutes, and sometimes I think that is too long.

Don't get me wrong, this was an enjoyable movie, just padded out too much. The rest of the cast includes Tetsu Nakamura, Dekao Yokoo and Michiyo Naoki.

If you're looking for harmless viewing, this is for you.

HAPPY BELATED BIRTHDAY TO...

Yvonne Furneaux turned 98 on Sept. 11

REMEMBERING THE KING....ROGER CORMAN

When Roger Corman passed away on May 9 it really sent shockwaves thru the industry. He was considered a staple in the film business, and he has directed, produced and helped with so many movies as to be uncountable.

I loved Roger and his movies and since the age of 6 or 7 he has been a part of my film life. He taught me how to make movies on a VERY limited budget, and yet keep them entertaining.

I was first introduced to Roger when I saw "Day The World Ended" on Q-6 Creature Features from Spokane Washington when I was six or seven.

Soon I saw other films of his pop up on TV such as "Fast And The Furious", "Beast With A Million Eyes", "Not Of This Earth", and "It Conquered The World".

With the advent of VHS I was able to see hundreds more of Roger's movies from every genre including "Apache Woman", Masque Of The Red Death", "Fall Of The House Of Usher", "Tomb Of Liegia", and the rest of the Poe cycle.

I also got to see "Wild Angels", "St. Valentines Day Massacre" and hundreds more. He was such a huge part of the film business and in that respect he was a large part of the lives of film fanatics such as myself.

In his 7 decade career he directed 46 movies and produced almost 500 and that folks is an achievement that will NEVER be matched by anyone else.

Roger Corman was a genius whose talent brought us everything from "Attack Of The Crab Monsters" in 1957 to "Jungle Demon" in 2021 and an entire world unto itself of films that no one will ever top.

HAUNTING OF MOLLY HARTLEY 2008 (FOX)

Strange film, but not boring or slow.

A young woman named Molly Hartley (Haley Bennett) is starting a new life with her father in a small town after a trauma she suffered involving her mother.

She quickly becomes very popular at the private school she is enrolled in, and this causes problems with the other female students, especially Suzie (AnnaLynne McCord).

Molly tries to keep her dark past a secret, but small details start leaking out. I really don't want to say too much and give too much away, as the movie has a pretty good plot and a bizarre twist at the end.

Lert me just say that all does not end well for Molly's father, played by Jake Weber, and what happens to Molly is, well, predicted throughout the movie and it does come true.

I found this a very enjoyable thriller, which considering when it was made was kind of a suprise. The rest of the cast includes Chace Crawford, Shannon Woodward, Shanna Collins, Nina Siemaszko, Jessica Lowndes and Josh Stewart.

Again, not too bad of a movie and it does have a few good jump scares and a great twist.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO...

William Grefe is 94.

ZOMBIE ISLAND MASSACRE 1984 (TROMA)

I used to own an original poster for this movie, but never saw it until the other day.

This was a pretty weird movie, but I have to say I did enjoy it. The plot involves a group of tourists who travel to a small Caribbean island and watch a voodoo ceremony.

The trouble starts when they cannot get back because the bus is broken down and the driver is missing. One by one each person meets a bloody death and the movie leads you to believe that zombies or some such monster is killing them.

It turns out to be a drug cartel that is seeking stolen money. No matter what you may have been led to believe, this film does move at a good pace. It starts off with Rita Jenrette nude in the shower and I have to admit that is a good start. The killings are brutal and the effects are what you'd expect in a very low budget film.

Jenrette was married to a congressman that she exposed as a swinger and then posed nude in Playboy before making this film. Neither really helped her career, but it does make this film an anomoly.

Yes, it's presented by Troma, but don't let that deter you from watching it. It's very watchable.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO...

Deborah Dutch is 73.

RIP MARK DAMON 1933-2024

The talented actor has died.

I was first introduced to Damon in the 1963 horror film "Black Sabbath" and then in Roger Corman's "Fall Of The House Of Usher".

I liked anything I saw him in and he later turned to producing movies and became a very wealthy man because of it. His wife was the very sexy Margret Markov, and I must say I envied Mark for that.

As an actor Damon also appeared in "Byleth", "Johnny Yuma", "Beauty And The Beast" and may other movies. Damon passed away on May 12, 2024 at the age of 91.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO...

Janet Jackson is 58, and Jocelyn Lane is 85.

RIP ROGER CORMAN 1926-2024

I knew some day I would have to write this. I have been gone for a while and it happened when I wasn't here.

Roger Corman is why I am and will always be a movie fan. I was introduced to his movies when I was but 6 years old. It was called "Day The World Ended" and boy did it blow me away.

I wanted more and more info on him and got some from Famous Monsters magazine, then it was off to try and see every film he ever made. Almost 60 years later I am still seeing new Corman movies, but have seen his early output many, many times and they never get old.

Most of you know his classic films such as "Attack Of The Crab Monsters", "Not Of This Earth", "Creature From The Haunted Sea" and hundreds of others.

Roger was a great teacher and the King of all cinema. There will never be another, and in todays state of filmmaking that is a very sad thing indeed.

I could go on and on, but I won't. The single greatest movie Icon in my lifetime is gone. The King is gone...Lone Live The King.

Roger Corman died on May 9th, 2024 at the age of 98.

DEMONS OF THE MIND 1972 (SHOUT FACTORY) BLU-RAY

A very well made Hammer Film.

This very downbeat film starts out with a young woman, Elizabeth Zorn (Gillian Hills) and another older woman named Hilda (Yvonne Mitchell) riding in a coach and right away we know something is wrong because Hilda forces Elizabeth to drink something.

When they arrive back at the huge manor in which they live we discovee that Elizabeth has a brother named Emil (Shane Briant) and both are kept apart and locked in their rooms. Their father, Baron Friedrich Zorn runs the home like a prison.

We are given small hints at what is happening, but it really becomes clear that the two yong people are essentially victims of their mad father, but Emil is no angel as we see later in the movie.

The story moves along well and gets more sinister as the plot thickens, and it finally comes down to a very bleak ending that will shock nobody familiar with horror films, but it works none the less.

This was Briant's film debut and he handle the role well, and you can see he had a lot of talent and of cousre went on to make may movies for Hammer and other studios.

The rest of the cast includes Paul Jones, Patrick Magee, Kenneth J. Warren and Virginia Wetherell.

The Blu-ray presentation is, of course beautiful, and this is one of those films I believe every horror fan should check out.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO...

Holly Valance is 41.