EFFECTS 1979 (SYNAPSE)

Strange little film shot in Pittsburgh.

Dusty Nelson directed this effort whcih surrounds a small film crew that is making a horror movie.

Lacey Bickel (John Harrison) is the brains behind the film and the lines between fantasy and reality begin to blur as the horror film slowly becomes a snuff movie.

There are a lot of very familiar faces in this film such as Tom Savini, Joe Pilato, and others you may recognise from the Pittsburgh movie scene of the late 70's and early 80's.

It's a slow movie, but the story is very well done and it takes the viewer into territory never explored in movies up until this time. Harrison's character of Bickel is a bit creepy, especially the scene where he shows other crew members what may be a real snuff movie.

Effects works on many levels and is a must see for horror fans. It's rare because of a bad distribution deal, but at least it's been put out by Synapse and is also available on streaming.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO...

Lisa Todd is 78.

BARQUERO 1970 (KINO) BLU-RAY

Not too shabby of a film.

Lee Van Cleef stars in this excellent adventure film as Travis, a man who runs a riverboat for a living across one of the deepest parts of the river.

One day a gang of killers lead by Remy (Warren Oates) slaughters an entire town to get gold and a huge shipment of rifles. Heand his gang need to get across the river and a small townis just across the river.

Travis refuses to let Remy and his men cross because he knows what kind of man Remy is. This leads to a very intense standoff between the squatters in the small town and Remy's men.

There is a lot of gunfights and Oates gives a damned near perfect performance as Remy. He and Van Cleef play off each other very well and it makes the movie extremely enjoyable.

The entire cast actually works very well, and that cast includes Forrest Tucker (a great role), Kerwin Matthews, Mariette Hartley, Marie Gomez, John Davis Chandler and Armando Silvestre.

I highly recommend this movie for western fans and fans of Warren Oates. Top notch.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO...

Robin Wright is 59, John Schneider is 65, and Suzanna Love is 75.

NIGHT OF THE WALKING DEAD 1975 (SEVERIN) BLU-RAY

Well done horror from Leon Klimovsky.

This Spanish gem surrounds a dying young aristocrat named Catherine (Emma Cohen) who is unhappy with everything in life.

After a visit from a stanger named Rudolph de Winberg (Carlos Ballesteros) she slowly becomes drawn into a weird society of vampires and their rituals.

This has some great set pieces including the dead rising from their tombs and killing a large part of the population of a small village. Some of these attacks are macabre as hell.

Rudolph is a cursed man who does not appear to enjoy his eternal life anymore and the ending of this movie reminds me a LOT of the 1972 thriller "Blacula"....believe it or not.

This is a rare and very enjoyable Spanish horror film that has not been seen much and should be. The rest of the cast includes Mary Paz Pondal, Viky Lusson, Rafael Hernandez and Tota Alba.

I cannot recommend this enough to horror fans. It's a treat.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO...

Yvonne Lime is 90.

I MISS YOU HUGS AND KISSES 1978 (SEVERIN) BLU-RAY

Odd and neglected crime film shot in Toronto and based on a true incident.

The plot is fairly simple. A man who escaped from Communist Hungary in 1954 and went to Canada has become very, very successful. His name is Charles Kruschen (Donald Pilon).

He meets and marries a beautiful model named Magdalene (Elke Sommer) and all seems well, but Magdalene falls out of love with Charles and he turns his attention to a young woman named Pauline (Cindy Girling).

Magdalene plots to kill Charles, but it never works out because she is killed in a very graphically shown murder that is a little disturbing.

Charles is arrested and tried for the crime in which he is found guilty. This is one very depressing movie all around. People just can't be happy, and they are always trying to ruin other lives. Gee, that sounds like real life today.

I recommend this film for something a little different. I know a lot of people say it isn't a good movie, but that again is only an opinion. I happen to like this movie, and Elke always looks good. I guess that is why her murder scene is so disturbing.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO...

Billy Dee Williams is 88, Roy Thinnes is 87, and Judith McConnell is 81.

TOMBSTONE CANYON 1932 (SINISTER CINEMA)

Ken Maynard stars in this weird and wild western with a lot of horror elements.

The movie starts with Maynard and his horse Tarzan walking thru a desert canyon and then he is accosted by several men whom he doesn't know.

A masked phantom dressed in black appears and helps Ken out. The phantom's screams are something to hear believe me. After the gunfight where the villians flee, Ken meets a lovely young woman named Jenny Lee (Cecilia Parker) who is also a pretty good shot with a rifle.

There is a mystery as to who Ken really is as he doesn't know himself. The plot veers into some horror elements and it moves at great speed in it's 59 minute running time.

The climax is very well handled and really catches your attention. I refure to give anything away. Maynard is in top form here and comes across as a nice guy who has stepped into a situation he has little control over.

I hadn't seen this since I had a VHS tape many years ago. However, I never forgot this film...that is how effective it is. HIGHLLY RECOMMENDED!!

The rest of the cast includes Bob Burns, Sheldon Lewis, Frank Brownlee and Lafe McKee.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO...

Michael Moriarty is 84, Jane Asher is 80, Roger Davis is 86, and Agnetha Faltskog is 75.

NARCO MEN 1968 (TUBI)

I didn't find this film as bad as others.

I have not read many good things about this film, but I figured I'd give it a try, and was entertained. The movie does not stand out from any other of it's kind, but I liked it.

Tom Tryon is Harry Bell, a former intelligence officer that was set up by drug ealers in the past and has spent 3 years in prison. Bell is contacted by a top Italian gangster to get back a shipment drugs that were hijacked in the Mediterranean.

During his worldwide investigation, Bell runs across a beautiful young hippie chick named Jill(Lorenza Guerrieri). He uses her as part of his plan to get the drugs and Jill is very honest and up front about everything including the fact she has fallen in love with Harry.

Bell is a troubled man who never smiles, and has a lot of inner hatred towards everything. Jill slowly, very slowly starts to break thru to him, but the job he is on is all he is interested in at the moment.

Harry manages to get the drugs after many battles and the ending of the movie was a downer for me. I did not expect what happens to Jill. She is the only real likeable character in the movie.

This Italian made crime film was entertaining for me, but as I said, it doesn't stand out from any others. I have only seen Tryon in one other film and that was the 1957 sci-fi film "I Married A Monster From Outer Space". He seemed the same in that movie as he is in this one.

Oh well, check it out if you're so inclined.

FIVE SAVAGE MEN 1971 (GENEON)

A very well done western written and produced by actor Richard Bakalyan.

This is also known as "The Animals" and it stars Keenan Wynn as Pudge Elliot, a man we first see on a stagecoach in handcuffs and accompanied by a Sheriff.

Also on this coach are two women, Emily Perkins (Peggy Stewart) and Alice McAndrew (Michele Carey). The coach is attacked by four men and everyone is killed except Alice. The men take her with them, and Elliot claims her for himself.

They tie and rape Alice and in the morning they decide to leave her as buzzard food. Watching all of this take place is an Apache indian named Chatto (Henry Silva). He takes Alice with him and takes care of her.

Over time Alice and Chatto become very good friends and he teaches her how to ride and shoot. She wants him to help her take revenge on the men who raped her, and he does.

The end of the film is a shocker as far as movies go, but for some reason I saw it coming and it's probably because I have seen too many movies....lol.

I won't give it away, but it made me wonder if the title referred to the five men who rape Alice or the posse led by a Sheriff played by John Anderson.

In any event, I really recommend this movie. The print I saw was beautiful and in widescreen. The rest of the cast includes Joe Turkel, Pepper Martin, Bobby Hall, Peter Hellman and Michael Carr.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO...

Eric Braeden is 84, and Lamberto Bava is 81.

NEW MEXICO 1951 (TUBI)

Well made western that seems forgotten.

Lew Ayres stars as Capt. Hunt, a young officer who believes there can be peace between the Indians and the white man.

The movie opens with President Lincoln (Hans Conried) making a peaceful pact with Indian Chief Acoma (Ted de Corsia), much to the shagrin of Judge Wilcox (Lloyd Corrigan).

Lincon is soon assassinated and a tyrant Colonel named McComb (Walter Greaza) breaks the pact with Acoma and has him arrested and two of his warriors killed.

Hunt and Acoma are friends but Acoma arranges to be broken out of jail and his wariors kill McComb. Hunt and some men go after him and soon find themselves in a battle for survival.

To make matters worse, Wilcox has given the go ahead for a stagecoach to head west carrying a beautiful singer named Cherry (Marilyn Maxwell). They too find themselves fighting for survival as they are attacked by a war perty.

This movie moves along at a brisk pace and runs only 70 minutes or so. The cast is very good and you really begin to feel for both sides in the war. None of them are there because they want to be.

Nothing ends well for anyone by the time the movie ends. If you're a western movie fan I recommend this obscure gem from the early 50's. The rest of the cast includes Andy Devine, Robert Huntton, John Hoyt, Jeff Corey, Raymond Burr, and Donald Buka.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO...

Lindy Booth is 46.

RIP SIAN BARBARA ALLEN 1946-2025

The very underrated actress has passed away.

Sian made a few film appearances and had many TV roles. Some of the series she had roles in were "Ironside", "Hawaii Five-O", "Adam-12", "The Waltons".

Her movie roles included a couple of genre films "Scream Pretty Peggy" and "You'll Like My Mother". A fresh faced and beautiful woman who always brightened the screen.

Sian Barbara Allen passed away on March 31, 2025 from Alzheimer's. She was 78.

QUEENS OF EVIL 1970 (MONDO MACABRO) BLU-RAY

One hell of a bizarre adult fairy tale.

Ray Lovelock stars as a young man named David who helps a man with a flat tire on the road and then discovers the man put a nail in the front tire of his motorcycle.

He then sees the man killed in an accident and stops by a secluded house in the woods. He meets three beautiful women living there. Liv (Haydee Politoff), Samantha (Silvia Monti) and Bibiana (Ida Galli) and extremely beautiful and everyone of them seduces David at some point.

The women appear and disappear whenever they want and even though David suspects something isn't right, he stays with them. This is a very slow burn film, and David finally learns his fate with the women, and they aren't what they appear.

This movie has been sadly neglected when in reality it's an exceptional piece of Eurotrash that really needs more exposure. I found this movie without even looking for it, and when I saw it was Italian horror I HAD to get it.

This one just flew under my radar as it has been out on Blu-ray for almost 4 years and it's still available on Amazon. All I can say is get this film and enjoy something very, very unique.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO...

Aliza Gur is 81, and Heather Young is 80.

THE BELLE STARR STORY 1968 (RARO) BLU-RAY

This was an interesting western, but be warned that it is not for everyone.

This does have it's slow moments. but all in all it's not too bad. Elsa Martinelli stars as Starr, a woman has has been abused so much in her youth she has had to learn to survive.

Now, she is one of the fastest guns in the west. She meets a man named Larry Blackie (George Eastman) who proves himself to be her equal, and they have an on again, off again relationship.

We find out about Belle thru flashbacks and can easily see whay she is the way she is. I will admit this was one of the most interesting and strange Italian westerns I have seen. That may be because it's from the female perspective, I don't know.

Martinelli makes a most sexy female western gunfighter and her leather garb in the last half of the movie is an eye catcher as well. If you want to see something really different, check out this Blu-ray.

The rest of the cast includes Robert Woods, Francesca Righini, Vladimir Medar and Bruno Piergentili.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO...

Christopher Walken is 82.

RIP RICHARD CHAMBERLAIN 1934-2025

The fine and distinguished actor has passed away.

In his 60 year career, Chamberlain was in many movies and TV shows as well as hundreds of Broadway plays.

In the 60's he appeared in such TV shows as "Thriller", "Whispering Smith" and "The Deputy". However is was "Dr. Kildare" that solidified his career in TV. He appeared as Kildare in 191 episodes of the series from 1961-1966.

His movies include "Twilight Of Honor", "The Three Musketeers", "Towering Inferno", "The Swarm", "Shogun", "King Soloman's Mines" and "Nightmare Cinema".

Richard Chamberlain passed away on March 29, 2025 at the age of 90...just 2 days shy of his 91st birthday.

RIP BRUCE GLOVER 1932-2025

The very prolific actor passed away.

Glover had about 116 credits to his name in both TV and movies in his 65 years career.

Some of his memorable TV appearances include "Hart To Hart", "Police Story", "Barney Miller", "Chips", "Adam-12" and "Mission Impossible".

His movies include "Who Killed Teddy Bear", "The Over The Hill Gang", "Frankenstein Meets The Space Monster", "Diamonds Are Forever" and "Walking Tall".

Bruce Glover passed away on March 12, 2025 at the age of 92.

RIP ANGEL DEL POZO 1934-2025

The Spanish actor has passed away.

He may not be well known, but he made a few genre films that horror fans will remember.

His films include "Assignment Terror", "My Gun Is The Law", "Fort Yuma Gold", "Transplant Of A Brain" and "Horror Express".

Angel Del Pozo passed away on March 29, 2025 at the age of 90.

BLOODY NEW YEAR 1987 (VINEGAR SYNDROME) BLU-RAY

I really enjoyed this Norman J. Warren effort.

This bizarre tale surrounds three couples who are out for a good time and get into a fight with some thugs at a small carnival.

They escape and then decide to go boating. They are not paying too much attention and his some rocks, which causes the boat to start sinking. They make their way to a small island and find a hotel, but it's empty.

Or is it? Ghosts and spectors haunt these young people and it soon gets very weird. The ending turns into a zombie film and we learn that the people that were there in 1959 celebrating the coming year of 1960 are stuck there for eternity thanks to a government project gone wrong.

There are several great scenes here including two people being chased by a crowd of invisible people and a stair railing that actually comes alive. I have read a lot of reviews that say the plot makes no sense. That's hogwash...it makes perfect sense if you pay attention.

I liked the scene where the couples go into a screening room and watch some of the 1958 classic "Fiend Without A Face". This is easily one of my favorite movies. I wish I had known of it earlier.

I recommend you watch this and don't pay attention to all the bad reviews. It's a good and unique movie that I feel is severely overlooked.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO...

Warren Beatty is 88, John Astin is 95, and Dana Gillespie is 76.

SCHOOLGIRL APOCALYPSE 2011 (TUBI)

As far as I know, this unusual movie is not available anywhere but streaming.

Rino Higa stars as a schoolgirl named Sakura. One day after school she notices some of the men are acting very odd, and some even acting violent.

She witnesses her father savagely kill her mother and she manages to escape. After living three days in a huge pipe she encounters a woman living in a car with her now zombiefied son.

Sakura must learn to survive in a world inhabited by zombies that tear their victims apart. There are several unique acpects to this movie.

The first being that only men are changed into zombies and secondly, Sakura has some bizarre dreams which are shown to the viewer in cartoon form. Also you have a most unusual climax which I have to admit was not even predicted by me as I watched this. It comes clear out of left field.

The movie is very well acted and directed. There is a real feel of hopelessness while you watch Sakura kill zombies with her arrows and try to help a blind woman and a very odd young man in a wheelchair escape death.

I won't spoil this little epic by saying anymore, but I do recommend you see it for a very new take on zombie movies. The film is 14 years old and not very well known. In Japanese with English Subtitles.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO...

Lucy Lawless is 57, and Elle Macpherson is 61.

THE KILLER IS ONE OF 13 1973 (VINEGAR SYNDROME) BLU-RAY

I enjoyed this Spanish horror/mystery film very much.

A widow named Lisa Mandel (Patty Shepard) invites 13 people to her mansion.

She reveals to them that she suspects one of them is her husbands killers and she intends to discover who it was and why he was killed in the first place.

It seems that all 13 suspects have something to hide. This is the usual case in movies like this in order to keep the viewer guessing until the very end.

All too soon these people are being killed one by one as things start to spiral out of control. All of the faces in this film should be familiar to any fan of Spanish horror.

The twist at the end might surprise you, and if it doesn't well that is fine. You've just seen a movie with many, many beautiful woman, and that ain't bad. The film is in Spanish with English subtitles.

The rest of the cast includes Jack Taylor, Simon Andreu, Jose Maria Prada, Trini Alonso, Dyanik Zurakowska, May Heatherly and Paloma Cela along with Paul Naschy.

This is a highly recommended film.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO...

Richard Backus is 80.

RIP CLIVE REVILL 1930-2025

The very well known character actor has passed away.

Revill appeared in over 200 movies and TV shows in his 61 year screen career. He appeared in many TV shows including "The Fall Guy". "T.J. Hooker", "Three's A Crowd", "Columbo" and many others.

His movie roles included such films as "Legend Of Hell House", "Fathom", "Bunny Lake Is Missing", "The Headless Ghost", "Italian Secret Service" and "Modesty Blaise".

Even if you've never seen any of the items I just mentioned, I know you have seen his face in something. Clive Revill passed away on March 11, 2025 at the age of 94.

HORROR HOSPITAL 1975 (DARK SKY)

I hadn't seen this movie for almost 20 years and I enjoyed it much better this time around.

Robin Askwith stars as Jason Jones, a young songwriter who travels to a secluded hospital for a rest. On the train he meets a beautiful young woman named Judy Peters (Vanessa Shaw) who is also going to the same said hospital to visit her aunt.

From the moment they arrive both realize something is very wrong. They are introduced to Dr. Christian Storm (Michael Gough). He then introduces them to many other young people living at the hospital. They are all victims of the mad doctors labotomy operations.

Gough plays it to the hilt and seems to be having a heyday as the madman. Judy and Jason fight like hell to escape the place and we also discover that Storm is NOT what he appears to be.

There is a little comedy in here as well and it mixes in well. It is a fine line to follow, and director Antony Balch handles it very well.

The rest of the cast in this fun thriller includes Ellen Pollock, Dennis Price, Skip Martin, Kurt Christian and Barbara Wendy.

I had a great time with this movie and I hope if you see it you will to. Good fun.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO...

Julian Glover is 90, Michael York is 83, Talisa Soto is 58, Mariah Carey is 56, and June Wilkinson is 85.

A TOWN CALLED HELL 1971 (KINO) BLU-RAY

This is a very odd, but highly entertaining western/action film.

The film opens with a group of Mexican mercenaries invading a small town and killing everyone in a church as well as the priest. The leader of the gang is Aguila (Robert Shaw).

Ten years later a young woman named Alvira (Stella Stevens) arrives in the town and offers a huge reward to anyone who can find a man named Aguila since he is the one that killed her husband.

The town is run by the very corrupt Don Carlos (Telly Savalas) and he offers to help. Everything gets rather complicated when the Mexican Army shows up and their slightly mad colonel, played by Martin Landau looking Agulia. Everyone has heard of Aguila, but nobody seems to know what he looks like.

The Colonel happens upon the priest of the local church and over time discovers that he is Aguila. This is a violent, sadistic and fast paced movie with a few interesting twists and turns. Sometimes there is so much going on the viewer forgets about Alvira and her quest.

It's quite the film and I do recommend it for anyone who loves westerns, or action movies. Robert Parrish directed a top notch cast that also includes Fernando Rey, Michael Craig, Paloma Cela, Dudley Sutton and Al Lettieri.

The quality on this Blu-ray is beautiful and I for one and finally glad this movie can be seen again.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO...

Paige Spiranac is 32, Diana Ross is 81 and Sara Jean Underwood is 41.