MONSTER MAKER 1943 (TREELINE)

Another PRC effort.

J. Carrol Naish is a doctor who has the hots for a pianists daughter and will stop at nothing to get her.

He injects the pianist with a serum and creates a monster with acromegaly and he becomes deformed until he agrees to let the doctor have his daughter. Ralph Morgan is the pianist, Anthony Lawrence and Wanda MCKay is his daughter Patricia.

Glenn Strange is the doctor's assistant and not used to full extent in this movie. This is a typical PRC film...very low budget and very entertaining. Highly Recommended.

MONSTRIOD 1978 (SHOUT FACTORY)

Another episode of Elvira's Movie Macabre.

This unbelievable movie is about a monster living in a lake that comes out and eats people every so often. John Carradine is a minister in a small South American town where the monster lives.

Jim Mitchum is and investigator sent to find out what is happening and Anthony Eisley is the man who runs the factory that has polluted the lake from where the monster came. This is a confusing but fun movie and very, very low budget.

Elvira takes a lot of pot shots at this movie and deservedly so. It's a bizarre movie, but it might catch your interest.

BIRTHDAY WISHES TO.....

Pat Benatar is 60, and Marcus Bagwell is 43.

RIP PATTY SHEPARD 1945-2013

One of my all time favorite actresses has passed away. On Jan. 3rd Patty passed away in Madrid, Spain after having a heart attack. She was 67.

Patty was and idol of mine for Spanish cinema. Born in Greenville, South Carolina she made a career of acting in Spain and starred in some of the most memorable Spanish horror films including Crypt Of The Living Dead, Werewolf Vs. The Vampire Woman, Witch's Mountain, Assignment Terror and many others.

Patty was and will always be the reason I watch Spanish horror. A sad way to start the year. Patty will be sorely missed by fans like me. Thanks for the memories my very sexy leading lady of Spanish horror.

COMING ATTRACTIONS FOR 2013

It looks like Shout Factory will be releasing Lifeforce on a DVD/BluRay combo pack and Vampire Lovers on Blu Ray on April 30th. Warner Archive has released Wonder Woman from 1974 starring Cathy Lee Crosby, the film noir classics Scene Of the Crime, Murder is my Beat with Barbara Payton, Code Two with Ralph Meeker and a Boris Karloff triple feature which has Devil's Island, Invisible Menace and West of Shanghi

Looks like a promising start to the year.

DON'T KNOCK THE ROCK 1956 (SONY)

A great movie period!!

The greatest DJ who ever lived, Alan Freed stars in this film about a DJ trying to fight prejudice against Rock music in a small town.

Bill Hailey & The Comets, Dave Appell & his Apple Jacks are some of the musical bands who appear and the rest of the cast includes Patricia Hardy, Fay Baker and the gorgeous Jana Lund as a teen who tries to destroy Rock music!!

Fred Sears directed this Robert E. Kent production and if you like a time when America was great, men were men and women were happy about it and music was entertaining not hate filled, then this film is for you.

NIGHT OF THE DEMON 1956 (COLUMBIA)

A true classic of horror!

Dana Andrews is Dr. Holden, a man out to prove that witchcraft is nothing but the bunk.Lovely Peggy Cummins is the young woman whose father was supposedly murdered by a devil worshiper and his evil demon.

This is a very, very effective horror film and the briefly seen demon monster is something to behold! One of the best monsters in movie history. The disc has the edited 82 min. US version or the 96 min. uncut version which is the one usually shown when it aires on TCM.

Jacques Tourneur does an excellent directing job as the movie is extremely tense. The rest of the cast includes Niall MacGinnis as Karswell the leader of the coven, Maurice Denham as one of Holden's friends and Brian Wilde as Rand Hobart, a man who has actually seen the demon and lived.

One of the best films of it's kind and not to be missed by horror fans.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO.....

Crystal Gayle is 62, and Paul Mantee is 82.

BLUE SUNSHINE 1978 (SHOUT FACTORY)

Very weird but effective thriller.

The man that brought us "Squirm", Jeff Lieberman is back at it again with this unique thriller about people who tired a drug in 1968 and ten years later the after effects are being felt. They lose their hair and turn into psycho killers!!

Zalman King stars as a man trying to find out the truth behind "Blue Sunshine" and who was responsible for issuing the drug. He finds himself accused of three murders and has to hide from the law while trying to get to the truth.

This is a grim little shocker and it works very well. This was an episode of Elvira's Movie Macabre and while she does poke some fun at this film it is a horror movie fans delight. Recommended!!

NIGHT STRANGLER 1973 (MGM)

The second feature film about reporter Carl Kolchak.

Darren McGavin again is Carl Kolchak, this time in Seattle and working for Anthony Vincenzo again and another crazy story. This time he is on the trail of a 144 year old killer who resurfaces every 21 years from Seattle's underground to kill seven women.

Simon Oakland is again Vincenzo and the others in the cast include Jo Ann Pflug, looking very very sexy, John Carradine, Al Lewis, Margaret Hamilton, Wally Cox, Scott Brady, Nina Wayne as the luscious "Charisma Beauty" and Richard Anderson as Dr. Malcolm Richards who seems to have found the elixir of eternal life.

Second only to "The Night Stalker" is shocks and quality, this film stands on it's own as one of the most enjoyable films ever made, and this time Dan Curtis directs and does a great job. As usal the music by Robert Cobert is top notch. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED TV TERROR.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO....

Sarah Polley is 34, Maria Ozawa is 27, Yvette Mimieux is 71, Ami Dolenz is 44, Larry Storch is 90, and if he was still with us the greatest entertainer to ever live, Elvis Presley would be 76.

THE NIGHT STALKER 1972 (MGM)

One of the highest rated TV movies ever broadcast!!

Darren McGavin stars as reporter Carl Kolchak who is on the trail of a vampire that is killing young women in Las Vegas. This is as close to a flawless production as movies can possibly come.

McGavin is perfect in his role as is Simon Oakland as his ever suffering editor Anthony Vincenzo. Sexy Carol Lynley is Gail Foster, McGavin's girl friend. The vampire is scary and Barry Atwater does an excellent job of portraying Janos Skorzeny who puts the bits on Vegas women and even keeps one tied to a bed in his home as a living blood bank!

John Llewellyn Moxey directed this and the supporting cast includes Kent Smith, Elisha Cook, Jr., Ralph Meeker, Stanley Adams, Charles McGraw and Claude Akins. The climax is extremely well done and tense and still stands up very well today. The brawl scene at the Hospital has never been duplicated in terms of quality. They simply do not have the talent to make movies like this anymore. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!

DON'T BE AFRAID OF THE DARK 1973 (WARNER ARCHIVE)

One of the most unforgettable horror movies ever made.

On Wednesday, Oct. 10th, 1973 I first saw this movie and it scared the hell out of me. I was almost 11 years of age.

Move ahead 40 years later and this film still has the power to scare people. Kim Darby and Jim Hutton star as a young couple who buy a country home and the young woman finds she is being targeted by small demon creatures who live in the house.

This was needlessly remade by modern filmmakers in 2010, but as usual the movie contained none of the actual terror contained in the first one. The original is the ONLY version in my opinion. The movie is both claustrophobic and grim, and those demon creatures are scary as well.

Directed with excellence by John Newland, this film will always be remembered by those of us that saw it for the firast time on that cold Oct. night back in 1973. Warner Archive has remastered it and it looks simply beautiful. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO......

Erin Gray is 63, and Terry Moore is 84.

THE ENFORCER 1976 (WARNERS)

Another fine Eastwood outing.

Harry Callahan must fight a group of terrorists made up of disgruntled Vietnam vets in this third installment of the series.

Harry Guardino, Bradford Dillman, John Mitchum and Jocelyn Jones also star as well as Tyne Daly, the new partner for Harry that meets a terrible end.

Most people were surprised that her character was killed off, but it is just such things that made the series unique back in 1976 and earlier. I liked this entry a lot, it has good pacing, good directing from James Fargo and good acting. Recommended!!