KISS OF THE TARANTULA 1976 (VCI)

In May of 1976 this regional horror thriller made it's way across the country.

I didn't happen to ever see this until it was broadcast on KCPX from Salt Lake City on Nightmare Theater, and I have loved it ever since.

A beautiful young woman uses tarantulas to get revenge on her classmates that have been a thorn in her side for way too long. Gorgeous Suzanna Ling makes her only film appearance as Susan, the young woman with a love for eight legged creatures.

After a group of punks break into her home, which is also a mortuary (that is her fathers job) and kill her favorite spider, she exacts a terrible revenge at a drive in theater showing "Dirty Harry".

More deaths follow and her father's brother who is a detective running for higher office becomes suspicious. He discovers that Susan is behind the killing, but protects her because he wants to marry her. He even kills a witness to protect her. Susan in turn, wants nothing to do with him and when he makes a very rough advance, she takes care of him in a most bizarre and interesting way.

I stated already that I like this film a lot. It has a very 70's feel to it and it brings back fond memories of late night TV viewing. It is perfect for the Halloween season. It is too bad that Suzanna Ling never made any other films, as she does a very good job here. Filmed in Columbus, Georgia. Recommended!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO....

Scott Hall is 57 and Diana Lorys is 75. Also on this day back in 1882 Bela Lugosi was born.

GIANT OF MARATHON 1959 (MILL CREEK)

Steve Reeves stars in this sword and sandal epic from Jacques Tourneur.

A lot of people mistake this for the usual sword and sandal film which includes many bizarre monsters and such. This is straight forward drama set in 490 B.C. in which Phillipides (Reeves) loins the Sacred Guard in Athens to protect the people.

Alberto Lupo co-stars as Milziade, the good friend of Phillipides who helps him when it is time to go to battle. There are a lot of sweeping battle scenes that are done with style and class as only Tourneur could do them.

There are some shocking moments such as the infamous arrow in the eye underwater scene! This will definitely stand out in your mind after seeing it.

The print from Mill Creek is a little soft, but it shouldn't take away from your enjoyment of the film. If you're looking for monsters forget it, but if you like straight forward war drama set in ancient times, this might be your cup of tea.

Mario Bava is one of the uncredited directors of this film and he also handled the special effects.

RIP PAT WOODELL 1944-2015

The actress best known for her role as "Bobbi Jo" in the long running comedy "PETTICOAT JUNCTION" died on Sept. 29th after a long battle with cancer.

Woodell was always a favorite actress of mine and I loved "PETTICOAT JUNCTION". My love for her was started when I saw her most famous film "THE BIG DOLL HOUSE" in which she co-starred with Pam Grier.

She appeared in other films such as "THE WOMAN HUNT", "THE TWILIGHT PEOPLE" and "CLASS OF 1984". Always a class act, she gave up her acting career to start a business consulting firm. her talents are missed and will she be.

She was 71.

FRANKENSTEIN MUST BE DESTROYED 1969 (WARNER) BLU-RAY

The fifth installment of Hammer's Frankenstein series is the most brutal and bizarre.

Peter Cushing returns as Baron Frankenstein, and this time he wants to save the life of a man whom the doctors in a mental hospital say is suffering from incurable insanity.

Frankenstein blackmails a young couple into helping him kidnap the patient from the hospital so he can cure him. Simon Ward and Veronica Carlson are the young couple whose lives are changed forever by the evil Frankenstein.

There are some great scenes in this film including a scene where a busted water pipe threaten to expose a buried body in the garden. Carlson really convinces as she panics and has to take matters into her own hands before the authorities arrive.

Thorley Walters is Inspector Frisch and Geoffrey Bayldon is the police doctor working with the Inspector on the case of missing bodies and murder. The opening scene is one that you will never forget.

This is superb film making and Terence Fisher handles everything perfectly. It is about time this film finally made it to Blu-ray, and it looks perfect. Carlson never looked lovelier than in this film. Recommended viewing for Halloween.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO.....

Dawn Wells is 77.

MOSQUITO 1995 (SYNAPSE) BLU-RAY

One of my all time favorites has finally come to DVD from Synapse.This was released on the same day as MANOS THE HANDS OF FATE and it seems to have gotten lost in the shuffle.

After an alien ship dumps space trash in a swamp mosquitoes feed on the blood of a dead alien body and soon are mutating to the size of large birds.

The first time we are introduced to the monsters in when a car carrying Ray and Megan. She is a new employee at a national park and both are on their way to her new job when they smash into a monster sized mosquito that damages their car.

Soon there are many people being killed by large swarms of these monsters. A USAF Meteor chaser played by Steve Dixon is hunting for the saucer, or whatever it dropped and stumbles into Ray and Megan. they find a campground that has been devastated by the mosquitoes.

Soon these three as well as a bank robber, his son and a park ranger find themselves fighting for survival. The mosquitoes themselves are pretty damn convincing for a low budget horror film. The entire movie was shot in the Detroit area and director Gary Jones handles everything very well.

It's nice to see films like this get a decent Blu-ray release. I hope more people are able to discover this little gem now that Synapse has issued it. The rest of the cast includes Gunnar Hanson, Ron Asheton, Rachel Loiselle, Tim Lovelace and Mike Hard.

Asheton steals the show with his great performance. It's a shame he passed away at the age of 60 from a heart attack. Asheton was a founding member of the punk band, The Stooges. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED sci-fi fun.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO.....

Julie Adams is 89, and Joan Prather is 65.

CURSE OF THE UNDEAD 1959

Sad to say this isn't available on any medium except for the old VHS from Universal.

hands down, this is one of my three all time favorite Universal horror films. I first saw this as a child on KTVU TV from San Francisco on Creature Features hosted by Bob Wilkins.

Michael Pate stars as Drake Robey, a gunslinger who comes to a small western town and his hired by a beautiful young woman to kill a man she believes is responsible for her father's death. The town is also being plagued by mysterious deaths due to victims being drained of blood.

A preacher played by the great Eric Fleming suspects Robey of being the killer. It turns out that Robey is a vampire. He is this way because he killed his brother and then overcome with grief, he killed himself and damned his soul. When Robey is in a gunfight he always wins as the bullets cannot kill him.

Preacher Dan decides he has to end Robey's reign of terror and comes up with a very cleaver idea to kill the vampire. This is a great mixture of genres and it works very well. I also like the fact that Robey can be out in daylight as well. Pate does an excellent job in one of his very few starring roles.

The rest of the cast includes John Hoyt, Kathleen Crowley, Bruce Gordon, Edward Binns, and Jimmy Murphey. Why in the hell the "brains" at Universal haven't released this to disc is beyond me. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO....

Angela Lansbury is 90, Suzanne Somers is 69, and Erin Brown is 36.

RIP JOAN LESLIE 1925-2015

One of the most glamorous actresses of the 40's and 50's has passed away.

Joan Leslie is most remembered for her roles in such films as BORN TO BE BAD, RHAPSODY IN BLUE, YANKEE DOODLE DANDY and WOMAN THEY ALMOST LYNCHED.

She was a true talent that really never could escape her good girl image from the 40's. She took the name Joan Leslie for her film appearance in HIGH SIERRA and used it in every film she made after that.

The film I remember her most for is MAN IN THE SADDLE with Randolph Scott. She will be missed. She died on Oct. 12th at the age of 90.

COMING ATTRACTIONS.....

A couple of interesting things and one I am not so sure of.

Kino has announced it will be releasing JOURNEY TO THE 7TH PLANET on Blu-ray which to me anyway is pretty damn cool. I don't have a street date for that.

Other news from Kino is that on Jan. 5th, 2016 they will be releasing YONGARY: MONSTER FROM THE DEEP. Now this is a film I absolutely have to have. Finally, a film that has had a very limited DVD release come to Blu-ray. God, I love this film!!

Finally from Kino comes a release I just kind of scratch my head about. On Jan. 5th they will also release PHANTOM FROM 10,000 LEAGUES on Blu-ray as well. Now, don't get me wrong, I like any low budget film, but this has been around on every label and I don't know why Kino chose this and not some other title. It costs a lot of money to put a film on Blu-ray.

Oh well, I hope it does well for them. And speaking of movies that need a DVD and Blu-ray release, why the hell doesn't Universal put out CURSE OF THE UNDEAD!!!!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO.....

Tanya Roberts is 60, Virginia Leith is 83, and Lynn Lowery is 68.

THE SECRET INVASION 1964 (MGM)

It has been a while since I saw this Roger Corman film.

Stewart Granger is Major Richard Base, a man who leads a misfit group of men to rescue an Italian General from the Nazi's during WW2.

The group consists of 5 men who have been convicted of various crimes and have skills the military needs to get the job done.

There are plenty of good action sequences in this well crafted action film. The performances are top notch, especially from Henry Silva as an assassin named John Durrell. Durrell is quiet, but knows what he has to do. He also finds a soft spot in his heart for a young female refugee and her infant son which dies while they are hiding from the Nazi's on patrol. This scene is somewhat disturbing and will surprise first time viewers.

The group eventually rescue the General and then find out he isn't who they thought he was. The rest of the cast includes Raf Vallone, William Campbell, Edd Byrnes, Peter Coe and Mickey Rooney. This has just come out on Blu-ray as well, so if you get a chance check it out. Recommended!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO...

Roger Moore is 88, Stacy Keibler is 36, and Dyanne Thorne is 72.