She Demons (1958)

3 / 5 Jul '11
Tagline: Horrific Nazi Experiments Gone Awry!
Directed by: Richard E. Cunha
Written by: Richard E. Cunha, H.E. Barrie
Actors include: Irish McCalla, Tod Griffin, Victor Sen Yung
Genre: Horror, Sci-Fi
Length: 77 minutes
Banned: Nope

Review:
Well this is definitely a '50s "B" movie, and it's got a high level of cheese but at the same time it's one of the better examples of it's kind. After a shipwreck a spoiled bitch named Jerrie (Irish McCalla...Sheena!), a heroic sort called Fred, his sidekick Sammy and the Captain end up on an unknown island. It doesn't take long before they realize that they aren't alone...in fact "She Demons" who dance and drum are mucking about. Worse still there is a Nazi mad scientist who is of course up to no good wanting to heal his disfigured Wife. It's absurd sure, but it's at least entertainingly so and it actually starts out and ends rather well...it's just the boring science mumbo jumbo in the middle that I could have done without. At the same time, it's only a 77 minute flick so they don't stretch things out too far. I also appreciate that they really did try to make this a horror film what with the make-up and so forth...it's not scary but it could have been wayyy worse.

Availability:  On DVD

The Tell-Tale Heart (1953)

4 / 5 Apr '11
Tagline: N/A
Directed by: Ted Parmelee
Written by: Edgar Allan Poe, Bill Scott
Actors include: James Mason
Genre: Animation, Short, Crime, Horror
Length: 8 minutes
Banned: Nope

Review:
I didn't really know this story before watching this, I knew something about the floorboards but nothing else. Pretty neat really, it's about a crazy Man who is obsessed with his old Man Landlord's eye. I love the style of animation used here, it's so very gothic and dark yet claustrophobic in a way. It does a fantastic job of building the tension and sort of putting us in the mind of the crazy Man. It's only 8 minutes long so it's definitely to the point, and the story is told through narration. It manages to be a bit creepy, and interesting definitely worth a viewing, I wish there were more like this one but alas I haven't seen any.

Availability:  not on DVD I believe

Horrors Of The Black Museum (1959) aka The Crime In The Museum Of Horrors

4 / 5 Sept '10
Tagline: It Actually Puts YOU In The Picture - Can You Stand It?
Directed by: Arthur Crabtree
Written by: Herman Cohen, Aben Kandel
Actors include: Michael Gough, June Cunningham, Graham Curnow
Genre: Horror
Length: 95 minutes
Banned: Nope

Review:
This definitely has it's high points and it's low points unfortunately, I didn't like it as much as Arthur Crabtree's Fiend Without a Face but it's darned close. This is a film about a murderer who is using rather odd antiques rigged to kill which is absolutely the best part. The beginning sequence with the binoculars was brilliant and one of the best I'd seen in a while. In fact the deaths in general were rather bloody (especially for the time) and shocking which I loved. It also did have a rather amusing sense of humor in several ways, when this movie was on point it was really on. What was the downfall here is too much chatty cop drama, boring as humanly possible and it seems like they try to cram as many words into a sentence as they can. The fact that the cops are nearly speaking in monotone doesn't help matters anyway. I'm impressed they went as far as they did and the absurdity of it was really wonderful, I wish there were more films from this time with this sort of violence. The gimmick used for the release of this film was "Hypnovision", not sure what that means as it wasn't a part of the dvd version I watched. Overall it's well worthwhile for horror fans, this has a little something extra even though parts are admittedly boring.

Availability:  On DVD

Attack Of The Crab Monsters (1957)

3 / 5 Mar '10
Tagline: From the depths of the sea... a tidal wave of terror!
Directed by: Roger Corman
Written by: Charles B. Griffith
Actors include: Richard Garland, Pamela Duncan, Russell Johnson
Genre: Sci-fi, Horror
Length: 62 minutes
Banned: Nope

Review:
Oh it's pretty cheesy and if it had been any longer than 62 minutes I might have had to drop my rating slightly but it's a slick to the point monster film and nothing more. It's cheap surely, but it's an early Roger Corman flick, what does one expect? Considering how early this is it does have a bit of blood and disaster in it, and the crab monsters do look menacing I suppose. The monster in this case (as was the case with many films of this time) was created because of the H-Bomb but the unusual thing about these crab creatures is that they can imitate the voices and thoughts from the people they kill. Sort of an odd twist that I liked to the whole thing, however generic in some ways it feels. This isn't going to make a heck of a lot of sense to anyone nor is it one of the best science fiction pieces, but there is something entertaining about it but that's the Corman in it I think. Worth a view for genre fans but not necessary for most I'd say.

Availability:  On DVD

Corridors Of Blood (1958)

4.5 / 5 Mar '10
Tagline: Tops In Terror!
Directed by: Robert Day
Written by: Jean Scott Rogers
Actors include: Boris Karloff, Betta St. John, Christopher Lee
Genre: Drama, Horror
Length: 86 minutes
Banned: Nope

Review:
Although it's not really a horror movie in the big picture, it's a depressing drama with horrific elements more like. Oh I should mention this is a period piece, and a rather well made one at that and I'm not sure how historically accurate it is but it's interesting none the less. Boris Karloff is wonderful as Dr. Thomas Bolton, the kindly Doctor who in his free time experiments in order to find a way to make surgery painless. Bolton finally is onto something and sets up a demonstration with the Medical board, only it goes very badly and from then on he finds nobody wants to listen to him. Particularly when he refines his breakthrough and is desperate to help people but isn't allowed. Other issues arise when Dr. Bolton becomes addicted to the substances he's experimenting with and well things go more downhill from there. He ends up being forced to deal with scummy folks similar to Burke & Hare (one is played by Christopher Lee in one of his earliest roles). I was truly surprised what a great actor Karloff really is, this proves it. Although this may not appeal to every horror fan I think fans of good movies should definitely enjoy this.

Availability:  On DVD

The Tingler (1959)

3 / 5  Mar '10

Tagline: In Screamarama
Directed by: William Castle
Written by: Rob White
Actors include: Vincent Price, Judith Evelyn, Darryl Hickman
Genre: Horror, Sci-Fi
Length: 82 minutes
Banned: Finland

Review:
I do tend to like William Castle's films, but this one surprised me in that I wasn't impressed with it. I think the gimmick really hinders watching this from home, it was filmed in percepto vision (which means joy buzzers in some seats of the theatre originally) which is supposed to make random audience members scream. The plot is that Vincent Price is a pathologist who discovers that we all have "tinglers" in our spines that will sever them and kill us if we don't scream to release our fear. Obviously the science in this is as bunk as you can get, and it's actually laughable but really if anything I did laugh quite a few times during this, it's more of a cheesy comedy I suppose. One neat thing is that a part of the film features colored blood (it's filmed in black and white) and the actual tingler (that looks like a giant plastic centipede) is not what I expected. It's campy and it does have that element of fun but it's far from something I can imagine being scared by no matter what year it was. I think this might be way more fun to go to during a midnight showing with actual percepto vision. Sadly this one was a disappointment, but I wouldn't say avoid either because I'm in the minority with my opinion I think.

Availability:  On DVD

The Black Scorpion (1957)

3 / 5 Feb '10
Tagline: DON'T BE ASHAMED TO SCREAM - IT HELPS TO RELIEVE THE TENSION
Directed by: Edward Ludwig
Written by: Robert Blees, David Duncan
Actors include: Richard Denning, Mara Corday, Carlos Rivas
Genre: Horror, Sci-Fi
Length: 88 minutes
Banned: Nope

Review:
Not bad, okay well it's a sort of half and half really. See all of the talking and the lead-up to the "invasion" are duller than dirt. The characters are absolutely boring and there is a ton of pointless scientific jargon that I dare anyone to pay attention to. It's really like a cheaper less exciting retelling of Them! when it all comes down. After volcanic activity occurs, giant evil black scorpions and other large creatures (like worms and spiders) come out of the earth and begin their attack! The giant scorpion really does resemble the box art (which I love) and the effects are much better than one might think even though they reuse a lot of the same footage. There are at least dueling scorpions, a cavern of danger and several other things to look forward to. It's worth the wait so long as one is patient enough to get to the action over halfway into the film, it's just a shame because it really could have been awesome!

Availability:  On DVD

Black Cat Mansion (1958) aka Borei kaibyo yashiki aka The Mansion of the Ghost Cat

3.5 / 5 Feb '10
Tagline: N/A
Directed by: Nobuo Nakagawa
Written by: Jiro Fujishima, Yoshihiro Ishikawa
Actors include: Toshio Hosokawa, Midori Chikuma, Yuriko Ejima
Genre: Drama, Horror
Length: 69 minutes
Banned: Nope

Review:
This is a rather unusual film in many ways, it's half in black & white and half in color (oddly it's the flashback part that's in color?). It starts out with a Doctor and his wife who've moved out in the country for peace and quiet to this eerie home. People start seeing this elderly ghost woman who keeps trying to strangle the ailing wife. Then we flashback to the history of the house and the curse, we meet the evil Lord Shogen who has tons of power and is very violent. He plays a game called Go (which appears like pebble checkers perhaps) and in a violent disagreement he kills his opponent. His ghost comes back to warn his wife that Lord Shogen was to blame for his demise but it doesn't stop there. Shogen abuses the wife and drives her to insanity and death, but not before she makes her cat & it's generations take revenge on family members of Lord Shogen. The black and white segments are actually creepy and very atmospheric, the color segments are more lively but unfortunately the "cat" effects are pretty hilariously cheesy. Considering this was 1958 it's very advanced and even violent picture, it's quite lovely to look at. It's just very short, rather strange and somewhat muddled I suppose, still worth a viewing, especially for fans of early Asian cinema. I'm shocked this seems like a very unknown flick, it's rather amusing and absurd in a good way.

Availability:  On DVD however I'm not sure which region or where to get it

Fiend Without A Face (1958)

4 / 5 Dec '09
Tagline: New Horrors! Mad Science Spawns Evil Fiends! ...Taking form before your horrified eyes!
Directed by: Arthur Crabtree
Written by: Herbert J. Leder, Amelia Reynolds Long
Actors include: Marshall Thompson, Kynaston Reeves, Kim Parker
Genre: Sci-Fi, Horror
Length: 75 minutes
Banned: Sweden

Review:
So this starts out rather slow, a whole bunch of chatting and invisible monster attacks dominate the first part of the film. See the idea is that a Scientist is experimenting with powers and nuclear power and he creates something new. The new "thing" escapes from the lab and beings multiplying and attacking people by sucking their spinal cords and brains out. A bunch of locals are dying and blame is being thrown around but it's only when they discover this "mental vampire" monster is responsible that things really take off. Once we can finally see the culprit it's impossible to not be impressed, some of the best effects I've seen from a film so early. The monsters are creepy, and the film is gory and violent and all things exciting from that point on. Seriously at first I thought this would be dullsville but hang in there because this one is a really unique treasure.

Availability:  On DVD

20 Million Miles To Earth (1957) aka The Beast From Space

3 / 5 Dec '09
Tagline: Monster from outerspace runs wild!
Directed by: Nathan Juran
Written by: Robert Creighton Williams, Christopher Knopf
Actors include: William Hopper, Joan Taylor, Frank Puglia
Genre: Sci-Fi, Horror, Fantasy
Length: 82 minutes
Banned: Nope

Review:
This was a disappointment, see I recently enjoyed The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms so why not try another Harryhausen flick? This one has quite an excellent reputation and after watching it I'm really puzzled as to why. It's about a Space ship that went to Venus that crash lands and it's cargo (an alien from Venus that is still an egg) is lost. A snot nosed little boy named Pepe who I seriously want to beat to a pulp finds it and sells it to a Scientist so he can have a cowboy hat (sigh). Of course it grows gigantic because it's not used to our atmosphere and it makes elephant noises and even fights an elephant for a long period of time. Sometimes the effects look good but overall I wasn't that impressed unfortunately. I actually think the characters are what made me so frustrated with it, that and poor pacing and plenty of dull drama too. It has it's moments but there just aren't enough to make this an exciting science fiction flick.

Availability:  On DVD & Blu-Ray

The Day The Earth Stood Still (1951)

4.5 / 5 Dec '09
Tagline:  A robot and a man . . . hold the world spellbound with new and startling powers from another planet!
Directed by: Robert Wise
Written by: Edmund H. North, Harry Bates
Actors include: Michael Rennie, Patricia Neal, Hugh Marlowe
Genre: Sci-Fi, Drama, Thriller
Length: 92 minutes
Banned: Nope

Review:
Although certainly heavy handed and riddled with morality it's still a fascinating science fiction classic. I think what makes it so special (and frightening) is that it feels like this is the way it would play out in reality unfortunately. Right off the hop we are informed of a UFO flying overhead which quickly lands on earth. Everyone gathers to see the alien (who likes just like a Man) and a Robot who come out of the spacecraft. The Man proclaims he brings peace but of course our lousy people shoot at him and he starts to get a more realistic portrayal of what is wrong with earth. See the Man is able to infiltrate society and befriends a nice Mother and young Boy who help him on his quest. He wishes for our Nations to unite for the news they have brought us, but when they learn of our reluctance to join hands the mood is changed. The Robot looks particularly cool as does the spacecraft although rather simply designed they are very effective. The characters are compelling and it's a very easy film to watch to say the least. I do think there are better early science fiction films but this one should appeal to a wider audience as it really does make a great point. Definitely worth your time no matter what kind of films you like!

Availability:  On DVD and Blu-Ray

The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms (1953) aka Monster From Beneath The Sea

4 / 5 Dec '09
Tagline: It's alive!
Directed by: Eugene Lourie
Written by: Ray Bradbury, Fred Freiberger
Actors include: Lee Van Cleef, Paul Hubschmid, Paula Raymond
Genre: Sci-Fi, Horror
Length: 80 minutes
Banned: Nope

Review:
After an atomic test bomb thingy goes off a gigantic Rhedosaurus wakes up from his frozen sleep and starts terrorizing the cities and buildings of New York. It's actually rather similar to ゴジラ [Godzilla] but actually since this was 1953 it came first! I believe super stop-motion genius Ray Harryhausen even claimed that ゴジラ [Godzilla] ripped this one off! The effects are most impressive, the dinosaur is big and menacing and has some decent munches, snatches and destruction behind him. We are even treated to a fight between an octopus and a whale of sorts! It's a bit wooden on start-up but hold on to your had because it has a thrilling finale, rollercoaster action and some definitely amusing moments. This was based around a short story from Ray Bradbury so it's pretty darned interesting as one might imagine. I think this is a public domain flick or at least it's available for next to nothing just about anywhere I go. Grab it up, it's definitely one of the better early sci-fi flicks!

Availability:  On DVD

The War Of The Worlds (1953)

4.5 / 5 Dec '09
Tagline: Amazing! terrifying! The most savage spectacle of all time!
Directed by: Byron Hasking
Written by: H.G. Wells, Barré Lyndon
Actors include: Gene Barry, Ann Robinson, Les Tremayne
Genre: Science Fiction, Horror
Length: 84 minutes
Banned: Nope

Review:
This was one heck of an exciting alien invasion flick. The effects were actually amazing especially when one considers this was 1953! It's no wonder they won an Oscar for the effects work. From the city being destroyed to the actual aliens, it's all really effective and exciting. The idea is that an alien ship has landed (they look sorta like swans), and people are trying to greet them in peace...the only trouble is these aliens aren't exactly friendly. It's a non-stop fast paced destructive masterpiece, stuff being blown up and action galore! I was actually surprised this was in color (as I'd always assumed it was black and white) but it's very vivid, the actors do a good job in this and it's full of tension and thrills. I've never seen the remake but I probably would after this, definitely one of the best science fiction films I've seen.

Availability:  On DVD

Them! (1954)

4.5 / 5 Dec '09
Tagline: The Amazing New Warner Bros. Sensation!
Directed by: Gordon Douglas
Written by: Ted Sherdeman, Russell S. Hughes
Actors include: James Whitmore, Edmund Gwenn, Joan Weldon
Genre: Sci-Fi, Horror
Length: 94 minutes
Banned: Nope

Review:
Y'know, this has just about everything and it's one of the most thrilling sci-fi films I've seen yet. It's also frightening as far as the concept goes, although it seems ridiculous at first the more you think about it the more it seems surprisingly possible (kind of). At first we meet a little girl who can't speak (from terror!) and we watch as the Police are trying to investigate a series of break-ins and sugar thefts (hmmm). Of course as one can tell by merely looking at the cover it's a giant ant picture but considering the time the effects are reasonable, the destruction is great and it's a nice little warning about atomic bombs too! There are other factors at play too as they learn of who "Them" are are they willing to admit it to the public before it's too late? Do they stand a chance...does earth? See ants have a habit of killing some and enslaving others...what will be our fate? Maybe I enjoyed this so much because I had no expectations going in but then again maybe this is just a classic that is still exciting today!

Availability:  On DVD as part of a 2fer with "The Beast With 20,000 Fathoms"

The Beast With A Million Eyes (1955) aka The Beast with 1,000,000 Eyes

2 / 5 Nov '09
Tagline: Screaming Terror!
Directed by: David Kramarsky, Lou Place
Written by: Tom Filer
Actors include: Paul Birch, Lorna Thayer, Dona Cole
Genre: Sci-Fi, Horror
Length: 75 minutes
Banned: Nope

Review:

Apparently before making the film the director came up with this title and an interesting ad to go with. Since they liked it he created the film around the ad and title, but when he showed it to folks they were disappointed. I guess the ad was more interesting than the actual product. It starts out with a bitter evil housewife complaining of jealous feelings for her daughter (they live out in the middle of nowhere near mountains). They have a mute mild pervert living next door (who they feed and are mean to), and a loud noise happens disrupting everything (and breaks the good china!). After the noise nature seems to be attacking (birds, chickens, cows etc)...well by attacking, I mean coming towards! Apparently that requires shooting the animal? I'm sure this spawned many of the later nature gone bad movies, but this really does lack horror nearly entirely despite the situation. Heck the beast doesn't even ever really show up except for in blurry form and it appears he has 2 eyes, and is a tiny plastic thing...and that doesn't happen until the last 3 minutes of the film (though it's voice appears after an hour). Not very rewarding at all unfortunately but still I sat through it so that should count for something?

Availability:  On DVD or watch it for free online here:  http://www.hulu.com/the-beast-with-a-million-eyes

Attack of the Puppet People (1958) aka Six Inches Tall aka The Fantastic Puppet People

3 / 5 Nov '09
Tagline: Terror Comes In Small Packages!
Directed by: Bert I. Gordon
Written by: George Worthing Yates, Bert I. Gordon
Actors include: John Agar, John Hoyt, June Kenney
Genre: Science Fiction, Horror
Length: 79 minutes
Banned: Nope

Review:

Tee hee, only seconds in and I now think I know where the X-Ray Spex got the idea for their awesome album cover Germfree Adolescents. This also appears to be the inspiration for the flick Dolls came from. It takes place in a doll factory where special dolls in tubes look an awful lot like real people. As we watch the man behind the dolls hire a woman because she has no family or husband (or experience) we just know that something bad is in the cards for her. Of course she gets shrunk and kept with his other shrunken people (because he's lonely...duh!) but soon they plan a revolt! Sure the effects are super cheesy (people standing in tubes from far away shots or photos in tubes up close) and it's not exactly frightening in any way. Here's a question, if the people in the tubes look exactly like people who used to work for him...wouldn't someone notice? Anyhow it's far from scary, it has very little to do with puppets but well at least it was short and easy to sit through!

Availability:  On DVD or watch for free online here:  http://www.hulu.com/attack-of-the-puppet-people

House on Haunted Hill (1959)

4 / 5 Nov '09
Tagline: See it with someone with warm hands!
Directed by: William Castle
Written by: Robb White
Actors include: Vincent Price, Carol Ohmart, Richard Long
Genre: Horror
Length: 75 minutes
Banned: Finland

 

Review:

Vincent Price starts us off as saying he's rented a haunted house for his wife's party of 5 strangers, whomever survives the night will earn 10,000 dollars each! They will be locked in at midnight and the caretakers will abandon them so they can't leave...spooooky! Nobody seems to know who the fellow throwing the party is, and nobody seems to know one another making for an interesting experience of course. The house is the main character, it has ghostly moving chandeliers, bleeding ceilings, acid vat, doors that close themselves and many other little quirks. The caretaker is even somewhat creepy (for the time mind you). It's gimmicky (it's a William Castle picture, of course it is!) but it's clear and concise, darkly funny and easy to watch. If you like Vincent Price then you will like this movie, I can almost guarantee it!

Availability:  On DVD or watch it for free online here:  http://www.hulu.com/house-on-haunted-hill