Whoever Slew Auntie Roo? (1971) aka Who Slew Auntie Roo?

4 / 5 July '10
Tagline: She's Taking A STAB At Motherhood!
Directed by: Curtis Harrington
Written by: Robert Blees, David D. Osborn
Actors include: Mark Lester, Shelley Winters, Chloe Franks
Genre: Horror, Thriller
Length: 91 minutes
Banned: Nope

Review:
Now this is rather like a Hammer telling of Hansel & Gretel, only of course it isn't really from the Hammer company. It's got a rather lavish production set in England in the '20s. Shelley Winters hams it up as Mrs. Forrest, a rather rich Woman who lives in a gingerbread house (not literally but it looks that way). She torments herself with visions of her daughter's freak accident that killed her because she loves children so. She loves them so much that every year she invites a group of orphans to her house to celebrate and extravagant Christmas. This year two orphans Christopher (Mark Lester...yes Oliver!) and Katy (Chloe Franks) sneak into the party, and when Mrs. Forrest sees how much Katy reminds her of her deceased daughter well trouble brews. It's kind of a slow start, but stick with it will more than pay off, it really does pick up steam. The actors are awesome and fun to watch, the story has a bit of humor in it plus it's a camp lovers dream!

Availability:  On DVD as part of a 2fer with What's The Matter With Helen?

Dr. Phibes Rises Again (1972)

3 / 5 Jun '10
Tagline: Flesh crawls! Blood curdles! Phibes lives!
Directed by: Robert Fuest
Written by: Robert Fuest, Robert Blees
Actors include: Vincent Price, Robert Quarry, Peter Cushing
Genre: Horror
Length: 89 minutes
Banned: Nope

Review:
Although I did really like the first installment of the Phibes series, this didn't really work for me. It begins with Phibes waking up three years later and discovering that his house is demolished and his papyrus scrolls are missing. He finds the culprit and starts his trek to Egypt with his assistant Vulnavia in order to awaken his dead wife. Of course he needs to punish the folks who stole his scrolls which is where the fun comes in. The deaths are yes ambitious, over the top and completely implausible. Sure some creativity is involved and Price is quite enjoyable to watch but watching him go on length narration through a talk box (he can't talk) isn't very thrilling. It just seemed rather lackluster especially considering the talent involved, I was disappointed.

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