The Mad Doctor of Blood Island is a 1968 Filipino science fiction horror feature film, co-directed by Eddie Romero and Gerardo de Leon from a screenplay by Reuben Canoy. The movie stars John Ashley, Angelique Pettyjohn and Ronald Remy.

It was the third in a series of four Filipino horror films produced by Romero and Kane W. Lynn known as the “Blood Island” series, which also included Terror Is a Man, Brides of Blood and Beast of Blood. It was re-issued as Grave Desires and also released as Tomb of the Living Dead.

American pathologist Dr. Bill Foster (John Ashley) is on a ship to Blood Island to investigate a strange chlorophyll disease that has afflicted the population. Meanwhile, Sheila Willard (Angelique Pettyjohn) has travelled to the island to reunite with her estranged father. The captain of their ship claims that the place is cursed and recounts a story of a native they picked up on a raft who “turned into a raving lunatic” and bled green blood after being shot, before he escaped into the sea…

Reviews:

” …this Filipino-lensed mishmash of Weird Tales-style pulp adventure and ’60s-era exploitation has a loopy charm that will be best appreciated by fans of low-budget horror. The special effects, while subpar by Hollywood standards, are appropriately gooey, and actresses Alicia Alonso and Angelique Pettyjohn provide sufficient eye candy…” Paul Gaita, AllMovie

“It’s kind of fun in that sleazy drive-in sense, but I found the annoying camera tricks whenever the monster shows up (we get rapid zoom-in-zoom-out-zoom-in-zoom-out-etc. effects) is almost nauseating, and not in a fun way. There’s also a fair amount of nudity to add to the gore…” Dave Sindelar, Fantastic Movie Musings and Ramblings

“Hardly any of the actresses manage to escape from the film without either taking off their clothes for the camera or shooting a scene which ends with them lying in a heap of offal and stage blood— and in most cases, the one is followed directly by the other. It was awfully intense for the 60’s, and is nothing to scoff at even today. Consequently, if you judge a drive-in movie by its power to shock and offend, Mad Doctor of Blood Island deserves high marks indeed.” 1000 Misspent Hours and Counting

” …the best of the “Blood Island” movies. Here, the pacing is better, as the movie moves at a decent clip. Also, the exploitation elements have been ramped up, as we get more nudity, and more gore. Severed limbs, decapitation, mutilation and exposed innards are the name of the game here. Also, while Brides tends to get a bit talky, Mad Doctor is more dedicated to action and cheap thrills…” Talk of Horrors

“Romero gets a Pavlovian response out of his audience every time the monster shows up, because whenever it is about to attack, the camera gets real shaky and zoomy. The shaky cam stuff is kinda cool at first, but Romero goes a little overboard with it sometimes and it’s enough to make you dizzy. The green faced zombie himself is pretty cool looking…” Mitch Lovell, The Video Vacuum

Choice dialogue:

Dr. Lorca: “When he comes to… give him some hot soup. And no green vegetables, of course.”

Dr. Lorca: “My dear Dr. Foster, you talk like a lovesick shop girl. We all rot away in the end.”

Cast and characters:

• John Ashley … Dr. Bill Foster
• Angelique Pettyjohn … Sheila Willard – Biohazard
• Ronald Remy … Dr. Lorca
• Alicia Alonzo … Marla
• Ronaldo Valdez … Carlos Lopez
• Tita Muñoz … Mrs. Lopez
• Tony Edmunds … Mr. Willard
• Alfonso Carvajal … Ramu
• Bruno Punzalan … Razak
• Edward D. Murphy … Captain
• Eddie Garcia … The monster

Promotion:

A prologue to the film suggested that attendees partake in a bizarre initiation, and each patron was given a free packet of coloured liquid labelled “green blood”. At a certain point, the audience was told to “recite the oath of green blood” as they tore open the little packets and drank the coloured liquid inside. By doing this, the viewer could safely watch “the unnatural green-blooded ones without fear of contamination”. The prologue was filmed at Clark Air Base in Manila using American teenagers.

Release:

Mad Doctor was released in the USA in 1969 on a double-bill with the 1967 West German horror film Blood Demon.

In 1969, a practice arose in some states (Rhode Island, in particular) wherein the local newspapers began omitting the word “blood” from the titles of films they were advertising. In certain areas, Mad Doctor was advertised as The Mad Doctor of Crimson Island and Blood Demon became The Crimson Demon.

Image Entertainment released Mad Doctor on DVD in 2002, featuring a commentary track by Sam Sherman and an interview with co-director Eddie Romero.

On 23 October 2018, Severin Films is releasing Mad Doctor on Blu-ray as part of the Blood Island Collection

Some image credits: Video Collector

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Brides of Blood – Philippines, 1968

Beast of Blood aka Blood Devils – Philippines, 1970

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Vampirella vs. ReAnimator is a 2018 Dynamite Entertainment comic book mini-series written by Cullen Bunn and Blacky Shepherd with artwork by the latter.

The first issue of Vampirella vs. ReAnimator is released on December 12, 2018. There are four different cover designs by Johnny Desjardins, Stuart Sayger, Blacky Shepherd, and a cosplay cover.

Here’s the synopsis:

“It’s the big question of 2018: How could Vampirella and the ReAnimator not have met before now?!!?! Herbert West – the Reanimator – has long sought the secret to perfecting his reagent and break death’s hold on mankind once and for all. The key to his success lies in only one place – the forbidden tomb of the Aztec god of death!

But disturbing sleeping gods is as troubling (to put it mildly) as raising the uncontrollable, murderous dead… especially when this deity is an ancient enemy of Vampirella of Drakulon! It’s vampire versus mad scientist in a battle that threatens to tear the gates of the underworld asunder!”

Related:

Re-Animator

Vampirella

Source: Broke Horror Fan

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‘Once it sees your soul it hunts your flesh’

Discarnate is a 2018 American supernatural horror feature film directed by Italian-born Mario Sorrenti from a screenplay co-written with Marcella Ochoa. The movie stars Thomas Kretschmann, Nadine Velazquez, Josh Stewart and Bex Taylor-Klaus.

A neuroscientist’s obsession with a drug that expands the human mind inadvertently unleashes a deadly supernatural force on his team…

Reviews:

“ …Discarnate is an engaging and rather unique supernatural monster movie. However, originality and strong performances from a good ensemble, can’t overcome a lack of focus as far as a sympathetic central character. But the film’s chalk full of dread, spooky atmosphere and a creepy aesthetic – complete with some very well-done “boo” moments and fantastic special effects. It’s a fun ride…” Michael Klug, Horrorfreak News

“The discarnate (Olivier De Sagazan, Mick Ignis) is a cool creature with creepy movements […] There are also a lot of needle injection shots, so if needles are your greatest fear then Discarnate will be an endurance test. Lighting and sound have some technical issue but you can see and hear everything. More importantly, the story and performances are solid…” Fred Sopel, We Live Entertainment

Cast and characters:

• Thomas Kretschmann … Dr. Andre Mason
• Nadine Velazquez … Maya Sanchez
• Josh Stewart … Casey Blackburn
• Bex Taylor-Klaus … Violette Paich
• Chris Coy … Travis Sherman
• Mick Ignis … Creature Double
• Jessica Morris … Female Ghost
• Cassandra Clark … Rebecca Mason
• Jake Vaughn … Benny Mason
• Isiah Adams … Teen Ghost
• Matthew Munroe … Shane Sherman
• Josh Harp … Ghoul
• Olivier De Sagazan … Discarnate Entity
• Ashton Amaba … Demon
• Bamm Ericsen … Creole Man / Dark Figure

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‘Spend the night with a madman.’

I, Madman – aka Hardcover – is a 1989 American horror feature film directed by Hungarian-born Tibor Takács (Spiders 3D; Ice Spiders; Mosquito Man; The Gate and The Gate II: Trespassers) from a screenplay by David Chaskin (The Curse; A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy’s Revenge). The movie stars Jenny Wright, Clayton Rohner and Randall William Cook.

Review:

Jenny Wright stars as Virginia, an aspiring actress who makes ends meet by working in a used bookstore. (I’m not sure how much money the typical used bookstore employee makes but I have to say that Virginia’s apartment is absolutely to die for.)

Virginia is also dating a police detective named Richard (Clayton Rohner), who is handsome and sweet and looks good in a suit. In fact, the only problem with Richard is that he thinks that Virginia spends too much time reading trashy horror novels. According to him, they give her nightmares and they cause her imagination to run wild!

Richard’s not going to be happy to discover that Virginia has a new favourite author. His name is Malcolm Brand and, despite the fact that Virginia says that he’s better than Stephen King, he’s a mysteriously obscure author. In fact, no one but Virginia seems to have ever heard of him. Virginia has just finished reading Brand’s first book, Much of Madness, More of Sin. Now, she simply has to find his second book, which was called I, Madman. (Now, Much of Madness, More of Sin is a brilliant title. I, Madman on the other hand is a little bland, as far as titles go.)

When Virginia finally tracks down a copy of the book, she discovers that it is all about this mad scientist who falls in love with an actress. Because the scientist is horribly disfigured, the actress rejects him. So, the scientist starts killing people and stealing pieces of their faces, all so he can patch together a new face for himself.

It’s while she’s reading the book the strange things start to happen in Virginia’s life. For instance, the people around her start dying. When she witnesses one of her neighbours being murdered, she swears that the murder was committed by a man who had no nose… just like in the book! Richard thinks that she’s letting her imagination run wild but Virginia soon comes to wonder if maybe she’s being stalked by the real Malcolm Brand…

I, Madman is an entertaining little horror film, one that sometimes comes across as being an extended episode of something such as Tales from the Crypt. From the minute the movie started with Virginia curled up on her couch in her underwear, reading a trashy novel with her oversized reading glasses on and a storm raging outside, it felt as if they had made a movie out of my life! And really, this is one of the reasons why I, Madman makes such a good impression.

As played by Jenny Wright, Virginia serves as a stand-in for every horror fan who has ever read a scary novel and immediately imagined themselves as either the protagonist or the victim. Both Jenny Wright and Clayton Rohner give likable and quirky performances in the lead role and they’re surrounded by capable of character actors.

The movie itself is a bit of an homage to the suspense classics of the past. It’s easy to compare Malcolm Brand’s novel to The Phantom of the Opera while a scene in which Virginia watches her neighbour play piano brings to mind Hitchcock’s Rear Window.

When Virginia imagines herself as a character in one of Brand’s stories, the film even manages to work in some stop-motion animation.

Lisa Marie Bowman, HORRORPEDIA – guest reviewer via Through the Shattered Lens

Buy Blu-ray: Amazon.com

Other reviews:

“It’s clear that the director had a clear idea of what exactly it was that he wanted, and he certainly achieves some visual greatness as it’s a very well-shot movie, but it’s just not a perfect formula. The make-up effects and the sped up dolly shot in the hallway revealing Cook’s character with a large syringe are still effective to this day, so it’s a low budget movie with some problems but with some very memorable aspects.” The Digital Bits

“The movie may have an underwritten first third, a lot of unanswered questions and some ridiculous/unbelievable moments, but my interest never at any point started to wane (though there were some close calls.) I guess I’m giving the movie a recommendation, though a mild one.” Keith Baily, The Unknown Movies

Cast and characters:

• Jenny Wright … Virginia – The Lawnmower Man; Near Dark
• Clayton Rohner … Richard – Human Centipede III
• Randall William Cook … Dr. Alan Kessler / Malcolm Brand
• Stephanie Hodge … Mona
• Michelle Jordan … Colette
• Vance Valencia … Sgt. Navarro
• Mary Baldwin … Librarian
• Raf Nazario [as Rafael Nazario]… Lyle, Hotel Clerk
• Bob Frank … Hotel Manager
• Bruce Wagner … Pianist
• Kevin Best … Black Actor
• Steven Memel … Lenny
• Vincent Lucchesi … Lt. Garber
• Murray Rubin … Sidney Zeit
• Tom Badal … Composite Artist

Filming locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Image credits: Wrong Side of the Art!

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Frankenstein is a 1910 American science fiction horror short silent film written and directed by J. Searle Dawley for Edison Studios.

It was the first motion picture adaptation of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. The uncredited cast included Augustus Phillips as Dr. Frankenstein, Charles Ogle as the Monster, and Mary Fuller as the doctor’s fiancée. The production was deliberately designed to de-emphasise the horrific aspects of the story and focus “…upon the mystic and psychological problems that are to be found in this weird tale.”

Plot:

Frankenstein, a young student, is seen bidding his sweetheart and father goodbye, as he is leaving home to enter a college in order to study the sciences. Shortly after his arrival at college he becomes absorbed in the mysteries of life and death to the extent of forgetting practically everything else.

His great ambition is to create a human being, and finally one night his dream is realized. He is convinced that he has found a way to create a most perfect human being that the world has ever seen. We see his experiment commence and the development of it in a vat of chemicals from a skeletal being. To Frankenstein’s horror, instead of creating a marvel of physical beauty and grace, there is unfolded before his eyes and before the audience an awful, ghastly, abhorrent monster.

As he realises what he has done Frankenstein rushes from the room as the monster moves through the doors Frankenstein has placed before the vat. The misshapen monster peers at Frankenstein through the curtains of his bed. He falls fainting to the floor, where he is found by his servant, who revives him…

Library of Congress blog:

“Rarely has the arrival of a film at the Library’s Packard Campus for Audio Visual Conservation occasioned as much anticipation as the day in April 2015 when we accessed into our collection the sole surviving nitrate print of the first cinematic adaptation of “Frankenstein.” It’s not because the film, produced in 1910 by the Edison Manufacturing Company, is all that revelatory—it’s most decidedly not—or because it’s especially rare, as a quick search on YouTube will attest. Rather, this is an instance in which the story of how a particular reel came to be in our collection is more interesting than the film itself.

As an acquisitions officer, I work a lot with collectors and have a great deal of respect for them. If it weren’t for collectors, huge chunks of film history would have vanished forever; in many ways, our Silent Film Project is a testament to them. But, sometimes, I have to explain to eager sellers that there’s a difference between rarity and value; just because there’s only one print of a particular film doesn’t mean the print has much monetary value if there’s no market for it.

The nitrate print of “Frankenstein” does, however, have market value, based not only on rarity, since it truly does seem to be the single extant print, but also crucially on the cultural durability of Mary Shelley’s 1818 creation, whose bicentennial we celebrate this year.

The print also comes with a bit of notoriety because of its previous owner: Alois F. “Al” Dettlaff of Cudahy, Wisconsin. He acquired the print as part of a larger collection in the 1950s, but he wasn’t aware of the film’s significance until the American Film Institute included “Frankenstein” on a list of “top 10 most wanted lost films” in 1980.

I never met Dettlaff, but it seems like everyone in film collecting circles has a story. Often they’re about the “Father Time” character he enjoyed portraying at film conventions, compete with robe, scythe and hourglass to complement his long white beard.

He was exceptionally protective of the “Frankenstein” print, traveling with it to film festivals and monster conventions. He even took it to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in 1986, where academy president and famed director Robert Wise was unable to convince him to let the reel be properly preserved and archived. Eventually, Dettlaff had the film transferred to DVDs he would sell at his appearances, and it’s rips from that DVD you can find on YouTube. Dettlaff died at home in 2005 surrounded by his film collection, including “Frankenstein,” still unpreserved.

Until now, that is.

The Library purchased the Dettlaff Collection in 2014. It is full of titles we are delighted to add to our holdings, but we were especially interested to see “Frankenstein,” joking that perhaps it might arrive from Wisconsin on a bed of spun gold.

While it came in a fairly nondescript can, it didn’t take us long to get the reel into our film preservation lab for a 2K scan in advance of photochemical preservation. From that 2K scan, we worked on a digital restoration. The film’s head credits and the first intertitle were missing, but fortunately the Edison Historic Site in East Orange, New Jersey, had a copy of the head credit we could drop into place; the intertitle was recreated using the style of the other titles. We asked Donald Sosin, a highly regarded silent film composer and accompanist, to provide a score.” Mike Mashon, head of the Moving Image Section of the Motion Picture, Broadcasting and Recorded Sound Division

Reviews:

‘Charles Ogle’s “monster” is of course the centrepiece of Frankenstein. This ragged, shambling entity, with unkempt hair and claw-like hands that look forward to Nosferatu, is an oddly effective creation – not least because Ogle, responsible for his own make-up, did as Jack Pierce would later do for Karloff, and left his own expressive features visible.’ And You Call Yourself a Scientist review

‘It’s a simple film that has a few good tricks up its sleeve, and definitely worth the twelve minutes to see such an early cinematic example of monster-as-metaphor storytelling.’ garbolaughs.wordpress.com review

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‘Triple distilled horror… as powerful as a vat of acid!’

Scream and Scream Again is a 1969 (released January 1970) science fiction horror feature film directed by Gordon Hessler from a screenplay by Christopher Wicking (To the Devil a Daughter; Demons of the Mind; Blood from the Mummy’s Tomb; et al), adapted from Peter Saxon‘s novel The Disorientated Man. 

Rights to the novel had been bought by Milton Subotsky of Amicus Productions. He obtained  financing via Louis ‘Deke’ Heyward, head of European operations for American International Pictures (AIP). Subotsky’s script was subsequently disregarded in favour of a Christopher Wicking version. Director Gordon Hessler commented:

“That was really a pulp book, a throwaway book that you read on a train. There was nothing in it, just empty pieces of action. But it was Chris who gave it a whole new level by using it as a political process of what might happen in the future. That is what made the picture, he’s the one that came up with all those ideas, yet he still managed to keep the nuances of the sort of pulp fiction novel.”

Director Gordon Hessler had previously made The Oblong Box with horror stars Vincent Price and Christopher Lee. However, here they only share a brief scene in at the climax, however. Third-billed Peter Cushing has a cameo role as Benedek, a military official in an unidentified Eastern European country.

Buy Blu-ray: Amazon.com

On April 2, 2019, KL Studios is releasing Scream and Scream Again as a Blu-ray Special Edition with an audio commentary by film historian Tim Lucas, Trailer from Hell with Mick Garris, plus a slew of trailers such as Tales of Terror; Twice Told Tales; Madhouse and House of Long Shadows.

Review [contains spoilers]:

Scream and Scream Again follows three seemingly unconnected stories.

In the first — and, the most disturbing — story, an unnamed London man collapses while out jogging.  When he wakes up, he finds himself in hospital.  He is tended to by a nurse who refuses to speak to him.  Whenever he falls asleep, his limbs are surgically removed one-by-one.  While we never learn much about the man, his scenes are perhaps the most difficult to watch.  Everything from the starkness of the hospital to the nurse’s lack of concern and empathy for her patient contributes towards making these some of the most genuinely nightmarish scenes that I’ve ever seen.

While the unnamed jogger is being slowly taken apart, the police are far more interested in solving the “Vampire Killer” case. Keith (Michael Gothard) is a serial killer who picks up young women in nightclubs and then drinks their blood.  When, after an exciting and lengthy chase, the police finally do catch him, they handcuff Keith to a car bumper.  However, he responds by ripping off his own hand,  running off and jumping into a vat of acid!  The investigation eventually leads to an eminent scientist named Dr. Browning (Vincent Price).  However, Fremont (Christopher Lee), the head of the British Intelligence Service (in a role he partly reprised in Death Line, 1972), orders the police to drop the case because Browning is apparently doing very important work for the government.

Meanwhile, in an unnamed country in Eastern Europe, secret police officer Konratz (Marshall Jones) ruthlessly climbs his way to the top of the service by torturing defectors and murdering his superiors (including Peter Cushing).  When a British spy is captured in his country, Konratz contacts Fremont and offers to exchange the spy for all the information that Scotland Yard has gathered about the Vampire Killer case…

Perhaps the best way to describe Scream and Scream Again would be “joyfully chaotic.”  The film’s three separate storylines do all come together during the final ten minutes and the film’s climax does make a lot more sense than it really has any right to but, up until that moment, a lot of the pleasure from Scream and Scream Again comes from seeing just how many different plots and subplots director Gordon Hessler can juggle in one film without losing the audience.  Fortunately, the film is a wonderfully entertaining horror/sci-fi/conspiracy hybrid, one that remains compulsively watchable despite the fact that it often doesn’t make much sense.

Of course, one of the main reasons to see Scream and Scream Again is because it features three icons of horror cinema.  Unfortunately, Cushing isn’t on-screen long enough to make much of an impression while Lee basically just has an extended cameo.  Vincent Price doesn’t show up much until fairly late into the film but once he does, he wastes no time in making an impression.  Even by the standard of Vincent Price, his performance in this film is a bit over-the-top.

But you know what?

It’s exactly the performance that this film needs.  The film itself is so joyfully chaotic and disjointed that Price fits right in.  The triumph of Scream and Scream Again is that it creates (and makes us believe in) a world where it only makes sense that the final solution would lie with Vincent Price.

Finally, Scream and Scream Again serves as a wonderful time capsule for those of us who may be fascinated by the swinging 60s and 70s but, as a result of being born a few decades too late, will never get a chance to experience them firsthand.  For us, Scream and Scream Again will always be worth it for the scenes of Keith getting his mod on at a London nightclub.  

Scream and Scream Again is a film that everyone should see at least once in their life.  Just don’t go jogging afterwards…

Lisa Marie Bowman, HORROREPEDIA – guest reviewer via Through the Shattered Lens

Other reviews:

“The naïvely paranoid politics of the script are made irrelevant by the fragmentation of the narrative threads, which break the film up into some effectively staged but isolated fantasy sequences, anticipating the shock sequences later adopted by splatter movies.” Phil Hardy (editor), The Aurum Film Encyclopedia: Horror

“If you want a slightly mad, fast-paced mystery with outbursts of violent horror and a screeching car chase, here it is. You’ll even see that most cliched of sexual symbolism, the suggestive fondling of the sports car gearstick…” Mark Hodgson, Black Hole DVD Reviews

“There is no central character, and viewers are expected to be satisfied by 1) the various mysteries, and 2) the style, including groovy 1960s visuals, soundtrack and accoutrements including a hot red convertible. The stylistic elements resemble those of The Prisoner or The Avengers […] it is unique and worth the watch.” David Elroy Goldweber, Claws & Saucers

Buy: Amazon.co.uk | Amazon.com | Amazon.ca

“Stomach-churning thrill piece…” John Stanley, Creature Features

“Michael Gothard is also well cast (looking somewhat like the Mick Jagger of Altamont ) as the humanoid “vampire killer” Keith, stalking and mutilating women in fashionable mod England. Best of all is Alfred Marks as Superintendent Bellaver in a scene-stealing performance full of choice dialog.” George R. Reis, DVD Drive-In

” …Wicking’s final, Quatermass 2-style revelation – that of a high-powered British civil servant is a member of the super-race – does little to resolve the numerous enigmas that have gone before. As a result, Hessler has to rely on set-pieces to get him through, and fortunately they’re of a very high standard indeed.” Jonathan Rigby, English Gothic: A Century of Horror Cinema

Buy: Amazon.com | Amazon.co.uk | Amazon.ca

“It’s really rather ambitious in structure, juggling several story threads before winding them all together in the end. I just don’t think it does it very well. For the most part, the movie comes across as a confusing mess. One of the problems is that it becomes difficult to figure out who the main characters are.” Dave Sindelar, Fantastic Movie Musings and Ramblings

“Even though the central story is fairly straightforward, Christopher Wicking’s screenplay can grow quite confusing. Gordon Hessler’s direction … doesn’t hold up that well either. Everything features too many complications and needless detail.” John Soltes, Hollywood Soap Box

“With its ambitious structure, intriguing premise and prevailing sense of paranoia, Scream and Scream Again is a fascinating but frustratingly flawed film […] Although the complicated plot is mysterious enough to retain interest, by the time the narrative strands dovetail, the climax seems rather perfunctory and a bit disappointing.” James J. Mulay (editor), The Horror Film, Cinebooks, 1989

“It works neither as mystery nor as a horror film, despite sturdy playing by the principals who are left stranded by the script.” Alan Frank, The Horror Film Handbook, Batsford, 1982

” …neither difficult to follow, nor compulsively culty. The plot is certainly all over the place and there is a clear desire to find out what is going on that keeps one glued to it for the most part. Once all the clues fall into place, the film becomes rather straightforward and by no means incomprehensible […] Gordon Hessler’s direction is at best workmanlike…” Richard Scheib, Moria

‘ … it doesn’t really matter that much of it is nonsense, since it moves at a brisk pace and there are all those grand performances. The music is rather interesting, from the funky opening theme to the generic chase music, to the Amen Corner’s extended jams in the Busted Pot … If stoned plot development and structure are not an impediment , the Scream and Scream Again is worthy of the highest accolades.’ Wendell McKay, The Shrieking Sixties: British Horror Films 1960 – 1969

Buy The Shrieking Sixties: Amazon.co.uk | Amazon.com

“It may not make much sense until the very end (and even then…), but Scream and Scream Again holds your attention because of its barmy plotting, unexpected twists and deep suspicion of the authorities, which feeds the general air of paranoia. Listen for the weird dialogue such as “What can we do in five minutes?” Graeme Clark, The Spinning Image

“For awhile, the film feels like an anthology movie where all of the stories are intersected.  It’s sorta frustrating and pointless at first, but all the various plot threads do get wrapped up in the end.  Although some people might be turned off by this, I thought the movie was pretty amusing.” Mitch Lovell, The Video Vacuum

Choice dialogue:

Dr. Browning (Vincent Price): “God is dying all over the world. Man invented him, but man doesn’t need him anymore. Man is God now – as a matter of fact he always was.”

Cast and characters:

• Vincent Price … Dr. Browning
• Christopher Lee … Fremont
• Peter Cushing … Major Heinrich Benedek
• Judy Huxtable … Sylvia
• Alfred Marks … Detective Superintendent Bellaver
• Michael Gothard … Keith
• Anthony Newlands … Ludwig
• Peter Sallis … Schweitz
• Uta Levka … Jane
• Christopher Matthews … Dr. David Sorel – Scars of Dracula
• Judy Bloom … Helen Bradford
• Clifford Earl … Detective Sergeant Jimmy Joyce
• Kenneth Benda … Professor Kingsmill
• Marshall Jones … Konratz
• Amen Corner … themselves (rock band)
• Yutte Stensgaard … Erika – Lust for a Vampire; Burke & Hare
• Julian Holloway … Detective Constable Griffin
• Nigel Lambert … Ken Sparten

Other home viewing releases:

The Twilight Time Blu-ray release is limited to 3,000 units and  includes:

Isolated Score Track / Audio Commentary with Film Historians David Del Valle and Tim Sullivan / Gentleman Gothic: Gordon Hessler at AIP / An Interview with Uta Levka / Still Gallery / Radio Spot / Original Theatrical Trailer

Buy with The Oblong Box on DVD : Amazon.co.uk

Image credits: Jonny Sambuca from the Amicus, Tyburn, Tigon Film Lovers Facebook group | Museu do VHS | OriginalPosters.co.uk

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‘Fear will never be extinct’

Raptor is a 2001 American science fiction horror feature film directed by Jim Wynorski [as Jay Andrews] and John Blush (Sharkzilla; Chupacabra; Kraken) from a screenplay by Frances Doel, Michael B. Druxman and Jim Wynorski. The Roger Corman produced movie stars Eric Roberts, Corbin Bernsen, Melissa Brasselle and Tim Abell.

Plot:

When a series of unexplained vicious animal attacks strikes his community, Sheriff Jim Tanner and his assistant Barbara trace them back to a Dr. Hyde, a former military researcher whose government funding for a dinosaur cloning project was cut.

When the Pentagon discovers Hyde obtained foreign backing to continue his experiments, they send in a strike team to save Tanner and Barbara and stop Hyde…

Reviews:

“If this movie had been filmed using the actual props and costumes of the previous movies instead of horribly badly-integrated stock footage, it actually would have been a really good Carnosaur 4 or Carnosaur remake, as a lot of the actual plot itself was pretty good.” Jeffrey Long, The B-Movie Shelf

“The dialogue is ludicrously pathetic, the acting can barely be described as acting […], the editing is terrible, and the dinosaur effects consist of very rubbery costumes (at times, the velociraptors waddle about like toothy ducks). But every bit of the low budget, B-movie mediocrity spectacularly adds to the hilarity.” Mike Massie, Gone with the Twins

“Instead of watching a new cheap dinosaur flick, I was just bombarded with the ‘best’ bits of the Carnosaur films (using the term ‘best’ lightly) and then given some meaningless dialogue and meaningless new scenes to string them all together and pad out the running time.” Andrew Smith, Popcorn Pictures

“Raptor comes off as a cheap “best of” (figuratively speaking) version of the Carnosaur trilogy. Those who haven’t may enjoy the new storyline, but may find the weird jumps in logic and clips hard to follow. If you’re looking for a silly little dinosaur flick and enjoy suffering through cheap (un)special effects, wooden acting and plot holes a brontosaurus could walk through, then Raptor is for you.” Review-O-Matic

Cast and characters:

• Eric Roberts … Sheriff Jim Tanner – Sorority Slaughterhouse; Camp Dread; Sharktopus; et al
• Corbin Bernsen … Dr. Hyde – Vipers; Fangs; The Dentist; Tales from the Hood
• Melissa Brasselle … Barbara Phillips – Camel Spiders; The Wasp Woman; Sorceress; et al
• Tim Abell … Capt. Connellly
• William Monroe … Capt. York
• Harrison Paige … Deputy Ben Glover
• Lorissa McComas … Lola Tanner
• Frank Novack … Lyle Schell
• Grant Cramer … Josh McCoy
• Teresa DePriest … Karen
• Eric James … Brady
• James Cromwell … Benny
• Alexandra Raines Lewinson … Devinger
• GiGi Erneta … Henderson
• Adam Gordon … Deputy Mike Baltin
• Michael Cavanaugh … Col. Vandamar
• Ted Monte … Tommy Leonetti
• Robert Clotworthy … Doctor
• Richard Gabai … Lewis
• Tippy Lemond … Stadek
• Lenny Juliano … Morgue clerk
• Bruce Nozick … FBI agent
• Rod McCary … General Mayhem
• Brian Graham … Coroner
• Ivan Kraljevic … SWAT Lieutenant Nash
• Adam Lieberman … Deputy Balton
• Tony Voci … Helicopter Pilot

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‘Fear what’s inside you’

The Harrowing is a 2017 supernatural horror feature film written, produced and directed by Jon Keeyes (Fall Down Dead; Nightmare Box; Suburban Nightmare; Hallow’s End). The movie stars Matthew Tompkins, Arnold Vosloo, Arianne Martin and Michael Ironside.

Plot:

Accused of the ritualistic murder of his best friend, a vice detective bent on finding the truth is plunged into Hell when he goes undercover and discovers that demons might be real…

Background:

Jon Keeyes, writer and director of the film, says “We’ve carefully crafted an intelligent, suspenseful, tense thriller that will keep audiences on the edge of their seats while driving them down a road of psychological twists and turns. Right out of the gate, we pull them in with an explosive opening sequence, and then keep them guessing as the mystery unfolds until we blow their minds in the final moments. Being able to construct such an intricate puzzle like this – that is both entertaining and thought provoking – has been a joy.”

Matthew Tompkins, producer: “The Harrowing is carefully constructed to be a powerful synergy of elements that make it one of those rare ‘elevated’ genre films with true crossover appeal to a wide variety of hardcore fans…The film is a potent mix of horror and supernatural elements that underpin a very smart, disturbing, and complicated psychological thriller…the idea of being able to drive the narrative utilising all of these things, to truly pull that off, from both a commercial and artistic perspective, was a fantastic opportunity for us as filmmakers.”

Release:

Available on VOD via Film Mode Entertainment on December 25, 2018.

Main cast:

• Matthew Tompkins … Ryan Calhoun – Howlers; Nightmare Box
• Arnold Vosloo … Dr. Franklin Whitney – Odd Thomas; Bones
• Michael Ironside … Lt. Logan – Patient Seven; The Vagrant; Scanners; et al
• Arianne Martin … Anne Calhoun
• Damon Carney … Jack Myers – Hellraiser : Judgement
• Hayden Tweedie … Ella
• Erin Marie Garrett … Bethany
• John Walpole … Karl
• Morgana Shaw … Jessica
• Michael Crabtree … Dr. Hoch
• Susana Gibb … Nurse Decker
• James Cable … Roy Greenbaum
• Tom Zembrod … Max
• Brandi Price … Dana
• Stephanie Rhodes … Stephanie
• Gwendolynn Murphy … Detective Jennifer Wilson
• Chuck Huber … Detective Swinton
• Billy Blair … Clive
• Jason Riley Hoss … Guard Johnson
• Todd Crowell … Orderly Simmons
• Steven Markel … Congressman Dunning
• John D. Hickman … Mark (as John Hickman)
• Tommy Walker Kennedy … Officer Hodges
• Russell Rakestraw … Erik
• Paul Holmes … Shon
• M. Serrano … Orderly Rom
• Marisol Vera … Officer Vallejo

Production companies:

Wolfclan Productions
Highland Myst Entertainment
Cableye Cinematics

Filming locations:

Dallas, Texas, USA

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‘Like you’ve never been shocked, shocked, shocked before!’

The Evil of Frankenstein is a 1964 British science fiction horror feature film directed by Freddie Francis (Craze; Torture Garden; The Skull; et al) from a screenplay by producer Anthony Hinds [as John Elder]. The Hammer Films production stars Peter Cushing, Peter Woodthorpe, Duncan Lamont and Sandor Elès.

Plot:

Dr. Frankenstein (Peter Cushing) returns destitute to his home town to recommence his experimental research into the reanimation of dead tissue, and stumbles upon his old monster suspended in ice.

Though he revives the creature, Frankenstein has to seek the assistance of hypnotist Zoltan (Peter Woodthorpe) to repair its mind. Zoltan then assumes control of the monster, using him to wreak havoc. When Frankenstein tries to regain power over his creation, he becomes Zoltan’s next target…

Reviews:

” …the Monster’s make-up verges on the ludicrous.” Howard Maxford, The A-Z of Horror Films, Batsford, 1996

“It will certainly keep most casual classic horror fans entertained, and will probably please most Hammer fans. Give it a shot. It doesn’t break many barriers and is nothing you haven’t already seen before, but it’s certainly more solid than most second sequels and proves to be a very enjoyable ride.” Classic-Horror

“The make-up just doesn’t look right on a Hammer creation for a start – its forehead looks like glue and oatmeal and its big, bulky shoes make it somewhat of a comedic sight to behold. The other monsters in the series were a lot more believable because they didn’t use Pierce’s make-up and the designers…” Daily Dead

“From a style and design point of view, The Evil of Frankenstein is beautiful to behold […] The lighting is exquisite, and the performances are hammy and melodramatic to some extent (actually completely overdone in scene chomper Peter Woodthorpe), but it suits the film to a ‘T’.” Digital Retribution

“Production designer Don Mingaye and special effects man Les Bowie collaborate to come up with not one but two of the series very best creation sequences, with lightning bolts and generator coils crashing in the best Kenneth Strickfaden tradition. On the whole, The Evil of Frankenstein is a Hammer Frankenstein entry that is well worth re-evaluation.” Moria

“Not as memorable as either of its predecessors, or as creative as the following entry in the series (1965’s Frankenstein Created Woman), but fun nonetheless. We can take or leave the Karloff-style makeup for this outing, but by now Cushing had settled most comfortably into the role of the hubristic Frankenstein and proves he still delivers the goods.” The Terror Trap

” …it’s certainly worthwhile, because at this point Hammer’s template still demanded sober telling and decent acting. Evil manages to be quite entertaining even whilst being one of the least worthy early Hammer productions, because it is well-produced by Hammer standards, whilst retaining the studio’s crisp, no-nonsense solidity in settings and lustrous colour.” This Island Rod

Cast and characters:

• Peter Cushing … Baron Frankenstein
• Peter Woodthorpe … Zoltan
• Duncan Lamont … Chief of Police
• Sandor Elès … Hans
• Katy Wild … Beggar Girl
• David Hutcheson … Burgomaster
• James Maxwell … Priest
• Howard Goorney … Drunk
• Anthony Blackshaw … Policeman
• David Conville … Policeman
• Caron Gardner … Burgomaster’s Wife
• Kiwi Kingston … The Creature
• Tony Arpino … Body Snatcher (uncredited)
• Timothy Bateson … Hypnotised Man (uncredited)
• Robert Flynn … Roustabout (uncredited)
• Frank Forsyth … Manservant (uncredited)
• James Garfield … Roustabout (uncredited)
• Steven Geray … Dr. Sergado (additional sequence: US) (uncredited)
• Patrick Horgan … David Carrell (uncredited)
• Kenneth Kove … Curé (uncredited)
• Derek Martin … Roustabout (uncredited)
• Maria Palmer … Rena’s Mother (additional sequence: US) (uncredited)
• William Phipps … Rena’s Father (additional sequence: US) (uncredited)
• Anthony Poole … Roustabout (uncredited)
• Michelle Scott … Little Girl (uncredited)
• Tracy Stratford … Rena as a Child (additional sequence: US) (uncredited)
• Alister Williamson … Landlord (uncredited)
• Fred Wood … Karlstaad Pedestrian (uncredited)

Filming locations and duration:

• Black Park, Wexham, Buckinghamshire, England
• Bray Studios, Down Place, Oakley Green, Berkshire, England
• Oakley Court, Windsor Road, Oakley Green, Windsor, Berkshire, England
• 14 October 1963 to 16 November 1963

Technical credits:

84 minutes | 1.85: 1 | Eastmancolor

Trivia:

The Evil of Frankenstein‘s running time was too short for a two-hour network TV slot, so Universal added thirteen minutes of additional footage.

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‘Absolutely nothing will prepare you for what will see!’

The Flesh Eaters is a 1962 [released 1964] American science fiction horror feature film directed by Jack Curtis from a screenplay by Arnold Drake (Who Killed Teddy Bear).

According to Brian Albright’s Regional Horror Films, 1958 – 1990, the Third Reich flashback sequence was added by distributor Mike Ripps (of Poor White Trash fame).

In the UK, the film was released in 1968 by Grand National on a double-bill with Death Curse of Tartu, having been passed uncensored by the BBFC (so it was presumably pre-cut).

Plot:

A wealthy, over-the-hill actress named Laura Winters (Rita Morely) hires pilot Grant Murdoch (Byron Sanders) to fly her and her assistant Jan Letterman (Barbara Wilkin) to Provincetown, but a storm forces them to land on a small island. They soon meet Professor Peter Bartell (Martin Kosleck) a marine biologist with a German accent who is living in seclusion on the isle.

After a series of strange skeletons wash ashore (human, then fish) it turns out the water has become inhabited by some sort of glowing microbe which apparently devours flesh rapaciously. Bartell is a former US Government agent who was sent to Germany to recover as much of their scientific data as possible. He was chosen for the job for his scientific skills and knowledge of the German language. Using the methods learned there he hopes to cultivate a group of monstrous “flesh eaters”.

A beatnik named Omar (Ray Tudor) joins the group after becoming shipwrecked on their shore. Tensions mount after the plane drifts off into the ocean, leaving the castaways and Bartell as potential meals for the ravenous monsters…

Reviews:

“The threat here is patently impossible and the nervous terror is fun in a goofy campfire-story way. It starts like a morbid take on a Beach Party flick. A girl on a pleasure boat loses her bikini top, followed by the rest of her body when the title critters attack. All we see are some screaming faces and water boiling with dry ice, and the main titles pop on with a visceral chill.” DVD Savant

“Some of the film feels very serious, almost nihilistic […] It could have used less arguing and more flesh eating, but the pace picks up in the final third. Things so especially crazy in the final ten minutes.” David Elroy Goldweber, Claws & Saucers

Buy: Amazon.co.uk | Amazon.com | Amazon.ca

” …this movie looks great. It’s one of the most well-shot and intelligent constructed “b-movies” I’ve seen from this period. The small budget hasn’t stopped Jack Curtis and Arnold Drake from filming it like it would be a Hitchcock-movie, a noir-classic or something that usually has more ambitions than to scare people.” Ninja Dixon

Buy on DVD: Amazon.co.uk | Amazon.com

“The Flesh Eaters is a tense little black and white horror flick that exceeds the constraints of its budget with more than enough thrills and remarkably innovative bloody effects. The plot line, dialog and acting are deliciously over the top…” variety.” DVD-Drive In

Buy: Amazon.com | Amazon.co.uk

“The film’s effects are hit-or-miss quality-wise, but they always achieve the desired result. The miniature flesh eaters were rendered apparently by scratching directly on the film’s emulsion. When we later see them a bit bigger, they’re obviously rubber-flappingly fake, but their bulbous, alien appearance is truly creepy.” The Gentleman’s Blog to Midnite Cinema

Cast and characters:

• Martin Kosleck … Professor Peter Bartell
• Byron Sanders … Grant Murdoch
• Barbara Wilkin … Jan Letterman
• Rita Morley … Laura Winters
• Ray Tudor … Omar
• Christopher Drake … Matt
• Darby Nelson … Jim
• Rita Floyd … Radio Operator
• Warren Houston … Cab Driver (scenes deleted)
• Barbara Wilson … Ann
• Ira Lewis … Freddy Miller
• Jack Curtis … Radio Deejay (voice) [uncredited]
• Arnold Drake … Pete’s Beat Singer (voice) [uncredited]

Filming locations:

Jones Beach, Long Island, New York, USA

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‘The king of horror thrills… excites… terrifies… as a doctor-turned-demon!’

The Man They Could Not Hang is a 1939 American science fiction horror feature film directed by Nick Grinde (The Man with Nine Lives; Before I Hang) from a screenplay by Karl Brown based on a story by Leslie T. White and George W. Sayre. The Favorite Films production stars Boris Karloff, Lorna Gray, Robert Wilcox, Roger Pryor and Ann Doran. It was distributed by Columbia.

Plot:

Dr. Savaard (Boris Karloff) is obsessed with bringing the dead back to life. A young medical student offers his services to him, but before he can bring him back to life, Savaard is arrested, convicted, and sentenced to hang. He vows revenge on the judge and the jury before his hanging.

Savaard’s assistant Lang (Byron Foulger) claims the doctor’s body and revives him by using his own technique. Savaard then goes on a vengeful killing spree…

Reviews:

” …what must have seemed at the time like fanciful notions of an artificial heart would soon become reality. Such prescience enables this tight little horror picture to rise above its low-budget origins, helped by Karl Brown’s fast-moving screenplay which creates in Karloff’s first mad scientist an unusually articulate and sympathetic villain.” 20/20 Movie Reviews

“Even with death cards, barred windows, and electrified gates, the film, like its non-entity supporting cast, is too subdued. Karloff alone is the film’s entertaining over-the-top redemption, moving things along at breakneck speed.” 366 Weird Movies

“The screenplay by Karl Brown is solid and shows a strong touch for dialogue, particularly during the court scene, and later at the climax in which Karloff utters a line that could have summed up many of the characters he played throughout his career: “They killed the man I was. All that’s left is the will to hate and to destroy.” All Movie

“Fast-moving and visually rich, this is one of Karloff’s best thrillers which didn’t rely on movie monsters. The story is dramatically strong enough to sustain the scientific shortcomings at the centre of the plot. The lively and convincing cast are consistently good,  though short of familiar faces.” Black Hole

” …it’s interesting because while this is a B horror film, it also has a slightly deeper meaning. Part of the message is how science can provide good, but people either discredit it or corrupt its good. The Man They Could Not Hang is entertaining and exciting, but interesting on a deeper level for it predicted what is to come in medicine.” Comet Over Hollywood

“It’s pretty standard, starting out as fairly ordinary mad scientist fare and then turning into a sort of ‘old dark house’ variant where people trapped in a room are picked off one by one. Nevertheless, it’s not bad; Karloff gives a strong performance, and there are several touches here and there (particularly near the end) that I quite like…” Fantastic Movie Musings and Ramblings

” …one of the  better films from Boris Karloff’s early years.  In the end, the movie became a satisfying blend of suspense, horror, science-fiction and drama, and though a little dated with its science, is a perfect example of what a good script and good actors can accomplish in a B film.” The Telltale Mind

” …what really makes the movie is Karloff.  Plain and simple, he’s just f*cking awesome in this thing.  His stirring courtroom scene where he swears vengeance on the men who condemned him is some of the best acting the man ever did; and that’s really saying something. The Man They Could Not Hang is not a great B movie, but it typifies what is great about B movies.” The Video Vacuum

Cast and characters:

• Boris Karloff … Doctor Henryk Savaard
• Lorna Gray … Janet Savaard
• Robert Wilcox … Scoop Foley
• Roger Pryor … District Attorney Drake
• Don Beddoe … Police Lieutenant Shane
• Ann Doran … Betty Crawford
• Joe De Stefani … Doctor Stoddard
• Charles Trowbridge … Judge Bowman
• Byron Foulger … Lang
• Dick Curtis … Clifford Kearney
• James Craig … Watkins
• John Tyrrell … Sutton

Running time:

64 minutes

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‘Killer plastic surgery. The new face of horror.’

Under the Knife is a 2018 South Korean-Swedish horror feature film written and directed by Josh Hoffman. The Bloated Cat Productions-Penguin Films production stars Jin-geun Kim, Jyeong-ah Kim and Rydia Kim.

Plot:

Beverly (Jyeong-ah Kim) travels from New York to South Korea to get plastic surgery on her nose, but ends up unknowingly getting a computerised implant from surgeon Doctor P (Jin-geun Kim) who maniacally turns his patients into beautiful killing machines…

Cast and characters:

• Jin-geun Kim … Doctor P
• Jyeong-ah Kim … Beverly
• Rydia Kim … Bo-mi
• Matt Pavlovich … Cosmo
• In-hwa Lee … Ji-won
• Jae-won Seo … Businessman
• Hong-jun Choi … Man on Roof
• Mi-hee Son … Woman on Roof
• Justine Kim … Woman in Kitchen #1
• Eun-sun Jung … Woman in Kitchen #2
• Joey Mercadante … Infomercial Host
• Truck Carlson … Infomercial Test Patient
• Norihiko Takesue … Sushi Chef

Filming locations:

• Busan and Seoul, South Korea
• Hitakatsu, Japan
• New York City, New York, USA

Trivia:

The trailer below was posted on YouTube on 8 September 2013. The filmmakers Facebook page celebrates completion of the movie on 10 January 2018!

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The Beast in Heat is a horrific Italian exploitation film released in 1977.

Directed by Luigi Batzella from a ‘screenplay’ co-written by Lorenzo Artale, this was essentially a rehash of soldiers vs. resistance footage culled from Quando suona la campana aka When the Bell Rings (1970), with additional horrific and sexploitative footage designed to cash-in on Tinto Brass’ Salon Kitty and other grubbier Nazisploitation movies. Batzella, who on a good day could be called a ‘journeyman director’ is credited as Ivan Katansky on several releases of the film. It was released in the US on VHS as SS Hell Camp.

It gained notoriety when it was banned in the UK as a video nasty and is currently still unreleased on DVD in the UK. This is one of a number of so-called video nasties about fictionalised World War II Nazi POW camp atrocities.

Depending upon your viewpoint or sinematic tastes, Luigi Batzella’s The Beast in Heat is either the best or the worst entry into the ever-dubious Nazisploitation cycle of films made across Europe in the mid to late 70’s. Huge Nazi regalia abounds throughout this seedy production and no filthy stone is left unturned in a bid to shock even the most jaded of viewers.

The film’s infamous status was secured a few years later when it was banned in Britain; having briefly made an unrated home video appearance on the obscure JVI Video Films label. This uncut VHS is now still making around the £850 mark on eBay, despite the fact it is readily available on DVD.

In World War II, a European village is under the rule of occupying Nazi forces – not unattractive head scientist Dr. Ellen Kratsch (Macha Magall, who barely worked again), is subjecting troublemakers and unloved locals to horrifying experiments involving, amongst other things, electrodes, pliers, and rats. Said rats scene supposedly involves the rodents gnawing a prostrate and terrified female victim’s torso. However, the ‘rats’ are in fact blatantly-obvious and confused guinea pigs, which gives you a far better insight into the real joys of this supremely silly film.

Elsewhere, a very unreal baby is tossed into the air as target practice for restless soldiers. It isn’t shocking; it’s frankly very sick black comedy for fans of Andy Warhol and John Waters-type humour. However, the coup-de-resistance is Salvatore Baccaro, often credited as Sal Boris.

Buy DVD: Amazon.com | Amazon.co.uk

The result of Nazi experiments to create a Neanderthal killing machine (who needs bombs?) he is unquestionably the star of the show. Squealing female victims are tossed into his cage and are duly molested enthusiastically and then ripped to pieces as he gurns into the camera longingly. These scenes are not repulsive, they are ineptly shot and hilarious – and any distaste as to the subject matter of the film is immediately diluted.

Batzella was, with all due respect, an utterly rotten director, here filching footage from his even more rotten earlier films to supply wartime footage to pad out hopeless scenes in cardboard cut-out sets. Batzella and Baccaro’s finest moment is clearly the triumphant segment when The Beast noshes on his new victim, raising his head to reveal a mouthful of lady parts and pubic hair! Befuddled viewers are allowed to savour this supposed atrocity for some time as frankly, nothing else could possibly be worth watching.

One scene in particular perhaps typifies Baccaro’s state of mind at this point in his acting career – again in the throes of delirium, he actually fogs up the camera lens – the director either believing this lends credibility or realising he’s been rumbled, this scene remains intact. Baccaro can be seen in many Italian films of the era, from Westerns to gialli (he has a blink-and-you-miss-it part in Dario Argento’s Deep Red), the aforementioned Salon Kitty and sci-fi silliness (the wonderfully trashy Caroline Munro vehicle Star Crash). He’s also showcased in Frankenstein’s Castle of Freaks (1973) as The Neanderthal Man [credited as Boris Lugosi!].

Rather like the cannibal films that followed in the wake of Cannibal Holocaust (1980) and Cannibal Ferox (1981) and the zombie films that were spawned off the back of Dawn of the Dead (1978) and Zombie Flesh Eaters (1979),The Beast in Heat is the extremely poor cousin to the American Ilsa series of films. What it lacks in actual terror and structure it pays back handsomely in sick fun and silliness.

Whilst the film is still victim to archaic British censorship laws, it can be purchased on DVD in the USA and in several other territories.

Daz Lawrence, HORRORPEDIA

Buy DVD: Amazon.com

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‘If you’re frightened by the unknown… wait ’till you face reality!’

Scared to Death is a 1980 science fiction horror feature film written and directed by William Malone (previously chief designer at the Don Post mask studio), based on a storyline co-written with Robert Short (The Scream Team). The Lone Star Pictures production stars John Stinson, Diana Davidson, David Moses and Toni Jannotta.

In 1990, a belated sequel titled Syngenor was released. Malone has also directed Creature aka Titan Find; House on Haunted Hill (1999) and Parasomnia.

Plot:

A monster stalks Los Angeles as a Bio-Engineered creature called a Syngenor (which stands for SYNthesized GENetic ORgansism) takes refuge in the city’s sewer system and then hits the streets at night in search of human spinal fluid…

Reviews:

“William Malone’s maiden monster movie is nothing overly special, but does have some good qualities and a nicely constructed, if derivative monster. A few moments of suspense, a decent score (also derivative) and a good lead performance add up to a minor footnote in 80’s creature features.” Cool Ass Cinema

“Climax takes place in a factory and finally the film becomes harrowing. The characters, unfortunately, are all contrived and boring.” John Stanley, Creature Features

“One thing Creature did have going for it was far better visual direction. The camera angles, direction, and editing in Scared to Death are appallingly bad.” E.C. McMullen Jr, FeoAmante.com

“Most of the acting and dialogue is terrible and one can certainly do without all the “homages” to well-known names in the genre […] Still, the killings here are inventive and nasty, and that silver-eyed monster is scary enough to warrant a sequel.” John Kenneth Muir, Horror Films of the 1980s, McFarland, 2007

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“I can imagine that some will have a problem with the pacing which is kinda slow but I liked it. The sewer setting is pretty creepy and claustrophobic. The violence is lame and there’s no gore in this. The creature FX design is cool and I love that it’s a man in suit design.” Independent Flicks

“As a novice director, Malone’s directorial style is crude and far removed from the masterful suspense generated by Ridley Scott. He draws the suspense scenes out in over-obvious ways and lets the film plod in between. Indeed, the opening scene with a camera peeping in on a girl undressing, hearing noises and the lights going out gives you the impression that you are watching a slasher film rather than a monster movie.” Richard Scheib, Moria

“The production values are also low, given the budget this is understandable, but it gives the film a shoddy look, not helped by the fact that everything is so dark. Plus it’s dull. The promise of monster action is a false one as you’re cheated out of getting anything gory or half-way exciting.” Andrew Smith, Popcorn Pictures

“So we have the expected long sequences setting up potential victims, including a bit of nudity, a long rollerskating sequence (really), a monster that looks like a cheap version of one of Giger’s Aliens, right down to the extra thingy in its mouth that comes out when it’s planning to feed and a lot of monster cam, complete with heavy breathing.” Mark Cole, Rivets on the Poster

Cast and characters:

• John Stinson … Ted Lonergan
• Diana Davidson … Jennifer Stanton
• David Moses … Detective Lou Capell (as Jonathan David Moses)
• Toni Jannotta … Sherry Carpenter
• Walker Edmiston … Police Chief Dennis Warren
• Pamela Bowman … Janie Richter
• Mike Muscat … Howard Tindall (as Michael Muscat)
• Freddie Dawson … Virgil Watson
• Tracy Weddle … Kathy Sperry
• Joleen Porcaro … Kelly – Victim #5
• David Daniels … Michael, roller skater (as Joseph Daniels)
• Stephen Fanning … Scott, roller skater
• Greer Justin … Sandy, rollerskater
• Johnny Crear … Victor Colter
• John Moskal … Police Lab Man (as John Moskal Jr.)

Filming locations:

Los Angeles, California

Technical credits:

93 minutes | 1.85: 1

Alternate titles:

Originally known as The Aberdeen Experiment and also released as Scared to Death: Syngenor 

Release:

Scared to Death was shown at the Paris Festival of Fantastic Films in November 1980. It was released theatrically in March 1981.

In the UK, the film was passed uncut by the BBFC censorship body with an ‘X’ certificate and a running time of 87m 25s on 21 May 1981.

In the US, Retromedia released Scared to Death on DVD in a widescreen 16×9 anamorphic transfer from 35mm on April 22, 2008.

Related:

Syngenor – USA, 1990

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‘A horror film that will stiffen you with laughter!’

Bela Lugosi Meets a Brooklyn Gorilla is a 1952 comedy horror science fiction feature film directed by William Beaudine from a screenplay by Tim Ryan with additional dialogue by ‘Ukie’ Sherin and Edmond G. Seward.

The Realart Pictures production stars Bela Lugosi, Duke Mitchell, Sammy Petrillo (a duo that impersonated Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis, they made Scared Stiff the following year), Charlita and Muriel Landers.

Plot:

On their way to perform in Guam for the troops, nightclub performers Duke Mitchell and Sammy Petrillo find themselves stranded on a seemingly treacherous island, known by the natives as “Kola Kola”. The natives are quite friendly, especially Nona (Charlita), the tribal chief’s daughter, who tries to help the two get off the island.

Though paradise has been found, for the time being, the duo soon discovers that a mad scientist named Dr. Zabor (Bela Lugosi) lives on the other side of the island. Seeing a chance to get help, the two visit the strange doctor in his “castle”.

Tension mounts as Duke falls in love with Nona. Seeing Duke as a threat, jealous Dr. Zabor plans to literally make a monkey out of Duke, for he too loves Nona. Sammy tries to help his pal, with unexpected results…

Reviews:

“As far as Lugosi is concerned, he plays his role straight […] and is fine. If anything, this film proves that it does indeed get worse than starring in Ed Wood movies as the films Lugosi made for the supposed “worst director of all time” are infinitely more interesting and entertaining that this one.” The Bloody Pit of Horror

“Bela is good in his patented “mad scientist” role, rising above the crappy material. He’s adept at comedy, too, as he’d proved years earlier in films like Broadminded and International House. Even in his deteriorated state, Bela Lugosi is better than anyone else in this dud.” Gary Loggins, Cracked Rear Viewer

“Poor Bela. By the time he got to the Fabulous 50s, he was sharing the screen with everything from a rubber octopus to transvestites. But nothing could have been more demeaning than acting alongside the flash-in-the-pan, non-comical duo of Duke Mitchell and Sammy Petrillo.” Joe Lozowsky, DVD Drive-In

“Laughs are thin on the ground, as is the plotting. There is some amusement to be had seeing Petrillo clap Lugosi on the back and shout, “Hiya Pop!”, but the rest of the gags are more along the lines of Petrillo being chased around by a fat girl…” Graeme Clark, The Spinning Image

Cast and characters:

• Bela Lugosi … Dr. Zabor
• Duke Mitchell … Duke Mitchell
• Sammy Petrillo … Sammy Petrillo
• Charlita … Nona
• Muriel Landers … Saloma
• AAl Kikume … Chief Rakos
• Mickey Simpson … Chula
• Milton Newberger … Bongo – the Witch Doctor
• Martin Garralaga … Pepe Bordo / Waiter
• Steve Calvert … Gorilla (uncredited)
• Ray Corrigan … Gorilla (uncredited)
• Luigi Faccuito … Native Warrior (uncredited)
• William Wilkerson … Native Warrior (uncredited)

Running time:

74 minutes

Production:

Filmed over a six-day period at the General Service Studios (now the Hollywood Center Studios) in Los Angeles on a budget of $12,000.

Release:

Released on September 4, 1952 in New York City. The movie was later reissued as The Boys from Brooklyn

Trivia:

The original title was White Woman of the Lost Jungle

Decades later, the film was referenced by Martin Landau, who watched it three times in preparation for his role as Lugosi in Tim Burton’s biopic Ed Wood, saying that it was “so bad that it made Ed Wood’s films look like Gone with the Wind.”

Image credits: The Bloody Pit of Horror

Related:

Going Ape! – A Short History of Who’s Inside the Gorilla Suit – article

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The Dark Eyes of London – aka The Human Monster – is a 1939 British horror film directed by Walter Summers from a screenplay co-written with Patrick Kirwan and John Argyle (as J.F. Argyle). Jan Van Lusil provided additional dialogue. It is an adaptation of the 1924 novel of the same name by Edgar Wallace. The movie stars Bela Lugosi, Hugh Williams and Greta Gynt.

Plot:

In London, philanthropist Dr. Orloff (Bela Lugosi) volunteers his services at a home for blind men, which serves as a cover for his notorious exploits. On the side, Orloff runs an insurance company that offers loans to desperate, unattached men, whom he convinces to list him as a beneficiary.

With the aid of a blind man from the home, Orloff then coldly murders the men to collect the insurance. Although the police begin an investigation, Orloff brazenly continues the brutal killings…

Reviews:

“For a 75 minute B-movie that relishes its gruesome inventiveness, this is surprisingly effective and stands up well today, both as a detective yarn and a horror flick.” Hal C. F. Astell, Apocalypse Later

“The film carries its nationalistic credentials on its sleeve, using London as the backdrop for a series of murders committed near the River Thames. But the plot is still contrived in a way that introduces the American Lieutenant O’Reilly (Edmon Ryan) as early as possible, in an obvious nod to US audiences.” paul Moody, BFI Screen Online

“This is quite an interesting mystery-thriller with strong horror overtones.” Dave Sindelar, Fantastic Movie Musings and Ramblings

“Bela Lugosi does his hammily contorted thing, glaring at people with eyes wide open and leaving thick pauses in the middle of sentences, even entire words. The sets are interesting, the dockland scenes convincing, leaving one unsure whether they are sets or real locations. However, The Dark Eyes of London never amounts to more than routine.” Richard Scheib, Moria

” …not only is Wilfred Walter more unglamorous than even Charles Laughton as the hunchback, but is totally blind in the bargain. Consequently, his homicidal technique is the more deliberative and, so to speak, stately, giving the camera plenty of time to dwell with sadistic relish on the more recherché details of his method of doing his victims in.” B.R. Crisler, The New York Times, March 25, 1940

“There a few standout moments, including the scene where Lugosi (heartlessly) destroys the hearing of one his blind accomplices – so that the chap won’t be able to hear the questions posed by the police. But the best part of The Human Monster is its climactic end scene: dirty – but perfect! – justice.” The Terror Trap

” …weirdly atmospheric, with good use made of the Thames mudflats and a splendidly macabre denouement involving two blind henchmen…” Time Out Film Guide

“Lugosi turns in one of his best performances here, managing to underplay his role (unusual for him), thus balancing the more contrived moments in the script. Actor Wilfrid Walter, who plays Lugosi’s grotesque, blind assistant Jake, helped create the effective makeup for his character.” TV Guide

Cast and characters:

• Bela Lugosi … Dr. Feodor Orloff
• Hugh Williams … Detective Inspector Larry Holt
• Greta Gynt … Diana Stuart – Sexton Blake and the Hooded Terror
• Edmon Ryan … Lieutenant Patrick O’Reilly
• Wilfred Walter … Jake
• Alexander Field … Fred Grogan
• O.B. Clarence … Professor John Dearborn (voice) (uncredited)
• May Hallatt … Police Constable Griggs (uncredited)
• Bryan Herbert … Police Sgt. Walsh (uncredited)
• Arthur E. Owen … Dumb Lou (uncredited)
• Charles Penrose … Morrison, undercover detective (uncredited)
• Gerald Pring … Henry Stuart (uncredited)
• George Street … Commissioner, Scotland Yard (uncredited)
• Julie Suedo … Orloff’s Secretary (uncredited)

Release:

Dark Eyes of London was released by Anglo Amalgamated Film Distributors in November 1939 in Britain and became the first British film to receive the “H” rating for “Horrific”.

It was released in the USA in 1940 by Monogram Pictures as The Human Monster.

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‘A unique experience in motion picture terror!’

Terror Is a Man aka Blood Creature is a 1959 Filipino-American science fiction horror feature film directed by Gerardo de Leon [as Gerry de Leon] and [uncredited] Eddie Romero from a screenplay by Paul Harber [as Harry Paul Harber]. It is an uncredited version of H.G. Wells’ 1896 novel The Island of Dr. Moreau. The Lynn-Romero production stars Francis Lederer, Greta Thyssen and Richard Derr.

On November 13, 2018, Severin Films released Terror Is a Man on Blu-ray from a new 4K scan from a fine-grain print recently discovered at the UCLA Film Archive and presented totally uncut, including its “bell system for the squeamish and faint-hearted!”

Special features:

• Man Becomes Creature: Interview with Hemisphere Marketing Consultant Samuel M. Sherman
• Dawn of Blood Island: Interview with Co-Director Eddie Romero
• Terror Creature: Interview with Pete Tombs, Co-Author of Immoral Tales
  When The Bell Rings: Interview with Critic Mark Holcomb
• Trailer
• Poster & Still Gallery

Severin Films also included Terror Is a Man on Blu-ray as part of their Blood Island Collection of Filipino horror movies along with Brides of Blood; Mad Doctor of Blood Island and Beast of Blood.

Plot:

The survivor of a shipwreck is washed ashore on a small island where a scientist is experimenting on a panther in an effort to make it human…

Reviews:

“Terror Is a Man is one of those movies that really benefits from having been shot in black and white; for one thing, day-for-night always looks better in monochrome, and there’s quite a lot of that here. But at least as important is how far all the deep, dark shadows go toward establishing the somber, oppressive mood that director Gerry De Leon endeavors to create.” Scott Ashlin, 1000 Misspent Hours and Counting

“Much time is spent dealing with the heated love triangle that unfolds (which is done in a surprisingly mature way) and it’s rather lightweight for a creature feature, with minimal action and violence, but I still quite enjoyed this one. The monster doesn’t really get to do much of what we expect it to…” The Bloody Pit of Horror

“A landmark exploiter with a dark noir mood and some genuine scares!” DVD Drive-In

” …off-beat doesn’t seem like the right way to explain it; it’s not what happens that is unusual, it’s how it is handled. It almost seems like it isn’t trying to be a horror movie; the characters are fleshed out quietly and subtly, and it refuses to make easy moral statements or decisions.” Dave Sindelar, Fantastic Movie Musings and Ramblings

“Pretty nasty for 1959, but the face-grafting in the same year’s Eyes Without a Face leaves it in the dust. Generally this is much better than your average drive-in monster fare and deserves the attention it has garnered from dedicated late night TV viewers. The beginning is a bit talky, but once things get in gear, this is a lot of fun.” Nathaniel Thompson, Mondo Digital

“The middle of the film does develop an interesting subplot about the castaway hero engaging in an affair with the Dr Moreau figure’s wife… De Leon also keeps the face of the creature carefully hidden behind bandages for the most part, which creates some build up, although its eventual unleashing is only a routine monster amok climax.” Richard Scheib, Moria

“I wonder if the titles actually refers to the main monster, or maybe to what the mankind can do? Smart and cool, intelligent and far from the usual exploitation.” Ninja Dixon

“The original and best Filipino horror film.” Michael J. Weldon, The Psychotronic Encyclopedia of Film

” …unlike the original, the focus here is on the terrible burden his work has laid on his wife, her conscience, and on everyone around him. We see little of the creature, and then mostly wrapped up in bandages like a mummy.  Which is probably just as well.” Rivets on the Poster

“There’s some nice, shadowy atmosphere that helps us look past the fact that the picture was obviously made fast and cheap. The cinematography in the film is definitely better than you might expect. The score works quite well, and the movie is pretty quick in its pacing once we get past the slower first reel of the film.” Ian Jane, Rock! Shock! Pop!

“The first and best Filipino horror film, this grim variation on The Island of Dr. Moreau is better than you’d imagine. Dank photography and good acting beef up this talky flick, which finally bursts into action in the last half hour.” James O’Neill, Terror on Tape

“Thyssen is fetching as Girard’s tormented wife, and Derr is sympathetic as the castaway caught up in extraordinary circumstances. Not to be outdone, Lederer is a hoot as the crazy egghead out to make a name for himself.” The Terror Trap

Cast and characters:

• Francis Lederer … Doctor Charles Girard – Night Gallery TV series; The Return of Dracula
• Greta Thyssen … Frances Girard – Journey to the Seventh Planet
• Richard Derr … William Fitzgerald – Project U.F.O. TV series; The Outer Limits TV series; Lights Out TV series; When Worlds Collide; Tales of Tomorrow TV series
• Oscar Keesee … Walter Perrera – Brides of Blood
• Lilia Duran … Selene
• Peyton Keesee … Tiago, the Boy
• Flory Carlos … Beast-Man

Filming locations:

• Corregidor Island, Cavite City, Cavite, Philippines
• Premier Production Studios, Quezon City, Metro Manila, Philippines

Some image credits: The Telltale Mind

Related:

The Island of Doctor Moreau – novel by H.G. Wells, 1896

Island of Lost Souls – USA, 1932

Brides of Blood – Philippines, 1968

Mad Doctor of Blood Island – Philippines/USA, 1968

Beast of Blood aka Blood Devils – Philippines, 1970

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On April 9th, Severin Films is steering the ship beyond Blood Island and straight into the heart of darkness. The Hemisphere Horrors box set is bursting at the seams with all the wild, unhinged madness you can handle, with each film newly scanned in 2K/4K from the best – and often only – complete elements available.

Though best known for their legendary Blood Island Trilogy, the Philippine/U.S. production/distribution company Hemisphere Pictures was also responsible for some of the most provocative and insane films of the ‘60s and ‘70s drive-in/grindhouse era.

The Blood Drinkers and Curse of the Vampires are the still-potent masterpieces from ‘The Father of Philippine Horror’ Gerry de Leon. Brain of Blood is the all-star Grade Z classic from infamous exploitation auteur Al Adamson.

The Black Cat and The Torture Chamber of Dr. Sadism aka Castle of the Walking Dead – starring Christopher Lee and Lex ‘Tarzan’ Barker – are Hemisphere’s two most extreme acquisitions for the company’s notorious double-feature packages.

The Black Cat + The Torture Chamber of Dr. Sadism is a Box Set Exclusive double feature. The Severin web store is also including mini-posters of the box set artwork as a bonus for all those who order direct.”

The only way to get all of these movies is to buy the box set, but Severin does have individual Blu-ray and DVDs for Brain of Blood, The Blood Drinkers, and Curse of the Vampires.

To learn more click the links below:

• Hemisphere Horrors box set: https://severin-films.com/shop/hemisphere-box-of-horrors/
• Brain of Blood Blu-ray: https://severin-films.com/shop/brain-of-blood-bluray/
• Brain of Blood DVD: https://severin-films.com/shop/brain-of-blood-dvd/
• The Blood Drinkers Blu-ray: https://severin-films.com/shop/the-blood-drinkers-bluray/
• The Blood Drinkers DVD: https://severin-films.com/shop/blood-drinkers-dvd/
• Curse of the Vampires Blu-ray: https://severin-films.com/shop/curse-of-the-vampires-bluray/
• Curse of the Vampires DVD: https://severin-films.com/shop/curse-of-the-vampires-dvd/

Related:

The Curse of the Vampires aka Creatures of Evil – Philippines, 1966

The Blood Drinkers – Philippines, 1964

Brain of Blood – USA, 1971

The Black Cat – USA, 1966

Castle of the Walking Dead – West Germany, 1967

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