The Manster (1959)

Starring Peter Dyneley, Jane Hylton, Satoshi Nakamura, Teri Zimmern, Norman Van Hawley
Directed by George Breakston & Kenneth G. Crane
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)

A foreign correspondent on assignment in Japan is secretly injected with an enzyme by a scientist trying to create a new form of life, and begins to transform into a monster.

This American/Japanese co-production is certainly unique and has a lot going for it, from the charming Dyneley in the lead, and a good supporting cast, to some frightening creature makeups, and a memorable score by Hirooki Ozawa.  Some may have some trouble taking Dyneley's ultimate transformation seriously, but I enjoyed the fact that the movie went out all and committed to putting a unique creature on the screen (although similar monsters would later pop up in 1970s fare).  The movie's probably most famous for its one horrifying shot in which we see something has developed on Dyneley's neck, but while the rest of the picture might not live up to that, the whole movie is really a lot of fun, and can't help but wish Breakston, Crane and company had made more productions like this.

The Carpet Of Horror (1962)

Starring Joachim Fuchsberger, Karin Dor, Eleonora Rossi Drago, Antonio Casas, Fernando Sancho
Directed by Harald Reinl
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)

A Secret Service agent searches for the head of a criminal gang who murders with small balls that emit poison gas, while pursuing a beauty involved in the case.

A very efficient German thriller superbly photographed and edited, the picture is also well directed by Reinl with plenty of engaging characters on hand.  The "carpet of horror" refers to the deadly balls when rolled across a carpet, which is pretty misleading, as this is not a horror film at all, but still well worth your time.  Gottfried Pachecho's photography is very crisp and always perfectly lit, and there are a number of exciting sequences well-staged and finely assembled by the editor.  Fuchsberger and Dor's whirlwind courtship strains a bit of credulity, as does the love triangle with Drago added into the mix, but not too much more than spy films to come along later.  In fact it almost seems a similar blueprint to the James Bond series.

The Ghost Of Sierra De Cobre (1964)

Starring Martin Landau, Judith Anderson, Diane Baker, Tom Simcox, Nellie Burt
Directed by Joseph Stefano
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)

An architect with psychic gifts is hired to investigate phone calls a wealthy man is receiving from his dead mother, and finds there may be connections to one of his previous cases.

According to the Kino Blu-ray's liner notes, this film was originally a TV pilot conceived by the men behind The Outer Limits as a horror anthology that could have accompanied their science fiction series.  A series launched from the pilot never materialized, so footage was added to the pilot, and it was released theatrically.  I enjoyed the film very much, although some of the padding shows, but it has some truly eerie supernatural scenes, and a good cast, with Landau strong as the architect/investigator.  As for his supporting cast, it shouldn't be a surprise that Anderson's character is playing a variation on her role in Rebecca, albeit with some unique twists, while Baker has a rare opportunity for some dramatics that I haven't seen in her other work.  Nellie Burt is entertaining as Landau's housekeeper who doesn't share his belief in the supernatural, and is quick to point that out on more than one occasion.  I would have relished a series of these tales, but am grateful that we at least have the film, as well as the original pilot on Kino's Blu-ray, along with a pair of commentary tracks from film historians David J. Schow and Eric Grayson.  

Necromancy (1972)

Starring Orson Welles, Pamela Franklin, Lee Purcell, Michael Ontkean, Harvey Jason
Directed by Bert I. Gordon
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)

A young wife moves with her husband to the community of Lillith, but finds much to question about his new boss, who favors the occult and owns the town and controls the people's lives.

This is another movie that sounds better than it is, with the thought of Welles playing a satanic cult leader a strong draw, but the famed auteur plays an almost emotionless role with no memorable scenes and the filmmakers do little to punch up his menace.  Some of his dialogue is even drowned out by an overpowering organ in the musical accompaniment.  The story does offer a good showcase for Franklin, whose beauty and large expressive eyes definitely make an impact, although there's only so much she can do to carry the film.  I found the movie to be very much in the same vein of other 1970s films focusing on the occult, with an overemphasis on the cult's rituals and exposing female flesh, and not enough placed on depicting the actual supernatural forces called by Welles and his followers.  Although known for creating his own special effects, director Gordon isn't credited with them here, and while a late scene of a boy being resurrected by the cult is well done, you wish they had had come up with something more to better distinguish the film.

The Hideous Sun Demon (1958)

Starring Robert Clarke, Patricia Manning, Nan Peterson, Patrick Whyte, Fred La Porta
Directed by Robert Clarke & Tom Boutross
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)

After a laboratory accident, an atomic scientist survives but finds the sun's rays transform him into a reptilian monster.

I've read in interviews with Robert Clarke, that he was inspired to make this independent film after seeing some of the films he'd been cast in as an actor, that quite frankly weren't very good.  To his credit, and that of his cast and crew, he's made a solid entertaining picture.  I've also read that Clarke fashioned his story after Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde, with two romantic interests well embodied by his character's purer lab assistant (Manning) and Peterson's voluptuous torch singer (boy, is she ever).  Although the low budget trappings are evident, the screenplay is at times too derivative, and a number of scenes would have benefitted from more accomplished actors or some studio polish, the creature makeup is quite good, and the stock music assembled brings excitement, particularly to the climax.

The Invisible Woman (1940)

Starring Virginia Bruce, John Barrymore, John Howard, Charlie Ruggles, Oskar Homolka
Directed by A. Edward Sutherland
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)

An eccentric scientist perfects a method of turning someone invisible, and gets a dress model to volunteer to be his first subject.

While Universal made a more serious sequel to The Invisible Man the same year, they also fashioned this much more lighthearted comedy, with Bruce starring as the lady who's made transparent by John Barrymore, of all people.  For me, a lot of the comedy falls flat, but have to admit laughing at a number of lines and situations.  When Donald MacBride, playing a gangster's henchman named Foghorn, loses his voice, I don't think it's as funny as it would have been with an actor with a more booming sound, and Shemp Howard is sadly wasted in a limited role, although Charlie Ruggles fares better as John Howard's butler, the chief comic presence in the film.  While Bruce gives a fine starring performance, with a sharp tongue and wit, some of the gender commentary is badly dated and a couple lines are pretty offensive.  However, I'm sure there were women in the audience cheering when Bruce gets revenge on her cruel boss, and John P. Fulton's special effects are again marvelous.

The Revenge Of Doctor X (1967)

Starring James Craig, Atsuko Rome, James Yagi, Al Ricketts, Tota Kondo
Directed by Norman Earl Thomson
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)

After successfully launching a rocket into space, an irascible scientist takes a vacation in Japan, where he performs experiments with carnivorous plants.

A daffy plot and screenplay which IMDB credits to Ed Wood are at the heart of this effort produced by Japan's Toei studio which also goes by the titles Venus Flytrap and Body Of Prey.  Star James Craig, who I always thought to be a polished leading man in the 1950s, overacts his way through the ludicrous plot, as his character tries to prove his theory that man evolved not from apes, but from plants.  His attempts to patch together a living plant man including raising it to the roof to catch lightning, a la Frankenstein are truly bizarre.  Rome is appealing and intelligent as the lovely assistant he takes on, distinguishing herself despite the low-grade production, and I have to admit I kind of enjoyed the music score, which is about as loopy as the story.  The film is badly lit, and very slow-moving, and I wonder if a unnecessary sequence with topless female divers was included to keep the audience awake.  If you like bad cinema, this one's for you.  

Journey To The Seventh Planet (1962)

Starring John Agar, Carl Ottosen, Ove Sprogoe, Louis Miehe-Renard, Peter Monch
Directed by Sidney Pink
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)

A spaceship is sent to Uranus to investigate radiation signals, but when they land, they find the hostile environment has been replaced by landscapes and people out of their own memories.

We have here another sci-fi effort from director Pink and screenwriter Ib Melchior, who previously collaborated on The Angry Red Planet and Reptilicus.  Although Agar is the biggest name in the cast, Ottosen plays the commander of the ship, whom he and the rest of the crew defer to.  There's definitely some good ideas in the screenplay (that I think at the least inspired some Star Trek episodes) as the crew find they're matching wits with an alien intelligence who tries to distract them from their mission by recreating a number of attractive female acquaintances of the men.  I liked an encounter with a stop-motion monster, and the unique design of the colorful spacesuits.  However, there seemed to be some holes in the narrative, and perhaps some dialogue lost in translation, as the film was lensed in Denmark and is clearly dubbed.  Yet, it's still a very watchable movie with some memorable imagery and music.  

Mutiny In Outer Space (1965)

Starring William Leslie, Dolores Faith, Pamela Curran, Richard Garland, Harold Lloyd Jr.
Directed by Hugo Grimaldi
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)

A fungus from the moon is accidentally brought aboard a space station, and as it spreads, the station's commander refuses to let the crew take the threat seriously.

An interesting, but very low budget film which recycles models and other equipment from Grimaldi's previous productions, it's well-assembled but lacks excitement and enough suspenseful scenes with the growing fungus.  Garland's character's mental illness in the script gives the plot a unique angle, but it's not sufficiently explained whether he's having hallucinations or just doesn't want to risk losing his command.  Nevertheless, I enjoyed the cast, and especially the music, which included some selections from The Phantom Planet and others that sounded like cues from the Universal horror library.  Overall the film is okay, but may be most notable for being a possible influence on the more action-packed The Green Slime some years later.

Vigil In The Night (1940)

Starring Carole Lombard, Brian Aherne, Anne Shirley, Julien Mitchell, Robert Coote
Directed by George Stevens
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)

An exemplary nurse covers for her sister when a child dies on her watch, and leaves to work at a new hospital where she becomes enamored with a doctor warring with the hospital's wealthy chairman.

A fine vehicle for Lombard, with the actress particularly angelic in her role as Nurse Anne Lee, the picture is an efficient drama, albeit with some melodramatic scenes that are at times a bit too hard to believe.  Nevertheless, it's well acted, and notable for featuring Peter Cushing, in just his fourth film, as Joe Shand, who begins the film in love with Lee, but switches to her sister after Anne's departure.  I thought the story was very progressive for its time, not glamorizing but emphasizing the difficulties of a nurse's life, including contending with unwanted male advances, as well as the daily struggles of all employed at a hospital.  More surprising was the fact that although a romantic angle is played up in the connection between Lombard and Aherne, it's not consummated, and made clear that their work takes precedence.  This had to be unique at the time, which makes the film stand out all the more today.

The Satanic Rites Of Dracula (1973)

Starring Christopher Lee, Peter Cushing, Michael Coles, William Franklyn, Freddie Jones
Directed by Alan Gibson
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)

Lorrimer Van Helsing is brought in to assist the authorities in investigating a house where several British officials have been participating in satanic rites, and finds Count Dracula is involved.

Lee, Cushing, Coles, and director Gibson return for another modern day Dracula film after Dracula A.D. 1972, with the focus less on the "satanic rites" of the title, but a scheme by the Count to decimate the Earth.  Lee is his usual foreboding self and even gets to do a Bela Lugosi impression, while Cushing has some memorable scenes showcasing the character's fiery determination.  Van Helsing's granddaughter is recast with Joanna Lumley, who certainly looks beautiful, but lacks the personality Stephanie Beacham brought to the role in the previous film.  I liked the mystery angle of Don Houghton's story, but thought Gibson's direction of it gave the film a more plodding pace than previous efforts, and found many of cinematographer Brian Probyn's camera setups lacking in building excitement or suspense.  John Cacavas' score has a wonderfully evocative main title, but I was a little disappointed by the rest of it.  The climax of the film which has Dracula largely subdued by a disappointing new idea for a vampiric weakness is also disappointing, but it's still Cushing and Lee, and there's some memorable images and scenes, and I wouldn't want to be trapped in that basement with all those vampire ladies.

Valley Of The Dragons (1961)

Starring Cesare Danova, Sean McClory, Joan Staley, Danielle De Metz, Gregg Martel
Directed by Edward Bernds
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)

Two men during a duel to the death are swept off the Earth onto a comet, where they discover prehistoric creatures and join tribes of early cave people.

Very loosely based on a Jules Verne novel, this film, had it been made with a larger budget, might have made for a really unique adventure film, but there's so much stock footage utilized here, it's hard to make a convincing case for judging the movie on its own merits.  Although other films had used footage from Hal Roach's One Million B.C. before, I don't think any had used the vast amount of footage they use here, clearly scripting and costuming the picture around the 1940 film's scenes.  The special effects in One Million B.C. are still impressive, but passing lizards off as dinosaurs isn't any more acceptable in 1961 then it was twenty-one years earlier.  The filmmakers also use footage from the much more recent Japanese kaiju film Rodan to stand in for a prehistoric pteranodon which audiences of the time had to notice.  That being said, I still enjoy this film and it has a high fun factor.  Danova and McClory are engaging leads, Staley is entertaining as a cavewoman who doesn't let anyone come between her and Danova, and Ruby Raksin's score is fun and atmospheric.

Carolina Blues (1944)

Starring Kay Kyser, Ann Miller, Victor Moore, Jeff Donnell, Howard Freeman
Directed by Leigh Jason
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)

After returning home from a tiring tour entertaining servicemen, Kyser is convinced to postpone the band's vacation to perform a benefit for his hometown, while a new singer tries to get him to hire her.

The last feature film to star Kyser and his band, the picture teams them with the Columbia studio's musical star, Ann Miller, who sings, dances, and ends up a love interest for Kyser.  The film interestingly casts her as a replacement for featured singer Georgia Carroll, explaining Carroll's retiring to marry a serviceman, when in reality she would marry Kyser.  This is probably the slightest of the screen stories for Kyser and the band, rushing them from performance to performance, and the screenplay rather mean-spiritedly has Kyser pretend to be dying to get the band to rush to his side for another benefit.  Much is tried to make comedy out of Victor Moore's appearance in the film, even having him appear as a variety of his character's relatives in a multiple composite sequence, but while he's always been an affable screen presence, he doesn't have the ability to really make this funny.  The deadpan Ish Kabibble fares better, and is given the charming Miss Jeff Donnell as a girlfriend to play off of.  The best part of the picture, the musical numbers, are great, and none better than a sequence staged on a replica of a Harlem street, featuring a crowd of black performers, fronted by the super-talented dancer Harold Nicholas.

The Strange Case Of Doctor Rx (1942)

Starring Patric Knowles, Lionel Atwill, Anne Gwynne, Samuel S. Hinds, Mona Barrie
Directed by William Nigh
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)

A successful detective is lured out of a planned retirement to tackle the case of a murderer who targets mob bosses who've been acquitted as his victims.

This mystery from Universal Pictures has a few horror elements and plenty of regulars at the studio in the cast, who are fun to spot and offer numerous red herrings for the audience to puzzle over.  The film also has a double dose of comic relief with Mantan Moreland serving as Knowles' valet, and Shemp Howard assisting Edmund MacDonald's police captain.  Howard in particular is hilarious, and Moreland has some rare dramatic scenes when he's taken captive by Doctor Rx.  I've read somewhere that the screenplay went through a lot of revisions and some scenes may have been ad-libbed.  Whatever the results it's definitely an unusual balance of comedy and drama, which led my friend Dan Day Jr. to call it one of Universal's weirdest films.  I like it, but it's definitely a departure.

The Egyptian Mummy (1914)

Starring Lee Beggs, Constance Talmadge, Billy Quirk, Joel Day, Nellie Anderson
Directed by Lee Beggs
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)

A young man disguises a vagrant as an Egyptian mummy and sells him to a scientist so he can obtain enough money to marry the scientist's daughter.

We have here an early comedy short notable for the presence of Talmadge, one of a trio of sisters famed for their parts in silent films.  It's also interesting as perhaps a hint of inspiration for future Mummy films, as the scientist (played by director Beggs), creates an "elixir of life" for returning consciousness to ancient mummies.  As a comedy, it's fairly entertaining if not laugh out loud, although I did laugh when the scientist puts a notice in the want ads that he's willing to pay for an Egyptian mummy.  I guess that's how you got anything you needed back then.

Invasion Of The Bee Girls (1973)

Starring William Smith, Anitra Ford, Victoria Vetri, Cliff Osmond, Wright King
Directed by Denis Sanders
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)

A government agent investigates deaths of men by sexual exhaustion in a small community, and follows the evidence to a female scientist who has been experimenting with bees.

Written by Nicholas Meyer, better known today for writing and directing his Star Trek films, the movie's sci-fi angle would have been interesting if further developed, but the story is really just an excuse to show off the bodies of numerous naked women, including Anitra Ford, a former spokesmodel on The Price Is Right.  We never really get an explanation of what motivated the murders, or why the recruiting of women to become "bee girls," although the dark black pupils they take on when aroused are certainly eerie. I think it would have been a more effective thriller emphasizing the idea that women were taking over for men's transgressions against them, but if that message exists anywhere in the film, it's buried under a misogynistic approach of exploiting its female cast members as sex objects.  I'm not saying that there's not any enjoyable content in the film, or that the actresses aren't used effectively, but less skin and more dialogue for the ladies would have gone a long way.

Not Of This Earth (1957)

Starring Paul Birch, Beverly Garland, Morgan Jones, William Roerick, Jonathan Haze
Directed by Roger Corman
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)

An alien dependent on consuming blood for his survival poses as an invalid while using his abilities to capture new victims and make plans for an invasion of the Earth.

One of Corman's most efficient sci-fi thrillers doesn't need to utilize many special effects, using Birch's slow-talking performance and eerie contact lenses to convey the menace more than adequately.  Birch, who I've heard had conflict with Corman on the set and had to be replaced with a double, is nonetheless a favorite actor of mine with a memorable voice and delivery, making his alien villain more than watchable.  He's joined by several Corman regulars, Garland as the spunky nurse, Haze as Birch's ex-con chauffeur, and Dick Miller as an ill-fated vacuum cleaner salesman.  Composer Ronald Stein adds some eerie themes and driving chase motifs for the climax of the picture, Charles Griffith and Mark Hanna hand in a screenplay with a solid premise and engaging characters, and Corman assembles an entertaining thriller with a deadly serious tone.

4D Man (1959)

Starring Robert Lansing, Lee Meriwether, James Congdon, Robert Strauss, Edgar Stehli
Directed by Irvin S. Yeaworth Jr.
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)

A scientist gains the ability to pass his atoms through solid objects, giving him the power to walk through walls, but if he touches anyone while in this state, he drains their life and youth.

An interesting follow-up from the creators of The Blob, the picture boasts good special effects and an appearance by a young Patty Duke a few years before her acclaimed role in The Miracle Worker.  I've always thought that Lansing was a bit too low-key in his turn as scientist Scott Nelson, making it difficult to read him or understand his motivations, but maybe part of that's a deficiency in the screenplay.  I liked the rest of the cast, with Strauss entertaining as an assistant making a play to take over the lab, although the springing up of the relationship between brother Tony Nelson (Congdon) and Linda Davis (Meriwether) seems a little too quick.  The use of a jazz score by Ralph Carmichael is striking, although I'm not sure it really fits, but the eerie musical tone he employs when Lansing uses his abilities is first rate.  All in all, it's a solid science fiction thriller, but think the script could have used a little more work.

The Phantom Carriage (1921)

Starring Victor Sjostrom, Hilda Borgstrom, Tore Svennberg, Astrid Holm, Concordia Selander
Directed by Victor Sjostrom
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)

After being the last person to perish on New Year's Eve, a drunkard is condemned to drive Death's chariot for a year, and revisits the choices that led him down a terrible path.

Sjostrom delivers a gripping Swedish fantasy, with a script somewhat similar to Dickens' A Christmas Carol, but with characters all its own.  At its heart is a legend that whoever is the last to die on New Year's Eve must drive Death's chariot for the next year, collecting the souls of the departed by lifting the transparent spirits from the corpses and carrying them to the back of the chariot.  We're so used to seeing the visual of ghosts emerging from dead bodies in other media, but I've read some accounts this was the first time it was ever done on film, and it's expertly done so.  You can really see the backgrounds through the spirits as they walk across the shot and vanish through solid walls.  The characters are all archetypes, well-acted and memorable, including Sjostrom's filthy drunkard David Holm, spreading his illness of consumption to whoever he pleases, Astrid Holm's virginal Salvation Army nurse who risks her own life to bring him back to a nobler path, and Borgstrom's long suffering wife who's ready to give up on him.  There's also a fine beauty to Julius Jaenzon's cinematography, and especially the tinting, with a sepia tone for indoor scenes, and an eerie blue for exterior night scenes, adding spookiness to the carriage's appearances.  I felt my heart stir during many scenes, especially during the climactic moment when David Holm realizes he may be about to witness others paying the ultimate sacrifice for his own misdeeds.

The Beast Of Borneo (1934)

Starring Mae Stuart, John Preston, Eugene Sigaloff, Alexander Schoenberg, Doris Brook
Directed by Harry Garson
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)

A scientist experimenting on primates' brains travels to Borneo to capture a orangutan, but picks fights with his jungle guide, jealous of the attention the man pays to his lovely assistant.

Pretty much delineated along the same lines as most jungle adventures of the period, the picture uses the customary stock footage of jungle natives cut into scenes with the actors, and some distasteful sequences where a young orangutan is pushed around and tied up.  What I found most interesting about it was the footage of the large orangutans, powerful beasts not really showcased in films of this type before or after.  A struggle to capture the beast where one of the native actors has his back broken is very convincing, and one hopes it was done without harm to the actor or the ape.  Sigaloff plays the scientist, Dr. Boris Borodoff, and has some cruel and mad tendencies which would have probably played better in a horror film.

The Magnetic Monster (1953)

Starring Richard Carlson, King Donovan, Jean Byron, Harry Ellerbe, Leo Britt
Directed by Curt Siodmak
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)

The Office of Scientific Investigation finds itself the hope of the world when a dangerous new element starts doubling in size every 12 hours, drawing in the energy it needs with magnetism. 

The first of a series of films by producer Tors and writer/director Siodmak, focusing on science-based threats to Earth, is in my estimation the best of them, with Carlson providing a strong lead, as the story follows his investigation in a Dragnet-like style.  There's a lot of technical concepts and terminology but I'd have to say overall the filmmakers succeed in conveying the threat of the element without confusing the audience.  It was a big risk on their part to make the "monster" of the film a largely intangible menace, but with the real-life atomic threats of the time, people did have such menaces already in their mind, and they were able to tap into that paranoia effectively.  Without many special effects or likely the budget for them, the film has to depend on cribbing footage from the impressively staged 1934 film Gold for its climax, but it works well enough for a satisfying viewing experience.

Horror Express (1972)

Starring Christopher Lee, Peter Cushing, Alberto de Mendoza, Silvia Tortosa, Julio Pena
Directed by Eugenio Martin
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)

A scientist's cargo aboard the Trans-Siberian Express, a fossil of early man, returns to life and commits ghastly murders while absorbing its victims' memories.

This British/Spanish co-production, boasting Cushing and Lee in the cast as well as a bevy of international talent, including Telly Savalas as a brutal Kossack, offers an entertaining mixture of sci-fi and horror.  A decent monster makeup and creative use of contact lenses and fake blood are really all the artifice that's employed to convey the supernatural premise, but the actors sell the plot well, with nary a character really doubting the creature's fantastic powers and origin.  Cushing and Lee are enjoyable to watch as always, with Cushing's friendly and charming Doctor Wells nicely offset by Lee's brusque Professor Saxton.  De Mendoza offers quite the characterization of a supposedly devout priest who oddly switches sides after encountering the creature, Savalas is a boisterous but cruel Russian captain, and a number of other colorful characters throughout the production keep us watching with interest.  A haunting theme from composer John Cacavas, and well-photographed scenes of the monster's attacks in the dark also impress and sustain suspense and chills throughout the picture, a most memorable genre film.

The Magic Sword (1962)

Starring Basil Rathbone, Estelle Winwood, Gary Lockwood, Anne Helm, Liam Sullivan
Directed by Bert I. Gordon
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)

A young man raised by a kindly witch uses her magic gifts to try to rescue a princess held prisoner by an evil sorcerer.

Bert I. Gordon, the filmmaker who created his own special effects for numerous movies from the 1950s and onward, hasn't always gotten favorable reviews for his work, but his efforts at a fantasy film here aren't really too bad.  Taking us back to a setting in the time of knights and dragons and witches and the like, he has his brave would-be knight (Lockwood), with magical help from Winwood, take on an ogre, a deadly swamp, and a rocky prison, among other perils, before a final confrontation with evil magician Rathbone and his fearsome two-headed dragon.  The dragon in particular is probably the most impressive creation, breathing real fire through its nostrils.  Obviously aimed at children, and hard to criticize on that level, the storybook atmosphere benefits from Paul Vogel's bright color photography and the rousing marches in Richard Markowitz's musical score.  That's not to say the film doesn't have its problems with plenty of logic holes in the screenplay and some weak attempts at humor.  Rathbone, although he's professional as ever, clearly wouldn't have chosen this role given access to more prestigious productions.  When he heard I was watching this, film historian Troy Howarth explained that the actor took on a number of films he thought beneath him in order to pay for his wife's extravagances.  Also in the cast of interest is Winwood, who took on similar roles on the TV series Bewitched and Batman later in the 1960s, as well as Maila Nurmi, the attractive horror hostess Vampira, who is hidden behind a hideous makeup.

Varan The Unbelievable (1962)

Starring Myron Healey, Tsuruko Kobayashi, Clifford Kawada, Derick Shimatsu, Kozo Nomura
Directed by Jerry A. Baerwitz & Ishiro Honda
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)

A scientific experiment on a small village's lake accidentally stirs a giant creature sleeping on the bottom, that sets off to destroy everything in its path.

This American version of Daikaiju Baran, per Wikipedia, changes a good deal of the story and instead fashions a different narrative with American Healey in the lead, using limited footage from the Japanese film, including almost none of the principal stars.  Healey's a favorite actor of mine, a talent at projecting a good-natured swagger in many of his roles, and he's likable in this as a military scientist with a loving Japanese wife, but the American crew who recut the film don't pay much respect to the work of Japanese director Honda and his crew, letting their scenes dominate their version.  What does remain is some impressive footage of the monster, with spikes all over its reptilian exterior and a fearsome countenance.  I've read some accounts this was perhaps a too familiar return by Honda to Godzilla-like territory, and it is without doubt similarly structured from what I could tell from the footage used, but I still found it unique in its own way and look forward to seeking out the Japanese version.

Scream Of Fear (1961)

Starring Susan Strasberg, Ronald Lewis, Ann Todd, Christopher Lee, John Serret
Directed by Seth Holt
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)

A paralyzed young lady returns after a long absence to her father's home in France, and although told he's away, she begins to see his dead body in different locations.

An excellent psychological thriller from Hammer Films, the film is very well plotted and directed, with a strong performance from Strasberg in a difficult role.  Her supporting cast is also quite good, with Lewis, Todd, and Lee (taking on a French accent) convincing in their parts, and not letting any hint on of the twists and turns to follow.  Douglas Slocombe's black-and-white cinematography is very suited to the suspenseful screenplay, and Bernard Robinson's production design adds elements of claustrophobia despite the large estate of the setting.  Holt's judicious use of Clifton Parker's score, with a number of eerie moments unscored, adds to the still potent atmosphere and mystery.

Invaders From Mars (1953)

Starring Helena Carter, Arthur Franz, Jimmy Hunt, Leif Erickson, Hillary Brooke
Directed by William Cameron Menzies
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)

A young boy witnesses a flying saucer landing near his home, and soon after discovers his parents and other people he knows have been turned into cold-hearted enemies of the Earth.

One of 1950s' science fiction's seminal films, it's well anchored by young Hunt, who is so earnest and likable, you can't help but be moved by his plight, as he tries to convince people that the Martians have landed and are taking over.  The supporting cast is solid with standouts being Helena Carter's sympathetic doctor and Morris Ankrum's dependable Colonel Fielding.  While the special effects by Republic serial veterans Howard and Theodore Lydecker are a bit dated today, they're wonderfully creative, as holes opening and closing in the white sand abduct hapless humans accompanied by the sound of an ominous choral-like tone.  It was one of the last films for Menzies, who directed and also did the production design like so many great productions from his past.  His design is interesting with fairly simplistic settings and several dialogue scenes taking place before backgrounds with only colors and no ornamentation.  Once we get to see inside the Martian stronghold, there's nothing really dramatic in design, better to focus on the giant mu-tants serving the disembodied head of their master, images that had to have stuck with many 1950s kids and are still memorable today.

The Spider Woman (1943)

Starring Basil Rathbone, Nigel Bruce, Gale Sondergaard, Dennis Hoey, Vernon Downing
Directed by Roy William Neill
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)

As a wave of horrific suicides sweeps London, Sherlock Holmes also seems to lose his life after an accidental fall, but returns with a plan to root out the woman behind the suicides.

I'd call this a middling entry in the Universal Holmes series, although Bertram Millhauser's screenplay offers a few inventive ideas.  The best scenes are with Watson and Hoey reacting to Holmes' apparent death, which was likely borne out of Conan Doyle's story, The Adventure Of The Empty House.  Although casting the Oscar-winning Sondergaard is a fine choice, and she excels as usual in a villainous role, the supporting cast is somewhat less inspired with Downing as her henchman a bit of a bore.  I also found the camerawork and sparing use of music a bit disappointing compared to other Holmes efforts.  That being said, there's some fun to be had in spotting some actors in the cast, including Harry Cording, Gene Roth, and Angelo Rossito made up as an imported African pygmy!

The 7th Voyage Of Sinbad (1958)

Starring Kerwin Mathews, Kathryn Grant, Richard Eyer, Torin Thatcher, Alec Mango
Directed by Nathan Juran
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)

The brave hero Sinbad battles fantastic creatures in order to save the princess he loves, who has been shrunk to a tiny size by an evil magician.

Ray Harryhausen's stop motion effects enliven this production, with the talented craftsman expertly animating a giant cyclops, a fearsome dragon, an immense two-headed roc, a dancing snake woman, and a sword-fighting skeleton.  It's also impressively mounted in other areas, with a classic Bernard Herrmann score, an engaging cast including Mathews' stalwart hero and Thatcher's sinister magician, poetic dialogue which brings a classical feel, and bright color photography by Wilkie Cooper, all befitting this memorable fantasy adventure.  The skeleton sequence is a favorite with Mathews battling Harryhausen's creation with Herrmann's bone-jangling accompaniment, but there are so many memorable images and sonics, from the eerie shrinking of the princess, to the bellowing cyclops.  Modern envisionings of the story would rightly employ a more ethnically diverse cast, but the picture still feels like a vivid imagining of an Arabian Nights classic.

Teenage Caveman (1958)

Starring Robert Vaughn, Darah Marshall, Leslie Bradley, Frank DeKova, Charles Thompson
Directed by Roger Corman
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)

In a primitive society, a teenager among the cave people questions the laws to never move beyond their territory, and is tempted to break the law by another caveman looking to seize power.

Roger Corman tries his hand at a caveman picture, and in my opinion it's really one of the better ones, with an insightful script from R. Wright Campbell, and a decent performance from Vaughn, some time before his success on television.  It's also clearly a low budget affair, cobbled together with stock footage from other pictures, notably One Million B.C., and recycling a costume in a nonsensical way from Night Of The Blood Beast.  Still, the ideas in the screenplay made it work for me, Frank DeKova's antagonist was a worthy villain, and it was a great relief that the cave people all spoke English instead of the grunts and yells one has to sit through and try to make sense of in other pictures of this type.  It was also fun to spot the Corman regulars among the supporting cast, with Jonathan Haze, Barboura Morris, and Beach Dickerson all making appearances.  I won't give away the twist ending, but like that Campbell laid the groundwork for it in his story beforehand.

Nineteen Eighty-Four (1954)

Starring Peter Cushing, Andre Morell, Yvonne Mitchell, Donald Pleasence, Arnold Diamond
Directed by Rudolph Cartier
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)

In a rebuilt society after an atomic war, a government worker risks his future by embarking on a forbidden affair with a lovely associate and seeking to join a rebellion against their leaders.

A powerful adaptation of George Orwell's landmark novel, this telefilm boasts a faithful script from writer Nigel Kneale, and excellent performances from all of its cast, including a showcased role for Peter Cushing that likely started him down a path to stardom.  Orwell's source material remains timely to this day, and despite the limitations of adapting it in the 1950s, the production still has the power to impress and horrify.  As Winston Smith, Orwell's beleaguered hero, who despises the controlling government of "The Party," and its ever present figurehead, "Big Brother," Cushing has our sympathy right from the start as a quiet unassuming type hungry for companionship.  When he attains that with Mitchell, who is also very good in projecting a wonderful vivaciousness, we feel his joy as we would ourselves.  When walls begin to close in around him, and Morell takes center stage in another compelling performance, the degradation Smith goes through and Cushing's reactions to it are quite literally heartbreaking.  With many long speeches, the film does drag a bit, and I couldn't help wishing that there were more of a score, rather than just snippets of music from John Hotchkiss as transitions between scenes.  Regardless, the picture is a masterwork in my opinion, and worthy of preserving for future generations.

She Demons (1958)

Starring Irish McCalla, Tod Griffin, Victor Sen Yung, Rudolph Anders, Gene Roth
Directed by Richard E. Cunha
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)

A spoiled rich girl and the men traveling with her are shipwrecked on an island where a Nazi scientist is transforming native women into savage monsters.

Another of Richard Cunha's quartet of independent sci-fi/horror films made for the drive-in circuit, it's fun and entertaining despite its flaws.  Bookended by obvious stock footage for the hurricane that wrecks McCalla's boat and the volcano that dooms the island, what lies between is low budget but still interesting.  McCalla's beauty, the monster makeups, and the cruelty of the Nazi officers are depended on to carry the film, and for me at least, do that successfully.  That being said, the white actresses playing the native women stretch credibility, and a sequence where chief villain Anders explains his experiments goes on too long, but he gives a good performance, and Nicholas Carras' ominous score sets the right tone.  I found McCalla, Griffin, and Sen Yung likable enough and the fight sequences well choreographed, although Griffin's stunt double quite noticeably looked far older than the actor.  Still, the movie projects that 1950s sci-fi atmosphere well enough, and is a treasure for that alone.

House Of Horrors (1946)

Starring Robert Lowery, Virginia Grey, Bill Goodwin, Martin Kosleck, Rondo Hatton
Directed by Jean Yarbrough
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)

After a maddened sculptor saves the life of a brutish killer, he's able to convince him to reward him by disposing of the critics of his art.

One of Universal's last horror films in their classic period, and I've always been rather fond of it, with a delightfully wicked performance from Kosleck, and acromegaly victim Rondo Hatton used rather well.  Hatton was limited as an actor, and he doesn't have to do much besides stalking his victims, but the exaggerated bust built of him within the film is an inspired work and a memorable image.  At times the comic relief in the movie is almost a little too breezy, but I enjoyed the supporting cast, with Virginia Grey coming off very appealing with His Girl Friday-like patter, and Alan Napier excelling in a choice role as a detested art critic.  Goodwin, whom I know best for pitching Maxwell House coffee on the Burns and Allen radio series, is entertaining as a homicide detective, alternating between gruffly making accusations against suspects and shifting to a smooth operator when plying a beautiful model with a glib smile on his face.  The film's definitely a minor horror, when compared to the studio's greats, but is fun along the same lines as many of their 1940s efforts.

The Tell-Tale Heart (1960)

Starring Laurence Payne, Adrienne Corri, Dermot Walsh, Selma Vaz Dias, John Scott
Directed by Ernest Morris
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)

A killer is tormented by his imagined beating of the heart of his victim's body, and recalls the love affair that drove him to commit murder.

Edgar Allan Poe's famous short story is winningly adapted by writers Brian Clemens and Eldon Howard in a well-acted and directed thriller.  To expand the story to future length, they divert from the original victim as Poe described him, and make the murder a crime of passion with Corri's character at the heart of the conflict between two men.  She is excellent in the film, giving one of the best performances I've seen from her, and is mesmerizing in a sequence where she dances with Payne, but her eyes never leave Walsh.  Payne is introduced to us as playing Edgar Allan Poe himself, before this changes somewhat, one of the many elements in the film that kept me guessing.  He gives a fine performance as well, and the way the screenplay builds his madness gradually is expertly done.  There's very good camerawork by James Wilson also on display, showing Payne and Corri's different reactions to their relationship through closeups and memorable framing.  It's not a perfect film, but Morris has assembled a piece of work that certainly is worthy of admiration and respect.

Blood Mania (1970)

Starring Peter Carpenter, Maria De Aragon, Vicki Peters, Reagan Wilson, Jacqueline Dalya
Directed by Robert Vincent O'Neill
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)

A doctor facing blackmail for his involvement in illegal operations becomes involved with the daughter of one of his patients, who is ready to help him anyway she can.

Although promoted as a horror film in both its movie trailer and poster, and probably other advertising as well, the movie doesn't really have anything that horrific in it until we get to the climax.  Although it's not necessarily a bad story, the filmmakers' main focus until the climax seems to be showing off the young ladies' bodies in the film, as they disrobe for sex scenes with Carpenter or co-star Arell Blanton numerous times.  If it's an erotic thriller then, it's not expert enough for the scenes to give off that much heat, although I have to admit the film's ending is rather clever.  What I found most intriguing about it was the plight of Carpenter's character, being blackmailed for performing abortions just a few years before Roe V. Wade.  That quickly becomes a forgotten detail however, as the movie's more concerned with involving him in more and more debauchery to get the money he needs.

Zombies Of Mora Tau (1957)

Starring Gregg Palmer, Allison Hayes, Autumn Russell, Joel Ashley, Morris Ankrum
Directed by Edward L. Cahn
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)

An expedition arrives at an African island to dive for a legendary cache of diamonds, only to find the stones protected by zombies, who are frighteningly real.

Although modern audiences might find the zombies here a little tame, as there's no blood or gore on screen, I've always enjoyed this film, and the expressionless zombies are effective enough.  Cahn's direction keeps them menacing, particularly during close-up attacks.  Unfortunately, the underwater sequences are clearly filmed dry for wet and don't come off as well.  Hayes, playing the bold wife with a yen for her abrasive husband's diver, is fun to watch, particularly after she becomes a zombie victim, and Majorie Eaton is enjoyable as the aged widow of one of the zombies, sternly warning the rest of the cast about the danger they're in.  Palmer, playing the noble diver, is an acceptable lead, Russell makes a beautiful love interest, and dependable character actors like Ankrum and Gene Roth  are appreciated.  I wouldn't place this among the great zombie pictures, but it delivers some worthwhile 1950s fun.    

Teenage Zombies (1959)

Starring Don Sullivan, Katherine Victor, Steve Conte, J.L.D. Morrison, Brianne Murphy
Directed by Jerry Warren
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)

Four teenagers visit an island they discover, only to be taken prisoner there by a scientist developing a chemical weapon that will turn America into a country of zombies.

Notorious director Jerry Warren delivered this low-budget thriller, which he also wrote (under a pen name) and produced.  It's actually one of his more coherent films, although it too could have used a more judicious film editor.  Sullivan, who I found to be an engaging young lead in The Giant Gila Monster, doesn't have as much to do here, but is still likable, as are the other youngsters in the cast.  What the film lacks are the zombies of the title, as except for a brief glimpse early on, we only see one, who's competently played by Chuck Niles, but that's it.  Victor is given one of her more dignified roles, and Warren tracks in some effective and familiar music, which IMDB credits as from past scores of Paul Sawtell & Bert Shefter.  Still, while the film itself is easier to watch than a number of Warren's stinkers, I can't give it a high recommendation.  It's a fun diversion though for those in the mood.

Phantom Of The Opera (1943)

Starring Nelson Eddy, Susanna Foster, Claude Rains, Edgar Barrier, Leo Carrillo
Directed by Arthur Lubin
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)

The Paris Opera House is terrorized by a masked phantom, a former musician in the orchestra who is ready to kill to ensure his young protege becomes the Opera's lead soprano.

Although often grouped and sold with the other Universal horror classics, this film is so different it doesn't really fit, a lavish color production with an emphasis on grand staging of the Opera's musical numbers.  It certainly looks spectacular, with elaborate costumes, countless performers on the stage, and although I'm far from able to judge the quality of the sonics, I'd conjecture they are of high quality.  Although Rains is given the key role of the Phantom, and excels in bringing forth a magnetic characterization, this isn't his film like the silent version was Lon Chaney's, although Gaston Leroux's original story has been re-written to give his character a traumatic origin which is quite well staged.  In another revision to Leroux, Christine's paramour Raoul is split into two characters, performer Anatole (played by Eddy) and policeman Raoul (played by Barrier), with neither making a strong impact, although Eddy is showcased in several musical scenes.  As for Foster, I presume she sings well, but can't judge the merits of her voice with only a fleeting knowledge of opera.  Her acting is competent, and her personality likable, but it just seemed to me she lacked the screen presence to really push the film over the top.

The Vampire (1957)

Starring John Beal, Coleen Gray, Kenneth Tobey, Lydia Reed, Dabbs Greer
Directed by Paul Landres
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)

After murders shock a small town, its doctor suspects himself, convinced his accidental ingestion of a scientist's experimental pills have turned him into a monster.

We have here a compelling little sci-fi/horror thriller, efficiently directed by Landres on what must have been a tight budget.  Beal anchors the film as the affable and genial doctor who finds his life turned upside down, and can't help but capture the audience's sympathy in a quality performance.  Plenty of familiar faces from 1950s films and television are featured in the supporting cast, including Coleen Gray, Herb Vigran, Kenneth Tobey, and Paul Brinegar, but the best support comes from Lydia Reed as the doctor's charming daughter, and Dabbs Greer as a scientist and friend to Beal's character, who tries to apply common sense to his predicament.  Gerald Fried's foreboding score is a perfect accompaniment to the picture, and although the monster makeup isn't anything we haven't seen before, it's more than serviceable to a film which primary strength is its story and its characters.

Anatomy Of A Psycho (1961)

Starring Ronnie Burns, Pamela Lincoln, Darrell Howe, Judy Howard, Michael Granger
Directed by Brooke L. Peters
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)

After his brother is convicted of murder and executed for the crime, a young man becomes mentally unbalanced and begins seeking revenge on those who brought him to justice.

The film's most notable for the presence of comedians George Burns and Gracie Allen's son Ronnie, but despite his name value he doesn't have the featured role, which instead is played by Howe, as the disturbed teenager Chet.  The name of the game here is exploitation and as such features a few overwrought performances among its cast, and a number of violent confrontations.  Director Boris Petroff (billed here as Brooke L. Peters) also made the horror film The Unearthly, which is far more entertaining than this, thanks largely to a more reputed cast.  The picture also suffers from a number of plot holes that should have enabled the police to tie Chet to his crimes long ago.  Still, there's some pleasure to be had before the movie wraps up with a pretty unexpected optimistic conclusion.

The Werewolf Vs. The Vampire Woman (1971)

Starring Paul Naschy, Gaby Fuchs, Barbara Capell, Andres Resino, Yelena Samarina
Directed by Leon Klimovsky
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)

Two young women in search of an ancient vampire's tomb recruit the help of Waldemar Daninsky, not realizing he is a werewolf, nor that they will bring the vampire back to life.

One of several vehicles for the character of Daninsky, starring Naschy as the cursed werewolf, who also collaborated on the screenplay for this picture.  Naschy's portrayals were among the most bestial of screen werewolves, and that's certainly the case here, with plenty of blood spilled and the beast even tearing out a major organ or piece of skin from one of his victims.  In human form, Naschy has a  compelling screen presence well up there with other classic monster portrayers, and although he doesn't have much of a chance to emote in this film, you can appreciate what he brings to the screen.  The showdown between Naschy's werewolf and Patty Shepard as Countess Wandesa, who like Elizabeth Bathory, drinks the blood of young virgins to stay youthful, is a bit brief, but well-staged, and the build-up to their battle is well done, with fog-drenched scenes of Wandesa and her cohort stalking the beautiful Fuchs.  According to film historian Troy Howarth, some more salacious scenes were edited out of this edition of the film, but can be found in a release under the title Werewolf Shadow.

Whispering Ghosts (1942)

Starring Milton Berle, Brenda Joyce, John Shelton, John Carradine, Willie Best
Directed by Alfred Werker
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)

The star of a radio show tackling unsolved crimes investigates the death of a sea captain aboard an old ship, where he and his valet encounter old ghosts and others after the captain's treasure.

This film hasn't aged well, with Best's antics as an easily scared servant, and Berle's jokes regarding his skin color of definite offense to modern audiences.  Berle, starring here years before his success on television, keeps his zingers coming so fast I didn't pick up on some of them, but did laugh at a few.  However, the best element of the film is the spooky atmosphere aboard the derelict ship, with shadows, fog, and gloomy themes from composers Leigh Harline & Emil Newman heightening the mystery and suspense.  There aren't really any ghosts in the film, with Carradine and Rene Riano playing actors posing as ghosts as a prank on Berle's character, but interestingly Berle calls Carradine "Dracula" some years before the performer took on that role on film.  Overall, the film's mystery is engaging, but I'd have to say the attempts at comedy largely fall flat.

Maneater Of Hydra (1967)

Starring Cameron Mitchell, Elisa Montes, George Martin, Kai Fischer, Rolf von Nauckhoff
Directed by Mel Welles
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)

Sightseers visit a Greek island where the Baron von Weser has grown an incredible collection of plants that he has also experimented on, but after they arrive a murderer begins to strike.

Also known under the title Island Of The Doomed, IMDB credits the picture as a Spain & West German co-production, directed by familiar Roger Corman regular Welles, who also contributed to the screenplay.  Mitchell is cool and mysterious as the Baron, and the special effects behind some of his plants are well-done for the time and budget.  As a mystery, I don't think anyone would be surprised by who the murderer turns out to be, but as a horror film, it registers with plenty of shock and gore, although fairly sedate by modern standards.  Fischer is a hoot as an earthy woman hitting on all the island's men, not even caring to hide her advances from her older husband.  Matilde Sampedro and Hermann Nehlsen also play colorful and very talkative characters that enliven the film until the killer is revealed.    I agree with my friend Troy Howarth that while the washed-out print I viewed didn't take too much away from the film, it would be a pleasure to re-watch in more vibrant colors.

The Old Dark House (1963)

Starring Tom Poston, Robert Morley, Janette Scott, Joyce Grenfell, Mervyn Johns
Directed by William Castle
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)

A car salesman accepts an invitation from his roommate to visit his ancestral home, only to find him murdered when he arrives, and someone plotting to murder the rest of the family.

A collaboration between Castle, who by this time had directed some entertaining low-budget shockers, and Hammer Films, Britain's preeminent horror studio, sounds more intriguing than it actually is, and this one is a huge misfire, despite the skilled veterans in front of and behind the camera.  The picture's meant to be a horror-comedy, based on J.B. Priestly's Benighted, which spawned the classic 1932 version of The Old Dark House from director James Whale.  However, Robert Dillon's screenplay is nothing like the book or the previous film, instead borrowing some characters and recasting them in an Agatha Christie-like plot with attempts at humor that simply miss the mark.  The Hammer artisans behind the scenes do their part, with Bernard Robinson creating a mansion fitting the drab prison the script describes, as well as realizing character Potipher Femm's dream of a new Noah's Ark on a convincing scale.  The cast really can't be faulted, and I found them engaging, with Arthur Grant's photography bringing out the best in them- Janette Scott has never looked lovelier.  I also found the employment of macabre cartoonist Charles Addams in designing the film's main title sequence an inspired choice.  The source material however deserved a wittier touch then Castle and Dillon were able to deliver.

The Brain That Wouldn't Die (1962)

Starring Herb Evers, Virginia Leith, Leslie Daniel, Adele Lamont, Audrey Devereal
Directed by Joseph Green
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)

A maverick doctor accidentally kills his fiancee in a car accident, but uses a new serum he's developed to keep her head and brain alive, unaware of the hate and power growing inside her.

This is one of the sleaziest movies of its era, with a catfight between strippers, horrific demises for a number of its characters, a grotesque monster, and a nude scene in its foreign cut.  Nevertheless it's become a cult classic of sorts, and it's certainly watchable throughout.  In particular, I enjoyed the performance of Evers' crippled assistant played by Anthony La Penna (billed in the credits as Leslie Daniel).  He gets to deliver most of the best dialogue in a European accent, asking Evers' mad doctor "how could you make of her an experiment of horror?!" and telling Leith's head how terrible she is before she ends up exacting revenge.  The film is often ridiculed for the image of Leith's head sitting in a pan of serum laughing hysterically, but to give the actress credit, she takes her line readings seriously and does about as good a job as one could possibly expect, although I've heard accounts she detested the movie.

Night Of The Ghouls (1959)

Starring Kenne Duncan, Duke Moore, Tor Johnson, Valda Hansen, Johnny Carpenter
Directed by Edward D. Wood Jr.
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)

Strange goings on at the house where a mad scientist once created monsters cause the police to send Lt. Dan Bradford to investigate, and he finds a phony spiritualist has set up shop there.

A quasi-sequel to Wood's Bride Of The Monster, this film was never released theatrically as per Wikipedia, Wood never paid off the film lab for the negatives, and it was only in 1984 that businessman Wade Williams paid off the fees and released the film on video.  It suffers from minimal sets, overacting by Wood regular Paul Marco as Kelton the cop, and being padded out with unrelated footage from Wood's unsold TV pilot, Portraits Of Terror, which also starred Moore.  Despite the movie's failings, I have to admit Moore, as detective Bradford, and Kenne Duncan as fake mystic Dr. Acula, give respectable understated performances.  The only times I actually laughed out loud were at Dr. Acula's weak gimmicks, a floating trumpet suspended from wires and a phony ghost walking across the stage accompanied by silly sound effects.  Wood's story here is fairly straightforward and although it's not a very good one, it was different enough from his other films to hold my interest, and you can tell he cared about this film.  Like his other efforts, I can critique it on one level, but enjoy it on another.

Frankenstein 1970 (1958)

Starring Boris Karloff, Tom Duggan, Jana Lund, Don Barry, Charlotte Austin
Directed by Howard W. Koch
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)

A television crew films a special commemorating the 230th anniversary of Frankenstein at the ancestral castle, unaware that their host, the latest Baron Frankenstein, is planning the monster's rebirth.

Boris Karloff gives perhaps his hammiest performance, portraying Frankenstein's descendant with a hunched over gait and a twisted eye, who has gotten the TV crew (who knows how) to set him up with an atomic reactor with no questions asked, that he will use to resuscitate the monster.  And of course some murders for vital organs for the creature will be committed along the way.  You can't help but smile as he leers at his guests, and he's gifted with grandiose speeches that he utters with an evil relish.  There's more than a few logic gaps in the script by Richard Landau & George Worthing Yates, but I enjoyed the supporting cast, with Rudolph Anders as the friend who suspects what the Baron is doing but doesn't connect the dots until too late, and Norbert Schiller as the likable but too loyal butler Shuter.  This film isn't in the same league with Karloff's showcases as the Monster, but it's certainly an entertaining romp.

Creatures The World Forgot (1971)

Starring Julie Ege, Tony Bonner, Robin John, Brian O'Shaughnessy, Sue Wilson
Directed by Don Chaffey
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)

A prehistoric tribe escapes their home after a volcanic eruption, and merge with another tribe, where twin sons grow up to oppose one another.

This entry from Hammer Films in their series of cave people pictures is a bit harder to follow than the others, with no narration or subtitles to allow us to interpret the actors' dialogue or movements, and not much excitement in the script by Hammer writer/producer Michael Carreras.  Ege is certainly attractive, although she kind of pops out of nowhere in the latter half of the film, and the movie is beautifully photographed, but the "creatures the world forgot" disappoint, consisting of some deer, warthogs, a ram, and a savage bear.  The stop-motion animated creations of Ray Harryhausen and Jim Danforth from Hammer's earlier films in this sub-genre are very much missed, and the conflict between the brothers (played by Bonner and John) is just not that compelling.  On-screen attempted rapes are distasteful and bear no relevance to the story, and I didn't understand the lady shaman's training of a young girl to replace her until near the end of the film.  I managed to sit through the picture, but wouldn't look forward to doing so again.

Beyond The Time Barrier (1960)

Starring Robert Clarke, Darlene Tompkins, Arianne Ulmer, Vladimir Sokoloff, Stephen Bekassy
Directed by Edgar G. Ulmer
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)

After a test flight into space, the pilot returns to Earth, only to find he's traveled 64 years into the future, and the world is now a post-apocalyptic wasteland.

Low-budget auteur Edgar G. Ulmer works his magic yet again, this time in the science fiction genre, delivering a pretty entertaining offering despite financial limitations.  The bulk of the film takes place in "The Citadel," an underground complex housing Earth's last survivors, which was apparently filmed on state fairgrounds in Texas, with production designer Ernst Fegte adding diamond shaped ornamentation to the walls and ceilings to make the settings seem futuristic.  Per Wikipedia, distributor American International Pictures also cuts in footage from Fritz Lang's Indian Tomb films to make the army of mutants kept out of the Citadel seem much more expansive.  Robert Clarke, star of The Incredible Petrified World and The Hideous Sun Demon, who produced the film, appears as our hero, Major William Allison, and gives a good performance as the noble test pilot.  He's well supported by the always dignified Vladimir Sokoloff as the complex's leader, Darlene Tompkins as a deaf-mute mind reader he falls for, and Ulmer's own daughter Arianne as one of a trio of scientists from the past kept prisoner.  Darrell Calker contributes a nice score with a noble march to represent Allison, Universal horror's Jack Pierce supplies some important makeups, and Arthur C. Pierce's screenplay offers a unique twist on what caused civilization's demise on Earth.  It's far from a great film, but I certainly found it enjoyable.

Secret Of The Blue Room (1933)

Starring Lionel Atwill, Gloria Stuart, Paul Lukas, Edward Arnold, Onslow Stevens
Directed by Kurt Neumann
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)

Three suitors for a young woman, to prove their courage to her, agree to each spend a night in the "Blue Room" in her father's castle, where three met death 20 years before.

Only recently released on home video, this Universal horror-mystery featuring an early directorial effort from Kurt Neumann (The Fly), is a really entertaining watch, with good performances from Atwill as the father with secrets to hide, Lukas as a military captain and one of Stuart's suitors, and especially Edward Arnold as the no-nonsense police commissioner who investigates new crimes at the castle.  Modern audiences might guess the murderer early on, but there's enough red herrings and plot twists to make them second guess in an effective screenplay from William Hurlbut, based on a German film property.  More importantly, the film flows well throughout, and concludes with an exciting and well-staged climax.  It would have been even better with a music score, opening and closing with the familiar "Swan Lake" cues that accompanied Dracula and other Universal '30s fare, but lacking anything in between.  Still, it's a fine production I'll look forward to revisiting.

Calling Dr. Death (1943)

Starring Lon Chaney Jr., Patricia Morison, J. Carrol Naish, David Bruce, Ramsay Ames
Directed by Reginald LeBorg
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)

A neurologist has a blackout over a weekend, after which he discovers his wife has been murdered, and he wonders if he's guilty of the crime.

The first of the Inner Sanctum movies, based on the popular radio series, which all starred Chaney as various professional men involved in murder or death, the picture is almost framed like a film noir, with shadowy photography by Virgil Miller, and distinctive imagery utilized during the hypnosis sequences.  Although Chaney's acting in these pictures has largely been unheralded, he's good enough in his role here, and receives excellent support from Morison as his secretary and nurse, as well as Naish as the police inspector who keeps pestering him.  I'd probably rank it second among the Inner Sanctum films, after Weird Woman, and found it professionally filmed and enjoyable to watch.

Satellite In The Sky (1956)

Starring Kieron Moore, Lois Maxwell, Donald Wolfit, Bryan Forbes, Jimmy Hanley
Directed by Paul Dickson
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)

The commander of a British mission to fly a spacecraft outside the Earth's atmosphere is told just before takeoff that the craft will also carry an atomic bomb to be detonated in space.

A combination of sci-fi adventure and old fashioned melodrama, the picture is probably most notable for the presence of Maxwell, who portrayed Miss Moneypenny in numerous James Bond films.  She has a much more substantial role here as a romantic lead and reporter who stows aboard the spacecraft.  The special effects would have been passable at the time the film was released, but haven't aged well, but that didn't detract from my enjoyment of the movie.  It's acted well enough, with familiar heavy Wolfit standing out as the professor in charge of deploying the bomb, and the script poses some valid questions about the quest to explore space while the world is preoccupied with other problems.

Terror Is A Man (1959)

Starring Francis Lederer, Greta Thyssen, Richard Derr, Oscar Keesee, Lilia Duran
Directed by Gerry de Leon
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)

A shipwreck survivor lands on an island where a doctor is engaged in experiments on a panther, but he soon discovers the doctor has made the panther into something almost human.

A small-scale version of H.G. Wells' The Island Of Dr. Moreau, with only one "manimal," the picture doesn't break new ground, but is well-directed by de Leon, who makes good use of the black and white photography and its jungle like setting on a Philippine island to create some genuine terror and suspense.  Ariston Avelino's score, with its bold and dramatic themes, and Flory Carlos' savage performance as the panther-man, are also strong attributes.  Thyssen, surely cast for her va-va-va-voom figure, showcased in tight outfits and ever-present gleaming lipstick, nonetheless impresses with some intelligent dialogue well delivered.  I found the screenplay's love triangle between her, Lederer, and Derr, the weakest part of the film, and was more intrigued by the echoes of Frankenstein in the story.  The movie is perhaps best known today for a marketing gimmick in which a bell sounds to warn the audience to shield their eyes during a gruesome scene.  The opening titles identify the film's location as "Blood Island," a locale producer Eddie Romero as well as director de Leon would return multiple times to for a series of horror shockers in the late 1960s.

The Unearthly (1957)

Starring John Carradine, Myron Healey, Allison Hayes, Marilyn Buferd, Arthur Batanides
Directed by Brooke L. Peters
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)

A young woman suffering from fright and an escaped convict arrive at the sanitarium of Dr. Charles Conway, who is planning to use his patients as guinea pigs in experiments to prolong youth.

This independent offering has limited sets and a bad reputation, but I think it's really a lot of fun.  The crisp photography, strong cast, and very spooky music score give the film a look and feel which is much more polished than you would expect, and Carradine and Healey in particular give excellent performances, at least in my opinion.  Tor Johnson, credited by IMDB as "Lobo II," perhaps a reference to his performance as "Lobo" in Bride Of The Monster, definitely makes a visual impact as one of the failed experiments who lugs a heavy coffin on his back in a memorable scene.  Harry Thomas turns in some grotesque makeups for this horror/exploitation combo from director Boris Petroff (credited as Peters), who would go on to make a few more of them.

The Hound Of The Baskervilles (1939)

Starring Richard Greene, Basil Rathbone, Wendy Barrie, Nigel Bruce, Lionel Atwill
Directed by Sidney Lanfield
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)

Sherlock Holmes is engaged to protect the life of Sir Henry Baskerville, whose estate is said to be haunted by a ghostly hound, blamed for the deaths of his predecessors.

The initial Holmes film that commenced the long partnership of Rathbone and Bruce as Holmes and Watson is a handsomely shot picture with many memorable characterizations.  Rathbone is excellent as Holmes, showcasing the great detective's cool intellect in a classic performance, and Atwill, Morton Lowry, John Carradine, Barlowe Borland, and Nigel de Brulier all make for colorful suspects, especially Borland, whose threats to sue his neighbors makes for an amusing embellishment to Conan Doyle's original story.  Bruce's Watson is yet to evolve into the doddering but lovable character that would inhabit the Universal Holmes series, but despite some overblown histrionics at one point, has some excellent scenes investigating the moors of Baskerville Hall.  Peverell Marley's tightly-focused photography plays to the strength of the cast by letting the actors and their reactions tell the story while adding shadow at key moments.  In an interesting choice, the music underscore all but vanishes when we arrive at Baskerville Hall, allowing the silence on the soundtrack to contribute eerie suspense for the bulk of the film as Holmes, Watson, and Baskerville meander across the moor.  The picture remains to this day my favorite of the Rathbone and Bruce films, and in my opinion, one of the great movie mysteries.

12 To The Moon (1960)

Starring Ken Clark, Michi Kobi, Tom Conway, Tony Dexter, John Wengraf
Directed by David Bradley
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)

An international crew of scientists take off on a rocket ship to land on and investigate the moon, which they discover is a dangerous world with a hidden civilization.

Writer/producer Fred Gebhardt offers a science fiction tale with low-grade special effects, but the quality of the actors and some excitement in the script made this an enjoyable programmer for me.  Starring Ken Clark as the American commander, Tom Conway as a Russian geologist, John Wengraf as the German designer of the spacecraft, and Michi Kobi and Anna-Lisa as the ladies aboard, there's a number of interesting personalities to pay attention to.  Cory Devlin, as the Nigerian navigator, was especially interesting to me, allowed to showcase his intelligence and spirituality, without a sign of stereotype, and treated by his shipmates and the screenplay with respect.  A subplot involving Wengraf's shame of his father, and Richard Weber's hatred of that man, seems unnecessary but makes up what little conflict there is among the crew.  As our crew traipses out upon the moon, the perils are low-tech but believable enough, and Michael Andersen's score brings some eeriness and tension to those scenes.  The film is far from a great science fiction entry, and may not even be as good as Gebhardt's followup, The Phantom Planet, which reuses some of the costumes and opticals.  I found it to be enjoyable enough however, and worth my time.

Atom Man Vs. Superman (1950)

Starring Kirk Alyn, Noel Neill, Lyle Talbot, Tommy Bond, Pierre Watkin
Directed by Spencer Bennet
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)

Superman returns in his second movie serial, this time to battle the scientific weapons of criminal genius Luthor, who employs a masked figure named The Atom Man as his partner.

Fans of the original Superman serial from 1948 will be glad to see all the returning players from the first one, as Alyn again plays Superman & Clark Kent, Neill once again is Lois Lane, Bond is Jimmy Olsen, and Watkin returns as Daily Planet managing editor Perry White.  There's also plenty of returning crew behind the camera, including the original co-director Bennet, and the filmmakers again have Superman change into an animated cartoon when flying through the sky.  Lyle Talbot as the comic book villain Luthor is the chief new addition, and he is most welcome, turning in a strong and faithful characterization of Superman's arch enemy.  To the best of my knowledge, the Atom Man never appeared in the comics but was the focal point of a memorable storyline on the Superman radio series, and on film comparatively he's disappointing, with his black cloak and glittery iron mask looking very low budget.  The budget again shows with the stock footage of the fire, earthquake, and flooding disasters Superman faces, which looks at least twenty years older than the rest of the film stock, and it doesn't take an eagle eye to spot use of footage from the first Superman serial.  Despite all that, the results are still entertaining.  It's not a great serial, but if you liked the first one, you ought to like the second.

The Invisible Man Returns (1940)

Starring Cedric Hardwicke, Vincent Price, Nan Grey, John Sutton, Cecil Kellaway
Directed by Joe May
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)

The brother of the original Invisible Man uses his formula to help a wrongly convicted man escape the police, while he tries to find a cure before the madness that accompanies the invisibility can overtake him.

A sequel to Universal's excellent The Invisible Man carries on without director James Whale or most of the principal cast, instead casting Price as the new transparent one, whose vocal characterization foreshadows his future horror roles.  Written by German emigres Kurt Siodmak & Joe May (with Lester Cole), and directed by May, it's more serious in tone, without Whale's wry touches of humor, but still a worthwhile film, enhanced by the excellent special effects of John P. Fulton and crew. Frank Skinner and Hans J. Salter's score is fronted by a lovely theme underscoring Price's romance with Grey, and later a touching scene where he borrows the clothing of a scarecrow.  Unfortunately the background setting of a coal processing plant doesn't allow for the atmospheric advantages of the first film, but the picture is still arguably the best of the many sequels to the original.

Medusa Vs. The Son Of Hercules (1963)

Starring Richard Harrison, Anna Ranalli, Arturo Dominici, Leo Anchoriz, Antonio Molino Rojo
Directed by Alberto De Martino
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)

The cruel rulers of Argos use a savage dragon and the Medusa, whose gaze turns men to stone, to cut off the city of Serifo's trade routes, but the young hero Perseus leads a challenge against them. 

This Italian film, originally titled Perseo l'invincibile was one of several films dubbed and repackaged for American television in The Sons Of Hercules series, which is the source I was able to see this from.  Ironically, according to Wikipedia, Perseus was actually a half-brother of Hercules, but that's hardly worth quibbling about, when the film is only a very loose adaptation of his mythic adventures.  Harrison, although per IMDB starred in a number of sword & sandal films, is an interesting choice here.  He's far from the musclebound hero of other films of this type, and in fact never takes his tunic off.  The film's entertaining enough but focuses more on the conflict between the cities than the monsters or the mythology.  As for the monsters, they're portrayed by men in suits and are very distinctive looking, with the toothy dragon rising from the sea to attack its victims, and Medusa resembling a giant walking plant with a single glowing eye.  They might not pass muster by today's standards, but I certainly found them fearsome and unique.  There's also a number of interesting names in the cast and crew, according to IMDB, with Black Sunday's Arturo Dominici playing the villainous King Acrisius, The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly's Antonio Molino Rojo playing Tarpete, Carlo Rambaldi (who later worked on Alien and E.T.) providing the special effects, and Amando de Ossorio (a writer & director of several Spanish horror films) credited with visual effects.

The Werewolf (1956)

Starring Don Megowan, Steven Ritch, Joyce Holden, Eleanore Tanin, Kim Charney
Directed by Fred F. Sears
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)

A small alpine town is shaken by a murder which the sheriff discovers was committed by a werewolf, but the man behind the beast is as much a victim, transformed by a doctor's cruel experiment.

This werewolf film from Columbia Pictures and producer Sam Katzman borrows quite a bit from The Wolf Man and other earlier films focusing on lycanthropy, but has a heart all its own, embodied in the sympathetic performance of Ritch as the man-beast.  Megowan, as the town sheriff also is quite likable, playing a weary but noble man, who's more than willing to listen to arguments to be understanding in hunting his quarry.  Robert E. Kent & James B. Gordon's screenplay offers an intelligent blending of science fiction and stirring pathos with the horror tale, and Edward Linden's cinematography showcases the wide open spaces of the town and surrounding mountainside to illustrate the difficulty of the search of the werewolf.  The creature makeup even gives a unique look to the beast.  I don't think the film can compete with The Wolf Man, but it is still a compelling tale with good performances.

The Face Of Marble (1946)

Starring John Carradine, Claudia Drake, Robert Shayne, Maris Wrixon, Willie Best
Directed by William Beaudine
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)

A scientist and his assistant are on the verge of success in bringing the dead back to life, but their experiments have unintended side effects, exploited by their voodoo-practicing housekeeper.

An interesting cast and unusual story, if derivative of a great many other films, make this low budget effort stand out.  Carradine is excellent as the kindly but unethical scientist and it's good to see Shayne (of TV's Adventures Of Superman) as his more principled assistant.  Drake and Wrixon, primarily known for their poverty row productions, are good enough, and although Willie Best again plays his usual stereotypical manservant, he surprisingly isn't turned to for comic relief, and is largely inoffensive this time around.  With limited sets, mostly interiors of the scientist's house, and a meandering script, the picture does drag quite a bit.  However, it's special effects are a bit more advanced than I expected, with plenty of Strickfadden-like equipment in the lab, and creatures with the ability to walk through walls.  Overall I'd say, especially since this movie has been hard to see over the years, it's worth checking out, but it doesn't elevate itself to much more than any typical Poverty Row production.  The film's title comes from the appearance of the scientist's subjects' skin after being resurrected, although it's pretty hard to make out in black and white.

The Angry Red Planet (1959)

Starring Gerald Mohr, Nora Hayden, Les Tremayne, Jack Kruschen, Paul Hahn
Directed by Ib Melchior
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)

A rocketship sent on a mission to Mars is found drifting and is returned to Earth by remote control, where one of its crew is able to tell the horrific story of their experiences on the red planet.

A sci-fi adventure co-written by producer Sid Pink and director Ib Melchior, the picture was promoted with the gimmick of Cinemagic, a process used for the scenes on Mars, where a combination of black and white film of the actors and hand-drawn alien backgrounds were covered in a reddish hue.  I read some background on this on Wikipedia, and it described it as a cost-saving measure since the rest of the film was shot in color, although it does certainly lend an eeriness and distinctive look to the Mars scenes, augmented by Paul Dunlap's eerie score, though I wouldn't describe the backgrounds as very convincing.  The process is at its most engaging when practical effects rendering creatures of Mars are placed in front of the backgrounds, nearly creating a 3-D like feel.  Mohr and his silky voice as the mission's pilot and commander, and the ever reliable Tremayne as the chief scientist among the crew, are standouts in the cast, but Hayden is also likable enough, as is Kruschen, playing the familiar stereotype of a jovial New Yorker with duties aboard the ship.  Although the screenplay doesn't give us a very extended look at the planet Mars, the narrative works well enough to make this one of my favorite Melchior films.  My friend Dan Day Jr. pointed out that producer Norman Mauer, who also had a hand in the Cinemagic process, was a son-in-law of The Three Stooges' Moe Howard.

The Ghoul (1933)

Starring Boris Karloff, Cedric Hardwicke, Ernest Thesiger, Dorothy Hyson, Anthony Bushell
Directed by T. Hayes Hunter
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)

A dying Egyptologist wants to be buried in his own sarcophagus and tomb along with a valuable jewel that will grant him entrance to the Egyptian afterlife, but several others covet the jewel.

Karloff co-stars with some fine British thespians in a horror film released quickly on the heels of the actor's success as The Mummy, and although the Egyptian-focused plot doesn't offer as memorable a part for Karloff, it's still a fine film in its own right.  The lighting and cinematography by Gunther Krampf is very well-done, highlighted by some eerie closeups of Karloff and Thesiger in particular.  The music score is dark and moody, with drumbeats echoing Karloff's footsteps when he returns from the grave.  The film's sets and art direction are impressive, from the castle-like home of Karloff's character to the Egyptian tomb he constructs for himself.  Although the comic relief offered by Kathleen Harrison's interactions with mysterious Egyptian Harold Huth doesn't add much to the film, she is afforded an admirable chance to stand up for herself at plot's end.  I really enjoyed the picture and the chance to see all these actors together- in addition to Karloff, Hardwicke, and Thesiger, Ralph Richardson also has a key role as a bicycle-riding minister.

Die! Die! My Darling (1965)

Starring Tallulah Bankhead, Stefanie Powers, Peter Vaughan, Maurice Kaufmann, Yootha Joyce
Directed by Silvio Narizzano
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)

An engaged young woman visiting London decides to visit the mother of her former boyfriend who died tragically to give her closure, but the puritanical older lady wants to cleanse her of indecency.

Based on the novel by Anne Blaisdell, and effectively scripted by Richard Matheson, the film offers an ideal showcase for former Hollywood star Bankhead, and she turns in a bravura performance.  Like Joan Crawford, Bette Davis, and Barbara Stanwyck, among others, studios were tapping stars of Bankhead's era for suspense and horror films in the 1960s, and Bankhead's performance stands alongside the best of them.  Playing a former actress "rescued" from her "sinful" life by a now-dead husband, the script's gradual revelations of just how prim her beliefs are add tension to the plot, and once she imprisons Powers' character, we're not sure quite how this will end.  Powers is fine, although nowhere near as distinguished in her role, but has to play a number of difficult scenes where she's put through harrowing experiences, and should be credited for that.  Produced by Britain's Hammer Films, it's surprising how many non-Brits are in the cast, including Bankhead, Powers, and a young Donald Sutherland, playing Bankhead's mentally challenged handyman.  Narizzano, per IMDB, was to that point primarily known for directing for television, and makes a strong impact here on the silver screen.

It Came From Beneath The Sea (1955)

Starring Kenneth Tobey, Faith Domergue, Donald Curtis, Ian Keith, Dean Maddox Jr.
Directed by Robert Gordon
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)

After an atomic submarine encounters an underwater creature that nearly cripples the ship, its commander teams up with a pair of scientists who discover the creature is a giant octopus.

Stop-motion effects wizard Ray Harryhausen begins a long partnership with Columbia Pictures and producer Charles H. Schneer with this film, in which Harryhausen convincingly animates the giant creature, bringing real menace to its tremendously long tentacles, and making it seem real with its fluid movements.  The monster's attack on San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge is a definite highlight and impressive movie moment.  Kenneth Tobey, already familiar to fans of science fiction pictures for his roles in The Thing From Another World and The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms, makes a fine lead as the sub commander with a friendly demeanor, although George Worthing Yates' story and screenplay shows his character has a lot to learn about contemporary women.  This development and Faith Domergue's importance to the storyline is refreshing in the light of sexism in the other films of the day, although clearly there was still a long way to go.  It's a fun picture, and Harryhausen's work is really first-rate, although he would admit his octopus only had six legs to animate, unlike the real sea creature.  Although Harryhausen would later dazzle us with multiple and varied creations in films to come, I think this movie is still a key component of his filmography.