The Beast Must Die (1974)

Starring Calvin Lockhart, Peter Cushing, Marlene Clark, Charles Gray, Anton Diffring
Directed by Paul Annett
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)

A wealthy industrialist with a yen to hunt down and kill a werewolf invites six guests he suspects may be the supernatural beast, and sets up elaborate surveillance to track them.

An interesting production from Britain's Amicus company with an interesting cast and even the gimmick of a "werewolf break" to allow the audience time to guess which cast member is the beast, I found the film diverting and entertaining.  Lockhart is a strong and distinguished lead, Cushing is logically cast as the lycanthropy expert, at times unrecognizable in a European accent, and familiar faces like Gray and Diffring are welcome as well.  The script by Michael Winder, from a novel by James Blish, also sets up several suspenseful set pieces where Lockhart is either hunted or doing the hunting, as well as commanding his guests to touch pieces of silver one by one to prove their innocence.  The film's big drawback is the lack of any creature makeup for the werewolf, replaced with a dog who doesn't seem very ferocious or dangerous with its tongue often sticking out.  However, the werewolf scenes are quickly paced and sharply edited to make them still effective.  I'd definitely have to say the film is not all that it could be, but I still enjoyed it.

Werewolf In A Girls' Dormitory (1961)

Starring Barbara Lass, Carl Schell, Curt Lowens, Maurice Marsac, Michela Roc
Directed by Paolo Heusch
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)

After a professor of science with a secret past joins the staff of a young women's reformatory, shocking murders occur, perpetrated by a vicious werewolf.

This Italian horror thriller is essentially a "werewolf" mystery, in which we see the werewolf early on, and then have to sort through the suspects to guess who the monster's alter ego is, similar to the later Amicus production The Beast Must Die.  The werewolf's stalking of victims through a dark forest just outside the campus grounds makes for some suspenseful scenes, and the film's focus on Lass as a noble young reform student trying to find the truth behind the murders, gives the audience an acceptable protagonist to root for.  Romance between her and new teacher Schell, although clearly setup, seems almost like an afterthought in development.  Nevertheless, I think the script unfolds satisfactorily, although it seemed to me to take a little long to reach the film's final climax after the werewolf's identity had been revealed.  I also found Armando Trovajoli's score, with sinister piano notes for the werewolf's attacks, different and enjoyable.

Night Of The Blood Beast (1958)

Starring Michael Emmet, Angela Greene, John Baer, Ed Nelson, Tyler McVey
Directed by Bernard L. Kowalski
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)

A test pilot crashes and dies on his return from outer space, but the research team he was working for is shocked that his body remains preserved, and don't realize something else has returned with him.

We have here another sci-fi thriller from Roger Corman's production company, this time produced by his brother Gene, and although it borrows many elements from The Thing From Another World, the way Martin Varno's screenplay assembles them makes for effective chills.  Shot on a low budget, and per Wikipedia, in only 7 days, the low budget shows with very limited special effects and a creature costume to be used later in Corman's Teenage Caveman.  Nevertheless the script and cast still engaged me, with Emmet standing out as the pilot whose motivations will be challenged by his alien contact, and Greene as Emmett's fiancee and a doctor for the research team, emotionally challenged while discovering how Emmett is no longer completely human.  Alexander Laszlo's score is eerily effective as well, although it's difficult to tell how many of his cues were original to this picture, as they were also used in a number of other films.

Never Take Sweets From A Stranger (1960)

Starring Gwen Watford, Patrick Allen, Felix Aylmer, Niall MacGinnis, Janina Faye
Directed by Cyril Frankel
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)

A principal and his wife, newly transplanted in a Canadian town, learn an elderly neighbor had their daughter take off her clothes and dance for him, and try to press the police for action, but run into opposition from the old man's powerful son.

A harrowing social drama from Hammer Films, it's as disturbing as any of their horror films and perhaps even more so.  Expertly scripted from the play by Roger Garis, well-acted, and directed, the film examines one family trying to destroy another to preserve itself, with a contentious case of sexual abuse at its center.  Young Janina Faye succeeds in portraying Jean Carter, a picture of innocence which her parents cannot not believe in, but nearly everyone else is trying to discredit or negate her claims, an all-too familiar story we see too often in today's world, and as shaking it was in 1960, it's a sad commentary on our contemporary past and present.  I'm not sure to what degree the play was condensed, if any, but the detailed attempts by the Carter family to find some way to strengthen their case, and their spirited discussions of what they should do, make the family seem so real and authentic.  Freddie Francis' cinematography and Alfred Cox's editing is among the film's other assets, especially effective in building suspense in the film's last half hour, leading up to a heartbreaking climax.

The Yesterday Machine (1965)

Starring Tim Holt, James Britton, Jack Herman, Ann Pellegrino, Robert Kelly
Directed by Russ Marker
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)

A newspaper reporter looks into a young man's story that he was shot at by men in Civil War costumes, and while searching for his missing girlfriend, finds clues that suggest time travel.

An independent feature from writer/producer/director Russ Marker, the movie shows its amateurism, but remains an interesting attempt with much of the same feel of more professional 1950s and 1960s sci-fi efforts.  Hollywood actor Tim Holt, who plays the film's police detective, gets top billing, but Britton is the lead, and doesn't do too badly as the two-fisted crime reporter.  Marker's screenplay contains some interesting ideas, but is rather slow-paced and really gets bogged down when Britton meets the film's villain and has to endure a science lesson on the concepts behind the time machine.  Still, it's a novel idea, the actors do well enough, Marker makes good use of his low budget, and the jazzy soundtrack is pleasant to listen to.

Giant From The Unknown (1958)

Starring Edward Kemmer, Sally Fraser, Bob Steele, Morris Ankrum, Buddy Baer
Directed by Richard E. Cunha
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)

After murder strikes a mountain resort community, a geologist falls under suspicion, but while the police investigate, he teams with an archaeologist looking for the remains of an ancient giant.

One of director Richard Cunha's four independent sci-fi/horror features, filmed and released in the late 1950s, I would judge this one as probably the best, although all four are entertaining in their own way.  Frank Hart Taussig and Ralph Brooke's screenplay follows the blueprint for a monster movie, with all the key elements in place, from a legitimately creepy monster to a stalwart hero to his love interest to the clever scientist and an unusual setting leading to the climactic confrontation between Kemmer's hero and Baer's creature.  The veteran actors in Cunha's cast are also a big plus, with Ankrum who had already been a staple in these kinds of pictures for some time, and Steele, coming to the end of a long career after making his name in a long series of westerns.  Perhaps the film's strongest asset is Jack Pierce, the creator behind the makeup of so many of Universal Pictures' classic monsters, who gives Baer's murdering conquistador a fearsome look with weathered skin and decomposing teeth.  With the wise decision to keep Baer's monster mute, and Baer's icy stare and Albert Glasser's menacing score also making important contributions, the filmmakers have succeeded in making an effective horror film on a low budget, and one that's definitely fun to watch.

Simon, King Of The Witches (1971)

Starring Andrew Prine, Brenda Scott, George Paulsin, Norman Burton, Gerald York
Directed by Bruce Kessler
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)

A self-proclaimed warlock with the power to cast spells on others for good or for evil, plies his craft for money, while seeking a way to project himself into the realm of the gods.

I just wasn't fond of this picture- Prine gives a good performance as Simon, but no one else around him stands out, and a meandering plot and weak special effects don't help matters.  A pulsating red circle that delivers Simon's victims to their fates is almost comical when it murders by knocking a potted plant off a high building.  Adding confusion to the mix is some scenes as scripted don't make a lot of sense, as if other scenes setting them up were cut out of the film.  Perhaps I'm not the target audience for this picture, as there are a lot of references to drug use, which becomes pivotal to the climax, and a trip by Simon to "the other realm" features a lot of psychedelic imagery.  I admired some speeches for Simon in the screenplay that gave a serious background to his character's origins and abilities, but the rest of the movie surrounding his character is pretty weakly assembled.

Homicidal (1961)

Starring Jean Arless, Glenn Corbett, Patricia Breslin, Eugenie Leontovich, Alan Bunce
Directed by William Castle
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)

A young woman intricately arranges and commits the bloody murder of a Justice of the Peace, and returns home, where she displays cruelty towards others who may be her next victims.

It's quite obvious from watching this thriller from William Castle to confirm what many have already written, that he fashioned this film to capitalize on the success of Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho.  There's similar character types, suspense scenes, and a psychotic villain drawn from the same cloth as Norman Bates.  This is no carbon copy of Hitchcock's film however, nor could it ever hope to be as effective a shocker.  However what Castle has done is deliver a picture that unreels with a captivating enough story, and keeps the audience guessing.  The highlight is a fine performance by Jean Arless (better known by her real name of Joan Marshall, and probably more famous for her role as Areel Shaw in Star Trek's "Court-Martial" episode).  She has to do more in this film than you might expect, and pulls it off admirably.  The film isn't the classic Hitchcock's was, but I believe Castle's fans are sure to enjoy it.

House Of Frankenstein (1944)

Starring Boris Karloff, Lon Chaney Jr., J. Carrol Naish, John Carradine, Anne Gwynne
Directed by Erle C. Kenton
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)

A mad scientist and his hunchback assistant escape prison and in a journey to find Dr. Frankenstein's records, encounter Dracula, The Wolf Man, and Frankenstein's monster.

Frankenstein Meets The Wolf Man, in which Universal's classic monsters met for the first time, and had a battle to the death, spawned this follow-up which returned Chaney as The Wolf Man, and substituted Glenn Strange as the Monster, while adding John Carradine's Dracula, Boris Karloff as the mad Dr. Niemann, and J. Carrol Naish as the hunchback Daniel.  However, despite having three of the classic monsters in the film, none of them fight each other this time around, while they are rather showcased in individual vignettes.  I liked the Dracula sequence the best with Carradine bringing his own distinguished take on the vampiric Count.  Karloff is very welcome in returning to the series after a five year absence, and Naish adds another unique character to his characterizations in the lovelorn hunchback who loses Elena Verdugo's gypsy Ilonka to Chaney's Larry Talbot.  I was left a little wanting for the three key monsters never really getting together, but there's lots going on to prevent any viewer boredom,  and it's good to see plenty of characters actors from Universal's stable on hand as the various villagers, police inspectors, burgomasters, and torch-bearing mob participants.  Hans Salter and Paul Dessau's music score also adds some distinctive themes and a complete new musical tapestry to the Frankenstein series, a change from the culling of old material from the Universal library for past productions.

Eegah (1962)

Starring Arch Hall Jr., Marilyn Manning, Richard Kiel, William Watters, Clay Stearns
Directed by Nicholas Merriwether
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)

After witnessing a still living neanderthal man, a young woman trails it to the California mountains, where the beastly man captures her and her father, while her boyfriend tries to find them.

One of a series of film vehicles planned for his son by Arch Hall Sr., who also co-stars and directs under stage names, this is an amateur-looking and sounding production, although cinematographer Vilis Lapenieks would go on to some more distinguished credits, and Richard Kiel would later find fame as the Bond villain Jaws.  As for Arch Hall, Jr., others might denigrate his musical talent, but I was really fine with his numbers and found them rather pleasant.  I also thought he, Manning, Kiel, and his father (as William Watters) brought affable enough characters to the screen, and the screenplay, despite some awkward dialogue, had some good ideas about how a caveman might act and interact with others.  I think the major problem with the film for me was the long stretches of the movie traversing the identical scenery of the California mountains without much at all happening, which made the film seem far longer than its 90 minute running time.

The Four Skulls Of Jonathan Drake (1959)

Starring Eduard Franz, Valerie French, Grant Richards, Henry Daniell, Lumsden Hare
Directed by Edward L. Cahn
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)

A university professor fears a family curse has finally caught up with him and his brother, a curse that  left their ancestors with headless corpses.

A low budget but very efficient horror film, with producer Robert E. Kent and director Edward L. Cahn reuniting after collaborating on It! The Terror From Beyond Space, Invisible Invaders, and other genre fare, the picture still stands up well with plenty of unsettling material.  A very creepy atmosphere is maintained throughout, aided by Paul Dunlap's music score, which although it borrows liberally from his past work, features some key eerie organ notes at appropriate times.  Daniell, a familiar face from mysteries of the 1940s, makes a great 1950s villain, scoffing at his adversaries and forgoing any effort to be charming to his guests, delivering a flat "What a pleasure," when they arrive.  We never see any really big shocks on camera, but tight editing by the filmmakers, and progressively staged revelations in the screenplay add chills at the right moments.

Konga (1961)

Starring Michael Gough, Margo Johns, Jess Conrad, Claire Gordon, Austin Trevor
Directed by John Lemont
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)

An English botanist returns from a harrowing year in the jungle with a plant serum that can make animals grow to a tremendous size, and uses it on a monkey to rid himself of his enemies and rivals.

One of a trio of vehicles from producer Herman Cohen for actor Michael Gough, which had him playing reprehensible characters with sadistic and evil natures who drove the horror storylines to their finish with his nefarious schemes.  In this entry, compared to the other two, Horrors Of The Black Museum and Black Zoo, we are at first exposed to a thoughtful and polite and even grateful Gough, and for a minute we think he may not be so bad, but when people start to get in his way, he liquidates them with the aid of his giant gorilla, Konga.  Despite a climax in which Konga grows to King Kong size, this is more Gough's movie than the ape's, and horror fans are sure to relish his venomous dialogue and hateful expressions.  As for the film's special effects, they are accomplished via a gorilla suit actor shot against miniatures, some of which are fairly effective and some which look horrible.  Nevertheless, it's worth seeing for Gough's showcase, and those who like to see giant apes stomping down city streets should find even more to enjoy.

The Two Faces Of Dr. Jekyll (1960)

Starring Paul Massie, Dawn Addams, Christopher Lee, David Kossoff, Norma Marla
Directed by Terence Fisher
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)

Dr. Henry Jekyll experiments on himself looking to study man's dark half, and transforms into a man who calls himself Hyde, handsome on the outside, but completely free of morality within.

Hammer Films' take on Robert Louis Stevenson's famous story of Jekyll & Hyde adds some twists to distinguish itself, most notably making Hyde's face not reflect the monstrosity Jekyll has released.  Actor Paul Massie dons makeup and a beard instead to play Jekyll, while portraying Hyde with his normal face and figure.  It's an interesting idea, and Massie certainly succeeds in making each character unique, with a low voice and rather stilted mannerisms conveying the restraints on Jekyll, while he seems to glide through scenes as the morally unfettered Hyde.  However is he enough of a screen presence in either role?  I'm not quite sure that can be honestly said.  My friend Dan Day Jr. believes co-star Christopher Lee would have been much better in the role, and it's hard to disagree with that, although Massie's is still a memorable performance.  My friend Josh Lycans pointed out which I hadn't really noticed before, that Massie's makeup was aged as Hyde asserts more and more control, which adds some power to the doctor's plight late in the picture.  However, what I most remember about the film is how the filmmakers pushed the envelope with some risqué scenes, including a phallic snake dance, flashes of skin, and transforming Jekyll's wife, devoted to him in other adaptations, into a philanderer whom Hyde longs to proposition.  It's definitely a picture worthy of much discussion, but can't say I believe it belongs among the Hammer greats.

Twins Of Evil (1971)

Starring Peter Cushing, Dennis Price, Mary Collinson, Madeleine Collinson, Isobel Black
Directed by John Hough
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)

While the obsessed Gustav Weil hunts down and murders any living impure lives, his nieces arrive to live with him, one of whom becomes fascinated by the one man Weil cannot touch, the evil Count Karnstein. 

The third of Hammer Films' productions based on Sheridan Le Fanu's tale Carmilla, it's a less salacious film than its predecessors, although twins Mary and Madeleine Collinson's curves are certainly showcased.  It's still violent and gory, and benefits from one of Peter Cushing's most intense performances, as well as colorful art direction, and a driving music score.  I never really took to the first two films in the series, although The Vampire Lovers featured a memorable performance by Ingrid Pitt as a predatory vampire who counted men and women among her conquests.  Lust For A Vampire seemed little more to me than an exercise in titillation.  As for this picture, I think it's better than the other two, largely because of a less exploitative story and the fine work of Cushing, although it could have used another stronger presence like his in the cast.  It wastes the excellent Dennis Price in a throwaway part and kills him off for little reason.  I also wanted to mention that my friend Dominique Lamssies raised the point that she thinks Cushing is difficult to watch in the movie, because he was in pain from the death of his beloved wife and believes it shows on screen.  To be honest, I didn't see this to that extent in his performance on first viewing except perhaps when Weil softens near the end, but acknowledge he must have been suffering, and perhaps I'm not as perceptive.

Spaceways (1953)

Starring Howard Duff, Eva Bartok, Alan Wheatley, Philip Leaver, Michael Medwin
Directed by Terence Fisher
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)

The leader of a project to launch a satellite into space falls under suspicion when the satellite fails to be boosted into the proper orbit, and at the same time his wife and her secret lover go missing.

Based on a radio play by Charles Eric Maine, the film shares with it a great sci-fi story premise, conjecturing that it would be possible for a murderer to strand his victims' bodies in space.  I've never heard the original play, so don't know what changes Paul Tabori made in his adapted screenplay, but cinematically it has its moments.  However it could have probably used a quicker pace and the film's budget doesn't allow for any worthwhile special effects.  Most of the effect shots look to have been borrowed from 1950's Rocketship X-M and the interior of the manned rocket at the climax of the film looks more like a modified garage than a believable spaceship interior.  Director Terence Fisher went on to much greater things, and I enjoyed several members of the cast, but found the melodrama in the story weakly written and the film's technical shortcomings too much to overcome.  I still enjoy the picture, and it's interesting as one of studio Hammer Film's early attempts at science fiction, but to be honest it doesn't hold up particularly well.