The Atomic Submarine (1959)

Starring Arthur Franz, Dick Foran, Brett Halsey, Tom Conway, Paul Dubov
Directed by Spencer G. Bennet
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)

The crew of an atomic submarine are tasked with patrolling the Arctic Circle, and stopping an unknown adversary that's been destroying vessels, which they discover is not from this Earth.

One of a number of films in the 1950s produced by special effects artists Irving Block, Jack Rabin, and Louis DeWitt, this is one of their most impressive looking, despite having to combine their visuals with a large amount of stock footage.  The alien ship is effectively designed and smartly shrouded in darkness for much of the picture, and its unique occupant is appropriately striking and fearsome.  Orville Hampton's script is also well-composed, although a subplot creating conflict between Franz and Halsey is while topical a bit too familiar a trope.  The ensemble cast however is most welcome, with Franz a familiar sci-fi headliner, Foran good to see as the sub's determined commander, Conway memorable as a thoughtful scientist, and veteran screen cowboy Bob Steele enjoyable as the sub's grizzled chief petty officer.  The eerie electronic music score by Alexander Laszlo helps create a suspenseful mood throughout and combined with the visuals and the experienced cast makes this an entertaining picture on what had to have been a limited budget.

Return Of The Fly (1959)

Starring Vincent Price, Brett Halsey, David Frankham, John Sutton, Dan Seymour
Directed by Edward Bernds
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)

Philippe Delambre decides to continue his ill-fated father's teleportation experiments but heads down a similar path to tragedy when he unknowingly hires a criminal as his assistant.

A quick follow-up to Kurt Neumann's classic The Fly, released the following year, but filmed in black and white and returning none of the cast save Price, the production is inferior, lacking the mystery and subtlety of the original.  That being said however, it's still a very fun watch, with Price excellent as always, and the creature makeup striking.  Writer/director Edward Bernds, taking over from Neumann after his death, is able to come up with a reasonable and fairly clever explanation for the creation of another Fly creature in his screenplay, although it certainly also suffers from several continuity gaps.  Bernds was better known for his comedy productions, including films for both the Three Stooges and The Bowery Boys, but employs a serious tone here, despite the fantastic subject matter.  Like any sequel, the film tries to ape the high moments from its predecessor while trying to stand on its own legs, and ultimately falls short, but I still enjoy it quite a bit.

Twice-Told Tales (1963)

Starring Vincent Price, Sebastian Cabot, Brett Halsey, Beverly Garland, Richard Denning
Directed by Sidney Salkow
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)

Vincent Price stars in three horror tales from the works of Nathaniel Hawthorne, involving a fountain of youth, a young woman made poisonous by her father, and a house cursed by an accused warlock.

Following the horror anthology Tales Of Terror which also starred Price in three tales of terror from the works of Edgar Allan Poe, albeit for a different studio, this film's not a bad follow-up, although per Wikipedia, Hawthorne's tales were considerably changed to up the horror quotient, notably in the adaptation of The House Of Seven Gables, which features blood spurting from cracks in the ceiling.  A definite plus is the fine supporting cast, including Cabot, Garland, Denning, Abraham Sofaer, Joyce Taylor, and Jacqueline deWit.  Although the film doesn't have the reputation that Tales Of Terror and Price's other Poe films enjoy today and the budget shows, it's still a lot of fun.