Trog (1970)
It is said Bette Davis commented that if she had found herself starring in “Trog,” she’d commit suicide. Alas, poor Joan Crawford, who obviously felt she couldn’t be fussy if she wanted the work, descended to this cut-rate, Herman Cohen-produced…
13 Ghosts (1960)
William Castle’s horror films from the late 50s and into the 60s were generally cheesy fun. They had no illusions about being deep entertainment and the silliness was intensified by Castle’s introductions to the films as well as gimmicks like…
The Spirit Is Willing (1967)
William Castle; famous for his shock gimmicks and bizarre plots, is a director I always liked even if I didn’t revere him, his films were always accessible and fun. As of late however, he’s starting to become a favorite of…
I Saw What You Did (1965)
What do you say when terror calls? Just the average “hello,” or something more terrified? I’m sorry to say Joan does seem a bit stewed. She acts like a marvelous actress on a binge caught unawares. Her part is miniscule,…
Strait-Jacket (1964)
Like all William Castle films, the story of STRAIT-JACKET is slight, full of holes, and often silly to the point of absurdity. Long ago Joan Crawford came home to find her husband in bed with a floozie and snatched up…
The Tingler (1959)
The Tingler marks the second teaming for horror’s greatest actor – Vincent Price, and horror’s greatest showman – William Castle. This film was released later in the same year that their first venture – House on Haunted Hill – was…
I Believe In Movies….. Damnit….But the Movie Business…Not So Much
I believe in the common man. I believe in their dreams, their hopes and the inherent collective goodness of the common man. I reject the notion that the public has to be spoon fed in order to comprehend concepts, ideals…
Twice-Told Tales (1963)
Twice-Told Tales is a trio of horror stories based on the writings of Nathaniel Hawthorne. Each story stars horror maestro Vincent Price, and this allows the man to show his range in a series of different roles throughout the film….
Tales of Terror (1962)
This Roger Corman adaptation of three Edgar Allan Poe stories is fun to watch, hard to take too seriously. The first tale, Morella, is the most sombre, featuring Vincent Price mourning the death of his wife, for which he blames…
Terror Trap (2010)
Terror Trap starts late one night as squabbling married couple Don (David James Elliott) & Nancy (Heather Marie Marsden) drive through the isolated back-roads of a small Louisiana town called Santa Parish on their way to a casino in Marksville,…
Barb Wire (1996)
1995’s Naked Souls kept making me look for the “TV Movie” credit that wasn’t there. A cheap and exploitative “erotic thriller” where Pammie exposes her left breast within the first three minutes of the movie. Anderson is an artist, specialising…
Costa Rican Summer (2010)
Comedy would have to be one of the hardest genres to undertake, as it is so subjective and to say this a comedy is a bit of a stretch. The movie seems to be in conflict with itself, in terms…
Cherry, Harry & Raquel! (1970)
The story takes place in the Nevada desert… Frank Bolger is a conspicuous man in the community who also happens to run a drug-smuggling ring on the side… The local sheriff is in on it, acting as his hit man….
Raw Justice (1994)
An innocent man (Robert Hays), a tough cop (David Keith), and a sexy blonde hooker (guess who?) find themselves thrown together, and on the run with everyone chasing them, including gangsters and crooked cops. Robert Hays, best known as the…
Mudhoney (1965)
Mudhoney is an early Russ Meyer film and doesn’t feature the same over the top style as his later efforts; but it’s surprisingly professional, features an interesting story and has all the sex and sleaze you would expect from the…
I Escaped from the Gestapo (1943)
Its title implies a “behind-enemy-lines” thriller set inside Nazi Germany, but this 1943 production is set in the good ol’ U.S.A. – mostly in Southern California. It tells about a skilled counterfeiter (Dean Jagger) who finds himself suddenly sprung from…
RANK X: The Unknown (1956)
Sometimes these low-budget science fiction features are amusing for unintended reasons, but this one is enjoyable because it has an interesting story and because it is well-crafted for such a low-budget movie. Since its effectiveness comes mostly from the story…
The North Star (1943)
The German invasion of Russia transformed Stalin from one of Hitler’s allies to one of ours, and made necessary the production of propaganda films — this one, “Mission To Moscow”, “Song of Russia” — to bring everyone around to the…
Forty Guns (1957)
`Can I touch it?’ asks Barbara Stanwyck’s cattle queen, presumably referring to Marshal Barry Sullivan’s gun. `It might go off in your face’, replies the Marshal. In this brief interchange lies the implicit heart of Sam Fuller’s somewhat surreal and…
Hell Ride (2008)
Larry Bishop writes, directs and stars in this soft-core porn, plot less biker movie about nothing to do with anything. To call this one of the worst movies of 2008 is being kind to this garbage. Its one of the…