The Dark Side Of The Multiplex
MARSHA LEDERMAN, The Globe and Mail There’s a good chance you returned to an old flame over the holidays, figures suggest. But was something awakened in you? I’m referring, of course, to Star Wars: The Force Awakens – a force…
The Conqueror Worm (1968)
Matthew Hopkins was a self proclaimed Witchfinder who started his career in 1644 in Essex, England. In a three year career he is estimated to have killed between 200 and 400 “witches”. The Witchfinder General (The Conqueror Worm) is a…
Roller Blade (1986)
In the post-apocalyptic future, sadistic thugs run amok and a monstrous masked villain named Saticoy and his evil henchmen are responsible for all kinds of mayhem on their quest to find a magical amulet that will give them total control….
Los vampiros de Coyoacán (1974)
Hooo Boy! I’m as big a fan of lucha flix as the next gringo, but, yikes! This one really tests your patience! At first glance, this one seems to have it all: great wrestling costumes, vampires, cool convertible muscle cars,…
Neutron and The Black Mask (1960)
It’s not easy being Neutron, let me tell you. American wrestlers, they get off light. All they have to do is wrestle. Mexican wrestlers, on the hand, are called upon by their society to act as masked peacekeepers against the…
Dr. Who and the Daleks (1965)
When visiting his girlfriend Barbara, Ian is given a tour of the TARDIS by Dr Who. However he accidentally activates it and sends them to an unknown planet. Keen to explore they find themselves prisoners in a city controlled by…
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…
First Men in the Moon (1964)
Someone who had read H. G. Wells’ “First Men in the Moon” and then sat down to watch this adaptation may well be aghast at the opening sequences, which deal with a “modern-day” mission to the moon, as opposed to…
Beat Girl (1960)
Architect Paul Linden has been travelling away in Europe for over three months and returns with new, much younger French wife Nicole in tow. Nicole’s first challenge is Paul’s sixteen year old daughter Jennifer, who is going through a typically…
Fantastic Voyage (1966)
Back in 1966, long, long before the world was turned upside down and inside out on Sept. 11, the world was a very different place. The movies were quite different and science fiction pictures depended more on good writing and…
Danger: Diabolik (1968)
Mario Bava’s pop-art extravaganza was his only big budget film: Dino De Laurentiis gave him three million dollars to shoot it, Bava only needed 400,000 to turn “Danger: Diabolik” into an unforgettably entertaining cult film. John Phillip Law plays Diabolik,…
Billion Dollar Brain (1967)
When ex-agent Harry Palmer recieves a mysterious request to deliver a flask to Finland in return for a fee, Col. Ross forcibly re-employs him with British Intelligence. Palmer is ordered to proceed to Finland with the flask (which contains deadly…
The Night Walker (1964)
Producer/Director William Castle, famed for his low-budget shockers complete with assorted gimmicks, had by now reached his “Star Stage.” He had featured Vincent Price in two of his films, and in 1964 really scored a coup when he signed Joan…
Monster on the Campus (1958)
Professor Blake has a new toy. It seems that his university has just purchased a coelacanthe–a primordial fish species that was discovered to still be alive in the 20th century. Unfortunately for the Doc, he doesn’t realize that the fish…
Two-Gun Lady (1955)
An Annie Oakley-type trick-shot artist named Kate Masters (Peggy Castle) comes into town to put on a show at the local saloon. She also let’s a couple of fresh rednecks know that she’s not about to be pushed around by…
The Sequel Awakens
Many have been predicting the demise of movie going. With the release of The Force Awakens, many and rightly so have seen a rebirth in movie going. But it also solidifies a series of trends which spell doom for the…
Critters (1986)
Somewhere in space, a prison asteroid was going to have a vicious gang of furry basketball-shaped razor-toothed creatures called “Krites” until they suddenly escape to Earth so they can eat whatever comes in their way. The Brown family ( Billy…
Survival Run (1979)
Spree is one of those movies that has fallen through the cracks and landed in cinematic oblivion. The only people who seem to remember Spree are those who found it distasteful or exploitative. The reason for Spree’s surprising inability to…
Hammerhead (1968)
“Hammerhead” fit very nicely into the 60’s/70’s explosion of spy flicks which were rushed into theaters following the success of James Bond. It was less humorous and over-the-top than either the Matt Helm or Derek Flint series, but less dark…
Desert Warrior (1988)
Not to be confused with Enzo G. Castellari’s earlier film of the same name which starred Mark Harmon, this effort features the Incredible Hulk himself, big Lou Ferrigno. Things get off to a thumping start with a curiously happy sounding…