The Adventure-a-Thon Is Here – Day 1 Recap

 

Welcome to Day One of the Adventure-a-Thon, a three-day (plus) deep dive into all things venturesome! Along with my sensational co-host Gill from Realweegiemidget Reviews, we invite you to join us for a weekend filled with action, excitement and intrigue. Once again, we’re humbled and impressed by the sheer volume of positive responses to the event, which is on track to be one of our most successful blogathons ever.

As an added “thank you” to those who have contributed posts to the Adventure-a-Thon, I will be hosting a contest in which one lucky blogathon participant will be randomly selected to win a brand-new, all-region Blu-ray copy of the Ray Harryhausen’s timeless adventure classic, The Seventh Voyage of Sinbad (1957). Please read the following contest rules, if you would like to be considered for the giveaway:

 

1.     Please email me if you wish to be considered, at: barry_cinematic@yahoo.com, with the following info:

·       Your Name, Blog Name

·       Your answer to the following question: “What’s your favorite Ray Harryhausen movie?” Note: Although an answer is required for eligibility purposes, stating a Harryhausen title different from The Seventh Voyage of Sinbad will not increase or decrease your chances of winning. Responses will be compiled and posted when the winner is announced during Monday’s wrap-up post.

2.     Eligibility is limited to blogathon participants only (you must have submitted a blog post to win).

3.     Sorry, the contest is only open to blogathon participants in the U.S.A, Canada, and Mexico.

4.     Good luck!

If you’ve signed up, but your post isn’t quite ready, fear not. We’ll post your link on Day Two, Three, or the bonus-day “Wrap-up” (Latecomers are always welcome). Post a comment below, email me at barry_cinematic@yahoo.com, or reach me on BlueSky (@barrycinematic.bsky.social), Instagram (@barry_cinematic), or Twitter/X (@barry_cinematic). You may also contact Gill by commenting on her post, through her blog’s Contact Me page, or on Bluesky (@realweegiemidge.bsky.social).

Here are Day 1’s submissions below, and remember to drop by Saturday and Sunday for recaps of Days Two and Three!

Leading off the pack of excellent posts is Gill (from Realweegiemidget Reviews), who reviews Half a Chance (aka: Une chance sur deux) (1998), starring Alain Delon and friends.

Craig from What the Craggus Saw revisits Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (1991).

Steve Quick provides an overview of the adventure films of “Queen of Extras,” Bess Flowers. 

Shiver me timbers, and check out Ruth at Silver Screening’s review of Captain Kidd (1945).

Quiggy from The Midnite Drive In joins Bilbo Baggins and company for a book/movie comparison of The Hobbit Film Trilogy (2012-2014). 

There’s got to be a morning after taking a little cruise with Daffney (from The Vintage Nerd) on The Poseidon Adventure (1972). 

Frank from Smoke in the Library watches as everyone’s favorite jungle dweller swaps his loincloth for a smart business suit in Tarzan’s New York Adventure (1942).  

 

Brian from Films from Beyond the Time Barrier proves that a hero is much more than just a sandwich in The Count of Monte-Cristo (1975). 

Blast into space with Eddie at Film Authority as he examines Enemy Mine (1985). 

Chris from Angelman’s Place unlocks the secret of The Da Vinci Code (2006). 

Join Paul from Pfeiffer Pfilms and Meg Movies for a bit of cinematic speculation, as he considers Meg Ryan in the unproduced Indiana Jones and the Monkey King (1991). 

 

Stacia from She Blogged by Night travels to the 23^rd century for a classic Kirk Khan-frontation in Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan (1982). 

 

 

John from UK Film Nerd wraps up The Mummy (1999), and tests the mettle of Jackie Chan in The Armour of God (1986) 

 

The adventure continues tomorrow…

Exploitation Month II Quick Picks and Pans

 

The Big Bird Cage (1972) Here’s the movie that put Pam Grier on the map as a force to be reckoned with. Grier and Sid Haig star as revolutionaries Blossom and Django, who infiltrate a Philippine prison camp lorded over by an evil warden (is there any other kind in these movies?) and his sadistic guards. The title refers to an elaborate (and treacherous) sugar mill designed by the warden (Andres Centenera). Anitra Ford appears in a notable role as Terry, a prisoner wrongly accused of being in cahoots with Django. It’s as tasteless as it’s engaging, featuring copious nudity, catfights galore, and some unfortunate gay stereotypes. Dubious elements aside, writer/director Jack Hill’s women-in-prison flick is briskly paced and a hell of a lot of fun.   

Rating: ***½. Available on Blu-ray, DVD and Freevee 

Foxy Brown (1974) Pam Grier secures her place as one of the most electrifying stars of the ‘70s as the eponymous protagonist of this blaxploitation classic, another strong entry from director Jack Hill. After Foxy’s federal agent boyfriend is gunned down by thugs, she vows revenge against Katherine Wall (Kathryn Loder) and her prostitution/drug ring. Antonio Fargas co-stars as Foxy’s ne'er-do-well brother Link, who’s in the hole for $20,000, and Sid Haig enjoys a brief appearance as a gung-ho pilot. With brains and beauty in equal measures, our title heroine proves she’s more than a match for the bad guys. 

Rating: ***½. Available on Blu-ray, DVD and Tubi

Mudhoney (1965) Set in Depression-era rural Missouri, Russ Meyer’s accidental morality tale packs a surprising dramatic wallop. Calif McKinney (John Furlong) a recently paroled convict, takes a job on a farm run by Hannah, a lonely woman, and her uncle Lute (Antoinette Cristiani and Stuart Lancaster, respectively). While Calif discovers he’s falling in love with Hannah, he must reconcile his past, and contend with her alcoholic, mean-spirited husband Sidney (Hal Hopper). Meanwhile, temptations abound at a nearby cathouse run by Maggie (Princess Livingston) and her vivacious daughters. With this being a Meyer film, he doesn’t miss an opportunity to focus on the finer aspects of female anatomy, but there’s much more to this movie than mere sexploitation. Mudhoney boasts some excellent performances by a talented cast, tackling serious themes including abusive relationships, redemption, and religious hypocrisy. 

Rating: ***½. Available on DVD (out of print)  

Robotrix (1991) This Category III sci-fi comedy from director/co-writer Jamie Luk steals (ahem!) – borrows liberally from Robocop and The Terminator. When policewoman Linda (Chikako Aoyama) is mortally wounded in the line of duty, her consciousness is transplanted to an android body by Dr. Sara (Siu-dan Hui) and her buxom assistant Anna (Amy Yip), who also happens to be an android. Linda is employed to hunt down Ryuichi Sakamoto (Chung Lin) an evil robotics scientist who places his own mind into one of his murderous creations. With an abundance of sex, violence and sophomoric humor (think of a script written by and for 15-year-old boys, and you get the idea), Robotrix is stupid, silly fun worth checking out, despite its frequent excesses. 

Rating: ***. Available on Blu-ray and DVD

Sweden: Heaven and Hell (1968) One of many so-called “Mondo” documentaries, Luigi Scattini’s film is an “adults only” pastiche of lurid material under the guise of being an exposé of Swedish society. Focusing on the denizens of Stockholm, it examines a variety of subjects, including sex education, contraception, adoption (including footage of an actual birth), saunas, drug abuse, and more. The scenes are loosely organized, jumping randomly from one topic to another, and tied together by a rather judgmental narrator. This relic from the ‘60s is probably best known for the “Mana Mana” song, put to better use by Jim Henson for Sesame Street and The Muppet Show. 

Rating: **½. Available on DVD

Mr. No Legs (aka: The Gun Fighter) (1975) Director Ricou Browning (the man in the Creature from the Black Lagoon costume and creator of the TV show Flipper) serves up a slice of sleaze with this sub-par action movie. The title refers to an unpleasant legless mob enforcer (Ted Vollrath) who rolls around in a wheelchair equipped with two hidden double-barrel shotguns. Richard Jaeckel, John Agar and Rance Howard try their best, given the substandard material, but most of the other performances are amateurish. Most of the movie looks cheap (the setting for the perfunctory bar fight seems to be made of cardboard), but the stunts are better than you’d expect. The ragged-looking print for the Blu-ray was apparently pieced together from several surviving elements, but I wonder why anyone bothered. 

Rating: **. Available on Blu-ray 

Savage Streets (1984) Linda Blair stars as Brenda, a “high schooler” (Blair was 25 at the time) who ends up on the bad side of some “juvenile” delinquents (Robert Dryer, who was 34, plays the leader) out for revenge. When her deaf/mute sister Heather (Linnea Quigley) is raped and her best friend Francine (Lisa Freeman) is killed, she plans her own brand of revenge. John Vernon appears in a thankless role as the ineffectual school principal (he doesn’t do much beyond sneering and threatening). The movie’s very disturbing (and drawn-out) rape scene would have been better off left on the cutting room floor. The filmmakers don’t miss any opportunities to show bare flesh (whether it’s integral to the story or not) and violence towards women. The soundtrack adds insult to injury, chock-full of execrable power ballads that describe the plot (“There’s a time for revenge…”). Even Linda Blair fans might want to skip it. 

Rating: *½. Available on Blu-ray and DVD

 

Horror Month Quick Picks and Pans

 

The Colingswood Story (2002) The suspense gradually builds in this surprisingly effective microbudget film (shot on Hi-8 tape) from writer/director Michael Costanza. The story is told entirely through the webcam feeds of two 20-somethings in the pre-Zoom, dial-up internet days. After hearing some ominous ramblings from an online psychic (Diane Behrens), Johnny (Johnny Burton) fears his out-of-state girlfriend Rebecca (Stephanie Dees) might be in mortal danger. Johnny learns that the Collingswood, New Jersey house where she’s renting a room was once the site of several grisly murders, perpetrated by a member of a satanic cult. The restrictive sets, defined by the webcams, create a palpable sense of immediacy. The Collingswood Story proves less is often more, maintaining a disturbing atmosphere despite the absence of special effects or elaborate makeup. 

Rating: ***½. Available on Blu-ray, DVD, Prime Video and Tubi

Seeding of a Ghost (1983) This Shaw Brothers Category III movie, directed by Kuen Yeung, helped stretch the boundaries of Hong Kong cinema. A cab driver (Phillip Ko) unwittingly interrupts a practitioner of black magic, resulting in a curse on himself and young wife. When she’s brutally attacked and killed by two young men, he employs the services of the reluctant shaman to awaken her ghost. Revenge is swift, but he learns too late that employing the dark arts has a terrible price. Seeding of a Ghost is an experience you won’t soon forget, entertaining and icky in equal parts. 

Rating: ***½. Available on Blu-ray and DVD (Both out of print)

Curse of the Undead (1959) Here’s a real 1950s oddity, a vampire western. Dr. Carter (John Hoyt) and his family are bullied by Buffer (Bruce Gordon), an unscrupulous landowner muscling in on their ranch. When Carter dies under dubious circumstances, his hotheaded revenge-seeking son is gunned down by Buffer. Drake Robey (Michael Pate), a mysterious gunslinger with an aversion to sunlight, offers his protection to the grieving daughter, Dolores (Kathleen Crowley), who’s now the sole owner of the ranch. Meanwhile, a preacher (Eric Fleming) tries to convince Dolores her life is in danger after he learns Robey’s dark secret. I can’t imagine how audiences accustomed to standard westerns received this unusual ahead-of-its-time hybrid.*

* I can’t help but wonder about the still largely untapped potential for horror westerns. 

Rating: ***½. Available on Blu-ray and DVD

 

Maniac (1980) Joe Spinell (who also co-wrote the screenplay and co-produced) stars as Frank Zito, a lonely, mentally unstable middle-aged man who preys on unsuspecting women. He murders them for their scalps, which he brings home to dress his mannequins’ heads. He befriends a beautiful fashion photographer (Caroline Munro) who seem oddly smitten by his awkward charms. Director William Lustig’s film is unabashedly sleazy and in poor taste, yet strangely captivating, anchored by Spinell’s unnerving performance. You might want to take a long shower after watching this.   

Rating: ***½. Available on Blu-ray, DVD, Prime Video and Tubi 

 

Lamb (2021) Director/co-writer Valdimar Jóhannsson’s Icelandic folk horror movie is a quiet rumination on parenthood and belongingness. A childless couple, Maria and Ingvar (Noomi Rapace and Hilmir Snær Guðnason) spend their lonely days tending to their farm. Their lives are transformed forever when one of their ewes gives birth to a sheep-human hybrid. They accept the strange creature as their daughter, but tensions rise when Ingvar’s elder brother comes to live with them. It’s an oddly compelling film, featuring some good acting and intriguing themes, but it’s marred by a limp third act that sputters to an end. It comes close to saying something profound, but just misses the mark. 

Rating: ***. Available on Blu-ray, DVD and Kanopy 

Mary, Mary, Bloody Mary (1975) Cristina Ferrare stars as the title character, a young woman traveling to Mexico who enjoys painting and a macabre pastime (stabbing her victims and drinking their blood). She meets a man (David Young) along the way, and they seem to hit it off, but her homicidal tendencies get in the way. While she grapples with her impulses, someone else is committing a series of similar murders and a tenacious police inspector is snooping around. Compared to director Juan López Moctezuma’s previous and follow-up efforts (The Mansion of Madness and Alucarda), this tepid thriller seems positively subdued. 

Rating: ***. Available on Blu-ray, DVD and Tubi

Frightmare (1983) When their favorite horror star dies, some over-enthusiastic members of a horror film appreciation society do what any sensible fan would do: break into his mausoleum and steal his corpse. But the once dead Conrad Radzoff (Ferdy Mayne) returns for one last performance when his grieving wife conducts a ritual to revive his body. Mayhem and murder ensue. Frightmare, which borrows extensively from Children Shouldn’t Play with Dead Things, teaches us the predictable lesson that we’re better off not messing with forces we don’t understand, but it has its inspired moments. Mayne is amusing as the conceited, fading star, and Jeffrey Combs appears as one of the misguided fans.   

Rating: ***. Available on Blu-ray, DVD, Prime Video and Tubi

 

Anatomy (2000) Paula (Franka Potente), a promising medical student, secures an exclusive opportunity to study at an elite medical school in Heidelberg. Her dream turns into a nightmare when she realizes the cadaver on her dissecting table is a young man she helped on a train. The discovery prompts her to conduct her own research, which in turn uncovers a secret society hiding among the faculty and students. As she delves deeper into mysteries she wasn’t meant to uncover, Paula learns that her newly acquired knowledge could mean her doom. This schmaltzy German production, obviously influenced by Coma (1978), lacks the suspense or subtlety of the earlier film, and the bombastic soundtrack doesn’t do it any favors. 

Rating: **½. Available on DVD and Tubi

  

Mom (1989) A reclusive man (Brion James) who happens to be a cannibalistic demon rents a room from an unsuspecting elderly woman (Jeanne Bates). Before you can say, “I’m shocked, shocked. I never saw that coming,” he turns the old lady into one of his own, with the same taste for human flesh. Her bland 30-something son (Mark Thomas Miller) tries his best to dissuade her, but he can only do so much to quell her urges. It’s a fine premise for a horror comedy (similar material was handled in Evil Dead 2 and Dead Alive), however, it’s played straight from start to finish, making this a chore to sit through. You’ve been warned. 

Rating: **. Available on DVD (Out of print), and Tubi

Bloodthirsty Butchers (1970) What if low-budget filmmaker Andy Milligan made his own Sweeney Todd movie? Well, wonder no more… Shot in England, the costumes (likely pilfered from the local community theater group) are a mishmash from different eras, and the plot is incoherent. Lead actor John Miranda looks a bit like a low-rent Peter Cushing, but without the acting chops. Perplexingly, Milligan chooses to focus mostly on the peripheral characters and their boring lives, loves and squabbles, instead of the human meat pies (arguably, the raison d'être of a Sweeney Todd film). As with many flicks from Milligan’s oeuvre, your mileage may vary. 

Rating *½. Available on Blu-ray (Included in The Dungeon of Andy Milligan box set), DVD and Tubi

 

Spirit of ’76 Month Quick Picks and Pans

 

Mad Dog Morgan (1976) Dennis Hopper plays Daniel “Mad Dog” Morgan, an Irish immigrant turned outlaw in 1860s Australia. He roams the countryside with his trusty indigenous companion Billy (played by the always reliable David Gulpilil), robbing from the settlers. Despite a reportedly troubled production (due to a problematic Hopper), co-writer/director Philippe Mora’s outback western is a fascinating but sympathetic portrait of one of Australia’s most notorious criminals. In stark contrast to his pursuers and local lawmakers, Morgan possesses a code of honor and sense of fair play, transforming him into a cult hero of sorts. 

Rating: ***½. Available on Blu-ray, DVD and Kanopy

Who Can Kill a Child? (1976) Narciso Ibáñez Serrador’s Spanish horror-suspense film is a potent mixture of Lord of the Flies with Children of the Damned. English tourists Tom and Evelyn (Lewis Fiander and Prunella Ransome) decide to leave the hustle and bustle of a crowded Spanish coastal town, for the promise of peace and quiet on a nearby island. They soon discover the conspicuous absence of adults in the island village, which seems to be populated by roaming packs of sadistic children. We never learn what causes their vicious behavior (Is it a social or biological disease?), but the implication is that some sort of judgment day is at hand for the grown-ups. It’s a truly relentless, unnerving experience that will stay with you long after you’ve watched it.

One warning: The film’s only sour note (and it’s a big one) is the opening credit sequence, presenting a tasteless litany of atrocities against children (including concentration camps and famine). My recommendation: fast-forward through it. 

Rating: ***½. Available on Blu-ray and DVD

Black Magic 2 (1976) This Shaw Brothers sequel to the 1975 original promises more sex, gore and sorcery than you can shake a severed limb at. An 80-year-old practitioner of the dark arts keeps his youthful appearance by drinking the breast milk of young women under his spell. He keeps an army of zombies in his basement, who obey his every whim. When three doctors investigate the veracity of claims about him, they try to stop his reign of terror. Can they stop him, or will they join the ranks of his victims? Watch and find out. 

Rating: ***. Available on Blu-ray and DVD

Creature from Black Lake (1976) This low-budget independent production, filmed in Louisiana, is surprisingly engaging, thanks to colorful characters and a terrifying beast.  Pahoo and Rives (Dennis Fimple and John David Carson), two grad students from Chicago, travel to bayou country in the hopes of tracking down a legendary missing link. Although the scenes with the redneck sheriff (Bill Thurman) won’t surprise anyone, it’s a notch above many of its contemporaries (I’m looking at you, Legend of Boggy Creek) thanks to better acting (featuring appearances by stalwart character actors Jack Elam and Dub Taylor) and (for once) a decent view of the enraged hominid.   

Rating: ***. Available on Blu-ray, DVD, Tubi and Amazon Prime

The Human Tornado (1976) Rudy Ray Moore returns as everyone’s favorite kung fu-fighting pimp Dolemite, in his sequel to the character’s eponymous 1975 debut. Dolemite and his pals flee a trigger-happy hillbilly sheriff with an axe to grind for the glitz and glamour of Los Angeles. He runs into more trouble when he tries to rescue his pal Queen Bee (Lady Reed) from the clutches of a local kingpin. It’s cheap, with iffy acting, fake kung fu, and a scene that stops the plot cold, solely for an opportunity to showcase his routine in front of an audience. Is it good? No, but that’s not the point. The Human Tornado was made to entertain, and entertain it does, with Moore’s signature one-liners and over-the-top mayhem. 

Rating: ***. Available on Blu-ray, DVD, Amazon Prime, Kanopy, and Tubi

 

Death Machines (1976) Madame Lee (Mari Honjo) manages a trio of unstoppable assassins (aka: the “Death Machines”), while the bumbling cops attempt to thwart a series of contract killings. Meanwhile, a survivor of a karate studio massacre vows revenge against the people who killed his master and left him for dead. Filled with laughable dialogue, questionable acting, and haphazard directing, Death Machines is a textbook example of a film that’s so bad it’s good. Enjoy. 

Rating: **½. Available on Blu-ray and DVD

 

The Town that Dreaded Sundown (1976) This odd pseudo-documentary style thriller (and I use the term “thriller” loosely) chronicles a 1946 murder spree, by a killer with no apparent motive. The tone is wildly inconsistent, ranging from a serious police procedural to slapstick hijinks. Probably the most annoying aspect of the movie is its reliance on unnecessary narration, which either describes what already happened on screen, or provides exposition that could have been dialogue. You’ve been warned. 

Rating: **½. Available on Blu-ray and DVD

Futureworld (1976) This forgettable sequel to Michael Crichton’s 1973 film manages to underwhelm at every turn, lacking the novelty or suspense of its predecessor. The Delos Corporation picks up the pieces from the disaster depicted in the first film, rebuilding their resort and replacing their problematic androids with new models. In an effort to boost public relations, they invite TV reporter Tracy Ballard (Blythe Danner) and newspaper reporter Chuck Browning (Peter Fonda) to an all-access experience at the luxury theme park. All isn’t as it seems at the new, “improved” resort, as the snooping reporters discover a sinister conspiracy at work (a theme that would be beaten to death in the exasperating HBO TV series). The cut-rate Samuel Z. Arkoff production fails to impress, riding the fumes of the original (Yul Brynner revises his role as the Gunslinger, in an ill-advised dream sequence cameo). The seemingly endless scenes of Chuck and Tracy running around in the underground bowels of the resort are an apt metaphor for the film, running in circles with nowhere to go. Yawn. 

Rating: **. Available on Blu-ray, DVD and Tubi  

 

October Quick Picks and Pans – Horror Month 2020

Good Manners (As Boas Maneiras) (2017) In this surprising film by Brazilian writer/director team Juliana Rojas and Marco Dutra, Ana (Marjorie Estiano), a young well-to-do pregnant woman hires Clara (Isabél Zuaa) as a personal assistant/nanny. Clara soon finds that her employer has some unusual nocturnal habits, which provide some clues about her unborn child. Good Manners holds its cards close to its chest, taking time to establish the main characters before delving into the more fantastical elements of the second half. The filmmakers employ a blend of visual styles and tones (including some brief musical interludes), weaving its tale of unselfish love and personal sacrifice. As in many werewolf movies (the creature is brought to life through a skillful combination of animatronics and CGI), there’s a tragic, fatalistic streak that runs throughout, about the immutability of changing one’s nature. It’s better not to know too much about this film going in, instead allowing the melancholy story to unfold.

 Rating: ****. Available on DVD and Kanopy

 

Gonjiam: Haunted Asylum (2018) “Horror Times,” a YouTube-style channel exploring the most haunted places on earth, sets its sights on an abandoned mental hospital (where multiple unexplained deaths occurred), considered one of the most haunted places on Earth. In an effort to get 1 million viewers, the host/show director Ha-Joon (Ha-Joon Wi) stacks the deck by staging some paranormal occurrences. He didn’t consider, however, that the restless spirits in the place would create their own disturbances for his team of investigators. Soon, Ha-Joon and the other team members are in a desperate struggle for their sanity and their lives. Director/co-writer Beom-sik Jeong’s found footage horror movie starts out light in tone, getting progressively tense as it approaches a grim conclusion. While, the individual components of the film are nothing new, it’s an intense experience that provides some genuine scares. See it before the inevitable American remake.

Rating: ***½. Available on Blu-ray, DVD and Amazon Prime

Popcorn (1991) This playful, affectionate ode to B-horror flicks and William Castle-esque gimmicks prefigures Joe Dante’s Matinee (1994) by a few years.  Ray Walston appears (in a cameo role) as Dr. Mnesyne, movie memorabilia collector extraordinaire. He provides vintage props for a group of college film students staging a movie marathon fundraiser. Unfortunately for the students, a homicidal maniac has other plans, as he lurks about the old movie house, picking off people one by one. As we soon discover, the killer has a vested interest in Maggie (Jill Schoelen), one of the student organizers. Popcorn never takes itself too seriously, seemingly anticipating the many self-referential horror films that followed in its wake. Some of the most enjoyable elements in the film are the “let’s put on a show” aesthetic, as well as the clever ‘50s-style parodies within the movie (which would make great features by themselves).

 Rating: ***½. Available on Blu-ray and DVD

Veerana (1988) This energetic film from purveyors of Bollywood horror, Shyam and Tulsi Ramsay, pushed the boundaries of what Indian censors would allow (it would probably be a PG in the States). After the succubus Nakita (Roy Kamal) is destroyed, an evil sorcerer (Rajesh Vivek) attempts to resurrect her spirit, placing a curse on a local family. He plans to bring her back through the family’s daughter Jasmine (Jasmin). The possessed young woman follows in Nakita’s footsteps, luring naïve men to their doom. Of course, there’s plenty of time for song and dance numbers, which have little to do with the plot, and pad out the running time. But fear not, dear reader; you never have to wait too long before something else occurs. There’s more going on in the opening credits sequence than most other movies. Veerana has something for everyone, with action, drama, suspense, romance, horror, gore, music and (bad) comedy.

Rating: ***½. Available on DVD (included in The Bollywood Horror Collection, Volume 2)

Hex (aka: Xie) (1980) In this demonic horror, Shaw Brothers style, a loutish, alcoholic man conspires with his mistress (posing as a servant) to scare his ailing wife to death. All goes as planned, until his deceased wife returns to punish the two lovers. Director/co-writer Chih-Hung Kuei’s film has several jarring tonal shifts, in which the drama with the abusive husband suddenly lapses into comedy. Also, if some of the musical cues sound suspiciously familiar, your ears aren’t deceiving you (some snippets of the soundtrack appear to have been lifted from Alien and Star Trek: The Motion Picture). It’s difficult to have sympathy for the unscrupulous couple’s dilemma, but it sets up the film’s most memorable final sequence, when a Taoist shaman attempts to exorcise the spell. Filled with style and detailed sets, it’s well worth a look, if you can find a copy.

Rating: ***. Available on Blu-ray (Region B) and DVD (Region 2/3)

 

The Living Corpse (aka: Zinda Laash) (1967) Here’s a rarity, a Pakistani retelling of Dracula, thought lost for decades. Luckily for us, it’s been restored for future generations to enjoy. A mad scientist (Rehan) develops an elixir of life and tests it on himself. From that point onward, the movie more or less follows Bram Stoker’s story (albeit in a modern-day setting), as he becomes a bloodthirsty vampire. The filmmakers were obviously taking notes from Hammer’s version, rather than the Universal film, with Rehan’s more visceral take on the vampire. When he makes his entrance, walking down a staircase, it’s easy to imagine Christopher Lee following the same steps. On the other hand, The Living Corpse has some touches Stoker and Hammer never thought of, including several jaunty song and dance numbers (Also, the opening credits sequence inexplicably uses “La Cucaracha.”). In this version, the antagonist doesn’t transform into a bat. Instead of a ghostly carriage, he traverses point A to point B in a car. If you can accept the creaky set design and sillier aspects, it’s a fun repurposing of Stoker’s enduring character, worthy of re-discovery.

Rating: ***. Available on DVD

Even the Wind is Afraid (aka: Hasta el Viento Tiene Miedo) (1968) In this gothic Mexican supernatural mystery from writer/director Carlos Enrique Taboada, Claudia (Alicia Bonet), a girl at an exclusive prep school is haunted by the ghost of a former student who died under mysterious circumstances. Much to her dismay, she has a tough time convincing her fellow classmates (all of whom are portrayed by actresses in their 20s) or the stern headmistress (Marga López). Only the elderly groundskeeper Diego (Rafael Llamas, with fake gray hair) seems to believe her. It’s rather slow-paced but there are some tense scenes throughout, and an impromptu strip-tease livens things up. Although it’s short on action, it’s a great looking, atmospheric thriller, worth checking out.

Rating: ***. Available on Blu-ray, DVD and Tubi

Frankenstein 1970 (1958) A film crew prepares to shoot a horror movie in the real-life Frankenstein’s castle, home of the last living heir of the infamous scientist (Boris Karloff). We soon discover that the not so good doctor has ulterior motives, as the filmmakers disappear one by one. Despite the meta-possibilities of the premise, the majority of the movie is slow and plodding, much like the titular creature. An inordinate amount of time is wasted on a pointless subplot about the director’s ex-wife/screenwriter and a new starlet. Even though the material is less than inspiring, Karloff, ever the consummate professional, gives a quality performance as the ethically challenged mad scientist, obsessed with continuing the experiments of his ancestors. It’s not as bad as some reviews would lead you to believe, but it’s not good, either. For Karloff completists only.

Rating: **½. Available on Blu-ray and DVD

Vampyres (1974) Two shapely vampire women (Marianne Morris and Anulka Dziubinska, sans fangs) lure men, via hitchhiking, to their crumbling mansion, where they seduce them and drain them of their blood. Meanwhile, a couple camping in a trailer speculate about the strange goings-on in the nearby estate. There isn’t much to justify the film, with its weak plot and paper-thin story. The main characters are naked a lot, and the male characters are uniformly unlikable and condescending (I doubt anyone would mourn their passing). Ultimately, this pointless, exploitive exercise just reminded me of a British version of a Jean Rollin film or 1971’s Daughters of Darkness (albeit with less style, and making about as much sense).

Rating: **. Available on Blu-ray, DVD and Tubi