1950’s | Magazines and Monsters!

Tomb of Darkness 22, 1976 “My Brother, This Monster!”

Posted on October 29, 2015 by billyd75

As Halloween is just around the corner, the hits just keep on coming! Another reprint of Atlas Era material is here, and this one doesn’t disappoint. Ghosts, ghouls, a robot, and just about anything else you can imagine! The first story is about a robot named “Grutan.”The scientist that creates him has a grudge against mankind, and wished to unleash his new robot to make them pay! The second tale involves twin brothers that are exact opposites in some ways, but ugly on the outside doesn’t always equal evil! The third story involves a ghastly figure, music, and a graveyard. The last story shows how a prison inmate makes a deal with the devil!

With all four stories credits going to Stan Lee, we are left to dive into the wonder of the artwork from some of the best of that time period. First up is Don Heck (pencils and inks on the first story). This guy was at marvel from the beginning with the rest of the giants, and somehow never gets mentioned with them. Study the man’s work, and I think you’ll find a fine craftsman. The name Mike Sekowsky might not be one of familiarity to Marvel zombies, but he was definitely someone who did a good bit of work for DC comics back in the day (credits as probable but not confirmed for the second and fourth stories). Lastly, we have Pete Morisi. He’s beat known for his work at Charlton, and was also a confidant of Don Heck! We get a great cover by the team of Mike Netzer and Pablo Marcos!

Beware 1, 1973 “The Werewolf was Afraid!”

Posted on October 28, 2015 by billyd75

When you get the opportunity to grab comics at a steep discount, you’ve got to take advantage. When it’s a number one issue, you pounce! Granted, this comic book is a reprint title, but still, it’s a good one! Anytime you get to see some of these classics, you gotta bite, especially when it starts off with a werewolf story! Killer robots, a witch, and a final tale of madness!

The cover is absolutely fantastic, and we have the incomparable Bill Everett to thank for it. His story is a sad one, being one of the greats that died before his time. The werewolf story has work by John Romita (art)(original stories by Stan Lee). It’s quite a bit different from what most will remember his work on in titles like Amazing Spider-Man, but still very cool. The second tale is by Vic Carabotta (pencils) and Jack Abel (inks). The latter gentleman’s work I know from various titles, but Carabotta is someone I don’t know much about. The third installment is one that offers a more familiar team, in Lee, Jack Kirby (pencils), and Dick Ayers (inks). If you’ve never seen Kirby’s horror stuff, you owe it to yourself to get out there and investigate. Finally, we have Joe Sinnott (pencils and inks). From what’s said, he’s one of the nicest guys in the industry, and one that one day soon hopefully, I’ll get the chance to meet!

Vault of Evil 8, 1973 “The Vampire is My Brother!”

Posted on October 19, 2015 by billyd75

Another horrific comic book post to satiate your bloodthirsty minds! What lurks in the Vault of Evil! A bunch of Golden Age reprints, that’s what! I love these old stories because you never know what you’re going to get. Sometimes they are straight up horror, other times a thriller. Once and a while you get one that is pre-code and has a decapitation or something cool like that in it! These reprints usually consisted of three or four stories that usually revolved around murder, vampires, werewolves, or an atomic mutation. The first one in this book was a vampire story, the second was about the dead rising from the grave. The third story is about a female ghost, and the last is about a trunk that brings bad luck to its owners!

Al Eadeh, was a guy that worked in the comic book industry for a long time. His pencils and inks definitely give off that Golden Age vibe, and the man spent time in the Simon and Kirby studio, so, that should tell you about his prowess! Another name from that era is Ed Winiarski (pencils/inks). Another artist that had a grounding in crime, sci-fi, and horror books of that age, Winiarski had a similar style that definitely reminds me of the early horror work by Kirby and Simon. Sid Greene (pencils/inks) fits the same mold but also did some romance work as well. Last, but certainly not least, is Joe Sinnott (pencils/inks). He’ll go down in history as one of the greatest inkers of all time, and rightly so, as his work with Kirby, Perez, and a host of others was outstanding. If you dig a bit deeper though, you’ll find that the guy is quite an accomplished penciler as well, and issues like this prove it. We also get the treat of a great cover by Rich Buckler and Vicente Alcazar!

Cinema Sunday: Day The World Ended (1955)

Posted on October 5, 2015 by billyd75

Title: Day The World Ended

Distributor: American International Pictures

Writer: Lou Rusoff

Director: Roger Corman

Producer: Roger Corman

Starring: Richard Denning, Lori Nelson, Adele Jergens, Mike Connors, Chet Huntley (narrator)

Released: December 1955

MPAA: Approved

As we roll into October, the threat of Halloween is here! Maybe a hockey-masked killer will visit or even the Boogeyman. Until then, I’d like to spotlight a great sci-fi film from the greatest era of said films (1950s-1960s). I mean, listen, you can never go wrong with an atomic disaster movie. The genre is full of great flicks from this era, and rightly so. It was a hot button topic back then (still is), and in its infancy. There was a lot of paranoia, and rightly so as it was a scary invention.

The most familiar face in this film is action/horror/sci-fi star, Richard Denning (Creature from the Black Lagoon). He was a stalwart of the film industry back in those days, and was your a-typical “macho man” of the films he was in. The rest of the cast is quirky in this one, and so was the entire film to be honest, but hey, isn’t that to be expected from Roger Corman?!? Alright, here we go…

The film begins with a narrator (Chet Huntley) explaining that a nuclear holocaust has decimated the planet, and only a few pockets of people have survived. One of these people is Rick (no, not Grimes…Richard Denning!), and he spots a man who’s injured and suffering from radiation burns. He grabs the guy and throws him over his shoulder, caveman style. He heads for the nearest house he sees, but he’s behind a couple that are bolting for the same door. These two, Tony (Mike Connors) and Ruby (Adele Jergens) are very odd in the fact that they look like gangsters (Bonnie and Clyde?) from the 1920’s. Inside the home is a father, Jim Maddison (Paul Birch), and his daughter, Louise (Lori Nelson). They’re a couple of bumpkins that just want to be left alone. Ruby and Tony come knocking at the door, but Jim wont let them in at first. Tony then begins to shoot at the door, so Jim relents and lets them inside.

Soon after, Rick shows up, and now the house is packed with unwanted guests. Jim tells his daughter that he didn’t want to take on any other survivors because he only has provisions for them. Now those provisions will be split four different ways. OK, make it five different ways after some old man and a jackass show up. The old-timer seems to be interested in nothing except the animal and making moonshine. Tensions are high for obvious reasons , but you also have everyone on edge even more because of Tony and his big mouth. Jim has his own gun and tells all the house guests to change their clothes and wash up because they might be contaminated.

Right away, Rick and Tony butt heads. Rick gives Tony a whooping after they argue, and Tony vows revenge. A few weeks pass, and the guy that Rick brought into the house is exhibiting some strange symptoms from radiation poisoning. His face is starting to mutate, but into what, no one knows. He sneaks out every night to hunt for “meat” as he puts it. Rick is worried, and Jim thinks they should off him. The two women go swimming to relax for a while. Louise gets the creeps when she sees someone and believes she hears the person call her name. Ruby doesn’t see anybody but gets creeped out too, so they quickly leave.

A few weeks later, and tensions are at an all time high, especially between Rick and Tony. Jim is on edge as well, because he knows it’s only a matter of time before they run out of food. Tony begins to hit on Louise, but Rick takes the exception to that because he and Louise have become an “item.” Rick and Tony get into another brawl, and Ruby tries to console Tony. He brushes her off, and we begin to see that he really doesn’t even care for her. He’s all about himself, and this will be a recurring theme throughout the film. Rick and Jim try to keep tabs on the irradiated man, but most nights they can’t keep up with him because he travels into an area that’s still full of radioactive activity. We (the viewers) do see him though, and one night he gets surprised by a monstrosity near a wooded area, and he flees in fear for his life.

Will the monster get to the survivors? Will Tony and Rick kill each other first? Will Louise be able to repopulate the Earth? Watch and get some of the answers!

OK, here are my thoughts:

This is one wacky film. I love the post-nuke world movies because not only do they represent something that at any time could be reality, but also they give you so many options. Zombies, freaks, giant monsters, etc. This film really tries to utilize the build up of tension. Some of the acting is hammy and even borders on the ridiculous, BUT, don’t sleep on this one. Richard Denning is still cool as a cucumber here and there are a couple of deaths were a little crazy as well.

One slight disappointment was the fact that the monster doesn’t really show up until very late in the film. The fact that it’s very cheesy doesn’t bother me one bit though. The sets were bland, as were most in this era. They just weren’t a big focus the majority of the time, as films relied on gimmicks, or atmosphere, or star power. You certainly had that with Denning, especially after his performance in Creature from the Black Lagoon. This picture obviously doesn’t have Richard Carlson or Julie Adams, but Denning, Nelson, and Jergens (image below) provided depth and sex appeal for sure!

Click here for the trailer!

The Four Skulls of Jonathan Drake (1959)

Posted on September 28, 2015 by billyd75

Title: The Four Skulls of Jonathan Drake

Distributor: United Artists

Writer: Orville H. Hampton

Director: Edward L. Cahn

Producer: Robert Kent

Starring: Henry Daniell, Grant Richards, Valerie French, Eduard Franz, Paul Cavanaugh

Released: November 1959

MPAA: Approved

It’s Sunday, and that means another review of a classic flick! This one is a good one, especially if you’re into witch doctors! Why it has taken me so long to get this one out there, I can’t remember, but anyone that hasn’t seen this movie needs to right away. Things weren’t so great in the 1950’s for UA United Artists), but once the next decade rolled around they got into television, and had some better success. Don’t sleep on this one though, it’s a diamond in the rough! Both Kent (producer) and Cahn (director) had already made some decent horror/sci-fi movies for other companies, and they definitely brought that same kind of feel to this one.

I love the concept of witch doctors in films, probably ever since I saw this guy. No joke! Alright, enough of the foolishness, let’s get right down to this thriller!

The film begins with an older gentleman named Jonathan Drake (Eduard Franz) in his study. He has a book opened, and the passage reads…”the evil that men do lives after them.” We then focus on the man himself, as he’s deep in thought, and obviously afraid of something. In his hand he holds a shrunken head! A strong breeze whips through the room, and the candles are blown out. A young woman enters the room, and we find out that she’s his daughter, Allison (Valerie French). She questions him as to his trance-like state, but he won’t tell her. She tells him that her uncle Kenneth called but she’s having trouble remembering what he said exactly. Jonathan knows something is up, so he sends a message to his brother that he’s on his way to see him (the trip takes two days).

Over at the home of Kenneth Drake (Paul Cavanaugh), we see the servant, Rogers, and Kenneth discussing the arrival of his brother. We then see someone creeping around the outside of his home, and that person hangs a shrunken head in front of the glass doors that lead to the garden. As he attempts to investigate, a witch doctor jumps out of nowhere, and sticks a needle into his neck! The poison tip injects a paralyzing agent into his blood stream, and renders him defenseless. As he’s about to do further damage, Rogers returns, and the witch doctor runs off.

The following day, a police detective shows up, and Lt. Rowan (Grant Richards) tells Rogers he was called by Allison and told to check out the house because she and her father feared there might be trouble. Rogers tells the policeman that the only trouble was that Kenneth died suddenly last night from heart failure. Lt. Rowan tells him that he’ll talk to the family doctor about it and make sure everything is OK. Rowan then meets Dr. Bradford (Howard Wendell), and Dr. Emil Zurich (Henry Daniell), a family friend and noted archaeologist. There’s a long history of heart failure in the family so no one questions the death.

After some talk about the shrunken head, Rowan leaves but is very suspicious. Later that night, Kenneth’s corpse is in a casket at the funeral home, and the witch doctor pops up again. He has a basket and then the scene cuts to the funeral (a bit later or the following day perhaps). Jonathan shows up just in time for the funeral, and questions Dr. Bradford about the cause of death. He doesn’t believe him when he tells him it was heart failure, and needs to see the body to be sure. He opens the casket, and everyone screams in horror as we see the body has been decapitated!

We then see a laboratory with the creepy Dr. Zurich and his accomplice, Zutai (Paul Wexler). They open the basket we saw Zutai with earlier, and we see he’s the on that cut off Kenneth’s head. Zurich spouts off about a curse, and that Drake had it coming. Rowan then comes over and questions Allison about what she knows, but she’s little help. Back at the laboratory, we see Zutai and Zurich cooking the head of poor Kenneth, after they’ve removed the skull, of course. They make a shrunken head out of Kenneth, and seem very pleased with their work.

Back at the Drake mansion, Jonathan tells Allison about the family curse. He tells her that a few generations ago, their ancestors made a trip into the jungle, and even though it was a peaceful endeavor, but after one of their numbers was kidnapped and beheaded, they slaughtered all the tribal people, except the witch doctor. He managed to get away, and we’re lead to believe that Zutai is that man.

Can Rowan and Allison figure out how to stop this madness or will Jonathan Drake be the next victim!

OK, here are my thoughts:

As I stated earlier, UA was going through some tough times financially during this era, but you can’t tell from watching this film. The atmosphere is spectacular, and the actors are on point. No one person stands out but everybody delivers as they should. Wexler and Daniell are especially creepy and play their parts as if they were really into it.

The sets were very good, and helped the atmosphere keep you in suspense. As far as music, Paul Dunlap did a fine job with the score. When it counted, the music was hair-raising! As soon as you see the names Robert Kent and Edward Cahn, you know that the film has two solid men behind it. Cahn’s work for AIP is legendary as is Kent’s with Columbia. And if that wasn’t enough, you get the stunning Valerie French to gaze upon (image below)!

Set aside some time for this thriller, you wont be disappointed!

Click here for the trailer!

Cinema Sunday: The Tingler (1959)

Posted on August 9, 2015 by billyd75

Title: The Tingler

Distributor: Columbia Pictures

Writer: Robb White

Director: William Castle

Producer: William Castle

Starring: Vincent Price, Judith Evelyn, Darryl Hickman, Patricia Cutts, Philip Coolidge

Released: July 1959

MPAA: Approved

After a double-dip of Amicus films, I thought it had been too long since I’d visited a film starring one of my all time favorite actors, Vincent Price! I still have quite a few films of his that I want to spotlight, and this one is right at the top of the list, so I figured, why not? By this time in his career, Price had been working diligently and built up a good reputation. He had also begun to do almost nothing aside from horror films, which was a big deal for him, and would’ve been for any actor of that time (the genre was very well-respected back then).

I’d like to think that the relationship between William Castle and Price was one that helped vault both of their careers into the stratosphere, and it definitely helped the genre tremendously, and the industry. Castle was known for his cheaply made films that used a gimmick to get the audience to squeal, and more often than not, he accomplished that feat and more. OK, without further interruption, here we go…

The film begins with it’ Producer/Director, William Castle warning the viewers that he’s obligated to warn us that we (the viewers) will also be experiencing some of the sensations physically that the actors in the film did. He urges you to scream at the top of your lunges to help alleviate this sensation. The screen is then bombarded by floating heads that scream loudly, and the film begins.

We see a man in a jail cell, and he looks as though he’s about to go mad. He’s led from his cell to a room (execution), and then the scene switches to a room marked “autopsy” and we see Dr. Warren Chapin (Vincent Price), as he’s readying the room for another customer. A few minutes alter, and a body is rolled out of the room, and towards the autopsy room. Once the body arrives, Chapin begins his work. He notices that the dead man’s back is broken in two different places, and he theorizes that something other than electrocution did this. The other man in the room, Oliver Higgins (Philip Coolidge), tells Chapin that this man is a serial killer that also happens to be his wife’s brother. Chapin discusses his fascination with fear, and experimenting on people to figure out the effects from it.

After the autopsy is over, Chapin gives Higgins a ride into town. They walk by a movie theater that Higgins and his wife own. Higgins uses sign language to tell his wife that he’s going to have a cup of coffee with Chapin at their apartment across the street. Eventually, Mrs. Higgins (Judith Evelyn), comes in and Oliver explains that she cannot speak or hear, so she must read lips or use sign language. As they talk, Chapin gets cut, and the mere sight of blood causes Martha to faint. later, Chapin tells Oliver that the reason she faints when she sees blood, is because she cannot scream and release the fear inside of her. Chapin, after Oliver asks him about the tingling sensation, dubs this condition “the Tingler.” Chapin leaves and heads for home.

Over at his house, Chapin enters and is greeted by Lucy (Pamela Lincoln), and then his partner, David (Darryl Hickman). He tells David about his interesting experience today with the deaf-mute woman, and the two theorize about the effects of fear. Lucy gets mad and wants to leave, so David eventually complies. Later that night, Isabel (Patricia Cutts), Lucy’s older sister (and guardian), and apparently Chapin’s rich, estranged/ex-wife. Chapin and Isabel exchange quips, and then after Isabel gets cranky, Chapin pulls out a gun, and threatens her with a pistol. He leads her down to the lab, and threatens her. He demands that she leaves Lucy and David alone, and that gives half of her father’s fortune to Lucy. She tells him she wont do it, and lunges for the phone to call the police. Chapin shoots her, and while the body is still warm, he begins to experiment on her.

He quickly takes x-rays of her spine to see what causes it to break suddenly when someone is struck by a terrible fear. A moment later, she leaps up from the table and shrieks. He tells her it was only blanks in the gun, and that she passed out from the situation. Meanwhile, a cat that David procured for the experiment hops in the window and scares Isabel. He tells her that the cat was originally intended for the experiment but he thought she’d make a better volunteer. He also asks her is she’s seen this cat before in any of the local alleyways. She threatens him and gives him an ominous forecast for his future.

The following day David comes over to the lab, and shows him the x-rays of Isabel just as she was scared stiff. David is astounded by this find as they both see that there is indeed something in the spine just as someone is frightened. Chapin wants to push forward, but David is worried. Chapin convinces him to follow along, and the two try concoct a plan to extract a “tingler.” Chapin gives David the night off, and he and Lucy get the impression something is amiss. They’re right, and they peek in on Chapin as he injects himself with some drugs (LSD?) to induce a fear in himself.

Chapin starts to go on a trip, and is trying to record all of this, but is having trouble keeping up with things the longer he’s under the influence. He starts to hallucinate that the walls are closing in on him, and he begins to panic. He feels like he can’t breathe, and sees the skeleton in his lab come after him. He tries to stop himself, but cannot, so he screams out. After he wakes, he tells David and Lucy that there isn’t anyway possible for someone to stop themselves from screaming from fear. He then gets a sinister idea, and leaves. David is worried he might experiment on Oliver’s wife, since she cannot scream.

Will Dr. Chapin resort to experimenting on Martha? Will he prove his theory about the Tingler? Check out this classic to find out!

OK, here are my thoughts:

This film is another good one from Castle and Price. House on Haunted Hill is better, mostly because of the cast, but also in plot. You can’t dismiss this one though, and I’m sure the gimmicks helped this one be even better when it was in the theaters. The special effects were pretty cool, especially the scene with the blood. Of course the “Tingler” by today’s standards would be judged as cheesy, but in all honesty, it looks as good comparatively speaking to the face-hugger in Aliens (1986).

The film is a must see for any Price fan, but also for anyone that loves old school cinema, especially of the thriller/horror variety. You do get a cool twist late in the film, and if you love House on haunted Hill, this one has some of the same elements to it that made that one great. Lets be honest for a minute, Price could carry any film, and his reputation was built on performances like this one!

Click here for the trailer!

Cinema Sunday: It Conquered the World (1956)

Posted on July 12, 2015 by billyd75

Title: It Conquered The World

Distributor: American International Pictures

Writers: Lou Rusoff, Charles B. Griffith

Director: Roger Corman

Producer: Roger Corman

Starring: Peter Graves, Beverly Garland, Lee Van Cleef, Dick Miller

Released: July, 1956

MPAA: Approved

If you put aside Hammer and Universal Studios, I think I’d have to give AIP the nod as far as movie studios go in the impact category. Their horror and sci-fi films were great. Sure, they didn’t have the biggest budgets, so the special effects weren’t the best, but the stories were cool, and they always found good actors for the roles. Whether it was “The Amazing Colossal Man” or “Blacula,” AIP always gave it their all when producing a picture!

Speaking of pictures, you’ll love this one as any watcher of this film will tell you, it’s a sci-fi classic that must be viewed! The film isn’t very long, but does have a few actors you’ll definitely recognize. Well, without any more interruption, here’s the plot…

The film begins with four scientists, as they’re keeping an eye on a space probe that’s circling the Earth. Dr. Paul Nelson (Peter Graves), remarks at how much the satellite cost, and that everything better go as planned or this project will get dumped. In a nearby office, a general, Secretary Platt, and another man, Dr. Tom Anderson (Lee Van Cleef), is explaining to them that this satellite business must stop because the aliens will put a stop to it if they don’t. He vehemently pushes back, but they don’t care. Later that day, Tom and Paul, who are good friends, are having dinner together (both wives are present too). Tom takes the time to tell Paul that he’s made contact with an alien via his radio transmitter. Tom’s wife, Claire (Beverly Garland), is reluctant for Tom to tell him what’s going on, but Tom doesn’t care. He shows Paul his radio but just then the telephone rings, and Paul is called away to the lab.

Back at Tom’s house, he and Claire argue over the revelation about the alien. She’s very wary about this, but Tom is convinced the alien is going to help humanity. Over at the installation, the satellite lost contact with Earth, and they can’t figure out why. Tom then makes contact with the alien, and informs Tom that he hitched a ride on the satellite to Earth. Claire begs Tom to come to bed, but he refuses, and tells her he’s going to sleep by the radio. She doesn’t seem to broken up about it.

The next day, the satellite crashes, and the alien arrives. He hides out in a cave near some hot springs, as to closer simulate the climate from its home planet of Venus. Suddenly, every mechanical device n town stops working. Apparently, the alien wants to create chaos, and knows this will get everybody crazy in a short period of time. We next see Tom talking to him again, and giving him a list of names of the most influential people in town (I guess the alien has the Yellow Pages?). The alien responds, telling Tom that he has a control device he can use to subjugate the populace with. Just then, we see the alien, as it release these bat-like creatures that have stingers that implant a radio controlled device when they sting the back of the neck.

The first victim is the sheriff (Taggart Casey), and he gets hit immediately. Next is the general that runs the facility where Paul works. He attempts to hot-foot it to somewhere, but gets attacked by one of the bat creatures. He attempts to pistol whip the creature, and not shoot it…yeah. So, anyway, moments later, two of the biggest wheels in the area are under the control of the alien, and there are more to follow. Paul and his wife were on their way to town, but when their car died, they went to Tom’s house. He then tells them the whole story, and both of them are appalled. Paul tells him he’ll never submit to this alien, and Tom is not happy. Tom then takes them home, and the alien tells him that he must be assimilated.

Back in town, the sheriff tells everyone to get out-of-town, and they listen. One man wont leave, and the sheriff shoots him in cold blood! Paul questions him about it but he only says that the master wants everyone out-of-town. The sheriff attacks Paul, but the alien tells him to let Paul go. Back at Tom’s house, he and his wife argue about the moral ramifications of this situation. Tom doesn’t care, and his wife storms off. Paul then heads to the installation, but is stopped by the general. Paul can tell something is up, so he whacks the general over the head, knocking him unconscious. He takes the general’s Jeep to Tom’s house and questions him further about the alien. Tom spills the beans about everything, and Paul swears he’ll fight this until his last breath, and storms off.

Can Paul stop this invasion by himself? Can he somehow rally the townspeople and stop this menace? The answers are here for the taking!

OK, here are my thoughts:

Just seeing Van Cleef and Graves at this early stage in both of their careers is great. You can see the potential in both, and that they had big things ahead. Beverly Garland was also pretty good, even though her scene near the end where she tried to act all tough in wasn’t so good. The rest of the cast was very milquetoast, and didn’t really add much to the film.

The sets were very plain, and basically what you’d expect from a low-budget offering like this one. The music score was just mediocre as well, except for a few short moments. The special effects were decent for 1956, and you’ll really get a kick out of the bat creatures that the alien has at its disposal. Lets be honest though, when you see Roger Corman’s name attached to something, you know you’re in for a wild ride!

Definitely give this one a watch, because you need to be able to say that you’ve seen an alien from Venus, right (and the beautiful Beverly Garland – image below)?

Click here for the trailer!

Cinema Sunday: IT! The Terror from Beyond Space (1958)

Posted on May 31, 2015 by billyd75

Title: IT! The Terror from Beyond Space

Distributor: United Artists

Writer: Jerome Bixby (screenplay)

Director: Edward L. Cahn

Producers: Robert Kent, Edward Small

Starring: Marshall Thompson, Shirley Patterson, Kim Spalding, Ann Doran, Dabbs Greer

Released: August 1958

MPAA: Approved

Tell me if you’ve seen this one before…an alien snakes aboard a ship, and using guile and subterfuge (and the duct work), eliminates the crew of the ship one by one. If you guessed the 1979 classic, Alien, you’d be wrong. Sounds a lot like the screenwriters for that movie “borrowed” some key plot points from this film, doesn’t it. Not that it hasn’t been done many times over, just pointing it out for those that might not have seen this film or know about the similarities.

This film has the “space” theme like many others of the 1950’s, but it does separate it self from most of them because of a few key elements that I’ll talk about in my thoughts later after the synopsis. Well, sit back, relax, and get ready for a rocket ship ride to Mars! Let’s get to the film!

The flick begins with a monologue from the captain of a rocket ship that crashed on Mars, in 1973. He tells that another ship arrived to help eventually, but that the other crew members are all dead. Col. Edward Carruthers (Marshall Thompson) tells us that the other rocket ship will take him back to Earth, and try him for the murders of his fellow astronauts. We next switch back to Earth, and a press conference being held, telling reporters of the situation. They all immediately run to the telephones to inform their editors of the blockbuster story. Carruthers then tells the viewers that the ship is readying for take off, and that the four-month long trip will be interesting.

Next, we see the Colonel Van Heusen (Kim Spalding) asking his crew if everything is ready for departure. his crew all relay their information, and then he notices that someone left one of the hatches open. The one responsible speaks up, and then they close it promptly. There’s only one problem. We see that a shadowy figure has sneaked aboard, and looks really ticked off. After they’re in the atmosphere, Van Heusen approaches Carruthers while he’s deep in thought. He asks Carruthers if he’s thinking about the nine bodies he left down there no the planet. He responds that he was, and then Van Heusen begins to interrogate Carruthers, but he sticks to his story that an alien killed his crew. Van Heusen presses him for answers and even reveals that they found the skull of one of is crew members with a bullet hole in it, and then he tells Carruthers that only one kind of monster uses a gun.

In the next scene, the crew is having dinner, and making small talk. Carruthers, who’s being escorted around today by Lt. James Calder (Paul Langton), walks in, and the crew goes silent. One of the crew members, Eric Royce (Dabbs Greer), remarks that he doesn’t necessarily think that Carruthers is lying, but that he’s convinced himself that an alien did it, so he wouldn’t go insane. Carruthers interjects and tells them that he’s obviously not insane, and then he leaves the room. Van Heusen tells Royce that he’ll get a full confession out of him by the time they reach Earth.

That evening, Carruthers is still being watched by Lt. Calder, but then Mary Royce (Ann Doran – Eric’s sister?) walks in and offers him some food. She says that she wants to believe him but that the only version of the story she’s heard is from Van Heusen. Carruthers then tells her about the day the crew began to be murdered, one by one. The crew had set out on a fact-finding mission, but a sandstorm arose, and they headed back towards the ship. One of the crew was snatched out of the jeep like a baby by some unseen beast. They all began firing in different directions (this is when it hits Carruthers that the skull with the bullet hole in it was obviously caused during this event). One by one, the crew gets annihilated, except for Carruthers, who made it back to the rocket ship. Van Heusen then walks in and gets rude with Carruthers, who then walks away. Mary chastises him for acting that way to a fellow officer, and we see that the Van Heusen and Mary are a couple. Van Heusen agrees to stop hassling Carruthers at the behest of Mary.

Later, Carruthers and Eric Royce are having a chess match. One deck below, Joe Kienholz (Thom Carney), is on duty, and hears something below decks. He investigates, and as he’s searching below, he’s savagely murdered by the creature. Carruthers hears him scream, but no one else does. Carruthers investigates, and soon, the rest of the crew is wondering where Kienholz is on the ship. They begin to search, and the next victim is Gino Finelli (Richard Hervey). As he’s smoking a cigarette, the creature attacks him. The others, especially his brother, Bob (Richard Benedict), are getting apprehensive. They discover Klienholz’s body, as it was stuffed in the duct-work. Van Heusen calls for all hands on deck, and everyone comes to help investigate. They realize that someone has to go up in there to search for Gino, so Major John Purdue (Robert Bice) goes in, because he knows the layout best. Within minutes, he finds Gino, who’s on the brink of death. Seconds later, he’s attacked by the creature, but manages to get off a few rounds, and escape death.

The crew now realizes that Carruthers wasn’t blowing smoke, so they formulate a plan to attach grenades to all the openings for the duct work, so when the creatures attempts to open one, it will blow him to kingdom come. They wait and the ladies, Ann Anderson (Shirley Smith) and Mary attend to Major Purdue’s injuries. They also look at the body of the fist victim, and remark that every bone in his body is broken, but that isn’t what killed him. What’s left of the crew tries to theorize what this creature is, and why it’s on a murderous rampage.

One by one, the crew begins to disappear and it seems that none of their conventional weapons can even remotely stop this creature. When the rocket ship arrives on Earth, will anyone still be alive to warn the others? Watch this classic to find out!

OK, here are my thoughts:

When you watch this film, and see all the elements that are in more modern-day sci-fi flicks, you’ll be blown away. I mentioned Alien (1979), because that one has the biggest thank you to give to this film, but there are others that followed this template as well. Of course, this film also some elements that probably stem from films like Forbidden Planet (1956), which were big hits just a couple of years earlier. The cast did a great job at portraying ultimate fear, and the monster, for its time, was outstanding!

The musical arrangements were also good, and really helped set the tone for the more ominous scenes. The special effects were on par with those of the age in cinema, which is to say that they were decent, but didn’t blow you away. Honestly, Marshall Thompson and Dabbs Greer seemed to really be the most convincing, and really have you believing that the film takes place in space. Put this one on your bucket list if you haven’t already seen this one, because you’ll definitely be glad you did after viewing this classic!

Click here for trailer!

Cinema Sunday: The Abominable Snowman (of the Himalayas) (1957)

Posted on May 17, 2015 by billyd75

Title: The Abominable Snowman (of the Himalayas – U.S.)

Distributor: Hammer/ Warner Bros.

Writer: Nigel Kneale

Director: Val Guest

Producer: Aubrey Baring

Starring: Forrest Tucker, Peter Cushing, Maureen Connell, Richard Wattis, Robert Brown

Released: August 1957

MPAA: Approved

Welcome friends, to another week of Hammer Studios greatness! This week’s film is one that I honestly thought I’d already reviewed! After a quick search, I realized I hadn’t. So, I must present this little gem that was lost in the archives mainly because of the success of Curse of Frankenstein, that was released the same year. With some familiar faces, solid acting, and a setting that is very creepy, this one definitely needs to be revisited, so let’s get down to business!

As the film begins, we see Dr. John Rollason (Peter Cushing), talking to the Lama (Arnold Marlé). The Lama questions why Rollason has agreed to meet with an adventurer type guy that is coming to explore the area that the monastery is located. Rollason tries to calm the Lama’s fears, but he cannot. A few moments later, the Lama tells Rollason that his wife, Helen (Maureen Connell) is approaching, and seconds later, she walks in the room along with his assistant, Peter Fox (Richard Wattis). Both enter and are upset with Rollason because he’s agreed to go on the expedition with this other man, rather than continuing his research.

In the next scene, we meet the explorer, and the burly Dr. Tom Friend (Forrest Tucker), is leading his men through the town to meet Rollason. Friend has also brought along a trapper named Ed Shelley (Robert Brown), a photographer, Andrew McNee (Michael Brill), and a local guide named Kusang (Wolf Morris). They all meet and make arrangements to have dinner together later, and meet the Lama. At the dinner party, the Lama again questions the motives of the expedition, and eventually, the truth comes out. Friend and his group are there to find the mysterious Yeti of that region, and we also find out (eventually) that he wants to capture one alive!

The next day, the expedition sets off and begins their long journey up the mountain. They keep the group small, because Friend believes that marching an army up there would scare off the Yeti. Friend has already been to great heights on this mountain, and hid equipment in caves along the way. After a day’s journey, they stop at one of the resting points. They make camp, and have a fire going, but one of the men seems uneasy. As they’re settling in for the night, one of the team believes he heard something nearby. Everyone heads out to investigate, but no evidence can be found.

The following day brings an avalanche, and then one of the men, McNee, gets his leg caught in a trap and gets injured. They take him to the tent and he relaxes there for a while. Rollason stays with him as the other push ahead. When they catch up, Ed tells them that he’s captured a Yeti. They rush to see it, and are astonished at the creatures size. That night, more of the Yeti come to take back the body and to terrorize the camp. Ed shoots and kills one of them, and the group realizes that now the Yeti might get hostile towards them. McNee is almost crazy from the pain of his injury, but he also seems to be sensitive to the presence of these creatures. Friend thinks he can use this to his advantage though, and begins to scheme about another trap.

Kusang sees one of the yeti reaching into the tent, and the fright of the ordeal is too much for him, so he flees. Friend and Rollason stop him and ask what he saw, but he only responds with…”I see, what man should not see!” McNee ends up wandering off the next day, and falls off of a cliff. He’s completely delusional at this point, and the fall kills him instantly. That leaves Friend, Rollason, and Ed. Speaking of Ed, he seems to be in the beginning stages of schizophrenia, and is a liability at this point. Rollason buries McNee, but Friend and Ed will have nothing of it, and continue to lay their trap. Meanwhile, Helen and Fox are leading another expedition to find the others, but they’re way behind.

Will Helen and Fox reach the others in time? Will the Lama’s prophecy come true that no man will see the creature and live? Watch to find out!

OK, here are my thoughts:

Alright, well, as I said initially, this film is fantastic, but was definitely overshadowed by Curse of Frankenstein, that followed soon after this film. It’s really a shame though, because this film has a lot to offer. The script, locations, music, and acting were all very good. The only thing I think that could’ve been better were the creatures themselves. We never get to see any Yeti action (attacking/killing)! That for me is the only glaring missed opportunity in this entire film. No one is to blame, especially not the special effects people, who coincidentally did a fine job. I understand the notion of not showing the Yeti’s and letting your imagination run wild with different scenarios, but even just one or two scenes would’ve sufficed.

As far as the cast goes, Cushing and Tucker really made this one great. The Lama was pretty good too, and really gave a creepy performance. The others were at least average, and none of the players weighed down the film. I will say that Kusang was played brilliantly as well, and he and the Lama were very convincing. Do yourself a favor, and get a copy of this film either online streaming or grab a copy somewhere. You wont regret it!

Click here for the trailer!

Cinema Sunday: The Werewolf (1956)

Posted on March 15, 2015 by billyd75

Title: The Werewolf

Distributor: Columbia Pictures

Writer: Robert E. Kent

Director: Fred F. Sears

Producer: Sam Katzman

Starring: Don Megowan, Joyce Holden, Steven Ritch, Harry Lauter

Released: July 1956

MPAA: Approved

OK, so, after a few weeks of giant bugs, then on to more of a classic theme, I’d like to take a look at something a little more off the beaten path this week. And so we shall see The Werewolf, from 1956. There’s a unique spin on this flick, that instead of a wolf bite changing the man, a lab experiment results in the ability to transform. No big stars in this one, so the film had to use the sci-fi/horror craze to try to entice audiences. An experienced crew behind the camera helped get this one off of the ground, and you can see that through the entire film. Alright, let’s get to the film!

The film begins with a voice (Fred Sears), narrating. He tells the viewers about Lycanthropy, and its dangers! Next, we see a man, Duncan Marsh (Steven Ritch – image below) walking down the street, and then he ducks into a pub. He downs a few shots, then heads over to the fireplace to warm his hands. Another man sits at the bar with a creepy look on his face, and he seems to be taking quite an interest in the other man. The man leaves the bar, and the other gentleman goes after him. He stops him in the street and the two exchanges some words. The man who was at the bar first, asks him to buy a couple of drinks because he’s broke and saw the other man had some cash. He then tries to mug the guy and take his money. The scene shifts to the dark alley, and all we hear is some growling and screaming, and only one man exits the alley. An old woman is walking by and sees the man leave, she screams, and the people from the pub come to see what’s wrong. She claims two men were fighting in the alley but only a beast emerged. Deputy Clovey (Harry Lauter) heads in along with the others for a look. They see a dead man with his throat torn out.

The men then head into the forest to hunt this wild animal, and get more than they bargained for when they set out. They see wolf tracks in the snow, and two of the men get scared. Deputy Clovey tells them to head back into town and get the sheriff. A short time later, the sheriff comes back to town with Clovey, and his shirt is ripped into pieces. He was attacked by a wolf, but Sheriff Haines showed up and scared the animal off with his gun. He takes him to the local doctor, and Dr. Gilchrist (Ken Christy – image below) administers some first aid. His niece, Amy Standish (Joyce Holden – image below), is his assistant, and she’s also coincidentally engaged to Sheriff Haines.

The next day, Marsh waking up out in the woods. He’s extremely disoriented, and in pain. For some reason his shoes are missing, and it’s very cold outside. He cries out in agony, as it seems he remembers what he did while he was “changed.” Back in town, the sheriff informs the townspeople that no one is allowed in the woods until further notice. This upsets all the local hunters, but he tells them too bad. Some reporters make their way from the big city to Mountaincrest after they heard about the murder. The sheriff initially keeps them out, but then decides to let them through to try to find the story. Over at the doctor’s house, Amy is startled by Marsh, who’s come to get some help with his amnesia. he goes inside, and tells the two of them that he can’t remember anything about his past except a car accident, and two doctors taking him in to a room. He then confesses to the murder from the night before. The doctor and Amy look puzzled, and then try to give him something to calm him down, but he slaps it away and runs off.

Back in town, Amy and the doc tell the sheriff what happened. They ask him to not kill the guy because he’s out of his mind. The scene changes to a mad scientist-type laboratory. One man is working on a machine, and then another calls to him, and refers to him as “Morgan” (George Lynn). He and the other man, Emery (S. John Launer), read a newspaper and realize that the man they worked on has committed this murder. These two doctors have apparently been running experiments using a formula containing radiation. A ring at the door interrupts their conversation about what to do with Marsh. As Morgan answers the door, he’s greeted by Mrs. Marsh (Eleanore Tanin), and she’s wondering where her husband is since she hasn’t seen him since the car accident. Morgan lies and tells her that after they treated him, he took off and they haven’t seen him since.

Out in the wilderness, the hunting party isn’t having any luck finding this ravenous beast or Marsh. Morgan and Emery set out to try to find him as well, and have better results because they think like an animal. Emery finds him, but once Marsh realizes they’re here to kill him, he wolfs out, and tries to kill them. The sheriff and his posse show up and shoot at the beast, and he runs away. They question the two doctors, and their story is kind of shady, but they allow them to stay. The sheriff and his men then head back to town, and then post guards around town to stop any more slayings. The werewolf then turns to killing sheep, and the sheriff warns all the local farmers to get into town as quickly as possible. Amy is still trying to convince the sheriff that Marsh needs help, and not to be killed.

The sheriff and his men begin to set traps around the perimeter of town, in hopes of capturing the beast. Another problem arises when Mrs. Marsh and her son are on their way to Mountaincrest as well. Will the sheriff and his men be able to capture the beat or will they have to put him down…if they can!

OK, here are my thoughts:

For a low-budget flick, this is a pretty solid film. Yeah, it’s mostly your standard fare from the 1950’s, but the angle of science creating the werewolf, and not a wolf bite was pretty cool. Having the two doctors get crazy and try to kill the werewolf was very different as well. Typically the doctors want to capture the beast, dissect it, and figure out how to do it better next time. Not here though. As far as the acting goes, most of the roles were pretty good, and even though none of the faces/names were familiar to me, I’m definitely going to seek out more from this crew! Well, definitely Joyce Holden (image below)!

The sets were OK, but nothing spectacular. The outdoor scenes were are alright, and the town settings were slightly better. The lighting was kind of low at a few points when they were filming indoors, but overall, it was nothing terrible. The music score didn’t do the film any favors, but had one or two high points. Producer/Director Sam Katzman has a list of credits a mile long, and when you look at it, his status in the industry is well deserved. Fred Sears (Director) is no slouch either, and made his mark in the film industry with some other solid movie credits. One note about the cast. The sheriff, Don Megowan, was also the Gill-Man in the third Creature from the Black Lagoon film!

Click here for the trailer!