Month: July 2017

Deborah (1974)

DEBORAH (1974)
aka UN FIOCCO NERO PER DEBORAH
Article 2046 by Dave Sindelar
Viewing Date: 10-21-2006
Posting Date: 3-20-2007
Directed by Marcello Andrei
Featuring Bradford Dillman, Marina Malfatti, Gig Young

A sterile woman’s obsession with having a child results in her development of psychic powers. After she witnesses an auto accident, she develops a hysterical pregnancy and begins meeting with the woman who was in the accident. However, things may not be what they seem…

This horror / drama (an oddball little variation of ROSEMARY’S BABY without Satanism, a similarity that is further underscored by Marina Malfatti’s Mia-Farrow-like hairstyle) shows a bit of promise, and could have been an interesting movie. Unfortunately, substandard dubbing, unlikable and shrill characters, an overbearing and wrong-headed musical soundtrack, and stylistic misfires (occasionally it comes across as third-rate De Palma) all conspire to make the very watching of the movie a real chore, and this short-circuits the movie’s effectiveness. Still, there’s at least one good twist near the end, as well as one that is pretty obvious, but when all is said and done, this would have worked better as a thirty-minute episode of “The Twilight Zone”.

 

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The Deathhead Virgin (1974)

THE DEATHHEAD VIRGIN (1974)
Article 2045 by Dave Sindelar
Viewing Date: 10-20-2006
Posting Date: 3-19-2007
Directed by Norman Foster
Featuring Jock Gaynor, Larry Ward, Diane McBain

When a treasure hunter releases a skeleton from a sunken ship, he unleashes a curse that turns him into a murderer and puts his fellow treasure hunter at risk for his life.

This movie has a lame monster (a naked woman wearing a mask), indifferent direction and acting, and an air of cheapness about the production. But if you’re a bit on the patient side and enjoy somewhat offbeat plots (as I do), this one may work well enough for you. It’s one of those movies where you’re never sure where it’s going, and this is especially true about three quarters of the way through, when you think it’s almost finished, but then turns out to have a couple more twists in the works. The Philippine locations also give the movie a nice flavor, though this is really unlike most of the Filipino horror movies I’ve seen. It worked for me, but your mileage may vary.

 

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Marquis de Sade’s Justine (1969)

MARQUIS DE SADE’S JUSTINE (1969)
aka DEADLY SANCTUARY
Article 2044 by Dave Sindelar
Viewing Date: 10-19-2006
Posting Date: 3-18-2007
Directed by Jesus Franco
Featuring Klaus Kinski, Romin Power, Maria Rohm

Two young women are expelled from a convent when their money runs out. One turns to prostitution and, following her evil ways, rises in the world. The other chooses the path of virtue and finds herself victimized at every turn by the unscrupulous.

I’m not familiar with the writings of De Sade, nor do I particularly have much interest in pursuing that knowledge, so I can’t say whether Franco’s foray into his work really captures the views and philosophy of the man. I will say, however, that this is the first movie I’ve seen of Franco’s that makes me understand something of his appeal; it definitely has a marked sense of style about it, and I never once get the feeling that the movie is running on automatic pilot. It’s only marginally genre, however; take away the torture sequences in the monastery and the fact that the monks are quite mad, and there’s no horror content here at all. Reportedly, it was his most expensive movie to date, which may explain how he was able to gather together a fairly impressive cast; Jack Palance (who gives a truly eccentric performance), Klaus Kinski (as de Sade), Akim Tamiroff, Mercedes McCambridge and Howard Vernon all appear. One impression I got from the movie is that, despite all the darkness and perversion, it is at least partially a comedy, particularly during the first half; since I saw the complete 124 minute version, it leaves me wondering which thirty minutes were cut from the movie and what it was like in that form. At times Franco’s style is annoying, particularly during the first scene where he overuses the technique of going in and out of focus. Nonetheless, I found this movie much more watchable and enjoyable than most of the other Franco movies I’ve seen. Quite frankly, I’m surprised; I thought I was going to hate this one and that I would have to strain to say something nice.

 

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Daughter of the Mind (1969)

DAUGHTER OF THE MIND (1969)
Article 2043 by Dave Sindelar
Viewing Date: 10-18-2006
Posting Date: 3-17-2007
Directed by Walter Grauman
Featuring Don Murray, Ray Milland, Gene Tierney

When a professor begins seeing visions of his deceased daughter, he calls in a parapsychologist to help him figure it out.

This movie starts out as a fairly ordinary but mildly interesting ghost story, but twenty minutes into the movie, the ghost tells the professor that she won’t come back if he continues the work he’s doing, and we discover that he’s been (unbeknownst to him) working for the military. At this point, the sense that the movie is going to move out of the realm of the supernatural becomes overpowering. The movie goes on for about another fifty minutes before it drops the other shoe, but it’s a credit to the filmmakers that this part of the movie is quite interesting anyways. It does three things very well; it plays up the mystery of whether the events are supernatural or not; it tries to figure out how certain events were faked (if they were indeed faked), and it sets up a tense dramatic situation by putting the parapsychologist under a tough timeline by which he must either prove the events in question were faked, or betray either his friend or his country. Once the other shoe drops, the rest of the movie is pretty conventional, and even if it moves away from the supernatural, it does move into the realm of science fiction a little. Overall, not a bad little movie, but once it’s all over, you’ll be spotting quite a few of the plot holes. Still, this one works more than it doesn’t.

 

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Dark Dreams (1971)

DARK DREAMS (1971)
Article 2042 by Dave Sindelar
Viewing Date: 10-17-2006
Posting Date: 3-16-2007
Directed by Robert Guermontes
Featuring Harry Reems, Tina Russell, Arlana Blue

Two newlyweds have a flat tire while on their way to their honeymoon. They stop at a house for help, unaware that the old woman is a witch. She drugs their tea, and then…well, it is an adult film.

When I decided that I was going to be as comprehensive as I could be with this Movie of the Day project, I knew that the day would come when I was going to encounter that area where fantastic cinema meets adult cinema. My main wish is that that day hadn’t blindsided me; the guide that lists this movie makes it sound little more than a dullish witch-and-coven movie, and makes no mention of its primary focus. Still, it didn’t take me long to figure out once I started seeing scenes that even the most explicit movies I’d seen for this series to date had left to the imagination. Well, be that as it may, here we are, so let’s deal with it.

As far as the fantastic content of this movie goes, I’m not the least bit surprised that what content there is exists merely as a springboard for the movie’s other concerns, so if you’re hoping to learn something about witches and covens, look elsewhere. It also goes without saying that the movie is not the least bit scary. On its own terms, I will only say that it makes more creative use of sound than I would have expected in a movie of this ilk. Other than that, the movie is pretty much what you’d expect.

Let’s move on to the next movie, shall we?

 

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Captain Mephisto and the Transformation Machine (1966)

CAPTAIN MEPHISTO AND THE TRANSFORMATION MACHINE (1966)
Feature Version of the Serial MANHUNT OF MYSTERY ISLAND
Article 2041 by Dave Sindelar
Viewing Date: 10-16-2006
Posting Date: 3-15-2007
Directed by Spencer Gordon Bennet, Yakima Canutt, Wallace Grissell
Featuring Roy Barcroft, Richard Bailey, Linda Stirling

An investigator does battle with a pirate intent on getting his hands on a secret invention.

MANHUNT OF MYSTERY ISLAND is one of the better serials out there, but this feature version of it does no more worthwhile a job of turning it into a workable feature than most of the other attempts at this that I’ve seen, Beyond that, I have little more to say about this one.

I think that if there’s one thing I’m looking forward to in this series, it’s the moment when I finally have done with watching these feature versions of serials. Never more than when I’m watching these do I get the feeling that I’m doing little more than checking a number off of a list. These are also the movies that give me the greatest sense of “cinema as product” (as opposed to “cinema as art” or “cinema as entertainment”), probably because they aren’t even really movies. Even watching Jerry Warren movies at their dullest gives me more of a sense of doing something worthwhile than these do.

Yet, at the same time, there’s a touch of sadness to the whole thing. There’s a part of me that wants every movie to be available, no matter what my opinion is of its worth. These feature versions of serials served a purpose at one time, but that time is long gone, and with the availability and marketability of full serials, I see very little future for these feature versions. Though I’ve watched plenty of them, there are still quite a few that have eluded me entirely, and I think as time goes by, they will only become harder to find. And this saddens me.

MISSILE MONSTERS is the feature version of a serial that has been on my list the longest without my having successfully found a copy. If I ever do find it, I’ll probably think it stinks. But I’ll be glad I found it. And that’s the irony of this whole project.

 

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Invasion of the Body Stealers (1969)

INVASION OF THE BODY STEALERS (1969)
aka THE BODY STEALERS, THIN AIR
Article 2040 by Dave Sindelar
Viewing Date: 10-15-2006
Posting Date: 3-14-2007
Directed by Gerry Levy
Featuring George Sanders, Maurice Evans, Patrick Allen

When military skydivers begin vanishing in midair during drops, an investigator is called in to find out why.

I like a movie that opens with a solid mystery, and this one certainly does that. Still, there’s really not a lot in the way of surprises in the revelations that occur, especially as the title of my copy and the tagline (“Can the Earth survive against aliens from outer space?”) make it all too clear who the culprit will be. The acting is solid, and the story is fairly entertaining, but it’s indifferently directed, and I don’t care for some of the touches, such as trying to add some James-Bond style touches to the main character and the fact that the score carries on like you’re being treated to nerve-shattering horror on occasion. As the story progresses, it just becomes more obvious and disappointing. It’s watchable but ultimately forgettable.

 

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Radar Men from the Moon (1952)

RADAR MEN FROM THE MOON (1952)
Serial
Article 2039 by Dave Sindelar
Viewing Date: 10-14-2006
Posting Date: 3-13-2007
Directed by Fred C. Brannon
Featuring George Wallace, Aline Towne, Roy Barcroft

Commando Cody has to deal with saboteurs from the moon intent on softening up our defenses for an upcoming invasion.

Though it doesn’t hold a candle to their best serials from the forties, this is perhaps the best serial from Republic during the fifties that I’ve seen so far. Chalk it up to a fairly decent pace and the fact that it takes the time to shift locations to the moon every once in a while. At any rate, it’s certainly a better rocket man serial than ZOMBIES OF THE STRATOSPHERE. At any rate, a few comments…

1) The rocket man popularly known as Commando Cody is known here as…Commando Cody! Cody even has a cool logo on the wall near the entrance to his building.

2) Based on a few comments here and there, I’ve come to the conclusion that Cody’s first name is actually Commando. This, of course, makes me wonder about the state of mind of Cody’s parents.

3) Sure, the rocket suit is cool and all, but let’s face it; the real test of a hero is how well they handle themselves in a good, solid fistfight. Unfortunately, almost every time Cody and his assistant Ted get involved in one, they get the crap kicked out of them. Maybe they shouldn’t have been tussling with Clayton Moore, the Lone Ranger himself.

4) Retik can brag all he wants about the superiority of moon weapons to earth weapons, but watching him fumble clumsily with his hand ray-gun (which can only fire a single shot before having to reload) while Cody proceeds to mop the floor with Retik’s associates (in one of the few fights where he proves his mettle) and then consistently missing when he does fire – well, let’s just say I’m not quaking in my boots about the fate of the world in the hands of these moon men.

5) I think somebody should take a look at the shocks on those moon tanks.

6) Any saboteur organization that spends an inordinate amount of time trying to get finances for their diabolical plans doesn’t strike me as effective. And any such organization that hits upon the idea of getting money by kidnapping their most prominent foe and holding him for ransom doesn’t strike me as particularly intelligent.

7) As for the cliffhangers, let’s just say this – there’s a lot of bailing out going on.

 

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Blood Sabbath (1972)

BLOOD SABBATH (1972)
Article 2038 by Dave Sindelar
Viewing Date: 10-13-2006
Posting Date: 3-12-2007
Directed by Brianne Murphy
Featuring Anthony Geary, Susan Damante-Shaw, Sam Gilman

A guilt-ridden Vietnam vet falls in love with a water nymph who cannot be his lover because he has a soul. However, luckily (or unluckily) for him, there is a nearby witch’s coven which will gladly take his soul. However, there’s a catch…

You know, I really can’t help but admire a movie that really tries to be different. Of course, that doesn’t mean the movie will work, and this bizarre cross between seventies witch movies, NIGHT TIDE, LOVE STORY and ORGY OF THE DEAD, with romantic meadow-romping, tepid gore effects, crass exploitation (it really should be called BOOB SABBATH, if you get my drift) and bad acting is, in a word, awful. Tony Geary would, of course, go on to be a mainstay in the soap opera “General Hospital”; I’ve never seen that show, but his acting here is certainly nothing to recommend. It’s one of those movies where people yell a lot when they want to express emotion (that is, if they aren’t romping around the meadow or running around naked). Incidentally, did you know the way you lose your soul involves being caressed by a coven of naked witches? Sure, it sounds like fun, all right, but based on Geary’s performance, I can only come to the conclusion that it really hurts. Granted, I’ve never been in a position to try it myself…

 

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Ladron de cadaveres (1957)

LADRON DE CADAVERES (1957)
aka THE BODY SNATCHERS
Article 2037 by Dave Sindelar
Viewing Date: 10-12-2006
Posting Date: 3-11-2007
Directed by Fernando Mendez
Featuring Columba Dominguez, Crox Alvarado, Wolf Ruvinskis

A mad scientist experimenting with monkey-to-human brain transplants hits upon the idea that the ideal subjects for his experiments are wrestlers. He begins murdering them and absconding with the bodies.

With a translated title that recalls a certain Val Lewton film, and scenes that hearken back to FRANKENSTEIN and KING KONG, there’s no doubt in my mind that Mexican horror movies did their share of mining from various sources. Still, they put these elements together in unique ways, and even in the unsubtitled and undubbed version that I saw of this one, that creativity made the movie continually interesting and not really all that difficult to follow. In fact, this may be one of the best of the Mexican horror movies; it was made shortly before EL VAMPIRO caused the genre to explode in popularity, and the wrestling backdrop predates the whole wrestling/horror angle by half a decade. There’s some memorable scenes here; I like the credits sequence (which pop up against the backdrop of newspaper headline), and the scenes where the scientist and his cronies put into effect clever schemes to acquire the bodies are very entertaining. The scene in the gymnasium (which helps the scientist pick out his first subject wrestler] is also very strong. The climax is definitely memorable, as Wolf Ruvinskis (who ends up the subJect of the doctor’s experiment) goes on a violent rampage, all the time getting uglier and more ferocious.

As time goes by, these Mexican horror movies are getting more respect and notice. Let’s hope some subtitler out there gets ideas about this excellent outing.

 

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