CURSE OF THE DEVIL (1974)
aka El retorno de Walpurgis
Article 3738 by Dave Sindelar
Viewing Date: 10-27-2011
Posting Date: 11-8-2011
Directed by Carlos Aured
Featuring Paul Naschy, Fabiola Falcon, Mariano Vidal Molina
Country: Spain / Mexico
What it is: El Hombre Lobo movie

During her execution, the Countess Bathory places a curse on the Daninsky family. The curse manifests itself many years later when Waldemar Daninsky accidentally kills a werewolf, thus setting into motion events that place the curse on himself.

If you were to watch all of Paul Naschy’s “El Hombre Lobo” movies without any clue as to which order they were made, you might well pick this one as the first in the series; in actuality, it was several movies down the line. Not only does it deal most extensively with the backstory of Waldemar Daninsky, but it it’s one of the least cluttered of the whole series; despite a subplot involving the Countess Bathory (which serves as merely a setup for the rest of the movie), this one is focused most clearly on the story of the werewolf himself. Despite the fact that it opens with a badly done medieval fight scene, it’s a fairly decent movie overall, albeit a bit on the slow side. It’s also the one that most clearly borrows from Universal’s THE WOLF MAN; though it’s far from a faithful remake, the similarities are there, and some of the borrowings are rather explicit, including a variation on the “Even a man who is pure of heart…” poem. For me, the most interesting touch was seeing how the villagers themselves become a bit monstrous in their pursuit of the beast in the final scenes, violently killing anyone who they feel is responsible for the werewolf’s existence. It did help that I was able to see the uncut version with subtitles; that always makes foreign movies seem a bit classier.

CRAZE (1974)
Article 3736 by Dave Sindelar
Viewing Date: 10-25-2011
Posting Date: 11-6-2011
Directed by Freddie Francis
Featuring Jack Palance, Diana Dors, Julie Ege
Country: UK
What it is: Black magic movie

An antique store owner worships an African idol named Chuku, and his human sacrifices to it bring him financial success. However, he finds he can’t stop sacrificing to the idol… and the police are on his trail.

It’s been quite a while since I’ve seen a Herman Cohen production, and for those who are interested in the subtexts that run through his work, you’ll find them here as well, especially in the antique owner’s relationship with a younger business associate; furthermore, it seems quite clear to me that Jack Palance (who is here in what I would like to think of as the Michael Gough role) is very aware of these subtexts. To be truthful, the main attraction here is Palance’s performance; he jumps back and forth between underplaying and histrionics, and though I can’t quite bring myself to call it a great performance, it does hold your interest. Unfortunately, once you get past these points of interest, it’s just not a very good movie; Freddie Francis’s direction is weak, and the movie has a lethargic pace, especially in those scenes involving the police investigation. It’s also a bit silly at times, though I will admit to liking the touch of seeing how Palance is haunted by the idol during the reading of his aunt’s will. Besides Palance, there are quite a few name actors in the cast, though I think only Diana Dors is well used.

THE CORPSE GRINDERS (1971)
Article 3735 by Dave Sindelar
Viewing Date: 10-24-2011
Posting Date: 11-5-2011
Directed by Ted V. Mikels
Featuring Sean Kenny, Monika Kelly, Sanford Mitchell
Country: USA
What it is: Cat food

A doctor becomes suspicious when the city is overrun by a rash of cat attacks on humans. He discovers that a local cat food producer has a special ingredient they’ve been adding to their recipe – human flesh!

When I say that this is the best Ted V. Mikels movie I’ve covered for my series, I hope it’s understood that it has nothing to do with any intrinsic merit in this movie. It’s simply because it isn’t as head-scratchingly incoherent as ASTRO-ZOMBIES or as thuddingly dull as BLOOD ORGY OF THE SHE-DEVILS. It’s also largely devoid of surprises; once you know the premise, you’ll probably find nothing in the storyline that you couldn’t have predicted from the outset. Probably the most striking thing about the movie is that it’s even more seedy-looking than you might have expected; almost all of the supporting cast looks like they’ve been dragged off of skid row, and the cat food factory certainly wouldn’t have passed any serious health inspection. Furthermore, those turning to this one in the hopes of serious gore will probably be disappointed, unless a barrel full of body parts near the end will satisfy them. On one side note, I can’t understand why one of the cat food manufacturers chooses to bury the wife of the undertaker at one point; after all, wouldn’t this be throwing away raw materials? Not that I have any desire to be giving business advice to these guys, I hope you understand…

COPS AND ROBIN (1978)
TV-Movie
Article 3733 by Dave Sindelar
Viewing Date: 10-22-2011
Posting Date: 11-3-2011
Directed by Allen Reisner
Featuring Ernest Borgnine, Michael Shannon, Carol Lynley
Country: USA
What it is: Follow-up to FUTURE COP

Many years ago, a partner of Officer Cleaver’s was killed by a millionaire, and the only witness (the murdered man’s wife) disappeared because she was too scared to testify. When the wife reappears on the scene, authorities convince her to testify, but she fears for the safety of her five-year old daughter. Can Cleaver and his android partner Haven protect the girl from the thugs the millionaire has sent out to kidnap her?

I rather liked the TV pilot movie FUTURE COP, and this follow-up to it has some of the same strengths; some good writing and thoughtful acting keep the premise from seeming silly, and it refuses to rely on the cliches you’d think would be guaranteed with the premise; the android has neither super strength nor invulnerability. In fact, as far as I can tell, there’s only one time where the android’s abilities are called on to help things along, and it’s the power of super-smell along with his efficient computing ability that makes the difference. Granted, since it was the android’s flaws that ultimately caused the situation that required his services, one is finally left with the question of just how useful the android would be to the police force overall. Nevertheless, it’s the nice balance and chemistry between Ernest Borgnine and Michael Shannon that makes it all likable, and I found myself enjoying this one as well as the previous one.