Circus of Fear (1966)Movie Review

Trailer here.

Circus of Fear is a 1966 horror movie directed by John Llewellyn Moxey(City of the Dead, Home for the Holidays) and starring Christoper Lee, Leo Genn, Anthony Newlands, Klaus Kinski and Suzy Kendall. 

The film begins with a robbery of a money van in London. One of the thieves is shot and the others get away by boat. The police arrive on the scene and the thieves go to their hideout. A man called Manfred(Kinski) shows up. One of the thieves is taking the money to a farm to hide it. The police are after the gang. They chase a van they suspect as being part of the robbery and they catch some of the thieves. The one thief is searching for the farm. He is met by someone who murders him. Cut to a circus. It is called Barberini's circus. The owner is Mr. Barberini(Newlands). There is a man called The Great Gregor(Lee). He is a lion tamer. He wears a mask. Manfred arrives at the circus seeking work.

The police are searching for the man who took the money to the farm. Gregor has money. He is being blackmailed by Mr. Big, another entertainer. The money seems to be the same money from the robbery. The notes are being traced by the police to the circus. Inspector Elliot(Gen) is asking questions at the circus. There are plenty of things happening there. Manfred is hanging around. Someone lets a lion out of it cage and it almost kills a circus member, Gina(Margaret Lee). The Inspector asks the staff questions. The police find a body and a knife. They think that it is the thief who escaped. Gina is the next to die. The same knife is in her back .

The inspector wonders why he murderer didn't leave with the money. There is some story with Gregor and his brother. Mr. Big hears about it and he wants money to keep his mouth shut.Gregor replaced his brother in the circus. He found the money from the robbery and took it. Manfred is looking for it. He ends up getting killed with the same knife. The killer sets fire to the place. Gregor races to get the money but gets caught up in the flames. A guy called Carl(Heinz Drache)was at the circus looking for the man who murdered his father. He thought it was Gregor. He finds Gregor hiding in cave as the police are searching. He confronts him about the death of his father and Gregor says it was an accident. He heads off with the money but he falls and gets pushed off a cliff by someone. 

The inspector says that they haven't found the killer. The real killer is a man called Eddie who is also in the circus. He is the son of a knife thrower and he is an expert. He owns the deadly knives that were used in the killings. He tries to escape as the police close in.  One of the others throws a knife at him and he dies.. The inspector knows that Mr. Big was blackmailing Gregor so Barberini fires him.This is a mystery film. There are lots of suspects and a lot of stuff going on. It has a good cast and I did enjoy it. I will give it a 5/10.

The Phantom of the Opera(1962) Movie Review

Trailer here.

The Phantom of the Opera is a 1962 horror movie directed by Terence Fisher and starring Herbert Lom, Heather Sears, Edward de Souza and Michael Gough.

The movie begins with a man at the opera. He frightens an opera singer called Maria. She tells the producer Harry(de Souza) about it. He calms her down. The manager is called Lattimer(Thorley Walters) and he and Lord D'Arcy(Gough) sit together. D'Arcy is unhappy that one box is empty because it is supposed to be haunted. Someone has sabotaged the music. Maria is on stage when a dead body falls down near her. She is terrified and refuses to sing again. Harry has to hold auditions for a replacement. The phantom is watching. A woman called Christine Charles(Sears)is hired. D'Arcy likes her. He invites her to dinner with him. She hears a voice speaking to her. It tells her that she will sing only for him and it warns her about D'Arcy.

D'Arcy comes on to her. Christine doesn't like it. She asks Harry to come with her. D'Arcy loses interest. Christine tells Harry about the voice she heard. They go to the theatre to find out more. The voice speaks again. It warns Harry. He warns him to leave before something happens. Christine sees the phantom. Harry finds out about a Professor Petrie(Lom) who burned to death. Harry is interested in this and he finds out that the Professor didn't actually die. He got burned by acid and he has been missing since. Harry goes to the police and asks about the fire. The police tell him that the man went into the river. Christine gets taken by the phantom who is Professor Petrie. He also has a dwarf working for him. He tells her that he will teach her to sing. He tells her that she will be the greatest. She will sing only for him.

Harry looks around the river and he hears Christine's voice singing. He gets into the water and finds a tunnel. The dwarf hears him coming and attacks him. Harry manages to fight him off and finds the Professor and Christine. Petrie tells him that D'Arcy cheated him out of his music and passed it off as his own. Petrie broke into the printers to stop them from printing his music and caused a fire. He got burned badly by acid. He jumped into the river for relief and he was washed into the sewer where he met the dwarf who looked after him. He is now dying and he wants to hear Christine sing his music before he dies. They agree to help him fulfil his dying wish.

Petrie pays a visit to D'Arcy who is horrified by his face. Petrie goes to the theatre and hears his music being performed by Christine. He is happy. He stands in the haunted box. The dwarf is up in the rafters listening to the music when he gets disturbed by someone. He walks over a chandelier and it begins to fall. Christine is about to be hit but Petrie jumps in front of her and saves her life. He dies in the process. This is a good film. It is of course a classic story and this version is very entertaining. The cast are very good and there are some familiar faces. I definitely recommend this one as it is directed by Terence Fisher who directed some horror classics such as The Curse of Frankenstein and Dracula(1958). It gets a 6/10.

The Shadow of the Cat(1961)Movie Review

Trailer here.

The Shadow of the Cat is a 1961 horror movie directed by John Gilling and starring Andre Morell, Barbara Shelley, William Lucas, Freda Jackson and Conrad Phillips.

An old woman called Ella Venable is killed in her house. Her cat, Tabitha sees it and knows who the killer is. There are two men and a woman involved in it. The cat witnesses them burying the body. Police come to the house. Ella's husband is called Walter(Morell) and he is in on the murder along with Andrew(Andrew Crawford), the butler and Clara(Jackson), the maid. Walter tells the police that Ella has been missing for a few days. He tells them that he hasn't seen her at all. Andrew tries to catch the cat but it won't come to him. Clara tries too. The cat is lurking, watching everything. Andrew tries to kill it. It runs into the basement. Walter tries to get it too. Tabitha attacks him. Andrew tells Inspector Rowles(Alan Wheatley) that the cat is being vicious.

Ella has a niece called Beth(Shelley) and she is coming to the house. A reporter called Latimer(Phillips) is on the case of the missing lady too. He comes to the house and he meets Beth. Andrew tells them that the cat attacked him. Tabitha goes to see Beth and she pets it and it likes her. When Clara appears, the cat gets angry and vicious. Walter sends for his brother, Edgar(Richard Warner) and his son Jacob(Lucas).Jacob brings his wife, Louise(Vanda Godsell) with him. Clara is worried about the cat. Beth asks her what is going on. Walter informs his family about the cat and he orders them to kill it. Tabitha and Beth have no problems at all. She calls Latimer and tells him that she is frightened of what is happening in the house. Michael Latimer thinks that the cat knows what happened to Ella.

Tabitha is making the culprits feel guilty. Michael tells her that he thinks that Walter is behind it all. Edgar and Jacob find the cat and trap it in a bag. Andrew runs off with it and goes into the woods but it escapes. The cat leads him to a swamp. Andrew falls in and dies. Tabitha returns to the house. Beth asks everyone why they are frightened of a little cat. Clara realises that something has happened to Andrew and she tells Walter. She wants to go but Walter won't let her. She dies when the cat jumps on her and tumbles down the stairs. Michael shows up at the house and Louise blames the cat for Clara's death. The Inspector comes and informs them about Andrew. 

Beth and Michael explore the house and they see that there is a broken wall. Edgar, Jacob and Louise disscuss Walter. They want to get rid of him. Beth hears noises at night. The cat sits on Walter's bed. He has a heart attack and dies. The Inspector and Michael arrive. Edgar has a will that leaves everything to him. Louise thinks that Jacob had something to do with  Walter's death. Michael thinks that there might be another will. The police look for the cat. Ella had put her papers in a safe deposit box. Michael thinks that Ella was killed and the cat witnessed it. The Inspector asks about the will and he wants to search the house for it. The cat comes in and runs upstairs. Jacob chases it. He goes onto the roof and falls off. Edgar is searching for another will. Michael and Beth are searching too. Edgar finds Ella's box and the cat comes in. He chases it and he gets hit by a beam. The box is found. Beth is the one who was supposed to inherit Ella's estate. Tabitha leads the police to Ella's body. The house is sold and the new occupants are moving in. Puss is there, looking for a new family.

This was a really good movie. I liked the idea of the cat witnessing the murder and making sure that the guilty are punished. The cast were great and there were some really great moments in this one. Interesting note- this is actually a Hammer movie. I recommend this and I am giving a 7/10.

Fangs of the Living Dead(1969)Movie Review

Trailer here.

Fangs of the Living Dead a.k.a.Malenka is a 1969 horror film directed by Amando de Ossorio and starring Anita Ekberg.

The films begins with a man called Dr. Luciani who received a call from his fiance, Sylvia(Ekberg). She tells him that she has inherited a castle and a title of Countess. She has to go to the place to sign papers. She goes to the local inn and the locals in there are startled when she tells them that she is going to be staying at the castle. A local person tells her that Count Walbrooke is expecting her. He is her uncle. She meets him and she looks around the castle. Sylvia is visited by a servant, Blinka(Adriana Ambesi) who seems to be about to bite her when the count appears and he is really angry. He takes her away and whips her.

Sylvia realises that Blinka is a vampire. She wants to leave but the Count doesn't want her to. A relative of Sylvia's was called Malenka and she was burned at the stake for being a witch. Walbrooke tells her that she must never marry. He tells her that Malenka created vampires. He informs her that he is Malenka's husband and he is undead. He tells her of some family curse which means she has to stay at the castle and can't marry. Sylvia breaks off her engagement to Dr. Luciani. Luciani and his firend Max go to the castle to see her. She won't see them. The locals are superstitious. They know that something dodgy is going on. The Count is snacking on some of the local ladies. He wants to dine on Sylvia next.

The Count tells her to drink his blood. Syvlia rescues Blinka from the dungeon. Blinka tells her that there is a tunnel . She enters it but gets caught by a girl vampire called Berta.She runs but the vamp lady is on her heels. Sylvia goes to the inn where Luciani and Max are. She tells them about Berta.They talk to the local doctor about it and he tells them to get a sharp wooden stake and stake the vamps with it.The doctor, Luciani, Max go to Bertha's grave. The Count sends one of his henchmen to get Sylvia. Berta rises from her grave. The doctor tries to get her but she runs off. Sylvia is kidnapped and brought back to the castle.

Luciani talks to the Count. He gets knocked out by one of his sidekicks. The doctor and Max see Blinka. The Count tells Luciani that he has a plan. He is going to get Sylvia declared insane because he wants the castle for himself. Blinka warns Sylvia that the vampire thing is all a lie. Luciani kills the Count and he burns. A portrait of Malenka burns too. 

This is a film that is very light on plot. It is not bad in parts and I did like the ending. This is made by the same guy who directed Tombs of the Blind Dead, which is why I watched it. It is a fun Spanish movie and worth a look if you enjoy Euro horror. I will give it a 5/10.

Bloody Pit of Horror(1965) Movie Review

Trailer here.

Bloody Pit of Horror is a 1965 horror movie directed by Massimo Pupillo and starring Mickey Hargitay, Walter Brandi and Luisa Baratto.

The film begins with a man called the Crimson Executioner. He is going to be executed and he swears revenge. He is put into a box with spikes and he dies. There is a seal placed on the box. His castle is where his evil deeds were performed. Years pass and the castle is abandoned. Some people come to see it. They look around. They are there because they are going to take photographs there. The owner is Travis Anderson(Hargitay) and he agrees to their taking pictures in his castle. The group are a writer called Rick(Brandi), the publisher, Mr. Parks, Edith(Baratto), who is his assistant, the photographer, Dermott and some models.

One of them gets killed in an accident. Others start to die when they see a man with a red hood. Travis talks to the group and he tells them about the Crimson Executioner and what happened. He tells them that he came to the castle for solitude. He sees Edith and he is drawn to her. The group find an iron maiden and they open it, only to find one of the models in it. She is dead. They realise the first death was no accident. Rick sends Dermott to get help. It turns out that Travis and Edith were engaged in the past. He was an actor. He disappeared from the public eye. Rick and Edith find one of the models caught in a web and a spider is coming for her. They can't save her. Rick tells Edith to escape. She and one of the others try to get out. Rick gets knocked out by a henchman.

Travis and Edith talk and he informs her that he is the Crimson Executioner reborn. He is evil. Dermott is dead. Rick is being tortured but he escapes. He fights the henchman. Edith tells Rick that Travis has the remaining group in the dungeon. More of them die. Travis takes Edith and ties her up. He is going to burn her. Rick appears and there is a scuffle. Travis gets impaled on his own poisoned trap. Rick frees Edith and they leave.

This is a fun film. There isn't too much in the way of scares of course. It has a decent cast and the story is okay. This is a cheaply made film but that doesn't really matter if you don't expect too much. I will give this a 4/10.

Eye of the Cat(1969) Movie Review

Trailer here. 

Eye of the Cat is a 1969 horror movie directed by David Lowell Rich and starring Michael Sarrazin, Gayle Hunnicut and Eleanor Parker.

The film begins with a lady, Danielle(Parker), being followed by a cat. She is unwell and the cat is watching. She goes to the hairdresser and she has a funny turn due to her bad health. Her stylist, Kassia(Hunnicut) calls her nephew, Wylie(Sarrazin). They decide to kill the aunt for her money. Kassia wants half of the money that Wiley receives. Kassia will do the deed when the time comes. Wiley has a fear of cats as he had a bad experience when he was a baby. A cat jumps at him and he throws it off and ends up electrocuting it. He has a brother, Luke who lives with the aunt. Wiley goes to visit her. She is surrounded by loads of cats. Wiley runs off.

Later, he meets his aunt in the park and they chat. He tells her that he doesn't like the cats. She is going to leave her money to the furry moggies. She eventually agrees to get rid of the cats so he isn't afraid. She treats Luke like dirt. All of the cats are lured into a car and Luke takes them away. Kassia says that she will stay in the aunt's house. Danielle is going to change her will and leave her money to Wiley. A solicitor arrives to deal with the will. One cat is left in the house. Wylie asks the solicitor questions about the will. Luke meets Kassia. Kassia isn't very impressed with Wylie's behaviour. Kassia is attacked by Wylie's ex. He thinks that it is funny.

The cat pays a visit to Danielle. She realises that all of her cats have returned. She spots Wylie and Kassia together. She hears them talk about killing her. The cat is watching. Danielle signs the will. Her wheelchair malfunctions. The cat comes along and it pushes her down the hill. Luke saves her. Kassia wants to see the will. Wylie sees the cats and he thinks that they are there to protect his aunt. Kassia sneaks into the aunt's room and gets a look at the will. She is ready to kill Danielle. The cat stops her. She sees all of the kitties entering the house. They crawl all over Wylie. He shuts down from fear. It turns out that Luke and Kassia are in it together. She tells Luke that the cat stopped her from killing Danielle. He says he will do it.

Luke takes Wylie down to the cellar. Kassia is getting some meat to distract the cats but she gets covered in blood. The kitties want some human meat and they chase her causing her to fall to her death. Luke tries to kill the aunt. Wylie regains his senses. He hides the aunt from luke who shut off her oxygen. Wylie confronts Luke and his aunt. He isn't afraid of cats anymore. He decides to leave and Danielle and Luke are left in the house with the cats.

This film was enjoyable but there wasn't much to it. It was a bit light. It could have been more suspenseful. The ending wasn't the best, either. I did like all of the cats of course but they are not evil or anything, as they are always portrayed in these movies. The cats were the good guys!This film is definitely worth a look and I will give it 5/10.

The Flesh and the Fiends Movie Review

Trailer here.

The Flesh and the Fiends is a 1960 horror movie directed by John Gilling and starring Peter Cushing, Donald Pleasence and June Laverick.

The film takes place in 1928, in Edinburgh at a medical school. A woman called Martha(Laverick) comes to the school. Her uncle is Dr. Knox(Cushing). She meets Knox's assistant, Dr. Mitchell(Dermot Walsh). A body arrives for Dr. Knox. The body has been dug up. One of Dr. Knox's students, Jackson(John Cairney) knows about the bodies being delivered by unlawful means. Jackson meets a local prostitute called Mary(Billie Whitelaw) and he likes her. Two grave robbers called Burke(George Rose) and Hare(Pleasence) are responsible for getting the corpses for Dr. Knox. He doesn't care where they come from as long as they are delivered to the school.

Martha and Dr. Mitchell become romantically involved. Mary and Jackson meet them and Mary thinks that Jackson is ashamed of her because of her profession. Burke and Hare take an old drunk lady back to Burke's boarding house and they kill her. She is the next body to be delivered to Knox. Jackson asks Mary to marry him but she says no. An old man is looking for a room in the boarding house. Burke and Hare decide he will be the next corpse. Dr. Mitchell spots the two bringing in the body. He realises that the man did not die of natural causes. He was murdered. He questions them. Knox comes along and he gives them their money. Mitchell doesn't approve. He thinks that the man was murdered. Knox doesn't care.

Mary and Jackson fall out. She meets Burke and Hare and they kill her. Jackson sees her body at the school. He realises what happened to her. He goes out looking for Burke and Hare. Hare stabs him in the back. They get rid of his body. The police find him. There is a witness to the crime. Burke and Hare kill him. A friend of Mary's goes to the police and she tells them about Burke and Hare and Knox. The locals are not happy about what has been going on and they want to catch the two murderers. They are caught. Dr. Mitchell tells Knox that they have been caught. Burke is found guilty. Hare testified against him and he got off, but the locals catch him and punish him. Burke is hanged. Knox has to meet with his peers and they aren't happy about his behaviour. He feels remorse for his part in it. He knew that some of the people were murdered. Knox seems to redeem himself and he goes back to teaching. 

This is a good film. It is an interesting take on the Burke and Hare story. The cast is impressive. Cushing plays his part well. The character is not really that likeable but Cushing is great in the role. Donald Pleasence plays Hare and he is suitably evil. It is good to see these two horror legends in a film together and an early film for both. I like these old films and John Gilling directs this one. He did some fun films for Hammer. All in all, this is a good film and the cast are very watchable. I will give it a 5/10.

These are the Damned Movie Review

Trailer here.

These are the Damned is a 1962 Sci-Fi/horror film directed by Joseph Losey and starring Macdonald Carey, Shirley Anne Field, Oliver Reed and Alexander Knox.

A man called Simon Wells(Carey) meets a young girl called Joan(Field). She leads him to a motorcycle gang, led by her brother, King(Reed). They beat him up. He is brought to a restaurant to recover. A man called Bernard(Knox) is working on experiments in the area. He has a lover called Freya(Viveca Lindfors) who wants to know what is working on. He won't tell her anything. Joan visits Simon and she tells him that her brother beats up anyone who shows interest in her. She jumps onto his boat. The gang are watching. Bernard meets with scientists and army personnel. There are children being kept in a secret facility. Bernard speaks to them. They want to leave.

Simon takes Joan ashore and they end up at Bernard's house. There is nobody there. They kiss. Freya also shows up at the house. King follows. He destroys a sculpture she has made. She is upset. The gang find Simon and Joan and they are after them. They end up at the facility and end up meeting the children. They tell Simon about their teachers. These children are not normal. They are fascinated by the warmth of Simon and Joan. The two talk to the children.  King is there too. He is scared by the children. A man in a radioactive suit arrives to see the children. King isn't feeling well. Bernard knows that the children have three people with them. He tells them that they will get sick if they stay. They decide to leave.

King, Joan and Simon decide to help the children escape. Bernard sends men to get them.

King knocks one out and shoots one. Simon gets the other one. Simon realises that the children are radioactive. He is disgusted by the experiment. Bernard and a military man called Captain Gregory try to stop them from leaving. Freya sees something happening and so does a local man called Sid(Kenneth Cope). Some of the children get recaptured. One of them goes with King, while Joan and Simon are caught but allowed to leave. Bernard tells Freya about the kids. Their parents were exposed to radiation and that is why the children are affected. He thinks that they will be able to survive a nuclear disaster. Bernard thinks Simon and Joan will die before long. King is killed as he tries to escape with the kid. Joan and Simon try to escape on the boat but a helicopter follows them and waits for them to die. Bernard kills Freya after she refuses to be a part of his plan. The film ends with the children back in captivity, shouting for help as the people on the beach enjoy their holidays. 

This was a good film. I liked the cast and the story was interesting too. It kind of reminds me of Village of the Damned, but the kids aren't evil in his one. I liked Oliver Reed in this. He plays a good villain. This is actually a Hammer film and it does have a good cast. I definitely recommend it and I will give it a 6/10.

Eye of the Devil Movie Review

Trailer here.

Eye of the Devil is a 1966 horror movie directed by J.Lee Thompson and starring David Niven, Deborah Kerr , Sharon Tate and Donald Pleasence.

The film begins with a man called Phillipe(Niven) who is the Marquis de Bellenac in Bordeaux. His wife is Catherine(Kerr) and he has two children, Jacques and Antoinette. He owns a vineyard in the countryside and he receives a visit from a strange priest when he is at his chateau. Pere Dominic(Pleasence) gives him an amulet. Catherine is in Paris with the children while this is happening. Jacques has a dream where his father needs his help, so Catherine and the children head to the chateau to see what is going on. A woman called Countess Estelle(Flora Robson) is there. She is Phillipe's aunt. She doesn't give them a warm welcome. Catherine meets Christian(David Hemmings) and Odile(Tate), his sister. They are hanging around.

Catherine sees hooded figures and weird stuff. A man warns her to take her children and leave the place. Catherine tells this to Phillipe but he dismisses it. He wants her to go home. The Countess talks to him and she tells him that he should leave also. The children meet Odile, who happens to be a witch. Catherine is uncomfortable around Christian and Odile. She tries to tell Phillipe, but he won't take her seriously. Odile takes the children up to the roof. Catherine is furious. Odile tries to cast a spell on her to make her walk off the roof. A friend. Jean Claude(Edward Mulhare) arrives and Catherine tells him everything. He discovers that Phillipe's ancestors were all killed. Catherine finds the tomb of one of them, Edouard de Montfaucon. She sees hooded figures. She runs away. They surround her. She wakes up at home. Phillipe is there. He gives her a sleeping tonic and he leaves. She has nightmares.  When she comes to, her door is locked and the phone is dead. She tries to get out. 

The Countess hears her and she lets her out. Catherine is in a bad way and the doctor is called. He tells her that she was given belladonna which causes hallucinations. There is a local festival happening called The Thirteen Days. Everyone is there. The weird priest, Pere Dominic is celebrating some sort of mass.  It is a black mass. The locals have to make a sacrifice every year. Phillipe is meant to be the sacrifice this year. Catherine doesn't want to let it happen. She tries to stop it. Doctors show up and say that she hit her head. Phillipe tells her that he has to do it.  She wants him to leave, but he won't. The priest tells Christian and Odile that it is time and they lock Catherine in. She escapes and runs after her husband.

She finds underground passages after speaking to Phillipe's father. He has been living in the chateau after he did not make the sacrifice he was meant to.

Alain, the father, tells her that the ritual is being performed by Pere Dominic, who is an evil man. Phillipe has to die to complete it. Christian takes Phillipe out to the forest with the others and he is killed. Catherine doesn't save him. She is too late. Catherine and her children leave. Jacques runs back to get his watch before they go and Pere Dominic gives him the amulet. Jacques will be the next one to be sacrificed.

This was a good film. I liked the cast. I mean, who wouldn't. David Niven, Deborah Kerr, Donald Pleasence, Sharon Tate, David Hemmings. A very impressive bunch. This was fun and entertaining. I can't say that it was scary or anything but it doesn't need to be. There is enough happening to keep it moving along. I liked it a lot and I give it a 6/10.

Village of the Damned Movie Review

Trailer here.

Village of the Damned is a 1960 horror/Sci-fi movie directed by Wolf Rilla and starring George Sanders, Barbara Shelley, Martin Stephens, Michael Gwynn and Laurence Naismith.

The film begins in a village called Midwich in England. Everybody in the village suddenly falls asleep. Everyone else cannot understand what is going on. Any person who enters the village suddenly falls asleep too. Major Alan Bernard(Gwynn) comes to Midwich to investigate what is going on. The military are there and they cordon off the village. They send in a plane and it crashes when the pilot falls alseep. All of a sudden, everything and everyone comes back to life. Alan walks into the village and everything is fine.  Professor Gordon Zellaby(Sanders) was speaking to Alan on the phone when he fell asleep with his wife Anthea(Shelley). Alan calls to see them and tells them what happened. The army enters the village and search for answers.

Anthea is pregnant. More women in the village are also pregnant. It dates from the day that the strange event happened. The babies are growing faster than normal. The babies are all born. They have strange eyes. Gordon notices that his son David(Stephens) seems unusual. The children are advanced. They are highly intelligent. Gordon tests all of the children. They are exactly the same. They can make people do things just by looking at them with their flashing eyes. The locals want to do something about these weird kids. The kids know that they are coming. They make one of the locals set fire to himself. Alan goes into their house and he speaks to David. David tells him that he will have to leave them alone. 

Doctor Willers(Naismith) is puzzled. David shows up. He wants to speak to Gordon. He tells him that they have to leave the village. They want to form new colonies on earth. David wants Gordon to help them. Anthea and Alan leave for London. Gordon is alone with the weird kids. He has a bomb. He brings it to the children and he tries to shut them out from his mind. They eventually realise what he is doing but it is too late. He blows them all up, along with himself. Anthea and Alan have returned from London and they see the explosion.

This is a very entertaining film. I really liked it. The cast were great and the story was good.  There have been different versions of the book, but I think that this one is the best. A really enjoyable tale. I will give this a 6/10.

The Long Hair of Death Movie Review

Trailer here.

The Long Hair of Death is a 1964 horror movie directed by Antonio Margheriti and starring Barbara Steele, George Ardisson and Halina Zalewska.

The film begins with a woman called Adele Karnstein who is accused of being a witch and is being taken to her death. Her daugher, Helen begs for her mother's life. She goes to talk to Count Humboldt about it. The execution goes ahead anyway. The witches curses the Count and his nephew, Kurt(Ardisson). She is burned at the stake. Helen decides to avenge her mother but Humboldt throws her into the river to shut her up. Adele's other daughter, Lisbeth(Zalewska) is taken in by the Count. She grows up and Kurt likes her. She doesn't want him. Count Humboldt thinks that Adele's curse is coming true. Kurt agrees. He knows that the witch was innocent. Lisbeth goes into a secret passageway and she sees Humboldt talking to his brother's corpse. She tries to get out of there before he sees her. Kurt wants to marry her. She has no choice. She despises him.

A plague sweeps through the town. Lisbeth tells Kurt that he needs to do something about it. Count Humboldt feels like he is going to die. A lightening strike hits Helen's grave. She returns. The Count does indeed die. Helen comes to the house and says that she is Mary(Steele). She says that she was in an accident. Lisbeth tells her that she can stay. Kurt takes a shine to her. Mary and Kurt flirt and Lisbeth isn't happy. Kurt kisses Mary and tells her that he loves her. Lisbeth finds out and she confronts him. He doesn't care and he and Mary get together. She sees it. A servant is sent with a message to get escorts for Mary so she can leave. He is killed by Kurt, so won't let Mary go.

Kurt tells Mary that he will kill Lisbeth so they can be together. He puts poison in her drink. That night, they go to Lisbeth's room and they think that she has died. Kurt takes her to the crypt and puts her into a coffin. A priest comes down and he locks the gates. They are trapped in there. They manage to escape through a secret passageway. Kurt retrieves Lisbeth from the tomb and places her in her bed. The Next morning, Kurt sees the servant, Grumalda go into the room and she says that Lisbeth is fine. Mary thinks that she is aware of their plan. Kurt is taunted by Lisbeth. One of Kurt's men Von Klage says that he heard a noise in the crypt and he has seen Lisbeth in the chapel. Mary tells Kurt that he needs to do something about Grumalda and Von Klage.

Kurt sees Lisbeth and he is spooked. There is a party at the castle. Kurt is on edge. People have seen Lisbeth and he is starting to panic. He goes to the crypt and Lisbeth shows up. Mary also shows up. She is actually Helen and she and Lisbeth planned it. Lisbeth was dead all along. She leaves Kurt to Helen. Helen torments him and he runs off. He has gone mad. The locals put Kurt into a bonfire by mistake and he can't escape. Grumalda knows he is there but she does nothing to help him. Von Klage asks Lisbeth to set fire to it and she does. Kurt burns alive as Helen fades away.

I liked this film. There was a good cast and the story was interesting. These Italian gothic horror films are always entertaining and this one is no different. I enjoyed it and I will give it a 5/10.

Corruption Movie Review

Trailer here

Corruption is a 1968 horror/ thriller directed by Robert Hartford-Davis and starring Peter Cushing, Kate O' Mara and Sue Lloyd.

The movie begins with a man called John Rowan(Cushing), a plastic surgeon who has a girlfriend called Lynn(Lloyd). She happens to be a model and she is quite a bit younger than he is. They are at a party when a photographer called Michael starts taking pictures of Lynn. He gets a bit suggestive with her and John isn't happy. A fight ensues and a hot light falls onto Lynn's face, burning her. She ends up in hospital. She is very depressed about what has happened to her. Her sister, Val(O'Mara) comes to stay with her and John. John tries to come up with a way to restore her face. He finds a way but it includes using a laser and human glands. Val helps him. John manages to perform surgery on Lynne and it is successful. Her face goes back to normal. 

Unfortunately, the surgery doesn't last and Lynne's face goes back to being scarred. Lynne goes crazy. She wants John to do it again. He visits a prostitute and he kills her and takes the parts he needs for another surgery. It works again and Lynne wants to go back to work as a model. Michael tells her that she can't do it. John sees a piece about the murder in the paper. He decides to take Lynne on holiday. They drive to a house in the country. Her face is starting to deteriorate. Lynne demands that he kill another woman and get what she needs for another operation. Lynne spots a girl on the beach. She is called Terry. Lynne tells John that she would be perfect as a victim.

Terry comes to their house and they invite her to stay. Terry thinks that they are a little odd. John doesn't want to kill her, but Lynne insists. Terry has a boyfriend called Rick and she lets him into the house.

Terry tells him about the couple and she wants to leave. Rick convinces her to stay and get some money out of them. Next morning, Terry has gone. John is on the train when he spots another young woman. He attacks and kills her and gets what he wants for Lynne. Terry ends up returning to the house and this time, she gets killed. John decides that he can't kill anymore. Lynne says that she will call the police and tell them that he has gone mad but John is past caring. 

Just then, a gang turn up at the house. They are friends of Terry's. They are looking for her and it isn't long before they figure out that something happened to her. They look for valuables and they mess with the couple. They realise that Terry is dead and they get angry, John tells them that she is. Lynne manages to throw one of the gang off of a cliff. Lynne goes completely crazy and John's laser manages to activate and kill everyone, including John and Lynne. The movie ends at the party from the beginning. It seems that all of it was only a dream....

I really enjoyed this one. It was a fun film and Cushing did well here.  The story is similar to the earlier film, Eyes Without A  Face. This one had a gang, swinging sixties music and Peter Cushing! Now, I did really like this, but the ending had me wondering what the hell. The film should have ended with everyone dead. It was a fitting end for all concerned but someone decided that it would be better to have it as a dream and that made no sense at all. Despite the silly ending, this is worth your while and I think that it will entertain you as it did me. I will give it a 7/10.

The Torture Chamber of Dr. Sadism Movie Review

 

Trailer here.

The Torture Chamber of Dr. Sadism or The Blood Demon is a 1967 German horror movie directed by Harald Reinl and starring Christopher Lee, Karin Dor, Lex Barker and Carl Lange.

A man called Count Regula(Lee) is found guilty of torturing people in his castle. He is killed by the local people but before he dies, he threatens to destroy all of their families. Cut to thirty five years later, and a man called Roger Mont Elise(Barker) receives a letter inviting him and Baroness Lilian(Dor) to stay at Blood Castle, where the infamous Count Regula did his evil deeds years ago. They arrive in the area and the locals are afraid when Roger asks them about the castle. The locals are trying to drive out the evil that persists since the Count's demise. Roger talks to a local man called Fabian(Vladimir Medar), who tells him that the castle is evil. He tells Roger about Regula and tells him that the Count is dead and that he is in danger if he goes to the castle. The locals called it the Bloody Castle. Roger knows nothing about his past and he is very curious about it. The Baroness is promised an inheritance and she wants to get it. On their way to the castle, they see body parts hanging from the trees and their driver has a heart attack and dies.

 

The Baroness and her maid, Babette(Christian Rucker) get abducted by men and taken away. Roger and Fabian look for them. They find Regula's grave. They also come upon the castle. They look around and they get locked inside. A man appears. He is Anatol(Lange), the evil servant of Count Regula. He tells them to come with him and they find Lilian, who seems to be acting strangely. She is scared. Babette is being tortured by Roger and Fabian save her. She tells them that Anatol attacked her. Fabian confronts the servant and he shoots him. It turns out that Anantol is already dead! He says that Count Regula is waiting for them. Roger has a look around and he finds dead girls. What is going on in this den of evil?

Anatol has the dead body of Regula in a glass coffin. He is planning on resurrecting him. Regula comes back to life and informs them that he needs the blood of one more young woman to complete his quest for eternal life. He tells them that he killed twelve and he needed thirteen but he was unable to kill her before he got caught by the locals. The thirteenth girl was Lilian's mother. She handed him over to the police. Roger's father was the one who sentenced him to death , so he wants revenge. He wants Lilian's blood to complete his eternal life. Roger gets tied up and tortured with a pendulum which is swinging over his head. It is getting closer and closer all the time and it is sharp. Lilian is forced to watch until she can't anymore. She runs off through the castle passages. She sees spiders and scorpions. She ends up locked in a room with snakes. She is close to falling into a pit filled with them.  She gets out and Roger also escapes from his torturous trap. He finds Fabian and they search for the Baroness.

Count Regula sends his evil cohort to get Lilian's blood. Roger has a crucifix. The Count tells him that he must destroy it or he will kill Lilian. He and Anatol are frightened of it. Roger swings it like the pendulum and then he throws it at the Count. This causes Count Regula to disintegrate into nothing along with his creepy servant. The castle starts to fall apart also. Roger and the others leave before it is destroyed. He and the Baroness share a kiss before walking away.

This is not a well known film. I hadn't heard of it until recently and I loved the title! Christopher Lee doesn't get loads of screen time in this, but he is always great when he does show up. I liked the cast and the setting of the castle filled with torture devices and traps was eerie. The scene that stood out for me in this was the forest filled with severed body parts hanging from the trees. That was a really good scene and creepy too. So, if you can get your hands on this one, it is worth a look. I am giving it a 5/10.