Violated, Serial Killer with a Hair Fetish

It is kind of Film Noir. It is kind of Art House. It is kind of Psychotronic (whatever that means). Gritty, jazzy, and quirky is the order of the day for 1953's "Violated," directed by Walter Strate. Set in New York City, and heavy on nubile and trashy dames (getting murdered), this film delves heavily into the psychology of this sex fiend and his hatred for beautiful women. 

A beautiful prostitute (Sally Peters) brings a man to her apartment. She undresses and he attacks. The fiend murders with a scissors and cuts all the hair off the corpse. Oh yes...he takes the hair with him. This scene will play out repeatedly in this film and now a detective, Mack (Mitchell Kowall) is on the case. He consults a psychiatrist, Dr. Jason (Jason Niles). Jason tells Mack the killer is a sex fiend and there are tens of thousands of sex fiends in New York City. No kidding. Now we're introduced to a couple of suspects. A patient of Dr. Jason's, a sex fiend in remission named George (Fred Lambert) begins following nubile beauties around the city. Then there is fashion photographer, Jan (William Holland). Jan is a creepy guy with an eye for babes.

In a suspicious move, Jan convinces the amateur model, and beautiful Susan (Vicki Carlson) to pose for him...at his studio of course. All seems fine and she kind of likes him. Jan, however, likes stripper Lili (Lili Dawn). He goes to see her every show and visits her in her dressing room. She strings him along but he believes she loves him. Babes keep dying and losing their hair to the killer. As Jan gets more infatuated with the burlesque queen (stripper), she dumps him. Now Jan is getting unsettled. Oh yes...remember George? He's still following beauties, The naïve Susan has no clue that Jan has shot models before who have ended up dead and scalped...but Mack finds this out. Now Mack is chasing two suspects.

Does Lili the burlesque queen (stripper) have any shot at surviving this film? If there were tens of thousands of sex fiends in New York City in 1953...how many are there now? Why is the killer scalping his prey...might it be an aversion to Alberto VO5? Film Noir fans will love this fast paced thriller. The beautiful will die horribly in a film that could have very well been remade in 1970s Italy. For some alluring and vicious horror, see "Violated."  

To see VIOLATED for free of the FORGOTTEN HORROR YouTube channel, click this link VIOLATED 1953

Knightmare, Five Year Reunion Massacre

Why not a knight in shining armor? Slasher films can get away with a lot as long as hunks and babes die in imaginative ways. This one will have so many hunks and babes and you, at home, can argue which is the sexiest. Those that love trashy will love Krista (Kimberly Magness). For those who like a literary aspect to their babe...Rebecca (Elizabeth Diaz). You gals...Matt (Ryan Shank) and his pecs will do. That's just the beginning...as the cheesecake and beefcake assemble five years after graduating high school, a knight in shining armor will join them with a twisted and bloody plan. Hence, 2014's "Knightmare" (directed by Anthony Palma).

After high school, Rebecca wrote a bestseller about her buddies. Her buddies didn't appreciate how they were portrayed. Hence the beautiful Rebecca and her new hunk, Matt, plan a reunion, as Rebecca wants to apologize. Matt seems to have taken his portrayal in stride. All the buddies are hunks and babes. Krista (Kimberly Magness) has always been lusting for Matt and Rebecca's proclivity for pre-marital sex with Matt makes her competitive. The reunion at an isolated cabin in the woods is filled with alcohol, pre-marital sex, drugs, and loud music...as well as stupid party games. Thankfully, the murders begin. Heather (Jessica Ritacco) will be the first to go as the knight will roll a car over her head.

Strangulation and a jagged bong glass will eliminate the stoners. Then the knight resorts to his sword and the death of the really hot Julie (Julie Ek) and her husband Rich (Tyler Christie) will be heartbreaking. Oh yeah, you won't believe what Julie says to the knight before being skewered...either did the knight. The uber hot Krista will have an opportunity at deathbed philosophy as her logic before...well, you'll see...will be priceless. Don't get too attached to anyone, a mistake I made with Amy (Kylee Campbell)...so sad.  As Sir Slashalot goes through hunks and babes like crap through a goose, Rebecca comes up with a hair-brained plan...but it is crazy enough to work.

Will Rebecca and her fellow survivors be able to turn the tables on our slashing knight? Did anyone else go to a high school where everyone was sultry or beefy? Since Krista is the sluttiest character, will her demise be the most memorable? The cheesecake and beefcake are optimal here, and the kills are wonderful. Sure, some pre-death one-liners will have you in hysterics, still this is a fine slasher film. For some gore, pre-marital sex, and alluring characters...see "Knightmare." 

The Rift, Tentacled Sea Monsters vs. Submarine

A film about tentacled creatures that is not an H.P. Lovecraft story. I've always been a sucker for a good sea monster film. Throw in some mad scientists, mutations, and genetic altering and we have 1990's "The Rift," directed by Juan Piquer Simon. Just like a deviant Roger Corman film, the tentacled thing wants women to...well, you'll see. Oh yes, Ray Wise is in this as a mysterious part of the submarine crew.

The submarine Siren 1 goes missing while on a scientific expedition. The Siren 2 is sent to look for it. Summoned is the sub's designer, Wick (Jack Scalia). He joins a NATO crew in Norway for the voyage. This sub is captained by Phillips (R. Lee Emery). Of course, Wick's ex-lover is the lieutenant, Nina (Deborah Adair). Another babe, Ana (Ely Pouget) is also on board but she'll be owned by tentacles and other creatures, so don't get too attached. The sub finds the wreckage and sends out a diver. The diver sends a seaweed sample back to the Siren 2 before being ripped apart by the seaweed. Of course the seaweed will grow into a monster inside the sub's laboratory. Captain Phillips and his crew find an underwater cavern and surface in it.

An 8-man crew goes out into the cavern to explore.  Most of the crew will get ripped apart by monsters which are hiding in the cavern walls. This is where Ana is abducted by tentacles. Now the seaweed in the sub is starting to kill the crew that remained on board. The creature has infected the water supply. Uh oh...the crew was lied to about the true nature of this mission. Captain Phillips orders the survivors of the landing party to get back out there to search for Ana...they won't like what they find. As each new creature we are introduced to gets bigger and bigger (as do their teeth), we see what is really going on in these undersea caverns and it spells doom for mankind.

Will Ana be eaten or impregnated by mutant sea creatures? Will Jack win Nina back before an amorous sea creature claims her for it's own? Is there any hope, at all, that the U.S. military, NATO, the scientific community, and world governments may level with the beset submarine crew? Nope. This may be the best sea creature film you have never heard of. For an epic creature feature, see "The Rift."  

Ravage, Nature Photographer vs. Inbred Torture Cult

Okay...inbred torture cult may be a little harsh...just a little.  Bruce Dern will expound on the proper terminology just before he is drugged and has his face blown off by the pretty nature photographer. Happens.  Still...on the basest level, our damsel is put in much distress by these torture fiends. Oh! Our damsel? Hardly a damsel. She is pretty versed on homicide and torture herself. Confused? Let us take a look at 2019's "Ravage," directed by Teddy Grennan.

Pretty Harper (Annabelle Dexter-Jones) is shooting pictures in the woods of rural Virginia. Uh oh...she sees something she isn't supposed to, of the torture/homicide variety. Now the family that owns the land (billions and billions of acres) is after her. With the help form their kinfolk in the sheriff's department...they catch her. They'll sexually molest her and string her up for torture.  Harper is a bit of a survivalist and she isn't happy. She'll free herself and run away. Not to escape...but to regroup and hunt her tormentors. Ravener (Robert Longstreet) is the patriarch of this torture family and he sends his kids out to retrieve the blonde babe that invaded his land.

Too bad for the torture kids...she finds them first. Decapitation and other booby traps will annihilate the inbreeds. She doesn't get them all. She'll meet Bruce Dern, also part of the family. He'll wish she never stepped foot in his house. Harper goes through the inbreeds like crap through a goose, but Ravener is one step ahead. Yep...you guessed it. There will be a final confrontation between Ravener and the pretty Harper. What happens then? You won't believe it. The ending will make you squirm and maybe yell at the silver screen. Disgusting and revolting are two words that come to mind. Total amazement will envelope you as the end credits roll.

Just who will prevail in the final confrontation...Harper or Ravener?  What surprises does Ravener have waiting after Harper after she takes apart his children? Is this film a thinly veiled metaphor for the ruination of Virginia that has occurred over the past 20 years?  You will not have seen an ending like this one, and you may not like it. Still, catch "Ravage," it is something a bit different and grotesque.

The Nude Vampire, Psychedelic Erotica

Psychedelic Erotica? A term inserted to make me look brilliant. Think Deviant Euro-Trash! Think nubile women nude and subject to torment and torture. Think mad scientists experimenting on these women. Euro-Babes in much peril from mad scientists. We do have to talk about the twins, Catherine and Marie-Pierre Castel. This duo plays servants clad in weird metallic uniforms, or nothing, or a string of plastic circles that jangle when they move. Hey, its a Jean Rollin film, 1970's "The Nude Vampire."

The plot won't help you, but let us try. A weird cult is based in a weird laboratory. The members wear animal masks and commit suicide. The cult is run by Georges Radamante (Maurice Lemaitre). His son, the hunk Pierre (Olivier Rollin), is curious and spies on them. One day a Euro-Babe (Caroline Cartier) gets loose wearing nothing but a see through negligee. He tries to help her but the cult members shoot her dead...or so Pierre thinks. Pierre questions his dad but gets no answers. Meanwhile, the two topless servants (the Castel twins) keep bringing him drinks. These two do the same for Georges...and also satisfy him sexually. Oh yes, the Euro-Babe is far from dead.

See, every meeting, a cult member commits suicide and the Euro-Babe is brought in to drink the corpse's blood. The cult believes she is a vampire. One night Pierre sneaks into one of the cult's ritual and sees the not dead Euro-Babe. He's in love with her and she seems favorably inclined to him. He'll try to help her escape...but he won't be successful. Now his dad levels with him and we find out the Euro-Babe may be a vampire. Georges wants to study her and learn the secret of immortality. Pierre wants...well, wants her. The twins are not who they appear...but always kinky and alluring...if not strange. Uh oh...someone or something else is coming for the vampire Euro-Babe and Georges is terrified of them.

Get it?  I thought not. Still, those two twins who sometimes wear only jangly circles are worth the price of admission. Will Pierre end up with the Euro-Babe/maybe vampire? How about the twins...are they even human? What exactly does Georges, his cult, and his laboratory figure on doing with the vampire research they are accumulating? Don't dismiss this film as Jean Rollin has prioritized the eroticism...and he does it well. Weird but alluring, "The Nude Vampire" is a French film you will want to see.

To see this film free on YouTube, check out Ed Bell's YouTube channel FORGOTTEN HORRORS and click on this link: THE NUDE VAMPIRE 

Werewolf Woman, That Time of Month Again

In a thinly veiled metaphor for PMS, we have a neat werewolf film from Italy. Yep, a full moon comes once a month and so does...well, changing into a wolf-woman. However beautiful and effervescent a dame might appear, that time of month arrives and everything changes. She changes...into a...wolf-woman. Hence we take a look at 1976's "Werewolf Woman," directed by Rino Di Silvestro. Incidentally, to view this film free on DARK MATTER TV click on this link WEREWOLF WOMAN .

Daniela (Annik Borel) has some mental problems...she's a nutcase, in fact. She believes she becomes a werewolf during the full moon. Does she? An ancestor was a werewolf woman and Daniela believes herself to be the reincarnation of that same ancestor. The nubile babe also was viciously raped as a child and now has a phobia of sex. When her beautiful sister, Elena (Dagmar Lassander) brings her American husband, Fabian (Osvaldo Ruggieri), home, Daniela is all hot for him. After being raped by a lizard, Daniela watches Elena and Fabian having passionate sex. She then lures Fabian outside, attacks him, and bites his throat out. Now Daniela is sent to an asylum for the criminally insane.

Daniela escapes after biting the throat out of a nymphomaniac babe-patient who tried to rape her. The lunatic beauty, believing she is wolf-like, then attacks a nubile farm babe just after she had passionate sex in the hay. She'll attack and murder more men who try to take advantage of her before meeting the love of her life...a stuntman (Howard Ross). The two will frolic and have pre-marital sex. Werewolf women rarely find happiness and her life is about to get even more violent and homicidal. Now the police are following the trail of ripped apart bodies and getting closer to our she-wolf.

What was that earlier comment above about being raped by a lizard? Is Daniela a warning to us men to really get to know a woman before jumping in the sack with them? Are PMS and lycanthropy one in the same? A sexually charged werewolf story from Italy...yes! Euro-babes will die horribly, and so will some Euro-hunks. For a steamy and graphic good time in which your prurient interests will be aroused, see "Werewolf Woman."  

The Galaxy Invader, Rubber Suited Alien in Maryland

Don Dohler, our favorite Maryland filmmaker, is no longer with us. Fortunately his films endure. Mr. Dohler's style of filmmaking seems to be getting his pals together, going out and having a good time, and shooting science fiction stuff. Forget CGI when watching one of these movies, though drinking scenes at local watering holes are a staple. With plenty of cans of Pabst Blue Ribbon as props, we look at 1985's "The Galaxy Invader."

An alien ship crash lands in Maryland. David (Greg Dohler) sees it and summons his old mentor, Professor Tracy (Richard Dyszel). In the mean time, the brute Joe (Richard Ruxton) finds out about it and summons the town crime lord, Frank (Don Leifert). Frank and Joe put a posse together and seek to capture and exploit the alien for money. Meanwhile a drunk Joe belts his family silly. The posse goes out one night and engage the alien in a shootout, losing a couple of men. Frank and Joe capture it and shove it in Joe's basement. The thing appears friendly and David and Tracy sneak in and free it. Joe will murder Tracy as they all flee.

Now Joe and Frank desire to get it back and Joe's family tries to save the alien from further bondage. Joe drinks more Pabst, abuses his wife and kids, and tries to rape Frank's dame, Vickie (Theresa Harold). Meanwhile the alien is on the run but when his helpers are endangered by the drunk Joe, it backtracks to help them out. More shootouts and heartbreak as the alien reveals itself to be a friend to the beset earthlings.

Cheesy and perhaps a level below a B movie, this film is a lot of fun. Will the alien survive Joe's wrath or suffer a similar fate as King Kong at the hand of human exploiters? Is the carnage and tragedy captured in this science fiction tale a metaphor for the demise of Maryland over the past 40 years? B movie fans will love "The Galaxy Invader," and its rubber suited alien (Glenn Barnes). For a great creature feature viewing experience, especially if you are from Maryland, see "The Galaxy Invader."

To see this film free on Dark Matter TV, click this link: THE GALAXY INVADER      

Gargoyles, Reptile Demons Seek Sultry Dame

Our film today first appeared in 1972 on the New CBS Tuesday Night Movies. I know...not the moniker for 'shocking horror.' Okay, but get this...the first film to feature Stan Winston's creature f/x. "Gargoyles" may have been a made for TV movie, but it is far better than anything DC or Marvel have offered us. Throw in a sultry damsel, who wears bikini tops nicely, and hints at the future "Alien" franchise. Directed by Bill Norton, "Gargoyles" also features Bernie Casey as the king gargoyle.

The perky, bikini top-clad Diana (Jennifer Salt) meets her dad, Mercer (Cornel Wilde), at the Texas-Mexican border. Mercer is a professor in ancient demons and Diana also digs demons. This will change...and soon. They drive to see Uncle Willie's (Woody Chambliss) desert museum. Woody shows them a skeleton of a gargoyle. Initially skeptical, Diana and Mercer will become believers when a swarm of gargoyles swoop down and kill Woody. Mercer and Diana get away with the skull and are chased by the gargoyle horde. Now holed up in a cheap motel, the gargoyles raid their room and take the skull back. Not all is lost, a junior gargoyle is killed during the getaway and Mercer takes the corpse...bad move.

Now a biker gang headed by James (Scott Glenn) is blamed for Woody's murder. Diana will try to convince the cops of their innocence. Before she can do that she is abducted by the king gargoyle and brought back to their lair. Now the cops, James, and Mercer form a posse to find Diana. Uh oh...the alpha-gargoyle likes Diana and her bikini tops.  Imagine this, the wife-gargoyle is getting jealous. Uh oh again...thousands of gargoyle eggs are ready to hatch. As alpha-gargoyle courts the nubile and perky Diana, the humans approach and war is in the air.

Just what does the alpha-gargoyle plan to do with Diana? Okay, dumb question. Will wife gargoyle and Diana enter into a cross-species cat-fight? What will happen to the human race if all the gargoyle eggs hatch? This is a good one. It was so nice to see a made-for-TV film not about so-called racism or supposed environmental woes. Maybe if the major networks actually think about what the masses in their audiences actually want, we can have more films like "Gargoyles."

Reigo: King of the Sea Monsters, The Imperial Navy Rises...then Sinks

The victors write the history. As an example...have you ever heard Japanese logic for bombing Pearl Harbor? President Roosevelt never told us in one of his over-rated fireside chats. How about this rationale that is never taught...The U.S. in its continuing effort to dominate the world economy moves the largest naval fleet in the history of man to striking distance of all of Japan's economic trade routes. Hawaii wasn't even a state. After continued pleas by Japan to stay away and concentrate on the Americas and Europe, FDR militarized the south Pacific. Whether that is credible or not...this rationale is again being talked about in Asia. As the U.S. has lost any claim to moral superiority over the decades...the Japanese are beginning to make movies like 2019's "Reigo: King of the Sea Monsters," which was released in 2005 as "Reigo: The Deep Sea Monster vs. the Battleship Yamato." This one isn't in English.

War in the Pacific has begun against the American aggressors. The great Japanese battleship Yamato is ready to head south. Uh oh...before they can engage the American navy, they must first deal with a bunch of bony sea creatures that fly onto the decks of warships and rip up sailors. Even worse, these flying sea creatures are followed by a behemoth dragon creature that is almost as big as the Yamato. The Yamato engages and kills the baby Reigo...leaving a ticked off mother Reigo. Now mama Reigo starts shredding warships on its way to the Yamato. Depth charges are ineffective and the battleship's guns can't shoot low enough to hit the sea creatures.

As destroyers are...well, destroyed by the Reigo...the Yamato looks helpless. Enter a meek Lieutenant, Takashi. Oh yes...also enter the lone survivor of an American warship destroyed by Reigo. The U.S. sailor tells the Japanese what they are up against. The battleship's convoy dwindles each night as the monsters attack. Young Takashi has an idea. It's crazy and no one has confidence in it. Still...no one has a better idea. Thus the Yamato's captain tells Takashi to institute his plan. With all the destroyers sunk, Reigo has a clean path to the Yamato.

What is Takashi's plan and what are it's chances of success against Reigo? What would Franklin Delano Roosevelt's reaction had been if the Japanese moved a massive naval fleet into Cuba? While the Japanese were destroying monsters...what was the U.S. war effort up to? This is an interesting one and if you are into Japanese nationalism...you will enjoy "Reigo: King of the Sea Monsters." 

Far from the Apple Tree, Even if You're Rolling Downhill

No one understands! You are a relationship oriented gal in a world of goal driven and materialistic blokes. Perhaps even your conscious mind isn't attuned yet to your artistic side. You're seen as a diminutive wallflower...and fear that characterization is accurate. No one will give you a chance, except...well, you'll see. Today we look at a film by Grant McPhee, 2019's "Far from the Apple Tree." 

Our vulnerable heroine, the nubile Judith (Sorcha Groundsell) is the aforementioned dame. Rejected from art school and avoiding her mother, she attends an art show of the occult artist, Roberta (Victoria Liddelle). Our art school reject is transfixed on one photograph in particular and Roberta picks up on this. The next day, Roberta summons Judith. Judith is shocked. She isn't used to anyone paying attention to her. Roberta is bold but accurate and in tearing down Judith...attracts her. Then the occult artist makes Judith an offer she can't refuse. The underconfident Judith accepts. Now Judith will move into Roberta's old mansion estate and archive the artist's work. Why Judith? You'll see. 

Judith is transfixed by the mansion and the artwork. Oops...she's especially transfixed with films and photos of Maddy, Roberta's daughter. Maddy? Maddy and her mom are estranged...or that is what we're initially told. We know better. Hints of Satanism, witchcraft, and some mind altering drugs aren't too subtle. Now Maddy may be on her way back. Roberta's interest in Judith is not as an archiver, but something more ambitious. But wait! Is Judith headed to victimhood...or is she headed down a path in which all her dreams or wishes are fulfilled. Roberta may seem in control, but her past heartaches and failures are also fair game as Maddy's return becomes imminent.

Who is more at risk of losing their personhood and control of their desired destiny, Roberta or Judith? Just what witchcraft and Satanist elements are at work in this old mansion? Exactly what is an occult artist...and are these good peeps to give our lives some needed re-direction? This is an Ira Levin type story with colorful and passionate characters. Judith's hurt and despair ooze to the surface and eventually, so does Roberta's. For some neat neo-Gothic horror, see "Far from the Apple Tree."    

Bog, Swamp Creature vs. the AARP

There is a lot of similarities between today's feature and Roger Corman's "Humanoids from the Deep." A swamp creature living in the slime at the bottom of the bog needs human females to reproduce. An alluring and erotic plot...unless you throw in grandma and grandpa. If you liked watching your grandparents swap spit and fondle each other, then this film will get your juices flowing. Today we take a look at 1979's "Bog," directed by Don Keeslar.

Two middle-aged couples go to the lake for camping and fishing. A swamp monster, probably looking for nubile teens, has to settle for these two women (Carol Terry and Lou Hunt) and rips them apart. Their husbands make it back to town, now widowers, and inform the geriatric Sheriff Rydholm (Aldo Ray) to do something. He gets two elderly doctors involved, Dr Ginny Glenn (Gloria DeHaven) and Dr. Brad Wednesday (Marshall Thompson). These two doctors will fall in love and swap a lot of spit. Because of their age, Brad will need a nap later and this will put Ginny in great peril. More killings by the swamp. A few of Rydholm's deputies will be shredded.

Two nubile babes will try to picnic at the swamp and one will be beset by the creature. Two divers, sent over from AARP will don SCUBA equipment and look for the thing. The thing will find them and tear this duo apart. The elderly Dr. John Warren will come to town to help out Wednesday and Ginny. He'll also need a nap. Now Ginny is in the cross-hairs of the swamp monster. As Wednesday naps, the monster makes its move. Now John and Wednesday must wake up and find Ginny before the monster impregnates her.

Did this creature lose a bet to his fellow swamp creatures and draw the a retirement community as his feeding ground? Whatever the creature had planned for Ginny, would it have been more satisfying than swapping spit with Dr. Wednesday (remember, this was filmed in pre-Viagra days)? Would the censors of 1979 have allowed bikini or skinny-dipping scenes in this film? An elderly swamp monster film is always better than a Meryl Streep film. For some slimy and icky thrills, see "Bog."

The Day of the Living Dead, Zombie Pandemic Film Noir Style

What would we have if George Romero directed "Double Indemnity"? Better yet, how about if Billy Wilder directed "Night of the Living Dead"? Would Marilyn Monroe have been cast in either? No worries, we have her in this one (courtesy of Sarah French)…you'll see.  Movies about insurance claims don't usually stimulate us except in the film noir setting. Throw in some femme fatales, sultry dames, a square jawed adjuster, and menacing heavies...oh yes...zombies...and we have 2020's "The Day of the Living Dead," directed by Thomas J. Churchill.

In 1957 we didn't know cigarettes could kill. In 2020 the death toll is in the hundreds of millions. Present day, zombie hordes are attacking and a guilt ridden dying man beckons his confessor to harp back to 1957. 50 years ago, Hollywood was pristine on the surface, but the seeds of sin and exploitation were sown. George (Ray Capuana) is hired by the sultry Ms. Daniels (Brooke Lewis Bellas). She oozes seduction and George can't say no. He'll be charged to investigate a Satanic tobacco company, Deadly Sins...run by the devil (Churchill). He'll go missing leaving his nubile fiancé, Bethany (Natalie Victoria) to look for him. Uh oh, before going missing, George was onto something. 13 mysterious claims of employees beset by a mysterious (think zombie virus) illness. Was this an industrial accident...or were these 13 unfortunates a sacrifice to summon the apocalypse?

George tracks down these 13 and is usually too late. They have either turned and eaten their loved ones...or have been involved in a gory accident. He's hot onto something, but the devilish owner of Deadly Sins Tobacco is in full control. We'll plunge into zombie gore as if we're in a Romero zombie flick...we'll be treated to quick-witted film noir dialogue as only Billy Wilder cold give us...and the eeriness and surrealism of a David Lynch offering. Veronica Lake fans (which I am one) will enjoy Marisa Parks and her gown as the lounge singer. Back to the plot...George is getting too close and the Deadly Sins evil seems ready to engulf him.

Will George figure out that his investigation is really into Satan's attempt to unleash a bloody apocalypse? Is the fate of Marilyn Monroe going to be a vicious parallel to what happens to George and modern day Hollywood? Is the zombie apocalypse a fitting metaphor for the cigarette deaths, ill-planned wars, and societal degradation that have occurred since 1957? Still...smile and be happy. Mr. Churchill gives us a radiant Brooke Lewis Bellas, more sultry dames, homages to Hitchcock and film noir classics, and a vehicle to look into our mirrors and correct the paths we have taken that could lead to ruination. Enjoy "The Day of the Living Dead," and realize...good times are ours to seize.

To see this film on Amazon Prime, click this link THE DAY OF THE LIVING DEAD 

Killdozer, Hunks Battle Heavy Machinery

Nothing says shocking horror like "ABC's made-for-TV movie!" I'm being sarcastic, of course. Audiences agreed and didn't watch the 1974 network offering. The odd people who did watch this were not impressed. Still, 1974's "Killdozer" is a fun film that hit the TV long before Stephen King wrote "Trucks." Divorced men will love this film...a lot like "John Carpenter's The Thing," no females appear. No skinny-dipping...no gratuitous shower scenes...no pre-marital sex...see, 'cancel culture' was alive and well during the Nixon Administration. To see "Killdozer" free on Dark Matter TV click on this link WATCH KILLDOZER .

A meteor crashes into an island off the African coast. The glowing blue thing falls onto this deserted island occupied only by a six-man construction crew. The job foreman, Kelly (Clint Walker) tries to move the meteor with the K9 bulldozer. Mistake. The meteor shoots a burst of energy into Mac (Robert Urich), killing him. Now, unbeknownst to Kelly and the rest of the crew, the meteor's alien presence moves into the K9, possessing it. Kelly loses control of the K9 after Mac falls and he cuts the gas line. This won't work.

Kelly doesn't have the respect of his crew. He is an alcoholic who still sees pink elephants. Knowing this, Kelly doesn't tell anyone there is a bulldozer running amok. The K9 re-animates and begins attacking the remaining crew. It destroys their campsite and radio. Chub (Neville Brand) and the cynical Dennis (Carl Betz) are sympathetic to Kelly. Dutch (James Wainwright) isn't a fan of Kelly but he is half insane, anyway. The big machine chases down more crew members and now the beset crew is on the run. The island is small and the K9 can build roads wherever it decides to go. Now the survivors have to come up with a plan to survive and kill the alien machine. Oh yes...no cell signal (it is 1974!), and dynamite won't work.

Square-jawed hunks who have no humor...this worked in 1974 Made-For-TV movies...or the original "Hawaii 5-0." Still, it is refreshing to watch. Just what does this alien presence want on this deserted island? Will anyone on the crew try to communicate with the alien? Of course not! These are real men! For a manly good time without any care for a woman's feelings or desire for empowerment...see "Killdozer," directed by Jerry London.  

Robo Vampire 3: Counter Destroy, Hopping Vampires Return

Maybe a bit far-fetched...but no more far-fetched the the DC and Marvel garbage that is thrown at us. A baby hopping vampire explodes out of the stomach of an American babe...then fights the evil hopping vampires by using Kung Fu and urinating on them as it flies over them. Sort of a metaphor for all of our lives, I know. From Hong Kong and Thailand we have what looks like two different films combined to bring us 1989's "Robo Vampire: Counter Destroy." This one was directed by Godfrey Oh and stays very loyal to the best selling novel. 

Lawrence is making a film about the last emperor of China. The sultry Joyce is hired to write a script. She and the lovely Cindy (don't get too attached to her, she'll be killed several times, most notably by a Freddy Krueger-type vampire) are sent to a spooky house to have the script written in a week. The house is haunted and ghosts of vampires materialize and possess. Okay, Jackson is a rival moviemaker and will kill to stop Lawrence from making this epic. Lawrence hires private-eye Jackie...a real Asian babe. As Jackson's men try to kill Lawrence, Jackie tracks down Jackson's men and kills them with either a machinegun, crossbow, knife, or exploding flowers.

Back at the haunted house. Joyce tries to write the script but keeps getting possessed by some demon vampire. She'll turn into one and feast on Cindy. Oh yes, a Taoist monk is supposed to watch over the place and he has some pet hopping vampires who want to feast on Joyce. Back i the city, Jackie goes undercover to get close to Jackson and she even befriends two useless cops. Did I mention the ninja-in-white who kills hopping vampire? He's in this though his purpose is kept unclear (much like our own purposes on this mortal coil we call life). There will be hopping and some nice machinegun fights...and some slashing and irrelevant ninja action...and moviemaking carnage and fortune telling birds. Got it?

A classic plot, indeed. Will Jackie get to kill Cindy, too? Will Joyce finish the script for this film no one wants to see? Is the choppy plot a metaphor for the tense political and social relationships between Hong Kong and Thailand? This one is so much fun and a lot better than all that 'Star Wars' foolishness we have been programmed to like. For a frolicking good time, see "Robo Vampire 3: Counter Destroy."

2010: Moby Dick, Syfy Does the Melville Classic

"He took my leg. I don't intend to give him my a**," Captain Ahab from Moby Dick. At least, from the original draft. Herman Melville was so incensed at the publisher of his magnum opus in 1851 that he spit at his blacksmith,  The publisher found it necessary to remove large chunks of Melville's story. For example: When Melville could not tell his publisher what the word 'nuclear,' or 'submarine' meant...the publisher struck them. When Melville refused to explain the term "bikini clad marine biologist" to his publisher, the publisher removed the character. Thus the 1851 near-classic has some sizable holes in the plot and theme development, Thanks to our buddies at Asylum and this made for Syfy film, we can finally fill in those holes. Today we look at "2010: Moby Dick," directed by Trey Stokes. 

In 1969 Moby Dick, a 500 foot white whale, bit a nuclear submarine in half. Ahab was serving on that ill-fated vessel and had to watch the whale bite his leg off. Present day, Captain Ahab (Barry Bostwick) commands the nuclear submarine USS Pequod. Moby Dick is sinking ships and Ahab is determined to find the timeless monster and kill it. Moby Dick will even sink a cruise ship called the Rachel. On the way to find the whale, Ahab and his crew commandeer a beautiful marine biologist, Michelle (Renee O'Connor from Xena: Warrior Princess). She wears a bikini nicely and is of little help to the plot in this epic. Still...she's a real dish. 

The Pequod finds the white whale and the two play a deadly cat and mouse game. The monster will take out an Osprey, another submarine, a cruise ship, and a whale watching boat. The Pequod will nuke a squid. Now it turns out that Ahab's mission is unauthorized and the entire U.S. Navy is ordered to blow him out of the water. This begs the question, when was the last time our navy blew anyone out of the water? Oh yeah, a few Somali pirates in a row boat...now I remember. Moby Dick seems bent on ripping off Ahab's other leg and will even fly and crawl on land to do so. As seamen and submariners are killed by this behemoth's wrath, Ahab's lust for revenge will be just as deadly.

Would a bikini clad babe in place of Ishmael have sold a few more copies of Herman Melville's Moby Dick? Was Renee O'Connor's portrayal of Xena's sidekick a sure stepping stone to the role of Michelle the bikini clad marine biologist? Would Xena have been more effective against the monster whale than Barry Bostwick? This is a goody and very faithful to Melville's original vision. For a great literary and cinematic experience, see Syfy's "2010: Moby Dick."