Well, November’s not quite over, and I’ve managed to finish up the October mini-reviews! Hooray! I’ve got an announcement about a change to my reviews coming at the end of the post, but for now, let’s see what we’ve got in store…
Halloween, of course! And that brings with it a whole pile of classic horror and monster movies, including many from perennial faves Universal and Hammer. Additionally, we’ve got an amazing new dinosaur movie from Australia (of all places). I joined up Acorn for a couple of months to try to catch up to the most recent Brokenwood Mysteries, and of course there’s much more, too.
Let’s get to it!
Here’s the usual ratings system:
* – This film is not good. Avoid it unless you tolerate dreck well.
** – A flawed film. You may enjoy it if you like this genre or the folks in it.
*** – A good solid film. If you like this genre, you’ll probably like this film.
**** – A superior film within its genre. Thoroughly enjoyable.
***** – An outstanding film on many levels. A great example of its genre.
Note that some shows I’ve given a parenthetical star rating, usually adding (occasionally subtracting) stars, depending on how your amusement may differ from mine. I’ve explained the meaning in the reviews themselves. Mostly.
Happy Halloween, Scooby Doo (2022) **** Elvira and Bill Nye join the Scooby gang in what starts out as a Halloween celebration parade, soon adds a villain from Batman (!), and eventually veers into a madcap chase down the roadway worthy of the Wacky Races. Making things more complicated, a truck full of toxic waste has contaminated a Halloween pumpkin patch, turning all the pumpkins there into ravenous mutants, led by a huge pumpkin king. And if the pumpkins catch anyone, that person is fed to the giant pumpkin and transformed into another pumpkin zombie in the king’s army. And all of them are out to get our heroes. Can even the new Mystery Machine souped up by Bill Nye the Science Guy save our heroes? A fun bit of Scooby Halloween nonsense. (And a Batman villain crossover.)
Doctor Who 24-4 Dragonfire *** In the last serial of Sylvester McCoy’s first season, the Doctor and Mel find themselves on the space trading colony of Iceworld, a planet that is rumored to contain a mysterious and dangerous dragon. Less mysterious is the colony’s evil ruler, who lives in a deep freeze because he cannot survive in normal temperatures (like Mr. Freeze). Several factions are looking fot find the mythical dragon for their own ends, and naturally the Doctor and Mel get wrapped up in the search, along with future companion Ace. It’s a pretty good serial, and Ace is a welcome addition to the series, but even with a new Doctor, the series seemed to be running on fumes by this point.
Sister Boniface (S4) **** Another really fun season of Sister Boniface has our forensic scientist heroine solving cases that include: the accidental death of a woman performing a superhero stunt on TV, a havoc-wreaking scarecrow at a fall festival, women striking at a shoe factory, murder at a team-building exercise (and competition) for the police, the nuns sharing a retreat weekend with a bunch of nude hedonists, a plot to sell the nunnery grounds and more. The ongoing characters are great, of course, and the stories are consistently good. I hope this series lasts for many more years.
Doctor Who 25-1 Remembrance of the Daleks **** Ace and the Doctor go back to Earth, close to his roots in the 20th century, where they find that Daleks have infiltrated a school, with their agents having taken over the minds of key humans. The military gets involved as it looks like there might be a full-scale invasion. In fact, two different factions of Daleks are trying to find an artifact the Doctor left on Earth, The Hand of Omega. Things get messy, and Ace gets to use some of her favorite explosive, Nitro-9, to help them all out of the fix. One of the better stories/serials from this era.
Primitive War (2025) ***** In 1968, a group of soldiers known as The Vultures is sent into a remote Vietnamese valley to look for a platoon of Green Berets who have gone silent while on a secret mission. The Vultures don’t find the missing soldiers, but they do find dinosaurs — a whole lot of dinosaurs! And many, many kinds of dinos, too — enough to make most of the Jurassic Park movies (including the new one) blush. But this is not your kiddie dinosaur flick. There’s lots of fighting and lots of deaths and gore and deeply flawed characters, and all other kinds of interesting stuff — including a SciFi angle or two that I wasn’t expecting. Since the Australian director has done his share of special effects movies, the FX are good, often very good, and sometimes even on par with the JP/JW series. Plus there’s a lot of action. A whole lot of action. If you read up reading army men vs. dinosaur comics, like I did, this will really scratch your itch. I’ve described it as friends as Apocalypse Now meets Jurassic Park, and that’s not too far off. I liked all the characters, especially the Vultures and an extra (I won’t spoil) that they pick up along the way. Oh, and the dinosaurs seem to be based more on recent science than the often trimmed down and buffed up Jurassic Park/World dinos. Don’t get me wrong, I love the JP/JW movies, but this joins them and The Dinosaur Project as being a great addition to modern dinosaur flicks. I’ll be watching it again soon.
Falcon’s Brother, The (1942) **** This transition flick in the Falcon series starts with a shipboard murder. When the Falcon (George Sanders) arrives, he finds a dead man in his brother’s cabin, whom the police believe is his brother. It’s not, but the Falcon lets them think it is. Meanwhile, the Falcon’s actual brother (played by Tom Conway, Sander’s actual brother!) shows up, just in time for the Falcon to get knocked for a loop by a hit and run. He tries to track down who’s murdered, only to have the woman who found the original body turn up dead too. Who’s killing these people and why? The plot has to do with a fashion magazine, secret codes for Axis attacks, assassination, and international espionage during WWII. It’s great to see the two actual brothers working together, though they don’t have a huge number of scenes together. I wish they could have done more, but it’s still a good entry in the series.
Whatever Happened to Baby Jane (1962 Sven Squad) **** Bette Davis is the aged “Baby” Jane, a child star whose career chances were ruined by a car crash that left her sister, Blanche (Joan Crawford), crippled. Before the crash, Blanche had become an even bigger star than Jane as they became adults, and the remains of her fortune now support the two in a run-down old mansion. Jane “takes care” of her sister, but has a bitter, sadistic streak, and still wants to regain her star status. To that end, she makes a deal with an ambitious young man — or perhaps gigolo — (Victor Buono) to manage her comeback. Meanwhile, Jane’s care for her sister — including serving dead animals as meals — raises concerns in their sympathetic housekeeper. Blanche feels trapped, and when everything goes south, she may well be. Creepy and atmospheric, heavy on the melodrama, and packed with two of the great actresses who hated each other in real life, …Baby Jane sizzles with star power, especially when Davis, who was nominated for an Oscar, is onscreen. Looks great, and some nice twists, turns, and shocks, too.
Thankskilling (2008) *(**) After a rampage back in the Pilgrim days, a killer turkey is buried until a group of modern teens disturb its grave, removing the sacred item keeping it “dead.” The foul-mouthed turkey (did I mention it can talk), then comes back to exact revenge against all white people in America for stealing native lands, or something like that. Gore and the death for the mostly unlikable teens follows. But it’s all pretty amusing, if you can stand no-budget fare. There’s even an atomic-age twist before the end. The sequel looks even wackier. And of course, the turkey is a glorified hand puppet.
Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves (2023) ***** It was my pleasure to introduce this film and do a follow up Q&A after the show in Lake Geneva’s annual Dragon Days festival this year (2025). Which gave me a chance to see this flick on the Big Screen for the first time (since it came out at near the “end” of the pandemic). A bard and a barbarian break out of jail to get back to the bard’s daughter, who they’d taken care of since the bard’s wife’s death. They discover the girl is staying with a member of the band not caught during a heist gone wrong (Hugh Grant), who has now become a powerful lord. Unfortunately, he’s in league with the dark wizard who betrayed them — and thus a terrific D&D-style quest begins. I’ve reviewed this before when it came out, but I really enjoyed it again. Great characters, great interaction, great magic and special effects — just like any good game of D&D.
Brokenwood Mysteries 2-2 To Die, or Not to Die **** My local PBS station added this series, which I love, to their lineup. So I watched this again, and likely will watch more, too. A Brokenwood Shakespeare company’s production of Hamlet turns even more tragic when one of the actors dies onstage. The theater company’s backstage politics are super tangled, with everyone playing parts (rather than telling the truth), and everyone seemingly trying to improve their position. The matter is further complicated by romances, real and imagined, and the fact that Detective Mike’s good buddy Jared is playing the tragedy’s title role. Plus the show’s proceeds are supposed to be going so charity, meaning the show “must’ go on, even if it maybe shouldn’t. Fun, even in the second viewing.
Doctor Who 25-2 The Happiness Patrol **** The Doctor and Ace materialize on a planet with an authoritarian government determined that everyone should be happy — or die trying. Thus, they’ve established pink-haired Happiness Patrols who patrol the streets and can summarily execute “killjoys” (depressed or unhappy people) — unless they decide to send them to one of the dictatorship’s televised games, or send them to the sinister Kandy Man (a robot made of sweet candies) for experimentation. It’s all super weird, but features contemplations on what happiness is and the role it plays in human emotional ranges. It also has some pretty great blues harmonica playing, and is generally supportive of the blues and people struggling with grief ,depression, and other unhappy emotions. Another good showcase for The Doctor and Ace. Apparently also a commentary on Thatcherite England (I can totally see that; it works.)
Brokenwood Mysteries 8-1 From the Cradle to the Grave **** Detectives Mike, Kristin, and “new” DC Daniel Chalmers have a real puzzler on their hands, when their weird friend Frodo and his (complicated) cousins) are hired to move a mummy and its case from a museum to a private collector. Along the way, things stray from the plan, and the casket is open, only to reveal a living mummy who says, “You bastard!” before collapsing and dying. Turns out its one of the movers mummies… er… mommies — and things get even more complicated from there, as it seems that all the suspect in this case — the movers, the museum people, and even the collector are somehow related to each other, often genetically. As usual with Brokenwood, there’s plenty of weirdness and “leave you grinning” comedy amid the murder and mystery solving. And any movie-length episode that prominently features the oddball Frodo character and his cohorts guarantees extra smiles. Glad I renewed Acorn for a couple of months tos tart watching this again.
Carnival of Blood (1972) **(*) At a pretty grungy amusement park, a young couple seems to spend all their time bickering, and when they go into a Dark Ride house of horrors, the woman has her head cut off in the darkness. The detective assigned to solve the case, has a pretty girlfriend, Laura, who likes to hang out at the carnival, and has somehow befriended weird dart game concessionaire Tom and his hunchbacked assistant (Burt Young) who has festering sores on his face. (Must be great for business.) The strange carnival gypsy seems to be able to predict the murders by reading cards of the future victims, but has no explanation when the detective tries to “yell the truth” out of her. More bickering people, drunks, and prostitutes visit the dart game, many win big teddy bears (how this place makes money I don’t know), simply by arguing with the owners. And a lot of those folks end up dead. Soon, Laura is in the crosshairs for mistreating a teddy bear she’s been given. Can her dimwitted and insensitive detective boyfriend figure out the obvious killer before she’s doomed? The print of this film on Vinegar Syndrome’s collection is very rough in places, and its’ not a great film by any stretch, but the historic locations are interesting if you like this kind of thing. My guess is that a lot of the obnoxious dialogue was improvised. It also features the same carnival stock music as the album Jan & Dean Meet Batman.
Winterbeast (1992) **(*) Strange monsters haunt the New England woods and try to destroy the nearby people and rangers allegedly for violating sacred Indian grounds. This film is super-low budget and was put together over nearly a decade of shooting. The stop-motion monsters vary from pretty darn cool to looking like something out of a cereal box. There’s some nudity and some gore, and a whole lot of enthusiasm that’s maybe not matched by talent. Yet, I enjoyed it, and will likely watch it again. If you like the kind of film that has more ambition than resources, or if you’re a stop-mo fan, give it that extra star.
Bog Creatures (2003) *** A student archaeologist team heads into the swampland to look for ancient artifacts. They end up fiding a well preserved corpse in the bog, which would be a great find, expect that it turns out the corpse is more undead than dead and is, in fact, part of a weird cult/society of bog creatures. I didn’t expect much from this flick, but it turns out to be a very well put together low-budget effort, and in fact feels like a classic horror programmer from the 1950s. The acting is good, the production relies on a lot of real places, and the monster designs are respectable. Check it out.
Brokenwood Mysteries 8-2 Death ‘n’ Bass **** After a raucous music festival, one of the performing rock artists is found dead, when his trailer bursts open in a flame-tree explosion. Gina and the detectives first speculate that he’s been killed by the huge speakers in the trialer tha he had turned up full blast. Naturally, things are much more complicated, and it turns out the man was dead before his van exploded. Other complications include rival bands, drug use, the angel of death, and the farmer whose land hosted the festival not being pleased by the mess left behind.
Bodkin (S1) **** A trio of true crime podcasters — an American on the brink of divorce, an enthusiastic assistant, and a tough-as-nails Irish journalist exiled by her bosses until things on her last case calm down — arrive in a remote Irish costal town looking for answers in the disappearance of three people at the local Samhain (rhymes with “COW win” .– held overnight from Oct. 31 – Nov. 1) festival decades ago. The story starts out feeling a lot like the Wicker Man, and even seems, for a while to have supernatural elements. In the end, though, it’s more about tangled relationships and buried secrets, as well as turmoil in the lives of the three main characters. I liked those characters, especially “Dove,” the journalist, and I enjoyed it, though some parts of the resolution felt rushed and under-explained in regards to supporting characters/villains.
Masque of the Red Death, The ****(*) Vincent Price is delightfully evil in this Roger Corman adaptation of the Poe story about nobility who have retreated to the castle of Prince Prospero and his cronies (Including Hazel Court) to wait out the titular plague. Of course, Price-Prospero decides he’d like to own a pretty peasant girl, much to the chagrin of her lover and her father. There’s also conflict within the prince’s court, all of which ends in the masked ball we’ve been waiting for. If you like Price, Corman, or Poe, this is a big winner and gets that extra star.
Peacemaker (S2) ***** Season 2 of Peacemaker pickes up with our hero interviewing to join the Justice Gang and then veers into an orgy and exploring the other dimensions through the door in Peacemaker’s closet. From there it gets weird in a way that probably only Peacemaker can get weird. We have dead characters back to life, new characters we already know, and at least one super vendetta. Plus all the characters we’ve grown to love in the previous season of the show. All of this ending in what is apparently a rousing series finale, beause the future will continue in some other franchise. I’m sorry about that, but am glad for the two great series we got. Peace out!
Ghosts of Mars (1991) ***(*) In the future, humans have colonized and terraformed Mars (everyone can breathe without helmets), and a big space-oriented corporation is running the place. But something goes wrong when an archeological dig uncovers “ghosts” that start turning the colonists into killing machines. Inject into this a train full of peacekeepers trying to take criminals to jail — until things go horribly wrong. The acting isn’t the best in this minor John Carpenter flick, but i like the characters, the setting, and nearly all the production design. I also like that it was shot almost entirely at night, giving the futuristic sets a definite otherworldly feeling. If you like Carpenter, action, gore, and Mars, you can probably give this that extra star.
Tron Legacy (2010) *** Many years after the first movie, the son of the original Tron inventor ends up in the Tron world and looks for his missing father amid battling the overlords of the Tron world. There are some interesting new characters, and the special effects are okay, but somehow, the whole thing ends up feeling rather flat, and the world inside the computer game bland, despite all the cool things that happen. I didn’t hate it, but it wasn’t very memorable. Your mileage may vary.
Tron: Ares (2025) ***(*) This new Tron flick starts in our world where a successor to the original Tron company has discovered how to use laser-like machines to create 3D objects, which mostly seem to be war related — tanks and so on — because why not? They’re also working on an ultimate AI soldier that can be endlessly duplicated to fight their battles for them. Unknown to them, this also falls into the schemes of the Tron world overlords. The big hang-up is that the laser created things, including the Ares warrior can only exist in the real world for a short time. But the grandson of the original Tron guy has a competing company also working on the problem. The two companies come into conflict, and naturally the grandson ends up in the Tron world, and Ares is sent on a mission to track him down and get the secret. I liked this better than the first sequel, and if you’re a fan, you can give it that extra star.
Them! (1954) ***** The original atomic mutation giant bug movie remains the best. A comatose little girl wandering in the desert is found by two police officers, one of whom is soon mysteriously killed. If you’ve seen the posters you know that (spoilers) what’s behind that killing and other disappearances is a nest of giant mutated ants. Scientists and the FBI are brought in to first solve the mystery and then fix the problem, though their task takes them from the desert to underground tunnels in Los Angeles. With a terrific cast, and a pioneering role for a woman scientist, it’s easy to believe that the giant ants (mechanical in real life) are real and a threat to the world. If you haven’t seen this, what are you waiting for?!
Arachnophobia (1990) **** It’s been ages since I last saw this spooky-funny thriller, and I’d honestly forgotten hw much fun it is. A very large and deadly spider kills a researcher in the Amazon and then hitchhikes back to the US inside the corpse, eventually escaping and threatening a small town with its web-spinning progeny. Real spiders were used in this flick, and that gives it a punch that is not easily duplicated by modern CG films. The cast is good, with John Goodman being a particular hoot as an enthusiastic exterminator.
Sugar Hill (1974) **** I thought I had seen this film before, but it turns out I had it confused with another blaxploitation horror flick (House on Skull Mountain). Here, an ambitious young black man is looking to start a great nightclub, but soon runs afoul of ruthless gangsters. When he is murdered, his girlfriend calls on the powers of voodoo and Baron Samedi to exact revenge. Let the carnage begin! This is a really fun flick with a lot of satisfying payback for the bad guys in ways that 70s supernatural ane exploitation films did so well.
Brokenwood Mysteries 8-3 Spark to a Flame **** This movie-length episode of one of my favorite mystery series starts with a woman found dead on the floor in a house that doesn’t belong to her. It is, in fact, the house of a neighbor. It turns out that the dead woman had a series of ongoing conflicts with a noisy neighbor, and she was last seen alive at a beach bonfire, where some of the locals were trying to mend fences. Mike, Kristin, and Daniel must figure out who bashed her head in, with what, and why. Another solid entry.
Brokenwood Mysteries 8-4 Three Coins in a Fountain **** When a man ends up dead in a fountain with the arrow of cupid the apparent murder weapon, three coins found on his body are the case’s main clues. It turns out that he had come to town for a big “spoofing” match, a type of betting contest in which people try to guess the number of coins being held in the hands of the participants. The dead man was the winner, and it soon turns out that he had more up his sleeve than it originally seemed. This fun episode features a lot of Frodo and the folks who run the local bar where the contest was held. I’d never heard of this game before, but the episode is a nutty good time.
Doctor Who 25-3 The Silver Nemesis *** The McCoy Doctor and Ace get caught in a battle between three factions for control of a powerful Silver statue, the nemesis of the title. One faction is a woman from the past who’s traveled to the present day, another is a band of neo-Nazis, and the third is the Cybermen. There’s a lot going on, but somehow the plot seemed confusing and under-developed to me. Still, Ace and the Doctor are amusing enough to carry it through.
Spy with My Face, The (1966) *** Another movie cut together from the Man from UNCLE TV series. In this one, Napoleon Solo and Illya Kuryakin are given the combination to a top secret vault containing nuclear secrets. But THRUSH kidnaps and impersonates Solo in an attempt to steal the secrets. This gives Solo’s actor (Robert Vaughn) the chance to play both good and evil versions of his character, which is always fun, and we get the usual James Bond-like machinations culminating at the Griffith Observatory, standing in for a base in the Swiss Alps. (!) As with most of these movies cobbled together from TV shows, this is fun but not super tight. Features 1964 Playboy Playmate of the Year Donna Michelle.
One of Our Spies Is Missing (1966) *** UNCLE sends their top agents, Napoleon Solo and Illya Kuryakin are sent to find a de-aging machine which has fallen into the hands of the bad guys. Rich people seem to have found the fountain of youth, but at what cost? Cut together from TV episodes, this flick is entertaining but has the faults of being based on TV episodes with commercial breaks. Again, it’s entertaining, has some death traps, and even gets the UNCLE boss, Mr. Waverly more involved in the action than usual. Yvonne Craig also briefly appears, which is always a plus.
Relic, The (1997) *** Something terrible comes to the Field Museum in Chicago along with a shipment of relics. As the museum prepares for a grand opening gala, people start disappearing and being killed. At first, the police are unresponsive for those trying to warn them that something weird is going on, and in the end we get a lot of pretty cool monsters scenes, as everything goes to hell. Some of the CG effects haven’t aged well, but generally an amusing monster flick.
Haxan – Witchcraft Through the Ages (1922) ***** This amazing silent feature traces the history of witchcraft through the ages, explaining the histories and recreating many scenes, bout of authorities trying to hunt witches, and the things that alleged witches were supposedly doing. This includes recreations of the Devil and demons that are good enough that they now almost appear to be documentary footage, because of the film’s age. This is a really cool, creepy Halloween keeper.
Brokenwood Mysteries 8-5 Good as Gold ***** The woman found dead near a river by Mike and company turns out to be part of two feuding families that have hated each other for generations. The animosity started with the discovery of a huge gold nugget in the river by two men, who quickly had a falling out over it. The nugget was lost, and people have been searching for it ever since. The dead woman was one of the seekers, and people on both sides of the feud may have benefited from her death. Another really good Brokenwood Mystery.
Elvira’s Haunted Hills (2002) **** A few centuries ago, Elvira and her maidservant escape from one hostile village into the castle-manor of a mysterious count (Richard O’Brien), who wears dark glasses and lives like a recluse. What follows is a Poe-like story of ghosts, repeating history, and madness. And of course comedy featuring Elvira’s hot bod. For those who appreciate tribute/parodies to classic horror, like I do, will enjoy this. In my memory, it’s better than the first Elvira film.
Brokenwood Mysteries 8-6 Four Fires & a Funeral ***** It’s a busy week for the understaffed Brokenwood Fire Department, but it gets downright grim when they go do a barn fire and find not only a dead man, but also a dead human-looking dummy. Naturally, this brings in Mike, Kristin, and Daniel — plus ME Gina — to sort out what is what. The series regularly returning gay psychiatrist (who’s married to the town priest) is one of the department’s volunteers and has been working with the troop on team building, and also — it turns out — on some of their personal issues, which turn out to be plenty. Another amusing episode with an intriguing solution.
Blood Drinkers, The (1964) **(*) A bald vampire who’s also a doctor tries to save his dying wife with blood transfusions from a series of victims and, eventually, a heart transplant from her twin sister. As one of the first Filipino horror films, it’s interesting, though the plot is something of a hot mess, and its tendency to turn from tinted black and white to color stock is distracting at best. But, if you like wacky vampire movies or early Filipino horror, you can give this that extra star.
American Werewolf in London (1981) ***(*) Rick Baker won the first ever Oscar for Best Makeup with this John Landis werewolf film. Two friends get lost on the moors and are attacked by a werewolf. One is killed, the other, David, ends up in a London hospital, where he recovers. A hot nurse (Jenny Agutter from Logan’s Run) adopts him as her lover. But when the full moon rolls around, again, David gets furry and kills people, just as his dead friend Jack (who is haunting him), predicted. I saw this movie when it came out and hated it. Then I saw it later and thought, “Why did I hate this?” Many years have passed since both those viewings, and now I have a third opinion. Baker’s makeup FX still look pretty great, though the werewolf head doesn’t blink. The story is more threadbare than I remembered, and seems designed around a series of shocks. I’m not surprised that Landis wrote the story when he was 18, because it’s a young man’s view of life and death and relationships. So, for me, not a classic, though fairly amusing. An extra star for Baker’s work.
Young Frankenstein (1974) ***** Mel Brooks & Gene Wilder’s comedy homage/parody of the classic Universal Franenstein films holds up just as well today as the films that inspired it. Frankenstein’s skeptical grandson returns to the family castle and, almost despite himself, takes up the work of creating a monster, with predictable and often hilarious results. The brilliant cast including Wilder, Marty Feldman, Terry Garr, Peter Boyle, Madeline Kahn and more can’t be beat. This flick stands up to repeated viewings and is just as funny each time around — or maybe even funnier as you notice more clever details. A true classic.
Maigret 1-1 Maigret Sets a Trap **** Rowan Atkinson plays a very serious and contemplative Maigret in this movie-length adaptation. Here, the inspector and his police force try to track down a serial killer of woman stalking the streets of Paris. As Maigret works studiously, political pressure mounts to find and lock up the killer. This forces Maigret to formulate a plan to both get the press off his back and to trap the killer. I’ve never read the Maigret books, but this feels like a really good adaptation of the world’s 2nd Most Popular Detective (behind Sherlock Holmes).
Brokenwood Mysteries 9-1 Brokenwood the Musical ***** I thought this episode of Brokenwood might be in the tradition of Buffy, Xena, and other serious shows that do musical eps. But instead, it’s about a local theatrical production of a musical about Brokenwood, where the history of our favorite fictitious New Zealand place veers strongly from the actual history. The creator, director of the show says there are good reasons for everything, but he never gets to explain what they might be, when, while playing the Statue of Liberty at the show’s climax, he’s literally crowned by a falling light and electrocuted. If you thought Mike and the crew had a tough time figuring out the last theatrical murder, they’ve got even more drama to sort through in this ep, including the return of another paroled criminal to their midst. (It’s nice the show has gone on long enough that some of the killers are now back in circulation!) Highly amusing.
Raven, The (1935) ****(*) Bela Lugosi plays a self-centered (mad) surgeon who takes a shine to a young woman whose life he saves on the operating table and becomes determined to have her at any cost. Unwillingly helping him is Boris Karloff, playing Bateman, a convict on the lam whom the doctor has promised plastic surgery. But a preliminary operation leaves Karloff disfigured and dependent on Lugosi for a cure, which means he must aid Bela’s mad scheme to use Edgar Allen Poe’s torture devices to win the girl and kill her family. Not as good as the Black Cat, this is still one of the best Lugosi-Karloff team ups, and get an extra star from fans like me.
Dracula (1931) ****(*) The original Universal Dracula film with Bela Lugosi in the title role is both a classic and a frustration. Classic because Bela is great, as is much of the cast, the sets, and production. Frustrating because after a very filmic first section, the story becomes confined to the inside of the Seward sanitarium/house for most of the later part. Despite this, the count’s trip to England leaves a creepy trail of dead and undead victims in his wake. And as the first of the Universal horror movies, it’s hard to beat. Give it the extra star if you’re a Bela fan or a film history buff.
Return of the Vampire (1943) **** Bela Lugosi plays Armand Tesla, a Dracula-like character (the producers changed the name to avoid lawsuits), who is resurrected in London when his coffin is disinterred by a bombing, and the stake removed form his heart. He and his werewolf minion then plan to exact Tesla’s revenge on Lady Jane, the doctor who helped foil him previously, and her family. An excellent film with good characters, including the pre-feminist feminist icon Lady Jane, the werewolf, and Tesla himself, one of the few times Lugosi played an actual vampire on film.
Son of Frankenstein (1939) ***** The third Karloff Frankenstein film continues Universal perfect streak of perfect horror films. This time, the son of Frankenstein (Basil Rathbone) returns home only to get sucked into his father’s infamous experiments. The monster (Karloff) is still alive, and being aided by Igor (Bela Lugosi), who wants him returned to full power — but only so Igor can take revenge on the townsfolk who hanged (but did not kill) him. Havoc ensues in the best possible monster movie way. Also of note is Lionel Atwill as a police inspector with a prosthetic arm, because the original one was ripped off by the monster. 1940s monster movies don’t get any better than this!
Invisible Ray, The (1936) **** Another great Karloff-Lugosi masterpiece, this one has Karloff finding an element fallen from the stars that, when harnessed, can both cure illness and become a death ray. Karloff, his mind poisoned by the radiation, starts out wanting to do the first but becoming fascinated by the second. Lugosi is his colleague, a totally good guy, who not only wants to use the invisible ray to cure people but also attempts to cure Karloff of his radiation induced madness. Naturally, because this is a horror movie, things don’t turn out the way either man hoped. Another fine performance by both actors, and it’s always good to see Bela as a good guy.
You’ll Find Out (1940) **** Band Leader and radio personality Kay Kyser and his band travel to the mansion home of a rich family to play at a birthday party. While there, they become mixed up with seances, a psychic (Bela Lugosi), and schemers Boris Karloff and Peter Lorre. It’s all very Old Dark House, with secret passages and everything, plus the excellent music of Kay and his band. Stands up to repeat viewings.
Brokenwood Mysteries 9-2 Old Blood Money ***** A posh birthday party hosted by an eccentric old woman ends with a surprise as one of the attendees ends up deat. Not only that, but another attendee (a returning minor character) gets drunk and runs off the road. And when the police and emergency services come to rescue her, they discover a dead woman in the trunk (or boot, if you prefer). So suddenly, we have two dead bodies, and any chanse either is accidental becomes more unlikely. Mike, Kristin, and Daniel have to navigate complex family rivalries, jealousies, buried secrets, and possibly inheritance issues to solve this one. Another fun outing.
Lost World, The (1925) ***** The eccentric scientist Professor Challenger leads a group of adventurers into the South American jungles to find a lost plateau where he claims to have discovered living dinosaurs. And thanks to the magic of Willis (King Kong) O’Brien’s stop-motion animation, the Challenger team gets more dinos and prehistoric threats than they can handle. The first great dinosaur movie, this adaptation is fairly faithful to the original book, aside from bringing a brontosaurus back to London rather than a pterodactyl and adding an adventurous woman to the dino safari. One hundred years after it was made, this flick still holds up great.
Scream of Fear (1961) *** A paralyzed woman in line for an inheritance returns to her ancestral home. Confined to a wheelchair (a huge hinderance in less modern times), she soon starts seeing her newly dead father around the estate, always in ways that make i appear she might be mad. Despite the fairly rote mystery setup of someone plotting to kill an heiress, this Hammer flick is well produced and very watchable. It also has a nice twist or two, but honestly, adding a little bit of the supernatural would have elevated it to top notch.
Never Take Candy from a Stranger **** A creepy old man cons young girls into taking off their clothes in exchange for candy. When one of the girls’ parents is righteously outraged, they try to get the man prosecuted, only to run up against the fact that he’s the dottering patriarch of the company that “owns” and runs this town. People don’t want to believe the girl, and the authorities seem to prefer discrediting her, if and when the case comes to court. And then, things get worse. I’d thought the title of this flick would be a metaphor for something else, but it’s dead on target. A really good film, but brutal to watch Another non-supernatural Hammer flicks.
Curse of the Mummy’s Tomb, The (1964) **** An expedition in the Egyptian desert finds a mummy and hooks up with a pushy-but-likeable American showman who intends to take the mummy and the artifacts with it on a world tour to take money. Naturally, there are rumors of a curse — you got that from the title, right — and soon the body of the mummy vanishes and members of the expedition start dying. The second Hammer mummy film isn’t as good as the first, but still has a lot going for it, including strong production values and a good cast. Standard stuff, but really well done.
Mummy’s Shroud, The (1967) *** In the third of the Hammer mummy pictures, an expedition recovers the mystical shroud of a murdered Egyptian princess as well as the mummy of the man who’d sworn to protect him in life… and beyond. Again, as in the previous film we have a greedy white guy looking to cash in on the artifacts, though this time he’s a complete asshole. Hammer regular Michael Ripper has a plum part as the bad guy’s sniveling aide-de-camp, and the production values are good, if not as good as the first two Hammer mummy films. Naturally, there are plenty of mummy murders as well as a really cool disintegration scene.
Abominable Snowman, The (1957) **** Peter Cushing and Forest Tucker are both excellent as adventurers looking for the Abominable Snowman in the Himalayas, against advice from Cushing’s screen wife and the local Tibetan monks. The two men are also at cross purposes during their expedition. Thanks to an excellent script by Brit SciFi genius, Nigel Kneale (Quatermass), there’s plenty of creepy scenes and suspense here, and the resolution won’t likely be what you expect. Hammer brings good photography and production to the flick, making it a real treat to watch. (Though don’t expect huge, hairy monster suit rampages, as I did when I first saw this.)
The Fly (1958) **** David Hedison stars as a scientist hoping to help all of humanity by creating a teleportation machine which will be able to move goods and possibly even human beings between locations almost instantaneously. But despite a failed experiment with the cat, he decides to try the machine on himself. Unfortunately, there’s also a fly in the teleportation chamber with him… This flick scared the hell out of me as a kid, and the fly makeup and ending still hold shocks and shivers. Production values are good, and Vincent Price lends gravitas to the story, which plays out as a flashback mystery. Recommended.
Return of the Fly (1963) *** In this black and white sequel to the original film (which was in glorious color), the son of the original inventor tries to re-create his father’s teleportation machine. Unfortunately, one of his trusted assistants is a crook who sees big money in selling the machine to the highest bidder. This results in some freakish experiments, including one where son follows in the father’s flyspeck footsteps. The production values are lower in this flick, and the fly-monster makeup not nearly as good, though the crature’s head does look more like a fly. A second sequel followed, but I don’t think it’s available in HD streams yet.
Quatermass & the Pit (1967) ***** Construction of a new tube (subway) stop in London reveals a strange object beneath the ground. At first believed to be a WWII bomb, its soon discovered to be an ancient spaceship whose inhabitants may have shaped the evolution of humanity on Earth. Based on the TV serial by British SciFi innovator Nigel Kneale, the “gods” from space premise of this story predates the silly (and racist) Chariots of the Gods book by a year, and the original serial predates it by a decade. Here, rather than a historical con-job, we get a thrilling and brilliantly acted and produced SciFi story. Being a Kneale story, there’s plenty to think about amid the thrills, and Hammer Films’ production and cast are top notch. Considered by many, including me, to be Hammers best SciFi film.
Brokenwood Mysteries 9-3 Nun of the Above **** Kristin’s (mysterious) background comes to the fore as she, Mike, and Daniel investigate the death of a young nun found dead outside the chapel of the nunnery while her sister nuns were rehearsing a musical number inside. Our detective team soon discovers that neither the nunnery nor the women in habits are entirely what they seem. But will their secret pasts lead to the murder, or is it possible that maybe the wrong nun may have been killed — as they all look alike in their identical outfits. Another fun episode.
Murders in the Rue Morgue (1932) **** Bela Lugosi is Dr. Mirakle, sideshow owner of an ape, Erik, who seems more intelligent than the average beast. Maybe because of this, or because he’s just a mad scientist, Mirakle has become obsessed with proving that apes and humans are closely related enough to share blood and perhaps even more. He goes about proving this by experimenting on hapless women, which ie’s getting away with until he sets his eyes on the hero’s girlfriend. Based on the story of the same name by Edgar Allan Poe (considered the first modern detective story), this pre-Code film hits a lot of the same notes as well as padding it with a love story and comedy side-bits. On the whole, though, it’s a truly creepy film, with the sequence with Lugosi’s victim particularly disturbing.
House of Frankenstein (1944) **** Boris Karloff plays Dr. .Niemann, a mad scientist determined to follow in the footsteps of Frankenstein. J. Carrol Naish is his hunchbacked assistant. Together, they break out of prison and set out to revenge themselves on Niemann’s enemies and gain Frankenstein’s secrets of life and death. Along the way, they encounter Count Dracula (John Carradine), a pretty gypsy girl, the Wolfman (Lon Chaney, Jr.), and the Frankenstein Monster (Glenn Strange’s first portrayal). Though this flick plays out more like a portmanteau road picture, with discrete sections separating some of the monsters, the cast, especially Karloff, Chaney, and Naish make it a very entertaining watch.
House of Dracula (1945) **** Kindly surgeon Dr. Edelmann has a reputation for helping people other doctors cannot. Because of this, both Dracula and the Wolfman/Larry Talbot come to him seeking cures for their respective conditions. But things go wrong when Talbot accidentally leads Edelmann to the Frankenstein monster, and Dracula decides he’d rather have the pretty girl than get cured. This results in Edelmann becoming a Jekyll/Hyde-type, suddenly more interested in reviving the monster than helping his pretty hunchbacked nurse or other patients. Mayhem ensues. Time seems to have elapsed between the previous “House” film and this one (probably in the unmade Dracula vs. the Wolfman film), because some of the cast (particularly the Wolfman — Lon Chaney, Jr. and Dracula — John Carradine) aren’t where the last film left them. Despite this, House of Dracula has a more coherent story than its predecessor ,House of Frankenstein, which almost feels like an anthology. The cast and production are up to Universal’s usual standards, and the flick doesn’t overstay its welcome, clocking in at a lean 1 hour and 7 minutes.
Land Unknown, The (1957) **** A helicopter exploring the Antarctic is downed in a mysterious unknown land, an oasis of warmth amid the ice that is populated by… Dinosaurs! The crew must then face the menaces of this lost world, thwart a mysterious enemy, and try to return to their expeditionary fleet before time runs out and they have to endure an Antarctic winter. The cast (including a woman reporter) are good looking enough, but the real attraction here are the dinos. Sadly, some are portrayed by lizards blown up to giant size but there’s also a pretty good man-in-suit T-Rex. For me, though the real winner is the mechanical/puppet plesiosaurus waiting to sink anyone trying to cross the land’s waterways. All in all, another good Universal SciFi production.
Bray Road Beast, The (2018) **** This documentary (available on Amazon Prime) tells the story of the Beast of Bray Road, Elkhorn, Wisconsin’s famous werewolf, including the original reporting and stories of the monster that happened both before the famous reported events and since. The folk mythology of this cryptid is a lot of fun. The real treat for me though is how much footage this film has of my late, dear friend Linda Godfrey, the reporter who investigated the original story. Linda remained a very serious and reliable researcher of strange things until the end of her life. She became the foremost werewolf expert in the world, and it’s really good to see her here.
Brokenwood Mysteries 9-4 Going to the Dogs **** When a veterinary nurse is found dead, tied to a tree by leashes and wearing a dog-shock collar, Mike, Kristin, and Daniel investigate the vet clinic where she worked, its ties to disgruntled pet owners, and even the local horse racing derby. Anything and anyone involved with hot-and-cold twin sisters, one of whom is a vet, the other a horse whisperer is suspect. There’s a romantic complication for Daniel, and Mike’s girlfriend Beth is getting tired of waiting for his divorce from his long-estranged wife to come through. Another good show in the series, which has now started giving us a little more of the main characters’ personal lives.
Scars of Dracula (1970) *** The blood from a vampire bat (possibly blood from Blood of Dracula) revives the prince of darkness in his old castle. There he and his new vampire bride ensnare a local playboy, bringing the vamps into conflict with the man’s brother and a new pretty girl for the count to lust over. Lee’s Dracula is particularly sadistic in this one, treating both his bride and his servant (Doctor Who’s Patrick Troughton) very badly. There’s a brief bit of nudity, too, but while Lee continues to be a force to be reckoned with, this is probably the least of his Hammer Dracula films. (Though the following film, Dracula A.D. 1972, might take that prize, too.)
Isle of the Dead (1940) **** Karloff is a tough Greek general, taking a break from the wars to visit the island where his wife is buried. There, he finds himself trapped on the isle during a plague outbreak. He quickly assumes command of the situation, refusing to let anyone leave the island until the wind shifts, which will end the plague. But is it the plague, or actually the vampire-like spirit many locals think it is. Certainly the increasingly obsessive and mad Karloff may not be the best judge, nor the best to be in charge. Another top-notch moody thriller produced by Val Lewton.
Return of Doctor X, The (1939) *** When mysterious killings plague the city, the rumor mill quickly attributes it to vampires. The police and good reporters are, of course, looking for a more rational explanation. But, in fact, the rumors aren’t that fare off, as the killings are related to an executed conflict (played by Humphry Bogart!) whose been revived and needs blood to continue this existence. Bogart is badly miscast, but despite of that, or maybe because of it, this flick is kind of interesting. Fans of wacky stuff or severe Bogart fans can give it an extra star.
Strange Case of Doctor RX, The (1942) ***(*) Not to be confused with the previous film, in this Universal weirdie, people acquitted of crimes are being mysteriously killed. While the police look for the killer, the mad doctor plans further deviousness, including wanting to transplant the brain of the hero into the body of a gorilla. Aside from that SF/horror note, the rest of this flick is a pretty straightforward mystery from the Universal factory-production system.
Bigfoot Took Her (2025) *** Jessica Chobot (who you may remember from Josh Gates’ Expedition X) and LAPD veteran Robert Collier do the “true crime” series with a twist. When teenager Theresa Bier went missing in 1987, the man who last saw her claimed that “Bigfoot took her” during a camping trip. Though police at the time didn’t really believe that, the excuse stuck, and the girl’s disappearance remains unsolved. Digging into the case, Chobot and Collier discover a trail of sleazy family connections, drugs, possible teen prostitution, and just a whole cesspool of ick. If you like true crime podcasts, this may be your bucket of slime, but if you’re hoping it really had anything to do with bigfoot, think again. The girl, or her body, remains missing to this day. Spoiler, but didn’t want you getting your hopes up.
Wolf Man, The (1941) ***** Lon Chaney, Jr., is Larry Talbot, who turns into the titular character after trying to save someone from a werewolf attack. The victim dies, but though bitten, Talbot survives to become one of the best and most relatable of the Universal monsters. The rest of the film deals with Talbot trying to convince other people, including frequent co-star Evelyn Ankers, that he’s become cursed and dangerous to all around him. Chaney got to play all the classic 1940s Universal monsters — Dracula, Kharis the mummy, Frankenstein monster — but it’s the Wolfman that he originated and made his own. His five appearances as the character are some of his best work. A classic with a great cast production, script, just the whole ball of fur.
Ghost of Frankenstein, The (1942) ***(*) Not quite dead from the end of Son of Frankenstein, the monster (Lon Chaney, Jr.) is revived and goes cross-country with also not-quite-dead Igor, (Bela Lugosi) to try to get a power-up from another Frankenstein who was foolish enough to start a sanitarium rather than flee Europe altogether. After killing some local folk, the monster is hidden in a secret chamber as the new foolish Frankenstein plots to replace the creature’s brain with a better one. But Igor has other plans…! Give this another star if you’re a Lugosi fan, for his fine return to his iconic character.
Frankenstein Meets the Wolfman (1943) ****(*) Yes, I’ve run these last 3 in production order. Larry Talbot, the Wolfman, returns despite his wishes to merely rest in piece. Once revived, he begins a trek across the country to try to find someone to end his misery. Learning that Frankenstein had the secrets of life and death, Talbot finds the monster (Bela Lugosi) and revives it, hoping doing so may help him learn how to die. Of course, things don’t go exactly as hoped. Filled with a great cast, the usual Universal high production values, and even a memorable song, this film packs a lot into its short runtime. It’s also the first-ever monster mashup and the origin of all movie shared universes. If you’re a fan of the Wolfman, Frankenstein, or any of the actors involved — or monster history itself — give this another star.
Night of the Demon (1958) ***** Dana Andrews’ character, Dr. Holden, comes to England for a conference only to discover that one of the principals has died mysteriously, after confronting a modern-day warlock, Karswell, who allegedly cursed him. Soon, Holden also falls afoul of Karswell and is cursed to die in a few days. Skeptical almost to the last, Holden spends the film getting more paranoid as he’s pursued by dark forces, including the demon of the title. A great suspense-horror film, stories persist that the monster was added after shooting without director Tourneur’s approval. It’s a great-looking monster, though, and while the film could have been great without it, it’s also great WITH it. You do, however, want to see the longer version, not the Curse of the Demon US cut, which omits nearly 15 minutes of characterization and creepy scenes. And yes, this is the film from which comes the line in the Rocky Horror Picture Show: Dana Andrews said prunes, gave him the runes. (Though there are no prunes.)
Burn, Witch, Burn (1962 a.k.a. Night of the Eagle) **** A college professor of psychology is shocked and dismayed to discover that his fashionable wife is practicing ritual magic — witchcraft — in order to protect him from unseen evil forces she insists have it out for him. After he destroys all her protective charms, though, it seems she may have been right. A series of strange and disturbing events soon threaten the professor’s job and his wife. Based on the Fritz Leiber novel “Conjure Wife,” this is a strong British adaptation with good production and acting and creepy atmosphere. I like the US title better than Night of the Eagle, and the only real difference is a brief “introduction” by Paul Frees. Richard Matheson and Charles Beaumont wrote the screenplay with George Baxt.
Frankenstein Created Woman (1967) **** Peter Cushing is back as Baron Frankenstein, this time obsessed with trapping the human soul to hold it safe while repairing a person’s body. He soon gets his chance, when one of his assistants is wrongly executed, and the man’s lover, who has a deformed body, kills herself. Transplanting a dead man’s soul into a dead woman’s beautiful reconstructed body might not be the best idea, but when has that ever stopped Frankenstein? A personal favorite among the Hammer Frankenstein films, I enjoy this both for the change-up in story, the well-deserved revenge, and of course the beautiful Susan Denberg. It’s a honey!
Bride of Frankenstein (1935) ***** Frankenstein survived the previous film, and so did the monster, despite the windmill burning down. Now the creature is wandering the countryside, trying to find a friend, while Frankenstein falls in with fellow mad scientist Dr. Pretorius. Pretorius meets the monster and together they convince Frankenstein to make a bride for the monster, resulting in the classic climax of this flick. One of the rare sequels that is as good as the original film, perhaps even better, like it’s predecessor, this film somehow manages to diverge greatly from Shelley’s book, while still invoking the ideas of the story’s brilliant creator. Can’t miss this one!
Dracula Prince of Darkness (1966) ***** Christopher Lee’s Dracula was killed at the end of the first film, but this flick comes up with a very clever (and gruesome) way to revive him. Two vacationing couples stumble into the nearly deserted Castle Dracula, despite the advice of Father Sandor, a traveling priest with a rifle. Once resurrected Dracula gets up to his old tricks of trying to make the prettiest girl around his undead bride. Hammer’s first 3 Dracula films with lee are pretty much perfect, and this is the middle one. I love it to death.
Halloween (1978) ***** Laurie (Jamie Lee Curtis) and her teenage friends scheme to get drunk and get laid while their foks are away on Halloween night, never suspecting that Michael Meyers, who killed his family years ago, will come home to their neighborhood tonight. Director John Carpenter changed the course of horror films forever with this low-budget chiller masterpiece. Suspense runs high, the deaths are shocking, and the only way you can guess the twists is because they’ve been imitated so often since. Though often imitated, this film remains the top of the genre.
Halloween III Season of the Witch ***(*) Just before Halloween, Dr. Dan Challis (Tom Atkins) and Ellie, whose father was killed in the hospital while under Dan’s care, team up to solve the mysterious murder. Their only clue is a Halloween mask clutched int he dead man’s hand when he was brought to the hospital. Their quest leads them to the mask’s manufacturer, who may have much deeper plans than merely being the best selling mask of this season. This film followed Carpenter’s idea that each movie in the Halloween series should tell a new story, rather than following the original. Sadly, this didn’t do as well as the previous two flicks, and thus Michael Meyers returned in the movies to follow. I like this one a lot though, much better than Halloween II. Fans of new stuff and plots suggested by Nigel Kneale can give this that extra star,
So, that wraps up October 2025, another Halloween month come and gone. Total this time is an astonishing 78 reviews. Which brings the 2025 TOTAL to 599 films, series, & notable other programs. And that’s with 2 months left to go! Can I make 700? Stay tuned.
NEXT MONTH: As promised at the top, there’ll be something different… I’m changing my mini-reviews format back to its original shorter form. Why? A couple of reasons: One is that I polled my patrons and found that they didn’t favor my longer reviews over shorter ones. Another is that these longer reviews were taking up a lot of my time, and had become more of a chore than a joy. Third, while making pithy short notes for November’s reviews, I discovered that shorter seemed to bring back the fun. Plus, shorter will free me up for other writing that I want to do.
Given all that, will my number of reviews fall off? From what I’ve seen in November, probably not. Next month, I’ll be finishing up Brokenwood Mysteries, taking care of spill-over from Halloween, and more. See you soon!
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