Shameless Self Expression

Set on the coast of Spain, diamond heiress Anne Baxter receives a visitor to her villa in the form of Richard Todd. Todd claims to be Baxter’s brother, but Baxter claims not to recognise Todd, and swears that her brother died in a car accident. Todd claims it was the passenger who died, and he was merely injured and suffered a brief spell of amnesia. She calls the police on him, but Todd is able to convince local cop Vargas (Herbert Lom) that his story is on the level and that his sister is just being ridiculous. He’s even got the same tattoo on his arm that the brother had. Soon he has replaced Baxter’s servants, and is pretty intent on hanging around, driving Baxter to near-breakdown. What on Earth is going on here? Faith Brook plays one of Todd’s companions, Alexander Knox is a well-regarded relative who backs up Todd’s story, to Baxter’s astonishment and confusion.   Here’s a nifty little crime-thriller from 1958, with terrific performances and an irresistible mystery plot....

A Scotland Yard Colonel (Christopher Lee) teams up with his pathologist friend (Peter Cushing) over a series of supposed suicides of elderly orphanage trustees that the Colonel suspects aren’t suicides. Meanwhile, A doctor (Keith Barron) and a reporter (Georgia Brown) a young girl (Gwyneth Strong) has just survived a bus crash, but her recollections of the incident involve fire – there were no flames involved in the crash whatsoever. That crash did however involve the deaths of three more trustees of the orphanage. The plot thickens. Meanwhile, the girl’s birth mother (Diana Dors), a prostitute and convicted multiple murderer shows up at the hospital demanding to see her estranged daughter. Duncan Lamont plays a doctor, Kathleen Byron and Shelagh Fraser play people from the orphanage, and Fulton Mackay turns up as a Scotland Yard Chief Constable.   I’ve been wanting to see this 1973 Peter Sasdy ( “Taste the Blood of Dracula” , “Countess Dracula” , “The Devil Within Her” ) myste...

After her scientist husband is rubbed out, Adele (Sophia Loren) attempts to exact revenge on the reclusive billionaire criminal (also her husband’s employer) supposedly behind the hit. The FBI also want to track down this Karl Stegner fellow, and agent Frank Hull (Vincent Gardenia) has an idea: He contacts the rather shadowy Sal Hyman (Eli Wallach) for help. Hyman gets in touch with a former hit man/mercenary named Fannon (James Coburn), believing Fannon to be the right man for this assignment and sends Fannon off to Antigua where this Mr. Stegner supposedly operates in seclusion. Fannon has a right-hand man named Catlett (O.J. Simpson) to help him out, as well as a twin brother named Eddie (also Coburn) to use as a cover on missions. George Grizzard and Anthony Franciosa turn up as the slimy Gelhorn and mysterious Dr. Felix, respectively. Billy Barty (!) plays a Curacao casino owner named Dominic Carbone, whilst former pugilist Jake LaMotta plays a hired thug.   Although I’m n...

A lawyer (Lex Barker), a baroness (Karin Dor), and a priest (Vladimir Midar) are taken to the Castle of Count Regula (Christopher Lee), believed to have been drawn and quartered 35 years ago for murdering 12 women. They soon find themselves wondering if the Count really did die all those years ago as all manner of spooky goings on start happening at the castle.   Another German-made film featuring Christopher Lee (who previously played the lead role dubbed by someone else in “Sherlock Holmes and the Deadly Necklace” ), this 1967 horror film is from director Harald Reinl ( “The Return of Dr. Mabuse” , “The Valley of Death” , a spaghetti western with Lex Barker). Thankfully this time Lee is heard speaking English in his own voice for what comes across like a mixture of Hammer horror, Edgar Allen Poe, and Bram Stoker. It’s pretty enjoyable stuff, even though it’s a bit on the nose having Lee playing a character named ‘Count Regula’. The film is basically a loose retelling of Poe’s...