Shameless Self Expression

Nobleman Duc de Richleau (Christopher Lee) realises that his friend Simon (Patrick Mower) has fallen in with a coven of Satanists known as The Society, and led by the purple-robed Mocata (Charles Gray). Mocata has quite the hold on the mind of his followers like Simon and Tanith (Niké Arrighi), and Duc de Richleau must find a way to keep Simon and Tanith away from his evil grasp. This is no easy task given Mocata’s powerful and wide reach, and seeming powers of mind control/mesmerism.   Christopher Lee suggested to Hammer Studios that they tackle a Dennis Wheatley novel, and thus we have this 1968 occult movie from director Terence Fisher ( “The Curse of Frankenstein” , “The Horror of Dracula” ) and American screenwriter Richard Matheson ( “The Incredible Shrinking Man” , “The House of Usher” , “The Pit and the Pendulum” ). This is one of the better films of its type and more well-made than the later “To the Devil- A Daughter” , also a Wheatley adaptation. In that fairly OK but...

Telly Savalas is an American living in London, whose expensive lifestyle is catching up with him. In walks James Mason, as the former commander of a Nazi POW camp Savalas was sent to in WWII. He has an offer that Savalas can’t refuse. The plan is to break out a Nazi war criminal from prison because he knows the whereabouts of a sizeable amount of Nazi gold! To assist the two men, Savalas calls in a favour from a buddy with a knack for planning a breakout (Robert Culp). Gunter Meisner plays a German ex-corporal involved in the operation, whilst Aldo Ray plays a former camp buddy of Savalas’ who now works at the military prison.   It’s Telly Savalas going after Nazi gold again with this 1975 film from director Peter Duffell (the solid horror anthology “The House That Dripped Blood” ), with an ex-Nazi joining in on the fun this time around. If you can get past that frankly questionable addition, this is actually a good caper. I have to confess, I was resistant at first, but not ou...

A non-linear account of East L.A. twenty-somethings behaving badly, including multiple shootings. More specifically it focuses on two groups of losers; one white (college kid Mark Webber, his buddy Riley Smith, and video camera obsessed Paul Dano), and one black (somewhat responsible Nick Cannon, his buddy Jade Yorker, and Yorker’s kid brother Brandon Smith). Jason Smith has been accused of raping and beating Cannon’s kid sister (Regine Nehy) and so the trio want revenge for it. Events track back to a party the night before, and in fact the opening scene of one of the character’s being murdered by another in a hamburger joint occurs later in the story. Nehy, for her part, is meant to be dating Brandon Smith’s character and might not be all that reliable. Oh, and in addition to his video camera hobby, dateless loser Dano likes to carry around a shotgun. He’s also sick of being ignored and brushed aside, even by his best bud Riley Smith. An almost unrecognisable Arliss Howard turns up as...

Set in 18 th Century Spain, Richard Wordsworth plays a poor beggar who begs at the feet of the cruel Marquis Siniestro (Anthony Dawson), and is thrown in jail for his troubles. Years pass and the beggar’s humanity all but evaporates, resulting in him forcing himself on a mute servant girl (the pretty Yvonne Romain), imprisoned herself for refusing the Marquis’ sexual advances. After the beggar subsequently dies, the servant girl ends up managing to escape the Marquis’ castle and is taken in by the kindly Don Alfredo Carrido (Clifford Evans). She subsequently gives birth to a boy and dies herself shortly after. Don Alfredo raises the boy as his own, calling him Leon. However, he eventually learns that Leon is no ordinary boy, he has strange animalistic tendencies…animalistic tendencies that only become more prominent in adulthood (with Leon now played by Oliver Reed).   Hammer Studios basically doing their stab at “The Wolf Man” , and only just managing to make the grade. This...

Glenn Ford plays a psychologically unstable Civil War Colonel, who orders his troops to open fire on Confederate soldiers who have clearly raised the white flag (and Ford has seen it). Meanwhile, his brother in arms and good friend William Holden, senses Ford is in a bad way mentally, but does nothing about it. When they come home from war to their mining town, Ford is appointed Federal Judge by mining boss Ray Collins (who controls the claims of the ex-Union soldiers via a legal loophole) and a Governor’s representative (Stanley Andrews), and he appoints Holden as Federal Marshal. However, his new judicial powers and psychological scars turn the troubled Ford into a tyrant (though he only reluctantly sides against the war vet claimers). He also turns into an outright green-eyed monster when realising the girl he took as his soon-to-be wife (Ellen Drew), would much rather be with Holden. Holden, meanwhile, sees Ford and his greedy backers for what they are, and somewhat turns outlaw, a...