Wednesday, October 15, 2008

LAS VAMPIRAS (The Vampire Girls) - Gustavo César Carrión - "Gracias Mils Mascaras & Akira Ifukube" (1969)

Well, I was wondering what I could ever possibly come up with that would be a new and unique Halloween treat, and by cracky, I couldn't believe it, I just fell into this rancid vat of interesting trivia for all you diehards, and here's the bottom line! After listening to this track one more time I came to realize that the "original" theme music from this 1969 Mexican feature "Las Vampiras" composed by the masestro Gustavo César Carrión, was gernerously lifted from the music from the 1963 Japanese film we just wrote about last week, with music by Akira Ifukube, "Atragon" that I can't forget, because it beat me up so bad!!

So, Gustavo, wherever you are, I know you never thought it would happen, but you're busted!! Yeah, you ran some variations, and stretched out the dum dum's to lengths way beyond belief, but there is no doubt, it's the same music. but we forgive you, man, because it's still an amazing soundtrack!! Wow, as it turns out, it seems "Atragon" was a garden of sights and sounds just ripe for the picking!!!

"Las Vampiras" is basically about three things, Vampire Women, Wrasslers, and John Carradine!!!

History tells us that John Caradine was one of the finest actors of all time. No matter what he was handed, he gave it his all! That sardonic grin is your 2008 Countdown Halloween bonus!! Enjoy it!!!

Some of the greatest masks ever!!!

María Duval, Maura Monti, Marta Romero y Mas Vampiras!!!!

John Carradine could play a goober or a Count, and he'd never blow a line, not even in Spanish!!

One of the best parts of this film, is where they're in the backseat, and they start rocking back and forth, and by the pure inertia of these two men, they are able to throw the car totally off balance, and overpower those stupid weak Vampire Women!!

And I still left out a bunch of stuff!! "Las Vampiras"!!! Try and find yourself a copy! Right!!!

Tuesday, October 14, 2008

THE PROJECTED MAN / Universal - 1967 / Music by Kenneth V. Jones

Tonight, Tabonga present THE PROJECTED MAN! Music by Kenneth V. Jones who also work on THE BRAIN which we already post! Theme is great! Really capture feel of a... Projected Man!!

Here good guys Bryant Halliday, Mary Peach and Ronald Allen. They working hard to make things get projected!

Bryant try to project into big shot house to prove machine work, but something go wrong as usual!!.. Yetch!!

Projected Man have to wear rubber glove to hold sexy Tracy Crisp. When he not wearing glove, he give you painful flesh-melting shock!!.... Oh yeah, and you die!

Okay, here what it look like when Projected Man pissed at you!

Happy Halloween Everbloody!!

MONSTER MUSIC HALLOWEEN SPECIAL / Hermanos Guzanos / 3 Tunes

Tonight we have 2 postings!.. Whoa!!

First, here's 3 tunes from HERMANOS GUZANOS, a garage band from California in the '80s. The titles are '50s monster movies and from their album X-13, so, get ready for some unfettered sounds from the Dungeon cobwebs!!

We'll get it going with this instrumental, ATOMIC SUBMARINE! Be warned, electronic monster mayhem!!

This next wild tune cooks and make THE BRAIN EATERS seem like pretty cool lil' dudes!

Last, but, not least, is PHANTOM FROM SPACE! So's... hope ya'll enjoyed this little demented bonus! One thing Guzanos was good at was keeping their tunes short and to the point!!

And, I think I just heard Tabonga come in, so, stick around for his great posting coming up! Later!!

Monday, October 13, 2008

SEKAI DAISENSO (The Last War) - Ikuma Dan - "The End, Really" (1961)

Halloween, Schmalloween, it's time to get serious, and here's what I'm talking about, "Party like it's 1999" in 1961, because it's Armageddon Time, and unlike me, Toho wasn't playin' around! Ikuma Dan was chosen this time for the music instead of Akira Ifukube, probably because his résumé included a lot of war films instead of giant monster movies!

Nobody ever said that end of the world was going to be some kind of laugh fest, and this film is duly lacking in the humor and light department!!

Godzilla was only capable of wiping out small countries, in "Sekai Daisenso" they destroy the whole world. Like, 30 seconds and counting!!!

This is one film that you are guaranteed that there will be no Part 2, nor will there be part 2 to anything else ever again! They felt it needed to be said and so they did it!!

The Last War" is an anomaly because it's got all the same players you're used to, but this go round, it's Real Horror, Real Scary, and Real Ugly. This happy family, just like every other family on earth is about to die!

It's literally the end of the world, what can I say? Conceptually, this movie is a bummer!! Happy Freakin' Halloween!!!

Sunday, October 12, 2008

THE INVISIBLE BOY / MGM - 1957 / Music by Les Baxter

Boy!!.. Talk about a classic! After FORBIDDEN PLANET was made, and, if you were MGM, why wouldn't you reuse the best movie robot... Ever?!

Dungeon staple Les Baxter does the music tonight. Other postings we've done by Les are: PHARAOH'S CURSE, VOODOO ISLAND, PANIC IN THE YEAR ZERO, GHOST IN THE INVISIBLE BIKINI and more, so check those out! Now, without further delay, here's... THE INVISIBLE BOY, ROBBIE and SUPER COMPUTER! And, notice the 'happy American family' feel in the theme! My dad took me to see this one when it came out, he was really into sci-fi!

Philip Abbott plays Dr. Tom Merrinoe, he's in charge of America's new super computer. He's also the father of Timmie Merrinoe, a kid that is just not the studious type. Kind of an insult to one of the smartest men in the world!!

So, what does dad do?.. Well, he has his son, Timmie, get some tutoring from the super computer. It totally works except that the computer is being controlled by aliens through a satellite! Timmie is hypnotized into being smart, but, also to obey commands from space! After Timmie puts Robbie back together, the computer orders him to bring the robot for an upgrade. Now, Robbie's under it's control too!

Timmie is played by Richard Eyer, who has one hell of a movie and TV resume for a kid! Rich played the genie in THE 7th VOYAGE OF SINBAD, which we've already posted here.

Here's Timmie and Robbie cookin' up trouble for mom and dad! Robbie's explaining how he can make him invisible, in order to do whatever he pleases with immunity!

As the scientists try to figure out what's going wrong with the top-secret project, the super computer is hypnotizing some of them and military officers into preventing progress via sabotage. One of those scientists is Robert H. Harris (in the middle), who played Pete Dumond, the crazy make-up artist in HOW TO MAKE A MONSTER, a personal favorite of ours!

The computer orders Robbie to the rocket, where the invisible Timmie has hid away for a cool trip into space! Anything the Army can dish out, though, Robbie can take!!

Timmie and Robbie blast off into space. The computer orders Robbie to blind Timmie, but Robbie can't do it, of course!! Timmie's parents are watching the drama on that view screen, there! Mom's flippin' out!!

After the boys get back from space, the computer makes one last attempt on Timmie and his dad. Robbie comes into the room where the computer wants him to kill them, but, Robbie goes over and plows through the computer's circuits and finally the link from space is broken and the humans win again!! But, only because of Robbie The Robot!!..

Viva la Robbie!!

Monster Music

Monster Music
AAARRGGHHH!!!! Ya'll Come On Back Now, Y'Hear??