MONSTER FROM THE OCEAN FLOOR - André Brummer - "Submarine Halloween" (1954)

"Monster From The Ocean Floor" was Roger Corman's second film production, (his first was "Highway Dragnet" where he was co-producer), but it was his first solo effort as producer and his very first 'Monster Movie' for sure! It was also an outing that featured the music of Mr. Henri Price, as he was known in all his later work in Ray Dennis Steckler films, and also the man responsible for all the music that wasn't done by Arch Hall in "Eegah," my personal hero and father figure, the incredible André Brummer!!! Can we have a round of applause here, please??

If you haven't figgered it out by now, any film that has Jonathan "Little Shop Of Horrors" Haze, and, or Dick "Bucket Of Blood" Miller in it, is without a doubt worth searching out for some damn reason or another, guaranteed, as far as we are concerned! Jonathan Haze, here in his first role ever, using the name Jack Hayes, plays a character named Joe! Aren't all these fine folks like crazy perfect?

Even in his early work, Roger Corman had a thing for underwater scenes for some perverse reason.

His love is like a Red, Red Rose, Good-bye Julie! Huh? Think this song is setting us up for why it's okay for people to die here??

Now I know this might sound like something out of a "Spin & Marty" episode, but if you have ever had a chance to go out on a grunion run on a dark and eerie moonlit night, and something like this came up out of the water, even though, it was just a cheap Roger Corman movie, it would still scare the living crap out of you!!!

Nobody hears you when you scream underwater!!!!

Nothing quite says Halloween like SUBMARINES, and that's why I'll be doing features on them all week long, so, grab your grog and let's go!!! This is one of the smaller subs used, and maybe the first submarine to be used in a 'Monster Movie,' unless you want to count "Zombies Of The Stratosphere" in 1952!(But we don't count that!!) Sorry I couldn't get a good screen capture of the sub doing a direct bullseye on that monster!!

Very cheap Roger, but very effectively scary!!

Everything's really great!! Don't you agree? The world is just so freakin' prefect and wonderful then, and still to this day!!! But wait a minute, that was only one of the Monsters in the world!!!! Oh, No!!!! Help Mr. Wizard!!!

THE COLOSSUS OF NEW YORK / Paramount Pictures - 1958 / Music by Van Cleave

So, welcome back, tonight we have a really great movie!.. THE COLOSSUS OF NEW YORK!! Directed by Dungeon favorite Eugène Lourié of THE GIANT BEHEMOTH and GORGO fame, both already posted here! Give them a search...

Van Cleave does the music, and, boy, does this theme stand out in a crowd!! Also, its not every day that we post a Paramount title. Them and Columbia both have the problem of being too 'middle of the road' for us when it comes to monster movie music.

But, this theme is totally awesome and really says... THE COLOSSUS OF NEW YORK!

SOUNDCLIP NOT AVAILABLE

The movie starts off with a bang as Ross Martin, playing Jeremy Spensser, and, who has just won the Nobel Peace Prize, gets run over by a truck barrelling through an alley.

In it's defense, the truck did say 'dodge!'

Here's the problem!.. Jeremy was the world's authority in developing a food product that will save the Earth from famine due to overpopulation, a common theme in the '50's, like in TARANTULA.

Jeremy's father and brother, both doctors, figure out a way to get Jeremy back and reclaim his legacy. So, they make him into a giant hulk with a bad attitude!.. Wow, genius!!

Here's another problem, he has a son and hot wife!.. And, guess what?!.. Jeremy's brother is trying to hit on the wifey, and, Jeremy... err... The Colossus, knows about it!!!..

The Colossus walks under water to get to brother Henry, who's headed for the hills, but, Henry gets a big surprise instead. You see, Colossus has developed awesome new powers, like frying your sorry ass with heat vision!!!.. Goodbye, dear brother!! The still with a bridge in the background is a common element in Eugène Lourié films!

Ed Wolff plays The Colossus. Here's a great still as he breaks through some glass at the UN. He then starts randomly toasting people in the crowd!!

Somedays, it jes' don't pay to be a cop!

Check it out, we could use The Colossus in Washington!!

The Colossus gets turned off by his son, then he falls to the floor!.. Anyway, Jeremy went from wanting to save the Earth to wanting to kill everyone!!.. Hey, just like in real life!!

And, since its the month of Halloween, here's an added bonus. Back in 1988 the garage band, Hermanos Guzanos, was having this tune played on WMFU radio in NJ by none other than Kaz (writer on Sponge Bob) on his excellent late night show, 'Midnight Lounge!'

Here's Hermanos Guzanos doing COLOSSUS OF NEW YORK from their X-13 album!

Gojira Tai Hedorâ - Riichiro Manabe - Gara Takatori - Honey Knights and the Moon Drops - "Godzilla Vs. The Smog Monster" (1972)

Hell, we just couldn't wait any longer!!!

If this doesn't look like Halloween, I'll eat Hedorah's shorts!

We've got a whole new slew of ever so obscure titles in the can for you, and this Halloween Countdown 2008 provides us a with a great opportunity to post something about one of our most favorite movies, even tho it's from the 70's!!

So, without further delay, let's just kick off this next round a day early, with some music to whet the tastes of even the most hardcore monster aficionados!!!

"Gojira Tai Hedorâ" has got it all! It's a classic romp, and an opus adventure that has some of the furthest-out rockin' music you'll ever hear, a message, and monsters!!!

So before the end of the world, or at least until All Saint's Day gets here, you've still got time to find yourself a copy of this film, ingest some forbidden substance, break out your old fish head mask, and prepare yourself to party!!

Here is what we like to call the ultimate "Godzilla Vs. Hedorah Jam!"

I could go on forever and a day about this film, and there's about 1000 screen captures I'd like to show you, but I've still got some partying to do myself.

Tomorrow night Rodan gets us started again, and will take us back to the 50's where we belong, with the Eugène Lourié classic "The Colossus of New York!" Stay tuned!!


Click Here to follow a link to a list of all the "Halloween Countdown 2008" participants!!

Oct 03 2008 - "The 4-D Witch"

Oct 02 2008 - The Di-Vinyls - "Science Fiction"

Oct 01 2008 - Iron Butterfly - "Filled With Fear"

KISS ME, MONSTER (Küß Mich, Monster) - Jerry van Rooyen - "See Ya!!!" (1969)

Well, We hate to admit it, but we've just got to take a break! Doing this every single day for over a year is starting to take it's toll, so before we go completely mad, and start acting more like some of the characters in these movies, we are going to try and get a little rest and recuperation.

When we started, we had no idea it was going to go on this long, and we probably still have another 6 months to a year of every day posting to get ready for ya'll! So, we're going to take two weeks or 13 days off, and come back fresh in time for the most festive time of the year, the Eve Of All Saint's Day!

And for all of you dedicated people who come here every day, sorry, but please don't have a conniption fit. Stroll through the archive, listen to "Room 13" or '4-D Man" again,(might be a good time to leave comments on how much you can't live without us) or just take a break yourself, but do come back! As the good Reverend Tom Frost might say, "We are not dead, but only sleeping!" So mark your abacus, cause we're gonna be back on October 5th for another raucous round of amazing titles like "Invisible Man Vs The Fly", "The Living Corpse", "Monster Of The Volcano", "Fear Of The Mummy" and so mucho mas more!!!

So, let's get this thing going and ending, with this tasty little tidbit from Jerry van Rooyen, and what would be more perfect than the ending credits from a film we've already written about three times before, Jess Franco's "Küß Mich, Monster" a tight little instrumental that sounds a whole lot like classic Doc Severinsen "Tonight Show" 'let's break to commercial' music, and stage left, we're outta here!! Peace!!!

SHE DEVIL / Regal Pictures - 1957 / Music by Paul Sawtell & Bert Shefter

This is probably Regal's second best effort, KRONOS being the winner, I think. Don't forget, Regal is responsible for the horrible, BACK FROM THE DEAD, which we've already posted... Really great cast here, Mari Blanchard, Jack Kelly and Albert Dekker. Oh, and, don't forget X. Brands!!

The totally classic music is by more Dungeon alumni, Sawtell & Shefter. Other posts of their's includes THE BLACK SCORPION, KRONOS, IT!, THE TERROR FROM BEYOND SPACE, THE COSMIC MAN, CURSE OF THE FLY...

SOUNDCLIP NO LONGER AVAILABLE!!

The movie starts with Mari on her deathbed, she has an incurable form of TB. All she does is cough! Jack and Albert are developing a miracle drug and having decent success in animals. Mari agrees to be their Guinea pig, besides, what's she got to lose?! A few hours after the shot is given, Mari's up and feeling like she's never felt before... AWESOME!

Unfortunately, Mari's developed a few quirks from the injection, too! She wants what she wants... NOW!!! She goes shopping only to be barraged by the overwelming temptation to steal! Then, she discovers that she can change her looks by just 'wishing' it to happen!!! The fuzz is lookin' for a brunette, but, Mari's a blond! Something is definitely wrong here!..

Boy, are Al and Jack proud of their little experiment!! Mari pegs the theme's ultra sexy insinuations like nobody's business!!.. DAMN!!

Things turn really ugly when Mrs. Kendall catches her husband and Mari outside together at a party, kissing. He's rich. Things are making sense!.. Anyway, she slaps Mari good as a result. Bad mistake!..

Right before she murders Mrs. Kendall, Mari turns her hair dark again so that she can't be a suspect!!.. Clever.

She marries Kendall. Millionaire Barton Kendall is played by distinctive looking John Archer, who was also in the excellent unaired MEN INTO SPACE 1960 TV series pilot with John Agar!!

Of course, the honeymoon is over quite quickly and all she wants to do is fight, and, she taunts him into shooting her!! On the way to the hospital, she shows him that she has already 'healed' herself! She jerks the steering wheel and they go off a cliff! She gets out and walks away and all the money is hers, now!!

To make the story short, Mari gets changed back to normal at the end, and, she dies form the TB... A pretty sad end!