CEREBRO DEL MAL (Santo Vs The Evil Brain) - Trio Servando Diaz - "Enmascarado" (1961)

Pretty tough to find a decent copy of "Cerebro Del Mal" these days, but anyway, this 1961 film shot in Cuba back to back with "Santo Contra Hombres Infernales" was basically Santo's primero feature film. 

 

He's not even a Santo character per se, but instead, a mere detective called Enmascarado, who is joined in the on screen action by El Incognito. 

 

El Incognito was played by wrestler/writer Fernando Oses, who continued working on these movies for many years. 

 

Drivers, start your motors!!! Very nice line-up of Mercury cop cars!!! 

 

The main music in the film was by Salvador Espinosa in his first and only job as composer in the movies, and in an attempt to always keep it lively, we have a poolside appearance by Trio Servando Diaz . We don't know exactly what the title is because Tabonga's copy is so bad, you can't read the names of the songs in the title credits, and it's the best one he could find, but at least they cut out the commercials this time! 

 Santo is still in the background as the bad guy tries to steal the show with his dieing act, but good will prevail over evil, and Santo, not the evil brain will go on to have an awesome career!!!

HOUSE ON HAUNTED HILL - Richard Kayne and Richard Loring - "Theme Music" (1959)

A classic if there ever was one, "House On Haunted Hill" scared the crap outta most people when it came out! This William Castle production starts off just like another one of his works, "13 Ghosts." There's moaning, groaning, screaming, and a guy laughing that I swear to you, sounds like a dead Ricky Ricardo, before the theme written by the songwriting team of Richard Kayne and Richard Loring takes over. Born in 1928, wine connoisseur Richard Kayne is still believed to be living and writing in London today. Richard Loring passed away in 2005 after a long songwriting career. This theme song is quite a moody piece. Horns start swirling with an organ, before the build-up to lounge piano probably played by Richard Kayne, and eerie haunting female vocalise. Originally the theme song had lyrics written by Richard Kayne that went like this: "There's a House on Haunted Hill, where everything's lonely and still, Lonely and still, and the ghost of a sigh, when we whispered good-bye, Lingers on, and each night gives a heart broken cry, There's a House on Haunted Hill, where love walked there's a strange silent chill, strange silent chill, There are memories that yearn, for our hearts to return, and a promise we failed to fulfill, but we'll never go back, No, we'll never go back, to the House on Haunted Hill!" 

 And no matter how you look at it, Vincent Price is the master of the sinister. The "House" exterior was actually the Ennis Brown House in Los Angeles, designed by Frank Lloyd Wright! 

 

My favorite part is when Frederic is aiming the champagne bottle at Annabelle and he says something like, "I can see the headlines tomorrow, man kills wife with champagne cork" and she is just bored by his droll humour, but in reality, he is really planning to kill her, and she just gives him the look!! Oh, yeah! This movie is so readily available, what are you waiting for?? You could be watching it right now!!!

CREATURE OF DESTRUCTION - Max Lipscomb - "Bat Man" (1967)

Born in Dallas, Texas, 1937, Max Lipscomb started off his career playing guitar as one of Gene Vincent's Blue Caps, and Max recorded with tons of people on all kinds of labels in the deep South, and Nawlins' where he recorded a version of "Sea Cruise" using some of Frankie Ford's original tracks, and his version of "Little Liza Jane" is above reproach! He recorded one single, the quite political, "I Can't Make Your Way", that included a killer Jeff Beck solo, with The Yardbirds. He wrote songs with some mild success and recorded under various band names like "The Shut Downs," Max K. Lipscomb With The Bobby Rambeau Orchestra, and/or Scotty McKay's Bolero Band! He fronted the world famous Texas band "Tommy & The Tom Toms," and in 1966 he appeared in the movie "The Black Cat" as a singer, and then by 1967, his career was pretty much shot, literally, and he was working with Larry Buchanan, case closed! He never was able to grasp the real fame and fortune he desired and deserved, before passing away in 1991!(The closest thing to the Apocalypse that really never happened that year!) 

 Max Lipscomb's name was changed to Scotty McKay when Bob Crewe Productions tried to market him as a teen idol. 

 

This is a version of "Batman" unlike any other you've ever heard. I can't quite figure it out, it's like "Batman" crossed with Gary Puckett and "Blood Sweat And Tears" or something equally strange, you people tell me! Most of the rest of the movie sucks, once again filmed in contractual 16mm, with the same monster again! Scotty's appearance in this film almost brings it's star quality rating up to that of "Horror Of Party Beach!" Mercy, is there no end?? Raise your glasses high and let's all give a gigantic toast to the memory of Scotty McKay!!!! Thanks for the memories buddy, Cheers!!!!! This is Rockin' Music from the Monster Movies!!!!!!! 

 

Then there's an acoustic like folk song on the beach probably called something like "Lonely People" before Max gets creamed, and it's got to be some kind of cruel joke, because the applause after his song is from some crowded auditorium, and yet there are only a handful of kids on the beach listening. 

 

The horrible monster does Max in when he can't get his motorcycle stuck outta the sand!!! "Something terrible is going to happen on the beach tonight!" Right! 

 

This stupid, overused sea monster actually looks pretty scary if you blur it enough!!!! Every horror movie or rock music aficionado should definitely have this film in their collection to impress the chicks and their doubting family members!

CREATURE OF DESTRUCTION - Scotty McKay - "Grits Ain't Groceries" (1967)

For a number of reasons, I'm out of time tonight, but since there's three good songs in this movie, rather than leave you hanging, there just won't be a lot of information right now, but here's one great song from "Creature Of Destruction" by Scotty McKay. 

 

Tomorrow, we'll delve deeper into the astounding saga of Scotty McKay, and how his career had plummeted down low enough for him to appear in this film. Here's one of the best songs from any 1960's monster movie, "Grits Ain't Groceries" by Scotty McKay!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Wow!!!! What a story!

DAS PHANTOM VON SOHO (The Phantom Of Soho) - Martin Böttcher - "A Three Scene Mix" (1964)

"The Phantom Of Soho" has so much music in it, this will be the third and last time we present a piece of music from it. This mix is from three more scenes , and once again, it's composed by Martin Böttcher, and the movie takes place in a Soho strip club, and who knows what else is possibly going on behind those doors. 

 

Sheesh, what they do show us is seedy enough, so consequently, the music is down low and grimy too! For a lot more info, just search this here blog for the other two posts, it'll be easier on all of us! 

 

It is pretty cool that the Cinematography in this movie was a by a guy named Dick Angst, now, that does lend a certain special appeal to a film like this! 

 

Did I neglect to mention this movie takes place in a strip club?

LA SORELLA DI SATANA (The She Beast) - Ralph Ferraro - "She Beast Polka" (1966)

This is really quite an odd film on many levels. Number one, it's quite fascinating, and is quite well made, but what really struck me was how it jumps around from complete horror, to being outright comedic in places. 

 

Barbara Steele is amazing, especially when you realize that she did all her shots in one day, but then you've got Mel Welles doing his version of Falstaff or Jackie Gleason, and the chase scene is way beyond the Keystone Kops! They're almost The Three Stooges, as they go waddling around in utter disarray! No wonder Phillip can't shoot them, they're absolute idiots!! A movie you can truly watch, and say, "I don't get it," it's really not bad, but one thing for sure, the music was whack! 

 The genius Mel Welles as the drunken pervert slob Ladislav Groper is watching something on TV, and while you never get to see it, it sounds like a cross between that Mexican comedy TV show with the guy dressed like a big bumblebee, and an extreme "Benny Hill" episode! Whatever it is, he's sure getting a big kick out of it, and that, combined with a bit from the end of the film, is where this segment of music from the 1966 Italian movie "La Sorella Di Satana" comes from!! 

 

Has there ever been a film before or since where a character had this much food in his beard? 

 

This witch monster thing is as horrific as anything we've seen lately, a really ugly woman, and so much better than "Frankenstein's Daughter!" 

 

Barbara Steele and a Volkawagen Bug, now that just says 1966, and it doesn't get much better than that!! 

 

The music in the original Italian release was composed by Paul Ferris,(You can search our archives if you want to know more about Paul), and for some reason they had Ralph Ferraro redo the music for the American release. Ralph was still working as orchestrator in the movies until just a couple of years ago!! 

 

So, there you go, "The She-Beast" and just remember, way before Arnie, Barbara Steele said, "I'll be back!"

MISSILE TO THE MOON - Nicholas Carras - "Moondance Plus" (1958)

Well, you got your good classics and you've got your bad classics, and "Missile To The Moon" would definitely fall into the latter category, but, it is a classic, nonetheless, and sometimes classic bad is better than classic good, at least in the kitsch department! 

 

The basic premise was to make a movie in space using beauty queen contest winners, and how could you possibly go wrong with a concept like that?? 

 

Talk about your amazingly awesome lineup! As the old cartoon wolf would say, "AAaaOoooh!!!!!!"

 This is a very good example of a variation on that classic 1958 'Do The Airplane' dance step we all used to do, Zoom, Zoom, Zoom, remember? I didn't think so! 

 

These two guys obviously sold their souls, in order for them to be lucky enough to work with all these beauties! You gotta admit, they look pretty guilty!! 

 

Taken away for a blind date with a really ugly giant moon spider, but look on the good side, you get to work with gorgeous gals like Sanita! 

 

Shoot the spider, Save the girl!! 

 

I am so mad, can't any of you people do anything right, I am still the Queen here, and I say, Off with their heads!! 

 

The whole set is falling down, what's going on? This wasn't in my script!!! 

 

It is impossible to even discuss "Missile To The Moon" without bring up the subject of these rock monsters! So difficult to shoot, it was never attempted again in history! It would be kind of like trying to rebuild "Stonehenge" you know! Why even bother!