THE GAMMA PEOPLE - George Melachrino - "Music For Goons" (1956)

Well, this here's another little jewel that has fallen off the zombie radar, because THIS time, the people who have had their brains taken over are GOONS! Kind of like a cross between zombies, and the critters that Popeye ran into on Goon Island! It's 1956, not that long after the war, and you've got this small secluded European village filled with goons and a bunch of nazified kids brainwashed by a madman with a whistle! Pretty freakin' scary!!

Just this one time I'm going to let cast member Hugo push Ralphie and Piff's big red "GO" button that he stole, So get ready cause here they come, The freakin' "Gamma People"!!!

It all starts off innocently enough with two journalists, one American Mike Wilson, and one Englishman, Howard Meade, on a nice train ride enjoying a game of chess, but you see, the train takes a wrong turn, and essentially ends up in a place we would refer to today as, Bumfuck, Egypt, The Boondocks, or in this instance, Gudavia!

So, what the heck is actually going on in this little burg?? Tell me this doesn't look like the cover of a DEVO album!!!

Phillip Leaver as Koerner shows our heroes about after first arresting and releasing them! Leslie Phillips is supposedly beloved in his native England but is gratingly annoying here as Howard Meade!

Character actor Paul Douglas as Mike Wilson passed away a couple of years after this film was made, and was never able to play at least two roles that were written specifically for him! Here you can see how he could just look like he's had about enough of this BS!!

They meet Eva Bartok, one fine Hungarian meatball left unrefrigerated too long, and starting to spoil, as Paula Wendt, and art student Hugo Wendt who has obviously seen the serial "The Phantom Creeps" too many times!

As unimpressed as they were with Hugo's sculpture, Mike and Howard find Hedda Lochner's piano playing skills to be extraordinary!

If I did my math right, Michael Caridia as little nazi Hugo Wendt was about 15 when this film was made. He did a little more, mostly TV, but it looks like he quit at age 20! I'm pretty sure this role would have got to me too!!!

Cute little musical prodigy Pauline Drewett as Hedda Lochner also failed to go much further and finished her career in 1957 in the blockbuster "True as a Turtle!"

No free thinking is allowed around this joint!! Do it prefect or don't do it at all!

During the day, the boys roam around with an out of control pack dog mentality!

At night, the Goon Boys likes to come out to play!!

Composer of the music for "The Gamma People" was none other than George Melachrino, a man who, along with Mantovani, Percy Faith, and Andre Kostelanetz would usher in a whole new era of "Mood Music" to a tired and aching world, you know, stuff like "Music For Romance" and "Music For Relaxation!"

Ridiculously evil mean bad guy Walter Rilla here as scientific A-hole Boronski, was in the habit of hanging with guys like Dr. Mabuse and Fu Manchu, and also had the role of Sir Marney in "Room 13!"

The Goons are ruthless and even resort to throwing rocks!

And throwing people off of cliffs!!

But Mike Wilson is tough as nails and doesn't put up with much of their crap at all!!

But he is outnumbered!!

Boronski turns the Gamma Ray on Mike, Paula and Hedda, and turns up the heat in a classic matchup of good vs. evil!

But Boronski made one big mistake, he underestimated the power of human nature! The local yocals could put up with almost anything, but when he cancelled their annual carnival, he stepped over the line, and they were ready to fight for their right to party!!

Since they were so pissed off, Howard was easily able to unite the local denizens, and they have one big gang war with The Goons. A big melee breaks out, kind of like "West Side Story" without the music, and they are able to get the Gamma Ray turned off before it destroys Mike and the girls! Whew! They weren't the only ones sweating it!!

LA CASA SPERDUTA NEL PARCO - Riz Ortolani "House On The Edge Of The Park" (1980)

Here's kinda like a little holiday special for you, cranky Dungeon style!

This one's for The Z! Since it's kind of superfluous to talk about films that are turkeys on a day like this, instead you can feast on what I think was the worst film I have seen over the last couple of years since we started this blog! No trimmings! It's not a turkey per se, because even turkeys have redeeming qualities of some moronic bad taste! Not this film, it's just a real piece of crap, and a waste of time, so much, that I had actually chosen not to write about it at all, but I changed my mind so you could enjoy the best one minute and 13 seconds of the whole movie right HERE, and even that is pushing it!

Tomorrow night we're going to go back to 1956 when they really knew how to make movies that were gobblers! Until then..........

EL VAMPIRO / Mexico - 1957

Todays we got a classic B+W Oldie from great year of 1957 and from great body of work from south of the border crew!! The Dungeon love Abel Salazar because of his love for horror cinema! What a good sport he was when he eat some brains behind the partition in THE BRAINIAC, danke schön, Abel!

Even before credit roll, Germán Robles (el Vampiro) start the nightmare rolling. That is one BIG bat, there!!

Eegah!! give us another great lil' soundclip full of mucho screams and intrigue from super awesome composer Mr. Gustavo César Carrión, true master of the macabre, and who also did music for last Saturday' flick, SANTO vs BLACK MAGIC!! Mr. Carrión use 10 different alternative names!!

Lil' Piff the Gnat happily get to push big old red 'GO' button to get thing rolling for you hearing pleasure! So, roll them sounds, Piff!!.. EL VAMPIRO!!

Flick start far, far away from the big city...

Abel Salazar, who play Dr. Enrique, vampire hunter, overhear conversation involving woman in distress (Ariadna Welter) while he waiting at train depot.

He barter for ride with dude carrying big crate, since they going in same direction.

The doc help Marta to her destination, place where she grow up years ago.

One of Tabonga' favorite thing is when door have slot that open up so you can talk to some weirdo on other side! ...Hell, yeah!

Strange thing going on around here and crazy auntie ain't helping!

Time for Count Karol de Lavud to wake up, exit his coffin and check out new crash pad.

When you a vampire, you get help wherever you can. The Count telling them to watch out not to scratch the finish!

Good old Transylvania knowhow, carved with hatchet!!

Nice shot of musty dirt bed in Count de Lavud' coffin!

Dude not taking a siesta!

Abel getting uneasy feeling from Count de Lavud, pretty sure he know who is responsible for recent vampire attack in village!

One more twist on vampire powers!

Proof that Marta is midnight snack for el Vampiro!

Marta notice that she cannot see auntie dear in 'da mirror!

Finally, she succumb to prevailing evil forces at work in the house.

Dude is taking no effing chances when it come to vampire!!!

Time to take the bull by the horns, so to speak!!

Oh crap!! Did I just hear a rooster crow?!

Yes... Yes he did!