FANTÔMAS SE DÉCHAÎNE - Michel Magne - "Fantomas Strikes Back" (1965)

     

Tonight's special feature is the number two movie in the famous, in my world, Fantômas trilogy, "Fantômas Strikes Back!" Wow, this Danish poster really doesn't do the knockout Mylène Demongeot any justice at all!

The first "Fantômas" movie in this series left it wide open, so one year later, here we go again!

Fantômas Strikes Back!! The wacky theme song was written by Michel Magne, and sounds like the illegitimate child of Esquivel and Vic Mizzy!! Michel wrote the music for all three of the Fantômas films!

This movie starts with bumbling fool Commissaire Juve being honoured for ridding the world of the horrible menace known as Fantômas!! Appause!

Then the Commissaire receives a special congratulatory note from Fantômas himself that ruins the whole day! What a party pooper! On the left is Jean Marais as Fandor, he also has the role of Fantômas but it's not like a Superman secret identity, it's just one actor doing two roles! In the middle is Fandor's secretary and girlfriend, the stunning Mylène Demongeot as Hélène!

Meanwhile, back at the unclear power plant! Don't you just wanna pop that thing?

It really doesn't seem possible, but the Fantômas character first graced the silver screen in 1913!

Uh, Oh, looks like something has gone awry!

These Fantômas movies are basically kind of like a clash of gadgets between Fantômas and Commissaire Juve! Whose got the better toys?

Fantômas unleashes a remote controlled screaming go-kart bomb!

Commissaire Juve counters with his fake 'hands up' outfit!

There's a gala masquerade ball that Commissaire Juve and his men have to infiltrate! They don't exactly blend in!

It's a convoluted affair as Fantômas, looking like Aladdin, tries to put the make on Hélène!

Time for Commissaire Juve to break out his peg-leg machine gun so they can escape!

Instead, everybody is knocked out, captured, and transported to Fantômas's special hidden underwater sanctuary!

In my humble opinion, Mylène Demongeot as Hélène is cute as a button! She doesn't seem to be able to take a bad picture, but I read in her bio that when she was a teenager, she had to have surgery because she had crossed eyes! Crossed eyes or not, I'll bet she was still gorgeous! Mylène is still alive and well, and has films in production right now!

It's the old "give the guards the cigars with the bullet loads in them, time it just right and get them to face each other" routine, once again courtesy of Commissaire Juve!

 Fantômas's den is not quite as extensive as Dr. No's digs, but a pretty swinging pad just the same!

But when the whole place goes up in smoke, run like Hell!!!

They almost get him this time, but the door stays wide open for a chance for one more sequel, and that will be coming up one of these days soon, "Fantômas Vs. Scotland Yard!"

THE OUTER LIMITS / The Architects Of Fear - 1963

It's Fake Alien Invasion Friday with Tabonga, here at The Dungeon!.. This excellent episode was directed by the great, Byron Haskins, who also directed these classic flicks... TREASURE ISLAND (1950), THE WAR OF THE WORLDS, CONQUEST OF SPACE, FROM THE EARTH TO THE MOON, CAPTAIN SIDBAD, ROBINSON CRUSOE ON MARS and THE POWER. He also has 51 special effects credits starting in 1925!

Eegah!! sent over a soundclip with the Master Control Voice and more for your earjoyment, sooooo, you can push the big red 'GO' button there next to the scarecrow from space, NOW, Rufus The Gnat! Here's an earfull of... The Architects Of Fear!

The story goes like this.. A group of scientists decide that they need to protect the world from itself by creating an invasion from space, to bring the world together to fight the enemy in a common cause. The name, Allen Leighton, is pulled out of the pot, he will be the guinea pig to be scientifically altered into the invader from space.

Here's the cage containing a real captured alien, the model they're using to change Allen into a more shocking, man-sized version.

The saddest part of the story is the fact that Allen's wife is pregnant and knows nothing about the big plan, and, Allen will have to die as a person. They have a little secret gesture to express their undying love for each other, Allen says goodbye to her.

Robert Culp plays Allen, Robert and Bill Cosby were my heroes when they starred in the very cool series, I SPY. Robert also stars in two other Outer Limits episodes, "Demon with a Glass Hand" and "Corpus Earthling." In 2010 he collapsed from an apparent heart attack (he was 79) while walking near Runyon Canyon Park in the Hollywood Hills. He was found by a hiker and transported to a nearby hospital where he died from the head injuries he sustained in the fall.

During the transformation, Allen's body and mind are having a negative reaction. Here, he beats the crap out of the doctors and then threatens them with a lethal dose of radiation! The second still shows the doctors huddling behind a table, trying to come up with a plan to stop the flipped out MALIEN. I just made that up, but, probably's been done before.

The doctors put the final touches on their creation before he's secretly shot into space.

Then, it's reported to the world that an unidentified alien spaceship is making its way toward the Earth. I love showing those old TV sets!

The ship is off course and lands in the mountains near the lab. Three hunters watch it come down.

After Allen disintegrates their station wagon with his ray gun, one hunter shoots him!

Allen hobbles his way back to the lab, his wife is there because she got a mental signal and thinks he's still alive.

Allen falls from his injuries, he's dying, so, gives his wife their secret gesture! Now, she knows the truth and the doctors can't lie about what they've done any more...

She holds Allen as he slips away... Here's a weird true story, in 1993 I worked with some very savvy people, hey, Buzz Aldrin worked there. Anyway, one guy from Texas told me that in 2000, George Bush would be president and soon after that, something BIG was going to happen. He said that one of the plans the administration would consider was a fake space invasion, you know, to scare everyone in order to control them!! I am not making this up.

THE NAME OF THE GAME IS KILL - The Electric Prunes - "Shadows" (1968)

For the next few weeks, it's going to be a no holds barred affair down here in The Dungeon! I'm going to leave all the doors open, and God only knows what might escape, so be prepared, you've been warned! So let's get this rock rollin' with "The Name Of The Game Is Kill!"

"The Name Of The Game Is Kill" was released in 1968, and I can give you 84 reasons not to bother seeing it, and each one of those reasons is a minute long!

 

It's almost a given that when you see disembodied doll parts, something weird is going on!

The same thing goes for abandoned graves out in the middle of the stinkin' desert!

Jack Lord, yep, 281 episodes of "Hawaii Five-O" Jack Lord, has the lead role as Hungarian hitch hiker Symcha Lipa!  He even talks with an accent, it's that authentic!

Symcha is given a ride into Jerome, Arizona by a beautiful young lady named Mickey Terry, who was played by Susan (The Trip, Psych-Out) Strasberg! I love these kinds of shots!

There are some odd and creepy things going on in Jerome!

The keen eye of the Oscar winning cinematographer Vilmos Zsigmond saves the day! From his meager beginnings working with the Al Adamsons and the Arch Halls of the world, Vilmos clawed his way to the top of the heap where he remains to this day!

There are only seven actors total in this film. This is Nan Terry, Mickey's juvenile delinquent sister as played by Tisha Sterling! Tisha had the role of  'Legs' on two episodes of the "Batman" TV series! For me, this is the best part of the whole movie! Nan has just put on a new record she brought home, and is groovin' to the cool psychedelic sounds of  The Electric Prunes playing "Shadows!"  Somewhere in there, The Marketts of "Out Of Limits" fame contribute their version!

 

          Uum! It looks like Nan seems to have gotten Symcha's attention!

Uh, Oh, time to change reels! jeez, even the guy in the projection booth fell asleep!!

 

Jack Lord was 11 1/2 inches taller than Susan Strasberg, but he looks about two feet taller in this shot!

"Hey Mickey, you're so fine, you blow my mind, Hey Mickey!"  You should start getting the idea that there's something wrong with this family any moment now!

I told you there was a total of seven members in the cast! There's also Mickey and Nan's sister Diz, as played by Collin Wilcox Paxton!  Collin had a fine stage and screen career, I'm sure there's a story how she ended up here! Collin was in the "Twilight Zone" episode titled "Number 12 Looks Just Like You"!

                                                Symcha takes one for "The Gipper!

                                                      First Mickey has a realization!

                    And then when he comes to, Symcha realizes things are different in America!!

The girl's Mother is really Dad!! The same Dad we've heard three very elongated stories about how he disappeared and/or was murdered years earlier! T.C. Jones Played Mr. and Mrs. Terry! Here is his entire biography as quoted from the IMDB, "Born Thomas Craig Jones in Pennsylvania. A character actor, he specialized in cross-dressing and deranged behavior."  In The Monkees' movie "Head," T.C. played Mr. and Mrs. Ace!

Mickey and Symcha run off together and live happily ever after, and the rest of the family is reunited in one big joyous celebration!!

NOT!!!!