BATTLE OF BLOOD ISLAND / One Of Corman's Puerto Rican Trilogies - 1960

Today we have the third installment of Roger Corman's Puerto Rico Trilogy that includes THE LAST WOMAN ON EARTH and CREATURE FROM THE HAUNTED SEA. In the story, two American soldiers are the only survivors of a unit wiped out in a battle with Japanese troops on an isolated island. The men, who don't like each other at all, try and find a way to put their differences aside in order to evade the Japanese and survive the ordeal...

This thing stars Richard Devon and Ron Gans as the soldiers. Richard was in SPACE PATROL in 1954 and worked for Roger Corman on THE UNDEAD, TEENAGE DOLL, THE VIKING WOMEN and WAR OF THE SATELLITES in the fifties and played Detective Stewart in BLOOD OF DRACULA. Ron Gans was in HOT ROD, KILLERS FROM SPACE, OPERATION MAD BALL, HIGH SCHOOL BIG SHOT, THE WILD RACERS and THE THING WITH TWO HEADS.

Here's some familiar PR scenery, this time we're in the Pacific on a remote Asian island! Anyway, this is a Japanese military encampment after they slaughtered American troops coming ashore.

Only two soldiers escaped death, one is Moe, he sneaks into the camp to see what he can see... Well, he sees this communications dude with a sexy photo of Betty Grable hanging in a choice spot for his viewing pleasure!

Back at the cave where Moe and Ken are staying, Ken's wounded, a Japanese soldier is ready to shoot Moe in the back when Ken tosses his bayonet into the enemy's gut, saving Moe.

Moe has to do all the heavy lifting, after beating up some soldiers, he's attacked on his way back to the cave!.. Hey! What's a guy have to do to get some respect around here!!

I swear, at least 60% of the movie is spent with these two just talkin' about stuff!

Then, the Navy goes sailing by without even waving bye-bye, making Moe a little crazy...

On a hunch, Moe piggy backs Ken (who can't walk) toward the shoreline.

Moe drops from exhaustion, he just can't go any further... But then, Ken sees something going on at a distance and shows Moe.

Moe runs for a distance and confronts two American soldiers there. He finds out that they have been rescued and runs back to Ken. The guy Moe's grabbing is none other than Roger Corman hisself, saving on budget costs! Roger did not direct this one.

So, Moe gives Ken a piggy back ride to freedom, prompting The End of the movie. Welp, that's it, join us tomorrow for our last post in November, here, at The Dungeon!!..

LA BAMBOLA DI SATANA - "The Doll Of Satan" (1969)

I hope everybody's thankful that they get to know about movies like tonight's Wacked-Out Wednesday Feature from Italy!

This movie is called "La Bambola Di Satana," and it's English title was "The Doll Of Satan!" 

If they changed the title to "La Bombola Di Satana," they could have called it "The Cylinder Of Satan" which would have been a more interesting choice, and just as informative!
An even sillier literal translation is from the German "Der Satan Ohne Gesicht" to
"Satan Without Face." Just for the record, Satan is not in this movie, unless you count the male lead, whose name was Jack Seaton!

 I kept wanting to say that this film is more Krimmi than it is Giallo, but now as I think about it, it's kind of a pretty cool combination of the two!

The basic premise is an olde rich guy dies, and leaves everything including his castle to his pretty blonde niece, but other nefarious people are wanting the castle because it's secretly sitting on a big pile of Uranium that is worth a fortune!

 So stuff some more Lira in the Silver-Vox, and let's get this party started!

 The older dude in the box by himself looks pretty suspicious I must admit!

 This film has an incredible soundtrack that varies from these rockin' club scenes to what sounds like outtakes from possibly a Ornette Coleman/Charles Lloyd/Sun-Ra free jazz horror set, all courtesy of Maestro Franco Potenza!

Erna (Carnal Revenge, Les Lesbiennes) Schurer is Elizabeth! They're trying to drive her krazy so she'll sell the castle cheap and fast!

The crazy girl in the next room doesn't have as much to do with anything as you would think!

Do women still use those eyelash curlers?

The dog's role is more important than the girl in the wheel chair!

They are having a big slumber party and are trying to do everything in their power to make Elizabeth think there's a ghost that was also named Elizabeth haunting the joint!

They keep drugging Elizabeth to make her have krazy dreams and hallucinations!

There's a fair share of nakedness like this, but not much actual nudity, and for some reason, it's all done very conservatively!

I'm taking a guess that at least 15% or more of the movie is Elizabeth in bed!

A couple of people get killed and/or tortured, but it's mostly all just a bad dream!

Miss Elizabeth is in a heap of trouble. Where's The Macho Man when you need him?

Hooded characters like this are always freaky!

Meanwhile, back in bed...............

Elizabeth is starting to wake up to the idea of selling the place!

 He's asking the dog, what does that tell you??

For my money, "La Bambola Di Satana" has a lot more in common with a film like say "House On Haunted Hill" than it does with countless Giallo flicks. Maybe it's the lack of stabbings or detectives that make it different, or maybe it's the fact that it was the only film that Director Ferruccio Casapinta's ever worked on in any capacity. Either way, it's worth watching just to hear the music if nothing else. Now somebody just needs to release the soundtrack!

TOURIST TRAP / A Place To Lose Your Mind And Soul - 1979

In today's wild and weird story, a group of young friends on vacation are stranded at a secluded roadside museum where they are stalked by a masked assailant who uses his telekinetic powers to control the attraction's mannequins!

This one stars Chuck (SOYLENT GREEN) Connors, Jocelyn (THE ENFORCER) Jones, Jon (END OF THE WORLD) Van Ness, Robin (DEATH WISH II) Sherwood, Tanya (THE BEASTMASTER) Roberts, Dawn (MOMMIE DEAREST) Jeffory and Keith (WITHOUT A TRACE) McDermott.

Hey, looks like that Slausen place could be some sort of tourist trap!.. Well then, let's make sure we don't go there!! The girls decide to go skinny dipping in a pond instead. A Mr. Slausen shows up and tells them that there are snakes swimming around in the pond, then leaves.

And wouldn't you know it, their vehicle broke down and they have to rely on Mr. Slausen to help them out. He takes them to his place, what could possible go wrong, right?!

It doesn't take long before things get weird. One girl gets locked inside a room full of mannequins and is greeted by Slausen's 'brother' who wears a mask!

Dude's a maniac, he takes some special goop and slaps it on her face to satisfy some craven need! Don't worry, she doesn't make it out alive...

Molly's having a crappy time at the tourist trap. She thinks she has conked the brother over the head with a rifle butt, but, it ends up being Slausen himself, he's crazy!

Slausen spends much of his time with his mannequins, that's him in the blond wig, just talking and acting out for them. It's already established that Slausen has eerie psychic powers!

There's just something about this shot that I like, reminds me of a painting I did in the eighties about Martian Mummies invading Earth in their flying saucer.

In Slausen's man cave, this wooden Indian tosses a hatchet and wins a prize!

Poor Molly is seemingly the last survivor, Slausen likes her. Jerry, the only guy, comes into the room. Molly tell him to kill Slausen with his ax, but, he's a mannequin!! First, he pulls Jerry's arm off, and to make sure she understands what's happening, he pulls the head off too!

But, when Slausen is dancing with a mannequin that turns into a woman, Molly drops the ax on his neck, surprise mofo!!

So, the danged mannequins start screaming their heads off!......

We'll give Molly the last word... There's a lame surprise ending that's not worth mentioning. So, there you go, Hollywood changed Chuck into a raving lunatic! Tune in on Wednesday as we wind down November, here, at The Dungeon!..