SCARY MOVIES WITH SINGLE WORD TITLES (1945 - 1985)

 

Here's a macabre Saturday Night Special concept for you, a list of scary movies with one word titles, and no "The's" invited.

To choose a one word title for a horror film, you need a strong word, a single word that invokes terror, dread, confusion, or somehow gives you the creeps just thinking about it like "IMPULSE" is a good place to start. The added daggers in this title card are just frosting on the cake combined with one of the creepiest characters William Shatner ever played!

And speaking of "MACABRE," the Merriam Webster dictionary defines it as "Dwelling on the Gruesome," and I'm pretty sure that's what Schlockmeister William Castle had in mind when he made this 1958 monsterpiece of horror!

 

"ROPE," it's a simple word really, but when it's the title of an Alfred Hitchcock film, then it takes on multiple new meanings. Hitchcock must have liked one word titles, because quite a few of his films fell into this category, starting with his most famous, "PSYCHO," and  including such titles as "NOTORIOUS," "SPELLBOUND," "SABOTAGE," "SUSPICION," "BLACKMAIL," and...

 

......."VERTIGO!" I get dizzy just thinking about it!

Then it just starts getting weirder and more psychologically difficult like

"TORMENTED" from 1960.

     

This 1977 Mario Bava movie has been released as more than one title like "Beyond the Door II," or "The Demon Is Nuts," but this is the simplest and  most shocking one,

"SHOCK."

 

 

Then there are titles that just scream fun like Freddie France's "HYSTERIA" from 1965.

Here's another one-word masterpiece from Alfred Hitchcock in 1972, that will make you feel all warm and fuzzy, "FRENZY!" 

 

 "SEIZURE" from 1974 is another comforting title because after all, 

"It's a children's story!"

 

After the seizure, the "DEMENTIA" sets it!

This 1955 classic was also known as "Daughter Of Horror."

Then you end up in this happy place from 1946.

"BEDLAM"

 

Let's see, then there's "SUCCUBUS," another fun family film from Jess Franco in 1968, that is literally defined as

 "a female demon believed to have sexual intercourse with sleeping men!"

 

 

So let's take a little "DETOUR," and "Get back on track, Jack," because in 1945, what was better than going to movie that you had no idea where it was headed?

 

Next is the "Are These Really Even Words?" Department, where they just made something up, and you had to go to the movies to find out what it even was, like "GOG" from 1954.

Believe it or not, "KRONOS" is still not a word some 67 years later!

Nor is the title of the 1962 film "ZOTZ!"

 

 

Some one word titles are very descriptive, like with 1982's "PIECES,"

 what else do you need to know?

 

Or how about "RATTLERS" from 1976? That title pretty much says it all!

 

 Now this 1966 title has charisma and plenty of mystery to it, because anything could happen in matter of  "SECONDS!"

 

For one word, it just doesn't get much more ominous than "QUICKSAND,"

and Mickey Rooney just sinks deeper and deeper into it in this 1950 film.

From 1968 we have "CORRUPTION," which is defined as "Dishonest or Fraudulent Conduct by Those in Power," so you immediately know this film's going to be a barrel of laughs!

I'll leave you with Argento's "CREEPERS" from 1985, because why not?

You're sure not going to expect sunshine and lollipops with a title like that!

Interestingly enough, this film was originally released as another single word title,

"PHENOMENA."

POPEYE THE SAILOR In "Nix On Hypnotricks" - 1941

Here's a Popeye cartoon I don't think I even remember, so here we go with this crazy high wire act where Olive becomes the victim of a mad hypnotist...

Here's the sign hanging outside the hypnotist's hotel room. It's amazing how many of these puns made it into the cartoon and comedy industry!

After his goldfish turns on him, the hypnotist decides he needs a human subject to mesmerize. He opens a phone book, closes his eyes and randomly points to a name, and of course it's Olive's phone number!

He prestidigitates into the phone and Olive is at his to command, he tells her to go to his place for further orders...

Olive walks out the door and leaves.

It's not long before she's in lots of danger as Popeye monitor's her from the ground.

First, Popeye has to move this building over so that Olive doesn't just walk off the edge of another building, and it works!

As Olive walks across a power line, Popeye has to hang on with his toes!

A swinging construction hook lands Olive on a steel beam, way up high! I hate it when I have dreams like this, and I have!!

Popeye makes it across via the hook but when it swings back, it picks up a chimney top only to return and knock our hero looney!

Popeye ends up in a trash can where he pulls out his spinach to put an end to the madness. The S rips off of the spinach can and lands on his chest. He zooms away to save Olive...

Popeye has to fend off the the prestidigitation and then it's time to put that crazy hypnotist in his damn place.

Popeye gets Olive to safety but she won't snap out of the trance...

So, he slaps her in the face!!

She attacks with a bevy of punches, including some body shots!

And, here's how you end a fight in MMA!!

THRILLER - "Yours Truly, Jack The Ripper" (1961)

 

It's a Whopping Good Time Wednesday down in The Dungeon, and this week I've got a wild episode of the killer TV show "Thriller" for you!

I never have time to plan things, so let me take a second and tell you how this works. In my many emails with Lord Litter in Berlin, he is always asking about or suggesting shows for me, since a lot of this is new to him, having never aired in Germany the first time. He was watching "Thriller," and I told him that it was right up there with my favourite shows like "The Twilight Zone," and "The Outer Limits," and then I realized we had never written up a "Thriller" before!

 

So, after looking at who was in different episodes, I decided I wanted to watch episode 16 from the first season because not only did it have The Shat in it, but Donna Douglas of "The Beverly Hillbillies" was also in it, but there was only one problem, I don't have a copy, nor could I find one, so I decided to watch something else that had to do with Beverly Hills, and that was Episode 28 also of season one, titled "Yours Truly, Jack The Ripper."

 

The host of "Thriller" was none other than the phenomenal Boris Karloff who does an outstanding job, just like he always does, no matter what the assignment!

 

The story begins in the 1800's in jolly olde England.

 

Jack continues his nefarious ways, by preying on the ladies of the night!

The first victim was played by Jill (The Third Man) Livesey.

 

Flash forward to 1961 New York, and suddenly it's all happening again!

Pamela (Mutiny In Outer Space) Curran is the second victim.

 

It was at this point I realized that this story penned by "Psycho" author Robert Bloch was almost exactly the same story as "The Night Strangler" I watched recently that was written by an equally talented Sci-Fi writer Richard Matheson. This is also the same story that Robert Bloch used to write the "Star Trek" episode called "Wolf In The Fold."

 

Joan Blondell's younger sister Gloria (The Twonky) Blondell, has the role of ex-burlesque star Maggie who discovers the body. Maggie makes a point of letting the authorities know that they need to get her name right, because she used to be a star. Gloria was the voice of Daisy Duck in a couple of Donald Duck cartoons, which seems natural, because she is quite animated.

 

John Williams is Sir Guy, a British authority on the crimes of Jack The Ripper, who tries to explain to the police, just as Kolchak did, that he believes this modern day Jack The Ripper is the same guy who did it decades before. Of course no one believes him, at least not in the beginning.

John played William Shakespeare in "The Twilight Zone" episode known as "The Bard."

In 1954 John Williams was in Hitchcock's "Dial M For Murder" with Dungeon Hero Ray Milland who directed this episode of "Thriller."

The police don't give much credence to Sir Guy's theories and might possibly believe it's Jack's son or grandson, but not the same man, so Sir Guy and Police Psychologist Dr. John Carmody, join forces to try and figure this thing out, and they start by going to some of the Bohemian places they think might attract Jack. The Doctor is played by Donald (13 Ghosts) Woods.

Sometimes being an artiste can be frustrating!

Adam Williams is the creative artiste named Hymie Kralik who has great imagination. He dooesn't know why he sees his model surrounded by all these ominous objects, it's just a vision he has. Adam was in two episodes of "The Twilight Zone," The Hitch-Hiker," and "A Most Unusual Camera."

As it turns out, Hymies gruesome vision comes true, and his model Arlene is the next victim. Arlene was played by Nancy (The Black Castle) Valentine.

 

There's nothing much more fun than a funeral in the rain!

The Doctor and Sir Guy head on over to a strip club that Sir Guy has determined is the place where the next attack will occur according to the pattern he's laid out. Sir Guy is unfamiliar with the concept of a strip club, and the Doctor has to explain to him that you sit, get a drink and watch young ladies disrobe. And that brings us to the star of the show, a woman named Beverly Powers, aka Miss Beverly Hills.

Beverly Powers was a popular and a very real life stripper and actually performed as Miss Beverly Hills on stage in clubs.

 

Bev was also in movies as herself, and numerous films where she

 played strippers and showgirls, often named Beverly Hills.

 

This was Beverly's on screen debut, and she went on to be in three Elvis movies, "Viva Las Vegas," "Kissin' Cousins," and "Speedway."  

Bev was also in "The Comedy Of Terrors," "Brides Of Blood," and "Invasion Of The Bee Girls."

The guys and the gals in the audience love her act and applaud like crazy!

I normally avoid using any nude pics on this blog in order to keep it open to all ages, but I had this old pic of Miss Beverly that is so nothing by today's standards, so I thought I'd show you what they couldn't on TV in 1961.

Sir Guy was 100% correct, and Jack or John, or whatever his name is, just might still continue to live to this day!