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!

BILLY THE KID VERSUS DRACULA - Raoul Kraushaar/Dr. Samuel Hoffman (Theremin) - "18 And Beautiful" (1966)

Wow, what a great title card!! Can this movie possibly match up to this high of a standard? Well, just depends on how you look at it! In "Billy The Kid Versus Dracula", the theremin is used as a tool for building suspense and it always seems to work whether it's in outer space or even in a spooky vampire western like this, and with Dr. Samuel Hoffman at the helm, it's always going to be first class, and mixed with the music of Raoul Kraushaar, Bingo, you've got an instant winner!!! 

 

Chuck Courtney, a guy with 50 years in the business as an actor and stuntman in TV and movies of all ilks, shows classic beauty Melinda Plowman his gun! 

 

Chuck just looks dang comfortable in any western role! 

 

John Carradine looks extra extremely sinister in this particular vampire role! Sure, he'd like to see that picture of your 18 and beautiful daughter!!! 

 

I'm glad Chuck Courtney was a stuntman because it looks like the old man John Carradine is really putting some hurt on him! 

 

Chuck does a great job of looking absolutely overtaken by John Carradine in this scene, because Dracula's got Billy's arm pulled up behind him in a hammerlock, and he's choking the crap out of him. It's either that or he's really getting his butt kicked!

THE DEADLY BEES - The Birds - "That's All I Need" - Elkie Brooks - "Stop The Music" (1967)

Twisted tale #331............ The saga of "The Deadly Bees"!!!! 

 

"The Birds," a very real, and very impressive band whose shot at stardom was basically derailed by having the wrong name, get this "Amicus" film rolling with "That's All I Need." 

 

Shortly after this movie was made, "The Birds" broke up! The rest is history! Guitarist Ronnie Wood played bass with Jeff Beck for awhile, played with "The Creation", then picked up his guitar again when he joined up with the "Small Faces" which then turned into Rod Stewart and "Faces," and he ended up in "The Rolling Stones." Bassist Kim Gardner went on to play in "The Creation", "Ashton, Gardner and Dyke" and "Badger." For a real treat and more info on the rest of the guys and some freakin' awesome music try....The Birds MySpace. And when you're there, listen to "Daddy Daddy," the instrumental break at the end sounds like "The Who" jamming with Hendrix!!! They also do a good version of "You're On My Mind." 

 

It's a 1966 TV show, and after their number, we get to be tortured by Suzanna Leigh as pop star Vicki Robbins on "Baby let Me Love You" with the real vocals being sung by Elkie Brooks. Elkie Brooks and the late Robert Palmer were in an early 70's band together called "Vinegar Joe." Elkie's brother was the drummer with Billy J Kramer & The Dakotas. 

 

There are at least two scenes of Vicki brushing her teeth. Kind of a public service announcement for good oral hygiene!! 

 

Let's give a big hand and a thumb's up to "Amicus Productions" for breaking the mold and bringing in some 'rock' while "Hammer" would almost never stray away from their heavily orchestrated soundtracks!! Not as good as some of his work, but still a fine film from Freddie Francis, and a premium example of rock music in the 1960's monster movies! Yeah!!!!

MANTANGO (Attack Of The Mushroom People) - Sadao Bekku - "Theme And Flashback" (1963)

"Attack Of The Mushroom People" is a trip, and no trip is complete without some music! 

 

The madness all starts and ends right here, looking out over the Tokyo skyline! 

 

If you were just listening to the theme music from this film with your eyes closed, you'd probably think of a "Little Rascals" episode or some "Bosco" or "Buddy" cartoons kids used to watch on TV in the 50's. 

 

But instead you get an island of Horrifying Psychedelic Fungi from Hell! 

 

Then, there's the total flip-flop flashback, flashback, flashback (Did he say Flashback?) to a nightclub scene with more music and memories of more better times! 

 

In 1963 America, it was still "West Side Story", "Peter Paul and Mary", "Surfin' USA", "Louie Louie" and "Sugar Shack" at the top of the charts! But now in retrospect, you can see that it should have been, Come on everybody, and "Do The Mantango!"

 This is another Honda, Tanaka, Tsuburaya masterpiece that's a lot of fun to watch, so what are you waiting for? Go ask Alice and get yourself some!

THE BAT - Alvino Rey - "The Bat Theme" (1959)

Sometimes we can't even believe it ourselves, but it just keeps getting better, and tonight is a perfect example! The theme from "The Bat" is a jazzy little piece, totally unlike any of the rest of the music in the film, but the intriguing part is, that when you listen to this music, you'll hear, no, it's not a theremin this time, but instead, an odd guitar slide in a couple of places to lend that eerie effect, and that is because the man who composed the music for the theme was Alvino Rey, who is also known as "The Father Of The Pedal Steel Guitar" because of his early involvement in the development of the pedal, and electric steel guitar. Alvino was inducted into the "Steel Guitar Hall Of Fame" in 1978, the year of it's inception, he really was that important! As a side note, he was also the brother-in-law of Dwrayger Dungeon favorite, actor Robert Clarke. 

 

The Girls, Cornelia, and Lizzie. Great names, how time's have changed! 

 

Split the screen and you've got spooky and corny all at the same time! 

 Now, I do think it's almost beyond amazing that I've sat here and written over 325 posts and never once mentioned the name of Vincent Price until tonight. It's even more amazing when you consider what a connoisseur of the arts Vinnie was, and he, more than most, would probably have had the most appreciation for some of the jazzier music presented here! 

 

A lot of people only know Vincent Price as the poor man's Forrest J. Ackerman, but he was also a fine actor, a chef, and an artiste of some great renown!!! 

 

Super Extra Bonus Feature: Every guys favorite girlfriend from the "Little Rascals," Darla Hood, in one of her rare adult acting roles, meets an untimely demise! 

 

In 1935 Alvino Rey was hired by Gibson Guitar to produce a prototype pickup based on the one he developed for his banjo. The result was used for Gibson's first electric guitar, the ES-150. The prototype is kept in the Hendrix Museum in Seattle! Thanx Alvin!!

 "The Bat"

ARANAS INFERNALES (Hellish Spiders) - Jorge Pérez - "Spider Static" (1968)

Just when you thought it was safe to get on the internet again, we've suddenly reached the point where it's time to go "One Step Beyond," and for those of you who think you've seen or heard it all, get out your passports, because we're crossing the border again, and this time our destination is "Weirdsville, Mexico." The name of this film is "Arañas Infernales" and that roughly translates into "Blue Demon vs The Ugly Wrassler Guy Whose Hand Turns Into A Deadly Spider When He's Not Punching You With His Other Hand." 

 

They not only used 'spaceship' footage from "Plan 9 From Outer Space" but also from "Teenagers From Outer Space" as in this screwy spaceship scene! 

 

Hands changing into "Hellish Spiders" or snakes always bring out the best screams!!

 

As some kind of ultimate bizarre torture, they strapped this guy down and made him listen to AM Mexican radio turned up to 13! Luckily Blue Demon was right around the corner! 

 

Every second that Blue Demon spends in the Balloon Galaxy, he has a look of utter disbelief on his face, even under the mask!!!! 

 

Unlike a lot of the other Blue Demon movies with the cool, jazzy sounds of El Klan, this film only has static and stuff for outside music, BUT, it's got an ugly wrassler guy whose hand turns into a deadly spider!!!! Yow!!! Jorge Pérez gets the credit for the music, he'd been working as a composer in Mexican films since 1938 and in the 60's worked almost exclusively on Wrestling and Horror films, including a host of "Santo" flicks!