Saturday, December 6, 2008

THE MUMMY AND THE CURSE OF THE JACKALS PT 02 - John See.... "Championship Title Match - The Mummy Vs. The Jackal In Las Vegas" (1969)

Right now, as an extra added bonus feature, I'd like to share some photos taken at "The Ackermansion" in 2001, when we went to visit Forry to talk to him about being the host for a movie we had made. If you never had a chance to go, here's just a small taste of what you missed!!

Any normal person would die to have this Superman standee that was among a bunch of damaged stuff that was just piled up outside the back entrance of Forry's pad!!

You could walk through room after room covered from celing to floor in posters, lobby cards, books and miniatures!!

This was the man's living room!!

Forry would just open up his house at no charge a couple of Saturday's a month, and after you took the tour, he would answer any and all questions, and maybe even act out the part in some movie with you!! It would blow you away!! The man was a Prince!!

When we were there, the phone rang, and he just looked at me, and said "Would you answer that?" Sure Forry, no problem!!! "Forrest J. Ackerman's residence, can I help you?" what a kick!!

If you didn't already know it, Stephen Spielberg was the President of The Forrest J. Ackerman Fan Club! If that doesn't tell you how important this man's influence was, nothing will!! Forry, we'll always be thinking about you, but, for now, just as you would want it, it's time to go on with the show!!!

Part 02 of

"The Mummy And The Curse Of The Jackals!!"

So The Mummy dude that was in charge of taking care of Connie decides to check out some of the casinos in Las Vegas! The desert tie-in had to be a streak of genius of director Oliver Drake, or as he was affectionately know as, O.D.!

The Mummy is not real subtle about his abductions, walking right on stage or into a stripper's dressing room! Yet, somehow, lumbering around, he gets away with all of it!!

I'm starting to think that maybe O.D. was responsible for some of this music, since he had a background in soundtrack music! The cat also has a stretch of credits in Cowboy flicks as director, producer, and writer going back to the 1920's!

O.D. also had the writing credits for the 1944 feature, "The Mummy's Curse!" Is this all starting to make sense? Are you starting to understand this movie now??

John Carradine joins the foray towards the end of the film and does the normal cosmic exemplary act, that he always puts in, and pulls off, no matter where or when!!!

So, sure, a whole bunch of other stuff happens, but this film is basically two rampages put to music, one jackal, one mummy, in Las Vegas, and then Connie, the conniving B gets what's coming to her in the end, no more film roles!!!

Good Movie!!! Good night!!

Friday, December 5, 2008

THE MUMMY AND THE CURSE OF THE JACKALS PT 01 - "F.J.A. R.I.P." (1916 - 2008)

Well, it was inevitable, but I really wasn't ready for the news that Forrest J. Ackerman just passed away today!! He was our hero as you all know, and an inspiration from the first issue of FM we ever owned right up to today. I have no doubt we'll meet again!! I had already scheduled a two part deal for the next two nights, and now, it is even more fitting as we say good-bye to everybody's friend even if you didn't know him, because I don't think Forrest J. Ackerman ever met a stranger in his life!!! I'm sure Forry would want us to continue writing about these movies, so, tonight's special feature is straight out of La-La Land, because I'm talking about, the 1969 feature "The Mummy and the Curse of the Jackals!"

Good sport and all around great guy, Anthony Eisley plays the title role of David Barrie to the hilt, despite whatever circumstances prevail, financial or otherwise!!!

Marliza Pons as Princess Akana, or in the vernacular, Connie, is Anthony's love interest in this bizarre desert tale!!

Not a werewolf, No, that would be far too trite for a movie as intelligent as this, No, instead, Anthony is transformed into a jackal, one big mean varmit!!!

Okay, he looks pretty cuddly here, but he's just really getting started!!!

They didn't do a very good job of locking Anthony in like he had requested, so he scales the wall, escapes and ends up in this Las Vegas amusement park, which is pretty damn scary unto itself!!

C'Mon!! Have you seen a better makeup job lately?? I was doing some research, and I read where some idiot said this was a bad movie!! What planet did he come from?? More like one of the 'seven wonders of the world' unearthed once again from the sands of time like some ancient pyramid, would be a bit more correct!!

Now, you know why it's a two night deal. Hell, we haven't even got to The Mummy yet!! This poor Las Vegas cop just happened to be in the wrong place ad nauseam!!

Talk about your new world order minorities, Wow, have drunks been badly mistreated and stereotyped over the years or what?? Of course, no one cares when they get killed!!!

This is one of the wildest films you'll ever run across if you can possibly find a copy, and the music is.........an out of this world mix of spaghetti western, rollerskating, Inagaddadavida-carousel, jazz-funk, sitar, Zappaesque, bass-driven marimba, Las Vegas, space sleaze, Psych lounge, rockin' madness you'll ever hear in your life, and you can't even find out who is responsible for it!! On the credits it says John See... but the edges are cut off, so you can't even read John's whole last name. There is a John Seely who composed the original theme for the "Donna Reed Show" and some other things, but I don't really think that's him!! Oh, well, whoever he is, he's a freakin' genius of the wildest order with a taste in music as eclectic as my own, and that's pretty weird!! Stay tuned for tomorrow, "The Mummy and the Curse of the Jackals!" Part 02!!

See you on the other side Forry!!! We love you, man!!!

Wednesday, December 3, 2008

NIGHTMARE - Don Banks - "Here's The Knife Dear: Now Use It!" (1964)

"Nightmare" is a very watchable "Hammer" Freddie Francis outing with a good Hitchcock "Psycho" feel! I didn't think I could get into it at first, but if you just hang in there as the story unfolds, it will take your mind through a maze of twisted thoughts!

It all starts with the recurring dream of the murdering mother!

Jennie Linden as Janet, is the girl with all the mental problems and the bad dreams! There's nothing like waking up screaming when you live in a dormitory with a bunch of other girls; Janet is obviously not making a lot of friends!

Lucky for us, and Janet, the only real thing she likes is her stupid doll and some swingin' music blowin' out of her transistor radio provided once again by Don Banks! Here she listens outside in the snow, in the bed, and on the stairs of the home of her benefactor Henry Baxter, who is supposed to be watching out for her!

Instead, what's really happening is that Henry and his mistress Grace played by Moira Redmond, are trying to drive Janet screamin' yellow bonkers, so that he can have total and complete control of all her inheritance!!

So, after they come and take Janet away to the funny farm, where life is beautiful all the time, strange things start happening. Grace is starting to go a little a little nutty herself, and now she's hearing Janet's music even though Janet is far away!!

She goes upstairs, and this is what she finds!!

Grace loses it, breaks the radio, and takes it out on the doll, smashing it's little face in and gouging it's eyes like she's Freddie Blassie!!

Then Grace decides that Henry, played by David Knight is behind the whole thing, so he gets quite the surprise when she whips out this very large knife!! Hey, that wasn't part of the deal!!

To get the whole picture and find out who really is behind what, you're going to have to rent your own copy!! Trust me, it'll be worth your effort!!

Tuesday, December 2, 2008

DARK INTRUDER / Universal - 1965 / Music by Lalo Schifrin

Okay, here is hard to find 59 minute oddity from 1965 by producer Jack Laird who later produce NIGHT GALLERY. Star Leslie Nielsen and Mark Richman. Flick play mostly on TV but play at theater too. Was TV series pilot name THE BLACK CLOAK that nobloody pick up.

Music is great!! Lalo Schifrin have 196 composing credit and 49 soundtrack credit with title like MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE, THE NUDE BOMB, WAYNE'S WORLD, ACE VENTURA, COOL HAND LUKE, NIGHT GALLERY, BENNY HILL, EARTH II, THE NEPTUNE FACTOR, ENTER THE DRAGON, MAGNUM FORCE, BRENDA STARR, THE AMITYVILLE HORROR, CAVEMAN and he still working!!

NOOOO, NOT AGAIN!!

Leslie Nielsen play Brett Kingsford, playboy professor of the occult!

So, Brett go around trying to figure out mystery when he get attack by intruder who wearing dark apparel. Hmmm!..

Oh, and he have big sharp claw!!

Leslie and Mark go to seance for answer but still all mix up. Seance dude really Intruder!

Intruder lookin' for bro Mark, he have little present for him!

Intruder take over Mark' body so when Mark die, he change back into Intruder!.. Cool monster!!

Monday, December 1, 2008

DANCE OF DEATH (House Of Evil) - Enrico C. Cabiati - "Macabre Serenade " (1968)

The original premise of this site was to promote the love for the movies and the music, unfortunately this movie,"Dance Of Death" isn't going to allow that to happen, for you see this is just a 'bad' movie, not a good 'bad' movie, but an actual bad 'bad' movie! It's a real stinker, and what makes it even worse is that every horror maven's hero, Boris Karloff, is the star in one of his last outings!! Even the maestro Enrico C. Cabiati's music sucks; he who composed the scores for the likes of "Neutron Vs. The Death Robots" and "Acapulco A Go-Go" just to name two out of over a hundred, can't even come close to saving it!

Oh, Boy, this really looks real, doesn't it???

Two things, I don't like creepy stupid looking dolls, and ponderous organ music is really starting to wear me down, even when it's Boris Karloff, and this movie has an abundance of both!!!

Here's the trick, in these two scenes, the actors weren't acting, but instead were reacting to Jack Hill's direction!!

Oh, that's right, now I remember, there were two good things about this film!

Other than that just burn the place, that's exactly what it deserves!!

It's no wonder they waited like 10 years before actually ever releasing it!!! This film might appeal to you if you're near comatose or on your deathbed, if not, then rent something a little more uplifting like one of the many Dr. Mabuse films!!!

Monster Music

Monster Music
AAARRGGHHH!!!! Ya'll Come On Back Now, Y'Hear??