DIE, MONSTER, DIE! / AIP - 1965 / Music by Don Banks

Tabonga has an appointment in Hell today with The Big D, so, Rodan is filling in for this very special treat as a follow up to yesterday's excellent posting of BLACK SABBATH. Again, we feature our supreme hero, Mr. Boris Karloff, in one of AIP's best and most underrated movies of that era!!

This is pretty much a Hammer film, even using music composer Don Banks, who we've featured here before. Some of Don's work includes NIGHT CREATURES, PANIC, NIGHTMARE, HYSTERIA, THE EVIL OF FRANKENSTEIN, THE FROZEN DEAD, TORTURE GARDEN and others.

Here's today's Halloween Countdown soundclip... LOVECRAFTY DELUXIA!

Nick Adams shows up in Arkham, England, and is headed to the Witley House in the country. After asking a number of townspeople about getting there, he gets a cold shoulder, and, some hostility. So, he heads off walking.

He notices some very strange land features as he proceeds along the road.

Upon arriving at his destination, he is then greeted by a disgruntled Boris, but is eventually joined by his girlfriend, Susan Farmer, who explains that Nick came to help the ailing, Mrs. Witley.

Down in the basement is some very strange imagery, indeed.

As a result of too much time spent at the pit, Boris' servant succumbs to the meteor's radiation poisoning at the dinner table.

Weird things just keep on happening.

Nick and Susan go to the greenhouse to see if they can find some clues to the creepy mystery.

They find what they're looking for, alright! These creatures are among some of the greatest Lovecraft monsters, ever! Awesome!!

Nick decides to get to the bottom of things, so, goes down into the basement. He's greeted with a skeleton that pops out to frighten him away, but, remember, this is Nick Adams we're talking about!!

Then, he's attacked by some weird bats!

Nick finds the pit and inspects it. Boris comes up behind him for a gratuitous 'fright' moment.

Boris spills the beans, but, is interrupted by one of the manical mutants he's created! Nick conks it on the head and it falls down the ramp.

Pretty disgusting, judging from the looks on those faces!

Boris decides to destroy the crystals from space, but, he's got a problem!

He's attacked and gets a super dose of radiation himself!

And, it doesn't look good!

His trail is easy to follow.

Now, totally transformed into a radio active mutant beast, Boris seeks and finds Nick and Susan.

Boris loses his footing, falls to his death and starts the possessed house on fire!

Fire, the universal cleansing solvent! Well, as happy an ending as possible...

I TRE VOLTI DELLA PAURA - Roberto Nicolosi - "The Three Faces Of Fear" (1963)

Try and imagine Halloween in this modern age without thinking of something that wasn't influenced by the mult-talented genius Boris Karloff! It's quite unthinkable if not almost sacrilegious. One word, FRANKENSTEIN! I rest my case!

The opening footage is the coolest lookin' Boris you'll ever lay your eyes on, even if his voice is dubbed in Italian, and the guy responsible for it once again, working doubletime as Director and Cinematographer is the genius Mario Bava!!!

Black Sabbath" is actually a triology of tales, and the first one entitled "The Telephone" is the only one that really has any cool music in it, and was composed by the Masestro Roberto Nicolosi, who had a long history in sword and sandal films like "La Rivolta Dei Gladiatori"(The Warrior and The Slave Girl), and "La Regina Delle Amazzoni" (Colossus and the Amazon Queen), and also gets credit for the terrific music in "Caltiki-The Undying Monster" and "Black Sunday," and above all not to forget "Costa Azzurra" aka "Wild Cats on the Beach!"

The English version has music by yet another equally swingin' cat we've spoke of many times, Les Baxter! Hey! I've got a two tone rotary phone too!!

"The Telephone" is about a woman being pestered by crank threatening calls, played by the fabulous Michèle Mercier, also known by millions of adoring fans, as "Angélique," her most famous and recurring role!

Michèle answers the phone.............

Then she has a smoke!!

Is it Milo Quesada as Frank Rainer making the calls??

Ex good friend Lidia Alfonsi comes by to lend a hand, and give Michèle a sleeping pill and some comforting words to no avail!

So, Michèle does what anyone else would do in a situation like this, have another smoke!!!

It was Frank, but that's not even close to giving away this twisted storyline!!!

Boris Karloff wasn't only the narrator but also played the role of Gorca "The Wurdalak" in the second mini-feature!!

"The Wurdalak" is a Vampire story about what Al Green would express later in 1972: "Make you do right, make you do wrong, make you come home early, make you stay out all night long, the power of love! Love & Happiness!!"

And once you sign this contract, kids, you will know the true meaning of being in love forever and ever and ever again!!!

The third story in this Ménage à trois is more like an EC Comic crossed with a Twilight Zone episode, and translates as "The Drop Of Water!"

It's a short story about a pretty ring that keeps getting stolen off of a dead person's hand, and how once you take the ring, Karma kicks in, and you're the next victim haunted to death by your very own greed!!

I'm really quite surprised that not more people have died from this affliction, but then again, maybe they're just not telling us!!!

Indeed we do, Boris, Indeed we will!! One of the funniest closing scenes in any film I've ever witnessed!!!