el TRIUNFO de los CAMPEONES JUSTICIEROS / Mexico + Guatemala - 1974

Welcome everbloody, to Friday Night Drive-In with host Tabonga and li'l Dungeon helper, Ralphie the Tarantula! Tonight's feature is the 3rd and final episode of 'The Champions Of Justice' trilogy, and boy, is it a weird one!! Filmed in Guatemala...

There's a circus backdrop for this alien invasion drama, and features Blue Demon, Superzan, El Fantasma Blanco and Venus! The aliens look like little people but are actually, yes... Bug Eyed Monsters!!

The music is by anybloody's guess, but, it's good! And, Eegah!! has put together a nice slice o' sounds!!!

So, on wif' da show!.. Ralphie sez "time for go to bed!" Wait, no, it's time for our Eariffic Earclip to leave the station, like, RIGHT NOW!!.. el TRIUNFO de los CAMPEONES JUSTICIEROS!

Here are the fearsome invaders from the endless void! Wow...

They employ the use of their normal-sized robot slaves to do all the dirty work. The robot dudes look pretty big when the cameraman shoots from a knealing position.

And, here they are, those well composed Champions Of Justice!

Here are two pics from the circus where the elephant gently steps over a bevy of reclining women, then pretends to almost step on a girl! Fun stuff!!

El Fantasma Blanco and Superzan watch as an alien resorts back to it's original form, a BEM!

The robots shoot at Blue Demon as he chases them in his Cessna.

El Fantasma Blanco and Venus rush to the tower in his white Fiat to help their pal Blue Demon.

What else, the aliens are there!

Time out for a few important messages!

Oh, and here's another important message!

The robots try to do some peeping under the circus bleachers! But, they're stupid and looking in the wrong direction!!

Now, don't mess around Clownie! Take off that outfit, I want it!

Blue Demon sez... "No, really, we need to use this gizmo, look what it does!"

When it comes to using creative colors on crappy sets, the Mexicans win hands down!

Blue Demon uses his gizmo to explode the aliens and send them back to where they belong... Wherever the Hell that is!!

Next Friday = our 1000th post!!

WARRIORS OF THE WASTELAND (Italy, 1982) Music by Claudio Simonatti

Just like making bread, it's time for this old man to take another needed break, so, here's the dude of the hour on this hot summer night, Zillagord, with his take on some WTF!?! movie making, Italian style, WOTW!!

Ah Italy-- ever since Marco Polo brought spaghetti to its shores, the Italians have been appropriating ideas from other nations and calling them their own. The Italian film industry is no exception. These paisanos are exploitaters extraordinaire: when they see an overseas money maker, they remake it on the cheap, slap a cool title on it, and rake in the denaro!

WARRIORS OF THE WASTELAND (aka THE NEW BARBARIANS) is a fine example of Italian “ingenuity,” a post-apocalyptic ROAD WARRIOR rip-off from director Enzo G. Castellari, also responsible for JAWS rip-off GREAT WHITE and ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK rip-offs 1990: THE BRONX WARRIORS and ESCAPE FROM THE BRONX. Enzo may not be the most innovative guy, but he does have one great claim to fame: he did direct the original INGLORIOUS BASTARDS back in ’78!

He also had the good sense to hire Claudio Simonatti to score this flick. You may know Claudio from the band Goblin, which did some of the great electro-keyboard horror soundtracks of the late 70s-early 80s such as DAWN OF THE DEAD, DEEP RED, and my personal fave, SUSPIRIA! Check out Claudio’s fine score, really the best part of this tepid flick, along with some of the inane dubbed dialogue HERE!

Dese goombahs are members of the Templars (more originality), a gang of poorly coifed, nihilistic thugs who believe that since civilization is on the brink of extinction, they might as well help it along by killing off the remaining survivors! Their slogan: “Hate and exterminate!” Yeah, they’re the Orkin men of the future!

No keggers in our Wasteland!

The battles of the future will be waged in souped-up golf carts! I loved how slow-motion was employed in this flick during the chase scenes to cover up for the low speeds at which these chases were actually occurring. Made Al Cowlings look like a leadfoot!

This gato is named Scorpion, chief enemy of the Templars. Of course, dude with the only cool car is the one who gets the babe. The Wasteland is a lot like high school!

Into the hinterlands comes ex-NFL star Fred Williamson in a role far-removed from his turn as Spearchucker Jones in MASH. His character is named Nadir, an indication Fred knew dis flick was gonna be a low point. Guess he didn’t see CHILDREN OF THE CORN 5 comin’…

What did I say about high school? Damn, the jocks still rule in the atomic devastation….

Of course, Scorpion and Nadir have to defend a caravan of survivors from the Templars in hopes of rebuilding humanity. Have you heard this story before? At least Fred has exploding tips on his arrows, makes for some great ‘splosions! Them Templars blow up good, REAL good!

“It’s about coming up, and staying on top, and screaming one-eight-seven on a mother-fucking cop”—Sublime, “April 29, 1992”

Just tryin’ to ease him up into second gear!

Great thing about the apocalypse—nobody around to steal your cool hood ornament!

Thanks Mean Joe! Oops, I mean…

Will Scorpion and Nadir defeat the Templars and save civilization? Will the jocks and hot-rodders continue to pull the hot chicks? Will the Italian film industry develop an original cinematic concept?? Ah, FUGEDABOUDIT!!!

HENRY ALDRICH HAUNTS A HOUSE / Paramount Pictures - 1943

Welcome again to Moldie Oldie Monday, here at the Dungeon! Today, Tabonga and li'l helper Rufus the Gnat bring you a fun little comedy thriller with every mother's favorite son, Henry Aldrich. There were a total of 12 movies starring the Aldrich family, Jackie Cooper played Henry in the first two, then Jimmy Lydon finished out the series with with his signature nerdy crackling adolescent voice!

The plot goes like this... Henry drinks a serum to become super strong and ends up in a 'haunted' house.

This flick is one of over 700 Paramount productions filmed between 1929 and 1949 which were sold to MCA/Universal in 1958 for television distribution!

"Henry!.. HENRY!"

"Coming, mother!"

Henry and mom are featured in Bob Clampett's BOOK REVUE Looney Tune from 1946! That cartoon is top 10 of all time, and, Mel Blanc was a better singer than most crooners!!!

Music is by Gerard Carbonara. Gerald had an above average career with 71 composing and 128 music department credits between 1928 and his last uncredited composition in 1960.

Some of the films he worked on are THE HAUNTED HOUSE (1928), YOUNG EAGLES, THE MOON'S OUR HOME, SKY PARADE, GIRL OF THE OZARKS, THE DEVIL IS DRIVING, ARTISTS AND MODELS ABROAD, STAGECOACH, GERONIMO, DR. CYCLOPS, THE MONSTER AND THE GIRL and AMONG THE LIVING!

Okay then, why don't we get this here Eariffic Earclip a rollin'... Today, Rufus is using a little mallet to hit the big red 'GO' button to start the dominos falling, just in time for!.. HENRY HAUNTS A HOUSE!

Can anybloody believe this is what high school used to be like?.. Hard to!!

As always, it's about guys trying to impress girls, and that's where the trouble always starts! But, we wouldn't have it any other way!

Henry's trying to impress Elise Towers, daughter of the local nutty professor!

Elise shows Henry some of her father's inventions and secret potions he's working on. When Elise leaves for a moment, Henry drinks down a bottle of liquid that makes him super strong. And, what better way to impress a girl, right?!

Henry, Elise and Dizzy end up at Creep House, which is supposedly haunted...

But, something weird actually is going on there!

Henry's not sure if he wasn't responsible for the disappearances.

Welp, it's back to Creep House, somebloody's got to get to the bottom of this mystery!

Like in Scooby-Doo, the gang gets separated, and Dizzy has his moments of terror!

Don't do that, you knucklehead!

Then it happens, Henry finds... A MUMMY!

Henry has to go see a shrink to evaluate how crazy he is!

The potion Henry drank did create an alter ego, and who's having lots more fun than Henry is!

Big mystery finally solved, that mummy's the guy everbloody's been looking for!..

And, Henry's back to his old, normal self!!..

***July 16th will be our phenominal 1000th posting, with a Friday Night Drive-In offering of a Corman classic from 1956 we've been saving for some special occasion!!