Wednesday, August 11, 2010

DAY OF THE NIGHTMARE - Henri Price - "Hey Lady We're Closed" (1969)

"Day Of The Nightmare" is an interesting 60's romp about a cross-dressing artiste who is also a blood-thirsty killer! Pretty busy guy, really! That's a couple of full-time jobs, plus he has to try and hide the whole mess from his wife at the same time!! Woo-Woo!!

It starts off innocently enough as Jonathan Crane is working on some sketches in his apartment/studio, home away from home. His model, Lynne Lori doesn't know it, but she's on a fast track to the inside of a trunk!

Put on some mood music, and please don't play another Mitch Miller record! The soundtrack was created by Dungeon stalwart, André Brummer, working once again as Henri Price! All our favorites by Ray Dennis Steckler, "Thrill Killers," "Body Fever," "Rat Pfink a Boo Boo," and "The Incredibly Strange Creatures Who Stopped Living and Became Mixed-Up Zombies," Arch Hall's "Eegah" and Fredric Hobbs' "Godmonster of Indian Flats" all had soundtracks composed by André Brummer, and it just doesn't get much better than that!!

Groovy artist's studio and pad, with our hero, and one of the stars of this movie, Cliff Fields as tortured artist Jonathan Crane! It looks like this was Cliff's only starring role, as his other handful of roles were as Mail Clerk, Townsman, Banker or Student etc!!

Jonathan has got some serious issues, and back issues too!! Yeah, that's him, in the skanky outfit and shades! For being an artist, Jonathan's choice of fashion is open for discussion!

Right about this point in the flick you decide that this is just another cheapo 60's dirty little sex flick, but here's the real surprise, you're wrong this time!!

I don't know about those Grannie panities though, probably a good thing it's not just a sex flick! Jonathan's neighbors in his home away from home apartment complex are swinger's in more than one way!! Check out the poster on that cheapass paneled wall for the Monterey Jazz Festival!

And those swingers are having way too much fun to notice Jonathan, a big trunk being pulled down the stairs, and a missing model!

The streets of L.A. circa 1969 with cool cars including that classic Chevy Corvair, and who put the dent in that VW fender? I'm willing to bet a good part of why this film is so watchable is because the cinematography is by cult hero Ted V. Mikels, producer and director on classics "The Astro Zombies" and "The Corpse Grinders" and lots more, including a 2010 release of "Astro Zombies: M3 - Cloned!"

In steps supermodel Kathy Ireland's Dad, John Ireland, as Police Sergeant Dave Harmon just in time to start getting to the bottom of some of these shenanigans!! Pretty amazing how much Kathy looks like her Dad! John Ireland had 199 acting credits dating back all the way to 1945, and, believe it or don't, this probably wasn't the weirdest movie he was ever in! Here's just a few movies he's been in, "The Fast And The Furious," "Revenge For Revenge," "The Phantom Of Hollywood," "The House Of Seven Corpses," and "Satan's Cheerleaders." He also did a ton of TV including 11 episodes of "Rawhide" as Jeb Colby, and 39 episodes of "The Cheaters" as John Hunter!

Nah, I didn't hear or see anything, we were just havin' some fun!!

Jonathan continues to dig his own hole!!

So, what's up with Jonathan anyway, is he a lady's man or is he a lady? His wife Beverly Bain, as Barbara Crane watches on, because she has no idea what the Hell is going on because Jonathan is gone most of the time!!! This would be Beverly's only acting gig!

It's quite possible that Jonathan is just a little messed up in the head, so do you think his Father might have something to do with it?

Jonathan thinks his wife is onto him, so he decides he needs to get rid of her too!

Jonathan and Barbara have such a close relationship that when he attacks her, she doesn't even recognize him. You'd think his poise and sense of fashion would be a dead giveaway!

Barbara Crane spills the beans to Sergeant Harmon. If they only knew what I know, this case would me a lot easier, and this film would be a lot shorter!

Yet, another victim, but that microphone will be a lot of help to Sergeant Harmon this time!

Jonathan seems more than just a little smitten with himself!

At the finish line, Jonathan finds out the ugly truth, he's a freakin' FREAK!!! "Day Of The Nightmare" is half of a double feature dredged up by Something Weird Video that also includes "Scream Of The Butterfly!" Now that's a bargain for you!

Monday, August 9, 2010

THE MOST DANGEROUS GAME In Color / RKO - 1932

Welcome everbloody to a colorized Moldie Oldie Monday here at the Dungeon. Tonight we gots a great RKO follow up to KING KONG starring the great Joel (SADDLE TRAMP) McCrea, Fay (DOCTOR X) Wray, Leslie (CHAMBER OF HORRORS) Banks and Robert (THE SON OF KONG) Armstrong!

This classic plot is very simple... An insane hunter arranges for ships to be wrecked near his island where he can then indulge in the hunting and killing of the passengers as sport.

Music is by super heavyweight Max Steiner, Max had 250 composing credits beginning in 1916!! Some of the movies he worked on are CRACKED NUTS, PEACH-O-RENO, THE MONKEY'S PAW, THE SON OF KONG, SHE, THE ADVENTURES OF TOM SAWYER, CONFESSIONS OF A NAZI SPY, THE GAY SISTERS, CASABLANCA, ARSENIC AND OLD LACE, THE BEAST WITH FIVE FINGERS, THE FOUNTAINHEAD, THE JAZZ SINGER, THE CAINE MUTINY, THE SEARCHERS, A SUMMER PLACE and THE DARK AT THE TOP OF THE STAIRS!

Awright then!.. Let's bring in lil' Dungeon helper pal, Rufus The Gnat, so's he can send our Eariffic Earclip on it's way to yer impatient, waiting earifice! Rufus has been eating his Wheaties and is ready to be pushing that big red 'GO' button. Hit it Rufus!.. THE MOST DANGEROUS GAME!

Joel plays Bob Rainsford, the world's most famous game hunter. Here, him and his friends have their cruise interrupted by a reef!

Bob is the only survivor, one friend was eaten by a shark! He makes his way up a hill where he sees a huge stone mansion.

Bob shows himself in and eventually gets to meet Fay Wray, as Eve Trowbridge, who with her brother, were also shipwrecked and stranded on the island!

Here's a nice closeup of Fay to show how beautiful the lady was, requested by Eegah!!

Robert Armstrong plays Martin Trowbridge, the two-fisted drinking brother of Eve. Leslie Banks plays Russian Count Zaroff, owner and master of the island. In actuality, his men set the bouys in the wrong position, causing boats to end up on the reef, for nefarious reasons...

An American lush has no soft spot in the heart of the Count, and Martin is dead by the next morning. Hunting accident!

Bob and Eve do a little exploring of the mansion on their own...

They find some things they shouldn't know about...

And, get caught, what else?!

The big guy in the gold shirt is the awesome black actor, Noble Johnson, in white face, playing the intimidating... Ivan!

Bob keeps tripping up the Count, so the Count calls out his hunting dogs to even the playing field.

Some of the KING KONG sets were reused for this film.

The Count corners Bob and Eve near the falls. The Count shoots at Bob, and Bob goes over the edge! Eve is devistated.

Uh!.. Oh!..

Gee, I thought you were dead!.. I was just playing a happy tune on the old pee-nano!

Judging by what he has just lived through, and then what he does to the Count and his pals after all that, well, Bob is surely one tough mutherfucker!! Check out this most excellent backbreaker he puts on a poor henchman! No, really, he breaks the dude's back!!

Bob gets the key to the boat, but has to polish off one last lackey with his pistol before him and Eve can leave the wicked island.

Critically wounded, the Count makes one last attempt to threaten Bob and Eve as they make their escape in his motor boat, but then falls out his third story window to join his beloved hunting dogs below! Poetic justice to be sure...

Ghoulnight everbloody!!

Saturday, August 7, 2010

LA NOCHE DE LOS ASESINOS - Carlo Savini - "Night Of The Skull" (1976)

Welcome all you wild cats and cool kittens to the Saturday Night Spooktacular down here in The Dungeon, Post #1013, to be precise, which means it's time to break out something that is the epitome of what we're trying to present around here in sound and pictures, another Jesus Franco Freakfest for your late nite Breakfast, a film that has been released under various titles, like "Night of the Assassins" or in this case, "Night Of The Skull!"

Well, actually they meant Rubber Skull Mask, and the guy wearing it is really pissed off, as you can tell!

The composer of the music for this film was Maestro Carlo Savini, a brilliant man, who also worked with the other Euromaster of horror, Mario Bava, on films like "Lisa E Il Diavolo!" His other film work includes a crazy palette of movies ranging from "Kill The Poker Player" and "Naked Girl In The Park" to "School Of Erotic Enjoyment" and "Thirteenth Is A Judas" just to mention a couple!

The story is an amalgamation of thoughts from the team of Edgar Allen Poe, Edgar Wallace, and Jesus Franco, or was it really John Willard and James P. Johnson? Probably nobody really knows except Jess Franco!

Just a simple question. Would you have sex with this version of Yelena Samarina?

We've seen him before as Morpho, but in this film, the renown Luis Barboo has the role of Rufus!

Just like in Edgar Wallace's "The Terror" there is the reading of a will, and the one subsequent character unhappy with the outcome! Mildly Giallo and Gothic in nature, "Night Of The Skull" is actually a pretty straight ahead affair for being a Jess Franco flick!

The killer has a penchant for literature, and likes to play by the rules of "The Apocalypse," and the first line reads, "Earth to bury us!" or Tierra Para Enterrarnos!

"Wind to scourge us!" Vendaval Para Arrasarnos!!

"Water to drown us." Agua Para Ahogarnos!!!

"Fire to burn us!" Fuego Para Incinerarnos!!!

They intentionally left out the line, "Wine to drunk us!" Vino Para Beber Con Nosotros!!!

Now this is some freaky-deaky crapola!

What are you talking about? There aren't any zombies in this movie!!

The line of the century! And what if they hadn't been, then what kind of trouble would you be in??

Very few of Jess Franco's main squeeze, Lina Romay's roles are as innocent as she is here, as Rita Derian, and boy, is that an understatement!

"I woke up in a Soho doorway, a policeman knew my name, He said you can go sleep at home tonight, if you can get up and walk away, I staggered back to the underground, and the breeze blew back my hair, I remember throwin' punches around, and preachin' from my chair!" - Pete Townsend

And finally a big shout out to Tabonga's little button-pushin' buddy!! The little guys behind the scenes never get enough credit! This one's for you pal!!

Monster Music

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