HOUSE ON SKULL MOUNTAIN - "Soulful Skullduggery" (1974)

Let's set the record straight! In my humble opinion, there probably hasn't been a great voodoo movie made since "The Dead One" in 1961!

That being said, "House On Skull Mountain" doesn't stand a ghost of a chance! One thing though, I don't know how much money they spent on this awesome opening shot, but they got their money's worth, and it sure as Hell is my new wallpaper!

I love this roadside attraction shot! Skull Mountain is a pretty swell place, "Having A Great Time, Wish You Were Here!"

And now for a word from one of my best friends, Squeaky Doorknocker! "Velcome!"

- Voodoo Stuff, circa 1974 -

This is Mike Evans as Phillippe Wilette, I'll introduce him first, because he's the first to go! Mike made quite a name for himself on TV after he got this film out of his system. Not only did he have the forever recurring role as Lionel Jefferson in both "All In The Family" and "The Jeffersons," he was also the creator and writer of the TV series "Good Times!" Needless to say, his smart aleck persona doesn't work that well outside of the TV sitcom! Michael passed away back in 2006 at 57!

The family's motto is the same as that of the New York Police Department, "Faithful Until Death!"

There was a lot of thinking going on in this film, and here's an interesting tip of the hat to famed American illustrator Charles Allan Gilbert and his artwork entitled "All Is Vanity!"

Here's the whole basic cast left to right, Lloyd Nelson as The Sheriff, who came up through the Jerry Warren Skool of film making, with roles in "The Incredible Petrified World," "Creature Of The Walking Dead," and "The Wide World Of Batwoman! Victor (Highway To Heaven) French as cousin Dr. Andrew Cunningham, the only white guy in the family, Janee (Scream, Blacula, Scream) Michelle as cousin Lorena Christophe, Xernona (Trumpet Awards) Clayton as cousin Harriet Johnson, Jean (Voodoo) Durand as the evil Thomas Pettione, and Ella Woods as the housekeeper Louette in her only role ever!

There is plenty of voodoo drum music in "House On Skull Mountain," and I'm a big fan of percussion, but some of these scenes go on forever, then right in the middle they throw in a love song called "Love Has Gently Come This Morning" when the only two cousins left are out on the town! While this might have been the only movie Etta Woods was in, she was also the one singing this song!

The fare is $5.00, where do you want to go Lady? Hell??

The balance of the music was created by the extraordinaire Jerrold Immel in his first outing, who is responsible for among other achievements, composing the theme to some timeless TV classics like "Dallas," "Knot's Landing," and "Walker, Texas Ranger!"

I thought Louette was on the dark side, but Thomas turned the tide against her! Thomas had some real issues that are unclear, except that he was just inherently evil!

The locals are so caught up in the voodoo that they don't even notice Dr. Cunningham sneaking into the scene!

Bring on the machete, one of the great equalizers of the world, but it isn't enough!

What a banquet of beauties, and except for Janee Michelle in the middle, I don't even know their names!

At the beginning of the movie, in her only role ever, Mary J. Todd McKenzie as Voodoo Queen and Grandma Pauline Christophe dies, and she had sent out letters for all the cousins to come to Skull Mountain! You never got the feeling that she had summoned them to be murdered, so when Thomas brings her back from the grave........

.....Well, let's just say this is the last finger in the world you'd want to pull!!!

Evil Thomas is blown out a second story window, and crashes to death down on the hard cold concrete veranda!

Grandma takes the taxi back to Hell, and the happy cousins couple have a lot of soul searching to do!! A Lot!!!

R.I.P. Dick Clark!

ATTACK OF THE MUSHROOM PEOPLE / Toho Studios - 1963

It's another Monster Monday with Tabonga, here at The Dungeon!.. This great Toho flick was a favorite of ours in the sixties whenever it appeared on TV. American movies never got this weird! Directed by the awesome Mr. Ishirô Honda, a redo of a previous post from 2008.

We have a soundclip of the theme and the song being sung by Kumi Mizuno at the beginning. Notice that the theme sounds like it's from a HECKLE & JECKLE cartoon!! Soooo, push the big red 'GO' button there by the amp guage, now, lil' helper Ralphie The Tarantula! Here are some hallucinogenic sounds from... ATTACK OF THE MUSHROOM PEOPLE!

Here's Kumi as entertainer Mami Sekiguchi, singing her happy song, when things were fine, before the storm hit and landed them on that mysterious foggy island! Lovely Kumi is still working today and was also in these fine films... I WANT TO BE A SHELLFISH, KILL THE KILLER!, GORATH, THE LOST WORLD OF SINBAD, FRANKENSTEIN CONQUERS THE WORLD, INVASION OF THE ASTRO-MONSTER, GODZILLA vs THE SEA MONSTER, THE WAR OF THE GARGANTUAS, GODZILLA AGAINST MECHAGODZILLA and GODZILLA: FINAL WARS!

After making it to the island, they discover a tattered old ship in a radio-active mist. Of course, they decide to explore it...

It's nothing less than a spook joint inside, filled wif' funky atomic fungus and the like!!

Numbnuts here finds a box of rations in the hold and decides to horde it.

This pic is plain cool, and, that's why it's here! I knew a friend that could pop his jaw, he could blow smoke rings that would blow your mind!

Here's another nice pic I couldn't resist showing.

It's the creepy roaming atomic mushroom man everyone's starting to see!

Weak men cannot resist sexy dames' demands, it's in the DNA...

Here's a cool quote from Eegah!! from an earlier post... I just read that in Japan, you used to be able to buy psilocybin mushrooms in vending machines; now a lot of this (Japanese) stuff is starting to make sense!

The movie was nearly banned in Japan because the makeup the cast wore as they were turning into mushrooms was reminiscent of how some victims looked after the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki!

The interior of the dark, dank old ship helps make for plenty of chilling moments! That mushroom dude knows how to fight, too.

Horror of horrors!.. Kenji finds his girl enjoying some of the radio-active 'shrooms! He has to get away and makes it back to their boat, where he's eventually rescued at sea.

What's neat about this film is that it's told in flashback, a great setup for the final scene, where, Kenji wishes he had just stayed on the island with the rest of them...

FENOMENAL E IL TESORO DI TUTANKAMEN - Bruno Nicolai - "Wextra, Wextra, Read All About It!" (1968)

Tonight's feature is more than special, it's Phreakin' "PHENOMENAL"!!!!! If you think there's any way possible we could have got our grubby mitts on so many neat flicks without the help of some cool cats like Professor Grewbeard, Joe, and Brian Horrorwitz, then you're out of yer phreakin' mind!

That being said, Brian and The Trash Palace are the folks to thank, or blame for this action packed and truly phenomenal phlick! The man in black is not Johnny Cash, it's Fenomenal, or in English, Phenomenal, and even though in Europe he's considered a super-hero, his only real special power is that just like Lucky the Inscutable, or Batman, Fenomenal is real damn good at kickin' ass!!

So this mug is what all the commotion is about, The Treasure of Tutankamen, or Toot Uncommon, you know, something difficult to get your hands on!

The 6 foot 3 body builder and happy Gordon (Stranger That Kneels Beside the Shadow of a Corpse) Mitchell, has the role of bad guy Gregory "Go" Falk off! Gordon was born in Denver, Colorado, but appeared in scores of Italian Sword and Sandal, and Spaghetti Western movies!!

Lucretia (Go With God, Gringo) Love has the role of Mike Shevlove! No options for argument, you gotta love any woman named Bob or Mike, and there's no way possible that a toast from Falkoff is going to be headed in the right direction!

Treacherous eyes and a cigarette lighter camera add up to no good, but mucho bueno payoff for Falkoff! Carla (Le Inibizioni Del Dottor Gaudenzi, Vedovo Col Complesso Della Buonanima) Romanelli is Anna Giomet!

At first, it's difficult to get used to this hero that looks like he has his shirt pulled up over his head, but after he slinks and sleazes around for awhile, you get very comfortable with his character!!

It's pretty hard to go wrong when you have things like the Eiffel Tower to use as far as shoots are concerned, not much different from us having Oildale at our disposal in the making of "The Creep!"

Honestly, I forget where Mike was going with this outfit on, it didn't really seem to matter!

Next stop, Woo Woo, the sultry steam baths!!

Director Ruggero Deodato would get his ass in real hot water for his use of animals in "Cannibal Holocaust" in 1980!

This is an awesome shot, super simple, but very effective!!

When you find yourself in a situation where you've just pulled off the biggest heist in the whole world, and suddenly your two-timing girlfriend has a headache, and wants to go home with somebody else, you can pretty well expect that your ass is toast!!

Finally, evil goes over the edge....

.....Only to come back and take matters into it's own hands again! Bad good guys don't finish last, they don't finish at all!

Mike has to jump out of the helicopter into the ocean to save the day....

Personally, I would think it would be very uncomfortable to be underwater with a sweater up over your face and head, but Fenomenal doesn't seem to be bothered at all, but the guy on the wrong side of the law seems to have a real problem with it!

Oh, it's you!!!