HAMMER HOUSE OF HORROR - "Visitor From The Grave" (1980)

It's a "Why Did It Take So Long Wednesday" in The Dungeon, and the feature is a British anthology of horror TV show called "Hammer House Of Horror."

"Hammer House Of Horror" was only on for one season in 1980. There were thirteen episodes, and it never aired in the United States to my knowledge.

"Visitor From The Grave" was the eleventh episode, and is a story about a guy who just refuses to stay dead!

There are basically only five characters in  this story, and it could easily be produced as a stage play! 

It starts off immediately with this woman who is home alone in the country seeing a shadowy figure outside her window.

Next thing you know he's in the house ranting and raving that her husband owes him!

Wouldn't this make a terrific painting?

In a panic, the woman shoots him in the face with a shotgun after he starts to molest her!

The man runs off into the woods, and later the woman's husband comes home.

She's a wreck. She's already strung out on some kind of medication, and when mixed with alcohol, well, anything  can happen!

She tells him the whole sordid story!

The woman is named Penny, and is played by Kathryn Leigh Scott. Among other things, Kathryn was Maggie Evans on 309 episodes of "Dark Shadows," and in her next film, she will be playing Mamie Eisenhower.

The very concerned husband is named Harry. 

Harry was played by Simon (Manimal) MacCorkindale.

Not far from the house, they find the body, and Harry decides to bury it on the spot!

Penny is busy freaking out!

Now it's time to clean up the blood. Even though it was an accident, Harry doesn't want to notify the authorities for numerous reasons! He also drives the man's car into the lake to hide it .

 

Penny keeps having nightmares about the whole situation!

 With the same predictable results!

A policeman shows up to ask some questions!

Now that is a police car that could strike fear into the heart of evildoers everywhere!

Harry and Penny go to a party! At the party they run into Margaret who can read Tarot cards, and offers to help ease Penny's troubled mind! Margaret was played by Mia (Orson Welle's Great Mysteries) Nadasi.

(The party is the only time that more than the five main cast members are in the scene.)

A guy who sure looks like the dead man shows up at the party!

Is this your card?

Tarot card XV is 'Le Diable', The Devil!!

Oh, this bastard will just not go away!

More pills and more booze aren't making it any easier f or poor Penny!

Finally, Harry can't take it any more, and he goes and digs up the grave to prove the guy is still in there! 

Good sport Stanley (Flash Gordon, Superman IV) Leber had the role of the dead man.

When that doesn't work, Margaret tells Penny about this Guru she knows of, but he's gone back to India, because his financial plans in America fell through. She contacts him, and he agrees to come and help for $150,000.00 which Penny says she will gladly pay to get this dead monkey off her back!

Veteran British television actor Gareth (Zigger Zagger) Thomas has this role, and he played the cop that came to their house too.

As I was writing this, I found out that all thirteen episodes of "Hammer House Of Horror" stream for free on Amazon Prime, so that means I'll be watching the rest of them some time real soon too!

THE INVISIBLE MAN / Catch Me If You Can! - 1933

We start this week with the Universal production of, The Invisible Man... Working in Dr. Cranley's laboratory, scientist Jack Griffin was always given the latitude to conduct some of his own experiments. His sudden departure, however, has Cranley's daughter Flora worried about him. The scientist has taken a room at the nearby Lion's Head Inn, hoping to reverse an experiment he conducted on himself that made him invisible. Unfortunately, the drug he used has also warped his mind, making him aggressive and dangerous.

It stars Claude (PHANTOM OF THE OPERA) Rains, Gloria (THE OLD DARK HOUSE) Stuart, William (FRANCIS COVERS THE BIG TOWN) Harrigan, Henry (DEATH TAKES A HOLIDAY) Travers, Una (BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN) O'Connor and Forrester (THE INVISIBLE MAN RETURNS) Harvey.

A mysterious man (Griffin) shows up at The Lion's Head Inn, he wants a room... As he's taken to his room, the other people at the inn begin to try and figure out what's going on. Is this person a criminal running from the law, is he ill, etc.

Mrs. Hall takes some mustard up to the guest, unannounced, and sees something very weird that she cannot understand. Griffin had part of his face unwrapped when she popped in...

At the lab where Griffin works, Dr. Cranley speaks with his assistant, Dr. Kemp, and his daughter, Flora, about the absence of Griffiin. Has he taken one of his experiments too far?..

Some time has passed now and Griffin seems to be losing it. He pushes Mrs. Hall out of his room and causes her to spill her tray. She tells her hubby to tell him to leave, he's late on the rent and is acting like a maniac. He then tosses Mr. Hall down the stairs after getting upset!

So, a policeman and some locals go to Griffin's room to get some answers...

And boy do they get a big surprise!!

Invisible, Griffin leaves the inn and goes to Dr, Kemp's place and forces him to help. Griffin plans a few murders and has Kemp drive him around from place to place... Or, else!!

Flora, who loves Griffin, pays him a visit at Kemp's place and tries to talk some sense into him. But when the police arrive, all bets are off.

Griffin knows that Kemp ratted him out, so, the maniac chokes and ties up the frightened man. He then pushes the car off a cliff with Kemp inside! Jeez, Kemp was a totally innocent victim!

Anyway, a farmer finds Griffin asleep in his barn and calls the cops. They surround the barn and set it on fire. Griffin escapes but is shot by a gunman...

At the hospital, Dr. Cranley and Flora are at his bedside, he doesn't have much time left, he's been shot in the lungs but they cannot operate on an invisible man! And after he tells Flora of his folly, he passes away...

This was only Claude's second movie role! So, check back Wednesday for more, from The Dungeon!!..

UNA SULLl'ALTRA - "One On Top Of The Other" (1969)

It's a Stack 'Em Up Saturday Night Special down here in The Dungeon, and a wild and crazy film directed by Horrormeister Lucio Fulci called "One On Top Of The Other."

I thought it was a pretty stoopid title, but "One On Top Of The Other" is actually a direct translation of the Italian title "Una Sull'altra." In an effort to sell it to as many audiences as possible, it has also been released as "Perversion Story," and "Hot To Trot," none of which make any sense!

Although it's an Italian movie, the exterior shots were mostly all done in California, in San Francisco, and the general bay area.

I thought this looked familiar, the "Dumurrier Clinic" is actually Pebble Beach Golf Resort!

Today, it would cost the entire film budget just to use this place!

Here's the deal! Dr. Dumurrier has a very sick wife, and even though he has this fancysmancy clinic, he can't seem to make her better!

Instead the good Doctor prefers to go spend the night with his girlfriend!

Next thing you know, his wife is dead, and she has left her husband two million dollars. It's more than enough to get his clinic out of hock!

 Normally glamorous Dungeon Queen Faith Domergue has the dour role of Matha/Marta.

Just to make it absolutely clear that this is San Francisco, they hit some of the main local attractions like the crazy curvy Lombard Street......

..........And what would San Francisco be without The Golden Gate Bridge?

At first I kind of doubted it was really San Franciso, but the trolley car and just the fact that all the cars were U.S. makes, made me realize it was true. The interior scenes were shot at Cinecittà Studios in Rome.

The Doctor follows his girlfriend down to the cool little central coast town of San Luis Obispo, and they used the actual train station there.

Before they head back to San Francisco, they go to this casino, and since I used to live in beautiful that area, I can guarantee you that in the 60's, there was not a casino any where near there.

These scenes were shot in Reno, Nevada!

Back to reality, "Varni's Roaring 20's Club" was a real place in San Francisco.

Fun place, lots of balloons and topless girls on swings!

Uh, Oh! What the heck's going on now? A Woman who looks just like the Doctor's dead wife is the main attraction in this strip club. Her hair and eyes are a different color, but other than that........

The Doctor and his girlfriend are seriously dumbfounded by the sight.

The stripper's name is Monica, and she is played by the amazing Marisa (Danger: Diabolik, Super Dragon Secret Agent) Mell.

I  guess I should introduce you to the Doctor and his girlfriend Jane.

Dr. D. was played by Jean (Disorder, Hypnosis, I Spit On Your Grave) Sorel.

Jane Bleeker is played by elegant Elsa ( Blood and Roses, Hatari!) Martinelli.

Monica is also a whore, so the Doctor buys himself a good time while pursuing the mystery. After they're done, she plays solitaire!

You know back in 1969, you couldn't have a studio without at least five bean bag or inflated chairs!

John Ireland's the Detective trying to untangle the whole damn mess!

John's a familiar face around here, having been in "I Saw What You Did," "Satan's Cheerleaders," 

and "Day Of The Nightmare." 

"Una Sull'altra" is a pretty cool movie and one of the taglines is "This film begins where Hitchcock ends," for it's supposed influence from "Vertigo." It's not gory like many of Fulci's films, but it does have it's fair share of sex, if you need something to complain about.

And more than anything else, "Una Sull'altra" has got an excellent, super cool and swingin' soundtrack created by one of my favourite composers, Maestro Riz Ortolani, and if you don't believe me, then listen for yourself! You won't regret it, I guarantee!
A Big Thanx to the Pop Up Sounds.Over-Blog for making the music available!