HOT RODS TO HELL / Call Them Punks, Call Them Animals... But You Better Get Out Of Their Way! - 1967

In today's super wild adventure, Tom Phillips, his wife Peg, their teenage daughter Tina and younger son Jamie drive through the California desert heading for a new life by running a motel. Things go south when teenage bad girl Gloria and her two delinquent boyfriends, Duke and Ernie, chase and harass them in a Corvette! With Duke attempting to seduce the daughter, it finally drives dad to take action against the sadistic trio. Filmed at Lake Los Angeles, Calabasas, Antelope Valley, Wilsona Gardens and Culver City.

It stars Dana (CURSE OF THE DEMON) Andrews, Jeanne (CHEAPER BY THE DOZEN) Crain, Mimsy (THE BLACK CAT '61) Farmer, Laurie (RIOT ON SUNSET STRIP) Mock, Paul (ANGELS FROM HELL) Bertoya, Gene (executive producer of ROCKY!) Kirkwood and Jeffrey (THE DUNGEONMASTER) Byron.

On his way back home for Christmas, Tom Phillips' car is hit by a drunk driver and he sustains multiple injuries. After he gets out of the hospital, he must choose a new life and a friend helps him aquire a motel establishment in the Californian desert...

Here are Tom and his family driving to California in their 1961 Plymouth, I think, the ugliest car Plymouth ever made. The next year though, the 1962 version was super nice!

A few miles away from their destination, the family meets up with one of the hot rods headed to Hell, back in the day when crazy girls (like in THE GIANT CLAW) could legally sit like that in a vehicle. Those are Gloria, Duke and Ernie in the Vette, all are poor little ass hole rich kids with nothing else to do, naturally.

At one point, Ernie calls his friends to help harass the the family.

Duke likes Tina and stalks her at a park when the family stops to rest from dealing with the little fuckers. Problem is, Tina is attracted to Duke...

Finally, Tom is able to talk to a policeman about the situation and he is relieved when the officer says he'll keep an eye on the brats.

Tom is taking over the motel and roadhouse, and that night a great little band is playing live, and, it's none other than Mickey Rooney Jr. and his Combo!! Love those threads, man!

Tina goes to the roadhouse to see what's going on and Gloria confronts her (she thinks she's Duke's girl) and there's a bit of drama... Then guess who shows up and flatly tells Gloria (his girl before Tina arrived) that she ain't his girl, ouch!!

Tom can't find Tina at their place so goes out looking for her...

Not cool, Tom finds Duke putting the make on Tina!!.. Uh-Oh!!

That's it, Tom and the family pack up and head to the nearest police department 30 miles away to file a complaint against the delinquents! But Duke finds out so him and Ernie set out to stop them! Then at one point, Duke nearly runs Tom into a wall before the shits finally leave!!

Tom comes up with a plan, mom and the kids stand at a distance (check out that matte painting used for close ups in the background) while he turns the car around and turns on the lights. You see, the jerk asses have been tormenting the family on numerous occasions with a deadly game of chicken, so...

Duke and Ernie are laughing their asses off until they realize they're going to crash unless THEY swerve this time!! They end upside down in the dirt and weeds (I was actually hoping they'd run into the car!).

Tom's not taking any chances with these little bastards and has his handy equalizer ready and set to go!

After saying this is what he'd like to do to both of them, he starts beating the crap out of the wreck!! He gives them a few more lectures before...

The cop takes them away and the Phillips family head back to motel to live, peacefully!.. Tune in tomorrow for more mayhem, here at, The Dungeon!!..

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!!..