The Undying Monster[aka The Hammond Mystery](1942)
The Hammond family has been cursed with lycanthropy since the crusades.A detective tries to discover which Hammond is the werewolf responsible for the killings as the bodies pile up.Under the direction of John Brahm and with excellent make up effects,this is a very good horror thriller.
7/10
Pumpkinhead(1988)
Stan Winston's directorial debut is a solid,B creature-feature with a pretty nifty monster.Lance Henriksen asks a witch to help him get revenge on the boys who killed his son.The witch agrees,but warns him that it comes with a heavy price.Also starring Jeff East who puts in a decent showing.
7/10
The First of The Few(1942) an interesting, well acted tale of R J Mitchell the designer of the Spitfire, beginning in the 1920s when he was designing planes to compete in international races and into the late 30s when some including Mitchell became concerned about the German threat. Directed by Leslie Howard who also plays Mitchell with David Niven as Crisp, his pilot. Their friendship is nicely portrayed. Tragically, Howard and 16 others aboard a KLM plane were shot down over the Bay Of Biscay by German fighter planes in 1943. 7/10
Bridge to Terabithia(2007)
Based on Katherine Peterson's novel about two kids who invent their own fantasy world called Terabithia to escape the harshness of their everyday lives.Some of the CGI hasn't held up to well but,with a strong lead turn from a young Josh Hutchinson and good support from Annasophia Robb and Robert Patrick make this well worth watching again and again.
7.5/10
Angels One Five(1952) An interesting take on the Battle Of Britain shown mostly from the point of view of an Operations Room. Intelligent script, nicely acted and typically cheerful stoicism, stiff upper lips and not much emotion. Starring Jack Hawkins, Michael Denison and John Gregson. 7/10
The Gate(1987)
Tibor Takacs directs this straight forward tale.While removing a tree in a suburban backyard,workmen discover a pit that turns out to lead to the gates of hell.While the acting and script are pretty standard fare for thiis type of thing,the highlight of the film are the small,demonic creatures that climb out of the hole which were created by some very impressive stop motion animation.
6.5/10
Village of the Dammed(1960)
Wolf Rilla directs this black and white classic.All human and animal life in the small village of Midwich suddenly falls unconscious. Months later,every woman of childbearing age gives both on the same day.The children are all blonde and identical in demeanour.Based on the novel by John Wyndham, this eerie sci-fi film features a chilling performance from young Toby Stephens,who was equally as creepy a year later in Jack Clayton's The Innocents.
8/10
The Body Snatcher(1945)
Great performances from a sinister Boris Karloff and and an elegant Henry Daniel,combined with first rate direction from Robert wise make this an eerie treat.Look for Bela Lugosi as a victim of "Burking." Based on the short story by River Louis Stevenson.
8/10
The Big Combo (1955) As a film noir fan I was delighted to find this hard boiled offering on Amazon, directed by Joseph H Lewis with excellent cinematography from John Alton as an obsessed policeman (Cornel Wilde) comes up against an arrogant gangster(a superb performance from Richard Conte). An intelligent script and for its time quite brutal and violent scenes, including torture. Good support from maybe gay hoodlums Earl Holliman and Lee Van Cleef. A must for any noir fan. 9/10
Repulsion(1965)
Catherine Deneuve plays Carole,a Belgian manicurist living with her sister in London who is slowly losing her mind.When her sister and her boyfriend go on holiday,Carole stays inside the flat with her paranoid sexual fantasies and we experience her madness with her.A very unsettling film from Roman Polanski with some big jump scares as hands reach out from the walls of the flat to grab her.And the rabbit in the kitchen grows progressively more decayed....
8/10