Category: Occult Age
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Blood Suckers (1971)
After watching only 30 minutes of Blood Suckers (1971), I stopped the Blu-ray and turned off the television. I wan’t enjoying it at all and I simply could not continue. The next day I awoke knowing that I had to finish it. I figured there would be either another 50 minutes to grin and bear…
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The Swarm (1978)
Disaster Film Checklist All-Star Cast (Oscar Winners): All-Star Cast (Oscar Nominees): All-Star Cast (Others): Multiple Lives in Danger: Threat Beyond Control: Warning Disbelieved: Difference in Opinion About How to Proceed: Dramatic Confrontations: Characters & Relationships: Mental Handicaps and Phobias: Themes: Bonuses: Thoughts Irwin Allen lost so much money on The Swarm that he forbade his…
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The Frenchman’s Garden (1978)
From his long list of films, Paul Naschy once said that The Frenchman’s Garden (1978) was his favorite. It’s not mine, but I can tell you from the way it quietly sneaked up on me, slowly dropped clues about what was happening, and built to a powerful conclusion, it’s one of his best. There’s a…
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The Deathhead Virgin (1974)
October 25, 1974 Some film directors begin successful careers with low-budget horror movies. There’s something a little sad about those that end successful careers with low-budget horror movies. In the case of Norman Foster, though, you’d have to first concede that many Charlie Chan and Mr. Moto films equate to success. He made at least…
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Got Told Me To (1976)
October 22, 1976 Based on what I’d heard about Gold Told Me To (1976), I’ve never had much desire to watch it. Then again, I hadn’t heard much. Nevertheless, I expected a typical Larry Cohen movie that might have some interesting ideas, but presented unevenly, sometimes annoyingly. Surprise! I love Cohen’s It’s Alive (1974), but…
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Let Sleeping Corpses (1974) aka The Living Dead at Manchester Morgue
October 20, 1974 This discussion is updated from one first published on Aug. 1, 2022… For all intents and purposes, this was the first time I watched The Living Dead at Manchester Morgue (1977), the name of the movie on the Synapse Films Blu-ray. (It’s been known by many others, including Let Sleeping Corpses Lie,…
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The Beast of the Yellow Night (1971)
October 12, 1971 Joseph Langdon (John Ashley) is the Barnabas Collins of the Philippines. He’s reluctant as The Beast of the Yellow Night (1971), regretting the deal he made with the devil many years ago. In “small town in Southeast Asia” in 1946, the murderer, rapist, and thief who’s on the run in the hills…
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Scream of the Demon Lover (1970)
October 8, 1970 This discussion is updated from one first published on May 22, 2023 Dr. Ivanna Rakowsky (Erna Schurer) is an assertive woman who, in Scream of the Demon Lover (1970), regularly exercises her agency. Unfortunately, it’s at the expense of her ability to make rational decisions. Not only does she completely misinterpret what’s…
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Blood of Dracula’s Castle (1969)
October 5, 1969 As much as I struggled to complete watching Blood of Dracula’s Castle (1969) and as many problems as I found with it while doing so, it’s still a masterpiece compared to Al Adamson’s (popular-with-everyone-but-me) Dracula vs. Frankenstein (1971.) Repeated attempts to appreciate that one have failed, but with only one viewing, I…
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Satan’s Children (1975)
We don’t know that Janis (Joyce Molloy) is Bobby Douglas’s (Stephen White) stepsister when she continually harasses him sexually. As if to somehow justify her actions, she states loudly and clearly that he’s not her brother. Nevertheless, it’s uncomfortable to watch and is, for better or worse, not the most uncomfortable thing we’ll see in…