175 House on Haunted Hill ( 1959 )

This  is  a  campy  take  on  the  old  dark  house  genre   with  an  extremely  contrived  plot  but  that's  part  of  the  fun.

Vincent  Price  is  Frederick  Loren, an  eccentric  billionaire  who  invites  four   impecunious   strangers  to  a  party  for  his  fourth  wife  Annabel  with  the  carrot  that  they  will  collect  $10,000  if  they  last  the  night  at  a  haunted  mansion  owned  by  bonkers  Watson  Pritchard  ( Elisha  Cook ) .   Frederick  and  Annabel  loathe  each  other  and  things  of  course  go  bump  in  the  night  but  we're  kept  guessing  who  exactly  is  plotting  against  who .

Carol  Ohmart   ( as  Annabel )

Sex : The  adultress   Annabel  looks  great  in  a  low  top  and  later  a  skimpy  nightie

Death :  Driven  into  a  pool  of  acid  by  her  husband's  machinations

Carol was  a  former  Miss  Utah  , tipped  for  great  things  when  she  appeared  in  The  Scarlet  Hour  in  1954  but  had  to  settle  for  lesser  films  and  regular  TV  work. She  retired  in  the  mid-seventies  settling  down  for  a  quiet  life  with  her  third  husband  pursuing   her  spiritual  interests. She  died  in  2002 aged  74.

Carolyn  Craig  ( as  Nora  Manning )

Sex : Nora  is  bra-less  throughout  the  movie

Death : Survives

Carolyn  too  got  off  to  a  good  start  with  a  memorable  role  in  Giant   but  after  this  got  sidetracked  into  Westerns  and  TV  work. This  dried  up  in  the  sixties  and  she  shot  herself  in  1970  aged  36.

174 The Four Skulls of Jonathan Drake ( 1959 )

This  supernatural  chiller  is  pretty  sexless  and  not  all  that  easy  to  follow  but  it's  mildly  entertaining.

Jonathan  Drake  ( Eduard  Franz  )  is  approaching  60  and  haunted  by  a  family  curse  where  the  Drake  men  die  when  they  reach  that  age  and  their  heads  are  removed. This  relates  to  a  colonial  misadventure  with  an  Indian  tribe  180  years  before.  When  his  elder  brother  is  killed  in  the  same  way,  his  daughter  Alison  contacts  the  police  in  the  form  of  Lt  Rowan  ( Grant  Richards ) to  try  and  save  her  father.

Valerie  French  ( as  Alison  Drake )

Sex :  Nice  boobs  but  they  stay  under  wraps

Death : Survives

Valerie  was  a  British  actress  who  moved  to  Hollywood  in  the  mid-fifties  and  made  an  impression  in  a  number  of  Westerns.  At  the  beginning  of  the  sixties,  she  returned  mainly  to  the  stage  and  her  last  film  was  Shalako  in   1968. She  died  of  leukemia  in  1990  aged  62.

173 Curse of the Undead ( 1959 )

This  is   an  interesting  attempt  at  combining  a  Western  with  a  vampire  film  but  it  ultimately  fails  through  a  lack  of  scares  and  some  major  plot  holes.

In  a  nineteenth  century  Western  town , young  girls  are  dying  of  blood  loss  but  Dr  Carter  ( John  Hoyt ) and  his  friend, preacher  Dan  ( Eric  Fleming )  are  stumped  as  to  the  cause. Carter  has  another  problem , a  greedy  neighbour  Buffer  ( Bruce  Gordon )  is  trying  to  force  him  off  his  land  and  when  Carter  arrives  home  dead  ( his  horses  having  good  navigational  sense ) Buffer  is  chief  suspect. When  Buffer  reluctantly  kills Carter's  son  in  a  shoot  out, Carter's  daughter   Dolores   hires  a  mysterious  dark  stranger  Drake  Robey  ( Michael  Pate ) to  avenge  her  although  we  know  Robey  is  really  the  killer,  having  apparently decided to  take  a  break  from  virgins  and  snack  on  a  leathery  old  man  instead.

Kathleen  Crowley ( as  Dolores ) 

Sex : No

Death : Survives

Kathleen  was  a  former  beauty  queen  who  was  mainly  a  TV  actress  but  appeared  in  a  number  of  films  in  a  two-decade  career. She  retired  in  1970  and  is  now  87.

Nancy  Kligas  ( as  Cora )

Sex : No

Death : From blood  loss  after  repeat  visits  from  Robey

Another  very  brief  appearance  from  the  bit  part  actress.

172 Bloodlust ! ( 1959 )

This  is  the  third  film  version  of  Richard  Cornell's  Most  Dangerous  Game  story, differentiated  by  having  a  group  of  supposed  teens  as  the  hunted  and  a surprisingly  strong  gore  content  with   someone   taking  a  crossbow  bolt  in  their  bare  stomach, an  impalement  and  a  guy  thrown  into  a  bath  of  acid  ( great make-up  there ). That  might  be  why  the  release  was  held  up  until  1961.

June  Kenney  ( as  Betty )  

Sex  : Betty   fights  her  way  out  of  a  rape  attempt  using  judo

Death : Survives

June  looks  like  a  Puppet  Person  again  in  this  with  the  rest  of  the  cast  towering  over  her. Great  figure  though.

Joan  Lora  ( as  Jeannie )

Sex : No

Death : Survives

Joan  had  a  brief  but  busy  career  in  film  and  TV  and  had  already  retired  when  the  film  finally  came  out  having  married  Achille  Paladini  the  year  before. They  have  now  been  married  for  57  years. Joan  is  80.

Lilyan  Chauvin  ( as  Sandra  Balleau )

Sex : Sandra  is  having  an  affair  with  Hugh  Cornwell-lookalike  Dean. Looks  great  in  a  swimsuit

Death : Killed  ( offscreen )  by  her  husband  and  mounted

Lilyan  was  born  in  Paris  and  had  a long  and  distinguished  career  without  hitting  the  headlines. As  well  as  continuing  to  act  she  taught  acting  both  at  university  and  privately  tutoring  both  Raquel  Welsh  and  Suzanne  Somers.  As  a  multi-linguist  she  was also  a  dialogue  coach  to  actors  particularly  in  French. She  was  president  of  Women  in  Film  and  fought  against  breast  cancer for four  decades. It  finally  got  her  in  2008 when  she  was 82  but  she'd   been  working  right  up  to  her  death.

171 Beast From Haunted Cave ( 1959 )

This  isn't  one  of  Roger  Corman's  better  pictures  despite  a  decent  premise. The  beast  is  laughable, the  acting's  wooden  and  the  script  wanders  all  over  the  place.

Alexander  Ward  ( Frank  Woolf  )  is  a  fireworks  manufacturer  who  does  a  bit  of  bank  robbery  on  the  side. He and  his  accomplices  come  to  a  ski resort  in  South  Dakota  to  execute  a  heist  under  cover  of  being  tourists. Woolf's  moll  Gypsy  falls  for  their  unwitting  tutor  Gil  ( Michael  Forest ) Part  of  their  plan  involves  a  mine  explosion  which  disturbs  a  large spider-like  beast ( why  the  beast  has  been  content  to  let  the  ordinary  mining  operations  go  on  around   it   is  never  explained )

Sheila  Noonan  ( as  Gypsy )

Sex: : A  nice  scene  where  she's  having  a  fag  in  the bath  but  foam  hides  the  crown  jewels .

Death :Survives

Sheila  made  just  four  films  in  the  late  fifties  an  little  is  known  about  her.

Linne  Ahlstrand  ( as  Natalie )

Sex : She  goes  off  for  nookie  with  rd's  sidekick  but  they  are  interrupted  by  the  creature.

Death : Natalie  is  attacked  then  stored  by  the  creature who  drains  its  victims. We  don't  see her  die  but  she  seems  too  far  gone  to  survive

Linne  was  from  Chicago and  started  out  in  acting with  a  small  but  recurring  role  in  the TV  series  Highway  Patrol. She  was  a  Playboy  centrefold  in  July  1958  after  which  she  got  more  attention. She  got  married  in  1965  but  died  from  cancer  just  18  months  later.

Kay  Jennings  ( as  Jill  Jackson )

Sex : No

Death  : Survives

This  girl  only  made  two  movies  ( and  her  part  in  this  one  is  very  odd ) and  little  is  known  about  her.

170 Attack of the Giant Leeches ( 1959 )

This  is  obviously  a  B-movie , with  the  titular  leeches  clearly   men  in  rubber  suits   but  it  does  punch  above  its  weight  with  frank  sexual  content, a  high  body  count  and  a  scene  where  the  leeches  feed  off  their  gathered  victims  that  is  pretty  horrific  even  given  their  aft  appearance.

Steve  Benton  ( Ken  Clark ) is  a  game  warden  in  the  Everglades  investigating  a  number  of  deaths  and  disappearances  there  which  his  girlfriend's  father  believes  might  be  down  to  a  giant   predator  in  the  swamps.

Yvette  Vickers  ( as  Liz  Walker )

Sex : Liz  is  a  wayward  wife  carrying  on  with  the  local  men. There  is  a  view  of  her  knickers  when  she's  floating  in  the  water  and  her  nipples  are  visible  through  her  wet  dress  when  she's  dragged  out.

Death :   After  being  drained  of  blood  in  instalments   by  the  leeches,  she  slips  into  the  water . She  may  already  be  dead  at  that  point.

Yvette  was  the  daughter  of  a  jazz  musician. She  studied  journalism  at  the  University  of  California  but  changed  to  drama  as  she  got  the  acting  bug. She  had  a  number  of  bit  parts  in  the  early  fifties   but  became  more  successful  later  in  the  decade. She  was  a  Playboy  centrefold  the  same  year  this  came  out. Yvette's  star  dimmed  after  appearing  in  Hud  in  1963  but  she  remained  on  the  periphery  of  Hollywood  and  made  her  last  film  appearance  as  late  as  1990. She  died  in  2010  or  2011  as  it  was  impossible  to  precisely  date  her  death  from  her  discovered  remains  in  the  latter  year. No  foul  play  was  suspected. It's  likely  she  was  81  at  the  time.

Alison  Shepard ( as  Jan  Leighton )

Sex : No

Death : Survives

Jan  was  mainly  a  TV  actress. Although  she  made  repeat  appearances  in  a  number  of  popular  series, only  in  1957's  Dr  Christian  did  she  have a  regular  role. She  retired  in  the  early  seventies. She  is  now  89  and  has  been  married  for  63  years.

169 The Revenge of Frankenstein ( 1958 )

This   unusual  sequel  to  the  megahit  The  Curse  of  Frankenstein  was  made  just  after  the  filming  of  Dracula  wrapped  up. It  manages  to  take  the  story  forward  in  a  fairly  interesting  way  without  making  too  many  demands  on  the  special  effects  budget.

Sentenced  to  death  at  the  end  of  the  previous  film, Frankenstein  ( Peter  Cushing ) cheats  death  by  somehow  having  his   own  men  on  the  scene  and  it's  the  poor  priest  who  cops  it  instead. He  turns  up  in  a  new  town  under  the  alias  of  Dr  Stein  and  builds  up  a  successful  practice   to  the  consternation  of  the  local  medical  council. Luckily  for  Frankenstein, the  member  who  unearths  his  secret  Dr  Kleve  ( Francis  Matthews ) turns  out  to  be  an  ambitious  admirer  and the  two  begin  a  partnership  which  actually  works. Frankenstein  has  somehow  worked  out  how  to  create  a  seamless  body  ( Michael  Gwynne )  which   now  awaits  a  suitable  brain.

Eunice  Gayson ( as  Margaret ) 

Sex : A  formidably  buxom  lady  but  it  stays  under  wraps

Death : Survives

Eunice  was  from  Surrey  and  is  best  known  for  playing  seductress  Silvia  Trench  in  the  first  two  Bond  movies. After  that  her  career  declined  and  she  disappeared  into  married  life  in  the  early  seventies. She  is  now  86.

Anna  Walmsley  ( as  Vera  )  

Sex :  No. In  an  early  scene  her  mother  seems  to  be  pushing  her  on  to  Frankenstein  but  it's  a  plot  line  that  goes  undeveloped

Death : Survives

Anna's  only  film  and  I  can  tell  you  little  more  about  her.

Avril  Leslie  ( as  Gerda )

Sex : Gerda  wants  it  but  doesn't  get  it  from  her  nerdy  boyfriend

Death : Strangled  by  hybrid  man  Karl  though  his  motive  is  not  really  explained

This  is  one  of  only  two  films  in  which  the  South  African-born  actress  appeared  and  her  last  TV  credit  was  in  1960  so  I'm  guessing  se  returned  home. If  she's  still  alive  she'll  be  79.

 

168 The Trollenberg Terror (1958 )

This  seems  like  early  Hammer - a  movie  adaptation  of  a  TV  serial  with  screenplay  by Jimmy  Sangster  -  but  it  isn't. It  is  a  reasonable  story  although  the  poor  special  effects  at  the  film's  climax  let  it  down.

UN  man  Alan  Brooks  ( Forrest  Tucker )  is  called  by  a  scientist  friend  Ptofessor  Crevett  ( a  pre-Alf  Garnett  Warren  Mitchell )  to the  Swiss  mountain  of  Trollenberg  where  climbers  are  literally  losing  their  heads   and  a  stationary, radioactive cloud  has  been  hovering  near  the  summit. On  the train  Brooks  meets  the Pilgrim  sisters, a  mind-reading  act. The  younger  girl  insists  they  get  off  at  the  station  nearest  the  mountain  even  though  they  have  no  business  there. Crevett  tells Brett he  thinks  there's  something  living  in  the  cloud.

Jennifer  Jayne  ( as  Sarah  Pilgrim )

Sex : Some  cleavage  on  show

Death : Survives

Jennifer  dropped  her  surname  Jones  to  avoid  confusion  with  the  Hollywood  actress. She  was  a  hard  working  actress  in  both  film  and  TV up  until  the  mid-eighties  when  she  retired. She  was  married  to  art  director  Peter  Mullins  for  48  years. She  died  in  2006  aged  74.

Janet  Munro  ( as  Anne  Pilgrim )

Sex : Has  a  scene  in  her nightdress  but  she's  pretty  flat-chested

Death : Survives

The  full-lipped  23-year  old  was  originally  Janet  Horsbrough  from  Blackpool. After  this  she moved  into  Disney  films  with  some  success  but  her  career was cut  short  by  ischaemic  heart  disease  and  she  died  in  1972  aged  38.

167 Teenage Monster ( 1958 )

To  say  this  is  a  collision  of  three  different  genres  ( sci-fi, horror  and  Western ), it  actually  works  quite  well.

Young  Charles  Cannon  is  assisting  his  father  in  an  isolated  gold  mine  when  a  sparkler  lands , killing  his  old  man  and  turning  him  into  a  sort  of  retarded  werewolf. His  mother  Ruth  hides  him  away  in  the  mine  while  reluctantly  resisting  the  advances  of  Sheriff  Bob  ( Stuart  Wade ). Things  go  wrong  when  they  strike  gold  and  move  into  a  town  house. Charles  abducts  Kathy, a  waitress   and  Ruth  has  to  bribe  her  to  stay  quiet. But  Kathy  is  a  bitch  and  has  her  own  plans  for Charles.

Anne  Gwynne  ( as  Ruth  Cannon )

Sex : No

Death : Survives  although  being  an  accessory  to  murder  might  not  augur  well  for  her  future

Anne, still  looking  good  at  40,  was  appearing  in  her  last  horror  movie  and,  apart  from  a  small  role  as  Michael  Douglas's  mum  in  the  1970  film  Adam  at  Six A.M., her  last  film  altogether  so  it's  good  she  got  top  billing.

Gloria  Castillo  ( as  Kathy )

Sex  : Kathy  is  mauled  by  Charles  on  his  bed  but  it's  not  clear  if  he  intends  to  rape  her

Death : Charles  throws  her  from  the  top  of  a  rocky outcrop

Gloria   never  managed  to  follow  up  a  promising  screen  debut  in  the  highly-regarded  Night  of  the  Hunter  and  in  the  late  sixties  gave  up acting  for  dress  designing. She  developed  cancer  which  her  family  believed  was  due  to  carcinogens  used  in  her  factory  and  died  in  1978  aged  45.

166 It ! The Terror From Outer Space (1958 )

This  is  a  well-made  if  slightly  dull  sci-fi  horror  film.

Marshall  Thompson  stars  again  as  Ed  Carruthers, the  only  survivor  of  a  mission  to  Mars. A  rescue  party  comes  to  take  him  back  for  court  martial  on  the  assumption  that  he  has  killed  the  others. They  soon  find  that  the  guilty  party  is  actually  a  brutal  and  near-indestructible  stowaway. The similarity  to  Alien  is  obvious  though  I'm  not  aware  if  Ridley  Scott  has  ever  acknowledged  it  as  an  influence.

Shawn  Smith  ( as  Ann  Anderson )

Sex : No

Death : Survives

Shawn  was   originally  Shirley  Patterson  and  acted  under  that  name  in  the  forties  when  she  had  a  reasonable  career  in  B-movies. She  had  a  career  break  from  1947  to  1953 to  raise  her  child  and  chose  a  fresh  name  when  she  made  her  comeback. Her  career  ended  dramatically  when  she  smashed  her  leg  in  a  ski-ing  accident  making  this  her  last  film. She  died  of  cancer  in  1995  aged  73.

Ann  Doran  ( as  Mary Royce )

Sex : No

Death : Survives

Ann  returned  to  horror  many  years  after  The  Man  They  Could  Not  Hang.

165 Frankenstein's Daughter ( 1958 )

This  is  another  attempt  to  bring  the  legend  into  the  present  day, in  this  case, 1950s  America.
The  juxtaposition  of  Gothic  horror  with  teen  flick  is  quite  bizarre  at  times  with  two  lengthty  musical  interludes  interrupting  the  action  as  its  builds  to  a  climax. It's  utterly  ludicrous  but  fairly  enjoyable  not  least  due  to  its  stunning  leading  lady.

Donald  Murphy  plays  the  unhinged  Oliver  Frank, grandson  of  Frankenstein  who  has  inveigled  his  way  into  the  household  of  a  relatively  benign  scientist  Professor  Morton ( Felix  Locher ) who  has  employed  the  Frankensteins'  sinister  servant  Elsu  ( Wolfe  Barzell ) as  the gardener.  Oliver  and  Elsu work  in  the  lab  when  Morton  is  asleep  and  test  out  a  potion  on  Morton's  neice  Trudi  when  she's  not  looking .

Sandra  Knight  ( as  Trudi  Morton ) 

Sex : Trudi  is  sexually  harrassed  by  Oliver. She  looks  great  in  swimwear  and  her  nightgown

Death : Survives

Unusually  for  teen  pics  of this  era , Sandra  actually  was  a  teenager, being  only  18  when  she  made the film. In  1962  she  married  Jack  Nicholson  who  she  met  at  acting  class. The  couple  divorced  in  1968. Sandra  moved  to  Hawaii  with  her  second  ( and  current  ) husband  and  retired  from  acting  although  she  made  a  brief  comeback  in  the  early  nineties. She took  up painting  instead. She  is  heavily  involved  in  the  Honolulu  arts  community. She  is  now 77.

Sally  Todd  ( as  Suzie  Lawler )

Sex :  Has  to  fight  off  Oliver  when  he  comes  on  too  strong

Death : Run  down  by  Oliver  on  the  road

Sally, by  contrast  was  24  and  a  former  Playboy  model. She  was  active  in  film  and  TV  up  to  the  early  1960s. Andy  Warhol  used  her  name  for  his  has-been  actress  in  Heat   although  the  character  was  much  older  than  the  real  Sally. After  retiring  she  became  an  antiques  dealer. She  is  now  82.

164 Frankenstein 1970 ( 1958 )

Boris  Karloff  returned  to  the  Frankenstein  story  in  this  independently  made  picture  set  in  the  then-future..

Karloff  plays  the  last  Baron  Frankenstein  whose  mind  and  body  have  been  broken  by  a  spell in  Belsen. He  rents  the  family  castle  out  to  a  TV  crew to  raise  money  for  a  nuclear  reactor in  his  basement  that  will  allow  him  to  carry  on  the  family  tradition. He  then  uses  his unlikable   and  conveniently  slow  on  the  uptake  guests  as  a  source  of  parts  for  his  revived monster.

For  all  its  cynicism  and  meta-jokes,  the  film  actually  seems  old-fashioned  rather  than futuristic  and  the  monster  looks  absolutely  ridiculous. Karloff  turns  in  an  uncharacteristically hammy  performance  suggesting  he  realised  he'd  signed  up  to  a  turkey.  

Jana  Lund  (  as  Carolyn  Hayes )

Sex :  No

Death : Survives

In  her  short  career  Jana  was  better  known  for  teen   flicks  rather  than  horror. She  does  have  the  distinction  of  giving  Elvis  his  first  screen  kiss  in  1957's  Loving  You.  She  died  in  1991  aged  57.

Charlotte  Austin  ( as  Judy  Stevens )

Sex :  Great  cleavage  in  her  night-dress

Death :  Killed  by  either  the  monster  or  the  baron; the  film  is  very  squeamish  and  doesn't  show  the  actual  killings

Charlotte  is  the  daughter  of  popular  crooner  Gene  Austin.  She  was  also  in  Ed  Wood's  The  Bride  and  the  Beast  which  was  probably  enough  to  kill  off  her  career. After  retiring  in  the  mid-sixties,  she  became  a  dealer  in  antique  furniture  in  Pasadena. She  is  now  83.

163 Fiend Without A Face ( 1958 )

This  is  an  interesting  little  film, shot  in  Britain  but  the  story  is  based  in  Canada   and  most  of  the  actors  are  North  American. It  benefits  from  novel  monsters,  committed  performances , a  dash  of  gore  and  a  lovely  leading  lady.

Jeff  Cummings  ( Marshall  Thompson )  is  an  army  major  at  an  isolated  US  base  using  atomic  energy  to  power  experimental  radar  to  the  great  suspicion  of  the  locals. He  is  required  to  investigate  some  macabre  and  inexplicable  killings  nearby  and  befriends  one  of  the  victim's  sister  Barbara. She  works  for  a  reclusive  scientist  Dr  Waldegrave ( Kynaston  Reeves )  who  is investigating  telekinesis. Jeff  begins  to  link  him  to  the  murders.

Kim  Parker  (  as  Barbara  Griselle )

Sex :  Barbara  is  surprised  coming  out  of  the shower. Later  in  the  film  she  wears  a  tight  belt  which  accentuates  her  terrific  figure.

Death : Survives

Kim  was  originally  Herta  Padawer  from  Austria. She  was  married  to  a  Canadian  actor  Paul  Carpenter  and  was  in  Fire  Maidens  of  Outer  Space  with  him  in  1956  . Her  career  was  very  short , this  being  by  far  her  biggest  role. She  is  now  83.

Shane  Cordell  ( as  Nurse )

Sex : No

Death : Survives

Shane  was  originally  Eunice  Jebbett   from  Bury. She  too  was  a  former  Fire  Maiden  and  disappeared  at  the  end  of  the  fifties after  appearing, again  as  a  nurse  in  one  of  the  early  Carry  On  films, Carry  On  Nurse.  She  is  now  80.

162 Earth vs. the Spider ( 1958 )

This  is  another  Bert  Gordon  effort  but  this  one's  uniformly  dreadful, badly  acted, badly  structured  and  badly  realised.  The  special  effects are  dreadful with  some  particularly  dreadful  explosions.

Carol  Flynn  and  her  boyfriend  Mike  ( Eugene  Persson )  go  looking  for  her  missing  father  and  are  chased  out  of  a  cave  by  a  giant  tarantula. They  come  back  with  their  science  teacher  Mr  Kingman  ( Ed  Kremmer )  and  the  local  sheriff  who  knock  out  the  spider  and  store  it  in  the  school  hall. Unfortunately  it  is  revived  by  some  good  old  rock  and  roll. I  won't  go  on  ; if  that  hasn't  put  you  off, nothing  will

June  Kenney  ( as  Carol  Flynn )

Sex : No

Death  : Survives

June  doesn't  look  as  good  in  this  one . The  make-up  lady  seems  to  have  had  a  pretty  heavy  touch.

June  Jocelyn ( as  Mrs  Flynn )

Sex : No

Death  : Survives

June  has  a  more  substantial  part  in  this  one  as  the  heroine's  mother.

Sally  Fraser  ( as  Helen  Kingman )

Sex : No

Death : Survives

This  is  a  poor  part  for  Sally  compared to  Giant  from  the  Unknown.

Nancy  Kilgas  ( as  Dancer )

Sex : No

Death  : Survives

Nancy  was  a  bit  part  actress  active  between  1954  and  1966. She  is  now  86.

161 The Blob ( 1958 )

This  is  one  of  the  best  -remembered  of  all  the  1950's  sci-fi  flicks , partly  because  it  gave  a  screen  debut  to  Steve  McQueen  as  its  teen  hero  ( even  though  he  was  28  at  the  time ). Famed  for  its   evacuation  scene  when  the murderous  lump  of  raspberry  jelly  attacks  a  cinema, this  cross  between  Rebel  Without  A  Cause  and  Quatermass   isn't  actually  that  good. There's  a  long, saggy  bit  in  the  middle  when  nothing  much  happens  and  the  teenage  characters  are  completely  interchangeable.

Steve   ( McQueen  ) and  his  girlfriend  Jane  are  driving  around  when  they  have  a  near-collision  with  an  old  man. He  has  a  parasite  attached  to  his  arm  which  baffles  the  local  doctor. He sends  the  teens  out  to  find  more  information  and  after  a  pointless  racing  diversion  with  the  local  tearaways  they  return  to  see  the  doctor  killed  by  the  now  enormous  Blob.
The  only  problem is  , no  one  in  the  town  belives  them.

Aneta  Consaut  ( as  Jane )  

Sex : No  - she  remains  fully  clothed  throughout

Death : Survives

At  24,  Aneta  was  also  a  little  old  for  her  role. Unlike  her  co-star,  Aneta  wasn't  destined  for  film  stardom  but  was  busy  on  TV  until  her  final  illness. She  is  best  remembered  as  Helen  Crump  in  The  Andy  Griffith  Show  in  the  sixties.She  died  of  cancer  in  1995  aged  62.

Lee  Payton  ( as  Kate  the  nurse )

Sex : No

Death : Absorbed  by  The  Blob

This  is  Lee's  only  credit  on  imdb.

160 Attack of the Puppet People ( 1958 )

This  one  was  directed  by  Bert  Gordon a  man  responsible  for  quite  a  few  stinkers  in  his  time. This  one  doesn't  deserve  such  a condemnation  but  it's  not  quite  all  there  either; the  last  half  hour  or  so  is  silly  rather  than  scary, wasting  the  suspense  built  up  to  that  point  and  the  ending  is  seriously  lame.

Sally  Reynolds  answers  a  job  ad  for  an  office  girl  at  the  workshop  of  a  doll-maker  and  retired  theatrical  performer  Mr  Franz  ( John  Hoyt ). Her  predecessor  has  disappeared  without  trace  but  she  is  distracted  by  the  courtship  of  hunky  Bob  Wesley  ( John  Agar ). When  he  goes  missing  and  a  lifelike  doll  of  him  appears  on  Franz's  desk  she  know's  something's  up.

June  Kenny  ( as  Sally  Reynolds ) 

Sex : Looks  seriously  sexy  when  Franz  leaves  her  a  napkin  for  modesty

Death : Survives

June  was  a  formr  usherette  who  became  a  successful  B-movie  actress  in  the  fifties  but  her  career  petered  out  in  the  early  sixties. She  is  now  83.

Susan  Gordon  ( as  Agnes )

Sex : n/a

Death : Survives

Susan  was  Gordon's  8  year  old  daughter, drafted  in  at  the  last  minute  because  another  actress  fell  sick. She  got  plenty  of  roles  immediately  afterwards  but  didn't  choose  acting  as  an  adult  apart  from  some  theatre  work  much  later  in  life. She  died  of  thyroid  cancer  in  2011  aged  62.

Marlene  Willis  ( as  Laurie )

Sex :  No

Death : Unknown - her  fate  is  unresolved  when  the  film  ends

This  was  Marlene's  second  and  final  film  role though  she  did  some  TV  as  well. She  died  in  1982  aged  40.

Laurie  Mitchell  ( as  Georgia  Lane )

Sex : No

Death :  Unknown - her  fate  is  unresolved  when  the  film  ends

Laurie   was  a  B-movie  and  TV  actress  best  known  for  having  the  title  role  in  Queen  of  Outer  Space  the  same  year  as  this. She  retired  in  the  early  seventies  and  is  now  88.

June  Jocelyn  ( as  Brownie  Leader )

Sex : No

Death : Survives

June  was  a  Canadian  bit  part  actress  who  worked  in  the  fifties  and  sixties. She  died  in  1987  aged  68.

Jean  Moorhead  ( as  Janet  Hall )

Sex : No

Death :  Unknown - her  fate  is  unresolved  when  the  film  ends

Jean  was  a  bit  part  actress  active  in  the  fifties. She  is  now  82.

159 The Woman Eater ( 1958 )

I  don't  suppose  this  one's  lurking  in  Harriet  Harman's  DVD  collection. This  is  a  very un-pc  British  take  on  the  mad  scientist  genre . Although  there's  a  high  quota  of  scantily-dressed  beauties  to  keep  you  attentive,  there's  also  some  quaint  snapshots  of  1950s  Britain  as  the  story  unfolds.

George  Colouris  plays  Dr  Morgan  who  goes  to  some  far  off  corner  of  the  Empire  - nowhere  too  specific  as  the  culture  and  cast  don't  match - and  witnesses  a  ritual  where  a girl  is  sacrificed  to  a  carnivorous  plant. Apparently  a  serum  can  then  be  extracted  which  can  bring  the  dead  ( not  the  poor  girl ) back  to  life. Morgan  somehow  transports  the  plant  back  to  England  along  with  "native" Tanga  ( Jimmy  Vaughan )  and  begins  feeding  it.

Vera  Day  ( as  Sally )

Sex : Sally  first  appears  in  a  Hawaiian  dance  costume. Throughout  the  picture  she  wears  outfits  that  accentuate  her  breasts. She  has  an  innuendo-laden  conversation  with  her  boyfriend

Death : Survives

Vera  is  the  leading  lady  in  this  one  as  the  sideshow  girl  who  gets  a  job  in  Morgan's  house.

Joy  Webster  ( as  Judy )

Sex :  Judy  is  a  prostitute

Death : Thrown  to  the  plant

The  Birmingham  born  actress  had  a  short  career  in  the  late  fifties  and  early  sixties, disappearing  from  view  after  1967. She  is  now  82.

Marpessa  Dawn  ( as  Native  Girl )

Sex :  Nice  cleavage

Death : Thrown  to  the  plant

Marpessa  was  born  in  Pittsburgh  but  started  her  acting  career  in  England. She  got  her  big  break  the  following  year in  the  groundbreaking  musical  Black  Orpheus  but  spent  most  of  her  subsequent  career  in  France  where  she  died  in  2008  aged  74.

Sara  Leighton  ( as  Susan  Curtis )

Sex :  A nipple  is  visible  through  her  dress  as  she  is  prepared  for  death

Death : Thrown  to  the  plant

As  an  actress  Sara  barely  registered  as  a  bit  part  player  in  the  fifties. However  she  worked  as  a  TV  hostess  until  the  mid-seventies. She  turns  83  today !

Susan  Neill  ( as  Orange  Juice  Counter  Girl )

Sex : Her  tight  sweater  shows  off  her  assets

Death : Survives

Susan  married  actor  Michael  Wilding -on  the  rebound  from  Elizabeth  Taylor  -  the  same  year  this  was  released  and  did  not  pick  up  her  acting  career  when  they  divorced  in  1962. Apart  that  is  from  an  appearance  in  the  film  1132  Pleasant  Street, a  full  forty-two  years  after  her  last  role.

158 My World Dies Screaming aka Terror in the Haunted House (1958 )

This  film  is  notable  as  Hollywood's  first  attempt  at  using  subliminal  images . Otherwise  it's  very  much  haven't  we  been  here  somewhere  before ?

Philip  Tierney  ( Gerald  Mohr ) marries  a  girl, Sheila  Wayne ,  fresh  out  of  a  Swiss  sanatorium  where  she  has  been  treated  for  amnesia  and  a  recurring  nightmare  involving  a  creepy  house.  Philip  takes  her  back  to  his  family  home  and , what  do  you  know, it's  the  same  house,  complete  with  oddball  caretaker  Jonah  ( John  Quaylen ) . Things  duly  go  bump  in  the  night  while  Sheila  works  out  who  she  can  trust.

It's  not  the  worst  film  I've  seen  but  along  with  the  unoriginal  plot  you  have  to  contend  with  those  flashing  images  which  are  just  bloody  annoying, a  supposedly  scary  dog  that  wags  its  tail  as  they  overdub  the  growls  and  creaky  acting.

Cathy  O  'Donnell  ( as  Sheila  Wayne )

Sex : The  best  thing  about  the  film  is  that  Sheila  is  in  a  night-dress  for  much  of  it

Death : Survives

Cathy  was  originally  Ann  Steely  from  Alabama, re-branded  by  Samuel  Goldwyn. He  cast  her  in  a  couple  of  big  films  in  the  forties  then  their  relationship  was  permanently  soured  by  her  marriage  to  one  of   the  Wylers, his  enemies  at  M-G-M. Her  career  survived  and  she  had  a  decent  part  in  Ben-Hur, her  last  film  role. She  died  in  1970  aged  46  after  a  long  struggle  with  cancer.

157 The Screaming Skull ( 1958 )

This  independent  black  and  white  horror  is  a  bit  predictable  but  has  bags  of  atmosphere  and  a  pretty  exciting  climax.

Eric  Whitlock  ( John  Hudson ) remarries  after  the  accidental  death  of  his  first  wife  Marion.In  shades  of  Rebecca  he  brings  his  new  wife  Jenni  back  to  his  home  where  a  mentally-challenged  gardener  Micky  ( played  by  director  Alex  Nichol )  still  holds  a  torch  for  Marion. Soon  Jenni  is  plagued  by  things  that  go  bump  in  the  night  and  visions  of  a  skull.

Peggy  Webber  ( as  Jenni  Whitlock )

Sex : Jenni  strips  down  to  a  bra  and  underskirt. In  other  scenes  her  nipples  are  clearly  visible  through  her  night-dress

Death : Survives

Despite  her  tremendous  figure, Peggy  made  few  films. She  seems  to  have  been  too  busy  writing, directing  and  acting  in  radio  comedies.  She  founded  and  directed  the  California  Artists  Radio  Theatre  and  also  wrote  extensively  for  TV. She  is  now  91.

156 The Return of Dracula ( 1958 )

This  film  is  rather  cheekily  titled  since  we've  not  seen  this  particular  Dracula  before. The  film  has  nothing  to  do  with  either  Universal  or  Hammer  but  can  claim  to  be  the  first  film  to  put  the  count  in  a  contemporary  setting, hence  perhaps  star  Francis  Lederer's  Tony  Curtis  quiff.

With  vampire-hunters  closing  in  on  him  in  Europe, Dracula  hops  aboard  a  train, murders  an  artist  travelling  to  American  relatives  who  haven't  seen  him  for  a  while  and  assumes  his  identity. Despite  his  rather  strange  behaviour  the  family   accept  him  as  their  own  leaving  him  free  to  start  menacing  the  yonng  ladies  particularly  "cousin"  Rachel.    

This  is  a  passable  movie  but  suffers  from  Lederer's  lack  of  screen  presence  and  a  rather  slow  pace.

Norma  Eberhardt  ( as  Rachel  Mayberry )

Sex : Some  canoodling  with  boyfriend  Tim

Death : Survives

Despite  having  odd  coloured  eyes,  Norma  was  a  successful  model  before  her  brief  film  and  TV  career. She  married  French  actor  Charles  Dauphin  in  1955  and  retired  five  years  later. She  died  after  a  stroke  in  2011  aged  82.

Virginia  Vincent  ( as  Jennie  Blake )

Sex : No

Death : Dies  from  blood  loss  after  Dracula's  attack. Staked  as  a  vampire

Although  she  had  turned  30  before  she  made  her  first  film  Virginia  had  a  long  career  as  a  character  actress  down  to  1988  when  she  appeared  in  Knots  Landing. She  died  in  2013  aged  95.

155 Macabre ( 1958 )

More  cemetery-based  shenanigans  in  this  dark  melodrama  which  is  in  questionable  taste. The  cartoon  end  titles  and  casting  of  Jim  Backus  however  suggest  it's  not  meant  to  be  taken  too  seriously   and  indeed  it's  hard  not  to  laugh  when  a  character  has  a  heart  attack  at  a  funeral  and  falls  conveniently  into  the  grave. It  is  actually  an  enjoyable  film  with  a  tightly-wound if  ludicrous  plot  and  a  surprise  ending.

Rod  Barrett  ( William  Prince )  is  a  widowed  doctor  who  the  local  sheriff  Jim  Tyloe  ( Backus )  blames  for  the  death  of  his  wife  Alice  and  some  years  later  her  sister  Nancy  whose  funeral  is  about  to  take  place  when  the  film  opens. Barrett's  daughter  Marge  is  then  kidnapped  and  a  mysterious phone  call  suggests  that  she  has  been  buried  alive. Rod  and  faithful  nurse  Polly  have  just  five  hours  to  find  her.

Christine  White  ( Nancy )

Sex :  Nancy's  blindness  doesn't  stop  her  screwing  Jim, the  chauffeur  and  probably  others

Death :  Unless  I missed  something, the  film's  a  bit  vague  on  what  causes  Nancy's  death . Possibly  dies  as  a  result  of  having  an  abortion.

Christine  started out  as  secretary  to  James  Dean's  agent  and  they  were  romantically  involved  in  the  early  fifties. This  is  one  of   the  few  films  she  made  as  she  was  mainly  a  TV  actress. After  this, her  only  other  film  role  was  in  Magnum  Force  as  the  widow  of  murdered  cop  Charlie  McCoy. She  retired  soon  afterwards  and  died  in  2013  aged  86.

Jacqueline  Scott  ( as  Polly )  

Sex : No  but  she  obviously  wants  it

Death : Survives

This  was  the  film  debut  of  Jacqueline  whose  long  career  has  been  spent  mostly  in  TV. She's  been  married  since  1958  and  is  now  85.

Susan  Morrow  ( as  Sylvia )

Sex  : Seems  to  be  having  an  affair  with  Rod

Death : Survives

Susan  was  originally  Jacqueline  Immoor  from  New  Jersey. She  had  a  decade  or  so  in  Bomovies  and  TV, this  being  her  last  film. She  died  in  1985  aged  53.

Dorothy  Morris  ( as  Alice  Barrett )

Sex : She's  pregnant

Death : Dies  in  childbirth

Dorothy   was  a  1940s  starlet   who  was  just  getting  good  roles when  she  gave  it  up  to  raise  a  family. This  was  the  first  of  a  number  of  mini-comebacks  over  the  years. She  died  in  2011  aged  89.

Linda  Guderman  ( as  Marge )

Sex : n/a

Death : Survives

This  is  Linda's  only  film. She  got  married  in  1972  and  if  she's  still  alive  she'll  be  70.