197 The Two Faces of Dr Jekyll ( 1960 )

Hammer's  take  on  the  Jekyll  and  Hyde  story  concentrates  more  on  the  sex  than  the  science and  for  the  most  part  it's  pretty  good  although  the  device  of  actor  Paul  Massie  putting  on  false  beard  and  sideburns  for  Jekyll  looks  a  bit  cheap. It  also  goes  on  a  bit  too  long, the  last  few  minutes  being  unnecessary. Oh  and  that  snake  isn't  nearly  big  enough  to  kill  an  adult.

Dr  Jekyll  ( Paul  Massie )  is  an  obsessed  scientist  neglecting  his  wife  Kitty  to  the  extent  of  not  noticing  she's  having  an  affair  with  his  friend  ( and  debtor )  Paul  ( Christopher  Lee ),  a  London  playboy. When  he  becomes  Hyde  he  manipulates  the  pair  to  his  own  advantage  as  well  as  enjoying  all  the  debauchery  London  can  throw  at  him.

Dawn  Addams  ( as  Kitty  Jekyll )

Sex :  Kitty  is  having  an  affair  with  Paul  for  which  she  is  raped  ( largely  offscreen ) by  Hyde

Death : Commits  suicide  by  falling  through  a  glass  ceiling

Dawn  ha  a  long  career  without  ever  quite  becoming  a  star. Her  film  cv  includes  The  Robe,  The  Moon  Is  Blue  and  A  King  In  New  York. After  1971  she  was  restricted  to  TV  where  her  credits  include  Triangle  and  Crossroads. She  died  of  cancer  in  1985  aged  55.


Norma  Maria   ( as  Maria )

Sex : Maria  has  sex  with  Hyde  and  appears  barebacked  afterwards. She  also  does  a  scantily-clad  erotic  dance with  a  snake

Death : Strangled  by  Hyde

Norma  ( who  doesn't  look  that  great  when  the  mask  comes  off ) made  only  one  other  film  and  is  completely  obscure.

Joy  Webster  ( as  Jenny )

Sex : Jenny  is  a  prostitute

Death : Survives

Joy  plays  a  tart  once  more  and  yes,  that  is  Oliver  Reed  as  her  minder.

Pauline  Shepherd  ( as  Mary )

Sex :  Mary  is  a  whore, part  of  a  plan  to  roll  Hyde

Death : Survives

Pauline  was  a  bit  part  actress  active  at  the turn  of  the  sixties. After  a  regular  part  in  the  TV  series  Home  Tonight  she  vanishes  from  view. She  would  now  be  78.

Janina  Faye  ( as  Jane )

Sex : n/a

Death : Survives

Janina  plays  a  deaf  mute  girl  who  idolises  Jekyll

Magda  Miller  ( as  Sphinx  Girl )

Sex : Goes  off  with  Paul  and  another  girl  for  a  menage  a  trois. Awesome  boobs

Death : Survives

This  was  actually  the  last  of  Magda's  handful  of  films   but  her  TV  career  lasted  into  the  mid-eighties. She  is  now  81.

196 Tormented ( 1960 )

Another  Bert  Gordon  offering  and  as  usual  some  good  ideas  have  to  share  screen  space  with  high  camp  and  terrible  acting  so  it's  not  recommended.

Tom  Stewart  ( Richard  Carlson )  is  a  jazz  pianist who's  come  to  an  island  to  marry  a  rich  young  girl  but  is  followed  over  by  Vi,  a  bunny  boiler  from  his  past  who  won't  let  go. When  she  falls  through  a  rotten  railing  he  declines  to  help  her  and  she  dies  or  does  she  ?

Lugene  Sanders ( as  Meg  Hubbard )

Sex : Great  figure

Death : Survives

This  was  the  only  film  of  Lugene's  short  acting  career. She  is  remembered,  if  at  all, for  the  starring  role  in  the  TV  series  The  Life  of  Riley. She  has  been  married  since  1954  and  is  now  82.

Susan  Gordon  (  as  Sandy  Hubbard )

Sex : n/a

Death : Survives

Susan  was  given  quite  a  substantial  role  in  this  one  and  she  acquits  herself  very  well.

Juli  Reding  ( as  Vi  Mason )

Sex : Awesome  boobs

Death : Either  drowns  or  gets  smashed  on  rocks

The  Texan  blonde  acted  with  her  chest  and  her  career  was  more  or  less done  by  the  end  of  the  sixties  although  she  did  have  a  couple  of  TV  roles  in  the  mid-eighties. she  is  now  81.

Lillian  Adams  ( as  Mrs  Ellis )

Sex : No

Death : Survives

Lillian  had  a  very  long  career  as  a  character  actress,  working  right  up  to  her  death. Her  films  include  Private  Benjamin, Magnolia  and  Bruce  Almighty. She  died  in  2011  aged  89.

195 The Tell-Tale Heart ( 1960 )

This  is  a  rare  Bitish  adaptation  of  a  Poe  story, not  terribly  exciting  but  worth  a  look  for  the  performances. There  is   a  plot  hole  where  the  heroine  hears  a  lamp  smash  in  the  house  across  the  street  but  didn't  hear  the  noisy  murder  there  the  night  before.

Edgar  Marsh  ( Laurence  Payne  )  is  a  shy,  porn-obsessed  librarian  who  spies  on  his  new  neighbour  Betty  undressing  in  the  house  across  the  street. He  is  encouraged  by  his  friend  Carl  ( Dermot  Walsh )  to  make  contact  with  her  and  a  relationship  of   sorts  is  formed. However  when  Carl  is  introduced  to  her   they  become  lovers. Edgar  doesn't  take  it  very  well.

Adrienne  Corri  ( as  Betty )

Sex : Betty  sleeps  with  Carl , observed  by  Edgar

Death :  Survives

Adrienne  looks  lovely  in  this  but  it's  a  pity  the  undressing  scenes  are  filmed  from  so  far  away.

Rosemary  Rotheray ( as  Jackie )

Sex : No

Death : Survives

An  obscure  bit  part  actress  active  in  the  early  sixties.

Elisabeth  Paget  ( as  Elsie )

Sex : Elsie  is  a  prostitute

Death : Survives

This  is  Elisabeth's  only  film  although  she  made  a  couple  of  TV  appearances  in  the  late  sixties.

194 The Stranglers of Bombay ( 1960 )

This  is  an  unusual  early  Hammer  offering, more  of  an  historical  adventure  film  although  the  nature  of  the  events  is  horrific  enough. It's  not  that  good  though, difficult  to  follow  and  the  characters  are  pure  cardboard.

Captain  Lewis  is  a  soldier  in  India  investigating  the  wholesale  disappearance  of  merchant  caravans. Expecting  a  commission  to  take  it  further , he  is  disappointed  when  the  Colonel  ( Andrew  Cruickshank )  appoints  Connaught-Smith  ( Allan  Cuthbertson ) , a  public  school  ponce  who  doesn't  know  his  arse  from  his  elbow. The  culprits  are  actually  a  death  cult, the  Thugees  whose  agents  are  everywhere.

Jan  Holden  ( as  Mary  Lewis )

Sex : Great  cleavage

Death : Survives

Jan  was  originally  Valerie  Wilkinson  from  Southport  but  her  early  childhood  was  spent  in  India. She  was  a  popular  TV  actress  up  to  the  end  of  the  eighties. Her  life  was  marred  by  personal  tragedies  and  poor  health  but  she  survived  until  2005  when  she  died  aged  74.

Marie  Devereux ( as  Karim )

Sex : No

Death : Her  fate  is  left  in  the  air

It's  hard  to  know  what  the  point  of  Marie  in  this  film  is. Her  role  is  pure  decoration  yet  you  never  get  a  good  look  at  her.

193 Psycho ( 1960 )

In  what  was  a  seminal  year  for  horror  films  this  one  topped  the  lot. Alfred  Hitchcock's  masterpiece  singlehandedly  invented  the  slasher  genre  and  introduced  horror  tropes  such  as  death  being  the  penalty  for  sexual  transgression, ambushes  in  the  shower, quick  jump  cuts etc  that  are  still  being  used  today.

A  summary  of  the  plot  seems  unnecessary  but  for  passing  Martians  it  goes  like  this. Marion  Crane  an  office  worker  steals  a  client's  money  to  finance  an  elopement  with  lover  Sam ( John  Gavin ). Driving  to  meet  up  with  him,  she  pulls  into  an old  fashioned  motel  to  escape  a  rainstorm. The  proprietor  is  Norman  Bates ( Anthony  Perkins )  a  pleasant,   slightly  callow,  young  man,  apparently  in  thrall  to  a  dominating  mother. Marion  decides  to  have  a  shower...

Vera  Miles  ( as  Lila  Crane )

Sex : No

Death  :  Survives  ( but  cops  it  in  Psycho  II )

Vera's  real  surname  is  Ralston  but  when  the  former  beauty  contestant   began  her  film  career  there  was  already  an  actress  of  that  name. She  got  her  big  beak  in  The  Searchers  in  1956  then  committed  herself  to   Hitchcock  as  a  mooted  replacement  for  Grace  Kelly.  She  didn't  achieve  that  status - pregnancy  cost  her  the  female  lead  in  Vertigo   but  she  was   always  gainfully  employed  in  film  or  TV  until  her  retirement  in  1995. She  is  now  87.

Janet  Leigh  ( as  Marion  Crane )

Sex : Marion  has  just  had  sex  with  Sam  as  the  film  opens  and  is  wearing  a  bra  and  underskirt. There  are  quick, blurred  glimpses  of  her  breasts  in  the  shower  scene.

Death :  Do  I  really  need  to  say ?

Janet  was  originally  Jeanette  Morrison . She  was  already  an  experienced  actress  having  been  in  films  since  the  late  forties. She  married  Tony  Curtis  her  third  husband  in  1951. She  took a  break  from  acting  after  their  divorce  in  1962  but   returned  as  a  character  actress  and  was  working  down  to  her  death  in  2004  aged  77.

Pat  Hitchcock  ( as  Caroline ) 

Sex : No

Death : Survives

Pat  was  the  director's  only  child  and  although  she  was  genuinely  an  actress  she  did  little  work  for  anyone  else. She  is  now  88  and  has  been   married  for  65  years.

192 Peeping Tom ( 1960 )

I've  heard  a  lot  about  this  film  but  couldn't  help  being  a  bit  disappointed  by  it  now I've  finally  seen  it. It's  loved  by  film  buffs  because  it's  a  film  about  film  with  a  finger  pointing  at  the  audience  for, as  much  as  the  perpetrator  of, the  murders  committed. There's  a  film- within- a- film  and  references  to  Hitchcock, all  very  clever  but   as  a  horror  film  it  fails  to  be  very  exciting  through  a  lack  of  gore - the  third  murder's offscreen - and  the  casting  of  unattractive  actresses.

Mark  Lewis  ( Carl  Boehm ) is  an  attractive  but  socially  awkward  young  man  who  is  at  once   a  landlord, a  pornographer's  assistant  and  a  film  cameraman. He  has  been  seriously  abused  by  his  father  using  him  as  a filmed  guinea  pig  for  his  studies  in  fear. Mark  takes  it  one  step  further  by  concealing  a  spike  in  a  leg  of  his  tripod  and  murdering  women  so  that  he  can  film  the  fear  in  their  faces  at  the  point  of  death. Despite  this  he  is  portrayed  as  a  sympathetic  character  in  thrall  to  his  ingrained  obsessions.

Anna  Massey  ( as  Helen   Stephens )

Sex : No

Death : Survives

The  bird-faced  Massey, in  only  her  second  film  here, was  the  Gail  Platt  of  her  generation  and  any  film  which  has  her as  the  love  interest  has  an  immediate  problem. Nonetheless  she  became  a  formidable  character  actress  on  TV  right  up  until  her  death  from  cancer  in  2011 aged  73.

Moira  Shearer  ( as  Vivian )

Sex : No

Death : Receives  a  spike  in  the  throat  from  Mark

Moira  was  best  known  as  a  ballet  dancer  and  was  miscast  here  as a  film  extra  and  Mark's  second  victim  after  making  her  name  in  director Michael  Powell's   earlier  film  The  Red  Shoes. She  is  also  remembered  as  the  wife  of  campaigner  and  broadcaster  Ludovic  Kennedy. She  died  in  2006  aged  80.

Pamela  Green  ( as  Milly )

Sex : Appears  topless  in  some  cuts  of  the  film

Death : Receives  a  spike  in  the  throat  from  Mark

This  was  Pamela's  first  mainstream  film  and  she  basically  played  herself, a  glamour  model. She  took  a  businesslike  approach  to  her  work  and  set  up  her  own  company  Kamera.She  later  became a  photographer's  assistant. She  died  in  2010  aged  81.

Shirley  Anne  Field  ( as  Diane  Ashley )

Sex : No

Death : Survives

Shirley  Anne  plays  a  meta-role  as  the  actress  in  the  film  on  which  Mark  is  assisting,

Brenda  Bruce  (  as  Dora )

Sex : Dora  is  a  prostitute

Death : Receives  a  spike  in  the  throat  from  Mark

Brenda  was  another  very  popular  British  character  actress  who  kept  working  right  up  to  her  death  in  1996  aged  76.

Margaret  Neale  ( as  Mark's  stepmother ) 

Sex : Appears  in  a  bikini

Death :   Not  covered  

This  is  Margaret's  only  film  but  she  had  a  regular  TV  role  in  a  series  called  Object  Z  and  its  sequel. She  disappeared  from  view  in  the  late  sixties.

Susan  Travers  ( as  Lorraine )

Sex :  Appears  with  a  hat  and  drape  but  otherwise  nude

Death :  Survives

Susan  was  originally  Jennifer  Leon  from  Chelsea  and  she  is  the  niece  of  Virginia  McKenna. We'll  find  her  in  other  horror  films  and  she  was  Barry  Foster's  wife  in  Van  der  Valk. She  is  now  78.

191 The Leech Woman ( 1960 )

This  cheap  and  cheerful  B-movie  which  went  out  as  a  companion  to  The  Brides  of  Dracula  is  watchable  but  does  suffer  from  a  dearth  of  sympathetic  characters.

Paul  Talbot  ( Philip  Terry )  is  an  endocrinologist  with  a  spiteful, alcoholic  wife  June. When  an  old  African  woman  Malla  ( Estelle  Hemsley  ) arrives  at  his  office  and  promises  to  reveal  her  tribes'  secret  of  eternal  youth  , the  couple  and   Garvey, a  guide  follow  her  to  Africa. June  is  the  only  one  to  survive  the  trip  and  return  with  the  secret  but  it  requires  her  to  kill  to   maintain  her  regained  youth.

Coleen  Gray  ( as  June  Talbot ) 

Sex : June  has  sex  with  Garvey  in  the  jungle  ( offscreen ) . She  attempts  to  seduce  her  young  attorney

Death :  Throws  herself  out  of  a  window  to  avoid  arrest

Coleen  had  to  spend  a  lot  of  time  with  the  make-up  lady  for  this  one  as  her  appearance  is  constantly  changing. Apparently  the  animosity  beteween  her  and  Terry  was  for  real.

Gloria  Talbott  (  as  Sally )

Sex :  No

Death : Killed  by  June  in  a  struggle

This  was  Gloria's  last  horror  picture, her  remaining  films  being  Westerns

Kim  Hamilton  ( as  young  Malla )

Sex : No

Death :  She  is  due  to  die  on  the   same  night  she  takes  the  potion  but  we  don't  see  it  happen

Kim   was  originally  Dorothy  Aiken  from  L.A. Her  career  spanned  well  over  50  years  though  it  was  more  in  TV  than  films. She  died  in  2013  aged  81.

190 House of Usher ( 1960 )

This  was  the  first  of   Roger  Corman's  Edgar  Allen  Poe  adaptations. I  must  confess  I've  yet  to  be  converted  to  Poe  and  his  morbid  fantasies  and  this  is  a  wearing  film  that  seems  longer  than  it  actually  is.  It's  big  on  gloomy  atmospherics  but  short  on  a  really  involving  storyline.

Charles  Winthrop  ( Mark  Damon )  calls  at  the  ancestral  mansion  of  the  Ushers  to  see  his  fiance  Madeline. Her   sickly  brother  Roderick  ( Vincent  Price ) resists  his  intentions. He  believes  the  family  line  is  tainted  by  insanity  and  must  be  allowed  to  die  out  and  takes  drastic  action  to  see  that  it  does.

Myrna  Fahey  ( as  Madeline  Usher )

Sex : No

Death : Perishes  in  the  fire  that  destroys  the  house

This  was  the  last  of  very  few  films  Myrna  made  although  she  was  a  very  popular  TV  actress,  particularly  in  Western  series  like Bonanza. She  had  a  starring  role  in  Father of  the  Bride  , it  was  said,  because   she  looked  like  Elizabeth  Taylor, a  suggestion  she  deeply resented. She  died  of  cancer  in  1973  aged  40.

189 The Hands of Orlac ( 1960 )

This  Anglo-French  remake  of  a  1924  silent  classic  is  another  splendid  film  that  again  is  short  on  shocks  but  remains  thoroughly  absorbing  through  the  performances. The  film  was  shot  in  both  English  and  French  with  the  male  leads  Mel  Ferrer  and  Christopher  Lee  being  comfortable  enough  with  French  not  to  need  over-dubbing.

Stephen  Orlac  ( Ferrer ) is  a  renowned  classical  pianist  who  badly  injures  his  hands  in  a  plane  accident  and  has  to  have  replacements  taken  from  a  guillotined  strangler  George  Vasseur. After  a  cat  is  found  dead  at  the  villa  owned  by  his  prospective  father-in-law,  Orlac  comes  to  believe  he  is  not  in  control  of  his  hands  and  abandons  his  fiance  for  a  crummy  hotel  in  Mareilles. There  he  falls  prey  to  a  seedy  magician  Necron  ( Lee )  who  practices  extortion  scams  with  his  sexy  assistant  Li  Lang.

Dany  Carel  ( as  Li  Lang )

Sex : Li  sets  out  to seduce  Orlac. Her  stage  act  includes  dancing  in  a  skimpy  two  piece  outfit. She  is  briefly  seen  topless  over  Necron's  shoulder.

Death :  Murdered  onstage  by  Necron  who  blocks  up  her  escape  route  from  the  box  then  impales  her. The  fact  that  she  doesn't  scream for  help  on  finding  herself  entombed  is  a  major  logical  flaw. 

Dany  was  originally  Yvonne  de  Chaxel  born  in  vIetnam  to  a  French  expat  and  his  ASian  mistress. She  had  a  40  year  career  interrupted  by  a  skirmish  with  breast  cancer  in  1980. She  retired  in  the  mid-nineties  and  lives  quietly  near  Paris. She  is  now  84.

Lucile  St-Simon  ( as  Lisa  Orlac )

Sex :  Some  clothed  foreplay  with  Orlac

Death : Survives

Lucile   was  another  French  actress  of  similar  age but  by  contrast  her  career  was  very  brief. She  retired  in  the  mid-sixties  for  married  life with  actor  George  Riviere  which  is  still  ongoing. She  too  is  now  84.

188 The Flesh And the Fiends ( 1960 )

The  exploits  of  notorious  Edinburgh  bodysnatchers  Burke  and  Hare  are  always  going  to  be  macabre  enough  to  justify  the  horror  label  but  those  looking  for  grisly  shocks  might  find  this  film  disappointing. Nevertheless  it's  a  good  film  which  brings  some  humour  and  romance  to  its  grim  tale,  helped  by  a  splendid  cast  with  Donald   Pleasence  outstanding  as  Hare.

Peter  Cushing  plays  Dr  Cox  a  skilled   and  generally  benevolent  anatomist  who  becomes  frustrated  at  the  short  supply  of  corpses   in  1928  to  further  his  work. His  willingness  to  deal  with  low  life  "resurrection  men"  alerts  two  unscrupulous  criminals  Burke  and  Hare  who  provide him  with  very  fresh  "meat"  with  no  questions  asked.  While  this  is  going  on , a  young  student  Jackson  ( John  Cairney )  begins  a  doomed  affair  with  prostitute  Mary  which  eventually  brings  matters  to  a  head.

June  Laverick  ( as  Martha  Knox )

Sex : No, she's  virginal

Death : Survives

This  was  June's  only  horror  role. She  was  a  lightweight  actress   from  Redcar   best  known  as  Dickie  Henderson's  screen  wife  on  his  TV  show. She  retitred  from  acting  at  the  end  of  the  sixties  and  disappeared  from  public  view. She  is  now  85.

Billie  Whitelaw   ( as  Mary  Patterson )

Sex : Mary  seduces  Jackson  and  becomes  his  girlfriend. She  is  probably raped  by  Hare  before  being  murdered.

Death: Throttled  by  Hare

Billie  (  her  real  name )  was  born  in  Coventry  in  1932. From  bit  parts  in  the  early  fifties, she  worked  her  way  up  to  become  one  of  Britain's  most  popular  actresses  in  the  sixties  who  worked  on  stage  and  TV  as  well  as  film. On  stage, she  became  strongly  associated  with  the  playwright  Samuel  Becket; some  of  his  female  characters  were  written  with   her  in  mind. She  made  the  transition  to  character  parts  with  a  good  role  in  The  Omen   and  her  last  appearance  was  in  Hot  Fuzz  in  2007. She  moved  into  a  nursing  home  and  died  in  2014   aged  82,

June  Powell  ( as  Maggie )

Sex : Maggie  is  a  prostitute,  usually  seen  in  a  low-cut blouse

Death : Survives

This  was  the  second  and  final  film for  June  who  was  more  of  a performer  in  musicals. She  is  now 86.


 

187 The City of the Dead ( 1960 )

This  was  a  British  film  although  as  it's  set  in  New  England, the  actors  are  all  attempting  American  accents. It's  not  bad  and  the  setting  seems  like  it  may  have  influenced  Silent  Hill  but  it  overdoes  the  dark  shadows  making  it  a  bit  dour  to  watch. It's  also  the  first  offering  from  Hammer's  rival, Amicus.

The  film's  narrative  structure  is  very  similar  to  Psycho.  A   keen  young  history  student  Nan  Barlow  is  directed  by  her  tutor  Professor  Driscoll ( Christopher  Lee ) to  the  small  town  ( I'm  not  sure  where  the  titular  city  is  and  in  the  US  it  was re-titled  "Horror  Hotel" )  of   Whitewood  which  burned  a  witch  bearing  a  striking  resemblance  to  her  hotelier  three  centuries  earlier. When  Nan  disappears  her  family  and  friends  come  looking  for  her.

Patricia  Jessel  ( as  Elisabeth  Selwyn / Mrs  Newless )

Sex : No

Death : Burned  at  the  stake  but  takes  some  time  to  actually  perish

Patricia  was  born  in  Hong  Kong. She  appeared  in  a  few  films  and  did  a  fair  amount  of  TV  but  was  primarily  a  stage  actress. She  died  of  a  heart  attack  in  London  in  1968  aged  47.

Betta  St  John  (  as  Patricia  Russell )

Sex : No

Death : Survives

This  was  Betta's  last  film  role. Her  character  doesn't make  much  sense  though, an  innocent  living  in  a  town  populated  by  Satanists. Why  haven't  they  sacrificed  her  before  now ?


Venetia  Stevenson  ( as  Nan  Barlow )

Sex :  Strips  down  to  a  bodice

Death : Stabbed  by  Mrs  Newless  as  a  sacrifice

Venetia  was  born  in  London  but  moved  to  Hollywood  with  her  film  director  father  when  she  was  a  baby. She  was  tipped  for  stardom  as  a  teenage  model  and  married  dancer/actor  Russ  Tamblyn  when  she  was  17. They  divorced  in  1957. In  1962 she  married  Don  Everly  and  retired. Their  daughter  Erin  was  married  to  Axl  Rose. Venetia  had  some  credits  as  a  film  producer  in  the  eighties. She  is  now  79.

Ann  Beach  ( as  Lottie ) 

Sex : No

Death : Throttled  by  Mrs  Newless's  sidekick  Jethro

Ann  had  a  long  career  as  a  character  actress  mainly  on  stage  and  TV, her  best  known  role  being  in  eighties  comedy  Fresh  Fields. She  was  also  the  mother  of  actresses  Charlotte  and  Lisa  Coleman. She  died  a  couple  of  months  ago  aged  78.

Maxine  Holden ( as  Sue )

Sex : Some  cleavage

Death : Survives

Maxine  was  mainly  a  TV  actress, only  appearing  in  this  and  Lolita.  She  disappeared  from  view  in  the  mid-sixties.
   

186 Circus of Horrors ( 1960 )

This  is  a  real  horror  classic  , quite  lengthy  but  it  manages  to  sustain  its  Gothic  pitch  through  well-spaced  shocks, an  abundance  of  scantily-clad  females  and  a  demented  climax.

Anton  Diffring   plays  Rossiter, a  plastic  surgeon  who  changes  his  identity  after  an  operation  goes  wrong. Chancing  upon  a  circus,  he  uses  it  as  a  front, changing  the  identities  of  scarred  women  with  a past, turning  them  into  performers   and,  with  the  aid  of  Martin  ( mad  Welshman  Kenneth  Griffith) , murdering  them  when  they  get  ideas  of  moving  on. But the  authorities  are  on  his  tail.

Erika  Remberg ( as  Elissa  Caro )

Sex :  Elissa  does  her  trapeze  act  in  a  skimpy  costume. Later  she  showers  but  is  obscured  by  frosted  glass

Death : Falls  from  a  height in  an  "accident"  arranged  by  Martin.

 
 Erika   was  an  Austrian  actress  although  she  was  born  in  Indonesia. She  later  married  the  film's  director  Sydney  Heyers. Most  of  her  film  work  was  in  Germany , some  of  it  soft  porn.  She  retired  around  1990. She  is  now  85.

Yvonne  Monlaut  ( as  Nicole )

Sex : No,  Nicole  is  virginal

Death : Survives

Yvonne  is  a  redhead  in  this  one.

Jane  Hylton  ( as  Angela )

Sex : Wants  it  from  Rossiter  but  he's not interested

Death : Stabbed  in  the  back  by  Rossiter

Jane  was  originally  Audrey  Clark  from  London. She  was  from  the  Rank  school  and  began  her  career  in  the  late  forties  in  British  comedy  films. By  the  time  of  this  movie  she  was  more  of  a  TV  actress. She  was  Frank  Spencer's  mother-in-law  in  Some  Mothers  Do  Ave  Em  and  appeared  with  her  daughter  Rosalind  Lloyd  in  her  last  film  The  Wild  Geese  in  1978. She  died of  a heart  attack  the  following  year  aged  51.

Vanda  Hudson ( as  Magda )

Sex : Magda  appears  in  her  underwear  during  an  altercation  with  Rossiter

Death : Killed  by  the  knife-thrower  in  an  accident  arranged  by  Martin

Vanda  was  originally  Wanda  Valeska  from  France. She  had  a  brief  career  as a  glamorous  bit  part  actress. She  died  in  2004  aged  67.

Yvonne  Romain  ( as Melina )

Sex : Melina  and  Rossiter  are  interrupted  when  she's  on  top  of  him  with  her  bra  undone

Death : Mauled  by  lions  that Martin  has  deliberately  omitted  to  tranquilise

Yvonne  looks  great  in  this  although  her  character's  romance  with  Rossiter  is  one  of  the  less  convincing  parts  of the  film.

Colette  Wilde  ( as Evelyn  Morley )

Sex : Appears  in  her underwear  at  the  start  of  the  film

Death : Survives

Colette  was a bit  part  actress  in  movies  but  more  successful  in  TV  appearing  in  Emergency  Ward  10  and  the  serial  Curtain  of  Fear. She disappeared  from  view  in  the  late  sixties. She  is  now 84.

Carla  Challoner  ( as young  Nicole )

Sex : n/a

Death : Survives

Carla  went  on  to  a  fair  amount  of TV  work  as a  teenager  and  young  woman  but  left  acting  before  the end  of  the seventies.



 

185 The Brides of Dracula ( 1960 )

This  sequel   from  Hammer  is  something  of  a  cheat. The  film  was  in  production  before  anyone  asked  Christopher  Lee  if  he  wanted  to  reprise  the  role  and  had  to  be  hastily  re-written   - bringing  back  Peter  Cushing  as  Van  Helsing )  when  he  said  no. Virtually  all  mention  of  Dracula  was  excised. It's  not  a  bad  film, with  some  good  scenes ( particularly  the  one  between  Van  Helsing  and  the  vampire's  mother )  but  there  are  some  logical  flaws  and  you're  always  going  to  miss  Lee's  screen  presence.

Marianne  Danielle  is  a  young  tutor  journeyng  to  start  her  next  post in  Transylvania. Abandoned  at  an  inn, she  is  invited  by  Baroness  Meinster   ( Martita  Hunt )  to  stay  at  her  castle. Marianne  discovers  that  she  keeps  her  handsome  son  ( David  Peel ) chained  up  and  agrees  to  free  him ( presumably  she  was  intended  as  a  sacrifice  to  him ).  He  kills  his  mother  then   he  and  Marianne  separately  flee  the  castle. There's  a  clear  break  in  the  film  at  this  point. Marianne  is  found  prone  but  unharmed  by  Van  Helsing  who  helps  her  continue  her  journey  but  Meinster  and  his  female  conquests  are  on  her  tail.

Yvonne  Monlaur  ( as  Marianne  Dannielle ) 

Sex : No

Death : Survives

Yvonne  was  a  model  for  Elle  and  appeared  in  French  and  Italian  as  well  as  British  films  throughout  the  sixties  without  landing  the  right  part. She  decided  to  retire  in  1969  and  lived  out  of  the  limelight  until  her  death  last  month  aged  77.

Andree  Melly  ( as  Gina )

Sex : Her  nipples  are  visible  through  her  nightgown

Death : From  blood  loss  after  being  bitten. Vampire  Gina  presumably  perishes  in  the  fire  at  the  film's  climax

Andree  is   the  sister  of  rubber-lipped  jazz  singer  George  Melly. She  was  more  of  a  TV  actress  with  few  film  credits. She  was  also  a  regular  panellist  on  Radio  Four's  Just  A  Minute  in  the  early  seventies. She  seems  to  have  retired  at  the  start  of  the  nineties  and  is  now 84.

Marie  Devereux  ( as  Village  girl )

Sex : Some  cleavage

Death : From  blood  loss  after  being  bitten.  As  a  vampire  she  presumably  perishes  in  the  fire  at  the  film's  climax

Marie  was  actually  Patricia  Sutcliffe  from  London . She  was  an  early  glamour  model  but  found  plenty  of  work  as  a  bit  part  actress. She  was  Elisabeth  Taylor's  stand-in  for  Cleopatra  and  went  to  Hollywood  when  the  production  closed. She  appeared  in  a  couple  of  films  there  but retired  in  1964  to  start  a  family. She  is  now  76.

184 13 Ghosts ( 1960 )

This  is  another  gimmicky  film  from  William  Castle  featuring  supposedly  invisible  ghosts  that  could  only  see  with  filtered  glasses.  Despite  a  light tone , it's  been  influential  on  movies like  Poltergeist  and  The  Amityville  Horror  and  was  remade  in  2001.

Cyrus  Zorba  ( Donald  Woods ) plays  Cyrus  Zorba, a financially  reckless  college  professor  who  inherits  an  old  spooky  house  from  an  uncle  on  condition  the  family  move  in. However  both  the  spooky  housekeeper  Elaine  ( Margaret  Hamilton  from  The  Wizard  of  Oz )  and  slimy  lawyer  Ben  Rush  ( Martin  Milner )   warn  that  the  house  is  full  of  ghosts  as  well  as  hidden money.

Jo  Morrow  ( as  Medea  Zorba )

Sex : No  but  she  looks  gorgeous

Death : Survives

Jo  was  a  former  beauty  contestant  with  a  promising  career  after  appearing  with  Alec  Guinness  in  Our  Man  in  Havana. She  married  songwriter  Jackie  Barnett  and  retired  in  1964  on  giving  birth  to  a  deaf  daughter. She  made  a  brief  comeback  in  the  early  70s  with  a  few  guest  roles  on  TV  and  appearances  in  a  few  trashy  films. She  is  now  77  and  lives  in  Oregon.