Wednesday, 28 February 2018
351 Sisters (1973 )
This was director Brian de Palma's first venture into horror films and it's a self-conscious tribute to Alfred Hitchcock with clear references to Psycho and Rear Window. It's enjoyable enough although the twist is pretty well telegraphed.
Grace Collier is an investigative reporter whose apartment overlooks that of her neighbour, a minor TV actress Danielle Breton. One morning she witnesses the murder of a black man Philip Woode ( Lisle Wilson ) by a deranged woman but by the time the police get there there is no sign of the body and she isn't believed. Grace decides to trail Danielle and her sinister ex-husband Emil ( William Finley ) to discover the truth.
Jennifer Salt ( as Grace Collier )
Sex : No
Death : Survives
Jennifer was from Los Angeles and emerged in the late sixties. She worked with De Palma in a number of his early films and shared a house with co-star Margot Kidder. She later went on to TV fame in Soap. She retired from acting in the nineties to become a producer and writer, most notably on the series Nip/Tuck. She is now 73.
Margot Kidder ( as Danielle / Dominique )
Sex : Danielle has sex with Woode
Death : Survives
Margot is one of the best known Canadian actresses by virtue of the Superman franchise in which she played Lois Lane. Her career began in the late sixties and has been up and down in part due to drugs issues and her bipolar disorder but she is still active. She is now 69.
Tuesday, 27 February 2018
350 The Satanic Rites of Dracula ( 1973 )
This marked the end of an era. It was Christopher Lee's final outing as Dracula and he wouldn't make a film with Cushing again until ten years later. Hammer was winding down its film operation and the baton passed to others. I enjoyed this when I first saw it on TV but it seemed less impressive on a second viewing although Lee has more dialogue than any of the previous films and the odd hint of sympathy in the script.
Secret agent Peter Torrence ( William Franklyn ) is investigating odd goings on, involving prominent people, at a country house, latterly aided by policeman Murray ( Michael Coles ) who also appeared in Dracula AD 1972. He suggests calling in Van Helsing who identifies the culprit but, this time round, the dastardly count wants to do more to humanity than just bite a few necks .
Joanna Lumley ( as Jessica Van Helsing )
Sex : No
Death : Survives
Joanna took over the role from Stephanie Beacham. She doesn't actually have much to do as Jessica is just window dressing in this one.
Valerie Van Ost ( as Jane )
Sex : Jane's blouse hangs open
Death : Staked through the heart by Murray
This was Valerie's last film role though she made a few more TV appearances before moving into casting.
Secret agent Peter Torrence ( William Franklyn ) is investigating odd goings on, involving prominent people, at a country house, latterly aided by policeman Murray ( Michael Coles ) who also appeared in Dracula AD 1972. He suggests calling in Van Helsing who identifies the culprit but, this time round, the dastardly count wants to do more to humanity than just bite a few necks .
Joanna Lumley ( as Jessica Van Helsing )
Sex : No
Death : Survives
Joanna took over the role from Stephanie Beacham. She doesn't actually have much to do as Jessica is just window dressing in this one.
Valerie Van Ost ( as Jane )
Sex : Jane's blouse hangs open
Death : Staked through the heart by Murray
This was Valerie's last film role though she made a few more TV appearances before moving into casting.
Monday, 26 February 2018
349 The Pyx ( 1973 )
This Canadian chiller isn't very well known but it's excellent, all the better for keeping its horror credentials disguised until late in the film. It has a complex but logical narrative structure with a brilliantly sustained sense of creeping doom helped no end by a superb score from Harry Freedman. I think you may have to be a Catholic to fully understand it though.
Henderson ( Christopher Plummer ) is a widowed Montreal detective investigating the death of a prostitute and heroin addict Elisabeth Lucy who has fallen to her death from an apartment block in a transparent white robe clutching a crucifix and the titular pyx, a container for the Holy Bread of Communion. As he investigates in the present, we are able to follow Elisabeth's last couple of days as her pimp Meg ( Yvette Brind'amor ) sells her to the sinister Keerson ( Jean-Louis Roux ).
Karen Black ( as Elisabeth Lucy )
Sex : Elisabeth is a prostitute. She is braless throughout the film
Death : Thrown from the roof by Keerson
Karen was a slightly cross-eyed actress who emerged in the late sixties as something of a counter-cultural icon. She became a genuine film star in the seventies but kept working when that star slipped and ended up making nearly 200 films over 45 years. In later years she suffered from pancreatic cancer and died in 2013 aged 74.
Louise Rinfret ( as Sandra )
Sex : Sandra is a prostitute
Death : Survives
Louise was a French-Canadian actress whose handful of other film credits are Francophone.
Francine Morand ( as Laura )
Sex : Laura is a prostitute
Death : Murdered messily in her bedroom ( we don't see how exactly )
Francine was another French-Canadian actress, working up to 2002. She is now 69.
Julie Wildman ( as Henderson's girlfriend )
Sex : She has just had sex with Henderson in her one scene
Death : Survives
Julie had a reasonably successful acting career, latterly on Canadian TV, down to the mid-nineties.
Sunday, 25 February 2018
348 Lemora ( 1973 )
Another vampire film with heavy hints of lesbianism and paedophilia thrown in for good measure. It's worth a look but the dim lighting for nearly every scene gets a bit oppressive.
13 year old Lila is a gangster's daughter in the 1920s, being raised by a church. Disturbed by the sexual attention she is beginning to attract she runs away to a town called Astaroth where her fugitive father is dying. After surviving a monster attack she meets the pale beautiful Lemora who tends to her but is really the most terrifying creature of all.
Cheryl Smith ( as Lila )
Sex : Lila is bathed and dried by Lemora
Death : Lila becomes a vampire ( unless the whole thing is an erotic daydream )
Cheryl was actually 18 when the film was made and this was her first real film role. Shortly afterwards she adopted the name "Rainbeaux" which she picked up in a music club. She was friendly with The Runaways and recorded an album with her own band The L.A.Girls. Her roles dried up in the early eighties and she turned to heroin. She had two spells in prison for drugs offences where she designed tattoos for other inmates. She died of hepatitis in 2002 aged 47.
Lesley Taplin ( as Lemora )
Sex : Lemora clearly has a lesbian interest in Lila
Death : Survives
This was Lesley's second and final film as she chose a career in film production instead. She died in a car accident in Los Angeles in 2009 aged 62.
13 year old Lila is a gangster's daughter in the 1920s, being raised by a church. Disturbed by the sexual attention she is beginning to attract she runs away to a town called Astaroth where her fugitive father is dying. After surviving a monster attack she meets the pale beautiful Lemora who tends to her but is really the most terrifying creature of all.
Cheryl Smith ( as Lila )
Sex : Lila is bathed and dried by Lemora
Death : Lila becomes a vampire ( unless the whole thing is an erotic daydream )
Cheryl was actually 18 when the film was made and this was her first real film role. Shortly afterwards she adopted the name "Rainbeaux" which she picked up in a music club. She was friendly with The Runaways and recorded an album with her own band The L.A.Girls. Her roles dried up in the early eighties and she turned to heroin. She had two spells in prison for drugs offences where she designed tattoos for other inmates. She died of hepatitis in 2002 aged 47.
Lesley Taplin ( as Lemora )
Sex : Lemora clearly has a lesbian interest in Lila
Death : Survives
This was Lesley's second and final film as she chose a career in film production instead. She died in a car accident in Los Angeles in 2009 aged 62.
347 Messiah of Evil ( 1973 )
This is quite an effective modern-day vampire film which relies on creepy atmosphere rather than gory shocks.
Arletty goes to a remote coastal town looking for her father. She finds it empty, with strange paintings and a letter warning her to stay away. She is joined by a louche aristocrat Thom ( Michael Greer ) and his two female sycophants who invite themselves to stay with her but they are all in mortal danger from the town's inhabitants.
Marianna Hill ( as Arletty )
Sex : No
Death : Survives
Marianna started acting on TV at the start of the sixties but her film hey-day was in the seventies, most notably in High Plains Drifter the same year as this one. She retired in 1984 and later worked as an acting coach in London. She has made a couple of films this century. She is now 76.
Anitra Ford ( as Laura )
Sex : She is Thom's mistress but nothing onscreen
Death : Devoured by vampires at the supermarket
Anitra was a model who was a regular hostess on The Price is Right at the time the film was made. Her acting career petered out in the late seventies after which she moved into real estate, photography and painting. She is now 75.
Joy Bang ( as Toni )
Sex : She is Thom's mistress but nothing onscreen
Death : Devoured by vampires at the cinema
This was the last film of Joy's very brief career playing uninhibited hippy chicks at the start of the seventies. She quit acting to become a nurse in Minnesota in the mid-seventies. She is now 72.
Arletty goes to a remote coastal town looking for her father. She finds it empty, with strange paintings and a letter warning her to stay away. She is joined by a louche aristocrat Thom ( Michael Greer ) and his two female sycophants who invite themselves to stay with her but they are all in mortal danger from the town's inhabitants.
Marianna Hill ( as Arletty )
Sex : No
Death : Survives
Marianna started acting on TV at the start of the sixties but her film hey-day was in the seventies, most notably in High Plains Drifter the same year as this one. She retired in 1984 and later worked as an acting coach in London. She has made a couple of films this century. She is now 76.
Anitra Ford ( as Laura )
Sex : She is Thom's mistress but nothing onscreen
Death : Devoured by vampires at the supermarket
Anitra was a model who was a regular hostess on The Price is Right at the time the film was made. Her acting career petered out in the late seventies after which she moved into real estate, photography and painting. She is now 75.
Joy Bang ( as Toni )
Sex : She is Thom's mistress but nothing onscreen
Death : Devoured by vampires at the cinema
This was the last film of Joy's very brief career playing uninhibited hippy chicks at the start of the seventies. She quit acting to become a nurse in Minnesota in the mid-seventies. She is now 72.
346 The Legend of Hell House ( 1973 )
I've already covered this one here.
Pamela Franklin ( as Florence Tanner )
Sex : Has rough sex with a spiritual entity
Death : Crushed by a falling crucifix
This was Pamela's penultimate film.
Gayle Hunnicutt ( as Anne Barrett )
Sex : She strips and offers herself to Fischer
Death : Survives
Gayle was living in the UK with husband David Hemmings at the time of this film.
Thursday, 22 February 2018
345 Horror Hospital ( 1973 )
This British cheapo horror flick throws plenty of violence and gore at you but it's too stupid to be entertaining.
Jason Jones ( Robin Askwith ) is a struggling musician who books himself onto a holiday through an ad in the paper. On the train there he meets Judy who is travelling to stay with her Aunt Harris ( Ellen Pollock ). It turns out she is running the holiday camp, really a secret hospital where Dr Storm is lobotomising people. It just gets sillier from there.
Vanessa Shaw ( as Judy )
Sex : Judy has sex with Jason
Death : Survives
This was Vanessa's only credited film role though she appeared on TV a couple of times. She and Askwith were an item for a while afterwards but her subsequent activities are unknown.She is now 66.
Barbara Wendy ( as Millie )
Sex : Millie is molested by Storm
Death : Beaten to death by Storm
This was Barbara's second and final film.
344 Ganja and Hess ( 1973 )
This blaxploitation /horror crossover is more thoughtful than the likes of Blacula but far too long with draggy conversational scenes that have no real purpose. It' also lacks logical consistency, one vampire can be killed by a bullet the next can't.
Hess ( Duane Jones ) is a rich and devout anthropologist interested in the blood drinking rituals of an African tribe. When his assistant Meda ( Bill Gunn ) commits suicide, Hess has a taste of his blood and becomes a vampire too. Then Meda's wife Ganja turns up and Hess leads her into becoming one.
Marlene Clark ( as Ganja )
Sex : Ganja has sex with Hess and then with her first victim
Death : Survives as a vampire
Marlene was first billed in this one.
Candece Tarpley ( as girl in bar )
Sex : The girl tries to roll Hess with her pimp
Death : Drained of blood by Hess
Candece made just three films as an actress but later worked as a wardrobe mistress in TV. She is now 70.
Hess ( Duane Jones ) is a rich and devout anthropologist interested in the blood drinking rituals of an African tribe. When his assistant Meda ( Bill Gunn ) commits suicide, Hess has a taste of his blood and becomes a vampire too. Then Meda's wife Ganja turns up and Hess leads her into becoming one.
Marlene Clark ( as Ganja )
Sex : Ganja has sex with Hess and then with her first victim
Death : Survives as a vampire
Marlene was first billed in this one.
Candece Tarpley ( as girl in bar )
Sex : The girl tries to roll Hess with her pimp
Death : Drained of blood by Hess
Candece made just three films as an actress but later worked as a wardrobe mistress in TV. She is now 70.
Tuesday, 20 February 2018
343 From Beyond The Grave ( 1973 )
This was the last of Amicus's portmanteau films and is enjoyable enough with all four stories having something to commend them.
Peter Cushing is proprietor of an antiques shop who sells sinister objects to four customers. Three of them ( David Warner, Ian Bannen, Ian Carmichael ) try to cheat him and come to nasty ends. The honest one ( Ian Ogilvy ) manages to escape the fate of the others.
Angela Pleasence ( as Emily )
Sex : Emily sleeps with one of the customers
Death : Survives
Angela is the daughter of creepy actor Donald Pleasence and this film was the first time they acted together. She is a well known TV actress usually in period dramas and is still active. She is now 76.
Nyree Dawn Porter ( as Susan )
Sex : No
Death : Survives though possessed
Nyree is blonde in many of her roles but brunette here.
Lesley-Anne Down ( as Rosemary )
Sex : She is braless in a tight blouse for most of her scenes
Death : Survives
Lesley-Anne looks very good in this one.
Wendy Allnutt ( as Pamela )
Sex : No
Death : Survives
Wendy was active mainly in TV from the late sixties to the end of the nineties . She had regular roles though not in memorable series. She's probably best known for Jennifer in Sorry. She is now 71.
Rosalind Ayres ( as Prostitute )
Sex : She is a prostitute
Death : Stabbed to death
This was one of Rosalind's first films. She married Martin Jarvis the following year and they have often appeared together although she's had plenty of TV roles in her own right. She is now 71.
Peter Cushing is proprietor of an antiques shop who sells sinister objects to four customers. Three of them ( David Warner, Ian Bannen, Ian Carmichael ) try to cheat him and come to nasty ends. The honest one ( Ian Ogilvy ) manages to escape the fate of the others.
Angela Pleasence ( as Emily )
Sex : Emily sleeps with one of the customers
Death : Survives
Angela is the daughter of creepy actor Donald Pleasence and this film was the first time they acted together. She is a well known TV actress usually in period dramas and is still active. She is now 76.
Nyree Dawn Porter ( as Susan )
Sex : No
Death : Survives though possessed
Nyree is blonde in many of her roles but brunette here.
Lesley-Anne Down ( as Rosemary )
Sex : She is braless in a tight blouse for most of her scenes
Death : Survives
Lesley-Anne looks very good in this one.
Wendy Allnutt ( as Pamela )
Sex : No
Death : Survives
Wendy was active mainly in TV from the late sixties to the end of the nineties . She had regular roles though not in memorable series. She's probably best known for Jennifer in Sorry. She is now 71.
Rosalind Ayres ( as Prostitute )
Sex : She is a prostitute
Death : Stabbed to death
This was one of Rosalind's first films. She married Martin Jarvis the following year and they have often appeared together although she's had plenty of TV roles in her own right. She is now 71.
Monday, 19 February 2018
342 The Exorcist ( 1973 )
This of course is one of the greatest horror films of all time. I've only seen it the once and I think that's enough. Forty-five years on it still has the power to shock.
Chris McNeill, an actress becomes concerned when her daughter Regan begins acting strangely ( to say the least ). After numerous disturbing incidents, a priest Father Karras ( Jason Miller) is called in. He believes her to be possessed by a devil and calls in a more experienced priest Father Merrin ( Max Von Sydow ) to perform an exorcism. Then the fun begins.
Ellen Burstyn ( as Chris )
Sex : No
Death : Survives
Ellen was originally Edna Gillooly from Detroit. She started acting in the late fifties and became a familiar face on US TV in the sixties. Her film career took off with The Last Picture Show in 1971. She permanently injured her back filming The Exorcist but won an Oscar the following year for Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore. She is still a busy actress at 85.
Linda Blair ( as Regan )
Sex : Regan masturbates with a crucifix in what remains one of Hollywoods most shocking scenes
Death : Survives
Linda was a former child model who'd appeared in a couple of films before she got this role at 14. She's never really escaped it and appeared in a lot of low budget horror films in the eighties. Nevertheless she continues to work and appeared in L.A. 7 in 2000. She is a vegan and set up an animal rights charity in 2004. She is now 59.
Kitty Winn ( as Sharon Spencer )
Sex : No
Death : Survives
Kitty was an active stage actress in the sixties before moving into film and television in the seventies. She retired in 1978 after the critical mauling of Exorcist II : the Heretic but has occasionally been lured back onto the stage. She is now 73.
Chris McNeill, an actress becomes concerned when her daughter Regan begins acting strangely ( to say the least ). After numerous disturbing incidents, a priest Father Karras ( Jason Miller) is called in. He believes her to be possessed by a devil and calls in a more experienced priest Father Merrin ( Max Von Sydow ) to perform an exorcism. Then the fun begins.
Ellen Burstyn ( as Chris )
Sex : No
Death : Survives
Ellen was originally Edna Gillooly from Detroit. She started acting in the late fifties and became a familiar face on US TV in the sixties. Her film career took off with The Last Picture Show in 1971. She permanently injured her back filming The Exorcist but won an Oscar the following year for Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore. She is still a busy actress at 85.
Linda Blair ( as Regan )
Sex : Regan masturbates with a crucifix in what remains one of Hollywoods most shocking scenes
Death : Survives
Linda was a former child model who'd appeared in a couple of films before she got this role at 14. She's never really escaped it and appeared in a lot of low budget horror films in the eighties. Nevertheless she continues to work and appeared in L.A. 7 in 2000. She is a vegan and set up an animal rights charity in 2004. She is now 59.
Kitty Winn ( as Sharon Spencer )
Sex : No
Death : Survives
Kitty was an active stage actress in the sixties before moving into film and television in the seventies. She retired in 1978 after the critical mauling of Exorcist II : the Heretic but has occasionally been lured back onto the stage. She is now 73.
341 Dark Places ( 1973 )
Ex-Hammer director Don Sharp directed this one for Glenbeigh Limited. I can only assume Christopher Lee didn't read the script before agreeing to appear in this nonsensical tripe.
A dying old man in a mental institution named Marr leaves his house and instructions on where to find a missing fortune to Edward Foster ( Robert Hardy ) , a member of the admin team. Both Marr's lawyer Prescott ( Herbert Lom ) and the head doctor, Manderville ( Lee ) plot against Foster to find the money although why they haven't dismantled the empty house in the decades since his incarceration for the presumed murder of his family is never explained. Edward finds that the younger Marr ( Hardy with a moustache ) looked very like him and soon adopts his personality.
Joan Collins ( as Sarah Mandeville )
Sex : Sarah seduces Foster as part of the plot to find the money
Death : Sarah is throttled by Foster reliving Marr's murder spree
Another undistinguished horror outing for Joan
Jane Birkin ( as Alta )
Sex : Alta is Marr's mistress or at least intends to be
Death : Stabbed with a breadknife by Marr's children
Jane made her name in the sixties, first by flashing her pubes in Blow Up, then by her breathy vocal on Je T'Aime..Moi Non Plus, made with new boyfriend Serge Gainsbourg after breaking up with husband John Barry. Jane has operated mainly in France since then but pops up now and again in Anglophone parts. She is now 71.
Jean Marsh ( as Victoria )
Sex : Victoria comes on to Marr as a distraction while Alta is murdered
Death : Throttled by Marr
After a solid , unshowy two decades as an actress Jean found fame as co-creator and lead actress as Rose in Upstairs Downstairs which made her a familiar TV face for the rest of her career. A stroke curtailed her involvement in the revamp of the series but she was far too old for the part anyway. She is now 83.
Jennifer Thanisch ( as Jessica )
Sex : n/a
Death : Decapitated with a sword by her father
Jennifer was a child actress in the seventies, most famous for her last acting role as Anne in The Famous Five. She is now an R.E. teacher in Sussex. She is 53.
A dying old man in a mental institution named Marr leaves his house and instructions on where to find a missing fortune to Edward Foster ( Robert Hardy ) , a member of the admin team. Both Marr's lawyer Prescott ( Herbert Lom ) and the head doctor, Manderville ( Lee ) plot against Foster to find the money although why they haven't dismantled the empty house in the decades since his incarceration for the presumed murder of his family is never explained. Edward finds that the younger Marr ( Hardy with a moustache ) looked very like him and soon adopts his personality.
Joan Collins ( as Sarah Mandeville )
Sex : Sarah seduces Foster as part of the plot to find the money
Death : Sarah is throttled by Foster reliving Marr's murder spree
Another undistinguished horror outing for Joan
Jane Birkin ( as Alta )
Sex : Alta is Marr's mistress or at least intends to be
Death : Stabbed with a breadknife by Marr's children
Jane made her name in the sixties, first by flashing her pubes in Blow Up, then by her breathy vocal on Je T'Aime..Moi Non Plus, made with new boyfriend Serge Gainsbourg after breaking up with husband John Barry. Jane has operated mainly in France since then but pops up now and again in Anglophone parts. She is now 71.
Jean Marsh ( as Victoria )
Sex : Victoria comes on to Marr as a distraction while Alta is murdered
Death : Throttled by Marr
After a solid , unshowy two decades as an actress Jean found fame as co-creator and lead actress as Rose in Upstairs Downstairs which made her a familiar TV face for the rest of her career. A stroke curtailed her involvement in the revamp of the series but she was far too old for the part anyway. She is now 83.
Jennifer Thanisch ( as Jessica )
Sex : n/a
Death : Decapitated with a sword by her father
Jennifer was a child actress in the seventies, most famous for her last acting role as Anne in The Famous Five. She is now an R.E. teacher in Sussex. She is 53.
340 The Crazies ( 1973 )
George Romero's fourth film treads the line between science fiction and horror. It's not bad though a little talk-heavy in parts.
A biological weapon known as "Trixie" gets into the water system of a small town turning people into violent deranged killers. As the military start corralling the populace for possible nuclear annihilation ex-Green Beret David ( Will MacMillan ) and his pregnant wife escape and lead a fugitive existence bit there's no real escape.
Lane Carroll ( as Judy )
Sex : Judy is naked in bed at the start of the film
Death : Shot by other fugitives by mistake
This was Lane's third and final film.
Lynn Lowry ( as Kathy )
Sex : Kathy has sex with her equally insane father
Death : Shot down by panicking soldiers
The Sissy Spacek lookalike was a regular in low budget horror in the seventies then progressed to stage acting and singing. In the past decade she has been prolific in producing her own shorts. She is now 70.
Saturday, 17 February 2018
339 Children Shouldn't Play With Dead Things ( 1973 )
An absolutely dire low budget zombie flick in which nothing at all happens for the first hour and what follows is cheap and derivative. Most of the cast use their real names.
Alan Ormsby the screenwriter plays an exceedingly obnoxious film director who takes a motley group of actors, all of whom hate him, to an isolated graveyard to take method acting to an extreme by digging up a corpse. Guess what happens next ?
Valerie Mamches ( as Val )
Sex : No
Death : Torn apart by zombies
This was one of only two films made by Valerie but she was actually an accomplished stage actress. She later became an acting coach. She died in 2015 aged 74.
Anya Ormsby ( as Anya )
Sex : No
Death : Torn apart by zombies
Anya was Ormsby's first wife.
Jane Daly ( as Terry )
Sex : Terry is braless throughout the film
Death : Torn apart by zombies
Jane worked almost exclusively on TV after this.
Thursday, 15 February 2018
338 Cannibal Girls (1973 )
This Canadian chiller stars American Pie's Eugene Levy in a straight-ish role as a hippy dude who takes his girlfriend into a small town full of cannibals. This one too pre-dates Texas Chainsaw Massacre and makes good use of its wintry settings although it would help if the victims were a little more likeable.
Clifford Sturges ( Levy ) and his girlfriend Gloria break down in a small town and check into a motel where the landlady tells them about three cannibal girls who lived in an isolated house nearby. This is now a restaurant. Cliff and Gloria fail to put two and two together and head there for a meal where they meet the Reverend Alex St John ( Ronald Ulrich ) a Manson-like figure who invites them to stay the night.
Andrea Martin ( as Gloria )
Sex : Cliff and Gloria are getting it on when interrupted
Death : Survives
Andrea is a Canadian actress of Armenian descent. She has been active in film, TV and musical theatre (winning a number of Tony awards) since the beginning of the seventies . She is now 71.
Randall Carpenter ( as Anthea )
Sex : Anthea has sex with her mark and later strips naked for a blood ceremony
Death : Survives
Randall was also the film's wardrobe mistress, this being her first film. She has worked as a voice actress as recently as 2013.
Bonnie Neilson ( as Clarissa )
Sex : Clarissa strips for sex with her mark
Death : Survives
Apart from a role in the TV series Sam, this is Bonnie's only acting role.
Mira Pawluk ( as Leona )
Sex : Leona has sex with her mark and later strips for a blood ceremony
Death : Survives
This was Mira's last film after a brief career as a child actress in the sixties.
Julie Philpot ( as girl on beach )
Sex : She has her blouse torn open and her chest daubed with blood
Death : Killed off screen by one of the girls
This was Julie's only film appearance.
Wednesday, 14 February 2018
337 And Now The Screaming Starts ( 1973 )
This full length Amicus feature is a competent enough re-arrangement of familiar tropes with a good cast but it never really catches fire and Ian Ogilvy's character doesn't make sense.
Catherine Fengriffen is a newly-wed moving in to the ancestral home of her husband Charles ( Ogilvy ). She is soon disturbed by visions of a severed hand and the presence of a sinister woodsman with a prominent birthmark , Silas ( Geoffrey Whitehead ) on the estate. Anyone about to let her into the family secrets is promptly murdered which never seems to bother Charles who calls in a psychiatrist ( Peter Cushing ) instead.
Stephanie Beacham ( as Catherine )
Sex : Awesome cleavage
Death : Survives
Though not top billed, Stephanie has the most screen time in this one.
Janet Key ( as Bridget )
Sex : No
Death : Survives
Janet's back to playing a maid in this one.
Sally Harrison ( as Sarah )
Sex : Sarah is raped by Charles' grandfather
Death : Presumed from natural causes
Sally was a bit part actress active in the seventies. She has made sporadic appearances since then.
Catherine Fengriffen is a newly-wed moving in to the ancestral home of her husband Charles ( Ogilvy ). She is soon disturbed by visions of a severed hand and the presence of a sinister woodsman with a prominent birthmark , Silas ( Geoffrey Whitehead ) on the estate. Anyone about to let her into the family secrets is promptly murdered which never seems to bother Charles who calls in a psychiatrist ( Peter Cushing ) instead.
Stephanie Beacham ( as Catherine )
Sex : Awesome cleavage
Death : Survives
Though not top billed, Stephanie has the most screen time in this one.
Janet Key ( as Bridget )
Sex : No
Death : Survives
Janet's back to playing a maid in this one.
Sally Harrison ( as Sarah )
Sex : Sarah is raped by Charles' grandfather
Death : Presumed from natural causes
Sally was a bit part actress active in the seventies. She has made sporadic appearances since then.
Tuesday, 13 February 2018
336 Private Parts ( 1972 )
This odd black comedy was made at the behest of Gene Corman. It didn't do well at the box office but it's pretty good with well-placed shocks and an intriguing plot line.
Cheryl Stratton is a teenager who falls out with her older room-mate Judy. She fetches up at her Aunt Martha's ( Lucille Bentham) hotel populated by a randy gay vicar, the senile former owner, a hopeless drunk and George ( John Ventantonio ) a photographer with a thing for blow-up dolls. Then people start getting killed.
Ayn Ruymen ( as Cheryl )
Sex : Cheryl bathes knowing George is watching
Death : Survives
This was Ayn's first ( and apart from an uncredited role in Jaws her only ) film though she was actually 24 at the time. She worked regularly on TV in the seventies then switched to teaching with only the occasional role up to 1993. She is now 70.
Ann Gibbs ( as Judy )
Sex : Judy is having sex with her boyfriend when disturbed by Cheryl
Death : Martha cuts her throat
Ann didn't re-surface until the mid-eighties after this.
335 Frogs ( 1972 )
This eco-horror film about a wealthy family gathering threatened by the local wildlife was a cinematic release but has a very TV movie feel about it. It's decently acted but not very scary.
Wildlife photographer Phil Pickett ( Sam Elliott ) is taking pictures in a polluted swamp when his boat is capsized by members of the wealthy Crockett family. Taken to the family mansion he meets crippled patriarch Jason ( Ray Milland ) who is determined to hold a party despite a number of deaths attributable to the local wildlife
Joan Van Ark ( as Karen Crockett )
Sex : No
Death : Survives
The blonde actress from New York was making her film debut after a number of TV appearances. TV eventually brought her lasting fame as Valene Ewing in Dallas and Knots Landing. Buoyed up by plastic surgery, she's still working at 74.
Judy Pace ( as Bella )
Sex : No
Death : It's implied that she's killed by birds
Judy was a well known TV actress particularly for Peyton Place. She appeared in many blaxploitation films in the seventies. She is now 75.
Lynn Borden ( as Jenny )
Sex : No
Death : Killed by a snapping turtle
Lynn was a former beauty contestant who appeared mainly in Westerns before a solid TV career. After shooting this film she became a keen collector of frogs. She died in 2015 aged 77.
Monday, 12 February 2018
334 Vampire Circus ( 1972 )
Without Lee or Cushing, Hammer came up with a new twist on the vampire theme with a circus of vampires coming to town to exact revenge. This has some good ideas but has too many characters and a disjointed narrative making it rather exhausting to watch.
Count Mitterhaus ( Robert Tayman ) is a lusty young vampire destroyed by vengeful villagers after killing a child. He wreaks vengeance through a circus led by one of his disciples and out to destroy the offspring of his tormentors.
Adrienne Corri ( as Gypsy Woman )
Sex : Some cleavage
Death : Has her throat slashed by Emil
Adrienne gets top billing in this one.
Lynne Frederick ( as Dora Muller )
Sex : No
Death : Survives
Lynne was a young actress best remembered for her marriage to the much older Peter Sellers. She gave up acting after his death in 1980 and became an alcoholic. She died in 1994 aged 39.
Elisabeth Seal ( as Gerta )
Sex : No
Death : Drained of blood by Emil
Elisabeth was originally from Italy and made her name in musical theatre. Other acting work was sporadic but continued into the early noughties. She is now 84.
Domini Blythe ( as Anna )
Sex : Anna is MItterhaus's mistress
Death : morphs into Adrienne Corri's character
Domini was born in Cheshire and this was her first film. she emigrated to Canada in the same year the film was released and enjoyed a successful career there while also teaching drama. She died in 2010 aged 63.
Lalla Ward ( as Helga )
Sex : No
Death : Impaled by a giant crucifix
Lalla ( originally Sarah ) was the daughter of a viscount. This was the first of few films she made. She is most famous as the second Romana in Dr Who alongside her future husband Tom Baker. She has done little acting since leaving the series , taking up with militant atheist Richard Dawkins and concentrating on writing. She is now 66.
Christina Paul ( as Rosa )
Sex : Rosa has sex with Emil
Death : Drained of blood by Emil
Christine was an Anglo-Polish bit part actress who disappeared after a regular role in a BBC drama series World's End in 1981. She re-kindled her career in Poland in 2003, She is now 69.
Jane Darby ( as Jenny )
Sex : n/a
Death : Drained of blood by Mitterhaus
This was Jane's only film.
Serena ( as Tiger woman )
Sex : She dances naked but for body paint
Death : Drained of blood ( offscreen )
Serena featured in two other films as a stripper.
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