cult film freak: lon chaney jr.

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Written by James M. Tate / 5/23/2026 / No comments / film noir or melodrama , inner sanctum , j. carrol naish , lon chaney jr. , patricia morrison , ramsay ames , thriller , wrong man

INNER SANCTUM WITH LON CHANEY JR IN 'CALLING DR. DEATH'

<p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCzeMaQmaZWiWUUxLfaAq7jvj-5pldaw1K6QBlAyJDQA0N76M-3VbgAxfl87l61YYinLGEexWQi-rsgK5AtwN-25WuoFpvNjYKfyFfBZx0cbSVAjoxONO1jzlp6ttL7QE1ACWtVfnmwgb5d6h91cchae_VM7AdaanFFPaP5WQ1dYdKzaEgeao5xsyn-XVk/s1916/Screen%20Shot%202026-05-21%20at%201.48.09%20PM.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1146" data-original-width="1916" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCzeMaQmaZWiWUUxLfaAq7jvj-5pldaw1K6QBlAyJDQA0N76M-3VbgAxfl87l61YYinLGEexWQi-rsgK5AtwN-25WuoFpvNjYKfyFfBZx0cbSVAjoxONO1jzlp6ttL7QE1ACWtVfnmwgb5d6h91cchae_VM7AdaanFFPaP5WQ1dYdKzaEgeao5xsyn-XVk/s16000/Screen%20Shot%202026-05-21%20at%201.48.09%20PM.jpeg"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Title: CALLING DR. DEATH Year: 1943 Rating: **1/2</u></td></tr></tbody></table><p>Judging by the name alone, Universal's INNER SANCTUM movies seems perfect for a kind of horror/thriller that's not much different than their tightly-wound, atmospheric monster movies... <br><br>Including THE WOLF MAN starring Lon Chaney Jr himself, a clunky big lug of an actor who's horribly miscast here as a high-class shrink whose cheating wife (with a BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN hairstyle) gets mysteriously murdered... <br></p><p><span class="duration-200" lang="en-US"><span><span></span></span></span></p>

film noir or melodrama, inner sanctum, j. carrol naish, lon chaney jr., patricia morrison, ramsay ames, thriller, wrong man

INNER SANCTUM WITH LON CHANEY JR IN 'CALLING DR. DEATH'

Title: CALLING DR. DEATH Year: 1943 Rating: **1/2 Judging by the name alone, Universal's INNER SANCTUM movies seems perfect for a kind o...

LAWRENCE TIERNEY AND JOHN IRELAND IN 'THE BUSHWHACKERS'

<p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlZsIREvMvscmo1gTHq2ugOKfc8xn1eiYaWD-H8UNcKQmIG8kJd76KUgrwJH5z8zZjHkJp5VRINdQVgU_BzLmgws8xuCbCSX-4LxgueiaaetJc6mflcRNN1-46jJfuYyrJ-sJYFiNR0Hjl5JhGH97IA3aWwvPFuO3vxN5lb3hyphenhyphenAkprJJa5sNDL7Z5Zxll-/s2074/Screen%20Shot%202024-02-28%20at%207.46.22%20PM.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1452" data-original-width="2074" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlZsIREvMvscmo1gTHq2ugOKfc8xn1eiYaWD-H8UNcKQmIG8kJd76KUgrwJH5z8zZjHkJp5VRINdQVgU_BzLmgws8xuCbCSX-4LxgueiaaetJc6mflcRNN1-46jJfuYyrJ-sJYFiNR0Hjl5JhGH97IA3aWwvPFuO3vxN5lb3hyphenhyphenAkprJJa5sNDL7Z5Zxll-/s16000/Screen%20Shot%202024-02-28%20at%207.46.22%20PM.jpeg"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Title: THE BUSHWHACKERS Year: 1951 Rating: ***</u></td></tr></tbody></table><p>By the time Lawrence Tierney turned up in the b-western THE BUSHWHACKERS, his leading man status was practically finished.. but he's used importantly here, at least in the rudimentary stages: a hired thug actually appearing <i>before </i>crippled land baron Lon Chaney Jr and his lethal daughter who hired Tierney to kill random settlers... <br></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>Ironically, Chaney's correct about the squatters being more interested in big money than settling down... while Tierney continues bullying more underdogs, including passive leading man John Ireland, a Civil War veteran who, during a historic prelude, promised to never use a gun again...</p><p><span></span></p>

action, dorothy malone, fifties, john ireland, lawrence tierney, lon chaney jr., myrna dell, wayne morris, western

LAWRENCE TIERNEY AND JOHN IRELAND IN 'THE BUSHWHACKERS'

Title: THE BUSHWHACKERS Year: 1951 Rating: *** By the time Lawrence Tierney turned up in the b-western THE BUSHWHACKERS, his leading man sta...

RALPH MEEKER IN 'BIG HOUSE U.S.A.' WITH CHARLES BRONSON

<p></p><p></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKkZnpKXBnyjd9lTtLvP1wbuMzWwsG5TVp7Gu-mBs1OFFJof6PR1q5qc5TrHeuEAI6Fwzesh5ZoZqizOD1CdX3G0xBaQilcjk6glty3m1l_NtE_lPdN2FbZ8pRQT6jGLkLA60EpaqtB6JgVNI67SzMgesclZXjSd79KZUb5cVsKgrk_3nn6VtDAzdl-w/s1554/Screen%20Shot%202023-05-30%20at%2010.33.38%20PM.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="893" data-original-width="1554" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKkZnpKXBnyjd9lTtLvP1wbuMzWwsG5TVp7Gu-mBs1OFFJof6PR1q5qc5TrHeuEAI6Fwzesh5ZoZqizOD1CdX3G0xBaQilcjk6glty3m1l_NtE_lPdN2FbZ8pRQT6jGLkLA60EpaqtB6JgVNI67SzMgesclZXjSd79KZUb5cVsKgrk_3nn6VtDAzdl-w/s16000/Screen%20Shot%202023-05-30%20at%2010.33.38%20PM.jpeg"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Poster for BIG HOUSE U.S.A. Year: 1955 Rating: ****1/2</u></td></tr></tbody></table><p>A strange, investigative, manipulative, adventurous sort of crime/prison flick begins at a rural setting with Ralph Meeker involved in the botched kidnapping of a sickly young boy at summer camp: This gritty b-picture has been disputed by some of the more uptight viewers as a legit Film Noir since the main character doesn't have the necessary "moral ambiguity," although the otherwise vicious convicts serving at THE BIG HOUSE must realize, with a "child abductor" residing in the cell, maybe they're not so bad after all: perhaps, then, it's a kind of Film Noir in reverse...<br>
<br>
One scene has pre-PERRY MASON lawyer and post-ARMORED CAR ROBBERY firebrand William Talman suffering guilt-ridden doubts when cold-blooded kingpin Broderick Crawford tells him, once the gang has escaped from the island fortress and are "hidden" on a fishing boat within a foggy ocean, to strategically kill a sleeping friend...</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><span></span>

bel air productions, broderick crawford, charles bronson, fifties, film noir or melodrama, lon chaney jr., prison, ralph meeker

RALPH MEEKER IN 'BIG HOUSE U.S.A.' WITH CHARLES BRONSON

Poster for BIG HOUSE U.S.A. Year: 1955 Rating: ****1/2 A strange, investigative, manipulative, adventurous sort of crime/prison flick begin...

TECHNICOLOR 'HIGH SIERRA' REMAKE 'I DIED A THOUSAND TIMES'

<p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKd88bCz7XOEsSgqNp9evoaY6TSHkFnMWj_A58qh7l_5xNWFytCSLYrHIaf3Z2o7yNQ8zD4LrUPtpNvfOWrdkdmqibkhwuoddj0_A6lCGoKlA25KJk33FBBl2XYg6wBrfnKo14yXXkm4m9ud22uLzVdL2siy6ECzr8qk5QCHJ65qfvReGrtASFPDIg5w/s1409/AVvXsEjGmTMwGvvI4oMjcY7lvRAUg0iR5L-iuIIccMUHnLfgf9IKMmpw9mFUu6QkR3yuHF_l5z6HABbMclWlgkgJXkVxMX3kjctX384lIP9K98z4uLck4wPg02Pgqo1FCYAI--QZBf_z7w4UF06sgDA7lGvRNCMmY1-uw8MpDoy8Q0VJSXAj7DMd6x0VmDLRmA=s16000.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="786" data-original-width="1409" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKd88bCz7XOEsSgqNp9evoaY6TSHkFnMWj_A58qh7l_5xNWFytCSLYrHIaf3Z2o7yNQ8zD4LrUPtpNvfOWrdkdmqibkhwuoddj0_A6lCGoKlA25KJk33FBBl2XYg6wBrfnKo14yXXkm4m9ud22uLzVdL2siy6ECzr8qk5QCHJ65qfvReGrtASFPDIg5w/s16000/AVvXsEjGmTMwGvvI4oMjcY7lvRAUg0iR5L-iuIIccMUHnLfgf9IKMmpw9mFUu6QkR3yuHF_l5z6HABbMclWlgkgJXkVxMX3kjctX384lIP9K98z4uLck4wPg02Pgqo1FCYAI--QZBf_z7w4UF06sgDA7lGvRNCMmY1-uw8MpDoy8Q0VJSXAj7DMd6x0VmDLRmA=s16000.jpeg"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Title: I DIED A THOUSAND TIMES Year: 1955 Rating: ***1/2</u></td></tr></tbody></table><p>It's strange that I DIED A THOUSAND TIMES, the 1955 practically scene-for-scene remake of the Humphrey Bogart noir classic HIGH SIERRA, didn't keep the same title since they moved that mountainous backdrop even closer to the characters, where most of the dialogue-backed action takes place... </p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>A fishing retreat with Jack Palance in Bogart's shoes, fresh out of prison with a job to knock off a plush hotel full of jewelry; and like Bogart he isn't very thrilled with the gang he's in charge of...<br></p><span></span>

dennis hopper, earl holliman, fifties, film noir or melodrama, heist, jack palance, lee marvin, lon chaney jr., lori nelson, perry lopez, remake, richard davalos, shelley winters, warner archives

TECHNICOLOR 'HIGH SIERRA' REMAKE 'I DIED A THOUSAND TIMES'

Title: I DIED A THOUSAND TIMES Year: 1955 Rating: ***1/2 It's strange that I DIED A THOUSAND TIMES, the 1955 practically scene-for-scene...

LON CHANEY TRIPLE-FEATURE EXPLOITATION HORROR HOWLERS

<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZlneZNTOVZuJ3bLw-g6kjzAapMYGOIERCVfIELLPiVTLRWyPBL8sLjJk0MwC0lsbJh6GheVbSk0TeT1_a9C5Xja_cjRB_573-1BCNOIMcsMvuGxKzG_pWE457CeBMR4P1RJ4yptkB8YrL/s1600/Screen+Shot+2019-10-26+at+1.12.54+PM.jpeg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="612" data-original-width="750" height="260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZlneZNTOVZuJ3bLw-g6kjzAapMYGOIERCVfIELLPiVTLRWyPBL8sLjJk0MwC0lsbJh6GheVbSk0TeT1_a9C5Xja_cjRB_573-1BCNOIMcsMvuGxKzG_pWE457CeBMR4P1RJ4yptkB8YrL/s320/Screen+Shot+2019-10-26+at+1.12.54+PM.jpeg" width="320"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Unsung Scream Queen Connie Nelson circa 1971 Score: **</u></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<u>DRACULA VS. FRANKENSTEIN</u>: The
 worst thing about this super-low-budget Al Adamson monster-mash doozy... involving monologue-driven 
mad-scientist J.  Carrol Naish working out of a carnival fun-house with 
an axe-wielding  idiot man-child Lon Chaney, sent to kill women for 
experiments to give  his other employee, a brooding Count Dracula, 
eternal life...<br>
<br>
All the  while reanimating Frankenstein's monster who 
resembles a melted  cabbage... is that it can be quite boring with 
tedious bouts of dialogue,  spouted mostly by two love-struck heroes: a 
man helping his new  girlfriend (after pictured beauty Connie Nelson's killed with Gary Kent) to find her lost sister and eventually 
happening upon... everything mentioned, plus Adamson's SATAN'S SADIST biker leader Russ Tamblyn returning on wheels. But, somehow, it can be 
surprisingly involving too.  And really, really awful... but that's a 
given.<br>

al adamson, beverly garland, connie nelson, creature, cult, exploitation, fifties, horror, j. carrol naish, jack hill, lon chaney jr., monster, regina carrol, seventies, sid haig, thriller

LON CHANEY TRIPLE-FEATURE EXPLOITATION HORROR HOWLERS

Unsung Scream Queen Connie Nelson circa 1971 Score: ** DRACULA VS. FRANKENSTEIN : The worst thing about this super-low-budget Al Adamso...

ANOTHER BLOODY BAGFUL OF ECLECTIC HORROR

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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH1wZCElo50Qk0keX2GBEK2JtwwDFplgcCa3U5iCLeHStTwcBnwX8mszSds2tOO_LJcicYNcAM95LiynGGtxbizMwRxB_fP62pXAjt3lBLbUeri222I2Al4VugbZUM7IP5eh4AZO8v3DE/s1600/31966_117684458274518_114286515280979_90987_2058846_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH1wZCElo50Qk0keX2GBEK2JtwwDFplgcCa3U5iCLeHStTwcBnwX8mszSds2tOO_LJcicYNcAM95LiynGGtxbizMwRxB_fP62pXAjt3lBLbUeri222I2Al4VugbZUM7IP5eh4AZO8v3DE/s1600/31966_117684458274518_114286515280979_90987_2058846_n.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Pictured: Connie Nelson Year: 1971</u></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="background-color: white;"><u>DRACULA VS FRANKENSTEIN:</u> </span>Here's an Al Adamson directed b-movie so tailor made for a drive-in theater, you might have to roll your car inside the living room to watch it...  <br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgZ_Tf4w3s95ibAoDFbCtVvlBVeWAMhid94oHMeFXyOiWrWkgFr3Rropv-egmdol50Wu2MFf4XmQhhm9A4s226pY1KlxqTUN7dTL3qj3_5Ks8ZXilDmB1zmjULkNDIgstv8Um6sSXcRjKA/s1600/220px-Draculavsfrankposter.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgZ_Tf4w3s95ibAoDFbCtVvlBVeWAMhid94oHMeFXyOiWrWkgFr3Rropv-egmdol50Wu2MFf4XmQhhm9A4s226pY1KlxqTUN7dTL3qj3_5Ks8ZXilDmB1zmjULkNDIgstv8Um6sSXcRjKA/s1600/220px-Draculavsfrankposter.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>DraculaVFrankensteinSCORE: **</u></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Not exactly a pairing-up of two classic monsters, DRACULA VS FRANKENSTEIN is more of an exploitation horror: Involving monolog-driven mad scientist J.  Carrol Naish working out of a
 carnival fun house with an axe-wielding  idiot man-child, Lon Chaney, 
sent to kill women for experiments to give  his other employee, a 
brooding Count Dracula, eternal life...<br />
<br />
All the  while reanimating 
Frankenstein's Monster who resembles a melted  cabbage... But the worst thing is that it can
 be quite boring with tedious bouts of dialogue,  spouted mostly by two 
love-struck heroes: A man helping his new  girlfriend find her lost 
sister and eventually happening upon... all  that stuff already 
mentioned (a much cooler yet unlucky couple are beach lovers Connie Nelson and our pal, Gary Kent.) Although at times it can be somewhat involving: A fact which remains completely unexplainable.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLd5yzlr1upOTeYTIc7nU8pdIQ4K8dsvnH3sm1QV-4yuHJ0qWWmGE8_sTw7Semcvt2dFBYg9-OopnXnlxhLu0cRrPmis-ncCj_SICF6Pv-udFlCAlg1yqDrzDdhVclr4J9TDMnm5Hikj4/s1600/209867.1020.A.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLd5yzlr1upOTeYTIc7nU8pdIQ4K8dsvnH3sm1QV-4yuHJ0qWWmGE8_sTw7Semcvt2dFBYg9-OopnXnlxhLu0cRrPmis-ncCj_SICF6Pv-udFlCAlg1yqDrzDdhVclr4J9TDMnm5Hikj4/s1600/209867.1020.A.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>1982 rating: ***</u></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-size: 100%;"><u>THE FOREST:</u><b> </b>The  set-up to this woodsy body count low
 budget slasher: the massacre of two  couples arriving at the forest... 
The women first and their boyfriends, who, for some reason, arrive later
 on... </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: 100%;">This is merely a bizarre platform for a subplot involving the ghosts 
of  two children and their crazy, cannibalistic father played by 
director Don  Jones's stock actor Gary Kent (SCHOOLGIRLS IN CHAINS), who
 kills, then eats, all females that  cross his path: a cheap horror with a lot of activity, 
including a backstory involving the  then-normal dad, kids, and a 
cheating wife just screaming to be killed keeps you interested enough  
to forget it's yet another FRIDAY THE 13th ripoff, but with a unique  
personality all its own. NOTE: The killer's son, child/pre-teen actor Corky Pigeon, played a geek named Freddie (whose secret was tap dancing) on the 80's sitcom SILVER SPOONS. </span><br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW8BOzeyrPA00f3O4e-S01GP8sJzUQHBX9wxxnodhUCT5P-gByAoj_Sa3_yynsCT4Gh1Cf7sOKpWqvJsNmAhgJYVypMxtearAmAubeKZov_EcTDgmftaAtWueccoNz3kW7Gy0AnjYrdqc/s1600/SPIDERBABYT.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW8BOzeyrPA00f3O4e-S01GP8sJzUQHBX9wxxnodhUCT5P-gByAoj_Sa3_yynsCT4Gh1Cf7sOKpWqvJsNmAhgJYVypMxtearAmAubeKZov_EcTDgmftaAtWueccoNz3kW7Gy0AnjYrdqc/s1600/SPIDERBABYT.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>year: 1964 rating: ***</u></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<u><span style="background-color: white;">SPIDER BABY:</span></u> Whenever there's a horror film about a backwoods family of dimwitted yet
 dangerous loons, it's usually compared to, or accused for stealing 
from, THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE... but no longer.<br />
<br />
This film, written 
and directed by Jack Hill ten years prior, starring Lon Chaney as the 
caretaker of two lethal sisters and their lanky, lughead brother played 
by scene-stealer Sid Haig, is not only groundbreaking and shocking, but 
lots of fun as most of the fear is implied: when outsiders visit the house, 
will Lon be able to stop the twisted clan... especially gorgeous Jill 
Banner, using knives like spider's teeth... from murdering them? And although things drag in the middle, it's still a minor classic.<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieM1INJkiG1BOQ5_nBWmr9rUMfc-_rOT7pBg5HENx_z2kvVj0mwiLbDi2aZCSaDLEQhudVeHxvVmg7VLivbWGKNLM6v3JC4UdPkdRTDO2Cs0TMvmuEdoFsN0Qgjv8HNjfAUNzyKLFl9AI/s1600/stee.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieM1INJkiG1BOQ5_nBWmr9rUMfc-_rOT7pBg5HENx_z2kvVj0mwiLbDi2aZCSaDLEQhudVeHxvVmg7VLivbWGKNLM6v3JC4UdPkdRTDO2Cs0TMvmuEdoFsN0Qgjv8HNjfAUNzyKLFl9AI/s1600/stee.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>year: 1987 rating: ***1/2</u></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-size: 100%;"><u><span style="background-color: white;">THE STEPFATHER</span></u>: A fantastic, fully-satisfying suspense/horror from Canada about a man 
who always needs a new family to kill starring Terry O'Quinn, years 
before gaining fame on LOST...</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: 100%;">As the title character, one minute he's extremely bland 
and unassuming, the next an intensely driven, strict "family values" 
patriarch, and eventually a complete psychopath, yet never showing<span style="font-style: italic;"> </span>the
 cards... Keeping protagonist Jill Schoelen, as the unfortunate new 
step-daughter, on her toes. Meanwhile, a</span><span style="font-size: 100%;"> side-story involving a young man's search 
for the Stepfather (before he strikes again) adds a nice peripheral 
balance, reminiscent of Alfred Hitchock and Brian De Palma's best work.</span><br />
<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisDMurKghokV9O4HuiR2FTYoKqnYGWEgHUt0O5XHWMGTQaJj27iz_pgy53wn1zJoZPI3L2PW7NGX7afVmyZaRtDWT-vFy1ZCz08H_jHX9BINRkCeKMpY2apo5SZW93dMV5z9pbGB343M0/s1600/INNOCENT+BLOD.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisDMurKghokV9O4HuiR2FTYoKqnYGWEgHUt0O5XHWMGTQaJj27iz_pgy53wn1zJoZPI3L2PW7NGX7afVmyZaRtDWT-vFy1ZCz08H_jHX9BINRkCeKMpY2apo5SZW93dMV5z9pbGB343M0/s1600/INNOCENT+BLOD.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>year: 1992 rating: **</u></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="background-color: white;"><u>INNOCENT BLOOD:</u> Decent</span> premise with good beginnings: A sexy, hungry 
french Vampire (Anne Parillaud) in America sets her sights on mafia kingpin Robert Loggia... a clever gag has her being repelled by 
Loggia's breath before she bits him... he's Italian, therefore reeking 
of garlic.<br />
<br />
Our anti-heroine bloodsucker, while feasting on various evil 
mobsters, falls in love with undercover cop Anthony LaPalgia while they 
both try stopping Loggia, who's not only head of the mob but now a 
powerful vamp himself while director John Landis, returning to horror a decade after AMERICAN 
WEREWOLF IN LONDON, balances humor and horror okay, but there's not 
enough going for either genre... Unlike the Werewolf classic, BLOOD is neither
 funny or scary: The choice of the vamps screeching like 
rabid cougars is pretty lame. And in the Landis fashion, there are many 
clips of other classic movies being watched on television by various 
characters, but homage becomes too excessive: making one long for those 
films instead.<br />
<br />
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</div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoEtk5vRX5shaYgwdBS87G2mc8Mvv_Zn_cu7T5FtP-7o2oiDAha-s7Z9_5JRzq2YIbY1q6qmc2mGpXOJ1GKnJh4wKA6GJ1qCaVowb1g8aLp79oJhxqlFcDUeipZ0rwPKQw0LW7dfT-rEs/s1600/Picture+1.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoEtk5vRX5shaYgwdBS87G2mc8Mvv_Zn_cu7T5FtP-7o2oiDAha-s7Z9_5JRzq2YIbY1q6qmc2mGpXOJ1GKnJh4wKA6GJ1qCaVowb1g8aLp79oJhxqlFcDUeipZ0rwPKQw0LW7dfT-rEs/s1600/Picture+1.png" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>1983 rating: *1/2</u></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<u><span style="background-color: #f3f3f3;">AMITYVILLE 3D</span>:</u> Gone are the days when 3D meant things moving towards the camera in a 
contrived manner. It's hilarious seeing this in 2D years later after the
 gimmick not only wore off, but is seen as merely that. Yet this film 
suffers from more than pretension of a 50s-era trend trying desperately 
to regain itself in the 1980's...<br />
<br />
Although the first ten minutes as Tony 
Roberts and Candy Clark trick a pair of seance-giving charlatans is not 
bad, the rest of the movie, after Roberts moves into the ghostly manor 
with his gorgeous daughter Lori Laughlin (visited by her friend, Meg 
Ryan), is quite stale. And those ever-buzzing flies just aren't scary... In fact, they never were.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
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</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_yUb1BgajHDH2rGnUZfVdG02tX7J7LHzoVqBEFE0_Ou5yA0hWA_8g30nze8azfN8jlv55_rzueQ5KAFNlOL6ZWIRJYejpqHK5V8mW71RWr-uL24K8Fa4fUt35Falch1Zs6ZHK6-EPdno/s1600/CONNELLY.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_yUb1BgajHDH2rGnUZfVdG02tX7J7LHzoVqBEFE0_Ou5yA0hWA_8g30nze8azfN8jlv55_rzueQ5KAFNlOL6ZWIRJYejpqHK5V8mW71RWr-uL24K8Fa4fUt35Falch1Zs6ZHK6-EPdno/s1600/CONNELLY.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>year: 1985 rating: *1/2</u></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<u>PHENOMENA</u>:<b> </b>It's hard to stare at bugs, especially maggots, for very long... Some can't even say the M word out loud...<br />
<br />
But not 
for teenager Jennifer Connely who has the power to read their little 
minds, thus aiding Donald Pleasence, as a insect forensic expert, in 
finding a serial killer roaming around much like the phantom in Dario's 
SUSPERIA, which this is either a ripoff or, since it's the same man 
behind it, a homage by crashing girl's heads through windows, using a 
Goblin soundtrack but this time adding Iron Maiden and Motorhead tunes: So if you enjoy watching Jennifer Connelly, right after a flashback role in ONCE UPON A TIME IN AMERICA and before playing a sexy ingenue in her career making CAREER OPPORTUNITIES, this isn't bad... but
 if you want a good horror flick, or a movie that actually goes 
somewhere: best try something else.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijbZ3xxmG9g6wJugMtMtPNrRT4SkIskpWZ5mt9BuEQlp2N_QNyWUspnPnZmOoGCmPxdoSFg35Qo0SLge-JPeVPX0WLFA7WVGIfSfIRodlagoMiDUyW-kKJ5mPoJQSydl3Cllg5J1_fB0I/s1600/28204.1020.A.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijbZ3xxmG9g6wJugMtMtPNrRT4SkIskpWZ5mt9BuEQlp2N_QNyWUspnPnZmOoGCmPxdoSFg35Qo0SLge-JPeVPX0WLFA7WVGIfSfIRodlagoMiDUyW-kKJ5mPoJQSydl3Cllg5J1_fB0I/s1600/28204.1020.A.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>year: 1981 rating: **1/2</u></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<u><span style="background-color: white;">THE HAND:</span> </u>Michael Caine is terrific in this otherwise mediocre 
thriller by first-time director yet already screenplay Oscar winning Oliver Stone. Story centers on a 
cartoonist (Caine) who loses his hand in an automobile accident – 
technically the most riveting scene. After which he rehabilitates while 
the severed limb is, or seems to be, crawling around doing his dirty 
work for him.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTOeyE_QLpRh_ELN9GE8rV8OG5faVnELp7iiakuRN1exf8kPNrIKFnyi3me8u05ohCfWcIbqO-xZlCGqpMVk89hEWsz8bkLeNn06mggHO30vXU_xnwsRosg2QUuW0zG06q6FcMBYn-5fo/s1600/n1111.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTOeyE_QLpRh_ELN9GE8rV8OG5faVnELp7iiakuRN1exf8kPNrIKFnyi3me8u05ohCfWcIbqO-xZlCGqpMVk89hEWsz8bkLeNn06mggHO30vXU_xnwsRosg2QUuW0zG06q6FcMBYn-5fo/s200/n1111.jpg" width="107" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Midnight Relocated</u></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Stone’s best direction occurs during taut conversations 
between Caine and the people around him, providing a suspenseful base 
liken to stage-influenced British horror films, building character 
development in lue of cheap shocks. But scenes involving The Hand itself
 look a bit cheesy, and sporadic cuts to black and white seem misplaced,
 contrasting from our protagonist turned antagonist and revolving 
side-characters Annie McEnroe (THE SURVIVORS, THE HOWLING II) as a tempestuous college student, Bruce 
McGill as a temperamental shrink, and Caine’s cheating wife 
Andrea Marovicci: his ultimate target.<br />
<br />
The film has moments, but loses 
its grip less than halfway through. Although, witnessing Michael Caine 
slowly going mad – a role that, according to Stone, took a toll on the 
actor’s real life – is worth the ninety minutes.<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>

al adamson, candy clark, connie nelson, cult, eighties, exploitation, gary kent, horror, jennifer connelly, lon chaney jr., michael caine, oliver stone, pamela sue martin, sequel, seventies, tim matheson

ANOTHER BLOODY BAGFUL OF ECLECTIC HORROR

Pictured: Connie Nelson Year: 1971 DRACULA VS FRANKENSTEIN: Here's an Al Adamson directed b-movie so tailor made for a drive-in the...

Written by James M. Tate / 1/01/2012 / No comments / al adamson , connie nelson , exploitation , gary kent , horror , jim davis , lon chaney jr.

DRACULA VS. FRANKENSTEIN

<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhatR9Ac269snireYZks697PGonreXGL_V4ouUsn3yMM-w0XJdo-5UmoB-jhNYfHoxMghJY40aF4C5ompBpz36rGWiSWLx4dnh4oekRbtyw6Tef6Ro4RwFcBNnuXL6b01KqU8MAZDmja0g/s1600/31966_117684458274518_114286515280979_90987_2058846_n.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5481049296757331762" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhatR9Ac269snireYZks697PGonreXGL_V4ouUsn3yMM-w0XJdo-5UmoB-jhNYfHoxMghJY40aF4C5ompBpz36rGWiSWLx4dnh4oekRbtyw6Tef6Ro4RwFcBNnuXL6b01KqU8MAZDmja0g/s200/31966_117684458274518_114286515280979_90987_2058846_n.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: right; height: 175px; margin: 0 0 10px 10px; width: 200px;" /></a><br />
<div>
<b>title:</b> DRACULA VS. FRANKENSTEIN<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">year:</span> 1971</div>
<div>
<b>cast:</b> J. Carrol Naish, Lon Chaney, Gary Kent, Connie Nelson</div>
<div>
<b>rating:</b> **</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
The worst thing about  this Al Adamson doozy... involving monolog-driven mad scientist J.  Carrol Naish working out of a carnival fun house with an axe-wielding  idiot man-child, Lon Chaney, sent to kill women for experiments to give  his other employee, a brooding Count Dracula, eternal life, all the  while reanimating Frankenstein's monster who resembles a melted  cabbage... is that it can be quite boring with tedious bouts of dialog,  spouted mostly by two love-struck heroes: a man helping his new  girlfriend find her lost sister and eventually happening upon... all  that stuff already mentioned. But it can be surprisingly involving too.  And really, really awful... but that's a given.

al adamson, connie nelson, exploitation, gary kent, horror, jim davis, lon chaney jr.