The Town That Dreaded Sundown (1976)

Director:  Charles B. Pierce
Cast:  Ben Johnson, Andrew Prine, Dawn Wells

PLOT:  Our story takes place shortly after WWII.  On Sunday, March 3, 1946, in Texarkana, Arkansas, a young couple goes on a date only to be attacked by a man in a white mask.  He leaves the girl bloodied and close to death on the side of the road, begging for help.  Luckily, she is taken to a hospital.

On Saturday, March 24, 1946, Deputy Norman Ramsey (Andrew Prine), takes car down to Lover's Lane when he hears gunshots.  He happens upon a parked car with no one in it.  He hears more gunshots.  He encounters a dead man and a girl that has been tied to a tree, who is dead also.  

After that, the town becomes fully equipped with resources to protect themselves against the killer.  The police organize a search for the killer.

PROM NIGHT!!!!  Sunday, April 14th.  Wow, they pray at this prom!  As Catholic as I am, that's kinda weird.  We didn't pray at my prom, junior or senior year.  We didn't dance to Amazing Grace, either.  Then again, it IS the South...

The phantom killer is waiting again.  This time, he preys on two prom-goers.  The boy ends up getting into a fight with the man, while the girl runs for her life.  She can't stay away for very long, though; the killer catches up to her and carries her away.  Meanwhile, the young man gets up.  I have to say, this girl does a horrible job of resisting.  Seeing the young man rise, the killer pulls out a gun and shoots the kid, who falls dead.  The killer then proceeds to use the totally unorthodox technique of hitting the girl by blowing a trombone into her back.  Apparently that's painful.  I was in band in high school, but I didn't play trombone, so I wouldn't know.

The police begin an investigation and, with the help of a black man, find the killer, who agrees to confess to the killings.  However, he is let go after the police are convinced he's not the killer.

In May, a man is shot in his own home.  The killer bangs open the door and shoots the man's lover.  She escapes through a back door, but the killer pursues her.  She finds her way to an elderly couple's house but does not die.

The day after, everyone boards up their windows and delivery boys wait till daylight to make their deliveries.  By this time, reporters have found their way to Texarkana, having found out about the stories.

During the day, the police plan a stakeout.  The killer is strangely out and, when fired at, runs away.  He jumps in front of an oncoming train with the police after him.  He reaches the other side, yet gets nailed by a great shot from Captain J.D. Morales (Ben Johnson).  He gets away, and no one know where he is now.      

REVIEW:  Finally, TCM shows a legitimately scary horror movie!  This was a great 70s thriller that had me on edge and wondering when the killer was going to strike next.  Some of the concepts were a little...unorthodox, but other than that, it was a great thriller.  4 out of 5 stars.

Full movie:

  

The African Queen (1951)

Director:  John Huston
Cast:  Humphrey Bogart, Katharine Hepburn, Robert Morley

Watched this in film criticism today!

PLOT:  Canadian boat captain Charlie Allnut (Humphrey Bogart) is a steamboat mail carrier in charge of his boat, The African Queen, during World War I in August/September 1914.  He delivers mail and supplies to brother and sister British missionaries in the village of Kungdu in German East Africa, Samuel and Rose Sayer (Robert Morley, Katharine Hepburn).  They are attacked by German soldiers who burn the village.  Samuel dies after being beaten by a soldier.  Charlie returns and asks Rose to come with him on The African Queen so they can talk about what to do next.  He also helps her bury Samuel.

During the journey, Charlie grows annoyed by Rose's constant questions.  She asks him if he can make a torpedo and insists that they take the river route past a German fort and dangerous rapids.  After tackling the rapids, Charlie is shocked when Rose insists that they continue on the same route.

Down river, Charlie and Rose get ambushed by Germans.  As is expected, after overcoming the disaster, they fall in love.      

Charlie is covered in leeches and retained to bed.  He tells Rose that there is no way they can rescue The African Queen from the mud where it has been stuck ever since they lost the channel.  However, the rain frees the boat and Charlie and Rose head on their way again.  They build torpedoes and they are ready to take on the Louisa!  Rose wants to take it on all by herself, but Charlie convinces her to let him take it on by himself.

Charlie is captured and taken aboard the Louisa.  He spies Rose on a boat and the Germans capture her too.  Rose and Charlie get married aboard the ship, which then starts to sink due to an explosion.  In the end, Rose and Charlie go off happily in love.    

REVIEW:  This was one of the first films to be filmed on location in Africa.  This is a fun adventure movie and it was fun to see Humphrey Bogart not as a classy socialite like he portrayed in CASABLANCA, but rather as a rough-and-tumble boatsman with a crass vocabulary and a filthy lifestyle. 3 out of 5 stars.  

Trailer:

The Wasp Woman (1959)

Directors:  Roger Corman, Jack Hill
Cast:  Susan Cabot, Anthony Eisley, Michael Mark, Barboura Morris

Second of two horror movies on TCM tonight, the first being 1970's EQUINOX.

PLOT:  During a board meeting, Janice Starlin (Susan Cabot) learns that cosmetics sales have fallen dramatically, and the executives think that she is to blame.  Janice wants to use enzyme extracts from the royal jelly of the queen wasp to reverse the aging process.  Luckily, a scientist, Eric Zinthrop (Michael Mark), has found a way to do that.  Janice agrees to take a look at the process, but only if she can serve as his human subject.

Three weeks after she's injected, nothing has happened.  Janice becomes impatient, and, sneaking into the doctor's lab, injects herself with extra doses of the formula.  The next morning, Zinthrop notices that some test subjects are becoming violent.

One night, Arthur Cooper (William Roenick) enters the laboratory, only to be attacked by a humanoid wasp.  He rants about Janice being in danger and how she isn't human anymore, how she killed a girl and ate her remains.  Meanwhile, Janice's secretary, Mary Dennison (Barboura Morris) experiences Janice's transformation and is attacked.  Bill Lane (Anthony Eisley) and Cooper run to confront the wasp.  Bill and the wasp get it an epic fight.  Cooper, however, is the one who finally throws the bottle of acid at Wasp Janice, killing her.      

REVIEW:  This film has a Spider-Man-esque feel to it, which I thought was very ahead of its time.  The concept of a humanoid wasp running around amused the hell out of me, and this movie had some good attack scenes.  3 out of 5 stars.  

Trailer:

Zenobia (1939)

Director:  Gordon Douglas
Cast:  Oliver Hardy, Harry Langdon, Bille Burke, Alice Brady, Hattie McDaniel

Some Laurel & Hardy movies on TCM early this morning.  This one features Hardy without Laurel.

PLOT:  In Mississippi 1870, Dr. Henry Tibbett (Oliver Hardy) cures a circus elephant of its sickness, but it begins to follow him everywhere!  The trainer sues Dr. Tibbett for alienation of affection.

REVIEW:  Stan Laurel did not appear in this film due to a contract dispute with Hal Roach.  The Boys would end up reuniting shortly after this film was released.  Hardy did a less-than-great job in this film,  proving that he did indeed need Stan to be good.  Harry Langdon wasn't too bad, but not great.  He really didn't give me a great first impression of him, really.  This film had some funny moments, but other than that, it wasn't that great.  2 out of 5 stars.

Andy Hardy's Blonde Trouble (1944)

Director:  George B. Seitz
Cast:  Lewis Stone, Mickey Rooney

Fourteenth Andy Hardy picture!

PLOT:  Andy (Mickey Rooney) is off to college!  On the train to school, Andy meets a girl, Kay Wilson (Bonita Granville) and Dr. M.J. Standish (Herbert Marshall).  Little does he know, two crazy girls, Lee and Lyn Walker (Lee and Lyn Wilde) are on the train.

Meanwhile, Judge Hardy (Lewis Stone) is ill.  He enlists the help of a doctor, Lee Wong Howe (Keye Luke), whom he attempts to sell a car that was owned by Katy Anderson (Jean Porter).

Andy and crew finally arrive at Wainwright College.  Andy asks Kay to the Freshman Breakfast the next morning.  Andy makes a re-acquaintance with Dr. Standish, who turns out to be the dean of Wainwright.

At the Freshman breakfast, Andy makes a scene, gesturing to Lyn that he wants her.  He finally gets a kiss from her, but she turns out to be a bit too clingy.

Meanwhile, back home, Dr. Lee insists that Judge Hardy, who has been reduced to lying on the couch unable to talk, get his tonsils out.  Judge Hardy agrees.

Classes have started at Wainwright!  Lyn gets some bad news and Kay sees Andy kissing her.  She forgives him and they make a date.

Andy happens upon Lyn singing and finds out there's two of them.  He promises not to tell anyone there's two of them, but Dr. Standish finds out and Andy must cover up for them.  Dr. Standish tells Kay and she kisses him.  Meanwhile, Andy poses as Dr. Standish and tells the girls' father that Lee is not with Lyn, and the girls thank him.

Andy packs up his things and prepares to leave, fearing that he'll be thrown out of his year.  However, Judge Hardy visits his son instead.  He finds out that his father and Dr. Standish went to school together, and that his father talked Dr. Standish out of quitting school.  He also learns that Dr. Standish has been appointed his own personal consulate.  At that moment, the girls come back and say that Lee can stay with Lyn until Thanksgiving break.  Andy is cleared of all his troubledoing and gets off scot-free, and finds a new girl!  

REVIEW:  For me being a college student, I can really relate to this movie.  It was fun and light-hearted and Mickey, as always, was cute as a button.  The jokes were cute and funny too.  5 out of 5 stars.            

The Legend of Hell House (1973)

Director:  John Hough
Cast:  Pamela Franklin, Roddy McDowall, Clive Revill, Gayle Hunnicutt, Roland Culver, Peter Bowles, Michael Gough

Haven't reviewed a film in a while!  Things have been getting in the way, but I'm back!

PLOT:  Mr. Deutsch entrusts Lionel Barrett with the task of finding survival after death within a week at the Belasco House, the "Mount Everest of haunted houses."  He is accompanied by his wife, Ann, as well as two mediums:  a mental medium and a Spiritualist minister, Florence Tanner, and a physical medium, Ben Fischer.

Upon entering the chapel, Ann begins to experience voices.  Tanner wants to have a seance that night.  During this, Ann begins to experience more visions, and begins to talk in the voice of a man.  The man orders the visitors to leave before he kills them.

At another seance, ectoplasm makes fingertips appear on Ann and it moves towards her neck.  The ectoplasm also moves in front of Fischer and then toward Tanner.  It suddenly attacks Ann with a loud popping noise.

Later that night, Tanner once again experiences the door opening and shutting.  Suddenly at dinner, their table begins to shake and silverware flies around the room.  The spirits attack Barrett and almost kill him.  Then, as quickly as it began, everything stops.

Barrett believes that Tanner is responsible for the attack, but she insists it was Belasco's son.

Ann is plagued by erotic visions at night in bed.  Meanwhile, Fischer sees a beautiful lady in white, which turns out to be Ann, who tries to seduce him.  She gets naked in front of him, to which he slaps her, bringing her back to herself, and she runs away.

Meanwhile, Tanner investigates whether Belasco's son is alive and he attacks her.  Everyone goes into the cellar and finds the son's skeleton.

In bed, Tanner is attacked by a vicious black cat who scratches her neck and back, forcing everyone to convince her to leave, but she refuses.  Ann tries to seduce Fischer again, but to no avail because she ends up getting attacked.  She tries to apologize to Barrett.

Fischer finally decides to leave the house and suggests that Tanner do the same.  Tanner finds the possessed black cat dead in her shower and dripping blood.

Barrett's machine is ready and the house is finally clear of spirits.  The machine suddenly explodes and Barrett is killed.  Fischer decides to confront the house head-on once and for all.  He insults Belasco's spirit and he and Ann leave in hopes that Belasco's spirit will return to the afterlife peacefully.                  

REVIEW:  The music is haunting and the scenery creepy.  The house is dark, decrepit, and scary.  The only thing I would call "bad" about this film is that the attackers are not shown.  I feel that even if they are spirits, they should have a physical entity to them.  That's what makes horror movies scary.  3.5 out of 5 stars.