Circus of Horrors/Theater of Death (1967) Review

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(More customer reviews)Here are two gems with two yummy and hot male foreigners! The first film, Circus Of Horrors with the lead male played by Anton Diefring. Diefring plays a totally psychotic and over sexed plastic surgeon that takes over a carnival and subjects his female circus stars to some time under the knife with him. (HA HA) Diefring is a creepy, sexy, cold, megalomaniac intent on making disfigured women beautiful and then having his way with them. A youngish Donald Pleasance (the psychiatrist in the Halloween movies) has a bit part in the film. For the date the movie was filmed in (1960) it is QUITE THE horror/sexploitation film. The second film has Mr. Horror Guru himself, Christopher Lee as a creepalicious, power hungry theatre (of death) director and owner. The special effects are well done and the set of the theatre and Lee's home with secret passageways and the like is top-notch. This is the weaker of the two films, however, but still an enjoyable pic...

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Horror Classics Collection (The Curse of Frankenstein / Dracula Has Risen from the Grave / Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed / Horror of Dracula / The Mummy / Taste the Blood of Dracula) (1959) Review

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(More customer reviews)This is a list that will help new fans of the Hammer hoorrors keep track of the series. First the Dracula series.
1) HORROR OF DRACULA (aka DRACULA) The first Dracula to feature Chris Lee as the count and Peter Cushing as Prof. Lawrence Van Helsing.
2) BRIDES OF DRACULA No Dracula here but Van Helsing returns to fight the Counts remaining deciples in this first sequel that is just as good as the first.
3) KISS OF DRACULA (aka KISS OF THE VAMPIRE) More stray vampires terrorize tourists. Good, but no Lee or Cushing. (aka KISS OF EVIL in Britain , KISS OF THE VAMPIRE in US theatres and was retitled KISS OF DRACULA for some US TV showings.)
4) DRACULA- PRINCE OF DARKNESS Lee returns to the role. This time the Count is revived by the devilish Mr. Klove. Dracula is silent in this film. Not one word is spoken by Lee.
5) DRACULA HAS RISEN FROM THE GRAVE Starts with a prologue that takes place during DRACULA- PRINCE OF DARKNESS, then jumps to several months later when Priests accidentaly free Dracula from his watery grave during an exorcism. (We see Drac's reflection in the water. OOPS!!) One sequence is tinted in psychedelic colors.
6) TASTE THE BLOOD OF DRACULA picks up right were the last left off.
A group of wealthy thrill seekers, led by Ralph Bates, resurrects the count.
There are two versions. The US cut on VHS was rated PG.
The US DVD is the uncut R rated version which has nudity.
7) SCARS OF DRACULA Dracula returns to his carpathian castle, where, aided by his henchman Klove, he stalks busty girls in sheer nighties. With a phalic dagger no less, and with Bob Todd, Benny Hills tall balding sidekick, who dresses as if he's from the 1500s (?!?). (Has nudity)
8) DRACULA A.D. 1972 During a coach chase both Van Helsing and Dracula are killed. 100 years later Dracula is revived and stalks sexy mini skirted girls and other mod types in 1970s London. Lorimer Van Helsing (Cushing again) , grandson of the original, shows up with his
beautiful granddaughter Jessica (Stephanie Beacham) to stop him. Some of the plot is lifted directly from
TASTE THE BLOOD OF DRACULA. (This was called DRACULA IS DEAD AND WELL AND LIVING IN LONDON in some US TV prints)
9) THE SATANIC RITES OF DRACULA (aka COUNT DRACULA AND HIS VAMPIRE BRIDE) Is a direct sequel to the last film. Dracula, back with no explanation, is now a wealthy London businessman who controls a wide spread satanic cult. They are attempting to wipe out the human race with a deadly viras.
Lorimer and Jessica Van Helsing lead Scotland yards new team of vampire hunters.
Joanna Lumley replaces Stephanie Beachum as Jessica. Dracula uses Hell's Angels to do his dirty work
and some of the plot is, again, lifted from TASTE THE BLOOD OF DRACULA.
(The title was changed to THE RITES OF DRACULA for its US VHS release in the 80s. In North America this
movie is considered in public domain, even though Hammer still holds the copyright.)
10) LEGEND OF THE SEVEN GOLDEN VAMPIRES (aka THE SEVEN BROTHERS MEET DRACULA) Back to basics. In the early 1800s Dracula's vampire plague spreds to China. 100 years later a chinese village seeks out Lawrence VanHelsing and his son Leland for help against the growing army of the dead, led by 7 golden vampires and a high priest who is possessed by Dracula himself. (There are two distinctly different edits
of this film. The US DVD/VHS has both versions on it.)
The Frankenstein Saga..
1) THE CURSE OF FRANKENSTEIN (aka FRANKENSTEIN) Cushing is the selfish science student and Lee is his monster. Victor is portrayed as arrogant and villainous.
2) THE REVENGE OF FRANKENSTEIN is a direct sequel with Cushing returning to create a new creature.
He is much nicer, yet, still corrupt. He creates himself a new , lookalike, body. But this is never refered to
in the series again (!?!).
3) TALES OF FRANKENSTEIN (THE FACE IN THE TOMBSTONE MIRROR) is an unsold pilot for a Hammer/Screen
Gems Frankenstein series. Anton Diffring replaces Cushing as a goodhearted, but still criminal, Victor and stock shots from Universal's horrors are used in the opening credits (In public domain in the US.
Some of the plot was later reused in FRANKENSTEIN MUST BE DESTROYED.)
4) THE EVIL OF FRANKENSTEIN Cushing returns to his castle and discovers a previous creation (One we've never seen before) to still be alive. This time Victor is a good guy and some of the plot, and art direction, is lifted from Universal's Frankenstein Series. A US TV version had new scenes shot by Universal added to expand the running time. These scenes were not included in later TV showings and are not on any DVD/VHS.
5) FRANKENSTEIN CREATED WOMAN Victor survived the fire at the end of the last film, but it left his hands horribly scarred. His surgical techniques hindered, he attempts a new experiment. Transpant of the soul or mind from a man to a woman. Victor is arrogant but still, basically a generous good guy.
6) FRANKENSTEIN MUST BE DESTROYED Still crippled, the increasingly mad Victor blackmails a young couple into assisting him. Victor is depicted as completely evil and a cold blooded killer. A brief "semi-rape" scene
(Victor beats a girl up, tears her dress and kisses her) was cut from US theatrical versions. (The movie works better without it.) The US VHS/DVD is uncut.
7) HORROR OF FRANKENSTEIN is just a remake of CURSE OF FRANKENSTEIN with Ralph Bates replacing Cushing as
a blase' but evil Victor. David Prowse is the creature.
8) FRANKENSTEIN AND THE MONSTER FROM HELL Back to basics.
Cushing is Frankenstein again and now he runs an asylum full of loonies and potential spare parts. This was Cushings last performance as Victor and it is a brilliant descent into total madness. He is a kindly old man at times but also ruthless. He is still blackmailing people to get what he needs.
The Mummy series...
THE MUMMY Cushing is the archyologist who unnearths a curse and Kharis the Mummy played by a very scary Christopher Lee. Its really a remake of Universal's THE MUMMY'S TOMB with bits of THE MUMMY'S HAND, THE MUMMY'S CURSE, THE MUMMY'S GHOST and the original THE MUMMY thrown in. Similar to today's "re-imagining" remakes. Lee is quite good as the heartbroken Kharis, despite it being another silent part.
THE CURSE OF THE MUMMY'S TOMB Is another mummy (not Kharis) on the loose.
The US trailer and TV ads for this movie had a funny "beat-music" "jingle"!!!
THE MUMMY'S SHROUD a third egyptian is revived as a living mummy.
BLOOD FROM THE MUMMY'S TOMB has a very busty & sexy brunette female mummy tempting men,
and women as well, to their doom.

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Police Academy - The Complete Collection (1986) Review

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(More customer reviews)This is a great box set. The Police Academy series is my favorote comedy series along with the Naked Gun series, National Lampoons Vacation series, Austin Powers series and the Scary Movie series. I'm so glad that the sereis is finally on dvd. The first two may be to bad for kids under 9 but the rest of them are for the family to enjoy. Of coarse, the first one is in a 20th Anniversary Special Edition. Police Academy 1,2,3,6 and 7 will be in widescreen and Police Academy 4 and 5 will be in a fullscreen which I think is stupid. If most of them are in widescreen, why not make them all widescreen. But what can you do about it. The first film will have a great commentary to go with it. The other films will just have a trailer and documentary.
Police Academy- This is the best of the series and had me laughing all the way through. Tackleberry made me laugh like crazy. "DROP THE STERIO, OR I'LL BLOW YOUR DAMN NUTS OFF." This is a good deal in this box set, and is still a believable movie. 10/10 Rated R for language, adult humor, and nudity.
Police Academy 2: Their First Assinment- This is almost as funny as the first and had most of the characters from the first one. I wonder why George Martini wasn't in anymore of the Police Academy films. "You have the right to sing the blues".9/10Rated PG-13 for language, adult humor, mild violence and brief nudity.
Police Academy 3: Back In Training- This is a great, funny and strong entry in the series. Zed and Sweetchuck are a team in this (but Sweetchuck hates Zed.) The only part I didn't like was the boring boat chase at the end. "People used to say I was a real jerk, but now I'm a people guy." This was a funny movie.9/10 Rated PG for mild language, violence, and some crude humor.
Police Academy 4: Citizens On Patrol- This is a funny movie. In this one, Harris returns and Proctor is his partner. Althou this filmisn't the best in the series, it is still funny. Why wasn't Fackler in this one. "Gene, Gene made a machine, Joe Joe made it go, Art Art blew a fart and blew the damn thing apart". Get ready to laugh. 8/10
Rated PG for language, crude humor, and some mild violence.
Police Academy 5: Assinment Miami Beach- This is another strong entry in the series and is a bit better than number 4. Harris and Procter steal the show in this one big time. Too bad Steve Guttenberg didn't make any more. "Now I have to kill you, nothing personal".8/10
Rated PG for mild language, humor, and some violence.
Police Academy 6: City Under Seige- This is the second best in the series. Fackler returns, but House is gone. This has a cool car chase at the end of the film. It's cool when Jones does Terminator. "Target, HUMAN". So get ready to laugh in this slapstick. 10/10
Rated PG for crude humor, language, and violence.
Police Academy 7: Mission To Moscow- This is an ok movie but is a bit too slow and not funny. I guess it's not a terrible movie and is good for a chuckle on a boring Sunday afternoon. "We're in deep borse."4/10
Rated PG for mild sensuality.
So, this is a great box set and most of the movies are hilarious. Watch out, cause they might be making a 8th Police Academy movie.

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Icons of Horror Collection: Hammer Films (The Curse of the Mummy's Tomb / Scream of Fear / The Two Faces of Dr. Jekyll / The Gorgon) Review

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(More customer reviews)First, allow me to discuss the DVD presentation. The only extra features are: theatrical trailers and English subtitles for all four movies. We who are hearing impaired thank Sony for the subtitles. Commentaries would've been nice, especially for those who have a favorite film in this collection. The restoration is superb and the audio is strong and clear for all four features. "The Two Faces of Dr. Jekyll" and "The Curse of the Mummy's Tomb" are presented in widescreen with an aspect ratio of 2.35:1; "The Gorgon" and "Scream of Fear" are presented in 1.66:1. Except for "Scream of Fear," all features are in beautiful color. The black and white print is clear and sharp for "Scream of Fear." Too bad it wasn't in color. Overall, the DVD presentation is very good. Now for the review:
Hammer Film Productions was famous for their gothic horror films. This is a superb collection and introduction for anyone unfamiliar with Hammer. Horror icon Christopher Lee (most famous for his role as Dracula) is in three of the films. Other horror legends include Peter Cushing, Barbara Shelly, Susan Strasberg, and Oliver Reed. All four movies involve monsters, primarily humans who have become monsters, whether physically or intellectually. Also, in these films, the viewer doesn't know who the real monster is. (The films are rife with betrayal.) A monster can be anyone. Sometimes they are normal in appearance. I promise you no plot spoilers as I briefly describe the monster scenario in each of these highly rated classic gems.
"The Two Faces of Dr. Jekyll" - Aging Dr. Jekyll drinks his potion and becomes a younger, more handsome man who wishes to be free of all responsibility for his amoral actions. (Don't we all wish we could live like that? Isn't there a monster in all of us?) Masquerading as Dr. Hyde, Dr. Jekyll learns that his gorgeous wife and best friend (Lee) are traitorous monsters.
"The Curse of the Mummy's Tomb." - Ra, the Egyptian Prince, has been resurrected by an evil person who possesses an amulet. Who are they and why are they seeking to destroy everyone around them? The real monster is the one who is controlling the unfortunate mummy.
"The Gorgon." Both Lee and Cushing star as a doctor and a professor, respectively, who are seeking to destroy the monster who turns innocent villagers into stone with their gaze. Unfortunately, the monster may actually be a respected member of the community.
"Scream of Fear." This "Hitchcock"-like thriller stars Susan Strasberg as a crippled young woman; for the first time in ten years, she is visiting her wealthy father who lives on the French Riviera. Someone in the household is a monster who is trying to drive her insane. Quite a good mystery with many surprises.
In fact, all four films are mysterious, gloomy, creepy, and shocking. I'm surprised these haven't already been released on DVD in America. They are truly excellent horror classics. I can't tell you which one is my favorite. For having been made in the 1960s, these films contain violence that is surprisingly graphic and shocking. Also, certain scenes in "The Two Faces of Dr. Jekyll" had language and sexual innuendoes that were hilarious.
This collection is a must have for fans of gothic horror from Hammer Film Productions. I'm very glad I bought it. Try to take it away from me and I'll turn into a monster.


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The Curse of the Mummy's Tomb When European Egyptologists Dubois, Giles and Bray discover the tomb of the Egyptian prince Ra, American entrepreneur and investor Alexander King insists on shipping the treasures and sarcophagus back to England for tour and display. Once there, someone with murderous intent has discovered the means of waking the centuries dead prince... Scream of Fear After narrowly surviving an accident in which she nearly drowned, the wheelchair bound Penny Appleby returns home to live with her widowed step-mother Jane on the French Riviera. She begins to question her sanity after several times seeing her father's corpse around the house and its grounds, and enlists the help of the friendly chauffeur Bob while attending Doctor Gerrard acts in a suitably sinister manner. No one is who they seem in this tale of intrigue and suspense. The Two Faces of Dr. Jekyll Dr. Henry Jekyll experiments with scientific means of revealing the hidden, dark side of man and releases a murderer from within himself. The Gorgon In early-twentieth-century middle-Europe, villagers are literally becoming petrified. Although the authorities try to hush the matter up it is apparent that at the full moon, Medusa leaves her castle lair and anyone looking on her face is turned to stone. When this fate befalls a visitor, experts from the University of Leipzig arrive to try and get to the bottom of it all.

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The Hammer Trailer Collection Review

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(More customer reviews)The Hammer Trailer Collection, originally a bonus disc given away with Anchor Bay's Blood From The Mummy's Tomb, is a compilation of 20 Hammer theatrical trailers, among them The Abominable Snowman Of The Himalayas, X The Unknown, Dracula - Prince of Darkness, The Reptile, The Vengeance Of She, Frankenstein Created Woman, Plague Of The Zombies, The Viking Queen, The Lost Continent, A Challenge For Robin Hood, The Satanic Rites Of Dracula, and Shatter (perhaps the cheesiest '70s martial arts clunker ever made). If you already have a few Anchor Bay Hammers then you may have seen some of these trailers before, but this DVD will make a great addition to your collection. All the trailers except one (Enemy From Space) are in surprisingly good condition. The theme music from The Devil Rides Out plays over the main menu.

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