freakboy on film: THE TERRORNAUTS (1967)

Should we really search for life out there in the deep, dark, perilous universe?  I mean, if we can’t get along with each other, what makes us think we will play nice with an alien species?  Never mind that the outer space aliens might be just as war-hungry as us.  This doesn’t stop three scientists from trying to reach out and touch E.T. by forming Project Star Talk, which sounds more like a celebrity psychic hotline from the 1990s than a search for alien life.

Calling occupants of interplanetary hair salon!

The aliens wait to send a signal until funding for the project is about to be pulled just to make skeptics more skeptical.  When the scientists reply, they are greeted by having the Project Star Talk building abducted with them inside, along with a fussy auditor and a boisterous tea lady for comic relief.  What do the aliens want with these five humans?  You’ll have to watch to find out! 

THE TERRORNAUTS, despite sounding like horror, is a fun blend of serious and silly sci-fi written by John Brunner and directed by Montgomery Tully.  In some ways, it’s more DOCTOR WHO than the Peter Cushing DOCTOR WHO films.  Plus, there’s a robot who looks like a cousin to Robot from the classic LOST IN SPACE series. 

Who’s a good robot?

In conclusion… 
I ordered THE TERRORNAUTS from Vinegar Syndrome just for The Hammer-Amicus Blogathon V, hosted by Gill of Realweegiemidget Reviews & Barry of Cinematic Catharsis, with no regrets on my part.  I enjoyed this Amicus production for its fast-paced storytelling, its retro sci-fi vibe, and that wonderfully awkward robot.  If you like your science fiction a little less serious, then THE TERRORNAUTS may be the film for you! 

Freak Out, 
JLH 
P.S.  November is my birthday month, so it’s the perfect time to crack open the fantasies of my deranged mind… 🎈📚 

freakboy on film: PARANOIAC (The 4th Hammer-Amicus Blogathon Edition)

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This post is part of the 4th Hammer-Amicus Blogathon, hosted by Barry of Cinematic Catharsis & Gill of Realweegiemidget Reviews! 

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In Hammer-Amicus Blogathons past, I’ve sunk my teeth into supernatural horror, geeked out over sci-fi zaniness and danced to the beat of teen jazz obsession.  This time around finds me lurking in the shadows of a 1963 psychological thriller that I had never seen before!  Honestly, I didn’t know much about PARANOIAC other than the soap opera twist its plot is centered around. 

Poor Eleanor and Simon Ashby.  First they lost their parents in a terrible accident.  Then their brother Tony killed himself.  These tragedies continue to hang heavy over the Ashby family mansion.  Maybe this is why Eleanor believes she has seen Tony alive!  Simon and Aunt Harriet believe Eleanor has taken leave of her senses…or has she? 

Pushed to the emotional brink, Eleanor has decided to emulate her brother’s suicide by jumping off a cliff into the ocean.  A man saves her and takes her home, shocking everyone in the household.  Apparently, this man is Tony!  No body was ever found, so could it actually be the presumed dead Ashby sibling?  

Tensions mount as the family tries to figure out if this man is really Tony.  Aunt Harriet becomes even more intense.  Simon drinks and explodes in fury even more often than before.  Eleanor believes the man is her brother, but is disturbed by her growing attraction to him. 

Is Tony really Tony?  How will Eleanor handle her incestuous feelings?  Will Simon finally snap?  Can Aunt Harriet keep things under control?  Also, what is up with the creepy singing and organ music coming from the dilapidated chapel?  Who is lurking down there in the nightmare fuel of a mask and what does it mean?  Secrets are revealed, sometimes sooner than expected, but my lips are sealed!  You’ll have to watch PARANOIAC to find the answers! 

After spending a day fighting Triffids, Janette Scott as Eleanor Ashby gives a good performance as a woman on the verge of a nervous breakdown.  Sheila Burrell as Aunt Harriet gives a strong performance as the ersatz matriarch trying to keep family secrets a secret.  Alexander Davion as Tony Ashby gives an intriguing performance as the man who may or may not be who he seems.  (SIDE NOTE: Davion went on to play Ted Casablanca in VALLEY OF THE DOLLS (1967).  Then there is the always memorable Oliver Reed as Simon Ashby.  Reed comes on like gangbusters as the drunkenly violent member of the Ashby clan.  According to the audio commentary, this may have been art imitating life.  

Screenwriter Jimmy Sangster weaves an emotionally disturbing story with echoes of gothic horror reverberating through the corridors.  The viewer may see some of the twists and turns coming, but maybe not when they will occur, which keeps the plot on edge.  After one early revelation, I told my sister I thought it would be the big finale reveal, not something given away halfway through the film.

Director Freddie Francis draws out a solid Hammer film from the script and actors.  He keeps the camera moving, the pace brisk and the atmosphere tense.  A scene involving a car dangling precariously off a cliff is particularly effective! 

If I have one complaint, it is my disappointment in how little the super freaky-creepy mask is utilized in the plot.  When the blu-ray arrived, I was startled by this grotesque face staring back from the cover.  (No, not Oliver Reed)  I let my imagination run rampant with visions of a masked killer bumping off members of a wealthy family.  Maybe the resurrected Hammer studio will give this psychological thriller a contemporary slasher twist! 

In conclusion… 
Somehow PARANOIAC is not quite what you think of with Hammer films, but also totally a Hammer production.  The cinematography is lush black & white.  The performances are spot on for the story.  If you enjoy turbulent twists and turns within a mansion of deep, dark secrets, then you will be captivated by PARANOIAC!  I know I was! 

Thank you for reading or listening to my half-blind words. 

Freak Out, 
JLH 

P.S. click the pic ⤵️ for a different review involving a super freaky-creepy mask…

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Something strange is happening in the town of STURGEONS… 

                      (available from an Amazon near you)

freakboy on film: RING-A-DING RHYTHM! (The Third Hammer-Amicus Blogathon Edition)

 

I offered a taste of horror for the first one and a doctoring of sci-fi for the second.  Now I’m going to get a little jazzy for The Third Hammer-Amicus Blogathon, hosted by Gill of Realweegiemidget Reviews and Barry of Cinematic Catharsis! 

1962, written by Milton Subotsky / directed by Richard Lester 

A small town has been infested with a sudden bombardment of swinging, gyrating, jazz-crazed teenagers!  These sudden pop-up dance parties have become such a nuisance that even the mayor can’t have a nice quiet cup of coffee anymore.  He effectively kills the mood by creating a law where businesses using jukeboxes and television sets must get an entertainment license.  What will the younger generation do now?

Two plucky…teenagers? 

Will the disgruntled teens go on a Children of the Corn killing spree or, even worse, call Kevin Bacon for Footloose advice on really bad dancing and fighting for the right to party?  Thankfully no, they do what any teen would do in 1962.  Put on a show, of course!  Two particularly plucky teens (going on late 20’s) venture to the big city to find a DJ to host the show and watch a crazy amount of potential musical acts.  This will prove to the mayor and other killjoy grown-ups that jazz isn’t a corrupting influence, but a way of life.  Well, at least until The Beatles turn up in a year or two.

The Brook Brothers on an ego trip.

This is one thing that truly boggles my mind about Ring-A-Ding Rhythm!  I don’t know what teens in England were listening to during that weird time between Elvis and The Beatles, but jazz seems an odd choice.  Especially since it’s less beatnik jazz and more big band orchestra.  I mean, is cutting a rug to an uptempo version of When the Saints Go Marching In really considered corruptive or rebellious?  This ridiculousness, along with some almost Airplane! style humor, makes me wonder if this film is a satire of American rock ‘n roll flicks from the 1950’s.  

Does twisting really make Chubby Checker happy?

Similar to Go, Johnny, Go!(1959) and Don’t Knock the Rock (1956), Ring-A-Ding Rhythm! has a threadbare plot that’s just an excuse to showcase musical talent and sell records.  I mostly enjoyed the performances, with a few that really stood out for me.  Gene Vincent is out of this world as he sings about taking a spaceship to Mars.  The Brook Brothers are squeaky clean cute as they sing a song ending in bigamy.  It was also great to see Chubby Checker, even though I could tell he was sick to death of doing “The Twist” yet again. 

Dinner in a show.

Then there is The Temperance Seven.  I had never heard of them, but they stole the film by embracing the nonsense.  This sedate group takes a slow ballad and turns it into comedy gold by having members of the band eating a meal or falling asleep while waiting for their turn to play.  Then, in a truly inspired moment of absurdity, the lead vocalist starts singing in French (I think) and subtitles appear.  I took a screenshot, zoomed in and discovered the subtitles were also in French!

One way to sing a torch song.

The acting in Ring-A-Ding Rhythm! is incidental.  Helen Shapiro and Craig Douglas are fine as the plucky, sort of teens.  Felix Felton is amusing as the perplexed mayor.  Deryck Guyler is perfect as the narrator who tells the story and helps the plucky teens get to the big city by simply changing the film behind them.  The other teens and grown-ups do a serviceable job at basically being extras. 

This is your brain on jazz!

In conclusion, Ring-A-Ding Rhythm! is generally a fun film with some truly funny moments, but the never-ending performances can grow a little tedious.  However the nonsense of it all held my attention and amused me.  So, get your entertainment license and shake your bum to this oddball little Amicus production!  (I watched it on You Tube)

Thank you for reading or listening to my half-blind words.

Freak Out, 

JLH 

P.S. Click the pic ⤵️ to go, Go, GO…

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In case someone wants to get addicted to my current blog serial…

freakboy on film: DALEKS' INVASION EARTH 2150 A.D. (The 2nd Great Hammer & Amicus Blogathon Edition)

Thank you to... 

Barry of Cinematic Catharsis 

http://cinematiccatharsis.blogspot.com/ 

and 

Gill of Realweegiemidget Reviews 

https://weegiemidget.wordpress.com/ 

...for bending their rules of time & space and allowing me to participate in The Second Great Hammer And Amicus Blogathon! 

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Outside TARDIS makes me geek out.

A BRIEF HISTORY OF MY PERSONAL TIME & SPACE WITH DOCTOR WHO...

I am a longtime Whovian.  My first Doctor was the Fourth Doctor.  My favorite classic Doctor is the Second Doctor.  My favorite contemporary Doctor is the Ninth Doctor.  My favorite classic companion is Sarah Jane Smith.  My favorite contemporary companion is Donna Noble.  My favorite baddie is the vicious, violent race of mutants called the Daleks, which is why I'm blogging about...

DALEKS' INVASION EARTH 2150 A.D. 

                                    1966

                Screenplay by Milton Subotsky  

                   Directed by Gordon Flemyng 

My initial viewing of this big screen version of DOCTOR WHO was in the middle of the night on Turner Classic Movies.  I was entertained, but found the whole experience very bizarre.  That might be because I was watching in a hazy landscape of reality and sleep.  Subsequent, more awake viewings have acclimatized me to this non-canonical take on the classic British television series. 

Inside TARDIS is a bit cluttered.

The plot is a variation of a six-episode First Doctor story.  Dr. Who and his companions travel to Earth's bleak future and discover the humans, at least the ones who haven't been exterminated, have been enslaved by the Daleks.  Now it's up to our intrepid heroes, along with a band of resistance fighters, to figure out the Daleks' nefarious plan and stop them.  

Donna Noble's future grandfather and a non-canonical Doctor.

Peter Cushing makes for a decent Doctor and he seems to be having a jolly good time.  Maybe he was happy to take a break from Hammer horror.  Jill Curzon as Louise doesn't seem to have much to do other than going where the men go, but at least she isn't screaming at the sight of every Dalek.  I guess that's 1960's style progression for you.  Roberta Tovey plays Susan, Dr. Who's granddaughter, as a curious, precocious sweet kid.  Her biggest contribution to the plot is causing a pile of rubble to bury TARDIS, their space-time vessel, preventing their immediate escape from 2150 A.D. 

                            Nice going. Susan!

I must give special mention to Bernard Cribbins as policeman Tom Campbell.  His character, an accidental passenger aboard TARDIS, provides comic relief among the death the Daleks are raining down upon humanity, but it's what the actor would do in the future that I must note.  Over 40 years later, Bernard Cribbins returned to the WHO universe, this time very canonical, as Donna Noble's grandfather Wilfred Mott.  This filmic-television connection is why I enjoy DALEKS' INVASION EARTH 2150 A.D. so much.  

Bathtime for Dalek is always a struggle.

In my mind, Tom Campbell becomes susceptible to time and space anomalies after his adventure with Dr. Who and company.  He eventually slides into our dimension, changes his name, gets married and eventually has a granddaughter named Donna.  Yeah, I know it sounds crazy, but it helps me overlook the differences between the series and this film, along with the preceding film, DR. WHO AND THE DALEKS, also starring Peter Cushing.  (Look for a post from a fellow participant in this blogathon for more on the first film and televised differences.) 

The Daleks EXTERMINATE my alternate dimension theory.

In conclusion, DALEKS' INVASION EARTH 2150 A.D. may not be the best example in the long, iconic history of DOCTOR WHO, but it's a fun, occasionally silly sci-fi romp for all ages.  Plus, one can never have enough Daleks, right? 

Dr. Who, Louise and Susan wave farewell to the Doctor Who film franchise.

Thank you for reading or listening to my half-blind words. 

Freak Out, 

JLH 

P.S.  I'm blogging about other films based on television series this month.

Here's a story...

https://freakboyzone.blogspot.com/2019/06/freakboy-on-film-brady-bunch-movie.html 

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My books & blogs...

https://thejlhcollective.blogspot.com/2018/03/the-collective.html