Seance on a Wet Afternoon

This is a black and white 1964 supernatural thriller, directed by Brian Forbes. The cast includes Kim Stanley, Richard Attenborough and Ronald Hines. 

Myra is a psychic medium, who bullies her husband Billy, and coerces him to take part in a money making scheme, which is to kidnap the daughter of a wealthy couple. Then they would care for the girl and return her to her parents as if they'd found her, so they would get much rewards. The spirit of "Arthur" is the name of the couple's stillborn child who has grown up in the eyes of Myra. Somehow Arthur influences her strange twisted decision making.

As a weird coincidence, the director searched for a type of house to use during the filming, and approached the owner of one he liked, who turned out to be a long lost friend of the lead actress. Originally the character of Myra was a male, and living with his homosexual partner although they scrapped the idea. Sometimes the director Brian Forbes played the part of Richard Attenborough's character Billy when he came down with an illness and couldn't work. Richard Attenborough is the late brother of David Attenborough the famous broadcaster and historian who's best known for documentaries on wildlife and nature.   

I rate this wet ghost film a 5/10.

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House of Evil (1968)

This is a Mexican 1968 horror thriller directed by Juan Ibanez and Jack Hill. The stars includes Boris Karloff, Andres Garcia and Julissa. 

A woman was found dead and the mystery unfolds. Relatives of a wealthy reclusive man named Mathias are invited to his mansion for the reading of his will. They include a young woman named Lucy who couldn't bring her husband because strangers are not allowed. Other guests includes a man who seems to know everything about the clockwork figures, dolls and suits of armour. Things turn nasty when one of the human sized dolls almost kills someone. 

This film was released in 1968 in Mexico but elsewhere it was released a few years later. The credits mention Edgar Alan Poe that make me wonder if it was based on a story "The Fall of the House of Usher" work. There was plenty of gothic atmosphere and a lot of dark scenes (I mean literally too dark it's difficult to see anything). A weird film about bizarre things happening in a house, and is quite creepy in places. 

I rate it a mad 7/10.

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The Cabinet of Caligari

This is a 1962 thriller horror directed by Roger Kay and the stars includes Glynis Johns, Dan O'Herlihy and Richard Davalos. 

A young woman named Jane has to exit her broken-down car in the middle of nowhere, to look for help. After a long time, she discovers a mansion, and is relived that the owner, named Caligari, invites her in for rest and comfort. However things take a dark turn for her, when she becomes paranoid that he's been spying on her. Other members of the house are always saying nice things about him though. She wants to leave but no one is letting her. 

While this is quite a sinister story, there are very surprising twists. The other characters are suspicious although there is something not right going on with the house and especially Caligari. There are some issues that are minor, such as Jane walking for miles in high heel shoes. This is a remake of a 1920 German silent film called "The Cabinet of Dr Caligari." 

I rate this a square 5/10

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I Bury the Living

 

This is a 1958 horror thriller directed by Albert Band and stars Richard Boone, Theodore Bikel and Peggy Maurer.

Robert Kraft is a newly appointed director of the cemetery, who visits the caretaker and shown a map of the graves. Black pins on the map show the dead, and white pins reveal plot reservations. By something curious, Kraft notices that he's been causing deaths of people with plots on the map, convinced that he's unwillingly dooming them by switching pins on the board. He becomes sure that he is cursed by the map, a Voodoo like object with dark powers.

This was a gothic and atmospheric flick, although it changed storyline during the filming. It became a crime investigation seeking rational answers to explain supernatural horrors. This hints at a lot more potential and some weirdness. The phone number when calling the police was 666. The cemetery office containing the map was made for the film, although the cemetery itself is real, and is called Angelus-Rosedale Cemetery in Los Angeles. The map itself changes appearance as Kraft becomes more paranoid. I rate this a tense 6/10

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Fear Chamber (1968)

 This is a 1968 sci-fi horror directed by Jack Hill and Juan Ibanez, written by Jack Hill and Luis Enrique Vergara. The stars includes Boris Karloff, Julissa and Carlos East. 

A team of scientists discover a living rock deep in a volcanic tunnel. This rock is kept in a lab, where it's able to eat and also communicate. However, young women are offered promise of work and living accommodation but they're sacrificial victims to the growing greedy monster in the secret lab. A bunch of weird characters support the chamber of horrors of are nightmarish to the unwilling frightened women. 

This is the last film Boris Karloff made, but other films he appeared in were released at a similar time. Many of the voices are dubbed in English. The paintings shown in the bedroom come from artist Francisco Goya. This was a very strange creepy film that gave confusing messages, from Satanic to scientific, with horrible nightmarish scenes, including torture and a woman being trapped in a room with snakes and spiders. No ratings from the time but I give this a 4/10.

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