Day the World Ended

"Day the World Ended" is a 1955 sci-fi in black and white. After major cities have been destroyed in a global nuclear war, a few escape and meet up in a house that acts as shelter. The owner of the house lives there with his daughter and they often scan everything for radiation. Just the two of them have only enough provisions to feed three people but many more come to stay.  

Directed by Roger Corman and written by Lou Rusoff. The stars includes Richard Denning, Lori Nelson, Adele Jergens and Paul Birch. The production companies are Golden State Productions and Selma Enterprises.   

The house is isolated and protected by hills rich in lead. There is very little food left and not much drinkable water either. The film is 1 hour and 20 minutes long roughly. The characters are Jim a former sea captain and Louise his compassionate daughter, Rick the handsome geologist, Tony a villainous gangster and Ruby his tough girlfriend, Pete a gentle old farmer and Radek a poorly nuclear survivor. While they struggle to get through existing, something creepy lurks outside leaving bones. 

Any issues with the film? No.

My rating is 9/10. Read my spoiler below if you dare.

Blood Strawberry

SPOILER: Ruby is statuesque and is able to wear the same clothes borrowed from the smaller woman Louise. Incredible really.

The Vampire's Ghost

"The Vampire's Ghost" is a 1945 horror film in black and white. A small African village with a bar run by a strange character named Webb Fallon is the centre of the film story. Mysterious murders have scared the local people, and this Fallon doesn't even have a reflection! 

Directed by Lesley Selander, and written by the following: John K. Butler, Leigh Brackett and Bram Stoker. The stars includes John Abbott, Charles Gordon, Peggy Stewart and Grant Withers. The production company is Republic Pictures. 

The story itself is quite scary and has an element of magic and witchcraft. A short and (blood) sweet 59 minutes long, it's got punchy lines and sassy female characters from the heroine Julie played by Peggy Stewart, and the villain Lisa played by Adele Mara. The vampire himself is centuries old and manages to go out in broad daylight! Also the hero Roy, played by Charles Gordon, gets ill very quickly.   

Do I have any complaints about this film? Yes.

My rating for this is 7/10. Read spoilers below if you dare too.

Blood Strawberry

SPOILER: Lisa's dancing and style is pretty enchanting! 

Valley of the Dragon

 

This is a 1961 fantasy sci-fi film that was directed by Edward Bernds. It stars Cesare Danova, Sean McClory and Joan Staley. 

Two European men are about to fight in a life or death duel, while in a Algeria on expedition. The dispute was over a woman and they were about to shoot one another and then disaster struck. A comet hurtles towards Earth and sends out a shockwave, blowing everyone away but the two main characters manage to keep holding on. When the comet itself leaves, the men realise that they're not where they should be. Everything has gone but instead there's jungles, dinosaurs and Stone Age people. 

This interesting adventure flick is based on an 1878 Jules Verne novel called "Hector Servadec" or "Career of a Comet." The novel itself explores far more depth of rational people trying to understand where they are. The comet itself is called Gallia which has become the new home world of the survivors complete with oxygen, animals, more humans, monsters and plants. While the film does explore possibilities about space and how they're really on the comet because of the Earth being visible in the sky. Parts of the film used some materials from the 1940 film "One Million Years BC". There has never really been any recent adaptions of the story apart from the Australian animation titled "Off on a Comet" made in 1979. 

I rate this unknown little gem a 8/10. Spoiler and also my comment below.

Blood Strawberry

Spoiler: The Internet Movie Database wrote that the two men are taken to the moon, but they're actually living on the comet. The characters discuss when the comet will return to the earth again and they all hope this will be their chance to go home. 

Circus of Horrors

This is a 1960 horror film directed by Sidney Hayers, and stars includes Anton Diffring, Erika Remberg, Yvonne Monlaur and Donald Pleasance. 

A plastic surgeon Dr Rossiter, is on the run from police with two accomplices, a brother and sister who end up hiding in a shabby part of town with a small circus. It's run by a poor man with his child whose face is scarred, then the doctor treats her with facial beauty and becomes happy. Later the circus transforms into a popular show with glamour and full of beautiful looking people, whose lives were turned around by Dr Rossiter. However it's got a sinister reputation and the police investigate why there are so many deaths. 

This is a glitzy circus with some magic and beauty, although underneath it all, not really. The circus travels across Europe getting a bad reputation. This was filmed at Billy Smart's circus, a very popular travelling fairground in the early to mid 20th century. The same circus was also used in the 1967 horror film "Bersek". This film contains some violent gruesome scenes. 

Rating this 7/10 for madness. Spoiler below!

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Spoiler: Not only can the doctor make beautiful faces but he can also somehow transform ordinary people into terrific acrobats as well.          

The Mad Magician

 

This is a 1954 horror film directed by John Brahm. It stars Vincent Price, Mary Murphy, Eva Gabor and John Emery. 

A magician has a very stunning performance played on a set but his arch enemy has blackmailed him, threatening to expose his magic tricks and taking his work, as this same man also took his wife. So the magician kills him and tries to cover this up, avoiding any issues when police are searching for the missing man. When the magician's former wife appears looking for her husband, she becomes suspicious. 

A very twisty atmospheric film, set during the 19th century when police started to use fingerprints as evidence in their investigations. There are some incredible and gruesome scenes of disposing of a body, such as on a huge party bonfire that no one ever suspected. It was only after the fire went out that police were able to find human bones. The crematorium is also a scary magic trick that seems to be difficult to fool as it was in a visible glass container. I rate this hot magic film 7/10. 

Blood Strawberry

Spoilers: A crime novelist character might be a foreshadowing of the TV series "Murder She Wrote".