Curse of the Stone Hand

 

A 1965 compilation of two horror films from the 1940's. Directed by Jerry Warren, Carlos Hugo Christensen and Carlos Schlieper. The stars include John Carradine, Carlos Cores and Chela Bon. 

An artist painting an abandoned beautiful mansion is met by a caretaker, who talks about the house's curse and all of the creepy stone hands found throughout the property. The first story of the curse is about a young couple who moved into the house but discovered they were in a lot of debt. So the young husband goes off to join a gambling club in the hope of winning cash to pay off the debts, only finding himself in a much darker situation. The second story is about a group of orphaned children living in the house, under the ownership of the eldest brother, who keeps a secret locked room in the basement. 

A lovely gothic Chilean made film with an interesting gathering into a two part story about a cursed house. The first part is based on a story called "The Suicide Club" by Robert Louis Stevenson. I give this a fine 5/10.

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Jon Snow spin off!

If this is true then it's very exciting news! According to many reports there is going to be a spin off series about Jon Snow, a character from "Game of Thrones", which was a very popular fantasy TV series in the previous decade. Game of Thrones first aired in 2011 and lasted for eight seasons. 

"Game of Thrones" is based on the book series A Song of Ice and Fire by author George R.R. Martin. There's going to be another new series spinoff to "Game of Thrones", a prequel taking place two hundred years earlier and it's called "House of the Dragon". This is based on Martin's book Fire and Blood and it's part of the same fantasy world during Dance of the Dragons. 

Since Game of Thrones finished, everyone has been waiting for the next book in the unfinished series of A Song of Ice and Fire. The book series is still ongoing, but the TV show has branched off it seems, with many other spinoffs planned. These include The Sea Snake, Ten Thousand Ships, The Tales of Dunk and Egg, The Golden Empire and another about Flea Bottom. One of them is going to be animated. This is something to look forward to reviewing in the future!  

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The House of Mystery (1934)

"The House of Mystery" is a 1934 horror/thriller directed by William Nigh, and the stars include Verna Hillie, Ed Lowry, John Sheeham and Irving Bacon. 

There is an ancient curse unleashed in India when a rich looter named Mr Prendergast kills a monkey, which is a sacred animal to a temple. His love interest is a stunning priestess, and they both return to the US to marry but the curse follows him with a stolen relic. Guests are invited to stay at a spooky old mansion for a large sum of money. Things go wrong after one of the guests performs a seance and inviting the supernatural. There is murder, strange noises and a gorilla. 

The original title was "The Ape and the Curse of Kali" and adapted from the play The Ape by Adam Hull Shirk. I rate this dreadful but cool film a 6/10. 

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The Tell-Tale Heart (1960)

This black and white horror flick from 1960 is called "The Tell-Tale Heart", based on a story by Edgar Allan Poe. It was directed by Ernest Morris and the stars include Laurence Payne, Adrienne Cori and Dermot Walsh. 

A bashful loner named Edgar Marsh falls in love with his new neighbour called Betty. He's a peeping tom and spies on Betty a lot through the window. He wants to go out with her and so he asks his best friend Carl for advice. Edgar already suffers from nightmares and maybe something else isn't right. 

I would give this a 6/10 as it has suspense and great atmosphere, the mood and even thunder storm. It's worthy to watch during a late night indoors. The film is dark and gritty.  

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The Gargon Terror

"The Gargon Terror", or "Teenagers From Outer Space", is a 1959 sci-fi/horror film in black and white. It was directed by Tom Graeff and the stars include David Love, King Moody and Dawn Bender. 

An alien spaceship lands on an isolated region and a group of men from another planet emerge. One of them, named "Thor", is dangerous and kills an innocent dog. The same character goes on a killing rampage, murdering people whoever gets in his way. One of the aliens is a much friendlier individual named "Derek" who falls in love with an earth girl. Meanwhile, a nasty monster inside a cave eats anyone unfortunate to discover it. 

This was a highly exciting but cheesy B movie with awful special effects and wooden acting. This film was originally called "Teenagers from Outer Space" but it changed. I rate this a 4/10. The backstory was very interesting and should've been included more.

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The Wasp Woman

This 1959 horror/sci-fi B movie, directed by Roger Corman, with the cast including Susan Cabot, Fred Eisley and Michael Mark. A mad scientist is eager to find out the effects of royal jelly from the wasp queen, and experiments on various animals in a lab. His research has given him work at a beauty products factory owned by the vain Janice Starlin, who wants to make herself look younger. She volunteers to become the first human experiment, with the concern of her friends and colleagues. However, one of the animals turns monstrous.

This is quite a good film, it's an over-the-top silly story but is entertaining for a popcorn night in viewing. There's a little gore, some shocks and incredible daft make-up. Originally this film was called "Insect Woman". There's been remakes of this, such as "The Wasp Woman" made in 1995 as part of the Roger Corman Presents series. In 1988 the film "Rejuvinatrix" is inspired by "The Wasp Woman." 

I rate this a buzzing 5/10

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