20 Million Miles to Earth

This is a 1957 monster film directed by Nathan Duran, and the stars include William Hopper, Joan Taylor and Thomas Brown Henry. 

A space rocket crack lands into the sea, and fishermen are able to rescue two survivors. One of them recovers and admits that they returned from visiting Venus and brought back a living organism in a metal tube, but this was stolen by a kid. Once the alien creature got into the ownership of a local scientist, it's taken to a nearby zoo. Only then the creature grows rapidly and causes chaos.

The stop motion special effects were made by the legendary Ray Harryhausen. The film was going to be based in Chicago but they decided to set it in Italy because Ray Harryhausen had always wanted to visit there. The dinosaur-like creature from Venus is named Ymir, but not in the movie itself. It's name derives from the name of a god in Norse mythology. Despite his ferocious look, Ymir isn't a carnivore but eats sulphur and he attacks only when provoked, otherwise he seems timid. I rate this cool package 7/10.

Blood Strawberry  

The Devil's Partner

 This is an American horror film from 1958. It was directed by Charles R. Rondeau and the acting cast includes Edgar Buchanan, Jean Allison and Richard Crane. 

An old man is a hermit and sacrifices a goat. He's later found dead, and then his young nephew Nick comes to town, who seems unable to sweat during a heatwave. Some find it odd that his uncle never even mentioned him. He takes an interest in Nell, the pretty blonde daughter of a local doctor. She's already serious with another guy and things escalate to horrible. 

Despite the credits listed on websites, this film was actually from 1958 but wasn't released until 1961. The official film poster shows a woman kidnapped by a centaur even though it doesn't appear in the entire film. One can understand why using artistic imagination of the poster after watching the film from start to finish because it's got a shape-shifter theme. There isn't much gore but some violence and a man being attacked by a dog scene. It's a little bit creepy though. I rate this quiet supernatural film a nice 6/10. 

Blood Strawberry

   

The Coven (2015)

This is a low budget British horror film made in 2015, directed by John Mackie. The acting cast includes Dexter Fletcher, Magda Rodriguez and Tony 0'Callaghan. 

A group of five teenaged girls decide to look for a coven in the middle of the wood, which is a private area surrounded by an iron fence. They all go prepared for a fun night there camping, while noticing strange writing. Meanwhile, a tutor has been informing the class about witchcraft and missing people in the exact same woods. A girl from the same class, just not a part of their friendship circle, is reading on eerie rhymes. As night draws on, things become creepier in those woods.

There isn't any gore but it's psychological, with a lot of references to folklore and even demons. There is a strange feel that is similar to Blair Witch Project although much more characters and a rounded story that explains what happened to them. Despite the amount of negative feedback from other places, I found this pretty good. It was filmed in Queens Wood, located in Highgate, where there truly is a meeting place for pagans. I rate this a half moon 5/10.

Blood Strawberry

 

Fire Serpent

Fire Serpent is a 2007 fantasy sci-fi tv film. It was directed by John Terlesky, and the stars includes Nicholas Brendon, Robert Beltran and Randolph Mantooth. 

Back in 1966 a firefighter encounters a strange forest fire that kills his girlfriend and he sees a type of dragon made of flames. For many years he stalked the fire beast, and in present times he meets another younger firefighter that just lost a friend who was killed by the same creature. The fire monster is capable of possessing humans!

The film was produced and written by William Shatner, and one of the actors is Robert Beltran. Both Shatner and Beltran are regular stars in "Star Trek" franchise. The monster in this film, a fire serpent, comes from space! A few gruesome scenes and a lot of dialogue. There were quotes from the Bible used in this to describe the monster. I give this a flaming 5/10 for monster madness.

Blood Strawberry    

Quest for the Mighty Sword

This is the fourth of the Ator series of films, which is a 1990 Italian made fantasy film. Directed by Joe D'Amato and the stars includes Eric Allan Kramer, Margaret Lenzey and Donald O'Brian. Ator is a king with a wife and a young son named Ator. He's killed during a fight with evil, and a goddess tries to help but she's punished and sentenced to live in a ring of fire. Ator's widow seeks out a troll to help raise her child, and gives the magical sword. When the young boy grows up into a man, he discovers the cruelty of the troll and locates the hidden goddess. 

Meanwhile, the scenes and costumes are okay. The father of Ator in this film might be the same Ator from the previous earlier films in the series. The previous films' Ator had different childhoods, so it seems this series about a lineage of Ator in the same bloodline played by the same actor. The actor playing Ator in this film is a different actor who always played Ator before. The props in this film come from the "Trolls" movies. It's been compared to the Nibelung Saga. Also there are some funny moments with the two fused robots trying to run against a wall. Ator series of films should be rereleased as a boxset as its pure fantasy fun! 

I give this a worthwhile 6/10.

Blood Strawberry    

Iron Warrior (1987)

This is the third of Ator fantasy films. Made in 1987 and directed by Alfonso Brescia. The stars include Miles O'Keefe, Savina Gersak and Elizabeth Kaza. Many years ago when Ator was a boy, he played with his brother Trogar in a ruinous village until an evil witch kidnapped Trogar. Ator grew up and became a fierce warrior who helps a princess escape evil. A masked killer is undefeatable and has magical powers, while the witch claims to control the kingdom even though it's against the wishes of her immortal sisters. 

This film seemed to have more technical abilities and better costumes, with some amazing scenery. It was shot in Malta and caves in Italy. The swords could be familiar as the one used by Ator later became the Atlantis sword in Conan tv series, while the sword by the masked warrior was used in "Red Sonja" film. This film is more abstract than the previous Ator films, and it also includes violence and some nudity. I rate this a solid red coloured 5/10

Blood Strawberry

Ator the Blade Master

 

"Ator the Blade Master" is a sequel to "Ator the Fighting Eagle".  Also called "Ator the Invincible" and "The Blade Master". It's an Italian fantasy film directed by Joe D'Amato and the stars include Miles O'Keefe, Lisa Foster and David Brandon. 

Some years have passed since the ending of the first film and we learn that Ator's bride passed away a long time ago, but now he's in the East under the training of a new mystic fighter named Thong! We learn that Thong doesn't speak but is a very ferocious individual. The former great master of Ator is ill and keeps a mystical weapon, but is under threat from an evil lord and his henchmen. 

He encounters cannibalistic cavemen, ghosts and a giant snake god that devours humans. There are some amusing moments, flamboyant costumes and weird timeslips! Ator's time has always been, what looked like, set during the Bronze Age, except that this second film features Medieval castles and a modern hang glider... This film is severely lacking in common sense, which is what made the first film so enjoyable. Ator is disappointing in this one.  

This film gets a mouldy cheese rating of 2/10.

Blood Strawberry