The Quatermass Xperiment

This is a back and white sci-fi/horror film made in 1955. It was directed by Val Guest and the cast includes Brian Donlevy, Jack Warner and Richard Wordsworth.

Professor Bernard Quatermass was involved in an experimental rocket flight into space. The rocket crashed but only one out of three astronauts survived. The disappearance of the other two astronauts is the reason there are mysterious jelly on board. The surviving astronaut becomes ill and his flesh changes. Sometimes a cactus is all it would take for something to go terribly wrong. The film is moody, fun and tense with scary scenes.

This film was based on a BBC television series of the same title. This particular movie was made by Hammer Film Productions  The special effects for the monster was really that gruesome as it was made up of bovine innards! During the 50's this film was so terrifying that someone died of fright at the cinema, which was then mentioned in the Guinness Book of Records. The little girl playing with her doll in a short scene where she meets the sick astronaut, is Jane Asher, who would become the girlfriend of Paul McCartney.  

Blood Strawberry's rating: 6/10

Blood Sabbath

 

"Blood Sabbath" is a 1972 horror, directed by Brianne Murphy. The stars include Anthony Geary, Steve Gravers, Sam Gilman and Dyanne Thorne. 

A young man named David wanders alone through a forest after having come back from fighting in the Vietnam War. He encounters a bunch of aggressive women, falls into a lake and brought to the surface and healed by a mysterious nymph called Yyala. He falls into a coma and is helped by a local hermit with some interesting news. All David wants is Yyala but a nearby coven of witches cause trouble.

The witches coven is led by their queen, played by Dyanne Thorne who also played the character Ilsa in "She Wolf of the SS" series of sexploitation films. "Blood Sabbath" is a strange film with a lot of nudity, some gore and many unanswered questions. Parts of the film had silly dialogue but David's character doesn't always make a lot of sense!

I rate thus bloody film a 3/10.

Wolf Girl Night 

Children Shouldn't Play With Dead Things

 

This is a 1972 horror film directed by Bob (Benjimin) Clark. The stars include Alan and Anya Ormsby, Jeff Gillen and Jane Daly. 

A bunch of people take a trip to an isolated graveyard on a small island during the night. Their idea of fun was to play a magical Satanic game, using a corpse they dug from the ground. While some of the members of the group were busy digging more graves, the others really managed to raise the dead.

A film with lots of darkness, which is not easy to see anything. Like many other horror films, this one also seemed cursed. The director Bob Clark was killed before doing a remake of the film in 2007. The graves were all props, made of blue board foam. The spell book was supposed to have been written by druids although this is historically inaccurate. The zombies are extremely vile looking.

I rate this grim zombie film a 6/10.

Blood Strawberry  

Werewolf in a Girl's Dormitory

 A 1961 horror film in black and white. It was directed by Paolo Heusch and stars Carl Schell, Barbara Lass and Curt Lowens. 

When a handsome male teacher arrives as a correction facility for girls, one of the student's is found brutally killed by wolves. Investigation points the finger at the new teacher as a suspect, although the dead student has a number of mysterious letters that disappear. There seems to be a pack of wolves around the school howling each night, but there is something else too, much more sinister. A man with wolf traits lingers and hides in the shadows. 

The film is made by Italians and Austrians. It has a number of creepy elements, atmosphere and even tension. Acting is very good and the characters each are complex and not one dimensional. However there was a minor mistake in it when the "dead" girl's eyes move! It ties in murder mystery, horror, psychological thriller and tragic romance all in one. The only downside is the cheesy title. 

I rate this nice enjoyable horror a big packet 7/10.

Blood Strawberry