The Children of Green Knowe

There is a boy who lived in a boarding school during WW2. He was sent to live with his great grandmother in a castle with a moat. Due to flooding and bad weather, he was given a taxi ride on a boat, at night during darkness with a flood. All is set for an atmospheric ghost story.

This is a 1986 TV mini series made by the BBC and it stars Alec Christie, Daphne Oxenford and George Malpas. It's based on the novel "The Children of Green Knowe" by author Lucy M Boston. 

This is a Christmas ghost story with dark elements, such as the creepy outdoor stone heads and the giant statue called the "Green Knowe". The castle is haunted by children from the 16th century who died of the bubonic plague. While the boy listens to his great gran tell him interesting stories, he learns more about the history of the place. This is what I used to watch as a kid, but after seeing it again I felt it deserves a place here for a review. Not in any way violent as its made for children and it's a spooky ghost series with a nice Christmas feel. 

Any issues with the series? No.

My rating is 8/10. Read my spoiler below for fun.

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SPOILER: There is an epic dolls house which is a copy of the castle interior and there's even a rocking horse figurine that matches the one in the boy's room, which also resembles the horse that belonged to one of the ghost children

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.

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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.

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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.

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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.