Chaotic horror-comedy, originally titled Hong tiao jing has three grave robbers getting mixed up with a Shaolin master and a vampire preying on locals. There’s plenty of killing, humor varying greatly in its effectiveness, and a hard-to-follow sequence of events. Not recommended. Otto thinks you should avoid this movie. Movie 380 for 2021.
Superbug on Extra Tour (1973)
Jimmy Bondi (Rudolf Zehegruber) and Dudu take part in a stunt show in England, but the organizer absconds with the take, so Jimmy and his car help his friend Aldo (Sal Borgese) to chase after the fellow. The pursuit eventually takes them to Switzerland, where the guys end up working in an antique car restoration …
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When Eight Bells Toll (1971)
Effective adaptation of Alistair MacLean’s suspense novel features a young and athletic Anthony Hopkins in the lead role as a British agent investigating just what happened to a ship that has recently disappeared — along with several others previously. The changes made from the book are reasonable, and the end result is a well-paced thriller …
A Strange Adventure (Monogram, 1932)
After an evening in which he decides to take action against someone for malfeasance, grumpy old millionaire Silas Wayne (William V. Mong) is reading his will to a gathering of grasping relatives, as well as his doctor and his housekeeper, when he collapses across his desk. The members of the group, which includes two policemen …
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West of Sonora (Columbia, 1948)
Family is at the center of this Durango Kid outing, as Sheriff Jeff Clinton (George Chesebro) and outlaw Black Murphy (Steve Darrell) are grandfathers to a young girl (Anita Castle) who plays an important part in the plot, both as welcome family and as target for a villain. Steve Rollins (Charles Starrett) initially is helping …
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The Case of the Scorpion’s Tale (1971)
Twisty tale of murder and a missing million-dollar insurance payment, originally titled La coda dello scorpione, opens with a businessman dying in an airplane explosion and his unfaithful widow collecting his life insurance. As the circumstances of the death were suspicious, an investigator (George Hilton) begins to check on things, and the dead man’s former …
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Baron Blood (1972)
A young man (Antonio Cantafora) foolishly recites an incantation that brings his long-dead, evil baronial ancestor back to life. Not long after, a mysterious wheelchair-bound millionaire (Joseph Cotten) seeks to restore the baron’s castle, and killings begin to occur. It falls to the young man and the millionaire’s assistant (Elke Sommer) to try to put …
Woman in the Dark (RKO, 1934)
A parolee (Ralph Bellamy) too handy with his fists comes to the aid of a woman in distress (Fay Wray) who takes refuge in his cabin, and he then clashes with an old rival (Melvyn Douglas) and may have ended up committing the same sort of crime that had put him behind bars. The movie, …
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Idamlik (1983)
Rather grim and quite violent Turkish cop movie, with Cüneyt Arkin as a tough officer who essentially loses everything and takes the battle to the crooks. Not recommended. Otto thinks you should avoid this movie. Movie 372 for 2021.
Grief Street (Chesterfield, 1931)
This early talkie mystery opens with a scene that seems to involve a murder but does not (similar to the opening of the following year’s The Death Kiss). Then, however, a real murder occurs as a stage star lothario has met his doom: But how was it done, as he was found strangled to death …
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