Octaman (1971)

Half-man half-octopus and he is on a killing spree in this fun trash. Octaman is a mutation caused by radiation and he doesn't like scientists like Susan (Pier Angeli) and Dr Torres (Kerwin Matthews) capturing his octopi kin in Mexico. He kills people who get in his way with his large tentacles, usually by hitting them over the head.

The scientists are investigating radioactive pollution in Mexico and the changes it is causing to local fauna. However to fund the expedition the scientists have had to bring along a ranch owner who wants a new attraction for his zoo. Octaman doesn't care, he is an equal opportunity killer.

The plot is barely present but that doesn't really matter because Octaman just has to be seen to be believed. This film takes men pretending to be monsters in silly rubber suits to a new level. It is silly nonsense and hilarious.

Bowery at Midnight (1942)

A fun crime/horror romp. Wagner (Bela Lugosi) runs a soup kitchen for guys down on their luck assisted by Judy (Wanda McKay), a front for his murderous criminal organisation (not that Judy knows about this). He takes escaped criminals to help him commit crimes and then kills them afterwards. The bodies are given to the sinister hunchback Doc (Lew Kelly) who turns them into zombies!

If that's not enough, Wagner lives a double life. By day he is a respected professor of psychology, one of his students (and Judy's beau) Richard (John Archer) falls foul of the prof when he does some research at the soup kitchen...

A fast moving film with plenty of horror and crime movie tropes of the time thrown in. Lots of hidden rooms and passageways of course! Quick firing shoot outs and police chases are also packed in. Lugosi was churning the films out in the 1940s but this is one of the best. 

Evils of the Night (1985)

A very strange film. A bunch of aliens, including John Carradine, are on Earth and arranging for a couple of redneck mechanics (Neville Brand and Aldo Rey) to kidnap horny teenagers on vacation and bring them to a "hospital" where the teen's blood can be drained so helping the aliens continue living.

Truthfully though the mechanics are pretty inept (they wear masks to hide their identity - though forget to take their name badges off) and their prey usually escapes... unfortunately the teenagers are even more inept at trying to make good their escapes and get re-captured. Much of the film is a rather messy and silly extended torture and attempted rape scene in the garage including some gratuitous use of power tools. Much of the rest of the film is soft core porn.

It is exploitative nonsense for sure. The film is very trashy and not very pleasant if we are to be honest. Scores high for gore and female nudity, scores low for story and coherence.

Equal Impact (1995)

Grubby and violent martial arts action. Twin brothers Dave (Joe Gates) and Josh (Jay Gates) are tough but clean tae kwan do fighters drawn into the world of gangland crime and counterfeit money. The gangsters led by Moss (Joe Estevez) are mostly cardboard bad guys except for Bobby (Krist Gerine) who knows a bit about the martial arts himself.

Luckily there is also Ray (Robert Z'dar) who at least looks like a tough guy. After several fights in alleyways and parking lots, torture scenes and some driving around, the scene is set for a final showdown in a warehouse (of course)...

The film isn't that bad though could have done with being edited. It is rather drawn out with a number of awkward pauses. The story line is pretty generic and obvious but the fight scenes are good - even if slightly ruined by the rather mismatched soundtrack which sounds like a CD of lift music on random play.

The Fatal Glass of Beer (1933)

An enjoyable comedy short from W.C. Fields. A parody of Yukon melodramas where Fields plays a long suffering gold prospector in the frozen wastes. He gets hit in the face with snow a lot and his dog sled team are rather mismatched. His son Chester (George Chandler), a good for nothing who went off to the city and ended up in prison, finally comes home after finishing his sentence...

And that's it really. It is a pretty funny film that packs a lot of gags (verbal and sight) into a short running time. Highlights include the dog in the sled team who is too short to reach the ground and the high kicking Salvation Army girl.