The Phantom Empire (Serial) (1935)

Now as we know, 1930s movie serials are often quite odd but this one must be one of the strangest of all. It is a kind of mixture of cowboy musical and the usual mad science adventure. The singing cowboy Gene Autry discovers his ranch is above part of the lost continent of Mu and a science city ruled by Queen Tika (Dorothy Christie) is right under his feet!

However, Tika has trouble. Lord Argo (Wheeler Oakman) has led a rebellion to overthrow Tika and threaten the world above. Autry rides to the rescue, assisted by a group of young cowpersons in metal helmets led by Frankie Darro and Betsy King Ross. Can Autry save the world and also his radio show? That is a major plot point you see, the bad guys try to stop him from performing his radio show so he won't be able to keep up the payments on his ranch. There is a fortune in radium under there, and Mu's disintegration ray.

So this has the usual cliff hangers, ingenious (and doomed to fail) traps for our heroes, sparkling scientific apparatus and recycled costumes. Yes as usual the denizens of these lost cities full of advanced science (including sparkling electricity, clunky robots and television) fight with swords and helmets... The addition of cowboys and trick riding makes this serial quite frankly amazing and completely bonkers.

The Big Bird Cage (1972)

A shameless piece of rather grubby sexploitation set in a women's prison in the Philippines jungle. Terry (Anitra Ford) is a rather big headed young women who gets mixed up in a robbery by wanna-be revolutionaries Blossom (Pam Grier) and Django (Sid Haig). Terry gets sent into the jungle to a brutal prison governed by the gloriously over-acting Zappa (Andres Centenera)...

Terry's bravado and spirit is slowly crushed as she realises her women's wiles for once won't get her out of this one. But Blossom and Django have a plan to break the prisoners out of jail. They both infiltrate the prison (Blossom as a prisoner, Django as a ridiculously camp guard) to prepare for revolution...

It isn't a subtle film, it includes torture, rape, murder and lots of female nudity of course. High art it ain't, trash it certainly is and when treated in the right way it will deliver.

Dressed to Kill (1946)

Sherlock Holmes (Basil Rathbone) and Dr Watson (Nigel Bruce) investigate a case of little wooden musical boxes which hold a clue to the location of a property so hot a gang are prepared to kill for them. The boxes were made by a convict who stole the plates to print £5 notes in the Bank of England, the boxes containing the coded location of the plates. Unfortunately for the gang led by Hilda Courtney (Patrica Morrison) the boxes are sold before they can get their hands on them...

Holmes and Watson get involved in the case after one of Watson's friends (Edmund Breon) is killed over the musical box he bought. Holmes enters a battle of wits with Courtney who in many ways proves to be his equal...

An enjoyable little Sherlock Holmes mystery with the usual clever deductions and no small amount of suspense and tension. This was the last in the long series of Sherlock Holmes films made by Rathbone and Bruce and the series certainly went out on a high.

Alley Cat (1984)

A rather grim and dingy and violent vigilante film, in a way it is Death Wish but with a female lead. Billie (Karin Mani) catches some imitation hardcases trying to steal her tyres. After he beats them up with her karate skills they go running off to their boss Scarface (Michael Wayne) who kills Billie's grandmother. Billie herself ends up in jail after she stops a rape due to a corrupt cop...

Billie begins a one-woman mission to bring Scarface and his gang to justice, one way or another. The film has a lot of averagely choreographed fights, unfortunately most take place in the dark. There is also a lot of female nudity as well, including in prison...

It is a pretty run-of-the-mill low budget 1980s video nasty. Violent and grubby, it is very trashy. The best thing (by far) about the film is Karin, who does look pretty decent when she is fighting (and in general). 

Carnival of Souls (1962)

A chilling, excellent if rather odd horror film. Mary (Candice Hilligoss) is involved in a motor accident where a car she is in with two other girls crashes into a river. Somehow Mary manages to get out of the car but wants to get away from town as soon as she can, she moves to Utah to be a church organist. Living in a house owned by Mrs Thomas (Frances Feist) with her rolling eyes and a rather creepy fellow boarder John (Sidney Berger) who drinks booze for breakfast and wants to get into her underwear so overtly its a wonder he doesn't have "sex pest" written on his forehead.

Mary is obsessed by a shuttered carnival venue, and also strange things happen to her. From time to time she suffers hearing loss and no one can hear / see her. She also keeps seeing a horrific white zombie face everywhere. As times goes, especially after the vicar (Art Ellison) fires her for playing profane organ music in church, on she realises she is not supposed to be in this world...

Although a slow moving film at times, it isn't without plenty of thrills and chills and makes the most of a tiny budget. It isn't a horror film for gore and blood, the scares come from the surreal feel of most of the scenes. Mary knows something isn't right with her world and this is very effectively portrayed. Very atmospheric (in a natural sense) with few missteps. A very good horror film and certainly one that needs to be better known.