The Dark Hour (1936)

A good old country house murder mystery.

Two rich old brothers are the wards of their niece Elsa (Irene Ware), who is going out with private detective Jim (Ray Walker). One of the brothers Henry (William Mong) disapproves of Elsa and Jim, though soon Henry is found murdered. There are many suspects, and a great degree of mystery about the crime, and Jim brings in retired detective Paul (Berton Churchill) for help...

Overall, this is a pretty standard 1930s murder mystery, though the plot is maybe a little too heavy with the red herrings and complications. The twists at the end of the film are also a little too much twisty too but its a perfectly competent watch if unexceptional.

The Thirsty Dead (1974)

At first look this looks like it will be a sleazy sexploitation film but in fact it turns into a decent if not exceptional occult horror.

We are in the Philippines, and someone is kidnapping young women off the streets of Manila. Laura (Jennifer Billingsley) is one of these, who is snatched by mysterious men in cloaks with hoods (which must be absolute murder in the Manila heat!) 

However, Laura and some other women are not being sold into sex slavery. Instead, they are taken into the remote jungle where a mysterious cult led by Baru (John Considine) worship a head in a block of... something and apparently can live forever if they drink the blood of young girls!

This isn't a very exciting film, as not a lot happens apart from a little mild horror and a lot of weirdness. The film does have a lot of camp value and is enjoyably silly like these films set in the Philippines in the early 1970s often are. Yes of course Vic Diaz is in it!

The Castle of Fu Manchu (1969)

The last of five Fu Manchu films starring Christopher Lee in the 1960s, but really a step too far.

Evil Fu Manchu (Lee) has forced a scientist to develop a new fiendish machine which can freeze water en masse, he demonstrates it by freezing the seas around an ocean liner (and definitely not re-using footage from a Titanic movie...) Of course, Fu Manchu wants a lot of cash from the world government in return for not using his new weapon.

The British send their top agent Nayland Smith (Richard Greene) to stop Manchu, who is holed up in a Turkish castle he has stolen...

By now the Fu Manchu series was a bit tired and bereft of ideas, Christopher Lee and Tsai Chin (Fu Manchu's daughter) are always a good turn and very watchable but everything else is rather cheap and dreary. The film is also padded out with irrelevant scenes which drag the story down. Campy and schlocky, which is fun at times, but overall that isn't quite enough.

The Secret Code (Serial) (1942)

Fast moving movie serial nonsense with the usual unbelievable cliffhangers.

A group of Nazi agents are attacking the US through various nefarious plots to sabotage the war effort. Policeman Dan Barton (Paul Kelly) goes undercover to infiltrate the gang by pretending to have gone rogue. 

Barton learns that the Nazis are aiming to capture a secret formula. Barton begins to battle the gang wearing a fire-proof disguise as the Black Commando...

A fun action serial with lots of death defying stunts and peril. The episodes have little fat on them, the plot flying through at high speed. The Nazis have some wonderfully over the top secret bases. Naturally, it is best enjoyed if you suspend a huge amount of disbelief.

SST: Death Flight (1977)

Yet another 1970s aviation disaster movie, this one taking place on the first American supersonic airliner.

Cutlass Aircraft's first supersonic airliner is about to make it's maiden trip across the Atlantic with fare-paying passengers. However, a disgruntled engineer has sabotaged the plane (which seems to be held together by string). Meanwhile, a deadly virus is being carried aboard, but surely this will not escape to endanger the passengers. Will it?

The passengers and a crew are a whos-who of disaster movie stereotypes (grizzled old pros, old flames, heroes under a cloud et cetera) and 1970s actors including Doug McClure, Peter Graves, Lorne Greene and Billy Crystal. 

The movie is great fun, though the special effects are pretty cheap, the exterior shots of the airliner itself frequently laughable. It also crams in every cliche of the disaster movie genre imaginable, but you'll probably love it. I did.

Ellery Queen and the Perfect Crime (1941)

Ellery Queen returns to investigate the murder of a crooked businessman.

The boss of a power company (Douglas Dumbrille) is found dead a few days after ruining some of his investors. Inspector Queen (Charlie Grapewin) is investigating the case, of course his novelist son Ellery (Ralph Bellamy) and his assistant Nikki Porter (Margaret Lindsey) also gets involved in the case! 

The case is complicated however, as the victim had made many enemies. Even the son Walter (John Beal) comes under suspicion. However, does the trained monkey of Carlotta (Spring Bylington) and her crooked lover (Sidney Blackmer) have something to do with it? Or is the murderer someone else?

This is a fun crime B-movie romp, with the usual red herrings, comedic asides and banter. The actual crime itself is pretty ingenious. Bellamy and Lindsay were a great double act who often appeared together.

Invasion, U.S.A. (1952)

America is under attack, for real this times, by an avalanche of stock footage.

In a New York bar, a number of people watch the TV (and drink of course) but the news is bad. There are rumours of Soviet threats to America. One owns a tractor factory but doesn't want to change it to make tanks, the others are fairly blasé about the fight against godless Communism. But then the nightmare does happen after all, the Soviets attack Alaska and soon the nukes are flying. By now the bar patrons are in various parts of the country caught up in the Third World War...

This isn't a good film by any means, it uses a mountain of stock footage (much of it from WW2 though as the film was in the early 1950s it isn't too out of date), any live footage of fighting often usefully includes Soviet soldiers disguised as American troops (easier to get the uniforms). It's propaganda is laid on thick though, don't be denying the military industrial complex proper funding as otherwise you'll have Soviet paratroopers landing in the local park!