Pit of Darkness (1961)

Richard (William Franklyn) works at a safe making company. He wakes up dazed in an industrial wasteland with a wound on the side of his head but that is only the start of the trouble. When he makes it home he finds he has been missing for three weeks...

Richard has no idea what has happened in those missing three weeks but his wife Julie (Moira Redmond) is rather suspicious, especially as a strange woman has been calling for him. She is also suspicious as a private detective she hired to look for Richard was found dead and his card is found in Richard's pocket...

Richard sets out to try and find out what is going on, especially who is the woman calling for him and what is this cottage they seem to share? Richard begins to realise he is mixed up with a couple of mysterious thugs (Leonard Sachs and Tony Booth) who haven't finished with him.

A neat little British crime drama, efficient with decent performances though maybe without sufficient spark to push it into exceptional. Watch out for the Dave Clark Five, in their early days before they became one of the Beatles' main rivals, as the band in the nightclub scene.

I am a Criminal (1938)

Cocky crime boss Brad (John Carroll) hits the rocks when he is charged with manslaughter of the DA's son. To build up his public image he hires PR adviser Clint (Craig Reynolds). Clint suggests Brad adopts an orphan...

Brad adopts Bobby (Martin Spellman) and soon is very fond of him. Unfortunately Clint is carrying on with Brad's girl Linda (Kay Linaker) behind his back. Bobby tells Brad what is going on and he throws Linda out. Clint then begins a campaign to bring Brad down forcing the criminal to flee with Bobby. Brad and Bobby make a mountain resort owned by Alice (Mary Kornman), naturally Brad falls for Alice...

So it can be a bit corny but once you realise the film is really about Brad and Bobby's bonding and not a gritty crime thriller then the film is much more enjoyable.

The Legend of Hell House (1973)

Paranormal investigator Dr Barrett (Clive Revill) is hired to investigate a notorious haunted house owned by a Mr Belasco. Everyone else who has been in the house has either died or gone mad but Dr Barrett still leads his team in anyway including his wife Ann (Gayle Hunnicutt), and two mediums Ben (Roddy McDowall) and Florence (Pamela Franklin).

Whatever is haunting the house doesn't waste much time, the team soon find themselves under attack including poor Florence who gets attacked by a possessed cat and Dr Barrett is attacked by various cutlery in a terrifying poltergeist event. Ann meanwhile has become sex obsessed...

The film is very frightening indeed but the danger is mostly implied with atmosphere and sound without overdoing the special effects. This makes the feeling of creepy menace in this film and house all the more powerful.

Border Patrolman (1936)

An enjoyable romp at the US-Mexico border. Bob Wallace (George O'Brien) is a patrolman who gets mixed up with jewel smugglers led by Chuck Owens (LeRoy Mason).

Chuck is in a relationship with spoiled rich girl Patricia (Polly Ann Young) though its only a cover for his criminal activity. When Bob is forced to apologise to Patricia he quits the border patrol but then takes a job with Patricia's grandfather (William P. Carlton) to keep his unruly granddaughter in line...

Chuck meanwhile needs to bring an expensive stolen necklace across the border, how better than to have it smuggled in Patricia's purse whom he plans to marry in Mexico...

An entertaining film with good chemistry between the two leads and the odd bit of decent humour though the characters are a bit one-dimensional. The film ends with a well made action set piece. The film has some fine Western touches plus some 1930s style.

Off Track (1991)

Jacky Cheung stars as a Triad street racer thug  who of course has a dad in the police (there seem to be that many HK cops with sons in the gangs you'd think someone would have noticed a link by now)...

Jacky races Max Mok and they come to car blows followed by people blows. Then Max falls for Jacky's sister Loletta Lee and gets more than just his oats for his troubles. (Hint : never try and date a Triad's sister, especially a really violent Triad.)

Jacky wants a way out of his life of crime though after his Dad is killed but of course there is one last race... against Max. Then it looks like he has been killed by Max and Jacky's gang go crazy in order to avenge their big brother...

Its all very silly with typically over the top Triad hi-jinks really with a very bloody and tragic ending. Its a film of it's time and that time is massive brick cellphones and Sierra XR4is. The film isn't that great but the street racing scenes are.

The Monster (1925)

A rather creepy if frequently ridiculous film that perhaps wasn't quite sure what kind of film it was supposed to be: a horror, comedy or even a mystery. When people start disappearing a store clerk Johnny Goodlittle (Johnny Arthur) begins to suspect the nearby lunatic asylum and turns amateur detective...

In the asylum Lon Chaney is waiting as an actual mad scientist up to no good. He entraps Goodlittle plus the target of his affections Betty (Gertrude Olmstead). In a dark house on a dark stormy night our heroes are menaced by various creepy going on involving sliding doors and hidden passages...

So it ticks all the boxes but is just a bit too silly. Its a romp with just about enough fun to pass the time. You could think it is a parody of mad scientist and dark house films though this may well have been the original to those kinds of films.

The Rogues Tavern (1936)

In a large house in the middle of nowhere people are being bumped off on a stormy night. Yes its a dark house mystery and almost self-parody at times but undeniably entertaining.

Jimmy (Wallace Ford) and Marjorie (Barbara Pepper) are a couple of eloping detectives looking for a judge, instead they find a hotel run by Mrs Jamison (Clare Kimball Young) full of strange characters including somewhat over-the-top mystic Gloria (Joan Woodbury) and a man in a wheelchair (John Elliot) - though you if you've seen enough of these films you know he doesn't really need it...

The deaths soon begin to take place. A dog is blamed due to teeth marks on the victims but after some vain (and failed) attempts to shoot the dog Jimmy discovers the teeth marks are fake and to mask the real killer, a homo sapiens...

That isn't the only mystery in the house as several of the guests have been invited for an unknown purpose. The film has little in the way of originality but is a good watch with some sharp dialogue and genuine mystery that keeps you guessing. The film is a little shoddy at times, the entertainment sometimes unintentional.