The Severed Arm (1973)

An amazing film, an amazingly strange film too. It is a tale of revenge and psychological horror with a superb twist. 

A number of years before a group of friends get trapped as they explore a cave. As time goes on and they get hungrier, Jeff (David Cannon) has the idea that they eat each other. They draw lots and unfortunately Ted (Ray Dannis) is chosen to have his arm cut off and consumed. Of course just as soon as the arm is cut off the rescuers arrive. Jeff and the others (sans Ted who is rather annoyed) decide to concoct a cover story and say they cut off Ted's arm to save his life...

Now a number of years later Jeff receives a horrific present in the mail, a severed arm! He finds out Ted has left the mental hospital he has been in and must plan a revenge. One by one the others are killed in various macabre ways, finally just Jeff is left with Ted's daughter Teddy (Deborah Walley), who has been helping him. Well Jeff thinks she has been helping him...

The twist is immense when it happens (though can be seen coming a mile off). The film is dripping with menace and suspense, assisted by a superb synthesiser led soundtrack. The only real criticism you can make of this film is that a little too much takes place in the dark and it is difficult to tell quite what is going on. Weird but great.

The Curse of Frankenstein (1957)

The first in the Hammer series of Frankenstein films, and the first Hammer film in colour. With the help of his former tutor and friend Paul (Robert Urquhart), Baron Frankenstein (Peter Cushing) conducts a series of ever more extreme medical experiments. Frankenstein's ultimate aim is to create life, Paul increasingly wants out especially when Frankenstein starts to steal human body parts in order to create the "perfect man"...

Paul tries to convince Frankenstein's fiance (Hazel Court) to leave, but to no avail. Meanwhile, Frankenstein manages to create a monster of true horror (Christopher Lee) but with a damaged brain. The monster manages to escape and kill, forcing Paul to kill it. However, Frankenstein resurrects his creature which ends up killing his creator's mistress Justine (Valerie Gaunt)...

Although the film starts off a bit slowly, once the creature makes it's debut the film transforms into a truly remarkable horror. Wonderfully macabre.

Mad Mission 2 (1983)

For our 1,000th review it has to be the greatest film we ever saw on VHS...

Mad Mission 2 (also known as Aces Go Places 2) is an extraordinary film. A completely madcap series of stunts and amazing situations held together by a vague sub-plot of diamond theft and gangland revenge. 

King Kong (Samuel Hui) is a jewel thief / graphic designer. After he stole diamonds in the first film, the US mafia hire Filthy Harry (Joe Dimmick), in full Clint Eastwood cosplay gear, to deal with the situation.

That involves sending a robot to kill King Kong, then chasing him with multiple Jaguars and motorbikes across Hong Kong in a mass crashathon. For help, he calls on his friend in the police Albert (Karl Maka), not that he is that much help. The antics end with a final showdown with Filthy Harry's forces: another robot, another car chase with Jaguars (the number of cars wrecked in this car is astonishing) and finally Filthy Harry himself in his missile firing golden Rolls Royce...

An incredibly film, it is sort of film you would get if you gave a bunch of 10 year old boys unlimited budget and complete carte blanche. Some of the HK humour and antics are a bit dated but the sheer energy and craziness of the action makes this film well worthwhile. Many times i hired this from the video shop in the 1980s, it never failed to entertain me.

Jack the Giant Killer (1962)

A pleasing if rather goofy fantasy tale. Evil and rather camp wizard Pendragon (Torin Thatcher) has been defeated but unbeknownst to the King of Cornwall (Dayton Lummis), the evil wizard plots his revenge. Pendragon targets the lovely Princess Elaine (Judi Meredith) and sends a giant to capture her. However, the wizard is defeated by the heroic farmer boy Jack (Kerwin Matthews) who is rewarded by the King.

Pendragon isn't giving up yet though, he sends his forces of darkness to capture Elaine. Jack travels to Pendragon's island with his friends Sigurd (Barry Kelley), Peter (Roger Mobley) and his imp in a bottle (Don Beddoe)! With the imp's help Jack faces the evil of Pendragon once again...

A fun film. The characters are rather pantomine-esque with their costumes and cackling, the monsters average claymation and the special effects at times a bit dodgy. However, despite the obviousness and the lack of depth of any characters, this is a fine film. A straight forward fairy tale fantasy adventure.

Tex Rides with the Boy Scouts (1937)

A reasonable if unexceptional western. A gang has stolen a million dollars worth of gold. Tex (Tex Ritter) and his two partners (Horace Murphy and Snub Pollard) are looking for the gang when they discover a suspicious looking gold mining operation in a small town. The mine is owned by Dorman (Forrest Taylor) and his goons are seen selling gold nuggets in town.

Tex tricks Dorman into making a move and, with the help of some boy scouts (who actually would not be around until the twentieth century but anyway bear with the film), the gang is rounded up and they all head home happily for tea. 

A standard 1930s western with plenty of horse riding, sixgun shooting, fighting and some fine songs sung by Tex too. Norma (Marjorie Reynolds) is the love interest for Tex. 

White Cargo (1973)

A sometimes funny, oftentimes terrible comedy. However, it does showcase two future superstars in their early careers. Albert (David Jason) is a nobody with an overactive imagination where he fantasies about being a secret agent (so basically this is kind of a British Walter Mitty film). 

When Albert receives a flyer inviting him to a seedy gentleman's club he gets drawn (by accident) into a criminal scheme involving the sale of women to Arabs. Stella (Imogen Hassell) is an undercover policewoman (though Albert doesn't know it until the end) who is investigating the gang led by Fox (Raymond Cross) with the considerable presence of Harry (David Prowse) as muscle.

With two inept civil servants (Hugh Lloyd and Tim Barrett) following on, Albert discovers the hide out of the gang though his attempt to foil them doesn't work (it works fine in his head though in practice is a complete failure). However, at the docks he has another chance to save everyone, including himself before he is sold to the Arabs as well and become a eunuch!

A silly limited film like so many British comedies of the period, and very much of it's time with vaguely saucy antics and some dated attitudes. While not a brilliant film, it does have it's moments and is a decent watch. It offers a great view of Britain in the early 1970s, a simpler and less complicated time. It is also a film where you get to see the future Darth Vader beat up the future Del Boy!

Devil Girl from Mars (1954)

Despite the interesting sounding premise: a Martian woman in a black leather outfit arrives looking for men, this is a slow and plodding science-fiction film. Escaped convict Simpson (Peter Reynolds) turns up at a remote Scottish hotel where guests are few and far between but include scientist Professor Hennessey (Joseph Tomelty) and reporter Carter (Hugh McDermott) who are looking for a meteorite. Prestwick (Hazel Court) is also present though mostly just to look pretty. Just at the moment Simpson is recognised a UFO lands in the back garden! What are the chances eh?

Nyah (Patricia Laffan) descends the ramp in her kinky leather outfit and declares that she is looking for men to take back to Mars to help rebuild the population. As she landed at a Scottish hotel populated by stoic 1950s British people and not a high school full of horny boys she has trouble finding willing males. Much slow plodding plot proceeds as the Earthlings are powerless before Nyah's powers and her ridiculously clunky robot...

This is not a long film but it feels it because of the slowness of the plot. The budget was low and the special effects poor, though pretty much standard for their time. Nyah and her outfit are superb and give the film enough camp and cheese to get you through the slow moments (of which there are quite a few!)