Hobgoblins (1988)

A very strange, and rather cheap, science-fiction horror featuring a couple of little furry monsters.

McCreedy (James R Sweeney) is a security guard at a disused studio who has a secret. Years before he encountered a UFO full of furry aliens. Naturally he locked them up in the bank vault which the studio for some reason has. For thirty years he has guarded the aliens in the vault because they have the ability to kill people after they make their fantasies come true. 

McCreedy's young apprentice guard Kevin (Tom Bartlett) accidentally releases the aliens from the vault, now he and McCreedy must recapture them while they unleash havoc on the town including helping Kevin's friends achieve their fantasies which seem to involve being sex sluts or committing murder...

A curious film that doesn't make much sense. The characters are either pretty blank or rather hateful, and the hobgoblins themselves are rather like demonic furbies and the film is pretty low budget. Quite awful but not without a lot of camp value.

The Saint's Girl Friday (1953)

The Saint returns in a rather murky tale of illegal gambling, seedy clubs and revenge.

The Saint Simon Templar (Louis Hayward) returns to England after a call for help from his socialite friend, before he can arrive she has died in a "car accident" (assisted by being chased by hoodlums). 

The Saint knew his friend had a gambling habit and was probably in debt, he begins his investigation then in the underground gambling scene (gambling being illegal in the UK at the time) in 1950s London. His investigation leads him to the brutal River Gang who seem to be behind his friend's death and much more besides...

This is a decent film, rather grubby and hard for a British film of the period. It also is an interesting view of England still recovering from the war. The plot can be a bit slow at times though. See Diana Dors in an early role.

The Revenge of Doctor X (1967)

A bizarre monster movie where a carnivorous mobile plant creature wreaks havoc.

Dr Bragan (James Craig), the angriest NASA scientist ever, goes to Japan to calm down. However, his assistant Noriko (Atsuko Rome) takes him to a weird looking building next to an active volcano where the caretaker plays dark gothic organ and creeps around so i'm not sure how well this helps his mental health. 

Bragan is any case is busy with his new project, cross breeding a Venus fly trap with another strange plant he found in the US after talking to a man with mud all over his face. Bragan creates a new kind of monster with a taste for human blood, obviously it soon it all going wrong...

This is not a good film, it is very shoddily made, very strange and makes little sense (well Ed Wood Jr was one of the writers so what can you expect?) The monster looks ridiculous of course and the film overall is all kinds of cheese.

Alice's Egg Plant (1925)

The Alice series were early Walt Disney live action / animation hybrids. 

Alice (Anne Shirley) and Julius the cat are the owners of an egg factory. Unfortunately, the hens are a bit lazy so Julius has to keep them hard at it. Then a new hen arrives, Little Red Henski from Moscow who is going to try and bring communism to the egg plant!

An unexpectedly political little film, we were only a few years into the Russian Revolution. Whether kids would get it though is a good question.

The House of Fear (1945)

Sherlock Holmes in a rather intriguing case in a dark house up in the Highlands.

A group of friends meet at a house in the Highlands, then one by one they receive a mysterious envelope containing orange pips and then die in a horrific manner which leaves little trace of the body! Sherlock Holmes (Basil Rathbone) and Dr Watson (Nigel Bruce) head to investigate this intriguing case. The case is indeed very baffling, with several suspects though these are whittled down as they become the latest victims!

This is a good film with an excellent twist, though one common fact about all of the murders was a strong indicator about what was really going on (i read a lot of detective novels!) This is a good entry in the Rathbone-Bruce Sherlock Holmes series and a solid Dark House mystery, though Dr Watson's buffoonery is dialled a bit high at times. 

The Maze (1953)

Rather odd but ultimately satisfying horror mystery.

Gerald (Richard Carlson) is engaged to marry Kitty (Veronica Hurst) but he is called to Scotland close to the wedding day to see his uncle in the ancestral home. When Gerald does not return and indeed seems to want to end the marriage plans, Kitty travels to Scotland with her aunt (Katharine Emery). 

Kitty finds that Gerald is a changed man and seems to want her to leave immediately but doesn't really explain why. He definitely doesn't want her to go into the maze in the garden, however strange noises at night and the air of mystery piques Kitty's curiosity. When she finally ventures into the maze she finds a creature beyond imagination lurking in there...

However, this film has a lot of surprises for the viewer. It isn't a mere monster movie out to menace young ladies, indeed the creature has an ultimately tragic story. This helps elevate the film beyond mere creep, though there is plenty of that. A bit slow moving at times but worth it in the end.

Bulldog Jack (1935)

A fast paced and humorous crime romp in the Bulldog Drummond series, even if Drummond himself doesn't appear much in it.

While on his way to London to meet with a mysterious lady, Bulldog Drummond (Atholl Fleming) is injured in a car crash after unscrupulous criminals tamper with his car. He enlists the help of the guy whom he crashed into, Jack (Jack Hulbert), to impersonate him and listen to what the woman who is waiting for Drummond has to say. Jack relishes the chance for some excitement, well until there actually is some excitement then he isn't that keen... 

His adventures, along with Algy (Claude Hulbert), take him into a plot by Morelle (Ralph Richardson) to copy stolen jewels after kidnapping the grandfather of Ann (Fay Wray). After much flapping about and sometimes aimless escapades everyone finds themselves on board a stolen tube train being driven at speed seemingly to it's doom!

It is all played very light, unfortunately this can make the film a bit unbearable at times as it approaches (and roars past) self-parody. However, the film flies along at such a speed that dull or awkward bits do not last very long. A fun fact with this film is that the villain (Richardson) actually plays Bulldog Drummond in the previous year's The Return of Bulldog Drummond! Algy is played by Jack's real-life brother. 

The view of the 1930s London Underground is very interesting, including scenes from the (then) recently closed British Museum station.