Horror films often reflect the anxieties and fears that Society feels at various times in history.  After World War II, and the rise of the Soviet Union, fear of nuclear accidents- and the possible side affects found a home in Society's psyche... leading to the "Nuclear Mutated Monster" genre of movies... The discovery of a lone girl in the New Mexico desert leads Sergeant Peterson and Trooper Blackburn to investigate her origins... That search will soon take into the path of something hideous... something monsterous... THEM! The story is pretty simple and straightforward:  Humans tested an A-Bomb, the radiation mutated an ant colony to huge size, mutated ants start attacking humans.  It is enough of a skeleton for a fun little night of entertainment.  There is some depth as it does give insight into the sort of anxieties American people had about atomic bombs, and what the radiation could wind up doing.  When taken in context of 1950's American ...

Next on my list of " Terrorpolooza 2012 " reviews is an American/Japanese horror movie that I felt combined the best parts of American and Japanese film making into a smooth whole. Larry Stanford befriends a scientist whom he interviews for his newspaper.  As Dr. Suzuki introduces him to the finer parts of Japanese culture, he finds himself falling for the scientist's beautiful assistant.  His personality starts to change... and soon his body follows... If there is ONE thing that Japan is known for, it's great monster ideas.  If there is ONE thing the US is known for- especially back in the 1950's, it was for great camera work.  The two are used to wonderful effect in " The Manster ". The story is a simple Mad Scientist plot, but if fully capable of carrying the weight of the characters, and the things that happen to them.  There is very little in the way of frivolous subplots in this movie, each element of the story helps to move it forward, ...

I'm back after a small hiatus due to being sick with the third of my " Terrorpolooza 2012 " movie reviews.  One thing I learned is that while horror and comedy often work together, sometimes, it doesn't work as well as it could've. A group of gangsters have helped a South American dictator to escape a revolution with a strong box full of gold.  They hope to gain possession of it by using a legend of a local sea monster to scare off the dictator and his guards.  All goes according to plan until an American spy... and the real sea monster take an interest in the group . " Creature From the Haunted Sea " is a Roger Corman horror comedy that- as was typical of Corman films, shot in about five days.  To be perfectly honest, you can tell that it was a rushed production. The story is certainly enough to provide a decent amount of comedic fodder to go with the horror, though the humour far outweighs the horror.  Unfortunately, due to a few of the charact...

The 1950's is known for cheesy monsters, hokey action, and mad science.  It was a time when the B-movie reigned supreme, and Japan was not immune to the fun... Interstellar hero Starman comes to Earth seeking the brain of Balazar, who is planning to invade the planet with mutants specially created by his evil scientists ... This movie is actually a re-edited collection of three one hour films that were part of the Japanese series, " Super Giant ".  The original series was filmed and released in 1958, while the re-edited film was released in the United States in 1964.  The " Super Giant " series, consisted of nine short films, with the last three comprising the material used in " Evil Brain From Outer Space ".  Since the three original films weren't really connected to each other outside of the presense of Starman, the American they had to be pieced together to tell a single story- result ing what was called "a non-ending cavalcade of ch...

As I watch more and more horror films spanning the ages, I've come to realize that many horror films reflect the worries and fears of the time period they're from.  Some, like " The Stepford Wives " (1975) did a great job of it... while others throughout cinema history have not... People have started to disappear in the swamps of the Florida Everglades.  While investigating, Steve Benton refuses to believe reports that the disappearances are caused by a monster dragging victims into the deep waters.  When bodies turn up drained of blood, Benton and his girlfriend become determined to end the monster's rampage ... This 1959 B-movie that was chosen as the " What Movie Wednesday " feature for the 27th of June was born from the early Cold War fears of radiation, and how it would affect the environment... but only touched briefly on the topic as part of the explanation for the monster... near the end of the film. More than anything, I think th...

When I'm feeling down, I enjoy popping either an animated film, or a B-movie into the machine and watch it while nibbling on popcorn or cheesy poofs.  I was in that sort of mood when I sat down to watch, " The Monster of Phantom Lake "... Professor Jackson, and his assistant Stephanie are studying the local ecosystem of Phantom Lake, when they come across a new species of algae- algae that seems to have somehow combined with human DNA.  While they struggle to find the cause, a group of teens are having a campout nearby... only to be attacked by a plant-like humanoid figure.  Is THIS the source of the strange algae... and who will it kill next? " The Monster of Phantom Lake " is not intended to be a scary movie.  It is a humourous tribute to the classic, cheesy B-movies of the 1950's- and does it quite well. Like most of the B-movies of the 1950's, the camera work isn't complex- though there are some decent shots.  The editing was good at cre...