lady frankenstein (1971)

aka La figlia di Frankenstein.
"Here on earth man is God."
Baron Frankenstein's daughter (Rosalba Neri) returns from university a qualified surgeon and determined to help in her father's experiments, but her father (Joseph Cotten) is not convinced.
An entertaining gothic horror, that twists the story, adding a love story sub-plot to events. Watch out for Mickey Hargitay joining in the fun, (ex husband of one Jayne Mansfield).

fire over england (1937)

"The smoke drifted right over us, and now it is drifting over England unless we stop it."
Pre-War propaganda piece, positioning Britain against the forces of tyrany, via Elizabethan England.
Features a star studded cast lead by Flora Robson as Elizabeth, closely followed by Raymond Massey, Laurence Olivier and Vivien Leigh. As fine a piece of historical pagentry as you'll ever see.

midnight manhunt (1945)

"Everyone knows everything around here but me, I'm just the detective."
A gangster missing for five years is discovered dead in a wax museum, but then the body disappears. Sue Gallagher (Ann Savage), a reporter, is determined to discover where he's been and who killed him. But she must outwit her boyfriend who also happens to be a reporter, and also wants the story.
Plenty of wise cracking, and a feisty dame, makes for a film that flies through its 60 minutes.

i cover the waterfront (1933)

"I can take it."
An investigative reporter, Joseph Miller (Ben Lyon), decides to romance Julie Kirk (Claudette Colbert), the daughter of a suspected smuggler. She obviously falls for him, until she realises he has betrayed her trust, but by this point he has realised that he in turn has fallen for her.
A mix of drama and quick witted comedy, makes for an interesting mix and entertaining film.

maniac (1934)

aka Sex Maniac.
"Tonight, my dear Maxwell, I'm ready to try my experiment on a human!"
A mad scientist (Horace B. Carpenter) experiments trying to bring the dead back to life, and manages to succeed. But he wants to go further, and tasks his assistant to commit suicide, but his assistant kills the Dr instead. Luckily the assistant (William Woods) is a gifted impersonator, and takes the Dr's place. Then things get complicated!
Low on budget, scripting and acting ability, this makes up for it in sheer audacity. Sold as an educational attraction, with a bit of T & A thrown in, at fairs and burlesque houses, this is one of those exploitation films that they snuck under the Hays radar. So bad its good.

the fatal hour (1940)

aka Mr Wong at Headquarters.
"Oh, the Chinese copper!"
Captain Street's (Grant Withers) best friend, a detective working smuggling, is murdered. Street immediately enlists James Lee Wong (Boris Karloff) to help. This takes Wong onto the San Francisco waterfront.
Karloff's fourth appearance as the Chinese detective. Like the rest, this is a cheap but enjoyable thriller.

manster (1959)

"I've gotta get it out of me."
A Japanese based American reporter (Peter Dyneley) is sent to interview a reclusive scientist (Tetsu Nakamura) and unwittingly becomes his next experiment, turning him into a hideous two-headed monster.
Cheap but watchable b movie, in part due to its Japanese setting.

indestructable man (1955)

"Remember what I said. I'm gonna get ya, all three of ya."
A small time hood (Lon Chaney, Jr.) is set up by his colleagues, resulting in him going to the gas chamber. Scientists subsequently experiment on his corpse, with the unexpected result that they accidentally revive him, making him impervious to harm. So what's a set up crook to do, but seek revenge...
Plays out like a film noir, detective voice over included. Chaney adds a level of fun to the proceedings.

brain that wouldn't die (1962)

aka The Head That Wouldn't Die.
"You did everything that you could doctor."
Dr Bill Cortner (Jason Evers) has developed a technique to revive clinically dead people, by stimulating the brain. But then Bill's girlfriend (Virginia Leith) is decapitated in a car crash and his experiments go one step further, as he struggles to keep her alive as a head in a jar. But he wants more than a head for a girlfriend, and starts looking for the perfect body down the nearest strip club.
Cheap and badly made, but good fun to watch.