the leather boys (1964)

Sidney J Furie directed this mix of kitchen sink drama and biker film. Which is notable for it's oblique reference to one of the characters being gay.
Reggie is a young newlywed who is having trouble when he's befriended by Pete and they bond over their mutual love of bikes. But does Pete want to be more than just a friend to Reggie?

quatermass and the pit (1967)

aka Five Million Years To Earth.
The third Hammer Quatermass film. This time Quatermass gets irascible when workmen in the London underground discover skeletons of what appear to have been subhuman creatures. Things get even more interesting when they then discover what could be a spaceship.
My favourite of the three Quatermasses is an interesting mix of Sci-fi and horror and wonderful Barbara Shelley.

quatermass 2 (1957)

aka Enemy From Space.
1957 saw Hammer again making use of the BBC serial as the basis of another outing for Professor Quatermass. This time he takes on Government and alien cover-ups. As alien creatures are taking over humans as hosts, Quatermass tries to find out what is going on. Brian Donlevy is again Quatermass, this time slightly less brusque than before and a more sympathetic character for it. Features a great cameo from Sid James.

the quatermass xperiment (1955)

aka The Creeping Unknown.
1955 saw the release of what is considered the first of the 'Hammer Horrors', The Quatermass Xperiment. The spelling was deliberate to tie in with the X Certificate that it was given. Brian Donlevy as Quatermass is a bit too brusque for me, but Richard Wordsworth is fantastically tortured as the astronaut being consumed by an alien prescence.

circus of horrors (1960)

Anton Diffring is a plastic surgeon on the run after one too many botched face jobs. He stumbles on a rundown circus, which he takes over, as a cover for his continued operations. A low key, but effective little film, nicely played by the cast.

cat o' nine tails (1971)

aka Il Gatto a Nove Code
The second in Dario Argento's animal trilogy, features Karl Malden as a blind man helping a journalist, James Franciscus, find a killer.
Though not one of Argento's best, it's still a stylish though understated thriller. I especially loved the blind man and his niece.

satan in high heels (1962)

An exploitation gem from 1962, where a third-rate burlesque dancer steals some money and heads to the bright lights of New York. Once there she causes trouble as she's groomed as a night-club cabaret singer. Along the way Sabrina, (the English Jayne Mansfield), pops into the club to sing and there's a leather-clad dominatrix style performance of "Deadlier Than the Male". If you like the idea of sleazy, smoke filled nightclubs, filled with voluptuous vixens listening to cool jazz, well this is the film for you.

a couple of beauties (1971)

Bunny Lewis (a famous drag artist from the 70's club scene - no me neither) is a barman who witnesses a murder and escapes to Manchester and drags up to avoid capture by gangsters.
A bizarre little comedy set in and staring the good and the bad of the 1971 Manchester club scene, including Bernard Manning. Probably only of interest to those who either have an interest in or remember the northern club scene. Watch this to find out why Mark E Smith is like he is!

nothing but the best (1963)

Underrated satire about an ambitious young man as he climbs the ladder of success any way he can. Cut through with witty one liners, often thrown away in background conversations. Alan Bates perfects his old school tie accent as he moves from working class underling to old guard stalwart. Beautifully shot by cameraman Nic Roeg.

emmanuelle and the last cannibals (1977)

aka Trap Them and Kill Them, Emanuelle's Amazon Adventure, Emanuelle Ende Laaiste Cannibalen, Emanuelle Pa Safari, Emanuelle E Gli Ultimi Cannibal, Nackt Unter Kannibalen.
Joe D'Amato introduces us to the intrepid reporter Emmanuelle as she tries to track down a lost tribe of cannibals. Stopping only to have sex at opportune moments. This is basically a soft-core porno with some added gore when they eventually stumble on the tribe. But if you want to see what it would look like to rip a body literally in half, then take a look.

house of whipcord (1974)

AKA Photographer's Models.

Whilst the Italians were wandering the British countryside making zombie films, Peter Walker was putting together this little exploitation horror/women in prison film. A young model is taken to meet a mysterious man's parents, who turn out to run a prison punishing 'immoral' young women. Whilst the model tries to escape, her room-mate becomes worried at her disappearance and turns detective. Though slow paced at times, this is fun and well put together.

the living dead at manchester morgue (1974)

aka Let Sleeping Corpses Lie, Don't Open The Window, Breakfast At The Manchester Morgue, The Living Dead, Breakfast With The Dead, Zombi 3...[the list goes on]
The film takes us from a festering 1970's Manchester into the clean, green Lake District, where director Jorge Grau creates an eco-disaster zombie film. A place where the police are bullheaded and intrangigent, and the authorities experiment with our food crops. Eco-disaster awaits and the police would rather blame satanists. A realism winds its way throughout the plot, which is topped off with a suitably nihilistic ending. Well worth tracking down.