the brides of fu manchu (1966)

"Send her to the snakes!"
Fu Manchu (Christopher Lee) is kidnapping the daughters of famous scientists, and using them as leverage to make them build him a death ray. Inevitably Nayland Smith (Douglas Wilmer) is called in to again defeat this world bothering maniac.
So-so thriller, taking the boys own adventure of the previous episode and adding darker elements.

curse of the fly (1965)

"We're scientists. We have to things that we hate, even sicken us."
Martin Delambre (George Baker) marries Pat Stanley (Carole Gray), who he literally bumps into after she has escaped from a mental hospital. They subsequently go to stay with his father (Brian Donlevy), who is a scientist experimenting in matter transportation, with horrific results, especially on human. These mutants are kept locked up, but Pat discovers one when she escapes, and is convinced that she is going mad. But then the police turn up looking for her...
A fine horror that has little to do with the first two films in the series.

kiss of the vampire (1963)

AKA Kiss of Evil.
"I will not say that she has not changed in any way., Mr. Harcourt. She has, as you may put it, grown up - tasted the more sophisticated, more erotic fruits of... life."
It's the turn of the century and a funeral is underway in a remote village. A mystery man (Clifford Evans) turns up and plunges a spade into the coffin, killing the vampire within...We next meet Gerald and Marianne Harcourt (Edward de Souza and Jennifer Daniel) who have to make for the deserted village hotel, when their car runs out of petrol. There they wonder why the hotel is empty, but don't have time to ponder when they are invited to Dr. Ravna's (Noel Willman) castle for dinner. Ravna and his family prove to be perfect hosts, maybe too perfect...
A fine Gothic horror, that relys on a sense of unease as it builds to its conclusion.

the golden disc (1958)

AKA The Inbetween Age.
"Why should they listen to our records, then go somewhere else to buy them."
Joan Farmer (Mary Steele) is a young woman who dreams of a singing career, but in the meantime she helps out her aunt who has just bought a coffee bar. With a couple of friends, Harry (Lee Patterson) and Terry (Terry Dene) they turn it into the trendiest place to be. Then her aunt has the bright idea of selling records alongside the coffee, and not just anyone's discs, but their own. Step forward Terry who proves a hit with the kids, but can they survive the cut-throat businessmen in the music industry?
A charmingly low budget look at the coffee bar scene of late 50's Britain, of the 'lets put on a show right here' type. Despite everything this is a fascinating look at a Britain on the cusp of a revolution where the coffee bars where just the start. First came Jazz, then skiffle, and rock n roll. It all led to a explosion that was to become the Beatles and the swinging sixties. Here we see the first faltering steps towards that new dawn, this truly was the inbetween age.

psychomania (1973)

aka Death Wheelers Are... Psycho Maniacs. The Death Wheelers. The Frog. The Living Dead.
A motor cycle gang aptly called the Living Dead find out a route to eternal life. Tom Latham (Nicky Henson) leads the gang of misfits and finds out through his mother (Beryl Reid) how to really become the living dead. Once he achieves this goal, he convinces most of the rest of the gang to follow him. Thus they are free to terrorise the town, free in the knowledge they can never die again. Unfortunately things don't quite go to plan and Tom's girlfriend has second thoughts about it all as does his mother.
A great British horror, featuring witchcraft, horror and the right level of tongue in cheek humour. Cheap and cheerful in all the right ways.

rasputin the mad monk (1966)

The last few years in the life of Rasputin, following his rise to court physician and religious adviser to his assassination. We open with Rasputin (Christopher Lee) curing an innkeepers wife, getting drunk, attempting to rape his daugher and then fighting his way back to the monastery. This is obviously not our standard monk! Obviously the abbot isn't too happy with Rasputins behaviour and throws him out, someone suggests he try his luck in St Petersburg, so away he goes. There he worms his way into the affections of one of the Czarina's ladies in waiting (Barbara Shelley), and from there he starts to influence the Czarina. But whilst he makes allies of the women of court, the men are not so easy, and soon fear he has undue control over the Tzars household and plot to take him out of the picture. Don't look here for historical accuracy, the film concentrates on Rasputin, his charisma and extraordinarily hypnotic power. Centered on a great performance by Christopher Lee. Without this the film would be a standard Hammer costumed drama, but Lee has the look and feel of Rasputin as he glowers and growls his way through an otherwise standard Hammer.

the devil-ship pirates (1964)

Christopher Lee returns as a pirate captain, this time in the employ of the Spanish as part of the armada. Soundly beaten and in need of repair they beach the ship in English marshland and convince the local village that the Spanish had won. But not all the villagers are convinced and begin a resistance moment.
Another rousing pirate romp with a suitably devilish Christopher Lee. By this time Hammer had found a ship, but it never really moves and thus we have another entry to the landlocked pirate genre!