corruption (1968)

"All we can do now is to wait."
Lynn Nolan (Sue Lloyd) is the model girlfriend of Sir John Rowan (Peter Cushing) who is facially scarred in an accident. Being an accomplished doctor Sir John soon develops a formula to restore her beauty. Unfortunately for all, this quickly wears off and they set about murdering to keep up the supply and her beauty.
A Hammer alike, using a dash of many similar stories such as Eyes Without A Face, with the twist that Lynn is no innocent, activly encouraging the murders so she can maintain her good looks.

the black torment (1964)

"He's been a victim of an impostor!"
The lord of the manor, Sir Richard Fordyce (John Turner), returns home with a new wife (Heather Sears), but is perplexed to find out many believe they have seen him around the estate already, and complicating things are a series of murders. Has Richard lost his mind, as he complains of ghostly figures or is something more sinister happening?
Underated gothic horror.

the smashing bird i used to know (1969)

aka Hell House Girls. House of Unclaimed Women. School for Unclaimed Girls.
"That girl has nothing in this world but guilt."
Traumatised by witnessing her father's death, Nicki (Madeleine Hinde) is further disturbed when her mother's wide-boy boyfriend (Patrick Mower) tries to rape her. Stabbing him puts him off, but lands her in reform school for her trouble. There she comes under the influence of the usual bullies and lesbians, (including Maureen Lipman and Lesley-Anne Down), and eventually runs away and turns to Peter (Dennis Waterman) for help.
The title suggests a swinging sixties mod number, what we get is an exploitation flick about a troubled teenager and her turmoil.

the sandwich man (1966)

aka That Swinging City.
"It'll cost you a bob!"
Episodic comedy, which follows Horace Quilby (Michael Bentine), whose job is walk the streets with a sandwich-board. Whilst on the job, he meets up with many strange characters inhabitng the streets of London.
The great and the good of British comedy all turn out, (from Diana Dors to Terry-Thomas), to do a turn, in this sentimental and often quite unfunny comedy. What it does capture is the look of London just as it started to swing. More of a historical document than anything else.

the black torment (1964)

aka Estate of Insanity.
"There's some say you've never been gone."
Sir Richard (John Turner) arrives back at his ancestral seat with a new wife in tow (Heather Sears), after three months in London. But rumours abound that he had secretly returned a month previously and committed murder. Can these rumours have anything to do with the death of his first wife and where are they coming from?
A well made 60's gothic horror, in grand Hammer horror style.

the fiend (1972)

aka Beware My Brethren.
"God looks after the righteous."
A puritan religious sect, led by the Minister (Patrick Magee), performs its services in Mrs Wemys (Ann Todd) house. She is fully emersed in the needs of the church, and is ever fearful that they will cast out her son Kenny (Tony Beckley). For unfortunately Kenny has taken this religious fanatisism to another level 'cleansing' wrong-doing women in his religious fervor.
Anti-religious tract, that fails to grip, due to its slow pacing. This dissipates what little chills are thrown the audience's way.

the yellow teddybears (1963)

aka Gutter Girls. Thrill Seekers.
"I prefer my men a bit more mature."
A bunch of hormonal school girls including Linda (Annette Whiteley) wear yellow teddybear broaches to denote they have lost their virginity, and look down on the other girls as uncool. But then Linda discovers she may be pregnant and not able to confide in anyone struggles with what to do...
An interesting snapshot of pre swinging Britain and social attitudes to premarital sex and abortion, which at the time was still illegal.

gonks go beat (1965)

"yes he shook something or other."
Romeo and Juliette tale where instead of the Montagues and Capulets, there is ballad isle and beatland. Neither can get on with the other, until a young couple fall in love and bring the warring communities together, with the help of Wilco Roger (Kenneth Connor) an intergalactic ambassador.
A basic premise, (and very basic budget), on which to hang various performances from such performers as Graham Bond and The Nashville Teens. Oh and a gonk was/is a weird stuffed toy popular at the time! Makes no sense, but then that's the fun of it.

saturday night out (1964)

"Alright? I'm always alright on a saturday night."
A ships crew are excited to be back in London on overnight shore leave. They quickly split up to find entertainment. David Lodge goes to visit his 'mother'. The younger sailors head to the pub on the hunt for girls, but end up with prostitutes. One then splits to go up west and ends up in a clip joint and tangles with Freddie Mills when he gets ripped off. Bernard Lee on the other hand, is after a classier night and heads to a fine hotel. He almost gets caught in a honey trap but manages to turn the tables on the blackmailers. Meanwhile John Bonney meets and falls for the quirky beatnik Heather Sears.
For your money you get a bit of everything here, from comedy, music and drama, all on a b-movie budget. A fine piece of pre-swinging London entertainment with the Searchers as a pub band.

incense for the damned (1970)

aka Bloodsuckers.Doctors Wear Scarlet. Freedom Seekers.
Richard Fountain (Patrick Mower), an authority on Greek mythology, is in Greece researching. Word reaches Britain that Richard has taken up with some unusual people and as he's the son of the foreign secretary, a potential scandal is brewing. A disparate group of Richards friends track him down, and bring him back, including his girlfriend, an investigator and Major Longboy (Patrick McNee). Much to everyone's dismay, Fountain had taken up with Chriseis (Imogen Hassal), abandoned his studies and worst of all there seem to be unexplained deaths occurring wherever Richard was on the islands. But back in college at Oxford, Richard is still under Chriseis's influence, despite her death in Greece; things can only get worse.
Packed with decent British actors, and filmed in Greece, this film still manages to look and feel like a cheap and cheerful quickie. Dashed off in a hurry, with terrible lines and a voice over to fill in the gaps. What could have been an interesting tale of Vampirism as a psycho-sexual release, ends up a confused not quite mess. You can see what they wanted to do, but didn't have the time and or money to produce. A curio rather than anything anyone must see.