the magnificent seven deadly sins (1971)

"Why can't I get any help..."
Comedy that guides you through seven short stories based on the Seven Deadly Sins.
Features the cream of British comedy talent at the time, from Bruce Forsyth to Leslie Phillips.
As with most anthology films there are good, bad and indifferent stories, but no matter who the talent is and who wrote the script, overall this is still a lame 70's comedy. Why couldn't we do film comedy, when we created so much good TV comedy at the time?

the colossus of new york (1958)

"...your father has just become a famous man."
Dr Jeremy Spensser (John Baragrey), a genius and humanitarian, dies in an accident. His father (Otto Kruger) being a brain surgeon, decides to save his brain and places it within a robot body. But not just any old body, one that is 12 feet tall and possessed of enormous strength! Initially things go well, until the robot reveals it has developed ESP and predicts a number of catastrophic accidents and wants to go out into the world, but is prevented by his father and brother. What lengths will the robot go to to end its seclusion?
An interesting take on the Frankenstein story, with the mind of a gentle genius being warped by its seclusion and deprevation. Entertaining, but talky sci-fi.

cronos (1993)

AKA La invención de Cronos.
"I don't care about eternity."
An elderly antiques dealer Jesus Gris (Federico Luppi), stumbles upon a mechanised scarab, hidden inside a statue. On examination it takes a bite out of his hand. Then he finds himself revitalised, younger looking and feeling, but with a craving for blood and to use the scarab again. Then his real problem rears its head, in the form of Angel de la Guardia (Ron Perlman) who has long been looking for the fabled mechanism, built by an alchemist in 1535 to convey eternal life on its user.
A unique take on a simple question; what would you do if you had the chance at eternal life literally in you hand? A quiet story plays out in a sympathetic way, unveiling the decisions and consequences that these bring.

project x (1967)

"we only have 14 days..."
In the year 2118 Hagen Arnold (Christopher George), a spy is involved in an almost fatal plane crash and is crogenically frozen. The authorities need to know what he found out about a deadly new weapon the East are developing and only have ten days to do so. Desperate they decide to use new and untested technologies to move into his brain in an attempt to recover the supressed memories.
Mixing genetics, biological weapons and subliminal messaging, this is a weird, psychedelic, and rather talky sci-fi.

the house of dracula (1945)

AKA The Wolf Man's Cure.
"The evil he creates he can also destroy."
Dracula (John Carradine) arrives at Dr Edlemann's (Onslow Stevens) house seeking a cure for vampirism, but on meeting the Dr's beautiful assistant Miliza (Martha O'Driscoll) he pursues her and seems to decide against the treatment; instead infecting the dr with his own blood. But Miliza only has eyes for another patient Lawrence Talbert (Lon Chaney Jr.) who is a werewolf. Meanwhile as Hyde the Dr's only concern is to bring Frankenstein's monster back to life. Cue the vengeful torch bearing townsfolk!
Due to the amount of monsters that have to be crammed into the plot, this is an almost comically quickfire film, with barely time to breathe between the various events. A film that you cannot get bored watching as you have very little time to. Entertaining if convoluted. It is also interesting in its sympathetic portrayal of all concerned. Even the hunchback character is now a beautiful nurse, who serves only to help others.

homicidal (1961)

"Take this woman for your lawful wedded wife?"
A mysterious woman Miriam Webster (Patricia Breslin), offers a hotel porter Jim Nesbitt (Richard Rust) some money to marry her. Once married she then turns on the justice of the peace and brutally stabs him before fleeing. Enter the elderly Helga (Eugenie Leontovich) and an $10 million inheritance.
An entertaining film with more than a passing resemblance to Psycho, this is a thriller with its own twists and turns, and a trademark Castle gimmick, this time a 'fright break'.

the return of count yorga (1971)

AKA Curse of Count Yorga. The Abominable Count Yorga.
"When you've lived as long as I you gather a little knowledge along the way."
Count Yorga (Robert Quarry) has purchased an old Gateway Mansion near an Orphanage, and the vampires waste no time in using this food source. They are helped by Tommy (Philip Frame) one of the children who covers for them. When the orphange has its annual fund raiser Yorga turns up and is immediately taken with teacher Cynthia Nelson (Mariette Hartley) and kidnaps her. After the fund raiser the vampiresses arrive to have their own party, leaving only Jennifer (Yvonne Wilder) and Tommy alive, but with Tommy covering for them and no bodies Jennifer cannot convince the authorities anything happened. Dr Baldwin (Roger Perry) viewing the evidence, slowly starts to believe that there is a vampire about, but can he save Cynthia?
An entertainingly 70's take on the vamp film. It dips a little at times as Yorga 'romances' Cynthia, but livens up for the usual end chase. This is helped enormously by the character of Yorga who is at times swarve and urbane but also scarily feral when the blood lust takes him.