Friday Night At The Home Drive-In: The Hand (1960)

Poster for The Hand (1960)The Hand (1960) by #HenryCass
w/ #DerekBond #RonaldLeighHunt 

In Burma, British soldiers refuse to divulge military information and have their hands chopped off. Years later,. a mad killer terrorizes London by cutting off the hands of his victims.

“From War-Torn Burma to the Asphalt Jungles of the Big City His Revenge Was the Crime of the Century!”

#Horror #Crime
#NotQuiteClassicCinema
#FridayNightAtTheHomeDriveIn

The Hand (1960) is not the typical sort of movie I used to see on Not Quite Classic Theatre. It’s almost more of a film noir, or crime drama, than a horror film. However, the hand-chopping action earns it a place as at least a horror adjacent movie. Continue reading

Friday Night At The Home Drive-In: Devil’s Partner (1960)

Poster for Devil's Partner (1960)Devil’s Partner (1960) by #CharlesRRondeau
w/
#EdgarBuchanan #JeanAllison #RichardCrane

A vengeful old hermit sells his soul to the devil & turns into a young man.

“Half man, half beast–he sold his soul for passion!”

“Doesn’t make sense, a hunk of beef killing a man like Doctor Marx.”

#Horror
#NotQuiteClassicCinema
#FridayNightAtTheHomeDriveIn

I don’t recall seeing a lot of movies about Satanism, or making deals with the devil, when I was a young lad. So, I’m pretty sure I never saw Devil’s Partner (1960) on Not Quite Classic Theatre. The back of the DVD describes the plot like this: “”An old hermit makes a pact with the Devil and, in exchange for his obedience, is given restored youth and vitality. He returns to his hometown, after assuming the identity of his own nephew, and takes up residence in his former home.”

Well, if I hadn’t read that ahead of time, I would have had a lot more trouble understanding this movie. We see an old man die at the beginning. And then we see a young man, his nephew, appear in town looking for him. It takes the movie quite a while to reveal to us that they are in fact the same person. That’s okay. In fact, it might have been better not to blow that twist ahead of time (thanks DVD box). But there are a few other details that only make sense once you realize what’s really going on. Continue reading

Friday Night At The Home Drive-In: Night of the Blood Beast (1958)

Poster for Night of the Blood Beast (1958)Night of the Blood Beast (1958) by #BernardLKowalski
produced by
#GeneCorman
executive producer: #RogerCorman
w/#MichaelEmmet #AngelaGreene

An astronaut is killed on reentry to Earth, but his body is seeded with rapidly gestating aliens. 

“No girl was safe as long as this head-hunting thing roamed the land!”

#Horror #SciFi
#NotQuiteClassicCinema
#FridayNightAtTheHomeDriveIn

As anyone who knows me can attest, I am a fan of Roger Corman. He was the executive producer of Night of the Blood Beast (1958), but it was his brother, Gene Corman, who wore the main producer’s hat. They made a number of films together. If memory serves me correctly, Roger brought his brother Gene into the business. Roger, of course, would go on to produce more than 500 films. Gene only did about 36, but that’s still more than most of us will ever do. Continue reading

Friday Night At The Home Drive-In: Last Woman on Earth (1960)

Poster for Last Woman on Earth (1960)Last Woman on Earth (1960) by #RogerCorman
screenplay: #RobertTowne
w/
#BetsyJonesMoreland #AntonyCarbone

A gangster, his wife, and his lawyer may be the last people alive.

“They fought for the Ultimate Prize!”

“You mean you’d exile one-third of the human race?”

#Horror #SciFi
#NotQuiteClassicCinema
#FridayNightAtTheHomeDriveIn

Last Woman on Earth (1960) is one of three movies that Roger Corman made in Puerto Rico. He made Creature from the Haunted Sea (1961) back to back with Last Woman on Earth to save money (shoot two movies while on location in one place). Last Woman on Earth is probably the better of the two. It was written by renowned screenwriter Robert Towne (Chinatown (1974), The Last Detail (1973)) and feels kind of like an old episode of The Twilight Zone (1959-1964).

Continue reading

Friday Night At The Home Drive-In: House of the Damned (1963)

Poster for House of the Damned (1963)House of the Damned (1963) by #MauryDexter
w/
#RonFoster #MerryAnders #RichardKiel

While doing survey work for a friend, an architect and his wife encounter bizarre activity in a mansion built by an eccentric heiress.

“13 keys to unleash the living dead.”

“We Dare You To Enter”

#Horror
#NotQuiteClassicCinema
#FridayNightAtTheHomeDriveIn

I’ve always liked haunted house movies – ever since seeing Bud Abbott and Lou Costello in Hold That Ghost (1941) when I was a kid. House of the Damned (1963) is not a movie that I saw back then. In fact, I’d never even heard of it before picking up a DVD some years back. The funny thing is, it’s not really a haunted house movie – but then again, neither is Hold That Ghost Continue reading