Dr Terror was the first of Amicus’ studios portmanteau horror movies. These were based on the format of Ealing Studios’ classic Dead Of Night. They all began with a tenuous linking device to bring together a disparate group of people, which would then lead into individual short stories told by or about each person, and…
The Natural
For some reason, I have amassed more promotional material for The Natural than any other movie. At last count, I have a UK quad, a French grande, a press book and a variety of stills – all of which are for sale here. It’s not that I have a particular affection for the movie. Its…
Billion Dollar Brain
Billion Dollar Brain was the third and final movie in the Harry Palmer spy series, starring Michael Caine. What started out in The Ipcress File as a grittier, more realistic take on international espionage than the James Bond series had by the time of this third instalment morphed into something approaching Bond-level of supervillain craziness….
Karate Motos
Sometimes the most obscure films make for the most fun posters. Let’s face it, I’m never going to watch ‘Karate Motos’, but this cool, kitsch poster is simply bonkers! This 1973 Hong Kong martial arts action thriller also goes by the title The Deadly Chase. I’ve no idea what its about, but the only synopsis…
Destroy All Monsters
I know I’ve seen a bunch of the original run of Toho Godzilla movies on afternoon TV many, many years ago, but they all rather blur into one. So I’m not sure if I’ve seen 1968 monster mash-up Destroy All Monsters or not. The plot, such as it is, involves Godzilla and ‘friends’ living in…
The Dam Busters
The 1955 Dam Busters is one of the most famous of all classic British World War II movies. It tells the true story of how Barnes Wallis developed the famous ‘bouncing bomb’, and the pilots who (spoiler alert!) successfully flew at very low altitudes over water to use it to destroy a strategically vital German…
The Fly
The original 1958 version of The Fly starts with a wife crushing her husband’s head in a mechanical press and is told in flashback from there. The 1986 David Cronenberg version is better known today, but the concept is essentially the same: an over-dedicated scientist attempts to teleport himself, only unknown to him a fly…
Moulin Rouge
John Huston’s 1952 Moulin Rouge is, frankly, quite a boring movie. I watched it on YouTube last year and was expecting something of the pizzazz of Baz Luhrmann’s jukebox musical version, but its a rather serious affair, centred around Toulouse Lautrec (Jose Ferrer). Yes, there is some can-can dancing, and it has some nice atmospheric…
The Hunger
If you like your vampires stylish and sexy, you probably like The Hunger. This was the directorial debut of Tony Scott, and its very much a case of style over substance – all billowing curtains, slow motion and expressionistic lighting. The ho-hum plot involves centuries-old modern-day vampire Catherine Deneuve and her partner David Bowie, who…
Flash Gordon
“Flash – aha! – saviour of the universe!” Even if you’ve never seen the 1980 version of Flash Gordon you’ve probably heard Queen’s bombastic title song. Its a knowingly ludicrous movie, which somehow manages to be both respectful (sort of) of the original 1940s movie serials and at at the same time firmly tongue in…