Schlock Horror
Schlock refers to low-budget, entertaining fare that rarely wins critical acclaim – making it a perfect match for the horror genre. While early Hollywood churned out plenty of schlocky scares, the true golden age came with the decline of cinema attendance in the 1950s, when second-run theatres and drive-ins became schlock horror’s natural habitat. No one embraced the genre quite like William Castle, the master of movie gimmicks, who thrilled audiences with tricks like Emergo, Percepto, and Illusion-O – even mortgaging his house (more than once) to fund the fun. Roger Corman followed suit with equally outrageous horror, though his work was a little classier and usually falls under Poe and Friends. And for radioactive alien invaders, dive into the glorious chaos of Monster Movie Madness.
Links take you to the IMDd. Circled titles: A Point Blank Films fav!
13 Ghosts (1960) 6/10
More William Castle gimmickry, featuring Illusion-O – a handheld ‘ghost viewer’ – but this old-fashioned ghost story would have played better without it; it is nice to see Margaret Hamilton back on screen.
Arnold (1973) 6/10
Upon his death, Arnold leaves deathtraps, audiotapes and his preserved corpse in Dr. Phibes-esque horror comedy with great cast including Elsa Lanchester; a kooky, PG-rated exercise in bad taste.
Back from the Dead (1957) 4/10
Despite an interesting story involving a devil cult, this is cliché-ridden and dreary.
Berserk (1967) 5/10
There’s a killer on the loose at the circus in this high camp horror with a heavily made-up Joan Crawford still commanding attention amid the endless circus sequences.
Blood Feast (1963) 5/10
Gorefest that was the first of its kind – a Herschell Gordon Lewis classic of sorts that comes with his usual lack of technical ability, lamentable acting, and mind-numbing score.
Produced on a shoestring during Andy Milligan’s English trip, this story of a family of vampires has typically outlandish performances, theatrical costumes, and random sex scenes.
Z grade horror best known as Burt Young’s debut; it looks like it was shot on short ends, has cheap gore and ugly characters, but provides a great snapshot of Coney Island in 1970.
Chamber of Horrors (1966) 6/10
Failed TV pilot released theatrically – using the ‘Fear Flasher’ and the ‘Horror Horn’ – and sets from House of Wax; technically good B movie fun.
Doctor Death: Seeker of Souls (1973) 7/10
A flamboyant magician tries to prolong his life through reincarnation in this hammy 70s horror which revels in its ghoulishness; John Considine is particularly good in rare leading role.
Fear Chamber (1971) 2/10
One of four Mexican movies Boris Karloff made soon before he died, this has a wacky plot about a rock that feeds off fear, and while a sad end to an illustrious career, Karloff is great in any old garbage. aka The Torture Zone
The Gore Gore Girls (1972) 4/10
Herschell Gordon Lewis throws everything but the kitchen sink into his last eye-popping gore flick which adds topless dancing to the mix, along with intentional and unintentional laughs. aka Blood Orgy
Good cast (Cameron Mitchell, Anne Bancroft, Lee Marvin) in silly independent film released in 3D by Fox; broadcast in the early 80s with promotional 3D glasses to disappoint a new generation.
Help Me... I’m Possessed (1974) 1/10
Z-grade horror with a mad doctor, hunchback assistant, and torture in the bargain basement; one can only assume its title was an attempt to cash in on The Exorcist. aka Nightmare at Blood Castle
Homicidal (1961) 7/10
Fairly blatant Psycho rip-off by William Castle with classier plot than usual – but he still managed to squeeze in a gimmick, this time a ‘fright break’, to lure in the punters.
House on Haunted Hill (1959) 7/10
William Castle’s most iconic effort, this is a gleefully macabre blend of gimmickry and gothic charm, with Emergo (a skeleton that flew over the audience) and Vincent Price relishing every moment.
Richard Boone can cause people to die by sticking pins into a map of a cemetery in this cheaply made B flick with an interesting idea padded out to feature length.
Hilariously inept nonsense filmed in Florida in 1964 with bongo drums, nubile voodoo dancers, and pop-eyed zombies; released on a double-bill with the much more shocking I Drink Your Blood. aka Caribbean Adventure; Zombie
Macabre (1958) 6/10
William Castle employed his first gimmick (a $1,000 life insurance policy should you ‘die of fright’) for this talky thriller that provides enough twists and turns for undemanding audiences.
Malatesta’s Carnival of Blood (1973) 6/10
A dilapidated Pennsylvania amusement park is a haven for a cannibalistic cult in surreal Z-grade horror presumed lost for years; Hervé Villechaize appearance adds even more eccentricity.
The Manster (1959) 5/10
Low key, imaginative American B flick oddly filmed in Japan that was probably the first two-headed monster movie.
Mardi Gras Massacre (1978) 3/10
A serial killer roams the streets of New Orleans is this disco update of Blood Feast complete with schlocky gore and some added sleaze, but hardly enough for its 80s video nasty label.
Ghoulish William Castle flick with gimmick this time reduced to audiences voting on the villain’s fate in a ‘punishment poll’; silly gothic fun.
My Blood Runs Cold (1965) 6/10
Troy Donahue is a disturbed young man who meets a girl he believes is a long-dead ancestor in modest Warner Bros. chiller in style of William Castle.
Mr. Rabbey is no Mister Rogers, but a creepy children’s TV show host with wild eyes, on a mission to murder hilariously abusive parents in true oddity from the weirdest corner of 1970s cinema. aka An Eye for An Eye; Psychopath
The Screaming Skull (1958) 5/10
A free funeral is offered to anyone who dies of fright during this likeable AIP production which has cheap FX and cheesy performances but was fun enough to get the MST3K treatment.
She Freak (1967) 4/10
David F. Friedman’s reworking of Freaks comes straight out of the gutter but is something of a valentine to the carnival lifestyle.
Mind numbingly awful Herschell Gordon Lewis ESP horror with woeful acting and trippy score – Something Weird video needed better inspiration than this!
The Tingler (1959) 6/10
Percepto! – electric buzzers underneath some cinema seats – was employed for this decent William Castle flick with Vincent Price great as always and some interesting subplots beneath the silliness.
The Touch of Satan (1971) 1/10
Apart from a mad killer grandma, this movie is deadly dull, though it made for a great MST3K episode.
Three on a Meathook (1972) 3/10
Loosely based on the crimes of Ed Gein, this wants to be a sleazy version of Psycho, but it’s mostly just a padded-out melodrama with atrocious performances.
Tormented (1960) 5/10
A jazz pianist is haunted by his bitchy dead ex in low-budget schlock with hilarious FX – enough to entertain on its own merits, it led to one of the best MST3K episodes.
Typical Andy Milligan cheapie shot on short ends at his crumbling Staten Island mansion with gore and nudity failing to make up for the endless, mind-numbing dialogue.
Two on a Guillotine (1965) 7/10
Campy fun about the daughter of a psychotic magician (Cesar Romero) who must stay in his mansion for seven nights to inherit his fortune; ghoulish plot but overlong.
Psycho thriller that needed it’s ‘Duo-Vision’ gimmick (constant use of split screen), because otherwise it’s a campy soap opera with bad sound and an overbearing organ soundtrack.