John Croydon Movies
- 1967
An experiment gone wrong gives new meaning to the saying "you can't get there from here" in this sci-fi drama. Professor Steiner (Bryant Halliday) is a scientist working on a machine that will "project" matter from one place to another; while he's making considerable progress, the device is not yet perfect. Steiner believes that he's close to a breakthrough, but his superior Dr. Blanchard (Norman Wooland) doesn't believe in the project and cuts off Steiner's funding. Not willing to give up on his invention, Steiner learns that visiting researcher Prof. Lembach (Gerard Heinz) might be willing to back him, so with the help of his assistant Shelia (Tracey Crisp), he attempts to "project" himself into Lembach's hotel room with his experimental machine. However, the equipment goes awry, and Steiner emerges as a hideous electrically charged mutant whose touch can kill, sending him on a spree of revenge against those who tried to stop him. The Projected Man was the sole directorial credit for TV writer Ian Curteis. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Mary Peach, Bryant Halliday, (more)
Based on a novel by Richard Hughes, this drama takes an unusual look at both seafaring pirates and the true nature of children. The Thorntons, a British family living in Jamaica, decide to pull up stakes and sail back to England after Frederick Thornton (Nigel Davenport) and his wife (Isabel Dean) decide that life in the Caribbean is having a negative effect on her children's sense of order and discipline. While returning home, their ship is attacked by Capt. Chavez (Anthony Quinn), who along with his first mate Zac (James Coburn), begins to loot the ship for valuables. However, in the midst of the confusion of the pirate raid, the Thornton children scurry onto the pirate ship, and it's not until they've left the other ship behind that Chavez and Zac discover that they have new passengers. While most of the pirates are unenthusiastic about having a pack of kids on board, Chavez declares that they must be allowed to stay on board until they can be taken to a safe port. As they get to know each other, Chaven develops a soft spot for the children, especially ten-year-old Emily (Deborah Baxter), but in time, the kids' mischievous playfulness begins to transform itself into something more sinister. The supporting cast includes Dennis Price, Lila Kedrova, and Gert Frobe. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Anthony Quinn, James Coburn, (more)
- 1959
This enjoyably twisted British thriller was shot back-to-back with the equally warped Haunted Strangler and is one of the first films of any genre to address the subject of drug addiction. It stars Boris Karloff as Dr. Thomas Bolton, a London surgeon who believes he has developed a safe and effective anesthetic serum which he hopes will revolutionize the world of medicine. Unfortunately, a demonstration of the drug before a panel of his peers ends in a horrific mishap -- with his patient awakening under the knife -- and he is forced to leave his position in disgrace. To complicate matters, Bolton has become addicted to his own concoctions and is forced to enter an illicit arrangement, forging death certificates for a pair of grave-robbers (including Christopher Lee) in exchange for a regular fix and the means to continue his experiments. As one would imagine, this shady partnership leads him further down the road to ruin, culminating in his unwitting participation in murder -- for which he becomes the victim of a blackmail scheme. Karloff's multi-layered performance is one of his finest, bringing a great deal of pathos to his tragic character. This film was also something of a turning point for Lee, who had already risen to international fame in many Hammer productions by the time this film was acquired by MGM for American distribution. ~ Cavett Binion, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Boris Karloff, Christopher Lee, (more)
- 1959
Filmed not long after the launch of Russia's Sputnik satellite, First Man Into Space benefited from a surface realism made possible by enhanced public knowledge of space-travel jargon and paraphernalia. Dashing astronaut Lt. Dan Prescott (Bill Edwards) disappears from view when his experimental spacecraft vanishes in a mysterious cloud. The space capsule returns to Earth, covered in a bizarre extraterrestrial coating. Shortly thereafter, a hulking, half-human creature raids a blood bank, killing the nurse on duty and gulping down the supplies. More bizarre, unexplained events occur before Prescott's older brother Cmdr. C.E. Prescott (Marshall Thompson) concludes that the monster is actually his missing brother, transformed by his experiences in space into a mutant, vampiric beast. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Marshall Thompson, Marla Landi, (more)
This sci-fi horror cult classic is based in and around a U.S. long-range radar installation in the Canadian wilderness, where soldiers and civilians alike are being struck dead by an unseen force. At first, the base commander believes these murders may have been the work of spies operating out of the woods -- a theory supported by unexplained fluctuations in power output from the base's nuclear plant. Because of the proximity of this reactor, residents of the nearby town begin to suspect the deaths are due to a radiation leak. The real answer turns out to be far more insidious. Autopsies reveal that the victims' spinal fluids have been sucked dry through holes at the base of their skulls. The bizarre murders are eventually linked to the work of psychic researcher Professor Walgate (Kynaston Reeves), whose experiments materializing human thoughts have not only been causing the power fluctuations, but have resulted in the creation of invisible brain-monsters. When the creatures attack the plant operators, a massive surge of radiation is released, revealing the creatures in all their hideous glory -- depicted by marvelous stop-motion animation -- as leaping, tentacled brains with wriggling antennae. This leads to the film's notoriously gory final act, in which the brain-things surround our heroes in a mountain cabin, descending in droves as the dwindling band of survivors hack, chop, and blast away at the beasts. After a slightly sluggish start, this intelligent and well-crafted thriller kicks out all the jams for a horrific climax, distinguished by some of the goriest effects seen in any film from the 1950s. ~ Cavett Binion, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Marshall Thompson, Kynaston Reeves, (more)
- 1958
There's a bit of Oedipus Rex in The Haunted Strangler, though it's not readily apparent at first. Boris Karloff plays 19th-century novelist James Rankin, who becomes obsessed with the long-closed case of the Haymarket Strangler. Twenty years earlier, a man named Styles (Michael Atkinson) was executed for the Strangler's crimes, but was he guilty? It turns out that the actual culprit was the surgeon who performed Styles' autopsy. Coming into possession of the surgeon's scalpel, Rankin is overwhelmed by mixed feelings of bloodlust and guilt. It is at this point that Rankin realizes that he is truly his own, and London's, worst enemy. Originally released in England as Grip of the Strangler, The Haunted Strangler was distributed by MGM in 1961. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Boris Karloff, Anthony Dawson, (more)
- 1957
In this African adventure, two brothers head to Kenya to lead settlers through the dense jungle. Conflict arises when the two fall in love with the same woman, the daughter of a homesteader. The little band of settlers is eventually joined by a fugitive killer who, along with one of the brothers, tries to convince the travelers to change their plans and go off to find gold. No one is interested, so they set off on their own. In the end, they are killed by angry natives. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1957
Tarzan and the Lost Safari is the first MGM-released Tarzan picture since 1942, and the first of the series to be lensed in color. Gordon Scott plays the Lord of the Jungle, herein guiding a group of high-society types through the jungle after their plane has crashed. Since there's no Jane in the film, old Tarz is permitted to extend every courtesy to heroines Gamage Dean (Yolande Donlan) and Diana Penrod (Betta St. John). The villain of the piece is white hunter Tusker Hawkins (Robert Beatty), who intends to turn over two of the safari members to tribal chief Ogonooro (Orlando Martins) in exchange for a fortune in ivory. Unlike earlier Tarzan epics, Tarzan and the Lost Safari was lensed in its entirety in Africa. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gordon Scott, Robert Beatty, (more)
- 1954
The Delavine Affair is a jewel robbery orchestrated by a particularly vicious criminal gang. Reporter Peter Reynolds (his character name is-no kidding-Rex Banner) makes it his mission in life to track down the crooks and round them up for the Law. The bad guys reciprocate by framing Reynolds for the murder of a stool pigeon. Everything works itself out within the film's alotted 64 minutes. Honor Blackman, famed for her participation in the original The Avengers TV series, costars. Delavine Affair was based on Winter Wears a Shroud, a novel by Robert Chapman. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1952
In this melodrama, a Welsh storekeeper secretly dreams of becoming a songwriter. His dream comes true when he wins a contest and gets a contract with a big London publishing company. He moves to the city and leaves his beloved behind. Once there, he finds himself so lonely that he is unable to create. Fortunately, he has enough music already written to satisfy his publisher, but he is totally blocked for writing new material. After a great struggle, he manages to write a decent song, but a corrupt publisher steals it from him. Fortunately, the writer has kept the music. Later he and his lover are reunited. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
Two of the British film industry's most potent comic talents appear in One Wild Oat. Robertson Hare heads the cast as distinguished barrister Humphrey Proudfoot, whose daughter Cherrie (June Sylvaine) is about to marry. Unfortunately, Cherrie's fiancé is Fred Gilbey (Andrew Crawford), the son of notorious philanderer Alfred Gilbey (Stanley Holloway). Fearing that Fred intends to follow in Alfred's footsteps (so to speak), Proudfoot does his best to undermine the romance. Gilbey turns the tables by threatening to reveal Proudfoot's own past indiscretions (including one that Gilbey has completely fabricated). It is up to the wives of the two old antagonists to solve matters and pave the way for a happy ending. One Wild Oat was co-adapted by Vernon Sylvaine from his own stage farce. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Robertson Hare, Stanley Holloway, (more)
- 1951
White Corridors was based on Yeoman Hospital, a novel by Helen Ashton. Told episodically, the story concentrates on the day-to-day activities in a busy hospital, where research pathologist Neil Marriner (James Donald) conducts experiments in the hopes of curing diseases impervious to penicillin. Marriner is aided in this endeavor by lady surgeon Dr. Sophie Dean (Googie Withers), who happens to be in love with him. After a tragedy occurs for which Marriner holds himself responsible, the film builds steadily to an exciting climax involving a untested -- and potentially dangerous -- serum. The top-rank British supporting cast includes Barry Jones, Moira Lister, Petula Clark, Basil Radford, Dagmar (later Dana) Wynter, Bernard Lee, and, in a minor role, future "Dr. Who" Patrick Troughton. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Googie Withers, Gerard Heinz, (more)
- 1949
Originally filmed in 1934 (see entry 84314), R.C. Sheriff's venerable stage comedy Badger's Green was given another screen treatment in 1949. The plot is the same as before: a group of villagers revolt when their precious cricket field is threatened with demolition by a fat-cat business firm. Most of the character names remain the same as well, with one curious exception: the heroine, played by Barbara Murray, is named Jane Morton rather than Molly Butler. Though shorter than the 1934 version, the 1949 Badger's Green enjoys far better production values. Still, the comedy content is rather dated, especially the jokes concerning class consciousness. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1948
In this fantasy, a stubborn ghost will not leave his former home. This causes problems for the living that dwell there. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1945
Considered the greatest horror anthology film, the classic British chiller Dead of Night features five stories of supernatural terror from four different directors, yet it ultimately feels like a unified whole. The framing device is simple but unsettling, as a group of strangers find themselves inexplicably gathered at an isolated country estate, uncertain why they have come. The topic of conversation soon turns to the world of dreams and nightmares, and each guest shares a frightening event from his/her own past. Many of these tales have become famous, including Basil Dearden's opening vignette about a ghostly driver with "room for one more" in the back of his hearse. Equally eerie are Robert Hamer's look at a haunted antique mirror that gradually begins to possess its owner's soul, and Alberto Cavalcanti's ghost story about a mysterious young girl during a Christmas party. Legendary Ealing comedy director Charles Crichton lightens the mood with an amusing interlude about the spirit of a deceased golfer haunting his former partner, leaving viewers vulnerable to Cavalcanti's superb and much-imitated closing segment, about a ventriloquist (Michael Redgrave) slowly driven mad when his dummy appears to come to life. Deservedly acclaimed and highly influential, Dead of Night's episodic structure inspired an entire genre of lesser imitators. ~ Judd Blaise, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Mervyn Johns, Michael Redgrave, (more)
- 1942
Set near the beginning of WW II, this exciting war drama follows a courageous British factory foreman as he makes a dangerous foray into occupied France to recover three machine parts that will be vital to the Allies. He is accompanied by a pair of tough British soldiers and an American girl. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tommy Trinder, Constance Cummings, (more)
