Harry Spalding Movies
The ample but well-covered attractions of (Anat Topol-Barzilai) are frequently on display in this supernatural thriller that borrows heavily from Rosemary's Baby and a number of lesser horror films. She plays a new mother who moves into her in-law's bizarre, ancient mansion. It gradually becomes clear to Grace that her husband John (Gary Sloan) and mother-in-law Elizabeth (Mary Shelly) are reincarnated witches, who plan to use her newborn in their Satanic rituals. Her increasingly powerful psychic gifts give her visions which enable her to see that the two of them were burned at the stake for their misdeeds in previous lives. In one notable scene, the pair attempt to serve her up as a human sacrifice. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Anat "Topol" Barzilai, Gary Sloan, (more)
This Disney Studios attempt at entering the horror genre is a British production based on the chilling novel by Florence Engel Randall. An American family, headed by composer Paul Curtis (David McCallum) and his wife Helen (Carroll Baker), is renting an old mansion in England. The mansion's owner is Mrs. Aylwood (Bette Davis), who lives in a small guest house on the property. The mansion is surrounded by dense, forbidding woods. The Curtis children, Jan (Lynn-Holly Johnson) and Ellie (Kyle Richards), explore the forest. Mrs. Aylwood is continually searching the woods for her daughter -- whom she lost there 30 years ago. Over time, the children come to be haunted by the spirit of the daughter, Karen (Katherine Levy). The film was originally released in 1980 with an ending that included a huge alien from another planet. The studio pulled back the film after test audiences laughed at the special effects, and re-released the movie in 1982 with a new ending that circumvented the alien. ~ Michael Betzold, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bette Davis, Carroll Baker, (more)
- 1975
The central "character" of the Disney made-for-TV movie The Sky's the Limit is a battered old biplane. The aircraft comes in handy when a spry old farmer (Pat O'Brien) makes an effort to "reach" his truculent grandson (Ike Eisenmann). It so happens that the farmer was a World War I ace, and as such promises to take the boy up in the air for a crop-dusting session. Next step: get the biplane into flying shape. Also starring Lloyd Nolan and Jeanette Nolan (no relation), The Sky's the Limit premiered as a two-part Wonderful World of Disney episode on January 19 and 26, 1975. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1974
- PG
This speculative horror film details the tribulations endured by a specially-selected test group of 11 people who are informed that they will be the only occupants of a nuclear fallout shelter built half a mile below the Earth's surface. Chosen by project coordinator Peter Macomber (Bradford Dillman) as a fair cross-section of humanity, the group includes a politician, a businessman, an athlete and an author. As it turns out, the "survivors" are unwitting participants in one of those contrived psychological experiments featured so often on programs like The Twilight Zone. To make matters worse, someone's left a vent open, releasing thousands of ravenous vampire bats. Produced in Mexico, this tepid psycho-thriller plays out like the aforementioned TV drama, albeit padded out to 100 minutes. Said padding seems comprised of equal parts dull dialogue and interminable battles with the winged foes -- which are admittedly quite realistic and make for some genuine creep-out scenes. ~ Cavett Binion, All Movie Guide
In this comical Disney western, a cavalry rider goes AWOL in the midst of a raid to save the lives of a band of Indian women and children. He then takes off across the New Mexican desert astride a camel. En route, he meets a young white boy who was raised by an Indian. The Indian is trying to find his tribe and so enlists the aid of the wayward soldier. Later they encounter a widow and her daughter. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1967
A priceless cache of blue diamonds cause criminal chaos in this grim action drama that is set in the Mexican jungle. The excitement begins with the robbery of an armored car carrying the valuable gems. Something goes awry and all but one of the thieves die violently. The sole witness to the crime then kills the surviving crook and hides the diamonds in the jungle. Later a gangster captures him and tries to force him to disclose their location. The gangster's moll takes pity on the fellow and helps him escape. The two then make a desperate bid for the border with both the crooks and the Diamond Syndicate Police in hot pursuit. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ina Balin, Sancho Gracia, (more)
- 1966
Britisher Trader Faulkner goes on his honeymoon with new bride Marla Landi. Little does he suspect that Landi is conspiring with ex-husband Ken Scott to murder Faulkner for his money. Faulkner tumbles to their little scheme, and plots a revenge. The plotters get their just desserts, but Faulkner ends up just as dead as he would have been had he never caught on. Filmed in England, The Murder Game was released in the US by 20th Century-Fox. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ken Scott, Marla Landi, (more)
- 1965
This horror movie, the third and final entry in "The Fly" series, features a failed teleportation device, a mad scientist, a fugitive from a looney bin, and a closet full of mutants. The trouble begins again after a young woman escapes from a mental institution and ends up at the home of the Delambre family. There she finds the family leader continuing his experiments in using a machine to teleport people from one place to another. She also finds his handsome son whom she marries. After she discovers a closet filled with failed teleportation experiments, the police are notified. The crazed scientist tries to use his machine. Again it fails and all that remains of the mad inventor is a gooey blob. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Brian Donlevy, Carole Gray, (more)
- 1965
It's mayhem on the sand in this tuneful beach romp that centers on a coed and a frat boy who battle it out for possession of the same beach house. Both had scheduled parties there on the same weekend. Fortunately, the arrive at a fun compromise and music, dancing, wild parties and love ensues. Sonny and Cher make cameo appearances and sing a song. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1965
In this sci-fi film set in the near future, the civilized world is controlled by an all-powerful computerized government that is carefully choosing colonists for its newest space launch. The candidates are selected on the basis of their age, health and IQ. They are only in space a few weeks when the crew begins to rebel against the inhuman control of the computer. They then mutiny and in place of the autocracy, they establish a small democratic society and begin searching for a planet to call their own. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bill Williams, Kathleen Breck, (more)
- 1964
In this spooky horror film set in an old English village, the trouble begins when a man endeavors to dig up a cemetery containing the charred bodies of witches burned at the stake 300 years before. The warlock who looks after the family cemetery tries to stop him, but cannot. As soon as their graves are disturbed, the witches arise and strange things begin to happen to the family of the man who dug them up. Later the true culprit behind the mayhem is revealed. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lon Chaney, Jr., Jack Hedley, (more)
- 1964
Scuba-divers plot a bank robbery on lovely Catalina island in this caper movie. After the heist, the thieves dive into the see with their booty and swim for their getaway boat. Unfortunately while fleeing, the ring leader's chief assistant suffers a heart attack; more trouble ensues when a police bullet punctures the leader's air tank. Though he is now starving for oxygen and tired, the villain keeps going. Just as he is about to board the boat, he is sucked in to the crafts powerful propeller and dies a grisly death. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
A retired spy agrees to help his former boss by helping another agent get some tapes containing defense information to Paris. When his boss is killed, he must stay ahead of the rival agents, eventually learning that the female agent he is helping is one of them. He is able to defeat her and get the tapes to the proper recipients. ~ Steve Huey, All Movie Guide
- 1964
This obscure little science fiction/horror film (a British-American co-production) stars Willard Parker as a heroic astronaut who returns from a test flight to discover that most of England has been utterly destroyed by alien invaders, whose armies of killer robots have transformed nearly all of their victims into zombies. Parker manages to rally together a small resistance army from a few scattered survivors in outlying villages, and they eventually find the earth-based relay point for the transmissions which have enabled the invaders to coordinate the robot attack by remote control. Although entertaining overall, the story lags after a thrilling first half, with the final battle hampered by budget limitations. ~ Cavett Binion, All Movie Guide
- 1964
Arizona adolescents harken to the call of the distant surf and head off for a fun-filled romantic adventure in swinging Malibu. Songs include: "If I Were an Artist," "Surf Party," "Fire Water," "Glory Wave," "Crack-Up" and "Great White Water." ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1963
In this mystery a Yankee gambler travels to Puerto Rico to see his brother. He soon discovers that his brother has been murdered for his involvement with a stolen diamond. The surviving brother begins to investigate the death, but is hindered by police detectives. The hero eventually finds the murderers, retrieves the diamond, and hands the whole thing over to the police. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1963
When she comes to work in a Southern California hospital so she can be near her beloved sister, a nurse finds herself in a sordid situation. Upon her arrival, she learns that her sister inexplicably killed herself. Not believing this for a moment, she enlists the help of her former brother-in-law and soon gets involved with a drug-addicted smuggler engaged in illegally selling babies to childless parents. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1963
This tuneful romp offers about an hour of good, trashy low-budget fun as it tells the tale of wealthy teens' struggles to keep their favorite hot spot intact after they learn that a real estate dragon-lady has set her avaricious eye upon it with the hopes of building a new high-rise there. Much of the tale centers on the land magnate, Roberta Crawford, and her vivacious teen-age niece, Vicki, who visits the club with her blue-blooded, arrogant beau Roger Kelly. Vicki is in the dark concerning her aunt's machinations until she hears the club's handsome star singer Mel Hudson talking about how he is trying hard to resist Roberta's onslaught of pressure to sell. Vicki falls for Mel right away and immediately decides to help him. Trouble ensues when the club mysteriously burns down and Roberta Crawford is accused of arson. Fortunately, the truth is revealed, someone has a change of heart, and amidst much celebration, a romance blooms. Songs include: "Come to the Party," "Mad, Mad, Mad," "Come A-Runnin'," "Watusi Surfer," "Greenback Dollar," "I Can't Get You out of My Heart," and "You Pass Me By." ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Rod Lauren, Molly Bee, (more)
- 1963
Those ever-sneaky Martians are at it again in this sci-fi horror outing that closely resembles Invasion of the Body Snatchers. This time, the crafty invaders are in the process of making exact doubles of an entire town and then killing the original models. The terrifying facts are discovered by a scientist working at Cape Canaveral who is trying to figure out why a recent Martian probe simply exploded after landing on the Red Planet. The fellow has been in Florida working on the project for so long that his wife in California is about to divorce him. Wanting to save his marriage and see his family, he goes home and suddenly ends up fighting for not only his own life, but for all Humanity. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
This unappealing suspense film stars Ronald Foster and Erika Peters as a couple who arrive at a decrepit old mansion only to find that the previous occupants -- a group of circus freaks -- have yet to vacate the premises. Worse, it seems that the mischievous tenants are quite adamant about defending their territory against all outsiders while waiting for their keeper to return, and their methods of dissuading unwanted guests apparently include murder. This is a passable spook-house exercise, with lots of severed limbs flung at the hapless protagonists and and a silly cop-out ending, but the use of actual circus freaks as the villains (probably a cost-saving measure for the filmmakers) is more than a little disconcerting. The circus giant is played by a young Richard Kiel. ~ Cavett Binion, All Movie Guide
- 1963
In this western, a young cadet is expelled from West Point and goes looking for the brother who was accused of stealing from the Union Army. En route, he befriends a young man and then meets a young woman at a church dance. During the festivities, a fight erupts and the three new friends end up escaping. Just outside of town, they meet a young man who was raised by the Comanches. He and the girl get married and the four continue searching for the brother. They are then joined by a cattle rustler. The group is pursued by the girl's angry father, angry ranchers, and Indians. Eventually they learn that the brother was robbed and murdered by greedy soldiers. Mayhem ensues as their pursuers catch up to them. In the end, the woman's husband dies and the young hero retrieves the money. His name is cleared and he marries the woman. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- James Mitchum, Alana Ladd, (more)
- 1962
Air Patrol is a 62-minute Cinemascope programmer, specifically designed for lower berths in 20th Century-Fox double-feature programs. Willard Parker and Robert Dix play a pair of airborne detectives, in search of a couple of art thieves. The criminals have made a clean getaway, courtesy of a helicopter. Using what few clues they have (including a cryptic ransom note), Parker and Dix climb into their own copter and take chase. The high-above-the-clouds climax, photographed by John M. Nickolaus Jr., is the best part of the film. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1962
In this mystery, a divorced man begins looking for his ex-wife who married his former business partner. Hal Weston's search leads him to LA where he enlists the aid of Li Sheng and the sneaky Osgood. He is told that his partner died. Investigating further, he discovers that he did not die. Actually he murdered the ex-wife and then had Li Sheng's father, a surgeon, fake his death certificate. He then buries the woman in his coffin and proceeds to use his mistress to collect on his life insurance policy by having her pose as the widow. Osgood then learns that the crook had the doctor change his appearance so he looked just like Osgood. He figures that he is next on the business partner's hit list and so kills him first. In the end, Weston kills Osgood. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1962
Set in the mid-19th century during the California Gold Rush when the long-time Spanish residents of the territory found themselves being pushed off their ancestral lands by the avaricious prospectors, this exciting historical adventure tells of the exploits of a daring Spanish outlaw who plays Robin Hood to help his people. When prospectors ambush some of his band, the Firebrand rides out for bloody revenge against the killers and the one who betrayed him. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1961
The actors do the best they can with this undistinguished wartime melodrama about a group of women caught in New Guinea just when the Japanese are taking over Indonesia and its contiguous islands in 1942. The women range from an ornithologist, to a nurse, to a thief, and a waitress, all captured and put into a Japanese prison camp. But the women manage to escape, though not all survive, and later on they encounter a double-dealing plantation owner (Cesar Romero) who unknown to them, is collaborating with the Japanese and plans on sending them back to their captors. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Patricia Owens, Denise Darcel, (more)
