Suzanne Farmer Movies

Originally titled Persecution, the British Terror of Sheba represents Lana Turner's entree into the "fading stars in horror flicks" sweepstakes. Turner plays a maniacally possessive millionairess who delights in dominating her tremulous young son (Mark Weavers). She knows that her son has a morbid fear of cats, and she uses this knowledge to keep him under her thumb. Even when he grows up (then portrayed by Alan Bates), Turner continues her reign of terror. As tragedy is heaped upon tragedy, we eagerly await Turner's comeuppance. When it comes, it's well worth the wait, even though The Terror of Sheba itself is hardly in the category of What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (or even Die! Die! My Darling!). ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Christopher Lee dons the evil Count's cloak once again after an 8-year hiatus for this first "authentic" sequel to Hammer Studios' Horror of Dracula (the literal 1960 follow-up Brides of Dracula did not feature Lee). The story begins when two stuffy vacationing couples make an ill-fated stopover at Castle Karlsbad in the Carpathian mountains -- despite the warnings of the mysterious Fr. Sandor (Andrew Keir) and the near-destruction of their coach when the terrified driver runs for his life. After a slightly tedious stretch, one of the men (Charles Tingwell) is sacrificed in a bloody Satanic ritual, orchestrated by the Count's loyal manservant Klove (Philip Latham) to bring the legendary vampire back to life. The revived Count immediately sets his sights on the man's wife (Barbara Shelley), making her his undead bride; the surviving pair seek refuge in Fr. Sandor's abbey, with the undead bloodsuckers in hot pursuit. This stylish and chilling production is imbued with Gothic atmosphere by director Terence Fisher (one of his last films for the studio) and remains one of the classier entries from Hammer's heyday. Also known as Revenge of Dracula. ~ Cavett Binion, Rovi

In this lively British parody of James Bond movies, a dashing secret agent goes to extremes to save the British Parliament from a communist take-over. To do this, he must keep the Ripper, a notorious double-agent from stealing a newly developed aircraft metal. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

Also known as Monster of Terror, this British-made horror opus is very loosely based on H.P. Lovecraft's story "The Colour Out of Space". The story begins with an American scientist (Nick Adams) paying a visit to the remote estate of his fiancee's family (located in Lovecraft's fictional Arkham County, Massachusetts) and finding many of the surrounding flora and fauna horribly mutated by strange radiation. The source of the contamination is discovered to be a glowing meteorite kept hidden in the basement by his girlfriend's father (Boris Karloff), who has been using the radiation to mutate local plant life. As one might expect, the experiment has gotten a bit out of hand... and poor mommy has changed into something unspeakably horrible. Designed as a vehicle for Karloff (who is excellent), this is a decent freshman effort from director Daniel Haller (formerly Roger Corman's production designer), but the effectively creepy atmosphere would have been greatly assisted by a better script -- perhaps one more loyal to the source material. The same story was adapted (again, loosely) in 1987 for The Curse. ~ Cavett Binion, Rovi

Cliff Robertson and George Chakiris star in this dumbed-down version of The Guns of Navarone. During World War II, the story concerns a Scandinavian underground leader, Erik Bergman (George Chakiris), who reports to British authorities the location of a German V2 fuel plant. As is the case in most World War II action films, the plant is in an impregnable location -- beneath an overhanging cliff at the end of a highly defended fjord. The only way the British can hope to destroy the plant is by collapsing the cliff on top of it. In order to do that, light Mosquito aircraft must be utilized. This is the job assigned to Wing Commander Roy Grant's (Cliff Robertson) 633 Squadron. In order to assist Grant in his air attack, Bergman attempts a simultaneous ground attack, but the ground attack fails, and Bergman is captured by the Germans. When he is tortured in their efforts to uncover the RAF plans, Bergman may not be able to withhold the top-secret information. Howard Koch and James Clavell adapted their screenplay from Frederick E. Smith's novel, reportedly based on a true story. Though Koch and Clavell are each known for their excellent writing, Squadron 633 is notable mostly for its adept cinematography from the co-operative effort of John Wilcox and Edward Scaife. ~ Paul Brenner, Rovi

Its the Cavaliers vs. the Copperheads in this costume drama set during the 17th-century British Civil War. Our sympathies are supposed to be with Oliver Cromwell's underground troops--and they are, since the arrogant Cromwell isn't around to comprise his followers' heroism. Lionel Jeffries, loyal to Cromwell, is confounded by his daughter June Thorburn's fidelity to the Throne. Oliver Reed co-stars as Jeffries' right-hand man and June's boyfriend. Crimson Blade does little to clarify the complex issues attending the war, but it delivers the goods in the action department. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi