Sid Haig Movies

The "Commandante" in this Mission:Impossible episode is a man named Acero, played by Lawrence Dane. Joining forces with his longtime political foe Major Martillo (Sig Haig), Acero has imprision Father Paolo Dominguin (Arthur Batanides), the leader of a Latin American revolutionary movement. In order to rescue Father Dominguin, the IMF agents must play upon the bitter rivalry between the two villains--a plan that requires Paris to impersonate a Chinese colonel. Written by Laurence Heath, "Commandante" was originally telecast on November 2, 1969. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In this badly misconceived pseudo-biography of the legendary Cuban revolutionary -- played, incredibly, by Omar Sharif -- Che Guevara takes up the cause as a rebel fighter under the direction of Fidel Castro, played -- also incredibly -- by Jack Palance. Guevara, a young Argentine doctor, proves his worth under the heat of guerilla warfare and, gaining the respect of his men, becomes the leader of a patrol. Castro is impressed by Guevara's tactics and strict discipline and makes him his chief advisor. When Castro defeats the Cuban dictator Batista after two years of fighting, Guevara, under Castro's nod, directs a series of massive reprisals -- but Guevara dreams of fermenting a worldwide revolution. After Castro backs down during the Cuban Missile Crisis, Guevara accuses Castro of being a Soviet dupe and leaves Cuba. Under disguise, Guevara lands in Bolivia, where he attempts to begin his dream of a worldwide peasant revolution, but the Bolivian poor will not follow his lead, and his band find themselves starving in the Bolivian jungle and pursued by the Bolivian army. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide

Paul Lynde takes over from the previous season's John Astin as Father Lundigan, a church psychologist whose own mental state is far from stable. Having finally recovered from his first encounter with "flying nun" Sr. Bertrille, Father Lundigan pays another visit to Convent San Tanco. His arrival coincides with a bizarre post-hypnotic suggestion, wherein Sr. Bertrille in the Reverend Mother have switched personalities! Written by Lee Erwin and Stan Dreben, "The Return of Father Lundigan" was originally telecast on October 17, 1968. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Written by Sy Salkowitz, "Trial by Fury" takes place in a South American dictatorship. When resistance leader Manuel Delgardo (Ernest Sarracino) is thrown into prison, his associate Santos Cardoza (Michael Tolan) has himself arrested so that he can pass on valuable information to Delgardo's followers. Unfortunately, his fellow prisoners suspect Delgardo of being a spy for the government, and plan to assassinate him. IMF agents Phelps and Barney pose as convicts to save Delgardo and expose the genuine traitor. Paul Winfield appears in the supporting role of Klaus. "Trial by Fury" originally aired March 10, 1968. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

This routine stockcar racing feature finds Grant Willard (Brian Donlevy) as the head of a racing team who desires to be first at any cost. He helps rookie driver Rick Bowman (Dick Davalos) break into the racing circuit. Their efforts are impeded by the villainous driver Hawk Sidney (Sid Haig), who battles the team at every turn on and off the track. Distaff interest is provided by Beverly Washburn and Ellen McRae, with professional driver George Washburn on hand to give the picture an authentic angle. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide

The first multipart adventure of Mission: Impossible's second season, "The Slave" was written by William Read Woodfield and Alan Balter. The scene is the Persian Gulf state of Elkabar, where King Ibn Borca (Joseph Ruskin) supervises a vicious but entirely legal slave ring with the aid of his crony Karl de Groot (Warren Stevens). To depose Borca and end the slave trade in Elkabar, the IMF agents must resort to drastic measures...with the lovely Amara (Antoinette Bower), the wife of Borca's nephew Fasar (David Mauro), as the innocent pawn. Part one of the two-part "The Slave" was first broadcast on October 8, 1967. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In this beach romp, a surfin' lothario falls in love with a bikini-clad beauty, but she doesn't dig him until he dons glasses and poses as his bookish brother, Herbert. Music is provided by the Gentrys, the Toys, the Animals, and the Castaways. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

This low-budget vampire quickie is distinguished mainly by the presence of director Stephanie Rothman, who emerged from Roger Corman's New World Pictures (for whom she directed the exploitation classic The Student Nurses) to become an acclaimed feminist filmmaker. The piecework story incorporates footage shot by original director Jack Hill, combined with incongruent elements from a Yugoslavian supernatural thriller titled Operation Titian which Corman obtained for a song, tied loosely together by new vampire material shot by Rothman. This may partially explain why the ancient Slavic vampire featured in the film decides to possess the body of a cheesecake photographer in California, who then murders his models in the name of Art. As one might imagine, this is pretty difficult to follow, but there are some good performances -- particularly from William Campbell as the haunted shutterbug -- and some fairly suspenseful scenes. ~ Cavett Binion, All Movie Guide

Exploitation titan Jack Hill, who went on to make such cult favorites as Switchblade Sisters, The Swinging Cheerleaders, and Foxy Brown, made his solo directorial debut with this fascinating, offbeat shocker. The three surviving children of Titus W. Merrye, who represent the end of his family's line, live in a dilapidated mansion where patient servant Bruno (Lon Chaney, Jr.) watches over the increasingly eccentric Virginia (Jill Banner), Ralph (Sid Haig), and Elizabeth (Beverly Washburn). All three Merrye siblings suffer from the same rare disease that felled their father and the other members of his family -- "Merrye Syndrome," a neurological ailment that begins to manifest itself at the age of ten, causing the brain to slowly decay and sending its victims into an alternately violent and infantile state. Bald, inarticulate Ralph is supposed to be a vegetarian, but "can eat anything he can catch," while Virginia, who seems to be in a perpetual dream state, imagines herself as a human spider and catches people in her "web" (a large net) and then kills them. While it might seem best to let nature to take its course and allow the family's sad legacy to die out, the Merrye siblings have two distant cousins, Emily Howe (Carol Ohmart) and Peter Howe (Quinn K. Redeker), who are interested in laying claim to the family mansion and any money remaining in the Merrye Estate. But not long after they pay a visit to Bruno, they start to have serious regrets about their decision to see the family. Shot in 1964, Spider Baby sat on the shelf until 1968, when it was briefly released as the second half of a horror double-bill on the drive-in circuit. But after it appeared on home video in the early '80s and was the subject of an enthusiastic essay in the book RE/Search: Incredibly Strange Films, the film began to develop a potent cult following and is now regarded as a minor classic of '60s horror. The film has also appeared under the misleading titles Cannibal Orgy and The Liver Eaters, as well as Spider Baby, or the Maddest Story Ever Told. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide