Fred Olen Ray Movies

A soldier sets out on a mission of mercy only to discover he's a pawn in a deadly game in this action thriller from cult hero Fred Olen Ray. Veteran U.S. Air Force pilot Murphy (Daniel Baldwin) and his superior, Captain Reynolds (Fred Williamson), are kidnapped by members of a Central American drug cartel as they escort an American congressmen traveling abroad. Murphy and Reynolds are able to signal for help, and a squadron frees the captured soldiers, but Rifkin (Hannes Jaenicke), Murphy's friend and comrade, goes missing in action. A year later, Murphy learns that Rifkin is being held captive by the cartel's leader, Salvatore (Joe Lala), and with Reynolds' help, he sets out on a secret rescue mission using a state-of-the-art stealth aircraft to avoid detection by either Salvatore's gang or government troops. However, Murphy eventually discovers he's walked into a trap -- Reynolds and Rifkin are in cahoots with Salvatore, and they've staged Rifkin's capture to steal the jet for Salvatore's illegal purposes. Active Stealth also stars Shannon Whirry as Murphy's wife, Lisa Vidal, Chick Vennera, and Tim Abell. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

When a finalist for "Centerfold of the Year" downs an experimental beauty-enhancing potion concocted by mad-scientist Dr. Lindholm, the unforseen side effects render her a shaply 60 feet tall. Jealous over all the attention, a rival guzzles the elixir, and soon the gargantuan beauties are battling it out and trashing much of Hollywood Boulvard in the process. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide

"B"-sleaze auteur Fred Olen Ray pounded out this vampire parody, which stars career nerd Eddie Deezen as an affable dork and wannabe Hollywood hot-shot who discovers that a high-market bordello -- overseen by slinky Madam Cassandra (Britt Ekland) -- is actually a den of lascivious vampire bimbos from hell. Though his companions are easily lured by the ladies' deadly charms, Deezen takes a definite liking to his self-proclaimed title of Vampire Hunter, even going as far as to sew a crucifix into his skivvies. Laughing yet? This is actually one of Ray's more witty efforts -- with a manic pace, some clever in-jokes, copious amounts of skin, and a throwaway attitude that makes the relentless silliness a bit more palatable... although Deezen's hyperkinetic mugging may be more than some viewers can endure. ~ Cavett Binion, All Movie Guide

In this spooky comedy for the whole family, Billy Frank thinks he's an ordinary kid, until his family inherits an old castle and Billy learns he's a distant relative of the infamous Dr. Frankenstein. Billy's folks decide to visit their family estate, and Billy soon discovers they're not alone in the old, dark house. Tommy Kirk, Vernon Wells, and Darran Norris star in this story directed by cult hero Fred Olen Ray. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Ed Raymond's science fiction disaster film Black Horizon concerns a group of astronauts who become stranded in space when a meteor strikes the space station onto which they have docked. They must escape before the limited amount of oxygen they have left disappears. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide

Michael Dudikoff stars in this action thriller in which Syrian sailors hijack a state-of-the-art Russian submarine that features among its arsenal a doomsday weapon that could wipe out half the planet. Can submarine demolitions expert Zach Silver and the crew of the U.S.S. Springfield take back the sub and dismantle this super-powerful weapon before it's too late? ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

A surprisingly slick flick from Emperor of Exploitation Fred Olen Ray, the story (which Ray co-wrote with T.L. Lankford, borrowing heavily from the director's earlier Biohazard) begins when a satellite carrying top-secret bio-engineered mutants plummets to Earth and disgorges its slavering contents in a scrap-yard outside Los Angeles. Hot on the beast's slimy trail are a pair of L.A. cops (Russ Meyer-veteran Charles Napier and the miscast Ann Turkel), who butt heads with their chief (Bo Svenson), the military, and the scientists who bred the monster -- until the inevitable confrontation, which features a no-holds-barred grudge match between the toothy slime-demon and a chainsaw-wielding Napier. Campy, fun performances by the talented leads (especially Julie Newmar as a psychic who assists the investigation) elevate this material far beyond the limitations of its hoary premise and Alien-esque monster. ~ Cavett Binion, All Movie Guide

In classic noir tradition, the protagonist of the made-for-TV Double Deception is hard-boiled private eye John Kane (James Russo), who provides the first-person narration for the deliciously convoluted plotline. Kane knew that former call girl Pamela Sparrow (Alice Krige) was a keg of dynamite the minute she uncrossed her beautiful stems in his seedy office. "Please help me," pleaded Pamela in that come-hither voice, "My husband is missing." But the dame wasn't up front at first, failing to mention that her soul-mate was tied in with a 10-year-old murder case. Funny thing: Pamela reminded Kane of his dead wife -- and funnier still, there are some things just don't stay dead. It figured that Kane would get a few lumps on the casaba along the way, and that he'd have a couple of waltz-arounds with the top brass. But a case is a case, and when murder's involved, someone's got to do something about it, or it's bad for business. Double Deception was originally broadcast by NBC on June 21, 1993. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Veteran schlock merchant Fred Olen Ray serves up this silly horror comedy with a hearty helping of gratuitous softcore skin, cheap monster effects, and walk-ons from assorted B-movie names, including David Carradine, Dick Miller, and Arte Johnson. The thin plot involves a group of curvaceous coeds whose restoration of an old mansion awakens a leering, lecherous demon who is just itching to do all manners of unspeakable things to them. Only a few minutes of screen time are devoted to the drooling cartoon monster (designed by horror critic Chas Balun), which looks like one of Robert Williams' Rat Fink creations. Miller's brief appearance is amusing, but Carradine is just hitting his marks; stars Monique Gabrielle and Madison Stone were already well on their way to lucrative careers in soft- and hardcore skin flicks. ~ Cavett Binion, All Movie Guide

With a big nod towards Luc Besson's La Femme Nikita (1990) this action thriller tells the tale of how ex-policewoman Tara McCormick puts ruthless gangster Tony Stomponato on ice. Tara's journey began when she was hired to kill Stompanato and failed. As a result she is tossed into prison where she meets Josie. Knowing that Tara, despite her mistake, is the woman for the job, the government offers her another shot at Tony in exchange for her freedom. She accepts and the hunt is on. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide