Samuel M. Sherman Movies
Newspaper reporter Morgan Randall (Robert Deveau) has been blessed (or cursed) with a number of strange events and clues which lead him to think that zombies might really exist. He and his friend Shelly (Donna Asali) tracks them down to an abandoned prison, but then is trapped there by the mad scientist who has been busily reanimating corpses there. Fortunately, two teenagers, Jonathan and Michelle (Scott Schwartz and Corri Burt), are on the same trail, and they have come equipped to deal with the worst. In its partially completed state, this film was entitled "Graveyard" and appeared on the USA Network's Up All Night series. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Scott Schwartz
In this occult horror film, director John Russo, best known for Night of the Living Dead, has created a few twists on the plot of a heroine escaping one evil, only to encounter another, even worse. Some asides on the nature of racism are thrown in for good measure. After Nancy Johnson (Melanie Verlin) runs away from home because her drunken stepfather (Lawrence Tierney) tried to rape her, she is given a ride by two men who are actually thieves, and they all end up prisoners of a Southern family of Satanists. They plan on offering Nancy to the Devil himself at midnight on Easter Sunday. Some cinematic goofs -- Easter Sunday apparently falls in autumn since the leaves are turning color outside, and the "South" looks a lot like Pittsburgh -- are somewhat off-set by the make-up artistry of Tom Savini and a lively performance by Lawrence Tierney. Yet the pace is slow and the lesser protagonists solidly one-dimensional, tipping the balance more toward the minus -- which may be a plus to some viewers. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lawrence Tierney, Melanie Verlin, (more)
King Amir (Reed Hadley), the beloved leader of a small Middle Eastern country named Khaleed, is sick with terminal cancer and he isn't prepared to die. His confidants arrange with an American scientist to carry out an experimental operation: Amir's brain will be transplanted into the skull of a healthy new body, allowing him to cheat death and continue ruling as a benevolent despot. When he succumbs, the corpse is rushed to the United States, where Dr. Trenton (Kent Taylor) immediately removes the brain and places it in a specially prepared receptacle. Trenton sends Amir's associates away so he can finish the procedure, but as they drive down a steep mountain road, their car is besieged by a menacing driver who succeeds in forcing them off a cliff. Robert (Grant Williams) survives, and suspects that someone is trying to usurp Amir's throne. Meanwhile, the mad doctor dispatches his servant Gor (John Bloom) to find him a healthy male body for Amir to inhabit. Gor, a hulking monstrosity with a twisted face and a child's intelligence, is too clumsy in his horrible task, and Dr. Trenton deems the victim unusable. But Amir's brain can only live outside of the body for a matter of hours, even though they keep it nourished with plenty of fresh human blood (obtained by keeping some teenage girls chained in the basement and tapping them like kegs). Gor is picked to host the transplanted brain, despite his hideous scars, and when Amir awakens and discovers the horrific body the doctor has given him, he goes mad. Robert returns to save his leader, but now Dr. Trenton is demanding control over Khaleed, and special electrodes he secretly implanted in Amir's brain mean he might succeed. Directed by Al Adamson, this gory shocker features Adamson regulars like Zandor Vorkov, Angelo Rossitto, and Regina Carrol. ~ Fred Beldin, All Movie Guide
A slapdash epic of bad filmmaking geared strictly toward drive-in audiences, Dracula vs. Frankenstein has gone on to achieve cult status thanks to its sheer ineptness and impressive cast. At an oceanside amusement park, Dr. Frankenstein (J. Carrol Naish) runs a house of horrors that serves as a cover for his more devious scientific experimentation -- work that requires the murderous deeds of his mute assistant Groton (Lon Chaney Jr.). After stealing the corpse of Frankenstein's monster, Dracula visits the doctor and makes him an offer he can't refuse: resurrect the monster so that Dracula can use the beast to carry out his plan to take over the world. At the same time, lounge singer Judith (Regina Carrol) arrives at the park against the advice of detective Martin (Jim Davis) to search for her missing sister. She is drugged in a bar and winds up in the care of kindly stud Mike (Anthony Eisley), who takes up the investigation with her. Meanwhile, Dr. Frankenstein and Dracula resurrect the monster and immediately send it to kill the doctor's old enemy (Forrest J. Ackerman). Judith and Mike encounter the monster and, after a narrow escape, they confront Dr. Frankenstein who is beheaded in the ensuing melee. Sgt. Martin arrives in time to kill Groton before he attacks Judith, but not before Dracula kills Mike and takes Judith captive. He ties her up in the lab and prepares to bite her, but the monster goes mad, leading to a ferocious battle. ~ Patrick Legare, All Movie Guide
The Mojave desert becomes a battleground when vicious bikers go on a killing spree, causing innocent would-be victims to get bloody revenge. Classic exploitation film violence and action ensues. This low-budget film marks the comeback of formerly popular child actor Russ Tamblyn who goes against type and plays the leader of the motorcycle pack. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Russ Tamblyn, Scott Brady, (more)
