Author Archives: chipkaufmann

BLACK ZOO marks the third and final teaming of producer Herman Cohen and actor Michael Gough and the results are definitely mixed. This is a pity because the other two movies, the incredibly lurid HORRORS OF THE BLACK MUSEUM and the deliriously outrageous KONGA are guilty pleasures of the first order. ZOO doesn’t quite measureContinue reading “BLACK ZOO: The Third Time Is Not The Charm”

Leave it to B movie mogul Herman Cohen (I WAS A TEENAGE WEREWOLF) to give us two movies for the price of one low budget effort and that’s what KONGA is. The first hour of the film is remarkably well done with an intelligent script (under the circumstances) and a creative use of color forContinue reading “KONGA Is Two Movies In One”

When this movie first appeared in 1959, it was considered shocking and incredibly brutal. “For strong stomachs” a review at the time said. That was then. Today it probably wouldn’t even raise an eyebrow although the film still contains several scenes that, while they aren’t graphic, do remain quite disturbing in their implications. What couldContinue reading “HORRORS OF THE BLACK MUSEUM: Dated But Still Effective”

After American International Pictures, one of the greatest providers of cheap, classic 1950s cinematic fare was Allied Artists which began as Monogram Pictures in the 1930s and morphed into Lorimar in the 1970s before calling it a day. In 1958 the company spent more bucks than usual to come up with a fascinating double feature.Continue reading “FRANKENSTEIN 1970 (1958): Lesser Known Karloff Is A Welcome Addition to Blu-Ray”

Before I viewed this as part of a collection called CULT CAMP CLASSICS – VOL 1, I had not seen QUEEN OF OUTER SPACE in over 40 years. I first saw it on TV in black and white without realizing that it was originally shot in color and in Cinemascope. Even as a kid IContinue reading “QUEEN OF OUTER SPACE Must Be Seen To Be Believed”

..but it really isn’t. That honor must go to the 1977 obscure Canadian anthology film THE UNCANNY. What Cushing probably meant was that this was the worst script he’d ever seen and it’s bad but not THAT bad. Cushing and co-star Robert Flemyng (THE HORRIBLE DR HICHCOCK) liven up the proceedings by either injecting veryContinue reading “THE BLOOD BEAST TERROR (1967): Peter Cushing’s Worst Movie (In His Opinion)…”

That’s right, PLANET OF THE VAMPIRES contains no vampires. Not a one. That’s because the original title is TERROR IN SPACE which makes it sound more like ALIEN which it closely resembles or vice versa as this Italian-Spanish co-production was made in 1965, 14 years before Ridley Scott’s epic. He and writer Dan O’Bannon swearContinue reading “WARNING! PLANET OF THE VAMPIRES Contains No Vampires”

The headline is a reference to writer/producer/director Sidney W. Pink (or just plain Sid Pink) who collaborated with Ib Melchior on 3 of my favorite low budget entries in the sci-fi B movie sweepstakes. They are ANGRY RED PLANET, JOURNEY TO THE SEVENTH PLANET, and this one. The fact that the last two are Danish-AmericanContinue reading “REPTILICUS Tickled Me PINK!”

I consider this 1958 film a classic of its kind but that doesn’t make it a “classic”. However it follows honorably in the footsteps of 1940s film producer Val Lewton in the “less is more” category by using sight and sound rather than shock to create a profound sense of unease. It’s a B movieContinue reading “I BURY THE LIVING: A Classic Of Its Kind”

When PSYCHOMANIA first appeared, most critics and moviegoers didn’t know what to make of it. Horror film? Biker movie? Black comedy? Even the title doesn’t make any sense. It turns out to be a combination of all three plus a little bit more. Having recently watched it again after many years, I was struck byContinue reading “PSYCHOMANIA (1972): The Return of “The Living Dead””