Madhouse (1974)


Madhouse (1974) 

A horror movie star returns to his famous role after years in a mental institution. But the character seems to be committing murders independent of his will. (IMDB) FN&NV

Vincent Price as Paul Toombes
Peter Cushing  as Herbert Flay 















Vengeance (1980)


Vengeance (1980)

Bob Blitz "Vengeance" is a triumph of raw and powerful low-budget film-making.Four masked robbers kidnap a middle-aged couple and their teenage daughter.The women are sexually assaulted and murdered and the owner of jewelry shop is killed during unsuccessful heist.The gunmen kidnap the daughter of a rich State senator and her friend Mark.The pair is kept hidden in the cabin.But Jenny and Mark manage to escape.The brutal siege in the woods begins...Nasty and uncompromising rape and revenge thriller that owes a lot to Wes Craven's "Last House on the Left".It's filled with ugly violence,rape and full-frontal nudity.The score adds a lot to the overall tension.A prize exploitation classic. (IMDB  HumanoidOfFlesh)























Peyton Place (1957)


Peyton Place (1957)

The book "Peyton Place" came out in the early 1950s. It blew off the lid of a small New England town full of rape, murder, sex, abortion, infidelity, suicide etc etc. Even though the town (and residents) were fictitious, this book created an uproar. It was a huge best seller but condemned as utter trash by all book critics and "moral" people everywhere (of course they were buying the book themselves). Now, almost 50 years later, it's considered a great literary novel and taught in colleges!

Hollywood took the book, toned it down considerably, went all the way to Maine to film it and basically gave it Grade A treatment. It has a great cast, a stunning score by Franz Waxman, gorgeous New England photography and moves along at a fast clip. The once racy stuff is very tame by today's standards but it's kind of amusing to watch--the dialogue scene between Diane Varsi and Russ Tamblyn (about sex) is giggle-inducing. An abortion is never called that--it's called "inducing a miscarriage". A rape becomes "forcing himself on her". Still, the main stories in the book come across...and it works very well. The cast really helps. (IMDB preppy-3)



Lana Turner - Diane Varsi










Hope Lange






Lorne Greene (center)