THE BLACK TORMENT

Heather Sears and John Turner

THE BLACK TORMENT (1964). Director: Robert Hartford-Davis.

Sir Richard Fordyke (John Turner) returns to his ancestral manor in Olde England and brings with him his new bride, Elizabeth (Heather Sears of The Phantom of the Opera). Right away things seem odd, with his tenants, other villagers, and even his staff behaving peculiarly towards him. His major domo, Seymour (Peter Arne of Tarzan and the Lost Safari), tells him that a woman was raped and murdered and cried out his name before she expired, and he has been -- impossibly -- sighted in the village on other occasions, supposedly pursued by the ghost of his first wife, who plunged from a window. Before long Richard begins doubting his own sanity or wonders if some demonic doppelganger is at work ... Although the denouement is fairly predictable, The Black Torment still manages to work up considerable suspense over this situation, and the pic is greatly bolstered by some excellent performances. I first noticed John Turner when he had a small role as a fisherman in one of my favorite monster movies, The Giant Behemoth, but he clearly shows in this that he was meant for greater things, and judging by his talent, should be much better known today. He is outstanding and completely convincing as Sir Richard no matter what the script throws at him during the films' twists and turns. Under Robert Hartford-Davis' adroit direction, Black Torment has some creepy and startling sequences, and is handsomely produced in the full-out Gothic manner. When it's over and all revelations revealed, you may scratch your head when you realize the sheer impossibility of some of the aspects of the story, but Black Torment is still an entertaining horror flick, one which, -- incredibly -- I had never heard of and discovered on Kanopy.  Interesting score by Robert Richards. Hartford-Davis also directed the zesty Corruption.

Verdict: Compelling lead performance and attractive settings lift this above the average. ***. 

TARZAN AND THE LOST SAFARI

Betta St. John and Gordon Scott

TARZAN AND THE LOST SAFARI (1957). Director: H. Bruce Humberstone.

Pilot Dick Penrod (Peter Arne of Battle Beneath the Earth), his dissatisfied wife, Diana (Betta St. John of The Robe), and friends are flying over Africa when their plane hits a flock of flamingos and down they go. They find themselves in the territory of the deadly Opar tribe, who love to make human sacrifices. Pretending to help this party -- along with Tarzan (Gordon Scott) -- is an untrustworthy fellow named Hawkins (Robert Beatty), who has an uneasy alliance with the bloodthirsty Oparians. Tarzan tries to take the downed party out of the jungle without them being attacked and killed by the hostile natives. Tarzan and the Lost Safari is in wide-screen and Eastman color -- this is the first Tarzan film in color, in fact -- but matte paintings of the jungle, some second unit location shooting, and a decent swamp set on a sound stage can't quite disguise the cheapness of the production. Tarzan is no Lord Greystoke in this, but a man of few syllables, and there's no mention of Jane. George Coulouris, Wilfred Hyde-White, and Yolande Donlan are the other members of the party. The acting is efficient enough, "Cheta" is adorable, and there's some good action at the climax, but otherwise this is not especially memorable. Humberstone also directed a number of Charlie Chan films such as Charlie Chan at the Opera.

Verdict: Mediocre Tarzan. **.

BATTLE BENEATH THE EARTH

Martin Benson as General Chan Lu

BATTLE BENEATH THE EARTH (1967). Director: Montgomery Tully.

Commander Jonathan Shaw (Kerwin Mathews), and his old Korean War buddy, scientist Arnold Kramer (Peter Arne), discover that the Chinese have come up with a horrendously diabolical plot. Using laser drills on tank-like vehicles, they have burrowed tunnels under U. S. space centers, military bases, and large population areas, and plan on using atomic bombs to wipe out the whole country. A geologist, Tila Yung (Vivienne Ventura), helps the others discover the tunnel under the sea where the Chinese forces have made their way to America. Can they stop their plan in time? Battle Beneath the Earth somewhat reminds one of Crack in the World in that its interesting (if absurd) situation is undermined by a very low-budget, although there is one marvelous shot showing the sea pouring into the Chinese tunnel. Another highlight is a suspenseful business involving the disarming of a bomb. Mathews has little opportunity to display the derring do of, say, The 7th Voyage of Sinbad, but Peter Arne offers a flavorful performance as Kramer, Ventura is very pretty, and Martin Benson [The Cosmic Monsters] steals the show as General Chan Lu, the leader of the assault. Robert Ayres [Black Widow] makes a very intense Admiral Hillebrand. This is like a TV production, and might have been enlivened by the appearance of some underground man-eating monsters, but no such luck. Montgomery Tully directed several thrillers, such as Strange Awakening; this was his last credit.

Verdict: In some ways it's like a poor man's James Bond. ** out of 4.