Category: Z-View

“Storm Fear” (1955) starring Cornel Wilde, Jean Wallace & Dan Duryea / Z-View

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Storm Fear (1955)

Director: Cornel Wilde

Writer: Horton Foote based on STORM FEAR by Clinton Seeley

Stars: Cornel Wilde, Jean Wallace, Dan Duryea, Lee Grant, David Stollery, Dennis Weaver, Steven Hill and Chet Huntley.

Tagline:  IT HITS LIKE A THUNDERBOLT!

The Plot…

A bad winter storm is coming.  Fred Blake (Duryea), his wife Elizabeth (Wallace) and their son, David (Stollery) live in a remote mountainside farm house.  Fred is a sickly and unhappy man.  Just before the storm hits, Fred’s estranged brother, Charlie (Wilde) and two others show up.  Charlie has been shot in the leg.  The bullet is still lodged there.  His companions are Benji (Hill), a nervous, bully and Edna (Grant).  Obviously the three are on the run from the law.

As the storm hits, Fred learns that the three robbed a bank.  A police officer was killed in the process.  Charlie promises they will take off when the weather clears.  But as the night progresses, we learn secrets that had been long buried.  Worried that the family will become witnesses against them, Benji plans to kill them all, including Charlie.

It won’t be long until sunup…

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

Storm Fear marked Cornell Wilde’s feature film directorial debut.

Lee Grant had been nominated for a Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her role in 1951’s The Detective.  It was her first feature film.  Because of Joseph McCarthy’s red scare, Grant was blacklisted and didn’t get another feature film role until Cornell Wilde cast her in Storm Fear.  Grant would then go on to a long career as an actress, director and producer.  She was nominated three more times for a Best Supporting Actress Academy Award, winning in 1976 for her role in Shampoo.

I was surprised to learn that Eddie Muller is not a fan of Storm Fear.  I’m not one to argue with the Czar of Noir, but Storm Fear resonated with me.

“Flagpole Jitters” (1956) starring The Three Stooges / Z-View

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Flagpole Jitters (1956)

Director: Jules White

Writer: Felix Adler, Jack White

Stars: Moe Howard, Larry Fine, Shemp Howard, David Bond, Vernon Dent, Richard Alexander, Ned Glass and Frank Sully.

Tagline:  The Three Stooges hit a new high in low-down laughs

The Plot…

The boys are working as janitors to raise money for their invalid neighbor, Mary.  Their goal is to get enough dough that Mary can have an operation to allow her to walk again.  A criminal known as The Great Svengarlic hypnotizes Larry, Shemp and Moe to dance on a flagpole high above the street.  While the crowd watches Svengarlic’s act, his accomplices rob a jewelry store.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

Flagpole Jitters (1956) is a reworking of the Stooges’ 1949 short Hokus Pokus.  It makes use of quite a bit of footage from the original.  In the original Mary was faking her disability, in this one she’s not.  Changing this aspect of the short weakens the ending.

Flagpole Jitters is the last Stooges’ short that features new footage of Shemp.  He died less than five months after the filming of this one.

The funniest scene is when Shemp gets physical with the insurance adjuster! (And that came from the original short.)

Hot Stuff (1956) rates 2 of 5 stars.

“Mr. Harrigan’s Phone” (2022) starring Donald Sutherland & Jaeden Martell / Z-View

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Mr. Harrigan’s Phone (2022)

Director: John Lee Hancock

Screenplay by: John Lee Hancock based on Mr. Harrigan’s Phone  by Stephen King

Starring: Donald Sutherland, Jaeden Martell, Joe Tippett, Thomas Francis Murphy, Randy Kovitz and Cyrus Arnold.

Tagline: Some connections never die.

The Story:

Craig’s mother dies when he is still very young.  John Harrigan (Sutherland), an older, reclusive, billionaire is impressed when he hears Craig (Martell) speak at their small town church.  Mr. Harrigan hires Craig to read to him three times a week.  Over the years they develop a friendship.

When Mr. Harrigan dies, Craig slips Harrigan’s cell phone in his coffin.  The phone was a gift that Craig gave Mr. Harrigan.  That night after the funeral Craig’s phone receives a text that appears to be from Mr. Harrigan.

“All ghosts aren’t holy.”

Thoughts (beware of spoilers) 

If you’re looking for a Stephen King horror movie, this isn’t it.  Mr. Harrigan’s Phone is more of a character student or psychological drama.  Mr. Harrigan’s Phone could have been an extended episode from The Twilight Zone.  It is well done, but if you go in expecting straight out horror, you’ll be disappointed.

Bird Box: Barcelona (2023) written & directed by Álex Pastor & David Pastor / Z-View

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Bird Box: Barcelona (2023)

Director: Álex Pastor, David Pastor

Screenplay by: Álex Pastor, David Pastor based on BIRD BOX  by Josh Malerman

Starring: Mario Casas, Georgina Campbell.

Tagline: Fear the ones who see.

The Story:

An unexplained, unknown entity has wiped out the majority of the world’s population.  Most people who see it are compelled to quickly commit suicide, often by brutal means.  A few who look upon it, react differently.  Instead of killing themselves, these “seers” look to harm others.

The people who have survived have done so by covering their eyes when outside.  Although that method isn’t always effective, it provides the best chance to live.  Dangers are everywhere.  Not only from the entities, but also from the seers and normal people just fighting to survive.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers) 

I almost quit Bird Box: Barcelona early on.  A character did some things that seemed so out of character and stupid that I was ready to bail.  I’m glad I didn’t.  The actions were part of a twist that I didn’t see coming.  That twist (which I won’t give away) made Bird Box: Barcelona a nice advancement to the Bird Box universe.

If you liked Bird Box, you should enjoy Bird Box: Barcelona.

KRAJ THE ENFORCER: STORIES by Rusty Barnes / Z-View

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KRAJ THE ENFORCER: STORIES by Rusty Barnes

First sentence…

The cashier at the 7-11 on Water Street leaves to take a leak.

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

Kraj is an expatriate Croat.  He makes his living as a bouncer and occasional enforcer for his boss Tricky Ricky Gutierrez.  It’s a job Kraj was built for.  Tricky Ricky sees potential in Kraj.  That makes Mikael, nervous.  Mikael manages the strip club that serves as the front for Tricky Ricky’s various “businesses”.   Kraj continues to prove his worth and gain more trust from Ricky.  With the trust comes more responsibility.  Kraj is making the right moves.  Now that Kraj’s new girlfriend has been promoted to manager at the McDonald’s things are looking up.  Of course the higher up, the farther the fall.

Rusty Barnes presents 14 Kraj The Enforcer short stories.  Each story is a complete tale.  Read together they form a bigger yarn.  Kraj isn’t your typical anti-hero.  While he has some of the characteristics you’d expect, his supporting characters ground him in a reality you’d get visiting most small Appalachian towns. Plus his origin is unique and makes him standout in his new adopted country.  I enjoyed KRAJ THE ENFORCER: STORIES.  I hope we see more.

Rating:

“Strange Bargain” (1949) starring Jeffrey Lynn, Martha Scott & Henry Morgan / Z-View

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Strange Bargain (1949)

Director: Will Price

Screenplay by: Lillie Hayward from a story by J.H. Wallis

Starring: Martha Scott, Jeffrey Lynn, Harry Morgan, Richard Gaines and Walter Sande.

Tagline: “$10,000 If You Make My Suicide Look Like MURDER!”

The Story:

On the day that Sam Wilson (Lynn) asks his boss, Malcolm Jarvis (Gaines) for a raise, Jarvis offers him a deal. Jarvis will give Sam $10,000.00 if Sam will make Jarvis’ suicide look like a murder!  Jarvis explains that the company is probably going to go out of business in a matter of weeks.  Jarvis is himself broke despite the fact that he lives in a big house and looks rich.  Jarvis plans to shoot himself that very evening while his wife and son are out.  Before he kills himself, he will mess up his home office to look like a robbery.  All Sam has to do is get rid of the gun.  Sam refuses and tries to talk Mr. Jarvis out of killing himself.  Jarvis says there is no other way to leave money for his family and he’s ready to die.

That evening Sam receives the call.  He heads over to talk sense into Mr. Jarvis.  When he arrives, Mr. Jarvis is lying dead from a gunshot.  There is an envelope with $10,000 in it addressed to Sam.  Realizing that he will soon be out of a job and Jarvis is beyond help, Sam takes the money.

The next day police begin to investigate.  Things aren’t adding up.  It doesn’t look like suicide.  Any guesses on who the main suspect is?

Thoughts (beware of spoilers) 

Strange Bargain runs a quick 68 minutes.  It’s got a likable cast. There’s a nice twist on the suicide.  If I were to pick any nits is that it all wraps up a bit too nicely.  But in this day and age, why complain about things that end up that way?

“The Accountant” (2016) starring Ben Affleck, Anna Kendrick, J.K. Simmons, Jon Bernthal & John Lithgow / Z-View

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The Accountant (2016)

Director: Gavin O’Connor

Screenplay by: Bill Dubuque

Starring: Ben Affleck, Anna Kendrick, J.K. Simmons, Jon Bernthal, Jeffrey Tambor, Cynthia Addai-Robinson, John Lithgow, Alison Wright, Jason Davis, Robert C. Treveiler, Seth Lee, Ron Prather and Jean Smart.

Tagline: Calculate your choices.

The Story:

Christian Wolff (Affleck), a mathematics savant, was diagnosed as being on the Autism spectrum as a child.  His father, a military vet, forced Christian to deal with the things that triggered him.  Dad also provided martial arts and weapons training for Christian and his brother.

Now an adult, Wolff uses his math talents as an accountant to criminal enterprises.  He operates out of a small office that is a front.  Wolff also owns several businesses used to launder money.  Wolff is hired by Lamar Blackburn (Lithgow), the billionaire owner of Living Robotics, to check his books.  What Wolff discovers puts in motion a chain of events that result in several murders.  At the same time Wolff is dealing with this, he learns that the Treasury Department has been investigating him and are about to close in.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers) 

Ben Affleck is excellent as Christian Wolff.  He is supported by an amazing cast.  Standouts include Anna Kendrick, J.K. Simmons, Jeffrey Tambor and John Lithgow.  Kudos to the always excellent Jon Bernthal, who owns every scene he’s in.

The Accountant features a cool twist that I didn’t see coming.

I’d love for Affleck and Bernthal to return in a sequel.

“The Eagle” (2011) starring Channing Tatum & Jamie Bell / Z-View

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The Eagle (2011)

Director: Kevin Macdonald

Screenplay by: Jeremy Brock based on THE EAGLE OF THE NINTH by Rosemary Sutcliff

Starring: Channing Tatum, Jamie Bell, Donald Sutherland, Paul Ritter and Julian Lewis Jones.

Tagline: The destiny of a soldier. The honour of a slave. The fate of an empire.

The Story:

The year is 140 AD.  Marcus Aquila (Tatum) has grown up in the shadow of his father, the Commander of the Ninth.  Twenty years ago, his father and the Centurions he led disappeared.  Also missing was the golden eagle – the standard they carried into battle.  Rumors persist that his Marcus’ father died a coward.  Some say he was a terrible leader and blame him for the loss of the golden eagle.

Marcus, in his first command at a remote Roman garrison, proves himself.  His decisive actions turn the tide of the battle and save the fort from being wiped out.  Sadly, Marcus sustains an injury that prevents him from continuing his career as a soldier.  While recuperating, Marcus hears a rumor that the golden eagle has been seen deep in the wilderness held by Pict warriors.

Still not fully recovered, Marcus and his slave, Esca (Bell) travel deep into territory held by warrior tribes hostile to Rome.  There Marcus will learn the truth about his father and the loss of the golden eagle.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers) 

The Eagle starts off like Gladiator and ends like a buddy movie.  If you compare the battle scenes to the last shot of the film, they are like two completely different movies.

Donald Sutherland seems so out of place in this film.  I have a hard time seeing him, looking like he always looks in modern movies, as a character in 140 AD.

I love the depiction of the Pict warriors.  I think the chase and battle scenes are the best parts of the film.

“Monster on the Campus” (1958) / Z-View

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Monster on the Campus (1958)

Director: Jack Arnold

Screenplay by: David Duncan

Starring: Arthur Franz, Joanna Moore, Joanna Moore, Troy Donahue, Phil Harvey, Helen Westcott, Helen Westcott, Whit Bissell, Ross Elliott, and Eddie Parker.

Tagline: Co-ed beauty captive of man-monster! Campus terror! Students victims of terror-beast!

The Story:

Professor Donald Blake (Franz) accidently cuts himself on the teeth of a well-preserved million-year-old fish fossil. Right after, while putting the fossil away, his injured hand dips into the water holding the specimen.  Later Blake learns the fossil had been preserved using gamma rays.

That evening a woman is savagely attacked.  Her corpse is found hanging from a tree.  Professor Blake is found barely conscious on the ground nearby.  He has no memory of what happened.  When the police find a huge deformed handprint they believe it to be the killer’s.  While the police begin a hunt for the monster, Professor Blake worries that he is devolving into a creature from the past.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)

At the start of the movie on a shelf in Professor Blake’s lab is a series of molds showing the evolution of man’s face.  The very first mold looks a lot like The Creature from the Black Lagoon.  Jack Arnold, who directed Monster On the Campus, also helmed The Creature from the Black Lagoon.

Jack Arnold was the go-to director for horror/sci-fi movies in the 1950s.  He helmed It Came from Outer Space; The Creature from the Black Lagoon; Revenge of the Creature; This Island Earth; Tarantula; The Incredible Shrinking Man; The Space Children and Monster on the Campus.

Monster on the Campus was Troy Donahue’s last film for Universal.  The following year he signed a contract at Warner Bros. and soon became a top name star.

“Chrome and Hot Leather” (1971) starring William Smith / Z-View

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Chrome and Hot Leather (1971)

Director: Lee Frost

Screenplay by: Michael Haynes & David Neibel and Don Tait from a story by Michael Haynes & David Neibel

Starring: William Smith, Tony Young, Michael Haynes, Peter Brown, Michael Stearns, Larry Bishop, Kathrine Baumann, Wes Bishop, Herb Jeffries, Bobby Pickett, Cheryl Ladd (aka Cherie Moor), Robert Ridgely, Erik Estrada, Dan Haggerty  and Marvin Gaye.

Tagline: A terrifying look at Motor Cycle Savagery – from the same studio that made “Born Losers”

The Story:

When a US Special Forces sergeant learns that his fiancé was killed by the member of a motorcycle gang, he recruits three of his service buddies to track down the murderer.  Four Viet Nam vets against an entire motorcycle gang?  Yeah, that sounds about right.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)

William Smith and Peter Brown co-starred in the television series Laredo before working on this film.

Chrome and Hot Leather features some interesting cast member trivia…

  • Cheryl Ladd made her feature film debut billed as Cherie Moor.
  • Marvin Gaye, best known as a multi-Grammy award-winning singer, made his feature film debut as well.
  • Bobby Pickett, best known as the writer/singer of the classic The Monster Mash appears.
  • Herb Jeffries, a popular jazz singer and actor in films made for African-American audiences in the 1930s/1940s, shows up.
  • Erik Estrada can be seen in an uncredited role in only his second feature film.
  • Dan Haggerty also has an uncredited role.  He plays a bearded member of the biker gang.

Chrome and Hot Leather (1971) was made to cash in on the biker craze of the era.  It’s a low-budget drive-in film.  William Smith was built for biker films.  If he was a bit younger, he’d have been an action movie star of the 80s.  Still playing Conan’s dad is quite a notch on your resume.

“Day Zero” (2022) starring Brandon Vera / Z-View

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Day Zero (2022)

Director: Joey De Guzman

Screenplay by: Ays De Guzman

Starring: Brandon Vera, Pepe Herrera, Mary Jean Lastimosa.

Tagline: When the dead rise, humanity falls.

The Story:

As a zombie virus spreads like wildfire, Emon (Vera) fights to get home to his wife and child.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)

Brandon Vera is a former MMA fighter.  He has the potential to become a better known action star.

Day Zero is low budget zombie film.  It also had potential.  Pepe Herrera was Vera’s comic relief sidekick.  Thankfully, the comedy wasn’t over the top.  As Vera and Herrera fought their way to save Vera’s family the action became to repetitive.  I taped out after 43 minutes.

CHASING THE BOOGEYMAN (A Novel) by Richard Chizmar

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CHASING THE BOOGEYMAN (A Novel) by Richard Chizmar

First sentence…

When I first started clipping newspaper articles and jotting down notes about the tragic events that transpired in my hometown of Edgewood, Maryland, during the summer and autumn of 1988, I had no thoughts of one day turning those scattered observations into a full-length book.

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

Richard Chizmar just graduated college.  He’s making plans to marry his girlfriend.  He dreams of being a writer.  The only negative is that Richard will have to live with his parents for some months until he’s married.  Still, going back to the house he grew up in will provide time to strengthen family bonds and rekindle old friendships.  At least that’s how Richard thought things would be.

That all changes when mutilated bodies of dead girls begin showing up.  When Richard arrives home, there’s a curfew in effect.  Everyone in his small town is jumpy.  The F.B.I. has assisted local police, but there have been no solid leads.  Because of the way the murderer butchers and eludes detection, rumors are flying that the killer isn’t human.  When Richard learns that he knew one of the victims, his writer’s curiosity causes him to dig into the case.  The killer begins taunting the police, the FBI and Richard.  That’s when Richard realizes he has put himself and his family in danger.

+++

Richard Chizmar has written a novel that reads like a true crime story.  In addition to placing himself in the story, Chizmar provides maps, newspaper photos, and more in regard to the case. You may find yourself double checking to make sure it is fiction.

Often true crime tales read like procedurals. Not this baby.  It reads like one of the best true crime stories you could ask for. But remember, it’s fiction.

Rating:

“JFK: What the Doctors Saw” (2023) / Z-View

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JFK: What the Doctors Saw (2023)

Director: Barbara Shearer

Tagline: None.

The Story:

Immediately after President Kennedy was assassinated conspiracy theories appeared.  The official story is that Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone.  Despite witnesses who swore there was another gunman, the Warren Commission determined that Oswald was the sole gunman.

JFK: What the Doctors Saw documents what the doctors at Parkland Hospital dealt with when President Kennedy was brought in mortally wounded.  By using archival news footage, copies of official reports, and most importantly video interviews with these doctors, we are given first hand accounts of what these medical professionals dealt with.  What they saw does not line up with the official story,

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)

I was just five years old (by a month) when President Kennedy was assassinated.  Since I was young I’ve followed the news reports and conspiracy theories.  When I was in high school I read the Warren Commission Report.

Over the years there have been many documentaries and specials that “investigated” the assassination of President Kennedy.  What this documentary does is focus on what the doctors at Parkland Hospital saw when President Kennedy was brought in.  Despite there being no doubt that the President was mortally wounded, they did their best to save him.  While the official story is that the President was shot from behind, all of the doctors believed that at least one shot came from the front.  This would explain the small bullet wound to President Kennedy’s neck and the blown out portion at the back of his skull.

The doctors all agree that the official autopsy report is not consistent with the President’s injuries as they saw them.  The doctor’s have said this from day one and have never changed their stories.  You can see this from the written reports that had to submit.  It’s very powerful to see video interviews with the doctors shown to the public for the first time in this documentary.

If you’re familiar with the Kennedy assassination, there isn’t much new ground covered.  Still, hearing from the doctors about their personal experiences on that terrible day is powerful.

“Born Losers” (1967) directed by & starring Tom Laughlin / Z-View

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Born Losers (1967)

Director: T.C. Frank (Tom Laughlin)

Screenplay by: James Lloyd (Elizabeth James)

Starring: Tom Laughlin, Elizabeth James, Jeremy Slate, William Wellman Jr., Jack Starrett, Robert Tessier, Jeff Cooper, Stuart Lancaster, Delores Taylor and Jane Russell.

Tagline: KITTEN ON WHEELS WITH HER BIKE, HER BOOTS and HER BIKINI! Out for kicks… in for trouble! She’s going to Join the… BORN LOSERS

The Story:

The Born Losers motorcycle gang has begun to terrorize a small California town. Victims and witnesses alike are terrified to testify against them.

Billy Jack is a former Viet Nam vet who lives a quiet life in the mountains.  On a trip to town, Billy Jack sees gang members savagely beating a man.  Although no one else is willing to help, Billy Jack grabs his rifle.  He orders the gang to stop.  One gang member says he doesn’t have enough bullets to get them all and they begin to surround him.  Billy Jack shoots one in the leg.  The police arrive and arrest everyone including Billy Jack.  Billy Jack later learns that his fine for firing the gun was more than the gang members got for assault.

News spreads that gang members have raped some young women.  Only one is willing to testify.  She is being kept in protective custody at a hotel.  When gang members lure the cop guarding her away, others go to kidnap her.  Billy Jack intervenes.

Billy Jack plans to keep her safe until the trial.

What chance does one man have against an outlaw biker gang?

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)

Tom Laughlin had the character Billy Jack in mind for years before he ever made it to the screen.  Born Losers was written to cash in on the biker craze and be a springboard for Billy Jack.  Elizabeth James, the movie’s co-star wrote the screenplay using the name James Lloyd.  The thought was who would want to see a biker movie written by a chick?

Tom Laughlin, who played Billy Jack, directed Born Losers. He used the pseudonym T.C. Frank. His three children are named Teresa, Christina and Frank. His wife Delores Taylor has a quick cameo as a mother with two children (played by Teresa and Frank).

Movie tough guy, Robert Tessier, makes his film debut in Born Losers!

Born Losers was successful enough for Laughlin to get financing to make Billy Jack.  When Billy Jack became a breakout hit, American International re-released Born Losers.  They advertised it with a new poster that focused on Billy Jack.  The box office of Born Losers ended up being American International’s highest grossing release until 1979.

Born Losers generated 3 more Billy Jack movies; Billy Jack (1971), The Trial of Billy Jack (1974) and Billy Jack Goes to Washington (1977).

Jack Starrett plays a deputy much like the deputy character he played in First Blood.

Most folks may be surprised my rating for Born Losers is so high.  The film resonates with me.  I saw Born Losers on a double feature with Billy Jack when I was in 9th grade.  (The perfect age for both those movies.)  My “date” was my girlfriend and future wife.  I love that Tom Laughlin had a vision and despite many, many obstacles (losing financing, losing distribution, etc.) was able to make his dream come true and create a legendary character.  Your mileage may vary.

“Island of Lost Souls” (1932) starring Charles Laughton, Bela Lugosi, Richard Arlen & Kathleen Burke / Z-View

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Island of Lost Souls (1932)

Director: Erle C. Kenton

Screenplay by: Waldemar Young, Philip Wylie based on THE ISLAND OF DR. MOREAU by H. G. Wells

Starring: Charles Laughton, Bela Lugosi, Richard Arlen, Leila Hyams, Kathleen Burke, Arthur Hohl, Stanley Fields, Paul Hurst.

Tagline: THE PANTHER WOMAN lured men on – only to destroy them body and soul!

The Story:

After a dispute with a supply ship’s drunken Captain, Edward Parker (Arlen), is left stranded on the remote jungle island of Dr. Moreau (Laughton). Moreau welcomes Parker to his home.  Parker thanks him for the hospitality and says he will leave on the next supply ship.  Parker is warned that many wild creatures live on the island.  He is then introduced to Lota (Burke) and Montgomery (Hohl), Moreau’s assistant.

Later as Lota and Edward are talking they hear terrible screams coming from Dr. Moreau’s lab.  Lota tells Edward the lab is called “the house of pain”.  Edward bursts in to find Moreau and Montgomery operating without anesthesia on some sort of human-animal hybrid.

Edward decides to take a small boat and leave.  As he walks from the safety of the house, Edward sees dozens of half-human beasts coming towards him.  Dr. Moreau shows up with his whip and drives them back into the jungle.  Moreau explains that the creatures are results of his failed experiments to turn animals into humans.

Edward is trapped on the island with the crazy Dr. Moreau and his assistant Montgomery.  As the jungle creatures get more daring, Edward knows that time for survival is running out.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)

Paramount decided the role of Lota the Panther Woman would go to an unknown actress.  Kathleen Burke, a fashion model and radio actress who had never appeared in a feature film, won the role beating out 60,000 hopefuls.  The opening credits read Lota…. the Panther Woman, but the final credits list Kathleen Burke by name.  It’s interesting to note that Lota does not appear in H.G. Wells’ novel.

Island of Lost Souls (1932) was made before the Hays Code, which prohibited profanity, suggestive nudity, graphic or realistic violence, sexual persuasions and rape, went into effect.  Subsequently, the movie was censored in many countries and re-releases.

H.G. Wells reportedly felt that the film focused on horror at the expense of the “novel’s philosophical themes”.