Don Movie Reviews

I bought this movie out of a sense of nostalgia, being a child of the seventies. Watching this movie now, it didn't quite hold up as well as I remembered, but it is somewhat entertaining, and I would feel comfortable showing it to my nieces and nephews, given its' lack of anything that could be considered even remotely offensive.

The plot has Donovan (Bill Bixby), a bachelor and small time hustler of sorts, getting stuck with the care of three orphan children. As he tries to unburden himself of his three wards, he finds the townspeople to be less than receptive to the idea of taking in the children. These orphans hold the deed to a goldmine, thought by everyone to be dried up, but an earthquake turns up a huge gold nugget, and now the townspeople are falling over themselves to take custody. Donovan, actually concerned with the welfare of the children, works up a plan to marry Dusty (Susan Clark), and pass the children on to her care, as she seems truly interested in the welfare of the children, and not their money.

Don Knotts and Tim Conway play a pair of bungling thieves who scheme, among other things, to try and steal the huge gold nugget. The whole ladder theft from the firehouse scene was pretty funny.

Some other easily recognizable stars in this movie are Harry Morgan and Slim Pickens.

As I said before, while the movie didn't seem as humorous to me now as it did when I was a child, it was certainly entertaining. It's a fine wide screen presentation, but what I really enjoyed was the special features. The interactive menus are excellent and grant access to quite a lot of interesting information like lengthy biographies, interviews, history of the back lots at Disney studios, promotional stills and advertising material for the movie, a synopsis of what was going on at Walt Disney in 1975 (the year this movie was released), and so much more.

I just got my copy of this DVD and I Love it. Another Great Movie for you to see is the sequel to this timeless classic Apple Dumpling Gang Rides Again. Which is also available on DVD from Amazon.com.

Here is a brief Description:

3 kids are sent to a backwoods town and are supposed to belong to a backwoods drunk. Well the backwoods drunk has other plans so he gives them to a town newcomer Donnavan. Well than the kids find gold, and that is when they meet the 2 hilarious crooks Tim Conway, and Don Knotts. Well after they find the gold everybody wants the kids . And it attracts attention to a group of crooks. Well as the movie goes on you find out that Tim Conway, and Don Knotts used to work for the Head of the gang of crooks until Tim Conway acidentally show the guys leg in a hold up. well it ends the Donavan and his friend Dusty get married and they move to St. Louis where he starts a Gambling Joint. But in the sequel you don't here anything about it, and in the sequel they said that Donavan and Dusty and the kids moved onto a farm. Did I miss something somewhere ?

Great Movie. 5 Star Rating.

THE MOVIE IN ITS ENTIRTY WAS UNSUSPASED, BILL BIXBY PLAYED THE SWEET DAD. ENVN IN THE INCRECEBLE HULK BIXBY'S SWEETNES COMES THOUUGH.

"This Side of Paradise" - 3.865 stars

(a.k.a., "James T. Kirk: Wet Blanket")

"For the first time in my life, I was happy" - so says Mr. Spock, when asked to comment upon his experience on Omicron Ceti III. Of course, the duty-bound Joe Friday of space, Captain Kirk, would have none of this nonsense. Perfect health? Bah! Peace? Hooey! Love? He'd rather fight than switch. What a creep. "Man was meant to struggle" Kirk/Friday somberly intones, perfectly embodying the hair shirt anti-pleasure ethic. Living in harmony with nature and one another bad; tearing up the landscape to "accomplish" (i.e., build more starships to endlessly repeat the process) good.

Don't ever invite this guy to a party, unless you want it to end.

"The Devil in the Dark"- 2.135 stars

(a.k.a., "Super Smackdown with The Rock")

Our heroes are summoned to a Federation mining operation on Janus VI that is being troubled by one man-eating monster, and quite a few bad actors. Well, they've got quotas to meet, mister, and production is suffering. Who cares about environmental rape - hey, that's what other planets are for! Shoes for industry! The creature looks like a heapin' helpin' of Hamburger Helper dumped on a chenille rug, and man is it ticked off. Good thing Spock can connect because, unlike most of the other aliens in the Star Trek universe, it's English-speaking skills are lacking.

It's writing skills, however, are surprisingly good.

"This Side of Paradise" A planet laced with plants that shoot out spores which make everyone happy & content infects the crew of the Enterprise. How will they break free?

"Devil in the Dark" An underground monster is killing a bunch of miners. Why? Watch & find out.

This Side of Paradise-Yet another excellent episode, this one concerns a planet where plant spores have caused an epidemic of joyful inebriation. Like many of the best early shows, the slow pacing here allows a sense of mystery to develop before the hook is revealed to us. This is one of the more convincing of the 'Enterprise in danger' episodes, but it is more than that. The plot device enables several crew members to flesh out their characters, most notably Leonard Nimoy. It is difficult not to feel angry at Kirk as he goads Spock with racial slurs, even as we understand why he says what he does. Certainly the conflict between the happiness provided by drugs and alcohol on the one hand vs. their 'unnatural' tendency to hinder personal development and achievement is as resonant today as it was in 1967. (4.5 stars)

Devil In the Dark-Yet another in the string on winning episodes, this one concerns a conflict between miners and a silicon-based life form. This unusual episode has a strong element of suspense, since we are not only trying to figure out just what's happening, but also worried about what lurks in the dark tunnels. The episode is more than just suspenseful though. Themes explored include the rights of all creatures to survival, and the mammal bias inherent in our notions of both ugliness and maternal love. Star Trek must have been one of the first shows to devote so much thought to ecological/environmental questions, which like so many themes explored by Star Trek has only grown in importance. More research is of course devoted today than ever before to boundary conflicts, and more generally to finding ways to balance our human resource needs with the survival of other species.

Tidbit: William Shatner's father died during the production of this episode. (4.5 stars)

A MORTICIAN TELLS 4 STORIES TO A GROUP OF THUGS. THE 1ST AND 3RD ARE STANDARD TALES WITH AN AFRICAN AMERICAN TWIST BUT THE 2ND AND FOURTH TALES ARE DIFFERENT.
1ST TALE; A MAN IS BRUTALLY MURDERED BY RACIST, CROOKED COPS. AND THE BLACK COP THAT WITNESSED IT IS HAUNTED BY THE MAN'S VOICE. GOOD TALE AND WITH A COOL ENDING.

2ND TALE; A BOY IS BEING TERRORIZED BY A MONSTER AT HIS DOOR. HE TELLS A TEACHER THAT HE'S ALWAYS IN BRUISES BECAUSE OF THE MONSTER, BUT THE TEACHER DOESN'T BELIEVE HIM UNTIL HE COMES TO HIS HOUSE. NOW THIS IS SOMETHING DIFFERENT. THIS TALE WAS THE LEAST OF THE WHOLE MOVIE, BUT IT'S NOT BAD. IT'S JUST NOT AS GOOD AS THE OTHER 3.

3RD TALE; A WHITE MAN WHO'S RUNNING FOR MAYOR LIVES IN A FORMER SLAVE HOUSE THAT HAS DOLLS IN IT THAT ARE ALIVE. THIS IS GOOD, AND IT WAS PURE GENIUS HOW THE DOLLS CAME TO LIFE AND JUST SCARED THE LIVING SH.. OUT OF HIM. GREAT TALE.

4TH TALE; A THUG IS SENTENCED TO BEHAVIOR MODIFICATION. THIS IS THE BEST TALE THAT THIS MOVIE HAS TO OFFER. IT SHOWS WHAT OFTEN HAPPENS TO THUGS. HE KEEPS SAYING HE DON'T GIVE A F... BUT THEN WE HE BLOWS HIS CHANCE AT REDEMPTION, HE WAKES UP AND GETS KILLED.

GREAT MOVIE. THIS BEATS THE ''TALES FROM THE CRYPT'' MOVIES. THEY SHOULD MAKE MORE HORROR MOVIES LIKE THIS. THIS WAS VERY THRILLING AND ALL THE TALES HAD A LOGICAL PLOT TO THEM. DON'T MISS OUT ON THIS ONE!

THIS FILM IS TRULY THE SCARIEST HORROR MOVIE I HAVE EVER SEEN. NOT ONLY ARE THE STORIES DISTURBING AND REALALISTIC (BESIDES THE OBVIOUS FACTS), EACH STORY HAS THEIR OWN MUSIC WHICH IS VERY SCARY. I THINK ALL THAT SEE THIS MOVIE WOULD AGREE THAT THE SCARIEST PART IS THE ENDING. I BELIEVE THAT MR. SIMMS WILL GO DOWN AS THE CRYPT KEEPER FOR THE URBAN SOCIETY FOR CENTURIES. IF YOU LOVE HORROR MOVIES AND BEING SCARED, SEE THIS MOVIE, NO MATTER WHAT RACE YOU ARE.

I kind of turned off the t.v after being freaked out during the night, WHOA especially the ending, now that was so freaky, I dont remember much, a bunch of drug dealers go to a funeral home to deal some drugs or something? or they go to buy some, forgot, funny when the guy hits his head on the porch. Well I remember some stories one of dolls that kill people, and has something to do with a painting on the wall, another story of police brutality, lets leave it like that. I think anyone should watch this really interesting movie, one of my all time favs, it did scare me half to death! But I'll have to watch it again to refresh my memory!

Volume 34 of the Star Trek DVD series contains two episodes that have been considered good cause they were supposedly very risqué during the time they aired. Partly because each has it's own "landmark moment in American television". In reality these moments are barely noticable and these two Trek episodes are just as mediocre as the rest that came out of the third season.

PLATO'S STEPCHILDREN opens this one. Yeah I know. I've heard it a thousand times: "tv's first interracial kiss" between William Shatner and Nichelle Nichols. The truth is (according to Shatner himself) that two scenes of this were shot. One that was actually a kiss and the other that wasn't. The latter was chosen in the original airing and they have never bothered to put the actual kiss in any reruns. Therefore technically there is nothing special about this one. The plot is typical Star Trek and this episode showcases some of the actors most embarassing moments. Still this is good for a laugh. Especially when the dwarf Alexander mounts Kirk like a horse and our good Capt. begins to 'neigh'. Apart from those embarassing moments and a few touching acting scenes between Kirk and Alexander this episode is pretty forgettable.

The second episode here is WINK OF AN EYE which fairs little better than PLATO'S STEPCHILDREN. For whatever reason I have always felt the sound in this one was muffled. Maybe it was just me? Anyways the supposed off camera sex scene between Kirk and the girl isn't very noteworthy. As a matter of fact I didn't even notice it until another Amazon.com reviewer mentioned it! The plot to WINK OF AN EYE is interesting but in the long run it's merely the Star Trek crew being invaded by bizarre aliens once again. As I said many times before, it's been done! Anybody else notice that the camera work of this episode was almost always on a slant? Just a thought...

Overall these two episodes are definetly watchable but I find neither them are as special as they claim to be. Keep in mind these were released in 1968 so perhaps they were considered more shocking back then but I find it hard to believe since Star Trek's ratings and popularity were at an all time low when they aired. Not the best but it's classic Trek so go on try it! Recommended!

Plato's Stepchildren-Another menacing and sadistic 3rd season episode, this time involving an Ancient Greek-like people
with telekenetic powers. This is one of those episodes-there would be many more ahead--that doesn't have a lot to say. It is most noteworthy for the kiss between Kirk and Uhura (too bad it had to be forced upon them), the absurdly camp antics performed by Kirk and Spock in particular, and the icy malevolence of Parmen and his cohorts. Whatever moral the episode conveys could probably best be summarized as "absolute power corrupts absolutely." There's nothing very deep about the crew's 'escape' either, although they are able to teach Alexander some valuable lessons before they go. (3 stars)

Wink of an Eye-This episode, involving an accelerated species, has always been a favorite of mine. It is a very dreamlike episode; the scene depicting Kirk's acceleration must be one of the show's most bizarre segments. Tilting the camera and returning to music used in 'The Cage' were nice ways of embellishing acceleration. The idea also struck me as quite original (although I must confess I've read very little science fiction). Others have noted that when you sit down and work out the times involved, there are a lot of inconsistencies and implausible outcomes, but I do not look to Star Trek for that kind of realism.
Kathy Browne does a nice job as Deela. While clearly serious about the business of reproduction, she has a light, flirtatious quality which, along with her power, forces Kirk out of his usual domineering role. Of course, the two of them generated a scene for the sensors to miss nonetheless!
One final note: Even after several viewings I'm still not sure I understand the final scene, when Kirk utters the cryptic line, "That's..no malfunction." Did the production team just run out of steam at the end of the episode? Or did Deela intentionally leave the tape nearby (for Uhura to mistakenly pick up) as a momento to Kirk? Not clear. What is clear is that things were starting to get sloppy by the middle of the 3rd season; it would only get worse.
Nevertheless, I feel this episode, number 12 of 24) sits solidly on the winning side of what would be a turning point for the show. The remaining shows as a rule wouldn't feel as stylized as those from the first half of the third season, and were somehow less quirky and more formulaic. Given that they also tended to have thin plots, this would be a formula for disaster. (4 stars)

I absolutely love this episode! Of course, this may have something to do with the fact that I'm a huge Spock fan, and love to see him act more human, which is rare. But there are also a lot of other great things about this episode. It's really fun, although you should probably watch it twice if you want to experience the fun in the silliness as much as possible, since you're worrying too much the first time about whether they'll ever get out! And, of course, the show itself took great strides with the showing of the first inter-racial kiss, between William Shatner and Nichelle Nichols, not to mention the one shared by Leonard Nimoy and Majel Barrett! But that's really what Star Trek is all about, isn't it? "To go where no one has gone before' and in this episode, they did that with a lot of fun involved.

This Air Bud movie is pretty good. It has new characters and new storylines. The dogs and puppys are great and it has the usual bad guys. This time it is about soccer. Overall great movie and okay DVD. It is in fullscreen, that is why I gave it a 4 star rating.

This is the best Air Bud! I've watched every one except 7-th Inning Fetch. They have some funny parts and a little romance. It's a great movie.

Every bit as good as the first two!

Yeah, I saw this picture during the Dane Tour 2000. Its about some freakish little alien that looks like a cartoon.The alien is named Elmo and he feeds on brains or something. People let the little parasite feed on them because elmo gives them an addictive hallucinogen. In the end the main character gets over sauced with the crazy drug and starts firing Corona Beams out of his head.(see cover)

Frank Henenlotter's second low-budget feature about a boy and his pet monster, is an anti drug horror comedy that is almost as good as his first film Basket Case (1981) [Watch for the Basket Case related in joke when actor Kevin VanHentenryck appears in a subway scene]. The non-human star, is a worm-like critter named Aylmer. The slimy penis shaped parasite comes in the possession of young Brian [Rick Herbst], and begins to gain control of him. The singing, and joke telling Aylmer sinks hooks into Brian's neck, secreting a strange blue liquid that gives his brain a jolt of psychedelic goodies, 'color, music and euphoria'. In exchange for injecting this marvelous hallucinogen into Brian's brain, the Aylmer incites its host to find it victims, from whom it sucks brains. Aylmer argues that it's all right to kill people, as long as Brian isn't directly involved. Kicking his wisecracking pain in the neck, is the only way for Brian to survive. When originally released, the film slipped onto video shelves virtually unnoticed. Thankfully Synapse Films have re-released this cult classic on DVD, and have restored this print to include the much talked about ...................... that Paramount didn't have the guts to include. The strong sexual footage is played up, mostly for laughs. Very funny 42nd street humor is contained on the commentary track. Review by: Fringe Video.

Brain damage noe of the most excellent movies i have ever seen. It has the best story and the most interesting characters ive seen in a while. The gore and special effects are a masterpiece. I highly recomend this movie to anyone who likes cult classics. If i had to compare it i would say its kind of like a troma movie but not funny. Everyone needs to see this movie. the first scene will send chills down your backside.

I would never have expected, even with family sequels so prevalent nowadays, that anyone would think of making a movie to track the life of Rasputin's tiny sidekick in Anastasia. I guess I'm not alone in what character traits appeal to me, however. Interestingly enough, some days before I saw Anastasia I woke from a dream in which the villain and sidekick from Disney's Aladdin, Jafar and the parrot Iago, were floating on an abandoned raft during a nighttime lightning storm and lamenting their mistakes together. It seemed foolish when I woke, because those characters were nothing like what my dream made them to be... but when I saw Anastasia, I was amazed at how well Rasputin and Bartok fit the bill. I didn't think anyone else would be so charmed at how the helpful bat-like creature offered sensible advice to his evil liege even while dragging back his fallen-off body parts and displaying a general sort of affection. What a great little guy, I thought, and what a pity he's fallen into such bad company. It was heartwarming to see him turn to the aid of good at the end. All that is why Bartok the Magnificent charmed me so much. It's certainly not a sequel to Anastasia, and I'm sorry the previous reviewer was expecting it to be. It's a spin-off, rather, for anyone curious whether that little whitebat managed to make anything of his life after abandoning his master. What fun to see that he's pursued the life of street showman, which seems oddly appropriate. This movie is casual and makes little effort to establish a setting, which groups it with other sequels/spin-offs and is why I give it only four stars, not five. Chronologically, the characters shown on the Russian throne make no sense and beg the question of what happened to Princess Anastasia. Yet, when we view this Moscow as something of an unreliable fairytale land (and the movie does follow certain tenets of fairy-tales), it seems quite believable. Bartok is obviously the hero of his movie, and he lives up to the role well. He is immodest, an unusual trait among genuine heroes, but it works on him. Of especial note is the fact that while his integrity is questioned at times, hardly anyone ever points out that Bartok is quite small--so how could he make anything of himself? Naturally, this issue itself has been explored time and again in children's movies and books, and is properly treated as a sidenote here. For his part, Bartok is all the more inspiring by how he resourcefully makes use of the physique he has. He is never shown doing anything unrealistic for his size or strength, and neither is there much of the inordinate luck small characters in movies like this often have in besting those larger than them. In my opinion, that implicit honesty makes this movie a real treasure. Bartok is more than just an amusing voice and more than just another unlikely hero--he is an inspiration for those who must confront tasks they know appear far beyond their means to carry out. The tools at hand are determination, perseverance, and ingenuity, all of which are put fully to the test in Bartok the Magnificent, and all of which succeed.

Get this movie for kids and adults. It's very funny and charming. The animation has the quality of a feature, not a direct-to-video. The cast is first rate: Hank Azaria, Kelsey Grammer, Andrea Martin, Catherine O'Hara.

My 4 year old just LOVES this tape! The songs are wonderful, and there is a nice story as well. It is a spin off from Anastasia - which is also a wonderful video. My 7 year old nephew likes it too! I highly recomend this for your video collection! again ***** 5 stars! I even like to sit down and watch it too!

this movie is so full of horrible acting, idiotic writing, and pathetic southern accents that I forgot I was watching a movie about vietnam veterans. the movie bastardizes what should be a solemn moment- when the hillbilly family visits The Wall while discussing barbeque for lunch. I am from Kentucky and I do not know anyone who speaks the ways these idiots do; i noticed in the credits that they had a dialect coach whom I hope is out of a job! Samantha is so full of annoying energy you don't even get the feeling that she is affected by her dad's death- she speaks about it at the dinner table with her grandparents while smiling and passing the mashed potatoes and gravy! did this actress have any clue what the movie was about? the battle scenes look like they took place at someone's lake house, not the in the jungle. to say the movie is oversentimental and trite is an understatement. bruce willis serves no purpose in this movie except to remind you it's about a veteran, not just about his hick niece who jogs all over town and dreams about going to the mall someday. to sum it all up, this movie is not about the pain left from the vietnam war. it is about who can do the worst accent, yell "woo hoo" the most times, and make the most obvious stereotypical references to southern culture. this movie is an utter joke. i threw it in the trash after i saw it, and have resumed my pledge to never watch another bruce willis movie again- or any movie with the other actors/writers/directors. I would recommend this movie to anyone who wants to watch and make fun of one of the most hideous movies ever made, if it were not for the fact that it is about supposed to be about such a serious topic-vietnam.

A good attempt at post war but failed in many ways. the past faze shots are so fake its unbelieveable. ...the best post vietnam is 'born on the forth'. NOT this movie. Bruce Willis plays a Vet but the acting was overdone that it look fake. It works for DIEHARD, but not here. The part is beyond him as he tries to get all the attention, as well as screen shots. Emily Lloyd didnt get enough time thanks to the almighty bruce demand to be the center of attention. The ending is somewhat touching but the rest is boring and a waste of time. Save ur time and money by watching Born on the Forth.

take care all

A surprisingly good film. I expected the usual "Vietnam Vet is crazy, and nobody understands him" film, but this was actually quite a pleasant surprise. Remarkably well acted by Bruce Willis (a surprise there as well) In Country is about a girl searching for information about her father who died in Nam. Her veteran Uncle Emmit (Willis) is unwilling to help, but she continues searching, eventually talking to Emmit and his other veteran friends. Truly a well crafted film, not hokey or overdramatized, with good to great acting all around. Based on an equally excellent book of the same name.

Paul Gaita should be made to remove his comments about the real Buford Pusser. Would a man who was, as Mr Gaita states: "Brutal and far from scrupulous" have had the tributes which are still paid to him, even today, have had so many people attend his funeral that it took nine books to contain the names of all who paid tribute to him by being there (even Elvis!!) and finally, would he still be admired by so many people, even today? He was a man and being a man, he made mistakes. I wonder if Mr. Gaita's life were scrutinized, if he would be as honored? The fact is, obviously, Mr. Gaita formed his opinion of the real Buford Pusser based solely on the films which were loosely based on his life. If I were a member of his surviving family, I would consider legal action against Paul Gaita for his defaming comments. He has no right to criticize, put-down or defame the integrity, character and reputation of the real Buford Pusser. He does not have the right to "review" the life of a real man, who left behind a legacy of "do what is right, no matter what the cost". I wonder if Paul Gaita will be able to say the same?

I agree that the picture and sound quality should have been better. I feel better about the quality of my DVD player knowing that someone else found certain scenes in "Final Chapter-Walking Tall" to be too dark. Also disappointing are the lack of trailers and documentaries, the latter, especially disappointing since these films were loosely based on facts. The packaging is flimsy, hardly protective from dust for the discs, merely adequate. Even so, the set is still a bargain for the money. As one who had the privilege of meeting the real Buford Pusser's mother and daughter and being told the facts, I really don't like Paul Gaita's so-called review and his calling the real Buford Pusser cruel and far from scrupulous. He should at least take the time to get his facts straight before making such statements. He might also be interested to know that the real Buford Pusser did not die in an explosion, but from being thrown from a fast-moving car. His mother went to her grave believing the crash of his Corvette on August 21, 1974 was caused by his being poisoned. Officially, his death was ruled as an accident, caused by drinking and speeding. Curiously though, his mother said that she was prevented from having his body exhumed, which she said would have proven that he was poisoned. Especially strange that there was no autopsy done either, which would have been proof of his drinking or not. She also said she was prevented from having his death investigated any further. I agree that the first film is the best and most factual, but Mr. Gaita needs to get his facts straight before defaming an actual person's character and reputation.

I have waited for a long time for the Walking Tall Trilogy to be released on DVD but was not over joyed with the DVD set. First I have to say is that the movies are all outstanding and can be watched over and over aging without loosing their excitement. But, it looks like Rhino did not use a master print but a copy of the video tape. The print they used I think is a very poor print. Walking Tall part 1 has alot of what I call "video tape lines' runnig through it, the Final Chapter is real dark in some scenes, and over all the video quality is not what you expect out of a DVD. It looks like you are watching a video tape. Rhino, you did Bufford Pusser an injustice! And I have to agree with the other reviewer; Where is the TV series at??? Release them pleaseeeee.
Over all, for the movies sake I give it a 5 star plus. On Rhinos part, 5 stars for releasing the movies on DVD, and 2 stars for their transfer. Go back to the master prints, thx them, re-do a new release to DVD including a release of the TV series.
If you like Walking Tall and Buford Pusser at all, this is a DVD set you will wnat to own

DON'T TORTURE A DUCKLING is a very well-made, atmospheric, creepy, disturbing, & effective horror film. What makes this movie very unlike what Lucio Fulci makes is that it relies more on suspense, characterization, & disturbing realism other than blood & gore that which he is noted for.

In a small Italian village, young boys are being murdered. Who is responsible for these horrific crimes?

Probably one of the first of its kind of films that deal with the grim reality of serial murder (along with Fritz Lang's M & Ulli Lommell's THE TENDERNESS OF THE WOLVES). And when the revelation of the murderer is is truly astonishing & shocking for its time when it was released.

The Anchor Bay video transfer is crisp & bright. They did a marvellous job of bringing this well-made giallo on video the quality is just marvellous.

Barbara Bouchet is mesmerizing as the town tease. Nuff said!

If you're a horror film fan, you won't be disappointed with this classic, yet almost forgotten outing from one of the masters of Italian horror, Lucio Fulci.

The idyllic Italian countryside, with a highway snaking along concrete supports, with church bells, houses clustered like barnacles on mountains, seems an unlikely place for murders to occur. Well, guess what happens in the village of Accendura?

Three boys, roughly 11 or 12 years of age, are strangled by an unknown killer. As the police point out, the killer's a maniac, "but his minds works in certain logical patterns which has a reasonable meaning to him."

At first, Giuseppe Barra, the village idiot, is accused, as he is caught picking up ransom money. Then suspicion falls on Maciara, an outcast and local witch who claims she did kill them for disturbing the grave where she buried her dead and deformed child, but only by making wax effigies and stabbing them with a pin thirteen times so that anyone can kill them.

A further suspect is Patrizia, a hottie who is lying low in Accendura following a drug scandal in Milan. She is so bored with nothing to do, that when one of the boys, Michaele, brings her orange juice, she, lying stark naked on a sofa, walks up to him, and asks him if he'd like to sleep with her. That is something that would never if not rarely be touched on in mainstream American cinema. She drives a cool red dune buggy and carries an expensive golden lighter. Oh yes, and she really steams things up when she appears.

A reporter, Andrea Martelli, is trying to solve the case and enlists the help of Patrizia. He also befriends the local priest, Don Alberto, who is worried about the effect material things have upon contemporary society. While speaking to Martelli about the boys in his flock, he says, "people aren't worried much about their immortal souls. They watch TV, go to the movies, they read the paper with all these scandalous photographs..." He tries to keep the boys occupied by having them play soccer, which is better than them playing in the streets and getting into trouble. After all, at their age, they're most liable to temptation. Indeed, there's a scene of Michaele is drawing dirty pictures, probably after seeing Patrizia in the altogether.

The most famous performer here is Irene Papas, and she has a relatively small role in the movie.

The music, with its intense, staccato strings, really helps work the tension up, especially in the opening, when Maciara's dirty hands dig the ground to produce the skeleton of her baby. And the wailing song that is sometimes heard in the background provides that provincial small village touch.

Originally titled Don't Torture Donald Duck, or in Italian, Non Si Sevizia un Paperino, this giallo thriller ranks alongside Dario Argento's Deep Red. Small question: if Lucio Fulce was to make a sequel, would he have called it Don't Kick Mickey Mouse In The (...)? Just wondering.

This is Lucio Fulci in rare form.If you think his movies only consisted of flesh eating zombies and disgusting throat rippings and harsh gore,then you must be a zombie.Buy this DVD and witness Fulci's giallo,this is brilliance!!!!!