Forensic Science Movie Reviews

The Slime People has always been one of those favorites of mine. I was excited to be able to get it on DVD format. Unfortunately, the transfer of the original to DVD has been done so badly, that the film is nearly unwatchable. And the sound is warbly to say the least. Perhaps they simply had a bad original to work with. It is still fun to watch though....just not very well preserved.

Creature was transferred with about the same disregard for getting a decent quality of picture recorded on the DVD format. It's a shame that two fun movies were recorded this badly.

I'd recommend this DVD for anyone who likes old flicks, The Slime People is one of the classics of low-budget B&W California sci-fi. Just don't expect to see high quality video or hear decent sound because the thing was recorded very badly.

I enjoyed this movie, which is about a trio a aliens that terrorize a small backwoods town. It has a few good scares and came out before Alien, so it can't be billed as a ripoff.

When I ordered this I thought I was getting the pilot plus one or two other episodes from the TV series tracker, what I got was a poorly edited attempt to make a movie from the bare bones of three episodes (the pilot and two episodes from near the end of the series). In order to fit these three episodes into 143 minute running time they cut the episodes to the bare minimum, yet for some reason left in five minutes of flash backs that made perfect sense for tv episodes that are shown weeks apart but much less sense when we had seen scenes less than half an hour before. What really made me mad is the fact that they didn't include the last episode in the mix, so all you have is a poorly edited movie without a true ending. You would be better off recording the episodes off of the Sci-Fi channel while waiting for them to release the full season.

Over all I liked it. The flashbacks could have been eliminated, we had just seen those scenes. Also, scenes from another episode could have been added if there were no flashbacks. The episode when Zin is entombed under the Watchfire would have been my choice. It flows with the finding of the key. This would have easily raised my rating to 4 stars.

THIS. PIECEof a movie is so bad.that i love it.cheapness is so cool,my girl freind kris hates it

Ah, it's rare to see such a marvel of b-movie history coming into the spotlight; the deranged doctor with his flawed code of ethics, the head endlessly whispering, "let me die...let me die...", the tor look-alike monster with the zipper and tie, ah, such wonders...we love this film.

I waited years to see this little epic and when I found it available on DVD, I snapped it up. Then I watched it. Well. I should have just given up. But no, I have a fondness for low budget horror movies. However, "Beast" is a curious failure and it broke my heart that it wasn't even enjoyable on a mere camp level. Lance Fuller brings new bride Charlotte Austin home and introduces her to his pet ape he keeps in the basement. He's a big game hunter. Austin and the ape develope an attraction for each other (no, really) and soon the gorilla is sneaking up to her room. Fuller catches the beast making passes at her (really!) and shoots it dead...to Austin's dismay. She goes under hypnosis from Fuller's friend and discovers she was a gorilla in a past life. Then they go on safari and she allows a big gorilla to abduct her and never goes back to Fuller. Way, way too much jungle stock footage kill the story. There are moments of hallucinatory silliness, yes, but the movie just doesn't hold up on it's own. I was so bummed out that it was, indeed, a "bomb" all the way that I walked out the next day and gave it to some guy I saw sitting on the curb. Now that's sad. And I love gorilla movies! Where's "GORILLA AT LARGE" on DVD? It's got Anne Bancroft getting carried away, it's in lurid color AND has Charlotte Austin in it! "Bride and the Beast" is too cheaply made to enjoy.

Bride and the Beast, co-produced by Adrian Weiss (ex B-movie editor/producer) and (father?) Lewis Weiss (ex silent and cheapie western producer), and scripted by Edward D. Wood Jr., never really replicates the manic delirium of Wood's directorial efforts (Plan 9, Glen or Glenda, Night of the Ghouls, etc.) Unlike those films, the fun here results not so much from breathless incompetence as from the ludicrousness of the overall concept. Bride and the Beast is a campy, immensely entertaining melange of jungle thrills, domestic melodrama, and past-life regression/reincarnation hokum, with a touch of implied bestiality thrown in to give it that Woodian je ne sais quoi. Lance Fuller moves up from his supporting role in the equally enjoyable jungle-horror opus Voodoo Woman to star as Dan Fuller, big-game hunter, who returns home to his jungle "mansion" with newlywed bride Laura, played by gorgeous, sultry Charlotte Austin (Gorilla at Large, Daddy Long Legs, Frankenstein 1970). Johnny Roth is houseboy/guide Taro, one of those Natives of Indeterminate Ethnic Makeup (apparently a member of that B-movie caste who refer to white men as "bwana," Taro's skin color varies throughout, he has Caucasian features, and wears a turban). Veteran monkey-suiters Steve Calvert and Ray "Crash" Corrigan play the gorillas. The excitement starts as soon as the honeymoon begins: Laura reveals her fur fetish to Dan; she and his full-grown pet gorilla, Spanky, are strangely affected/attracted by each other; Laura has disturbing dreams about gorillas; Spanky breaks out of his cage during a thunderstorm to menace (?) her; Dan awakes, shoots and kills Spanky, then later takes Laura to a shrink who hypnotically regresses her and determines that she was a gorilla in a previous life! (Hypnotic regression was a hot topic at the time because of the famous Bridey Murphy case; see Corman's The Undead, I Was a Teenage Werewolf, Fright, etc.) Progressing from a man-eating tiger hunt in the jungle to Laura's abduction by a pair of horny gorillas (one is blonde like White Pongo) and final showdown at Bronson's Canyon, Bride ultimately surprises with an incredible ahead-of-its time 'downbeat' ending. Crazy as it sounds, Bride and the Beast really isn't a knee-slapping Bad Film atrocity; in spite (or perhaps because) of the offbeat subject matter I actually found it quite absorbing, yet hugely entertaining on a camp level as well. The younger Weiss's actually fairly competent, if pedestrian, direction keeps the plot moving along briskly, and the substantial stock footage is integrated into the movie rather well for a cheapie of this type. (People with animal-cruelty sensitivities may be offended by a few clips.) The musical score is by an apparently slumming Les Baxter (famous for his 'exotica' LPs and numerous AIP soundtracks) and Harry Thomas (Frankenstein's Daughter, Night of the Ghouls) did the makeup. Highly recommended for fans of cheesy jungle thrillers, gorilla freaks, and Ed Wood completists. Makes a great co-feature with Curt Siodmak's Bride of the Gorilla.
With the Allied Artists catalog in DVD limbo due to Warner Home Video's apparent indifference and foot-dragging, this will likely be the only disc release of this movie in the foreseeable future. Unfortunately, the transfer appears to be from a 16mm source print, and while the tonal values range from very good to excellent (a little worse in some of the stock footage) and the black level and shadow/highlight detail are pretty acceptable, the print has a slightly soft, dupey look; no worse than a typical TV print, but probably a bit of a letdown to those spoiled by the typically tack-sharp Image/Wade Williams DVDs. Fortunately, physical damage is limited to some light speckling and spotting, leaving the picture very watchable overall. The mono audio is clear and the included 35mm trailer looks generally excellent, if also a bit soft and exhibiting some light speckling and lining. Six chapter stops and a nicely done if somewhat skimpy gallery of about a dozen stills and lobby cards (accompanied by some jarringly inappropriate music) are also provided. Another 'bonus' is a pretty awful (bad acting, unfunny 'comedy') 3.5-minute sequence from the aborted Wood-scripted Beach Blanket Bloodbath, featuring Forrest J Ackerman and Bobbie Bresee, which completists may care about but that will probably not impress anyone else. Also (dis)gracing the disc is an interview with and some shorts by one David "The Rock" Nelson, whose miserable home videos (that have insanely been compared by some to Ed Wood movies) are so embarassingly putrid they make Beast of Yucca Flats look like Citizen Kane. A complete waste (I fast-forwarded through most of it) and definitely INessential; consider yourself warned. In total an acceptable if less than ultimate package that will have to tide gorilla fans over till someone digs up and transfers some crisp 35mm elements (don't hold your breath).

This video looks like it was put together in someone's basement with a Commodore 64. The production values are of the poorest quality, but they look good compared to the awful script they force Christopher Lee to mouth.

The film clips look like they were copied from TV trailers and Lee has a blue chromakey halo around him. The only way I can figure they got him to appear in this bottom-of-the-barrel production is that his taxes were due and he was strapped for cash.

The content ignores the history of both print and film science fiction, instead larding on purple prose to cover poor research.

Don't waste your time or money on this one.

This DVD contains mostly Trailers and some behind-the-scenes shots and small interviews (like the one with Yul Brynner about "Westworld") from SF movies of the last century, narrated by the great Christopher Lee (with his pleasant voice). There are also some rather rare clips (like the ones from "Fire Maidens from Outer Space" or "The Mysterians").

The 99 minutes are divided in 8 parts of about 12 minutes each with the following categories: Aliens, Time Travellers, Mad Doctors, Robots & Computers, Sci-Fi Lunacy, Lost Worlds, Future Worlds and Weird Worlds.

And yes, it sometimes looks like it was made with the good ol' Commodore 64, but that's rather charming in a certain way ;-)

If you want an overview of SF movies of the last century or you find pleasure in a so-called "Best of" then this is for you. Especially when you can get it at a low price.

The storyline was confusing and hard to follow. How did his wife get into the Matrix? The characters were mostly two-dimensional and devoid of any feeling (or acting ability?). Tilda was the most three dimensional character and actually had a personality! Some of the special effects were interesting though.

This disc is worth buying for the awesome commentary alone! Hilarious! Don't try to make too much sense out of the story, but sit back and enjoy the eye candy! Not bad at all!

What would happen if a pair of chattering teeth came from one of the moons of Jupiter to inhabit a human corpse and wreak havoc on homosexual college students? I really didn't know until I saw this movie. If Mystery Science Theater took requests I would think that this movie would be perfect for them. Let me tell you this movie was so low budget that the dubbing was at least a fourth of a second off the whole way through. If it wasn't for the lack of dialouge, plot, good camera work, and dazzling special effects I would have given this movie five stars but it was funny and what else was I going to do for 48 minutes (I fast forwarded through most of it) so I decided to give it a 2. You should see it anyway though because then I'll know that someone else had to watch it too. We can't let great low budget movies vanish from the video archives. We can't let that happen!

Here is a great piece of "bad film" heaven awaiting your rediscovery. The idea for this film is actually kinda cool: radiation from a meteorite which crashes in a swamp re-animates the corpse of a bumped-off gangster who goes around wreaking underlit havoc, namely in an old mansion that our teen protagonists decide to spend a weekend in. This premise might have actually worked were it not for the pitiful excuse for a monster-- some guy in a black jumpsuit with a rubber skull, that you could get at K-Mart for Halloween, which is half torn off. it has the feel of a bunch of buddies getting together and doing their own tribute to 1950's sci-fi. And the picture looks like someone's home movie too-- what do the avant-gardists say? "The home movie esthetic"? In any case, the film is by turns tedious and delightfully cheesy, and it has a way of staying with you afterwards.

"Fugitive Mind" was produced for Canadian TV and recently released in the US as a feature-length movie. A company named GENCOM has reprogrammed the mind of one of its employees (Michael Dudikoff) to kill a political figure. With the help of his girlfriend (Heather Langenkamp), Robert must fight to regain his lost personality and stop GENCOM before it is too late.This movie is bad... poor scripting, bad acting and virutally no science fiction aspects, despite this being a sci-fi movie. I only bought it because I am a Heather Langenkamp fan (she was in the original "A Nightmare on Elm Street"), but all others should stay away.Also stars Michele Green ("The Unborn II") and Gil Gerard.

First of, I don't believe this movie is getting such a hard time in reviews. I thought it was very good.
Although Michael Dudikoff is the dominent lead I think Heather Langenkamp stole the movie. And this is the only reason I bought this, because of her. Because of her roles as Nancy in the Nightmare on elm street movies. For a Heather fan this is a true gem! But I discovered even more reasons to like this.
The scientifical intellagence, the suspensfull unpreciatble storyline, the action and everything in between. I was on edge throught it trying to understand as it had a complex and clever story line! It kept you watching!
This movie has made me a Michael Dudikoff fan also.
This could had been a masterpiece but instead is in comferbale position of the best straight to video movie ever. ALTHOUGH, it did actually get a limited theatrical release in the USA and Canada. Remember that!
But it does have some bad qualities. Heather and Michael were great leading roles, but some of the other actors. The acting was weak from some.
In my oppinion this movie does not deliver the sci-fi good of "aliens" or "terminator" but is a damm good sci-fi flick that is worth the buy!
Given a international release this could had been a international hit but unfortunatly is relitivly unkown accross Europe.
It does lack in places. But if your a fan of the lead actors and like a bit of science mixed with action, do buy this film!

I give this movie a solid 8 out of 10

This appeared to be some kind of pilot episode for the series at just under an hour and a half...but far from Lorenzo's best work. I'm a Lamas fan from back to the Snakeater days, and boy do I miss Renegade! (as cheesy as it was!!) This movie could have used a lot more fight scenes...not nearly as action-packed as some of his older stuff. It was more or less a new version of the Highlander. If Lorenzo Lamas wasn't in it...I certainly wouldn't have checked it out.

Hi, what does this DVD contains exactly ?
Are these episodes from the immortal TV series ?

Thanks,
Bob

Don't even think about buying this movie. Awarded 1 star only because ZERO was not given as an option. I received it as a gift ( a GAG gift, as it turns out...) so I felt obligated to watch at least some of it. Bad acting, terrible script, non-existant special effects and a cheesey music score. The only thing worse than the movie itself is the DVD transfer, which features a bleached out, grainy print and miserable sound to go with it. You can't do any worse than this. Spend your [money] on beer or cigarettes.

Shot in near proximity to the strange post-colonial gem "Creature from the Haunted Sea", and with the same three stars, this Roger Corman take on the sexual tension inherent in any doomsday scenario that results in one woman and two very possessive men being left alone on a desert island is not above critique, but it accomplishes a lot given the restrictions of the material. Future Academy Award-winner Robert Towne (listed here and in "Creature" as Edward Wain) plays the personal lawyer for a gambling-addicted cretin (Antony Carbone, again doing the "Humphrey Bogart thing"), and jealous rival for the affections of his wife (Betsy Jones-Moreland). While the three are scuba diving, a sudden gas attack depletes the air of oxygen, killing off all the other inhabitants. The three surface, struggle to the shore, and as the air returns to normal, attempt to play house in a seaside villa. Not surprisingly, it doesn't work out for them.
Along with "Creature", Roger Corman manages to create at least the suggestion of a commentary on the colonial attitude of 1950s America--decadent American types survive the end of the world and have Puerto Rico all to themselves--with the threat of nuclear holocaust here left out in favor of what seems to be a natural occurance (though one wonders how the suddenly absent oxygen is restored in a matter of hours). Did the island reject its native people in favor of these three? Western morality is ultimately put to the test--while Towne's character is arguably the hero, Carbone's claim to the sanctity of marriage is thus made the evil of the picture--and the finale in a church yields the best dialogue of the movie. While it may only appeal to Cormanites and those intereted in seeing Robert Towne years before he wrote "Chinatown", the low price tag attached to this Alpha Video release makes it more tolerable as a purchase. Sadly, as is generally the case with Alpha Video color DVDs, the color is faded, but few who spend less than $10 on a disc will take that too harshly. Not as good as "Creature from the Haunted Sea", but still worth seeing.