I bought that for a dollar - part 7

Who would have believed that the Dollar Tree sold a VHS transfer to DVD of "Horror Express" (1972)? I snapped this up quicker than a squirrel deflowering a hazelnut.

Here's the IMDb blurb: "An English anthropologist has discovered a frozen monster in the frozen wastes of Manchuria which he believes may be the Missing Link. He brings the creature back to Europe aboard a trans-Siberian express, but during the trip the monster thaws out and starts to butcher the passengers one by one."

If you haven't ever seen this weird Spanish/English co-production starring Christopher Lee, Peter Cushing and Telly Savalas then get yourself a copy right now for $1 because it's a classic of '70s horror cinema.

The transfer isn't the greatest in the world and towards the end you can see that the original tape was badly damaged but it's still more than good enough to watch. In fact, the transfer adds a certain nostalgic quality and even some atmosphere rather than detracting from the viewing experience.

I highly recommend "Horror Express" and will probably do a full review of it one day. If you are too poor at the moment to see "The Thing" premake in your local overpriced movie theatre then this is a worthy substitute.

I bought that for a dollar - part 6

Another cheap double feature, "Picture Mommy Dead" (1966) and "Murder Mansion" (1972), which was misleadingly labelled as "horror".

I've only watched the first one with the "worms crawl in" song in it and that's all I really remember about it apart from it being a murder film about who is going to inherit a family fortune rather than a real horror. It wasn't too bad overall but the acting wasn't the best in the world and nothing all that exciting happened.

I didn't get very far into "Murder Mansion" (AKA "La mansión de la niebla") because it was obviously just another thriller but more badly paced. One day I might get bored enough to finish it but it seemed to be so highly censored and badly dubbed that it's probably not worth the effort.

I bought that for a dollar - part 5

This wasn't such a bargain. Although it's nice to have a cheap copy of Amicus' "Vault of Horror" (1973), this is the censored version which isn't quite so worthwhile. You don't get to see Terry Thomas' "Odds and Ends" in a jar and several of the gorier moments are replaced with still images.

"Frightmare" (1983) is actually Norman Thaddeus Vane's "Body Snatchers" not the gritty Pete Walker film about British cannibals from 1974. It's very cheap looking and badly transferred. Worse than that, it's just not a very good film anyway. At least it has an early appearance by Jeffrey Combs in it but that still doesn't make it worth even 50c.

Although both films are watchable, with "Vault of Horror" actually being the far more enjoyable of the two, if you ever see this DVD in a Dollar Store, I suggest leaving it there.

I bought that for a dollar - part 4

Two more horror films from the '70s which I also have several times over on Mill Creek packs. Still a bargain for $1.

I've already reviewed them: Moon of the Wolf (1972) and Snowbeast (1977).

I bought that for a dollar - part 3

What a bargain! A Barbara Steele double-feature.

"Nightmare Castle" (1965) and "The Ghost" (1963) are both Italian horrors which tend to crop up on lots of public domain DVD multi-packs.

I haven't watched either of these films since I bought this DVD three years ago so I'll be reviewing them soon.

Tonight, I'm watching "American Horror Story" on FX instead.

I bought that for a dollar - part 2

I got this double-feature from Dollar Foods quite a while ago now but I've never watched it all the way through. Personally, I could never stand too much of Bela Lugosi as an actor and absolutely hated him in the original "Dracula" (1931). I still can't believe the love which that stagey borefest receives.

"Invisible Ghost" (1941) and "White Zombie" (1932) are also very dated movies which barely register as horror on today's scale. "White Zombie" is actually the better thriller of the two but it isn't by much as both managed quite successfully to send me to sleep.

I used to love black and white movies from this era once upon a time but they are an acquired taste which is also far too easy to grow out of. I may give "White Zombie" another try before Hallowe'en but there's no way that I will ever sit through "Invisible Ghost" ever again.

I bought that for a dollar - part 1

In the midst of everything else, I am now launching a new irregular feature consisting of anything horror movie related which I have bought for a dollar.

First up is this Vincent Price double feature DVD from Mill Creek Entertainment.

I already had these movies several times over on other Mill Creek packs but I saw an online offer for $1 and decided that I could never have too many versions of my favourite Vincent Price films.

Obviously, I've reviewed them: House on Haunted Hill (1959) and The Last Man on Earth (1960).