I have to mention that Doug McClure was a working man's actor. He was always making a TV show or film, some of which I'm sure he did just for the money. What I really wanted to mention is that I met Doug and kept in touch with him for a time before he died, and he was such a sweet man and very encouraging. I'll always remember him for this. I was surprised and thankful.
I had a sense he knew he was not Brando, but knew he could play, reasonable, "average guy" heroes effectively and he did it in a professional way. You got a sense he was a guy who liked his job, He did a nice made-for-TV war movie, The Longest Hundred Miles (1967), where he played this average American GI. Again, not Brando, but an honest job.
Im glad someone else liked John Carter. Also love the Doug Mclure films,scream and scream again and have fondness for Dr.Who films all in all a pretty good film company.
I’m with you both as well. John Carter was a good film that seemed to be let down by the studio. Only saw it recently, mainly due to the lack of time to watch everything I want to watch.
My wife and I saw John Carter in 3D and reeeeally loved it. Lynn Collins was a great Princess of Mars (which should have been referenced in the title).
@@EdDale44135 I think there was a change in management at the time, so they did what they ALWAYS did when studios changed hands: ruin it enough so that people wouldn't like it as much as they would if they just LEFT IT ALONE!
I absolutely love the Amicus Horror films, first ones to adapt EC Comics. I have never been able to track down a copy of The Psychopath but it remains one of my holy grails- I've heard such great things about it. Thank you, Terry, for the education on Amicus. Didn't know about the musical film origins (let alone the Jimmy Saville appearance, you're right that is the darkest thing about them) and I DEFINITELY had no idea they made Doctor Who features?! With Peter Cushing as the Doctor?!Mind blown. I have to see those immediately. I'll finally have something to teach my Whovian friends. Lmao. So right about the lost art of movie posters too.
The Amicus posters were always incredibly good. Hammer did them well, too. These days, it's mostly photoshopped images and text, but there's an art that has become rarer.
@@terrytalksmovies I know. I try to follow these artists who do retro style posters for modern films (not following them well, for sure, since I'm blanking on their names right now- forgive me, I just got home from work. Hahaha) Here's hoping that hand-drawn evocative style comes back swinging. I love certain trash horror movies from the VHS era because the tape-cover-art put a feeling in me that endeared a (sometimes) shit film to my stupid little heart.
@@SmartCookie2022 Finally found time to watch The Psychopath on UA-cam tonight... WOW. Fucking WOW! It really is Robert Bloch's companion piece to Psycho (my all-time favorite film)
The House that Dripped Blood has Jon Pertwee doing the MOST hammy vampire in the history of film. Brilliant stuff. Pertwee is still my favourite Doctor, the archetype.
@@terrytalksmovies That's the joke, he's obviously over-acting. Pertwee did HTDB while wrapping season 7 of Dr Who, on the last story, Inferno, Pertwee did a driving stunt on location which injured one of the stunt men and Pertwee himself was very badly affected by it, so he might have over-acted in House to get that out of his system too ( in Inferno he also had to act on top of a gas tower and had a fear of heights, and the director fell ill so it wasn't a pleasant experience for anyone ). He would have gone almost immediately from the BBC onto House as it was filmed in June-July 1970 and Inferno's location work was 31st/3 to 3/4th 1970 then resumed Inferno in studio at BBC TV Centre on April 23.
Calypso Beat, dang, quite the cast. Deadly Bees gets me to wondering if you ever saw an episode from the (original) American show The Outer Limits known as "ZZZZZ," a bizarre (even by Limits standards) sort of fairy tale fable in which a queen bee becomes a sexy woman (!!!!!!!) and is able to lead her hive to attack another woman. I had no idea that Mr. Soames was Amicus, an old high school friend of mine loved that. Perhaps the "co-Hammer" movies could be known by their own nickname. Hammercus? Anvil? Thanks for touching on Terrornauts, which good or bad has lingered in my memory -- didn't know that was John Brunner's work. I have a weird Doug McClure suggestion for you -- Satan's Triangle, made right at the height of the hype over the Bermuda Triangle. (Thank you for liking the John Carter movie from 2012. Lynn Collins -- ahh!) Evidently a post-Amicus Subotsky tried his hand at Stephen King adaptations, but they were all rather cheesy. Thank you for the archaeology, Ter, you're my Indiana Jones.
Amicus was revived and produced the horror/ thriller film 'Stuck' in 2007 which I recently bought on Bluray and to be honest, wasn't expecting much but how wrong I was and thoroughly enjoyed it.
Amicus and Milton Subotsky in particular, were ahead of their time in making comics-based films. There were the two anthologies based on EC horror comics and I've heard that Subotsky tried to get films based on Spider-man and the Hulk off the ground in the late 60s.
2 things... "Tales that Witness Madness" is anthology film also directed by Freddie Francis, produced by World Film Services; I've only seen bits of it on the Daily Motion app. Wikipedia says that it's often mistaken for an Amicus film, no doubt due to the cast and Francis's directing skills. If you like lost world movies, especially campy lost world movies, check out "The Last Dinosaur" a Rankin/Bass (Yes that Rankin/Bass) and Japanese production company film. I saw it when it was 1st broadcast on ABC here in the U.S.; the ending is a hoot.
Mate, you have such a great and informative take on such a broad church of movies ( which certainly coincide with mine!), how about doing a history of Tigon films as well?
Hmmm..favorite Amicus.. Scream and Scream Again is near the top,it gets better every time I watch it.I have fond memories of seeing The Land that Time Forgot at the movies.Of the anthologies,I think Tales from the Crypt is the one I've seen the most,but they all have at least one good segment.
Really enjoyed Amicus films growing up. The Anthologies were entertaining. Smart move to make their movies in contemporary times, something that Hammer should have done in the late 60s into the 70s. Any chance of a Amicus revival like Hammer made a few years ago. Cheers from your friends in America 🇺🇸.
I know...the special effects were horrible...the acting wasn't great. But I still have a fondness for the terrornauts. I liked the story. If only it could be done today.
I kind of love that Bernard Cribbins shows up as a young man in the second Amicus DOCTOR WHO movie, and as Donna's stargazing Grandpa on the rebooted DOCTOR WHO.
@@terrytalksmovies - except every serious Whovian will tell you the Amicus Doctor Movies aren't canonically DOCTOR WHO. I didn't realize until I saw DAKEKS - INVASION: EARTH 2150 A.D. that the goofy young cop was Donna Noble's Grandpa Wilf.
You have brought back some memories. I saw "The Beast Must Die" when my wife and I were first dating. She had seen it before, and she taped it when it was on TV. We watched it together. I remember the "werewolf break". I believe Warris Hussein was the director of the Dr. Who series in the early Hartnell era. I kind of like the Pere Cushing Dr. Who. I watched free on UA-cam; I thought is was amusing. I have not seen the second Cushing Dr. Who movie.
F Je Waris Hussein was indeed a director on the first season of Doctor Who,helming the very first Who story,"An Unearthly Child" and part of "Marco Polo" before leaving for better pastures.I mainly know him for the many TV movies and miniseries he did for American television in the 80s.
Hi Terry. Superb work mate. So much Amicus goodness. Tales from the Crypt is great. The story with Peter Cushing as Mr Grimsdyke trying to commune with his dead wife is just heartbreaking and powerful as the photos of the wife are actual photos of Peter Cushing’s recently deceased wife. It’s one of his very best performances and when he crawls out of the grave for revenge creepily effective. I’m with you too, I never understood the hate or dislike of John Carter. It’s ace 👍
Doug McLure, I remember a short lived series that he did with William Shatner called THE BARBARY COAST that was a blast to watch. It's gotta be somewhere online. It was a cross-genre romp in late 1800s San Francisco with mystery and a lot of melodramatic turns from both actors. I still love the sheer silliness of the whole thing. I wonder to this day how it ever got made. Thanks for being kind to Amicus. For a "poverty row " studio they managed to make a long lasting impression.
You mentioned "Rock Rock Rock". It was produced by Alan Freed. He produced the first Rock & Roll concerts. The public hated his show's integration which lead to the first Rock concert riot 5/3/58. That was the day I was born. For some reason I'm proud of that.
You missed out Madhouse with Vincent Price, Peter Cushing, Robert Quarry, Adrienne Corri and Linda Hayden. You also fail to mention that The Deadly Bees contains the only known existing footage of The Birds, Ronnie Wood's first band. Still enjoying your stuff.
Last October Turner Classic Movie shows a handful of Amicus titles and I thought they were great. I live for tails from the crypt being a child of the 80s I know Joan Collins from Dynasty I love her in this
Omg.....William freidkin who went on to make.....the exorcist u should have showcased , not that crap u said...lol I'm sure u did that intentionally but even so.....
Definitely enjoyed "Monster Club" after I was made aware of it. Vincent Price AND John Carradine in an anthology-themed film! You can watch it for free on UA-cam but unfortunately you have to suffer through Joe Bob Briggs' inept hosting skills in the process!
Have you ever seen the film Hand of Death with John Agar? It's a low budget science fiction/horror film(not sure what category it falls under). I was thinking that since The Film Detective is releasing The Brain From Planet Arous a show on Agar might interest your fans. I don't know but I'm guessing you would be a fan of his after watching all your videos. I'm really enjoying your off the beaten path hidden gems.
Terrornauts is one of two movies (the other being The Wizard of Mars) that I spent years hunting down to lay to rest fragmentary childhood memories. I must say Charles Hawtrey is not MY idea of a science fiction hero. By comparison The Wizard of Mars is like Interstellar.
Thanks for that, I'm very fond of Amicus films; even the crappy 1960's science fiction!! I do have an original poster for Dr Terror's House of Horrors.
I've been subscribed for a month or two and watching the videos, but I think this is the first time I've commented. I recently watched all the horror anthology films with a friend. I'd seen all of them before except Torture Garden. I really love them and everyone I've shown them to has had a blast with them as well. I think they're just impossible not to like on some level. I've seen a few of the other films, including the Doctor Who ones. I think one of the main reasons fans of the series generally don't look too kindly on them is that they're just the first two Dalek serials with most of the hard edges (and, granted, some of the padding) filed off. They had a chance to go bigger and bolder and instead made them even more kid-friendly than the originals, which were quite grim in some ways. Seemed an odd choice for sure, especailly if they were going to jetison most of the background of the TV show.
Seen quite a few of these. Will look out for the others. I agree with you that while not perfect, John Carter was a good film and doesn't deserve the poor reputation it has. It's due to the film bombing but I say that was cause they promoted it wrong & should have renamed it. The Beast Must Die has a great plot but I felt the reveal of the monster is kind of a letdown.
Fantastic video on an incredible company. Personally love "The House that Dripped Blood" Correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't William Freakin direct The Exorcist?
I remember the first time I saw 'City of the Dead'. Parents had gone out to the boozer. I watched it with my twin brother. I was 8 or 9 years old. So was my twin brother (LOL). The ending scared the sh@& out of me and my twin brother. I think the bedroom light stayed on that night !
I prefer amicus to hammer..if I had to choose output from one or other .no way I would let go of from beyond the grave..for any hammer movie as much as I like them too..I'm 50yrs old and grew up with sat night double bills. And scouring newspaper TV page on weekend (every day but weekends with more success) for classic horror and sci fi.. a great time to be alive.
Tales that witness madness...so amicus it's amazing it's not..as a lad I always pretended it was amicus collection when doing my VHS tapes..still blows u away now that's it's not...
I got to see Land That Time Forgot when it was released as a 9 year old. Trust (9 yr old) me, that movie over-delivered at the time. It's definitely got a charm all it's own - superior in every way to People and Core, IMO.
I think it was technically an Imperial German Navy rather than Nazi U-boot in 'The Land that Time Forgot', because it was WWI. My favorite forgotten Doug McClure movie from my childhood is 'The King's Pirate (1967)' with Jill St. John and Doug Stockwell, followed closely by the 1966 version of 'Beau Geste', again with Stockwell, Telly Savalas, and Leslie Nielsen(!). The Peter Cushing Dr. Who movies were my first encounter with the character because the series wasn't on TV where I lived until a bit later, and I liked them
@@terrytalksmovies Too many glasses of Reisling🙄, I of course meant Guy Stockwell in both movies, and McClure was one of the younger Geste brothers in the latter.
Other great video Terry. Good have this history for those have seen some of those films have 11 of those film, Seen 26 out the 29. I have the box coffin set. And of course two Daleks films. I always enjoy Sandy Denis, its pity she do more interesting roles. I can remember going to see Dog day Afternoon and the short they showed was one of the stories from Beyond the Grave, it was the second story, The Act of Kindness. I have blu rays of I Monster with very good commentary track and The Beast Must Die. I always remember these films first them on TV, like Torture Garden, two stories stuck in my head about the Film actor and about Poe.
The beast must die is a treasure it has a excellent storyline but because in Canada hammer and horror films were banned to restricted over 18 this included phantasm I wasn't 18 till 1980 I think in Australia and the United States many underaged saw a lot of these. Movies at drive ins unfortunately those films were off limits to teens like myself a very heavily censored Canada,I think there exists a documentary about the censor board in Canada there are literally thousands of movies banned that I never have seen ,watching your show makes it a worth it thank you Terry grant.
Is it just me or did Amicus use the same white Jaguar in house that dripped blood , tales from the crypt and asylum? I know I saw that jaguar in three movies !
A very smart cost cutting move in the United States the Law and Order franchise has used the same Jaguar XJR in three of the franchises Law and Order Law and Order SVU and Law and Order Criminal Intent very classy car very smart costing move
Outstanding Overview of one of my favorite English Production Companies! Would have to say their anthologies were my favorite... but I love the Mclure flics quite much as well! Now would never dream of correcting you, Terry... but 'The Land That Time Forgot' takes place during WWI. So technically the U-Boat would have been Imperial Navy & not Kriegsmarine. And thank you for your positive review of 'Monster's Club'! It gets a lot of flak from critics!
That's because terranauts and the other unmentioned were made SPECIFICALLY for children and Saturday matinee ,which sadly no longer exists..they were made that way on purpose, hence actors like Charles hawtrey in it from carry ons ..as a non Brit u prob won't understand. Intentially kind of flash Gordan/superman/batman of the past.
@@terrytalksmovies The Monster Club was also aimed at kids, hence the music and the masks having yellow and blue hair and no gore on them due to Stubosky's request
Hi Terry, Amicus was OK. I never quite warmed to them in the same way I did for Hammer movies. 'City of the Dead' I really like (OK not strictly an Amicus production). Also like 'The Skull' and 'The Psychopath'. Of the horror anthology ones, my favourites are 'Dr Terror's House of Horrors' and 'From Beyond The Grave' (always loved Donald Pleasence as an actor). You mentioned 3 lost world movies from the 1970s. I always lump 'Warlords of Atlantis' in with the 3 you mentioned. Are you saying that 'Warlords' was NOT an Amicus production ?
OK. Like I said I always put it with the other 3 as it's a movie very much in the same vein as the Amicus threesome. Oh and as Peter Falk always used to say 'just one more thing, Sir' I watched 'The Terrornauts' as a teenager. When it finished I thought 'That might well be the worst movie I've ever seen'. I watched it again about a year ago ... it ain't got no better !
Just finally saw The Psychopath tonight (and on the biggest screen I own! Hahaha🤘) You did not lie-that ending is creepy as fuck, and the movie was a perfect bookend to my horror-fan-weekend...I saw Ti West's new movie X in the cinema Thursday night and it DELIVERED!!🤘
@@terrytalksmovies Dude!! I LOVED it!!!!🤘And I hesitate to explain why because I don't want to spoil it for you but I do implore you to see it immediately 🤪
And this is from a horror-freak who HATED the franchise horror entries so far this year- new Scream and new Texas Chainsaw Massacre both sucked so hard they made me angry🤬🖕 X is the modern slasher epic
Hello Terry! Been a while since I last commented. I just watched The Beast Must Die about a week ago. I love this movie. I first saw it during lunch break in junior high school. The deal was you had an hour lunch break half of which you ate and the other half you could go outside, or to the library, or to the auditorium to see a film split over 3 or 4 days. This film is 70s AF! Calvin Lockhart hams it up and looks like he is having a blast throughout the entire film. Great video, stay safe, and cheers!
@@terrytalksmovies I ❤❤❤❤ loved that movie. I can't believe I never saw it as a kid. The part with the stripper almost made me fall out of my chair laughing. It was not what I was expecting, in the best possible way
@@terrytalksmovies it’s Witchfinder General (with footage of an alternate more gruesome ending in glorious not restored o scope), Blood On Satans Claw, Haunted House Of Horror, Body Stealers, Beast In The Cellar and Virgin Witch - not such a high hit rate as the Amicus, but the first two are excellent and Virgin Witch is inadvertently pretty funny with its barrel scraping exploitation plot.
I waited decades for a John Carter movie. So when it came out, I appreciated some of the effects, but overall disappointed. Thanks for bringing it up, so I can see it with fresh eyes. I even saw a cable channel version with Traci Lords as Deja Thoris. I imagined the model Adrianna Lima as the most beautiful woman on two planets. Scream and scream again. What a trip. A good Halloween trick, MINOR SPOILER fake hand handcuffed to bumper..
@@terrytalksmovies The sad thing about John Carter as a property is that so much has ripped off the concept over the last 100 or so years that John Carter seems derivative because people are more faqmiliar with the rip-offs . . . .
Agreed, “The Psychopath” is creepy & “The Beast Must Die” is interesting. I admit I kind of liked “ They came from outer space”…yes it’s goofy & wacky but I go with it. I had fun with “ The Land that time forgot”. “Monster’s Club” is watchable. Loved the movie posters
@@terrytalksmovies i remember the first time i watched it,i would have been around 10 years old or quite possibly younger and it scared me,the voice of the announcer,the photo of the werewolf,even the clock
Another great video. Good that you gave a shout out to Michael Ripper who was a massively underrated actor - also a really nice guy - I met him a few times during some scary Hammer Conventions in London in the eighties. Amicus should get more attention than it does. I loved the three Doug McLure films too - I first saw the first one when I was living in HongKong in the seventies - still got the poster with Chinese script on it. Thanks for talking about the Wedding Party - I have ordered it on Blu-ray. - just shoes that every day can be a school day…
I remember when Now The Screaming Starts ran in Hong Kong. At a climactic point the cinema ushers threw a bunch of severed rubber hands into the audience. Then the screaming really started! True story. One of my pals actually grabbed one of the hands and brought it in to school.
Lots of memories for me here. Our local cinema had double and triple features on weekends, and Amicus movies were shown quite often, even more than Hammer films. I also remember seeing "Scream and Scream Again" on a double bill with a HG Lewis movie, and both movies scared the bejeezus out my 10 year old self. I thought the later adaptions of Burroughs' works were a bit cheesy, but enjoyed watching them and still do.
I loved the Doug McClure trilogy of films and Amicus was a studio that I remember from the 70's and then watched some of their earlier product from the 60's.
Absolutely fascinating!! I've been trying to watch all the amicus films since I found out 'It's Trad Dad' was one of theirs. I love that film! You manage to pull a load of stuff together for me here... Worth it just for the John Brunner connection! I never knew... You have a treat coming with 'the beast must die' - what a mindblast! - thanks for all the leads - now i just have to track down the stragglers...
Thank you, Terry, for an excellent studio retrospective. I was pleased that you had some kind words for the Doug McClure movies. I was as avid reader of Edgar Rice Burroughs novels when those films came out being especially fond of the Jon Carter on Mars and Carson Napier on Venus series and I saw all three movies multiple times at the local theatre. At the Earth's Core has always been my favorite of the three in large part due to Peter Cushing and Caroline Munro
That was great Terry! Roy Castle was a big part of my childhood, here in the U.K. he presented a show called Record Breakers where we’d usually see him tap dancing or playing his trumpet. He had a much publicised battle against cancer that he sadly lost, ironic given he was a non smoker. Apparently they think he was a victim of second hand cancer, when playing his trumpet in night clubs. The Beast Must Die is great, a young Michael Gambon and Tom Chadbon amongst the suspects. Enjoy it Terry!
I just happen to know a little something about Alan Freed. Besides given credit for the phrase rock 'n' roll, he was a DJ and then promoter of rock concerts in the early '50s. In fact, he was credited with producing the first multi-band rock concert.
I have to mention that Doug McClure was a working man's actor. He was always making a TV show or film, some of which I'm sure he did just for the money. What I really wanted to mention is that I met Doug and kept in touch with him for a time before he died, and he was such a sweet man and very encouraging. I'll always remember him for this. I was surprised and thankful.
That's a lovely memory. I'm happy to know he was a great person.
I've always enjoyed watching Doug McClure, ever since I saw SEARCH on tv when it first ran. The Land That Time Forgot was HUGE for me and my mates.
I had a sense he knew he was not Brando, but knew he could play, reasonable, "average guy" heroes effectively and he did it in a professional way. You got a sense he was a guy who liked his job,
He did a nice made-for-TV war movie, The Longest Hundred Miles (1967), where he played this average American GI. Again, not Brando, but an honest job.
@@johnminehan1148 yep he was definitely an honest tradesman as an actor. I liked him.
Im glad someone else liked John Carter. Also love the Doug Mclure films,scream and scream again and have fondness for Dr.Who films all in all a pretty good film company.
Yep, Amicus was eclectic AF.
I’m with you both as well. John Carter was a good film that seemed to be let down by the studio. Only saw it recently, mainly due to the lack of time to watch everything I want to watch.
My wife and I saw John Carter in 3D and reeeeally loved it. Lynn Collins was a great Princess of Mars (which should have been referenced in the title).
@@EdDale44135 I think there was a change in management at the time, so they did what they ALWAYS did when studios changed hands: ruin it enough so that people wouldn't like it as much as they would if they just LEFT IT ALONE!
I absolutely love the Amicus Horror films, first ones to adapt EC Comics. I have never been able to track down a copy of The Psychopath but it remains one of my holy grails- I've heard such great things about it.
Thank you, Terry, for the education on Amicus. Didn't know about the musical film origins (let alone the Jimmy Saville appearance, you're right that is the darkest thing about them) and I DEFINITELY had no idea they made Doctor Who features?! With Peter Cushing as the Doctor?!Mind blown. I have to see those immediately. I'll finally have something to teach my Whovian friends. Lmao.
So right about the lost art of movie posters too.
The Amicus posters were always incredibly good. Hammer did them well, too. These days, it's mostly photoshopped images and text, but there's an art that has become rarer.
@@terrytalksmovies I know. I try to follow these artists who do retro style posters for modern films (not following them well, for sure, since I'm blanking on their names right now- forgive me, I just got home from work. Hahaha) Here's hoping that hand-drawn evocative style comes back swinging. I love certain trash horror movies from the VHS era because the tape-cover-art put a feeling in me that endeared a (sometimes) shit film to my stupid little heart.
You can watch "The Psychopath" here on YT for free. There's a really good copy of it on Giallo Realm's channel.
@@SmartCookie2022 Awesome. Thanks for the tip
@@SmartCookie2022 Finally found time to watch The Psychopath on UA-cam tonight... WOW. Fucking WOW! It really is Robert Bloch's companion piece to Psycho (my all-time favorite film)
The City of the Dead AKA Horror Hotel is my favorite.
Good film, but it JUST predates Amicus. 😀😉
The House that Dripped Blood has Jon Pertwee doing the MOST hammy vampire in the history of film. Brilliant stuff. Pertwee is still my favourite Doctor, the archetype.
He does overdo it more than a little.
@@terrytalksmovies That's the joke, he's obviously over-acting. Pertwee did HTDB while wrapping season 7 of Dr Who, on the last story, Inferno, Pertwee did a driving stunt on location which injured one of the stunt men and Pertwee himself was very badly affected by it, so he might have over-acted in House to get that out of his system too ( in Inferno he also had to act on top of a gas tower and had a fear of heights, and the director fell ill so it wasn't a pleasant experience for anyone ). He would have gone almost immediately from the BBC onto House as it was filmed in June-July 1970 and Inferno's location work was 31st/3 to 3/4th 1970 then resumed Inferno in studio at BBC TV Centre on April 23.
Calypso Beat, dang, quite the cast. Deadly Bees gets me to wondering if you ever saw an episode from the (original) American show The Outer Limits known as "ZZZZZ," a bizarre (even by Limits standards) sort of fairy tale fable in which a queen bee becomes a sexy woman (!!!!!!!) and is able to lead her hive to attack another woman. I had no idea that Mr. Soames was Amicus, an old high school friend of mine loved that. Perhaps the "co-Hammer" movies could be known by their own nickname. Hammercus? Anvil? Thanks for touching on Terrornauts, which good or bad has lingered in my memory -- didn't know that was John Brunner's work. I have a weird Doug McClure suggestion for you -- Satan's Triangle, made right at the height of the hype over the Bermuda Triangle. (Thank you for liking the John Carter movie from 2012. Lynn Collins -- ahh!) Evidently a post-Amicus Subotsky tried his hand at Stephen King adaptations, but they were all rather cheesy. Thank you for the archaeology, Ter, you're my Indiana Jones.
A friend of mine used to do a Hammicus Podcast. If you look around, the episodes might still be out there.
I'll check out Satan's triangle, thanks.
Amicus was revived and produced the horror/ thriller film 'Stuck' in 2007 which I recently bought on Bluray and to be honest, wasn't expecting much but how wrong I was and thoroughly enjoyed it.
Based on a true story, too.
Amicus and Milton Subotsky in particular, were ahead of their time in making comics-based films. There were the two anthologies based on EC horror comics and I've heard that Subotsky tried to get films based on Spider-man and the Hulk off the ground in the late 60s.
I heard that myself. He wanted Bob Dylan to play Spider-Man!
2 things...
"Tales that Witness Madness" is anthology film also directed by Freddie Francis, produced by World Film Services; I've only seen bits of it on the Daily Motion app. Wikipedia says that it's often mistaken for an Amicus film, no doubt due to the cast and Francis's directing skills.
If you like lost world movies, especially campy lost world movies, check out "The Last Dinosaur" a Rankin/Bass (Yes that Rankin/Bass) and Japanese production company film. I saw it when it was 1st broadcast on ABC here in the U.S.; the ending is a hoot.
I like The Last Dinosaur. Richard Boone even when drunk, is great value.
Mate, you have such a great and informative take on such a broad church of movies ( which certainly coincide with mine!), how about doing a history of Tigon films as well?
Definitely doable. The next few weeks are booked out, but I can do it.
Oh shit you really did it.
I have to work, going to save this one for some proper attention as opposed to background noise.
Take your time, the video will wait. Have a great day.
Hmmm..favorite Amicus..
Scream and Scream Again is near the top,it gets better every time I watch it.I have fond memories of seeing The Land that Time Forgot at the movies.Of the anthologies,I think Tales from the Crypt is the one I've seen the most,but they all have at least one good segment.
Someone should do a supercut of all the really good Amicus anthology stories and put them together into one movie.
Really enjoyed Amicus films growing up. The Anthologies were entertaining. Smart move to make their movies in contemporary times, something that Hammer should have done in the late 60s into the 70s. Any chance of a Amicus revival like Hammer made a few years ago. Cheers from your friends in America 🇺🇸.
Hammer did some contemporary movies but they were really in love with 19th Century gothic.
@@terrytalksmovies yes & to their credit … they were done well
@@kylecurry577 The Quatermass movies remain among my favorite Hammer films and they were an example of top-notch horror/science-fiction
@@adambenton9673 definitely agree very good movies. A quality remake is overdue
17:23 Oh love it early Pastafarians
i love the beast must die, a UK blaxploitation horror great fun
I'm looking forward to revisiting it soon.
I know...the special effects were horrible...the acting wasn't great. But I still have a fondness for the terrornauts. I liked the story. If only it could be done today.
It could be but alien invasions are twenty cents a kilo these days.
@@terrytalksmovies yes you are right!
I kind of love that Bernard Cribbins shows up as a young man in the second Amicus DOCTOR WHO movie, and as Donna's stargazing Grandpa on the rebooted DOCTOR WHO.
It's Fan Service 101. Get codgers back in the continuity.
@@terrytalksmovies - except every serious Whovian will tell you the Amicus Doctor Movies aren't canonically DOCTOR WHO.
I didn't realize until I saw DAKEKS - INVASION: EARTH 2150 A.D. that the goofy young cop was Donna Noble's Grandpa Wilf.
I'm starting a group of friends through the Amicus portmanteau films tomorrow, two a week with a lot of Chinese food. Wish me luck!
Enjoy! Have a beverage for me.
You have brought back some memories. I saw "The Beast Must Die" when my wife and I were first dating. She had seen it before, and she taped it when it was on TV. We watched it together. I remember the "werewolf break". I believe Warris Hussein was the director of the Dr. Who series in the early Hartnell era. I kind of like the Pere Cushing Dr. Who. I watched free on UA-cam; I thought is was amusing. I have not seen the second Cushing Dr. Who movie.
I'm not as fond of Cushing's Dr but I'm not a big Who fan anyway. You helped me decide. Gotta rewatch The Beast Must Die today.
F Je Waris Hussein was indeed a director on the first season of Doctor Who,helming the very first Who story,"An Unearthly Child" and part of "Marco Polo" before leaving for better pastures.I mainly know him for the many TV movies and miniseries he did for American television in the 80s.
not an amicus movie but great fun vincent price in theatre of blood
He had Diana Rigg to play off, so he brough this A game.
Hi Terry. Superb work mate. So much Amicus goodness. Tales from the Crypt is great. The story with Peter Cushing as Mr Grimsdyke trying to commune with his dead wife is just heartbreaking and powerful as the photos of the wife are actual photos of Peter Cushing’s recently deceased wife. It’s one of his very best performances and when he crawls out of the grave for revenge creepily effective. I’m with you too, I never understood the hate or dislike of John Carter. It’s ace 👍
I think John Carter is flawed but no more than a lot of movies from the same time that did much better.
So did they ever renew the copyrights to their pre 1977 films or are they public domain now?
I think Studio Canal has the rights.
Doug McLure, I remember a short lived series that he did with William Shatner called THE BARBARY COAST that was a blast to watch.
It's gotta be somewhere online. It was a cross-genre romp in late 1800s San Francisco with mystery and a lot of melodramatic turns from both actors. I still love the sheer silliness of the whole thing. I wonder to this day how it ever got made.
Thanks for being kind to Amicus. For a "poverty row " studio they managed to make a long lasting impression.
Doug McClure was an honest actor. I always liked him. Barbary Coast was fun, but Doug was much better than Shatner in it.
You mentioned "Rock Rock Rock". It was produced by Alan Freed. He produced the first Rock & Roll concerts. The public hated his show's integration which lead to the first Rock concert riot 5/3/58. That was the day I was born. For some reason I'm proud of that.
On the day I was born Jayne Mansfield's tit fell out of her dress at a Hollywood banquet.
You missed out Madhouse with Vincent Price, Peter Cushing, Robert Quarry, Adrienne Corri and Linda Hayden. You also fail to mention that The Deadly Bees contains the only known existing footage of The Birds, Ronnie Wood's first band. Still enjoying your stuff.
You're right, Madhouse slipped through the cracks. Thanks for the correction.
Last October Turner Classic Movie shows a handful of Amicus titles and I thought they were great. I live for tails from the crypt being a child of the 80s I know Joan Collins from Dynasty I love her in this
Collins was also good in Land Of The Pharoahs.
Omg.....William freidkin who went on to make.....the exorcist u should have showcased , not that crap u said...lol I'm sure u did that intentionally but even so.....
I tend to do that. It's part of the brand. I assume people know Friedkin helmed The Exorcist.
Definitely enjoyed "Monster Club" after I was made aware of it. Vincent Price AND John Carradine in an anthology-themed film! You can watch it for free on UA-cam but unfortunately you have to suffer through Joe Bob Briggs' inept hosting skills in the process!
Physical media FTW! 😀
Have you ever seen the film Hand of Death with John Agar? It's a low budget science fiction/horror film(not sure what category it falls under). I was thinking that since The Film Detective is releasing The Brain From Planet Arous a show on Agar might interest your fans. I don't know but I'm guessing you would be a fan of his after watching all your videos. I'm really enjoying your off the beaten path hidden gems.
Agar was a bad actor who appeared in a lot of groovy movies. I've seen Hand Of Death and The Brain. Might look at some other of his movies soon.
Terrornauts is one of two movies (the other being The Wizard of Mars) that I spent years hunting down to lay to rest fragmentary childhood memories. I must say Charles Hawtrey is not MY idea of a science fiction hero.
By comparison The Wizard of Mars is like Interstellar.
I know what you mean. Who the hell was their casting director?
Thanks for that, I'm very fond of Amicus films; even the crappy 1960's science fiction!! I do have an original poster for Dr Terror's House of Horrors.
Nice!
I've been subscribed for a month or two and watching the videos, but I think this is the first time I've commented. I recently watched all the horror anthology films with a friend. I'd seen all of them before except Torture Garden. I really love them and everyone I've shown them to has had a blast with them as well. I think they're just impossible not to like on some level. I've seen a few of the other films, including the Doctor Who ones. I think one of the main reasons fans of the series generally don't look too kindly on them is that they're just the first two Dalek serials with most of the hard edges (and, granted, some of the padding) filed off. They had a chance to go bigger and bolder and instead made them even more kid-friendly than the originals, which were quite grim in some ways. Seemed an odd choice for sure, especailly if they were going to jetison most of the background of the TV show.
Yeah, movie studios were shoddy with respecting intellectual properties in the past. Hopefully you can find Torture Garden.
The Land That Time Forgot. One of my favourite painted film posters.
Amicus always delivered with their posters. They're wonderful.
Seen quite a few of these. Will look out for the others. I agree with you that while not perfect, John Carter was a good film and doesn't deserve the poor reputation it has. It's due to the film bombing but I say that was cause they promoted it wrong & should have renamed it. The Beast Must Die has a great plot but I felt the reveal of the monster is kind of a letdown.
Yeah, Beast had budget limitations which really hindered the production. Also, Subotsky didn't like the movie.
The famous actors in anthology movies usually worked for a couple of days on a segment.
True. My mistake.
Fantastic video on an incredible company.
Personally love "The House that Dripped Blood"
Correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't William Freakin direct The Exorcist?
He did.
You glossed over City of the Dead without comment. One of their best. Thanks for vid. I’ll revisit some of these
But technically it's not an Amicus movie.
@@terrytalksmovies fair enough, still brilliant. I saw tales from the Crypt at the cinema (underage) and thought it was brilliant
Also known as:Horror Hotel
I remember the first time I saw 'City of the Dead'. Parents had gone out to the boozer. I watched it with my twin brother. I was 8 or 9 years old. So was my twin brother (LOL). The ending scared the sh@& out of me and my twin brother. I think the bedroom light stayed on that night !
I hadn't realised Amicus were so short-lived and with such a relatively small level of output.
Yep but they did well with it.
I prefer amicus to hammer..if I had to choose output from one or other .no way I would let go of from beyond the grave..for any hammer movie as much as I like them too..I'm 50yrs old and grew up with sat night double bills. And scouring newspaper TV page on weekend (every day but weekends with more success) for classic horror and sci fi.. a great time to be alive.
The good thing now is that you can make your own double features.
Amicus was great! Much missed.
I agree,
Tales that witness madness...so amicus it's amazing it's not..as a lad I always pretended it was amicus collection when doing my VHS tapes..still blows u away now that's it's not...
Yep. Very atypical
I got to see Land That Time Forgot when it was released as a 9 year old.
Trust (9 yr old) me, that movie over-delivered at the time.
It's definitely got a charm all it's own - superior in every way to People and Core, IMO.
It's cute fun.
The Beast must die is one of my favorite werewolf movies .
I really enjoy it
It definitely takes a different approach to the subject.
I enjoyed that!
Thanks 👍🏾
I'm glad you liked it. 😀
I think it was technically an Imperial German Navy rather than Nazi U-boot in 'The Land that Time Forgot', because it was WWI. My favorite forgotten Doug McClure movie from my childhood is 'The King's Pirate (1967)' with Jill St. John and Doug Stockwell, followed closely by the 1966 version of 'Beau Geste', again with Stockwell, Telly Savalas, and Leslie Nielsen(!). The Peter Cushing Dr. Who movies were my first encounter with the character because the series wasn't on TV where I lived until a bit later, and I liked them
I think it was Guy Stockwell in Beau Geste, but you're right about the submarine.
@@terrytalksmovies Too many glasses of Reisling🙄, I of course meant Guy Stockwell in both movies, and McClure was one of the younger Geste brothers in the latter.
Like the Straw Dogs behind you Terry
Criterion edition
Other great video Terry. Good have this history for those have seen some of those films have 11 of those film, Seen 26 out the 29. I have the box coffin set. And of course two Daleks films. I always enjoy Sandy Denis, its pity she do more interesting roles. I can remember going to see Dog day Afternoon and the short they showed was one of the stories from Beyond the Grave, it was the second story, The Act of Kindness. I have blu rays of I Monster with very good commentary track and The Beast Must Die. I always remember these films first them on TV, like Torture Garden, two stories stuck in my head about the Film actor and about Poe.
Unfortunately I found out the coffin boxset is all 3:2 aspect ratio. 😞
@@terrytalksmovies yeah it's a pity
The beast must die is a treasure it has a excellent storyline but because in Canada hammer and horror films were banned to restricted over 18 this included phantasm I wasn't 18 till 1980 I think in Australia and the United States many underaged saw a lot of these. Movies at drive ins unfortunately those films were off limits to teens like myself a very heavily censored Canada,I think there exists a documentary about the censor board in Canada there are literally thousands of movies banned that I never have seen ,watching your show makes it a worth it thank you Terry grant.
Australia banned ALL horror movies from the late forties to the early sixties.
@@terrytalksmovies didn't know that thanks Terry.
Is it just me or did Amicus use the same white Jaguar in house that dripped blood , tales from the crypt and asylum? I know I saw that jaguar in three movies !
I think it was Milton Subotsky's Jag.
A very smart cost cutting move in the United States the Law and Order franchise has used the same Jaguar XJR in three of the franchises Law and Order Law and Order SVU and Law and Order Criminal Intent very classy car very smart costing move
Outstanding Overview of one of my favorite English Production Companies! Would have to say their anthologies were my favorite... but I love the Mclure flics quite much as well! Now would never dream of correcting you, Terry... but 'The Land That Time Forgot' takes place during WWI. So technically the U-Boat would have been Imperial Navy & not Kriegsmarine. And thank you for your positive review of 'Monster's Club'! It gets a lot of flak from critics!
The Monster Club is still fun.
@@terrytalksmovies Oh I thoroughly enjoy it myself... especially 'Ghouls'!
That's because terranauts and the other unmentioned were made SPECIFICALLY for children and Saturday matinee ,which sadly no longer exists..they were made that way on purpose, hence actors like Charles hawtrey in it from carry ons ..as a non Brit u prob won't understand. Intentially kind of flash Gordan/superman/batman of the past.
Nonetheless, those movies are deeply bad, even as children's films.
@@terrytalksmovies The Monster Club was also aimed at kids, hence the music and the masks having yellow and blue hair and no gore on them due to Stubosky's request
Hi Terry, Amicus was OK. I never quite warmed to them in the same way I did for Hammer movies.
'City of the Dead' I really like (OK not strictly an Amicus production). Also like 'The Skull' and 'The Psychopath'. Of the horror anthology ones, my favourites are 'Dr Terror's House of Horrors' and 'From Beyond The Grave' (always loved Donald Pleasence as an actor).
You mentioned 3 lost world movies from the 1970s. I always lump 'Warlords of Atlantis' in with the 3 you mentioned. Are you saying that 'Warlords' was NOT an Amicus production ?
Warlords wasn't Amicus. It was made by EMI Films.
OK. Like I said I always put it with the other 3 as it's a movie very much in the same vein as the Amicus threesome.
Oh and as Peter Falk always used to say
'just one more thing, Sir'
I watched 'The Terrornauts' as a teenager. When it finished I thought 'That might well be the worst movie I've ever seen'. I watched it again about a year ago ... it ain't got no better !
@@keithf_ You are spot on!
Just finally saw The Psychopath tonight (and on the biggest screen I own! Hahaha🤘) You did not lie-that ending is creepy as fuck, and the movie was a perfect bookend to my horror-fan-weekend...I saw Ti West's new movie X in the cinema Thursday night and it DELIVERED!!🤘
I hear some good things about X.
@@terrytalksmovies Dude!! I LOVED it!!!!🤘And I hesitate to explain why because I don't want to spoil it for you but I do implore you to see it immediately 🤪
And this is from a horror-freak who HATED the franchise horror entries so far this year- new Scream and new Texas Chainsaw Massacre both sucked so hard they made me angry🤬🖕
X is the modern slasher epic
Hello Terry! Been a while since I last commented. I just watched The Beast Must Die about a week ago. I love this movie. I first saw it during lunch break in junior high school. The deal was you had an hour lunch break half of which you ate and the other half you could go outside, or to the library, or to the auditorium to see a film split over 3 or 4 days. This film is 70s AF! Calvin Lockhart hams it up and looks like he is having a blast throughout the entire film. Great video, stay safe, and cheers!
Thanks David. Rewatching it right now.
I'm about to go watch "The Monster Club" on Tubi after I finish this video.
Enjoy!
@@terrytalksmovies I ❤❤❤❤ loved that movie. I can't believe I never saw it as a kid. The part with the stripper almost made me fall out of my chair laughing. It was not what I was expecting, in the best possible way
@@louisthompson8642 glad you enjoyed it.
Great stuff! By the way, there’s a Tygon collection in a coffin too…
Cool!
@@terrytalksmovies it’s Witchfinder General (with footage of an alternate more gruesome ending in glorious not restored o scope), Blood On Satans Claw, Haunted House Of Horror, Body Stealers, Beast In The Cellar and Virgin Witch - not such a high hit rate as the Amicus, but the first two are excellent and Virgin Witch is inadvertently pretty funny with its barrel scraping exploitation plot.
@@BadWisdom523 now I have to find it.
You can't knock an evil psychic parrot. 😉
You can, but there are consequences.
@@terrytalksmovies 😆 true Scream any Scream again features all the unholy trio and isn't Monster Club Vinnie's sole appearance as a vampire?
@@FireMoon42 Except for an episode of The Muppet Show.
I waited decades for a John Carter movie. So when it came out, I appreciated some of the effects, but overall disappointed. Thanks for bringing it up, so I can see it with fresh eyes. I even saw a cable channel version with Traci Lords as Deja Thoris. I imagined the model Adrianna Lima as the most beautiful woman on two planets.
Scream and scream again. What a trip. A good Halloween trick, MINOR SPOILER fake hand handcuffed to bumper..
Deja Thoris has to be more than a nudie pin up. To do otherwise is kinda adolescent.
@@terrytalksmovies The sad thing about John Carter as a property is that so much has ripped off the concept over the last 100 or so years that John Carter seems derivative because people are more faqmiliar with the rip-offs . . . .
Agreed, “The Psychopath” is creepy & “The Beast Must Die” is interesting. I admit I kind of liked “ They came from outer space”…yes it’s goofy & wacky but I go with it. I had fun with “ The Land that time forgot”. “Monster’s Club” is watchable. Loved the movie posters
I'll probably watch The Beast Must Die in the next couple of days. 😀
@@terrytalksmovies Fantastic, can’t wait.
Amicus are back making movies, I understand. I hope they succeed.
I hope both Hammer and Amicus thrive.
....the Wolf Break
Seems a weird gimmick.
@@terrytalksmovies i remember the first time i watched it,i would have been around 10 years old or quite possibly younger and it scared me,the voice of the announcer,the photo of the werewolf,even the clock
@@splodge71 Valentine Dyall did the Wolf Break voice. That was scary enough.
Another great video. Good that you gave a shout out to Michael Ripper who was a massively underrated actor - also a really nice guy - I met him a few times during some scary Hammer Conventions in London in the eighties. Amicus should get more attention than it does.
I loved the three Doug McLure films too - I first saw the first one when I was living in HongKong in the seventies - still got the poster with Chinese script on it. Thanks for talking about the Wedding Party - I have ordered it on Blu-ray. - just shoes that every day can be a school day…
Thanks. Amicus was weirdly eclectic a lot of the time. A great studio with a solid filmography.
I remember when Now The Screaming Starts ran in Hong Kong. At a climactic point the cinema ushers threw a bunch of severed rubber hands into the audience. Then the screaming really started!
True story. One of my pals actually grabbed one of the hands and brought it in to school.
That's why cinemas will never die.
Lots of memories for me here. Our local cinema had double and triple features on weekends, and Amicus movies were shown quite often, even more than Hammer films. I also remember seeing "Scream and Scream Again" on a double bill with a HG Lewis movie, and both movies scared the bejeezus out my 10 year old self. I thought the later adaptions of Burroughs' works were a bit cheesy, but enjoyed watching them and still do.
They ARE totally cheesy, but entertaining.
I loved the Doug McClure trilogy of films and Amicus was a studio that I remember from the 70's and then watched some of their earlier product from the 60's.
The studio is worth honouring.
Absolutely fascinating!! I've been trying to watch all the amicus films since I found out 'It's Trad Dad' was one of theirs. I love that film! You manage to pull a load of stuff together for me here... Worth it just for the John Brunner connection! I never knew... You have a treat coming with 'the beast must die' - what a mindblast! - thanks for all the leads - now i just have to track down the stragglers...
Go for it. Wikipedia has the complete list, too.
He starts talking about their horror films at 7:18.
Who's he?
Thank you, Terry, for an excellent studio retrospective. I was pleased that you had some kind words for the Doug McClure movies. I was as avid reader of Edgar Rice Burroughs novels when those films came out being especially fond of the Jon Carter on Mars and Carson Napier on Venus series and I saw all three movies multiple times at the local theatre. At the Earth's Core has always been my favorite of the three in large part due to Peter Cushing and Caroline Munro
At The Earth's Core is pre- steam punk, too.
@@terrytalksmovies Not a bad pre-Jurassic Park Dinosaur movie, either.
Fatntastic Terry, cheers man!
My pleasure, Zami.
That was great Terry! Roy Castle was a big part of my childhood, here in the U.K. he presented a show called Record Breakers where we’d usually see him tap dancing or playing his trumpet. He had a much publicised battle against cancer that he sadly lost, ironic given he was a non smoker. Apparently they think he was a victim of second hand cancer, when playing his trumpet in night clubs.
The Beast Must Die is great, a young Michael Gambon and Tom Chadbon amongst the suspects. Enjoy it Terry!
I should have said second hand smoke, apologies.
Cool. Thanks for the background on Roy Castle.
I just happen to know a little something about Alan Freed. Besides given credit for the phrase rock 'n' roll, he was a DJ and then promoter of rock concerts in the early '50s. In fact, he was credited with producing the first multi-band rock concert.
I think Rock N Roll predates him. It was old black slang for sexual intercourse. 😀
@@terrytalksmovies Natch...
I enjoyed that.
Thank you. 😀
As always really enjoyed your review. Gonna search out The Deadly Bees and The Psychopath. Thanks.
I hope you do, and that you enjoy them.
Love amicus and hammer as wel.
They're both really fun and entertaining.