Forbidden Planet (1956)

Forbidden Planet (1956)
Rating: ★★★★½
Jun 20, 2002Alien Artefacts/Monster from the Subconscious
A classic of 1950s SF that creates one of the most well remembered screen robots. An uncredited adaptation of Shakespeare’s The Tempest, there are few other films that devote so much attention to creating a sense of wonder

The Search for Bridey Murphy (1956)

The Search for Bridey Murphy (1956)
Rating: ★★
Jan 2, 2014Hypnotic Regression to Past Lives/"True Story"
Dramatic recount of a true-life sensation during the 1950s when an amateur hypnotist claimed that he had regressed a housewife to recall her past life in 19th Century Ireland. The film has an earnestly prostheletysing belief in its own case but sceptical examination pulls holes in its credibility

The Night Strangler (1973)

The Night Strangler (1973)
Rating: ★★★★
Jan 3, 2013Journalist Tracks an Immortal Killer
Less famous sequel to the cult tv movie The Night Stalker but a far superior work. This repeats much of the first film but with Darren McGavin's Kolchak hunting an immortal killer. Much better script and featuring a superbly eerie climactic venture down into the Seattle Underground

The Stepford Children (1987)

The Stepford Children (1987)
Rating:
Apr 15, 2015Android Teenager Replacements
The second of three sequels to The Stepford Wives. I found the original implausible on any level and this is quadrupled when you get to replacing their children with android duplicates. A film that has been generated without anybody sitting and thinking about the premise on a practical level