I SAW MANTOPUS!

One of the most enjoyable films of the year has emerged (available now on Amazon Prime, no less): Joshua Kennedy's Gooey Films Production of Mantopus!: a William Castle/Roger Corman-styled, monster flick with traces of Herbert L. Strock's How to Make a Monster, Edward L. Cahn's The She-Creature, Douglas Hikcox's Theatre of Blood, John Lamont's Konga and Freddie Francis' Trog, which truly holds up with the nostalgic best of them.

The movie revolves around a filmmaker who specializes in the macabre, the Michael Gough-inspired Charles Lander, played by the versatile Kennedy. Lander seeks to make the ultimate, monster movie after his Frankenstein in Texas receives studio derision. However, to ensure success, he embarks on employing a real-live creature for his comeback opus.

The enlisted monster (a reputed "god" from the Pacific) is superb. As designed by Mitch Gonzales, its facial features are reminiscent of Ray Harryhausen's test-footage Martian for his unfulfilled War of the Worlds adaptation, crossed with Rick Baker's specimen from the cult favorite, Octaman. The monstrosity comes per a strange, unnamed, "needful things" proprietor, played with sinister relish by Bryan Martinez, who helps churn an atmosphere that taps Lovecraftian lore and the ominous glee of Joe Dante's Gremlins, motivated by crafty, kill-the-critics revenge in glitzy L.A. 

In addition to Kennedy and Martinez, the cast includes the beautiful Valerie Prince as Lander's neglected spouse, Julia; the vivacious Mitzi Venus as promising, leading lady, Cindy Banks; the dashing Jaime Torres as her congenial but sometimes jealous boyfriend, Rick Fallen; and Jonathan Tamez as the titular, frightful Mantopus and detective Troy Sheppard. (John Danziger, Victoria Rose, Hilda Sofia Bautista, Julian Flores, Tom Pearson, Jess Conrad and dear ol' Dani Thompson comprise the rest of the fine cast.)

Kennedy's script and direction are as nimble as his crisp, Gough-ian performance, creating loads of good-natured mayhem, with the production holding a lurid, seasoned look that may have characterized a UHF, Saturday matinee back in the day. The vibrant texture is Creepshow caliber, and Reber Clark's score is menacing as heck with its many Jerry Goldsmith touches: an apt throwback for all its thrilling, melodramatic prompts. 

Kennedy's appreciation for, and familiarity of, chilling classic cinema is indisputable, which in turn can only delight fans such as myself. 

I LOVED this one and will be watching it often. You can watch it right here and now at 

https://www.amazon.com/Mantopus-Joshua-Kennedy/dp/B0F6SRGGDR/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2PSAE1RW5SPWL&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.d2v4a_y1c2fspEUR3FnqFZPTNBovSmZqYP_Q0WaJS28.TJMfgxYlyQPXcGtkqEpW9-47Uamw2Bic84hPk_WAxRM&dib_tag=se&keywords=mantopus&qid=1750469238&sprefix=man%2Caps%2C988&sr=8-1

I saw Joshua Kennedy's Innsmouth's School For Girls...

Writer/producer/director Joshua Kennedy's latest Gooey Film Production is a sublime salute to H.P. Lovecraft's The Shadow Over Innsmouth.  

In addition to using the yarn's structure, The Innsmouth School for Girls references Satan's School for Girls, A Werewolf in a Girls' Dormitory, Blood of Dracula, The Initiation of Sarah, Carrie, Wednesday and even the college-girl spurred City of the Dead (aka Horror Hotel). In other words, it's filled with young ladies, as well as truth-or-dare giggles and ample, nightmarish chills, creating the type of diverse entertainment we've come to expect from Kennedy. 

The movie opens with lovely Roberta Olmstead (get it?), played by talented newcomer, Hilda Sofia Bautista, heading to the eponymous institution via a chauffeured van and sharing a reflective narrative in the Victoria Winters/Dark Shadows vein. This establishes the dread that enshrouds the institution (not to mention, the entire town), even if the exact emanation is difficult to pinpoint...at first.

The strangeness then deepens, unfolding notch by notch, ushered by Innsmouth's no-nonsense dean, Barnabas Marsh, played by Kennedy, who emits a robust voice and wears a Barnabas Collins ring. One might sense that his physicality isn't quite right, even as he lurks in the distant shadows, for it appears he's just a tad too fishy around the lips and eyes. 

The student body is led by callous Suzi Banion (Stephanie Jo Saenez), though even she can't deny the school's imbalanced vibrations. When a teacher is reported missing, the discomfort worsens, leaving Roberta and her only two friends, Lori (Mitzi Venus) and her brother, Andrew (Jonathan Tamaz), to travel Innsmouth's dank crevasses, where scaly insinuations emerge. It thereafter becomes apparent that the town is infected by something beyond this earth, and a legacy of missing females only seals the deal, but how in the world do the youngsters stop the uncanny invasion, even if derisive Suzi does join the cause? 

The plot moves along nicely, and Reber Clark's score gives the events a saturating, Bob Cobert feel. That feel invokes the conciliating quality of classic, Gothic horror, with Cthulhu and R'lyeh references enforcing the aura, as well as the recurring appearance of Bryan Martinez's Greek-chorus wayfarer: a pelagic equivalent to Friday the 13th's Crazy Ralph, but with a distinct, Dan Curtis flavor.

The Innsmouth's School for Girls can be purchased for streaming on Amazon Prime, in addition to DVD through oldies.com. The disc includes outtakes, a deleted scene, a making-of documentary and audio commentary by Kennedy:  

https://www.oldies.com/product-view/1186D.html 

The Innsmouth School for Girls is a wise investment for Lovecraft completists and of course, all Kennedy connoisseurs. 

Cowgirls vs Pterodactlys & The St. Augustine Monster: Now on DVD

On the indie side of cinema, writer/director/producer Joshua Kennedy's Cowgirls vs Pterodactyls reigned supreme in 2021. The Gooey Films Production made its Blu-Ray premiere about a year ago, but now the acclaimed adventure comes to affordable DVD via oldies.com. 

Like the Blu-Ray, the DVD packaging sports dandy artwork (unique to this release). If you're like me, it's always gratifying to own more than one edition of a favorite, and Cowgirls and Pterodactyls is another ideal case in point.

Cowgirls vs Pterodactyls introduces us to Rebecca Crawford (Madelyn Wiley), a schoolmistress who embarks on a quest to retrieve her spouse (Jonathan Tamez), who's been snatched by a petulant pterodactyl. Crawford is joined by cathouse madame, Debbie Dukes (Haley Zega) and famed gunfighter, Bunny Parker (Carmen Vienhage). The school marm's  man may not found alive, let alone intact, and to make matters worse, there are other flying reptiles about (including a cute, wee one) to bungle the ladies' chances for success. 

Kennedy's fine-tuned script is a genuine gem on all pistol-packin' points, and his amusing sequences complement his lovely leads, who each excels in her own charming and nuanced way. To further their gratifying scenarios, Hammer/007 goddess, Martine Beswick bridges events with witty narration, and scream queen, Dani Thompson fills the inviting interludes as cool-headed bad gal, Doris Yates.    

For the film's fruitful visuals, Ryan Lengyel, who crafted the stop-motion effects for Kennedy's mythology masterpiece, Theseus and the Minotaur, rises to the occasion again, presenting winged specimens that are not only threatening, but ripe with personality in the O'Brien, Harryhausen and Danforth vein. And to heighten the creatures' calamity, House of the Gorgon composer, Reger Clark bestows Cowgirls vs Pterodactyls with a catchy, cowpoke score. (His invigorating title track is one of the best compositions to grace celluloid in quite a spell.)

With its snappy pacing, quality acting and amazing special effects, Cowgirls vs Pterodactyls is the best genre-blending entertainment since, well, The Valley of Gwanji. That makes it pretty damn special in my book. 

BTW, as extra treats, the oldies.com release comes with cool, Kennedy commentary and a making-of documentary, plus the filmmaker's surreal short, The St. Augustine Monster: an effective Lovecraftian, neo-silent-film homage, with an atmosphere plucked straight from Nosferatu and The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari. Pure, German Gothic brilliance from start to finish!

Order Kennedy's Gooey double whammy at 

https://www.oldies.com/product-view/1165D.html

LITTLE SHOPPE OF HORRORS #47: A STONE-TURNING TRIBUTE

Little Shoppe of Horrors #47 is a treat and a half for gorgon devotees, featuring a detailed study of Hammer's 1964 classic, The Gorgon, by my friend and filmmaker-supreme, Joshua (The Night of Medusa/House of the Gorgon) Kennedy. 

Kennedy's article, "Reflections of Fear", covers all angles of the 1964 Hammer classic, establishing what makes it unique among the studio's fantastic queue. Kennedy also acknowledges its polished participants, including its deft director, Terence Fisher; screenwriter, John Gilling; music composer, James Bernard; set designer, Bernard Robinson; makeup masters, Syd Pearson and Roy Ashton; and the film's stellar stars, Peter Cushing, Christopher Lee, Barbara Shelley, Richard Pasco, Patrick Troughton (albeit in a wee role); and of course, Prudence Hyman, the titular creature, aka Megaera. As an extraordinary additive, Kennedy even rewards readers with writer J. Llewellyn Devine's layered story pitch: what a glorious share!

In addition to Kennedy's impassioned research, Little Shoppe #47 offers absorbing articles on "The Making of The Witches/The Devil's Own" (Part 1), by Bruce G. Hallenback; "Joan Fontaine: Dreams of Manderley", by Rob Labbe; "Dracula and the Modern Age: Don Houghton and His Screenwriting", by David Gee; "Christopher Wicking Hammer Diaries" (Part 4), edited by Mitchel Wicking; and interviews with the adorable Dolly Reed, conducted by Mr. Hallenback, and the charming Ingrid Brett, conducted by Michael Reed. Editor/publisher Richard Klemensen also grants interesting tidbits on several Hammer favorites, including The Man Who Could Cheat Death.  

Included as well are artistic, Hammer-homage contributions by William Stout, David Brooks, Lee Copeland, Chantal Handley, Alistar Hughes, Ron Lizorty, Shane Ivan Oakley, Murad Gumen, Terry Pavlet, Adrian Salmon, Mike Schneider, Neil D. Vokes, Paul Watts and Kris Mraz, whose Gothic labors of love complement the contents a hundredfold. 

Little Shoppe of Horrors #47 belongs in every Hammer fan's library. Purchase it at

https://www.littleshoppeofhorrors.com/?fbclid=IwAR0kEQ71JTXZ9mn1Y4l7oHZNEwl2iIuSb3fjRm8zm8e8-zl-XQXZE3BUb5M

Collection Recommendation: Mr. Lobo's Cinema Insomnia (Mark of the Damned)

Mr. Lobo's Cinema Insomnia returns with a new Alpha DVD/oldies.com release, expanding our horror host's already impressive, collectible queue. On this occasion we get the "amplified" in stupendous black-and-white, Lucha libre homage from 2006, Mark of the Damned! 

Directed by Eric (Taste the Blood of Frankenstein) Miller and written by both Miller and Joshua (House of the Gorgon) Kennedy, Mark of the Damned has it all: a superheroic, El Santo-styled avenger named King Silver; a prophesy-plagued damsel in distress named Diane; a creepy yet beautiful vampire queen; a combative robot; goofy interlopers; awkward-on-purpose dubbing; and even a few surprise guest spots. In other words, it has all the ingredients to be hailed as a "misunderstood" masterpiece. (Fans of Ed D. Wood Jr. and Ted V. Mikels, in particular, will really get into this one's eclectic groove.)

In addition, Mr. Lobo's behind-the-scenes footage and silly, Halloween inserts (check out the cool, cooking segment with Slob Zombie) further establish Mark of the Damned as a cult-movie connoisseur's dream come true. 

Treat yourself to Mr. Lobo's Cinema Insomnia Presents Mark of the Damned by ordering at 

https://www.oldies.com/product-view/1153D.html

I saw Cowgirls vs Pterodactyls...

Prolific writer/director/producer Joshua Kennedy always delivers satisfying productions. For an old-timer like me, that means he understands the type of storytelling that was once employed to ensure that any cinematic product, no matter the budget, would entertain. 

Kennedy's latest endeavor, Cowgirls vs Pterodactyls, is no exception. It, like such seasoned adventures as The Valley of Gwangi and The Beast of Hollow Mountain, is an exuberant, dinosaur western.   

In this instance, we're introduced to Rebecca Crawford (Madelyn Wiley), a schoolmistress who embarks on a quest to retrieve her spouse (Jonathan Tamez), who's been snatched by (of all terrifying things) a petulant pterodactyl. To abet her mission, Crawford is joined by cathouse madame, Debbie Dukes (Haley Zega) and famed gunfighter, Bunny Parker (Carmen Vienhage). There's no guarantee that the school marm's  man will be found alive, let alone intact, and to make matters worse, there are plenty of other flying reptiles about (including a cute, wee one) to bungle the ladies' chances for success. 

Kennedy's fine-tuned script is a genuine gem on all pistol-packin' points, and his amusing sequences complement his lovely leads, who each excels in her own charming and nuanced way. To further bolster their gratifying scenarios, Hammer/007 goddess, Martine Beswick bridges events with witty narration, and scream queen, Dani Thompson fills the inviting interludes as cool-headed bad gal, Doris Yates.    

For the film's fruitful visuals, Ryan Lengyel, who crafted the stop-motion effects for Kennedy's mythology masterpiece, Theseus and the Minotaur, rises to the occasion again, presenting winged specimens that are not only threatening, but ripe with personality in the O'Brien, Harryhausen and Danforth vein. And to heighten the creatures' calamity, House of the Gorgon composer, Reger Clark bestows Cowgirls vs Pterodactyls with a catchy, cowpoke score. (His invigorating title track is one of the best compositions to grace celluloid in quite a spell.)

Though there are a number of anticipated fantasy films slated for 2021, Cowgirls vs Pterodactyls is without question the one to see. As it turns out (and as comes as no surprise), it's another towering triumph for Kennedy and his tried-and-true Gooey Film Productions. Huge kudos on another job well done, Mr. Kennedy.

FYI: Cowgirls vs Pterodactyls can be viewed on Amazon Prime, and its vibrant Blu-ray release, with plenty of edifying extras, can be purchased at https://store16974340.ecwid.com/.