Arrow Beach: la spiaggia della paura

Harvey's last film (in which he reportedly help edit by phone in his deathbed) is a twisted would be horror film that Warner Bros barely released. (it played in Seattle many years later in one drive-in as TENDER FLESH released by Brut). Harvey plays a Korean war vet who ate human flesh to survive in the jungle, but now he has a sickness and not even his sister (who's also his lover) Pettet can stop. Meg Foster plays a hitchhiker that he befriends, who witnesses him doing something evil in the basement and she might be his next victim. Interesting cast (whitman and Ireland together again for the 4th time), and lurid feel that the film has. Lou Rawls sings the main theme, which is a nice song, but really has nothing to do witht he film! There's a blooper in the end credit as you see cars drive backwards. I don't know why Harvey, a respected actor would direct a B horror film, but I read many stories on him being strange, so the story must have grabbed him. Use to be a cable classic in the old days, and played very heavily cut on TV with cut out the cannibal angle so the film is very confusing, as the TV version just makes him out to be a killer, and nothing more. I believe it is the first major studio film to deal with cannibalism.

Played this Tuesday on a double bill with Re-Animator. Introduced by Johnny Legend, there in the flesh, with that guy who runs one of the memorabilia stores on Hollywood blvd. They said it would probably never be shown again, ever. It's not on vhs or dvd. There is only one print.

A scene where an aging model is put out of her misery is amazing. Lots of splatter and a shock of a final scene that is very Ed Gein. The story is a bit goofy, but good at the same time. See it if you can. Oh, wait, you can't. Well there has got to be a way.

A real oddity, this one. Stars Laurence Harvey who also directed and would die before the film was released. Indeed Harvey does not look well or perform well and it is sad that his career should have ended this way. Not that I ever thought him much of an actor but he certainly had a presence when younger and could successfully bring his personality to bear on a film if nothing else. Not here sadly for this is generally poorly directed and poorly performed by all concerned, though we do get a spirited performance from an aged Gloria LeRoy. Indeed her turn precipitates the best sequence in the whole film and certainly prevents any chance of dropping off. Just about worth seeing for it is certainly a little bit different but could have been so much better.

More like welcome to a DARK SHADOWS clone as it features a darkly lit mansion, with soap opera type characters, and a revved up soundtrack that quickly becomes overbearing. Basically about Foster a young, beautiful, and innocent runnaway ( she even sleeps with a stuffed doll) who gets in over her head with cannibal Harvey. Like most 70's horror heroines she naively misses the simple warning signs until it's almost too late. Also like most cheap 70's horror films it meanders through stilted dialogue and meaningless scenes until it gives you two minutes of what is passably interesting. Definately no big deal. The only real interesting aspect is why a excellent and respected actor like Harvey would get involved with such a schlocky story.

Gotta dig that funky 70's soundtrack, and at times the film doesn't know if it is a romance, comedy, thriller, or horror film, but it is still pretty entertaining. The ending was a little abrupt and there were lots of plot threads left dangling, but all in all it takes you right back to 1974.