ISSUE 5: MONSTER TIMES TELETYPE

…is our way of getting the latest hot-off-the-wire info to you; reviews, previews, scoops on horror films in production, newsworthy monster curiosities, bulletins, and other grues-flashes. There are several contributors to our hodge-podge Teletype page … BILL FERET, our man in Show Biz (he’s a professional actor, singer, dancer with the impressive resume list of stage, film and TV credits to his name), makes use of his vast professional experiences and leads to Feret-out items of interest to monster fans, and duly report on them in his flashing Walter-Wind-chill manner.

FRANKENSTEIN AND THE MONSTER FROM HELL” may have a highly oriental-sounding title, but it’s actually been announced as issuing forth from Hammer studios. Hammer also has on the books remakes of DANTE’S INFERNO” and “LORNA DOONE.” (No, it’s not about Cookie-monsters.)

Fanfare Corp. is readying “TOWER OF EVIL” starring Bryant Haliday and Jill Haworth, for release.

The Italians have a conclave of films due on the scene shortly. “WHO KILLED THE PROSECUTOR AND WHY?”, starring Adolfo Celi (Thunderball) is a thriller and “INFERNAL NOOSE,” is a psycho piece. (No noose is good …) There’ll be some ‘spaghetti’ Westerns too, but the titles are so enigmatically gruesome … “CREEPING DEATH,” “PAID IN BLOOD,” and “DOOMSDAY” starring Ty Hardin and Rossano Brazzi, hey sound more like ‘How the West was Bled.’

Edgar Allen Poe’s poem, ANNABELLE LEE” has been turned into a film version starring Margaret O’Brien. Film was shot in Peru and has a score by Les Baxter.

Anthony Quale is set as host of a half hour anthology teleseries titled “Evil Touch”. The 26 suspense-chiller episodes will star name people each show.

The famous British sci-fi series “DR. WHO.” is planned as an all-new color half hour series of 50 episodes. You’ll remember “DR. WHO AND THE DALEKS.”

The Science Fiction Film Festival at Trieste. France and the Science-Fiction Cultural Center of Venice, Italy are trying to organize a world-wide sci-fi convention for the 3rd week in July. (Lotsa Luck!) Already registered for competition is SOLARIA,” written by Stanislaus Len and directed by Soviet Andrei Tarkovski.

Let’s hear it for the OLYMPIA theater, here in New Yawk, New Yawk, the wunnerful town. Just the other week they ran a complete FLASH GORDON serial at a midnite show, and Roman Polanski’s immortal classic. THE FEARLESS VAMPIRE KILLERS, one of the funniest and yet scarifying vampire classics ever. Fun City is graced with lots of terror treats from hip theater owners, though there could be more. Readers across the country are encouraged to clue in their local theater owners about TMT … and have them submit schedules to TMT of any horror and Sci-Fi festivals, (at least a month in advance). We may become the TV & Movie Guide of Monsterdom!

Somewhere in the mileu, I found notes on a production of “LADY FRANKENSTEIN.

A Texas based company, Chicos Productions, is lensing “DISCIPLES OF DEATH” in Houston.

Warner Bros. is releasing “THE EXORCIST” dealing with a girl who is possessed by the Devil himself.

Also from Warners, by Michael Crichton, author of “THE ANDROMEDA STRAIN,” comes “THE TERMINAL MAN.”, It’s about a man with a computer for a brain and murder on his mind.

Producer Blake Edwards (THE GREAT RACE, DARLING LILI) is currently lensing on British soil a film-musicalization of “TRILBY AND SVENGALI.” Julie Andrews

(Mrs. Edwards) is starred and hopefully Jack Lemmon will be ‘Sven, Golly.’ (The Sound of Mesmer?)

If you’re interested in the H.P. Lovecraft stories, principally his “CTHULHU MYTHOS,” there just recently came out an excellent study about his work and related works by other authors. Lin Carter was the author of this dissertation and he handled it most admirably. Mr. Carter himself had authored several books of the same type, notably the THONGOR” series.

So if you aren’t into Lovecraft’s World of Monstrous Menace…get into it, you won’t be sorry. I personally love (Aha) his craft.

B.F.