Detour (1945)

Detour is considered by a lot of movie critics (including me) to be the best B movie ever made. To think that this movie was shot in only a week with a budget of around $20,000 boggles the mind. This is truly a classic in low-budget films. Al Roberts (played by Tom Neal) is the main character and the narrator. He's a guy who just can't catch a break. He and his girlfriend Sue want to leave New York and head to California, the land of dreams. Sue gets tired of waiting and heads out on her own. Al decides to follow her out there a few weeks later and is hitching a ride when he meets Haskell. This is where his troubles start. Haskell accidentally dies and Al fears he'll be charged with his murder so he hides the body and assumes Haskell's identity. To make matters worse, he meets up with Vera (played to perfection by Ann Savage) and it's all downhill from there. This movie is in public domain and there are several sites where it can be downloaded for free. If you like B movies, film noir, black and white films or cult classics, this one is not to be missed.

Mountaintop Motel Massacre (1986)

Well, this is the movie I reviewed the week my column was yanked. I like low-budget horror films quite a bit and this movie is about as low-budget as you can get. It was filmed in Louisiana in 1983 but not released until 1986. It's not really that scary but it's actually fun to watch. The killer is never a secret - it's Evelyn, the innkeeper that even Tom Bodet wouldn't leave the light on for. She has just gotten out of a mental institution and accidentally decapitates her weirdo daughter Lorri. Gee, I hate when that happens. The police do a really lame investigation and Evelyn goes on a killing spree that would make Charles Manson jealous. Her motel is actually a string of run-down cabins that have seen better days. This is definitely one motel where you would not want to order room service. A storm comes through the area and knocks the power out (how convenient) and all of her guests are at her mercy. How she gets from cabin to cabin is kind of neat, and I liked it that all of the nice characters don't get killed. Her guests include a couple on their honeymoon, a preacher that likes to hit the bottle, two cousins with dreams of country music stardom, a fake record executive who wants the girls to 'audition' and a kindly black carpenter who gets the only funny lines in the movie. Rent this movie and be prepared to be frightened - if while you're watching it the electricity goes out and an axe-murderer tries to break into your house. But it's still fun to watch. But, please don't disturb Evelyn - SHE ALREADY IS!

welcome to my blog

I'm starting this blog because I was writing a weekly column for an online newsletter and my column was removed because someone complained about the site containing 'cult activity'. They were referring to my column mentioning cult movies. This is in a small town in Mississippi, so it should not have surprised me. A lot of people in Mississippi (especially in the smaller towns) are so narrow-minded and bigoted that it's a wonder it doesn't make the evening news. So, in this blog I am going to review my favorite movies. On here you will movies ranging from Detour to Cecil B. Demented, The Wizard of Oz to Thumb Tripping and everything in between. My hope is that someone will read my blog and find a movie review of mine interesting enough that will want to see the movie. I welcome all comments and questions - unless you want me to remove this blog because of the 'cult activity'.