Dethcharm

GHOSTS ON THE LOOSE is for the East Side Kids fan, who also loves Bela Lugosi. The Kids are at their goofy, ridiculous best, while Mr. Lugosi remains nearly expressionless throughout the film. He's in it for only a relatively few scenes.

The story consists of a nefarious plot by those pesky Nazis, augmented by the Kids falling victim to a big misunderstanding.

Hilarity ensues.

Warning: You might get a bad case of whiplash, as everyone spends much of the film's running time going back-and-forth between two houses, moving furniture, and being silly. Of course, Mugs and Gimpy (Leo Gorcey and Huntz Hall) garner most of the laughs.

Worth a late-late night watch...

THE NIGHT THE WORLD EXPLODED is an apocalyptic, sci-fi / disaster film that manages to be entertaining in spite of its miniscule budget.

Dr. Conway (William Leslie) and his dedicated assistant / love interest, Laura Hutchinson (Kathryn Grant), have created a machine that can detect upcoming earthquakes. What seems like a godsend, soon becomes a doomsayer, when its prediction shows seismic activity that could wipe out the planet.

There are some similarities between this movie and THE MONOLITH MONSTERS. Both are stories about menacing minerals, but there are enough differences to make them enjoyable on their own merits.

Mr. Leslie and Ms. Grant play their roles with just the right amount of 1950s-style melodrama.

Add this lesser-known gem to your 50s sci-fi list...

WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT KEVIN is told mostly through flashbacks, from the point of view of Eva (Tilda Swinton), during the aftermath of a horrific event. As the story unfolds, we learn about her early life with her psychopathic son, Kevin, and her oblivious husband, Franklin (John C. Reilly).

Maddeningly, we watch as Kevin manipulates Eva, while Franklin bobbles in and out, completely unaware. Of course, as Kevin grows up, his behavior doesn't exactly improve. Well, in a sense it does, as Kevin gets better at being evil. When Eva gives birth to a girl, things get even worse.

Ms. Swinton's portrayal of Eva is heartbreaking, taking her through levels of emotional pain that seem unendurable. As for Ezra Miller's Kevin, he is simply terrifying, one of the better psychopathic characters in cinema. The child actors who play the younger versions of Kevin are also quite good.

An interesting aspect of this film is the Director's use of the color red, which is in almost every scene. It foreshadows the devastating finale.

Though listed as a thriller, there are plenty of horror elements as well...