Movies... For Free! The Terror (1963)

Showcasing classic movies that have fallen out of copyright and are available freely from the public domain...





The Terror, 1963.



Directed by Roger Corman.

Starring Boris Karloff, Jack Nicholson, Sandra Knight, Dick Miller and Jonathan Haze.



Produced by B movie king Roger Corman and featuring uncredited direction from Dennis Jakob, Francis Ford Coppola, Monte Hellman, Jack Hill and star Jack Nicholson, The Terror is a low-budget period horror about a French soldier, Andre Duvalier (Nicholson), who meets a strange young woman, Helene (Sandra Knight), after washing up on a beach. When Helene disappears, Andre sets out to investigate and eventually comes upon the home of the reclusive Baron Von Leppe (Boris Karloff), where he discovers that the Baron has a dark secret and is haunted by the ghost of his wife Isla, who shares a remarkable resemblance with Helene.



As with many of Roger Corman's films, the sets used for The Terror were shared with a number of other films, including The Haunted Palace (1963) and The Raven (1963), the latter of which also starred Nicholson and Karloff. Corman shot his scenes just four days, while the remaining directors continued to work on the picture for nine months, making The Terror one of the longest productions of Corman's career.





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The Little Shop of Horrors (1960)



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Movies... For Free! Dick Tracy Meets Gruesome (1947)

Showcasing classic movies that have fallen out of copyright and are available freely from the public domain...


Dick Tracy Meets Gruesome a.k.a Dick Tracy's Amazing Adventure, 1947.

Directed by John Rawlins.
Starring Ralph Byrd, Anne Gwynne, Boris Karloff, Skelton Knaggs, Edward Ashley, June Clayworth, Lyle Latell, Tony Barrett, Jim Nolan, Joseph Crehan and Milton Parsons.

Ralph Byrd returns as Chester Gould's popular comic-book lawman in the fourth and final installment of RKO's Dick Tracy quadrilogy. Joining him as the villain of the piece is horror icon Boris Karloff, who stars as the corpse-like gangster Gruesome, leader of a criminal gang in possession of a nerve gas that freezes its victims and makes them appear dead. Lyle Latell returns as Tracy's assistant Pat Patton, becoming the only actor to appear in all four movies, while Joseph Crehan reprises the role of Chief Brandon and scream queen Anne Gwynne joins the cast as Tracy's love-interest Tess Trueheart.

Following the release of Dick Tracy Meets Gruesome, the character would next appear in animated form in 1961 with The Dick Tracy Show, a series of 5-minute cartoons that ran for a single season and produced 130 episodes. Meanwhile it would be an even longer wait before the detective returned to the big-screen, with Warren Beatty producing, directing and starring in 1990's Dick Tracy.


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Movies... For Free! Dick Tracy's Dilemma (1947)

Showcasing classic movies that have fallen out of copyright and are available freely from the public domain...


Dick Tracy's Dilemma a.k.a Mark of the Claw, 1947.

Directed by John Rawlins.
Starring Ralph Byrd, Kay Christopher, Lyle Latell, Jack Lambert, Ian Keith, Bernadene Hayes, Jimmy Conlin, William B. Davidson, Tony Barrett and Tom Keene.

After releasing two features with Morgan Conway as Chester Gould's celebrated police detective Dick Tracy, RKO bowed to exhibitor pressure and recast Conway with Ralph Byrd, the actor who had made his name as Tracy in four Republic serials between 1937 and 1941.

Dick Tracy's Dilemma sees the detective investigating a number of crimes - the theft of a fortune in furs, an insurance swindle and the obligatory murders - all of which he links to a hook-handed criminal known as The Claw. Returning to the cast for this third outing are Lyle Latell as Pat Patton and Ian Keith as Vitamin Flintheart, while Kay Christopher takes over from Anne Jeffreys as Tracy's girlfriend Tess Trueheart.


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Movies... For Free! Dick Tracy vs. Cueball (1946)

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Dick Tracy vs. Cueball, 1946.

Directed by Gordon Douglas.
Starring Morgan Conway, Dick Wessel, Anne Jeffreys, Lyle Latell, Joseph Crehan, Ian Keith, Rita Corday, Douglas Walton and Jimmy Crane.

Morgan Conway makes his second and final appearance as Chester Gould's incorruptible police detective in Dick Tracy vs. Cueball, a sequel to 1945's Dick Tracy, Detective. This time Tracy finds himself on the trail of the murderous Cueball, an ex-con who kills a diamond thief and takes the loot for himself. Tracy plans to catch Cueball by allowing his girlfriend Tess Trueheart (the returning Anne Jeffrey's) to act as a buyer for the diamonds, only for Cueball to take her hostage as he vows to eliminate the hard-boiled lawman.

Stepping into the director's chair for this second feature adventure is Gordon Douglas, whose previous credits included the Academy Award-winning Our Gang short Bored of Education (1936) and Laurel and Hardy's final Hal Roach comedy Saps at Sea (1940). Douglas would go on to direct films such as the cult sci-fi Them! (1954), Elvis Presley musical Follow That Dream (1962) and crime dramas The Detective (1968) and They Call Me MISTER Tibbs! (1970), while RKO Radio Pictures' Dick Tracy series would continue for a further two installments released the following year.


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Movies... For Free! Dick Tracy (1945)

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Dick Tracy a.k.a Dick Tracy, Detective, 1945.

Directed by William Berke.
Starring Morgan Conway, Anne Jeffreys, Mike Mazurki, Jane Greer, Lyle Latell, Joseph Crehan, Mickey Kuhn, Trevor Bardette, Morgan Wallace, Milton Parsons and William Halligan.

Chester Gould's hard-boiled police detective Dick Tracy had already graced the silver screen in four Republic serials between 1937 and 1941 before RKO Pictures delivered this first B-grade feature outing in 1945. Taking over from the serials' Ralph Byrd as the incorruptible title character is Morgan Conway, with Dick Tracy on the hunt for a serial killer known as 'Splitface', who is responsible for a series of brutal murders where the victims have been slashed to pieces.

Although Dick Tracy opts against a straight-forward recreation of the comic strip in favour of a noirish approach, it does feature a number of familiar faces such as Tess Trueheart (Anne Jeffreys), Junior (Mickey Kuhn), Chief Brandon (Joseph Crehan) and Pat Patton (Lyle Latell), and was followed by three sequels in 1946 and 1947.


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Movies... For Free! Deep Red (1975)

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Deep Red a.k.a. The Hatchet Murders (Italian: Profondo Rosso), 1975.

Directed by Dario Argento.
Starring David Hemmings, Gabriele Lavia, Daria Nicolodi, Macha Meril, Glauco Mauri and Clara Calamai.

Italian horror legend Dario Argento enjoyed his international breakthrough with his fifth feature, the critically acclaimed giallo Deep Red, which is regarded by many fans as the highlight of his career. The film centres on an English music teacher (David Hemmings), who witnesses the brutal murder of a psychic medium (Macha Meril) and sets out to unmask the killer with the help of a local news reporter (Daria Nicolodi), and features all of Argento's filmmaking trademarks such as elaborately constructed death scenes, inventive cinematography and atmospheric lighting.

Read our full review of Deep Red here.


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Movies... For Free! Sex Madness (1938)

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Sex Madness, 1938.

Directed by Dwain Esper.
Starring Vivian McGill, Rose Tapley, Al Rigeli, Stanley Barton and Linda Lee Hill.

After re-releasing the anti-drugs morality piece Tell Your Children to the exploitation circuit in 1936 under the more lurid moniker Reefer Madness, filmmaker Dwain Esper followed this up with Sex Madness, an 'educational' melodrama that managed to get around the strict Hollywood Production Code by claiming to warn against the dangers of sexually transmitted diseases. It was initially released as Human Wreckage and later reissued under the names They Must Be Told! and Trial Marriage, with distributors were reportedly offput by the use of the word 'sex' in the title, although it has also been claimed that the changes were a way of having audiences unwittingly paying to see the same film again.

Sex Madness centres on young beauty queen Millicent (Vivian McGill) who dreams of becoming famous and ends up working at a seedy burlesque club in New York City. Naturally, engaging in unhealthy doses of wild orgies, pre-marital sex and lesbianism soon catches up with Millicent, who contracts syphilis and - after returning home to her childhood sweetheart - begins to realise the consequences of her whoring ways.


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Movies... For Free! Escape from Sobibor (1987)

Showcasing classic movies that have fallen out of copyright and are available freely from the public domain...


Escape from Sobibor, 1987.

Directed by Jack Gold.
Starring Alan Arkin, Joanna Pacuła, Rutger Hauer, Hartmut Becker, Jack Shepherd.

Escape from Sobibor is a British made-for-TV movie based on the 1982 book of the same name by Richard Rashke. Set in 1943, the film tells the true story of the uprising at the Sobibor extermination camp where roughly half of the 600 Jewish inmates escaped after members of the underground resistance turned on their captors.

Heading the cast is cult actor Rutger Hauer, who bagged a Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Television) for his turn as Red Army Captain and resistance leader Alexander 'Sasha' Pechersky. The film premiered on American television on the CBS network on April 12th, 1987 and was shown on West German TV in January 1989.

There are two versions of Escape from Sobibor in existence - a 143 minute cut and an edited 120 minute DVD cut, which is the version presented here...


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Movies... For Free! House on Haunted Hill (1959)

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House on Haunted Hill, 1959.

Directed by William Castle.
Starring Vincent Price, Carolyn Craig, Richard Long, Elisha Cook Jr., Carol Ohmart, Alan Marshal and Julie Mitchum.

A low-budget b-movie horror from 1959, William Castle's House on Haunted Hill stars Vincent Price as eccentric millionaire Frederick Loren, who invites five random strangers to attend a party for his fourth wife Annabelle (Carolyn Craig). Loren then offers them a proposal: to spend a night in his haunted mansion - the location of a series of brutal murders - in return for $10,000 each, payable upon their survival. Warning the guests that their host is psychotic, Annabelle soon commits suicide and the strangers begin to experience a series of macabre events with no means of escape from the terror...

Director Castle employed a unique promotional gimmick known as 'Emergo' during the film's original theatrical run, which utilised a pulley system to frighten the audience by dragging a plastic skeleton above their heads. House on Haunted Hill proved to be a huge financial success and prompted Alfred Hitchcock to develop a low-budget horror of his own, resulting in the 1960 classic Psycho, while it was also the subject of a remake in 1999 starring Geoffrey Rush and Famke Janssen.


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Movies... For Free! Jail Bait (1954)

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Jail Bait, 1954.

Directed by Edward D. Wood, Jr.
Starring Lyle Talbot, Steve Reeves, Herbert Rawlinson, Clancy Malone, Conrad Brooks, Dolores Fuller, Timothy Farrell and Theodora Thurman.

After his proposed Bela Lugosi supernatural TV series Dr. Acula failed to get off the ground, schlock filmmaker Ed Wood turned his hand to film noir for his second feature Jail Bait, which was produced under the title The Hidden Face. Inspired by the 1935 crime drama False Faces (a.k.a. Let 'em Have It), the film revolves around a gangster who plans to undergo drastic facial plastic surgery in order to evade the police. To do so he kidnaps the son of Dr. Gregor, played by English actor and silent era star Herbert Rawlinson, who died the day after filming was completed (the part was originally written for Lugosi, who dropped out after falling ill himself).

Jail Bait reunites Wood with Glen or Glenda cast members and regular collaborators Lyle Talbot, Timothy Farrell and Conrad Brookes (all of whom would go on to appear in the cult classic Plan 9 From Outer Space), along with then girlfriend Dolores Fuller. It also marks an early screen appearance for former bodybuilder Steve Reeves, who would later enjoy success in Europe in a string of low budget Italian sword-and-sandals efforts (as Europe's highest paid star of the time, Reeves reportedly turned down the roles of The Man With No Name in A Fistful of Dollars and James Bond in Dr. No).


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Movies... For Free! Plan 9 From Outer Space (1959)

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Movies... For Free! The Phantom of the Opera (1925)

Showcasing classic movies that have fallen out of copyright and are available freely from the public domain...


The Phantom of the Opera, 1925.

Directed by Rupert Julian.
Starring Lon Chaney, Mary Philbin, Norman Kerry, John St Polis, Arthur Edmund Carewe, Gibson Gowland and Snitz Edwards.

After the success of their first foray into horror with 1923's The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Universal Studios reteamed with star Lon Chaney to bring Gaston Leroux's classic novel The Phantom of the Opera to life for their follow-up release. Designing and applying his own make-up to spectacular effect, Chaney delivers an iconic performance as the Phantom, who falls for a young singer (Mary Philbin) and terrorises the Paris Opera House in an effort to make her a star.

The lavish production saw the construction of a scale replica of the Palais Garnier (a set which remains standing to this day on Stage 28 of the Universal lot, a.k.a. 'The Phantom Stage'), whilst enduring turbulent shoot that saw director Rupert Julian at odds with his cast and crew. After disappointing preview screenings producer Carl Laemmle ordered extensive reshoots only for Julian to walk out, with the picture then completed by an uncredited Edward Sedgwick.

Released through-out September and October 1925, the financial success of The Phantom of the Opera paved the way for future entries in the Universal Monsters series, including the 1943 remake with Claude Rains in the title role as the Phantom.


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Movies... For Free! Duel (1971)

Duel, 1971.

Directed by Steven Spielberg.
Starring Dennis Weaver, Carey Loftin and Jacqueline Scott.


Written by I Am Legend novelist Richard Matheson and based off his own short story that had featured in Playboy, Duel is a psychological thriller about a motorist (Dennis Weaver) who is stalked by a crazed truck driver (Carey Loftin). It is notable for being the feature debut of Steven Spielberg, who had recently signed to a contract with Universal and had been honing his skills on the well-received TV pilot Night Gallery (1969) and episodes of several TV shows including Marcus Welby, M.D. (1970), Columbo (1971) and Owen Marshall: Counselor at Law (1971).

Shot on location in 13 days for an original running time of 74 minutes, Duel enjoyed high ratings when it premiered on US television as an ABC Movie of the Week in November 1971. This prompted Spielberg to embark on two additional days of filming, extending the movie to 90 minutes for a theatrical release in Europe and the UK (along with a limited North American release the following year). With the success Duel establishing Spielberg as a major emerging talent, he would go on to produce two further TV movies before making his theatrical feature film debut in 1974 with The Sugarland Express.

For more on Steven Spielberg, check out Trevor Hogg's in-depth career profile Encountering Spielberg and be sure to vote in our poll for your favourite Steven Spielberg movie.


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Five Essential Films of Steven Spielberg
Short Film Showcase - Amblin' (1968)

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Movies... For Free! The Ring (1927)

Showcasing classic movies that have fallen out of copyright and are available freely from the public domain...


The Ring, 1927.

Written and Directed by Alfred Hitchcock.
Starring Carl Brisson, Lillian Hall-Davis, Ian Hunter, Forrester Harvey, Harry Terry and Gordon Harker.

The Ring centres on a love triangle between a young woman called Mabel (Lillian Hall-Davis, who would also star in Hitchcock's next production The Farmer's Wife), her prize-fighter fiancé 'One-Round' Jack Saunders (Carl Brisson) and rival boxer and champion Bob Corby (Ian Hunter). After defeating Jack in a fairground contest, Bob enlists him as a sparring partner in order to get close to Mabel, and when the pair run away together Jack must challenge his rival in the ring for both the championship and the love of his woman.

The only film from Hitchcock's extensive body of work where he was to receive the sole writing credit, The Ring was the third of three pictures released by the director in 1927 (the others being The Lodger: A Story of the London Fog and Downhill). Although it is one of his lesser-known movies, the film enjoyed positive reviews when released and included a number of technical innovations and experimentation with regards to montage and editing which demonstrates Hitchcock's growing confidence in his craft.

Read more about The Ring in our article Silent Master: The Early Films of Alfred Hitchcock.


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Classic Movies: Psycho (1960)
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Movies... For Free! The Mystery of the Mary Celeste (1935)

Showcasing classic movies that have fallen out of copyright and are available freely from the public domain...


The Mystery of the Mary Celeste a.k.a. The Phantom Ship [US title], 1935.

Directed by Denison Clift.
Starring Bela Lugosi, Shirley Grey, Arthur Margetson, Clifford McLaglen, Herbert Cameron and Gunner Moir.

The second film to be produced by Hammer Productions Ltd., The Mystery of the Mary Celeste is a fictionalised account of the doomed merchant ship that was discovered abandoned off the coast of Portugal in 1872. Providing an early cinematic take on the 'ghost ship' narrative, the film stars Hollywood horror icon Bela Lugosi as a member of the ill-fated crew who come to realise that a psychopath is picking them off one at a time.

Originally running at 80 minutes for its UK release, around 18 minutes were removed from the American version (which now appears to be the only remaining cut available) in an effort to increase the mysterious nature of the crew's disappearance, along with a name change to The Phantom Ship. Meanwhile Hammer would make a further three films before entering liquidation in 1937. They would reemerge the following year under the moniker Hammer Film Productions and go on to enjoy its greatest success with the 'Hammer Horror' revolution of the 1950s and 60s.


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Movies... For Free! Gulliver's Travels (1939)

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Gulliver's Travels, 1939.

Directed by Dave Fleischer.
Featuring the voice talents of Pinto Colvig, Jack Mercer, Sam Parker, Lanny Ross and Jessica Dragonette.

The first full-length feature from legendary animation pioneers Max and Dave Fleischer (and the second animated film ever to be released), Gulliver's Travels was Fleischer Studios' attempt to emulate the box-office success of Disney's Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937) and is based on the Lilliput section of Jonathan Swift's classic 18th century novel.

Financed by Paramount Pictures, the Fleischer's constructed a new Miami studio and greatly expanded their workforce to meet the demands of a feature and - with Paramount eager for a Christmas 1939 release date - the brothers were given just one third of the production time afforded to Snow White. Despite this, Gulliver's Travels features impressive 'old school' animation (including extensive use of the Fleischers' signature rotoscoping) and proved a box office hit when it was released to cinemas.

The brothers would then collaborate on a second feature, Mr. Bug Goes to Town (1941) - along with the hugely influential big-budget animated Superman series - before the dissolution of their creative partnership in 1942.


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Movies... For Free! Following (1998)

With Inception set to hit cinemas this month we continue our Christopher Nolan theme with his debut feature...

Following, 1998.

Written and Directed by Christopher Nolan.
Starring Jeremy Theobald, Alex Haw, Lucy Russell and John Nolan.


Inspired by a burglary at his home and shot on weekends over the space of a year, Christopher Nolan's self-financed feature debut Following is a neo-noir thriller centred on a young writer named Bill (Jeremy Theobald, star of Nolan's earlier short Doodlebug). Following strangers around the streets of London in search of inspiration for his latest novel, Bill is soon confronted by one of his targets, a well-dressed gentleman and professional thief named Cobb (Alex Haw). Fascinated by Cobb, Bill accepts an invitation to join him on a robbery and is quickly led into a dark criminal underworld as his curiosity turns into a voyeuristic obsession.

Shot in black and white on 16mm film-stock, Following adopts a non-linear plot structure which would become a staple of his later work, Nolan serves as writer, cinematographer and co-producer alongside Theobald and future wife and producing partner Emma Thomas. The film also features Lucy Russell and John Nolan (the director's uncle), who would make cameo appearances with Theobald in Nolan's acclaimed 2005 reboot Batman Begins.


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For more on the works of Christopher Nolan, be sure to check out Trevor Hogg's comprehensive three part profile Theatre of the Mind.

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Short Film Showcase - Doodlebug (1997)

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Movies... For Free! Howl's Moving Castle (2004)

Howl's Moving Castle, 2004.

Directed by Hayao Miyazaki.
Featuring the voice talents of Jean Simmons, Christian Bale, Lauren Bacall, Billy Crystal, Emily Mortimer and Josh Hutcherson [English dub].


Based on British author Diana Wynne Jones' 1986 childrens' fantasy novel and adapted by legendary Japanese animator Hayao Miyazaki, Howl's Moving Castle is one of the most financially successful Japanese films of all-time (with worldwide receipts of $235m) and was nominated for Best Animated Feature at the 2006 Academy Awards.

It tells the story of teenager Sophie, who is turned into an old woman by the evil Witch of the Waste and finds refuge as a cleaner in the castle of a young wizard, Howl, who is reluctantly preparing for war with the neighbouring realm at the behest of the King. On board Howl's castle Sophie befriends Calcifer, a fire demon bound by a contract to the young wizard, and Howl's apprentice Markl, and together they set about to lift the Witch's curse and bring peace to the kingdom.

The English dub presented here was overseen by Pixar's Pete Doctor (director of Monsters, Inc. and Up), and received a theatrical release in North America courtesy of Walt Disney Pictures.

For more on the works of Hayao Miyazaki, be sure to check out Trevor Hogg's comprehensive five part profile Drawn to Anime.

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Short Film Showcase - On Your Mark (1995)

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Movies... For Free! Night Tide (1961)

Showcasing classic movies that have fallen out of copyright and are available freely from the public domain (with streaming video!)...


Night Tide, 1961.
Directed by Curtis Harrington.
Starring Dennis Hopper, Linda Lawson, Gavin Muir and Luana Anders.

A low budget offering from American International Pictures and writer-director Curtis Harrington, Night Tide stars Dennis Hopper as young sailor Johnny Drake. Enjoying his shore leave in Venice Beach, California, Johnny meets a mysterious 'mermaid' called Mora (Linda Lawson) at a marina carnival attraction. Sparking up a relationship, Johnny discovers that all of Mora's previous lovers have died in suspicious circumstances. Mora believes herself to be a descendent of the Sirens, seductresses from Greek mythology who lure sailors to their deaths, and is frequently visited by the sinister Madame Romanovitch (Marjorie Eaton), who calls out for Mora to fulfil her destiny. Will Johnny become the latest victim, or can Mora resist her temptation?

Premiering at the Venice International Film Festival in 1961, it would be a further two years before Night Tide saw general release via Roger Corman's Filmgroup as part of a double-bill with The Raven (1963). It also features Corman regular Luana Anders, who would appear in later Hopper works including The Trip (1967) and Easy Rider (1969), and was selected for preservation by the Academy Film Archive in 2007.


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Movies... For Free! Silent Night, Bloody Night (1974)

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Silent Night, Bloody Night, 1974.

Directed by Theodore Gershuny.
Starring Patrick O'Neal, James Patterson, Mary Woronov and John Carradine.

Not to be confused with 1984's Christmas-themed slasher Silent Night, Deadly Night, this low-budget horror from director Theodore Gershuny centres on an old New England mansion and former asylum which has been put on the market by Jeffrey Butler (Tony Award winning actor James Patterson in his final role), the grandson of its original owner. When news of the impending sale reaches a nearby mental hospital it inspires a deranged serial killer to escape and take up residence, with business soon picking up for the local morgue.

Originally completed in 1972 (two years prior to another Yuletide horror Black Christmas, which shares a number of elements), Silent Night, Bloody Night was produced by Troma co-founder Lloyd Kaufman and features a strong cast including Patrick O'Neal, John Carradine (and 'Warhol Superstar' Mary Woronov. Although the film achieved only modest success during its initial drive-in run it is an enjoyable and atmospheric horror, with an eerie extended flashback sequence detailing the mansion's macabre history standing out as a highlight.

After slipping into obscurity for a time after its release, Silent Night, Bloody Night enjoyed renewed attention when it featured on the popular comedy series Elvira's Movie Macabre in 1981 and it has since went on to gain a cult following.



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Movies... For Free! Throne of Blood (1957)

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Kumonosu-jô (a.k.a Throne of Blood or Castle of the Spider's Web), 1957.

Directed by Akira Kurosawa.
Starring Toshirô Mifune, Isuzu Yamada and Minoru Chiaki.

Inspired by William Shakespeare's Macbeth and transposed to feudal Japan, Akira Kurosawa's Kumonosu-jô is regarded as one of the renowned filmmaker's greatest works and has been described in many circles as the best screen adaptation of The Bard's classic tragedy.

After defeating a traitor, generals Taketori Washizu (Mifune) and Yoshiaki Miki (Chiaki) are visited by an old woman en route to their lord's castle. She prophesises great things for Washizu and with encouragement from his wife (Yamada), the warrior sets out to fulfil his destiny regardless of the cost.

For more on Kumonosu-jô, check out Trevor Hogg's Epic Dreamer: An Akira Kurosawa Profile.



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Movies... For Free! Rashomon (1950)

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