Doctor Who: Terror of the Autons

This is the 1971 serial from the Jon Pertwee era: 

In this special late Wednesday posting, I’ll admit that one thing new to me this Spooky Season is having more than one Doctor Who serial on the list. Besides Autons coming as a recommendation, I knew from a cursory search that this had a bit of a reputation at the time for causing “kindertrauma”… i.e. containing moments that were frightening to children. That is understandable… there’s an inflatable chair that kills (long story), plastic daffodils that also kill, an evil troll doll, plastic men, and other men with giant fake heads.

It was nice to be introduced to the renegade Time Lord known as The Master-serving as the main foil-the introduction of Jo Grant as the Doctor’s companion, and the first time Captain Mike Yates of U.N.I.T. appeared in the show. I was happy to learn about The Master, the titular autons, and the non-corporeal entities known as the Nestenes. The Master enacts a plan to have the autons bring the Nestenes onto Earth and he’ll destroy all of humanity, because he’s a villain.

There is a thing or two I could nitpick about-including the denouement-yet overall I still had fun. As mentioned before, Jon Pertwee was entertaining as The Doctor; he even admitted to his at-times childish behavior. Katy Manning was swell as Jo, as was Roger Delgado as The Master. The typical action I expect from the franchise (which I’ve now seen a grand total of three serials of) was present. There’s some fine action, the standard cliffhangers between each chapter, and a tremendous roll down a hill by a stuntman.

I know there are other Doctor serials which are more horror-coded; research has told me which way to go to view one starring Tom Baker between now and Halloween.

Ghostkeeper

Ghostkeeper (1981)

Runtime: 87 minutes

Directed by: Jim Makichuk

Starring: Riva Spier, Murray Ord, Sheri McFadden, Georgie Collins, Les Kimber

From: Badland Pictures

This motion picture played last night on one of the five streaming channels on the Eternal Family platform. It was characters on a pair of snowmobiles in the Canadian wilderness. As that snowy landscape was resplendent, I was intrigued to watch Ghostkeeper-which is also a great title-in full.

The platform’s description compared it to The Shining. While it’s an apt comparison (for reasons I can’t reveal), it also is writing a check the movie couldn’t possibly cash. Ghostkeeper isn’t an all-time genre classic, after all. That doesn’t mean this is not a cozy, chilling motion picture where a couple (that have a contentious relationship) and a lady friend leave their friends in a cabin to ride around the wilderness before two of the three decide to trespass on private property despite the third being the voice of reason & protesting the decision.

Of course, a snowmobile breaks down right by an abandoned deer lodge… only they meet an older lady caretaker, and there’s others… oh, and I almost forgot: there’s an opening blurb which reveals that this motion picture features a Wendigo.

I understand why there are many who feel this is lacking in incident, a pace too languid, that they’d prefer a certain type of horror thrill which isn’t what this movie is offering. Evidently, the production ran out of money so that resulted in an ending that had to be modified. At the same time, for those that enjoy slowly-paced spooky moody tales, this could be satisfying for you. The creepy vibes are strong, the lodge setting providing an evocative mood, the snowy landscape providing a pastoral beauty.

A critical asset: the Paul Zaza score. The frequent Bob Clark collaborator (also scoring Prom Night and My Bloody Valentine) presented a chilling violin-based score.

For a certain segment of Letterboxd, they will love Ghostkeeper even more than I did, a journey quite rewarding for them.

Bananas

Bananas (1971)

Runtime: 82 minutes

Directed by: Woody Allen

Starring: Allen, Louise Lasser, Carlos Montalban, Nati Asbacal, Jacobo Morales

From: United Artists

It’s been awhile since viewing any Woody Allen; an apology for doing so probably isn’t necessary on Letterboxd when people still view his films, they’re still on television, and other controversial figures haven’t been banished either. Of course, I’m separating the art from the artist whenever viewing one of Allen’s pictures… some have been reviewed here and Bananas was seen by me once—like 20 years ago. Time for a revisit, right?

Woody portrays… yes, the standard Woody Allen character w/ the great name Fielding Mellish. He tests products for a conglomeration, including a multi-faceted setup at a desk which looks like something that’d be marketed today. Heck, there’s a potshot at the National Rifle Association that many would agree with… anyhow, he meets Louise Lasser-as mentioned a few months ago, RIP to her-who is an activist. They break up but he decides to visit the fictional South American country of San Marcos. 

An overthrow of the government occurred, a dictatorship now ruling. Mellish meets both them & rebels looking to overthrow the dictatorship. Bananas was a comedy featuring satire, pratfalls, absurd moments, the tragic humor of banana republics, sight gags & wordplay. While not my favorite from Allen, I was still entertained by his brand of comedy. Spoofing major events in the film by having sportscaster Howard Cosell (I won’t dwell on him or how he’s best known for his interactions w/ Muhammad Ali. I imagine many would know him from Michael Mann’s Ali) commentate on them as if they were sporting events… those were a highlight. 

Some moments I did not recall from that first viewing. In the latter half, there’s a scene which is comparable to the whole “55 burgers, 55 fries, 55 tacos…” thing I’ve never seen but know is a meme. Much more horrifying is a reprise of a shocking moment that was in Hannan and her Sisters. Early on, Allen mentioned… CHILD MOLESTATION. 

This is a detail worth mentioning for both movies lest someone would react poorly to being blindsided by that comment for whatever reasons. That does make it difficult to separate the art from the artist; otherwise, I was happy with this second viewing; it was done on YouTube rather than the copy that is on Amazon and is a few minutes shorter. The assumption is that a scene early on featuring adult magazines was excised for whatever reasons, if other scenes weren’t also trimmed or excised. 

I imagine the one scene featuring Sylvester Stallone as a thug wasn't removed.

Penny Lane is Dead

Penny Lane is Dead (2025)

Runtime: 88 minutes

Directed by: Mia'Kate Russell

Starring: Sophia Wright-Mendelsohn, Tahlee Fereday, Ben O'Toole, Bailey Spalding, Steve Le Marquand

From: Many different Australian companies 

A viewing that occurred due to discussion elsewhere. This was on a messageboard (technically, Discord) that has been obliquely mentioned by me in the past. Someone asked about Shudder’s recently exclusive releases, including Penny Lane. As the title intrigued & I knew this was an Aussie flick set in 1986…

In fact, Penny Lane is the name of a lead. She, her secret lesbian lover Toni, and their pal Amy are teens who spend one night in a beach house… where there isn’t a banker on the corner with a motorcar. Suddenly arrives Penny’s psychotic cousin Kat, who soon then brings her even more psychotic boyfriend Angus and his ruffian friends; deaths, bloodshed, yelling, revenge, and the usage of 80’s Aussie songs occurred.

I could quibble, undoubtedly. The tone was OOT, absurd, preposterous. This does attempt to echo the exploitation films of old-especially Ozploitation-which does include plenty of time viewing loathsome characters perform horrific acts on our heroes—even if the most upsetting moment was heard rather than shown. There are dumb moments-don’t scrutinize the plot too hard. As I figured, it’s about as foolish to criticize the language in an Australian movie as it is one from the UK, but that doesn’t mean it wasn’t excessive.

On that note, recently some stranger commented on my review for a recent modern film I didn’t like & thought me a hypocrite because I complained about F-bombs there yet one of my favorites is Goodfellas. Some movies from the past before I grew frustrated with this issue are grandfathered in plus if I am a fan of the story and characters… regardless, I still enjoyed Penny Lane & would have rated it the same even if the constant vulgarities would have been less frequent. Speaking of language, Aussies will be amused that via this film, I now know what a dunny is!

Regardless, the movie was successful at making you despise the villains, especially Kat… the performance of Sophia Wright-Mendelsohn was one of the highlights. Yes, her father actually IS who you think it is. The revenge was satisfying-bloody and gruesome. There are fun moments, the pitch-black comedy was amusing rather than the irritating wink-at-the-camera crap that’s ruined cinema in recent years. The leading trio were all easy to root for, especially Tahlee Fereday as Toni. The score was good & there is something to be said about a modern picture where the nighttime scenes outdoors feature lighting that isn’t bad.

To echo a criticism of others elsewhere, they perhaps didn’t stick the landing. Even so, I still enjoyed this retro-flavored stew which at least wasn’t pretentious or smug. Penny Lane is instead big dumb fun—after the viewer is riled up for a long bit by the heels. For those that are fans of inclusion, plenty on the crew were females, as was director Mia’Kate Russell… no relation. Again, that doesn’t impact my rating but Dead still feels like the films of old, including its mean streak.

The Guest, Revisited

Knowing that Onslaught is in the same universe as The Guest means that it was time for me to revisit this picture; judging by how many less screens Onslaught is on in just its second week, it’s now a priority to check that out before the 18th.

I’m not as over the moon as I was that theatrical viewing almost 12 (!) years ago already; that doesn’t mean I did not have a very good time last night. Dan Stevens-in an awesome performance-portrays David, a soldier who was friends w/ the late soldier son in the Peterson family. He suddenly shows up at their doorstep one day and while mom is happy to welcome him w/ open arms, the rest of the family were various degrees of wary. As he ingratiates himself, we see that the overly polite David is a badass who beats up-and worseSOB’s; they deserved it, at least at first…

The film is wildly entertaining, the Carpenter inspirations obvious even if you don’t factor in the astonishing synth/synthwave soundtrack & songs. David seems awesome at first-he wants to help nerdy loner Luke Peterson battle his loathsome bullies. Dudes Get Wrecked ™ in a way I was happy to view again. However, David makes oddball comments, e.g. “Cash is easy to get,” concerning how loaded w/ dollars he is. I dare not spoil the rest.

It's always nice seeing familiar faces like Leland Orser, Joel David Moore, & Lance Reddick. However, thankfully the highlights were the three main performances… David, Anna, and Luke, as portrayed by Stevens, Maika Monroe, and Brendan Meyer. The plot isn’t complex—not every motion picture needs to be complex like the Bergman film I viewed the previous day. The Guest was done well between the plot, the characters, the entertaining action beats, the retro vibes. There are some admittedly contrived bits or silly moments-that does not ruin the experience for me.

Onslaught hasn’t had reviews as strong as The Guest; that said, concerning my peculiar modern movie tastes, I might swoon over that picture as well. Whether Guest is an action-horror or an action-thriller w/ a bit of horror elements can be debated; more undeniable is the October setting, Halloween decorations in the background. In the foreground is the climax held in a holiday setting; this is a fine movie to watch during the month of October, in other words.

Shame

Shame (Skammen) (1968)

Runtime: 103 minutes

Directed by:Ingmar Bergman

Starring: Max von Sydow, Liv Ullmann, Sigge Furst, Gunnar Bjornstrand, Birgitta Valberg

From: SF Studios/Cinematograph AB

Rumors of Liv Ullmann’s death have been greatly exaggerated. I didn’t see this scuttlebutt on Twitter last month-it was someone responding to this rumor… if someone was just mistaken or were truly malicious claiming she passed away is unknown. If she is in ill health, I’ll be happy to give her props right now. Besides, it’s been awhile since viewing an Ingmar Bergman picture. I’ve seen Ullmann in Persona, Autumn Sonata, Cries and Whispers, & Hour of the Wolf. This is more than enough evidence to present what a great actor she was during her career. 

This is a downbeat (even by Bergman standards) film starring Ullmann & Max von Sydow as a married couple who live isolated on an island in the midst of their country experiencing a civil war. They attempt to be like Switzerland-i.e. not become involved whatsoever-but eventually the war comes to them & naturally, the stress of this conflict has a negative impact on what was a flawed relationship to begin with. They can’t even have children as long as this lengthy conflict-the war and their partnership-continues.

Clearly, this journey is not the easiest to take due to the turmoil the leads experience in a difficult situation—yet it was a rewarding journey. I likely don’t need to spend much time detailing what a masterful job Bergman was as a director, or the expert cinematography from Sven Nykvist. The complex performances from Ullmann and von Sydow were excellent. The war is merely a backdrop to the deterioration of their relationship, decisions they both made driving a wedge between the two.

The ”worst” I’ve thought of a Bergman movie was that it was pretty good; he thankfully has not missed with me so far. Shame adroitly handled its anti-war message without providing details concerning that conflict—the conflict between the two leads and more broadly, war’s impact on everyone no matter their involvement was the focus instead. Ullmann will turn 88 in December; hopefully she’ll live for many years to come but I was glad to give her some praise today.

Sh! The Octopus

Sh! The Octopus (1937)

Runtime: Only 54 minutes

Directed by: William C. McGann

Starring: Hugh Herbert, Allen Jenkins, Marcia Ralston, John Eldredge, George Rosener

From: Warner Bros.

A movie as strange as its title. I’ve known of this for years due to the title; that was even before a special effect during the finale went viral. More on that later in the review. This combined two different plays; that might explain how baffling the plot was.

A painter decides to live at an abandoned lighthouse; it is owned by a Captain Hook who does in fact have a hook for a right hand, The leads are a pair of goofball detectives portrayed by Hugh Herbert and Allen Jenkins; to echo the thoughts of others, they were like a low-rent version of Abbott & Costello.

At the lighthouse, there’s a criminal mastermind known as The Octopus, an actual octopus is seen, some horror tropes are older than I suspected (the arms of the villain are about to grab an unknowing victim, drops of blood from above reveal a victim), one of the characters-Marcia Ralston-I can describe as a Temu Joan Crawford-although her performance was fine-an iridium ray, and more.

A little bit of the detectives go a long way; Herbert loves going, “whoo-oooh!” often, to list an example. The humor I can sometimes describe as “humor,” in a sarcastic sense. Yet, this was all so bizarre. It’s a comedic mystery horror picture that has absurdist moments, slapstick, submarines, a tortoise… and this was only 54 minutes in length. Who knows what audiences in ’37 thought of Octopus; could they make heads or tails of it? What would they think of Herbert going “ribbit!” right back at a pair of frogs?

I couldn’t always make heads or tails of this… I’ll still say it was “fine.” Sometimes I did laugh & I was never bored by this insanity. Plus, the special effect used during the finale is a “holy crap” even in 2026. You don’t need CG or AI to have a sudden transformation. There are explanations elsewhere how they achieved it but in short… color theory, makeup, and optical effects were combined to create a transition that caused a stir in ’22 when it briefly went viral online, people GOBSMACKED this was from a late 30’s picture unknown to most youths on the social media.

Props to those that created this effect; for some, that might be the only part of Sh! The Octopus worth watching.