Blood Legacy – 1971, US, 82m. Director: Carl Monson.
A Candle for the Devil – 1973, Spain, 87m. Director: Eugenio Martin.
Cannibal Girls – 1973, Canada, 85m. Director: Ivan Reitman.
The Cat and the Canary – 1978, UK/US, 91m. Director: Radley Metzger.
BLOOD LEGACY (1971) (AKA: Legacy of Blood; Will to Die) The spoiled offspring of a dead millionaire (John Carradine) must spend a week living in the family mansion in order to collect their inheritance. The majority of the children, along with their spouses, don’t make it far before someone with a grudge starts sending them to join daddy—a severed head is found on the kitchen table the first night. In between the murders are dull scenes of sibling rivalry and banter from the ominous house servants, including a wild-eyed, self-flagellating butler named Igor (Buck Kartalian). In a completely shocking twist (cough…. choke…) the killer is unmasked as the very much alive Carradine who went cuckoo from his wife’s infidelity years ago. The only redeeming moment that viewers can take away from this morose experience is when the housekeeper, after discovering the secret, winks at the camera and mutters, “And you thought it was the butler all along!” Touché. A deservedly forgotten film, also known as Legacy of Blood—not to be confused with Andy Milligan’s Legacy of Blood from 1978, which features the exact same plot! D (Currently streaming on Tubi.)
A CANDLE FOR THE DEVIL (1973) (AKA: It Happened at Nightmare Inn; Nightmare Hotel) Two uptight Catholic sisters operating a hotel in a Spanish village discover their buxom guest sunbathing topless and, in a fit of rage, accidentally kill the woman. Believing it’s a sign from God, the eldest sister (Aurora Bautista) quickly covers up the crime by chopping up the body and incinerating the remains in their brick fire oven. In what is either a homage or rip-off of Psycho, the dead woman’s sister (Judy Geeson) arrives in town and grows suspicious of the two owners. Yet another nubile guest triggers Bautista, who sends sis (Esperanza Roy) to the knife-sharpener for another round of God’s holy work. Later, the libidinous Roy has sex with a local man, and on her walk-of-shame home bares her thighs while trudging through thorn bushes. Geeson uses a local friend to pose as her husband and the two check in to the hotel to investigate, causing a rift in the murderous sisters’ holier-than-thou bloodshed. Tasteless and exploitative, but also very enjoyable. Avoid the heavily censored version dubbed It Happened at Nightmare Inn, which eliminates most the movie’s nudity and violence. B (Currently streaming on Tubi as It Happened at Nightmare Inn.)
CANNIBAL GIRLS (1973) A couple (Eugene Levy and Andrea Martin) on a weekend drive through some Ontario backcountry stumble upon the small town of Farmhamville. At first the place seems like a quaint hamlet, prime for food and shelter, until Martin slowly realizes the town is overlorded by a demented man known as the Reverend (Ronald Ulrich) and his three equally demented female followers. Over the years, the Reverend has turned Farmhamville into a thriving meatpacking district—the secret ingredient being human beef which is served to the community in ample amounts. A salty, weird, enjoyable bit of early seventies comedy-horror from future Ghostbusters director Ivan Reitman. B– (Currently streaming on Tubi.)
THE CAT AND THE CANARY (1978) In 1934, the surviving clan of the late Cyrus West gather at the deceased’s estate for the reading of his will. The cousins are the usual assortment of self-involved yuppies, all of whom could be chosen as the sole heir of the West fortune. That is until young Annabelle (Carol Lynley) is selected as the inheritor, with the caveat that Annabelle must stay the night in the West mansion with her relatives and deemed sane the next morning. To top off the night, a madman who believes he’s a cat has escaped from an asylum and is stalking the area, and may already be inside the house. Despite this being the umpteenth filming of John Willard’s play—the most famous being the 1927 silent classic of the same name—the movie feels fresh thanks to good direction by porn auteur Radley Metzger, and a first-rate cast—Bond Girl Honor Blackman is a hoot as the sly Susan Sillsby, a conniving huntress having an incestuous relationship with her cousin (Olivia Hussey). Worth checking out for Willard enthusiasts. B (Currently streaming on Tubi.)