What A Carry On!- Day 5- Carry On Regardless (1961)

Carry On Regardless is centred around an employment agency called Helping Hands and the assignments the temps there are placed on. There is plenty of scope for some of the regular cast members to shine. And shine they do! There are some fantastic vignettes whether it’s Kenneth Williams organising a chimp’s tea party, Joan Sims …

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What A Carry On!- Day 4- Carry On Constable (1960)

In this fourth Carry On film, a flu epidemic means that new recruits who are inexperienced and possibly unsuitable join a police force- with hilarious consequences! The big revelation with Carry On Constable is that an actor would join the troupe who would very quickly become one of the most well-known actors associated with the …

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What A Carry On!- Day 2- Carry On Nurse (1959)

This second Carry On film is set at Haven Hospital and features an eclectic bunch of characters- the boxer, the bookish nuclear physicist, the bothersome colonel… The cast of favourites are all present and correct, with Hattie Jacques’ first turn as a matron. And how fantastic she is! Watch how she patrols the ward like …

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What A Carry On!- Day 1- Carry On Sergeant (1958)

The first Carry On film in the popular series concerns a new platoon of soldiers entering National Service. If Sergeant Grimshaw treats them nicely rather than with hostility, will they all turn out as perfect recruits? He has £50 riding on it. For a first film, Carry On Sergeant is very self-assured and very funny. …

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The Video Nasties Reviewed- Section 3- Day 73- Terror (1978)

Hundreds of years ago, a witch, Mad Dolly (!) is almost executed but escapes this by invoking the devil (it pays to have friends in high places) and curses the family, The Garricks, for trying to have her burnt at the stake. Fast forward to the present day (well, the late 70’s) and the last …

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31 Days of Halloween- Day 16- Lonely Water aka The Spirit of Dark and Lonely Water (1973)

One of the fantastic things about growing up as a child of the '70s and 80's and being a horror fan were the Public Information Films that were shown at random times both day and night on British TV. These could convey any burning issue from the dangers of abandoned old refrigerators on rubbish tips …

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31 Days of Halloween- Day 9- I Don’t Want To Be Born (1975)

This film has the best plotline of any movie in the history of cinema. Really! Joan Collins stars as a stripper in a burlesque joint. Her co-star is a gypsy dwarf named Hercules. He makes advances on his co-star but when she knocks him back he places a curse on her unborn baby making the …

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Meathook Cinema Salutes…Pete Walker

History is the ultimate judge of everything and film is no exception. One director whose work history has been very kind to is British director Pete Walker. Walker was actually the son of music hall star Syd Walker. His first job was as a comedian at a strip joint in Soho (!) He also made …

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31 Days of Halloween 2020- Day 24- Horror Hospital (1973)

When I saw that Robin Askwith headed the cast of this British 70's horror flick I instantly thought of the brilliant bawdy comedies The Confessions series which he starred in and were delightfully mucky and low-brow. Perfect for the era. If Mr Askwith could prove a huge hit with the sexploitation brigade surely he could …

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31 Days of Halloween 2020- Day 16- House of Whipcord (1974)

It's 1974. A French starlet who isn't averse to modelling with no clothes on is seduced by an enigmatic young man who asks to take her home to meet his parents. However, his home appears to be some kind of old institution like a long forgotten prison. And this is exactly what it is. His …

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