"Pirates Of Tripoli" (1955)
-Paul Henreid

Plot: IMDB
Princess Karjan promises pirate captain Edri-Al-Gardian a fabulous reward if he helps her regain her lost kingdom of Misurata from Malek. When the latter destroys Gardian's armada, Karjan and Gardian enter Misurata in disguise in order to get Karjan's hidden jewels to buy new ships'.

Phantom's Review: Paul Henried , who was brilliant as Victor Lazlo in "Casablanca" tries his best to carry this film, but ,sadly does not have the charisma that Tyrone Power, Errol Flynn, Johnny Depp, Burt Lancaster, Charlton Heston and Robert Newton had when they played pirates.
Most of the action takes place on land (not a good thing for a pirate film).The film is not very well written or directed. The fights are OK but could have been better. The model work on the ships is decent, but is hardly used. This is not even a pleasant time waster. Skip it.

Movie(s) that I have not seen before that I saw recently:

The Old Dark House (1934): 9/10

The Tingler (1959): 10/10

The Lost Boys (1987): 10/10

These are all excellent films, if you have not seen any of these yet, then you should. They are both major films and very good, in my opinion.

I haven't seen The Old Dark House yet but The Lost Boys and The Tingler are both excellent. I can only imagine how great the theater scene would have been in The Tingler had I been to one of William Castle's showing of the film.

I never could get into The Lost Boys! I was just never a vampire movie fan (not including Near Dark & Fright Night - both of which I love!) so I couldn't really see why it was so popular! I did buy the INXS single when it came out though, and it didn't stop me watching the sequels! The Old Dark House is a classic! Haven't seen it in years though!

I watched the following film(s) for the first time:

Village of the Damned: 10/10

If you have not seen it, I highly recommend it.

Creepy kids are always good for a scare!

I love The Re-animator, I'm sure you'll enjoy that. Very funny. The sequels are both well worth a look, too.
I watched Conan The Barbarian (2011) yesterday. Not that bad, but not that good either. Just another flashy movie that washed over me without really involving or moving me.
The day before, I watched The Fly (1958). Now, that was fun! Lots to recommend it, though Vincent Price is unusually lame in it. A terrific monster; Al Hedison's voice (at times he sounds like Futurama's Zapp Branigan); a disintegrator-integrator (much catchier than Brundle's telepods) that pings like a microwave when it's ready; some great dialogue, especially about a failed experiment with a family pet...

"The Haunting" (1963)
-Julie Harris

Plot: IMDB
Dr. Markway, doing research to prove the existence of ghosts, investigates Hill House, a large, eerie mansion with a lurid history of violent death and insanity. With him are the skeptical young Luke, who stands to inherit the house, the mysterious and clairvoyant Theodora and the insecure Eleanor, whose psychic abilities make her feel somehow attuned to whatever spirits inhabit the old mansion. As time goes by it becomes obvious that they have gotten more than they bargained for as the ghostly presence in the house manifests itself in horrific and deadly ways.

Phantom's Review: in my opinion, this is the greatest ghost story ever filmed. Eerie,atmospheric, wonderfully acted and perfectly directed. Special FX fans probably won't like it due to the fact there is little to no FX in the film. The horrors remain unseen and plays heavier on the imagination. Forget the 1999 remake, and stick with the excellent original.

night of the hunter. excellent film.

"The Thing That Couldn't Die" (1958)

Plot: IMDB
A psychically gifted young woman discovers a centuries-old crate buried on her aunt's ranch. Opening it, her family discovers the living head of Gideon Drew, a 16th century devil worshiper who was beheaded by Sir Francis Drake.

Phantom's Review: Schlock, wonderful schlock. I think more than any other genre, horror has more goofy, schlock movies, and this is a prime example. The basic plot is okay, but the acting is wooden, the special FX aren't...well..special and there are absolutely no good scare scenes and the ending is very anti climatic. The music is borrowed from other Universal films (listen for the "Creature From The Black Lagoon " theme) This is definitely not one of Universals classics, or near classic for that matter. A great film for Bad Movie Night, but not good for anything else.