Cast and Crew: Jack Hill (Co-writer); Francis Ford Coopola, Mone Hellman, Jack Hill (Directors); Jonathan Haze

What It’s About: French officer Andre Duvalier (Jack Nicholson) saves a mysterious girl (Sandra Knight) from drowning and is soon drawn into a mystery involving the local nobleman (Boris Karloff), his possibly haunted castle, old murders, impersonators, a witch (Dorothy Neumann), impersonations and, who else, Dick Miller.

Why Watch it Today?: Director/producer and exploitation film giant Roger Corman turns 88 today! A Happy Birthday to a man who has brought fans of horror, sci-fi, trash and the weird in cinema so much joy over the years!  Corman is known for his inventiveness…and his unwillingness to pass up any opportunity to cut costs.  When his version of The Raven wrapped, he had a few days of Boris Karloff’s time and sets ready to go, so he shot a bunch of footage (along with Karloff’s co-star Jack Nicholson) and then left it up to a group of young, soon to be famous directors to finish the film.  The result isn’t exactly coherent and is definitely not Corman’s best work, but considering it’s origins, it is surprisingly enjoyable to watch.

Other Choices:  Teenage Caveman, Premature Burial, The Haunted Palace, Masque of the Red Death, The Tomb of Ligeia, Attack of the Crab Monsters, It Conquered the World, The Intruder, and many, many more.