What I Watched in February 2026

The short form critique of CRIME 101 (2026) is that is attempting to be a variation of Michael Mann’s HEAT for the 21^st century. I suppose that is a valid way to look at the film but it seems dismissive of the effective work being done on every level here. The entire cast is working in top form, the story is well constructed and the direction is tight and precise. I enjoyed it for the entire runtime and it left me with a satisfied smile at its conclusion. I don’t think it is as sharp as the aforementioned HEAT but it doesn’t need to be to be a good thriller. I look forward to seeing it a second time to luxuriate in watching the pieces rotate around the clever criminal plans before clicking into place. 

The List

THE MINOR (1974) – 6 (Italian sex drama/comedy)

COME DIE WITH ME (1974) – 6 (TV murder drama movie)

STREET GIRLS (1975) – 6 (low budget, grimy tale of strippers)

SEND HELP (2026) – 8 

THE SNOW CREATURE (1954) – 3 (terrible low budget yeti film)

THE ABOMNIBLE SNOWMAN (1957) – 8 (rewatch on Blu)

THE PUMAMAN (1980) – 4 (not as bad as I feared – not good either)

SHOT IN THE DARK (1933) – 6 (short British murder mystery/old dark house tale)

DRACULA (2026) – 7 (Luc Besson rips off several other films but his stew is tasty)

DEATHSTALKER (1983) – 6 (rewatch)

BLACK DRAGONS (1942) – 4 (rewatch)

CONVOY BUSTERS (1978) – 7 (Maurizio Merli slaps smugglers around)

CRIME 101 (2026) – 7 

CASTLE OF EVIL (1966) – 6 (interesting old dark house tale)

THE SIMON’S JIGSAW (2015) – 7 (entertaining documentary about Juan Piquer Simón)

EXTRA TERRESTRIAL VISITORS (1983) – 3 (I finally see the uncut film and it is bad)

THE BLACK DOLL (1938) – 6 (Crime Club mystery)

MOTHER OF FLIES (2025) – 8 (excellent slow burn folk horror)

NIGHTMARE AT 43 HILLCREST (1974) – 6 (TV movie about a criminal police prosecution) 

PHENOMNA (1985) – 7 (rewatch on 4K)

THE MYSTERY OF THE WHITE ROOM (1939) – 5 (Crime Club mystery)

HOUSE OF FEAR (1939) – 6 (Crime Club mystery in a ‘haunted’ theater)

 

Video - COBRA MISSION (1986)

COBRA MISSION (a.k.a. Operation Nam) is the subject of the next episode of Wild, Wild Podcast. We're covering the film because it features Donald Pleasence for a few minutes. Seriously, he is in the movie for less than ten minutes and everything he does was probably shot in a single day. But you still might want to watch this rip-off of UNCOMMON VALOR (1983) for what it has to offer which is plenty of explosions. 

Kolchak, The Night Stalker Collectable Figures!

Those madmen at Wandering Planet are at it again with a new Kickstarter for a Kolchak action figure! It's 1/12 scale with 22 points of articulation and sports a variety of accessories. They are also doing a figure of the vampire Janos Skorzeny and a two-pack of them together! 

Check it out at this LINK.

 

Video - ATTACK OF THE ROBOTS (1966) Trailer

Here is the French language trailer for this Jess Franco Euro-Spy film. It is not one of his most beloved films from the 1960's but I love it and I have a few friends that enjoy it as well. Beyond Naschy podcast episode on the way soon! 

Poster Art for ATTACK OF THE ROBOTS (1966)

 

Dario Argento's INFERNO (1980) Poster Art

 

The Bloody Pit #229 - BLACK DRAGONS (1942)

David Annandale and I walk back down Poverty Row just after the attack on Pearl Harbor to watch one of the most confusing and strange attempts at wartime propaganda a low budget studio could produce. BLACK DRAGONS (1942) has Bela Lugosi as a mysterious, menacing man who seems to be on a mission of revenge. But what does he have to do with the corpses that keep popping up on the steps of the Japanese embassy in Washington? Will FBI agent Clayton Moore be able to figure things out or will he spend his time chasing Joan Barclay around her uncle/father’s house until all the characters are dead? And how does David find a way to link Christopher Nolan and Bela Lugosi? Listen and learn!

 

BLACK DRAGONS is probably the oddest of the nine films Lugosi made for Poverty Row film producers and certainly the one with the most unintentionally funny dialog. Just as it was about to go into production the decision was made to shoehorn in topical plot elements ripped from the headlines. This means that the original reason behind events in the script has been lost leaving bits of their probable supernatural nature flapping around in the film. This is the only explanation I can imagine for the never addressed ability of Lugosi’s Monsieur Colomb to seemingly teleport in and out of moving taxicabs! But David has an interesting take on the film as a bizarre treatise on the subject of ‘acting’ both onscreen and within the structure of the story. His idea is a bold way to look at the picture as a whole and certainly makes it more entertaining as you try to figure out what the hell is happening at any point in the film’s hourlong running time. Rarely has such a barely planned collection of quirks and gaffs been so mesmerizing!

 

If you have any comments about this movie or any other film we’ve covered on the show thebloodypit@gmail.com is the place to send them. Thank you for listening and we’ll be back soon.