MCBASTARD'S MAUSOLEUM: DOOR-TO-DOOR MANIAC (1966) + RIGHT HAND OF THE DEVIL (1963) (Film Masters Blu-ray Review)

DOOR-TO-DOOR MANIAC (1966)

+ RIGHT HAND OF THE DEVIL (1963)

2-Disc Special Edition Blu-ray

DOOR-TO-DOOR MANIAC (1966)

aka Five Minutes To Live

Label: Film Masters

Region Code: Region-Free

Rating: Unrated

Duration: 75 Minutes 18 Seconds

Audio: English DTS-HD MA 2.0 with Optional English Subtitles

Video: 1080p HD Widescreen (1.85:1) and Fullscreen (1.37:1)

Director: Aram Katcher

Cast: Johnny Cash, Donald Woods, Cay Forester, Pamela Mason, Vic Tayback, Midge Ware, Ron Howard, Merle Travis, Norma Varden, Leslie Kimmell, Frances Flower, Patricia Lynn, Marge Waller, Hanna Landy, Cynthia Flower, Max Manning, Howard Wright, Charles Buck, Byrd Holland, Rue McClanahan

The low-budget crime-thriller Door-To-Door Maniac (1961) was originally released in 1961 as Five Minutes to Live, and was later re-released and retitled in 1966 as Door-to-Door Maniac when it was picked up for distribution by API (American International Pictures). Honestly, this exploitation gem is not one that I had even heard of till Film Masters saw fit to give it the double-feature Blu-ray treatment, and I was surprised to find out it stars none other than the late country music legend Johnny Cash, here playing a particularly vicious and psychotic hood, named Johnny Cabot. In the film he is teamed-up with a guy named Fred Dorella (Vic Tayback, TV's Alice), and together they enact a plan to take suburban housewife Nancy Wilson (Cay Forrester, Two-Minute Warning), the wife of a the bank's vice president hostage so that they can leverage a large cash withdrawal. After her husband heads off to work and their young son Bobby (a very young Ron Howard, TV's Happy Days) goes off to school Johnny shows up at her doorstep under the pretense of being a door-to-door guitar lesson instructor, managing to talk his way inside where he pull a gun on her and holds her hostage in her own home while they wait for a phone call from his partner-in-crime. Meanwhile Fred arrives at the bank under the pretense of cashing a $70K, meeting with her husband Ken (Donald Woods, 13 Ghosts), and telling him that they have his wife hostage and if he doesn't discreetly withdraw the funds and keep quiet his wife is a dead woman. Much to Fred's surprise the husband says he doesn't really care what happens to her, because he's about to run off to Las Vegas with his mistress Ellen (Pamela Mason, Lady Possessed)!

With the hostage/heist threatened to be derailed precious minutes start tick by, the cold-blooded triggerman Cabot is supposed to murder the wife if he doesn't hear back from Fred via the telephone every fine minutes. Meanwhile, the real meat of the story is just how unhinged and sadistic the guitar strumming triggerman Cabot turns out to be. He takes pleasure in taunting and tormenting the apparently affection-starved housewife, pointing his gun at her non-stop, at one point even taking a shot at her and nicking her face in the process, then later taking a fire poker and smashing furnishings around the home. He really puts her through the wringer with some psycho-sexual games, and even plays a little ditty called "Five Minutes to Live" while they wait for the pre-planned five-minute phone calls. Cash at the time was knee-deep in methamphetamine pill addiction, it's a strange turn from the country star to play such a misogynistic baddie, especially for his film debut, this being only one of two film roles, the other being A Gunfight (1971) playing opposite Kirk Douglas, which have not seen. I wouldn't say he was terrific in the role, but he's certainly interesting, and he has screen-presence for sure, but it's just so off putting seeing him play this sort of seedy and detestable character, I kind of love that about it. Was he trying to follow in the footsteps of his fellow Sun Records alumnus Elvis Presley, who by this point had crossed over to a successful film career. Anyway, while I do not think that the hostage/heist caper elements are terrific this crime curio starring Johnny Cash is ultimately just that, a crime curio starring country-crooner Johnny Cash in a surprisingly sleazy role. The psycho-sexual elements are a bit of a hot-mess but interesting, with Cabot forcing the wife into some Frederick's Of Hollywood lingerie, pushing himself on her, and she for her part seemingly reciprocating his lust, but it's a bit grey as to her motivations - is she sex-starved or just relenting hoping to get the upper hand. It's not quite Straw Dogs, if you know what I mean, but it is an interesting element, but also a cheap bit of exploitation. I also liked how those all comes to a close with the kid returning from school unexpectedly for lunch, and how the kid's TV watching habits figure into the equation, and a stinger involving Nancy's lingerie rears up.

RIGHT HAND OF THE DEVIL (1963)

Label: Film Masters

Region Code: Region-Free

Rating: Unrated

Duration: 67 Minutes 18 Seconds

Audio: English DTS-HD MA 2.0 with Optional English Subtitles

Video: 1080p HD Widescreen (1.85:1) and Fullscreen (1.37:1)

Director: Aram Katcher

Cast: Lisa McDonald, Brad Trumbull, James V. Christy, Chris Randall, Monte Lee, Luigi Gardneri, Georgia Holden, Jack Elton

The B-side of this crime-thriller double-feature is the the little-seen Right Hand of the Devil (1961), a self-financed vanity project by Turkish-born actor-director-writer-producer Aram Katcher (Beneath the Valley of the Ultra-Vixens) who also stars in the film as a mysterious criminal mastermind Pepe Lusara, who hires a crew of of four men to help him knock over a sports arena the morning after a heavyweight boxing championship. His four man crew includes Spooky (Chris Randall), Carter (Monte Lee), Sammy (James V. Christy, Raging Bull), and getaway driver Williams (Brad Trumbull, Flight That Disappeared), and another key factor involves him romancing an older woman named Elizabeth Sutherland (Lisa McDonald), who is a cashier at the sports arena. The heist-flick is sort of half-baked but has some fun pulpy elements that I found quite entertaining, I was never bored by it. This was the only leading role for Katcher, and he had to give it to himself! I love that sort of DIY chutzpa, and this film is dripping with indie spirit. It's self financed, was shot over several weekends, by a cast who were not well-known commodities by any means. Katcher's Pepe reminded me a bit of a low-key Peter Lorre, he had that sort of vibe about him. In-between scenes of him planning the heist and having meetings with his crew we see him breaking into a chemical factory several times and making of with gallons of acid, and while it's not quite apparent what the plan is involving the acid it comes it play at the end of the film with a gruesome acid-bath sequence.

The heist and ensuing escape are all pretty fun low-rent thriller stuff, I love the acid-bath betrayal there at the end, and we get a demented bit of revenge at the very tail end that had me hooting and hollering with joy. It's totally ludicrous but quite wonderful in it's own low-rent, pulpy sort of way. Apparently Aram Katcher was so embarrassed by the film that he reportedly destroyed all the 35mm elements, but thankfully a 16mm reduction print survived, and we get it here looking quite wonderful on Blu-ray, a testament to the determination of a small time character actor with a truly entrepreneurial spirit. It might not be a classic noir but it is an a pretty entertaining low-rent passion project. It certainly did not lead to bigger and better things for him, but you know what, I love the spirit behind this crime thriller, it might not be classic noir or even all that amazing, but there's passion on display, and I love it for it.

Audio/Video: Both films arrive on Blu-ray from Film Masters in 1080p HD framed in 1.37:1 and 1.85:1 widescreen, with the widescreen version being a re-frame of the 1.37:1 widescreen, with the fullframe version showing more information in the frame. Both HD masters are derived from 4K scans, with Door-To-Door Maniac coming from a scan of 35mm elements, and Right Hand of the Devil coming from a rare 16mm reduction print from the collection of noted film historian and producer Samuel M. Sherman. Both look terrific, as usual Film Masters to wonders with the material; film, grain looks natural, and while there are some faint blemishes like nicks and vertical lines they are not intrusive. The grayscale and contrast are generally pleasing and black levels look solid. Audio on both films comes by wat of English DTS-HD MA 2.0 dual-mono, or lossy Dolby Digital 2.0. The tracks do have some light background noise but it's non-intrusive and is easy to overlook. Dialogue sounds great and the scores are well prioritized.

Film Masters come through with some tasty extras, we get

a brand new Audio Commentary by Author/podcaster Daniel Budnik and film historian Rob Kelly for Door-to-Door Maniac, plus another new Audio Commentary by Larry Strothe, James Gonis, Shawn Sheridan and Matt Weinhold of the Monster Party podcast for Right Hand of the Devil. Next up is a 11-min visual essay; Player Piano: Passion of Aram Katcher by Ryan Verrill and Will Dodson from Someone's Favorite Productions; and disc extras are buttoned-up with a 2-min Recut 2024 Trailer for Door-to-Door Maniac; and a 2-min Restored, Original Trailer for Right Hand of the Devil.

The 2-disc Blu-ray arrives in a standard keepcase with a single-sided sleeve of artwork, inside there's a 24-Page Illustrated Booklet with Liner Notes by Don Stradley and C. Courtney Joyner.