Saturday, October 30 - Horror Express

Horror Express - Original title: Pánico en el Transiberiano (1972)

In Siberia (or possibly Manchuria or even Szechuan province), 1906, anthropologist Alexander Saxton (Lee) finds a frozen creature which he believes to be the Missing Link. He transports the being back to western Europe by trans-Siberian train. Aboard the train are the usual assorted types:- a Polish countess (Silvia Tortosa); her husband (Jorge Rigaud); a mad monk seemingly modelled on Rasputin (Alberto De Mendoza); and a fellow scientist and long-time rival of Saxton's, the charismatic Dr Wells (Cushing). Midway through the journey, as the train passes through a desolate snowscape many miles from civilisation, the creature thaws out and begins killing the passengers. Wells carries out an autopsy on the corpses and realises that they are not up against the Missing Link, but a weird alien organism which inhabits the bodies of its victims and steals their memories. As the finger of suspicion falls upon each character, the scientists try to figure out which passenger is "carrying" the shape-shifting monster, while trying to keep everyone safe and alive.

Friday, October 29 - Pygmalion (1938)

Pygmalion (1938)

The snobbish and intellectual Professor of languages, Henry Higgins, makes a bet with his friend that he can take a London flower seller, Eliza Doolittle, from the gutters and pass her off as a society lady. However, he discovers that this involves dealing with a human being with ideas of her own.

Thursday, October 28 - Theater of Blood (1973)

Theater of Blood (1973)

Edward Lionheart (Vincent Price) is incensed that his last season of performances in Shakespearean plays did not win him a prestigious acting award from critics. After an unsuccessful attempt at suicide, Lionheart is rescued by a group of drug-addicted bums. He then sets out to murder all of his critics, each with a different style of death taken from a Shakespeare play. When Lionheart faces head critic Peregrine Devlin (Ian Hendry), he offers Devlin a second chance to bestow the award.

Wednesday, October 27 - The Quatermass Xperiment (1955)

The Quatermass Xperiment (1955)

In the countryside of London, a rocket crashes on a farm and Professor Bernard Quatermass and Scotland Yard Inspector Lomax arrive in the spot. The rocket was launched by Prof. Quatermass with the astronauts Victor Carroon, Greene and Reichebheim; however only Carroon is found very sick in the cabin. He is transported to a private clinic to stay under observation despite the protests of his wife Mrs. Judith Carroon. She bribes a nurse to bring Carroon to her and she finds that he is transforming into a monster. Carroon escapes, killing people and animals during his metamorphosis while the Scotland Yard is hunting him down and Dr. Quatermass discovers that his process is an alien invasion.

Tuesday, October 26 - The Night Digger (1971)

The Night Digger (1971)

Middle-aged Maura Prince (Patricia Neal) lives a lonely life caring for her debilitated mother (Pamela Brown) in a mansion. When mysterious biker Billy Jarvis (Nicholas Clay) arrives at their door looking for work as a handyman, Maura is suspicious of the strange visitor. While Billy proves himself to be kind, he has a dark secret: he's a killer. Despite learning that Billy may be involved in a series of recent murders, Maura cannot help but fall in love with him.

Monday, October 25 - Hammer House of Horror: Guardian of the Abyss

Hammer House of Horror: Guardian of the Abyss (Seaon 1 Episode 10 - aired Nov 15, 1980)

An antique mirror turns up at an auction. A young girl on the run from a cult society claims the the mirror is a scrying glass used to summon Choronzon, the almighty devil. Soon the society led by Charles Randolph are keen to get their hands on both the mirror and the girl.

Sunday, October 24 - The Leopard Man (1943)

The Leopard Man (1943)

At the encouragement of her manager, a nightclub performer in New Mexico (Kiki Walker) takes a leashed leopard into the club as a publicity gimmick. But her rival, angered by the attempt to upstage, scares the animal and it bolts. In the days that follow, people are mauled and the countryside is combed for the loose creature. But Kiki and her manager begin to wonder if maybe the leopard is not responsible for the killings.

Saturday, October 23 - Madeleine

Madeleine (1950)

Pressured by her upper class family to marry, Madeleine is in fact secretly intimately involved with a man from a lower class, L'Anglier (Desny) and has agreed to marry him. She doesn't want to tell her family, so she urges him to elope with her.

L'Anglier was planning on marrying into the upper class lifestyle and insists instead that she tell her father (Leslie Banks) about their relationship. She can't, and believing that all L'Anglier wanted was her money all along, she breaks off with him and requests the return of her letters to him. She then agrees to marry William Minnoch (Wooland), who has been courting her.

L'Anglier doesn't return her letters, and after she purchases arsenic, he dies of arsenic poison, having become ill at her house once before. Madeleine is arrested and tried for murder.

Friday, October 22 - Alfred Hitchcock Presents: The Doubtful Doctor & A Very Moral Theft

Alfred Hitchcock Presents: The Doubtful Doctor (Season 6 Episode 2 - aired Oct 4, 1960)

Ralph Jones visits his doctor with a strange tale of an event that has affected him greatly. After having an argument with his wife he awakens to find himself having apparently gone back in time almost two years. He's back living in his old apartment, has no money and no one knows him, least of all his future wife. He realizes what life would be like if the future he knows doesn't come to pass. The doctor assures him that this type of mental break is not uncommon and can be brought on by stress. He assures Ralph that this was just a mental breakdown. But Ralph has one bit of evidence that even the good doctor can't quite explain.

Alfred Hitchcock Presents:  A Very Moral Theft (Season 6 Episode 3 - aired Oct 11, 1960) 

Betty Field plays a woman rapidly approaching Middle Age who has fallen for a seemingly indifferent fellow (Walter Matthau) much to the dismay of her brother (Karl Swenson). Swenson is about to be married and the only thing on his mind is what to do about his sister and the house they both share. In the meantime, Matthau's lumber yard business is failing and he needs a quick loan of $8000 to pay off a creditor or else he's bankrupted. To aid his cause, Betty floats a check at her real estate office and hands the cash equivalent over to Matthau after he promises her that he'll pay her back within a few days. He tells her he has another "deal" pending and that it's worth at least $8000. Of course, if he isn't good on his word, she stands to be indicted for embezzlement. Well, wouldn't you know it, Matthau "deal" doesn't materialize and now Betty is left holding the bag...

Thursday, October 21 - The Seventh Victim (1943)

The Seventh Victim (1943)

When her older sister Jacqueline disappears, Mary Gibson is forced to leave her private school and decides to travel to New York City to look for her. A bit naive and out of her depth, she is not quite sure how to go about finding her. Eventually she meets Gregory Ward, her sister's husband and a mysterious psychiatrist, Dr. Louis Judd who claims to know of Jacqueline's whereabouts. What she doesn't realize is that her sister became involved with devil worshipers who now want to eliminate her for having revealed their existence.

Wednesday, October 20 - Chicago Calling (1951)

Chicago Calling (1951)

Bill Cannon (Dan Duryea) loses everything to alcohol: his job, his family, his self-respect. Soon after his wife and daughter leave him, he receives word his little girl has been injured in a car accident outside Chicago. His wife will call later with news, but Bill’s short the $53 he needs to keep his phone from being disconnected. Filled with anguish, he heads out onto the Los Angeles streets to find some way to come up with the cash. As his character encounters expected cruelty and unexpected kindness, Duryea takes what might have been mere melodrama and turns it into a perceptive examination of one shattered soul.

Tuesday, October 19 - I'll Get You

I'll Get You - original title: Escape Route (1952)

An American, Steve Rossi, enters Britain by slipping past immigration at Heathrow Airport, leading to a national manhunt by the police. He is finally intercepted by Joan Miller, an MI5 agent, who takes him to her superiors. Rossi reveals himself to be an FBI agent posing as a nuclear scientist in an attempt to infiltrate a gang kidnapping western scientists and taking them across the Iron Curtain. His contact in London is a man named Michael Grand who has recently arranged the kidnap of an American. With MI5's assistance, Rossi monitors Grand and arranges a meeting with him. Growing increasingly suspicious of Rossi, Grand and his organisation make several attempts to kill him.

Monday, October 18 - I'll Never Forget You

I'll Never Forget You - original title: The House in the Square (1951)

An American physicist, Peter Standish, lives in London in an inherited flat on Berkeley Square, unchanged from its 18th century appearance. He's researched his ancestors and the flat, and he believes somehow he will travel through time, if only briefly, to 1784. A lightning strike transports him, and he finds things disturbingly different than he expected: disease and social conditions appall him, and, in this Age of Reason, his speech, manners, and knowledge frighten rather than interest all except one young woman, Helen, the sister of the woman he's to marry. He sets up a laboratory in the hopes of hastening progress, and he tells her his secret.

Sunday, October 17 - The Fireball

The Fireball (1950)

Mickey Rooney stars as an orphanage kid no one wanted. He's past school age (Rooney's 30ish here) but the priest who runs the joint (Pat O'Brien) can't get him motivated to learn a skill. After a big fight, Rooney runs away ... much to O'Brien's delight. Now he'll have to learn a skill. Faced with harsh reality he steals a pair of roller skates and tries to hawk them and eventually lands a job as a dishwasher in a dive. But those skates. He goes to the local rink for lessons and his world changes. He finally finds a passion and becomes a roller derby star until tragedy hits and he learns a thing or two about fame, humility, and life.

Saturday, October 16 - Dishonored Lady (1947)

Dishonored Lady (1947)

Hedy Lamarr plays Madeleine, the beautiful, glamorous, editor of a Manhattan magazine who goes from man to man, which we gather from this carefully- worded script.

After sessions with a psychiatrist, she changes her name and moves away from her job, deciding instead to concentrate on painting while getting her life and herself back together. In her apartment building, she meets an attractive scientist (O'Keefe) and the two fall in love.

However, her old life returns to haunt her, and she is accused of murder.

Friday, October 15 - One Rainy Afternoon (1936)

One Rainy Afternoon (1936)

Incorrigible Philippe Martin, a rakish actor, has arrived at a darkened movie theater for a tryst with his married girlfriend Yvonne. Everything changes when he accidentally sits in the wrong seat and kisses a beautiful publisher's daughter named Monique. To protect Yvonne in the ensuing scandal, he claims that Monique's beauty was irresistible. Now Monique is intrigued, but her fiancé is anything but happy.

Thursday, October 14 - Betrayed

When Strangers Marry (1944)

Kim Hunter is a naïve young lady who married a man she only met three times. She's meeting him in New York in between his business trips, and she accidentally bumps into her old flame, Robert Mitchum. He clearly still has feelings for her. There's a lot Kim doesn't know about her husband, Dean Jagger, and the more she does find out, the less she likes. He doesn't want her to tell anyone where they live, he doesn't approve of her friends coming over, and he's lied about his whereabouts. . .

Because Millie hardly knows Paul, she and Fred begin to suspect that he may be a wanted killer.

Wednesday, October 13 - Background to Danger

Background to Danger (1943)

Joe Barton (George Raft) is an American intelligence agent working an undercover mission in Turkey during World War II. Turkey is neutral territory, but the Nazis are developing plans to take control of the country. A strange woman passes Barton papers containing details of a supposed Soviet invasion. Also very interested in the documents are a mysterious Russian operative, Tamara Zaleshoff (Brenda Marshall), and traitorous Nazi agent Colonel Robinson (Sydney Greenstreet). Not to mention Peter Lorre.

Tuesday, October 12 - Too Hot to Handle

Playgirl After Dark Original title: Too Hot to Handle (1960)

In London's Soho, Johnny Solo runs the Pink Flamingo Club. He's tough to intimidate. So when he starts getting threats and demands for protection, he fights back. Behind the takeover plot is a competitor, Diamonds Dielli. Midnight Franklin, who's Johnny's girlfriend and one of the club's headliners, wants to get Johnny out of the business. In the background are a sadistic client, an underage chorus girl, a wisecracking siren who's not averse to rough trade, a visiting journalist, and a dancer who guards her past.

Monday, October 11 - The Man with a Cloak

The Man with a Cloak (1951)

In 1848, a young Frenchwoman, Madeline Minot, goes to New York City to see Thevenet, the grandfather of her fiance. Thevenet had been with Napoleon and may be sympathetic to the political aims of his grandson. She finds the old man in very bad spirits, living in a large house with a housekeeper and a butler who are just waiting for him to die (and perhaps helping him along a bit) so they can inherit his fortune. They see Madeline as a threat to their plans. She is aided in her dealings with these strange people by a mysterious man in a cloak.

Sunday, October 10 - The League of Gentlemen (1960)

The League of Gentlemen (1960)

Involuntarily-retired Lieutenant Colonel Hyde recruits seven other dissatisfied ex-servicemen for a special project. Each of the men has a skeleton in the cupboard, is short of money, and is a service-trained expert in his field. The job is a bank robbery, and military discipline and planning are imposed by Hyde and second-in-command Race on the team, although civilian irritations do start getting in the way.

Saturday, October 9 - Time for Murder: This Lightning Always Strikes Twice & Widows: Episode 6

Time for Murder: This Lightning Always Strikes Twice (Season 1 Episode 3 - aired Nov 23, 1985)

A murder has occurred at the country home of Sir Daniel and Lady Barbara Penwarden, and the prime suspect is the new tutor to the couple's daughter. A murder mystery with many twists and turns and dark family secrets to keep the armchair sleuth guessing.

An underpaid schoolteacher (Charles Dance) gets a new job as the private tutor of a bright, attractive 19-year-old-girl (Amanda Root), the daughter of a very rich couple (Trevor Howard and Claire Bloom). Tensions arise, however, when the "black sheep" of the family, the son, returns home with his pregnant wife.

Widows: Episode 6 - Season 1 Episode 6 (aired Apr 20, 1983)

Bella and Linda get to Rio and impatiently wait for the others to arrive with the money.

Linda finds out that Harry Rawlins is not dead. Former DI Resnick is making his own investigations and he also discovers Harry Rawlins is alive but he gets one hell of a beating.

It is for Dolly and Shirley to leave the house with the money and get to Rio. They know that they are being watched.

Dolly now knows the true extent of her husband's betrayal. It leads to her revealing her true feelings with the other women.

Friday, October 8 - Footsteps in the Fog

Footsteps in the Fog (1955)

To his Victorian London friends, Stephen Lowry is a heartbroken widower. Only his housemaid Lily knows that far from dying of gastroenteritis his wife was slowly poisoned by her husband - information she is happy to use to improve her position in the household and to make sure she stays close to Stephen. As his own prospects improve with a business partnership and a romance more of his own class, Stephen decides to put an end to Lily. Unfortunately for him, his failure gives her even more of a hold over him.

Thursday, October 7 - My Wife's Lodger

My Wife's Lodger (1952)

My Wife’s Lodger finds hapless soldier Willie Higginbottom (Dominic Roche) hoping for a hero’s welcome when he returns home after the war. But, while he was away, shifty spiv Roger the Lodger (Leslie Dwyer) got his arms around his wife and his feet under the table, and now Willie’s ditzy daughter (Diana Dors) only wants to sing, dance and jitterbug!

Wednesday, October 6 - The Mask of Diijon (1946)

The Mask of Diijon (1946)

Great magician Diijon  has given up his act to study the power of the mind. His wife Victoria, once supportive, now is struggling to pay bills. She urges her stubborn and older husband to return to the magic field where Diijon was considered one of the greats. He refuses but does reluctantly agree to do a hypnotism nightclub act at Victoria's urging. The act goes bad and he's laughed off the stage. He's convinced this is the handiwork of Victoria's ex-lover Tony Holliday. Later, Diijon finds that he does indeed have the power to control men's minds and begins to take revenge on the people he felt made him look like a fool. He hypnotizes his young wife to kill the man. Unfortunately for Diijon, things go horribly wrong.

Tuesday, October 5 - The Great McGinty

The Great McGinty (1940)

The story begins with Brian Donlevy playing a tough mug lining up at a soup kitchen. He's obviously down and out and manages to stumble into a great little racket--a racket that gets the attention of the big boss in town (Akim Tamiroff). After proving that he's a man with no scruples and a desire to make it big, he quickly moves up the organization. Soon, he goes from hobo to mayor--and eventually to the governorship! Along the way, he marries a very nice lady and has a family...and then something horrible happens--he develops a conscience!

Monday, October 4 - The Sellout

The Sellout (1952)

An editor from a mid-sized city (Pidgeon), visiting his daughter's family in a neighboring county, drives into a speed trap. He's thrown into jail, subjected to a prisoners' kangaroo court, and fined the entire contents of his wallet. Once back, he launches a crusade against this hijacking of the law, lining up witnesses and publishing blistering editorials against Gomez, the sheriff, and county boss Sloane. Then, abruptly, he leaves town and the campaign ceases.

A prosecutor from the state capital (Hodiak) is sent to investigate; upon arrival, he's ambushed by a B-girl (Totter) who works at the machine's headquarters, a road house called Amboy's. Her philosophy of life is eloquent: (`Who makes plans? You do the best you can - Sometimes you wish things turned out differently.') But she grows sweet on him and warns him off. With the help of honest cop Malden, Hodiak tries to get to the bottom of the editor's silence, but everywhere encounters a stone wall. It turns out that the corruption runs very close to home.

Sunday, October 3 - Woman Who Came Back

Woman Who Came Back (1945)

An old woman flags down a bus in woods near Eden Rock, Massachusetts. She sits next to Lorna Webster, who's coming home after being away two years. The old woman calls Lorna by name, prattles on about events in the village 300 years ago when women were burned at the stake for witchcraft at trials convened by Lorna's ancestor, and the bus veers off the road into a lake. Only Lorna survives; the woman is missing. In town, Lorna's former fiancé, Matt Adams, is the only person glad to see her. Strange things begin to happen, and Lorna and many villagers begin to think she's possessed. Is she? Will fears drive Lorna mad and the town to a frenzy? Is an old prophecy about to be fulfilled?

Saturday, October 2 - Girl on the Run (1953)

Girl on the Run (1953)

Bill Martin, a reporter falsely accused of murder, takes refuge at a traveling carnival. Janet his girlfriend, is forced to hide out with him as the "new fish" in the chorus line of carnival strippers, and becomes the defacto "Girl On The Run."

Friday, October 1 - Picture Snatcher

Picture Snatcher (1933)

After being released from prison, former gangster Danny Kean (James Cagney) decides to reform, getting a job as a newspaper photographer. He falls for Patricia (Patricia Ellis), but she is the daughter of Lt. Nolan (Robert Emmett O'Connor), a policeman who knows Kean's shady past. When Kean covertly photographs an execution, Nolan gets into trouble, which pits both father and daughter against Kean. He must then use his street smarts to find a big story in order to redeem himself in their eyes.

Thursday, September 30 - The Guilt of Janet Ames (1947)

The Guilt of Janet Ames (1947)

War widow Janet Ames (Rosalind Russell) is struck by a car, and later her doctors suspect she may have been attempting suicide. A note in her pocket lists five men whom her husband died saving in battle, and they are contacted to help Janet's recovery. The first man on the list, jaded reporter Smitty Cobb (Melvyn Douglas), is offended when Janet says she hopes to prove her husband died in vain to save five worthless men, and offers to "introduce" Janet to each of the men through hypnotism.