Search - Terror in Tropics on DVD

"homage to PRC Studios, Lugosi, Karloff & Chaney ~ A. Susan

J. Lovins | Missouri-USA | 02/08/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Alpha New Cinema and Midnight Marquee present "Terror in the Tropics" (2005) , a new film by A. Susan Svehla as she pays homage to the Poverty Row films with interaction between early film footage and new characters interwoven into each scene...featuring Bela Lugosi, Boris Karloff and Lon Chaney Jr, three great film actors from the classic horror era...also appearing is Mark Redfield with a Lugosi impersonation that gives the project a real lift...this brand new film is in the similar style of "Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid"...lots of fun for all especially fans of B-Movies that we all grew up with...don't miss a single spine tingling scene.

Under director A. Susan Svehla, second unit directors Gary J. Svehla & Wayne Shipley, story & screenplay by A. Susan Svehla, photography Jeff Herberg, additional photography David Ellis & Mark Redfield, editors Jeffer Herberg & Jay Carroll, music director Ramar Q. Ubemann, music recording Charlie Wittg, ..the cast includes Bela Lugosi (Dr.Vitus Tesla), Boris Karloff (Mr. Wong), Lon Chaney Jr. (The Sailor), Mark Redfield (Prof. Armand Tesla), Kimberly Hannold (Mary Ankers), Jonathon Ruckman (Grant Gardner), Wayne Shipley (Mike Flanigan), Jennifer Rouse (Rosalind Darrow), Leo Wayne Dymowski (Ace Zucco), Rachel Hannah Ellis (Angelina Weston), Molly Franz (Lucy Weston), David Ellis (George Carradine), Barry Murphy (Mac), Polly Lynn (Madame Ouspenshava), Jeff Barker (Count Diego Vega), Marian L. Clatterbaugh (Edna Oliver), Richard Svehla (Treacher), Diane Geryasio (Mrs Danvers), George Stover (Dr. Colin), Philip Holthaus (Zoltar), Andrew Lean (The Newsboy), Gary J. Svehla (1st Officer Cushing), Tom Rendulic (Lawyer Stewart), Charles Wittg (Mr. Buccanon), Marion Owens, Natalie Ellis, Ralph Hirchoff...wonderful assembly of actors sharing their talents with the top three actors of PRC, Lugosi, Karloff and Chaney.

BONUS FEATURES:
1. Audio commentary with director A. Susan Svehla, cast and crew
2. Gregory Mank lecture of "Poverty Row" films (wonderful in depth behind the scenes eye opener)
3. Cast and crew interviews, Terror in the Tropics trailer, vintage horror trailers.
4. Alpha Video DVD Catalog - Action/Adventure, Horror/Sci-Fi/ Mystery/Thriller, New Cinema Comedy, Drama, Serials, Family, Silent Films, TV Sows, Classic Exploitation and Westerns.
5. Alpha New Cinema movie trailers

Great job by Alpha Video for releasing "Terror in the Tropics" (2005)...looking forward to more releases from the vintage horror era of the '30s, '40s & '50s...order your copy now from Amazon or Alpha Video where there are plenty of copies available on DVD, stay tuned once again for original horror spoof entertainment...just the way we like 'em

Total Time: 57 min ~ Alpha Video 1016D ~ (1/31/2006)"

The real terror is that they're actually selling this thing

H. N. Dohe | My Sanctum Sanctorium | 09/25/2006

(1 out of 5 stars)

"Nowadays, anyone with a camera and some computer skills can make their own movie. In a way that's great- there's a lot of talent out there that otherwise would have no outlet. Then there's this... "movie". It's a grade ZZZ flick that says it owes it's existence to the movie "Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid", where Steve Martin got to interact with some of Hollywood's departed actors. Any similarity is fleeting at best. The acting, what there is of it, looks like those cheesy plays one used to see in elementary school. Two people stand out- one is a Barry Murphy (whom I actually found in IMDB) who plays the editor of the newspaper "The Daily Register", and also later, I think, the ship's purser, wearing a Maynard G. Krebs goatee that looks like it was greasepainted on. The other was a Charles Witig, who plays a shyster lawyer. They probably stand out because both of their scenes were brief, so they were actually able to learn their lines. A lot is made of Mark Renfield's Lugosi imitation, but I think most people can imitate his Hungarian inflection rather easily. And shouldn't it be a warning that a lot of the "praise" put on this film is regarding someone's Hungarian Ghoulash of an accent? It also said the movie is "spine tingling"- well, um, no, it isn't. It's a dull, horridly written, badly acted, poorly edited, waste of a DVD that might be enjoyable to the cast ("LOOK! We're in a MOVIE!"), but I doubt anyone else would like it. Or could even sit all the way through it without their thumb on the FF button. After that, it might make a nice coaster to put a cold beer on. Hopefully there won't be any sequels. If there are, at least give the newspaper editor a nude love scene (since he can act) with his female reporter to spice it up."

A Confusing Mishmash

Yoyogod | 10/12/2006

(2 out of 5 stars)

"I like horror movies. I like old horror movies. I thought that a movie that uses clips from old horror movies edited with modern footage to make a new film sounded like a good idea. Unfortunately, if Terror in Tropics is any indication, it is a very bad idea.

I know that many old horror movies have plots that make almost no sense. This one goes one better (or maybe worse) and has a plot that makes absolutely no sense. There are mad scientists, murders, gorillas, deformed henchmen, dinosaurs, and spunky reporters. A guy dies and leaves all his money to twelve strangers, but they have to go to his private island to claim it. Meanwhile, some thieves have stolen the map that shows the true location of Skull Island (from King Kong). Everybody gets on an ocean liner. Then they find a survivor from the expedition to Skull Island. Then Several people are murdered. Then they all arrive on Fog Island for the reading of the will. Several other people are murdered. The reporters are locked in a closet. Then somehow everything turns out alright.

Besides a nonsensical plot, the acting sucks. I've seen high school plays with better acting. And, the old and new scenes don't mesh well. They go through the trouble to make the new film look like old film, but it doesn't look quite like actual old film, and the modern sound doesn't have the same quality as the old sound.

I picked this one up for about $4. It was too expensive at that price. Really, the only reason I gave this thing as good a rating as I did is because I liked the one extra: Gregory Mank's discussion of "Poverty Row" films."