Dementia 13 (1963)

D13 is an early film from Francis Ford Coppola with a story that's woven around a kind of Hitchcockian situation involving an overbearing mother-in-law (Eithne Dunne), her missing son (Peter Read), and his conniving wife (Luana Anders). The wife must convince the rest of the family that her husband is safe, or risk losing out on inheriting his share of the family fortune.
Set mostly inside and around an Irish castle, it's an amateur work on the surface —the boom mic or its shadow drops in often and the acting isn't exactly convincing — but the almost gothic atmosphere and the reason for the annually performed ceremony that features give it a peculiar edge, one that the black and white stock adds additional atmosphere to.

2½ pond problems out of 5

Pit Stop (1969)

aka The Winner

Given almost complete free rein by Roger Corman to make a "stock car" movie, Jack Hill delivered a film that's littered with rough edges, but like most of the director's early works it has enough keen-eyed style to sate his fans.
Rick (Richard Davalos) is a street racer, a kind of poor-man's James Dean who's stubbornly independent and filled with a self-destructive drive. When given the chance by an uncaring sponsor (Brian Donlevy) to prove himself on a deadly Figure 8 racetrack, Rick indulges his hungry ego.
A rival in the form of Hill regular Sid Haig playing an arrogant prick keeps things interesting, but the most memorable part for me was Ellen Burstyn.

3 big wheels out of 5

The Big Doll House (1971)

We enter the prison alongside three new arrivals who see first-hand how it's run and what life means for the women behind bars: violence and torture.
Pam Grier in a Jack Hill film is more than enough to have me staying for a screening, but Doll House was her first major role and she wasn't quite as impressive as she'd eventually become. It doesn't help that it's not a particularly memorable WiP film, or maybe my standards are set too high having been spoiled by the Japanese entries in the genre.
Pam's contribution to the soundtrack is worthy of praise, though.
Jack Hill regular Sid Haig plays a vital role as a sleazy delivery man.

2½ slippery wrestles out of 5

Coffy (1973)

Aptly named. She's black, hot, can keep you up all night or burn you. It's a Blaxploitation revenge thriller that has a few lull moments but overall rarely puts a foot wrong. There are hilarious moments, too (I lost my shit at the pimp's onesie!). The titular female takes an active role doing what the cops won't: putting a stop to the drug pushers that infect the city. It's not for wholly selfless reasons but that doesn't negate the good she does... with a shotgun. There's a lot of nudity but it really doesn't need it, there's enough meat in the script without the need for compensation elsewhere.

4 campaigns out of 5

Foxy Brown (1974)

Jack Hill followed up the successful Coffy (1973) with another blaxploitation flick led by the queen of the genre, Pam Grier. You mess with Foxy’s man and you mess with Foxy, and the last thing you want to do is tangle with her, because she gives as good as she gets. She’ll even go so far as to become a high-class hooker to get revenge on your pale ass.
Buckle yourself in for some “funky”, “dig it” and “right on” violence with occasional bouts of fine comedy to lighten the savage mood.

3 pickles out of 5