Journey to the Center of the Earth (1959)

An Edinburgh professor and assorted colleagues follow an explorer's trail down an extinct Icelandic volcano to the earth's center.

Silly, but effective Jules Verne adaptation is indeed an otherwordly adventure, but some of the special effects are quite risible.

Halliwell***: "Enjoyable hokum which gets more and more fantastic but only occasionally misses its footing; it ends splendidly with the team being catapulted out of Stromboli on a tide of lava."

Maltin***: "Entertaining, old-fashioned fantasy-adventure...long in telling, with silly digressions, but generally fun."

Arlene Dahl

Reign of Terror (1949)

Robespierrre, a powerful figure in the French revolution, is desperately looking for his black book, a death list of those marked for the guillotine.

Oddly mixing history drama with a (complicated) Noir crime plot the movie actually manages to create atmosphere and suspense.

Halliwell*: "Moderate period melodrama with an attractive though artificial look."

Maltin***: "Vivied costume drama...Moss is particularly good as the elegantly, eloquently evil Foucher. Stunningly photographed by John Alton; every shot is a painting!"