Steven Helmer Publications

Synopsis: Los Angeles private detective Philip Marlowe is hired by millionaire General Sherwood to quietly resolve a series of personal debts owed by his daughter, Carmen, to a bookseller by the name of Arthur Geiger, though Sherwood's other daughter, Vivian, believes her father actually wants Marlowe to locate the missing Sean Regan, Sherwood's protege. The case becomes more complicated when Geiger is murdered with Carmen in the room and someone uses it as a reason to blackmail the Sherwood family. Who's in it? The movie stars Humphrey Bogart , Lauren Bacall , Martha Vickers , John Ridgely and Elisha Cook Jr . Review: I've had The Big Sleep in my movie library for a few months but each time I've considered watching it, I ended up deciding on something else. I finally changed that this morning and was left with a positive, albeit somewhat mixed, opinion of the film. I'll start out by saying there were a lot of things I liked about this movie. Bogart and Bac...

Synopsis: Television personality Phillip Knight has made a living debunking various myths and superstitions for his audience. This leads to him being hired by a hotel owner wanting Knight to disprove rumors of Voodoo on the remote island he intends to build a resort on. Knight remains a skeptic even as an employee is turned into a zombie and other strange things happen around him. Who's in it? The movie stars Boris Karloff , Beverly Tyler , Murvyn Vye , Rhodes Reason and Elisha Cook, Jr.  It also has an uncredited appearance by Adam West in his movie debut.  Review: I came across Voodoo Island on Amazon Prime a few weeks ago but hadn't watched it because, despite starring one of my favorite horror movie actors, I had a lot of doubts about it. However, I decided to finally give it a chance this morning and, after seeing it, will admit it was slightly better than expected albeit nothing overly special either. I did find I liked the premise of the movie, with Knight (Karlof...

Synopsis: Author Ben Mears returns to his hometown to write a book about a house from his childhood he believes to be haunted and evil. While there, a mysterious plague begins to infect residents, and he soon realizes everyone is being turned into vampires. Who's in it? The movie stars David Soul , James Mason , Bonnie Bedelia , Julie Cobb and Elisha Cook, Jr. Review: I remember seeing Salem's Lot when I was just four years old, and it was a television mini-series (we had four channels to choose from back then) and didn't remember much about it. I noticed they remade it recently and decided to re-watch the original before seeing the newer version. After doing so, my opinion of the film was mixed. Movies based on Stephen King books tend to be hit-or-miss for me. Some of them are decent while others were probably better in print. This movie, or at least this version of it, probably falls in the latter category. I'll start out by saying the vampire part of the movie wa...

Synopsis: Still recovering from the mental breakdown caused by her pilot boyfriend's death, Nell is given a second chance when her uncle, an elevator operator, lands her a babysitting job at the hotel he works for. However, things quickly begin to unravel when one of the hotel's guests, also a pilot, mistakes her for a wealthy patron and takes a romantic interest in her. As Nell begins to blend her past with her present, she becomes confused and violent. Who's in it?  The movie stars Marilyn Monroe , Richard Widmark , Anne Bancroft , Jim Backus and Elisha Cook, Jr. You can read my review here:  Movie Review: Don't Bother to Knock (1952)