Jerry Warren Vol. 1 – Man Beast/Wild World of Batwoman/Curse of the Stone Hand

MAN BEAST: The trail to the top of the world leads to terror as Americans on a Himalayan climbing expedition are led into the mountainous lair of the ape-like Yeti by a sinister native guide. Producer-director Jerry Warren specialized in movies made with few dollars and less sense but Man Beast finds the Hollywood underground’s “Abominable Showman” at the top of his low-budget game with a twisty script and excellent snowy locations.  1956|67 min|B&W|1.85:1 (widescreen)|NR

WILD WORLD OF BATWOMAN: Holy rip-off! At the 1960s height of Batmania, schlock movie master Jerry Warren concocted this way-out tale of Batwoman (Katherine Victor with a bat drawn on her chest with eyeliner), a distaff crimefighter who, with her Bat Girls, is hired to protect the Ayjax Development Company’s newest invention, an atomic hearing aid, from the arch-villain Ratfink. “Wonderfully woeful and thoroughly brain-dead” — The Phantom of the Movies. 1966|70 min.|B&W|1.85:1 (widescreen)|NR

CURSE OF THE STONE HAND:  A twin-pack of south-of-the-border shudders, this anthology horror flick combines a 1946 chiller about a man who joins a gambling club only to find that it’s actually a suicide club, and a 1959 Mexi-movie about a sadistic child who grows up to lead a life of evil. Hollywood-made “framing scenes” star master of menace John Carradine and schlock-film seductress Katherine Victor. 1964|72 min|1.33:1|NR

SPECIAL FEATURES: Audio interview with Kathering “Batwoman” Victor, with Tom Weaver (reenactment); Original Theatrical Trailers; More