Fortress of the Dead (1965) / Kong Island (1968)

FORTRESS OF THE DEAD (1965): This haunting, eerie short feature (possibly made for television) is reminiscent of the best works of Val Lewton and Rod Serling. During World War II, while stationed on Corregidor Island in the Philippines, Private Frank Griffin was trapped along with the rest of his unit in a collapsed tunnel during a Japanese bombing. Frank was able to escape, but the other 38 men in his platoon all perished. Two decades later, Frank is still wracked by post-traumatic stress and survivor's guilt. He finally returns to Corregidor to face down his fears. While exploring the tunnel where his friends died, he hears voices crying in anguish from behind a steel door. Is it possible that after all these years the soldiers are still alive...or are they ghosts eager for Frank to join them on the other side...

Shot on location in Corregidor, Fortress of the Dead is the first film directed by Ferde Grofe, Jr., the son of the famed jazz arranger. Most of his films, like Warkill (1968) or The Proud and the Damned (1972), were made overseas or in the Philippines. Star John Hackett is a long-time friend of Jack Nicholson, and has worked on many of his films in bit parts or behind the scenes, including as Mr. Nicholson's stand-in.

KONG ISLAND (1968): Robot-controlled killer gorillas, guided by signals from a mad scientist's secret underground lab, raid a safari camp, and kidnap beautiful young Diane as she undresses for bed. Her father begs mercenary soldier Burt Dawson to lead a rescue mission. Burt's crew is ambushed in the jungle, leaving him the only survivor. Racing for his life through the underbrush, he comes face to face with "The Scared Monkey" - a beautiful girl who has been raised by apes. Her help will be crucial for Burt's escape from the dark labyrinths of .KONG ISLAND.

Though this 1968 Italian feature (marketed in the United States as King of Kong Island, even though the title card just says Kong Island) has nothing to do with King Kong, it does have plenty of scantily-clad jungle babes and bionic gorillas. Brad Harris was a stuntman-turned-actor who was short on acting ability but big on muscles. He also starred in the "Kommissar X" film series, a West German/Italian rip-off of James Bond.

• horror