Grindhouse Double Shock Show: Fright (1956) / Stark Fear (1962) (DVD)

Fright (1956, B&W): A fugitive murderer threatens to leap from a bridge to escape the police, but a psychiatrist with a bullhorn hypnotizes him into surrendering. The event is witnessed by a suggestible young woman, Ann Summers, who later approaches the psychiatrist, Dr. James Hamilton, with a frightening problem. She's possessed by the spirit of a slain 19th century Austrian baroness. Unsure whether it's a case of reincarnation, possession, or multiple personality disorder, Dr. Hamilton hatches a dangerous plan to treat her - involving the psychotic killer he hypnotized on the bridge.

Fright is a riveting psychological thriller produced and directed by W. Lee Wilder (Killers From Space, The Snow Creature), the older brother of legendary Hollywood film-maker, Billy Wilder. Eric Fleming, who made his big screen debut the previous year, starring in the George Pal sci-fi classic, Conquest of Space (1955), achieved lasting fame as Gil Favor in the hit TV western, "Rawhide" (1959).

Starring Eric Fleming, Nancy Malone, Dean L. Almquist, Frank Marth; Produced and Directed by W. Lee Wilder.

Stark Fear (1962, B&W): A sadist's bizarre and violent behavior drives his abused wife to dig into his shadowy past. Nothing could prepare Ellen Winslow for the traumatic horror she encounters in her desperate search for the truth. One man in her life, her boss Cliff Kane, seems to offer a route to salvation for her, but he harbors secrets that threaten to destroy her last vestige of hope.

This harrowing portrait of a woman pushed to her limits features a powerful performance by Beverly Garland. Her career was launched with an appearance in the great film noir classic, D.O.A. (1950). Skip Homeier had an equally auspicious start in films with a brilliant performance in Tomorrow The World (1944) as a troubled German teenager adopted by an American family after WWII. Kenneth Tobey is best known for his starring roles in the science fiction classics, The Thing From Another World (1951) and The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms (1953).

Starring Beverly Garland, Kenneth Tobey, Skip Homeier, Hannah Stone; Directed by Ned Hackman.

• horror