Man on the Prowl / Night of Execution

Man on the Prowl: A bloodthirsty sexual deviant is on the loose in this rare, long-lost film! Doug Gerhardt is a homicidal maniac driven by a compulsion to kill beautiful women. Posing as a friendly handyman, he sets his sights on Marian Wood, a lonely mother of two. Charmed by his deceptively simple nature, the young housewife is unaware that Gerhardt is responsible for the trail of female corpses turning up all over the city. But when he threatens her children, Marian realizes she has let a madman into her home.

Man on the Prowl has gone unseen since its release in 1957, and is just as shocking today as when it first screened in theaters. Alpha Video has carefully restored the only surviving print, and though a few minutes of footage are still missing, the film's savage impact is in no way diluted. Leading man James Best (1926-2015) is best remembered for Verboten!, The Killer Shrews (both 1959) and as the Sheriff in The Dukes of Hazzard (1979-1985). The gorgeous Mala Powers starred opposite Jose Ferrer in Cyrano de Bergerac (1950), as well as in the cult favorites Rage at Dawn (1955) and The Colossus of New York (1958). Husband and wife team Art and Jo Napoleon were also behind the syndicated TV series The Whirlybirds (1957-1960) and the John Barrymore biopic Too Much, Too Soon (1958). Man on the Prowl features cinematography by Nicholas Musuraca (Curse of the Cat People) and music by Ernest Gold (who a year later did the score for Witness for the Prosecution.) Starring James Best, Mala Powers, Jerry Paris, and Ted De Corsia. Directed by Art Napoleon.

Night Of Execution: Horror legend Vincent Price stars in this rarely-seen episode of the television anthology series Climax! Price plays Gideon Rone, a wealthy man who ruthlessly abuses his family. With their son on the verge of a psychotic breakdown, his wife Emily is forced to take matters into her own hands with Gideon's shotgun. "Night of Execution" was originally broadcast live on September 22, 1955. Starring Vincent Price, Nina Foch, and Dick Foran. Directed by Allen Reisner.

• horror