Norman Foster, born in 1903 in Richmond, Indiana, transitioned from newspaper cub reporter to a significant figure in film. He directed Woman on the Run (1950), a film noir that showcases his adeptness in crafting suspenseful narratives, and Charlie Chan at Treasure Island (1939), which reflects his versatility in genre. While he stepped back from acting in the late 1930s, he appeared as an actor in Play It as It Lays (1972), bridging his directorial prowess with on-screen performances. Foster's contributions to cult cinema are evident in his ability to blend writing and directing, particularly in The Deathhead Virgin (1974), further enriching the landscape of exploitation and noir films.
The Deathhead Virgin
Treasure divers Larry Alden and Frank Cutter discover the wreckage of a 1800's Spanish ship off the coast of the Philippines, full of pearls and priceless coins, but they also find the skeleton of captured Moro princess who was tortured and raped by Spanish invaders. By disturbing the wreckage they release her spirit to rise again and seek revenge, for punishment she requires the scalps of eight virgins, which is procured through Frank who is controlled by the amulet he took from her remains.
