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In the Spooklight: THE CURSE OF FRANKENSTEIN (1957)

Posted in 1950s Horror, 2010, Christopher Lee films, Classic Films, Evil Doctors!, Frankenstein Movies, Hammer Films, Horror, In the Spooklight, Michael Arruda Reviews, Peter Cushing Films, Reanimated Corpses with tags , , , , , , on December 26, 2012 by knifefighter

This is a reprint of my 100th IN THE SPOOKLIGHT column, which originally appeared in the HWA Newsletter in December 2010.  It’s on THE CURSE OF FRANKENSTEIN, one of my all-time favorites, and one of a handful of movies that influenced me at a young age and got me into this horror business in the first place.  Hope you enjoy it.  And don’t forget, my IN THE SPOOKLIGHT collection – 115 reviews in all— is now available as an EBook at http://www.neconebooks.com.  Thanks for reading.

—Michael Arruda

 IN THE SPOOKLIGHT

By

Michael Arruda

The_Curse_of_Frankenstein_poster

Welcome to the 100th IN THE SPOOKLIGHT column.  Woo hoo!  It’s been a fun ride.  Thanks for coming along.

In honor of the occasion, let’s look at THE CURSE OF FRANKENSTEIN (1957), Hammer Films’ first horror hit.

To make their Frankenstein movie different from the Universal 1931 original starring Boris Karloff, Hammer Films decided to concentrate more on the doctor rather than on the monster.  Enter Peter Cushing as Baron Victor Frankenstein.

Hammer Films’ signing of Peter Cushing to play Victor Frankenstein in THE CURSE OF FRANKENSTEIN was a major coup for the tiny studio which made low-budget movies.  In the 1950s, Peter Cushing had become the most popular actor on British television.  To British audiences, he was a household name.

THE CURSE OF FRANKENSTEIN was Cushing’s first shot at being the lead actor in a theatrical movie, and he doesn’t disappoint.  In fact, THE CURSE OF FRANKENSTEIN belongs to Peter Cushing.  He dominates this movie and carries it on his shoulders.  He’s in nearly every scene.

Cushing succeeded in creating a character who was the perfect shade of gray, a villain who was also a hero.  He’s so convincing in this dual persona that we want to see Victor Frankenstein succeed in his quest to create life, even though he murders a few people along the way.

Peter Cushing went on to become an international superstar.  He delivered countless fine performances over the years until his death from cancer in 1994.  Yet, his performance as Victor Frankenstein in THE CURSE OF FRANKENSTEIN is arguably his best.

Peter Cushing as Victor Frankenstein

Peter Cushing as Victor Frankenstein

Like the 1931 version of FRANKENSTEIN before it, THE CURSE OF FRANKENSTEIN, while based on the book by Mary Shelley, is not overly faithful to the novel and takes lots of liberties with the story.

Victor Frankenstein (Peter Cushing) enlists the aid of his former tutor Paul (Robert Urquhart) to conduct his experiments, to “create the most complex thing known to man- man himself!”  Victor wants his creation to be “born with a lifetime of knowledge” and so he invites the brilliant Professor Bernstein (Paul Hardtmuth) to his house for dinner.  After dinner, Victor promptly murders him.  Later, when Paul confronts Victor and says he’s going to stop him from using the brain, Victor replies with one of the better lines from the movie, “Why?  He has no further use for it.”

Lightning strikes and starts the lab equipment, while Victor is out of the laboratory, and the Creature (Christopher Lee, also in his starring role debut) is brought to life without Victor present, saving him from an “It’s alive!” moment.

Victor opens the door to the laboratory and finds the Creature standing in the doorway alive.  In the film’s most memorable scene, the Creature rips off the mask of bandages covering his face, and the camera tracks into a violent grotesque close-up of the Creature’s hideous face.  It’s a most horrific make-up job by Phil Leakey, and it’s unique to Frankenstein movies, since in all six of the Hammer Frankenstein sequels to follow, this Creature, so chillingly portrayed by Christopher Lee, never appears again.

Christopher Lee as Frankenstein's Creature

Christopher Lee as Frankenstein’s Creature

Lee’s Creature is a murderous beast, and he quickly escapes from the laboratory.  Victor and Paul chase him into the woods, where Paul shoots him in the head, killing him.  Or so he thinks.  Victor promptly digs up the body and brings it back to life again.

Victor performs multiple brain surgeries to improve the Creature, but eventually things get out of hand, as Paul goes to the police just as the Creature escapes again.  The film has a dark conclusion which I won’t give away here.

Over the years, Christopher Lee has been criticized for his portrayal of the Creature in THE CURSE OF FRANKENSTEIN.  Sure, Lee’s Creature is not the Karloff monster.   However, the Creature, who appears fleetingly here and there, has an almost Michael Myers quality in this movie, a killer who creeps in the shadows, here one moment, gone the next.

Lee is scary in the role.  His Creature is an insane unpredictable being.  As the Creature, Lee doesn’t speak a word, and he hardly makes a sound, using pantomime skills to bring the character to life.  His performance has always reminded me of a silent film performance, a la Lon Chaney Sr.  Lee captures the almost childlike persona of a new creation born into the world for the first time, albeit a child that’s a homicidal maniac.

THE CURSE OF FRANKENSTEIN has a great music score by James Bernard.  It’s haunting, ghastly, and memorable.

Director Terence Fisher, arguably Hammer’s best director, is at the helm here.  As he did in all his best movies, Fisher created some truly memorable scenes in THE CURSE OF FRANKENSTEIN.  The Creature’s first appearance is classic, one of the most memorable scenes of its kind.  The scene when Victor murders Professor Bernstein features a great stunt where Victor pushes the Professor off a second floor balcony to his death, and we actually see the stunt double hit the floor head first with a neck breaking thud.  It’s a jarring scene.  And this is 1957.

There are lots of other neat touches as well.  When Victor’s fiancée Elizabeth (Hazel Court) peers into the acid vat in which Victor has been disposing unwanted bodies and body parts, she covers her nose- a great little touch.

Jimmy Sangster’s screenplay is one of his best.  Probably the best written scene is the one where Victor tries to convince Paul how well he has trained his Creature by having the Creature stand, walk, and sit down.  Paul is unimpressed, saying “Is this your perfect physical being, this animal?  Why don’t you ask it a question of advanced physics?  It’s got a brain with a lifetime of knowledge behind it, it should find it simple!”  It’s also a great scene for Christopher Lee, as it’s one of the few times he invokes sympathy for the Creature.

But THE CURSE OF FRANKENSTEIN sinks or swims with Peter Cushing.  Rarely has an actor delivered such a powerful performance in a horror movie.  Cushing is flawless here.  He draws you into Frankenstein’s madness and convinces you he’s right.

If I could give you one gift this holiday season, it would be to watch THE CURSE OF FRANKENSTEIN.  Rediscover it today, more than 50 years after it was made.  It’s time this movie received its due as one of the best ever, which isn’t news to those who saw it in 1957. After all, it was the biggest money maker in Britain that year.

One of its original lobby cards reads “THE CURSE OF FRANKENSTEIN will haunt you forever.”

It will.

—END—

© Copyright 2010 by Michael Arruda

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In the Spooklight: THE INCREDIBLE TWO-HEADED TRANSPLANT (1971)

Posted in "So Bad They're Good" Movies, 2010, 70s Horror, B-Movies, Deformed Freaks!, Drive-in Movies, In the Spooklight, Mad Doctors!, Medical Experiments!, Michael Arruda Reviews, Twisted with tags , , , , , , , on July 13, 2012 by knifefighter

The following IN THE SPOOKLIGHT column originally ran in the HWA NEWSLETTER in July 2010.  Look for it and all 115 IN THE SPOOKLIGHT columns in the IN THE SPOOKLIGHT EBook due out from NECON EBooks later this year!
 

IN THE SPOOKLIGHT:
THE INCREDIBLE TWO-HEADED TRANSPLANT (1971)
By Michael Arruda

 

Are two heads really better than one?

Not when one head belongs to an insane murderer, as is the case in THE INCREDIBLE 2- HEADED TRANSPLANT (1971), a lurid little film which for some strange reason I happen to like a lot.

Bruce Dern, one of my all-time favorite film crazies, is cast against type as Dr. Roger Girard, a scientist who has devised a method to create two-headed beings.  Why?  I have no idea, and the movie doesn’t really give us a reason either.

I wish they had.  It would have made things really interesting.  I mean, think of the things you could do with two heads:  read twice as fast, eat your meal and dessert at the same time, drive while texting, and kiss your wife while flirting with the blonde at the next table.

When an insane killer named Cass (Albert Cole) breaks into Roger’s home, attacking his wife Linda (Pat Priest – Marilyn from TV’s THE MUNSTERS!) and murdering the gardener, Roger and his assistant fight back, and the assistant shoots Cass.  Before the killer dies, they attach his head to the hulking body of Danny (John Bloom), the simple-minded son of the slain gardener.  Nice going!

What is it with mad scientists in the movies?  Why do they always settle for less?  If you were on the verge of some amazing medical breakthrough, wouldn’t you want only the best materials for your experiment?  In this case, these guys have been planning for months to construct a two-headed person, and they choose for one of the heads a murderer?  Don’t you think they could do a little bit better?

Our two-headed friend eventually breaks loose from the lab and goes on a murderous rampage, as the movie becomes a straightforward “monster on the loose” story during its third act.

If you can get through the horrible theme song—a song so bad it makes you wonder what racy photos the songwriter and singer had of the director—you’ll be rewarded with a deliciously lurid movie that will tickle your horror movie funny bone.

Bruce Dern is always worth watching, even in movies as bad as this.  And John Bloom who played the giant Danny actually went on to appear in many genre films.  He played the Frankenstein Monster in another infamously bad low-budget shocker, DRACULA VS. FRANKENSTEIN (1971), and he also appeared in HARRY AND THE HENDERSONS (1987) and STAR TREK VI: THE UNDISCOVERED COUNTRY (1991).  He passed away in 1999.

And hey, Casey Kasem plays the hero in the film!  That’s right, the Casey Kasem, of America’s Top 40 fame, and the voice of Shaggy from the SCOOBY DOO cartoons.

He has two heads, but only half a brain!

The screenplay by James Gordon White and John Lawrence never rises above standard low-budget 1970s horror fare, but that’s part of the fun.  Believe it or not, these same two guys also wrote the screenplay for THE THING WITH TWO HEADS (1972) (starring Ray Milland and Rosie Grier!)

Director Anthony M. Lanza does an adequate job with the material, but his idea of a scary scene is the 2-headed monster fighting chain wielding biker dudes.  This is the type of movie best watched at the Drive-In Theater.  You can go for the same effect by watching it at home late at night on a hot summer evening with the windows open.

The special effects are pretty bad.  You’ll laugh at the long shots of the obviously fake rubber head bouncing up and down on John Bloom’s shoulder.  It looks like something out of a Monty Python sketch.

THE INCREDIBLE 2-HEADED TRANSPLANT isn’t really all that incredible, unless you interpret “incredible” to mean unbelievable.  But it is an entertaining little piece of 70s horror cinema, and it’s a nice reminder of what low-budget horror movies were like back then.

—END—

© Copyright 2010 by Michael Arruda

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In the Spooklight: ALIEN (1979)

Posted in 2006, 70s Horror, Alien Worlds, Aliens, Classic Films, Cult Movies, Horror, In the Spooklight, Michael Arruda Reviews, Outer Space, Ridley Scott, Science Fiction with tags , , , , , , on June 15, 2012 by knifefighter

Since we just reviewed PROMETHEUS (2012), here’s an IN THE SPOOKLIGHT column on ALIEN (1979), first published in the HWA NEWSLETTER in January 2006. It will also be appearing—shameless plug! —in my new IN THE SPOOKLIGHT ebook, set to come out later this year by NECON EBooks!

—Michael Arruda, 6/13/12

In The Spooklight: ALIEN (1979)
By Michael Arruda

When I first saw ALIEN (1979) at the movies in the summer of ’79, as a 15-year-old kid and budding movie critic, I remember leaving the theater disappointed. I thought the scares were too few and far between, and it simply wasn’t as gross and disgusting as I had been led to believe. See, in those days, there was nothing like the thrill of being grossed out at the movies— ah, youth!

But a funny thing happened on the way to adulthood—ALIEN grew scarier.

ALIEN is a film that, in spite of its reputation as an all-out-stomach-churning-gross-fest back in 1979, really draws its strength from a combination of strong acting performances and taut direction.

The alien itself isn’t really on screen that much, but when it is, it scares the you-know-what out of you. Watching the alien in ALIEN reminds me of watching Christopher Lee as Dracula in HORROR OF DRACULA (1958). Both menaces are so scary they trick you into believing they’re on screen more, because when they’re off screen, you’re still frightened and carry that fright with you, similar to the way a flash bulb remains in your vision after it’s flashed, only longer.

ALIEN sports an outstanding cast, led by Sigourney Weaver and Tom Skerritt, as the leaders on the spaceship, The Nostromo, which answers a distress call in deep space from a mysterious derelict spaceship on an equally mysterious planet. The strong cast also includes John Hurt, Ian Holm, Harry Dean Stanton, Yaphet Kotto, and Veronica Cartwright, all playing crew members of The Nostromo.

The trek along the alien landscape towards the derelict ship is weird and creepy, and is another reason why ALIEN works so well. It gets under your skin long before the titled alien even appears.

A strange squid-like creature attaches itself to the head of one of the crew (John Hurt) and lays an egg inside his body, which leads to the most famous scene from the movie, where the baby alien bursts through the chest of actor John Hurt. This scene is gross, and still packs a punch. Thus the alien is born, and now the fun really begins. Of course, for the rest of the film, the crew has to fight for their lives against a seemingly unstoppable creature. (Too bad the makers of the recent ALIEN VS. PREDATOR (2004) forgot this and reduced the aliens in that film to target practice.).

The direction by Ridley Scott is right on the money. He makes ALIEN a nail-biter and fills the film with suspense scenes that make you very uncomfortable. My favorite is crew member Dallas’s (Tom Skerritt) search for the alien inside the air ducts, which, suffice to say, doesn’t end in the man’s favor.

There’s a great music score by Jerry Goldsmith, which also adds to the mood, and the sets are dark and grim. They give the film a real gritty feel. You get the sense this is the way a spaceship of the future would look, as opposed to the fantasy images from say, STAR WARS. The special effects won an Oscar.

Dan O’Bannon’s screenplay is full of realistic dialogue, and the crew members seem like real people, even griping about low pay.

ALIEN is a fine example of how some films get better with age. Today, years after its initial release, it’s scarier than ever. “In space no one can you hear scream,” warned the tagline in 1979, but in your living room they sure can, so to be safe, when you watch ALIEN, you might want to warn your neighbors.

—END—

© Copyright 2006 by Michael Arruda

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In the Spooklight: THE HOUSE THAT DRIPPED BLOOD (1971)

Posted in 2011, 70s Horror, Amicus Movies, Anthology Films, Christopher Lee films, In the Spooklight, Michael Arruda Reviews, Peter Cushing Films, Vampires with tags , , , , , , on October 28, 2011 by knifefighter

This IN THE SPOOKLIGHT column, on the Peter Cushing/Christopher Lee anthology movie THE HOUSE THAT DRIPPED BLOOD is from 2004, and it was actually reprinted in October 2010 in the HWA NEWSLETTER, so this marks the third time this particular column has made it into print. Not sure why I chose this one today, except that I figured now was as good a time as any to finally review a Peter Cushing/Christopher Lee movie for CINEMA KNIFE FIGHT.

—Michael Arruda, October, 2011

 

IN THE SPOOKLIGHT
THE HOUSE THAT DRIPPED BLOOD (1971)
By Michael Arruda

There’s a lot to like about THE HOUSE THAT DRIPPED BLOOD (1971), the third anthology movie by England’s Amicus Productions.

Amicus is England’s lesser known horror film company, having operated in the shadow of the more famous Hammer Films. Amicus made horror movies during the same years as Hammer, and even used some of the same stars, such as Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing, but never quite made it as a phenomenon.

Yet, Amicus churned out quality horror movies in abundance throughout the 1960s and 70s, and THE HOUSE THAT DRIPPED BLOOD is no exception.

There are four tales in THE HOUSE THAT DRIPPED BLOOD, plus a linking story, all of them written by the great Robert Bloch, which is one of the main reasons why the film is as enjoyable as it is. It goes without saying, it’s a well-written movie! The stories all take place in the titled house, each chronicling a different owner’s experience within its walls.

The first story, “Method for Murder,” is a neat little tale in which a horror writer (Denholm Elliott) creates a sinister murderer in his latest novel, a strangler by the name of Dominick. The writer is excited about his latest work, until the strangler he created shows up outside his window! A very creepy tale that works surprisingly well.

The second tale “Waxworks” starring Peter Cushing is probably the weakest of the movie and involves strange goings-on inside a wax museum. Director Peter Duffell said the story was basically a “contrivance to get Peter Cushing’s head on a plate” which is one of the more famous images from the film, and later immortalized on a cover of FAMOUS MONSTERS OF FILMLAND magazine.

The third story stars Christopher Lee and is called “Sweets to the Sweet.” It’s about Lee’s strange relationship with his young daughter. He’s terribly frightened of her, and as we find out in the story, with good reason.

The last tale, “The Cloak,” is the story of a horror movie actor (John Pertwee) who buys a cloak for his role as a vampire. When he puts on the cloak, he becomes a real vampire. He has the best line in the film when he’s talking about classic horror movies, he says “That’s what’s wrong with your present-day horror films, no realism! Not like the old ones—the great ones! Frankenstein, Phantom of the Opera, Dracula—the one with Bela Lugosi, of course, not that new fella!” This tale also stars Ingrid Pitt who also gets to wear the cloak and strut her stuff as a vampire. Mostly played for laughs, “The Cloak” is the most fun tale of the movie.

First-time director Peter Duffell does a very good job, imbuing the film with both atmosphere and genuine shocks, though he wanted to call the film DEATH AND THE MAIDEN, because he felt THE HOUSE THAT DRIPPED BLOOD was too trashy. Personally, I kinda like THE HOUSE THAT DRIPPED BLOOD.

But the main reason the film succeeds so well is the same reason why so many of the Hammer/Amicus films work, and that is, the people involved take them very seriously. Actors like Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing play it straight, so when Lee fears his young daughter, as silly as it seems, you see the look on his face and you believe it too.

THE HOUSE THAT DRIPPED BLOOD is a good Halloween movie, spooky, well-made, well-acted, well-written, and fun.

This Halloween, why not stop by for a visit? I hear they’re looking for new tenants.

—END—

© Copyright 2004 by Michael Arruda

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In The Spooklight: THE AMAZING COLOSSAL MAN!

Posted in 1950s Sci-Fi Films, 2011, B-Movies, Drive-in Movies, Giant Monsters, In the Spooklight, Michael Arruda Reviews, Mutants! with tags , , , , , , , on June 10, 2011 by knifefighter

This column on THE AMAZING COLOSSAL MAN originally ran in the HORROR WRITERS ASSOCIATION (HWA) NEWSLETTER way back in 2003.  I’ve selected it tonight to serve as a companion piece to L.L’s review of THE CYCLOPS which appeared on this site a few weeks back.  Both are Bert I. Gordon films about giant bald men.  I wonder if there’s a story behind this. —Michael Arruda

IN THE SPOOKLIGHT: THE AMAZING COLOSSAL MAN (1957)
By Michael Arruda

When one thinks of THE AMAZING COLOSSAL MAN, the 1957 science fiction horror film about a plutonium explosion gone wrong, one generally dismisses it as just another radiation-causes-giant-monster flick from the 1950s.  One certainly doesn’t compare it to the excellent thought provoking THE INCREDIBLE SHRINKING MAN (also made in 1957), which contains a remarkable script by Richard Matheson. And rightly so.  THE INCREDIBLE SHRINKING MAN is in a class by itself.

However, THE AMAZING COLOSSAL MAN is more than just a giant monster movie.  Director Bert I. Gordon, who also did the film’s special effects, co-wrote an intelligent script with Mark Hanna that really examined the horror of what it was like for a man to wake up one day and find that he had become a 60-foot giant.

Sure, the final third of the film shelves intelligence for the more traditional monster-battles-the-army finale, and can’t compare to Richard Matheson’s philosophical conclusion to THE INCREDIBLE SHRINKING MAN, but it still manages to work, somehow.  It’s fun, and the film’s switch to camp is almost a welcome relief from the seriousness that preceded it.

THE AMAZING COLOSSAL MAN tells the story of Glen Manning (Glen Langan, in a terrific performance), an army colonel who is accidentally exposed to a deadly plutonium bomb blast.  When Manning awakens after the explosion, he finds that he has grown to almost 18 feet tall.  Eventually, he reaches a height of 60 feet.

Bert I. Gordon’s script really delves into what it’s like for Manning to go through this ordeal, and it’s clearly the best part of the movie.  Actor Glen Langan also has a field day with the dialogue.  We feel his pain as well as laugh when he pokes fun at himself.  For example, when he jokes about his wardrobe, his expandable shorts, “Army ingenuity,” he says.

The best line, though, and my favorite from the movie, comes when Manning’s loyal girlfriend (Cathy Downs) encourages him not to give up.  His response, “What sin could a man commit in a single lifetime to bring this upon himself?”  That says it all.

Pay attention to these scenes of anguish and you can actually forget you are watching a 1950s science fiction film called THE AMAZING COLOSSAL MAN.  The script is far and away above where you’d expect it to be.

The special effects are OK.  Seen better.  Seen worse.  The most memorable effect is when the two scientists who are trying to cure Manning attempt to inject him with an antidote by jabbing him in the leg with a giant needle.  Manning pulls the humongous syringe from his leg, and then hurls it down at the vulnerable scientists, impaling one of them through the chest.  It’s quick, but you see it go right through the guy!  Pretty gruesome for 1957!

In the mood for some colossal fun?  Check out THE AMAZING COLOSSAL MAN.  He’ll grow on you.

—END—

© Copyright 2003 by Michael Arruda

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In The Spooklight: MARK OF THE VAMPIRE (1935)

Posted in 2010, Classic Films, Horror, In the Spooklight, Remakes, Universal Horror Films, Vampire Movies with tags , , , , , , , on March 11, 2011 by knifefighter

The Bela Lugosi movie MARK OF THE VAMPIRE was mentioned in our recent FRIDAY NIGHT KNIFE COLUMN in which L.L. and I debated Bela Lugosi vs. Christopher Lee as the screen’s ultimate Dracula.  I dug up this column on MARK OF THE VAMPIRE which was originally published in February 2010.~ Michael Arruda, 3/11

IN THE SPOOKLIGHT: MARK OF THE VAMPIRE (1935)
By Michael Arruda

Made four years after DRACULA (1931), by the same director, Tod Browning, and with Bela Lugosi again cast as the vampire, MARK OF THE VAMPIRE (1935) appears at times to be DRACULA II.

But it’s not.

I wish it had been a genuine sequel to DRACULA.  But even more so, I wish it had been a genuine vampire movie.

Generally heralded by critics as a classic of the genre, MARK OF THE VAMPIRE, thanks to the talents of director Tod Browning, and a strong cast that included Lionel Barrymore, Bela Lugosi, and Lionel Atwill, is a well-made horror movie that does rival DRACULA.  However, its plot is largely disappointing.

You see, MARK OF THE VAMPIRE is a remake of the silent lost classic LONDON AFTER MIDNIGHT (1927), also directed by Browning, starring Lon Chaney Sr., in which Chaney plays a police inspector [SPOILER ALERT!!!] who dons the disguise of a vampire in order to catch a criminal.  In short, although MARK OF THE VAMPIRE is so rich in atmosphere you can almost taste the bed of vampire earth on your tongue, the vampire elements in this movie are false.  This is almost as bad as playing the “it was just a dream” card, which is too bad, because MARK OF THE VAMPIRE is one of the best-looking vampire movies ever made.

Sir Karell Borotyn (Holmes Herbert) is murdered, apparently by a vampire, in a village where everyone believes in vampires and lives in mortal fear of them, or would that be immortal fear?  Anyway, Inspector Neumann (Lionel Atwill) calls in Professor Zelen (Lionel Barrymore) to help dispel the vampire rumors, but the professor only adds fuel to the fire because he believes in vampires too.

Things get worse for the Inspector and his efforts to prove that Borotyn was murdered by an ordinary human being when members of Borotyn’s household begin seeing the suspected village vampire Count Mora (Bela Lugosi) and his daughter Luna (Caroll Borland) lurking around the house.  Borotyn’s daughter Irena (Elizabeth Allan) and her fiancé are also attacked by a vampire, and suddenly the entire household is terrified.

Of course, it turns out that the vampires are really actors, and the entire scheme has been part of a ploy by Inspector Neumann to smoke out the real killer.  This plot point does not work for me at all.

Still, there is an awful lot to like about MARK OF THE VAMPIRE.  Director Browning seems to pick up right where he left off with DRACULA. The scenes in Count Mora’s castle are reminiscent of the scenes in Dracula’s castle, complete with spider webs and scurrying creatures and critters.  Lugosi looks terrific as Count Mora in a mostly mute role, as he gets to lurk around dark corners and windows, and Caroll Borland is even more vampiric as Mora’s daughter Luna.

Lionel Atwill, as he always does, turns in a solid, enjoyable performance as Inspector Neumann.  Sure, he became typecast over the years, playing police inspectors in several of the Universal monster movies, most memorably in SON OF FRANKENSTEIN (1939) but truth be told, nobody did it better than Atwill.

The lead went to Lionel Barrymore, today most remembered for his performance as the villainous Potter in Frank Capra’s Christmas classic, IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE (1946), though his career spanned several decades.  He overacts here as Professor Zelen.  Edward Van Sloan is sorely missed!

The screenplay by Guy Endore and Bernard Schubert is very good and includes some memorable lines, but the real stars in this one are the atmospheric direction by Tod Browning, and the undead shenanigans of Bela Lugosi and Carol Borland.

With this one, they certainly left their mark, the MARK OF THE VAMPIRE!

—END—

© Copyright 2010 by Michael Arruda

Bela Lugosi and Carol Borland in MARK OF THE VAMPIRE

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In The Spooklight: REPTILICUS!

Posted in 2010, Campy Movies, Dinosaurs, Giant Monsters, In the Spooklight, Michael Arruda Reviews with tags , , , on November 5, 2010 by knifefighter

Just saw MONSTERS this week, and we’ve got SKYLINE coming up soon, so I’ve got giant monsters on the mind.  This column first appeared in the HWA NEWSLETTER in November 2008, on the silly Danish film REPTILICUS from 1962.

—Michael Arruda, 11/4/10


IN THE SPOOKLIGHT: REPTILICUS (1962)
By Michael Arruda

It’s so bad it’s good.

There aren’t a lot of genres where this statement is true.  Horror films are one of them.

Sometimes the brain can recognize everything wrong with a movie, but the heart is somehow won over.

REPTILICUS (1962), that rarity of rarities, a giant monster movie not from Japan but from— Denmark?— for example, is a god-awful movie, weak every which way you slice it, but somehow, when all is said and done, and you’ve finished watching it, the flick is, dare I say it, charming?

Let’s examine this strange phenomenon.

For starters, REPTILICUS sports your standard giant monster movie plot.  The frozen tail of a giant prehistoric beast is unearthed and then accidentally thawed out by scientists.  The biological term regeneration is pressed to its limits as the entire creature regenerates from just its tail.  It then escapes from the laboratory and goes on a rampage, terrorizing Denmark.

The special effects are ridiculously poor.  The “fire” spit out by the giant reptile is obviously scratched into the film a la someone’s backyard film project.  And the monster itself is about as real looking as something you’d find in the discount toy aisle at Wal Mart.

Yet, somehow, this all works to the movie’s advantage.  The look of the title creature, Reptilicus, is unique.  Hey, I have to give credit where credit is due.  You just don’t see too many movie monsters looking like Reptilicus, and I suppose the look of the creature is part of the movie’s charm.

Reptilicus looks less like a dinosaur and more like a dragon—albeit a dragon with just a long neck and no body.  Where is the creature’s body?  It’s hardly ever seen, as most shots simply show the neck and head moving from behind buildings.  The monster is obviously a puppet, and looks like something created by the late Jim Henson’s evil twin.

And when we do see the body, it rolls along the ground like a giant wind-up toy.

And then there’s that wild sound that Reptilicus makes, like a car in serious need of transmission fluid.  The creature also sports wings, and rumor has it that in some prints it even flies!

The dialogue and the acting are so bad you’ll be laughing out loud.

In all seriousness, the movie does include a terrific stunt, as panicked bicyclists plunge from a drawbridge into the sea while fleeing from the rampaging puppet monster.  Supposedly, real bicyclists were paid to ride off the bridge into the water.

The movie also has a great over-the-top dramatic music score.

So, why is a movie like this worth the time of any serious horror writer?  The obvious reason is that it never hurts to see what NOT to do.  But I think a better reason is sometimes, you just have to let loose and have fun and watch something so bad it’s good.

What’s interesting here, is that REPTILICUS is a movie that obviously doesn’t work the way it was intended.  Director Sidney Pink didn’t set out to make a bad movie.  Still, REPTILICUS is a bad movie—a bad movie that works, just not in the way it was intended to work.  It works because in spite of it blatant flaws, it’s entertaining.

REPTILICUS is not a movie you’d want to study, but as a student of the horror genre, it is one you’d want to see, at least once.  This way you’ll understand why GODZILLA and KING KONG are part of our popular culture, while REPTILICUS is just a maniacal dragon puppet with wings.

—END—

© Copyright 2008 by Michael Arruda

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In the Spooklight – WAR OF THE WORLDS (1953)

Posted in 2010, Aliens, Classic Films, In the Spooklight with tags , , , , , , , , on October 20, 2010 by knifefighter

This one’s from waaaay back in October 2001, less than a month after the events of September 11, 2001.  That tragic day was still fresh in my mind when I wrote this column on WAR OF THE WORLDS (1953).  Incidentally, WAR OF THE WORLDS was on my mind this week because I saw a neat collectible of the Martian ship at the ROCK AND SHOCK convention in Worcester, Mass., this past weekend.  I thought about buying it, but when I went back for a second look, it was gone.  Maybe it flew off!

—Michael Arruda, 10/19/20

IN THE SPOOKLIGHT: WAR OF THE WORLDS (1953)
by Michael Arruda

Perhaps it’s the association with Orson Welles’ famous Halloween broadcast of 1938.   Or maybe it’s simply because it’s a damn fine scary movie!  Whatever the reason, the 1953 version of H.G. Wells’ THE WAR OF THE WORLDS is perfect Halloween viewing.

Not in the creaky, spooky, things-that-go-bump-in-the-night way.  But in the “in your face,” “there’s-nowhere-to-hide” way!

Martians invade earth.  Their machines pulverize humankind and our assortment of modern-day weapons (the film updates Wells’ story to the 1950s), while withstanding everything we throw at them, including the atom bomb.  Up until the final seconds of the film, and there ain’t nothin stopping these babies!

And it all starts so innocently, in small town America.  A spaceship crashes.  Townsfolk excitedly investigate.  Three deputies keep an eye on the fallen object which the locals believe to be a meteor.  When the deputies realize it is a spaceship, they attempt to show these extraterrestrial visitors that they are friendly.  They are quickly murdered.

Ships begin to fall all over the earth.  It is quickly realized that the Martian intentions are hostile, and that invasion is imminent.  Countries around the world scramble to defend themselves.  Nation after nation succumb to the alien attackers.  The last country left standing is the United States, and after they drop the atom bomb to no avail—the targeted Martian spaceships aren’t even touched!— the fight appears to be over.

In light of the events of September 11 and the subsequent war against terrorism, it is somewhat jarring to watch this film now, while a real war is being waged.  The scenes of buildings being blown up, of Los Angeles being attacked, of mass hysteria, are all the more poignant and disturbing due to current tragic events.

Yet, THE WAR OF THE WORLDS is still a classic among genre films, one that is not to be missed.  In vivid Technicolor, it’s a beautiful production.  The Martian ships, with their bright greens and reds, and distinctive sounds, are among the most memorable visuals in the history of horror/sci-fi cinema.  No wonder this film took the Oscar for Best Special Effects that year.

The screenplay by Barre Lyndon gives us three-dimensional characters who we care for, and offers many nice touches.  When leading lady (Ann Robinson) first meets the resident hero scientist (Gene Barry) she doesn’t recognize him because he’s wearing glasses.  He replies that he only uses them for distances.  “When I want to look at something up close, I take them off.”  He promptly removes the glasses and looks right into her eyes.  A nice sexy moment.

Director Byron Haskin handles all the action scenes with ease and provides plenty of chills.  After the atom bomb is dropped, the Martian machines emerge from the dust cloud completely unscathed and unhindered, and they’ve never looked scarier.  And the first time we see an actual Martian— it’s absolutely gruesome!

The final sequence, where Gene Barry and Ann Robinson struggle to reach each other, fighting through the horde of panicked people inside a crowded church, while outside the Martian machines are closing in, destroying everything in their path, is classic cinema.  Amidst the screaming crowd, the two leads finally embrace, just as the church walls begin to crumble around them.  Powerful, emotional stuff.

But the true star of THE WAR OF THE WORLDS isn’t the cast, or the direction or the script, or even the Martians themselves, but those magnificent Martian machines.  They are as much an indelible image in horror cinema as Karloff’s Frankenstein monster.  Once seen, they are not forgotten.

—END—

© Copyright 2001 by Michael Arruda

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In the Spooklight: THE TOMB OF LIGEIA

Posted in 2007, Edgar Allen Poe, In the Spooklight, Roger Corman, Vincent Price with tags , , , , , on October 8, 2010 by knifefighter

This column, on the Roger Corman/Vincent Price classic THE TOMB OF LIGEIA (1964), is from October 2007 and is another Halloween edition of IN THE SPOOKLIGHT, part of our month-long celebration of Halloween here at CINEMA KNIFE FIGHT.—Michael Arruda, October 8, 2010

IN THE SPOOKLIGHT: THE TOMB OF LIGEIA
by Michael Arruda

I prefer horror to be an emotional experience, which is why, sometimes Roger Corman’s Edgar Allan Poe adaptations don’t work for me.

THE TOMB OF LIGEIA (1964), starring Vincent Price, Corman’s eighth and final Poe adaptation, is a perfect example.

Technically, the film is flawless. It’s arguably Corman’s best job at the helm. The film looks phenomenal, there’s great use of locations, and the camera work is extremely stylish. For these reasons alone watching THE TOMB OF LIGEIA can be as rewarding and mouthwatering as reading a good novel. Your intelligence won’t be let down.

It also has a decent screenplay by Robert Towne, which lives up to its source material. (Towne went on to write classics like 1974′s CHINATOWN).

However, THE TOMB OF LIGEIA has never been one of my favorites because as it plays out, it’s as cold as a corpse with about as much life (unless of course you’re talking vampire and zombies, which get around rather well, but there ain’t no vampires or zombies here!). Perhaps this is on purpose, and perhaps it’s just another sign of Corman’s genius. Could be. But for me, the fact remains that as I watch THE TOMB OF LIGEIA, and as I recognize while watching that “Hmm, this movie is extremely well made,” I also realize I’m not emotionally invested in the characters or the situations.

THE TOMB OF LIGEIA tells the story of Verden Fell (Vincent Price) who’s—what else? —brooding over the death of his wife, Ligeia. When a new woman, the Lady Rowena (Elizabeth Shepherd, in a dual role, as she also appears as Ligeia) expresses interest in Verden, the ghost of Ligeia takes offense, setting off the usual, standard ghostly shenanigans. We learn that Verden isn’t mourning his deceased wife—he’s afraid of her— afraid that she’s not really dead. It turns out Ligeia was a bold, energetic woman who had asserted she would never die, and she definitely got inside Verden’s head.

It’s this part of the film that works best for me. Is Ligeia really a ghost?  Or is it Verden, so brainwashed by his deceased wife that he himself is causing the mayhem? On this level, the film works well.

And the performances by the two leads are terrific. Price stands out as Verden. His look, with the dark brown hair and dark glasses, to shield his ultra sensitive eyes from the light, is unique to this movie. Price moves through this role effortlessly, as if he could do it in his sleep. Elizabeth Shepherd is just as good as The Lady Rowena. Her portrayal of Rowena as a strong woman who is not intimidated by evil spirits is refreshing.

But THE TOMB OF LIGEIA fails to connect on an emotional level. Price’s Verden isn’t that likeable, and while Shepherd’s Lady Rowena is, she’s not a central enough character to carry the movie on her own. I don’t really care about these characters, and as a result, I don’t care all that much about what happens to them, which makes for a lackluster movie viewing experience.

THE TOMB OF LIGEIA is a mixed bag, which for Halloween, is OK. In a trick or treat bag, chances are you’ll get candy you’re not crazy about along with your favorites, but still, it’s candy, and you’re not going to throw it away. Likewise, THE TOMB OF LIGEIA is a stylish, almost beautiful, horror movie that is pleasing to the eye and the intellect, but not so attractive to the heart. For those of us who tell tales, the heart can be the difference maker. Still, it’s Corman, it’s Price, it’s Poe, it’s candy.

It’s Halloween. Eat up.

—END—

© Copyright 2010 by Michael Arruda

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In the Spooklight: THE WICKER MAN (1973)

Posted in 2010, Art Movies, Classic Films, In the Spooklight with tags , , , , , , on September 17, 2010 by knifefighter

Since Britt Ekland was my choice for the sexiest performance in a horror film for her work in THE WICKER MAN (1973) in last month’s MONSTROUS QUESTION OF THE MONTH, here’s my column on- you got it!- THE WICKER MAN, which was first published in 2005.  This one also happened to be my 50th IN THE SPOOKLIGHT column. –-Michael Arruda

IN THE SPOOKLIGHT: THE WICKER MAN (1973)
by Michael Arruda

Welcome to the 50th “In the Spooklight” column!  Time flies when you’re having fun!

It’s been a wonderful journey for me, writing about the horror movies I know and love, starting back in August 2000 when the first column was published in the HORROR WRITERS ASSOCIATION (HWA) INTERNET MAILER by then editor Judi Rohrig!  Thanks, Judi!  And thanks to all of you readers who hopefully have had as much fun reading the column as I’ve had writing it!

In honor of the occasion, the 50th column will look at one of the more bizarre, offbeat yet effective chillers of the 20th century, a film you don’t often hear a lot about, THE WICKER MAN (1973), starring Christopher Lee and Edward Woodward.

First a couple of words about what THE WICKER MAN is NOT.  With a cast that includes Lee and Ingrid Pitt, two Hammer Film veterans, one might expect this to be a Hammer-type film.  It’s not.  Not by a long shot.

It’s also not really a horror film.  It’s an art film, actually, the type of film you’d see at that specialty cinema which shows foreign films.  You wouldn’t find it playing at the multiplex at your local mall.  This being said, THE WICKER MAN is still scary, and when it’s over, you’re left feeling uneasy, uncomfortable and even a little nauseous.

THE WICKER MAN tells the story of a policeman (Edward Woodward) called to an island to investigate the disappearance of a young girl.  He discovers a strange pagan society that practices sexual rituals that don’t sit well with his conservative Christian religious views.

Christopher Lee plays the leader of this society, Lord Summerisle.  Lee delivers a deliciously understated performance, resplendent with nuances and subtleties.  Here, he’s not Dracula, Fu Manchu or even Count Dooku.  Lord Summerisle is not your typical Christopher Lee performance.  As a result, it’s one of his best; certainly his most natural.

Likewise, Edward Woodward (who would achieve TV fame years later in the popular TV series THE EQUALIZER) is terrific as the policeman, in a role originally intended for Peter Cushing.

And Britt Ekland is as sensuous a siren as you’ll see on screen.  The “siren song” scene where she sings to Woodward through the bedroom wall is so charged with sexual energy— just keep some cold water handy!

The film hooks you into its plot from the get-go, as soon as Woodward begins his investigation.  It initiates a level of suspense which continually builds until it reaches an unforgettable climax that smacks you upside the head with an ending that would make M. Night Shyamalan wish he’d written it!

The script by Anthony Shaffer is top-notch, with enough twists and turns to really keep you guessing.  Is the little girl alive?  Dead?  Does she even exist?  Robin Hardy directed the film, and he fills it with images that are both memorable and haunting, especially the image of the wicker man at the film’s conclusion.

Now, there are two versions of THE WICKER MAN out there.  There’s the cut 88 minute print which is the version originally released in the U.S., after it was severely edited by U.S. distributors who hated the film.  There’s also the newly restored 103 minute print, which obviously is the definitive version of the film.

Now that summer is over, school is back in session, and there’s a general feel of getting back to business, it’s time to exchange the fluff for some serious adult horror viewing.  It’s time for THE WICKER MAN, a true masterpiece of the genre.

—END—

© Copyright 2005 by Michael Arruda

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