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The Island of The Lost (1921) I managed to watch a colorized/music version of this German silent film of the classic Dr. Moreau story. I get to see more makeup effects of half human beasties and their misery. I started off with the 1996 version, I am gonna continue this viewing adventure with the 1932 version next. I like everything I've seen so far.
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Island of Lost Souls (1932)
"That is the law! " , This is the classic one people usually mention. I definitely liked it, but its the least favorite of the three so far for me. |
NIGHT OF THE BIG HEAT (1968)-also known as ISLAND OF THE BURNING DAMNED/ISLAND OF THE BURNING DOOMED>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>SPOILERS>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> >> >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> This has the feel of a Hammer movie, especially with Chris Lee and Peter Cushing. Both are good, especially Chris as a secretive scientist; honestly, NO ONE could display annoyance as well as Chris. While England is freezing during a brutal winter, an island off the coast is experiencing almost tropical heat with mysterious deaths/occurrences happening. Adding to the fun is the arrival of a secretary for Patrick Allen who is a book writer/hotelier; the two know each other, but not in a "Get-A-Cup-Of-Coffee" sort of way. While He wants her to leave, He also can't seem to keep his hands off her Not that I can blame him-Jane Merrow, who was in THE LION IN WINTER later this year-is as hot as fresh owl shit::love::. Eventually, the cause of the heat is discovered and honestly, it's sort of anti-climatic. The real draw here is how adult some of the situations are handled in a film probably marketed for pre-teens. Allen calls Jane a "slut" more than once and when his wife finds out about hubby had an affair and asks why, she is told "Because I wanted her body!" and how is was "..physical". Oddly enough, she seems to forgive him for his adultery ; maybe because there was no emotional attachment-??::confused:: *** PS: One could almost see this as decades old warning on Global warming. |
MAN BAIT (1952-also known as THE LAST PAGE). Early Hammer film in conjunction with Lippert Productions who would have a faded star to appeal to American audiences. In this case, it's George Brent (DARK VICTORY) who runs a book store and finds problems with one of his employees who isn't as worldly or smart as she thinks. There are quite a few plot holes -do these people think ahead-but certainly worth a look and although she isn't in it very long, Diana Dors (given an "Introducing" title, although she had made several films before this) is pretty good as the hot Lolita-ish doxy who gets in over her head with lots of twists and turns due to her behavior. And it's nice seeing all those familiar Hammer names in the credits, some years before they started hitting the big time. ***
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TORTURE GARDEN (1967). Amicus Anthology film of a group of people who go into the tent of "Dr Diablo" for a view of a possible future. While it's not the best anthology the studio ever made-TALES FROM THE CRYPT, ASYLUM and THE HOUSE THAT DRIPPED BLOOD are much better-it's not bad on it's own terms, although the first story is way too long. An early performance by Barbara Ewing (Zena from DRACULA HAS RISEN FROM THE GRAVE) and the final story with Jack Palance and Peter Cushing is pretty good. *** |
Earth vs. the Flying Saucers (1956)
10/10 My first time seeing the film. I wouldn't change anything. Very nicely shot, full sets, effective special effects, well-acted, invisible score. The main characters display sweet attachments to each other, just enough to give the sci-fi story some gravity. Flim has a natural varied pacing, never feels like it's dawdling or trying too hard. It's an interesting peek as a period piece too, regarding space satellites, UFO attitudes, distrust of aliens and military chain of command (the latter being timeless). It's also a bit funny, in a mildly frustrating way, the way everyone deals with contact and the possibility of relations with space aliens. It doesn't seem self-aware of its own 'shoot first ask questions later' attitude. --== SPOILERS ==-- How would you deal with technologically superior immigrants? The main character, Dr. Marvin, a recently married rocket or satellite scientist, and the military brass, have a rather close-minded uncompromising approach to the space immigrants. They want to meet with US leaders in Washington, DC, but aren't allowed to. They say they're survivors from a disintegrated solar system, hanging out on the Moon, there's only a few of them (less than 100 apparently) and have worked out a nonviolent agreement with earth folks in the past. When Marvin says he can only ask his leaders to set up a meeting and thinks it may take weeks or months to setup (wow, he's out of touch!), the aliens destroy a US destroyer and tells Marvin to relay the coordinates to show they aren't gonna read a magazine in the waiting room. The aliens also captured a General and feed his brain info into their computer, making him a radio-controlled mouthpiece, but also said they would return him, I assume they meant restored to normal, but they didn't specify. So, the aliens don't have much respect for human life, and they also said they don't want to fight a protracted insurgency. Without meeting with the aliens to see what sort of arrangement they have in mind, Marvin, and apparently the military brass, decide they'll just try to wipe them out with the 56 days the aliens graciously give them to set up a meeting. The film never mentions anything about the President or Congress, which is weird. Personally, I would have met with them to see what they're situation is, while making all plans for defense. I mean, they probably don't eat much. And if they've made peaceful arrangements in the past, maybe they just want a few bags of coal, relax to some Benny Goodman records and stay on the Moon. Might be worth thousands of lives and millions in reconstruction costs to offer some hospitality, get to know your neighbor and see if they can setup prosperous cooperation. ::big grin:: Thoughts? |
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WOW!::big grin:: You sure put lots of ideas out thee. I think Your idea is a god one; see what they want, but with a Plan B invoiced. Also, maybe some Artie Shaw albums instead? It's been awhile since I saw this...good, as I recall, with amazing HArryhausen work. FACE OF THE SCREAMING WEREWOLF (1959/1964). Yet another Mexican film acquired and shaked/baked by Jerry Warren into an oddball mess. A Mummy is found in Mexico and it's soon discovered that the Mummy is also a Werewolf! The big plus or FOTSW is Lon Chaney playing two of his 1940's Universal creations. Sadly, Lon looks horrible here-his disease was truly taking a toll- and has no dialogue. But, I must say, his werewolf makeup is decent and he's appropriately ferocious. Worth one look, at least, but really only one. ** |
ROAD TO RUIN (1934). Short tawdry "Pre-Code" exploitation ( directed by Dorothy Davenport, listed here as "Mrs Wallace Reid"' Mr Reid was an actor in the early years of cinema becoming addicted to morphine and dying of influenza) about a "new Girl" at a school (implied very heavily that she is a "Good Girl") that gets involved with the "Wrong Crowd" and succumbing to "Peer Pressure". This starts with a first cigarette, drinking and romance with a cute boy before leading to drug addiction and promiscuity which doesn't foretell a happy future. A low budget hurts it somewhat, but pretty audacious and at barely an hour on YOUTUBE, it's worth a look. **1/2
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THEM! (1954)
8/10 Atomic blasts in the Arizona desert enhanced some dangerous pests. Top-of-the-shelf Hollywood atomic-age sci-fi thriller with a virtual whose-who cast, right down to a Leonard Nimoy in a bit part. THEM! has attention to detail to take the story out a ways. The dialogue dances with inspirited performances. Nice cinematography, effects and pace. The only thing missing is a couple of change-of-pace scenes to develop the story's romantic partners. Makes me wonder if they're on the cutting room floor. |
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HORROR OF DRACULA (1958). Very fond memories of HOD; how it scared the hell out of Me some 50 years ago (Halloween of '73 on a big screen-but how I loved it) and re-watching it yesterday, how it's still a good looking entertaining film with some cool moments and a still banging wrap up. Also, Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee are both aces here, especially Peter handling every prop in sight and being so physical-I love how He leaps over the banister to check out the commotion! Michael Gough is prickly and unpleasant as usual, but really good acting, especially when Lucy is done in...his anguish is quite convincing. A couple of questions are why didn't Van Helsing stay with Lucy himself (the old adage, "If You want something done right, Do it Yourself") and why do both Lucy and Mina call him "Dr Helsing"?
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>SPOILER>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> >> A BIG question for Me, especially after this last viewing is how UNPREPARED Jonathon Harker is when going to the castle in order to kill Dracula...no crucifixes (I would have them all over Me, even in my socks) or other protection, why He doesn't dispatch Dracula first instead of the Vampire girl -the look of terror on his face as He realizes his error is quite convincing- and what possesses him to engage in physicality with the Count after the girl puts the bite on him-talk about a Death wish! Minor quibbles and should not deter from checking HOD out. Also, in a review of BRIDES OF DRACULA, I mentioned Andree Melly as "The ultimate Vampire Chick", while Andree is scary, she can't compare to Valerie Gaunt, who is way scary, quite feral and WAY hot...as pointed out on 1000 MISSPENT HOURS, the amount of bountiful cleavage Valerie shows is quite mind boggling for a 50's movie! **** |
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde 1920 ★★★★
One thing to keep in mind about these old timey classics is that every positive sentence should be preceded by the words “by the standards of *insert year or decade*”. This is one of the oldest horrors ever, if not the oldest. So that goes even more. Nonetheless, I thoroughly enjoyed it. Ye old timey English – that somehow seemingly lends itself more to this type of epic drama – or the interesting way the score balanced strings for the more ominous and eerie moments and the piano in the more lighthearted and/or melodramatic parts. Around the first time Jekyll changed into Hyde, I heard snippets that would not be out of place on a post rock album. Would not mind a screening with live music provided by, I don't know, 65 days of static or Sigur Ros or some other good band I forgot to mention. This goes well with the tragic figure that Jekyll was. A well meaning soul with kindness in his heart, whose curiosity as a scientist became his undoing. Shedding his kindness when Hyde, going even as far as killing people. Even though the death toll is not all that high in this movie. Separate mention for the scene where Hyde's ghost takes over Jekyll's body. Wondering how they did that with the technology of the time. Two downsides: It's pretty slow and you have to stay focused because the pancartes with the dialogue and the exposition do not always leave you much time. Granted, this is coming from someone with English as their second language. But still, heads up for the more ADD prone among the native speakers. I loved it. Make of it what you will. The Last Man on Earth 1964 ★★★★ A shot of Vincent Price's voice and a classic from the sixties. Because I can and because I felt like it. |
Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street 1936 ★★★
Most people (including myself) mostly know this film in te version Tim Burton made. So it was a pleasant surprise to see this 30s version pop up. And on Netflix of all places. This movie has all the charm that a vintage horror can bring to table. Sweeney Todd convincingly portrayed as a psychopath, with his barbershop chair trap looking pretty spectacular, especially at first sight. The English spoken in that era, aka the type that Americans often parody when they think of jolly ol' England. The story manages to keep a solid pace and never really lags all that much. Maybe not mindboggling, but a fun watch for those who are starting to explore vintage horror. |
BEAST WITH A MILLION EYES (1955). >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>SPOILERS>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> >> >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> > An early AIP before they became AIP. BWAME focuses on a combative financially struggling family, raising dates in the desert, far from the nearest town. Paul Birch (THE DAY THE WORLD ENDED) also has to deal with an unhappy complaining wife (Lorna Thayer who was in a lot of films, particularly as The Waitress in FIVE EASY PIECES)-the women is so fussy, You could almost dub her "The Beast With A Million Whines". The wife also squabbles a lot with their daughter (whose voice sounds a lot like Rocky J Squirrel) and she's not crazy about their mentally deficient handy man-only referred to as "Him"-who has a ton of pin-ups in his living quarters and seems to take an unhealthy interest in the daughter, especially by the swimming hole. A UFO flies over their house crashing somewhere in the desert and odd things begin occurring such as animals turning vicious and "Him" trying to harm the family. It turns out the Alien of the ship (who is less than impressive with You see him) has taken control of all the local animals and less intelligent people, giving him unlimited views, hence the "Million Eyes" It's goofy, no two ways about it, but a certain inept charm and a larger budget might have helped-also an early appearance by Dick Sargent, the second "Darrin" from BEWITCHED. **1/2 |
WAY DOWN EAST (1920). Another silent movie with live musical accompaniment at our favorite theater/concert venue. Lillian Gish is a young country girl who goes to visit some wealthy relatives, meets a guy who marries her after a whirlwind courtship, then dumps her like a hot potato when she is pregnant, revealing the marriage was a sham (Quite an intricate way to get nookie, I must say). Of course, She has to deal with the social stigma and shame from her situation and even a chance at happiness may be thwarted because of that. A pretty exciting ending , filmed in Upper New Hampshire and Vermont. ****
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I have to check this out, especially with Tod Slaughter in the role. Speaking of Tod.... FACE AT THE WINDOW (1939). A series of "wolf man " murders are taking place around Paris which always involve a hideous face at the window. A Bank Clerk is accused of one of the murders and takes intricate steps to clear his name, while a possible investor for the Bank seems to make his mission to frame the clerk for the crimes. This British film has that threadbare look and uneven acting that was evident during the time. The main interest here is Tod Slaughter who is delightfully hammy, wicked and possessing one of the most evil laughs You'll ever hear::big grin::! You'll probably guess the wrap up, FATW is worth seeing because of Slaughter's performance. SINISTER CINEMA once said that "...No one ever had as much fun being bad as Tod" and it certainly has an element of truth. **1/2 |
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Son of Kong (1933) 6/10 It's a one-hour film that's really kid friendly. There's a sweetness to the main characters. They don't get back to Skull Island until the film is more than half over. The white colored child of Kong, Little Kong, does funny things and makes funny faces. The stop-motion is done by Willis O'Brien, same artist who did the work in the original King Kong. Little Kong fights three beasts, but it all seems unnecessary, and not particularly dynamic, you just have to wait for it to be over. SPOILER I saw Son of Kong as a child. The ending pulled my heart strings when Little Kong lifted the protagonist over his head out of the flood waters as Little Kong drowns. Watching it this second time, I did pick up something new... which is Little Kong got his foot caught in the rocks, that's why he drowned. As a child I just thought Little Kong wasn't tall enough to have his head out of the water and was just concerned with saving the man's life. Getting the foot caught is a novel solution to seeing Little Kong drown, as he wouldn't have fit on the small lifeboat the protagonist got into to survive the flooded island. |
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I was nine when I saw SON OF KONG and the ending got Me as well; it wasn't until I got it on VHS in the 80's that I noticed poor Little Kong got stuck. While I still enjoyed the stop motion work, SOK is pretty juvenile...I almost groaned when He shrugs and makes a face::shocked:: It's OK, but can't compare in any way to KING KONG. THREE IN THE ATTIC (1968). I had never heard of this AIP film other than it was a big grosser for them that year. Christopher Jones plays a womanizing College Student who, while involved in a (somewhat) committed relationship with Yvette Mimieux , He also finds time and energy to bed two other women -Judy Pace - BRIAN'S SONG, COTTON COMES TO HARLEM and FROGS- and Maggie Thrett-some STAR TREK episodes and dating Gram Parsons-, swearing fidelity to all of them. Somehow, He manages to juggle all relationships and brag about it to his Fraternity Brothers. However, He is found out and after being lured to an attic, bound to a bed and as "punishment", being screwed by the three women constantly-that's some punishment::roll eyes::. Eventually, the school lists him as a missing student and efforts are made to find him. While the three ladies are fine (especially Judy Pace), their actions could be construed as kidnapping and rape. But the guy is such a jerk; a good beating is more of what he deserves. So, a tiresome "hip" movie that really hasn't held up at all. *1/2 |
BLOOD MOON (1934). >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>SPOILERS>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> >> >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> A young girl, whose parents were killed during a voodoo ritual on an island (a different name, but I'm pretty sure it's supposed to be Haiti) returns in adulthood with her daughter and nanny to live with an uncle who is a long time resident there. The woman's husband and his secretary (who is secretly in love with him) travel to the island and find the wife heavily involved in voodoo rituals. Bad things happen to people who try to limit the wife's commitment including actions that veer into another realm entirely. If You think this sounds A LOT like I WALKED WITH A ZOMBIE (made 8 years later) than You wouldn't be half wrong. Still, not a bad way to spend a hour plus and I always like watching Fay Wray (KING KONG); this was her last film in the "horror" genre and VM was released a couple of weeks before "The Code" was implemented, meaning a lot of the more sordid aspects in movies would be seriously toned down or deleted. With what looks like a low budget, director Roy William Neill (the Universal Sherlock Holmes series, THE BLACK ROOM and FRANKENSTEIN MEETS THE WOLFMAN) does a decent job. **1/2 |
A LUST TO KILL (1958). Somewhat formulaic Western about two childhood best friends going on different paths-one to a life of crime (Don Megowan, mostly played monsters and who is a cross between Lee Marvin and Lon Chaney Jr as the sadistic hateful outlaw) and as a Lawman (Jim Davis, best known for TV's DALLAS). One of my favorites Allison Hayes is here, but not much to do, although, as per usual, she is lovely. It moves well enough to hold Your interest, although the ending can give You an "EWWWW" moment::big grin::. ***
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Bloodlust! 1961 ★★½
This early sixties feature follows two couples with a lot of fifties in them. Kind of like the Cunninghams but, instead of the Fonz, their captain is the rummy from the opening scene from A Clockwork Orange. They find a seemingly abandoned island Gosh dear, isn't this lovely? Oh darling, it's wonderful. only to end up being chased by a Vincent Price facsimile who tries to kill them with a crossbow for a place in his own private collection. Don't you just hate it when that happens? The villain looks cool, but take away mister Price's charm, cool and charisma, and any actor imitating him will soon become cartoony. Which kind of makes it funny in its own way. Just like the predictable ending for the infidelity subplot or the henchman almost killed half off screen. For people in the mood for a bit of cheese. Or for people with not enough for a feature length, but still looking for an hour's worth of fun. |
QUATERMASS 2 (1956). Sci-fi from Hammer Studios with Brian Donlevy reprising his role as the brusque scientist intent on Space Colonization goes to investigates a large number of meteorites all landing in the same area. Investigating with a colleague, He discovers a large governmental building and finds there is more than meets the eye.
Nothing Earth shattering, but not a bad way to spend some time, especially spotting all the Hammer names that would become familiar to Monster Kids as the studios fortunes increased. *** |
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Cry of the Werewolf 1944 ★½
Off screen kills, little or no special effects, lots of theatrical and seemingly aimless yapping. It's not good when one the more interesting scenes just remind you of Harry Dean Stanton in Alien. Guess they can't all be zingers. Vertigo 1958 ★★★★★ Thanks to the local art house theater for putting this gem on their classics program. We got an introduction during which a person told us a few bits and bobs about the techniques used during the shooting and how they proved to be revolutionery. Like what later became as The Vertigo Zoom or the dizzying effect when Scotty suffers a vertigo episode. Cinematic brilliance. And yes, I love this movie and my appreciation has only gone up from the previous viewing. A masterpiece of storytelling with excellent acting from both James Stewart and Kim Novak. During Madelleine's descent into madness and afterwards during the later twists. Though, in my opinion, Midge was the most likable character in the film. Makes me wonder how much the perception of the female characters in Vertigo shifted over the years. At this point, I am a bit on the fence about the ending. From the introduction, I understand James Stewart's criticised the film for being too perverse and too somber; and yes, the ending is somewhat dark, with the main antagonist escaping scotfree. Then again, I would imagine that happy endings were so par for the course that you could also consider it as daring to go against the grain. Sadly missed the shot where Hitch inserted himself into the movie. So a rewatch is due sooner or later. As if it would not be anyway. |
THE WORLD OF THE VAMPIRES (1960). Very cheesy Mexican horror film dubbed into English, that nonetheless is a fun little romp. If nothing else, a lot of their films had good atmosphere and certainly are fun if taken in the right spirit. TWOTV concerns a Count Subotai seeking revenge on the descendants of an enemy family. He loves playing music on a huge organ with lots of bones and like most Mexican vampires, has canines that are enormous. Oddly enough, there are some musical pieces which can cause serious harm and one scene where He attends a party and the nominal "hero" plays a piece, the look of distress on his face is pretty funny...it looks like He's having a bathroom attack! ***
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THE WASP WMAN (1960). Roger Corman (RIP) quickie that while very low budget is better than it sounds, although the titular feature is less than impressive. An aging head of a Cosmetics Firm-probably two firsts in a film of this type; a Woman is in charge and the emphasis on her normal aging could be responsible for declining sales- lets herself be a Guinea Pig for a scientist's experiments with Wasp jelly (although You tend to see a swarm of bees instead::confused) to rejuvenate her appearance. Things start off well, but it only lasts so long and typical of most people (not just a woman), She wants results yesterday and things quickly go FUBAR. Good performance by Susan Cabot in her last film. ***
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Vertigo 1958 ★★★★★
Thanks to the local art house theater for putting this gem on their classics program. We got an introduction during which a person told us a few bits and bobs about the techniques used during the shooting and how they proved to be revolutionery. Like what later became as The Vertigo Zoom or the dizzying effect when Scotty suffers a vertigo episode. Cinematic brilliance. And yes, I love this movie and my appreciation has only gone up from the previous viewing. A masterpiece of storytelling with excellent acting from both James Stewart and Kim Novak. During Madelleine's descent into madness and afterwards during the later twists. Though, in my opinion, Midge was the most likable character in the film. Makes me wonder how much the perception of the female characters in Vertigo shifted over the years. At this point, I am a bit on the fence about the ending. From the introduction, I understand James Stewart's criticised the film for being too perverse and too somber; and yes, the ending is somewhat dark, with the main antagonist escaping scotfree. Then again, I would imagine that happy endings were so par for the course that you could also consider it as daring to go against the grain. Sadly missed the shot where Hitch inserted himself into the movie. So a rewatch is due sooner or later. As if it would not be anyway. |
The Raven 1963 ★★★★
Roger Corman took the classic Edgar Allen Poe story and turned it into a more slapstick like comedy. It worked brilliantly. All stars do a great job (Vincent Price can quite funny) and it was fun seeing a young Jack Nicholson come by. Also, I kind of hope there is an audiobook version of mister Price reading the original text by Poe. |
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CORRIDORS OF BLOOD (1958, although there have been release dates as late as 1962). Boris Karloff is very good as an eminent surgeon who in the 1850's is trying desperately to find a way to sedate patients during surgery so no pain will be involved-kind of grim settings and a realization that "surgery" normally meant amputation or severe agony. He experiments with several chemicals until He finds a solution that works; unfortunately, He has ended up being addicted to his experimental elixir and having to associate with people He normally would cross the street to avoid. Lots of Hammer people in here including a very seedy Christopher Lee, a very young and lovely Yvonne Romain (CURSE OF THE WEREWOLF) and Francis Matthews (REVENGE OF FRANKENSTEIN and DRACULA, PRINCE OF DARKNESS). ***
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