Once again, TJ score two hits out of the park::cool::! We saw POTO a couple of years back on the big screen and despite the overacting by the supporting performers, Chaney is aces!

As for THE HAUNTING, so creepy! I saw in the Panama Canal Zone at an "Owl Show" which was usually horror films starting at 10:00. It really had the audience on edge, but some frustration when Eleanor is thinking (quite a lot in this film) as most of the films I saw back in the CZ had Spanish subtitles, but for whatever reason, Eleanors inner dialogues were in Spanish::shocked::!
Showed it many years later to a group, one who loved FANGORIA type films, but was riveted by the film and practically leapt out of his seat in a scene involving a missing person::big grin::

THE TWO FACES OF Dr JEKYLL (1960).>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>SPOILERS>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> >>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Not many people seem to know about this Hammer entry, but it's pretty damn good and I feel it's held up better than many of their offerings. While it's got the bare bones plot of Jekyll trying to find the duality of man, it has many differences. Jekyll is podgy and tired looking, while Hyde is handsome and so jittery that He can't sit still (Good performances by Paul Massie) and maybe it's because He holds a grudge from treatment from former colleagues, his best friend is a drunken gambler constantly hitting him up for $$ to get out of messes He created and said friend is boffing Mrs Jekyll! While Hammer had unpleasant characters in their films, there seems to be an overabundance in this...so many unsavory types here! Also, so much sexual content; they were really pushing the envelope here! Hyde's exotic mistress (where You see some actual nudity and the dance with the snake!), a conga line of dancers constantly revealing their undies and just an extremely misogynistic treatment towards ALL the women here, including a precursor to FRANKENSTEIN MUST BE DESTROYED where Hyde
gets even, as it were, for Jekyll's unfaithful wife.
Christopher Lee is very good here as the friend (although why You would want a guy like this as Your friend escapes Me) and an early appearance by Oliver Reed. ***1/2

Thanks for reviewing this one. I have not seen it yet. It sounds like an interesting take. Have you read the novella Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde? If so, did you have a take on what you thought the novella was saying?

I've seen Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde 1931 with Fredric March, the 1941 version with Ingrid Bergman and Spencer Tracy, and neither stick to the story of the novella Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. Which is a shame, because it's by far the better story, and would make a great film. The novella lets the reader apply whatever symbolism they see in the story, whereas the movies tend to name a philosophical bent not in the novella or seem to not leave room for there to be one.

I think the 1931 is the superior film of the two, mainly because the creative camera work, effects and pace. The Spencer Tracy version is rather odd, and just doesn't work as a cohesive story. The leads and plot are underdeveloped. I'm not sure what they were trying to say, if anything at all.

Having read the novella, I personally think the intention was to highlight the state of mind some humans descend to with alcohol, notably violent and deranged alcoholics, as an initial specific recognizable marker. The portrayal of "serum" is to note the medium or vehicle is not the focus, but rather an exploration of the destination (perhaps evil), the curiosity and the decision to go there.

Many theories come up regarding the intention of the story, including dualities, id, ego, superego, addiction, etc. One of the theories of the novella (published 1886) revolves around the impact of The Origin of Species (1859). Some interpreted the work to mean humans evolved from (modern) apes. That the work was looking at if man was to devolve into a beast, or what was the layer below "the evolution to humankind". When I read that, I began to think that the film Altered States was actually another Jekyll and Hyde adaptation. ::big grin::

Hey Sculpt, Thanks for the kind words::smile::. I did read the novella, but it has been awhile, time to get on with it::wink::! I still think the best version of the story is the 1931 version, very good. I'm not crazy about the Tracy one and I remember seeing the Jack Palance version WAY BACK and mostly remember the DARK SHADOWS music. If You're really in the mood for more Jekyll/hyde, check out DR BLACK AND MR HYDE with Bernie Casey. Not as bad as it sounds and a hilarious trailer::big grin::::big grin::!

I'm pretty sure We talked about what the story might have been a metaphor for and We both agreed that alcohol was probably the one. It was a couple of years ago and show how much time I have on my hands that I can remember it::embarrassment::

NIGHTMARE IN THE SUN (1965). I never heard of this until discovering a review in SHOCK CINEMA and caught it on YOUTUBE. It begins with THE POSTMAN ALWAYS RINGS TWICE territory with a Trophy wife (Ursula Andress, who is a knockout here) bored and unhappy with her marriage to an older guy who tends to drink (Arthur O'Connell from ANATOMY OF A MURDER). Said wife is somewhat slutty (as SC describes Her "...the hottest piece of ass in town"), even sleeping with the sheriff (Aldo Ray::shocked::!)!

She picks up a drifter (John Derek, who was married to Ursula at the time) who is planning to return home to his wife, although He finds time to canoodle with her. Her husband has had enough, shoots Ursula and the Sheriff conspires with the town to put the blame on the "stranger" and NITS almost become an episode of TV's THE FUGITIVE with a whole bunch of riff raff looking for him. Good cast (including Sammy Davis Jr as a Truck Driver::shocked::), but an impressive team up by Robert Duvall and Richard Jaeckel as two motorcyclists who join the search and whose relationship is rather, shall We say, suspect::confused::. ***

House of Dracula (1945)
6/10

Dracula (John Carradine) breaks into Dr. Franz Edelmann (Onslow Stevens) house and wakes him up at 5 AM while he's asleep in his reading chair and asks him to cure him of his vampirism. Later that day Larry Talbot (Lon Chaney Jr) asks to be cured of his lycan... let's just call it werewolf-ism. Plus, the doctor's hunchbacked female assistant has been waiting to be cured for even longer. And he finds Frankenstein's Monster in the sea caves below his mansion. There's a lot to do.

The dialogue of the opening scene is actually well done and enticing. Can Dracula really want a cure? Are you sure you can trust him? There's also a well-done scene where one of the doctor's assistants is playing Moonlight Sonata and Dracula helps morph it into a trippy horror piece. There are some things to like in this film, and it's intriguing to find out how or if the problems get solved.

Ultimately, the dialogue and plot become annoyingly simple-minded and dull. Dracula never discusses why he wants to be human. None of the monsters fight each other. Each plotline has a disappointingly abrupt ending.

************SPOILER*****************
I was intrigued by the relationship between Dracula and Dr Edelmann. Dracula also starts a relationship with one of the assistants. It would have been fascinating to hear Dracula talk about why he no longer wanted to be a vampire or lie about it. Perhaps these are only interests of modern film. Eventually, Dracula deceives Dr. Edelmann, and they never even have a discussion about the betrayal. Of course, films are not shot in chronological order, but the film feels like it was... as if halfway through shooting they were told they had a week to finish it.

You are right...there is so much to do and not nearly enough time to do it all::sad::::wink::!!

Despite the silly premise, HOD is a fun little time waster. You do wonder about Dracula, why He changes his mind so quickly-the Assistant wasn't all that!. Also, it's not wise to screw over someone trying to help You, and again a repeat, but a Timex and calendar might have helped Drac finalize his plan.

I really like Lionel Atwill here, even if He is going by route. Sadly, He was sick and I believe You can hear him coughing loudly in the scene where He is interrogating Dr Edelmann and Talbott provides an alibi.

JOURNEY'S END (1930). Based on a successful play and early in the sound era, this WW1 film is static with lots of slow spots/talking, but stick with it. I think this was James Whale's first film and it also introduces Colin Clive (FRANKENSTEIN, BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN, MAD LOVE), Billy Bevan (DRACULA'S DAUGHTER, RETURN OF THE VAMPIRE) and David Manners (DRACULA, THE MUMMY, THE BLACK CAT).

Clive is the Captain of the group who is so burned out by war and liquor that his nerves are shot, but feels He still has to do his duty. A fine performance by Colin and an even better one by David, whose character was a student of Clive and looked up to him and finding his behavior objectionable. In most of is films (especially the three listed), David always played a fey and ineffectual doofus and it's a shame He couldn't have gotten more roles like this. ***

The Vampire Bat 1933 ★★

A not all too memorable vampire/detective drama.

Did not do much for me on this watch (partly since I was getting pretty tired by that hour). Should perhaps give it a rewatch at a later date.

Yes, I was happy to see Lionel Atwill. If I had him in the cast, I would have rewritten the script to give him a featured part. It was a tad painful to see him wasted in such a small saltless part.

I forgot to mention too, there's two scenes where Dracula is either transforming into a bat or from a bat. Those are the best-looking transformations I've ever seen... and that was 1945.

Let's face it, I think this film would be of most interest to 10-year-olds or the heart of 10-year-olds in horror film fans. To have all these monsters and none of them fight is just being cruel. ::big grin::

I read in wiki that the original script was Wolf Man vs. Dracula and the censors gave it a series of cuts, so it was rewritten many times. Makes you wonder what the original script was like?

I kind of wonder myself about that...by this point, I think Universal just wanted to crank 'em out and lick their chops at the revenue distributed, logic be damned.
Think of it this way, Sculpt-at least there is a good throw down in ABBOTT AND COSTELLO MEET FRANKENSTEIN. Dracula and the Wolfman are truly going at it::cool::! Also, the interaction between Dracula and the Monster is pretty tough as well ("Mas..ter". "Yesssss").

CORRUPTION (1968)>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>SPOILERS>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> >>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Peter Cushing is terrific in here, playing an established Doctor with a hot Model girlfriend. When the girlfriend is badly injured (on the face, which is no good for a model), Pete tries to help with skin grafts to restore her looks. But to be honest, how the accident happened is sort of her fault and honestly, despite the good looks (Sue Lloyd, who was in a lot of British TV/film, including the Joan Collins vehicles THE STUD and THE BITCH resembles a slimmer Jill St John), the girlfriend is really not worth the aggravation she puts Peter through.
While the first skin graft (from a corpse) works quite well, of course it doesn't last and Peter has to resort to more nefarious means to obtain what He needs. The poor guy is a wreck! While there is a EYES WITHOUT A FACE element here, some pre-STRAW DOGS elements emerge towards the end.
Sleazy throughout, but worth seeing, although the final wrap-up is completely ridiculous and not needed. Also, an early performance by Kate O'Mara (THE VAMPIRE LOVERS and HORROR OF FRANKENSTEIN) and she is pretty good as the concerned sister and not the sexpot she usually seemed to play. ***

DR GOLDFOOT AND THE GIRL BOMBS (1966). I'm a big fan of Vincent Price, but this Mario Bava directed film (not his best by any stretch) is absolutely wretched. I've read there was a lot of overlapping schedules, filming for different markets (ie; the two painfully UN funny Italian comedians for the European market) and just a rush job. Vincent is good, as alays, but the plot of starting a war by making Bikini clad women into bombs to kill Generals just isn't enough to justify the 90 minute running time. Only other interesting point is an appearance by Laura Antonelli, who became in the 70's/80's for European "Art Films" ( in other words, for Nude scenes). 1/2

Mr. Sardonicus, 1961. 7.5/10

Director: William Castle

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Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein (1948)
5/10

Just a quick hit on this iconic film... it's really hard to watch Costello seeing something "scary" and calling to Abbott to rescue him... Costello then stumbles through describing the experience and Abbott expresses disbelief and leaves... and then repeat that one hundred times. Once was funny. ::wink::

The other half of the film is one of the monsters/villains nearly miss touching Costello, and Costello running from them and hiding... and then repeat that one hundred times. This near-miss-run-chase-hide running gag was reminiscent of the same gag the Three Stooges did often in some of their comedy short films from 1932 to 1946, and also The Monkees TV series in 1966 for that matter. If you like those two gags a lot... you'll love this film.

I like Lou Costello and Bub Abbott. Costello is funny and Abbott is the classic straight man. Their 'Who's On First' comedy routine is brilliantly written, performed and funny. But they did not write the script and were against the film, with Costello specifying he didn't like the script. The team did improvise some dialogue.

I have to echo the thoughts of Gary Rhodes and Bill Kaffenberger in 2016 when they said the story was a grand idea "but it was too bad that it could have been attended by persons capable of satire rather than pie-throwing comedy only".

There are certainly a mix of reviews. The film was a bankruptcy-saving hit for the studio. This film, like other Abbott/Costello films, Nick Pinkerton properly described as an all-or-nothing proposition. As New York World-Telegram wrote, if you don't have a palette for Abbott/Costello, you're in for a painful experience. I think that's partially true. My objection is the lack of satire and second level situational comedy, and the unnecessary repetition, not Costello's humor.

The film is nice looking with a quick pace by director Charles Barton. And has a good score from Frank Skinner.

Peeping Tom 1960 ★★★★

Time to revisit an old classic. A movie so reviled at the time that it efefctively broke the director's UK career.

And for what? If anything, it now holds up as a very well crafted psychological thriller. One could even see a prototype for what later became Maniac.

As the movie progresses, we get deeper into Mark's disturbed psyche and how he became the man he is in this story. The product from all the experiments his father put him through. A killer who executes his victims with a camera while filming them in their utterly terrified last moments. Making not only for what can be considered as a precursor to what later became found footage, but also for some very disturbing scenes.

Not in the least in the scenes with Helen, where we see how he still has a small connection with reality. Or how he takes his own life in the end. Since he feels he has nowhere else to run, he ends it all. In the only way he knows how.

Great horror. Four stars.

Spider Baby 1967 ★★★½

A fifties horror that kind of drew from Freaks. I like how the makers tried to shift our sympathies back and forth between their innocence (he will hate us) and the start where one of the girls made no bones about mercilessly killing the mailman.

The bad people were the right kind of cartoony (with Schlocker resembling Oliver Hardy, but with a bit more of an explicit Hitler-stache), wanting the children and Bruno to leave. I also got the feeling this was the type of family that (partly) inspired the Deetzs in Beetlejuice. Bruno (aka kind Walter Matthau) is the right kind of gentle and protective. And while it's sad, he takes the right decision at the end.

A fun watch for fans of fifties stuff.

Dr. No 1962 ★★★★

A classic Bond, should be in the overall top 5, if not top 3. With the classic scene introducing our hero at the card table (where else?).

That's a Smith & Wesson and you've had your six.

With his cool and his dry wit delivery, Connery is the ultimate Bond. A bit of Schwarzenegger before Schwarzenegger was a thing. Though I'm sure does the banter with Moneypenny and Q better than Arnold would.

Add a callous, evil main villain – who meets a suitably cruel demise – and a group of well established characters... and boom, you're of to the races.

House of Wax 1953 ★★★★½

Time to revisit one of the all time icons.

I cannot help but love Vincent Price. His iconic look, his captivating voice,... He makes Jarrod a villain for the ages. Hurt, charming, callous and cold,... Even while instructing his protégés, among whom a very young Charles Bronson, he still stands out as a kind and patient teacher.

The special effects still hold up to this date and the reveal of Jarrod's true form is still as timeless as ever. With a suitably dramatic score backing it up.

TEENAGERS FROM OUTER SPACE (1959). Despite Absurdity and very low budget, TFOS, while not a good flick by any means, has aged decently and I was able to get through it without too much pain.
Some aliens (30 something appearing teens) land on Earth to use it as a Harvesting grounds for "Gargans" (which resemble lobsters) ; one of the crew feels that the intelligent life shouldn't be threatened by the monsters and makes his escape. While the ship takes off to bring more Garages, another crew member-Thor- with a serious anti-social bent goes after him, almost hell bent on using his pistols which turns victims into skeletons.

I do have fond memories of seeing this- in the early 70's; how my brother was scared to death by all the skeletons that fell after the blasting and in the mid 90's, I had gotten this on VHS and after food from Subway, my daughter asked what movie I put in (she had just turned 8) and the "You gotta be kidding !" look she gave Me when the title flashed on screen was quite humorous,

We get to see Bronson Cave again in a 50's movie, some great dialogue (my favorite being "I SEE You do not VALUE Your LIFE!") and how so much of the score was used in NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD. Goofy, but fun. **1/2

War-Gods of the Deep (1965)
AKA City Under the Sea
4/10

I think the film was supposed to be a sci-fi adventure, but it's on rather short supply of either. The script painted on the shoestring plot demonstrates no interest in said plot. And as an excruciatingly long underwater chase scene without establishing shots makes clear, suspense is also not on display. It is a nice-looking film.

A woman gets abducted by a gillman under orders of a group of undersea dwellers, that includes Vincent Price who was once boat captain of the group. They used a secret passage in an old mansion to grab any new books that may have information to help them stop an undersea volcano from erupting. Sadly, no book has been published on how to do that.

Why did the gillman take the woman? We never find that out. But it does lead some dude and another dude with a chicken in a basket to find the secret passage and go down into the caves to rescue her. That's when the dudes find the group of seamen who have discovered the place about a hundred years ago and decided to stay there. Be amazed that their aging process has slowed down. And if they go to the surface, they will immediately die of old age.

It's an ancient underwater city where all the dwellers died off except for a few gillman that do what the men ask them. Why did the seamen originally stay for decades? Not a very good reason. Cap. Price insinuates he keeps the city pumps going that provide air and heat, but the gillman breathe underwater and swim "outdoors" eating fish. Also, they are guilty of smuggling, so living in these caves eating fish is better than being busted for smuggling.

Why did the seamen decide to hold the woman? Besides the fact that she looks like a woman in a painting that captain Vincent Price used to know, we don't know. The dudes are afraid of the seamen, so they lie and say they can probably figure out how to stop the volcano from erupting. So, the captain holds all of them there. But they better hurry up, cause with all the earthquakes you can tell, like the film, she's about to blow.

Thunderball 1965 ★★★½

A solid spy action film, timely because of the nuclear threat that loomed over the world at the time. Hiroshima was still in people's memory, Bay of Pigs was only a few years ago,... so why not have Bond save us from a nuke?

Sean Connery proves here why he is the definitive James Bond. He effortlessly finds just the right mix between cheekiness and dry wit. Having the right voice for that does not hurt either, mind you. This is also the time where the audience gets used to the banter with Q and the flirting with Moneypenny.

The sixties action may not look as big as in the CGI laden Dwayne Johnson days, but seein the airplane land on water is still pretty spectacular. And the pov shot from the shark's point of view seeing the water color red is a nice idea. Also, this was the Bond who spotted Russian spies because they drank the wrong color wine. Or, in this case, because of how they opened the car door.

The villain looks a bit cartoonish and cliché and I believe that the electric chair scene is being parodied in the first Austin Powers. Or second, can't remember.

Three and a half stars. Fun watch.

The Evil of Frankenstein

Time for the old Universal monster movies!

Currently watching Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man (1943)

Happy spooky season!

EDIT: now watching Them!

I always loved the Festival of the New Wine song in Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man. What you gonna watch next?

.

That is a cool scene, although Lon's outburst is embarrassing. My wife and I had watched Eddie Murphy's DELIRIOUS and the segment where He yells at the train porter who is thinking "What the fuck's wrong with this guy?" for some reason stuck with Me. So, after Lon loses his shit and people are staring at him, I said in a low voice the same line and my wife was in hysterics::big grin::::wink::::cool::.


HANG EM' HIGH (1968). An almost continuation of the Spaghetti Western's Clint Eastwood had become famous for, this could almost be considered the same, but with more familiar actors-and a whole slew of them are in here and half the fun is picking them out.

Jeb (Eastwood) is accused of rustling by a group who after being Judge, Jury and executioner Lynch him and ride away. Moments after they depart, Jeb is cut down and after being found innocent of the crime He was thought to have committed, He becomes Deputy Marshall to help the Town Judge (Pat Hingle) clean up the territory to ensure statehood and while carrying out his duties, He also finds the time to search for the group who strung him up.

While there are some long stretches here and there, this is a solid little film and check it out if You haven't seen it. ***1/2

WEST OF ZANZIBAR (1928). Very sleazy story of an embittered stage magician (Lon Chaney) seeking revenge on the man who stole his wife and in an ensuing fracas left him crippled. The ruination of a young woman may also be a factor here, but things are not always what they seem....

The wife and I saw this this (and THE UNKNOWN) on the big screen accompanied by a live keyboardist last week and once again, Chaney just amazes by how versatile He was. His maneuvering around by only using his arms and hands is astounding. Also, despite the (sometimes well deserved) bashing Tod Browning gets for his sound films (mainly DRACULA and MARK OF THE VAMPIRE), He truly did excel in silent films, although a lot of his films truly had a decadent bent to them. He probably never got the hang of the talkies and I find his sound films are most effective without dialogue.

Of course, being Pre-Code, there is some racism/sexism in here so be prepared. If You get a chance, try going WTZ. ***1/2

THE MAD MAGICIAN (1954). Decent little flick with Vincent Price who uses all the tricks in his arsenal to get even with those who wronged him.
Not much of plot to be honest and there are a lot of elements from the previous years HOUSE OF WAX thrown as well as an outright steal from 1945's HANGOVER SQUARE (also directed by John Brahm).
But...it's Vincent Price::love:: and it's worth seeing TMM so You can see him do his thing. ***

THE SHUTTERED ROOM (1967).>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>SPOILERS>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> >>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> > Very loosely based on a Lovecraft story, TSR involving a young woman (Carol Lynley) returning to the old homestead located on a a rather primitive and hardscrabble island. She comes with her (much) older husband (Gig Young, who was at least 20 years older than Carol) and they discover there's a reason why the locals avoid the place.....

This REALLY had such potential; the cinema photography is very good and definitely an air of unease, mostly involving the island residents. We're talking pre STRAW DOGS type louts, exemplified by Oliver Reed, whose biggest motivation appears to be raping Carol. Oddly enough, when She calls his bluff, He all but folds up. There is a jazzy, very inappropriate score that doesn't help either.

The oddest thing here is how polite the couple are to the residents even after the less than pleasant encounters.

Not bad, but really could have better. **1/2

THE THREE MUSKETEERS (1921). Douglas Fairbanks, all happy smile and nonstop physicality, is pretty good as the young lad who wants to join the security team of the king. He proves his worth despite the challenges of intrigue and subterfuge, mostly caused by the manipulative conniving Cardinal Richelieu. ***

THE PROWLER (1951). Pretty good noir that runs out of gas before a pretty decent wrap-up. A disgruntled Policeman (Van Heflin) investigates a call from rich lovely lonely wife of a radio performer concerning a prowler peeping in while she is about to shower. He falls for her (more so after finding out about Hubby's insurance policy),pitches woo and begins an affair. The husband is killed and they are free to be together, which is where things begin to get tricky.

Most of the noir elements are here-shadowy locations and characters, violence and best laid plans not always making the grade. Worth a look. ***

THE MOB (1951). A Police Detective screws up in the line of duty and goes undercover as a Dock worker to discovers who is running the crime syndicate in NYC area. Broderick Crawfod is pretty good as the honest yet jocular flatfoot who has to stay on his toes ; but he does get some good zingers out...lots of hard boiled dialogue here. Also a pretty good cast of many actors in the early parts of their careers....Ernest Borgnine, Richard Kiley (his first film, I believe), John Marley (although He has the dark hair, He still talks like Mr Wolz from THE GODFATHER), Neville Brand and a very young and even then craggy Charles Bronson. ***

The Hound of the Baskervilles 1939 ★★★★

This adaptation of perhaps the best known Sherlock Holmes story assembles a fine cast with the stars of the era like Lionell Atwill, Wendy Barrie and most notably Basil Rathbone as Sherlock Holmes.

Rathbone, fresh of an Oscar nod for If I were king, would spend a good chunk of the fourties portraying the mythical detective. And based on this performance, I look forward to check out the other Holmes movies. He makes Holmes cocky and arrogant, but also plays him thus to command a natural authority. Which makes me curious to compare this to RDJ's take. Also: For some reason, I would now like to see Ryan Reyolds as Holmes. What do you think?

The focus is more on the mistery and the thriller. It has your classic whodunnit structure with the necessary red herrings. While Letterboxd classifies this as horror, there is very little of that in here. Apart from maybe the moment where the titular hound attacks Sir Henry.

Good acting, decent pace and build up, good action set pieces. Solid across the board. The 80 minutes flew by.

Four stars well deserved. Check it out.

The Blob 1958 ★★★½

I have often seen the remake with Shawnee Smith and Kevin Dillon, but for some reason the fifties original has always eluded me. Luckily, I managed to get a hold of the DVD and and seized the opportunity to watch it.

It's a fun little fifties horror romp in that we do not get many special effects. That's one domain where eighties horror benefited from better and more credible special effects (as incredible as the premise is).

The story and the characters had a bit of a Happy Days-ish vibe over them (minus Tom Bosley and The Fonz) and the funny thing is that thr original blob does not instill a sense of urgency until it eats the doctor, and even thing, there is still a sense of fifties cosiness to the proceedings. Now, now,... now then, now then... now,... calm down... calm down now.

To be honest, the only scary scenes are when the leads are stuck in the diner. Which reminds me: I like the diea of the insect being dropped in the Arctic. That matter of fact ish solutions adds an unwanted bit of camp to the story and makes you think of climate change.

Also also: Maybe it's me, but Steve McQueen seemed like an old looking 28 year old.

3.5 stars. Fun watch for fifties horror fans.

The Death Kiss 1932 ★★★

This 1932 flick has a nice little opener. A man gets kissed by an apparently strange woman and then oops, shot. Turns out this was just the set of a crime movie and oops. This guy is really dead.

The cops bumble their way through the investigation, but David Manners takes manners into his hands and the most useful leads come from his work and the help of a studio janitor like type.

Manners is very good as the cheeky hero and lead detective. Meanwhile, Bela Lugosi lurks in the back as a stern producer.

Three stars. Fun little watch for fans of Lugosi and, by extension, vintage films.

Diabolique 1955 ★★★★

Thursday, I enjoyed one of the perks of this website: Getting a notice when something pops up one of your preferred streaming sites. Movie for the night immediately picked.

Fair warning: this is a slow burn. The first act is entirely used to set up the atmosphere leading up to the murder. Which, in a way, should ring in fact more true with a generation that throws around words like psychological abuse. So it kind of surprises me to hear people call this boring. Even more than the previous generations, they would/should be able to relate to the wife and her position.

From there, we get a Hitchcockian thriller about two women who are pushed to the edge and then strike back, in the process taking out the cause of their misery. The murder scene itself is tension filled with the wife having second thoughts and the husband sealing the deal with his own abusive behaviour.

We then get to their plan to hide the body with an odd mix between suspense (the blood drips) and “comic relief” (the radio quiz couple and by extension perhaps the drunk). The weird things that start happening. The widow now seemingly breaking down and the mistress taking charge. Thus reinforcing an interesting dynamic between the two of them.

THE scene that everyone remembers still stands like a house, though the ensuing twist makes the whole plan rather convoluted and lose some credibility.

Still fours stars, though.

QUEEN OF BLOOD (1966). >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>SPOILERS>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> >
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

I finally got a chance to see this and while it's got a decent premise, the patchwork appearance of the film does take it down some. Earlier Russian footage is put together with newer scenes and it all looks like Elmer's Glue was used to do the connecting, although it could have been the copy viewed.
Also, it seemed to Me that ALIEN took quite a bit from this...love how they bring Florence Marley on board with no reservation or precautions and the less than happy consequences.
Still fun...Basil Rathbone giving his all,( even at this late stage), John Saxon has some great lines, Dennis Hopper looks like He's trying not to laugh, Florence Marley has an eerie sense of danger (maybe having no dialogue) and just too cool to see "Mr Monster" AKA Forrest J Ackerman (The editor of FAMOUS MONSTERS OF FILMLAND magazine and sans mustache too!). I thought it was neat in the very last scene that what He is carrying looks more like Hothouse tomatoes. ***

The Wasp Woman 1959 ★★★½

Director Roger Corman delivers a tasty bit of fifties horror sci-fi.

This one looked a bit more serious and straightforward than the cheese that made his name, but nonetheless, it was well done and I even dare say that the special effects here were a step up compared to the Vincent Price version of The Fly.

The story was okay, seeing a lady at the head of a company in 1959 must have been a nice change pace and Susan Cabot delivers the take no shit attitude well. And the action scenes were well filmed. Wasp woman would kick Ant-man's ass.

THE STRANGER (1946). Orson Welles plays a Nazi going undercover by teaching in a small town and marrying the daughter of a prominent citizen.. Things start to go south as an investigator looking for ex-Nazi's shows up and how He has to try to keep the deception going to stay free.
Welles didn't think much of TS and honestly, He's not the kind of performer You would have sympathy for and Loretta Young as his wife, though lovely, is incredibly naive and dense. The best parts of the film are Edward G Robinson as the investigator (he's very good) and a scene stealing performance by Billy House as a checkers playing pharmacist (it was driving Me crazy trying to figure out where I saw him and thanks to IMDB, recalled He played Lord Mortimer in BEDLAM the same year). Also a very early performance by Richard Long (CULT OF THE COBRA and TV's NANNY AND THE PROFESSOR) who was married for a time to Mara Corday (TARANTULA, THE GIANT CLAW and SUDDEN IMPACT). ***

2001: A Space Odyssey 1968 ★★★★★

An all time classic for the ages. The best way to watch this is with somebody and see the disbelief on their face. "Holy crap! And this was made in 1968? Bruh."

Every single time, I am in awe of the majestuousness of it all. Overwhelmingly grand and, upon this rewatch, I wonder if and how much this influenced somebody like Wes Anderson.

I also liked how it incorporated horror elements, with Hal as an excellent psychopath.

I have no pretentions about understanding all the layers and metaphors in this movie. But I am looking forward to finding books and YT videos analysing and explaining them. Tips always welcome in the comments.

And of course: Merry Christmas, everyone.

Fanatic 1965 ★★★★

Die! Die my darling is a very entertaining Hammer flick.

The storyline is rather straightforward: a young lady goes to visit the mother of her recently deceased fiancé/boyfriend (tying up loose ends and what not), only to find that this woman takes cuckoo for Christ to a whole new level.

Tallulah Blankhead really shines here as Mrs Terfoile. From the first moment you see that expressive face, all the red flags are up and all the alarm bells should be ringing. She ends up holding our heroine Patricia, setting up a slew of escape attempts that keep you on the edge of your seat. Well told and a good moment to mention the performance by Donald Sutherland as the simple minded Joseph.

In these domains, it's also a sixties film. When the protagonist finally escapes, it's not so much by her own doing. It's more when Mrs. Terfoyle's fanaticism ends up being her undoing after killing the caretaker and resident pervert Harry. Good job by Peter Vaughan. And the “new guy” gets to save her, followed by a “told ya”-moment. Yeah, that would be done very differently today. Not throwing a stone at anyone here, mind you.

Nonetheless a solid sixties horror. Worth a check.

2001 is an absolute classic; I feel it is the best Science Fiction film ever made


THE NAME OF THE GAME IS KILL! (1968). A couple of years before HAWAII FIVE-O, Jack Lord plays a Hungarian drifter who is picked up in the Arizona desert by Susan Strasburg and taken to meet her family, who are truly not a traditional sort and I found a lot of similarities to SPIDER BABY as the story progressed. Not great, but not bad either, although the final wrap up I found less than satisfactory. ***

The Kiss of the Vampire 1963 ★★★★

Excellent Hammer flick about vampires and cults.

The opening has you immediately set up with a solemn funeral and then,...I say, that was a bit rude.

Noel Willman looks a bit like Christopher Walken before there was such a thing. I also like how innocent the main couple look. The lady/damsel in distress at first has an odd looking expressionless face that makes sense once she is captured and bitten. I also like how the cult lures the husband away by getting him nicely hammered (pun intended).

Good wholesome Hammer fun. Looking forward to seeing more.

THE HYPNOTIC EYE (1960). >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>SPOILERS>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> >
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

An absolutely boffo opening (very much like HORRORS OF THE BLACK MUSEUM) quickly becomes tedious (see last parenthesis) as an incredibly dense detective (He probably would have trouble finding a Dunkin' Donuts) is investigating a series of lovely women killing themselves in horrible ways and the common denominator for all of them involves them visiting a hypnotist (incredibly dismal sort) whose lovely assistant Alison Hayes-the main reason I watched- picks out volunteers from the audience.

This had potential to be pretty good and it just doesn't take advantage of the plot point and although the ending is kind of tough, there really should have been a back story of how and why; it truly might have helped. **

Had to rewatch one of my favorite classics House On Haunted Hill (1959)

House of Wax (1953)