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The Two Faces of Dr Jekyll (1960)
I believe this was Hammer's first adaptation of the Jekyll & Hyde story. It has the typical vibrant colours associated with early Hammer horror films. Hyde is portrayed as a younger and more attractive man than Jekyll, different to many screen adaptations. This works well in this film. Overall, highly recommended. |
the ghoul.
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Vampyr
I'll admit I wasn't too impressed at first, but once I got used to Dreyer's style I was blown away. Fantastic movie, a true classic. |
ben-hur (1959)
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The Night of the Hunter (1955)
Leaning... leaning... >>: A |
The Kiss of the Vampire (1963)
Very cool vampire flick, just dripping with that classic Hammer style. Really enjoyed this one. Nightmare (1964) I was on a bit of a Hammer high after finishing Kiss of the Vampire, so I figured I'd pop this in next. A brilliant study of madness, beautifully shot and very well directed. Loved the ending... |
Watched Nosferatu(1922) last night for the first time and loved it.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...08/Schreck.jpg I found Count Orlok himself absolutely terrifying compared to more modernized versions of Dracula. |
sweeney todd: the demon barber of fleet street
i vampiri |
The Haunting (1963)
http://img199.imageshack.us/img199/9669/hillhouse1.jpg There's no single drop of blood or a surprise scary appearance of visible ghostly figures but still Robert Wise made a milestone of horror out of it. This is a film that still today's new uprising filmmakers of haunted house movies should consider as a 'Holy Book' for them specially in terms of cinematography, lighting, sound effects and characterization. From the very beginning of Eleanor's entrance into the house made you feel that there was something lurking around every corner, or there was something that was going to happen, but you just didn't know quite when. A brilliant adaptation from the novel The Haunting of Hill House (1959) by Shirley Jackson where a whisper coming from the creepy walls of Hill house at midnight works in a more terrifying way than a scream. >>: A+ |
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I love Night of the Hunter. I watched Dr. Jeckel and Mr. Hyde (41) last night on TCM. Its been a while since Ive seen this version. Matter of fact, its been quite a while since Ive seen the silent version. I might try to squeeze that in tonight. I can watch him knock that kid down over and over. |
"The plague of the zombies" 5/10
The first zombie was actually quite frightening. The rest was... blah. |
House of Usher (1960)
A Poetic Poe Adaptation. >>: B+ |
flight of the phoenix
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The Wolf Man.
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The Innocents (1961)
http://shopping.yahoo.com/video/imag.../71/248671.jpg The film starts with Miss Giddens (Deborah Kerr), a nineteenth century British governess, is appointed to take care of two children, Flora and Miles. Upon arriving at the bleak mansion she meets the housekeeper and also Flora. Miles arrives a few days later from school. The children seem like little angels but, following a series of bizarre events and examples of the children's wicked impulses, Miss Giddens begins to suspect that all is not what it seems. An unresolved mystery that charges the events of this Gothic story with a dreadful sense of uncertainty far more thrilling than the simple supernatural chills of a typical haunted house movie. The film made masterly in every way with a great performance from beautiful Deborah Kerr as the troubled Victorian governess, superb black-and-white wide screen photography by Freddie Francis and Georges Auric's truly distinguished soundtrack of laughs and whispers. Not forget to add the remarkable performances by the two children, and we're given a ghost story that stays with us not because of spring-loaded frights, but because of how it tingles our nervous system throughout the eerie, unsettling finale. Truman Capote's screenplay centered on the question: are the two children really possessed by the ghosts of the dead, or is their governess merely imagining everything? Producer-director Jack Clayton keeps the film firmly grounded in reality, so that the essence of this psychological study strikes far more strongly. The Innocents is one of the most intelligent and evocative ghost story filmed in those golden years of cinema when the audience around the globe witnessed some brilliant celluloid works on English Gothic and Psychological horror ever made. This film adaptation of Henry James' The Turn of the Screw is like a lost Titanic that sunk into the middle of the phenomenal success of Psycho (1960), What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (1962) and The Haunting (1963). >>: A |
Good review, Ros.
And I agree. |
sink the bismarck
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Godzilla, King Of The Monsters
Awesome movie |
Dead of Night (1945)
http://www.channel4.com/film/media/f...ight_lg_01.jpg Directed by 4 different directors Dead of Night is absolutely one of the best horror anthology ever made. When an architect--Walter Craig, shows up on an assignment at a country house full of people, he's disturbed to find that practically he never met them before but remembers from a recurring nightmare. A psychiatrist among them tries to convince him that his fears are unfounded, while the remaining guests proceed to share their own spooky stories one after another, followed by an amazing surreal conclusion. All five stories are effective in their own way, but two stand above the others...The Haunted Mirror and The Ventriloquist & his Dummy! The guy who played the role of disturbed Ventriloquist did a brilliant job, to some extent I think he was as great as Anthony Perkins was in Psycho (1960). Still today what really elevates Dead of Night from any other anthology pieces is the framing story, which not only ties all the individual tales together, but also succeeds in trumping all of them in originality and surely it left a definite influential effect on the genre. The movie that starts with one of its character's confession about his bizarre repeating nightmare finally ends up becoming the viewer's own nightmare. The surprising twist at the end that goes a long way after the screen fades off, and makes it a must-see for fans of classic horror films. >>: A- I'm not sure whether there is any remake already made or not but if there will ever one I think William Macy can do a fairly decent adaptation of the role of the main character Walter Craig. But is there anyone can do the ventriloquist like that actor of the original? I don't think so...therefore the remake may eventually lead to another disaster like Psycho. |
Loving these reviews, Roshiq!
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Whatever Happened to Baby Jane (1962)
Whatever Happened to Baby Jane is one of the most tense and effective horror - thriller films I've ever seen. Bette Davis and Joan Crawford are perfect in the role of sisters, Baby Jane and Blanche. They play off each other almost like they're competing. The photography is wonderful, the black and white photography is suberb. The direction by Aldrich is masterful, subtle and tense. Bette Davis plays Baby Jane Hudson an ex-child star who's sister, Blanche's latter success as an actress overshadowed Baby Jane's. Later on in life, Blanche is paralyzed from the waist down and Baby Jane, now psychotic and deranged looks after her. What follows is a series of tense and terrifying scenes leading up to a genius finale. The ending of Baby Jane is incredible - it is one of the best twists in film history - executed perfectly and completly spooky. -10/10 |
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Oh they were competing alright! If you know about the bad blood between the two actresses, makes for an even more interesting watch. Great movie. And that song... just creepy as hell. |
Watched Freaks earlier.
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M (1931)
http://img301.imageshack.us/img301/4479/26399269.jpg As a city is terrorized by the crimes of a deranged child murderer, not only the police but other criminals, threatened by the panic that puts everyone under suspicion, decide they have to track the culprit down to protect their own interests. One of the greatest visionary directors of all time-Fritz Lang gradually crosscuts between the efforts of these separate groups, the public at large, and the murderer himself graphically describing each stage of the pursuit and at the same time exposing the inner life of the city. Even the random touches of dark humor through the desperate search & investigations by the police & the mob world, gives another shade of completeness to this masterpiece. No other thriller has so effectively combined exposition and suspense with a portrait of an entire society, and M does this through a dazzling way of visual rhymes and thematic portrayals that eventually draw the art of celluloid storytelling. Not one frame in the film displays an act of harm on a child, but we find the victims in chilling uncanny compositions of the bouncing ball without its owner, an untended balloon caught in telephone wires, and the vacant corridors of the child's home, stressed by a mother's tensions for her absent daughter. A landmark of film-noir classics. >>: A+ |
Let's not forget the greatest performance Peter Lorre ever gave!
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The Whip and the Body (1963) http://shopping.yahoo.com/video/imag.../53/166153.jpg Another excellent Gothic period piece from Horror Master Mario Bava. One of the things in Bava's films that often highly praised is his use of lighting, and this film features what is probably the best use of lighting that I have seen so far in a Bava film. The lights give flair to the scenery, and help to give the film an amazing picturesque cinematography. Every frame of this film looks like it was lifted from one painting or another. This film represents the only pairing of Bava with British horror icon Sir Christopher Lee, and as usually here young & handsome Lee lights up the screen with his bold persona and screen presence. And his performance nicely tuned with stunning Daliah Lavi, who's beauty shines through the creepy & tensed atmosphere of Castle Menliff. It was said that due to the contents of erotic violence, the film was heavily censored around the world but I found that part highly intriguing. A tree vine whipping in an open window reminding Nevenka (Lavi) of her sordid past with Kurt or when Nevenka caresses her face with a red rose... was the unique metaphor of Bava's work of excellence. Lavi's captivating beauty was brilliantly shot, often in her room, surrounded in darkness, the wind roaring, her frightened eyes constantly veering right & left, waiting for something odd to happen...is the signature of masterclass direction. >>: A |
I Saw What You Did (1965)
A Hitchcockian plot complete with all of Castle's usual parlor tricks. This is one terror tale that is strangely still suitable for all ages. Though it started like a sleazy teen version of Rear Window & Psycho, but remarkably this Castle Classic actually has a great impact & influence on the slasher genre in later decades (films like Sorority Row, Scream etc. etc.). The opening shots where Libby & Kit were talking to each other on the phone, instantly reminded me the POV shots of Carpenter's Halloween (1978) through Michael's mask at the beginning. Moreover, after 80's TV remake now this is going to get another adaptation (but this time on big screen), which is quite a rare treatment in compare to other classics of its era! >>: B |
I remember seeing this in the drive-in and it was really scary to me. When I saw it, it was titled I know Who You Are and I Saw What You Did!
William Castle is really under-rated, IMO, because of his use of gimmicks, but this film shows he could make a really scary movie! |
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The Wolf Man (1941)
A friend of mine is a huge werewolf fan but had never seen this one - I had to fix that. It goes without saying, but this is easily one of the best Universal monster flicks. Classic horror in very sense of the term. |
Horror of Dracula (1958)
Sir Christopher Lee & Peter Cushing...both the actors were so remarkably talented & smart that sometimes I think if they wanted or tried they both could switch the roles of Dracula & Dr. Van Helsing...I mean both had the almost equal abilities to play each others role brilliantly! >>: A |
The Spiral Staircase
We've been doing thunderstorm movies all month (mostly because it hasn't stopped raining since April). THE SPIRAL STAIRCASE has such a wonderfully over-the-top storm.
Mute girl trapped in the old dark house with a serial killer. What more could you want? http://www.DunbarAuthor.com |
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a decent dvd release for a start. |
Twice Told Tales (1963)
UNFINISHED:( After watching the first 2 fantastic tales Dr. Heidegger's Experiment & Rappaccini's Daughter last night, left the last one (The House of the Seven Gables) for today (as it was then almost 4 am and I had office in the morning!). But few hours back just before the lunch break as I opened my youtube account I found that the account that's been uploaded the movie along with some other great Vincent Price films (like Witchfinder General, The Oblong Box, Mad House, House with the long shadows etc!) has been suspended! Yeah...I know this may not be ethically/legally right to watch/upload this films freely but in case of a viewer like me from Bangladesh it was the best possible option available. If I could found this Vintage Vincent films in any local store I'd definitely buy them at any given price but as I said before...till today I haven't seen or find any single dvd of Vincent Price film here! Now I have only option left and that is to buy the dvds from e-bay..which will cost not only some heavy amount of money in terms of our local currency but also will cost time! It generally takes almost 2 to 3 months here to get a dvd after ordering & purchasing it online! Anyways, it was a pretty sad day for me.:( based on the first 2 beautiful tales where priceless Mr. Price delivered his as usual magnificent charm of acting, I'd like to give it.... "A"! |
The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920)
One of the most visually stunning horror films of all-time. Even though it's been a few years since I first watched it, much of the imagery was still etched in my mind and came flooding back as I re-watched this masterpiece. Hard not to love this movie, a favourite for sure. I really should look into getting a decent DVD copy though...mine's public domain and pretty sad. Looks like one of the title cards near the end was done in PowerPoint:( |
the thin man
after the thin man another thin man |
Invisible Ghost (1941)
>>: C And Then There Were None (1945) One of the best murder mysteries of all time! >>: A |
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Last classic horror I watched a few days ago would be umm...The Corpse Vanishes from my Horror 250 movie boxpack. |
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