shaxper
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Post by shaxper on Oct 27, 2019 19:27:54 GMT -5
So my daughter suggested we go with a classic horror film theme for our Halloween costumes this year. Let's see if you can identity us (the folks we saw for Trick or Treat last night certainly couldn't!):  |
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shaxper
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Posts: 22,871
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Post by shaxper on Oct 27, 2019 21:12:29 GMT -5
Mother Riley Meets The Vampire / Vampire Over London (1952)
Fun fact: I frequently confuse "Vampire Over London" with "Dark Eyes Over London," both being low budget Lugosi films with alternate titles. I truly thought I was putting on Dark Eyes Over London tonight (a decent film), and got this instead.
If you've never watched it, it's utterly ridiculous. Mother Riley was some short-lived schtick with a comedian in drag, and the legend has it that Lugosi found himself stranded in England without air fare and accepted this role as a means to get home.
I don't buy that explanation, if only because he truly looks like he's having fun in this film. It's an odd thing I've often noticed about Lugosi -- the more terrible the film, the better an acting job he often does. I almost wonder if he tried too hard in some of those bigger budget Universal films.
Anyway, this film absolutely does not deserve Lugosi, and yet it gets him at his best. I really sorta' kinda' like this one for that reason.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 28, 2019 3:16:56 GMT -5
Doctor Jekyll and Mr Hyde
1920 John Barrymore
This is a silent movie classic starring John Barrymore 99 years ago and I have seen this movie about 3 times in my life all on TCM yesterday and John put on a masterpiece of a show and he is my favorite actor in the era of Silent Movies concerns. This has everything and I have on regret that this movie has that awful blue monochrome finish and I wished it kept in sepia mode all the time so I can enjoy it better. Man, every actor/actress did their part and I truly enjoyed watching the expressions, Barrymore transformation to Mr. Hyde is done unbelievably back then and that nearly 100 years ago.
You just can't go wrong with this film and I truly enjoyed seeing every second.
Without thinking, I watched this movie twice in one month and ... and I just can't update my list.
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Post by brutalis on Oct 28, 2019 7:38:52 GMT -5
Friday was a loooong night helping a friend distract his mind from his dad in the hospital after a heart attack. We grabbed Chinese food and pulled an all nighter watching Aquatic Monster movies. Starting off with Jaws, then Deep blue Sea, The Meg, Leviathan and Deep Star Six. Plenty of deep water thrills and terror galore. Slept most of the day until Saturday night was Svengoolie's showing of The Mummy's Ghost. Sunday while doing laundry was Vampire Day: Started off with Dan Curtis/Jack Palance Dracula, followed by the Frank Langella Dracula and then a B movie called Slayer which was totally B-list but entertaining.
The Dracula's should be on everyone's viewing list as BOTH are great and memorable renditions. Palance and Langella both have a quiet, sophisticated, dangerous air about them with the subtle darkness they portray Vlad with. How can you NOT watch a movie that has Lynda Carter as military command, Casper Van Dien as the hero, Kevin Grevioux as his military friend turned into a Vamp, Danny Trejo a mercenary boat skipper and Ray Park as a kung-fu kicking Vampire and Tony Plana as the vampire mastermind behind it all. A dumb and silly but can't take your eyes off it.
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shaxper
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Posts: 22,871
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Post by shaxper on Oct 28, 2019 13:17:28 GMT -5
The Human Monster / Dark Eyes Over London (1939)
Such a great Lugosi performance, as well as a reasonably clever plot, and one surprisingly moving death. My one major gripe with this film will always be that the final twist, upon which the entire plot depends, is totally unbelievable (I won't spoil it if you haven't seen it).
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Post by Deleted on Oct 28, 2019 14:26:01 GMT -5
Slaughter of the Vampires (Italian) / Curse of the Blood Ghouls (United States)
I watched this movie today on YouTube and this movie is so low-budget and the sad thing about this movie that some of the performers did not get paid and some of it was poorly done and the only thing about it is that the main vampire being played by an actor by the name of Dieter Eppler was fairly good but not in a league of Frank and Bela ... but half as good as these guys and that pretty much sums up this movie. Plot is fairly simple and yet easy to follow and the girls are pretty much sexy with no redeemable qualities ... Graziella Granata who played Louise is somewhat exceptional and not bad at all.
Walter Brandi as Wolfgang is okay ... but an average to below average actor and that's no joking matter.
Remember the only two members of this movie were credited and I bolded their names and the man that played the vampire was not and I just don't understand what's the world an uncredited actor did a better job than the credited ones?
It does have that Hammer appeal because because of the sexy ladies in this film. Music is fairly good and the set (the close ups) is exceptional.
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Post by brutalis on Oct 28, 2019 17:17:18 GMT -5
Had a conversation on one of my Hospital unit with another Geek my age(ish) mid to late 50's; a Nurse, and we were talking about which classic Halloween movies we both were watching this year. Of course a couple of youngsters (under age 25) had to butt into the conversation. Sad part was that they had NOTHING to contribute to the conversation. They kept on wanting to talk about "current" movies (not horror) and the two of us had to tell them to SHUT UP and quit interrupting OUR conversation. They were acting all emotionally hurt, and bottom line was we asked the 2 youngun's specifically about "classic" Halloween movies; meaning that these would be movies from before they were born or when they were growing up as little children and if they even knew what we were talking about? We threw out movie names: Beetlejuice, Fright Night, Halloween, Friday the 13th, Jaws, Pyscho and they all said they had never heard of them. We asked if they had ever seen a classic Universal's Monster movie like Dracula, the Mummy, Creature from the Black Lagoon and the Wolf Man? They again said what is that? We told them they are what were discussing: CLASSIC black and white movies. BOTH OF THEM went oh, well, we never watch black and white movies, who would waste their time with that? And then they finally walked away.
WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH TEENS AND YOUNG ADULTS TODAY? Growing up I was exposed to things older than myself and a lot of it was around loooong before I was born. And I learned to appreciate the old movies, old music, old books, old comic books and so forth because I was brought up to having an open mind for new experiences and developing a taste for the finer things in life. And the people wonder why the world is coming apart at the seams when young people of today don't care or want to care about anything older than they are. Sooooo glad I will be retiring sooner than later into the mountains, living the life of a hermit with my OLD AND CLASSIC books, music, DVD's and comic books far away from the city and the rampant idiocy taking over society. SHEEEEESH
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Post by Deleted on Oct 28, 2019 17:48:04 GMT -5
I hear you brutalis of your points of old movies and things like that; and it's sad to KNOW these things and believe me most YOUNG PEOPLE under the age of 25 do not UNDERSTAND anything that I said to them. I'm TOTALLY SHOCKED when they told me to BUZZ OFF and I'm not listening to your garbage anymore. I'm speechless and I tried to reason with them and they just ignore me and stopped talking to them. |
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shaxper
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Post by shaxper on Oct 28, 2019 20:36:50 GMT -5
Vampyr (1932)
I don't know why I keep returning to this film. It's one of the most brilliant horror films of all time, but it's absolutely no fun to watch. I love the campy predictability of the old horror films -- the safety, really. The atmosphere can get creepy, the camera work can get creepy, and acting can get creepy, but you never feel more than a momentary apprehension while watching these. They're fun, they're safe; they're a rollercoaster ride.
But Vampyr shoots you squarely off the track, providing a subjective, dream-like film that follows few clear rules and feels like witnessing a waking nightmare. It's amazingly well done, but it's legitimately creepy and uncomfortable.
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Post by Hoosier X on Oct 28, 2019 22:33:36 GMT -5
Mother Riley Meets The Vampire / Vampire Over London (1952)Fun fact: I frequently confuse "Vampire Over London" with "Dark Eyes Over London," both being low budget Lugosi films with alternate titles. I truly thought I was putting on Dark Eyes Over London tonight (a decent film), and got this instead. If you've never watched it, it's utterly ridiculous. Mother Riley was some short-lived schtick with a comedian in drag, and the legend has it that Lugosi found himself stranded in England without air fare and accepted this role as a means to get home. I don't buy that explanation, if only because he truly looks like he's having fun in this film. It's an odd thing I've often noticed about Lugosi -- the more terrible the film, the better an acting job he often does. I almost wonder if he tried too hard in some of those bigger budget Universal films. Anyway, this film absolutely does not deserve Lugosi, and yet it gets him at his best. I really sorta' kinda' like this one for that reason. I saw this once, a long time ago, with another big Lugosi fan (my friend Mark, who I've known for almost 40 years!) and we were both going "what did they say?" a bunch of times and then rewinding and trying to figure out the accents and the slang. There's one where somebody calls Mother Riley a "faggot" and we were trying to figure out if "faggot" is British slang for dressing in drag. (My details may be a bit off; it's been 30 years!) I don't remember any more WTF moments but I remember giving this movie A LOT MORE time than is worth the trouble. Maybe it's time to watch it again? I've seen a lot more old British movies (I highly recommend The Ghost Train from 1941) since then so I might get more out of it. |
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Post by Deleted on Oct 28, 2019 22:36:54 GMT -5
Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde - Fredric March
He's by far the best Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde of them all ... I just find far more superior than any movie including Spencer Tracy his supporting actors and actresses all top-notched and most of all his ability to transcend this role into pure harmony and poise.
I watched this movie in two parts on YouTube and I just finished watching it. The 1931 has Miriam Hopkins, Rose Hobart, and Holmes Herbert as Doctor Lanyon of whom that I feel is brilliant as March. Everything about it is just right on the money and its really shines as all players worked together to put on a brilliant display of acting. The transformation scene is unbelievable and downright nothing short of perfection. His mannerism in that scene and I enclosed the YouTube clip is spot on and just ... I just can't describe how good it is.
Anyway, I really enjoyed this movie and everything about it. The sets are outstanding, good pacing, and the photography is nothing short of and I felt that Ivy Pierson's played by Miriam ... some of scenes were removed because of the pre-code - Hollywood Censor was taken out and that alone made this film a little bit weaker. I did managed to get a hold (a year ago a DVD that contains the cut scenes of Miriam and it was beautifully crafted and stylish.
I will give this film an A and rightly so.
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Post by Hoosier X on Oct 28, 2019 22:43:49 GMT -5
I watched Svengoolie for the first time in a long time and he was showing … The Mummy's Ghost! This is the one with John Carradine as the priest of Ananka. I love it! I only saw one of the Kharis mummy movies when I was a kid and this was the one! It wasn't until the 1990s that I saw the others. I think this one stands out from the other Kharis movies … just a little … because of Carradine.
But this is the first time I noticed that Martha Vickers is in it! You know Martha Vickers! She's Carmen Sternwood in The Big Sleep. You see her every once in a while when you watch a lot of old movies. She's in Captive Wild Woman and she has a very small part in Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man.
And she's in an early scene in The Mummy's Ghost. An Egyptologist (played by Frank Reicher from King Kong (I recognized him too)) is giving a lecture on the Princess Ananka (which turns into a summary of the previous Mummy film) and a couple of the students ask question. One of them is Martha Vickers!
(I also recognized Philip Ahn on the Wonder Woman TV show the same evening. I had ME TV on for quite a while.)
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Post by brutalis on Oct 29, 2019 7:37:56 GMT -5
It was time for that Abominable Dr. Phibes and his sequel for cementing the Halloween mood this week. Boy these 2 should have been Hammer films as they have such a wild 70's vibe and tone to them! Vincent Price is outstanding and having the time of his life taking revenge to a whole 'nother level. And a heck of a way to commit your own suicide in the end with embalming and entombing yourself with your already dead wife.Way to go Anton Phibes!
Dr. Phibes Rises Again turns the wheel of death towards life as Doc Anton attempts to resurrect his wife and gain eternal life for them both. More murders ensue as Phibes heads towards Egypt and eventually he and his wife enjoy a boat ride ending the movie. Quite a fun sequel if not as gleefully insanely unique as the 1st. If only they had continued with a few more movies but 2 is still better than 1 in the end.
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shaxper
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Posts: 22,871
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Post by shaxper on Oct 29, 2019 16:46:07 GMT -5
Mad Monster Party? (1967)
From the standpoint of Rankin Bass stop motion animation, this is the most ambitious project they ever produced, with elaborate sets, complex figures, and many many characters in most given scenes. It's a true visual feast to the point that it's easy to forget you are watching claymation and not standard filmmaking.
From the standpoint of influence, this is Hotel Transylvania 1.0. Everything I love about that movie can be found here too.
From the standpoint of writing and voice acting, though? Well...it kinda' really sucks. Amazing that Rankin Bass poured so much passion and money into such a crappy script with worm-eaten gags and celebrity impressions.
Still, watching this one is a Halloween tradition for the girls and I, and I love how it gets them to ask questions about the monster source material. This time around, my youngest connected the sea voyage to Nosferatu!
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Post by thwhtguardian on Oct 29, 2019 17:54:25 GMT -5
Mad Monster Party? (1967)From the standpoint of Rankin Bass stop motion animation, this is the most ambitious project they ever produced, with elaborate sets, complex figures, and many many characters in most given scenes. It's a true visual feast to the point that it's easy to forget you are watching claymation and not standard filmmaking. From the standpoint of influence, this is Hotel Transylvania 1.0. Everything I love about that movie can be found here too. From the standpoint of writing and voice acting, though? Well...it kinda' really sucks. Amazing that Rankin Bass poured so much passion and money into such a crappy script with worm-eaten gags and celebrity impressions. Still, watching this one is a Halloween tradition for the girls and I, and I love how it gets them to ask questions about the monster source material. This time around, my youngest connected the sea voyage to Nosferatu! Yeah, the plot isn't that great but I love the character designs and all the fun winks and nods to the Universal films. For my money I consider Mad Monster Party as sort of the last of those films, closing the book on their world so to speak. |
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