Browsed by
Month: November 2015

Plague of the Zombies, The (1966)

Plague of the Zombies, The (1966)

Comments 1 comment

“This disease seems to me to be more mental than physical.”

Synopsis:
A young doctor (Brook Williams) in a 19th century Cornish village summons the help of his mentor (Andre Morell) in determining the cause of a mysterious plague killing off his patients. When Dr. Forbes (Morell) arrives with his plucky grown daughter (Diane Clare), they are distressed to notice that Williams’ wife (Jacqueline Pearce) — who is enamored by a local squire (John Carson) — seems sickly. Meanwhile, when attempting to conduct an autopsy, Morell and Williams discover that graves are being exhumed and bodies are missing.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

  • Amateur Sleuths
  • Horror
  • Voodoo and Black Magic
  • Zombies

Review:
Hammer Studios’ foray into zombie films evokes visceral memories of Val Lewton’s I Walked With a Zombie (1943) and foreshadows certain visual elements of George Romero’s Night of the Living Dead (1968). On its own, it remains a reasonably effective, historically situated horror flick with fine cinematography and direction — particularly during a green-tinted mid-film zombie sequence which emerges as a freaky surprise and is genuinely disturbing. Other elements of the narrative strain credulity or are overly obvious, but that’s par for the course in a genre flick like this.

Note: Deep-voiced Carson — who film fanatics may recognize as Captain Kronos’ vampire-fighting partner — sounds remarkably like James Mason, don’t you think?

Redeeming Qualities and Moments:

  • Effective cinematography (by Arthur Grant) and direction (by John Gilling)

  • The spooky mid-film zombie sequence

Must See?
No, but it’s recommended for fans of zombie flicks.

Links:

Captain Kronos: Vampire Hunter (1974)

Captain Kronos: Vampire Hunter (1974)

Comments 3 comments

“Age frightens me.”

Synopsis:
As young women’s youth is sucked from their bodies by a black-hooded vampire, a vigilante swordfighter (Horst Janson) and his hunch-backed assistant (John Cater) are summoned by their doctor-friend (John Carson) to solve the mystery, which seems to involve a local nobleman (Shane Briant), his sister (Lois Dane), and their aged mother (Wanda Ventham).

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

  • Horror
  • Vampires
  • Vigilantes

Response to Peary’s Review:
Peary argues that this “cult film” — written and directed by Brian Clemens, the “driving force behind television’s The Avengers” — has an “interesting assortment of characters, some spooky vampire-attack scenes, and splendid atmosphere”, but “never quite reaches its potential”. He notes that “Kronos is a strange warrior”, “capable of slicing up three bullies before they can draw their swords (in a Sergio Leone-type scene), but he mostly bides his time” as he “makes love to a peasant girl” (Caroline Munro), “covers his body with leeches to drain his blood, and patiently plans his course of action”. Actually, Kronos himself — at least as played by Janson — is the film’s primary problem: he cuts a dashing figure but is ultimately not very charismatic; nearly all the supporting players have more juice and nuance to them. It may have been a deliberate choice to frame Kronos as stoic and mysterious — but a film focused on an unusual superhero should (arguably) make that character intrinsically compelling. With that said, the final swordfight is creatively filmed, and I’ll admit I was kept in suspense about the identity of the killer-vampire.

Note: Modern film fanatics will likely sense a Tarantino-esque air to the movie; I was particularly reminded of Django Unchained (2012).

Redeeming Qualities and Moments:

  • Fine cinematography and direction

  • Creative, colorful sets

Must See?
No, but I think most film fanatics would be curious to see it given its cult status.

Links:

Dead and Buried (1981)

Dead and Buried (1981)

Comments 1 comment

“What the hell is going on in this town?!”

Synopsis:
As the sheriff (James Farentino) of a small coastal town investigates a mysterious rash of violent murders perpetrated on tourists — with many of them coming back to life — he begins to wonder about the potential involvement of the local mortician (Jack Albertson) as well as his own wife (Melody Anderson).

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

  • Horror
  • Living Nightmare
  • Zombies

Review:
Co-scripted by Alien screenwriters Dan O’Bannon and Ronald Shusett, this horror-thriller is based on a provocative premise, but fails to deliver on its promise. The shockingly violent opening sequence — in which a photographer (Christopher Allport) is seduced by a beautiful woman (Lisa Blount) on the beach, then nearly burnt alive by a group of locals who photograph and film the proceedings — is truly terrifying, and becomes more so as Allport’s perpetrators suddenly show up around town in other guises. This narrative structure quickly begins to wear thin, however, as we witness one tourist (or set of tourists) after the other suffering the same fate, albeit via different sadistic methods (presumably to show off gory special effects). Clearly, this film is meant to play on the trope of small-town hospitality masking something much more sinister, but we see too much viciousness and not enough initial hospitality to engage our interests.

Redeeming Qualities and Moments:

  • An effectively unsettling opening sequence
  • Atmospheric cinematography

Must See?
No; you can skip this one unless it’s your cup of tea.

Links:

Count Yorga, Vampire (1970)

Count Yorga, Vampire (1970)

Comments 2 comments

“Vampires have minds far superior to those of mortals.”

Synopsis:
A woman (Donna Anders) grieving the recent loss of her mother (Marsha Jordan) from “pernicious anemia” enlists the help of her mother’s boyfriend, Count Yorga (Robert Quarry), in contacting her mother’s spirit during a seance. When two friends (Judy Lang and Michael Murphy) drop Quarry off at his house, they find themselves ensnared in his den of vampire brides; meanwhile, Anders’ husband (Michael Macready) receives help from a doctor-friend (Roger Perry) in investigating the pair’s disappearance.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

  • Horror Films
  • Michael Murphy Films
  • Vampires

Response to Peary’s Review:
Peary posits that this “low-budget horror film” set in “modern-day L.A.” was “quite popular because genre fans were starved for a new vampire”. He writes that “Quarry is effectively evil as Yorga” (I agree), but that he wishes “there were more nuances to his character”:

… and that he finds the “lengthy, terribly directed, bloody finale in the Count’s castle” “amusing”.

I don’t think the ending is particularly bad or amusing, but agree with Peary that this cult item is more a curio of its time than a classic. Its narrative “appeal” seems to be that young women of any era and setting — not just 19th century Transylvania — are at risk of being lured by seductive, deceptive vampires. But poor Lang is stuck between two terrible choices: becoming Quarry’s blood-sucking bride (at which point she’s reduced to gnawing on a kitten):

or staying with her obnoxious boyfriend (Murphy); I’m not sure which is a better fate (!).

I do wish this film had even a little bit more of a feminist “bite”; Perry’s girlfriend (Julie Conners), shown naked in bed, is portrayed in an especially offensive manner.

I wasn’t surprised to hear this was originally planned as a soft-core adult flick.

Redeeming Qualities and Moments:

  • Robert Quarry as Count Yorga

Must See?
No, though it’s worth a one-time look for its cult status.

Links:

Countess Dracula (1971)

Countess Dracula (1971)

Comments 2 comments

“It states quite clearly: for the restoration of youth and beauty, only the blood of a virgin may be used!”

Synopsis:
Upon the death of her husband, an aging countess (Ingrid Pitt) accidentally discovers that young women’s blood makes her youthful again, and enlists the help of her loyal lover (Nigel Green) in securing victims. Meanwhile, she arranges for her visiting daughter Ilona (Lesley-Anne Down) to be held hostage by a mute gamekeeper (Peter May), and seduces a handsome lieutenant (Sandor Eles) while pretending to be her own daughter.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

  • Horror Films
  • Mistaken or Hidden Identities
  • Royalty and Nobility

Review:
Despite its title, there are no fangs to be seen in Hammer Studios’ follow-up to Polish-born Ingrid Pitt’s memorable debut as the 200-year-old lesbian vampire Carmilla in The Vampire Lovers (1970). Here, Pitt plays the infamous serial murderess Elizabeth Bathory, nicknamed “Countess Dracula” because of the blood she shed in the name of (vainly) attempting to preserve her own youth. The problem with Countess Dracula is that Pitt’s character — apparently one of the most cold-blooded female sociopaths in the annals of history — is portrayed as both heinously villainous and petulantly pathetic. The two shouldn’t necessarily be in conflict (plenty of screen villains are pathetic), but there are enough semi-decent characters supporting Pitt in her endeavors — including her long-time lover (Green) and her loyal nursemaid (Patience Collier) — that we get a bit confused. Meanwhile, Pitt’s real-life daughter (Downs) — who we long to see striking back at her viciously narcissistic mother — is imprisoned for most of the film, and we primarily see her being humiliated. While this film has its share of cult fans, it’s ultimately a disappointment.

Note: Bathory’s travails were even more gruesomely and realistically portrayed in Walerian Borowczyk’s Immoral Tales (1974).

Redeeming Qualities and Moments:

  • Atmospheric cinematography

Must See?
No; this one is only must-see for Hammer horror aficianados.

Links:

Curse of Frankenstein, The (1957)

Curse of Frankenstein, The (1957)

Comments 3 comments

“Don’t you see? You’ve created a monster!”

Synopsis:
An arrogant baron (Peter Cushing) enlists the help of his mentor (Robert Urquhart) in carrying out a series of increasingly questionable scientific experiments. When he decides to bring a creature (Christopher Lee) composed of various body parts to life — resorting to murdering a professor (Paul Hardtmuth) for his brain — Urquhart becomes alarmed, and tries to warn Cushing’s naive fiancee (Hazel Court).

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

  • Christopher Lee Films
  • Flashback Films
  • Frankenstein
  • Horror
  • Mad Doctors and Scientists
  • Peter Cushing Films

Response to Peary’s Review:
Peary writes that this “first of Hammer Studios’ horror films” has “few of the fascinating themes or the philosophizing found in the [original] novel or the 1931 film by James Whale.” He further complains that the picture “lacks the wit and melodrama of the Whale film”, noting that “Lee is neither as imposing a monster as Boris Karloff nor as sympathetic”, and pointing out the “jolting… depiction of Victor Frankenstein as a diabolical villain” who is not only a grandiose sociopath but an extreme cad. I’m essentially in agreement with Peary’s assessment. While the “production values are quite good”, and Cushing’s performance is excellent (it’s fun to see him playing “against type”, given his iconic connection to the heroic Van Helsing), this remake simply pales in comparison in every way but for the “distinct, superbright color”. It’s primarily of note for its historical relevance as the beginning of a new era of horror: according to Richard Scheib of Moria Reviews, “Aside from the flurry of atomic monster movies in the 1950s, there were almost no horror films made anywhere in the world between 1947 and the genre’s revival in 1957”.

Redeeming Qualities and Moments:

  • Peter Cushing as Baron Frankenstein
  • Atmospheric cinematography and period sets

Must See?
No, though it’s worth viewing for its historical relevance.

Links:

Curse of the Werewolf (1961)

Curse of the Werewolf (1961)

Comments 1 comment

“A werewolf is a body with a soul and a spirit that are constantly at war.”

Synopsis:
After being humiliated by a sociopathic marquis (Anthony Dawson), a beggar (Richard Wordsworth) is permanently imprisoned and becomes increasingly animal-like, raping a kind, mute servant (Yvonne Romain). Upon her death during childbirth, Romain’s son Leon (Justin Walters) is raised by a caring couple (Clifford Evans and Hira Talfrey) who are dismayed to learn from a local priest (John Gabriel) that Leon is a werewolf who has committed a spate of recent animal killings. When Leon grows up (Oliver Reed), he learns about his lycanthropy and hopes that the love of his girlfriend (Catherine Feller) will save him from this dreaded fate.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

  • Horror
  • Oliver Reed Films
  • Werewolves

Review:
Based on a 1933 novel by Guy Endore, this Hammer Studios horror production invests considerable time in positing lycanthropy as an illness borne of social corruption rather than merely a supernatural disease. The first half-hour is a terribly bleak preamble, showing humanity at its worst: the whims of a depraved despot (Dawson) — mediated only slightly by his kind young wife (Josephine Llewellyn) — result in a lifetime of imprisonment for the good-natured beggar, who becomes increasingly hirsute; meanwhile, Dawson loses his wife and becomes physically grotesque himself, much like Dorian Gray’s portrait. Although the voiceless Romain is cruelly abused for her attempts at generosity, kindness emerges in the form of Evans, Talfrey, Gabriel, and Feller — but even their ample love and protection aren’t enough to save Leon from his predetermined fate. Reed has magnetic presence and invests his character with enough pathos that we truly feel for him: his dual nature is entirely out of his control, and has nothing whatsoever to do with latent arrogance or sociopathy. This is one gloomy flick!

Redeeming Qualities and Moments:

  • Oliver Reed as Leon
  • Hira Talfrey as Teresa
  • Atmospheric cinematography and sets

Must See?
No, but it’s certainly worth a look by fans of werewolf flicks.

Links:

Horror of Dracula (1958)

Horror of Dracula (1958)

Comments 2 comments

“It only remains for me now to await the daylight hours, where I will with God’s help forever end this man’s reign of terror!”

Synopsis:
A vampire hunter (John Van Eyssen) posing as a librarian arrives at the castle of Count Dracula (Christopher Lee), where he puts one of Dracula’s victims (Valerie Gaunt) out of her misery, but is bitten himself before he can kill Dracula. When Dracula invades the household of Van Eyssen’s girlfriend Lucy (Carol Marsh) and Lucy’s brother (Michael Gough) and sister-in-law (Melissa Stribling), Dr. Van Helsing (Peter Cushing) arrives to help.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

  • Christopher Lee Films
  • Horror
  • Peter Cushing Films
  • Vampires

Response to Peary’s Review:
Peary writes that while “Hammer Studios’ follow-up to The Curse of Frankenstein is a much better and more influential horror film”, it “isn’t the definitive adaptation of Bram Stoker’s novel or much more than an introduction to the bloody-red and sexually oriented style of future Hammer vampire films”. He complains the “film is so rushed that we have a hard time realizing that major parts of Stoker’s story are being either distorted or eliminated“, that “all the performances” (other than the two leads) “are forgettable”, and that Cushing is “a little too humorless, as if his blood had already been drained”.

In favor of the film, Peary writes that the “graphic violence… fits the subject rather than being exploitative”, that the production in general is “well-mounted”, and that “Lee’s madly inspired vampire is terrific: cruel, energetic, intelligent, tall and imposing”.

Peary also points out how the film differs from “Universal’s 1931 Dracula chiefly in that it conveys the sexual nature of vampirism: not only does the vampire become excited when he bites into a victim’s jugular but his victims also relish the experience”. Indeed, according to DVD Savant, this film “made much more explicit the seduction-rape fantasy that underlies vampire mythology.” Savant is much more a diehard fan of this film, referring to it as “the Singin’ in the Rain of horror films — a show that transcends its genre and sums up what’s great about screen terror.” His praise feels hyperbolic to me, but provides evidence of the film’s cult following. Personally, my opinion lies closer to Peary’s: this remains a reasonably enjoyable, historically significant genre flick, but not must-see viewing.

Redeeming Qualities and Moments:

  • Christopher Lee as Dracula — only on the screen for 7 minutes, but a menacing presence
  • Jack Asher’s atmospheric cinematography

Must See?
No, though it’s certainly worth a look for its historical importance.

(Listed in 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die)

Links:

Brides of Dracula (1960)

Brides of Dracula (1960)

Comments 2 comments

“He was my son. Now he is only — a beast of the night.”

Synopsis:
A teacher (Yvonne Monlaur) on her way to begin a new position at a girls’ school is waylaid at the castle of a baroness (Martita Hunt) whose handsome, charming son (David Peel) is kept in chains. Peel convinces Monlaur to release him, and soon his identity as a ravenous vampire is revealed.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

  • Horror
  • Peter Cushing Films
  • Vampires

Review:
In its follow-up to The Horror of Dracula (1958), Hammer Studios had to make do without the presence of Christopher Lee (who wanted to avoid being typecast, though he returned for later installments). David Peel — a devilishly handsome blonde — was cast as his pseudo-replacement:

… though the true heart of the story lies in Peel’s relationship with his mother, played (appropriately enough) by Martita Hunt of Great Expectations (1946) fame.

The mystery of why Peel is being kept in chains — and the devastating consequences of his release by naive Monlaur — fuel the narrative, clearly echoing sentiments from the previous year’s Suddenly, Last Summer (1959). Hunt evokes much sympathy as a tormented mother whose existence is consumed by her son’s “lifestyle choices”, and Freda Jackson adds energetic color as a cackling servant who helps fill in details of Peel’s past.

Cushing is also in fine form as Monlaur’s noble rescuer.

This one is certainly worth a watch by fans of the series.

Redeeming Qualities and Moments:

  • Peter Cushing as Dr. Van Helsing
  • Martita Hunt as Baroness Meinster
  • Freda Jackson as Greta
  • Atmospheric cinematography

Must See?
No, but it’s recommended as a worthy sequel.

Links:

Gruesome Twosome, The (1967)

Gruesome Twosome, The (1967)

Comments 2 comments

“Napoleon, I’m afraid we have a problem!”

Synopsis:
A curious co-ed (Gretchen Wells) investigates a case involving a demented older woman (Elizabeth Davis) with a stuffed pet cougar who enlists the help of her mentally retarded grown son (Chris Martell) in scalping beautiful young women to turn their hair into wigs.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

  • Amateur Sleuths
  • Herschell Gordon Lewis Films
  • Horror
  • Serial Killers

Review:
The ineptitude of this Z-grade exploitation film by goremeister Herschell Gordon Lewis is as profound as one would expect: terrible acting, tediously gratuitous splatter sequences, and the inexplicable inclusion of snippets from an even MORE inept drive-in movie involving attempted romance over burnt potato chips and beer. The opening “flashback” sequence of talking wigs on styrofoam heads — apparently added to pad the running time — is just surreal enough to hold one’s strained attention, in a slack-jawed fashion. Sadly, Peary lists no less than six films by Lewis in his GFTFF, when viewing one or possibly two — Blood Feast (1963) and/or 2000 Maniacs (1964) — would be more than enough for even the most curious and inclusive film fanatic.

Redeeming Qualities and Moments:

  • Complete ineptitude and/or surreality across the board



Must See?
Most definitely not. If this kind of thing appeals to you, you know who you are.

Links: