Dead of Night (1945)

Dead of Night (1945)

Comments 1 comment

“There’s a ghost as well as a skeleton in everyone’s cupboard.”

Synopsis:
When an architect (Mervyn Johns) shows up on assignment at a country estate, he’s disturbed to find that he’s “met” all the guests before in a recurring nightmare. A psychiatrist (Frederick Valk) among them tries to convince him that his fears are unfounded, while the remaining guests share their own spooky stories.

Genres:

  • Episodic Films
  • Flashback Films
  • Ghosts
  • Horror Films
  • Living Nightmare
  • Michael Redgrave Films
  • Possession
  • Puppets and Ventriloquism

Response to Peary’s Review:
As Peary notes, this “sophisticated”, historically important “classic horror anthology” — helmed by four different directors — “is where you’ll discover the cinematic origins of several of the creepiest shows you’ve seen on television since the fifties” (i.e., “The Twilight Zone”), and served as “the prototype for future British anthologies” (most notably those produced by Amicus Films). Critics have debated the relative merits of its various segments for decades, with most agreeing that the final episode (“The Ventriloquist’s Dummy”, starring Michael Redgrave, and directed by Alberto Cavalcanti) is the best; as Peary notes, it’s certainly “the most famous”. He adds, “As far as I’m concerned, all ventriloquist stories are terrifying, but this one really makes me jittery.”

Most also agree that the fourth vignette (“Golfing Story”, directed by Charles Crichton) — about golfing buddies (Basil Radford and Naunton Wayne) whose rivalry for an indecisive woman (Peggy Bryan) leads to Wayne’s watery death and his resurrection as a vengeful ghost — seems out-of-place, given its decidedly lighthearted tone; Peary argues that it “should have been omitted” altogether, noting that “it was excised from the original print released in America”.

Also missing from this original print was the third vignette (“Haunted Mirror”, directed by Robert Hamer), a creepy morsel about a man (Ralph Michael) who “looks into a newly purchased antique mirror and sees the room of the previous owner, a jealous maniac who strangled his wife”, then “becomes possessed” and “starts to strangle his own wife (Googie Withers)”; it’s a satisfying little thriller, though we can’t help wanting to know more about the characters and their back stories.

The same holds true for the first and second vignettes (“Hearse Driver”, directed by Basil Dearden, and “Christmas Party”, helmed by Cavalcanti) — both of which, as Peary notes, “should have been expanded”.


But it’s the connective story of this edited tale (directed by Dearden) which ultimately emerges as the unexpected shocker: what begins as a relatively straightforward tale of an everyman (Mervyn Johns) experiencing perpetual deja vu turns into a surprisingly complex meta-narrative.

As noted by DVD Savant, “audiences even now will be thrown by the ending revelations, because few people expect Borges-like time-space enigmas to intercede in mundane filmic reality”. While the vignettes in Dead of Night aren’t quite as frightening or creepy as one might hope, it’s nonetheless satisfying to see the way this diverse team of writers, directors, and actors manage to pull their stories together into one cohesive nightmare.

Redeeming Qualities and Moments:

  • Atmospheric cinematography
  • The “Ventriloquist’s Dummy” sequence
  • Michael Redgrave as “the ventriloquist”, Maxwell Frere
  • The “Haunted Mirror” sequence
  • Googie Withers and Ralph Michael as the “haunted couple” in the above sequence
  • The “meta-film”‘s frightening denouement

Must See?
Yes, for its historical relevance as the primary forerunner of all later horror anthology films and T.V. shows — and for “The Ventriloquist’s Dummy” segment.

Categories

Links:

Bedlam (1946)

Bedlam (1946)

Comments 2 comments

“Ours is a human world; theirs is a bestial world.”

Synopsis:
In 18th century London, the headstrong protege (Anna Lee) of a wealthy lord (Billy House) learns about the horrors inflicted by a cruel asylum director (Boris Karloff) upon his inmates, and vows to intervene — only to find herself unjustly committed.

Genres:

  • Anna Lee Films
  • Boris Karloff Films
  • Character Arc
  • Do-Gooders
  • Falsely Accused
  • Historical Drama
  • Mark Robson Films
  • Mental Illness
  • Psychological Horror
  • Strong Females
  • Val Lewton Films

Response to Peary’s Review:
Peary correctly labels this postwar RKO horror film by producer Val Lewton “his most underrated”, noting that it possesses “terrific performances by Lee and Karloff”, as well as an “intelligent, witty script, offbeat supporting characters, and classy direction by Mark Robson”. Inspired by Plate 8 in William Hogarth’s series of engravings known as “A Rake’s Progress” (and with several of his other engravings appearing as wordless “intertitles” throughout the film), Lewton’s team (including cinematographer Nicholas Musuraca) effectively recreates the shadowy, sinister aura of the notorious “Bethlehem” asylum, whose abbreviated nickname has gone down in etymological history.

Karloff is perfectly cast here as “Master Sims” — an unspeakably evil psychopath whose desire to dominate those weaker than himself manifests in a hellish, sorry existence for the hapless souls trapped in Bedlam. His character’s depth of depravity is hinted at in one brief moment, as he strokes the cheek of a mute woman known simply as “The Dove”:

His simple gesture implies an ongoing history of sexual molestation, though this is never made explicit. Indeed, Sims’ depravity seems to have no limits: in one of the film’s most eerily disturbing scenes, Sims allows a young boy (Glenn Vernon) painted entirely in gold to suffocate while reciting a poem, then casually asserts that the boy caused his own death.

But it’s Anna Lee’s fiery courtesan Nell Bowen who this story is really about. As Peary notes, Lee is indeed “the most dynamic of Lewton’s remarkable women” — and her character’s transformation from self-absorbed mistress to selfless caretaker (without ever losing any of her spunk or vitality) drives the narrative.


As noted in TCM’s analysis, the film could be seen in some ways as a “feminist horror film”, given that the intelligent, fearless Bowen is essentially being punished for speaking her mind. When Bowen makes the mistake of defiantly eating the money given to her by her former client (House is drolly amusing as the corpulent, well-meaning, yet fatally clueless Lord Mortimer):

… our hearts sink from the knowledge that Sims will inevitably twist its meaning and use it against her.

SPOILER ALERT

Fortunately, Sims comes to an appropriately horrifying ending in the film’s satisfying, Poe-inspired denouement.

Note Apparently Lee’s riding dress is the infamous “curtain dress” worn by Vivien Leigh in Gone With the Wind (1939).

Redeeming Qualities and Moments:

  • Anna Lee as Nell Bowen
  • Boris Karloff as Master Sims
  • Billy House as Lord Mortimer
  • Nicholas Musuraca’s striking cinematography
  • Lewton and Robson’s smart, creepy screenplay

Must See?
Yes. This powerful little B-flick has held up remarkably well, and bears repeat viewing.

Categories

Links:

Kennel Murder Case, The (1933)

Kennel Murder Case, The (1933)

Comments 1 comment

“If you knew Archer Coe, you’d know that suicide was almost a psychological impossibility for him!”

Synopsis:
Detective Philo Vance (William Powell) tries to solve the mysterious murder of a wealthy man (Robert Barrat) with many enemies — including his niece (Mary Astor), his niece’s boyfriend (Paul Cavanaugh), his brother (Frank Conroy), his secretary (Frank Morgan), his occasional lover (Helen Vinson), his Chinese cook (James Lee), and an Italian art collector (Jack LaRue).

Genres:

  • Detectives and Private Eyes
  • Mary Astor Films
  • Michael Curtiz Films
  • Murder Mystery
  • William Powell Films

Response to Peary’s Review:
This “fast-paced”, visually innovative whodunit by director Michael Curtiz is widely regarded as the “best entry in the [Philo] Vance mystery series”. William Powell — pre-Nick Charles of Thin Man fame — is “properly suave” as the urbane, impeccably dressed Vance, and Curtiz utilizes unusual camera angles and flashy editing to move things along. However, as Peary notes, the 75-minute film suffers from lack of both “a little romance” and a “sympathetic suspect”, leading the murder mystery to come across as academic rather than heartfelt. With that said, there’s still some fun to be had in watching Vance (debonair Powell is, naturally, well cast) smoothly uncovering one new clue after the other, while he drags the amazingly compliant local police force (embodied by beefy Eugene Pallette) along with him for the ride. You may or may not guess the culprit in the end.

Redeeming Qualities and Moments:

  • Clever direction, camerawork, and editing by Curtiz, DP William Rees, and editor Harold McLernon

Must See?
No, but film fanatics will likely be curious to check it out once.

Links:

Student Teachers, The (1973)

Student Teachers, The (1973)

Comments 1 comment

“When I see that kind of perversion in this here high school, you can bet your sweet ass I’m stoppin’ it!”

Synopsis:
Two sexy young student teachers (Susan Damante and Brooke Mills) cause a stir by offering their high school students radical pedagogical options; meanwhile, a rapist terrorizes their campus, and an African-American senior (Brenda Sutton) plans to swindle a drug dealer (Bob Harris) in order to earn money for her struggling alternative school.

Genres:

  • Chuck Norris Films
  • Dick Miller Films
  • Drug Dealers
  • High School
  • Rape
  • Teachers

Review:
The disjointed, sensationalist script of this New World Pictures exploitation flick is — true to its genre — merely an excuse to flaunt its sexy young female stars and exploit an array of “hot” topics (including drug dealers, rape, and the dysfunctional mandates of public schooling).


The lead protagonists are given no backstory whatsoever, and — needless to say — are entirely unconvincing as student teachers:

Meanwhile, the subplot about a “secret” rapist (his identity is actually fairly obvious) is handled with a disappointing lack of taste, especially given director Jonathan Kaplan’s later, more serious foray into the topic (perhaps he was trying to atone for this earlier mess!). A quick scan of user comments on IMDb reveals that most folks who’ve stumbled upon The Student Teachers (it’s hard to find) enjoy it as an irreverent time capsule, but I was simply bored and offended. Watch for Chuck Norris as a karate instructor, and Dick Miller as Coach Harris.

Redeeming Qualities and Moments:

  • Not much of anything.

Must See?
No; though it’s listed as a Cult Movie in the back of Peary’s book, it’s not must-see viewing for all film fanatics.

Links:

Maisie (1939)

Maisie (1939)

Comments 1 comment

“I’ll talk ya deaf, dumb, and blind, and sometimes I’ll make ya so mad you’ll want to kill me — but I’ll never lie to ya, Slim, or cheat ya.”

Synopsis:
An out-of-work actress (Ann Sothern) finagles a job as a maid on a ranch run by a gunshy cowpoke named Slim (Robert Young). Soon she finds herself falling in love with Slim, and running interference in a rocky marriage between the gentle ranch owner (Ian Hunter) and his cheating wife (Ruth Hussey).

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

  • Ann Sothern Films
  • Ian Hunter Films
  • Marital Problems
  • Robert Young Films
  • Romance
  • Strong Females

Review:
Brassy blonde Ann Sothern earned her greatest fame playing the title character in this MGM B-level “comedy adventure” and its nine sequels (including Congo Maisie, Maisie Goes to Reno, and Undercover Maisie, to name just a few). The 75-minute faux-western storyline — involving a dysfunctional wealthy couple, a suspected murder, a reticent romance, a courtroom revelation, buffalo, and more — is clumsy and far-fetched, but ultimately beside the point: the primary reason to watch, naturally, is Sothern’s sassy performance as Maisie; she’s an appealing enough spitfire that we almost don’t mind watching her maneuver through such a drivelly plot. With that said, Maisie will primarily be of interest either to fans of Sothern, or to die-hard film fanatics curious to see what once passed as popular entertainment; otherwise, it can’t rightly be called must-see viewing.

Redeeming Qualities and Moments:

  • Ann Sothern as Maisie

Must See?
No, but it’s worth a look if you stumble upon it.

Links:

D.O.A. (1950)

D.O.A. (1950)

Comments 1 comment

“I don’t think you fully understand, Bigelow — you’ve been murdered!”

Synopsis:
An accountant (Edmond O’Brien) slowly dying from “luminous poisoning” tries to determine who his killers are, and why they’ve murdered him.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

  • Amateur Sleuths
  • Edmond O’Brien Films
  • Flashback Film
  • Living Nightmare
  • Murder Mystery
  • Neville Brand Films

Response to Peary’s Review:
As Peary notes, this “first-rate melodrama” by DP-turned-director Rudolph Mate features an “unusual, intriguing premise”, one which allows its protagonist — Edmond O’Brien in his most iconic role as Frank Bigelow — to become “one of the first movie heroes to have no fear of being killed”.

While “the story gets a bit confusing” (and thus tends to drag during its second third), the film as a whole remains compelling, and, amazingly enough, never feels “too morbid to sit through” despite knowing that Bigelow is done for from the beginning. Indeed, the flashback-heavy script features a surprising amount of levity, particularly during the early San Francisco hotel sequences, as Bigelow ogles every reasonably attractive female in the joint (and Dimitri Tiomkin’s energetic score adds silly sound-effect punctuations).

Meanwhile, the supporting cast’s B-level performances nearly all border playfully on camp: watch Pamela Britton (as Bigelow’s clingy secretary girlfriend) run an emotional gamut from flirtatious to pissy to maudlin to rapturously romantic:

or toothy Neville Brand in his screen debut as a psycho thug with shifty eyes.

Some have complained that cinematographer Ernest Laszlo fails to establish noir-ish contrasts in lighting, but this ultimately adds to the film’s effectiveness: Bigelow’s nightmarish situation — taking place in real-life San Francisco and Los Angeles locales:

— is very much embedded within day-to-day reality; the scary point here is that anyone (you, me) is at risk for murder simply by being alive. And it should be noted that while Bigelow may be essentially an “innocent nice guy”, he does act like a bit of an immature lout, given that he can’t wait to get away from his fiancee, and considers sleeping with an attractive woman he’s just met at a bar:

To this end, it could be argued (along the lines of 1950s morality) that he “deserves” his fate. Indeed, the story is framed as an unwitting character arc, with Bigelow forced to recognize — too late — the folly of his ways.

Redeeming Qualities and Moments:

  • Edmond O’Brien as Bigelow
  • An effectively nightmarish script
  • Excellent use of San Francisco and Los Angeles locales
  • Neville Brand (in his screen debut) as a psychotic hood

Must See?
Yes, as a classic of pulp noir.

Categories

  • Genuine Classic

Links:

Magnum Force (1973)

Magnum Force (1973)

Comments 2 comments

“I didn’t start shooting at anyone that didn’t start shooting at me first.”

Synopsis:
“Dirty” Harry Callahan (Clint Eastwood) hunts down a team of rookie cops who are murdering notorious criminals.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

  • Clint Eastwood Films
  • Police
  • Vigilantes

Response to Peary’s Review:
Peary notes that this second installment in the “Dirty Harry” franchise “lacks the gritty feel and stylistic impositions of the original” but has some “tough, cleverly directed” action scenes and an “exciting”, morally ambiguous script (co-written by Michael Cimino). Since the identity of the killers is made clear from the beginning, there’s no “murder mystery” to be solved; instead, the film’s interest lies primarily in watching how a notorious vigilante cop like Dirty Harry reacts when confronted with a group of sharpshooting fascist rookies (led by blonde David Soul) who take his own cynical attitude to a deadly extreme.

(Harry himself states at one point, “I hate the goddamn system, but until someone comes along with changes that make sense, I’ll stick with it.”) The film’s title (magnums are ultra-powerful cartridges) hints at an emphasis on firearms and ballistics throughout, and the scene in which Eastwood battles Soul for top prize in a shooting contest is particularly exciting. However, I could do without the inane “subplot” involving Harry’s sexually available Asian neighbor (Adele Yoshioka), whose two-dimensional presence merely serves to tap into Orientalist fantasies.

Redeeming Qualities and Moments:

  • An intriguing premise
  • Effective use of San Francisco locales (including the infamously twisty Lombard Street)

Must See?
No, though it’s certainly worth a look, and must-see for “Dirty Harry” completists.

Links:

Squirm (1976)

Squirm (1976)

Comments 1 comment

“Something is making the worms go crazy.”

Synopsis:
A city boy (Don Scardino) visiting his girlfriend (Patricia Pearcy) and her family (Jean Sullivan and Fran Higgins) in a backwoods Georgian town discovers that an electrical storm has triggered an onslaught of killer earthworms.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

  • Deep South
  • Horror
  • Killer Animals

Response to Peary’s Review:
Peary is far too generous in his assessment of this unintentionally campy low-budget horror flick, which he claims is “effective” and full of “fun characters” and “clever directorial touches”. In truth, despite writer-director Jeff Lieberman’s best efforts, Squirm — “as in Sqworm” — is poorly acted (everyone’s pacing is peculiarly off), sadly lacking in any genuine horror thrills (how scary can worms really be? gross, yes, but not scary), and resolutely unfunny (the scene in which Scardino discovers a worm in his egg cream is not, as Peary posits, witty). While a handful of other critics agree with Peary that Squirm is an inspired little film — Time Out‘s reviewer, for instance, argues that it’s “far better and more interesting than the obvious schlock appeal its plot would suggest” — I was relieved to discover I’m not alone in considering it to be an undeniably bad movie, worthy of spoofing (search YouTube and you’ll find the MST3K version available to watch in 10 minute segments). Throughout his Guide for the Film Fanatic, Peary seems to be trying to champion underdog, low-budget films like this one — particularly in the horror genre — but you’re better off skipping Squirm altogether.

Redeeming Qualities and Moments:

  • A few mildly gross shots of wriggling worms en masse

Must See?
No, unless you’re in the mood for a laughably bad “horror” flick — and in that case, I recommend the MST3K version instead.

Links:

Black Room (1935)

Black Room (1935)

Comments 2 comments

“This murder will happen again, just as it did before — in the Black Room!”

Synopsis:
In a desperate attempt to prevent an ancient family prophecy from coming true, a despotic baron (Boris Karloff) kills and impersonates his noble twin brother.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

  • Boris Karloff Films
  • Historical Drama
  • Mistaken or Hidden Identities
  • Royalty and Nobility
  • Twins

Review:
This unassuming period thriller about fratricide, ancient familial prophecies, and lust for power remains an enjoyable treat for film fanatics, thanks primarily to the central performance by inimitable horror icon Boris Karloff. Karloff embodies the dual roles of both “good brother” (Anton) and “bad brother” (Gregor) with relish and nuance, immediately convincing us that they’re two different men — but his most impressive work comes once he’s playing Gregor-as-Anton, maintaining a simmering aura of calculated greed and sociopathic arrogance underneath a facade of noble charm. The screenplay is surprisingly tight and suspenseful — especially given that Anton is killed off fairly early — and the denouement offers a nifty resolution to the ancient prophecy. Atmospheric cinematography, creative direction, and appropriately baroque set designs add to the ambience of this compelling B-level flick.

Redeeming Qualities and Moments:

  • Boris Karloff as Gregor, Anton, and Gregor-as-Anton

  • Atmospheric cinematography, direction, and sets

Must See?
Yes, simply to see Karloff in one of his best performances.

Categories

  • Noteworthy Performance(s)

Links:

Angelo, My Love (1983)

Angelo, My Love (1983)

Comments 1 comment

“We’re not going to leave you alone until I get the ring, okay?”

Synopsis:
A precocious Greek gypsy boy (Angelo Evans) and his brother try to retrieve a family ring stolen by a conniving Russian gypsy (Steve Tsigonoff).

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

  • Coming-of-Age
  • Gypsies
  • New York City
  • Robert Duvall Films

Review:
Fourteen years before producing and directing The Apostle (1997), Robert Duvall helmed this neo-realist indie film about a little-known American subculture: gypsies in New York City. Its strength lies primarily in the central casting of real-life gypsy kid Angelo Evans (essentially playing himself, as does much of the cast), whose precocious energy drives the narrative: we both believe in and care about him from the first moment he’s on-screen. An early scene in which the illiterate Angelo struggles to maintain his pride in a public school classroom is quietly devastating, and immediately helps us to understand why he prefers to live in the “real world” — among adults — instead. Duvall is less successful in crafting a compelling overall narrative (the ring-heist plot is flimsy at best), but this ultimately doesn’t matter, given that we’re most interested in watching Angelo navigate the streets of New York, and gaining a sense of how this group of societal outcasts manages to maintain key elements of its ancient culture while surviving in a modern city. We may not approve of the gypsy lifestyle portrayed here, but it’s certainly memorable, and fascinating to observe for a short while.

P.S. See Mike Newell’s Into the West (1992) for a comparable — albeit more strategically crafted — film about modern-day Irish gypsies (known as “Travellers”) in Dublin.

Redeeming Qualities and Moments:

  • Angelo Evans as himself
  • A fascinating ethnographic look at New York’s gypsy community

Must See?
No, but it’s worth a look.

Links: