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Reviews
I Married a Monster from Outer Space (1958)
One of the best 1950s sci fi movies; a true classic
Maligned by many for its title, but recognised by most as a movie whose depth, entertainment value and chilling moments certainly belie the triteness of the title. Personally, I think it's a great title; it's like the teenagers from the 'I was a teenage
' movies have grown up and are ready for marriage only to discover that there are even greater threats than werewolves and patchwork monsters to contend with. Basically, male shape shifting aliens whose females died out subsequent to a planetary catastrophe have infiltrated a small American town by assuming the appearances and to some extent the characters of local young men with a view to eventually altering female DNA to allow them to bare their offspring. The story focuses for the most part on the plight of newlywed Marge Farrell (Gloria Talbott) whose husband Bill (Tom Tryon) is abducted by aliens of the eve of their wedding and replaced by one of them who initially seems like a perfect copy but whose true nature is gradually revealed as Marge's fears and paranoia deepen in a clever commentary on how well we really know people. But there's a lot more to it than that; you really need to check it out to see how good it is. Gloria Talbott is great as Marge; her deepening crises as she proceeds through feelings of confusion, doubt, fear, acceptance and, ultimately, recognition of her role in the survival of the 'human' species (be it under threat from aliens or communists depending on your perspective) are all expertly conveyed and seem to improve with subsequent viewings. Tom Tyron is OK as Bill and does manage to express a kind of detachment that suits the 'not quite there' nature of the character. Gene Fowler's direction is fine, except for the day for night work which is unpardonably bad, and John Fulton's special effects are great for the time and include such highlights as laser beams and really disgusting melting effects for the eerily glowing aliens. And what about those aliens! For my money they are simply the best aliens of the 1950s
big, ugly, and glowing yet trying to get to grips with the complexities of being human! Stephen King when describing the aliens faces called them 'runnelled and knotted and warty', elsewhere they've simply been described as 'rhubarb like', although one critic dismissed them as 'risible' (perhaps he was watching the 'pompous ass' cut of the film; I'm sure that critics see a different version of these movies than the rest of us!) and they are all of these things and more, depending on how you look at them.
Some of the themes are interesting even today. Modern day ufologists for example will be very familiar with alien abduction accounts and the notion of emotionless extraterrestrials attempting to cross breed with humans, a fairly unusual perspective in the 1950s which from the UFO viewpoint was dominated by the contactee movement. The viewer may also find themselves experiencing mixed feelings towards the aliens. You can easily understand why they want to keep their species going and can to some extent sympathise with their confusion over human emotions but it's hard to reconcile those feelings with the ruthlessness with which they attempt to achieve their goals. Having said that, I had no qualms about them killing the sleazy bar fly who was stalking Marge but did feel some pity when the hooker got zapped!
Whatever way you decide to view this movie, it is, in my opinion, an absolute gem and fully deserving of 'classic' status. For some reason it doesn't appear to be available on DVD in the UK, so I am having to rely on my battered and worn old VHS copy taped years ago when the TV channels here still had the balls to show mad old movies but, if you do get the chance to check it out I'm sure you'll agree that this is 1950s American sci fi at its absolute best!
Night of the Big Heat (1967)
Sunny side up!
A charming small scale British sci fi thriller from 1967, 'Night of the Big Heat' benefits from some good performances, solid direction, excellent set design, good editing and a plot which, whilst talky, does not lapse into boredom. In the depths of winter, while the mainland is freezing in sub zero temperatures, the island of Fara is experiencing a highly localised and inexplicable heat wave. A visiting scientist, Hanson (Christopher Lee) deduces that a bizarre alien species, possibly the vanguard of an oncoming invasion, is responsible for the weather anomaly as part of an effort to alter Earth's climate to suit their own needs. A group of increasingly isolated islanders prepare to face their foe and attempt to warn the mainland of the growing threat. Of course, much has been said of how a reasonably well made film was let down in the closing stages by the hugely inferior and disappointing aliens. Clearly, whatever slice of an already limited budget was apportioned to the special effects department was grossly inadequate. Consequently we are subjected to the spectacle of a couple of very slow moving, sub William Hartnell era Doctor Who, fried – egg looking blobs that somehow radiate intense heat and noise. Personally, I think the strengths of the film are enough to salvage it from complete ruin, but I can certainly understand how let down people must have felt by the lack lustre pay off. One question that does cross my mind, however, is just what should the aliens have looked like? Apparently in the original book they were carnivorous, heat generating, spiders and large maggot like things in the 1960 TV play but I can't help wondering how the special effects people should have approached it in the movie. I quite admire the decision not to make them stereotypically humanoid as is the case in so many sci fi thrillers. Instead we are presented with apparently sentient but completely non human, ie alien, creatures, perhaps all the better to disrupt the equilibrium of our expectations. Had they been just an energy form, that would have been too 'Star Trekky', had they been humanoid that would have been clichéd and, as they are, they're a little too early Doctor Who so the question remains; what should they have looked like? Fried egg looking blobs notwithstanding, the film, as mentioned earlier does have some strengths. Christopher Lee is on good form as the disagreeable scientist Hanson and Peter Cushing approaches the smaller role of Dr. Stone from what, for him, is an interestingly naturalistic perspective. Patrick Allen is as dependable as ever as Callum and is well supported by real life wife Sarah Lawson as Frankie and Jane Merrow as erstwhile on screen paramour Angela. Other cast members including Kenneth Cope and William Lucas all turn in adequate performances that help the film achieve its goals. Terence Fisher's direction is solid and efficient and he handles the film's most awkward moment, the attempted rape scene, with considerable bravery even though an understandable element of reticence, discernible also in a similar moment in Fisher's 'Frankenstein Must be Destroyed' (1969), is apparent, but works well in what I would argue is a surprisingly non misogynistic movie. Angela's increasing marginalisation is quite well handled too. Initially seeming like a predatory vamp, her strength seems to be drained after Callum eventually comes clean to his wife about their affair and she assumes a far less threatening role, her vengeance becoming further distilled through interactions that could never have been predicted when she originally formatted what could have been either a revenge scenario or a straightforward attempt to usurp Frankie. Although underdeveloped in places, the film is technically adequate and I personally think they did a good job of making people look like they were suffering from heat effects in the middle of a cold February. The DVD commentary, however, is really unfocused; the film itself is seldom talked about but it is interesting to hear the random things Christopher Lee comes out with and, consequently, it's never less than entertaining. I also noticed that the DVD cut is slightly longer than the one last shown on TV here in the UK with an extra scene involving the dissemination of the walky talkies which, in the other version, just appear from nowhere. All told, I find the film makes for a pleasant distraction; it's a nice representation of times past, a period I vaguely remember from my childhood, and stands up to subsequent viewings as long as you can forgive the fried eggs!
Addendum; I have since managed to track down a copy of the book and am now sure Christopher Lee must have read it, so convincing is his portrayal of Hanson (Harson in the book),it really is as if the character has come to life! Also, the aliens weren't spiders; the real aliens sent these big, nasty spiders to see if they could survive on our planet prior to their own possible arrival.
The Blood on Satan's Claw (1971)
Superb, scary and unique British 70s horror.
One of the best British horror films of the 1970s, 'Blood on Satan's Claw' is a real treasure for any fan of the genre. It was one of those few movies that actually scared me when I first saw it as a kid and its power has not weakened with age. Admittedly one becomes desensitised to the scary moments so they don't have the same impact, but the power of the story remains intact. Featuring all kinds of intense and disturbing images, a genuinely authentic period feel, some good performances and high technical merits, it comes as something of a surprise that this movie is not held in quite as high esteem as, for example, 'Witchfinder General' to which it is occasionally compared. One of the primary differences between the two, however, is that where Witchfinder is more about human evil and consequently eschews the supernatural in favour of realism, 'Satan's Claw', whilst still ostensibly focusing on human evil, embraces the occult and places it in our midst as a possible catalyst for depravity. Strangely, however, the character of Angel Blake, well played by Lynda Hayden, is based in part upon the real life child murderer Mary Bell whose crimes were still quite fresh in the memories of the British public at the time the movie was written. The writer, Robert Wynne Simmons, says he was particularly struck by Bell's complete lack of remorse for her crimes. Perhaps he had to invoke evil forces as an explanation for such disturbing behaviour although later claims stated that Bell had been the subject of abuse by adults when she was younger so the implant of evil may well have come from them. There is a strong sense of generation clash pervading the film, which may well have been a reflection of the changes British society was experiencing at a time when the old style family model was crumbling under pressure from the youth revolution that started to come into full swing in the 1960s after emerging in the 50s as a kind of post war fracturing of established sensibilities and many of the film's primary messages about the effects of unfettered , absolute, or misdirected hedonism still reverberate now, perhaps even more so given the state of modern British society. 'Blood on Satan's Claw' starts well. With the discovery of a strange worm eaten skull by farm labourer Ralph Gower (Barry Andrews) and continues in its early stages to build a strong sense of unease. This is particularly well established by the episode involving Peter Edmonton (Simon Williams) and his bride to be Rosalind Barton (Tamara Ustinov), the latter becoming creepily possessed and sent off to the nearest asylum, the former hacking off his own hand during a lurid moment of hallucination spawned by tangible evil. There's also an interesting little moment when the local parson finds a grass snake which of course he perceives as totally harmless but this apparently harmless serpent represents the evil yet to come at the hands of the apparently harmless children, driven by another, far more dangerous serpent, their master; the devil. Another nice detail sees the local doctor occupying the strange middle ground between science and superstition, nicely balancing the polarised opinions of the rational, modernistic, Judge and the earthier Ralph. It must be pointed out though, that it's not just the children who seem evil; Edmonton's aunt Isobel (Avice Landone) is a cold hearted and immensely cruel figure of a woman, several yokels decide to drown a child for witchcraft and even the hero judge (Patrick Wymark) is far from pleasant. In fact few of the characters have any redeeming features and those that do meet nasty ends. There are one or two lulls in the action, the odd plot hole doesn't help (just what becomes of nasty aunt Isobel after she vanishes is never made clear) and the script definitely struggles at times to knit together the three separate stories that Wynne Simmons originally conceived. However, when the action comes it is surprisingly nasty; the rape scene is particularly shocking and distressing, the removal of devil hair was pretty good for the time but the film seems gorier than it actually is. As noted by others, the ending may seem a little rushed but it serves its purpose and leaves one or two questions for the viewer to reflect upon. But what does pervade is a real sense of unstoppable evil. The camera-work, one again down to the expert eye of Dick Bush, captures a kind of evil aura that should be alien to the lush British landscapes he photographs. Mark Wilkinson's music is strangely unsettling but at no point distracting and art direction by Arnold Chapkis definitely deserves a mention. Piers Haggard does a pretty good job with direction and I for one would like to see him have another stab at horror. On the whole then, what may initially seem like 'Witchfinder General's' mad relative emerges as a taut, well made and unique slice of British horror deserving at least of equal status to its tormented cousin.
Twins of Evil (1971)
One of Peter Cushing's greatest performances
The most impressive aspect of this excellent late entry from Hammer must surely be Peter Cushing's extraordinarily powerful performance as puritanical witch hunter Gustav Weil. Cushing plays him virtually as a psychopath with no redeeming features. Weil perceives everything that exists beyond the scope of his limited, but religiously fanatical, perspective as inherently evil. It certainly comes as no surprise that the Weils are a childless couple as one imagines that this man would see sex as a blasphemous and ungodly act. It is quite possible that his frustration adds fuel to his personal emotional fire and leads you to suspect that a degree of sexual deviance is at play when Weil and his cronies humiliate and burn innocent young women. Absolutely no one is safe from their accusations as they adopt the role of accuser, judge, jury and executioner for anyone who exists beyond the fringes of their limited societal rules. Undoubtedly the attitudes of the Brotherhood would marginalise people and it's these same individuals that become the targets of their ongoing murderous rampage. By contrast, Count Karnstein (Damien Thomas) seems at first to be the voice of reason who initially ridicules Weil for his 'witch' burning fanaticism and it's only when his cynical and jaded view of life leads him to murder a young woman in an attempt to summon the devil that we see he too is a major threat but even then, after he becomes a vampire, he seems more like an over grown schoolboy planning mischief, albeit of a deadly kind, compared to Weil. Weil's blatant mysoginism, having already been revealed by his witch burning, is confirmed by his attitude when he first encounters his nieces Frieda and Maria Gellhorn (Madeleine and Mary Collinson), whom he immediately resents and clearly just wants to punish at any given opportunity and it actually comes as a relief when his wife Katy (Kathleen Byron) finally stands up to him in an effort to protect Maria whom he has already thrashed having confused her for Frieda. Madeline and Mary Collinson are OK as the twins, despite being dubbed. There are even moments when they quite convincingly portray the polarity of innocence and corruption. It has been suggested that Frieda, the so called evil twin, doesn't really appear to be that evil; she's more like a rebellious teenager in her attitudes but, once you realise that she has shown a great deal of cruelty to her sister in the past, it becomes clear that she does indeed possess at the very least a ruthless streak. A plot hole that is frequently mentioned concerns Mircalla (Katya Wyeth), who just vanishes from the story once she has converted her descendant into a vampire but, at a stretch, it can be imagined that she is the vampire whom the villagers are already complaining about who may still be on the loose after the final confrontation at the castle thus leaving the way open for a further sequel that sadly never happened. Technically the film is quite accomplished. Tudor Gates' script is surprisingly strong.The eastmancolour cinematography by the brilliantly named Dick Bush is clear, expressive and quite lovely to look at. Roy Stannard's art direction is first class and the sets are very impressive, particularly the castle, Weil's house and the Brotherhood's meeting hall. John Hough's direction is confident and assured and occasionally surprising. There are touches that suggest, given the right material, he could have gone on to far greater things. In many ways a far more powerful film than the others in this loose trilogy, The Vampire Lovers (1970) and 'Lust For a Vampire' (1970), 'Twins of Evil' remains a satisfying conclusion, a reasonably good vampire movie and a significant reminder of Peter Cushing's great talent as an actor.
Lust for a Vampire (1971)
Flawed but not fatal
Viewed either as the second in a vague trilogy or the second of three interpretations of the same story, Jimmy Sangster's second major directorial effort (he'd done some TV work on 'Ironside' in the late 60s and was fairly prolific in second unit work in the early 50s) is even worse than his first, 'Horror of Frankenstein' (1970), despite which it's still a likable enough early seventies vampire movie from the great house of Hammer. It is pretty hard not to not to notice the problems which start with the glaringly obvious reflection of the film crew in the carriage door early on in the film and continue with continuity errors. For example, we see a full body shot of the dire Mike Raven, supposed Karnstein vampire, followed instantly by a close up of what are clearly Christopher Lee's eyes complete with blood red contact lenses, then back to Raven who's eyes aren't red at all! Next, a victim has her throat cut and blood pours into a receptacle for the purposes of reviving Mircalla / Carmilla, then a longer shot has the victim in the background with no blood at all on her neck! And on it goes right up until almost the entire crew plus various cables and a camera decide to put in an appearance during the final scenes when the vampire coach driver decides to charge into the crowd of torch wearing villagers. Add to this the laugh out loud performance by erstwhile DJ Mike Raven and you get a far funnier film than 'Horror of Frankenstein' which was at least meant to be a sort of comedy. The second time he says 'heart attack' is a guaranteed to make you guffaw. On those grounds, the movie sounds terrible, but somehow it's not. Sangster wrote some good scripts for Hammer; 'Curse of Frankenstein', 'Revenge of Frankenstein', 'Dracula', 'The Mummy', 'Brides of Dracula' and so on amongst others as well as providing sterling work in other guises, whether as producer, story editor, consultant or whatever so it would clearly be contemptuous and wrong to consign him to the scrap heap because his direction may have seemed a little weak on this one movie. Apart from which, he always seems to manage at least one nice moment. I was particularly struck by the image of Mircalla (Yutte Stensgaard) walking gracefully off into the low lying fog after her cruel treatment of Giles Barton (Ralph Bates), again, like a brief moment in 'Horror of Frankenstein' (1970) there is something almost poetic about it. Ralph Bates is fine in his role as is Michael Johnson as Gothic author Richard Lestrange. There's a nice moment when the two first meet and Barton is describing the students, one of whom he mentions is a member of the 'Hampshire Courtley's. An interesting family' which may be a reference to his role as Lord Courtley in 'Taste the Blood of Dracula' (1970) although he might be saying 'Courtney' in which case my observation is pointless! Suzanna Leigh is good as Janet Playfair and, to be honest, had I been Lestrange it would have been her I'd have shown an interest in rather than chasing after a school girl, although Yutte Stensgaard is more than beguiling as the doomed vampire. One point about her vampire status; It has been noted that she walks abroad in daylight, something we presume vampires are incapable of but it must be remembered that in LeFanu's story 'Carmilla' (1872) upon which the movie is loosely based, the vampire, although practising most of her vampirism at night, is not in any way confined to nocturnal activities. Mike Raven. I don't know what to say about Mike Raven. My brother and I came across him on a train in London in the early seventies and thought he was the devil. He was completely dressed in black, complete with goatee beard and hair drawn back across his head. My brother, being somewhat more daring than me, decided to ask him if he was in fact the devil, to which he replied that, no he was Mike Raven. I don't really know why they dubbed his voice in the movie as he certainly sounded creepy enough to us as kids. Helen Christie as Miss Simpson adequately portrays a woman who, although initially appearing to be strong and in control, soon suffers an emotional collapse as her world begins to crumble about her. Other performances range from the adequate to the weak but collectively achieve the aims of the script. Apart from the glaring errors mentioned earlier, most of the technical work is OK. Music by Harry Robertson (as Harry Robinson) is good and the 'Strange Love' song doesn't do any particular harm with the melody efficiently incorporated into the sound track at later key stages and most of the photography is highly effective and very attractive. It would have been interesting to see what kind of film would have emerged if original plans had prevailed. Tudor Gates had initially made a number of references to aspects of 'The Vampire Lovers' (1970) so continuity to that film would have been more relevant, Terence Fisher was due to direct and Peter Cushing was due to do the Ralph Bates role. On top of this it was hoped to do the interiors at Bray, all of which may have resulted in a very different film. Notwithstanding these potential differences, the film as it stands probably doesn't entirely deserve the intense negativity that it often encounters and does offer many enjoyable moments. It's the sort of film you can watch again a couple of years later and think 'that wasn't so bad after all!'.
Night of the Demon (1957)
A true classic in every sense
A genuine horror classic. Made at the same time as Hammer's ground breaking 'The Curse of Frankenstein', 'Night of the Demon' couldn't be more different. Hammer found a successful formula in their Gothic horrors, a formula that worked in their favour for around sixteen years, but 'Night of the Demon' is a one off. Unique in many ways it is in part a return to the Val Lewton school of movie making at the same time as being a classic of 1950s science versus superstition. The screenwriters, Charles Bennett and Hal E Chester, evolved a clever script based on M. R. James superb short story 'Casting the Runes' which first appeared in 'More Ghost Stories of an Antiquary' (1911). The basic premise of the story is retained but the screenwriters intelligently update proceedings for a 'modern' audience, although, interestingly, the reality of the supernatural is less ambiguous in the film than in the book. Of course this is one of the points of contention of the movie; did the director, Jacques Tourneur want to make a movie wherein the audience had to decide on the reality of the supernatural for themselves through use of suggestion and ambiguity, only to have his plans scuppered by the insertion of the demon at the producers' insistence at the beginning of the film. Close viewing of the movie does suggest that the early close-ups of the demon's head were inserted after the film had been completed but the initial image of the demon emerging from the cloud of smoke and the demon's foot as it comes to rest next to Harrington's body really look more like they were meant to be there. Whatever way, the film works brilliantly and it more than survives the much maligned demon head close up (which is itself a really cool puppet; classic gargoyle like face and design that closely resembles ancient woodcuts and artworks depicting demons). Niall MacGinnis is perfectly cast as Karswell. The character is far more fleshed out than the evil alchemist of James' story who remains less a protagonist and more a baleful influence. Some people say he is just another screen version of Crowley, and it's easy to see why. However, one gets the impression that Karswell is not an inherently evil man; nor is he the beast incarnate. Like many people, he just wants to be left alone and it becomes clear that the interfering outsiders in many ways bring about their own doom as the cold, blundering infant science attempts to reduce and rationalise the unknowable. Dana Andrews is hugely believable as blinkered scientist, John Holden, stumbling through his self induced reductionist view of reality; an agent of the new world struggling to come to terms with the old ways, representing a figure familiar to anyone with a passing interest in the paranormal or supernatural but even he, after all he experiences, can't quite let go and allow a wider truth into his established mental scaffolding, preferring ultimately not to know. He remains, I feel, a more interesting character than his counterpart in 'Casting the Runes', Edward Dunning. The other two principal scientists, O Brien (Liam Redmond) and Kumar (Peter Elliot) take a far less sceptical view of the occult, Kumar admitting to an absolute belief in demons, O'Brien at least willing to question how, for example, depictions of the same type of demonic entity have manifested in different cultures globally over millennia and why these factors have influenced the experiences of Rand Hobart (Brian Wilde), an ex member of Karswell's cult traumatised into a catatonic state through interaction with demonic forces. Here, clearly, Holden's cold rationalism refuses to allow even the possibility of such factors to play a part in his interpretation of Hobart's condition, a clear indication of how academia can, in some cases, squeeze the mind into submission. John Harrington's brother Henry becomes his niece Joanna, adequately played by Peggy Cummins and allowing a fairly unobtrusive romantic strand to develop. She also becomes a key player in the spooky séance and, ultimately, a hostage for an increasingly agitated Karswell. Other cast members, from Athene Seyler as Mrs. Karswell, or Reginald Beckwith as Mr. Meek to Janet Barrow as Mrs. Hobart all give appropriate and well measured performances, collectively generating an eclectic and interesting group of people. Music (Clifton Parker), cinematography (Ted Scaife) and production design (Ken Adam) are uniformly excellent and compliment the surprisingly high production standards for a fairly low budget movie. Then, of course, there's the direction. Jacques Tourneur, son of acclaimed director Maurice Tourneur is best known to horror fans for his work with Val Lewton, namely 'Cat People' (1942), 'I Walked With a Zombie' (1942) and 'The Leopard Man' (1943, although he also directed 'The Comedy of Terrors' (1964). In his work with Lewton, Tourneur showed a mastery of developing, staging and sustaining suspense with perfect timing, a quality exemplified in 'Night of the Demon' which, I believe perfectly compliments his earlier work, even surpassing it in places. Displaying a superb knack for camera positioning and ingenious use of light and dark, Tourneur crafts the perfect thriller in 'Night of the Demon', not only a classic of British horror, but an outstanding classic of the genre as a whole.
The Horror of Frankenstein (1970)
Not as black as it's painted...
I hadn't watched this one for years. So despondent was I with my own vague memories and subsequent negative reviews that I more or less consigned the film to the scrap heap. However, I caught part of it on ITV4 a few weeks ago and thought 'I wouldn't mind watching that'. Remembering that I had the DVD as part of a box set I settled down recently and prepared myself for what many people consider to be not only the worst of the Hammer Frankensteins, but one of their worst films generally and found my opinions, whilst not totally blown out of the water, were to change considerably. Inevitably the lack of Terence Fisher and Peter Cushing takes its toll; one only need compare 'The Evil of Frankenstein' (1964) directed by Freddie Francis to the others in Hammer's canon to realise just how much Fisher brought to the Frankenstein movie sub genre, and it was once said of Peter Cushing that he could have been the next Olivier. Despite these apparent shortcomings, the director, Jimmy Sangster, does manage to adhere here and there to accepted Hammeresque aspects and does include a couple of nice scenes; there's an almost fairy tale quality to the scene of the monster lumbering towards the woodsman's cottage and, although the majority of direction is pedestrian at best, there is the occasional flourish that suggests Sangster at least had the ability to do better. Ralph Bates does a good job in his role as the young Baron Frankenstein; the fact that so many people have described how pompous, spoilt, cold and unpleasant he is providing proof of the quality of his performance and the juxtaposition between his utter contempt for human life, a contempt that leads him to murder several people, including his father thereby killing off the old values for good, and his goal of creating life is quite well considered. Dave Prowse, who played the strongman in 'Vampire Circus' (1970) and a far more sympathetic monster in 'Frankenstein and the Monster From Hell' (1973) has little to do other than lumber around killing or threatening people but there is no denying that his is a physically intimidating creature that you really wouldn't want to come across while walking through the woods. Despite the lack of 'monster' makeup I actually found the design interesting and felt it suited this particular variation on the Frankenstein myth, perceiving the monster as a deeply psychotic extension of the Baron's already disturbed personality. Kate O'Mara is very convincing as the conniving Alys. Physically she reminds me of Nell Quick in James Herbert's excellent novel 'Once' and Veronica Carlson does her best with a fairly weakly written role. The next acting honours must go to Denis Price as the grave robber and Joan Rice as his downtrodden wife. I was, I suppose, surprised at how tame this movie was. Given the strength and gore quotient in the same year's 'Scars of Dracula', it would have seemed obvious to extend the gore factor in this one; there is very little horror in 'The Horror of Frankenstein' beyond the horror of what humans are capable enough if they are driven in the way Frankenstein appears to be here. All in all though, 'The Horror of Frankenstein' is a fairly intriguing relic; a reminder of a time before cinema audiences were so completely desensitised that they need shock after shock to sustain their interest and an unusual, if watered down, echo of Hammer's prior greatness.
The Satanic Rites of Dracula (1973)
Christopher Lee's final Dracula
Direct sequel to the strangely enjoyable 'Dracula AD 1972', The Satanic Rites is a far better film than it really deserves to be. Gone are the misguided hippies; those responsible for Dracula's reappearance and ongoing success in this one are a cult whose members include leading politicians, business men and scientists. The actual resurrection is glossed over save for a fleeting mention of Satanist Chin Yang (Barbara Yu Ling) having something to do with it. Dracula has the left the confines of the now demolished St. Bartolph's Church and taken up residence in a chic London office building. Not only this but, in what may now seem a slightly shallow metaphor, his vampirism has extended to the financial for he now heads a hugely successful property development company. It has been mentioned that the movie resembles a New Avengers episode so there's no need to rehash that particular speculative route here so lets concentrate on a couple of other factors. For once, Christopher Lee is given a little more dialogue, speaking with a Romanian accent in his guise as D D Denham but reverting to his aristocratic English accent once his true identity becomes clear. Both Lee and Cushing are, of course, excellent and they are well supported by the other key players. Stephanie Beacham has become Joanna Lumley but that doesn't seem to matter and Michael Coles reprises his role as Inspector Murray. The other most significant cast members are William Franklyn as Torrence and Freddie Jones as Professor Julian Keeley. Much has been made of Dracula's desire to destroy the entire human race in this one, some remarking on the ultimate pointlessness of such action from Dracula's perspective whilst others suggest it is some kind of suicide bid by the jaded and bitter King Vampire. I think, however, that it may be related to the unfilmed aspect of 'Dracula AD 1972' in which the Count reveals himself to be the Devil (see my 'Dracula AD 1972' comment for the missing dialogue). Seen in this light it could be suggested that, in his Luciferian role, Dracula is fulfilling his destiny by bringing about the apocalypse and doing so by seizing upon the evil that men are capable of; in this instance their ability to create a new, and seemingly unstoppable, strain of plague. Presumably devils and demons, even vampiric ones, would have some kind of contingency in place to sustain their supplies of fresh blood! Whilst such speculation may seem pointless, it may help explain the core of Dracula's curious dream. Technically the film is somewhat more assured in its direction than AD 1972, director Alan Gibson perhaps having learnt some lessons from the previous outing. Even though Dracula makes an appearance in the oddly charming 'Legend of the Seven Golden Vampires' (1974) thanks to a weak performance by John Forbes Robertson in lurid makeup, 'Satanic Rites' is, from my perspective the last of Hammer's genuine Dracula movies; 'Seven Golden Vampires' is just some other story that has nothing to do with the series in the same way that 'Horror of Frankenstein' (1970) has nothing to do with the Frankenstein series. In some ways a sad farewell to Dracula, in others a way of opening the door for future interpretations, 'The Satanic Rites of Dracula' is nonetheless well worth viewing and certainly deserves to be considered with reference to subsequent attempts to reinvent the Count by other film makers.
Curse of the Crimson Altar (1968)
Why do I like this movie?
Well it's not the great story; it's certainly not the curious nearly S and M moments, although I probably found them interesting as a kid, and it's not the technical brilliance although I must say that cinematographer Johnny Coquillon does an excellent job of lighting and utilising the interiors of the delightful Grims Dyke manor where the majority of the movie was filmed, and it's definitely not the annoying Mark Eden. So just what is it? Well, first and foremost there's the wonderful pairing of Boris Karloff and Christopher Lee, both of whom give performances way above the level of the product they were working with, and there's the lovely Barbara Steele portraying the green skinned witch Lavinia. On top of that there's the very 'Britishness' of it all
it's like a mad little time capsule; the sophisticates chasing a cat suit wearing girl through the forest, explaining to the hero that 'it's a rather sophisticated kind of hide and seek' (what?) and the anything goes swinging sixties party blend wonderfully with the slightly psychedelic hallucinations experienced by Robert Manning. Then there are little moments like the gas station attendant (Ron Pember) actually filling the car ('Craxted Lodge', he says, 'oh, yeah, I know Craxted Lodge' in a slightly sinister and loaded way); when was the last time that happened? And the cost, the total for petrol is 1 pound, 7 shillings and six pence (about 90 pence in new money)! On top of that there is a nice feeling of the 'village where something is not quite right' and the useful device of having the world's foremost expert on witchcraft, Professor John Marshe (Boris Karloff) as a resident and his friendship with a descendant, Squire Morley (Christopher Lee), of the notorious witch Lavinia (Barbara Steele) whose burning at the stake is commemorated in an annual festival which just so happens to be occurring just as the hero, Robert Manning (Mark Eden), arrives on the scene in search of his missing brother Peter (Denys Peek). In a knowing nod to the genre Manning, commenting about the house, says at one point that you expect Boris Karloff to pop up any minute and, of course, he does. Add to this the slightly sinister man servant Elder (Michael Gough), the romantic interest Eve Morley (Virginia Wetherell), and a wonderful old house and what you get is a really nice little movie, but one whose parts are, unusually, better than the whole. Incidentally I stayed at the house back in the 80s and it really is a lovely place, loaded with atmosphere and I was genuinely thrilled knowing the movie was made there. Of course, there are downfalls. Tigon have been accused of taking a rather crude and exploitative approach to horror, although at least two of their films, 'Witchfinder General' (1968) and 'Blood on Satan's Claw' (1970) are, in their own ways, outstanding, but the script here is rather weak and fails to flow from time to time which is not helped by the somewhat pedestrian direction. It would be pointless, however, to attempt a dissection of this movie's technical merits, if you want to do that, take a look at the same year's 'Rosemary's Baby'. If, on the other hand, you just want a great, if somewhat silly, old British witchcraft movie, then look no further than this.
Dracula A.D. 1972 (1972)
Time has been kind....
Where to begin?? Well, going against the grain, I actually enjoy this film a great deal and have watched it several times. Not because it's a great film by any means, but just because there is something hugely enjoyable about it. It starts off well with the closing sequence of a film that was never made but which could, at a stretch, be perceived as related to 'Taste the Blood of Dracula'. The Count and Van Helsing are caught in a death struggle atop a horse drawn coach hurtling through Hyde Park. We know that the Count ended up in England during Taste the Blood so it seems fitting that he has somehow been revived, headed for London, and come to the attention of his arch nemesis Van Helsing. Indeed, I would have liked to have seen the movie that I imagine this sequence to have come from. A disciple of the Count gathers up some of his remains and artifacts, proceeding to bury them just outside the walls of the graveyard where Van Helsing has just been interred. Their fate is sealed; somehow they will meet again!!!
OK, so it's pretty much down hill from there, but it's not an irreversible slope; there are still some decent moments to come. I find it quite interesting that Dracula remains in the old church, caught in a kind of time warp, almost oblivious to the strange new world outside. Also caught in a time warp are the group of young people on whom the majority of the story focuses; they seem already anachronistic in 1972, some of their references seeming around ten years out of date. Nonetheless they serve their purpose, which is slightly more evident in the recent DVD release that includes several scenes missing from other versions.
As usual the finished product differs from the original outline. For example there were plans to reveal that Dracula is, in fact, the Devil. An unfilmed piece of dialogue involved Dracula explaining his status to Johnny Alucard; 'I was always here
Always
since the dawn of time. Since the rebel angels descended into hell. Since darkness followed light
I am Dracula, Lord of Darkness, Master of the Walking Dead! I am the Curse, the Apollyon, Angel of the Destroying Furies! I am the Apocalypse!'. Interesting because this film is often decried in comparison to those being produced in America within the next couple of years, most notably 'The Exorcist'. Yet here were Hammer thinking of bringing Old Nick into the mix in 1972! Such lines were apparently dropped at Christopher Lee's insistence due to the extent to which they removed the character from Stoker's original concept, but aspects of this speech, or at least certain implications, are evident in the concluding stages of 'The Satanic Rites of Dracula'. The vampire had been pretty successfully integrated into modern times by American film makers, the most notable examples being 'Count Yorga, Vampire', the excellent 1972 TV movie 'The Night Stalker' (pilot for the old TV show) and a couple of years later the much maligned, but actually pretty good, 'Blacula'. But unlike these films, Hammer were agents of change in a different way; moving from Victorian Gothic romances to which movie goers had become accustomed over the past 14 years to an environment in which the loss of the Gothic could result in the loss of the audience, consequently the ruined and neglected St. Bartolph's church successfully represents the death of the old and its imminent demolition suggests that there's no going back, which, indeed, for Hammer, there really was not.
There is much to enjoy in this film; Lee and Cushing are, of course excellent, and some of the supporting players acquit themselves well. But now, I guess, one of its most appealing features is the sense of nostalgia it induces
it just seems like simple, harmless fun now.
The Curse of Frankenstein (1957)
A milestone movie
Despite being called a remake, this is nothing of the sort. Rather than try to reinvent the Universal classic of 1931 and despite toying with the idea of a cheap black and white quicky featuring Boris Karloff, Hinds and Sangster returned to the source material after rejecting Subotsky and Rosenberg's script (although elements of their outline did remain in the final film) and fashioned what initially appeared to be a kind of gory comedy. Some ideas were accepted, others rejected, rewrites and reinventions flourished until finally, under Terence Fisher's skilled direction, the company produced what is, without doubt, their most important film; 'The Curse of Frankenstein'. While it may not be their greatest production, it is unquestionably their most influential in terms of their output over the next decade and a half. Peter Cushing's performance as Baron Victor Frankenstein is flawless, the depth perhaps only becoming truly evident after viewing the entire series of Hammer Frankenstein movies (not including the unfortunate 'Horror of Frankenstein' which mistakenly returned to the comedic notion with hugely dissatisfying results and which featured Ralph Bates in Cushing's role) in which the character's evolution and development become chillingly clear. Christopher Lee actually gives a tremendous performance as the creature, a performance which, like Fisher's work, has not been properly evaluated but one which elevates his creature to a status almost equal to Karloff's and certainly light years ahead of all other competition. He understands that the creature is seriously brain damaged and his mime reveals both danger and pathos as the creature shambles through its short half life, virtually a grotesque projection of the Baron's warped mind. Despite being largely derided by the snobby film critics of the time, the film went on to make a significant impact at the box office and is now regarded as a classic, and justifiably so. A must see for horror fans.
Isle of the Dead (1945)
Classic Val Lewton horror
For my money this is one of producer Val Lewton's greatest pieces and is, I fear, strangely undervalued. We often hear of great moments in 1942's 'Cat People'; most specifically the swimming pool sequence and an almost heart stopping moment involving a scary walk and a bus or we may further be reminded of great scenes of psychological terror in Lewton's other movies, notably 'I walked With a Zombie'(1943) and 'The Body Snatcher' (1945), but we seldom hear of the sense of impending doom and escalating terror evoked during 'Isle of the Dead' which comes to head when we realise that one of the primary characters has been buried alive and it's her consequent insanity blended perfectly with an eruption of repressed superstition that chills the viewer in the final fifteen or so minutes. Indeed this sequence was only ever equalled once; towards the end of Corman's 1960 'House of Usher' which dealt in part with similar themes. Boris Karloff acquits himself well as the troubled General Pherides, a man who has attempted to detach himself from aspects of his own past and that of his country but for whom spectres of both will arise to haunt him before he inevitably joins the soul of his long departed wife on their lonely island cemetery. Robson's direction, apart from the brilliant scare moments, may seem little more than adequate but successive viewings suggest a gradual and intentional turning of the screw with only one or two really pedestrian scenes required to move the plot and characters forward. By today's standards the movie may seem tame, 'stagey' and slow but if you sit there with the lights off and the volume turned up and prepare yourself for some old time atmospherics and chills rather than shocks and gore, you're in for a real treat.