Author Archives: chipkaufmann

The character of Richard Hanney first appeared in the 1914 novel THE 39 STEPS by Scottish author, intelligence officer, and eventual Governor General of Canada, John Buchan (1875-1940). Four more books featuring Hanney were written between 1916 and 1936. Hanney’s original character, a mining engineer from South Africa, ultimately developed into an early prototype of JamesContinue reading “HANNAY (1988): Engaging Brit Action Series Is A Prequel To THE 39 STEPS”

THE EDGAR WALLACE MYSTERY THEATRE is remarkable is several ways. For one it’s not a made-for-television series but a collection of 47 one hour B movies made between 1959 and 1965. The second is the inclusion of 10 independent short features made separately, then lumped in when the series was sold to American TV. But what’sContinue reading “THE EDGAR WALLACE MYSTERY THEATRE (1959-1965): 47 + 10 = Solid British Entertainment”

HE WHO GETS SLAPPED has got to be the strangest initial offering from any major studio in early Hollywood history. It’s not what you’d expect from MGM which quickly became THE major Hollywood studio known for its glamour and huge roster of stars. What’s perhaps even stranger is the fact that the movie was a box office hit.Continue reading “HE, WHO GETS SLAPPED (1924): Strange Initial Offering From The Newly Created MGM”

While the Arrow Films GOTHIC FANTASTICO boxset does contain 4 Italian tales of terror, the title is somewhat misleading as only two of the films are truly Gothic. Of the two that aren’t Gothic, one (THE THIRD EYE) is a ripoff of Hitchcock’s PSYCHO while the other (THE WITCH) takes place in a modern setting.Continue reading “THE BLANCHEVILLE MONSTER / HORROR (1963): Italian Faux Poe Is Wonderfully Evocative”

Having recently written a review for WEB OF THE SPIDER (1972), Antonio Margheriti’s color remake of his 1964 CASTLE OF BLOOD (LA DANZA MACABRA), I should also write one for CASTLE. As mentioned in that earlier review, CASTLE is one of the most important and highly regarded examples of Italian Gothic cinema, second only to MarioContinue reading “CASTLE OF BLOOD / LA DANZA MACABRA (1964): One Of Italian Gothic Cinema’s Finest Offerings”

The European phenomenon of the German crime film or Krimi lasted from 1959 until 1972. The vast majority of these films were inspired by the works of British mystery writer Edgar Wallace (1875-1932), and most of the rest focused on the writings of his son Bryan Edgar Wallace (1904-1971). Two production companies were involved in theContinue reading “THE MAD EXECUTIONERS (1963): One Of The More Notable Examples Of The German “Krimi””

THE WEB OF THE SPIDER (1972) is director Antonio Margheriti’s color remake of his 1964 DANZA MACABRA (CASTLE OF BLOOD) which, along with Mario Bava’s LA MASCHERA DEL DEMONIO (BLACK SUNDAY) is considered one of the twin pillars of Italian Gothic Cinema. This genre flourished from 1957-1972 making SPIDER one of the last examples to beContinue reading “WEB OF THE SPIDER (1972): Antonio Margheriti’s Color Remake Of His 1964 CASTLE OF BLOOD”

NEITHER THE SEA NOR THE SAND (1972) is a very obscure film that predates THE WICKER MAN and Bob Clark’s celebrated cult offering DEATHDREAM yet it contains elements of both. It also borrows from W. W. Jacobs’ THE MONKEY’S PAW and Edgar Allan Poe’s story THE FACTS IN THE CASE OF M. VALDEMAR. It wasContinue reading “NEITHER THE SEA NOR THE SAND (1972): The Last Movie Produced By Tigon Films”

That’s the question butler Oliver Reed asks of aristocrat Fiona Lewis in Andrew Sinclair’s BLUE BLOOD (1973), one of the oddest movies you’ll ever encounter. Novelist Sinclair had just come from doing his interesting but quirky adaptation of Dylan Thomas’ UNDER MILK WOOD with Richard Burton & Peter O’Toole. This time around Sinclair adapted aContinue reading “BLUE BLOOD (1973): “You May Own This House, But Do You Possess It?””

THE LEGACY (1978) features Katherine Ross & Sam Elliot as interior decorators who travel from Los Angeles to an English country estate to fulfill a commission that they have received. Once there, they meet 5 beneficiaries including Roger Daltrey and Charles Gray who are gathered for the reading of a will. All 5 of themContinue reading “THE LEGACY (1978): This Clone Of THE OMEN Has Merits Of Its Own”