Author Archives: chipkaufmann

That was the title given to a British collection of Edgar Allan Poe’s short stories that was published in 1902 and it has been with us ever since. It is also a perfect phrase for describing Roger Corman’s 8 movie adaptations of Poe that he did in the early 1960s for American International Pictures. TheContinue reading “HOUSE OF USHER / PIT & THE PENDULUM: “Tales Of Mystery & Imagination””

THE HAUNTED PALACE is probably the best of Corman’s Edgar Allan Poe pictures. This is due to the fact that it really isn’t a Poe film. It is essentially H.P. Lovecraft’s THE CASE OF CHARLES DEXTER WARD and was started by Corman as such before American International changed the title for marketing purposes. The filmContinue reading “THE HAUNTED PALACE Is An Old School Horror Classic While TOWER OF LONDON Remake Isn’t”

THE BLUE BIRD is based on an allegorical fantasy by the Belgian poet & playwright Maurice Maeterlinck (PELLEAS & MELISANDE), a leading member of the Symbolist movement. This story of two children searching for the Blue Bird of Happiness made its debut on stage in 1908 to great success. It was a made into aContinue reading “THE BLUE BIRD (1940): Fond Memories Despite Its Shortcomings”

This version is a remake of the 1924 Douglas Fairbanks silent epic that was a benchmark for cinematic fantasy in its day. While the central figure is the same, there are big changes in the characters and the events that take place. The biggest difference is the inclusion of the genie of the lamp andContinue reading “THE THIEF OF BAGDAD: The 1940 Version”

As I continue working my way through several old style horror films of the 1950s and 60s, I just have to weigh in on this double feature which I found to be among the best of the many retro horror twofers that are out there on the market. I somehow managed to miss both ofContinue reading “IT! / SHUTTERED ROOM: Eccentric Horror Double Bill Makes For Fascinating Viewing”

Warner Brothers, trying to compete with MGM/Fox’s MIDNITE MOVIE series, began releasing a number of DVDs of Sci-Fi/Horror/Cult films from the 1950s and 60s. The Sci-Fi and the Cult Camp Classic series are still with us but the Horror Double Features are now available only as individual DVD-Rs. The presentations are bare bones (not evenContinue reading “CHAMBER OF HORRORS / BRIDES OF FU MANCHU: Another Eccentric Horror Combo From Warner Brothers”

Hammer Fillms was adrift in the late 1960s. 1969 to be exact with MOON ZERO TWO and in 1970 with WHEN DINOSAURS RULED THE EARTH. You have no doubt noticed the outrageous asking price for this single no frills DVD. This is because of the scarcity of the item. Originally issued as part of WarnerContinue reading “MOON ZERO TWO / WHEN DINOSAURS RULED THE EARTH Is An Eccentric Sci-Fi Double Bill From Hammer Films”

To anyone who hung out at the drive-ins in the early 1960s or watched late night TV later in the decade, most of the titles in this 8 movie 4 disc collection will bring back fond memories. Crown International specialized in cheap fare for the drive-in crowd. Compared to them, American International was MGM butContinue reading “THE RETURN OF CROWN INTERNATIONAL”

While very familiar with the numerous Toho monster/sci-fi movies, I was only vaguely aware of the Daimajin series. I had never seen a complete film and only excerpts from RETURN OF DAIMAJIN. When I saw that amazon had this blu-ray available at a greatly reduced price, I couldn’t resist and now I’m glad I didn’t.Continue reading “DAIMAJIN: STATUEsque Japanese Trilogy Has A Lot To Recommend It”

Edgar Allan Poe’s famous story has the titular character getting its revenge at the end of the story. KURONEKO (black cat in Japanese), the second of director Kaneto Shindo’s two great stylized horror films (after ONIBABA), has not one but two characters getting revenge not once but many times. A mother and her daughter-in-law areContinue reading “THE BLACK CAT – Japanese Style”