Author Archives: chipkaufmann

Never in my wildest dreams did I ever expect to see this movie look this good. For years there were only public domain copies of the U.S. release known as THE HUMAN MONSTER with each new offering getting marginally better but nothing to compare with this Network release of the original British version. The pictureContinue reading “DARK EYES OF LONDON (1940): One Of Bela Lugosi’s Best Roles”

HELL BENT (1918) and STRAIGHT SHOOTING (1917) are two very early John Ford westerns that were recently discovered in the film archives of the Czech Republic. Both were 35 mm prints and after undergoing 4K digital restoration they look better than they ever have before. This has been much needed as the previous versions availableContinue reading “EARLY JOHN FORD WESTERNS (1917-18): Developing His Craft”

Although billed as “The Original 1984”, that distinction belongs to the 1954 BBC-TV version that starred Peter Cushing and Andre Morell and was adapted by Nigel Kneale of QUATERMASS fame. It is now available on DVD and on You Tube although the quality is certainly not up to today’s standards. However that version was takenContinue reading “1984 (1956): Not Quite “THE ORIGINAL” 1984″

I saw this 1975 film when it first came out under the English title of END OF THE GAME which literally describes what happens but is not nearly as appropriate as the original title of THE JUDGE & HIS HANGMAN. If you are familiar with Swiss playwright/novelist Friedrich Durrenmatt (THE VISIT, THE PHYSICISTS) then youContinue reading “END OF THE GAME (1975): Swiss Curio With Jon Voight & Jacqueline Bisset”

Like so many late 1960s and early 1970s European horror movies, I first saw SPIRITS OF THE DEAD at my local drive-in (which thanks to COVID, are making something of a comeback). I saw the American International English dubbed version which has a Vincent Price voiceover during the credits. AIP was hoping to tie itContinue reading “SPIRITS OF THE DEAD (1968): 3 Edgar Allan Poe Stories / 3 Different Directors”

I have been a fan of all things Hammer for many years and though I was aware of HAMMER HOUSE OF MYSTERY & SUSPENSE, I had only seen some of the episodes on YouTube and that was a few years ago. I completely missed its American TV run in 1984 as FOX MYSTERY THEATRE. TheContinue reading “HAMMER HOUSE OF MYSTERY & SUSPENSE: Although The DVD Cover Is In German, The Series Is In English”

t has been over 40 years since this final installment of the Quatermass saga was first broadcast on TV and an abridged movie version released to theaters. The reception was lukewarm in both venues and it then basically disappeared for many years. As an American, I never saw the original 4 hour version and firstContinue reading “QUATERMASS: Condensation -vs- Adaptation Creates A Bittersweet CONCLUSION”

I first became acquainted with the Quatermass character in the late 1970s through the 3 Hammer film adaptations. The first two were done shortly after the TV shows aired. They featured American actor Brian Donlevy (who was chosen to sell the movies in the U.S. and who was definitely not author Nigel Kneale’s choice) inContinue reading “THE QUATERMASS TRILOGY: Classic 1950s Sci-Fi In The “Restored” BBC Edition”

I find it incomprehensible that this gem of a film about a Welsh village doomed to be flooded by a new dam is available only in a less than pristine print. The current DVD is simply a transfer from a VHS tape (one reviewer said the version he taped off of TV looked better). YouContinue reading “LAST DAYS OF DOLWYN Is A Wonderful Little Movie That Deserves A Quality Restoration”

And that is this 1989 movie which was first issued on VHS in 1997 and on DVD in 2000. Now an upgraded DVD and a new Blu-Ray have just been released in 2020. I am writing a review of the DVD because as I live in the United States, I have a Region 2 playerContinue reading “THE WOMAN IN BLACK (1989): My Ultimate Litmus Test For Ghost Stories On Film”