I first saw THE GREEN MAN when it was broadcast back in 1992 on A&E when it really stood for Arts & Entertainment. I’m always on the lookout for a good ghost story movie. I’ll take it over your average horror film any day of the week. This one is more than just a goodContinue reading “THE GREEN MAN (1990): A Ghost Story And A Lot More”
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THE UNINVITED (1944): Classic Hollywood Ghost Story With A Real Ghost For A Change
I first saw THE UNINVITED on television back in the early 1960s. I was home from school and saw it on the early morning movie (in the first 2 decades of TV they used to show old movies all the time). I was just beginning to develop my love of classic supernatural horror and thisContinue reading “THE UNINVITED (1944): Classic Hollywood Ghost Story With A Real Ghost For A Change”
THE FOUR SIDED TRIANGLE (1954): Early Hammer Films Sci-Fi Entry Shines
THE FOUR SIDED TRIANGLE is a remarkable little black and white film that scores on a number of levels. The sci-fi angle about a machine that can duplicate matter is strongly reminiscent of THE FLY although this is 5 years earlier. The lab scenes involving the machine are imaginatively handled for the time and showContinue reading “THE FOUR SIDED TRIANGLE (1954): Early Hammer Films Sci-Fi Entry Shines”
PHANTOM OF THE OPERA (1962): Much Maligned Hammer Version…
…has a lot going for it, if you are willing to take it on its own terms. Like Gaston Leroux’s original novel, the 1943 film with Claude Rains, and the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical, this version emphasises the tragic love story angle not the horror one. It should be noted that the original Lon ChaneyContinue reading “PHANTOM OF THE OPERA (1962): Much Maligned Hammer Version…”
FRANKENSTEIN MUST BE DESTROYED (1969) Has Few Redeeming Qualities
No redeeming qualities is how you would describe the character of Baron Frankenstein in this 5th entry in the series and that takes it down in my estimation. This is a return to the original characterization in 1957’s THE CURSE OF FRANKENSTEIN after years of Peter Cushing gradually developing the character into the role ofContinue reading “FRANKENSTEIN MUST BE DESTROYED (1969) Has Few Redeeming Qualities”
FRANKENSTEIN & THE MONSTER FROM HELL (1974): The End Of The Line
1973’s FRANKENSTEIN & THE MONSTER FROM HELL is the final installment in Hammer’s long running FRANKENSTEIN series which created a revolution in horror films back in 1957 by introducing color with THE CURSE OF FRANKENSTEIN. Between these two titles were 5 other films ranging from first class (1967’s FRANKENSTEIN CREATED WOMAN – the title beingContinue reading “FRANKENSTEIN & THE MONSTER FROM HELL (1974): The End Of The Line”
HOUSE OF USHER / PIT & THE PENDULUM: “Tales Of Mystery & Imagination”
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 An Old School Horror Classic While TOWER OF LONDON Remake Isn’t
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 (1940): Fond Memories Despite Its Shortcomings
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”
THE THIEF OF BAGDAD: The 1940 Version
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”