Category Archives: Uncategorized

According to the numerous reviews of SWORD OF THE VALIANT, the majority are mostly positive although those that don’t like it REALLY don’t like it. Then there are those, like myself, who fall somewhere in the middle. However, of all the reviews, few mention the fact that director Stephen Weeks made an earlier version inContinue reading “SWORD OF THE VALIANT (1984): Not Nearly As Good As The Director’s First Version”

In 1973 Stephen Weeks directed the first of 2 versions of the SIR GAWAIN & THE GREEN KNIGHT saga. He would remake it 11 years later in 1984 as SWORD OF THE VALIANT. As far as I’m concerned, this first version is the best one by far. It’s also the film that Monty Python tookContinue reading “GAWAIN & THE GREEN KNIGHT (1973): The First & Best Of Stephen Weeks’ 2 Versions”

Between 1960 and 1971 American International Pictures (AIP) made 12 movies based on works by Edgar Allan Poe. They were HOUSE OF USHER (1960), THE PIT & THE PENDULUM (1961), TALES OF TERROR (1962), THE PREMATURE BURIAL (1962), THE RAVEN (1963), THE HAUNTED PALACE (1964), THE MASQUE OF THE RED DEATH (1964), TOMB OF LIGEIAContinue reading “MURDERS IN THE RUE MORGUE (1971): Better Than I Remembered”

THE BRIGHTON STRANGLER and I have an interesting history together. I first saw the movie back in 1962 when I was 10 years old. I was home from school sick and it was shown on a local TV station. Back in those days, the morning news stopped at 9am and the game shows didn’t begin until 11.Continue reading “THE BRIGHTON STRANGLER (1945): From Out Of The Past To Influence My Future”

I first read about the legendary German silent film THE STUDENT OF PRAGUE (1926) when I was 15 years old. Now almost 60 years later, I finally got to see it in a restored version from the Munich Film Museum and it made quite an impression. Of all the legendary German silents, STUDENT is theContinue reading “THE STUDENT OF PRAGUE (1926) Is One Of Conrad Veidt’s Best.”

 I have waited more than 30 years for the 1993 Photoplay Productions restoration of the 1921 anti-war epic THE FOUR HORSEMEN OF THE APOCALYPSE to become available in a quality home video edition and now it has. Mention Rudolph Valentino to most people and they immediately think of THE SHEIK. However it was the earlier FOURContinue reading “THE FOUR HORSEMEN OF THE APOCALYPSE (1921): Rudolph Valentino’s Breakthrough Role”

During the mid-1940s, the success of the B movie horror units at Universal and at RKO tempted 3 of the best known Poverty Row studios (Monogram, PRC, and Republic) to produce B movie horrors of their own. A great deal of attention has been paid to the horror films of the first two outfits withContinue reading “CATMAN OF PARIS (1946): Republic B Movie Features A Fearsome Feline Figure”

ORIGINAL 2003 REVIEW MERRY-GO-ROUND was one of those silent films which was more talked about than actually seen. This was the movie in which producer Irving Thalberg fired director Erich von Stroheim halfway through the shooting. Rupert Julian (PHANTOM OF THE OPERA) replaced him as director and was given sole credit. Thalberg would leave UniversalContinue reading “MERRY-GO-ROUND (1923): Started by Erich von Stroheim But Finished By Rupert Julian”

The career of American born director Joseph Losey ( 109-1984) is a fascinating one. He is the poster boy for the many Hollywood writers and directors who were forced to leave Hollywood because of the 195os blacklisting.  After a promising start with movies such as the allegorical THE BOY WITH GREEN HAIR (1948) and a remakeContinue reading “THE SLEEPING TIGER (1954) Launched Joseph Losey’s & Dirk Bogarde’s Careers”

I am very surprised, after reading many of these comments, that most of the people commenting don’t seem to realize that MARGAM CASTLE is an intentional homage and that its “tropes” deliberately reference several well known horror movies of the past. There’s THE HAUNTING (both versions), THE LEGEND OF HELL HOUSE, THE SIXTH SENSE, WITCHFINDERContinue reading “THE HAUNTING OF MARGAM CASTLE (2020): TV Movie Is Homage To Several Horror Films”