Not entirely sure where November went… Though I was busy personally and emotionally for both glad and sad reasons. I noted all the stuff I watched, as usual, but I didn’t have time to start writing reviews until December was nearly on me!
However, being October, this month is packed with lots of favorite monster movies, Hammer, Universal, and more. Plus, it was BELA LUGOSI MONTH on TCM, so I got to see both Bela films I knew well and some new ones, too. (Though a few of those ended up in November.) And all the entries are in my slightly expanded format, so you can know more about the films — and my feelings on them — before you watch. (Or after, if you’re looking for comparisons.) So, here we go… Enjoy!
Here’s the usual ratings system:
* – This film is not good. Avoid it unless you tolerate dreck well.
** – A flawed film. You may enjoy it if you like this genre or the folks in it.
*** – A good solid film. If you like this genre, you’ll probably like this film.
**** – A superior film within its genre. Thoroughly enjoyable.
***** – An outstanding film on many levels. A great example of its genre.
Note that some shows I’ve given a parenthetical star rating, usually adding (occasionally subtracting) stars, depending on how your amusement may differ from mine. I’ve explained the meaning in the reviews themselves. Mostly.
House of Dark Shadows (1970) ****(*) The classic Gothic Horror TV show first graced the big screen in this film condensing a number of the show’s storylines & characters & adding a bit more sexy stuff & gore. Released from his coffin, 200-year-old vampire Barnabas Collins insinuates himself into the Collins family, bites more than a few folks, & tries to turn Maggie Evans into his long lost love. It’s very fast paced with a lot going on, but I think it plays well & gets that extra star if you like 60s-70s vampire stuff or the original Dark Shadows show.
Murders in the Rue Morgue (1932) ****(*) Lugosi is a carnival act front man & a mad scientist out to prove the blood connection between human & ape. Naturally, this turns out badly for the subjects of his experiments. Based loosely on the Poe tale, Lugosi is magnificent & the ape suit is pretty good. Though the story was apparently re-edited by the studio for being too shocking, still boasts some great stuff. An extra star for people like me who love Lugosi & creepy atmosphere.
Dracula (1931) ***** Though slow by modern standards, Lugosi’s iconic performance & the creepy atmosphere make this a genuine classic, despite the “stage bound” scenes in the middle of the film. A real shame that Lugosi only played Dracula one more time on film — in Abbott & Costello Meet Frankenstein.
Black Cat, The (1934) ***** Lugosi & Karloff’s first pairing proves to be their best, with both actors bringing their “A game” to the work. Lugosi & a young couple are stranded in the Art Deco mansion of Karloff, who happens to be Lugosi’s old enemy. Though having nothing to do with the Poe tale, save the title, the cat and mouse game, with the newlyweds’ caught in the middle, between Lugosi & Karloff’s depraved Satanist can still inspire shudders. Great.
Wolf Man, The (1941) ***** Lon Chaney, Jr., finds his best role as Larry Talbot, son of a Welsh nobleman who returns home, courts a girl, & is bitten by a werewolf (Bela Lugosi) trying to save someone. Sadly, those bitten by a werewolf become werewolves themselves, in this case with the iconic Jack Pierce makeup. A great cast & production values, along with a story that has set the standard for all werewolf films since, makes this a classic. (Though viewers have to remember that courtship & gender relations were very different in the 1940s than today.)
Expedition Bigfoot (S5) *** Once again, the intrepid crew hikes out into the wilderness — a new area (they never seem to follow up on past “successes” — & get another bunch of near-miss “evidence,” some of which is tantalizing (thermal footage, possible nesting sites) but none of which constitutes actual proof. Though I do trust several of the cast (Mireya, Russell), I remain suspicious when some investigators fail to let their surveillance traps & other schemes play out properly. (Like running out of a surveillance center tent to check on sounds, rather than letting the tech do its work and waiting to actually SEE something.) I know that producers often influence “reality” series & I’ve come to suspect that some of what’s “found” on this show is actually planted/arranged by the production company, to keep things interesting. Thus, the lack of follow-up, sometimes. That’s just a theory, though.
Godzilla King of the Monsters (1957) ****(*) The US recut of Ishiro Honda’s Gojira may lack some of the power & impact of the original, but the Raymond Burr version is cleverly edited & still packs a punch. Plus, without it, I have to wonder if we would have had the 70 years of Godzilla since. When Japanese ships go missing, the cause is traced to a legendary monster, reawakened by atomic testing to wreak havoc on Tokyo. It certainly helps that Japan brought some of her best actors to the project, & the producers kept the dubbing to a minimum. If you’re like me, it gets that 5th star.
Shetland (S7) ***** The disappearance of a young comic book artist soon leads to mysterious murders & puts Jimmy Perez into a bund that will change lives as well as his career in the police department. We also have the usual great supporting characters, including 2nd in command, Tosh, & the bleak and wonderful landscape of Shetland itself.
Island of Lost Souls (1933) ***** Charles Laughton is the obsessed, sadistic Dr. Moreau, determined to use his own methods to force animals to evolve into humans, or something near enough. Bela Lugosi is memorable as the leader of the beast-men, who all have very good & disturbing makeups. The text & subtexts of the film remain disturbing, 90+ years later.
Rings of Power (S2) **** Despite slow & disorganized early episodes, the series rebounds with some interesting developments, clever twists, & (of course) spectacular (at times) special effects. We get some of Sauron’s origins, while he works on new ways to foil Galadriel, Gil-Galad, Elrond, & the dwarves to take control of Middle Earth. Veers wildly from Tolkien’s histories, while still using some points, but entertaining.
Kelly’s Heroes (1970) **** In a WWII saga that parallels the disillusionment of Vietnam, Clint Eastwood’s Kelly recruits an all-star cast of misfits to split away from their nutty commander to rob a bank full of Nazi gold, behind enemy lines. Both a war adventure film and a black comedy, this film is really fun and well worth seeing.
Murder by Death (1976) *** Master detectives — all parodies of other famous detective characters — meet in an Old Dark House to solve the murder of someone who isn’t dead yet (Truman Capote). The parodies are amusing but often silly & over the top. There are plenty of twists & turns, all in the service of the parody. Amusing, but not as much fun for me as clue, which is in the same vein.
Shriek of the Mutilated (1974) **(*) A professor takes a team of students into the winter woods (of New York) to look for a mysterious yeti, who may be responsible for a former group of researchers going missing. This gory, low budget tale is an acquired taste for sure (extra star for folks like me), but does have some interesting points, & the recent blu-ray restoration looks brilliant & has good extras, too.
Son of Frankenstein (1939) ***** Karloff’s third & final appearance as the Frankenstein Monster has him resurrected by the titular son, Basil Rathbone, & teaming up with Bela Lugosi as Igor, one of Lugosi’s finest roles. Lionel Atwill has a memorable part as a police inspector with a wooden arm. While perhaps not so highly regarded as the 2 previous Universal Frankensteins, this film’s acting & production makes it just as much a classic.
Monster That Challenged the World, The (1957) **** Missing service men in the Salton Sea, California, lead to the discovery of huge, hideous mollusks — one of the greatest practical effects monsters of all time. The film has a good cast, let by Tim Holt, but it’s the bug-eyed monsters themselves that make this memorable fun, & a monster kid classic.
Mummy & the Curse of the Jackals, The (1969) **(*) An ancient mummy revives in 1960s Las Vegas, causing a local man to become a wolfly looking were-jackal to do her bidding. Monster mayhem ensues, including a few unexpected story points. Made with more ambition than money, this film is worth watching if you like cheesy monster movies, which I obviously do. It’s also an interesting time capsule of the streets where some scenes were shot, certainly without permits. The recently restored blu-ray looks great.
Vampyr (1932) **** Carl Theodor Dreyer’s surreal, dreamlike meditation on the works of Sheridan LeFanu & others. A young man, who looks like HP Lovecraft, comes to a town haunted by mysterious maladies believed to be cause by a vampyr. But who that vampyr might be & whether even our POV character will survive… That remains a mystery to the last. This film’s production history is nearly as strange as the film itself & makes it a weird classic.
Salem’s Lot (2024) **** New adaptation of Stephen King’s vampire tale sticks with the premise but reworks the climax considerably — and it works for me. The vampire(s) are updated with a combination of practical & CGI effects, though honestly I thought that worked okay. And there were some genuinely creepy moments. Man returns to his hometown, Jerusalem’s Lot, only to discover it’s fallen under the sway of a master vampire.
Hocus Pocus (1993) **** Teens accidentally revive 3 evil witches from witch-trial Salem, who are obsessed with taking over, living forever, preying upon helpless souls, that kind of thing. A beloved Disney Children’s classic, despite the black comedy, I’ve come to admire both the production & the silliness. It’s fun.
Witches, The (1996) **** Witches meet in a convention & when they discover a boy spying, turn him into a mouse, who must then evade & try to destroy them. Based on a Roald Dahl book, this adaptation with clever special effects by Jim Henson & company is great fun & a minor fantasy classic. Plenty of thrills & chills for the family, but may be too scary for young children.
Spooks Run Wild (1941) *** TCM’s month of Bela Lugosi films in October 2024. presented an opportunity not only to see Bela’s classics, but also many of his lesser known films. (And even a number of non-horror roles.) This is one of Bela’s 2 films with the East Side Kids (later Bowery boys). In this flick the boys stray while on a summer camp trip, one of them is shot, & the end up in an Old Dark House, where they find Bela Lugosi & his dwarf assistant. Soon, they believe that the pair may be a “monster” believed ot be on the loose in the area. Fun, but could use a good restoration.
Death Kiss, The (1932) *** The movie starts with a very convincing set up for what might be a murder mystery, only to reveal that it’s a movie studio scene, which then turns into a real murder mystery. Well shot and sincerely made, with Lugosi as the studio head in charge of sorting things out. I almost wish, though, that they’d continued the story within the story. Still, amusing, as nearly all Lugosi films are.
Scared to Death (1947) *** The only color film Bela Lugosi ever made, the story starts with a dead woman on a slab, believed to have been scared to death. The tale then takes place in a series of flashbacks — with eerie voiceover — revealing how she ended up on the slab. Bela plays a stage magician with a malevolent dwarf assistant Angelo Rossitto). Short & entertaining though the solutions details always slip my mind.
Gorilla, The (1939) *** Lugosi is only a butler (a role he played too often in his career) as a criminal called The Gorilla threatens a wealthy family, who hire the Ritz Brothers (mildly amusing) as detectives to protect them. Standard comedy with a dash of horror mix, but worth seeing for genre & Lugosi fans.
You’ll Find Out (1940) **** Kay Kyser, Ish Kabibble, & their fellow swing band members play in a spooky house where Bela Lugosi, Boris Karloff, & Peter Lorre are attempting to swindle money out of the mansion’s owner using spiritualism (which we know is always phony). This amusing horror-comedy has good music & a chance of some of our favorite horror stars to strut their stuff. Highly enjoyable.
Minotaur (2006) *** Gritty retelling of the tale of the minotaur, locked in its maze & eating the people sacrificed to it. More R-rated than your standard SyFy Channel fare, but still pretty predictable in its outlines & outcomes. Still has some creepy moments & good low-budget production & atmosphere.
Winchester (2018) **** Helen Mirren is the lonely widow, Sarah Winchester, heir to the fortune made from Winchester rifles. She builds her famous, sprawling mansion, convinced that the ghosts of those killed by the rifles will take their revenge on her. Her board of directors hires an investigator, suffering from loss himself, to determine if Sara is crazy. But both of them are menaced by the spirits. Some genuinely creepy moments & good performances highlight this film, though it goes bigger at one point than it needs to, blunting some of its impact.
Haunting, The (1963) ***** A masterpiece of haunted house cinema, Robert Wise suffuses his story with psychological terror & menace that seems to lurk just off frame. Strong performances & strong cinematography enhance the eerie settings. Today’s CGI-filled ghost fests could learn a lot about understated scares from this film, possibly the best of its kind ever made. Fairly faithful to Shirley Jackson’s great novel, too!
Moonflower Murders (S1) **** The surviving characters from Magpie Murders return, as editor Susan Ryeland is hired to find a missing woman, whose disappearance may be related to an Atticus Pund book she helped publish. As in the first series, this leads to both a murder in the present & a murder within the story within a story book… With an historical murder thrown in for extra fun. Amusing, though not as good as the first, with some annoying small story holes, but still entertaining.
Haunted Mansion (2023) **** A woman and her daughter find themselves trapped by ghosts in the titular southern mansion who won’t let them leave. They hire a widowed spirit tour guide who also becomes trapped, and soon there’s a whole merry band trapped with ghosts, trying to figure a way out — and save the world from the wicked plans of the master ghost. This adaptation of the classic Walt Disney ride is spooky family fun & better than the first Haunted Mansion movie.
Fog, The (1979) **** Carpenter’s classic dead pirates come back to menace a town with the fog movie features likable actors & good performances along with creepy atmosphere. It’s troubled production history of pre-release reshoots barely shows, though it’s not as tight as Carpenter’s best films.
Fragile (2005) **** Amy, a nurse, is assigned to the children’s ward in an old hospital that is being shut down, The hospital is a decaying, creepy place, & the former nurse left after a creepy experience. Soon, eerie things start to happen & Amy is told by a terminally ill girl that a girl (ghost?) called Charlotte lives on the abandoned floor above. Creepy atmosphere & ghostly doings mount, as the day to close the hospital approaches…. Good!
Halloween 3 **** Tom Atkins ventures to the headquarters of Halloween Mask Maker Silver Shamrock, who have a new blitz going to sell their new mask like. “Happy happy Halloween… Silver Shamrock!” Carpenter had the idea that the Halloween series should have new & different story every year, rather than, as it ended up, being sequels to the first. This third installment is the only one that did that. With a story based on ideas by Nigel Kneale, this installment plays out very much like a John Carpenter film of the era — which means good fun.
Werewolf of London **** Henry Hull is Universal’s first werewolf, who is bitten by another wolfman on an expedition to Tibet. Back home in London, he discovers the only cure may be a flower he brought back with him, but he’s not the only one who wants it. The werewolf makeup is more human that the classic Wolfman, & the creature retains much of its human mind, but it’s still dangerous to all its loved ones. A good classic effort.
Pet Sematary (1989) **** Creepy Stephen King story about an ancient cemetery that can bring pets back to life– which comes in handy when a family with a cat & young child move into town & next to a dangerous highway. Sincerity & good production values make this 80s film genuinely creepy. Much better than I thought when I first caught half of it, around the time ig came out.
White Zombie (1932) ***** Bela Lugosi has one of his creepiest roles as zombie master Murder Legendre in this low-budget classic. Plantation owner tries to use voodoo to steal a young bride from her husband, only to discover she’s not much fun as the titular white zombie. It’s amazing how good & creepy this film is, & how good it looks, considering how little it cost to make. A genuine treat.
Devil Bat, The (1941) **** Bela Lugosi plays a perfume inventor who has been “cheated” out of many thousands of dollars by the company that owns his perfume formula. So, he comes up with a new formula that attracts specially trained, giant killer bats. Another low-budget gem made very watchable by Lugosi
Mark of the Vampire (1935) ***(*) The production is beautiful, the actors are top notch & the story… Ah, there’s the rub. The mystery/supernatural story really doesn’t make much sense. A man is murdered, possibly by a vampire, & hears later, a vampire man & woman seem to occupy the house where the man is killed. This creeps the neighbors out, but… Is this really the best way to solve a murder? Lugosi & Carroll Borland are great as the vampires. But… OY! That ending! (Extra star if you don’t mind it.)
Thirteenth Chair, The (1929) *** A séance is called to catch a murder, who then murders again during the séance. Is the medium, who is the mother of one of the suspects, real or just another fake? This interesting tidbit feels pretty stagy, A pre-Dracula Bela Lugosi is the inspector trying to sort it all out.
Mummy’s Tomb, The (1942) **** The surviving cast of The Mummy’s Hand returns, 20 years lager, only to be pursued & killed off by the vengeful Kharis, back from the grave. This first sequel is a classic in its own right & changes the course of the series to more serious & scary — maybe even, as the kids would say, grimdark.
Mummy’s Ghost, The (1944) *** The mummy Kharis returns from the dead once more, this time pursuing his lost love Ananka, who has been reborn in the form of a pretty university student. Slight in its conception, repetitive, & by the book, the film is nevertheless fun & has some genuinely creepy moments.
Mummy’s Curse, The (1944) *** Somehow, the mummy & Ananka are now in Louisiana, rather than the bog where they disappeared in Massachusetts, in the las film. And though this film feels like something of an afterthought, it still has the best resurrection scene in any classic monster movie (Ananka) & some other creepy & even sad moments. Also seems to set up for a sequel that never happened.
Plague of the Zombies (1966) **** Hammer mixes their Victorian-Gothic horror style with creepy landowners & voodoo, as the people of a small town are dying only to return as zombies. A good cast & the usual high production values give us the Hammer-style chills we all desire. Jacqueline Pierce is lovely & always worth seeing.
Reptile, The (1966) **** Jacqueline Pierce’s second Hammer film is a beautiful woman trapped by her strict father in a house in the countryside, where someone his killing people with cobra venom. The monster makeup in this is memorable, the production atmospheric, with the usual Hammer style. A good companion piece to The Gorgon.
House of Wax **** Vincent Price starts as a sculptor whose original exhibit is burned down, so he starts a new wax museum. At the same time, people start disappearing, especially those who have crossed the sculptor. This classic looks great in 3D if you can see it that way. One of the best 3D films ever made.
Labyrinth **** Jim Henson & crew populate the fantasy world of the Labyrinth with practical FX magic as well as David Bowie’s Goblin King. Young Jennifer Connelly is beautiful, & the film is suitable for all ages, though young children may find it scary. A classic before its time.
Van Der Valk (S4) **** Van Der Valk & his “family” team of police detectives return for another series of hard-boiled murders & mysteries. There’s also some personal problems & friction within the group. Could maybe have been plotted a little more tightly, but I still enjoyed it.
Plan 9 from Outer Space **(***) Is it dreadful or a delightfully bad movie (extra stars). That’s really up to you, in Ed Wood’s magnum opus about alien grave-robbers from outer space looking to take over the world. Bela Lugosi’s final role consists of test role footage of him inserted into the story, after which he is famously replaced by a chiropractor in a bad cloak. For me, it’s hilarious.
Bowery at Midnight, The (1942) **** Bela Lugosi is a college professor who’s set up a soup kitchen in the bowery which is a front for his criminal enterprises as well as weird experiments by one of his associates. The combination of ruthless & weird makes this low-budget film extra interesting.
Saint’s Double Trouble, The (1940) **** The Saint is the living double of a crime boss & the two are mistaken for each other constantly during the film — mostly because the Saint is doing it deliberately. But it does mean that you have to pay fairly close attention to keep it all straight. Makes for a good entry of the Saint series, though.
Doctor X (1932) **** Mysterious “cannibal” killings lead Doctor X (Lionel Atwill) to try to solve the crime with weird science. Because someone is apparently turning into a monster and committing these ghastly crimes. Two-strip (red-green) technicolor gives this film an extra weirdness. Love it.
Seventh Victim, The **** When a woman’s sister goes missing, she ends up discovering her sister has fallen under the sway of a Satanic cult. What follows is the kind of creepy, atmospheric paranoia that Val Lewton productions excelled at. More bleak than one might expect from the time.
Dracula’s Daughter (1936) **** Gloria Holden is super creepy (& as lesbian/bi as you could get at the time) as Dracula’s daughter, looking to escape the curse of vampirism inherited from her father. Stylish & atmospheric, this is an interesting sequel to the Lugosi classic.
Mystery in the Wax Museum (1933) **** The original wax museum picture, a great sculptor has his waxworks burned down for the insurance. Years later, he rebuilds with some shady characters doing the work of his damaged limbs. Fay Wray is lovely and Glenda Farrell’s sparkplug reporter formed the basis for both her Torchy series & also Lois Lane in Superman. The two strip technicolor gives this the same weird feeling of Doctor X. Watch them together!
Frankenstein Created Woman (1967) **** Dr. Frankenstein is back, conducting research into how long the soul persists after death, which results in him transferring the soul of a dead young man into the dead young woman of the title. Then things go seriously wrong. I like this particular film because it goes into new territory rather than just the same old make a monster retreat. As usual with a Hammer film, it looks great & Cushing is a gem as Frankenstein.
Christine (1983) **** John Carpenter’s adaptation of the Stephen King seems very faithful to me & has a lot of nice Carpenter-King moments. Sure, the climax maybe stretches on a bit too long, but overall I had a great time with it. Evil car possesses young owner — or is it the other way around — and takes out aggression on his/its enemies.
Dracula Prince of Darkness ***** The second Hammer Dracula film is one of my favorites & I’m not even sure Christopher Lee speaks a single line. Two hapless couples end up in Dracula’s castle, where an evil servant uses them to revive the classic monster. The story also introduces Father Sandor, who might have supported a series of his own. Production, acting, everything is great.
So, near the end of November, here are the totals for October: 57 for the month, bringing my yearly total to 483. Obviously, we’ll be hitting at least 500 films, series, etc. this year. 🙂
NEXT MONTH: November starts with Halloween hangover, of course, and then packs in a whole lot of other stuff — including a few newer releases — in another big month. See you shortly!
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