View Full Version : The Universal Monsters/Hammer Horror Crossover HoF
http://i.imgur.com/KuR4aot.jpg?1
http://i.imgur.com/9bWfxNA.jpg?1
So I've hosted before and it went terribly, but I'm hoping this HoF will be short and a bit simpler. My main thing here is I want to make it more democratic, with me as simply the "organizer" of things rather than saying what to do. With that in mind, I want people's input as to how this goes.
I may not nominate stuff so that if I personally don't finish, it's no biggie, but that's up in the air for now depending on amount of participants more than anything.
I'm going to give about a week (or two if needed) to get everything set in stone, generate interest and get nominations in. If you want to join, just let me know your nomination.
Remember, I want this to be fun, so try not to get too caught up in stuff. If someone signs up and doesn't get a list in, it's not a big deal to me. IMO if you join you probably have an interest in these studios and their horror films anyway, so watching a film that ends up being disqualified shouldn't be too much of a burden.
Other than that, I think everyone knows the rules. If not, please ask and I or someone else can answer your question(s)!
First things first, I think we need to set in stone the deadline. I remember with my last host job we didn't have that set in stone right off the bat, and I feel that messed things up. So when would people be interested in ending this?
Participants:
jiraffejustin
McConnaughay
Sir Toose
Nope
Clazor
Destiny
Clazor:
http://i.imgur.com/hCSHoDr.jpg?1 http://i.imgur.com/F5qcFv1.jpg?1
Destiny:
http://i.imgur.com/lrq1OgH.jpg?1 http://i.imgur.com/2RY2rjp.jpg?1
jiraffejustin:
http://i.imgur.com/AmcMZyh.jpg?1 http://i.imgur.com/mi4hMZZ.jpg?1
McConnaughay:
http://i.imgur.com/1miVJhn.jpg?1 http://i.imgur.com/PJadu9e.jpg?1
Nope1172:
http://i.imgur.com/RUcrv34.jpg?1 http://i.imgur.com/f8nzt6Y.jpg?1
Sir Toose:
http://i.imgur.com/ERRhu29.jpg?1 http://i.imgur.com/VBOF74Q.jpg?1
Good luck man, i'll follow this :up:. McConnaughey is another member who might be interested in this, he's been posting about Hammer recently.
Is it to be that every participant nominates one hammer and one universal, or is it just one nom with both studios to draw from?
Is it to be that every participant nominates one hammer and one universal, or is it just one nom with both studios to draw from?
Great question. I'll let you guys decide, I'd be down for either. Personally prefer the idea that we get to nominate one of each, though maybe we should wait to see how many participants we have, so we know if it'd be too much?
jiraffejustin
12-29-16, 08:39 PM
I think it could get to be a bit much. I was thinking we choose just one film and it's either a Hammer or a Universal.
I think it could get to be a bit much. I was thinking we choose just one film and it's either a Hammer or a Universal.
Yeah, the problem I thought of was it might be really one-sided.
jiraffejustin
12-29-16, 10:30 PM
It's possible it could be one sided, but hopefully we have some Hammerheads.
jiraffejustin
12-30-16, 10:49 PM
The Abbott and Costello Meet movies are all Universal movies, do you think they should be included?
The Abbott and Costello Meet movies are all Universal movies, do you think they should be included?
I'd be okay with it, since they feature the monsters.
Get the f@ck out of here.
You know I'd do it. ;)
jiraffejustin
12-31-16, 05:33 PM
I don't guess I've actually said that I'm in yet, but I'm in. And I think I have my nomination decided, but I am going to watch a certain Hammer film, hopefully tonight, before I make up my mind.
Alright so let me get this right, JJ and Destiny, you two are in, right? Clazor, what about you? I'm going to PM McConnaughey and see if he is interested.
jiraffejustin
01-01-17, 03:48 PM
I am in.
McConnaughay
01-02-17, 10:14 AM
I'm curious about it. Though, I am a little fuzzy on the details of what the Hall of Fame entails and what my contribution is. Do I send my own nominations for my favorite among them all? How many can I nominate? Is it an "event," on a certain date, and is the event a reading of the nominations.
All in all, I am interested in it. The only holdup I have is that I'll only be able to throw my opinion in on the Universal Monsters films, which I am still in the midst of watching the bulk of. I've only seen a handful thus far, but I have thirty of the most known entries in my collection.
I feel like I am even more interested in the Hammer Horror films, however, it's just I won't be able to pursue them for a while, because money reasons and a lack of there being a good box-set. (I also have a limited data package, so, for instance, streaming them somewhere is out.)
I'm curious about it. Though, I am a little fuzzy on the details of what the Hall of Fame entails and what my contribution is. Do I send my own nominations for my favorite among them all? How many can I nominate? Is it an "event," on a certain date, and is the event a reading of the nominations.
All in all, I am interested in it. The only holdup I have is that I'll only be able to throw my opinion in on the Universal Monsters films, which I am still in the midst of watching the bulk of. I've only seen a handful thus far, but I have thirty of the most known entries in my collection.
I feel like I am even more interested in the Hammer Horror films, however, it's just I won't be able to pursue them for a while, because money reasons and a lack of there being a good box-set. (I also have a limited data package, so, for instance, streaming them somewhere is out.)
I'll explain the HoF process and try to answer all your questions while I do.
Basically it goes like this. In the beginning, each of us send in one nomination - in this HoF, you would pick a Universal Monster film, or a Hammer Horror film, and PM me what it is. Usually the host will give about a week for getting noms in, I'm being a little more lenient as we're trying to gather participants still. Side-note: usually people nominate a favorite of theirs, though it's happened where they'll nominate a film they haven't even seen! And I'd be okay with that so long as it's a film that you are really interested in watching.
After I have all the nominations, I post them in the second post of the thread (where it just says "noms"). Then, you have a certain amount of time (usually a few months) to watch all the nominations, including rewatching the ones you've seen if you choose (that's optional though).
You send in a ranked list from favorite to least favorite of all the noms before the deadline. I take everyone's ranked lists and tally them together. The winner gets inducted as one of the MoFo Hall of Fame winners.
It's ultimately just a fun way to watch and discuss, I think a lot of people do it so they get a chance to see movies they haven't seen before. I know you're currently into both these studios, so it would be a great way to seek out some of these films and watch them and discuss them.
As for obtaining them? You have a few months to do so (granted the deadline here isn't set in stone, which we need to figure out, but it's always a few months), and we always try to help each other out so we don't have to spend all our money, by being conscious of what we nominate, providing information about where to stream certain films, or providing links.
Hope that sums it up. Let us know if you have any other questions. Would love to have you. Not sure if I said so in PM, but there is really no pressure, especially in this particular HoF. I think it would be good for you too because I don't expect it to be too large, so you wouldn't have that much work. :)
When do you guys think the end deadline should be?
rauldc14
01-02-17, 11:15 AM
Tomorrow!
Just kidding, of course.
Hopefully with McConnaughay (and still need to hear from Destiny) we'll have four people. I've just contacted Sir Toose, see if he wants to join.
I was talking to JJ and decided if we get five people to participate, each can nominate one a film from each studio (2 noms each, therefore), which would make 10 films to watch. I think that's manageable, yeah?
McConnaughay
01-02-17, 10:56 PM
I can definitely have a confident "favorite" Universal Monster film in a couple of weeks, or, however long it takes me to watch the other 25 Universal films on the box-set. For my Hammer nomination, to be quicker about it, I could go ahead and read through their filmography and decide on which one I am most excited for. I intended to buy a lot of the Hammer Horror films in early-February, a personal birthday gift. I could probably find the five Hammer nominations.
Only thing is, nobody's allowed to nominate Dracula: Prince of Darkness, I can't find that film anywhere for less than $25, ... so that film's off the table. xD
Sir Toose
01-02-17, 11:15 PM
I'm in! My favorite Universal is far from obscure though. Everyone's seen it I'm sure. Might have to go deeper in the weeds on the more obscure ones or suggest a Hammer.
Nope1172
01-02-17, 11:42 PM
I'll join!
jiraffejustin
01-02-17, 11:46 PM
Hmmm... I wonder what Nope is going to nominate. The Invisible Man... obviously.
Nope1172
01-03-17, 12:20 AM
I see what you did there... that's not it, good guess though
Glad people are joining! So, does everyone want two noms (a Universal and a Hammer) or just one?
McConnaughay
01-03-17, 02:42 AM
Glad people are joining! So, does everyone want two noms (a Universal and a Hammer) or just one?
I don't know about everyone else, but it'd help me gauge which Hammer films to checkout.
Yeah, I'd rather do two nominations each. Unless anyone objects, let's do that. Should be manageable since we don't have too many participants. So get those noms in! Nope, I'll need a Hammer flick from you.
Nostromo87
01-03-17, 03:34 AM
The Abbott and Costello Meet movies are all Universal movies, do you think they should be included?
Abbott and Costello On Top
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l6NIVn6_m1c (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l6NIVn6_m1c)
http://i1142.photobucket.com/albums/n617/frankog10/Abbott%20%20Costello_zpskhji1yac.jpg
You can sign me up too, Swan! As with McConnaughay, my Universal will probably be one of the big ones that everyone have seen, and as for Hammer I'm gonna be forced to go digging in a filmography as well, seeing as I've never seen a Hammer movie. Should be interesting. Always try new things, right?
Awesome!
Remember, if you need to nominate a film from either studio you haven't seen but are interested in, feel free.
Nope1172
01-03-17, 08:07 PM
Sent in both of my noms
I may not nominate stuff so that if I personally don't finish, it's no biggie, but that's up in the air for now depending on amount of participants more than anything.
I hope you do nominate two films.
Glad people are joining! So, does everyone want two noms (a Universal and a Hammer) or just one?
I sent in one of each, but if we have to eliminate one, keep my Hammer production.
Waiting for noms by Sir Toose and McConnaughay, then we can get going!
I don't think I'm going to nominate anything if that's cool with everyone. I will participate and do my best to get a list in but with my track record in HoF's and what happened with my last hosting job, I don't want to be any sort of burden to the process. I'm very happy to let you guys be the stars and just sort of stand back as the organizer. Also happy with how the nominations are turning out anyway.
I'm failing to remember how much time the specific HoF's usually go for, but I'm thinking of giving us three months. That's three months to watch 12 films. Would Friday, April 7 work for you guys as the deadline, or is that too much/too little time? I'm always okay with extending or vice versa if needed, depending on how this goes, but it would be nice to have something to aim for. Every HoF I can think of that hasn't had some sort of deadline in place has fallen apart (maybe I'm forgetting one).
Would Friday, April 7 work for you guys as the deadline, or is that too much/too little time?
My daughter's birthday! Perfect! :)
Sir Toose
01-06-17, 12:57 PM
Been wanting to watch Black Cat again anyway. Glad it's on the list. Kudos to Destiny for the Gorgon nom.. been wanting to find that one again too.
We should just shoot for watching both catalogs of films.
Just a heads-up, Swan. The movie I nominated was The Black Cat from 1934. The one you posted a poster of is the one from 1941. They share the same name, but the stories are different. The '34 one's about a POW seeking vengance, while the '41 one's about a dying woman and her greedy heirs. Just thought I'd let people know so they don't start watching the wrong movie.
And yes, we should watch both noms. Seeing as we're only six participants, 12 noms makes for a more or less standard HoF size. Go for all!
Yeah the plan is to watch both films from each participant. :)
Just a heads-up, Swan. The movie I nominated was The Black Cat from 1934. The one you posted a poster of is the one from 1941. They share the same name, but the stories are different. The '34 one's about a POW seeking vengance, while the '41 one's about a dying woman and her greedy heirs. Just thought I'd let people know so they don't start watching the wrong movie.
Woops, thanks for letting me know. I knew it was the Lugosi one, but I guess I didn't look at the poster closely enough. Sorry about that, will fix now.
The only one i've seen there is Dracula which i sadly wasn't a big fan of. If i'm in the mood for a horror i might watch one of those and post here about it if that's cool.
Have fun guys :up:
jiraffejustin
01-06-17, 04:45 PM
Bride of Frankenstein
I wasn't really ready for the change in tone from the original to this one, so that kind of hindered my enjoyment until I realized what I was in store for. Once I was in the right mindset, the offbeat humor started clicking for me. The shrieking lady was pretty grating at first, but in the end I started thinking about how somebody who didn't realize they were watching a comedy would be annoyed by her, then I realized that was me at the beginning of the movie. I had a laugh at my own expense. It's a silly movie that plays it with a mostly straight face, and it has a set of stones on it for showing, or implying, some things that surely would not sit well with a lot of people back then. Specifically thinking of the hints of necrophilia. The best thing about this film is the set design though, for sure. It is reminiscent of the German expressionist silent films that Whale must have been a fan of, seeing as the Bride was inspired by Maria from Metropolis. I still prefer the original Frankenstein film, but the sequel and the original are quite different films. Perhaps they shouldn't be compared at all. James Whale was a tremendous director, and Bride was him being allowed creative freedom. He definitely took advantage of that freedom, making a unique, bizarre, satirical, and challenging film.
Holy *****! Blink twice, and off you guys go. I'm happy to say that I already own all but two of those films. That's going to help a lot. :D
I own three of the noms, will hunt the library for what they have and then we'll just have to see how many are left. Will probably start sometime tomorrow or the day after, had a lot to do at work these last few days, just need some time to catch up.
Well...the library was a bust. Not a single one of the noms there. On the other hand, almost every entry can be found on dailymotion, so if anyone's having trouble finding anything, go there. Mind, the entry taste of fear could only be found under another title, scream of fear.
I know and own Scream of Horror. This is so cool. This will be as good as The Slasher Hall of Fame. You guys should run more of these. ;)
OK, my children are helping me find all of these movies. I just found a bunch of classic Noir, and a huge Alfred Hitchcock box, that I forgot I bought. I have an enormous classic horror collection. So anyways, I'll confirm what I have, and have seen, in just a bit. I'll finish up the 40's thread first, but of course, and then I'll hit this baby hard. I've just started a movie/workout schedule that involves two to three movies a day. It all depends on my schedule, and lack of sleep. This will be great. :)
Hey Swan, out of curiosity, what two films would you choose, if you did join in with this part?
Hey Swan, out of curiosity, what two films would you choose, if you did join in with this part?
I haven't really thought too deeply about it. First that comes to mind is Curse of Frankenstein for horror, because I love it oh so much, but I may have chosen something different for this.
The Old Dark House (1932)
http://az795576.vo.msecnd.net/bh-uploads/2015/12/olddarkhouse-1200x895.jpg
Well, this was a different Laughton than was in The Suspect. Also, why is there a woman bedecked in a beard and moustash in this movie?
Five people lost in a storm seek shelter in a remote house, only to find they'd probably preferred to chance the storm.
This was...different. Not bad by any means, the actors portrayed their roles well (even if the heroes of the tale could've used some more personality), but the best ones by far was the rouges gallery. Having Karloff reprise his role from Frankenstein (more or less) was inevitable, I guess, but the showstealer turns up at the end with Brember Wills playing a insane arsonist. He injects some much needed life into the proceedings and is the cause of final comotion. The dialouge with Douglas is the most tense this movie gets, and he does a fine job, coming of as strange at first, then going full cackling crazy as he hurls a carving knife at Douglas. The religious sister and the cowardly master of the house see fit to flee when the confrontation takes place, only to reappear in the morning, shooing the unwanted guests out the door.
As previously stated, the heroes of the tale were a bit thin, or rather they don't get much to do. Laughton was wasted in this, I'm afraid to say, only used as muscle and otherwise only exist to be the jovial one in the group.
Overall, Wills saves this for me. Without him, this would just have been a bit boring, even with Karloff (who doesn't get enough to do) and Laughton on hand. It's OK, but not much more. Sorry Justin.
Well...the library was a bust. Not a single one of the noms there. On the other hand, almost every entry can be found on dailymotion, so if anyone's having trouble finding anything, go there. Mind, the entry taste of fear could only be found under another title, scream of fear.
Oh by the way, thanks for checking for us. Really appreciate it.
Oh by the way, thanks for checking for us. Really appreciate it.
You're welcome
The Gorgon (1964)
https://horrorpediadotcom.files.wordpress.com/2013/01/gorgon-1964-hammer-lee-and-cushing.png
Ok...this is what I knew of the Hammer company before this HoF: It was a british film company famous for a long line of horror movies throughout the 50s and 60s, had a particular vivid hue of red FX blood, later branded as "Hammer red", and many of the movies starring both Peter Cushings and Saruman himself, Christopher Lee.
Having never seen any of their works, I was exited when this popped up. I was not dissapointed.
So, we got a German hamlet haunted by a 2000 year old, mythical Greek monster. And because noone would believe them...they cover it up and let it happen again and again?
The latest round of killings brings a scapegoat, and when the father of said scapegoat tries to discover what really happened, our story begins. I'd never seen anything with Michael Goodliffe before, but this guy is good. He has a presence that captures you and makes you listen, and in a movie with both Cushings and Lee, that's saying something. The sons weren't as good, but the later one was at least capable. Cushings himself does a great job as the village doctor hiding a dark secret.
Speaking of Lee, two thirds through the movie I sat wondering if a three minute scene was all we where gonna get, and if so, why put his name at the top of the movie? Less than a minute later, Lee shows up and starts bossing everybody around, from the doctor all the way up to the chief of constables. He makes a imposing figure and tries to help everyone keep a level head, while at the same time investigating what has actually happened in the village.
The FX make-up used was very good, I thought. As the victims died, they petrify, shown by them slowly turning grey and then being replaced by stone statues. Again, this was best portrayed by Goodliffe, who, with his last ounce of strength, writes a letter to his surviving son, telling of what has happened. In the morning, his servent apparently finds him dead, slumped over the desk (which brought to my mind the question of how they managed to straighten him out so that they could put him in a coffin?).
A good start to the Hammer side of things. Quite bloodless though, not a trace of the special "Hammer red". Maybe next time.
A very good nom Des! :up::up:
Hey, alright! I'm happy that you liked it so much, Clazor. :)
I'm going to check the prices of the two movies I don't own, tonight on my Amazon streaming account.
jiraffejustin
01-25-17, 04:31 PM
Update:
I have acquired The Gorgon and The Horror of Dracula. I already had a couple of the others that I've already seen. I will try to watch a couple of them before the end of this week, so I can get back on track.
Don't think I've forgotten about this. :D
McConnaughay
01-31-17, 01:26 PM
I sort-of became preoccupied recently, and thereby, haven't been able to dedicate myself as much.
I work, which is nothing new, but I recently started up college once again. That, and the fact I've spent two-days a week, every week, with my girlfriend, hanging out and whatnot (she's not into movies from the 20-60's, I'm afraid).
Lastly, I've been trying to really buckle down on my writing as much as I can. I edited the first one-hundred pages of my fifth novel and finished the next one-hundred pages this month. In February, I'd really like to finish the first-draft of my fourth novel and the final draft of my third.
I will make an effort to watch these films though. I'll try to watch Dracula on Thursday, and, hopefully, Bride of Frankenstein and The Mummy before the end of the week.
jiraffejustin
02-02-17, 10:46 AM
The Gorgon
Hammer horror films seem to be very refined. The British accent and well-dressed characters going to castles, albeit abandoned, might have something to do with that. The effects in this film, as mentioned before, are mostly pretty good. The only complaint I have in that department is the decapitation scene effects look pretty weak, and that took me out of the moment. That's not a complaint I usually have, but compared to the scenes of petrification (is that a word?) it falls on its face.
The atmosphere is very good. The acting is all fine. I appreciate how we progress from one character to the next, as if the film didn't care whether or not the character you presume to be the protagonist perishes. This is a very enjoyable horror film, but it doesn't reinvent the wheel.
I have three fun events coming up this month, where movie viewing will be a part of it. I'll be picking some of these to view.
"I'll be back!"
The Bride of Frankenstein
https://s3.drafthouse.com/images/made/1935_BrideFrankenstein_img3_758_426_81_s_c1.jpg
It became a double feature.
I allready owned both the original and the sequel, but had not yet found time to watch the latter. Wanting to be completely up to speed, I first watched the original, something which turned out to be, if not unneccesary, then non-essential. We get a brief re-hash of the first story, before being presented with something of a meta-narrative, as we're introduced to the author of the novel: Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley. She sets off, continuing the story of the monster and it's creator.
As far as I remember, the two films tell the story of the book, but with a different, I guess more happy, ending for Dr. Frankenstein. But at the same time, they shorten, rearrange and cut, as you would, and in the end I'd say that they keep only the very framework of the book and work from there to create their own story.
As to that story, I felt rather a shift in the tone between the two films. Where the first, I think, set out to be more the story of ghoulish terror, this one has more the tone of an adventure; tracking the beast and hunting it after Frankenstein decides not to bow to the creatures wishes and make it a mate. Gone is much of the stalking atmosphere of the creature and instead we are ment to understand it, feel for it. Unfortunately, we don't get sufficient time I'm affraid. Passages that take months might be over in under three minutes, and we're never allowed to let the plight of the creature set in.
Setting that aside, the acting is still of a very high level. Karloff still captures the distinct way of walking and moving that he did in the first film, even when he moved at a more rapid pace, hiding and fleeing his pursuers. Colin Clive continues his portrayal of the wierd and somewhat morally bankrupt Frankenstein, and while he does it well, I have to say that I never found him symathetical as a character. I never liked him or the way he acted towards his friends and family. Even when he ostensibly is trying to protect them from the monster, I feel that he does it more to save himself and his reputation rather than others.
A good film it is, I won't say otherwise, but it is not one of my favourites far. Nonetheless, a good nomination, Des! :up:
House of Horrors
A serial killer finds a discontent artist, and together they set out to take terrible revenge on those that have wronged them.
It's almost novel to have a non-supernatural story to write about. Among the entries here a common murderer isn't something that appears too often. While having a simple story, it doesn't detract from the well acted roles or quirky characters. The stuffy critic that belittles the artist sculpture was akin to the character of Waldo Lydecker from Laura, a high minded man who enjoys ridiculing others in his collumn. Too late he realizes the folly of mocking people who knows where we works and lives.
Rondo Hatton, playing "The Creeper", makes this movie. His large frame and distinguished apperance makes him almost beastly in form, able to throttle even a large man without much trouble.
The artist, in contrast, is a small man, but where body fails the mind can triumph. Kosleck portrays a timid man, but with a temper long tested and soon to erupt. Whilst never doing anything openly himself, he convinces his new freind that if he only can get a sculpture sold, they can get money that will help the murderer escape justice. But for that to happen, his critics must be silenced.
Well acted, well cast and with an interesting take on partners in crime, this was an intreiuging watch that I'm glad to have seen.
Good nomination, McConnaughay! :up:
The Mummy (Karloff)
https://horrorpediadotcom.files.wordpress.com/2013/02/mummy_1929_07.jpg
I believe that between Karloff's monster and his mummy, I think I'd give the edge to the mummy. While still using his expressful face, the mummy's ability to speak and reason, as well as his backstory, makes him my favourite of the two. Wether I prefer Universal to Hammer we'll have to find out down the line.
What's clear though is that Karloff earned all the praise he got as an actor many times over. The quite majesty he displays as the character of Imhotep is breathtaking, and among the actors here I think only Zita Johann or Edward Van Sloan could come anywhere near him in acting level.
Talking of Ms. Johann, she was quite the actress herself. I liked the way she portrayed Helen here, more headstrong than most female roles of the time, and she had more fight in her. She doesn't stand around waiting for help, she takes action and trust to aid. The fact that she's smart helps too. Being the daughter of a archeologist, she's apparently studied by her father's side and developed an interest in ancient Egypt as well. It is even she who defeates Imhotep in the end, with the help of Dr. Muller and Frank.
The iconic scene by the pool's beautiful, but the whole room looks fantastic with the great statue in the background and the insence burner behind her. I was also quite fond of the scroll itself. The craftmanship in it was plain to see and I loved the attention to detail in the heiroglyphs.
All in all a great movie, not lessend by the fact that it was a rewatch. Great nom, Nope! :up:
jiraffejustin
02-27-17, 08:32 PM
Good stuff, Clazor. :up:
I have on film left to finish for the 12th hof, and then I will be putting my focus on this one.
If you need two more nominees....I've got one really good Hammer film and three tough Universal ones.
The Bride of Frankenstein
https://s3.drafthouse.com/images/made/1935_BrideFrankenstein_img3_758_426_81_s_c1.jpg
A good film it is, I won't say otherwise, but it is not one of my favourites far. Nonetheless, a good nomination, Des! :up:
Thanks, Clazor. :) I'm happy you enjoyed it.
We're watching two of these this weekend, but I haven't decided which two.
Taste of Fear/Scream of Fear
https://twentyfourframes.files.wordpress.com/2013/10/scream-fear-corpse.png
This was awesome! The story, the characters, the acting, everything about this I liked. Totally a new favourite for the top spots in this HoF. From this point I'm diving into spoilers, so if you haven't seen this, DON'T READ FURTHER! YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!
The brilliance of the story lies in the relative simplicity of it, at least that's what you're led to believe. After the death of her close friend, Penny Appleby returns to her father after a decade apart. Arriving at his estate, she finds him missing and gets conflicting explenations as to his health and whereabouts. Late that evening, however, she sees him sitting dead in a chair, but when she returns with help, discovers that he's vanished. Her nervous demeanor's blamed for her apparent visions, but soon she starts to suspect that something else is afoot.
The actors, Strasberg and Lewis in particular, did a magnificent job in this. Strasberg portrays Penny as a woman mouning a close friend, as well as trying to come to terms with a new enviorment and new people around her. Her sudden loss makes her feel powerless, even more so than usual. As she's wheelchair bound, she must rely on others' kindness, something she grows tired of and even starts to despise. The only one not treating her as if she's made of glass is Robert, the family driver played by Lewis. This, as I said, is the other great performer of this movie. For over an hour of this 80 min movie we see him be in Penny's corner; helping, talking, conspiering with her to discover what's going on in the house and trying to stop it. He plays the perfect hero stereotype without fail...until he doesn't.
This is the twist in the drama: Almost from the start the movie seeds the fact that there's something wrong about the new Mrs. Appleby, Penny's step-mother. It seems that she and a mysterious doctor (played by Lee) are conspiering to drive Penny mad in order to get Mr. Appleby's inheritance away from her. He seems to pop out of nowhere, allways at hand sooner than should be possible and repeatedly bringing up the topic of Penny's mental health. In hindsight, I really should've realized something was up, but I fell into the trap of assuming that just because a movie's old, it can't be subtle.
In the end, Robert turns out to be the real danger, sending Penny and her father's body over a cliff in a car. The scene's so well done, I thought it an accident until the camera cuts to a wider view and we see that Robert had been sitting next to the body the whole time, obscured form our view by the backrest of the front carseats. It's very well done, and as we've been acustomed to the view from previous rides in the car, where we only ever sit with Penny in the back, we don't see it coming.
This whole movie feels to me like a very polished and extended episode of Scooby-doo. A mystery has to be unraveled, and piece by piece we discover clues as to what really happens until the very end when, as per usual, the apparent boogy-man's caught and unmasked, revealing the criminal bellow.
Only, this time it's not just the criminal that's getting unmasked.
In a giant double twist, Penny's revealed not to be Penny, but the friend who apparently died in the beginning, Emily. It was Penny who dies by her own hand. Her father was informed of this, so when a letter arrived for Penny a few weeks later, supposedly written by her father, asking her to come home, she grows suspicious. Here we also get an explenation for the Doctor. He's in league with Emily, and has conspired with her to find the truth about her father's fate.
In the end, this is a very well crafted story, in the vein of a live-action Scooby-doo movie (only not trash) and concieved well before a single Scooby-doo episode ever aired. High praise go to McConnaughay, a great nom and a great movie! :up:
The Mummy (Lee)
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A team of archeologists discover a ancient egyptian tomb while dealing with a mysterious egyptian man who seems to know much of the occupant of said tomb. Inside, an ancient scroll is found, and soon the discoverers are haunted by a living corpse, awoken by the reading aloud of the scroll.
If I was to give you this description and task you to tell me which of the two mummy movies in this HoF I was refering to, could you?
Not to say that it's a rip-off, but Hammer has definately taken the premiss of the '32 mummy and created their own version. And as such, they've done very well. It's updated in several ways, most good, but with one or two I take exception. They've fleshed out the characters of the archeologists a bit, having them be a family unit, as well as putting more into their shared experiences and their feeling toward each other. Cushing's character in particular has taken on more of the role of protagonist, even going so far as to be a part of the actual discovery team. It's his story, leaving even less for the character of the father than he had in the '32 version.
Then it's the mummy itself. Karloff never spent more than a few minutes of movie time in his mummy form, before leaving to become Ardeth Bey. In the '59 version, Lee never leaves his mummy faze, other than when his backstory's explained, and that is done by another character, the egyptian who guides and commands him. I'd call him a Ardeth Bey stand-in, but he's too uninteresting and too thin of a character even to be mentioned with Karloff's haunting performance. As such, we never get more than a stalking mute shuffeling around the brittish countryside. That said, they did get some expression out of Lee, especially around the eyes. He comes across as a capable mummy, but he's not Karloff. The look of the mummy itself, though, that looks good. They went for a more covered face, but they eyes are still visible and Lee used those to great effect. You can really see when he's mad or confused or unsure. It's a good actor under the bandages, that there's no denying. Lee does a good job when we actually see him close up.
Hardly suprising to you, I still find Karloff to be the better mummy, both as a stalking precense (despite the fact that we hardly see him as such) and in the form of the mysterious stranger facilitating in the uncovering of the tomb.
Actually, about the fact that we hardly see Karloff moving in mummy make-up. In the behind-the-scenes stuff that was on the Blue-ray, they adress this. It seems that they were afraid people would think Karloff overacted if they showed him act in the make-up. He had such a expressive face, they thought, that he seemed overanimated if he left the realm of subtle acting he did as Ardeth Bey.
They thought he was so good at acting, that if he tried more, he would seem to go over the top. Is this the best praise-by-damning or what?:)
Finally, the one thing I think they did badly was the portrayal of the female role. They pretty much killed my favourite character (after Karloff) from the '32 verion. As I mentioned, I liked the daughter, how smart and not "damsel in distress" she was. Here, they downsized her to one scene where she help by letting down her hair and for the rest of the movie she could be replaced by a cardboard cut-out. Zita Johann did a much better job than Yvonne Furneaux did, or rather, was allowed to do.
In the end, I liked the '32 version better, but this is still a good movie that I'm glad to have seen and enjoyed watching.
Good nom, Nope! :up:
On Friday March 24, some of these movies will play on Turner Classic Movies. Check here! (http://www.tcm.com/schedule/index.html?tz=est&sdate=2017-03-24)
The Wolf Man
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Intriguing story, well acted and nice special effects.
Too bad it didn't grab me more.
It's a good movie, no question; Chaney does a great job portraying a man who is hounded by a curse he doesn't believe in, and at the same time fears what the next night will bring. It's a tragic story where noone get off without taking a wound, be it literal or figurative.
Unfortunately, Chaney, along with the man playing his father, are the only two actors that seemed to act with any conviction. The rest of the cast seemed wooden, prone to reading lines rather than deliver them. The female lead was weak and the Roma woman who tells Chaney of his fate seemed at once to overact or state thing totally dead-pan. A special nod should go to Lugosi, but he isn't in the movie long enough for his presence to be felt.
No, that's unfair. He goes through the same anguish Chaney does, but in a way where we only see the end rather than the whole journey. Say rather that Chaney overshadows him and gets to show the full transformation from peeping Tom handyman to a tromented man afraid of what he can do...and what he can't stop himself from doing.
Finally, the effects. Both ups and downs here. The transformation scene was very well done. Seeing it now it's easy to tell how it's done, but it is very effectful. Unfortunately the end result doesn't live up to the road it takes. This has puzzled me ever since I first saw the poster. Why this look? No hint of pointed ears or elongated jaw, just massive amounts of hair everywhere. And what's with the poof on the top? It doesn't show as much on the poster, but in the movie it looks like they glued a giant furball to the top of his head.
I know I sound negative, but it's not my intent. I'm honestly bewilldered as to why they chose this route to go down? If anyone knows, please share.
As I said, it is a good movie, but in the end it's not a favourite.
Good pick, Toose!
The Devil Rides Out
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Another great performance from the late Christopher Lee, now also joined by an overall good cast of people. Although, when you have Dracula for a protagonist and Blowfeld as the utter evil, you can't very well go wrong, can you?
But, seriously, Lee and Gray does carry the movie. Both are these intense, powerful men, working on opposite sides of a conflict centering around a young man who's very soul lies in the balance. The young man in question might not be the best actor, but the pleasure one gets from watching Lee and his friend trying to stop said doofus is worth said sub-par acting. I loved the scene 2/3rds through the movie wherein our heroes have to stay inside a magic circle as to prevent one of the F***ING horsemen of the Apocalyps from riding in and taking one of their souls! And this isn't the final climax of the movie. That said, what follows isn't nearly as intense and if the movie had ended at that point, I wouldn't have complained.
Charles Gray, as perviously stated, does help the movie rise to something special. I think that with a lesser antagonist, this would've felt unbalanced. He gives off an aura of authority, not least as he marches into the house where our heroes seek refuge and hypnotizes the lady of the house (a brave woman who, while knowing of his power still lets him in just in case there is some information to glean from him). Aother fine acting job from her, by the way.
This was a very entertaining movie and it's another that will have to fight for the top spots on my future ballot. Great actors, interesting plot and a semi-finale that will stick with me for awhile yet.
Great nom, Justin! :up:
Horror of Dracula
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I loved the opening to this. A seemingly unaware librarian comes to the house of Dracula seeking employment, only to be revealed as a veteran vampire hunter out for his final prey. The way he acts in these first few scenes, he must assume the count's watching and tries to act accordingly. He is a bit cold towards the woman he encounters though, not quite acting as someone meeting a frightend individual would. He calm and concerned, yes, but doesn't seem affected by her pleas for help. He knows what she is, and that he's already too late, therefore he comes of as almost cold, beyond the mere pretence of trying to help.
And then...the Count enters.
Lee doesn't have many lines in this first outing as the infamous vampire. Most of the time he lets his face and body convay meaning. Here, though, he has a few paragraphs of dialouge, and it struck me that he seemed to be rushing through them. Whether it's intentional or not, he goes through the lines as if eager to get them over with. No time is put into letting him preform his lines, they are just rushed out, delivered, a means to get the guest and us in the audience into a room he then securely locks to keep us under control.
Compare this to the first time we meet Lugosi's Dracula. Like Lee he's walking down a flight of stairs, adressing a newcomer in his castle. The difference is that Lugosi gets to take his time. His slow, measured voice and slow pace gives room for breath and space to study him, feel the charisma radiating from him. What we feel is not yet fear, but we do get a feeling that this is a important man somehow, capable of great things.
Lee has more the air of a man talking to a subordinet. He's welcoming, but also brisk, curt almost. The matter at hand is buisness and he dives straight into it. After discussing Harker's future position and determening when he can start, it's moving right along into a bedroom where he can be kept from wandering. The Count informs his new librarian that he will be gone overnight, wishes him a good night's sleep and closes the door. From this points on, to my recollection, Lee never speaks until the last minutes of the movie.
And thus we get to the cellar scene. I won't talk overly much about it here, but suffice to say that it's a very atmospheric scene that gives proof to the suspicions Harker has. This is a frist glimps of hw effective Lee can be at creating dread and tension. Here, he outstrides Lugosi in my oppinion, as I never really got any sense of dread from him. Lee does. And as that cellar door closes, we know Harker's fate is sealed.
As we move on, Cushing appears, portraying Van Hellsing. Together with Lee he's easily the best actor in this, and his character is a true badass. The final confrontation of the movie sees him counter Dracula at every turn and in the end defeat him. An awesome finish to the first Hammer Dracula.
Overall, a good movie. I liked Cushing's version of Van Hellsing, part academic, part monsterslayer. Lee does a great job as the Count, lessened at times by hurrid dialouge. But as a whole, a very entertaining movie which I'd gladly watch again. :):up:
The Black Cat
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Whoever made the decision to put Lugosi and Karloff in the same movie...great choice!:up:
They compliment each other in a very nice way; Lugosi being his flamboyant, almost overacting way (even akin to silent movie acting at times), while Karloff keeps his reserved, quiet and more menacing style. Plus, I find the way Lugosi pronounces Karloffs' character's name very funny, but that's probably because it's a germanic/scandinavian name and he has trouble pronouncing it correctly, combined with the fact he puts so much emotion behind it every time. Two different schools of acting that combine to make a very entertaining dialouge.
While the two main characters aren't bad actors, they do pale in comparison to Lugosi and Karloff. They pretty much give us as the audience someone to follow and witness the confrontations, but little more. The focus is heavely put upon Lugosi and his need for revenge against the man who stole everything from him.
The movie itself circles around this, a dangerous game of cat and mouse where the roles often are uncertain. Is it Lugosi that hunts Karloff, or is his need for revenge only a part of Karloff's plan, something that was counted on and used to further an as of yet secret agenda?
Overall, a very suspenseful story that is very well acted, both from our big name actors as well as the couple who acts as the audience's stand-ins. I'd never seen this before (which is true about my other nom as well) , but I'd heared good things and I was not dissapointed. It's by far my second favourite performances from Lugosi and Karloff, only surpassed by Dracula and The Mummy respectivley. It is a very twisty movie with an uncertain end. The fact that both players have grand plans for the other is evident, but while Lugosi's plan centers around Karloff, I'm not sure that Karloff holds Lugosi in the same high regard in his plans. Sure, he revels in what he'll do to him, but in the end, that is not the main part of his goal. It's more of a bonus than the ultimate point. As such, you are never really sure who if any will walk out of the story unscathed and in what condition. A very good movie in any case. :) :up:
The deadline is in a few days (April 7), but I don't think most of the participants have been watching the films. Clazor deserves a freaking round of applause, but I'm curious - what do you guys want to do? I don't want the effort that a few of you (mainly Clazor) have put into this to go wasted. I feel bad, like I should have done something differently. But I don't think anyone is to blame for the lack of activity.
If we get a few lists turned in, I'm game for revealing based simply on those few. We can postpone the deadline if we need to, or if you guys want we can also cancel it. Just let me know.
The Satanic Rites of Dracula
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Being the final Hammer Dracula movie wherein Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing played against each other, it's too bad it didn't really grip me as much as the first one.
It felt as if they wanted to cram too much into the same movie, while also not being completely sure what they wanted the movie to be. At the same time, they have elements of horror, sci-fi, spythriller and fantasy vying to be front and center, resulting in something I thought lacked focus.
That said, they still had some things down, a sign of experience after doing six other Dracula movies over a period of 15 years. We still have the great chemistry between Dracula and Van Helsing, again played by Lee and Cushing. I still liked their "fight scenes", if you could call them that (confrontations might be a more apt description) and I aslo find their special effects around Dracula's demise to be really well made. I realized I didn't bring that point up in my first Hammer Dracula review, but the disintegration of Dracula's corpse is something to behold. I can't tell if it's stop motion or just several frames fading into each other, but I really liked the look of it, both in the '58 version and this one, made in '73.
The story as such didn't stay with me for long, other than the fact that...
Dracula wants to kill off all of humanity with a newly developed strain of bubonic plauge.
Overall, a clash between Lee and Cushing is never dull, but with a story as full of different elements all trying to vy for prominence and a cast that didn't do much for me (except, again, for Lee and Cushing), I can't really say that I enjoyed it very much outside the scenes were Lee and Cushing stand off against each other.
Sorry, Toose, but this one wasn't one of my favourites. :(
Right, that was the last of them. I'm done. I have to say that this was more fun than I had expected. I don't usually go in for horror too much, but these older movies focus on a side of the horror genre that is totally more of my speed. Less jumpscares, more interesting plot and surreal stories. A big thank you to Swan for getting this off the ground. I will send in my ballot shortly.
As to your question about what's to be done, I'm not surprisingly hoping for some kind of result/end for this HoF if we can manage it. As for wasted effort, there is no such thing on my part at least. I've had a blast watching these movies, some of which I'd probably never seen otherwise. Come what may I've had fun. I'd like it if we could get at least a few lists in so we could get a result, but if you guys aren't interested in finishing, I hold no grudges. You've done a great and fun thing hosting this HoF Swan, so I'm happy either way. :up:
Thanks Clazor. I'm really glad you had fun watching these, that's the most important part. I'll wait a bit to see what others have to say, and hopefully we can get some more lists in.
jiraffejustin
04-04-17, 11:39 PM
I am very sorry to you, Clazor. You have done a tremendous job, and I probably won't be able to fulfill my obligation even with an extended due date. With what I mentioned about my mother in the other thread and school, I just don't think I have the time. Even before I posted in the thread about my mother, we had found out her cancer had come back, but it was at a lower stage, so I didn't say anything here. But that was already taking some of my time away from my hof obligations. Once again, I am very sorry.
No need to be sorry JJ, I already figured with what's going on in your life you wouldn't have the time or energy for this, which is totally understandable. Thanks for letting us know for sure though, much appreciated.
I watched the hell out of these back when I made my last post. I treated myself to that movie marathon on Turner Classic Movies, and went from there. I'll catch up on posting about them "VERY" soon. :)
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