This year, even before October rolled around, I was a bit concerned about what I'd not only watch during the upcoming month, but also what I'd view on the night of the 31st. After all, I've seen everything in my movie collection many, many times over. I feel like I need something fresh, that I've never seen before, whether it's an oldie or a more modern release. So far I've only developed a sketchy "list", barely even a list really; it's more of a handful of notes about eras and decades of horror and its subgenres, the odd franchise I might delve into a bit deeper. Like: do I feel like revisiting old classic Universal monsters that I haven't watched in a while, like Lon Chaney in Phantom of the Opera? Or how about one of Val Lewton's atmospheric noir gems... maybe The 7th Victim? And there are still many Hammer horrors I've yet to see. Maybe something from the 80's I haven't seen much, or at all, along the lines of aliens, vampires or werewolves... a Gremlins sequel or Monster Club (for a second time)? Or perhaps a psychological horror/suspense like one of the Silence of the Lambs sequels or prequels?
Italian poster for Black Sunday (1960)
An old friend recently sort of came to the rescue with a pile of movies on Blu-ray to donate. This generous dude does this annually... handing over a bunch of movies he no long wants or needs (he's always upgrading to the latest and greatest home video format). Sometimes they are freebies, sometimes he'll ask for just a few bucks, all depending on how much he spent on them in the first place. So this nice haul of "new" used movies arrived at just the right time. Most of them are horror, while others are mysteries or sci-fi that may or may not be just creepy enough to fit the bill.
One of these films is the shocking 70's horror out of Britain, Death Line, which was more appropriately re-titled Raw Meat in the U.S. I saw this once years ago and was surprised at how disturbing and bloody it was for its time. Both Donald Pleasence and Sir Christopher Lee star in this police investigation into horrific deaths in the London underground train tunnel system.
A couple I haven't seen are Blood of the Vampire and Blood From the Mummy's Tomb. The vampire flick doesn't sound familiar to me, so I'm not sure if I've ever seen it. It's a 1958 production that apparently looks like a Hammer film due to some talent from that camp on hand. I'm looking forward to that one. Blood From the Mummy's Tomb was brought to life by the good people at Hammer back in '71. I have a feeling I saw this ages ago, and while not amazing, it was a sturdy atmospheric monster show.
For a bit of horror-comedy, there is the Universal Studios classic, Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein. This is the monster mashup that I adored as a child; I must have watched this 1948 laugh-fest dozens of times on TV, and have had it on various video formats ever since. This Blu-ray presentation is the best yet.
Peter Jackson's King Kong impressed me the first time around, less so with the next couple of viewings. Great visuals, but it's an overlong, bloated, poorly-paced, shmaltzy beast with questionable casting choices. So it's not high on my list of great movies. But hey, I now have a Blu upgrade from the DVD copy I already had. Maybe that skating scene will be more bearable in hi-def. Probably not.
Next up, not in the horror realm but certainly gripping mystery, are the original Swedish adaptations of The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo plus its two follow-ups, The Girl Who Played With Fire, and The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest. I can't remember which of the Dragon Tattoo movies I saw long ago... the Swede version or the U.S.? Anyway, I'm due for a generous helping of quality cinematic suspense.
Then there are further tales of detection on a few discs worth of Sherlock Holmes heaven, starring the incomparable Peter Cushing. These made-for-TV adaptations were produced by BBC, and though riddled with problems, were immensely popular. Never having seen any of these five "episodes" of the series, I'm keen on checking out Cushing in his prime (the 60's) as the famed sleuth.
Then for a touch of thrilling sci-fi with 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, the 1954 film adaptation of the Jules Verne classic novel. I remember seeing that at least a couple of times on TV when I was a lad. Fantastical story and visuals... fun!
More sci-fi comes in the form of World Without End and Satellite in the Sky, both of which I believe I caught on Turner Classic Movies years ago. Neither was memorable, but I'll give 'em a look sometime. Low budget affairs that might kill a couple of hours on a lazy Sunday afternoon.
And now, the best for last...
Hammer Films' 1958 production of Dracula (re-titled Horror of Dracula in the U.S.), presented to us for the first time Christopher Lee as the immortal Count. And of course, Peter Cushing is ol' Drac's nemesis Dr. Van Helsing. This Hammer gem kicked off the wave of remakes and re-tellings of the world's favourite movie monsters. Universal Studios did it in the 30's and 40's, then Hammer resurrected the horror genre in the 60's and early 70's. Horror of Dracula is easily the best or among the very best of the studio's prolific output. I've seen this many times over the years and it never fails to thrill and chill.
Theater of Blood is a British horror-comedy starring good old Vincent Price. I'll never forget seeing this on late, late night TV when I was a young teenager... seeing Price as the Shakespearean actor who exacts gruesome vengeance on his critics by re-enacting murder scenes from the Bard's plays. Macabre yet tongue-in-cheek, a fun flick for fans of the genre.
Last but not least... two eerie Italian gothic horrors by Mario Bava, Black Sabbath (yes, the heavy metal band took their name from this movie's title) and Black Sunday. Though I'm not a fan of Italian horror generally, these two Bava films are masterful examples of the genre. 1963's Black Sabbath is an anthology of three tales of terror: the first story is just okay, the second is very cool (about undead creatures called the Wurdulak), and the third, entitled The Drop of Water, is an exercise in torturous tension.. by far one of the most spine-chilling things I've ever seen in horror cinema. Whew.
Black Sunday, from 1960, doesn't quite meet the high bar set by Black Sabbath, but it's still a fun ride. Barbara Steele stars (in her first film role) as a witch put to death by her own brother, and who then returns 200 years later for revenge upon her descendants. My memory of this movie is a bit hazy, so I need a refresher - soon. Black Sunday was actually banned in the UK for most of the 60's for what was considered excessive gore violence. Some scenes were censored in the U.S. before its release there.
So.... lots to watch this month. Happy horror viewing!
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