THEM (1954) - A great yarn about people being terrorized by giant ants (accidentally mutated by an atomic explosion in the desert.) A great 1950's paranoia film.
CURSE OF THE MUMMY'S TOMB (1964) - Made by Hammer Studios, this is a follow up to the 1959 "Mummy" film starring Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing. Not nearly as great as its predecessor, but the Mummy costume in this one is kind of creepy.
DOCTOR X (1932) - This is a gem from the early 30's. Starring the great Lionel Atwell and Fay Wray this is the story of a newspaper reporter investigating a series of murders that all occur during a full moon. What makes this a horror tale is the inclusion of several "mad scientists" all performing miscellaneous experiments (one disguises himself with synthetic skin.) This is such a creepy film for its time. Great ending.
GODZILLA, MOTHRA, AND KING GHIDORAH (2001) - Ahh...the king of monsters. The only modern film I watched recently. Plenty of monster action, but nowhere near the best Godzilla movie.
ISLE OF THE DEAD (1945) - Set during the Greek war of 1912 this film stars Boris Karloff. Several people are trapped on an island, quarantined by a plague that is wiping out the local population. Unable to leave the island the people are haunted by vampire demon. The story starts off creepy but gets all muddled up at the end. Karloff is always great though.
IT! THE TERROR FROM BEYOND SPACE (1958) - The first manned mission to Mars is terrorized by an unknown monster. This is one of those classic "campy" sci-fi flicks from the 50's. But the monster looks great. Fun movie.
THE MAN FROM PLANET X (1951) - A mysterious planet is speeding toward Earth. At the same time a mysterious visitor has been discovered wandering the moors of Scotland. Another "campy" sci-fi flick from the 50's...and another great looking monster. Man, I love these kinds of movies.
MARK OF THE VAMPIRE (1935) - Bela Lugosi reprises his role as a vampire, only this is not a true sequel to his classic role as Count Dracula. Yes you have vampires here, but don't get your hopes up. This is a murder/mystery tale. What you would expect to be a horror film about vampires turns into a "film noir-who dunnit." Not what I expected, and disappointing.
NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD (1968) - The zombie film that started it all. Zombie films over the years have substituted story for gore, guts, and blood. You don't get that here. Yes, there are lots of creepy zombies and maybe a skeleton or two, but a lot of the gruesomeness here is left to your imagination. That's why this film is still my favorite zombie flick. "They're coming to get you Barbara!"
THE PIT AND THE PENDULUM (1961) - One of many film collaborations between Vincent Price and Roger Corman that featured the works of Edgar Allen Poe. Price was a true master of the genre. One minute he would be warm and friendly...next minute he wold be your worst nightmare.
THE BEAST WITH FIVE FINGERS (1946) - Starring Peter Lorre this is the tale of a severed hand on a murderous rampage. The film was just okay. Lorre's performance was great as usual, and the "hand" was pretty creepy.
THE GORGON (1964) - A wicked gorgon takes human form and terrorizes a small village. Made by Hammer studios this stars the great Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing. That alone made it great.
THE HAUNTING (1963) - Based on the book "Haunting of Hill House" by Shirley Jackson, this is the creepy tale of a haunted mansion with a dark history of death and insanity. Director Robert Wise incorporates "psychological fear" as opposed to monsters and ghouls. This is a classic case of "less is more." Very Hitchcokian in mood and tension. Don't let the "black-n-white" fool you. This film is downright scary and creepy.
THE REPTILE (1966) - Another Hammer production, this is the story of another small village in the countryside being terrorized by an unknown creature. When the police begin to investigate a series of murders detectives start to wonder who or what is doing the killing. However, the main problem with this film is we already know who is doing the killing even before we watch the first scene...uh...a reptile. Disappointing.
THE TINGLER (1959) - Vincent Price stars as a scientist who has an interesting theory - that fear is actually the result of a creature that inhabits all of us. Nicknamed "the tingler" the creature looks like a creepy caterpillar that attaches itself to your spinal cord. This movie was one of those "gimmicks" studios used to get people in the theater. The studio would install "buzzers" underneath theater seats to zap the viewers. Nicknamed "Percepto," the buzzers would go off during a scene in the movie where Price is chasing after the creature in a movie theater. Viewers would get zapped and think the creature is actually under their seats. The film is great. Of course I watched it on TV, but I would have loved to see it in the theater in its hayday.
No comments:
Post a Comment