Excellent Bert I Gordon movie - Mark McGee claims it was his best and although I haven't gotten all the way through his back catalogue yet it's not hard to see why. It's helped by an excellent performance from John Hoyt as a creepy toy maker who likes to shrink people into toys. Hoyt is a different sort of star for this kind of movie - normally you get some cackling mad scientist a la Vincent Price; Hoyt's mild mannered kiddie-fiddler-esque nutter is far more believable and scary (and Hoyt gives an excellent performance).
The influence of The Incredible Shrinking Man is again obvious (as it was in Gordon's The Amazing Colossal Man) but also The Bride of Frankenstein - particularly, the sequence where Dr Pretorious shows off his little creatures.
June Kennedy is a likeable heroine and John Agar does his normal solid 50s sci fi leading man duties. There is some great atmosphere and one or two decent effects. Unfortunately the limited budget does hurt it in the end - it really needs a big set piece, like a fight with a spider or something, and/or big finale... and that never comes. So it sort of ends - the finale is very anti-climactic.
Still, the photography is excellent, the ideas strong and it's a lot of fun to watch. (Gordon fans will also appreciate the scene where Agar and Kennedy go watch The Amazing Colossal Man at the drive in.)
Sunday, May 04, 2014
Wednesday, April 23, 2014
Movie review - "The She Creature" (1956) **1/2
Early AIP sci fi/horror work was inspired by the success of the book The Search for Bridie Murphy (which led to another AIP film, The Undead) although Creature from the Black Lagoon was also surely an influence; ditto Svengali.
Chester Morris is an expert in black magic who has a hold over the beautiful assistant Marla English. At the same time some murders are being committed by a creature from the sea... and it turns out the creature is Marla English in a past life (the theory of evolution holds sway here!)... although she later also might be a 17th century woman as well, which got confusing.
It's a silly sort of movie but I enjoyed seeing all the old time stars in it (producer Alex Gordon loved to cast them) - Morris, Tom Conway as a rich man who goes into business with Morris (a plot not really exploited), Frieda Inescort as his wife and Cathy Downs has his daughter. There's also Aussie Ron Randell as a policeman (though I didn't recognise him at first).
I also found the scenes along the beach at night quite spooky - the early discovery of dead bodies, the later attack sequences - and the creature was fun. There's also the stunning Marla English who looks great in low cut gowns and is very enigmatic and beautiful - she's not much of an actor but she has genuine presence. Lance Fuller is a poor hero but it's nicely shot and I had fun watching it.
Chester Morris is an expert in black magic who has a hold over the beautiful assistant Marla English. At the same time some murders are being committed by a creature from the sea... and it turns out the creature is Marla English in a past life (the theory of evolution holds sway here!)... although she later also might be a 17th century woman as well, which got confusing.
It's a silly sort of movie but I enjoyed seeing all the old time stars in it (producer Alex Gordon loved to cast them) - Morris, Tom Conway as a rich man who goes into business with Morris (a plot not really exploited), Frieda Inescort as his wife and Cathy Downs has his daughter. There's also Aussie Ron Randell as a policeman (though I didn't recognise him at first).
I also found the scenes along the beach at night quite spooky - the early discovery of dead bodies, the later attack sequences - and the creature was fun. There's also the stunning Marla English who looks great in low cut gowns and is very enigmatic and beautiful - she's not much of an actor but she has genuine presence. Lance Fuller is a poor hero but it's nicely shot and I had fun watching it.
Movie review - "Abby" (1974) **
Some of AIP's biggest successes of the early 70s came in the blaxploitation field, including this black rip off of The Exorcist - such a rip off indeed that a court ruled against AIP for copyright infringement. Which does seem a bit harsh considering the girl here (Abby) is not a kid but a grown married woman who is sexually active - meaning that when she gets possessed she can go around seducing a whole bunch of men and masturbate in the shower.
However there are several other undeniable similarities - an opening sequence in the third world where a priest (William Marshall, who has terrific gravitas and speaking voice) is at a digging where evil is unleashed, Abby has a concerned mother, the priest doesn't really appear until the last act when he does the exorcism, a sequence where a barrage of tests are performed on Abby, Abby speaking in the voice of the devil. It's also not terribly feminist with a climax involving two men holding down Abby so another man can exorcise her.
Still it's quite competently made - a decent story, with Carol Speed very good in the title role and strong support actors (including Juanita Moore and Terry Carter of the original Battlestar Galactica as Abby's husband), some interesting stuff about African religions (if they'd followed this up more the lawsuit mightn't have been successful). There's decent campy exploitation material with Abby getting horny and wrecking havoc (she reminded me of a vampire in these scenes). Austin Stoker is wasted in a support role.
However there are several other undeniable similarities - an opening sequence in the third world where a priest (William Marshall, who has terrific gravitas and speaking voice) is at a digging where evil is unleashed, Abby has a concerned mother, the priest doesn't really appear until the last act when he does the exorcism, a sequence where a barrage of tests are performed on Abby, Abby speaking in the voice of the devil. It's also not terribly feminist with a climax involving two men holding down Abby so another man can exorcise her.
Still it's quite competently made - a decent story, with Carol Speed very good in the title role and strong support actors (including Juanita Moore and Terry Carter of the original Battlestar Galactica as Abby's husband), some interesting stuff about African religions (if they'd followed this up more the lawsuit mightn't have been successful). There's decent campy exploitation material with Abby getting horny and wrecking havoc (she reminded me of a vampire in these scenes). Austin Stoker is wasted in a support role.
Movie review - "The Beast with a Million Eyes" (1955) *
I long wanted to see this film because it was so important in the history of one of my favourite movie studios, AIP, and part of it was directed by one of my favourite filmmakers, Roger Corman. It's also got one of the all time great movie titles (an idea of James H. Nicholson). But it's a bad movie, poorly made and dull.
The spirit of Tennessee Williams/Arthur Miller seems to have infected the screenwriter so there is a lot of family angst and squabbling out on a farm - an unhappily married couple, mom is jealous of her daughter. This dull drama is interrupted when an alien ship crashes and begins messing with people's minds. There's a mentally slow local handyman, dogs barking, a swim, some voice over from the alien at the beginning that sounds pretentious (which at least has some campy fun), a possessed cow. The monster is unseen but apparently distributors complained so they cut in a really awkward looking monster.
The music score was culled from pre existing public domain music and it feels like it. The acting is bad. The ending is really unconvincing with the alien being defeated by "love" (it feeds on hate and anger) and an eagle that represents good attacking it. I was really disappointed by this; I'd been hanging to see it.
The spirit of Tennessee Williams/Arthur Miller seems to have infected the screenwriter so there is a lot of family angst and squabbling out on a farm - an unhappily married couple, mom is jealous of her daughter. This dull drama is interrupted when an alien ship crashes and begins messing with people's minds. There's a mentally slow local handyman, dogs barking, a swim, some voice over from the alien at the beginning that sounds pretentious (which at least has some campy fun), a possessed cow. The monster is unseen but apparently distributors complained so they cut in a really awkward looking monster.
The music score was culled from pre existing public domain music and it feels like it. The acting is bad. The ending is really unconvincing with the alien being defeated by "love" (it feeds on hate and anger) and an eagle that represents good attacking it. I was really disappointed by this; I'd been hanging to see it.
Book review - "Boris Karloff: More Than a Monster" by Stephen Jacobs
A true tome - a very hefty look and the life and career of Boris Karloff which was highly engrossing. Its incredibly thorough, looking at his family history - the Anglo-Indian connection, mental problems of his mother, scandals involving various family members (a weird Victoria era shooting incident featuring his brother), and his very exotic love life, which involved him being married numerous times (it's not even clear how many... but he definitely cheated on several wives including the one who mothered his only child).
The final picture of Karloff seems to be overwhelmingly positive: a genuinely kind, decent man, who simply loved to act - kept doing it even with one foot in the grave because he adored his profession; who never forgot his early struggles; who was an early supporter of the Screen Actors Guild (at a time when that was politically risk to do) and who helped a theatre in Anchorage for the sheer hell of it; who never put down the genre to whom he owned his fame. He was blessed in many ways - one fat part in a horror classic meant he was never out of work for the rest of his life, and ensured he was a star until the end of his days. However he took advantage of that part in the way that others similarly lucky - notably Bela Lugosi and Lon Chaney Jnr - didn't: he worked hard, didn't get hooked on drugs or alcohol, kept pushing himself (he enjoyed notable stage success with Peter Pan, Arsenic and Old Lace and The Lark), tried all different mediums, never seemed to tire.
Was Karloff a really great actor? Its hard to tell - I can't be objective. He had that great cadaverous look, with sunken eyes and cheeks, and imposing voice and looking like a grave digger; he would bring dignity and humanity to the most horrific roles.
This book has a tonne of pictures and information - it's very heavily reliant on secondary sources but is so thorough its hard to criticise.
The final picture of Karloff seems to be overwhelmingly positive: a genuinely kind, decent man, who simply loved to act - kept doing it even with one foot in the grave because he adored his profession; who never forgot his early struggles; who was an early supporter of the Screen Actors Guild (at a time when that was politically risk to do) and who helped a theatre in Anchorage for the sheer hell of it; who never put down the genre to whom he owned his fame. He was blessed in many ways - one fat part in a horror classic meant he was never out of work for the rest of his life, and ensured he was a star until the end of his days. However he took advantage of that part in the way that others similarly lucky - notably Bela Lugosi and Lon Chaney Jnr - didn't: he worked hard, didn't get hooked on drugs or alcohol, kept pushing himself (he enjoyed notable stage success with Peter Pan, Arsenic and Old Lace and The Lark), tried all different mediums, never seemed to tire.
Was Karloff a really great actor? Its hard to tell - I can't be objective. He had that great cadaverous look, with sunken eyes and cheeks, and imposing voice and looking like a grave digger; he would bring dignity and humanity to the most horrific roles.
This book has a tonne of pictures and information - it's very heavily reliant on secondary sources but is so thorough its hard to criticise.
Tuesday, April 22, 2014
Movie review - "The Amazing Transparent Man" (1960) *
Edgar Ulmer has a cult reputation and some seriously impressive credits on his CV but the fact remains many of his movies aren't very good such as this effort. A safecracker is busted out of gaol by a mad general who wants a formula to create an invisible army. That's not a bad concept for a film but not enough is done with it. Too often the invisible device looks like an excuse to have cheap special effects.
There's a kindly old scientist who is force to help with the operation, lots of mediocre acting and unexciting action. It does get points for ending with an atomic explosion.
There's a kindly old scientist who is force to help with the operation, lots of mediocre acting and unexciting action. It does get points for ending with an atomic explosion.
Movie review - "Devil's Darkness" (1965) **
Lance Comfort is a direct who inspired sufficient critical enthusiasm for someone to write a whole book about him; I'm not familiar with much of his output but this effort is not terribly impressive. It starts quite well with a Hammer horror-esque prologue set in the past with vampires and gypsies the unfortunately vaults forward to the present day where dull William Baxter (one in an unfortunately long line of over age American stars in 60s British horror films).
Herbert Noel is okay as the leader of the vampires - in his defence he would have been more effective if this had been set in the past. Opportunities for spooky stuff is missed wholesale - it's a very unexciting movie. There are some effective bits - Tracey Reed as a girl who gets sucked in by vampires, a party where two women who seem to be lesbians are having a chat, a cut to a painting of a woman and the woman bleeds. It's not terrible just bland.
Herbert Noel is okay as the leader of the vampires - in his defence he would have been more effective if this had been set in the past. Opportunities for spooky stuff is missed wholesale - it's a very unexciting movie. There are some effective bits - Tracey Reed as a girl who gets sucked in by vampires, a party where two women who seem to be lesbians are having a chat, a cut to a painting of a woman and the woman bleeds. It's not terrible just bland.
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