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Monthly Archives: July 2012

SCREAM QUEEN OF THE MONTH-AUGUST 2012-VAMPIRELLA

Jul 31

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SCREAM QUEEN OF THE MONTH-AUGUST 2012

Why Vampirella?

Vampirella is a perfect representation of two mediums that I love: comic book art and horror.

What can you tell us about her?

For starters, she was created by Forrest J. Ackerman and Trina Robbins and made her first appearance in Vampirella #1 in September, 1969. For the first 8 issues she was more of a horror hostess; then writer-editor Archie Goodwin developed her into a leading character of horror-drama.

What’s her story? Who is she? Where did she come from?

Vampirella is from the planet Drakulon and is a member of the race known as the Vampiri. Her race lived off of blood and the rivers of the planet flowed with it. But when the twin suns of the planet began to cause a severe drought, something had to be done. A spaceship from Earth lands on the planet and Vampirella is sent to investigate. When she is attacked she retaliates and discovers that the astronauts have blood in their veins. She pilots their ship back to earth where she becomes a ‘good’ vampire who fights to rid Earth of the evil vampires that inhabit it.

Does she have any special powers?

Yes. She can transform herself into a bat at will; she has supernatural physical strength, sprouts wings when she has to fly and of course drinks blood. In addition, she is also incredibly beautiful and is capable of surviving bad movies made about her.

How will you represent her as Scream Queen of the Month?

For years, Vampirella has been depicted by some of the greatest artists working in comics and fantasy art. There are hundreds, perhaps thousands of pieces of art that capture the beauty of Vampirella; but for this I’ve narrowed it to eleven. They are all personal favorites of mine.

Are you afraid that people will be unhappy that you chose a comic book character as Scream Queen of the Month?

There may be some people who are unhappy; but then again who knows? I just hope that people are appreciative that I want to try something different. 

So without further ado, I present to you the Scream Queen of the Month for August, 2012:

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TREMORS

Jul 30

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TREMORS-United States-1990

Kevin Bacon as Valentine McKee

Fred Ward as Earl Bassett

Finn Carter as Rhonda LeBeck

Michael Gross as Burt Gummer

Reba McEntire as Heather Gummer

Directed by Ron Underwood

Story by S.S. Wilson, Brent Maddock and Ron Underwood

Screenplay by S.S. Wilson, Brent Maddock

You know. I really cannot understand why “Tremors” did not at least win the Oscar for Best Actor upon its release in 1990. Okay, before you go raising your eyebrows and slowly make your way over to your phone to call the boys in the white coat to come get me, allow me to explain myself.

What is the general plot of “Tremors”? The general plot is that a shit-hole of a town with the truly ironic and not in an Alanis Morrisette who doesn’t the damn meaning of the word sort way name of Perfection is beset upon by a trio of subterranean gigantic worm-like creatures that see the dumber than dirt townsfolk as food. Kevin Bacon (“Footloose” and “X-Men: First Class”) and Fred Ward (“The Right Stuff” and “The Player”) are the slightly smarter than dirt good ole boys who come up with sort of a plan to get rid of the creatures. Well, they do have a little help from Finn Carter as a seismologist studying all the commotion these gargantuan fishing worms are causing. Do they manage to save the day and therefore the town? Well, think about it; there are three sequels and a TV series, so somebody must have survived.

So, I suppose you’re still trying to guess who should have won the Best Actor Academy Award. I bet you’re thinking it should be Kevin Bacon. Well, you would be so wrong. Is it Fred Ward, you wonder? That is not even close. I will give you a hint: the character overcomes two severe handicaps, one natural and one accidental, and is able to make a life for themselves despite their shortcomings. Now I’ll take a few seconds to let you think about it.

Do you give up?

It was the worm that Fred and Kevin’s characters referred to as ‘Stumpy’! Think about it; Stumpy was blind to begin with and then he got his tentacle amputated. Look at movies like “My Left Foot” and “Forrest Gump”. Hollywood loves to give the Oscar to the underdog. Jeremy Irons won for “Reversal of Fortune” in 1990; but I bet if Stumpy had been in the running he would have given Mr. Irons quite the run for his money. Either that or he would have just eaten him and taken his Oscar.

You now have permission to call the boys in the white coats. Oh, and by the way, did you really think I was going to take a movie like this seriously?

TRIVIA

Michael Gross began filming one day after shooting the last episode of Family Ties.

Originally, the monsters were supposed to be completely dry, not slimy. This was changed when it was remarked that the gloss paint effect made them look like they were covered in nail varnish.

S.S. Wilson said that he got the idea for the film while he was working for the US Navy in the California desert. While resting on a rock, he imagined what it might be like if something underground kept him from getting off the rock.

First film as an actress of country music singer Reba McEntire.

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CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON

Jul 29

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CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON-United States-1954

Richard Carlson as David Reed

Julia Adams as Kay Lawrence

Richard Denning as Mark Williams

Antonio Moreno as Carl Maia

Nestor Paivia as Lucas

Whit Bissell as Dr. Edwin Thompson

 

Directed by Jack Arnold

Screenplay by Harry Essex and Arthur Ross

From a story by Maurice Zimm and an idea by William Alland

I loved “Creature from the Black Lagoon” when I was a kid and it would air on Shock Theater on Saturday afternoons. Any movie about a mysterious gill man was bound to be a hit in this young boy’s opinion. Re-watching the film for this review, I found that I still love the film; but there are things that my adult mind caught that my kid’s mind didn’t. The film is still good, but it definitely leaves a lot to be desired. Here are a few examples:

The film is a showcase for macho actors to say macho things and argue with each other in macho tones.

The two male leads, Richard Carlson and Richard Dennings, argue worse than an old married couple. I know that there is animosity between the two of them over the only girl in the entire film (Julia Adams), but these two Dicks act like more like Janes. Don’t shoot me, ladies; I just call it like I see it.

Speaking of the only female in the film, why is she even there in the first place? She serves no purpose and spends half the movie screaming and the other half turning away from whatever she’s screaming at.

As for the Creature itself, they refer to it as a ‘he’. Are you sure? Did you see a little Creature penis dangling from between its legs? Wouldn’t it have been more proper to refer to it as ‘it’?

At the end, when the men are shooting at the Creature and Richard Carlson’s characters tells them to stop he may as well have been saying “We can get two sequels out of him if we want.” But that’s just me.

Don’t get me wrong; I love this movie. When I was a kid I thought it was perfect. It’s definitely not, but I still love it anyway.

TRIVIA

Ricou Browning, a professional diver and swimmer, was required to hold his breath for up to 4 minutes at a time for his underwater role as the “Gill Man.” The director’s logic was that the air would have to travel through the monster’s gills and thus not reveal air bubbles from his mouth or nose. Thus, the costume was designed without an air tank. In the subsequent films, this detail was ignored and air can be seen emanating from the top of the creature’s head.

When William Alland was a member of Orson Welles‘ Mercury Theatre, he heard famed Mexican cinematographer Gabriel Figueroa tell of a legend about a humanoid creature that supposedly lived in South America. That legend became the origin of this film.

The physical appearance of the Creature was modeled after a likeness of the Oscar, the figurine awarded annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

Ingmar Bergman watched this film every day on his birthday.

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THE WOLF MAN

Jul 28

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THE WOLF MAN-United States-1941

Claude Rains as Sir John Talbot

Warren William as Doctor Lloyd

Ralph Bellamy as Colonel Montford

Patrick Knowles as Frank Andrews

Bela Lugosi as Bela

Evelyn Ankers as Gwen Conliffe

Lon Chaney, Jr. as Lawrence Talbot/The Wolf Man

Directed by George Waggner

Original Screenplay by Curt Siodmak

Even a man who is pure in heart and says his prayers by night…

…Anyone can become a werewolf. Take Larry Talbot (Lon Chaney, “Billy the Kid”, “Man Made Monster“), for example. Here we have a man returning home after 18 years away from his father. It takes his brother’s death to bring him back, but the prodigal son has returned and the father (Claude Rains, “The Invisible Man“, and “Mystery of Edwin Drood”) is ready to teach him the ways of the Talbot Estate. Larry is a good man, a decent man. He may be a little too confident for his own good, but has that ever hurt anyone? He’s even met Gwen (Evelyn Ankers, “Hold That Ghost“) and they’re going for a walk later on…

…may become a wolf when the wolfbane blooms…

…It’s funny how fate has a way of interfering with our everyday lives. Larry is attacked by a werewolf on his walk through the woods with Gwen. Maleva the Gypsy woman (Maria Ouspenskaya) tells him “Whoever is bitten by a werewolf and lives becomes a werewolf himself.” Larry doesn’t believe her at first; but then the body count starts piling up and he must live with the consequences of his actions…

…and the autumn moon is bright…

…As far back as I can remember I always wanted to be a werewolf. My sister is partially to blame for this fantastic desire. She used to tell me that there was a werewolf in the closet to try and get me to behave myself. Usually her little trick worked since my young mind shuddered at the thought of this horrible beast leaping from within the darkness of my closet to rip me apart. But soon fright turned to curious fascination and I found myself reading every book and watching every movie that featured a werewolf or a wolf man that I could get my hands on. “The Wolf Man” is the classic tale of the beast that resides in all of us. It sounds like a cliché, but it’s the truth. Man is the beast and the beast is a man. In his day Robert Louis Stevenson knew this to be true. Curt Siodmak based “The Wolf Man” around this belief and even today writers like Brian Easton (“The Autobiography of a Werewolf Hunter”) and Carrie Vaughn (“Kitty and the Midnight Hour“) carry on the tradition of the beast. “The Wolf Man” is classic, he is horror and he is eternal.

TRIVIA

Larry Talbot’s brother’s name was John.

In the first version of the script, Larry was not the prodigal son of Sir John Talbot, nor related to him in any way. He was an American engineer who comes to fix Sir John’s telescope, and ends up getting trapped in the werewolf curse.

“Even a man who is pure at heart, and says his prayers by night, may become a wolf when the wolfbane blooms and the autumn moon is bright.” This quote has been listed in some sources as an authentic Gypsy or Eastern European folk saying. Writer Curt Siodmak admits that he simply made it up. Nonetheless, the rhyme would be recited in every future Universal film appearance of the Wolf Man, and would also be quoted in Van Helsing. (Albeit, slightly modified, “The moon is shining bright.” rather than “The autumn moon is bright.”)

According to the documentary on the Recent Wolf Man DVD collection, the script for The Wolf Man was influenced by writer Curt Siodmak’s experiences in Nazi Germany. Siodmak had been living a normal life in Germany only to have it thrown into chaos and himself on the run when the Nazis took control, just as Larry Talbot finds his normal life thrown into chaos and himself on the run once he is turned into a werewolf. Also, the wolfman himself can be seen as a metaphor for the Nazis: an otherwise good man who is transformed into a vicious killing animal who knows who his next victim will be when he sees the symbol of a pentagram (i.e., a star) on them.

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The Movie Confession Blogathon

Jul 27

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So, let me see if I’ve got this whole thing straight. This was all started by MyFilmviews. Then that rascally wabbit Andy Watches Movies swiped it faster than Kristen Stewart kisses directors. Then before Andy could get too comfortable with the whole thing he in turn had it stolen from him by Cinema Schminema. Are we done yet? Hell, no. That master of disguise Wednesday’s Child chilled like a villain and snuck in right under Cinema’s nose. That is where I come in. I figured since everybody else is doing it then why not me? So, here goes nothing.

Which classic movie don’t you like/can’t enjoy and why?

Well, I’m not sure if it’s considered a classic or not, but I thought “The War of the Roses” was a piece of crap. Here is a movie where you have two people going through a nasty divorce and fighting over who gets what. The whole thing is meant to manipulate the audience into taking sides with one or the other. The only thing is that both theses idiots were so repulsive I couldn’t stand either one of them.

Which ten classic movies haven’t you seen yet?

“North by Northwest”,” Diabolique”, “Rebel Without a Cause”, “Good Will Hunting”, “Forbidden Planet”, “2001: A Space Odyssey”, “Cabaret”, “Midnight Cowboy”, “Brokeback Mountain” and “To Kill a Mockingbird” come to mind after about 30 minutes and three beers.

Have you ever sneaked into another movie at the cinema?

Nope, never have. Had plenty of opportunity, but never took it.

Which actor/actress do you think is overrated?

Kevin Costner comes to mind. I know he’s been in a lot of high profile movies, but his acting just comes across as dull and boring to me. As for actresses, Megan Fox is my top pick. I know that being overrated means that people think you have talent when you really do not. With Ms. Fox I believe it goes to show how far a pretty face and T and A will get you.

From which big director have you never seen any movie (and why)?

I have never in all my 50 years seen an Akira Kurosawa film. As to why, you’re guess is as good as mine.

Which movie do you love, but is generally hated?

“Daredevil”  is the first movie that popped into my head.  Sure it had bad acting and plot holes that a blind man could see, but I still thought it was a lot of fun.

Have you ever been “one of those annoying people” at the cinema?

I could never even imagine being one of those annoying people.  If you text during a movie, you deserve to be kicked out. If you talk during a movie, then it’s goodbye to you. There is no room for texting, talking, or any other such shenanigans in a movie theater.   I pay good money to enjoy a movie in a theater and no jerk-off is going to ruin it for me.

Did you ever watch a movie, which you knew in advance would be bad, just because of a specific actor/actress was in it? Which one and why?

“I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry” is complete garbage, but I could watch it over and over just to see Jessica Biel. I’m such a naughty boy.

Did you ever not watch a specific movie because it had subtitles?

Subtitles do not bother me in the least. I would rather hear the film in its original language than have to listen to some stupid dubbed English voice.

Are there any movies in your collection that you have had for more than five years and never watched?

“The Prince and Me”. Don’t laugh, my wife wanted to see it.

Which are the worst movies in your collection and why do you still own them?

“Broken”, “Vampirella” and “Lake Dead” are the first three that I can think of. I still own them because I have a hard time letting go. I probably still have my first pair of underwear around here somewhere.

Do you have any confessions about your movie watching setup at home?

I have a High Definition widescreen TV that I have my Playstation 3 connected to for Blu-ray capability. I have almost 500 horror movies and over 200 other films that I can watch and enjoy whenever the mood hits me.

Any other confessions you want to make?

I did inhale, I did have sexual relations with that woman, I have been known to pass gas in elevators and I love professional wrestling so much that I plan to have my own entrance music played every time I enter a room. Oh yeah, I was also the fifth Beatle and the fourth Bee Gee.

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RUBBER

Jul 26

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RUBBER-France/Angola-2010

Stephen Spinella as Lieutenant Chad

Roxane Mesquida as Sheila

Jack Plotnick as Accountant

Wings Hauser as Man in Wheelchair

Robert as Himself

Written and Directed by Quentin Dupieux

At the beginning of Quentin Dupieux’s “Rubber” a man (Jack Plotnick, “Meet the Fockers“, “Gods and Monsters”) in a shirt and tie stands in the middle of the desert holding several pairs of binoculars. A car approaches and another man (Stephen Spinella, “Milk”, and “Ravenous”) climbs out of the trunk and begins asking a series of random questions of which he provides his own answers; “In the excellent Chain Saw Massacre by Tobe Hooper, why don’t we ever see the characters go to the bathroom or wash their hands like people do in real life? Absolutely no reason. Worse, in The Pianist by Polanski, how come this guy has to hide and live like a bum when he plays the piano so well? Once again the answer is, no reason.” This continues for a few minutes and the man climbs back into the trunk and is driven away. The accountant then hands out the binoculars to a group of spectators who then proceed to watch a tire as it comes to life and cause various animals and people’s heads to explode through the power of telepathy. The tire becomes infatuated with a pretty girl (Roxane Mesquida, “Fat Girl“) and becomes the subject of a police manhunt after murdering two people at a motel. Eventually it leads an exodus of tires as makes its way to the foot of the famous HOLLYWOOD sign, where it seemingly was headed all along.

Why am I telling you the entire plot of “Rubber”? No reason. But if I did have a reason it would be that I needed to tell you the plot in order to tell you what the filmmakers are trying to say and that is that the majority of the people who make up the movie-going public are sheep. They will watch anything you put in front of them as long as it has a recognizable star (you can’t get much more recognizable than a tire) and a plot that is linear and easy to follow. “Hey, let’s go see this movie about that INSERT GENERIC PLOT HERE that stars INSERT GENERIC ACTOR HERE.” The sheep go to their pen aka the multiplex, they get their favorite snacks from the trough–oops—snack bar, and they sit for two hours or more watching their favorite GENERIC MOVIE with their favorite GENERIC ACTOR. Their minds saturated with images, they are helpless as Hollywood takes their hard earned money.

But, there is light at the end of the tunnel. There is the minority. This time it is represented by Man in Wheelchair (Wings Hauser, “The Insider”). He likes what he sees, but he doesn’t necessarily want to go along with the whole shebang. He wants something a little different. He’s not completely satisfied with all these instantly recognizable GENERIC STARS. He doesn’t fall for the tricks. He’s not going to drink the Kool-Aid just because everyone else is doing it.

So, tell me this; why do you think that I would attack the very thing that I love, watching movies? Why do I insult the very thing that I spend hours doing and more hours writing about for no profit whatsoever? It’s probably for the same reasons that Quentin Dupieux (“Wrong”) made this movie.

No reason.

TRIVIA

One of the Spectators is played by Daniel Quinn, who starred in Scanner Cop as a man who could make people’s heads explode with his mind, just as the tire does in this film.

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YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN

Jul 25

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YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN-United States-1974

Peter Boyle as The Monster

Cloris Leachman as Frau Blücher

Teri Garr as Inga

Kenneth Mars as Inspector Kemp

Madeline Kahn as Elizabeth

Directed by Mel Brooks

Screen story and Screenplay by Mel Brooks and Gene Wilder

Based on the novel “Frankenstein, or the Modern Prometheus” by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley

I’m not going to make this a long, drawn out review. Looking back, this is probably the first time I have ever reviewed a comedy so I’m not really even sure if I’m doing this right. It’s easy to talk about a funny movie when you’re with your friends. You can act out scenes from the film and quote your favorite quotes; but putting all that down on paper and getting that humor across to your readers is another thing altogether. So, the next paragraph will be me doing my best to review a film that has become a comedic classic. I hope I got it right. If not, then be gentle with me.

When “Young Frankenstein” made its debut Mary Shelley rolled over in her grave…from laughter. The ghost of James Whale did a spit take. Somewhere, the spirits of Boris Karloff, Elsa Lanchester, Colin Clive and Dwight Frye sat eating popcorn, sipping Pepsi’s and giggling their asses off. “Young Frankenstein” is a classic of the comedy genre. As Doctor Frederick Frankenstein, Gene Wilder leads one of the most talented and hilarious casts through a riot of a film that will leave your sides splitting with laughter. Marty Feldman, Teri Garr and Cloris Leachman all take their turns in stealing the spotlight. Peter Boyle as the monster is nothing short of casting genius. As for Madeline Kahn as Elizabeth, all I can say is that she was one of the funniest women to ever walk the face of this earth. With a nod of her head or a blink of her eye she could make you laugh harder than some comedians can in an entire stand-up routine.

Okay, so I said one paragraph. But let me close with this; with “Young Frankenstein”, Mel Brooks did to the horror genre the same thing he did with “Blazing Saddles” and the western genre earlier that same year. He made a hilarious parody without once being disrespectful of the original source.

TRIVIA

The film was shot with many of the same props and lab equipment as the originalFrankenstein.
 
Teri Garr, who plays Inga, was called in when Madeline Kahn, whom Mel Brooks had originally wanted for the role, turned it down and asked if she could play Elizabeth instead. Mel Brooks told Garr that if she could come back the next day with a German accent, he’d like her for Inga. She looked at Mel and said, “Vell, yes, I could do zee German ackzent tomorrow – I could come back zis afternoon” and the part was hers. Garr has said that she based her accent on Cher’s wigmaker whom she worked with on The Sonny and Cher Comedy Hour.
 
Gene Wilder conceived the “Puttin’ on the Ritz” scene, while Mel Brooks was resistant to it as a mere ‘conceit,’ and felt it would detract from the fidelity to Universal horror films in the rest of the film. Wilder recalls being “close to rage and tears” and argued for the scene before Brooks stopped him and said, “It’s in!”. When Wilder asked why he had changed his mind, Brooks said that since Wilder had fought for it then it would be the right thing to do. But it was only when he soon saw the musical number along with a howling audience that Brooks was finally confident about the sequence.
 
 
 
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THE BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN

Jul 24

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THE BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN-United States-1935

Boris Karloff as The Monster

Valerie Hobson as Elizabeth

Elsa Lanchester as ?

Directed by James Whale

Screenplay by William Hurlbut

Suggested by the original story written by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley

Adapted by William Hurlbut and John Balderston

Just when Doctor Frankenstein thought that he was out, Doctor Pretorius pulls him back in. You’ll have to forgive the reference to “The Godfather Part III“, but I just couldn’t help myself; we’re talking sequels here. While we’re on the subject of sequels, how many of you can name the ones that were equally as good as or even better than their predecessors? I’ll give you a hint: “The Godfather Part II” is one of them. So is “Aliens” and “The Dark Knight”. But wait, there is one more; “The Bride of Frankenstein”. Here is a film that is equal parts horror, tragedy and comedy and there is never one moment where one overshadows the other. James Whales’ continuation of the events of the original film is of the simplest of plots. The monster escapes the fiery blaze of the earlier film and terrorizes the countryside once again. Meeting a blind hermit (and providing some of the most humorous moments in the film), the monster realizes that it is not good to be alone. In his own way, he convinces his creator Henry Frankenstein to make him a mate. But will she accept him for what he is; or is there more than one bitch in those body parts?

Running at a very brief 75 minutes, there is more told in “The Bride of Frankenstein” than many films tell in 2 hours. Boris Karloff is amazing as the monster, adding new depth to a character that seemingly would have no depth at all. Ernest Thesiger steals the film as the fiendish (and effeminate) Doctor Pretorius. As for the final moments when the monster meets its new ‘bride’; it is the reason the word ‘classic’ was created.

TRIVIA

Not long before filming began, Colin Clive broke a leg in a horse riding accident. Consequently, most of Dr. Frankenstein’s scenes were shot with him sitting.

Editing after previews resulted in the loss of a subplot in which Karl imitates the Monster’s murderous modus operandi to eliminate his miserly aunt and uncle and direct the blame away from himself.

Valerie Hobson, who plays Dr. Frankenstein’s fiancé/bride in the film, was only 17 years old when she appeared in the film (Colin Clive, who portrayed Dr. Frankenstein, was 35.)

“The Bride”, the most obscure of Universal Studios’ Classic Monsters, is on screen for less than five minutes and is the only “Classic Monster” never to have killed anyone.

2007: The movie’s line “We belong dead” was voted as the #63 of “The 100 Greatest Movie Lines” by Premiere magazine.

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THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA

Jul 23

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THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA-United Kingdom-1962

Herbert Lom as The Phantom

Heather Sears as Christine Charles

Thorley Walters as Lattimer

Michael Gough as Lord Ambrose D’arcy

Edward de Souza as Harry Hunter

Directed by Terence Fisher

Screenplay by John Elder

Based on the novel by Gaston Leroux

Gaston Leroux’s 1910 novel “Le Fantôme de l’Opéra”, or “The Phantom of the Opera”, has been told in many forms over the years. There was, of course, the classic 1925 film starring Lon Chaney, Sr. as Erik and Mary Philbin as Christine. Then there is the 1943 edition starring Claude Rains and Susanna Foster. Even director Dario Argento has aimed his directorial vision at this tragic tale.

But it is the 1962 Hammer Films edition of the film that I remember best. Not because I remember seeing the film; until now I had never seen the film. I remember it because I was not allowed to watch when it first premiered on television as the movie of the week for Saturday night. The film premiered in theaters in August of 1962; so I can only guess that I may have been 3 or 4 years old when it made its TV debut. Thinking I was too young, my parents sent me away to bed. However, they didn’t bother turning down the volume. I remember hearing Christine’s beautiful voice as she sang for the Phantom (Herbert Lom, “The Dead Zone”). I remember that the Phantom would tell her that she would sing ‘only for me’. Finally, my memory is hearing the announcer’s voice saying ‘We continue now with…The Phantom of the Opera.’ I knew that one day I would see this film and that I would wonder if I would be as scared to see it as my parents thought I would be. Honestly speaking, that is not the case at all.

Horror films are filled with creatures of all kinds. Many of them are evil and deserve our disdain. They are hideous to behold and are the stuff of our nightmares. As for the Phantom of the Opera, that is not so. He is a man to be pitied. He had a gift and it was stolen from him. He lashed out in anger and was punished. Here is a man who merely wanted his songs to be sung and his music to be heard. For Hammer’s Phantom, the monster is not the man behind the mask, but the cruel and unscrupulous Lord D’Arcy (Michael Gough in a deliciously over the top performance). He is a thief, a scoundrel of the lowest morals. He is the most inhuman of monsters because he is all too human in the first place. The Phantom hides a beautiful soul behind a hideous mask. Lord D’arcy is hideous through and through; no mask in the world could hide such corruption.

Looking back, I’m actually glad my parents sent me off to bed. My impressionable young mind may not have understood that the bad guy is not always who we think it is.

TRIVIA

The film was originally written for Cary Grant, who wanted to do a horror film. The Phantom’s character was rewritten as a more tragic figure, with the dwarf (played here by Ian Wilson) doing the actual violence, to suit Grant’s image. Grant declined the part (possibly unhappy with the watered down character) and it went to Lom.

The mask was made on the fly just before shooting out of cloth, tape, string and paint.

At one point, Christopher Lee was seriously considered for the Phantom part.

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UNEARTHED

Jul 21

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UNEARTHED-United States-2007

Emmanuelle Vaugier as Sheriff Annie Flynn

Luke Goss as Kale

Charlie Murphy as Hank

Beau Garrett as Caya

Tommy Dewey as Charlie

Written and directed by Matthew Leutwyler

Matthew Leutwyler must have read the chapter of “Screenwriting for Dummies” entitled “Writing a Clichéd Horror Movie” quite a few times before making “Unearthed”. He knows the recipe by heart:

Take a one horse town in the middle of nowhere. Cut the town off from the outside world by some natural or unnatural occurrence. This time it’s an overturned tanker that just so happened to be delivering the fuel for the towns only gas station.

Take 1 female sheriff (Emmanuelle Vaugier, “CSI: NY“) who is now an alcoholic after an off-screen occurrence that has half the town behind her and other half screaming for her termination. Throw her in with a…

… black man (Charlie Murphy) who must get to his destination yesterday, two young girls (Beau Garrett, Whitney Able) on their way to Hollywood who don’t know how to read a map, a young good ole boy (Tommy Dewey) with a broken down truck, and an old Indian and his biologist granddaughter (Russell Means and Tonantzin Carmelo). Never mind that these people all came from outside of town; they’re just in the wrong place at the wrong time. For added flavor toss in a mysterious archaeologist (Luke Goss) who has some idea of what’s going on but is being extremely vague about the whole thing…stir occasionally and mix in a…

…900 year old creature that somewhat  resembles the xenomorph from Alien, makes a galloping sound like a horse when it runs and is, of course, out for blood.

Shake well for 93 minutes until you have one excruciatingly stupid and boring movie.

NO TRIVIA

NO BLOOD DROPS

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Posted in Films From The After Dark Horrorfest series, Films Released in 2007, Monster or Alien Films, Movies

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