The Invisible Man Returns

I actually could have sworn I reviewed this so many years back.

Nine years after Jack Griffin went insane through experiments on the visible spectrum, we follow a man named Geoffrey framed for murder who with the help of Jack's brother becomes invisible to achieve justice or revenge as the doctor desperately seeks a cure before the madness sets in, in this 1940 minor classic. This is a very well done sequel with enough links to the original but ultimately being it's own thing, you don't even have to watch the first film to follow it and enjoy it. Vincent Price before he became synonymous with the horror genre is our unseen lead and at first you might not be able to tell it's him since he went for a more american-lite accent and yet very much like Claude Rains can get so much emotion and fringing insanity through just his voice alone with not an awful lot of physical acting involved, though I will say his striking height helped accentuate his presence. The film's effects are much more complex and sophisticated in the seven year gap between productions to the point where I really was rather impressed and wondering how they achieved certain tricks, they no doubt used the same black velvet technique but the wire work is insane here and some shots go on for quite some time, no editing shortcomings to be had, so it's a strong improvement on a film that already had some groundbreaking effects. I like the relationship betwen Geoffrey and his love interest Helen, she's a real ride or die even when the mania starts to seep in she's stalwart in helping her man and even I couldn't believe the happy ending to this movie so hell yeah Nan. Usually the title monster bites the dust seconds before a The End in these Universal horror pictures so I'm a happy camper. You would think considering we see Jack Griffin's brother named Frank in this he would be the invisible man and would have a much bigger focus, but he's a solid supporting character racing against the clock to cure Geoffrey, and once again a real one willing to help in any way and you can tell he's rather conflicted with the idea of potentially having to kill his friend before he kills others, it's a solid performance. Of course it wouldn't be a 40s Universal Monster movie without Sir Cedric Hardwicke in there somewhere who despite being top billed isn't in it a great deal and I kinda wish he was considering his importance to the plot later. The visuals are decent, obviously they were workshopping more on the effects side but the sets, the woods, the costuming all still look on par with any other movies in this series but I would have loved to see more spooky atmosphere. In many ways I like it better than The Invisible Man and yet in the same vein as Star Trek it won't surpass the original's popularity and iconic presentation. It's a very good movie but undoubtedly a B-tier addition to the hallowed halls of classic movie monsters, so I give it 3 stars, 7.5/10, and I hope I saved the best for last as we conclude the whole Halloween season with the finale to the Frankenstein trilogy tomorrow.

The Masque Of The Red Death

What a pick for Friday the 13th. Sometimes my genius it's...it's almost frightening.

A fairly strong point to end the week on as well, I greatly enjoyed this movie. And huzzah, I've actually read the source material on this and while admittedly it is a loose adaptation it gets the gist well enough. Set during the dark ages a cruel and heinous prince named Prospero holds a lengthy and degenerate feast and masque, while the countryside is being plagued by a terrible disease where he takes a young woman named Francesca, her lover Gino, and her father Ludivico for the purposes of "entertainment". They make some big changes though, originally the prince set up the ball to distract from thr horrors of pestilence and disease sealing himself and his court in the castle while here the prince is a straight up satanist and revels in the showing of such impure and fiendish behaviors to the innocent Francesca. Vincent Price is a bastard in this movie, he plays it really well but Prospero is beyond horrible and makes a great villain who essentially is our main character to the end. Jane Asher as Francesca is just a poor girl who gets whisked away and has to keep her faith while Prospero either tries to convert her or sacrifice her, it can be read either way, and you want to see her get the hell out of this damned castle. There's a fairly bigger cast than previous Corman films but I want to give some major love to John Westbrook who plays the eponymous Red Death, the look alone is incredibly simplistic and yet so classic and striking but his voice is outstanding, understanding the value that truly powerful and menacing figures need not even raise their voice. Speaking of striking, the color is unreal in this movie, I'm not sure what the technicals were but they used a good deal of saturation and had no issue using a wide palette. They used the imagery of rooms with various hues, why? Color. They use candles of green and blue, why? Colour. You see many personifications of death in a kaleidoscopic fashion, why? Couleur. It's a spectacle practically of seeing so many extras in various regalia merrymaking, but it doesn't lose it's horror basis. Just seeing acts of cruelty being brushed off as a good or acceptable thing is disturbing enough, throw in devil worship, another weird dream scene bathed in blue, the literal specter of a gruesome and hellish death sweeping across the castle, even if you want to get all philospohical and see the juxtaposition of faith in God against Prospero's belief that war, plague, famine, and death rule the world with no good things to be found and that the belief in God is nothing short of a farce is pretty screwed up man. I almost fully believe this is a tale that could be remade today in all seriousness, maybe not with the backdrop of recent world events but...I'm not saying. I'm just saying. Look at this movie, look at today. Onwards we trek, so production values are surprisingly expansive, acting is solid, story is a classic, and I feel like a complete utter fool for not reviewing these way waaaaay earlier. I give it 4 stars, 9/10! Next week we're getting foreign, ooooh yeah!

The Raven

Not a traditional horror film per se, but this has been a favorite of mine and damn it I want to talk about it.

For the longest time this was the only Roger Corman Poe film I saw and I love it so, this ain't no objective film review so hunker down y'all as I spout off some opinions. This is also the loosest adaptation of any work of fiction I have ever seen, how do you make a feature film off of a short poem? The short answer, you don't. The long answer, you center the movie on magic wielding wizards consisting of Vincent Price as Erasmus who aids Peter Lorre as Dr. Bedlo who has been transformed into a raven by Boris Karloff as Dr. Scarabus, but Lorre wants revenge real bad so Vincent accompanies him to Karloff's castle where duels are challenged, dead wives return to life, and humor is peppered throughout. It is a really funny movie to me, that may throw people for a loop when most of the Corman movies of this time period are played straight and serious, but this was an intentional choice of the writers and works nicely. Now you don't get three of the biggest names in horror together in a film and say the acting is bad, Vincent is on a roll in this film from reciting the world famous poem, to the humor, to the magic wielding that would put Doctor Stephen Strange to shame, he's a 20/10. Boris Karloff nearing the end of his career has lost none of his ability, showing a lot of class and charisma while still being a good antagonist, and I'll level with you man the first lines he speaks do nothing but send shivers down my spine in a most eerie way. Peter Lorre while in actuality not as prolific in horror movie history as one might think is a welcome addition, delivering his rapid fire burning insults and wise ass remarks and while he is the lesser of the powers that be in this wizard triumvirate the movie would not be the same without him. For those in the know about Roger Corman's history, to see a very young Jack Nicholson before he got to super stardom is really neat to see even if he doesn't have that big of a role, and you see interviews of him being humbled to the point of tears in thanking Roger giving him a chance to act when no one else would and I have to express a lot of love and gratitude to him as well for getting so many people into movie making. I'm not a book critic by even a microscopic capacity but I recommend you read Corman's book, How I Made A Hundred Movies In Hollywood And Never Lost A Dime. Once again the sets and costuming are most impressive, and the effects while not exactly seamless have a strong charm all of it's own. And now comes the part where I say without a shred of irony or exaggeration, these wizard duels are better than anything Harry Potter ever gave us. No, I'm not kidding. No, I'm not taking it back. Don't @ me bitches! I adore it, there is creativity, humor, and ambition in how they did everything. I'll even push that envelope further and say 4 stars, 10/10! Watch it, buy it, love it. But we got one more to go before the week is out, until next time.

The Fall Of The House Of Usher

This has actually been on the list since it all began.

Several of the Roger Croman movies based on Edgar Allen Poe's works in fact, and this was the first and a pretty damn good one to start with. Now I haven't read the story, in fact it's a goal of mine to read all of Poe's work before the end, but it's an interesting story. A young man named Philip is visiting the estate of the Usher family to wed his fiancee Madeline and quickly is shut down by her brother Roderick, who claims the bloodline of the Usher family is wrought with terrible things and ailments, as Philip tries to escape the crumbling house with his lady friend. Once upon a time while I was still in high school we watched this film for our english class, but being as classes were barely an hour long I never fully saw the film until today and I was immediately loving it from the setting alone. For a film with not that large of a budget, the sets look incredible, the costumes are ornate, the atmosphere is simply to die for, and the use of color was not only a big step up for AIP but incredibly striking. Roger Corman had to convince the studio to give a bigger budget for a color film at that time, and he was an avid reader of the Poe stories since he was a kid so it was as much a passion project as well as a gamble but surprise surprise! This was the first of many movies Roger made from the stories of Poe and it was an immense success! And it's hard not to see why, you have a god tier level horror actor like Vincent Price delivering a very memorable performance, the moody sets and slow burn pace add a foreboding mood to an already foreboding story, the direction is effective, and it was made still during that special time when horror movies could be classic or modern. I don't really know why we don't see more movies like this today in the horror genre, everything has to be modern times or if they do go back it's primarily to the 80s, you never see a horror movie get victorian on your ass anymore and I feel that's a shame. How the movie just shows the house of Usher and the decrepit grounds is just beauty to my eyes, a lot of credit has to go to the set builders and cinematographer on this movie. I need not tell you Vincent Price is excellent in this role, it's a given, but how the character of Roderick genuinely believes there is nothing short of a curse on the family lineage can be felt quite easily and it is a striking performance. Mark Damon is a more conventional leading man but works nicely, Myrna Fahey has a bit more to work with and gets a moment to shine near the end, and Harry Ellerbe is a good ally character to Philip playing the manservant of the house. It's so difficult to describe, but when you watch the movie and you let the ambience and mood just wash over you, you absolutely buy it. Cause you know from the start something is off about the house and the people who live there, but even if you are a horror movie veteran you can't quite pin down what. And what's interesting is you could see this movie from two different angles, through science in terms of psychology as to why Roderick and Madeline are the way they are, or through a sheer supernatural lens and simply chalk it up to a haunted house or curse or whatever. It's an almost baffilingly effective film and it's a giant recommendation from me. It's almost a film that must be seen to be believed. 4 stars, I think I'm gonna give it a 9/10, and we got more Corman goodies to come.

House On Haunted Hill

Can you believe I haven't done this one yet?

I've seen this film a good handful of times in the past even before I started reviewing films so it came as a shock to know we haven't visited the House on Haunted Hill. Nothing short of just good old fashioned classic horror in my opinion, where Vincent Price plays a rich socialite and invites five guests to a haunted house he's rented and will give each individual $10,000 to spend the night. As he so eloquently puts it, "There'll be food, drink, and ghosts, and perhaps even a few murders.", and if Vincent Price invited me to that, which honestly sounds like a regular evening at his home (seriously the man was a great lover of culinary arts, fine alcohol, and horror as a genre and by God I miss him everyday), even for $10,000 which in today's money is about $100,000 I couldn't fathom saying no. The house itself on the outside is a marvel of architecture, and though it was built in 1924 and showcased here in 1959 it honestly looks like it was built 10 years ago today, but on the inside it's a proper old dark mansion with candles, chandeliers, creaking doors, and cobwebs which we get familiar with quickly. The film kinda gave me Clue vibes where a group of people traverse to a mansion and are presented weapons before getting embroiled in a murder. You would almost suspect the movie to be a proto-slasher film where several people get bumped off, and honestly the film goes in several different directions than just spooky house thrills and chills the guests. Though I do feel sorry for Nora in this movie, it's a flat out drinking game honestly, take a shot everytime this poor lady is left on her own and take another shot for every incident that scares her, and if you wanna go that extra mile take an additional shot every time she screams. Fan-flippin'-tastic screamer by the by that Carolyn Craig, and the same goes for Carol Ohmart! Elisha Cook is just that right kind of forebodingly creepy and yet humorous as he constanrly hammers away at all the terrible things that have occured at the house. I don't need to say jack or shit about Vincent Price in this movie, true he isn't in top malevolent or tortured acting range but he's just the master of horror, the titan of terror, the thrill in thriller, and the dialogue he has with Carol Ohmart is a highlight. I doubt I need to explain the literal skeleton in the room, but for those uninitiated William Castle the director was a great showman and incorporated gimmicks into his films, with this movie he had a glow in the dark skeleton swing around the theater while the climax of the movie played, and man I would just love to experience a midnight spook show in this day and age though a bygone relic it still is. Even after all this time the movie still has good atmosphere, creepy use of sound effects, and is a wonderful film to watch if you got some other classic horror fans in for a 50s movie marathon one night. I had a great time with it, and it just goes to show it doesn't always have to be a bloodfest or a high special effects horror movie to be enjoyed. I give it 3.5 stars, 8/10, and this dear ones closes another chapter of October on this show. But never fear, we still have 4 more days till Halloween, Halloween, Halloween, 4 more days till Halloween, Silver Shamrock. It's almost time kids, the clock is ticking, be in front of your TV sets for the horrorthon on TCM and don't forget the big giveaway at 9:00. Don't miss it, and don't forget to wear your masks. The clock is ticking. It's almost time. Watch....

House Of Wax (1953)

Time for a more classic horror movie.

Though House Of Wax is certainly recognized today, it doesn't reach that classic of the horror genre quota. Yet I really had a good time with it! Vincent Price plays a wax sculptor who is terribly infatuated with his work, and after a massive fire set by his business partner is scarred and wanting to open a new house of horror's with all too real models for his work. It immediately hooks you with the wax museum going up in a blaze, and seems more appropriate for the climax of the film but the fight and the shots of the figures delightfully melting in a slightly horrific decomposing fashion is excellent. The story then follows a young lady who is about to be the next victim as she tries to prove the grim reality of the museum, and I'm quite curious to view the 1935 version Mystery Of The Wax Museum to see if it follows suit. Vincent Price is a dream as always, I truly cannot ever express in human words how much I adore thee dear Vincent, he has such a quirky charm as he presents his work and I simply cherish his voice. Phyllis Kirk is the true protagonist, playing the part with conviction and intelligence as Sue and I won't lie she's a great screamer too. Keep an eye out also for not only Charles Bronson in his first film role but also Carolyn Jones who still to this day is my favorite Morticia. I think it's slightly obvious that this movie was made during the 3-D craze of the early 1950s, and while it is not obnoxiously overused in say Friday The 13th Part 3 it is still quite funny watching a brief vignette of a paddle ball performer for no other reason than because they could shoot it. One point I must strongly speak on before I give my rating is I have absolutely no idea who on this planet they got to make the wax figures, but sweet God did they do a little too good of a job. Now I will go on the record and say I have no fear of dolls, mannequins, or any kind of figures, but it is scary how uncanny these wax figurines look. I mean...they look alive they are so realistic. I genuinely cannot stress enough the expert craftsmanship in this movie. A very good film with some outstanding qualities in it, 3 stars, 7.5/10, new movie coming up to whet my appetite for October to get here that much quicker.

Vincent

This might be my favorite short film of all time.

Vincent Malloy is seven years old, he is a nice boy but he dreams of becoming like Vincent Price. In a mere less than 7 minutes it goes from a charming yet demented tribute to one of Tim Burton's friends and idols to a bizzare and nightmarish short that only Tim could do. It is set entirely in rhyme, which Vincent always does so well, the visuals are freaky and very dark, the music is haunting, it's a magnificent short that you can watch entirely for free, if you merely type 'Vincent short film' into YouTube, watch it with the lights off and tell me what you dream of that night....

Dr. Phibes Rises Again

So did this movie surpass the original or did it sink into the depths?

Well, it was okay. For a sequel to Dr. Phibes it does a good job but by no means beats the original. The story is just as basic as the first movie but it's more about the execution than the plot. Phibes has awakened after 3 long years, under slightly weird circumstances, honestly it reminds me of the ressurection scenes in the Hammer Dracula series, which is by no means a bad thing but it does leave one slightly puzzled. Adding more to the fact is countless actors from the original have returned but as different characters, even Phibes' beautiful assistant returns in this movie albeit played by a different actress. This is just bizzare because well she had her face destroyed by acid at the end of the first movie and...I think she died, and yet here she is. I can kinda buy Vincent Price can summon the dead to do his bidding, but I digress. After Phibes awakens he sets off a quest to Egypt to rediscover an old temple and find the waters of eternal life to bring his beloved wife back, with the police still hot on his trail even after 3 years, but that's okay with me because that means we get a bodycount. Many elements that I stated in the first movie is still prevelant here with great set design, great acting as always from Vincent, creative death traps, and an interesting plot. Personally, I recommend the original far more and only the most hardcore of Vincent Price fans to seek out this movie. I have to say though two moments really stuck out to me, one was a very shocking moment although nothing really scary happened, it just took me off guard, and the ending which is a lovely send off to Dr. Phibes as we close the movie out hearing Vincent sing Somewhere Over The Rainbow. Yes, I'm serious.

Tune in tomorrow for a very special treat before Halloween as a send off for the season with a short film.

The Abominable Dr. Phibes

What a strange and yet surprisingly charming movie.

The Abominable Dr. Phibes, one of Vincent Price's strangest roles to say the least. The story follows Phibes on a revenge mission against the doctors who failed to save his beloved wife, and the police in an attempt to stop him. Kind of a slasher film in a way with one of the most unique ways of dispatching people I have ever seen in a movie, Phibes uses the ancient plagues of Egypt to enact his revenge making for one of the most gruesome and striking collection of death scenes in any movie. Vincent Price commands the entire picture and the odd thing is you do not hear him speak until about 30 minutes in. Phibes went through a terrible accident that severely disfigured him and destroyed his voice, forcing him to make this weird phonograph machine plugged directly into his voice box in order to talk, so for the first third of the whole movie his on screen time is based solely on his presence alone, and my God is it excellent. He gets his point across through a cold stare, dark attire, and horriffying actions. Phibes also has a female assistant who doesn't speak a single line, we know nothing about her or how she knows Phibes and yet, I don't really mind. Mystery is the keyword in this movie, very much reminds me of Phantom Of The Opera in a way, a disfigured genius hiding behind a mask with a penchant for the organ and the violin, has an undying love for the woman of his life, invents many contraptions and death traps, and has no qualms about killing those that stand in his way. The film is gorgeous to look at in Phibes' lair, full of color and spectacle with some shots looking so nice they would be right at home framed on my wall. The film also has some slight dark comedy in it, primarily with the inept police force, it has great dry witty british humor in it. The way Phibes kills people gives thought to another horror villain with a taste for traps and theatrics, yep Dr. Phibes was an inspiration for Jigsaw in the Saw franchise, pretty awesome. The blood and gore is both light and very heavy somehow, showing truly horrifying end results and yet hardly showing it at all, it has a PG-13 rating which is odd since that rating didn't exist until the 80s, so maybe it was an R rating back then. It's the most strange, surreal, horrifying yet charming, beautiful, and even a bit emotional movie I have seen.

Tomorrow we review the sequel to this well made horror film.

Madhouse

Yes Vincent Price, the titan of terror, what better way to end October?

Ah but not just Vincent Price in tonight's picture, but also my dear friend who I so wish I had the pleasure to meet, Peter Cushing. This formidable duo of horror star in the true cult classic, Madhouse but a few things to clear up first before we begin. Vincent and Peter play actors, so for the sake of this review we shall go by their character names. Vincent Price plays horror icon Paul Toombes as one night he hosts a party and announces he is to be married, but before the night is through his future bride is murdered sending Paul mad with grief, and is kept in a sanitarium for twelve years. He returns to the public eye, and with help from his friend Herbert played by Peter Cushing tries to make him return to the role which made him famous, Dr. Death. But soon more killings arise, leaving Paul to wonder if he is committing the murders as his film persona. A rather good murder mystery story, and for most of the entire film you have no idea if Paul is killing these people or not, which creates great suspense. The true reason you see this movie is because of Vincent and Peter, they elevate this movie from a simple horror movie into an underrated classic. The film was made in 1974, during the course where both actors were reaching the height of their popularity, and it shows they put their heart and soul into their acting, no matter which role they take it is always done with class, elegance, and great presence of both actors. It's a terrific movie, could not love it more if I tried, highly recommend to all horror fans, although I have to admit this film is pretty gory for a movie that has a PG rating. Yeah back then when a PG rating actually meant something! Let me total this up for you. We have, one decapitation, pitchfork to the neck, one hanging, one human shishkabob, knife to the neck, two burnings, multiple backstabbing with spider devouring, 4 stars check it out! And the icing on the cake, the cherry on top of this already delicious sundae, we end the movie with Vincent Price singing. Need I say more?

Join us tomorrow for another classic Vincent Price film.