Classic Horror

Catch up

I've been sick and busy and so I haven't been keeping up with things.  Life will hopefully settle down and I can post up more pictures and stuff.  I have watched more movies and I want to share.  I plan on continuing with that and maybe even give a deeper look at some of them.  Sounds like fun.  Yay.

My little spot

Everyone has a blog.  Well, a lot of people.  Some are better than others.  Blogs take knowledge and time and passion to make them awesome.  I have basically come to find that I am not that awesome blogger.  So this spot is more for me than anything else.  It is not going to win any awards. It won't have people raving.  Maybe a person might get a wee little bit of insight into horror movies by looking at this blog.  Everyone is not into it hardcore.  Everyone doesn't fan boy or fan girl over a detail rich site.  It might be overwhelming.  So for right now I will just keep it simple and add stuff that I find that I like and who knows. Maybe someone, somewhere will look at it and think....AWESOME!!!!

Hi Mom!

Mrs. Mabel Chinnery was visiting the grave of her mother one day in 1959.  She had brought along her camera to take photographs of the grave site.  After snapping a few shots of her mother's gravestone.  She took an impromptu photo of her husband, who was waiting alone in the car.  At least the Chinnery's thought he was alone.  When the film was developed, the couple was more than surprised to see a figure wearing glasses sitting int he back seat of the car.  Mrs. Chinnery immediately recognized the image of her mother.  It was the woman whose grave they had visited.  On the next day a photographic exper who examined the print determined that the image of the woman was neither a reflection nor a double exposure.  "I stake my reputation on the fact that the picture is genuine" he testified.

30 Day Horror Movie Challenge: Days 12-17

Day 12 - your most disturbing horror film

The Exorcist.  I was 7 or 8 when I first saw it (I don't know whose idea that was) but I swore my brand new white bed was going to shake and I was going to levitate.  I just so identified with Regan.  I was always playing alone and  I was sure the devil was coming to get me.  I truly was always waiting for him to appear.  I'm still waiting.

Day 13 - favorite zombie movie

Night of the Living Dead. The original.  I will never forget the fear it made me feel the first time I saw it. The shock of every scene.  As I got older I found the news reports are just awesome.  It is still a very good movie after all of these years.  I still hate the ending and get a burn in my stomach when I see it.

Day 14 - favorite indie horror movie

Night of the Living dead was an independent movie and my favorite horror movie overall.  I will pick another movie though, just to have some variety.

Actually there are so many to choose from (Evil Dead, Nightmare on Elm Street, Dawn of the Dead, Shaun of the Dead to name a few) but I pick Halloween.  No Halloween horror movie marathon is complete without Michael Myers. I adore that movie and love it more each time I see it. It truly plays into my own personal fears.  I am scared to death that I will look out of my window and some person will be standing out there staring at the house.  I can't even get past that.  So creepy.

Day 15 - favorite monster movie

Frankenstein.  I love Karloff in this.  Just watching him is a joy.  The atmosphere.  The scenery.  His expressions through the makeup.  I used to think that Frankenstein lived behind a wall in my house when I was little .  Yep.  Frankenstein is coming to get me.  I had a twisted childhood.  Ha.

Day 16 - horror film with a great soundtrack

There are so many iconic songs from different horror movies.  But an entire soundtrack?  I'm not sure but I'm thinking The Exorcist or something from Fabio Frizzi?  Zombi 2 or City of the Living Dead?

Go listen!   Google!!!!

Day 17 - favorite 80’s horror

OMG how do I pick?  Nightmare on Elm Street. Evil Dead.  Night of the Creeps.  Hmmmm.

I've got good news and bad news.  The good news is that your dates are here.  The bad news is that they are dead.  Yep.

Horror (and more) Movie Watchin' 2

A new week and a new chance to see some good movies.

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde 1931/98 minutes
Fredric March, Miriam Hopkins
4 stars

Dr. Jekyll is obsessed with dividing the good and evil nature of man.  He creates a concoction that will do just that. The doctor is not prepared for the evil he is about to release.

Mr. Hyde is the evil side.  He is a horrible neanderthal like man who does terrible things and gives in to the lusts of Dr. Jekyll's desires.  In this version, the doctor's sexual frustration is really on display and leads him to unfortunate events.

It happened to come on one morning and I wanted to compare it to Barrymore.  I was not expecting much even though he won the Oscar, but I liked March. He is energetic, engaging and good looking.

Assignment Terror (Dracula vs. Frankenstein)
Michael Rennie
1 star

Aliens bring back to life a vampire, a mummy, a werewolf and Frankenstein's monster to take over the world.  I'm thinking this sounded like a good idea for a Saturday movie or for a horror host to joke about.

It is the third installment of movies featuring the werewolf, Waldemar Daninsky, played by Paul Naschy. The music is kind of groovy but everything else sucked.  Somehow I did enjoy it a bit.  I like crap like this.

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde 1941/113 minutes
Spencer Tracy, Ingrid Bergman
4 stars

The day after Fredric March's version came on, this one came on.  Jekyll is following me.

I have never been a Spencer Tracy fan, so I am shocked I got through this.  I wanted to compare it to Barrymore and March.  Tracy played it more as a drama than horror, but it was still good.  I loved Ingrid Bergman. She was sexy as hell.  I became mildly obsessed with Barrymore in this role and I had an appreciation of March, but nothing for Tracy.  I still don't like him.

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde 1912/12 minutes
James Cruze, Florence La Badie

2 stars

I'm following Jekyll now.

More Dr. Jekyll. Cruze and another actor played Hyde in some of the scenes.

It was okay.  Not great.

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde 1913/26 minutes

King Baggot,  Jane Gail
3 stars

Sigh. Dr. Jekyll again.

I have to give respects to this version.  There was barely a budget and Baggot did all of his own makeup.  He was awkward, but at least he tried.

Alien 1979/117 minutes


Sigourney Weaver, Tom Skerritt
5 stars

A crew out in deep space run into horrible aliens.

The alien coming out John Hurt's chest still gets me.  I am not usually one to like these kind of movies, but this was excellent.  If you have not seen it, then do it.  Horror movies have a wonderful way of letting me know places I do NOT want to go!

Paul 2011/104 minutes


Simon Pegg, Nick Frost
4 stars

Sci Fi geeks meet a real alien. Road trip ensues.

I thought it was extremely funny.  Perfect for the inner convention attending nerds in all of us.  Not horror but good entertainment.

Glen or Glenda 1953/68 minutes
Edward Wood, Bela Lugosi
2 stars

This movie tells the story of a transvestite and his need for approval from the world and especially his girlfriend.  It also tells the story of a hermaphrodite who ends up getting a sex change operation.

The movie has been named the worse movie ever made and Ed Wood has been cited as worse director of all time. I kept wondering what people in 1953 must have thought of this movie.

Ed Wood is okay with me.

Smile 2009/119

Armand Assante, Harriet MacMasters-Green
2 stars

Killer camera killing students.

Whatever.

And to think I once liked Armand Assante.  Not so much  now.

Vampire Diaries 2012/1 hour

Ian Somerhalder
4 stars

A girl turns into a vampire.  Everyone is very upset about this.

I have never watched this show before.  It was fast moving and Ian was pretty damn hot.  Don't know if I will watch it again.  Maybe one day I will catch the whole thing on Netflix.

Monster Mash 2000/64 minutes
4 stars

Frankenstein, Dracula and the Wolf Man must prove they can still be scary or they will have to spend the rest of eternity doing children's parties.

Really cute story.

The Walking Dead 2010/



Andrew Lincoln, Norman Reedus
5 stars

Zombies!!!!!  Yes, there is a zombie outbreak and life as we know it has gone to hell.  A group of survivors are doing all they can to find a safe place to be and to carve out a new world for themselves.

Watched all of Season 1 and Season 2.  I LOVE this show.

Then season 3 started.  YES.

I adore this show so much.

Okay that is it for this week.  I'm hoping to get some Universal Monsters and some horror faves in for the next 2 weeks.  I love October.

Nerdgasm : Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

So I have never cared much about this story or all of the movies that seem to be floating around.  I decided the other day to watch the John Barrymore version because it was streaming on Netflix. I figured it would be like watching paint dry but I was determined to push through.

Since then, this story and several of the versions of the movie seem to be stalking me.  They come on TV.  They show up on my YouTube.  It is fascinating watching the different actors present their interpretations of the story.  Some versions change it around a bit. And John Barrymore haunts my thoughts.  Not in a scary way, but in a "you are fascinating as heck" way.  And so being the nerd that I am, I started researching this story and it's movies.  One day I may even read the book.

Robert Louis Stevenson wrote the novella, "The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" in 1886.  It vividly portrayed a person with a split personality. No major adaptation to date stays faithful to the book. The stage play based on the book opened in 1887.  The story was reworked by Thomas Russel Sullivan and was famously played by Richard Mansfield.  It introduced the romantic part of the story that did not exist in the original writing. At one point, Richard Mansfield was suspected of being Jack The Ripper because of his convincing portrayal of Mr. Hyde.  He was considered to be the best actor of his time, but his career was basically destroyed because of the allegations. The first Jekyll and Hyde movie premiered a year after his death.

Notable versions....

The first movie was released in 1908, starring Hobart Bosworth is lost.

In 1912, James Cruze starred. http://vimeo.com/20026199
He goes from blonde to a dark haired near neanderthal look. He adds fangs and talons to finish his transformation.  Science seems to be his motivation. Cruze and another actor played Hyde. Not much to say about this one.

1913.  King Baggot.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jL9IovrgWdI&feature=related
In this version, the doctor is all about science.  Baggot is okay in his role. Hyde seems to have very little makeup on but maybe a wig and fake teeth.  The actor decides to stoop down extremely low to walk.  His entire portrayal of Hyde looks very odd and awkward.

1920.  John Barrymore http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kjQaAK5Vof4
John Barrymore's version in 1907 had elements of The Picture of Dorian Gray in it.
Barrymore is an attractive Jekyll.  He is frustrated, restrained and almost uptight. Hyde is ugly and looks like a witch.  His head elongates.  He grows long monster nails.  He looks just plain nasty.  He goes out of his way to be hurtful and mean and abusive.  The transformation was good considering the year it came out.  Over all I did like this one and I want to see more of John Barrymore.

In 1920, Der Januskopf or The Janus-Head (a Roman God depicted with two faces) was directed by F.W.Murnau (Nosferatu). It was an unauthorized version of the original Stevenson story. The film is now lost.

The was also another version made in 1920, starring Sheldon Lewis.  That film is lost.

Fredric March won an Oscar for his portrayal in 1931.  The technical secret of his transformation was not revealed until after the director's death.  His Jekyll was very energetic, sexual and physical.  His Hyde looked like a Neanderthal.  The sexual frustration aspect was really turned up for this version.  I found this one pretty interesting and wouldn't mind watching a young Fredric March in other movies.  Barrymore was asked to do this version but was under contract with a different movie studio and so passed it along to March who resembled him.

With Spencer Tracy's turn at the role (1941), Jekyll went from the original pronunciation of JEEK-ULL to JEK-ULL.  His version is definitely more drama than horror.  Ingrid Bergman is sexy but the whole deal is kind of bland.  I have never been a huge Spencer Tracy fan and this did not change my mind unlike Barrymore (I want more) and March (don't mind if I see more).  This film had to be watered down from the sexual nature of the 1931 version. 

This is as far as I have gotten with watching movies.  I plan on seeing some more (lots more out there).

Whenever a Nerdgasm hits, you just have to go with it....

30 DAY HORROR MOVIE CHALLENGE : Days 9 -11

Day 9 - favorite super natural horror movie

The Exorcist.  I pick it because for years I was so scared of it that I couldn't even look at the cover of my DVD case.  I'm still a little scared of it, but I like it that way.

Day 10 - horror movie every one loves but you don’t

Dead Alive.  It seems everyone thinks it is great but I just think it is disgusting.  I like parts of it.  But as a whole?  No.

Day 11 - favorite horror/ comedy

Shaun of the Dead.  That was easy, lol.

Lon Chaney Appreciation

I love Lon Chaney's work.  I haven't seen it all, but what I have seen I love.

London After Midnight, 1927

Phantom of the Opera, 1925

The Man and his makeup, 1925

More makeup

The Phantom

Laugh, Clown, Laugh 1928

The Hunchback of Notre Dame, 1923

The Unknown, 1927

1883 - 1930

Excuse me, Miss

Nice dreams

Fun stuff

This makes me wonder

What the heck is the story behind this?

Thought of the moment

I think Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is following me.  I happened to watch one on purpose last week.  So far this week two other versions have drifted into my life unexpectedly.  It is fate.  I chose Barrymore.  Rains and Tracy are picking me.  Off to see Tracy....

30 DAY HORROR MOVIE CHALLENGE Days 6 - 8

Day 6 - favorite vampire movie

I am trying to decide between Gary Oldman, Chris Lee or Frank Langella as Dracula.  I like them all.

He is attractive.  Not very scary though.

He is oddly sexy and very scary.

He is damn sexy with a mean streak.

I will have to think more on this later.....

Day 7 - a horror movie you think no one has seen

I don't think there is one that no one has seen.  But I did like the 2004 Irish zombie movie "Dead Meat". It was far better than I ever could have imagined.  I recommend it.

Day 8 - favorite foreign horror

Zombie (Zombi 2). There are probably better movies, but it holds special memories for me.  Just the commercial would scare me to death when it came out.  I'd be watching Benny Hill (our summer night past time) and the music would start.  The letters would scroll across the screen.  I would want to pee my pants.  Some of the scenes are iconic and unforgettable. The eyeball scene?  Zombie vs. Shark? It makes me happy to watch it.

Did I mention I adore the theme song now and my 7 year old daughter makes me watch the movie a lot and makes me play the song on her way to school?  

Horror Movie Watchin'

I am part of a "competition" on Facebook called The Madness.  No one wins anything but bragging rights.  Hopefully it is a way to get to know other people and to find new movies to watch and to learn about each other.

I judged on a 5 star rating scale

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Phantom of the Opera 1925 /92 minutes
Lon Chaney, Mary Philbin
5 stars

A disfigured composer lurks in an opera house, controlling what goes on there.  All hell breaks loose
when the love of his life plans to marry another.

I love Lon Chaney and so it was hard not to give this five stars.  His performance alone was awesome.  In
this silent film, he strikes the right balance and is not too over dramatic.  I felt his performance was exceptional.

 
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Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde 1920 /77 minutes
John Barrymore
5 stars

Dr. Jekyll wants to divide mankind's good side from it's evil side.  Mr. Hyde, his evil side, proves to be more evil than Dr. Jekyll anticipated.

I really enjoyed John Barrymore's transformation and portrayal of Mr. Hyde.  I wish to see more movies
starring Mr. Barrymore.

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Frankenstein 1910/12 minutes 42 seconds
Charles Ogle
3 with respect

A young student goes to college and becomes obsessed with creating a human.

It is an adaptation of Mary Shelly's Frankenstein.  Ogle as the monster was truly a hot mess to see.  He kind of reminds me of an old drag queen who had a bad night.  I still wouldn't want to see him walking down the street though.

1910’s: Since its original release, This kinetoscope film had been listed as missing; no copies of the film existed. An original nitrate print finally turned up in Wisconsin in the mid-1970s.

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Cabin in the Woods 2011/95 minutes
Kristin Connolly, Chris Hemsworth
4 stars

5 college students go to a cabin for a fun weekend.  What happens next is not so typical.

I appreciated something different than the usual kids drink, party and have sex so they can die movie.

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Mystics in Bali 1981/81 minutes
Ilona A. Bastian
Not sure how to rate this, lol

A girl is tricked into turning into a flying vampire.

Pretty freaky but ultra cheesy.  I would love to describe scenes, like the childbirth one, but people need to see this mess to truly appreciate it.

1981: The first true Indonesian horror film aimed at a western audience.

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Them (Ils) 2007/77 minutes
Olivia Bonamy, Adriana Mocca
4 stars

A couple is being terrorized in their isolated country home.

This movie is a lot like The Strangers or Funny Games.  It made me feel isolated and had me wondering what I would do in the same situation.  Probably end up dead knowing me.

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Exit Humanity 2011/113 minutes
Mark Gibson, Dee Wallace
3 stars

A man comes home from the Civil War to find his child is missing and his wife is a zombie.  The man sets off on a mission to find his son and ends up with a lot of drama.

The zombies are not the focus of this movie.  Some of everything else gets thrown in.  They almost become a back story at times.  It is a very interesting take on a zombie outbreak but I could have used more zombie ACTION.  Worth a look.

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Nosferatu 1922/80 minutes
Max Schreck
5 stars

Denied the access to Bram Stoker's estate and his Dracula character, Murnau created Count Orlock.  It is
the Dracula story, but names are changed.  Schreck is truly terrifying, but I did find his movements humorous at times.  Find a copy with a good soundtrack. Some of them suck and you will put it on mute.

I found myself laughing most of the movie.  Schreck is the best part of this.  The rest of the cast over act and
look odd.  I mean super weird.  I do give all respect for the movie being 90 years old and I tried to keep it in mind.  Regardless, Schreck looks like a total nightmare by any measure.

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Dracula 1979/109 minutes
Frank Langella, Donald Pleasence
5 stars

Count Dracula is the lone survivor of a shipwreck.  Mysterious and horrible things happen after he moves into the neighborhood.

An awesome version of the Dracula story.  Langella is sexy and menacing all at once. I could get lost in his eyes.  He owns the screen whenever the camera is on him.  All that and still he looks like he could rip out your throat if need be.  Excellent.