The Ape Man

The Ape Man is a 1943 horror film starring Bela Lugosi.

Moria gives it one star and calls it "one of the numerous Z-budget mad scientist cheapies that Bela Lugosi made a career out of during the 1940s." 1000 Misspent Hours gives this a negative review, literally, giving it negative 3 stars and closes by saying, "no fan of Bela Lugosi at his most debased should miss it."

The Devil Bat

The Devil Bat is a 1940 black and white horror movie starring Bela Lugosi.

This bat makes cawing sounds. Terrifying! And a mysterious ingredient involved in the murders comes from Tibet.

via Youtube:

1000 Misspent Hours says, " It’s reassuring to know that even after all these years, I can still find movies that leave me wondering how they could possibly have gotten made."

Bela Lugosi

Today is the anniversary of the death of Elvis, and Elvis always gets all the attention, but today is also the anniversary of the death in 1956 of Bela Lugosi. Bela Lugosi, like Elvis, has his own tag here at my blog. I've seen many of Lugosi's movies, and some of them are available online and are embedded in the posts I wrote when I watched them:

Dracula (1931)
White Zombie (1932)
Bride of Frankenstein (1935)
Mark of the Vampire (1935)
The Phantom Ship (1935)
The Devil Bat (1940)
Invisible Ghost (1941)
Spooks Run Wild (1941)
The Wolf Man (1941)
The Corpse Vanishes (1942)
The Body Snatcher (1945)
Scared to Death (1947)
Bride of the Monster (1955)
Plan 9 from Outer Space (1959)

There is an official Lugosi web site. FilmReference.com has a page devoted to him. There are several fan groups at Facebook.

Plan 9 from Outer Space

When The Husband said he'd never seen Plan 9 from Outer Space. I couldn't let him remain in such a state of cultural deprivation. He was stunned into silence by his viewing of this film.

It stars Bela Lugosi, who died before filming began, and Vampira, who has only recently died, and is directed by Ed Wood.

Moria has a charitable review. 1000 Misspent Hours gives it negative 4 1/2 stars and closes with this:

Conventional and ritualistic though the identification has become, there is a reason why Ed Wood is the poster boy for us B-People. And there’s a reason why Plan 9 from Outer Space is the one we remember him for.

Bride of the Monster

Bride of the Monster is a 1956 Ed Wood "mad scientist" movie starring Bela Lugosi.

Moria calls it "one of the essential items in the cult surrounding Edward D. Wood Jr" and says it's "probably the closest to a good film (as opposed to an enjoyably bad film) that Wood ever made." 1000 Misspent Hours gives it negative 3 1/2 stars but says,

a close look at Bride of the Monster will make it considerably easier to understand how the backers of Wood’s later films could have gotten it into their heads that he more or less knew what he was doing.

Invisible Ghost

Invisible Ghost, starring Bela Lugosi, is a 1941 horror film. Unsolved murders and a betrayed husband who exhibits bizarre behavior.

via Youtube:

Spooks Run Wild

Spooks Run Wild (1941) is another Bela Lugosi movie. I'm beginning to think I should have a tag just for him. There, I did it. This film is a comedy/horror with the East Side Kids.

via Youtube:

This one was just plain silly.

Scared to Death

Scared to Death is a 1947 horror movie that begins with the dead girl and then tells the story of how she died. Bela Lugosi stars. I've seen several films with Lugosi lately, the last one being The Wolf Man.

via Youtube:

I didn't like this one. The scene changes were abrupt and awkward, the acting was dreadful, the characters were 1-dimensional stereotypes, the music was intrusive and boring, it moved so slowly...

The Wolf Man

The Wolf Man, the classic 1941 horror film starring Lon Chaney, Jr. (Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man and other horror movies as well as High Noon, and the Bob Hope comedy My Favorite Brunette), is a sad and tragic story. Not at all a bad introduction to horror if you're new to the genre.

"The way you walked was thorny through no fault of your own, but as the rain enters the soil the river enters the sea, so tears run to a predestined end. Your suffering is over. Now you will find peace for eternity."

Also starring: Claude Rains, Bela Lugosi and Maria Ouspenskaya, whom I did really love in Love Affair.

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

may become a wolf when the wolfbane blooms and the autumn moon is bright.

I've seen The Wolf Man before, in fact I watch it every year in October. It's one of my favorites of these old horror movies, and I always enjoy it.

Deep Focus Review has a fascinating article with a consideration of the psychological meaning and closes with this:

The signs are everywhere, whether hidden in the subtext or through careful analysis of what the audience is not shown. Along with its complete invention of the werewolf myth, that the film is not about werewolves at all remains The Wolf Man’s little secret, waiting to be rediscovered.

The Hollywood Reporter has a positive review. HorrorNews.net says, "This classic tale has since visited the big screen on so many occasions and incarnations, but few compare to this groundbreaking film". Classic Horror calls it "the last of [the Universal Pictures'] truly great monster movies". Rotten Tomatoes has a critics rating of 94%.

The Phantom Ship

The Phantom Ship (1935) stars Bela Lugosi (The Wolf Man, White Zombie, The Corpse Vanishes, Dracula, Mark of the Vampire). There are no supernatural elements here but plenty of murder mystery. I can't remember why I listed this with horror films. I think I'll take it off the horror movie list.

8/16/2008: sadly, I can no longer find this online.
10/1/2008: Ah! Here it is.
9/3/2009: Nope, gone again.

9/29/2012: It's back! via Youtube:

Mark of the Vampire

Mark of the Vampire (1935) stars Bela Lugosi (White Zombie, The Corpse Vanishes, Dracula, The Wolf Man), Lionel Barrymore and Elizabeth Allan and is directed by Todd Browning (Freaks, Dracula).

The ending has an interesting twist.

Moria says, "In many regards, Mark of the Vampire is a better film than Tod Browning’s Dracula, even if it remains wholly in Dracula’s shadow". 1000 Misspent Hours, on the other hand, calls it "a mercilessly dull, ineptly edited film with an acutely offensive cop-out ending". Classic-Horror.com says it's "a very atmospheric, chilling vampire classic. A must see for all vamp fans and a can’t miss for all classic horror fans."

Dracula

Dracula (1931), directed by Todd Browning (Freaks), is one of the all-time great horror movies. One of the special features on the DVD edition we have has someone saying that it's hard to imagine anyone being frightened by this movie, but I was frightened the first time I saw it on one of those late-night old movie shows. Very creepy. Dracula is played by the incomparable Bela Lugosi, whom I've seen recently in The Corpse Vanishes and White Zombie. I love Dwight Frye, whom I've seen recently in The Vampire Bat.

The movie is based on a stage play which is based on the novel by the same name written by Bram Stoker. There is an online edition of Dracula here.

Roger Ebert considers it a great movie. The New York Times has a mixed review. Moria calls it "a film that is dated, actionless and frequently laughable. A classic Dracula undeniably is; a great film is a whole other matter."

1000 Misspent Hours says,

In short, we have in Dracula a movie whose classic status rests solely on the unsteady foundation of priority. Nevermind that it’s one of the worst; it gets to be a classic because it was one of the first. Perhaps you think I’m being unduly harsh here, judging Dracula according to an anachronistic standard that its age prevents it from measuring up to. But I am doing no such thing,

10/31/2009: The Husband chose this one to watch with The Younger Son and me tonight.

The Corpse Vanishes

The Corpse Vanishes (1942) stars Bela Lugosi as a mad scientist who kidnaps virgin brides so he can use their blood to keep his wife alive and forever young.

8/18/2008:
Film Fanatic has a review.

White Zombie

White Zombie, considered the first zombie film, was released in 1932 and starred Bela Lugosi as a Voodoo master in Haiti. I'm surprised this one isn't generally better known.

You can watch it via youtube:

1000 Misspent Hours says, "White Zombie was, to the best of my knowledge, the very first voodoo movie, and some 70 years later, it remains one of the best" and calls it "beautifully composed, technically groundbreaking, and blessed with what is probably the second-best performance of Bela Lugosi’s mostly unimpressive career." 366 Weird Movies says, "White Zombie can send quite the uncanny chill down your spine at times and is well worth a look for those seeking to soak up some classic Gothic atmosphere"

9/29/2012: The Husband has never seen this one so he's choosing it to watch tonight.

5 Horror Movies and a Desert Island

So, there we were trying to put Horror movies on our Fantasy lists.... So we decided to make a separate list for Horror.

The Younger Son's list:
Creature From the Black Lagoon
Dracula (Louis Jourdan)
Hound of the Baskervilles (Jeremy Brett)
Hamlet (Mel Gibson)
The Birds

My list:
Wolf Man (Lon Chaney, Jr.)
Dracula (Bela Lugosi)
Cat People (the 1940's version)
Frankenstein (Karloff)
The Mummy (Karloff)

The Husband's list:
Frankenstein
The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari
The Invisible Man (Claude Rains)
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (silent)
Dracula (Lugosi)

The Elder Son's list:
Psycho (the original)
Underworld
See No Evil
Phantasm: Oblivion
Hellraiser: Deader

H.G. Wells

Today is the anniversary of the death in 1946 of H.G. Wells. He was a historian of sorts and an active socialist, but he is best remembered now for his science fiction writings.

Perhaps his most-read book is The Time Machine. This book, which can be read online here, was adapted for film in 1960. This movie was my first introduction to the story.
Here's the trailer:


Another of Wells' better known works is The War of the Worlds, which can be read online here. The 1953 film version was my first exposure to the story.
the trailer:


Wells' story The Invisible Man always affected me more as horror than as strictly science fiction. I saw the 1933 Claude Rains film long before I read the book. It can be read online here.
Here's a clip from the film:


The Island of Dr. Moreau has also been made into movies, beginning with the 1933 movie starring Charles Laughton and Bela Lugosi. The book is available here.
Here's a clip from the end of the 1933 movie:

Dracula Sequel

Talk is there'll be a sequel to the Bela Lugosi Dracula. Cinematical has casting news, including John Hurt as Van Helsing.

The Wolf Man

Tonight we watched The Wolf Man, with Lon Chaney, Jr. in the title role. This is my favorite of the monster movies, which my hubbie hadn't realized until quite recently. Once he found out he went out and bought the DVD to replace our old VHS tape which we couldn't get to play on Halloween night. Claude Rains is priceless as always and is perfect as Sir John Talbot, father of the recently returned son who suffers under the tragic curse. Bela Lugosi puts in a fine performance as the gypsy fortune-teller. I love Maria Ouspenskaya as the old gypsy who tries to help Larry Talbot in his time of great need. She is also a bright spot in Love Affair, which I much prefer to the remake.

"The way you walked was thorny through no fault of your own, but as the rain enters the soil the river enters the sea, so tears run to a predestined end. Your suffering is over. Now you will find peace for eternity."

Happy Hallowe'en!

Photo from 3drt.com

Halloween was always great fun for me as a child. My favorite costume was a witch, and I dressed as a witch most years for Trick-or-Treating.

Now, not only am I grown, my kids are too old for Trick-or-Treating. We watch DVD's that seem suitable for the season. Here's a list of some we try to watch during October:

The Halloween Tree. This is a video version of Ray Bradbury's book which uses a group of trick-or-treating kids and a trip back in time to explore some common Halloween traditions. We _love_ this one and have since it first came out. It's only available on VHS right now, but we're on constant look-out for a DVD version.

It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown. A classic. I remember when this one came out, too , and it's a long-time family favorite.

Winnie the Pooh Boo to You Too. We still get a kick out of this one even though my youngest is 16.

The Nightmare Before Christmas. I remember the controversy over this one, and there are still some well-meaning people who condemn this video, but I honestly think none of them can have actually seen it. It's a touching story and filled with glee -in a spooky kind of way.

Beetlejuice. Not about Halloween at all, but a ghost story where the ghosts aren't the scary ones.

The Ghost and Mrs. Muir. This is another ghost story, but not a scary one. This one is from 1947, set in 1900 and stars Gene Tierney, Rex Harrison and George Sanders. This is one of my all-time favorite movies.

The Ghost and Mr. Chicken. What a romp! I'm not a big Don Knotts fan, but I've liked this one since I saw it in the theater when it was released.

The Hound of the Baskervilles. We like the Jeremy Brett version of this Sherlock Holmes story best.

King Kong. The old 1933 one with Fay Wray.

Godzilla. The old one meant for American audiences with the Raymond Burr inserts.

Phantom of the Opera. There are 2 of these we like -the older silent with Lon Chaney and the less old (g) one with Claude Rains.

Creature From the Black Lagoon.

The Wolf Man. This is my favorite of the monster movies. A classic tragedy.

Frankenstein. The Boris Karloff original.

Dracula. There are several of these. Our favorites are the Bela Lugosi one and the Louis Jourdan one. The Bela Lugosi one is the classic, of course. This entry has been edited to remove the Frank Langella joke and suggest our real preference for Louis Jourdan. This Dracula was a made-for-tv production and is nigh onto impossible to find. It is fairly faithful to the book and has some interesting 70's special effects. The Murnau classic silent Nosferatu is also well worth seeing.

The Mummy. The real one with Karloff.

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. We have the John Barrymore silent version.

Cat People. The 1942 version.

And there's Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein. But only if you've already seen the originals.

We always carve a Jack O' Lantern. The pumpkin is on the patio awaiting the moment of transformation. Here's a photo of last year's:

Frankenstein

Tonight we watched Frankenstein, released in 1931, and Bride of Frankenstein, released in 1935. They both starred Boris Karloff as The Monster and Colin Clive as Dr. Frankenstein; but Fritz, the assistant played in the earlier movie by Dwight Frye, died in that film, so the assistant in the later movie was re-named Karl but still played by Dwight Frye. Interestingly, Frye's character got killed by the Monster in the second movie, too. I liked Frye as Renfield in the Bela Lugosi Dracula. Mae Clarke played Elizabeth, Dr. Frankenstein's fiancee, in the 1st movie, but the character was played by Valerie Hobson in Bride of Frankenstein.

9/20/2007: 1001Flicks has a review of Frankenstein.