2009 Halloween Fugue Fest Post # 3

So here’s the rest of my last minute horror marathon.  There is no way this is going to be as wordy as my first fugue fest post. I’ll manage a few comments as I go.

My little festival seems to have been swirling around past icons like Price, Lee, & Cushing. They had a charismatic power that seems lacking in the usual suspects of horror these days. Inbred rednecks, zombies, and masked killers are how we like our madmen now. I miss that old spectre of sophisticated malignance. I mean The Pit and The Pendulum is carried on Price’s satin shoulders and Corman’s 60s savvy gothic camera.

Though I was slow to recognize how great he was, I know now that Paul Naschy is probably the last old school horror icon we have left. And he will probably be obscure forever simply because of his pure dedication to horror of the past. Not that he is not savvy to the rhythms of his prime era, the 70s. Spanish horror of that era has always felt like the film equivalent of 70s marvel horror comics but with that regional flavor. Horror Rises From The Tomb has an atmosphere that can overcome any shortcomings. Well unless you have problems with resurrected warlocks and half naked spanish starlets.  It seems almost (heh) innocent to modern sensibilities.

The final film of my little horror soiree was Anguish. It was not intended to be the last film.  It is a tribute to a type of film that in this day would be impossible to do. With the spoiler infested info-sphere we live in these days, its secrets are a click away.  While there are good performances from Michael Lerner and Zelda Rubenstein, this is a movie strangely without a central performance to hold it together. It is an enjoyable film but certainly anticlimactic after all these villain driven vehicles that I managed to cram into the last hours of Halloween. Stay tuned !

2009 Halloween Fugue Fest Post # 2

For brevity’s sake, here’s some pictures linking to items concerning the next two films in my fest, 1966’s Kill Baby Kill and 1973’s Horror Express. Enjoy the search, give into your sense of the fugue..

The third and final post in the HFF will be coming soon in the next few days.

2009 Halloween Fugue Fest ! Post # 1

Hope you didn’t think we were done with Halloween! Like all good horror fans, TSFI is ensconced in horror movie marathon. So here’s what has been watched so far…. Do I have to mention here there be discreet linkage? Be sure to explore. If you haven’t been during the 31 posts blog to Halloween, there are many treats hidden there.

Instead of going for the obvious Hammer Horror choices like The Horror of Dracula, I tried to mix it up a little.

Though I was fascinated by Christopher Lee’s feral agressive sexualized Dracula as a teen, I find myself becoming drawn more and more to Peter Cushing’s amoral deluded Doctor Frankenstein as I get older. The evil that he represents in the Frankenstein cycle of films is so much more real. Well, in a pulpy over the top way. But in the colorful atmosphere of Hammer Films that’s close enough for me.

Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed, the 5th film in the cycle, takes the spirit of the original novel and runs it through the early 70s shock combine. In alot of ways this is one is pretty gruesome and, in one scene, sleazy.  Cushing pretty much dominates this cast, though George Pravda’s portrayal as Dr. Brandt is memorable as well.  Veronica Carlson’s turn as the gothic horror honey of the piece is merely okay.  A good start to the fest.

How was I to know I was going to be doing a Veronica Carlson double feature?  Dracula Has Risen from The Grave was a surprise in several ways. It actually has continuity with previous installments in a clever way. The prologue  fits around the time of The Horror of Dracula and the movie starts proper around the time following  Dracula Prince of Darkness. While not having Van Helsing or vampire hunting monks, it has a decent cast of supporting characters.  I enjoyed the turns of Ewan Hooper as the tormented priest and Michael Ripper as tavern owner Max.  Just wish I could get the appeal of Barry Andrews. Not that he’s bad just compared to Lee’s Dracula, he’s a really trivial hero. That said, he’s sudden conversion from atheist to true believer is handled pretty succinctly in this most overtly religious of the Dracula cycle.  Some obvious plotting flubs keep this from being my favorite but it had that flavor I crave!

Then the fest jumped from Hammer to 1953’s House of Wax.  What can I say?  It is a movie that seems to bridge two eras of horror.  Vincent Price is great as usual. But the more I watch this one, I am more freaked out by Carolyn Jones’s portrayal of Sue’s friend. Did people like her really exist? Yes it is a campy movie but there are many effective bits. I really enjoy the bit when Professor Jerrod is giving the tour of the museum. And the chase through the rainy fog shrouded streets. And the elevator murder. And the part where Professor Jerrod…uh…loses face with Sue. I wish there were more horror villains like Professor Jerrod than Jason.  I mean there is always room for one more knife wielding psychotic but could we get some classy monsters too?

Due to Tim Lucas’s awesome commentary on the latest  DVD of Baron Blood,  House of Wax lead me to this Bava shocker.  Baron Blood is not the best Bava but damn it sure finds its way back to the player a lot. It sends my brain back to a time when late night was ruled by horror films and not info-mercials. The atmosphere is mesmerizing. I also enjoy the way that Bava uses the Baron Blood character to make commentary on his obsessions. Very meta for its time. While it does resound in proximity to House of Wax, it seems more personal.  Before I start to babble..Here’s to shutting up!

Not to be confused with….

Okay that’s it for now. This fest will end sometime tomorrow as the world stumbles through All Saint’s Day like the undead! Don’t forget to set your clocks back!

31 Posts to Halloween 2 – Post # 31: Your Own Ghost

31 Posts to Halloween 2 – Post # 30: The Last Horror Icon

31 Posts to Halloween 2 – Post # 29: Horror Roma

31 Posts to Halloween 2 – Post # 28: Sir Christopher, King Fisher, & The Count

You can keep your sparkling emo vampires, I’ll take 1958’s The Horror of Dracula. This is a childhood favorite. Here’s some related video. Enjoy!

31 Posts to Halloween 2 – Post # 27: 80s Devil House

31 Posts to Halloween 2 – Post # 26: A Hoax in Amityville

31 Posts to Halloween 2 – Post # 25: Ghost House USA?