Category: Horror

Rare “Son of Frankenstein” Make-Up Test Video with Boris Karloff & Jack Pierce!

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During a 1939 Son of Frankenstein color test, Boris Karloff clowns in full monster gear, strangling legendary makeup artist Jack Pierce.

According to the documentary Universal Horror (1998), Son of Frankenstein was intended to be shot in color and some Technicolor test footage was filmed, but for artistic or budgetary reasons the plan was abandoned.

No color test footage is known to survive, but this rare clip from a Kodachrome color home movie filmed at the studio shows Boris Karloff in the green monster makeup, clowning around with makeup artist Jack Pierce (Janus Piccoula).

Bird Box: Barcelona (2023) written & directed by Álex Pastor & David Pastor / Z-View

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Bird Box: Barcelona (2023)

Director: Álex Pastor, David Pastor

Screenplay by: Álex Pastor, David Pastor based on BIRD BOX  by Josh Malerman

Starring: Mario Casas, Georgina Campbell.

Tagline: Fear the ones who see.

The Story:

An unexplained, unknown entity has wiped out the majority of the world’s population.  Most people who see it are compelled to quickly commit suicide, often by brutal means.  A few who look upon it, react differently.  Instead of killing themselves, these “seers” look to harm others.

The people who have survived have done so by covering their eyes when outside.  Although that method isn’t always effective, it provides the best chance to live.  Dangers are everywhere.  Not only from the entities, but also from the seers and normal people just fighting to survive.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers) 

I almost quit Bird Box: Barcelona early on.  A character did some things that seemed so out of character and stupid that I was ready to bail.  I’m glad I didn’t.  The actions were part of a twist that I didn’t see coming.  That twist (which I won’t give away) made Bird Box: Barcelona a nice advancement to the Bird Box universe.

If you liked Bird Box, you should enjoy Bird Box: Barcelona.

“Monster on the Campus” (1958) / Z-View

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Monster on the Campus (1958)

Director: Jack Arnold

Screenplay by: David Duncan

Starring: Arthur Franz, Joanna Moore, Joanna Moore, Troy Donahue, Phil Harvey, Helen Westcott, Helen Westcott, Whit Bissell, Ross Elliott, and Eddie Parker.

Tagline: Co-ed beauty captive of man-monster! Campus terror! Students victims of terror-beast!

The Story:

Professor Donald Blake (Franz) accidently cuts himself on the teeth of a well-preserved million-year-old fish fossil. Right after, while putting the fossil away, his injured hand dips into the water holding the specimen.  Later Blake learns the fossil had been preserved using gamma rays.

That evening a woman is savagely attacked.  Her corpse is found hanging from a tree.  Professor Blake is found barely conscious on the ground nearby.  He has no memory of what happened.  When the police find a huge deformed handprint they believe it to be the killer’s.  While the police begin a hunt for the monster, Professor Blake worries that he is devolving into a creature from the past.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)

At the start of the movie on a shelf in Professor Blake’s lab is a series of molds showing the evolution of man’s face.  The very first mold looks a lot like The Creature from the Black Lagoon.  Jack Arnold, who directed Monster On the Campus, also helmed The Creature from the Black Lagoon.

Jack Arnold was the go-to director for horror/sci-fi movies in the 1950s.  He helmed It Came from Outer Space; The Creature from the Black Lagoon; Revenge of the Creature; This Island Earth; Tarantula; The Incredible Shrinking Man; The Space Children and Monster on the Campus.

Monster on the Campus was Troy Donahue’s last film for Universal.  The following year he signed a contract at Warner Bros. and soon became a top name star.

“GyeongSeong Creature” – The Poster and Two Trailers are Here!

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I wasn’t aware of GyeongSeong Creature until just now when I saw the poster and two trailers.  Sounds and looks like it could be a winner.  Since GyeongSeong Creature is going to be on Netflix, checking it out will be a no-brainer.  Deal me in.

Spring of 1945
All suspicions led to a hospital in Gyeongseong where there were humans and creatures.
Gyeongseong Creature Part 1 | December 22, only on Netflix


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“Day Zero” (2022) starring Brandon Vera / Z-View

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Day Zero (2022)

Director: Joey De Guzman

Screenplay by: Ays De Guzman

Starring: Brandon Vera, Pepe Herrera, Mary Jean Lastimosa.

Tagline: When the dead rise, humanity falls.

The Story:

As a zombie virus spreads like wildfire, Emon (Vera) fights to get home to his wife and child.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)

Brandon Vera is a former MMA fighter.  He has the potential to become a better known action star.

Day Zero is low budget zombie film.  It also had potential.  Pepe Herrera was Vera’s comic relief sidekick.  Thankfully, the comedy wasn’t over the top.  As Vera and Herrera fought their way to save Vera’s family the action became to repetitive.  I taped out after 43 minutes.

ALFRED HITCHCOCK STORYBOARDS by Tony Lee Moral

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ALFRED HITCHCOCK STORYBOARDS by Tony Lee Moral will appeal to Hitchcock fans and movie lovers.

A one-of-a-kind historical document and celebration of the artwork behind several of the Master of Suspense’s greatest films.

This stunning coffee table book focuses on the storyboards for nine of Alfred Hitchcock’s classic movies – Vertigo, The Birds, Psycho, North by Northwest, The 39 Steps, Torn Curtain, Marnie, Shadow of a Doubt and Spellbound. It includes never before-published images and incisive text putting the material in context and examining the role the pieces played in some of the most unforgettable scenes in cinema. Hitchcock author and aficionado Tony Lee Moral takes you through the last 100 years of cinema, with the Master of Suspense as your guide.

ALFRED HITCHCOCK STORYBOARDS drops February 6, 2024.

CHASING THE BOOGEYMAN (A Novel) by Richard Chizmar

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CHASING THE BOOGEYMAN (A Novel) by Richard Chizmar

First sentence…

When I first started clipping newspaper articles and jotting down notes about the tragic events that transpired in my hometown of Edgewood, Maryland, during the summer and autumn of 1988, I had no thoughts of one day turning those scattered observations into a full-length book.

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

Richard Chizmar just graduated college.  He’s making plans to marry his girlfriend.  He dreams of being a writer.  The only negative is that Richard will have to live with his parents for some months until he’s married.  Still, going back to the house he grew up in will provide time to strengthen family bonds and rekindle old friendships.  At least that’s how Richard thought things would be.

That all changes when mutilated bodies of dead girls begin showing up.  When Richard arrives home, there’s a curfew in effect.  Everyone in his small town is jumpy.  The F.B.I. has assisted local police, but there have been no solid leads.  Because of the way the murderer butchers and eludes detection, rumors are flying that the killer isn’t human.  When Richard learns that he knew one of the victims, his writer’s curiosity causes him to dig into the case.  The killer begins taunting the police, the FBI and Richard.  That’s when Richard realizes he has put himself and his family in danger.

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Richard Chizmar has written a novel that reads like a true crime story.  In addition to placing himself in the story, Chizmar provides maps, newspaper photos, and more in regard to the case. You may find yourself double checking to make sure it is fiction.

Often true crime tales read like procedurals. Not this baby.  It reads like one of the best true crime stories you could ask for. But remember, it’s fiction.

Rating:

“The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live” starring Danai Gurira & Andrew Lincoln – The Teaser Trailer is Here!

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I hate that Rick was gone for years from The Walking Dead, but I am looking forward to The Ones Who Live.

Danai Gurira (Michonne Hawthorne) and Andrew Lincoln (Rick Grimes) reveal what’s in store for the return of these two iconic characters. Don’t miss the series premiere of The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live February 25th on AMC and AMC+.

“Island of Lost Souls” (1932) starring Charles Laughton, Bela Lugosi, Richard Arlen & Kathleen Burke / Z-View

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Island of Lost Souls (1932)

Director: Erle C. Kenton

Screenplay by: Waldemar Young, Philip Wylie based on THE ISLAND OF DR. MOREAU by H. G. Wells

Starring: Charles Laughton, Bela Lugosi, Richard Arlen, Leila Hyams, Kathleen Burke, Arthur Hohl, Stanley Fields, Paul Hurst.

Tagline: THE PANTHER WOMAN lured men on – only to destroy them body and soul!

The Story:

After a dispute with a supply ship’s drunken Captain, Edward Parker (Arlen), is left stranded on the remote jungle island of Dr. Moreau (Laughton). Moreau welcomes Parker to his home.  Parker thanks him for the hospitality and says he will leave on the next supply ship.  Parker is warned that many wild creatures live on the island.  He is then introduced to Lota (Burke) and Montgomery (Hohl), Moreau’s assistant.

Later as Lota and Edward are talking they hear terrible screams coming from Dr. Moreau’s lab.  Lota tells Edward the lab is called “the house of pain”.  Edward bursts in to find Moreau and Montgomery operating without anesthesia on some sort of human-animal hybrid.

Edward decides to take a small boat and leave.  As he walks from the safety of the house, Edward sees dozens of half-human beasts coming towards him.  Dr. Moreau shows up with his whip and drives them back into the jungle.  Moreau explains that the creatures are results of his failed experiments to turn animals into humans.

Edward is trapped on the island with the crazy Dr. Moreau and his assistant Montgomery.  As the jungle creatures get more daring, Edward knows that time for survival is running out.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)

Paramount decided the role of Lota the Panther Woman would go to an unknown actress.  Kathleen Burke, a fashion model and radio actress who had never appeared in a feature film, won the role beating out 60,000 hopefuls.  The opening credits read Lota…. the Panther Woman, but the final credits list Kathleen Burke by name.  It’s interesting to note that Lota does not appear in H.G. Wells’ novel.

Island of Lost Souls (1932) was made before the Hays Code, which prohibited profanity, suggestive nudity, graphic or realistic violence, sexual persuasions and rape, went into effect.  Subsequently, the movie was censored in many countries and re-releases.

H.G. Wells reportedly felt that the film focused on horror at the expense of the “novel’s philosophical themes”.

“The Wolfman” (2010) starring: Benicio Del Toro, Anthony Hopkins, Emily Blunt & Hugo Weaving / Z-View

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The Wolfman (2010)

Director: Joe Johnston

Written by: Andrew Kevin Walker, David Self based on The Wolf Man by Curt Siodmak

Starring: Benicio Del Toro, Anthony Hopkins, Emily Blunt, Hugo Weaving, Art Malik, David Schofield, Roger Frost, Geraldine Chaplin, Rick Baker and Clive Russell.

Tagline:  The legend is alive.

The Story:

The year is 1891.  Lawrence Talbot (Del Toro), the famous actor, received word that his brother has disappeared.  By the time Lawrence arrives at the family estate, his brother’s mutilated body has been found in the woods.

Some townsfolk believe that a wild animal did the deed.  Others blame a group of gypsies that have moved into the area.  A few believe that a werewolf has returned.  When Lawrence visits the gypsy camp, a wild animal attacks killing several people and badly wounding Lawrence.

When Lawrence makes a unnatural recovery from wounds that should have been fatal, people believe that he was bitten by a werewolf.  Anyone who survives such a bite, becomes a wolfman when the moon is full.  Now Lawrence is marked for death.  They believe he will turn into a werewolf at the coming full moon.

The truth is  much worse.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)

The Wolfman won Rick Baker and Dave Elsey the 2011 Academy Award for Best Achievement in Makeup.  Their werewolf design looked like a cross between the monsters in The Wolf Man (1941) and Curse of the Werewolf (1961).

Benicio Del Toro and Emily Blunt would reteam five years later for Sicario.  I’m a fan of both.  Kudos also to Hugo Weaving for his performance as Inspector Francis Aberline.

Danny Elfman did the score.  When the film was recut for release, Elfman was already at work on another movie and couldn’t return to adjust his music.  Ultimately other composers were brought in to reshape Elfman’s work.

The Wolfman has an excellent cast.  Rick Baker created a great looking werewolf.  I wish Art Malik, as Singh, got more to do.  He was an interesting character.  You can never go wrong with Del Toro and Blunt.  Getting Hopkins was a bonus.

“The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon” – Season 1 (2023) starring Norman Reedus / Z-View

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The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon – Season 1 (2023)

Created by: David Zabel

Director:  Daniel Percival (Eps.1 – 2, 5 – 6); Tim Southam (Eps. 3 – 4)

Teleplay by:  David Zabel (Ep. 1); Jason Richman & David Zabel (Ep. 2, 5); Coline Abert (Ep. 3); Shannon Goss (Ep. 4); Dani Parker (Ep. 5); Jason Richman & Laura Snow (Ep. 6)

Starring:  Norman Reedus, Clémence Poésy, Louis Puech Scigliuzzi, Blanc-Francard, Anne Charrier, Romain Levi, Adam Nagaitis, Eriq Ebouaney, Dominique Pinon and Melissa McBride.

Tagline: Hope is not lost.

The Plot: 

Daryl Dixon finds himself in France when he wakes up on a deserted beach.  How he got there will become clear as the season progresses.  His goal is to get back home.  Unable to speak the language and with no one he can contact for help, Daryl begins his journey.

Daryl is injured after encounters with a walker with corrosive blood and killers who are part of a paramilitary group.  When Daryl comes across a fortress held by nuns, he is given aide.  There Daryl meets Sister Isabelle (Poésy) and a young boy named Laurent (Scigliuzzi).  The nuns and others throughout France have heard of Laurent.  Many, for reasons that will become clear, believe that Laurent will be the savior of humanity.  He will lead France to a new golden age.  Sister Isabelle tells Daryl that it was prophesied that a warrior would come who would safely take Laurent to Paris where followers await.

Daryl ain’t buying it.

But when Sister Isabelle promises that she has people in Paris who could help Daryl get back to America, he agrees. Cue the walkers.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)

It’s neat seeing Daryl as a stranger in a strange land.  It is cool how quickly people/groups came to realize how dangerous/resourceful Daryl is.

I like the idea of the nun with a past and how she is working to receive redemption.  I also got a kick out of what became of the man she left behind.

Seeing zombies we are familiar with as well as new “strains” of zombies is something that needs to continue in small doses.  I like the “explanation” for the new fast and strong walkers.

Except for Norman Reedus, (and a cameo by Melissa McBride) all of the actors/actresses were new to me except for one.  I couldn’t figure out where I’d seen him before.  So I looked up Dominique Pinon.  He was Vriess in Alien: Resurrection!

The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon – Season 1 features some of the best Walking Dead episodes in recent memory.  Bring on Season 2.