Category: Horror

Val Lewton: The Man in the Shadows (2007) / Z-View

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Val Lewton: The Man in the Shadows (2007)

Director:  Kent Jones

Screenplay: Kent Jones

Stars: Martin Scorsese (narrator), Orson Welles, Val E. Lewton, Roger Corman, Jacques Tourneur, Kiyoshi Kurosawa and Robert Wise.

Tagline:  None.

The Overview:  Beware of spoilers…

Val Lewton began his career as a writer of pulp fiction.  He had two published novels before he took a job at MGM.  There Lewton wrote promotional copy and film novelizations.  Lewton later became publicist and assistant to David Selznick.  Under Selznick, Lewton worked as a story editor and uncredited writer on Gone with the Wind.

In 1942, Val Lewton left MGM to become head of the horror division at RKO studios. He was given carte blanche if he followed three rules: 1) Each film had to be made for $150,000 or less.  2) Each film had to run 75 minutes or less.  3) Lewton’s supervisors at RKO would provide the film titles.  Surprisingly, given these parameters, Lewton made a name for himself by taking control of all other aspects of the films he produced.

Lewton’s first RKO film, Cat People became RKO’s biggest hit of the year.  Lewton developed a friendship with it’s director,  Jacques Tourneur.  They reteamed on two other films (I Walked with a Zombie and The Leopard Man).  Lewton gave Robert Wise (The Curse of the Cat People) and Mark Robson (The Seventh Victim) their first opportunities to direct.  Boris Karloff also appeared in three of Lewton’s films (Isle of the Dead; The body Snatcher and Bedlam). Karloff credited Lewton for helping rejuvenate his career.  Val Lewton always wrote the final draft of the films he produced, but seldom took a writing credit.  In the two cases where he did accept a credit, Lewton used the  pseudonym Carlos Keith (which he also used for some novels).

Val Lewton: The Man in the Shadows focuses on Lewton’s career at RKO and the (mostly horror) films he produced there.  The films were:  Cat People (1942); I Walked with a Zombie (1943); The Leopard Man (1943); The Seventh Victim (1943); The Ghost Ship (1943); The Curse of the Cat People (1944); Mademoiselle Fifi (1944); Youth Runs Wild (1944); The Body Snatcher (1945); Isle of the Dead (1945) and Bedlam (1946).

Val Lewton: The Man in the Shadows earns 3 of 5 stars.

Guillermo del Toro’s Cabinet of Curiosities, Season 1 / Z-View

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Guillermo del Toro’s Cabinet of Curiosities (2022)

Episode 1: “Lot 36”
Director:  Guillermo Navarr
Teleplay:  Regina Corrado and Guillermo del Toro based on the short story by  Guillermo del Toro
Stars: Tim Blake Nelson, Sebastian Roché, Elpidia Carrillo and Lize Johnston

Episode 2: “Graveyard Rats”
Director:  Vincenzo Natali
Teleplay:  Vincenzo Natali based on the short story by  Henry Kuttner
Stars: David Hewlett and Nabeel El Khafif

Episode 3: “The Autopsy”
Director:  David Prior
Teleplay: David S. Goyer based on the short story by  Michael Shea
Stars: F. Murray Abraham, Glynn Turman and Luke Roberts

Episode 4: “The Outside”
Director:  Ana Lily Amirpour
Teleplay:  Haley Z. Boston based on a webcomic by Emily Carroll
Stars: Kate Micucci and Martin Starr

Episode 5: “Pickman’s Model”
Director:  Keith Thomas
Teleplay: Lee Patterson based on the short story by  H. P. Lovecraft
Stars: Ben Barnes and Crispin Glover 

Episode 6: “Dreams in the Witch House”
Director:  Catherine Hardwick
Teleplay:  Mika Watkins based on the short story by H. P. Lovecraft
Stars: Rupert Grint 

Episode 7: “The Vewing”
Director:  Panos Cosmatos
Teleplay: Panos Cosmatos & Aaron Stewart-Ahn
Stars: Peter Weller, Steve Agee, Eric André and Sofia Boutella  

Episode 8: “The Murmuring”
Director:  Jennifer Kent
Teleplay:  Jennifer Ken based on the short story by Guillermo del Toro
Stars: Essie Davis and Andrew Lincoln 

Tagline:  None.

The Overview:  Beware of spoilers…

Guillermo del Toro’s Cabinet of Curiosities is a horror anthology series.  Each episode is a self-contained story introduced by Guillermo del Toro.  I enjoyed all the episodes and each earned 4 of 5 stars.

My favorites were:

1. “The Autopsy”

4 “Lot 36”

5 “The Vewing”

I hope we get a season 2.

Guillermo del Toro’s Cabinet of Curiosities, Season 1 earns 4 of 5 stars.

“Mindcage” starring Martin Lawrence, John Malkovich & Melissa Roxburgh – The Poster and Trailer are Here!

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I like the poster and dig the trailer for Mindcage starring Martin Lawrence, John Malkovich and Melissa Roxburgh.  It took me a second to accept Lawrence in a serious role, but this could work.  What do you think?

In this spellbinding thriller, detectives Jake Doyle (Martin Lawrence) and Mary Kelly (Melissa Roxburgh) seek the help of an incarcerated serial killer named The Artist (John Malkovich) when a copycat killer strikes. While Mary searches for clues in The Artist’s brilliant but twisted psyche, she and Jake are lured into a diabolical game of cat and mouse, racing against time to stay one step ahead of The Artist and his copycat.

Starring Martin Lawrence, Melissa Roxburgh, John Malkovich, Robert Knepper, Jacob Grodnik, and Aiden Turner.

“Troll” – The Poster and Trailer are Here!

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I liked the Troll teaser and am really diggin’ the Troll poster and full trailer.  Deal me in.

When an explosion in the Norwegian mountains awakens an ancient troll, officials appoint a fearless palaeontologist to stop it from wreaking deadly havoc. This fantasy-action film stars Ine Marie Wilmann (“War Sailor”) and was directed by Roar Uthaug (“Tomb Raider” and “The Wave”).

“London After Midnight” & “Curse of the Wolfman” Graphic Novels are Coming in 2023!

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Here’s some cool news for monster movie and comic books fans.  Source Point Press and Chaney Entertainment have teamed to create two new graphic novels for 2023.  The first, London After Midnight is based on the most famous lost film in the world.  Made in 1927, London After Midnight starred Lon Chaney as a vampire!  The second, The Curse of the Wolf Man will be a sequel to The Wolf Man (1941) which starred Lon Chaney, Jr.

Writer, Dirk Manning and artist Marianna Pescosta will be the creative team for London After Midnight.  The Curse of the Wolf Man will be written by Josh Werner with illustrations by Stan Yak and colorist Colin Johnson.  Ron Chaney (Lon Chaney’s great-grandson and CEO of Chaney Enterprises) will be involved with the creative teams. Look for London After Midnight and The Curse of the Wolf Man on Kickstarter in the spring of 2023,

Source: Rue Morgue.

“The Hot Scots” (1948) Starring The Three Stooges / Z-View

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The Hot Scots (1948)

Director:  Edward Bernds

Screenplay:  Elwood Ullman

Stars: Moe Howard, Larry Fine, Shemp Howard, Herbert Evans, Christine McIntyre and Theodore Lorch

Tagline:  Hoot Man! …And Hoot Loud at the Stooges’ maddest funfest!

The Overview:  Beware of spoilers…

After graduation from a correspondence detective school, Larry, Shemp and Moe apply for jobs at Scotland Yard.  They’re hired as janitors.  While cleaning the grounds they get a lead on a rich man who needs guards for his valuables while he is away from his spooky castle.  Little does the man know, but it is his hired staff who plan to rip him off!  The would-be thieves decide to scare the Stooges into leaving and hilarity follows.

In 1954, The Hot Scots was remade as Scotched in Scotland and reused much of the same footage from the original film.

The Hot Scots earns 4 of 5 stars.

BEACH BODIES by Nick Kowlakowski

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Nick Kolakowski has a new novella that was just released.  It’s titled Beach Bodies.  Here’s the synopsis…

This billionaire’s luxury doomsday bunker has everything: spectacular ocean views, a full-service kitchen, three bedrooms, a broadband connection, and concrete thick enough to keep any kind of horror out.

Today, the bunker’s caretakers are about to discover those concrete walls are good—too good—at keeping them trapped with the horrors inside. Twenty feet below the world’s most beautiful beach, they’ll face the ultimate evil—one that transcends death itself.

If you want me, I’ll be in the bunker.

Beach Bodies Paperback

Beach Bodies Kindle

“The Tingler” (1959) Directed by William Castle & Starring Vincent Price / Z-View

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The Tingler (1959)

Director:  William Castle

Screenplay:  Robb White

Stars:  Vincent Price, Judith Evelyn, Darryl Hickman, Philip Coolidge, Gail Bonney and William Castle.

Tagline: Amazing NEW TERROR Device Makes You A Living Participant in the FLESH-CRAWLING ACTION! PERCEPTO!

The Overview:  Beware of spoilers…

Dr. Warren Chapin (Price) discovers that the tingling people feel along their spine during cases of extreme fear is caused by a parasite.  Chapin names this creature “the tingler”.  As a person becomes more afraid, the tingler grows in size and strength ultimately causing the victim to die.  Interestingly enough, if the person screams, the tingler stops growing.  Dr. Chapin decides to conduct experiments on people to learn more about the tingler.  What could possibly go wrong?

Producer/Director William Castle was the king of gimmick films.  The Tingler‘s gimmick was that some seats in theaters were hooked with buzzers set off when the tingler was loose.  The buzzers vibrated seats causing theater goers to scream.  The Tingler also holds the distinction of being the first Hollywood mainstream feature film to depict LSD use.  The Tingler is also famous for being a black and white film that has bright red blood flowing in a sink and a full bathtub while everything else in the scene remained black and white.  If you’re a William Castle fan or low-budget horror movies, you’ll enjoy The Tingler.

The Tingler earns 2 of 5 stars.

“Barbarian” (2022) Written and Directed by Zach Cregger, starring Georgina Campbell, Bill Skarsgård & Justin Long / Z-View

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Barbarian (2022)

Director:  Zach Cregger

Screenplay:  Zach Cregger

Stars:  Georgina Campbell, Bill Skarsgård, Justin Long, Matthew Patrick Davis, Richard Brake, J.R. Esposito, Derek Morse and Zach Cregger.

Tagline:  None.

The Plot…

Tess Marshall (Campbell) arrives late one rainy night to the home she’s rented. Tess is in town for a job interview.  Surprisingly, she finds the house has been double-booked.  The other renter is named Keith (Skarsgård).  After unsuccessfully trying to reach the rental office, Tess decides to get a hotel room.  When she’s unable to find any available, she learns there’s a big convention in town.  Keith suggests that they both stay in the house.  Although a little concerned about Keith at first, Tess feels comfortable enough to stay the night.  Keith takes the couch and Tess the bedroom with the door locked.

The next morning Tess and Keith leave for the day.  Tess is shocked by the condition of the neighborhood.  Every house on the block is deserted and dilapidated.    After her interview, Tess returns to the house.  Keith isn’t back yet.  As Tess is checking out the place, she accidentally locks herself in the basement.  Looking for another way out, Tess discovers a hidden room.  In the room is a dirty, bloody mattress and a camcorder.  Tess is starting to freak out when she hears Keith has returned…

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

Writer-director Zach Cregger intentionally made Barbarian‘s tone feel like two different films.  The first half is “a Fincher movie” while the second is like “a Raimi movie…”.   This creates an interesting juxtaposition.  In the first half of the film, Tess doesn’t trust her instincts enough to leave.  She then makes poor decisions, but for good reasons.  Cregger lets it all play out slowly and as Tess begins to think the situation is okay, we as an audience still have doubts.  When things reach a climax, Cregger breaks away to introduce a character named AJ (Long).

At first this is very disorienting.  Then it becomes clear that AJ’s story ties in to what’s happening with Tess.  In fact, AJ will soon find himself in the same danger as Tess.  When a character is introduced late in a film, he/she is often the hero who will save the day.  Not so, here.

Not only did Cregger change up character expectations, but this is where his filmmaking style changes.  Things move quicker and we’re no longer in a psychological thriller, but a full blown horror movie.  Hats off to Cregger for having faith in himself (and his audience) to make such a move.

Not only is there a disparity in the tone of Tess and AJ’s stories, but their characters as well.  Tess made poor decisions to help another, while AJ makes poor decisions for selfish reasons.  The contrast between the characters as well as the way their stories are shown are as different as, uh, up and down.  ; )

Georgina Campbell is an actress that I hadn’t seen before.  She’s excellent.  I’ll be watching for her in the future. Bill Skarsgård hits all the right notes.  Is he the nice guy he wants us to believe or is he a monster who has Tess fooled?  Justin Long plays against type and does it well.  The real star of the show is writer/director Zach Cregger,  Barbarian is his first feature and he executed it with style.  I’m excited to see Cregger’s plans for his next film.

Oh, and if you think you’ve figured out how the movie plays out from this review… you haven’t.

Barbarian earns 4 of 5 stars.

“King of the Zombies” (1941) Starring Mantan Moreland & Dick Purcell / Z-View

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King of the Zombies (1941)

Director:  Jean Yarbrough

Screenplay:  Edmond Kelso

Stars:  Dick Purcell, Joan Woodbury,  Mantan Moreland, Henry Victor, John Archer and Marguerite Whitten. 

Tagline:  HUMAN SACRIFICES! SAVAGE TORTURE! VOODOO RITES!

The Overview:  Beware of spoilers…

1941.  World War II is raging across Europe.  James “Mac” McCarthy (Purcell) is flying his small plane from Cuba.  With McCarthy is his valet, Jeff Jackson (Moreland) and his buddy, Bill Summers (Archer).  A terrible storm blows them off course.  Running low on fuel, they pick up a transmission in a foreign language.  They spot a small island and although banged up, survive a crash landing.

Dr. Miklos Sangre (Victor) lives on the island with his wife, Alyce (Stacey), and his many servants.  Sangre invites Mac, Jeff and Bill into his mansion.  Sangre shows Mac and Bill respect, but Jeff is treated like one of the servants.  Jeff quickly picks up that something is off with Dr. Sangre. There are strange things taking place on the island.  Will Jeff be able to convince Mac and Bill?  And if they do believe Jeff will it be too late?

King of the Zombies was originally conceived as a straight up horror film.  Bela Lugosi was announced to star.  With the success of Bob Hope’s The Ghost Breakers, King of the Zombies was re-written as a comedy.  Mantan Moreland’s character was added.  The producers were unable to get Lugosi.  Their second choice was Peter Lore.  He was also unavailable, so they went with Henry Victor.  Victor is excellent as the creepy foreign agent.

The real star of King of the Zombies is Mantan Moreland.  He is excellent as the scared, but perceptive sidekick (who steals the show).  Marguerite Whitten who appeared with Moreland in Mr. Washington Goes to Town and Lucky Ghost, is a welcome addition as a source of information and Mantan’s love interest.  Madame Sul-Te-Wan makes a believable voodoo priestess.

King of the Zombies is a low budget “B” picture that is heads and shoulders above most of the same type films of this era.  If you’re a fan of the genre, you should enjoy King of the Zombies.

King of the Zombies earns 4 of 5 stars.

“The Abominable Dr. Phibes” Alt. Poster by John Dunn!

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Once a week Joblo.com posts Awesome Art We’ve Found Around the Net.  As you can imagine, they post awesome art that they, well, you get the idea.

I always enjoy seeing what JoBlo has found because with each post they list the artist’s name and a link to more of his/her art.  If you check it out you’ll discover amazing artists like John Dunn who did The Abominable Dr. Phibes piece above. I actually like Dunn’s poster better than the movie!

“Hot Water” (1924) Starring Harold Lloyd / Z-View

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Hot Water (1924)

Director:  Fred C. Newmeyer, Sam Taylor

Screenplay:  Thomas J. Gray, Sam Taylor, Tim Whelan, John Grey

Stars:  Harold Lloyd, Jobyna Ralston, Josephine Crowell, Charles Stevenson and Mickey McBan. 

Tagline:  A cyclonic comedy of newlyweds and meddling relatives!

The Overview:  Beware of spoilers…

Hubby (Lloyd) is a confirmed bachelor who cannot understand someone wanting to get married.  In his dash to get to a wedding on time, Hubby knocks down a woman (Ralston).  As he helps her to her feet, their eyes meet… and the next thing you know they’re married.  What follows are three vignettes of Hubby’s married life.

As Hubby heads home from work, Wifey asks him to pick up a “few” things from the store. While at the store Hubby wins a live turkey.  Hubby has a tough time making it to the trolley and home with more groceries than he can carry and a live turkey!

When Hubby’s mother-in-law, brother-in-law and nephew show up unexpectedly, Hubby decides to take them for a ride in his new car.  Runs-ins with other autos and the police are just part of the fun.

The third episode involves his sleepwalking mother-in-law, a potential murder and possible ghosts!

The segments were hit and miss for me.  I liked the third episode the best.

Hot Water earns 2 of 5 stars.

“Invisible Ghost” (1941) Starring Bela Lugosi / Z-View

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Invisible Ghost (1941)

Director:  Joseph H. Lewis

Screenplay:  Al Martin, Helen Martin

Stars:  Bela Lugosi, Polly Ann Young, John McGuire and Clarence Muse, Laurence Criner and Emil Van Horn

Tagline:  THE PHANTOM KILLER STRIKES! Only a terrified woman knows the secret of this ghostly murderer…who strikes in the night and leaves no clues—but his victims!

The Overview:  Beware of spoilers…

Dr. Charles Kessler (Lugosi) hasn’t been the same since his wife left him several years ago.  Kessler hasn’t seen or heard from her since.  His grown daughter, Virginia (Young) and Evans (Muse) their butler accommodate Dr. Kessler’s  eccentricities.  When one of the Kessler’s servants is killed, Virginia’s fiancée Ralph Dickson (McGuire) is arrested, tried, sentenced to death and executed in the electric chair!

Soon Ralph’s twin brother, Paul shows up.  He doesn’t believe that Ralph could have committed the murder… but if  Ralph didn’t, who did?  As Paul, Dr. Kessler and Virginia follow the clues, they get closer to the unbelievable truth that could get them all killed!

Surprisingly, Invisible Ghost features no one that’s invisible and not a single ghost.  Perhaps the title is evidence to how much thought was put into the story.  Bela Lugosi deserved better… and so did poor Ralph.

Invisible Ghost earns 2 of 5 stars.

“Firestarter” (2022) / Z-View

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Firestarter (2022)

Director:  Keith Thomas

Screenplay:  Scott Teems based on Firestarter by Stephen King

Stars: Zac Efron, Ryan Kiera Armstrong, Sydney Lemmon, Michael Greyeyes, Gloria Reuben, Kurtwood Smith and John Beasley

Tagline:  None.

The Overview:  Beware of spoilers…

Andy McGee (Efron), his wife Vicky (Lemmon) and their daughter Charlie (Armstrong) are living off the grid.  Andy and Vicky were part of an experimental drug test conducted by a secret government organization.  Andy gained telepathic powers, and Vicky developed telekinesis. Charlie was born with the ability to cause objects to burst into flame. Her ability is becoming more powerful and Charlie hasn’t yet learned to control it.  The organization is looking for them to take advantage of their powers.

When Charlie is bullied at school, she runs to the bathroom in an attempt to control the fire she feels coming.  Her rage at being picked on causes a flame burst that school officials think was a small explosion set off by Charlie.  This incident brings Charlie and her family to the attention of the secret government agency.  They send Rainbird (Greyeyes), to bring back the girl even if it means killing her parents.  Things are about to heat up…

Firestarter (2022) doesn’t hold a candle to the 1984 version.  Before Andy uses his telepathic powers he does an exaggerated neck crack which just comes off as silly.  Charlie is made less sympathetic when she accidentally unleashes her fire burst and roasts a cat.  We see the cat badly burned and then Charlie is told to put it out of it’s misery, so she lights the cat up again.  We hear a final cry from the cat.  Charlie accidentally sets her mom on fire and then later tells her dad, “I meant it to be you.”  The movie ends — big spoiler alert — with Charlie willingly going off with Rainbird, the man who brutally killed her mother, captured her father which lead to his death, and forced Charlie to kill many folks who worked for the organization.

Usually movies I watch all the way through earn at least a two star rating.  Sadly, Firestarter (2022) doesn’t.

Firestarter earns 1 of 5 stars.