Classic Horror - Wednesdays in October
| Classic Horror - Wednesdays in October
Once again, in the month culminating with Halloween, TCM offers up a spooktacular scarefest of fright films, showcasing some of the genre's great actors, themes and studios-including Universal, the film company most closely associated with classic horror. TCM PRIMETIME - WHAT'S ON TONIGHT: CLASSIC HORROR
C- 86 min horror Raven, The (1963)
9:45 PM 61 min horror Murders in the Rue Morgue (1932)
D: Robert Florey. Bela Lugosi, Sidney Fox, Leon Waycoff (Ames), Bert Roach, Noble Johnson, Brandon Hurst, Arlene Francis. Expressionistic horror film based on Poe story, with Lugosi as fiendish Dr. Mirakle, with eyes on lovely Fox as the bride of his pet ape in 1845 Paris. Considered strong stuff back then. John Huston was one of the writers. Remade as PHANTOM OF THE RUE MORGUE, and twice more (once for TV in 1986) under original title. 65 min horror Black Cat, The (1934)
D: Edgar Ulmer. Karloff (Boris Karloff), Bela Lugosi, David Manners, Jacqueline Wells (Julie Bishop), Lucille Lund, Henry Armetta, Harry Cording. Polished horror film with bizarre sets, even more bizarre plot. Confrontation of architect/devil-worshiper Karloff and doctor Lugosi is still fascinating. The first of Boris and Bela's many teamings. Look fast for John Carradine as an organist at Satanic Mass. Film bears absolutely no resemblance to eponymous Edgar Allan Poe tale. 70 min horror Fall Of The House Of Usher, The (1949)
20 min TELL-TALE HEART (1941)
C- 121 min horror Spirits of the Dead (1969)
63 min horror Dead Men Walk (1943)
D: Sam Newfield. George Zucco, Mary Carlisle, Nedrick Young, Dwight Frye, Fern Emmett. Zucco plays brothers, one good, one evil, in this standard low-budget vampire tale--but it's hard to dismiss any film with Dwight Frye as a maniacal assistant. Saturday, October 27, 2012
71 min horror Macabre (1958)
D: William Castle. William Prince, Jim Backus, Christine White, Jacqueline Scott. Weird goings-on in small town where doctor's young daughter mysteriously vanishes--and an anonymous phone caller announces that the child has been buried alive. Film promises much, delivers little. Famous for Castle's gimmick of handing out policies insuring moviegoers for $1,000 against death by fright. 78 min horror Devil Doll, The (1936) A Devil's Island escapee shrinks murderous slaves and sells them to his victims as dolls. D: Tod Browning. Lionel Barrymore, Maureen O'Sullivan, Frank Lawton, Robert Greig, Lucy Beaumont, Henry B. Walthall, Grace Ford, Rafaela Ottiano. Very entertaining yarn of Devil's Island escapee Barrymore shrinking humans to doll size to carry out nefarious schemes. Coscripted by Erich von Stroheim. 7:30 AM 79 min horror Bedlam (1946)
D: Mark Robson. Boris Karloff, Anna Lee, Ian Wolfe, Richard Fraser, Billy House, Jason Robards, Sr. Atmospheric chiller of courageous Lee trying to expose shameful conditions at notorious 18th-century London insane asylum run by corrupt head Karloff. Producer Val Lewton also coscripted under pseudonym Carlos Keith. Robert Clarke appears unbilled. 73 min suspense Cat People (1942)
D: Jacques Tourneur. Simone Simon, Kent Smith, Tom Conway, Jack Holt, Jane Randolph. Storyline and plot elements don't hold up, but moments of shock and terror are undiminished in the first of producer Val Lewton's famous horror films. Smith falls in love with strange, shy woman (Simon) who fears ancient curse of the panther inside her. Followed by THE CURSE OF THE CAT PEOPLE. Remade in 1982. C- 90 min horror Dracula, Prince of Darkness (1966)
C- 92 min horror Dracula Has Risen From the Grave (1969)
2:00 PM C- 58 min documentary Night at the Movies, A: The Horrors of Stephen King (2011)
3:15 PM 77 min horror Village Of The Damned (1960)
4:45 PM C- 88 min horror House Of Wax (1953)
D: Andre de Toth. Vincent Price, Frank Lovejoy, Phyllis Kirk, Paul Picerni, Carolyn Jones, Paul Cavanagh, Charles Buchinsky (Bronson). Remake of MYSTERY OF THE WAX MUSEUM stars Price as vengeful sculptor who rebuilds his fire-destroyed showplace by using human victims as wax figures. Jones excellent as an early victim. Most popular of the era's 3-D films, a status it retains today. This is the film that launched Price on his horror film cycle after 15 years of "straight'' roles. Love that paddleball man! C- 87 min suspense Hound Of The Baskervilles, The (1959)
D: Terence Fisher. Peter Cushing, Christopher Lee, Andre Morell, Maria Landi, Miles Malleson, John LeMesurier. Cushing is well cast as Sherlock Holmes and Lee is fine as Sir Henry Baskerville in this atmospheric Hammer Films adaptation of the Conan Doyle classic. TCM PRIMETIME - WHAT'S ON TONIGHT: THE ESSENTIALS: MIND GAMES 8:00 PM 116 min suspense Diabolique (1955)
D: Henri-Georges Clouzot. Simone Signoret, Vera Clouzot, Paul Meurisse, Charles Vanel, Michel Serrault. Tyrannical school- master (Meurisse) is bumped off by his long-suffering wife (Clouzot) and mistress (Signoret). Classic chiller builds slowly, surely to final quarter hour that will drive you right up the wall. A must. Older American prints run 107m. Aka LES DIABOLIQUES; remade for U.S. TV as REFLECTIONS OF MURDER (1974) and HOUSE OF SECRETS (1993), and for theaters in 1996. Rereleased theatrically in 1994 with 9m. of footage edited out of original U.S. theatrical version. C- 100 min horror Games (1967)
12:00 AM C- 101 min horror What's The Matter With Helen? (1971)
77 min suspense I Bury The Living (1958)
D: Albert Band. Richard Boone, Theodore Bikel, Peggy Maurer, Herbert Anderson. Crisp little chiller about cemetery manager who finds he may have power of life and death by sticking white (or black) pins into a map of the graveyard. 75 min horror Tormented (1960)
D: Bert I. Gordon. Richard Carlson, Juli Reding, Susan Gordon, Lugene Sanders, Joe Turkel, Lillian Adams. Low-budget hogwash of guilt-ridden pianist dubious over his forthcoming marriage to society woman. Weak ghost story. 82 min suspense Witness To Murder (1954)
D: Roy Rowland. Barbara Stanwyck, George Sanders, Gary Merrill, Jesse White, Claude Akins. Stanwyck sees ex-Nazi neighbor Sanders strangle a woman, but can't convince detective Merrill. However, Sanders believes her.... Unconvincing and rather shrill, but suspenseful and well acted, with striking photography (by John Alton). Sunday, October 28, 2012
83 min horror 20 Million Miles To Earth (1957)
D: Nathan Juran. William Hopper, Joan Taylor, Frank Puglia, Thomas Browne Henry, John Zaremba, Tito Vuolo, Bart Bradley (Braverman). First spaceship to Venus crashes into the sea off Sicily, with two survivors: pilot Hopper and a fast-growing Venusian monster that just wants to be left alone (but fights back when frightened). Climax takes place in the Colosseum in Rome. Intelligent script, fast pace, and exceptional special effects by Ray Harryhausen make this one of the best monster-on-the-loose movies ever. Unnamed monster is known as "the Ymir'' to its fans. 84 min horror Earth Vs. The Flying Saucers (1956)
D: Fred F. Sears. Hugh Marlowe, Joan Taylor, Donald Curtis, Morris Ankrum, Tom Browne Henry; voice of Paul Frees. Matter-of-fact presentation gives tremendous boost to familiar storyline (alien invaders order us to surrender peaceably--or else). Literate dialogue, subdued performances, and solid Ray Harryhausen effects make this a winner that belies its B origins nearly every step of the way. C- 103 min horror First Men in the Moon (1964)
1:00 AM 90 min silent Phantom of the Opera, The (1925)
D: Rupert Julian. Lon Chaney, Mary Philbin, Norman Kerry, Snitz Edwards, Gibson Gowland. Classic melodrama with Chaney as the vengeful composer who lives in the catacombs under the Paris Opera House and kidnaps young Philbin as his singing protegee. Famous unmasking scene still packs a jolt, and the Bal Masque is especially impressive in two-color Technicolor. One of Chaney's finest hours. Most prints are of the 1929 reissue version, but the original is available on DVD; running times vary. Remade several times, and transformed into a Broadway musical.
50 min silent Unknown, The (1927)
D: Tod Browning. Lon Chaney, Joan Crawford, Norman Kerry, Nick De Ruiz, John George. Wild and wooly silent Chaney chiller about a criminal on the lam who hides out in a gypsy circus and pretends he has no arms. Ultra-creepy, even by Browning's bizarre standards, with an unforgettable finale. 62 min horror Freaks (1932)
D: Tod Browning. Wallace Ford, Olga Baclanova, Leila Hyams, Harry Earles, Roscoe Ates, Johnny Eck, Daisy and Violet Hilton, Prince Randian, Zip and Pip, Schlitze. A unique movie about a traveling sideshow and the camaraderie of its unusual performers, goaded to vengeance by cruel trapeze star Baclanova. Horror-film master Tod Browning gathered an incredible cast of real-life sideshow freaks for this bizarre and fascinating film. Severely cut in U.S. during release and banned in the U.K. for 30 years, some reissue prints are missing brief epilogue; aka NATURE'S MISTAKES. 79 min horror Bedlam (1946)
D: Mark Robson. Boris Karloff, Anna Lee, Ian Wolfe, Richard Fraser, Billy House, Jason Robards, Sr. Atmospheric chiller of courageous Lee trying to expose shameful conditions at notorious 18th-century London insane asylum run by corrupt head Karloff. Producer Val Lewton also coscripted under pseudonym Carlos Keith. Robert Clarke appears unbilled. Wednesday, October 31, 2012 HALLOWEEN
47 min silent London After Midnight (1927)
7:30 AM 81 min horror Ghoul, The (1933)
D: T. Hayes Hunter. Boris Karloff, Cedric Hardwicke, Ernest Thesiger, Dorothy Hyson, Anthony Bushell, Ralph Richardson, Kathleen Harrison. England's answer to Hollywood's horror films: Egyptologist Karloff wishes to be buried with a jewel he believes will allow him eternal life. It's stolen, and he rises from the dead in search of the culprit. Slow going until Karloff's resurrection; then it really hums. Richardson's film debut. Remade as 1962 comedy NO PLACE LIKE HOMICIDE! Original 79m. version is available on video. C- 97 min horror House Of Dark Shadows (1970)
11:00 AM 105 min horror Repulsion (1965)
75 min horror Dementia 13 (1963)
87 min horror Last Man On Earth, The (1964)
68 min horror Devil Bat, The (1940) A mad scientist trains killer bats to respond to a special scent. D: Jean Yarbrough. Bela Lugosi, Suzanne Kaaren, Dave O'Brien, Guy Usher, Yolande Mallott (Donlan), Donald Kerr. Lugosi raises bats and trains them to suck victims' blood on cue. One of Lugosi's more notorious pictures, and fairly entertaining. Aka KILLER BATS. Reworked as THE FLYING SERPENT. Sequel: DEVIL BAT'S DAUGHTER. 67 min horror White Zombie (1932)
D: Victor Halperin. Bela Lugosi, Madge Bellamy, Joseph Cawthorn, Robert Frazer, John Harron, Brandon Hurst, Clarence Muse. Zombie master Lugosi menaces newlyweds on Haitian sugar plantation; eerie, unique low-budget chiller. 78 min horror Body Snatcher, The (1945)
D: Robert Wise. Boris Karloff, Bela Lugosi, Henry Daniell, Edith Atwater, Russell Wade, Rita Corday. Fine, atmospheric tale from Robert Louis Stevenson short story of doctor (Daniell) who is forced to deal with scurrilous character (Karloff) in order to get cadavers for experiments in 19th-century Edinburgh. Last film to team Karloff and Lugosi, their scenes together are eerie and compelling. Classic Val Lewton thriller. Screenplay by Philip MacDonald and Carlos Keith (Lewton). TCM PRIMETIME - WHAT'S ON TONIGHT: CLASSIC HORROR
70 min horror Frankenstein (1931)
D: James Whale. Colin Clive, Mae Clarke, Boris Karloff, John Boles, Edward Van Sloan, Dwight Frye, Frederick Kerr, Lionel Belmore. Definitive monster movie, with Clive as the ultimate mad scientist, creating a man-made being (Karloff) but inadvertently giving him a criminal brain. It's creaky at times, and cries for a music score, but it's still impressive . . . as is Karloff's performance in the role that made him a star. Long-censored footage, restored in 1987, enhances the impact of several key scenes, including the drowning of a little girl. Based on Mary Shelley's novel. Followed by BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN. 99 min horror Son Of Frankenstein (1939)
D: Rowland V. Lee. Basil Rathbone, Boris Karloff, Bela Lugosi, Lionel Atwill, Josephine Hutchinson, Edgar Norton, Donnie Dunagan. Third in the series (after BRIDE) finds late doctor's son attempting to clear family name by making the Monster "good." He should live so long. Lavishly made shocker is gripping and eerie, if a bit talky, with wonderfully bizarre sets by Jack Otterson and Lugosi's finest performance as evil, broken-necked blacksmith Ygor. Karloff's last appearance as the Monster. Look fast for Ward Bond(!) as a constable guarding Castle Frankenstein from angry villagers late in film. Sequel: THE GHOST OF FRANKENSTEIN. 70 min horror Wolf Man, The (1941)
D: George Waggner. Lon Chaney, Jr., Evelyn Ankers, Claude Rains, Maria Ouspenskaya, Ralph Bellamy, Patric Knowles, Warren William, Bela Lugosi, Fay Helm. One of the finest horror films ever made: Larry Talbot (Chaney) is bitten by werewolf Lugosi, survives to carry the curse himself. Outstanding cast includes Rains as Chaney's oblivious father, Ankers as perplexed girl friend, Ouspenskaya as wizened gypsy woman who foretells his fate and attempts to care for him. Literate and very engrossing, with superb makeup by Jack Pierce, atmospheric music (re-used in many other Universal chillers) by Charles Previn and Hans J. Salter. Written by Curt Siodmak. Sequel: FRANKENSTEIN MEETS THE WOLF MAN. 73 min horror Mummy, The (1932)
D: Karl Freund. Boris Karloff, Zita Johann, David Manners, Arthur Byron, Edward Van Sloan, Bramwell Fletcher, Noble Johnson. Horror classic stars Karloff as Egyptian mummy, revived after thousands of years, believing Johann is reincarnation of ancient mate. Remarkable makeup and atmosphere make it chills ahead of many follow-ups. 67 min horror Mummy's Hand, The (1940)
D: Christy Cabanne. Dick Foran, Wallace Ford, Peggy Moran, Cecil Kellaway, George Zucco, Tom Tyler, Eduardo Ciannelli, Charles Trowbridge. Archeologists seeking lost tomb of Egyptian princess get more than they bargained for when they find it guarded by a living--and very deadly--mummy (Tyler). First of the "Kharis'' series is entertaining blend of chills and comedy, with good cast, flavorful music and atmosphere. Not a sequel to THE MUMMY (1932), although it does utilize flashback footage; itself followed by three sequels, starting with THE MUMMY'S TOMB. 70 min horror Island of Lost Souls (1933)
D: Erle C. Kenton. Charles Laughton, Bela Lugosi, Richard Arlen, Kathleen Burke, Stanley Fields, Leila Hyams. Strong ad aptation of H. G. Wells' novel of a mad scientist isolated on a remote island, where he transforms jungle beasts into half-human abominations (". . . are we not men?''). Laughton hams it up a bit, but despite more explicit horror films of late, this retains its frightening aura, particularly in the grisly finale. Remade as THE ISLAND OF DR. MOREAU in 1977 and 1996. 71 min horror Invisible Man, The (1933)
D: James Whale. Claude Rains, Gloria Stuart, Una O'Connor, William Harrigan, E. E. Clive, Dudley Digges, Dwight Frye. H. G. Wells' fantasy brilliantly materializes on screen in tale of mad scientist who makes himself invisible, wreaking havoc on British country village. Rains' starring debut is dated but still enjoyable. Look fast for John Carradine phoning in a "sighting''; that's Walter Brennan whose bicycle is stolen. Carl Ray Louk "FRIENDSHIP NEVER ENDS" SG-1996 "LET LOVE LEAD THE WAY" SG-2000 "THE PHOENIX SHALL RISE" SD "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." LT-1941 "FLESH OF MY FLESH; BLOOD OF MY BLOOD; KIN OF MY KIN WHEN SAY COME TO YOU, YOU SHALL CROSS LAND OR SEA TO DO MY BIDDING!" CVTD-1895 "FROM HELL'S HEART I STAB AT THEE, FOR HATE SAKE I SPIT MY LAST BREATH AT THEE" CA-1895 "I HAVE BEEN, AND ALWAYS SHALL BE YOUR FRIEND" Spock "TRICK OR TREAT, TRICK OR TREAT CANDY IS DANDY BUT MURDER, OH MURDER, IS SO SWEET" CRL-2003 "EYE OF NEWT, AND TOE OF FROG, WOOL OF BAT, AND TONGUE OF DOG ADDER'S FORK, BLIND-WORM'S STING, LIZARD'S LEG, AND OWLET'S WING. FOR A CHARM OF POWERFUL TROUBLE, LIKE A HELL-BROTH BOIL AND BABBLE. DOUBLE, DOUBLE, TOIL AND TROUBLE, FIRE BURN, AND CALDRON BUBBLE" WS Facebook: www.facebook.com/CarlRayLouk Twitter: www.twitter.com/CarlRayLouk MySpace: www.myspace.com/carlraylouk Yahoo Group: Yahoo! Groups : LouksHauntedGraveyardhttp://groups.yahoo.com/group/LouksHauntedGraveyard/ Yahoo Group: Yahoo! Groups : TheWorldAccordingtoCarlRayLouk http://groups.yahoo.com/group/TheWorldAccordingtoCarlRayLouk/ |
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