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Post by MonsterX on Oct 1, 2009 19:16:09 GMT -5
Last year I did a write-up of 31 different horror movies, one for each day of October leading up to Halloween. This year I'm doing the same and so here ya go; day one of 31 Days of Halloween part 2! Today's movie – 1931's Dracula! argmybrain.blogspot.com/2009/10/31-days-of-halloween-part-2-revenge-of.htmlNote – I'll post the text here in case you don't feel like clicking on my blog, (it's add-free) but this way you will miss the shiny pictures! Hello there! Once again it’s October and that means my favorite holiday is fast approaching. 31 days to Halloween! I’m going to carry on the tradition I started last year by providing reviews/summaries for 31 horror movies, one per day, to give you some suggestions on what to watch on Halloween night. I will review mainstream movies and rare obscure ones. Great films and . . . uh, not so great films. Movies that will scare you and movies that will make you wonder if someone slipped some LSD into your morning coffee. And so without further ado, on with the show! October 1st - Dracula (1931) Universal Studio’s 1931 classic, Dracula, ushered in a new era of horror film making, led to the golden age of classic horror and introduced the world to one of the greatest stars the horror genre has ever known, Bela Lugosi. While the movie does have its flaws I think that it’s important to watch it while keeping in mind that no one had seen anything like it before up to that point. To the people who saw it when it initially released this movie was absolutely horrifying. Originally Dracula was planned to be a lavish, big budget affair, but those plans were scraped due to the death of the legendary Lon Chaney who was originally going to play the count, and the beginning of The Great Depression. Instead they were forced to scale down the production considerably by using the stage play as a blueprint for the film. Tod Browning directed and after considering many actors Bela Lugosi, who was staring in the stage play at the time, was able to secure the part of Dracula after much persuading and taking a smaller paycheck than the other actors. The basic story is so well known by this point that I don’t think a complete plot summery is necessary so instead some information about the filmmaking. While most fans seem to agree the movies opening is atmospherically spooky, the second half which takes place in London feels static and staged. This is because very little was actually changed from the stage play and scenes were filmed just as they were preformed onstage with very little camera movement. Some have questioned the quality of Tod Browning’s direction and claim the man responsible for the electrifying first half of the film was his cinematographer Karl Freund, an immigrant from Germany who had been apart of the expressionist film movement there. Looking at some of Freund’s past credits like The Golem and Metropolis it’s easy to see how this is probably true. Still, the second half is not a complete loss, as the film is saved by the amazing performances of Bela Lugosi and Dwight Frye. Very few people think of Dracula as he is depicted in Stroker’s original book; old with pointed ears, a long white mustache and two bushy eyebrows that were almost “meeting over the nose”. When people think of Dracula or he is depicted in the media most people see Bela Lugosi, the definitive screen Dracula. His performance is memorizing from his movements to his slow deliberate line reads, or even just when he’s staring into the camera. He conveys about him an unearthly aura that is both frightening and seductive, one of power and corruption, of hunger and lust. Lugosi would become a household name and while the role would propel him to stardom it would also typecast him for the rest of his life. Dwight Frye’s Renfield manages to be frightening, pathetic and sympathetic, sometimes all at once and at other times switching from one to the other at a moments notice. When he returns from castle Dracula he’s a raving mad man, obsessed with blood and the coming of his master. While he’s under Dracula’s control occasionally the last bit of humanity within him tries to break free, but always to fruitless results. The scenes where he ascends from the ships hold on The Vesta and the one where he quietly crawls like a spider toward the sill body of a fainted maid, eyes on her throat, are perhaps the most frightening moments of the film. Dwight Frye was a versatile and talented actor, but his performance was so great and the movie was so popular that like Lugosi, he was fated to play similar characters in films like Frankenstein, The Vampire Bat and Dead Men Walk until his untimely death in 1943. If you haven’t seen Dracula for some time or if you’ve never seen it at all then consider dusting off or renting a copy this Halloween to see where it all started. This is a pivotal movie in film history and as a plus; it’s safe enough to watch with the kids. Rating – Seven and a half out of ten. |
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Post by Chuck on Oct 1, 2009 19:20:45 GMT -5
Did you watch it with the Phillip Glass soundtrack? Did you watch the Spanish version? (Same sets, different cast, different direction.)
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Post by Bix Dugan on Oct 1, 2009 19:53:48 GMT -5
Bela made such an impact, his photo, as Dracula, can be seen in the video game Grand Theft Auto: Vice City.
I believe it's in a storefront mortuary.
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Post by Jack Burton on Oct 2, 2009 13:57:35 GMT -5
Good write-up! I'm doing something similar on my website with watching a horror movie a day for the month of October but I'm limiting myself to the major horror franchises of the 80's and 90's. (Freddy, Jason, Michael Myers, etc.). thevideovacuum.livejournal.com/ |
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Post by batmite on Oct 2, 2009 14:39:38 GMT -5
Dracula stands as my favorite Universal horror movie. Many reviewers and horror aficionados consider Spanish Dracula to be the superior film. I disagree for one reason. Carlos Villarías was not Bela Lugosi. Lugosi's Dracula exuded aristocratic old world presence. Even his lines, delivered phonetically, added to his other worldly charm. Dwight Frye was a brilliant actor. His portrayals of mentally unbalanced miscreants was his staple. Sadly, he died to soon. As mentioned above in Arg! My Brain, you may want to check out The Vampire Bat where Frye plays nearly the same part. For anyone considering watching this horror masterpiece, consider buying the original Universal release. The Legacy and 75th Anniversary DVDs were technically inferior.
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Post by MonsterX on Oct 2, 2009 16:33:55 GMT -5
Good write-up! I'm doing something similar on my website with watching a horror movie a day for the month of October but I'm limiting myself to the major horror franchises of the 80's and 90's. (Freddy, Jason, Michael Myers, etc.). thevideovacuum.livejournal.com/^^That's cool, I'll be sure to check it out! And Chuck - I've watched it with the Glass soundtrack and I was rather dissipated. It just didn't seem to fit with the movie at all. I thought the Spanish Dracula was ok. The women were gorgeous and the direction and special effects were superior to the English version. If only Bela spoke Spanish. |
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Post by MonsterX on Oct 2, 2009 16:36:12 GMT -5
Day 2! One Dark Night (1983) AKA - Night in the Crypt argmybrain.blogspot.com/2009/10/31-days-of-halloween-part-2-day-2.htmlHere's an obscure one for ya! Well to do Julie is trying to get into the sorority known as “The Sisters” but to do so, she has to spend the night in a mausoleum. What she doesn't know is that some of the other girls are planing on sneaking in there also to scare the crap out of her. What they all don't know is that a powerful, evil psychic named Karl Rhamarevich was buried there recently, and his powers are stronger than ever before. One Dark Night is a gem from the early 80's with passable acting, good direction and great special effects. Movies with “teens” tend to be painfully overwrite and although it gets pretty cheesy at times at least it's good cheese and the script wisely keeps the dialogue from ever getting too silly. The first half of the film drags a little bit at times as events are slowly set up to get everyone to the crypt but once they're in there the film becomes genuinely creepy. The mausoleum is excellently filmed with long tracking shots through it's dark, empty corridors. The psychic disturbances begin slowly at first; doors close and lock on their own accord, flower pots explode and so on. When things really start to go crazy Rhamarevich actually starts busting open coffins and using the corpses inside are floating weapons! Have you ever seen someone smothered by rotten cadavers? I didn't think so! One Dark Night is a somewhat rare film but I think it's worth tracking down if you like horror movies or if your having a little Halloween get-together and you want to show something no one has ever seen before. When you see a girl accidentally step on a corpses chest and her foot goes right through it complete with a squishy sound you'll thank me. |
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Torgo
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Post by Torgo on Oct 2, 2009 22:49:11 GMT -5
Dracula stands as my favorite Universal horror movie. Many reviewers and horror aficionados consider Spanish Dracula to be the superior film. I disagree for one reason. Carlos Villarías was not Bela Lugosi. Lugosi's Dracula exuded aristocratic old world presence. Even his lines, delivered phonetically, added to his other worldly charm. This I agree with. Though the craftsman in me sides with the spanish version a great deal. It had such breathtaking cinematography. If only they could have stuck Lugosi into that beautifully shot film, that would have been an experience of pure wonder. |
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Post by batmite on Oct 3, 2009 10:38:43 GMT -5
Dracula stands as my favorite Universal horror movie. Many reviewers and horror aficionados consider Spanish Dracula to be the superior film. I disagree for one reason. Carlos Villarías was not Bela Lugosi. Lugosi's Dracula exuded aristocratic old world presence. Even his lines, delivered phonetically, added to his other worldly charm. This I agree with. Though the craftsman in me sides with the spanish version a great deal. It had such breathtaking cinematography. If only they could have stuck Lugosi into that beautifully shot film, that would have been an experience of pure wonder. There is no denying it. Spanish Dracula is a longer, wonderful, sexy, and dramatic film with it's own charm. Several scenes, in my opinion, were handled much better than Dracula and others worse. Additional scenes, such as Lucia's off screen end, cement the storyline together. What still wins me to Dracula, as mentioned, is Lugosi for one and Edward Van Sloan and Dwight Frye. All three seem essential to the timeless nature of Dracula. Sometimes, the less technical film can be saved by the performance of the players. As a criticism of DVD releases, I found Philip Glass' score distracting due to contrast between it and the original audio. Wow, I can't say I ever heard of this one. Keep them coming. |
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Post by MonsterX on Oct 3, 2009 19:04:23 GMT -5
31 Days to Halloween day 3! Maniac Cop (1988)argmybrain.blogspot.com/2009/10/31-days-to-halloween-day-3.htmlIt's Saturday and I have a lot of nothing to do so I'll keep it short. Maniac Cop has one goofy title, but it's actually a very solid and entertaining movie. New York City was a dangerous place in the 80's, but it gets a whole lot worse when a seemingly superhuman cop begins violently killing people for minor offenses, and sometimes for no reason at all! It's up to rookie cop Jack Forest to put a stop to this, and he's better do it quick because he's the prime suspect! Ok, let me run some names by you. Larry Cohen. Bruce Campbell. Tom Atkins. Robert Z'Dar. If your a horror fan your probably salivating right now but if you don't know what I'm talking about that's fine. Take my word for it, Maniac Cap is one of those movies where the stars aline and everything works great from the script, the great story, the acting and the excellent direction. Plus, there's lots of funny cloths and big 80's hair to laugh at. Rating – 7 ½ out of 10 |
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Post by GProopdog on Oct 3, 2009 20:41:51 GMT -5
Bruce and Robert together in one movie = Epic!
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Torgo
Moderator Emeritus
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Post by Torgo on Oct 3, 2009 23:25:49 GMT -5
I've been wanting to watch this for a long time. Campbell + Z'Dar = Sold.
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Post by Bix Dugan on Oct 4, 2009 10:11:29 GMT -5
Last year I did a write-up of 31 different horror movies, one for each day of October leading up to Halloween. This year I'm doing the same and so here ya go; day one of 31 Days of Halloween part 2! Today's movie – 1931's Dracula! argmybrain.blogspot.com/2009/10/31-days-of-halloween-part-2-revenge-of.htmlNote – I'll post the text here in case you don't feel like clicking on my blog, (it's add-free) but this way you will miss the shiny pictures! Hello there! Once again it’s October and that means my favorite holiday is fast approaching. 31 days to Halloween! I’m going to carry on the tradition I started last year by providing reviews/summaries for 31 horror movies, one per day, to give you some suggestions on what to watch on Halloween night. I will review mainstream movies and rare obscure ones. Great films and . . . uh, not so great films. Movies that will scare you and movies that will make you wonder if someone slipped some LSD into your morning coffee. And so without further ado, on with the show! October 1st - Dracula (1931) Universal Studio’s 1931 classic, Dracula, ushered in a new era of horror film making, led to the golden age of classic horror and introduced the world to one of the greatest stars the horror genre has ever known, Bela Lugosi. What a coincidence! I was out garage saling yesterday and picked up a new (still sealed ) VHS of Dracula. It's the Universal Studios Classic Monster Collection, with new music by Phillip Glass. Cost: 25 cents. |
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Post by batmite on Oct 4, 2009 23:58:33 GMT -5
31 Days to Halloween day 3! Maniac Cop (1988)argmybrain.blogspot.com/2009/10/31-days-to-halloween-day-3.htmlIt's Saturday and I have a lot of nothing to do so I'll keep it short. Maniac Cop has one goofy title, but it's actually a very solid and entertaining movie. New York City was a dangerous place in the 80's, but it gets a whole lot worse when a seemingly superhuman cop begins violently killing people for minor offenses, and sometimes for no reason at all! It's up to rookie cop Jack Forest to put a stop to this, and he's better do it quick because he's the prime suspect! Ok, let me run some names by you. Larry Cohen. Bruce Campbell. Tom Atkins. Robert Z'Dar. If your a horror fan your probably salivating right now but if you don't know what I'm talking about that's fine. Take my word for it, Maniac Cap is one of those movies where the stars aline and everything works great from the script, the great story, the acting and the excellent direction. Plus, there's lots of funny cloths and big 80's hair to laugh at. Rating – 7 ½ out of 10 One of my favorite late 80's slasher style films, I even watched Maniac Cop 2 but draw the line at 3. |
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Post by Gripweed on Oct 5, 2009 4:35:25 GMT -5
Z'Dar was in Soultaker!
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