4 Shots From 4 Vincent Price Films

Posted on October 13, 2021 by Lisa Marie Bowman

4 Shots From 4 Films is just what it says it is, 4 shots from 4 of our favorite films. As opposed to the reviews and recaps that we usually post, 4 Shots From 4 Films lets the visuals do the talking!

I woke up today to discover that Vincent Price was trending on Twitter. He was specifically trending because someone did a thread about Price’s political activism. This was something that I already knew about but most people on Twitter are stunned to discover that people actually did good things before the creation of social media.

Once I got over feeling elitist and superior, I thought to myself that it was actually kind of nice that people still love Vincent Price. He’s definitely one of my favorite actors. He started out as a mainstream studio actor, reading for the role of Ashley Wilkes in Gone With The Window and being considered for Mr. Potter in It’s A Wonderful Life. But he found his true stardom as a horror actor, bringing life to films that often would have been dead without his wonderful presence.

There’s no way that we can do Horrorthon without paying tribute to the great Vincent Price. Here are….

4 Shots From 4 Vincent Price Films!

House on Haunted Hill (1959, dir by William Castle, DP: Carl E. Guthrie)

The Masque of the Red Death (1964, dir by Roger Corman, DP: Nicolas Roeg)

Witchfinder General (1968, dir by Michael Reeves, DP: John Coquillon)

Scream and Scream Again (1969, dir by Gordon Hessler, DP: John Coquillon)

4 Shots From 4 Bob Clark Films

Posted on October 12, 2021 by Lisa Marie Bowman

Yesterday, we paid tribute to the great Canadian director, David Cronenberg. Today, we pay tribute to another filmmaker who got his start in Canada. Though born in America, Clark spent most his career up north. Though he’s today best remembered for directing the holiday classic, A Christmas Story, Clark started his career as a horror director. In fact, long before telling the story of Ralphie and his BB gun, Clark directed one of the first Christmas slasher films.

Today, we honor the legacy of Bob Clark with….

4 Shots From 4 Bob Clark Films

Children Shouldn’t Play With Dead Things (1972, dir by Bob Clark, DP: Jack McGowan)

Deathdream (1974, dir by Bob Clark, DP: Jack McGowan)

Black Christmas (1974, dir by Bob Clark, DP: Reginald H. Morris)

Murder By Decree (1979, dir by Bob Clark, DP: Reginald H. Morris)

4 Shots From 4 David Cronenberg Films

Posted on October 11, 2021 by Lisa Marie Bowman

Since today is Canadian Thanksgiving, it seems like the perfect day to pay tribute to one of the great Canadian horror directors! It’s time for….

4 Shots From 4 David Cronenberg Films

Videodrome (1983, dir by David Cronenberg, DP: Mark Irwin)

The Dead Zone (1983, dir by David Cronenberg, DP: Mark Irwin)

The Fly (1986, dir by David Cronenberg, DP: Mark Irwin)

Dead Ringers (1988, dir by David Cronenberg, DP: Peter Suschitzky)

4 Shots From 4 Ed Wood Films

Posted on October 10, 2021 by Lisa Marie Bowman

Today, we continue to pay tribute to the great Edward D. Wood, Jr. with….

4 Shots From From 4 Ed Wood Films

Glen or Glenda (1953, dir by Ed Wood, DP: William C. Thompson)

Bride of the Monster (1955, dir by Edward D. Wood, Jr., DP: Ted Allan and William C. Thompson)

Plan 9 From Outer Space (1957, dir by Edward D. Wood, Jr., DP: William C. Thompson)

Night of the Ghouls (1959, dir by Ed Wood, DP: William C. Thompson)

4 Shots From 4 Guillermo del Toro Films

Posted on October 9, 2021 by Lisa Marie Bowman

4 (or more) Shots From 4 (or more) Films is just what it says it is, 4 (or more) shots from 4 (or more) of our favorite films. As opposed to the reviews and recaps that we usually post, 4 (or more) Shots From 4 (or more) Films lets the visuals do the talking!

Today, the Shattered Lens wishes a happy 58th birthday to the one and only Guillermo del Toro! Del Toro won an Oscar for Shape of the Water. Rumor has it that, next year, he could very well win another one for Nightmare Alley. He’s an innovator. He’s a visionary. He’s an artist. He’s one of the reasons why sites like this one exist in the first place. And today, we honor his life, his career, and his legacy with….

4 Shots From 4 Guillermo Del Toro Films

Cronos (1993, dir by Guillermo del Toro, DP: Guillermo Navarro)

The Devil’s Backbone (2001, dir by Guillermo del Toro, DP: Guillermo Navarro)

Pan’s Labyrinth (2006, dir by Guillermo del Toro, DP: Guillermo Navarro)

Hellboy II: The Golden Army (2008, dir by Guillermo del Toro, DP: Guillermo Navarro)

4 Shots From 4 Tobe Hooper Films

Posted on October 6, 2021 by Lisa Marie Bowman

Today, I am proud to pay homage to a director from my home state, a man who changed the face of horror and the movies but who was treated terribly by a jealous film industry. I am talking, of course, about Texas’s own Tobe Hooper. Hooper redefined horror with The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Though his later films were never quite as critically or financially successful as that classic, many of them have since been rediscovered by audiences who now better appreciate Hooper’s quirky sensibility. Hollywood may not have known how to handle Tobe Hooper but horror fans like me will always appreciate him.

It’s time for….

4 Shots From 4 Tobe Hooper Films

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974, dir by Tobe Hooper, DP: Daniel Pearl)

Eaten Alive (1976, dir by Tobe Hooper. DP: Robert Caramico)

Salem’s Lot (1978, dir by Tobe Hooper, DP: Jules Bremmer)

The Funhouse (1981, dir by Tobe Hooper. DP: Andrew Laszlo)

4 Shots From 4 Clive Barker Films

Posted on October 5, 2021 by Lisa Marie Bowman

Today, we wish a happy and nice 69th birthday to writer and occasional director Clive Barker! Barker’s stories have provided the basis for several films and Barker himself attempted to build a career of his own as a filmmaker. Though he pretty much retired from directing after the box office failure of Lord of Illusions, he still has a better directorial track record than Stephen King.

Today, we honor the birthday of Clive Barker with….

4 Shots From 4 Clive Barker Films

Hellraiser (1987, dir by Clive Barker, DP: Robin Vidgeon)

Nightbreed (1990, dir by Clive Barker, DP: Robin Vidgeon)

Candyman (1992, dir by Bernard Rose, DP: Anthony B. Richmond)

Lord of Illusions (1995, dir by Clive Barker, DP: Ronn Schmidt)

4 Shots From 4 Dan Curtis Films

Posted on October 4, 2021 by Lisa Marie Bowman

Since today’s Horror on the Lens was a Dan Curtis film, it only seems appropriate that today’s edition of 4 Shots from 4 Films should be dedicated to one of the most underrated horror directors around, Dan Curtis!

It’s time for….

4 Shots From 4 Dan Curtis Films

House of Dark Shadows (1970, dir by Dan Curtis, DP: Arthur Ornitz)

Night of Dark Shadows (1971, dir by Dan Curtis, DP: Richard Shore)

Trilogy of Terror (1975, dir by Dan Curtis. DP: Paul Lohmann)

Burnt Offerings (1976, dir by Dan Curtis, DP: Jacques R. Marquette)

Lisa Marie’s Grindhouse Trailers: The First Sunday In October Edition

Posted on October 3, 2021 by Lisa Marie Bowman

It’s the holiday season and you know what that means!

Or maybe you don’t. Sometimes, I forget that not everyone can read my mind. Anyway, I used to do a weekly post of my favorite grindhouse trailers. Eventually, it went from being a weekly thing to being an occasional thing, largely due to the fact that there’s only so many trailers available on YouTube. Now, Lisa Marie’s Favorite Grindhouse and Exploitation Film Trailers is something that I usually only bring out on a holiday.

Like Halloween!

So, with that in mind, here are 6 trailers for the first Sunday of October! By the way, these trailers might contain some material that some viewers might find objectionable. To be honest, if you’re reading this site in October, you’re probably used to horrific imagery and there’s nothing here that will really upset you. But, y’know …. better to pretend to care than to not care at all!

I Dismember Mama (1972)

This is probably one of the best known of the classic grindhouse trailers. It features very little footage from the film (which, despite the title, is apparently fairly tame) but it does feature interviews with actors playing the people who supposedly watched it. Interestingly enough, the recent film version of Dear Evan Hansen did the same thing.

2. A Night to Dismember (1984)

Oh, Doris! This trailer for Doris Wishman’s A Night To Dismember goes on for a bit but that’s kind of the key to it’s charm.

3. Blood Cult (1985)

Blood Cult is often cited as being the first direct-to-video film. And the film definitely has a home movie feel to it …. as does the trailer!

4. Blood Beach (1981)

If Blood Cult is not your thing, how about Blood Beach? This film has the grainy aesthetic of the best low-budget grindhouse trailers.

5. Blood Feast (1963)

Since we’ve already got a blood theme going here, this seems like an appropriate place for the trailer for the first gore film, Herschell Gordon Lewis’s Blood Feast! Have you ever had an Egyptian feast?

6. 2,000 Maniacs (1964)

And finally, let’s wrap up today’s edition with another blood-soaked trailer from Herschell Gordon Lewis. 2,000 Maniacs is Lewis’s take on Brigadoon. Not surprisingly, this trailer features almost as much music as the trailer for Dear Evan Hansen.

Lisa Marie’s Grindhouse Trailers will return next week, with more trailer that may or may not be connected to Dear Evan Hansen!

Lisa Marie’s Oscar Predictions for September

Posted on September 30, 2021 by Lisa Marie Bowman

Well, it’s the time of the month again.

No, not that time! That time ended two days ago. I’m talking about the fact that it’s time for me to once again share my monthly Oscar predictions. Thanks to the festival circuit, we’ve finally gotten some advance word on the big Oscar contenders that will be coming out over the next few months.

Belfast, as of right now, sounds like the prohibitive favorite to win it all. At first, it seemed like the reaction to The Power of the Dog was a bit mixed but later reactions were almost overwhelmingly positive. It sounds like the type of film that will be nominated even if it won’t necessarily win. Maggie Gyllenhaal’s The Lost Daughter is coming on strong, as is Spencer. For me, the biggest surprise has been the amount of acclaim that Dune has been getting. I was a bit dismissive of its Oscar chances earlier this year but now it definitely sounds like it will be in the hunt.

West Side Story has been seen by no one but I continue to list it because it’s a Spielberg film and, with all the musicals that are being released this year and which have subsequently struggled with either critics or audiences or both, it still seems the most likely to pick up a nomination. I’m a little bit skeptical on whether or not Nightmare Alley is going to be an “Oscar picture” but the trailer was nice to look at so I’m giving it the benefit of the doubt. House of Gucci is three hours long and full of stars so it’s either going to be an Oscar nominee or a complete bomb.

You may notice a lack of predicted nominations for Licorice Pizza. Licorice Pizza is a film that I fully expect to love but the trailer definitely feels a bit more like Inherent Vice than The Phantom Thread. I still think that the actors could get nominated but the rumor right now is that Bradley Cooper’s role is actually very small. That’s why I no longer have him listed as a supporting actor nominee.

Again, keep in mind that I’m not an expert. The picture is a bit clearer but I don’t claim to have any inside information or anything like that. These are just my guesses, for better or worse. To see how my thinking has evolved, check out my predictions for March and April and May and June and July and August!

Best Picture

Belfast

CODA

Dune

House of Gucci

The Lost Daughter

Nightmare Alley

The Power of the Dog

Spencer

The Tragedy of MacBeth

West Side Story

Best Director