Uhmmm …. I’m not sure what you just watched either. Apparently, it’s Dracula with a disco tinge and, of course, if it’s disco and it involves vampires, there’s no way that I couldn’t share it. But I have to say, having watched this video, that Dracula’s not looking too good. And he’s kind of acting more like a zombie than vampire. I’m kinda suspecting that maybe Dracula was out all night snorting cocaine at Plato’s Retreat because he looks seriously wasted in this video. Hopefully, that blood will help him out.
That said, if there’s any creature of the night who seems to have been created specifically for the disco era, it’s Dracula. Get down, Drac!
Mrs. Collins (Judith Evelyn) is returning home after a long visit with her mother. There’s storm raging. The power’s dead. Her husband is on a business trip. There’s an escaped killer on the loose. And, as soon as Mrs. Collins arrives at her home, she realizes that she may not be alone….
The episode of Suspense stars Judith Evelyn. Fans of classic films may recognize her as both Miss Lonelyhearts in Hitchcock’s Rear Windowand as the deaf victim from William Castle’s The Tingler. Here, she gives another good performance as someone in trouble.
This episode originally aired on December 4th, 1951.
Since there’s been like 200 Puppet Master films made over the past 30 years — goddamn, 30 years of killer puppets! — I figured that maybe I should finally sit down and actually watch one of them. I decided to go with the original film that started the entire franchise, 1989’s Puppet Master!
So, basically, this is a movie about little puppets that kill full-sized people. Obviously, there’s a bit more to the plot but let’s be honest. No one who watches this movie is going to be watching it for the specifics of the plot. They’re going to be watching it because they want to see tiny puppets go on a rampage. I have to say that the puppets themselves are pretty cute. I mean, they’re murderous and a little bit pervy but they’re still really cute. I understand that all of the puppets have their own specific names but, while watching the film, I just made up names of my own.
For instance, there’s Hooky, who has a hook for one hand and a knife for the other and looks like he should be the lead singer of an aging Prog Rock band. And then there’s Drilly, who has a drill on his head. He can be really dangerous, especially if you’re stupid enough to crawl around on the floor and just stay there, on all fours, while he’s running straight at you. I mean, if you just stood up, you probably wouldn’t get that badly injured but …. well, what do I know, right? And then there’s Leechy, who is a female puppet who spits up leeches. What’s interesting is that she never runs out of leeches but I have to wonder, if you have that many leeches, why not just send them out on their own instead of stuffing them all into some poor little puppet? I felt bad for Leechy. She seemed kinda sad. And then there’s Handy, who has big hands and Facey, who can assume several different facial expressions at once. They’re all really adorable, to be honest.
Anyway, Puppet Master is about a bunch of psychics who all spend the night in a California hotel that was once home to the “last alchemist,” Andre Toulon (William Hickey). Toulon had the power to bring inanimate creatures — like puppets! — too life but, when the Nazi spies were closes in on him, Toulon killed himself. Many years later, a psychic named Neil Gallagher (Jimmie F. Skaggs) discovered Toulon’s hiding place in the hotel but then shot himself as well. So now, Neil’s former colleagues are all trying to get Toulon’s power for themselves. Or something. As I said, following the plot is not always easy. The main appeal here is watching the cute puppets do really bad things.
That said, who knew that a group of psychics and witches would prove to be so stupid? I mean, you would think that — when all of you are having constant premonitions of death and destruction — you would be smart enough to take extra precautions or maybe just leave the hotel all together. For instance, Dana (Irene Miracle) casts a protection spell over someone else but not on herself. Meanwhile, Frank (Matt Roe) and Clarissa (Kathryn O’Reilly) make the rookie mistake of having sex in a horror film while our nominal hero, Alex (Paul Le Mat, looking like he’s trying to figure out how he went from American Graffitito this), wanders around in a daze.
And yet, watching the film, I could see why it became so popular. The puppets are memorable and well-designed and the backstory, with Toulon and all the rest, is actually pretty interesting. Puppet Master is one of those films that defines “stupid but fun.” No wonder the puppets came back!
If you’re planning to go ghost hunting in the DFW metropelx, Haunted Dallas and Haunted Fort Worth (both of which were written by Rita Cook and published in 2011) are two good guides for your hunt. Both books list various locations in both cities that are reputed to be haunted, some of which — like the Hotel Adolphus — I had heard about it and some of which — basically any location in Fort Worth — were new to me.
One thing that I really appreciated about these books is that both Dallas and Forth Worth got their own separate volume. Far too often, people — especially people who come down here from up North — tends to assume that Dallas and Ft. Worth are just one big city. They are two very separate cities, each with their own unique history and feel. If Dallas is Texas as imagined by Andy Warhol, Ft. Worth is Texas as imagined by John Ford. Not surprisingly, Dallas seems to be haunted by the wealthy while Ft. Worth is haunted by rough and tumble outlaws.
Admittedly, neither book goes into as much details as one might hope. Instead, they give the basics of each legend and/or haunting and then they allow your imagination to do the rest of the work. But, if you’re just starting your search for Texas ghosts, these books are good place to begin!
(For the record, I don’t believe in ghosts but I do think it’s fun to search.)
Medusa, who is probably the best-known of the Gorgons who haunt Greek mythology, is a scary creation.
That may seem like a rather obvious statement to make but seriously, let’s consider just how scary Medusa is. First off, there’s the fact that her hair is made out of snakes. Snakes are frightening in general. The other day, Doc caught a grass snake and tried to give it to me by dropping it at my feet. I have never been quicker to jump away from a cat. It’s not just Texas grass snakes that frighten me, though. There’s the rattlesnakes that I used to see when my family was living in New Mexico. There’s the water moccasin that I once saw swimming in Boggy Creek when I was up in Arkansas. I’m pretty sure that I once saw a cobra slithering through downtown Denton but all of my friends insist that it was just a water hose that somebody left out. Well, no matter! Snakes are scary on their own but they’re even scarier when they’re growing out of someone’s head!
And then there’s the fact that if you look at Medusa or any of her sisters, you turn to stone! I mean, it just takes one look and boom! You’re a statue! I imagine the process of transforming would feel terrible. Can you even imagine? Even worse would be someone trying to move your body and accidentally dropping you. I mean, you could lose a finger! I guess it wouldn’t matter since you would be dead but still, that would totally suck to lose a finger that way.
First released in 1964 and having since achieved a certain immortality based on frequent TCM showings, The Gorgon is a production of Hammer Film. The usual Hammer monsters are replaced by Mageara (played by Prudence Hyman), a Gorgon who has somehow found herself in a typical, isolated Hammer village. Neither Dracula nor Baron von Frankenstein are present in this film, though the actors who played them do have roles. Christopher Lee is Prof. Karl Meister. Peter Cushing is Dr. Namaroff. Together, they solve crimes and hunt the monsters!
Villagers are getting turned to stone and innocent artists are being condemned to die. We know that it’s all due to the Gorgon but it takes everyone else in the film a while to figure it out. For instance, Paul (Richard Pasco) has to dig up his father’s grave in order to be convinced that the old man died from being turned to stone. At first, the only person who truly seems to believe in the Gorgon is Namaroff’s assistant, Carla (played by Hammer films regular, Barbara Shelley). By the end of the film, of course, everyone knows that Gorgons are real! Of course, almost everyone has been turned to stone, as well. Even by the standards of Hammer, the body county is high and the monster is merciless in The Gorgon.
It’s an effective Hammer film, though it’s never quite as much fun as Hammer’s Dracula or Frankenstein films. The Gorgon takes itself perhaps a tad too seriously but, at the same time, you have to love any film that features both Lee and Cushing working together for once, as opposed to trying to kill each other. Christopher Lee especially seems to be enjoying himself as Dr. Namaroff. Lee reportedly grew quickly tired of playing Dracula and his joy of having a different type of role is palpable and perhaps the most likable thing about The Gorgon. As for the Gorgon herself, she’s properly frightening. I mean, she has snakes in her hair, after all.
When this movie last aired on TCM, there were technical difficulties during the last seven minutes of the showing. The screen went blank and then viewers were treated to several different takes of one of the Gorgon’s victims trying to write a letter as he turned to stone. It kind of freaked everyone out, to be honest. Had the Gorgons taken over TCM? Fortunately, order was restored in time for everyone to watch Plague of the Zombies. Thankfully, things worked out.
For today’s horror on the lens, we have a made-for-TV monster movie from 1972, Gargoyles!
What happens when a somewhat condescending anthropologist (Cornel Wilde) and his daughter (Jennifer Salt) head out to the desert? Well, they stop by a crazy old man’s shack so that they can look at his genuine monster skeleton. Before Wilde can thoroughly debunk the old man’s claims, the shack is attacked by real monsters!
That’s right! Gargoyles exist and they apparently live in Arizona!
(And, hey, why wouldn’t gargoyles live in Arizona? I mean, they have to live somewhere, right? Real estate is not cheap.)
This film was introduced to me by TSL contributor and Late Night Movie Gang founder Patrick Smith and we had an absolute blast watching it. There’s nothing particularly surprising about the plot but the gargoyles are memorable creations and Bernie Casey gives a good performance as their leader. The gargoyle makeup was designed by none other than Stan Winston, who won an Emmy for his work here and who went on to win Oscars for his work on Aliens, Terminator 2, and Jurassic Park.
As well, a very young Scott Glenn shows up in the cast. I like to think that he’s playing the same character in both Gargoyles and Sucker Punch.
Awwwww! Even zombies occasionally just need a night to go out and have some fun.
I like this video. Far too often, zombie videos are too serious for their own good. This video actually has some fun with the living dead and it ends with a nice little twist.
On tonight’s episode of Suspense, Elaine Court (Felicia Montealegre) just wants to relax. In fact, considering that she’s recovering from a recent heart attack, it’s actually very important that she be allowed to just relax. Too bad there’s a strange man (Stanley Ridges) who keeps mysteriously appearing! One day, when Elaine returns from a trip out, she finds the stranger waiting in her home….
This episode originally aired on December 26th, 1950. Seriously, the day after Christmas!
Direct from my aunt’s paperback collection, it’s the story of Portia Differdale and her aunt Sophie!
The time is the 1920s. Sophie has come to Brooklyn, in order to live with the recently widowed Portia. Portia, unfortunately, is having some issues with her neighbors. Portia’s late husband was an occultist and, now that he’s died (more or less a victim of his profession), she’s decided to continue on his work. Needless to say, the local gossips aren’t particularly happy about that. Personally, I would love to live next door to an occultist, just because I would always some place to send any spirits who showed up in my house. “Really, you’re undead?” I would say, “Head on next door.” Sadly, I guess that’s just not the ways things were done in Brooklyn back in the day.
Anyway, Portia is lucky enough to have a potential new suitor. His name is Owen and Sophie thinks that he would be the perfect new husband for Portia! Portia, for her part, agrees. However, it turns out that someone else has her eyes on Owen, as well. Princess Irma Andreyevna Tchernova is wealthy, beautiful, and charming. The uninhibited and flirtatious Princess Tchernova soon appears to have all the men in the community under her spell, including Owen! None of them seem to find it odd that the Princess has an oddly silent servant or that she owns several wolves. Not even the fact that the Princess eats nothing but meat strikes anyone as odd….
Except, of course, for Portia. It doesn’t take long for Portia to figure out that there’s something sinister about the Princess but will she be able to save Owen from her grasp? Read the book to find out!
Greye La Spina was born in 1880 and stared writing horror fiction in the early 20th century, at a time when it was considered somewhat scandalous for a woman to even write fiction, much less horror. Shadow of Evil was originally published over the course of three issues of Weird Tales in 1925. It was then reprinted, in paperback form, in 1966. The cover at the top of this post (and which my sister shared earlier this month) is from the 1966 edition. Since that time, the book has been occasionally reprinted.
It’s a fun read. La Spina was a lively and entertaining writer and she tells this tale with the right mix of melodrama and satire. La Spina obviously loves her unconventional characters and the story is as much about their desire to be independent from the conventions of society as it is about any paranormal activity. It’s got everything — intrigue, romance,humor, scares, thrills, and a wonderful atmosphere. It’s an enjoyable story and, if you can track down a copy, one that’s worth reading.
Jean Rollin’s 1982 masterpiece, The Living Dead Girl, is one that makes me cry every time.
This is one of Rollin’s non-vampire films but it still features the themes for which Rollin was famous. You’ve got a gothic castle. You’ve got the beautiful French countryside. You have two female friends, one of whom is haunted by her memories of the way things used to be and the other is horrified by what her present has become. It’s one of Rollin’s most heartfelt films and also one of his saddest.
Helene (Mairna Pierro) sits in her office in Paris, thinking about her childhood friend, Catherine Valmont (Françoise Blanchard). Catherine died two years ago and, as far as Helene knows, is still in the coffin that sits in the crypt of her family’s estate. When her phone rings, Helene answers. At the other end, no one speaks. But Helene can hear the sound of a music box playing, a music box that once belonged to Catherine.
Yes, Catherine is once again alive. She was brought back to life by ….. well, it’s not really explained. It has something to do with some toxic chemicals that were accidentally spilled by two incompetent thieves who broke into the crypt. The chemicals returned Catherine to a sort of life, except now she’s a silent zombie who needs to feast on blood to survive. Though Catherine has hazy memories of her past, she’s not sure who she is and why she’s suddenly been brought back into the modern world. Catherine promptly kills the two thieves. She also proceeds to kill a real estate agent and her boyfriend. It’s not that Catherine wants to kill. Instead, it’s what she has to do in order to survive. She’s like a cat pouncing on a bird. It’s all instinct.
By the time Helene arrives at the castle, there’s already quite a mess that needs to be cleaned up. But it doesn’t matter to Helene that she’s got four dead bodies of which to dispose. Instead, she’s just happy that her friend has come back to life! Even though Catherine is miserable at the thought of being one of the living dead, Helene is happy that her friend has returned to her and is willing to do whatever has to be done to keep her alive. Helene even tries to offer Catherine a dead bird but Catherine shakes her head. She needs human blood. Fortunately, there is a village….
It’s a sad and deeply sentimental film. Ignore the bloodletting. Pay not attention to the toxic chemicals. Overlook the zombiefication. This is a film about friendship and the love that only best friends can share. Admittedly, Helene can be seen as being a selfish character. As much as Catherine wishes that she could return to the peace of death, Helene refuses to let her go. But, at the same time, who hasn’t had a friend who they would do anything for? If I came back as living dead girl, I might not enjoy having to drink blood but I’d love the friends who kept me supplied.
Rollin’s direction is heartfelt and, as was often the case with his best films, unapologetically mixes sentiment with gore. Mairna Pierro and Francoise Blanchard give two of the best performances that Rollin ever captured on film. Admittedly, there is a somewhat distracting subplot about two annoying American tourists but what would you expect from a director as wonderfully French as Jean Rollin?
From beginning to end, The Living Dead Girl is one of Rollin’s best and a personal favorite of mine.
Through the Shattered Lens