Prime Time: House Of The Long Shadows (1983)

Despite the cast, I was never in a rush to watch this horror movie, the final feature directed by Pete Walker. I knew I would get to it eventually though. It's old-fashioned, creaks under the weight of the baggage being moved across every wooden floor, and also has a ridiculous framing device. I couldn't bring myself to dislike it though.

Desi Arnaz Jr. plays Kenneth Magee, a writer who makes a bet with his agent (Richard Todd) that he can hole himself up in dark and isolated house for 24 hours and come out with a novel akin to something produced by the Brontë sisters. It's handy for Magee that his agent has a key to such a location, and the bet is on. The house ends up being populated by a strange mix of characters though. Sheila Keith and John Carradine appear, claiming to be the housekeeping staff. Julie Peasgood appears, claiming to want to keep our lead from danger. Then along come Vincent Price, Peter Cushing, and Christopher Lee. It's a veritable cornucopia of horror movie legends.

Based on a novel, "Seven Keys To Baldpate" by Earl Derr Biggers, which had also been adapted into a successful play by George M. Cohan, the screenplay here, from Michael Armstrong is really just an excuse to make room for the many iconic actors to interact with one another here. This doesn't make for a great movie, necessarily, but it's impossible to watch this as a horror fan and not get some pleasure from it. And I'd argue that any scene involving the bigger names is better than any scene that focuses on Arnaz Jr. (who isn't terrible, but never feels like a good enough leading man).

Walker directs without any real relish, instead seeming to take on the role of mediator responsible for ensuring that all of the performers get their individual moments to shine. The film is about familiarity and comfort ahead of any actual scares, although there is some enjoyable atmosphere created by the central location. Will you care about the actual plot, or what dangers crop up around our "hero"? I doubt it, but that's not really the point anyway.

If you have read this far then you know why you will want to watch this. It's all in the second paragraph. This film allows you some time with some true genre greats, and that's the main thing going for it. Cushing may have to work with a strange speech affectation that stops him from being at his best, but he's still Peter bloody Cushing, a legend and a damn fine actor. Lee is as calm and quietly menacing as he so often could be, and Keith, Carradine, and Price all enjoy delivering an endearing helping of ham. Peasgood is decent enough, and Louise English and Richard Hunter turn up in time to provide more potential victims as the titular house aims to reveal some deadly secrets.

I was hoping this would be a bit better, but I was also aware of it not being beloved by many. It's a decent enough way to kill 102 minutes though, especially if viewed (as it should be) as a loving tribute to a number of the main cast members.

6/10

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Shudder Saturday: The Whip And The Body (1963)

A '60s gothic horror movie from director Mario Bava, this has pretty much everything you might expect, and want, from this kind of thing. Christopher Lee has a pivotal role, everyone involved seems to be credited under a different name from when the film was marketed for international distribution outside of Italy, and there's a fine atmosphere of lust and kink running throughout it.

Lee plays Kurt Menliff, a nobleman who returns home just in time to congratulate his brother, Christian (Tony Kendall), on his upcoming marriage to Nevenka (Daliah Lavi). Nobody really wants to welcome Kurt back. It's especially difficult for Giorgia (Harriet Medin), a housemaid who believes that Kurt helped driver her daughter to suicide. Others made unhappy are Count Menliff (Gustavo De Nardo), a butler named Losat (Luciano Pigozzi), and a cousin (Katia, played by Ida Galli) who wouldn't mind being kissing cousins with Christian. There's soon another death, and there's always time for one or two people to be whipped, whether for pain or pleasure.

This may not be one of the very best from Bava, but that's a high bar indeed. It still looks gorgeous for many of the key sequences, has admirable consistency in the atmosphere and tone from start to finish, and explores some twisted darkness with a fine balance of restraint and growing hysteria. Although that's me saying that after viewing it through a modern lens. It's worth noting that it was deemed problematic by Italian censors, due to the themes of sadomasochism intertwining with the central mystery. Ernesto Gastaldi, Ugo Guerra, and Luciano Martino are the credited writers, although Gastaldi claims to have received no input at all from the latter, and the screenplay continually dances between the chilliness of the gothic castle setting and the heat (sexual and/or angry) between a few of the main characters.

Lee excels in a role that makes the most of his imposing figure and sheer magnetism, Kendall tries hard as he plays a character who always has to be a step behind unfolding events until the very end scenes, and Lavi does well as she grows more and more nervy and unbalanced throughout the film, not without good reason. Galli is a welcome inclusion, and Medin, De Nardo, and Pigozzi each get at least one moment that places them as a potential prime suspect or victim in the murder mystery.

I'm not sure how others view this one, but I wasn't a huge fan. It's a nice enough way to pass 92 minutes, but I can easily imagine myself forgetting that I've even seen this if asked about it in a year or two (which is one of the reasons I write and review everything I see). I can't fault the cast or the production design though. It just lacks a truly memorable set-piece, and it lacks anything that feels specifically . . . Bava-esque.

6/10

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Shudder Saturday: Curse Of The Crimson Altar (1968)

I couldn't understand how I hadn't managed to get around to Curse Of The Crimson Altar before now, but now it's perfectly clear. This isn't a good movie, despite the attachment of some big names and apparently being (loosely) based on "The Dreams In The Witch House". 

The story deals with one Robert Manning (Mark Eden), an antiques dealer on a search for his missing brother. He knows that his brother was at Craxted Lodge, a large house owned by Morley (Christopher Lee). Morley is welcoming enough, as is his niece, Eve (Virginia Wetherell), but it turns out that they may be connected to some strange occult happenings, as explained to our protagonist by Professor John Marsh (Boris Karloff).

Written by Mervyn Haisman and Henry Lincoln, a duo who seemed to do better with TV work than they did with films (in fact, they only have one or two other features credited between them, in amongst the various TV episodes), this is an uninteresting slog that lacks any real thrills or atmosphere. Director Vernon Sewell has a filmography worth exploring, from what I can see, but this is coming along towards the very end of his career, and isn't one of his better efforts. Perhaps relying too much on the stars to carry the weak script, Sewell fails to impress with the blend of very British good manners, some scenes showing groovy individuals happily partying, and occasional nightmares. None of it works in isolation, and none of it works in relation to everything else going on.

The same can be said of the cast members, who are generally unable to do anything to elevate the material. Karloff arguably fares the best, thanks to his unmistakable presence and ability to imbue ridiculous dialogue with a gravitas that it often doesn't merit, but Lee feels a bit underused, which is all the more frustrating when that allows for more screentime for a bland Eden, Wetherell, and a laughable coterie of supporting characters. Michael Gough is also ill-served by the screenplay, and Barbara Steele is at least used in a visually-interesting way that tries to add to the impact of events by giving you a shot of, well, Barbara Steele.

Another film that many may mistakenly believe came from Hammer or Amicus, as it's one of those to come from the smaller stable of Tigon, I would simply remind anyone still tempted to check this out that Christopher Lee himself considered one of the worst of his career. And that man was in some stinkers. I've heard some people praise this, although I genuinely don't understand what won them over (perhaps just the atmosphere and the aesthetic of this kind of very British horror from this time), but I wouldn't recommend it to anyone, with the exception of completists who, like me, always end up having to see these things for themselves.

3/10

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Shudder Saturday: Horror Express (1972)

Although I have said it many times before, I will say it again. Any film is improved by the presence of Peter Cushing. Pair him alongside Christopher Lee and you gain more bonus points. Horror Express not only benefits from casting those two leads, but also makes space for a hugely entertaining turn from Telly Savalas. This would be enough to make it a winner for me, no matter what the actual content of the film was like, but I can happily say that there's also a fantastic main premise involving these main characters.

Lee plays Professor Saxton, a man transporting his latest discovery aboard the Trans-Siberian Express. Cushing is Dr. Wells, a friend/professional rival who is interested in just what that discovery is. I can tell you now, as it's no secret, that the cargo is actually a frozen prehistoric figure. Soon thawing out, however, it turns out that the humanoid isn't as dead as it first appeared. A number of people start to turn up dead, their bodies in a strange state that puzzles Saxton, Wells, and Inspector Mirov (Julio Peńa), and everything becomes a standard murder mystery until the evidence quickly starts to point to a very unexpected explanation. It's then soon time for the train to be boarded by Captain Kazan (Savalas) and his men.

Written by Arnaud d'Usseau and Julian Zimet (credited here as Julian Halevy), this is, as many people have already observed elsewhere, an enjoyable riff on the John W. Campbell novella, Who Goes There? (the basis for The Thing From Another World/The Thing) The writers throw together an enjoyable selection of characters to place in peril - as well as those mentioned, you have a "mad monk" (played by Alberto de Mendoza) and a beautiful Countess (played by Silvia Tortosa) - and they keep everything perfectly paced for the runtime, which clocks in at about 90 minutes. Spanish director Eugenio Martín has a reasonably compact filmography that looks as if there could be another one or two gems tucked away in there, but I'm not familiar with any of his other work so far, and it's hard to think of anything overshadowing this as the highlight of his directorial career. It's a wonderful ensemble piece that doesn't forget to give enough screentime to the fan favourites embodying the main roles, and there are some enjoyably tense moments throughout as more and more people are killed off.

Lee and Cushing are at their impeccable best, with their charm exemplified in Cushing's reaction to any hint of suspicion being cast upon their characters ("Monster? We're British, you know!"). Mendoza is wonderfully highly-strung in his role, and doesn't necessarily think the dangerous creature is doing anything too wrong, and Peńa is a comfortably stolid presence. Tortosa brings a touch of glamour to the film, George Rigaud is amusing as her husband, Count Petrovski, and then you get an injection of energy at roughly the halfway mark when Savalas swaggers onscreen with what I can only describe as a brilliantly braggadocious turn. He lights up every frame with his confidence, although viewers are clued in to the fact that he may be ill-prepared to solve this particular crime.

There's a good selection of special effects, with the design of the main creature staying on just the right side of the strange and horrifying, lovely production design for the interior of the train that makes up the setting for most of the film, and moments that remain genuinely strange and creepy to this day (the second half has a number of impressively eerie touches throughout). If you like either of the main stars then you've probably seen this already, but it's a film that provides great value on any rewatch, just seeing how the details are scattered throughout the script and how it all weaves together so beautifully. If you somehow haven't seen it already . . . do get on the train now before it leaves the station.

9/10

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Funny Man (1994)

1994 wasn’t exactly a great time for the slasher movie, although I am saying that with the knowledge that someone might immediately inform me of one or two great titles I have simply forgotten about while figuring out the best way to open this review. Funny Man isn’t just a slasher movie though. It’s a British slasher movie. And it’s a British slasher movie that gives viewers a new slasher “icon” in the shape of the titular character, a killer who looks like a demonic jester and has the patter of an old-fashioned working club comic.

Christopher Lee plays a character who loses a house to Max Taylor (Benny Young) in a game of cards. Don’t get excited by the appearance of Lee though. His screentime totals up to about a minute or so, which makes it clear that the film-makers had the star for about half a day. Anyway, the Taylor family move into the house and soon find themselves in the middle of some major strangeness. They are unaware of the Funny Man (played by Tim James), but he is always ready to have fun with anyone who enters his territory. Thankfully, more people are due to arrive, in the shape of Max’s brother (Johnny, played by Matthew Devitt) and a motley mix of individuals accompanying him on his journey, which means more deaths can be planned.

Amazing as it might seem, this isn’t the only feature film from writer-director Simon Sprackling. It is his first film though, and suffers from the flaws that many directorial debuts can have. The 93-minute runtime drags in places, there’s misplaced confidence in the central idea (although there are moments when the oddness of the lead character actually works in a way that is both amusing and horrifying), and the acting style throughout is majorly over the top, almost pantomime at times.

I don’t want to spend much time being too harsh on the cast. Most of them do what is asked of them, whether it’s pretending to be a Scooby Doo character (Thelma Fudd, played by Rhona Cameron, someone I used to enjoy for her stand up comedy), being a pretty useless human psychic (Pauline Black), or getting themselves lured in by the least convincing “pop up” strip club ever (Chris Walker). The majority of the film rests on the shoulders of James, who really strives to embody a mix of Jim Bowen and Freddy Krueger (or maybe the Leprechaun), and it IS fun to watch him move from delivering his patter to viewers, breaking the fourth wall a number of times, to acting bored and bemused by the stupidity of his victims. He cannot do enough to save the film entirely, but fair play on him for doing as good a job as he does.

There’s an admirable attempt here to do something quite unique, something very British and very surreal at times, but it sadly doesn’t work. There should have been some more background or details throughout, a bigger world and story for the Funny Man, and perhaps an even quicker move into the more bonkers atmosphere. You do get some good gore gags though, and it’s a hard one to forget.

Oh, and there’s now extra horror added to the third act when you see the Funny Man dressed up in a way that is meant to emulate Jimmy Savile. I bet Sprackling didn’t realise just how terrifying that one gag would become.

3/10

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I, Monster (1971)

It would appear that the last six months or so have been determined to prove to me that there are some movies I remained far too ignorant about, despite being aware of their existence. I finally saw The Best Little Whorehouse In Texas after finding out it was a musical, I finally TRIED to watch the glorious The Tales Of Hoffmann without realising it was almost a straightforward adaptation of a famous opera, and now . . . I get to I, Monster, a film I never realised was simply an adaptation of the famous Jekyll & Hyde tale from Robert Louis Stevenson.

Christopher Lee plays Charles Marlowe, a doctor who starts to research the possibilities of removing inhibitions from people with the help of drugs. Moving forward, he then considers whether or not you could distil/remove pure good and pure evil, a topic he has discussed with friends. Experimenting upon himself, he creates an ugly and immoral alter-ego, Edward Blake. As the behaviour of Blake gets worse, and more overt, Frederik Utterson (Peter Cushing) believes that Marlowe is being blackmailed. He attempts to save him from Blake, initially not realising that he is saving Marlowe from himself.

An Amicus film, although not one of their top-tier efforts, I, Monster benefits, as any film does, from the inclusion of both Lee and Cushing in major roles. One of those legends appearing in your film will get it a bonus point from me, both of them gets at least double, of course.

It's a shame that the film isn't a better one for them. Director Stephen Weeks wants to keep things quite classy and tame, but I can't help feeling that this would have been a better film if it had been more willing to "get down 'n' dirty" with the main character, showing his descent with more debauchery and a willingness to break the rules of society (a Dorian Gray without the good looks/portrait to allow him to be given the benefit of any doubt). This is also due to the script from Milton Subotsky. I understand the decision. Amicus, like Hammer, often tried to keep their horror films as a well-balanced blend of the classy and the bloody. This lacks the blood though, and lacks any real horror (although there's a great sequence at about the halfway point, or maybe just after, in which Blake is at his very worst). If you just want another adaptation of the classic tale, however, then this is the strength of the film.

Lee enjoys himself in the lead role, whether he's the polite and intelligent Marlowe or the brooding and evil Blake. He's excellent in either incarnation, and I wouldn't be surprised if he looked back on this film with great fondness. Cushing probably wouldn't though, being sidelined for a lot of the film as he is allowed to eventually come to realise the truth in time for the final battle. There's a decent selection of supporting players, but it's very much a film for Lee/Cushing fans.

I was strangely disappointed AND impressed by this. It does well in the telling of the original tale, but there's more that could have been done. It seems things were also hampered by the fact that it was originally intended to be a 3-D movie (and some scenes can still seem that way if you wear the old-style glasses, or simply try to watch it with a pair of glasses on that have a dark filter over one lens). It's still not a bad film though, which was guaranteed when I saw the top two names on the cast list.

Do check out this wonderful blog post I found HERE.

6/10

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Night Of The Big Heat (1967)

Based on a novel by John Lymington, Night Of The Big Heat brings together a few main Hammer stalwarts (although it's NOT a Hammer film) for a slice of sci-fi horror that's enjoyable enough, even if it feels like everything could have been improved by bringing the talented Nigel Kneale on board.

Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing have two of the main roles, which is really all you need to know. Oh, if you MUST know more then I'll tell you. The film is set on a remote island, Fara, and everyone is getting a bit hot under the collar due to an inexplicable spell of hot weather. REALLY hot weather. The locals have a variety of explanations for the insufferable heat, but the truth may be even stranger than they could imagine. Meanwhile, Jeff Callum (Patrick Allen) finds himself in a bit of a pickle when a woman that he once had a passionate affair with (Angela Roberts, played by Jane Merrow) turns up on the island and tells his wife (Sarah Lawson) that she is to be Callum's personal assistant. Which causes temperatures to rise even further.

It's Terence Fisher in the director's chair, and Ronald Liles on screenplay duties, so I have no complaints with the technical side of things here (well, apart from the special effects in the last third of the movie, but I'll refrain from saying any more for fear of spoilers). Everything is competent, at the very least, and actually builds to something worthwhile and interesting, after a slightly wobbly start. The characters are introduced in a way that will have many modern horror audiences rolling their eyes and/or laughing aloud, but as relationships are more firmly established, and the strong sense of community is draped over everything, it all becomes easier to enjoy and get caught up in.

And then we have Messrs Lee and Cushing, two fine gentlemen who add bonus points to any project that they're involved in. I may be a big fan of Lee, but I'll watch Cushing in absolutely anything. Watching the two men work together is always an absolute delight, and their performances here more than make up for the relative weakness of Allen in the lead role. Merrow and Lawson also help, portraying two very different women who both seem too good for Allen (well, until he steps up in time for the finale). Kenneth Cope is always good to see onscreen, but that's simply down to my affection for the old seasons of Randall & Hopkirk (Deceased) that I used to watch.

What works against Night Of The Big Heat is the fact that it doesn't actually allow any of the characters to make much headway until a rushed, and sometimes preposterous, third act. Some may complain about the pacing, but I have no issue with that. This isn't a film full of jumps and shocks. It's about a small island that finds itself dealing with something strange, something that may have repercussions for the rest of the world, and it just wouldn't be believable if everyone raced along at a pace more in line with city dwellers.

An easy film to recommend for fans of the talent involved, but it won't necessarily become an instant favourite.

7/10

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Horror Hotel AKA The City Of The Dead (1960)

With atmosphere practically dripping from every frame, Horror Hotel (AKA The City Of The Dead, apparently) is yet another little gem of a movie ripe for rediscovery by horror fans.

It all starts with a witch named Elizabeth Selwyn (Patricia Jessel) being burnt at the stake. This happened a long, long time ago and is now a macabre tale being told by Alan Driscoll (Christopher Lee) to a class full of his students. Not everyone takes the tale all that seriously, but young Nan Barlow (Venetia Stevenson) does. In fact, she wants to visit the site of the alleged witch activity, a small village named Whitewood, and rack up some extra credits for a paper that she's working on. Taking the advice of Driscoll, Nan goes to Whitewood and seeks a room at the hotel run by Mrs Newless . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ignorant of the fact that Mrs Newless looks a LOT like the witchy Elizabeth Selwyn. Things don't look good for Nan.

Don't come to this film looking for logic, because you won't find it. The screenplay by George Baxt, and direction by John Llewellyn Moxey, keep focus on one thing and one thing only. Atmosphere. I don't think I'd be going too far by saying that Horror Hotel is one of the most atmospheric, low-budget movies I can think of, with the exception of Carnival Of Souls.

When Nan Barlow first arrives in Whitewood it quickly becomes clear that the film is a languid nightmare, practically overflowing with dry ice in every "outdoor" sequence. The characters around her help to reinforce that feeling, with people stopping to turn and stare at the interloper, and Jessel being wonderfully evil in her role, even though she doesn't really DO much at all in the first half of the movie.

The cast may not be at the top of their game but, with Jessel and Lee underpinning the whole thing, it's not that bad. Again, this is due to the film being all about the atmosphere. Stevenson is good enough in her role, all wide-eyed naivete and vulnerability, while Dennis Lotis, Tom Naylor and Betta St. John are all decidedly average as the people heading after her, and setting out, unwittingly, to uncover the darkness at the heart of Whitewood. Norman Macowan is a lot of fun as the reverend speaking of doom and gloom.

Available in its entirety on YouTube, I encourage viewers to at least give this a watch. If you like it then please try to seek out a decent DVD to purchase. And, if you have any shopping tips, feel free to comment below and let us all know.

7/10

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The Man Who Could Cheat Death (1959)

A solid, if unspectacular, Hammer movie, The Man Who Could Cheat Death feels, in many ways, like a forerunner to the far superior Dr Jekyll & Sister Hyde. There's the lead character who turns out to be a bit of a dabbling scientist, a potentially disastrous romance, and a bit of biological tinkering that leads to the death of numerous innocent women.

Anton Diffring plays the titular character. He also happens to be a celebrated artist, and travels around quite a lot. This is due to the fact that he's managed to stay surprisingly youthful for far longer than the laws of nature would dictate. He has help from Dr. Ludwig Weiss (Arnold Marle), but the main plan for the upcoming procedure needed to rejuvenate him involves Dr. Pierre Gerard (Christopher Lee). And if Dr. Gerrard doesn't play along then maybe the innocent Janine Du Bois (Hazel Court) can be used to persuade him.

Written by Jimmy Sangster, based on a play by Barré Lyndon, and directed by Terence Fisher, this is an enjoyable chiller with some great character interactions and one or two fine set-pieces. Unfortunately, it just doesn't do enough to make it memorable, even though it's not actually a BAD film.

Diffring is fine, but fans will always wonder what Peter Cushing (the first choice) would have done with the role, especially acting opposite Christopher Lee once more. And Lee is very good, in a non-villainous role. Marle is very enjoyable, and gets to deliver some great dialogue, while Court is suitably lovely. Francis De Wolff plays Inspector Legris, a man who sense that something is very wrong, but can't quite place his finger on the unbelievable truth.

It's unfair, perhaps, to say that having Cushing in the lead role would have been enough to elevate the whole movie, but it's also something that I can't quite stop considering. This is a film built around a few central characters discussing morality and mortality, and few actors could deliver any such lines better than Cushing.
As it is, The Man Who Could Cheat Death is still watchable. It's just not anything great.

6/10

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The Hound Of The Baskervilles (1959)

This movie contains so many things that I love that I can't believe I hadn't managed to see it any sooner. Sherlock Holmes, Peter Cushing, Christopher Lee, a seemingly supernatural mystery, this film made me smile within the first few moments (standard upper class Hammer characters being horrendous to some standard Hammer peasants), and that smile just got bigger and bigger as the movie went on.

Cushing plays the famous Baker Street detective, and what a great performance it is. Is it Cushing's best performance? No. Is it the best version of Holmes I've ever seen? No. But, somehow, it's just wonderful enough to watch Cushing being Holmes, and it helps that he's given great support from Andre Morell in the role of Dr. Watson. Christopher Lee is Sir Henry, the man who may fall foul of the curse that has claimed others before him, death caused by a devil hound.

Director Terence Fisher does a great job here, of making both a fun Hammer movie and also a fun Sherlock Holmes movie (although, to be fair, this tale is one of the more Hammer-friendly tales that they could develop for the screen). Writer Peter Bryan takes the story (by Arthur Conan Doyle, of course) and does just enough to tailor the whole thing to the stars without changing too much of what is already a recipe for success.

In case you couldn't tell from my comments above, I think the casting is pretty much perfect. Cushing puts in yet another effortlessly graceful performance, portraying a character well suited to his personality, while Morell is actually one of the better Watsons I can think of. He's certainly in the top tier. Lee gets less to do, but acquits himself admirably, while Francis De Wolff, Marla Landi, Miles Malleson, Ewen Solon, John Le Mesurier and Helen Goss all do their bit to stand out from the other supporting players. De Wolff and Landi are the two who stand out, but nobody disappoints.

It's hard to present such a well-known tale in a way that seems fresh and completely entertaining, but this certainly tries hard, and largely succeeds, thanks to the writing, direction and the great casting of the lead roles. Get those things right and the end result is guaranteed to be enjoyable. That's elementary.

8/10

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The Gorgon (1964)

A Hammer horror movie starring both Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee. People who know me will know that as soon as The Gorgon started I suspected that I was on to a winner.

Cushing plays Dr. Namaroff, a man who has seen a number of strange deaths in his village. He's not, however, doing anything to draw attention to those deaths, despite the protests of his assistant, Carla (Barbara Shelley). As the villagers, and local law enforcement (led by Inspector Kanof, played by Patrick Troughton), stay on edge, more bodies start to turn up. Bodies of people who have been turned to stone. Richard Pasco plays a young man who may be next in line to get petrified, literally, but he might do okay if he heeds the advice from the visiting Professor Karl Meister (Christopher Lee).

Written by John Gilling (based on the story by J. Llewellyn Devine), The Gorgon is a pleasant surprise for a number of reasons. First of all, let's be upfront here, it should be ridiculous. A movie that's possibly about a gorgon in more modern times - well, it's set in the early 20th century - is something that viewers shouldn't be able to just watch without using all of their energy on the suspension of disbelief. But Gilling just keeps things rattling along so enjoyable, with enough ambiguity, that picking it apart is never a priority.

Terence Fisher directs with his usual style and technical competence. He makes the most out of every set (which are all up to the high standards set by the better movies in the Hammer horror filmography) and creates a nice blend of the melodramatic and the ethereal as the plot unfolds.

As for the cast, Cushing and Lee are both fantastic. The only downside is that they don't share the screen together for more than a minute or two. Shelley is a delight in what may be her best role from the many she was given by Hammer, and Pasco is a decent enough, if slightly bland, potential hero. Troughton is consistently brilliant as the Inspector obeying orders weighted by money more than the law of the land.

The Gorgon falls just short of greatness, simply because the premise is, as a Monty Python character might say, "a bit silly" but it's well worth your time and surprisingly entertaining from start to finish. If you end up hating it then I'll accuse you of being made of stone (*badump-tsshhhhh*).

7/10

http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Gorgon-DVD-Christopher-Lee/dp/B003AWMWH4/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1381698986&sr=8-1&keywords=the+gorgon

The Terror Of The Tongs (1961)

While there are ridiculous elements in this Hammer movie, it gets beyond an unsteady start to become a surprisingly solid revenge flick. This is Death Wish before people had heard of Death Wish.

Geoffrey Toone is the hero of the piece, Captain Sale, a man launched on a mission by the murder of his beloved daughter. This murder was arranged by the dastardly Tong crime family (led by Christopher Lee). They are, basically, an early 20th century, Hong Kong version of the yakuza and will do anything to protect their identities. Sale starts to upset the Tongs, picking fights with people he suspects will lead him up the chain of command and stubbornly refusing to die, and the stage is set for a confrontation that Sale is unlikely to walk away from.

Directed by Anthony Bushell and written by Jimmy Sangster, this is a colourful and exotic movie, with visuals, tension and thrills taking precedence over things like plausibility and historical accuracy. It doesn't even show that much of Hong Kong, so I don't want people mistakenly thinking they could watch it as some travelogue time capsule. Oh no, all that's shown is all that needs to be shown. Just a few sets and no major exterior shots (well, none that come to mind anyway).

Toone is good enough in the main role, he's believably strong and brave, while Lee does fine in the role of the main villain. It has to be said, however, that this is one of those movies from a past era, with the majority of the Chinese characters being portrayed, unfortunately, by the British actors that Hammer could enlist to work for them. The main female character, a woman named Lee, is actually played by the gorgeous Yvonne Monlaur, a French actress (see picture below). Roger Delgado, Charles Lloyd Pack, Ewen Solon and many others populate the Hong Kong shown onscreen, while the ubiquitous Burt Kwouk lends his authentic ethnicity to a minor role.

This may not be one of the best from Hammer, but it's still decent entertainment if you're in the right mood for it.

6/10

http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Terror-Of-Tongs-Region/dp/B008ADDWU4/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1379941097&sr=8-1&keywords=the+terror+of+the+tongs+dvd

The Devil Rides Out (1968)

Hammer provides an entertaining, and actually quite brilliant, adaptation of Dennis Wheatley's work and although I have not read any of Wheatley's work, sadly, I am familiar with his themes and tone and cannot imagine that this movie lets down fans of the literary great either.

Christopher Lee and Leon Greene play Duc de Richleau and Rex Van Ryn, respectively, two gentlemen trying to help their friend (played by Patrick Mower) move away from the tight clutches of a local Satanic cult. Easier said than done and problems come in the shape of Tanith Carlisle (played by Nike Arrighi), an alluring female also caught up in the web of the dark arts, and confrontations with the cult's charismatic and powerful leader, Mocata (wonderfully portrayed by Charles Gray). People close to the daring duo are placed in peril and things go from bad to worse before the finale . . . . . but will it be good or evil triumphing as the sun rises?

The cast here all do a fantastic job. As well as those mentioned, with Lee and Gray being particular standouts, there's some solid support in the latter half of the movie from Paul Eddington and Sarah Lawson.

Terence Fisher directs (from a tight screenplay by Richard Matheson) with an assured hand, throwing us directly into the action and letting us find out a little more with each scene as things move from slightly puzzling to mysterious to dangerous to deadly. Though I do not know enough about the rituals and accoutrements portrayed in the movie it all has a sense of authenticity about it, strange considering how far-fetched the movie actually is in its depiction of a struggle between good and evil.

Considering its age, it holds up very well to this day. There are two major "materialisation" scenes that still hold the power to unnerve; in fact, the very first one actually made me want to look away from the screen as I was getting a bit freaked out by the imagery. There are lots of details in the effects and acting that you could poke fun at if you wanted to (one scene featuring an over-sized spider is about as bad as anything in Empire Of The Ants) but if you forgive the "ravages of time" then you will be letting yourself in for a cracking British horror movie aimed distinctly at adults.

9/10

http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Ultimate-Hammer-Collection-DVD/dp/B000HN31KQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1379426721&sr=8-1&keywords=hammer+box+set

Taste Of Fear AKA Scream Of Fear (1961)

An interesting psychological thriller from Hammer, this film has been recommended to me a number of times and I'm glad that I finally got around to seeing it.

The plot sees young, wheelchair-bound Penny Appleby (Susan Strasberg) returning to her family home after the recent death of a friend. She wants to reconnect with her estranged father and is also willing to find out more about her new step-mother, Jane (Ann Todd). There's a friendly young man named Robert (Ronald Lewis), a concerned doctor named Pierre Gerrard (Christopher Lee) and her father. Well, her father doesn't seem to be alive when Penny sees him, but everyone else claims that he's just fine. And his body is surprisingly mobile for a dead man. What's going on?

Directed by Seth Holt, and with a script written by the talented Jimmy Sangster (who also wrote the excellent The Nanny), Taste Of Fear may have many elements in place familiar to fans of psychological thrillers, but they're all executed pretty perfectly. In fact, the big finale earns it a whole extra one or two points thanks to how entertaining and nicely constructed it is.

The cast all do a decent job, with Strasberg particularly good as the vulnerable and frayed lead. Christopher Lee puts on a slightly clumsy accent, but he does very well with a role quite unlike most of his other work for the studio, and both Todd and Lewis are fine.

With a nice feeling of unease from start to finish, some moments of genuine tension and a couple of impressive jump scares, Taste Of Fear is a superior example of this kind of film. It's a film, along with the aforementioned The Nanny, that I wish we'd seen a lot more of from a studio that made so much money from vampires, Frankenstein's monsters and other supernatural creatures.

8/10

http://www.amazon.com/Icons-Horror-Collection-Hammer-Mummys/dp/B001B9ZVVC/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1374774432&sr=8-1&keywords=scream+of+fear

To The Devil A Daughter (1976)

Hammer returns to the material of Dennis Wheatley, this time with a markedly inferior final result and with a movie that would remain their last horror film until their 21st century resurgence (however long THAT lasts).

Richard Widmark plays occult novelist John Verney, a man placed in a very unusual position when he agrees to take in and take care of Denholm Elliott's daughter, a young nun named Catherine (played by the lovely Nastassja Kinski). What he doesn't know is that Catherine is being pursued by some . . . . . right nasty sorts (led by Christopher Lee as Father Michael Rayner) with a right nasty plan, to put it mildly.

There is nothing here of any real note except, I suppose, how far removed it is from Hammer's usual restraint and class. The script by Christopher Wicking (with help from John Peacock and an uncredited Gerald Vaughan-Hughes) is okay, if a little clumsy in it's exposition of far-out ideas. The direction by Peter Sykes is unremarkable but also inoffensive. The acting is also distinctly okay but unspectacular (featuring, as it does, those already mentioned and also the likes of Honor Blackman, Anthony Valentine and even Frances de la Tour in a small role). And I suppose that some of the black magic rituals shown at least have a ring of authenticity about them, despite the rather lame effects/editing used.

Some of the stuff on show is, for Hammer, rather shocking. Not only do we get some bizarre, gory "muppet" moments but there's also more full-frontal female nudity than I have seen in any other Hammer movie. To be fair, I have not seen every Hammer film, but I have always known them to be, for the most part, more concerned with blood than sex although the latter is often catered for with suggestive scenes/performances and the occasional flashes from buxom beauties.

P.S. On an unrelated, and rather moronic-sounding, note: this movie has the single best bridge scene I have ever seen. I just liked the mechanism on display and had to mention it.

6/10

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Ultimate-Hammer-Collection-Disc-Box/dp/B000HN31KQ/ref=sr_1_1?s=dvd&ie=UTF8&qid=1374650527&sr=1-1&keywords=hammer

Rasputin: The Mad Monk (1966)

Don Sharp directs this hugely entertaining movie based on the script by Anthony Hinds that certainly doesn't aim for historical accuracy, but captures the sheer overpowering charisma and presence of a legendary figure from the past.

The main man is played by Christopher Lee, in a performance positively brimming with electric energy, menace and a lust for life and all its earthly pleasures (to be admitted to in confession). Finding himself unpopular after an incident of self-defence gone awry, despite his healing hands, Rasputin moves from his abbey and looses himself on some fine Russians, manipulating and controlling those who can help him manoeuvre into a position of power. A position that could see him ultimately controlling all of mother Russia from behind the scenes.

Anyone wanting the facts about the extraordinary life of Grigori Rasputin should not be using this movie as any kind of primer. This film is not an account of a reality, by any stretch of the imagination, but it captures the essence of an infamous individual. To roughly phrase a popular saying . . . . "between the truth and the legend, print the legend".

The cast are all great, and familiar to many from Hammer movies and elsewhere. This is Lee's show all the way but we also get very good performances from the likes of Barbara Shelley, Suzan Farmer and Richard Pasco, who stands out as the put-upon Dr. Zargo.

The direction may be unspectacular but that's not really a major concern when the look of the finished movie is so pleasing and the focus remains on the towering presence of Lee, whether he's hypnotising unwitting ladies or dancing some magnificent, frenetic, Russian dancing. It's a bravado performance that picks up the entire movie and carries it over the finish line as a winner.

8/10

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Rasputin-The-Mad-Monk-Blu-ray/dp/B0085MXQ7Y/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1368516850&sr=8-1&keywords=rasputin+the+mad+monk

The Satanic Rites Of Dracula (1973)

The last Hammer movie to feature Christopher Lee in his most iconic role and the last Hammer movie in which he would share screen-time with Peter Cushing, The Satanic Rites Of Dracula should have been a better swansong for the battling duo but, well, it is what it is. Which is rubbish, but entertainingly daffy rubbish.

It's the 1970s and Scotland Yard are investigating a strange cult based in London after an undercover agent escaped from the place and tried to provide them with more information before inconveniently dying. Inspector Murray (Michael Coles) and an agent named Torrence (William Franklyn) visit noted occult expert Professor Van Helsing (Peter Cushing) for help and as secrets are uncovered Professor Van Helsing starts to worry about his granddaughter (played by Joanna Lumley this time), the possible return of Dracula and a plan that may involve the use of some truly horrendous, and deadly, bacteria.

There's something sad about seeing the Hammer movies in which they tried to modernise their material and appeal to a dwindling audience. They were trying to change with the times, but instead ended up losing part of their charm, losing their ability to release something that looked like a quality product and feeling more desperate with each release. To highlight the losing battle that they were fighting, just compare this movie to the other big horror titles of the year - films like The Exorcist, Don't Look Now, The Wicker Man, and The Legend Of Hell House.

Thankfully, the sadness of just how dated and poor this movie is ends up being tempered by how it's also completely bonkers. Even the weak ending is more enjoyable because of how ridiculous it is. Don Houghton is the man who came up with the script and Alan Gibson is in the director's chair, both men returning to continue the modern day Dracula saga that they started with Dracula A. D. 1972.

Lee and Cushing are, of course, great in their roles while Michael Coles and William Franklyn both do well with what they're given. Joanna Lumley is better in the role of granddaughter Van Helsing than Stephanie Beacham was and small roles are ably filled by the likes of Richard Vernon, Freddie Jones and Barbara Yu Ling.

The best thing about the film is that, if nothing else, it allows for the stories of the characters to come to a natural, and satisfying, conclusion. Cushing would return as Van Helsing (fighting a version of Dracula removed from the Christopher Lee incarnation) in The Legend Of The 7 Golden Vampires, but it's easy to view that as just a curio piece, separate from this series and cinematic universe. Because it is.

5/10

http://www.amazon.com/The-Satanic-Rites-Dracula-Christopher/dp/B000095J42/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1356117566&sr=8-1&keywords=the+satanic+rites+of+dracula

Dracula A.D. 1972 (1972)

I don't know what the general consensus is on this Hammer horror movie but, for me, it's one of the worst of the lot featuring our favourite fanged count. Even if it is also amusingly groovy.

No, no, NO, don't look at the camera.

After Dracula (Christopher Lee) is yet again laid to rest by the brave Van Helsing we move forward to the Britain of the seventies where one of the Count's followers (Christopher Neame as Johnny Alucard) is doing his best to bring the master back to life, allowing him to exact his revenge on the descendants of Van Helsing (Peter Cushing is on board for this instalment and also has a granddaughter played by Stephanie Beacham).

No, no, NO, DON'T look at the camera.

Directed by Alan Gibson and written by Don Houghton, this vampire movie suffers from a number of distracting flaws. First of all, the updating of the ongoing battle between Dracula and Van Helsing to the 1970s makes the movie, ironically, appear much more dated than any other movie in Hammer's Dracula series. Then we have the terrible acting. Cushing and Lee are as good as ever but the support from the "hip youngsters" is cringeworthy. Beacham doesn't do well but even her poor performance is better than most of the others on screen, with the exception of the gorgeous and magnetic Caroline Munro - who is gorgeous and magnetic and I won't hear any different.

Ahhh Caroline, you can look at the camera if you want to. No? Okay.

Everything is flat and unexciting, from the painful script that strives to be down with the kids to the execution of the few set-pieces, and we get a distinct lack of any pleasing bloodletting or lusty behaviour to compensate for the many dull moments.

This photo highlights the complete lack of bloodletting or lusty behaviour.

Is there any way it could be made any worse? Maybe a gratuitous scene featuring a couple of ear-hurting musical numbers from "Stoneground" - who also get namecheked as if they were appearing on some Saturday kid's TV show - with one or two of the band members doing their best to stare at the camera whenever they get the chance (see the top pic as an example). It's a testament to their presence that Lee and Cushing manage to raise this movie to the tier of average. Without them, it would definitely rank even lower.

5/10

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Dracula-D-1972-DVD-Christopher/dp/B000B7KXDG/ref=sr_1_1?s=dvd&ie=UTF8&qid=1354657613&sr=1-1

Scars Of Dracula (1970)

While I admit that I was a little disappointed to see that this Hammer movie was missing my particular favourite actor known for his work with the studio, Peter Cushing, I knew that I would be in for something reasonably entertaining with Christopher Lee reprising, arguably, his most famous performance and the fact that it was directed by Roy Ward Baker and written by Anthony Hinds (two names probably familiar to fans of horror from this era).

The movie starts off with Dracula being resurrected thanks to the help of a daft, rubber bat. Then the fun really begins as the Count gets straight back to reprising his reign of terror, making some trouble for himself when he takes in a stranger (Paul, played by Christopher Matthews) and then doesn't let him leave. It's not long until Paul's brother (Simon, played by Dennis Waterman) comes looking for him with the beautiful Sarah (Jenny Hanley) by his side.

While this is not really a GREAT Hammer movie it is a damn entertaining one, despite how silly and slight it may be. Dennis Waterman makes for a decent enough leading man, Patrick Troughton is great as a servant of the fanged Count (even if he does resemble Oddbod from Carry On Screaming!), the lovely Jenny Hanley is quite lovely and everyone else does their bit portraying Hammer standards such as the scared priest (Michael Gwynn), the grouchy innkeeper (Michael Ripper), etc.

Nothing really feels too slick or polished but it doesn't ever feel like a rushed hatchet job either, falling somewhere in between the two and doing just enough to smooth over the more ludicrous moments in the movie. The ending is a bit of an anti-climax but such a slip-up is allowed when the rest of the movie is so much fun.

I actually found it more endearing than irritating whenever there was someone getting overly dramatic or whenever anyone was threatened by a distinctly rubbery bat but others may not feel the same way. That is, of course, their choice. If nobody agrees with me then I'll happily keep this treat all to myself.

7/10

Available in this super duper bargain boxset - http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Ultimate-Hammer-Collection-Disc/dp/B000HN31KQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1353949514&sr=8-1

Taste The Blood Of Dracula (1970)

Following on nicely from the end of Dracula Has Risen From The Grave, this film starts with a man named Weller (Roy Kinnear) stumbling across a scene in which Dracula is dying. Weller takes some souvenirs away from this grisly tableaux, as you would, and goes on his merry way. Some time later, three men (William Hargood, played by Geoffrey Keen, Samuel Paxton, played by Peter Sallis, and Jonathon Secker, played by John Carson) meet a younger man (Lord Courtley, played by Ralph Bates) who shares their particular interests. All of these men have a fondness for exploring the darker side of life and giving in to their base desires, so when Courtley brings up a plan to buy the items that belonged to Dracula and to use them in an unholy ceremony. Well, that sounds like a jolly good time so the men agree and go along, only to lose courage when it comes to actually finishing the ceremony. They attack Courtley and flee, unaware that Dracula has risen from the dead and now aims to destroy those who would treat his servant so badly.

Peter Sasdy is the director of this one, and Anthony Hinds is the writer, and both men are working a few levels below their best. In fact, it's only the presence of Lee in his most famous role that saves this from being a complete stinker. The rest of the cast aren't bad, they're just not all that memorable either. Roy Kinnear doesn't have a lot of screen-time, and neither does Ralph Bates, so viewers are stuck with Keen, Sallis and Carson as the main characters. Linda Hayden plays the daughter of Geoffrey Keen's character and is, of course, quite lovely, as is Isla Blair (playing Lucy Paxton), but the aforementioned actors, plus Anthony Higgins, all seem pretty interchangeable.

Sadly, even the death scenes aren't that entertaining, although I enjoyed them more this time around than I did during past viewings, and the grand finale is, in my opinion, the absolute worst of any Hammer Dracula film. There's a nice element of seediness running through the whole thing, with both the content that's front and centre and also a few things that are implied, but even that isn't enough to put this above average.

Of course, opinions vary with any movie and even more so with Hammer movies. I've quickly learned that every single instalment in the Dracula, Frankenstein and Mummy series of movies that the studio produced will have one person who rates it as their very best and this film is no exception. There will be one or two people reading this who will absolutely love this film and I will never understand why.

5/10

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Taste-Blood-Dracula-DVD-Christopher/dp/B0001XLY5G/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1353796634&sr=8-1