Noir-vember: Leave Her To Heaven (1945)

I love Gene Tierney. I love Gene Tierney so much that there's a chance I start every review of any Gene Tierney movie by stating my love for her. It doesn't make it any less true though. I've seen a fair few Gene Tierney movies, but there have been some blind spots that I should have seen long before now. Thankfully, I have friends to remind me of the many movies that I should make a priority, and last week I was told that I should definitely fit Leave Her To Heaven into my viewing schedule.

Tierney plays the beautiful and captivating Ellen Berent, a woman who captures the heart of a writer named Richard Harland (Cornel Wilde). Things move along quickly, a bit too quickly for the ex-fiance of Ellen, Russell Quinton (Vincent Price), and it's not long until the happy couple are living in wedded bliss. Well, there's the happy couple and Danny (Darryl Hickman), the polio-crippled younger brother of Richard. Ellen doesn't like to share though, and that isn't necessarily a good thing for a healthy relationship. It's also not a good thing for those who may take up some of the time and attention of her husband.

Based on a novel by Ben Ames Williams, Leave Her To Heaven is a good enough story that it would have been a great film in many different forms. It's directed well by John M. Stahl, who shows the right amount of confidence in the screenplay and his stars, and the writing from Jo Swerling does well to move viewers from a fairly standard opening act to the wild and heightened melodrama of the finale. 

Nobody really puts a foot wrong in front of the camera, although Hickman has to lean into the vulnerable and innocent "patient" persona as he tests the patience of Tierney's character. Speaking of Tierney, she conveys her willpower and steely resolve so well that it's easy to imagine her carrying the whole movie on her own. She essentially plays someone who is truly monstrous, but the edges are softened slightly by the fact that she's, well, Gene Tierney. She's ably supported by Wilde (even if he has to be a bit of a damn squib), a delightful Jeanne Crain, and a suave Price. There are a few other people populating this tale, but that central quartet is the reason for it being such a memorable and enjoyable experience. 

While I wouldn't place this alongside the absolute best Tierney films you could watch, that's only due to other specific titles setting a very high bar indeed. This would definitely be jostling with a few others just below the very best though, and it's certainly something you come away from with no questions about why it is so highly thought of. The runtime may be a bit longer than most noirs from this era, it's 110 minutes, and the bright colours may seem incompatible with the growing darkness of the plot, but don't let either of those things put you off. This is a classic. I'd love to spend much more time picking out specific highlights, but that would ruin the experience for anyone else yet to get around to it.

9/10

If you have enjoyed this, or any other, review on the blog then do consider the following ways to show your appreciation. A subscription/follow costs nothing.
It also costs nothing to like/subscribe to the YouTube channel attached to the podcast I am part of - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCErkxBO0xds5qd_rhjFgDmA
Or you may have a couple of quid to throw at me, in Ko-fi form - https://ko-fi.com/kevinmatthews
Or Amazon is nice at this time of year - https://www.amazon.co.uk/hz/wishlist/ls/Y1ZUCB13HLJD?ref_=wl_share 

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

If you have enjoyed this, or any other, review on the blog then do consider the following ways to show your appreciation. A subscription/follow costs nothing.
It also costs nothing to like/subscribe to the YouTube channel attached to the podcast I am part of - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCErkxBO0xds5qd_rhjFgDmA
Or you may have a couple of quid to throw at me, in Ko-fi form - https://ko-fi.com/kevinmatthews
Or Amazon is nice at this time of year - https://www.amazon.co.uk/hz/wishlist/ls/Y1ZUCB13HLJD?ref_=wl_share 

Noir-vember: Shock (1946)

Director Alfred L. Werker may not be a name all that familiar to you, but you may know some of his work. He directed 50 movies, and most people who enjoy exploring the annals of cinema will have heard of at least two of them (The Reluctant Dragon and It Could Happen To You).  Having seen only one of those films myself, the Disney one, I can only say that this fun little thriller has made me keen to seek out more of his filmography.

Anabel Shaw plays Mrs. Janet Stewart, a loving wife who suffers a major shock while waiting for the long-overdue return of her military husband (Lt. Paul Stewart, played by Frank Latimore). She witnessed the murder of a woman by her husband, Dr. Cross (Vincent Price), and this causes her to become unconscious. When others discover her in this position, they want her to get better as soon as possible. And the best person to hand is the skilled . . . Dr. Cross.

Fairly predictable from the opening scenes, mainly because of the baggage that the wonderful Price brings to every role, Shock still manages to keep viewers slightly on their toes as things move towards the expectedly tense finale. Mrs. Stewart may be struggling to extricate herself from a very bad situation, and nobody believes her when she finally starts to tell them what she saw, but the good doctor finds himself equally wriggling on the end of a hook, with the investigation into the death of his wife turning up one too many details and coincidences to allow everything to be brushed under the carpet and forgotten about.

Written by Eugene Ling, with some additional dialogue from Martin Berkeley (developing the story by Albert DeMond), Shock is a perfect balance of silly and sharp. Even the title itself sums this up. It's wonderfully simplistic, considering the state of our lead, but also comes up again as Price suggests a radical treatment of insulin shock therapy to help "cure" his patient.

Werker bounces from scene to scene with an energy and sense of fun that, given some more room to breathe, could have easily been described as Hitchcockian at times. Indeed, this is one of those thriller in which the viewers know the bomb has been placed and are simply kept on tenterhooks while they wait for it to explode.

Price is, in case you ever doubted it, excellent in his role. He may be someone who feels that he was pushed into his actions, as opposed to a proper moustache-twirling villain, but that doesn't make him any less evil once he resolves to do whatever is necessary to keep himself safe. Shaw may spend most of the movie in a relatively prone state, but she's good in her role. Latimore is the dependable and caring husband, although he's not quite caring enough to believe the word of his wife over that of a trained professional feeding him a line of BS (ahem, oh well, thrillers have to often be based upon such conceits), and Lynn Bari is very good as Elaine Jordan, the colleague and cohort of Price.

It's as unpretentious as so many other noirs are, clocks in at a very acceptable 70 minutes, and has some moments that could easily have been dressed up in gothic robes and pushed from the realm of thriller into outright horror. In other words . . . this is a little gem. It's the sort of title I would love to see get polished up, nicely packaged, and presented to film fans who take to it as quickly as I did.

8/10

If you have enjoyed this, or any other, review on the blog then do consider the following ways to show your appreciation. A subscription/follow costs nothing, and ALL of the links you need are here - https://linktr.ee/raidersofthepodcast
Or you may have a couple of quid to throw at me, in Ko-fi form - https://ko-fi.com/kevinmatthews
Or Amazon is nice at this time of year - https://www.amazon.co.uk/hz/wishlist/ls/Y1ZUCB13HLJD?ref_=wl_share

Noir-vember: Laura (1944)

Considering the many classic film noirs I have covered in my blog, I was surprised to realise that I had never praised Laura here. Given my love for it, I then decided that it was the best choice for the start of 2019's Noir-vember season here.

The radiantly beautiful Gene Tierney (and yes, I do always have to use numerous complimentary adjectives when describing one of my all-time favourite leading ladies) plays the titular female in a movie that begins with the discovery of her corpse and then moves on through numerous twists and turns until the killer is revealed. We get to know a lot about Laura through numerous flashbacks, prompted by the sassy investigating detective (Mark McPherson, played by Dana Andrews), including how she came to be friends with the acerbic newspaper columnist Waldo Lydecker (Clifton Webb), how messy things were getting with her fiancé Shelby Carpenter (Vincent Price).

This is a murder-mystery noir movie that shows just how damaging love can be, even when it's disguised as a pure and innocent love for someone that people claim to care deeply for. Everything covered by that great driving force is here; passion, jealousy, pride, happiness and unhappiness, self-doubt and much more. Although a number of different names were credited, and uncredited, with writing the script, a lot of the credit must go to the writer of the source material, Vera Caspary, and director Otto Preminger.

Preminger has the double bonus of being able to match great material with a great cast to produce a memorable little movie. Tierney is peerless (I have seen about half a dozen of her movies now, and that opinion has not wavered), Andrews is cool and slightly hard-boiled, if not nearly as tough as he could have been, Webb is like a male Bette Davis, and battles with Price over who can deliver their dialogue best. The latter is a great mixture of awkwardness, guile and confidence. It may be odd to watch Price as a younger man, clean-shaven and not as menacing as he would be in so many of his horror movie roles, but viewers can get a lot of enjoyment from the way he cannot so much as get a drink of water without looking inordinately guilty.

I think it would be easy for many people to class this as a "rainy afternoon" movie, but if that's the case then all I can say is that I hope the weather stays bad, at least long enough for others to catch up with it. And then you can join the ranks of so many other people who have fallen in love with Gene Tierney. Because to know her is to love her, which is probably why she works so well in the main role here.

9/10

If you have enjoyed this, or any other, review on the blog then do consider the following ways to show your appreciation. A subscription/follow costs nothing.
It also costs nothing to like/subscribe to the YouTube channel attached to the podcast I am part of - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCErkxBO0xds5qd_rhjFgDmA
Or you may have a couple of quid to throw at me, in Ko-fi form - https://ko-fi.com/kevinmatthews
Or Amazon is nice at this time of year - https://www.amazon.co.uk/hz/wishlist/ls/Y1ZUCB13HLJD?ref_=wl_share

Ani-MAY-tion: Basil The Great Mouse Detective (1986)

Despite my love of both Sherlock Holmes and my love of Disney movies, I am neither an expert nor anywhere near a completist in both fields. But I am still surprised that it took me this long to finally watch Basil The Great Mouse Detective, a film that is, for all intents and purposes, a Sherlock Holmes tale that has the main parts played by a variety of animals. I am also surprised that, according to a few articles I browsed before writing this review, this film was quite a success, so much so that it renewed confidence at Disney in their animation department and helped to start them on their road back to grand success (The Little Mermaid, a few years after this, would see them end the decade in a much stronger position than their starting point, and the '90s had some huge animated hits, such as Beauty & The Beast, Aladdin, The Lion King, etc). And I missed that. Even as a prime potential viewer, I suspect I was already trying to sneakily watch more adult fare and dismissed this film as something too childish for me. I don't even recall a big marketing push for it, although I assume that it would have been given the usual litany of ads, featurettes on TV shows, and tie-ins.

Basically, this is a film I kept putting lower down on my list of prioritised viewings because I wrongly assumed it had been a failure. It wasn't then, and it isn't now.

Little Olivia Flaversham (Susanne Pollatschek) seeks the services of the greatest mouse detective in London (Basil, voiced by Barrie Ingham) when her toymaker father is snatched away by a large bat. Bumping into Dr. David Q. Dawson (Val Bettin, portraying the Watson to the mouse version of Holmes), Olivia is guided to Basil and makes her case for help. The detective is initially unmoved by her tale, until he realises that it must be part of a scheme cooked up by the nefarious Professor Ratigan (Vincent Price). What dastardly plan is he hatching that requires a toymaker, stolen clockwork mechanisms, and many toy soldier uniforms? The game is afoot.

Despite not being quite up there with their very best work, and that is a high standard to reach, Basil The Great Mouse Detective is definitely high up in the overall Disney canon. The animation is quite lovely, with some delightful little details in most of the scenes, the script (worked on by many people who were transferring the characters from the pages of "Basil Of Baker Street", written by Eve Titus and illustrated by Paul Galdone) is a lot of fun for all ages, and the voice cast is excellent all round, with Ingham and Bettin a wonderful central duo, Pollatschek a sweet little girl in peril, and Price as ear-pleasing as ever with that immediately recognisable voice, used to great effect in yet another villainous turn.

Like other great Disney movies, this also has some moments that will scare younger viewers before carrying them back into safer territory. It's a perfect mix of thrills, chuckles, and spectacle (including a fantastic finale that takes place around Big Ben).

If you're a fan of fine animated films, a fan of Sherlock, or a fan of both, then you should make time in your schedule for this one. There's even a wonderful audio snippet of Basil Rathbone used.

8/10

You can buy the movie here.
Americans can get it here.

Prime Time: The Monster Club (1981)

An Amicus anthology horror movie in almost every way, apart from the fact that it came along a few years after Amicus was no longer active, The Monster Club is a mixed experience for fans of these films, and fans of the stars involved.

John Carradine plays a horror writer who has some blood drawn from his system by a polite vampire (Vincent Price) before the grateful drinker invites him along to the titular club. There, in between a number of stage acts, he is told three spooky stories. The first is all about a creature known as a Shadmock (played by James Laurenson), the second is a comedic tale about a vampire (Richard Johnson), and the third is all about a village full of ghouls.

Carradine may be playing an onscreen version of R. Chetwynd Hayes (the author of the source material, even if the stories changed a fair bit from book to screenplay form, the latter written by Valerie and Edward Abraham), and there may be some obvious winks and gags for horror film fans (such as a character named Lintom Busotsky, a crude and simple play on the name of producer Milton Subotsky), but it's a great shame that the majority of the film avoids other opportunities for some meta humour. What we get, instead, are some moments that show director Roy Ward Baker doing his damnedest to prove that he could supply entertainment for modern horror audiences who had turned their backs on the comforting bloodshed supplied by the likes of Hammer, Amicus, Tigon, etc. I might find it amusing to watch a song performed by B. A. Robertson, and there's a great gag involving a stripper (although the film is a pretty tame affair with no nudity shown), but it's hard to imagine anyone viewing the film in 1981 leaving the cinema with anything other than a sense of disappointment. I have always had a soft spot for it, but that's because I first saw it as a pre-teen.

Price is as much fun as he usually is, Carradine spends most of his time looking around in mild bemusement (no surprise, considering the strange assortment of masks being worn by the people pretending to be monsters in the club), and the best performance in the three tales comes from Laurenson, playing a sweet and tragic, but also dangerous, creature. Barbara Kellerman and Simon Ward are also involved in his story, and both do well enough to make it the most consistently enjoyable one. The second tale, featuring Johnson, is a big step down, with Britt Ekland and Donald Pleasence wasted in their supporting roles, although it's at least fun to see Pleasence given much lighter material in the genre than he was usually given. Stuart Whitman, Lesley Dunlop, and Patrick Magee star in the third, and final, tale. They do well enough, but it's more about the atmosphere, with the main village feeling like a small British counterpart to the location features in The City Of The Dead.

The execution of the material is fairly clumsy, the humour is a lot more childish than viewers may expect (making this a surprisingly okay choice for a family viewing), and it's a far cry from the past glories of the British horror movie industry. Having said that, you get to spend time with some enjoyably familiar faces, the penny-pinching doesn't remove the sheer sense of fun, and there's actually a pretty good punchline to round it all off. It's not a good movie, but it has a charm to it that may lead to you occasionally thinking as fondly of it as I do.

5/10

You can buy the movie here.
Americans can buy it here.

20 Great Christmas Gifts

I have made this list UK-centric but would love any of my American friends to simply use this link and shop away to your hearts content - http://www.amazon.com/. I get rewarded for anything bought as soon as you use a link on this blog, which helps make MY Christmas nicer too . And I'm sure you'll all be picking up this movie review guide anyway - http://www.amazon.com/TJs-Ramshackle-Movie-Guide-Reviews-ebook/dp/B00J9PLT6Q/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1417775226&sr=8-1-fkmr0&keywords=tj%27s+ramshackle+movie+guide

Now . . . . . . . . here are 20 gift ideas for the movie fan in your life.

20. This wonderful slice of Price - http://www.arrowfilms.co.uk/vincent-price-in-six-gothic-tales/

19. An impressive ape head - http://www.amazon.co.uk/Caesars-Warrior-Collection-Set--Exclusive-Amazon-co-uk/dp/B00LO95JUM/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&qid=1417774036&sr=8-8&keywords=planet+of+the+apes+box+set

18. A super double-bill - http://www.amazon.co.uk/Captain-America-Winter-Soldier-Blu-ray/dp/B00JZL5BEK/ref=sr_1_2?s=dvd&ie=UTF8&qid=1417774112&sr=1-2&keywords=captain+america+box+set

17. This classic heist movie - http://www.arrowfilms.co.uk/rififi/

16. Some hunger before all that food - http://www.amazon.co.uk/Hunger-Games-Catching-Fire-Blu-ray/dp/B00GJLPLBC/ref=sr_1_5?s=dvd&ie=UTF8&qid=1417774316&sr=1-5&keywords=the+hunger+games

15. Top bants here - http://www.amazon.co.uk/Inbetweeners-Movie-Blu-ray-Simon-Bird/dp/B00O58MCHC/ref=sr_1_2_twi_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1417774524&sr=8-2&keywords=inbetweeners+box+set

14. Get schooled - http://www.amazon.co.uk/Jump-Street-Double-Blu-ray-Region/dp/B00KMZ4BNA/ref=pd_bxgy_d_h__text_y

13. Have another walk in the park before the 2015 movie comes along - http://www.amazon.co.uk/Jurassic-Ultimate-Trilogy-Blu-ray-Region/dp/B004KKXMSI/ref=sr_1_2?s=dvd&ie=UTF8&qid=1417774657&sr=1-2&keywords=jurassic+park+trilogy

12. *cough* http://www.amazon.co.uk/TJs-Ramshackle-Movie-Guide-Reviews-ebook/dp/B00J9PLT6Q/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1417774845&sr=1-1-fkmr0&keywords=tj%27s+ramshackle+movie

11. Some great clothing options are here - http://www.lastexittonowhere.com/

10. Action, action, and more action - http://www.amazon.co.uk/Raid-2-Blu-ray-Iko-Uwais/dp/B00IG9DESC/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1417774972&sr=8-2&keywords=the+raid+box+set

9. My secondary choice for film of the year - http://www.amazon.co.uk/Inside-Llewyn-Davis-Blu-ray-Oscar/dp/B00HS2P7PG/ref=sr_1_2?s=dvd&ie=UTF8&qid=1417775075&sr=1-2&keywords=inside+llewyn+davis

8. My main choice for film of the year - http://www.amazon.co.uk/Calvary-Blu-ray-Brendan-Gleeson/dp/B00JO9O392/ref=sr_1_1_twi_2_twi_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1417775008&sr=8-1&keywords=calvary

7. The TV show of the year? Possibly - http://www.amazon.co.uk/True-Detective-Season-Blu-ray-Region/dp/B00HYCNWZM/ref=sr_1_2?s=dvd&ie=UTF8&qid=1417774790&sr=1-2&keywords=true+detective

6. Yes, everything IS awesome - http://www.amazon.co.uk/Lego-Movie-Blu-ray-Copy-Region/dp/B00EXPOEGO/ref=sr_1_3?s=dvd&ie=UTF8&qid=1417774595&sr=1-3&keywords=the+lego+movie+blu-ray

5. Feeling blue? Get this - http://www.amazon.co.uk/Breaking-Bad-Collectors-Exclusive-Amazon-co-uk/dp/B00N433OE4/ref=sr_1_4?s=dvd&ie=UTF8&qid=1417774421&sr=1-4&keywords=breaking+bad+complete+box+set

4. Here be dragons - http://www.amazon.co.uk/Train-Your-Dragon-Double-Blu-ray/dp/B00LN488NS/ref=sr_1_2?s=dvd&ie=UTF8&qid=1417774383&sr=1-2&keywords=how+to+train+your+dragon+1+and+2

3. What's in the briefcase? A LOAD of goodies - http://www.amazon.co.uk/Pulp-Fiction-Anniversary-Deluxe-Blu-ray/dp/B00M482Y0A/ref=sr_1_1?s=dvd&ie=UTF8&qid=1417774161&sr=1-1&keywords=pulp+fiction+20th+anniversary

2. Arguably the most fun film of this year - http://www.amazon.co.uk/Guardians-Galaxy-Blu-ray-Chris-Pratt/dp/B00IXGU7XI/ref=pd_cp_d_h__2

1. Anything from Dark Bunny Tees 

Theatre Of Blood (1973)

Vincent Price stars as a wronged Shakespearean actor, named Edward Kendal Sheridan Lionheart, in this comedic horror that brilliantly heaps the macabre upon the macabre with every subsequent sequence, and also allows Price to portray a number of roles from many of those classic Shakespeare plays.

It all starts with the death of a critic, a single murder that the police investigate with little idea of the motive. When other critics start to die, however, it quickly becomes clear that all of the people have something in common. They all have their own little clique, and they've all greatly upset (to say the least) an actor they thought had died some time ago. But Lionheart isn't dead, and his flair for the theatrical means that those critics are going to help him realise perhaps his greatest repertory season yet.

Directed by Douglas Hickox, Theatre Of Blood benefits enormously from the fun script by Anthony Greville-Bell and the magnificence of such a great ensemble cast. That's not to take anything away from Hickox, who shows such great judgment in the way he treats the material, leading viewers deeper and deeper into territory that becomes surprisingly unpleasant in tone while also making it all just bearable enough to amuse and horrify in equal measure.

Price is the star of the show, and oh how he shines. He gets to recite many famous lines, dress up as a variety of characters, and simply revel in the inspired lunacy of his character in a way that's infectious whenever he appears onscreen. Diana Rigg is lovely and suspicious in the role of his daughter, a woman who resents all those who she thinks drove her father to his death. And Milo O'Shea and Eric Sykes are both enjoyable enough as two of the main police officers trying to stop more brutal murders on their patch. But it's in the casting of the critics that the film gains more bonus points. Michael Hordern, Robert Morley, Arthur Lowe, Coral Browne, Jack Hawkins, Dennis Price, Harry Andrews, Robert Coote and Ian Hendry all prove to be great entertainment, portraying a bunch of smug, nasty critics who don't seem entirely undeserving of their fates. Hendry is the man who pieces everything together, and helps the police to see just what's going on, but everyone gets at least one great scene apiece.

Price considered this film a personal favourite and it's not hard to see why. He always wanted to stretch his wings a bit more, but was so solidly typecast in the prime of his career that it wasn't to be. This film allowed him to stay within the genre that had won him such a loyal army of fans, while also letting him deliver so many great speeches that he would otherwise not had the chance to perform onscreen. It's a win win situation for the star and his fans, making this a film that you won't want to miss.

9/10

This is the disc I recommend purchasing - http://www.amazon.co.uk/Theatre-Blood-Blu-ray-Vincent-Price/dp/B00IJE1QU2/ref=sr_1_1?s=dvd&ie=UTF8&qid=1411828432&sr=1-1&keywords=theatre+of+blood

Pit And The Pendulum (1961)

Another adaptation of some classic Edgar Allan Poe by Roger Corman, and once again starring the magnificent Vincent Price, Pit And The Pendulum is an atmospheric and macabre slice of entertainment, as you would expect considering the people involved.

Price plays Nicholas Medina, a man who has recently lost his wife (Barbara Steele). When her brother (John Kerr) comes to visit, in an attempt to figure out just what really happened, it soon becomes clear that Nicholas is hiding something. But is it something sinister, or is it a past tragedy that has haunted him, and also his sister (Luana Anders), for many years? Perhaps the family doctor (Antony Carbone) can help.

From the cast members (Steele and Anders, at any rate) to the set design to the colour scheme used, Pit And The Pendulum is a gorgeous film, almost as rich and satisfying as The Masque Of The Red Death, a film with many obvious similarities to this one.

The script by Richard Matheson may not stick as rigidly to the material by Poe as purists might like, but it maintains the essence of his work and leads to a finale that feels exactly as it should, in terms of potential terror and nastiness.

Corman directs with confidence, making the most out of a few set-pieces and allowing himself room for some nice artistic flourishes. It's the kind of work that may make fans regret the path that his career took, after he saw how the dollar was easier to get a hold without any qualms about artistic integrity. I'm not knocking the man for the choice that he made, and the many careers that he's helped launch, but I AM sad that only a few of his movies seem to show what he was really capable of.

Price is on his usual top form, gracious and possibly hiding madness behind that charming smile, while Kerr and Carbone pitch their performances just perfectly, playing more level-headed characters without ever being overshadowed by that magnificent central performance. Anders is a ray of loveliness in a rather dark and dire environment, and Steele is given another role that makes the most of her haunting beauty.

Superior horror entertainment from start to finish, and what a finish it is, Pit And The Pendulum is a film that every self-respecting fan of the genre should see. And then buy. And then see again and again.

8/10

http://www.amazon.com/The-Raven-Pendulum-Tales-Terror/dp/B005AMJ36U/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1399588222&sr=8-2&keywords=pit+and+the+pendulum

The Arrow edition, however, is the way to go - http://www.amazon.co.uk/Pit-Pendulum-Blu-ray-Vincent-Price/dp/B00IJE1QL6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1402699173&sr=8-1&keywords=pit+and+the+pendulum

Don't forget to help me to convince my wife that movie reviews aren't a complete waste of my time and energy whenever you're visiting Amazon. My book is available there.

The UK version can be bought here - http://www.amazon.co.uk/TJs-Ramshackle-Movie-Guide-Reviews-ebook/dp/B00J9PLT6Q/ref=sr_1_3?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1395945647&sr=1-3&keywords=movie+guide

And American folks can buy it here - http://www.amazon.com/TJs-Ramshackle-Movie-Guide-Reviews-ebook/dp/B00J9PLT6Q/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1395945752&sr=8-1-fkmr0&keywords=TJs+ramshackle+mov

As much as I love the rest of the world, I can't keep up with all of the different links in different territories, but trust me when I say that it should be there on your local Amazon.

The Masque Of The Red Death (1964)

A film that remains, arguably, the high point of Roger Corman's career, The Masque Of The Red Death is a fine adaptation of material by Edgar Allan Poe. Vincent Price gives another fantastic turn in the lead role, the supporting cast all do great work, and the whole thing has a style and mix of the fantastical with the genuinely horrifying that should please most horror fans.

Europe is plagued by the "Red Death" and nobody is safe from it. Prince Prospero (Vincent Price) is a cruel man who is determined to keep himself healthy and alive, and so decides to throw a ball for invited guests at his death-free castle. He believes that his home is a refuge from the plague, although it is not a refuge that he is willing to share with everyone. Will everyone stay safe? Even young Francesca (Jane Asher), a young woman taken by Prospero from a local village for his amusement?

Dripping with gorgeous little touches in almost every scene, and chock full of great lines of dialogue (with Charles Beaumont and R. Wright Campbell being the men responsible for the script), this is a treat from start to finish for anyone allowing themselves to relax and soak up the whole experience. It's atmospheric, often quite bizarre, and all anchored by that rich Price performance.

While the leading man is the main attraction, in terms of the cast, he's not the only one doing a sterling job. Asher does well in her scenes, a sweet and innocent individual stuck in a terrible situation, and Hazel Court is mesmerising as the wicked woman, Juliana, who wants to be by Prospero's side. Patrick Magee as the selfish Alfredo (who ends up involved in the most memorable scene in the film). David Weston is the least interesting of the main characters, as Gino, but he's easy to root for as he sets out to rescue the lovely Francesca from Prospero's castle.

Although most horror fans are aware of, and praise, the Roger Corman movies that were developed from the works of Poe, it's still quite a pleasant surprise to revisit his earlier works and see just how different that output was compared to the many b-movies and creature features he has lent his name to in recent years.

It's a great shame that Corman transformed himself over the years, from a canny artist who had great business savvy into a businessman who buried any art in the quest to provide audiences with simple pleasures, but it's hard to criticise a man too much who has provided me with movies as enjoyable as this one before also, in his capacity as producer, providing me with schlock as enjoyable as Sharktopus.

9/10

http://www.amazon.com/Masque-Red-Death-Amazon-com-Exclusive/dp/B00A43NUY6/ref=sr_1_2?s=movies-tv&ie=UTF8&qid=1398997367&sr=1-2&keywords=the+masque+of+the+red+death

Don't forget, every copy of my book sold gets a few pounds in my pocket, and gets you a good read (if I say so myself).

The UK version can be bought here - http://www.amazon.co.uk/TJs-Ramshackle-Movie-Guide-Reviews-ebook/dp/B00J9PLT6Q/ref=sr_1_3?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1395945647&sr=1-3&keywords=movie+guide

And American folks can buy it here - http://www.amazon.com/TJs-Ramshackle-Movie-Guide-Reviews-ebook/dp/B00J9PLT6Q/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1395945752&sr=8-1-fkmr0&keywords=TJs+ramshackle+mov

As much as I love the rest of the world, I can't keep up with all of the different links in different territories, but trust me when I say that it should be there on your local Amazon.

The Invisible Man Returns (1940)

Time for another man to turn invisible, and possibly a bit insane, in this enjoyable movie that I guess could be class as a sequel of sorts to The Invisible Man.

Vincent Price is Geoffrey Radcliffe, a man who has been charged with the murder of his brother. Luckily, a couple of people believe that he is innocent, including the lovely Helen Mason (Nan Grey) and Frank Griffin (John Sutton). Griffin is especially useful, as he is the brother of the main character in the 1933 movie. He has recreated the formula that makes people invisible, but he also needs to find a way to reverse the procedure before madness sets in. As Geoffrey sets out to prove his innocence, he becomes more and more unbalanced, and it's not long until Helen and the doctor suspect that they may run out of time. Meanwhile, Inspector Sampson (Cecil Kellaway) goes to great lengths to capture the invisible fugitive, and he knows a trick or two to make him appear.

Directed by Joe May (with a script by Lester Cole and Curt Siodmak), this is a competent and entertaining movie. The special effects are pretty good, although they don't quite seem as impressive as they were in the original movie, and the plot unfolds with a few enjoyable twists and turns that mix in enough elements to stop everything feeling like a simple retread of the first movie.

Vincent Price has, as we all know, a great voice, which makes him a great actor to put in the central role. He's as good as ever here, although it's a shame that it's, by necessity, mostly a voice-only performance. Grey and Sutton are both fine as his main allies, and Kellaway is good as the dogged Inspector. Cedrick Hardwicke is the smooth Richard Cobb, and Alan Napier is the rough Willie Spears.

Overall, this is a good bit of fun. There are one or two enjoyable set-pieces, a good set of characters to spend time with, and the sheer fun that comes from any movie using invisibility as a main plot point.

6/10

If you have enjoyed this, or any other, review on the blog then do consider the following ways to show your appreciation. A subscription/follow costs nothing.
It also costs nothing to like/subscribe to the YouTube channel attached to the podcast I am part of - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCErkxBO0xds5qd_rhjFgDmA
Or you may have a couple of quid to throw at me, in Ko-fi form - https://ko-fi.com/kevinmatthews
Or Amazon is nice at this time of year - https://www.amazon.co.uk/hz/wishlist/ls/Y1ZUCB13HLJD?ref_=wl_share 

Bloodbath At The House Of Death (1984).

It's quite funny to think of how the rather poor Scary Movie films (the first was okay, the second dire and sue me but I actually quite liked 3 and 4) and Shriek If You Know What I Did Last Friday The 13th (which I always preferred to Scary Movie anyway) were both inferior to material that had beaten them to the post over 15 years ago. I am referring to the wonderful Student Bodies and the equally wonderful Bloodbath At The House Of Death.

Although Bloodbath At The House Of Death is a bit more of a typically British affair (thanks to the helping hand of Barry Cryer in the script department and a cast including the likes of Kenny Everett, John Fortune, Gareth Hunt and many other big names from the world of 1980s UK telly) it's also a highly rewarding film for horror fans familiar with the type of movie being referenced.

First and foremost, it's the haunted house movie being spoofed with the likes of The Haunting and The Legend Of Hell House most obviously referenced. However, those involved cast their net a bit further than that. Heck, even the opening titles tell you that it's Thursday 12th August, 1975, and then go on to say . . . . . . give or take a day.
Aside from those mentioned, we also get the legendary Vincent Price in a small but highly amusing role, Don Warrington, Pamela Stephenson, Sheila Steafel and Cleo Rocos. Everyone goes along with the fun and there's a special joy in hearing Vincent Price replying in his own inimitable style after being told to "piss off".

The script isn't perfect, by any means, but it remains very amusing and a nice mix of the sharp and the stupid. Characters provide exposition in an obvious manner commented on by others, people lose count when trying to explain the gory events that happened years ago in the titular house, there's a comedic satanic ritual and much more to enjoy.
The plot? I haven't gone into any great detail because it was kind of covered when I mentioned The Haunting and The Legend Of Hell House. A bunch of scientists go to a house that was the scene of a bloodbath many years ago and the scene is set for another potential night of death.

Director Ray Cameron, who co-wrote the thing with Cryer, doesn't do too badly although the style of the thing sometimes feels like an extended TV skit as opposed to a movie. What I must go out of my way to state, however, is just how well the movie does in the last 20 minutes or so, mixing some genuinely creepy atmosphere and scares with a few more laughs. Something that the Scary Movie franchise hasn't managed in any of their outings to date.

8/10.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Bloodbath-at-House-Death-DVD/dp/B0014YKRBI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1377033323&sr=8-1&keywords=bloodbath+at+the+house+of+death