Adrian Smith
Entries from December 2012
(The following review pertains to the Region 2/British DVD release)
By
Adrian Smith
By
the end of the 1970s Pete Walker was one of the UK's most successful horror
film directors, with titles like House of Whipcord (1974), Frightmare
(1974) and The Flesh and Blood Show (1972) securing his reputation for
originality and controversy. It was perhaps surprising to many when, in 1983,
what turned out to be his last film was a throw-back to the old dark
house-style gothic horrors of the 1930s. His producers, Menahem Golen and Yorum
Globus, wanted a horror film with Bela Lugosi and Boris Karloff, not the
“aborted foetus on the rampage†film he was trying to raise funding for.
Undeterred, and working with long-time script-writing collaborator Michael
Armstrong, he devised a film that could cast the old guard and be both an
homage to the genre as well as a spoof of its creaky conventions. Thankfully
Peter Cushing, Vincent Price, Christopher Lee and John Carradine signed up
providing the kind of dream team not seen since the heyday of Amicus or AIP in
the 1960s. Sheila Keith, in her fifth film for Pete Walker, was a replacement
for Elsa Lanchester, the original bride
of Frankenstein, who at that point was too ill to make the journey to the UK.
Despite her late casting, Keith's association with Walker's horror films
ensured she fitted in perfectly with the rest of the cast.
The
story revolves around rich young American author Ken (Desi Arnaz Jr., son of
Desi and Lucille Ball) on a book-signing tour of the UK. A bet is made with his
publisher (played with relish by Richard Todd, himself no stranger to the
horror film) that Ken cannot write a gothic romance novel in twenty-four hours.
Taking the bet, he is given the key to a deserted manor house in Wales to
provide inspiration, only it soon transpires that the house is anything but.
Before he can settle down with his typewriter he has to deal with mysterious
caretakers, long-lost relatives, a sexy secretary, cobweb-strewn corridors, a
locked room and several grisly murders. The old cast play their parts with
obvious glee, these pantheons of terror clearly relishing the chance to play on
their horror images. Even Christopher Lee seems to be having a good time! Desi
Arnaz Jr. has come in for some criticism in the past for his performance in
this film, and whilst he is a little bland, he does provide a useful anchor for
the increasing insanity around him.
When
released theatrically House of the Long Shadows disappointed at the box
office, in part due to the fact that Cannon Films could not decide whether to
market the movie as a comedy or a horror, and it has become something of a lost
film since. There was a brief VHS release in the mid-1980s and a poor quality
burn on demand DVD from the MGM archive, but this release from Final Cut
Entertainment represents the first official DVD release, and it is long
overdue. Featuring a good quality widescreen print, we finally have an
opportunity to appreciate the superb lighting and cinematography by Norman G.
Langley, who was working under the difficulties of shooting in a real manor
house, not a studio set. The DVD cover is unfortunately cheap and bland,
essentially reproducing the original VHS artwork, but do not be fooled. A lot
of work has been put into this release, mainly by author, theatre director and
super-fan Derek Pykett. He accompanies director Pete Walker on a full
commentary track discussing all aspects of the production in great detail. What
is more unexpected is the feature length documentary House of the Long
Shadows... Revisited, produced and presented by Pykett. It is clearly an
amateur production, and somebody needs to teach him how to conduct interviews
without constantly giggling in the background, but we should be grateful for
his enthusiasm. It is doubtful anyone else would have gone to so much trouble.
He reunites Walker and Langley with Julie Peasgood, one of the film's younger
stars, at the original location, actually Rotherfield park in Hampshire. He has
also secured interviews with several other of the movie's participants from
both in front of and behind the camera, the most surprising of all being a
fascinating chat with Desi Arnaz. Jr himself. He has fond memories of the film,
particularly working with such a terrific cast.
Hopefully
this release will allow people the chance to reassess this gleefully playful
movie, which is deeply undeserving of the negative reputation it has. Far from
the disappointment it was perceived to be at the time, House of the Long
Shadows is both a tribute and a swansong to the gothic horror movie,
riffing on the clichés and sending up the over the top performances. It is a
joy to spend an hour and a half in the company of Vincent Price, Peter Cushing,
Christopher Lee, John Carradine and Sheila Keith doing what they did best, in a
lineup the likes of which we will most likely never see again.
By Adrian Smith
Creepy
Images/ Kessler & Benzel GbR ISBN 978-3-00-03941-9
Binding:
hardback
Price
€39.50
392
pages
size:
210 x 270 mm
Paul
Naschy has often been described as the Spanish Lon Chaney due to the variety of
different roles he has played within the horror genre. It would perhaps be more
accurate to liken him to Lon Chaney Jr. however, given his short stocky build
and propensity for playing werewolves, vampires and mummies in often second-rate
movies. His real name was Jacinto Molina, and in a career spanning almost sixty
years in Spanish cinema he progressed from acting through to writing and
eventually directing as well. He also dabbled in euro-crime thrillers and
giallo-style murder mysteries, but it was the gothic horror film in which he
seemed to feel most at home.
Spanish
cinema under the Franco regime was quite strictly controlled, but horror tended
to have more freedom, which perhaps explains why it was the only genre at the
time to really flourish, with many of the films being shown worldwide. This new
book, featuring over 1200 images, all in full colour, helps to chart the
distribution history of Naschy films around the world by gathering together
posters, lobby cards, front-of-house stills and press kits from over twenty
countries. It is an entertaining and fascinating wealth of materials, many of
which have not been published before. The films are presented chronologically,
focusing primarily on those in which Naschy starred. An additional chapter has
been added for non-horror movies, or those where he was more of a supporting
player. The author has provided plenty of additional information, printed here
in both English and German, which sheds light on the production history as well
as details on the availability and collectible nature of some of these
advertising materials.
Even
if you have not seen a Paul Naschy film before, this is a book filled with
brilliant images that you will want to pour over for hours before going on line
to seek some of these titles out. How about pairing Shadow of the Werewolf
aka The Werewolf vs. Vampire Woman (1971) with The Werewolf and the
Yeti (1975) for hairy double-bill? Naschy also scripted and starred in Exorcist-style shocker Exorcismo
(1974), worked with Hammer's John Gilling on La Cruz del Diablo (1974)
and even went to swinging London in Jack the Ripper in London, aka Seven
Murders for Scotland Yard (1971). Whether his films were cashing in on the
late 1960s cinematic fixation on witch burning, or if he was playing a
hunchback in a morgue, Paul Naschy clearly threw himself fully into his work.
The publicity images generally put his monstrous visage to the fore, but still
find plenty of room for boobs, blood and screaming women. It comes as something
of a surprise to see just how explicit some of these front-of-house stills
could be, and is an interesting reminder of how relaxed and liberal some
countries were at the time.
The
book is huge fun, and clearly represents an impressive personal collection from
the author. An introduction from Naschy's son Sergio Molina provides some
background information on the beginnings of his father's career, and the author
has included a memorabilia glossary which is particularly helpful for
collectors. This book is a must-have for horror and Euro-cine fans, potentially
introducing Spanish horror cinema to a whole new audience.
To
order this book go to www.creepy-images.com.
By Adrian Smith
Jules Verne's Fabulous Journey to the Centre of the
Earth (1977)
Directed
by Juan Piquer Simón
Region
2, released by Odeon Entertainment (This is the UK DVD release.)
Destined
to be picked up by people mistaking it for the 1959 version starring James
Mason, this release was directed in Spain and Lanzarote by a man often referred
to as the Spanish Ed Wood. Taking his cast on location, shooting in spectacular
caves and volcanic wastes, the film has a far greater sense of realism than its
Hollywood counterpart. Sadly the budgetary constraints meant that a lot of the
cave scenes are so darkly lit we are as much in the dark as the candle-bearing
explorers.
Following
Verne's novel quite closely, the story concerns Victorian Professor Otto
Lindenbrock (Kenneth More) who in the inquisitive spirit of the age decides to
prove his “crackpot†theories concerning a hollow earth. Armed with an ancient
map and accompanied by his assistant, his daughter and stoic guide Hans, they
climb down inside a volcano and discover an ocean, dinosaurs, giant mushrooms,
man-eating tortoises and even King Kong. Alright, so it doesn't follow the
novel that closely, but the film is
all the more fun because of it. There are even some intriguing time-travel and
cloning elements thrown in, possibly referencing Verne's closest rival in
sci-fi literature, H.G. Wells.
Kenneth
More stars as Lindenbrock in what turned out to be one of his last roles. It
was a physically demanding role, and More plays it all straight, despite the
opportunities for camping it up. He was acting alongside a mostly Spanish cast
and filmed in some very difficult locations, particularly the caves where the
temperature was a constant 99 degrees humidity. More was a well- respected
player in the British film industry, perhaps best remembered for playing World
War II fighter pilot Douglas Bader in Reach For the Sky (1956). Sadly he
developed Parkinson's Disease in his early sixties, and died just a few years
after this film was released.
There
is a lot going on in Jules Verne's Fabulous Journey to the Centre of the
Earth, which is reflected in the title, where it was sometimes abbreviated
to just Journey to the Centre of the Earth, or changed completely to Where
Time Began. It was the Juan Piquer Simón's first feature as director. He
seemed determined to throw in every possible idea, even those which did not
really make sense. Thankfully the pace rarely sags and the film is never
boring. Simón went to to have quite an interesting career in Spain, making the
best of the low budgets and dubious scripts he was offered.
It
is an enchanting, undemanding film that provides genuine entertainment through
the strength of the performances, and unintended laughs through the rubber
monsters. One puzzling aspect of this release is its inclusion in Odeon Entertainment's
Best of British range, as with the exception of More and the American actor
Jack Taylor and co-writer John Melson, the entire production is Spanish.The
print quality is fine, and the DVD includes the original theatrical trailer,
which gives away all the best moments of the film, and a short stills gallery.
A detailed booklet which lends some much needed production history and a nice
summary of the life and work of Jules Verne is also included.
By Adrian Smith
(This review pertains to the UK DVD release. It has not been released in the USA as of this time)
The Uninvited (1944) directed by
Lewis Allen
One
of the most eagerly anticipated DVD releases of recent times, The Uninvited
is considered a classic ghost story, listed by both Martin Scorsese and current
genre favourite Guillermo Del Toro as one of the scariest films of all times.
Bearing some similarities in tone to Hitchcock's Rebecca (1940), the
film takes wind-swept coastlines and adds menacing spectral activity to the
potentially doomed love affair. The Uninvited was one of the first Hollywood
productions to present the idea of ghosts being real, and the special optical
effects used remain convincing and chilling to this day.
The
film is based on a popular novel by Dorothy Macardle, and the screenplay was
written by Dodie Smith, who went on to pen the original novel for 101
Dalmatians several years later. In the film Ray Milland plays Roderick, a
composer persuaded by his sister Pamela (Ruth Hussey) to buy a deserted house
atop a Cornish cliff. For reasons not explained, other than they both appear to
be single, they live together in this spacious abode despite the fact that a
woman died in mysterious circumstances twenty years earlier. Her daughter
Stella (Gail Russell) is strangely drawn to the house, ignoring the demands of
her over-bearing father to stay away. As if this was not enough, the sound of
weeping echoing around the house keeps them awake at night. To complicate
matters even further, Roderick falls in love with this young ingenue, and with
the help of his sister he is determined to get to the bottom of the haunting.
It
is nice to see Ray Milland in his younger 'leading man' years, shortly before
he won his Oscar for The Lost Weekend (1945), and well before he was
wallowing in the exploitation world of films like Frogs
and The Thing With Two Heads (both 1972, the latter with the immortal
tagline “They share the same body... but hate each other's guts!â€) The
Uninvited is beautifully shot, using light and shadow to great
effect. Presented in the original Academy ratio of 1.33:1, it is crisp and
clear image. A Blu-ray release of this film would have been ideal, but this DVD
is more than welcome, and is better looking than any previous release bar its
original cinematic run.
Considering
its importance in the development of horror cinema, The Uninvited has
been difficult to see for many years, with only a VHS and laserdisc release to
speak of, and the occasional late-night TV airing. Although produced by
Paramount, the film is now owned by Universal along with the rest of their
pre-1948 library. The film has been licensed to independent distributor
Exposure Cinema, who also have three Fritz Lang film noir titles scheduled for
release. It is a pity that there are not more in-depth extras here, a
commentary track from a film historian for example, but it is still a good
package. Both radio adaptations of The Uninvited are included, from 1944
and 1949 respectively, which run for around thirty minutes each and star
Milland. They are fun to listen to as they follow the film very closely, but do
not manage to achieve the same level of fear in the audience. The most
significant additional extra is a substantial booklet featuring essays and
biographies. It is very well put together, featuring a lot of original artwork
and publicity material. Most of these images are also available in the stills
gallery section on the DVD.
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