Apes, Vampires ,Mad Scientists , White Guys in Chinese Makeup ; Charlton Heston kicking ass
or
Tor Johnson , Bela, Karloff , Price , Kicking it old school
Finally got around to diving into my 50 DVD Horror Classic movie collection that I bought as a prize for the costume contest that didn’t happen at Halloween……I had planned to do a series of blogs on a similar titled Sci-Classics 50 DVD Set for $19---but a majority of the films I watched in that set were crap….So I abandoned the idea……Well After watching about 12 of the Horror movies over the last week and a half I thought I would get back into the movie rating game…..
I guess I will start with the So bad it is good category……Which has revived ----my So bad its good movie night idea…..Which previously featured the amazingly so bad its good The Mummy Theme Park ---One of the best so bad its good movies ever…..(I’ve seen that flick 3 times and love how horrible it is each time)
So we start with The Beast of Yucca Flats a 1961 7 out of 10 bad movie classic…..
a 2 that turns into a 7 because it turns the SO –Bad its good corner…. This movie is just a mess --but in a good way……The movie has a soundtrack and narration that tries to make its boring visuals of people randomly wandering around in the desert interesting…..It starts with a completely unnecessary shower scene---with an unseen killer---then becomes a movie about a ex-Russian scientist being chased by KGB agents which the narration teasing about an important evidence of a Russian moon landing…..This plot is completely dropped after an Atom bomb test that turns that scientist into a radioactive killer wandering aimlessly in the desert played by Tor Johnson of stumbling around slowly after people in the Plan 9 from Outer Space (so bad its good classic) Tor Johnson --we love you man. Anyone –nothing exciting really ever happens in this flick –other than people walking around but the rambling narration that tries to save this clunker makes it SO-Bad its good.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qB6IIXCPoAQ
Next up in the collection 2 Charlie Chan like movies starring Boris Karloff
--playing a Chinese Detective Mr Wong….I love the horribly stereotyped Chan flicks with white guys playing the lead Chinese rules….But other than makeup to make Karloff look Chinese he doesn’t even change the way he talks…. That being said they are both Serviceable Mystery flicks…..Doomed to Die 1940 5 out of 10 and The Fatal Hour 1940 5 out of 10…..Standard Mystery stuff –with and over anxious American cop trying to arrest the wrong guy while Mr Wong solves the cases and finds the real killer and the hot young news reporter trying to get a scoop……..In this case 2 Wongs make an Alright couple of movies
Next up “I was like a one man wrecking crew like Charlton Heston in Omega Man did you see it ? it was a Beauty”
The Last Man on Earth 1960 6 out of 10 starring …. Vincent Price
I love this dude even in so –so movies….. Based on Richard Matheson's novel "I Am Legend" Also the basis for Omega Man 1971 7 out of 10 and I am Legend with Will Smith……..This end of the world saga has Vincent Price Narration which I love.. End of the world Last man on the planet picks can always get a little dull at times ---and of course they are never truly only….I enjoyed this look back at a classic tale….Vincent Price running around and stabbing People turned into Vampires by some Pandemic….Entertaining stuff ….It made me end up watching the Hipper---Charlton Heston 1970’s flick ---which has the baddies running around in cult robes (Like Snuggies)….Heston kicks some ass…..
The Last Man on Earth trailerhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i4mYireNvcg
From the Last man on Earth we head into 4 films with mad scientists.
The year 1933 gives us The Vampire Bat 6 out of 10 with Fay Wray (of King Kong Fame) Which tells a tale of A vampire loose in the town….With Universal Studio backlot sets and a torch mob –and mad scientist… Decent flick…
From the year 1940’s The Ape 4 out of 10 Starring Boris Karloff as a scientist trying to cure Paralysis…..This movie also has an Ape on loose from the circus theme…..and Wild west posse on the trail of the killer stuff…..I think this tale needed to figure out what it wanted to be….. 1944 Brings us another so-so Dr. Frankenstein wannabe…..The Monster Maker 3 out of 10 this dull tale of yet another scientist trying to cure something fell kind of flat ---and amazingly this movie also had an ape in it And finally –we have The Corpse Vanishes 1942 5 out of 10 --With Bela Lugosi --who is fake killing off brides at their wedding and stealing their bodies to make a serum to keep his wife young….and hot on his trail is a stereotypical news reporter.
Ok
1939 bring us The Gorilla 7 out of 10 starring the Ritz Brothers a set of comedy brothers as .Detective chasing a killer called The Gorilla- (and of course there is an actual gorilla running around as well)----It’s a standard murder mystery in a house with trap doors and secret passageways flick with the stereotype scared black driver ….”I ain’t going in there” That kind of stuff….and the detectives all Costello style vaudeville. This flick made me wonder What if you did comedy sketch with an affluent all black cast ---with a white guy playing the stereotyped role ….Then it dawned on me …….Shaggy from Scooby Doo is basically that characer found in the less sensitive 1930 and 1940 movies….
Anyway this film apparently was a comedic remake or influenced by a more serious less entertaining 1932 movie called A Monster Walks 4 out of 10 which also features a gorilla –a mansion and a killer .
1933’s A shriek in the Night –5 out of 10 ---like the Mr Wong movies was more Murder Mystery than Horror movie….. Another out to get the story reporter tell…It was ok but nothing to write about …..Oh I guess I just did.
Finally that brings us to Dementia 13 1963 6 out of 10 Francis Ford Coppolla’s first real flick…More the creepy family in a castle who done it…It had some cool elements and some interesting scenes ….But wasn’t anything really special.
