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RickER

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Russell G said:
20,000 phantoms sounds scarier. XD
Sonofabitch! It was late! :D
Yea, i like good schlock almost as much as Russ. Phantoms, fathoms...hell! Hmmm...Phantoms from HELL! I think i am on to something. Quick, someone give me $1.98, and we can make this happen!
 

Steve Christou

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Count Dracula, Bram Stoker's human vampire, who has chilled the spines of book readers and playgoers, is now to be seen at the Roxy in a talking film directed by Tod Browning, who delights in such bloodcurdling stories. It is a production that evidently had the desired effect upon many in the audience yesterday afternoon, for there was a general outburst of applause when Dr. Van Helsing produced a little cross that caused the dreaded Dracula to fling his cloak over his head and make himself scarce.
But Dracula's evil work is not ended until Dr. Van Helsing hammers a stake through the Count's heart as he lies in his native earth in a box.
Mr. Browning is fortunate in having in the leading rôle in this eerie work, Bela Lugosi, who played the same part on the stage when it was presented here in October, 1927. What with Mr. Browning's imaginative direction and Mr. Lugosi's makeup and weird gestures, this picture succeeds to some extent in its grand guignol intentions.
As the scenes flash by there are all sorts of queer noises, such as the cries of wolves and the hooting of owls, not to say anything of the screams of Dracula's feminine victims, who are found with twin red marks on their white throats.
The Count is able to change himself into a vampire that flies in through the window and in this guise he is supposed to be able to talk to his victims, who are either driven insane or are so thoroughly terrified that they would sooner do his bidding that pay heed to those who have their welfare at heart. Martin, the keeper in the sanitarium in which an unfortunate individual named Renfield is under supervision, fires at the big bat with a shot gun, but, of course, misses.
To enhance the supernatural effect of this film there is a fog in many of the scenes. The first glimpses are of ordinary humans, but so soon as Renfield goes to the Transylvania castle of the Count, who lives on for centuries by his vampirish actions, there are bony hands protruding from boxes, rats and other animals fleeing, and corridors that are thick with cobwebs and here and there a hungry spider.
Most of the excitement takes place in Carfax Abbey and other places in England, the Count having traveled there to accomplish his blood-thirsty intentions. To start the grim work he causes all the ship's crew to go insane and commit suicide, but his subsequent activities are not as fruitful as he anticipates.
Helen Chandler gives an excellent performance as one of the girls who is attacked by the "undead" Count. David Manners contributes good work. Dwight Frye does fairly well as Renfield. Herbert Bunston is a most convincing personality. Charles Gerrard affords a few laughs as Martin.
This picture can at least boast of being the best of the many mystery films.
By MORDAUNT HALL.
New York Times.
February 13, 1931
 

Steve Christou

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Out of John L. Balderston's stage conception of the Mary Shelley classic, "Frankenstein," James Whale, producer of "Journey's End" as a play and as a film, has wrought a stirring grand-guignol type of picture, one that aroused so much excitement at the Mayfair yesterday that many in the audience laughed to cover their true feelings.
It is naturally a morbid, gruesome affair, but it is something to keep the spectator awake, for during its most spine-chilling periods it exacts attention. It was Carl Laemmle, head of Universal, the firm responsible for this current picture, who presented Lon Chaney in "The Hunchback of Notre Dame," and while, as everybody knows, Quasimodo was a repellent sight, he was a creature for sympathy compared to the hideous monster in this "Frankenstein."
Boris Karloff undertakes the Frankenstein creature and his make-up can be said to suit anybody's demands. He does not portray a robot but a monster made out of human bodies, and the reason given here for his murderous onslaughts is that Frankenstein's Man Friday stole an abnormal brain after he had broken the glass bowl containing the normal one. This Frankenstein does not know.
No matter what one may say about the melodramatic ideas here, there is no denying that it is far and away the most effective thing of its kind. Beside it "Dracula" is tame and, incidentally, "Dracula" was produced by the same firm, which is also to issue in film form Poe's "Murders in the Rue Morgue."
Imagine the monster, with black eyes, heavy eyelids, a square head, huge feet that are covered with matting, long arms protruding from the sleeves of a coat, walking like an automaton, and then think of the fear in a village, and especially of the scientist, when it is learned that the monster has escaped from the windmill. It is beheld parading through the woods, sitting down playing with a little girl, and finally being pursued by a mob with flaming torches, for apparently fire is the only thing that causes the monster to hesitate.
The sounds of the cries of the pursuers and the strange noises made by the monster add to the disturbing nature of the scenes, and in a penultimate episode there is the struggle between the monster and Frankenstein. As a concession to the motion picture audience, Frankenstein is not killed, but he is badly injured. Two endings were made for this production, and at the eleventh hour it was decided to put in the one in which Frankenstein lives, because it was explained that sympathy is elicited for the young scientist and that the spectators would leave disappointed if the author's last chapter was adhered to.
As for the monster, he is burned when the villagers set fire to the windmill. From the screen comes the sound of the crackling of the blazing woodwork, the hue and cry of the frightened populace and the queer sounds of the dying monster.
Mr. Clive adds another fine performance to his list. He succeeds in impressing upon one the earnestness and also the sanity of the scientist, in spite of Frankenstein's gruesome exploits. Lionel Belmore gives an easy performance as the town burgomaster. Miss Clarke, Edward Van Sloan and Dwight Frye also serve well.
MORDAUNT HALL.
New York Times.
December 5, 1931
 

Parker Clack

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Ok. All of you who need to go to pee raise your hands!
 

Parker Clack

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Boris Karloff undertakes the Frankenstein creature and his make-up can be said to suit anybody's demands. He does not portray a robot but a monster made out of human bodies, and the reason given here for his murderous onslaughts is that Frankenstein's Man Friday stole an abnormal brain after he had broken the glass bowl containing the normal one. This Frankenstein does not know.
I can hear the voice over actor that did all of the old newsreels.

Abi something!

Abi normal.
 

Ruz-El

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pretty cool articles there Steve!
ummm... thats all I got....
*wanders off for the first of many coffees of the day....*
 

Steve Christou

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Whats interesting about those ancient film reviews is the reviewer happily giving away the ending, with Dracula he couldn't wait and mentions the Counts demise in the 2nd paragraph. In his Frankenstein review he goes into more detail, describing where and how the monster dies, even letting us know that Frankenstein survives to experiment another day. Nice of him eh what? I would never give away the ending to those two films, I hate spoiling classic films. :P
And it seems the word "queer" was used a lot in old reviews and old movies too, "he's a queer old bird."
Btw I like the way he says Dracula is 'a talking film'. The 'talking pictures' were still pretty new and fresh in 1931, like some weird gimmick people were still getting used to them. I think I posted a 1939 review of Gone With the Wind in testy a while back where the reviewer complained that "color is hard on the eyes for so long a picture". :D
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Doctor: Okay, so how many of you have been shot thru the hand today?
 

Steve Christou

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Yep Russell loves having a go at all the 'Rambo really scares me' pussies in there. 5 years ago it would have been me in there slapping them around. But now I'm a semi-retired thread pest, getting on a bit. [sniff]
 

RickER

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Hey Steve, Russ, i see that both Universal Sci-Fi collections that were Best Buy exclusives are finally getting general release. I dont know if its getting an R2 release, but i know you buy R1 DVDs Steve. They are good sets. I hadnt seen Monolith Monster in years, very good movie, with good effects. The Land Unknown, and Dr. Cyclops are also a fun watch.
 

Ruz-El

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Shhhhhh! It was supposed to a joke! I put a ":P" in there and everything! Don't you be getting me banned!
RickER said:
Hey Steve, Russ, i see that both Universal Sci-Fi collections that were Best Buy exclusives are finally getting general release. I dont know if its getting an R2 release, but i know you buy R1 DVDs Steve. They are good sets. I hadnt seen Monolith Monster in years, very good movie, with good effects. The Land Unknown, and Dr. Cyclops are also a fun watch.
Really??? My friend totally Flaked on gettting me those sets, I'll be grabbing this for sure! NICE!
 

Steve Christou

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RickER said:
Hey Steve, Russ, i see that both Universal Sci-Fi collections that were Best Buy exclusives are finally getting general release. I dont know if its getting an R2 release, but i know you buy R1 DVDs Steve. They are good sets. I hadnt seen Monolith Monster in years, very good movie, with good effects. The Land Unknown, and Dr. Cyclops are also a fun watch.
Russellmania sent me Monolith Monsters a few weeks ago. Dr Cyclops there was a really good copy off Channel 4 at xmas, nice colour. Land Unknown I've never seen except the posters. I think I have all the rest. Is Deadly Mantis included? Thats the one I really need for the old sci-fi/monster/horror collection. :)
 

Ruz-El

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huh what? Sent you wha?? :P
I have a VHS rip of Deadly Mantis, and I have similar copies of the others, but I'd still go for the set I think. Gotta love monster movies!
 

RickER

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Steve Christou said:
Russellmania sent me Monolith Monsters a few weeks ago. Dr Cyclops there was a really good copy off Channel 4 at xmas, nice colour. Land Unknown I've never seen except the posters. I think I have all the rest. Is Deadly Mantis included? Thats the one I really need for the old sci-fi/monster/horror collection. :)
Lets see Volume 1 has: Tarantula, The Mole People, The Incredible Shrinking Man, and Monster on the Campus.
Volume 2: Dr. Cyclops, Cult of the Cobra, The Land Unknown, The Deadly Mantis, and The Leech Woman.
I had only seen stills from Land Unknown as well. It really is not a bad movie, except for the really bad T-Rex rubber suit. I would love to be able to get the MST3K of The Deadly Mantis on DVD. That was one of the funniest damn episodes of the show.
 

Steve Christou

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Oh wait I've got Land Unknown, can't remember anything about it though, was there like an unknown land or something?
I've got the MST3K Deadly Mantis, I laughed like a hyena I when I first saw it, and I think I have it on vhs. :P
 

Ruz-El

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I'm yet to see a MST3K. Have to track one down sometime.
I have copies of various quality of the first set, and I think just deadly mantis and Leech Woman of the second. The price this will probably come out at makes it a decent enough purchase I hope.
*crosses fingers for a $30 price tag*
 

RickER

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Steve Christou said:
Oh wait I've got Land Unknown, can't remember anything about it, was there like an unknown land or something?
In the middle of the South Pole you have a big sink hole with a tropical jungle. Some people in a helicopter crash it it. They have to repair the chopper before their ship leaves them. They also find a survivor of another expedition.
Wasnt their a movie also called Unknown Land? Unknown Island? Fathom Unknown? Phantom Unknown, 20,000 Unknown Islands?
 

Steve Christou

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He's at it again, 20,000 Unknown Phantoms Rick? ;) I remember the poster with the helicopter and the dinosaurs. Deadly Mantis I also bought on Super 8 a long time ago, 10mins of it for about £16. Madness! I once paid £15 for a 2 minute Super 8 trailer of Bruce Lee's The Big Boss, back in me Bruce Lee worshipping days. :P
I've got a whole bunch of MST3K's here Russle, including Danger Diabolik, Hercules Unchained, Rocketship XM, Incredible Melting Man, This Island Earth and Gorgo. :)
 

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