Category: Movie Discussions
-
Remake Rewind: The Amityville Horror
Beginning in May, 2010, until it expanded its content to include more than just the horror genre as Boom Howdy.com, I wrote a column for Downright Creepy.com called “Remake Rewind.” With permission of Boom Howdy, we present an original post from the archives… It’s rare, if not impossible, to find a horror remake that undeniably improves upon its…
-
Phantoms of the Opera: 1925 vs. 1943
The 1943 version of Phantom of the Opera is not really a remake of its 1925 silent version; instead, another version of the story by Gaston Leroux, like so many more that would come in later years. Nevertheless, since they both have legacies as Universal Monsters, it’s difficult not to compare them. Both are rewarding…
-
Invisible Agent (1942)
Written by Curt Siodmak Directed by Edwin L. Marin Starring Jon Hall, Ilona Massey, Peter Lorre, Cedric Hardwicke US Release ex: Aug. 7, 1942 RT 81 Home Video Universal Studios Home Entertainment Classic Horrors rating = 6 (out of 10) Finally, there’s an invisibility movie with a true purpose: spying on Nazi Germany! Considering that Invisible Agent (1942)…
-
X: The Man with the X-Ray Eyes
Written by Robert Dillon and Ray Russell Directed by Roger Corman Starring Ray Milland, Diana Van der Vlis, Harold J. Stone US Release Sept. 18, 1963 RT 79 min. Home Video Kino Lorber (Blu-ray) Classic Horrors rating = 7 (out of 10) Warning: review contains plot spoilers The two opening shots of X: The Man…
-
The Stepford Wives (1975)
Warning: review contains plot spoilers. Urban Dictionary defines “Stepford Wife” as a term “used to describe a servile, compliant, submissive, spineless wife who happily does her husband’s bidding and serves his every whim dutifully.” The 1975 movie, The Stepford Wives, based on Ira Levin’s novel, would probably add to that definition that these women also…
-
It! The Terror from Beyond Space (1958)
Written by Jerome Bixby Directed by Edward L. Cahn Starring Marshall Thompson, Shirley Patterson (as Shawn Smith) US Release ex: Aug. 1958 RT 69 Home Video MGM (DVD) Classic Horrors rating = 8 (out of 10) Warning: review contains plot spoilers. I don’t know that It! The Terror from Beyond Space has been compared to…
-
The Wolf Man (1941)
Written by Curt Siodmak Directed by George Waggner Starring Lon Chaney Jr., Claude Rains, Bela Lugosi, Maria Ouspenskaya, Evelyn Ankers US Release Dec. 12, 1941 RT 70 min. Home Video Universal Studios Home Video (DVD) Classic Horrors rating = 7 (out of 10) Warning: review contains plot spoilers. Until I recently re-watched The Wolf Man…
-
Remake Rewind: Carrie
From time to time, Classic Horrors will feature movies released after 1978 when they have a direct connection to those released before 1978. Beginning in May, 2010, until it expanded its content to include more than just the horror genre as Boom Howdy.com, I wrote a column for Downright Creepy.com called “Remake Rewind.” With permission of Boom Howdy, we present a version…
-
From Page to Screen: Carrie
From time to time, Classic Horrors will feature movies released after 1978 when they have a direct connection to those released before 1978. Beginning in May, 2010, until it expanded its content to include more than just the horror genre as Boom Howdy.com, I wrote features for Downright Creepy.com. With permission of Boom Howdy, we present a version of one of…
-
Carmilla: Archetype of the Lesbian Vampire
Originally published October 6, 2012. In 1872, 25 years before publication of Bram Stoker’s Dracula, Irish author Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu wrote a Gothic novella called Carmilla. First appearing in the magazine, The Dark Blue, and then in a collection of Le Fanu’s short stories called In a Glass Darkly, Carmilla is the tale of…
Classic Horrors Club 