Tag: Mystery
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The Four Skulls of Jonathan Drake (1959)
Warning! This review contains spoilers… There may be a fair number of voodoo and “zombie” films from the early days of genre cinema, but I can’t think of any that are as specific as The Four Skulls of Jonathan Drake (1959) in the way it treats shrunken heads. Not only do they provide some truly…
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The Thirteenth Chair (1929)
If Tod Browning’s Dracula (1931) is criticized for being too much like a play, then The Thirteenth Chair (1929) doesn’t have a chance! On the other hand, this film is better suited for the stage; restricted locations don’t slow its pace. The plot unfolds primarily in two rooms, so we’re not longing for action anywhere…
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Night Monster (1942)
For a 73-minute movie, Night Monster (1942) has a lot happening! In fact, it took a while for me to get acclimated and understand exactly what was happening. The cast is large, and the set-up is complicated. It left me a little tired, just like I imagine the actors felt each time they ran up…
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The Seventh Victim (1943)
I run to death, and death meets me as fast, and all my pleasures are like yesterday. Holy sonnet VII, Jonne Donne The Seventh Victim (1947) is my least favorite of producer Val Lewton’s early films. In fact, I think I’d rank them in the order they were made: Cat People (1942), I Walked with…
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The Undying Monster (1942)
It doesn’t take a stretch of the imagination to believe Twentieth Century-Fox was eager to capitalize on the success of Universal’s The Wolf Man (1941) when it made The Undying Monster a year later. Then again, that might not be the case, because it was not promoted as one. As Jeff Rovin writes in The…
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The Vampire Bat (1933)
The set-up for The Vampire Bat (1933) couldn’t be any simpler and it’s established in the film’s opening moments. Bats fill the sky on a dark night as the tower clock chimes, a mysterious figure leaps across the rooftops, and a woman screams. Cut to Burgermeister Gustave Schoen (Lionel Belmore) and his cronies struggling to…
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Condemned to Live (1935)
In a dark cave with the sound of drums beating in the background, a young woman moans that she can’t stand it anymore. “If you love me, kill me.” The man attending to her steps away with another man to discuss the infestation of vampire bats. While one describes how they “attach” themselves to a…
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And Then There Were None (1945)
ABOUT OUR GUEST Another colleague from the We Belong Dead/Unsung Horrors group and another great contribution to the countdown! Matthew Banks first said while he would like to participate, he wasn’t sure he’d have time. Yet look what he sent! It’s a fine example of his writing and I hope it whets your appetite for…
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Scared to Death (1946)
Written by Walter Abbott Directed by Christy Cabanne Starring Bela Lugosi, George Zucco, Nat Pendleton, Molly Lamont US Release Feb. 1, 1947 RT 65 min. Home Video Alpha Video (DVD) Classic Horrors rating = 4 (out of 10) Dr. Joseph Van Ee (George Zucco) runs the equivalent of a halfway house for strange characters, including hypnotist Prof.…
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Mahal (1949)
Written by Kamal Amrohi Directed by Kamal Amrohi Starring Ashok Kumar, Madhubala, M. Kumar, Vijayalaxmi, Kanu Roy Released 1949 (India) RT 165 min. Home Video Bollywood Films Home Entertainment (DVD) Classic Horrors rating = 7 (out of 10) I once watched a three-hour and twenty-minute Bollywood movie about cricket (Lagaan: Once Upon a Time in India, 2001). Against all…
Classic Horrors Club 