A doctor invents a drug that makes him invisible. It also, unfortunately, makes him murderously insane. The Invisible Man amazed me in a ‘how the hell did they do that’ kinda way. Some of the special effects here are seriously impressive. And this was decades before the dreaded CGI. Claude Rains turns in a great …
Continue reading Universal Classic Monsters Reviewed- Day 8- The Invisible Man (1933)
A mummy comes back to life after he was killed for trying to resurrect his old flame. Another great performance by Karloff, in a film that is beautifully photographed and very atmospheric. This film didn’t gross as much as Dracula or Frankenstein but maybe that’s why, as this, as good as it is, just isn’t …
Continue reading Universal Classic Monsters Reviewed- Day 7- The Mummy (1932)
If you’re going to need a human brain for the human you’re hoping to assemble, get it yourself and don’t dole out the task to your assistant. Just sayin’. In an era before trigger warnings and cuts being made to the Carry On films, I remember this film being played on national TV one morning …
Continue reading Universal Classic Monsters Reviewed- Day 6- Frankenstein (1931)
Have you heard about the version of Dracula also made in 1931 and also by Universal Pictures? This version was made in Spanish and made to capitalise on the demand for foreign- language films. It was directed by George Melford and even utilised the same sets as Tod Browning’s epic. Whilst this version was shot …
Continue reading Universal Classic Monsters Reviewed- Day 5- Dracula (1931)
The mysterious Count Dracula (Bela Lugosi reprising his stage role) emigrates from his castle in Transylvania and arrives in Whitby, England. He turns his attentions to a young woman called Mina. Goth was born here. There’s also a festival for the subculture which is held in Whitby as a tribute. Tod Browning’s Dracula is, indeed, …
Continue reading Universal Classic Monsters Reviewed- Day 4- Dracula (1931)
A mysterious masked man who lives under a Parisian opera house is obsessed with a young opera singer. Maybe watching this film for the first time was karma for wading through so many terrible horror sequels recently. Phantom is a glorious experience and has so many elements (acting, direction, photography, sets, the score, the use …
Continue reading Universal Classic Monsters Reviewed- Day 3- The Phantom of the Opera (1925)
Hunchback Quasimodo falls for gypsy Esmeralda. But the hunchback finds that he isn’t the only one who loves her as other, more powerful (and less moral) men also want her for their own. There’s so much to love here. Of particular mention are the sets and locales which are still very impressive indeed. The make-up …
Continue reading Universal Classic Monsters Reviewed- Day 2- The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1923)
The very first Universal Classic Monsters film involves Dr Henry Jekyll, whose scientific experiments lead him to seek the darkness within every man. Unfortunately, this means he unearths a murderer dwelling within himself. This well-known Robert Louis Stevenson novella had already been filmed four times before this short film was made. This 26-minute epic resembles …
Continue reading Universal Classic Monsters Reviewed- Day 1- Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde (1913)
Fifty years after the events of the first film, we find a group of young people arriving in a near-deserted Texas town, looking to buy properties to renovate and transform the town into something more vibrant. When they force an old woman out of her home, she dies from the trauma. But they pay for …
Continue reading The Texas Chainsaw Massacre Reviewed- Day 9- The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2022)
Teenaged Leatherface and his pals escape from a mental institution and take a nurse with them against her will. A sheriff is following in hot pursuit. Another prequel but this time with two actors of name who I actually like (Stephen Dorff and Lili Taylor). And kudos to them for signing up to a TCM …
Continue reading The Texas Chainsaw Massacre Reviewed- Day 8- Leatherface (2016)
Meathook Cinema 