A Quick Midnight Bite....

Good evening, Midnight Warriors!  I wanted to take a quick moment and apologize that I haven't posted the last couple of days.  It's not because I'm sick of you all (it's not, you're alright in my book!), it's because I'm hard at work on something that (I hope) will make you all proud to love genre cinema and FMWL.

I can't tell you exactly what that thing is, but completing it will fulfill one of the two major personal goals I set for myself during the last year of writing.  I am truly excited about it, and thus I've been giving it a little more attention than FMWL this week.  Please forgive my absence.

Since this post serves as both an apology and a teaser, I thought I'd leave you with a small hint about this potentially glorious thing.  Below is one of my favorite horror related images - the teaser poster for Hammer's Dracula Has Risen From The Grave.

(Fun Fact: Dracula Has Risen From the Grave was the first film the MPAA ever rated.  As you can see above....it was approved for "General Audiences" with the G rating!)

Horror Quick Hits

Phantom of the Paradise
1974, Dir. by Brian De Palma.

Is that a Paul Williams PEZ Dispenser on the poster? It's a little old-fashioned if it is. *rimshot*

Anyway, Phantom of the Paradise has long been one of my favorite cult pleasures. You've got a master of uncomfortable cinema known as Brian De Palma directing a film that's 70's rock musical amalgamation of Faust and Phantom of the Opera. How the heck does that not rule?

What struck me again on this revisit of a film I've seen at least a half-dozen times is how...well, how good-looking Jessica Harper is. Wait, what? That wasn't it entirely. No, I meant to talk about this film's merits. Like how....good-looking Jessica Harper is.

Shoot.

Anyway, there are a lot of reasons I love this movie, from the music to the kills to the crazy performances of Paul Williams, William Finley, and (my personal favorite) Gerritt Graham as the unforgettable "BEEF". And of course, there's De Palma's wicked sense of style. But this time, I got nothin'. Because Jessica Harper is really good-looking.

(She sings well too. And the movie goes in The Mike's Legends Series.)

House on Haunted Hill
1958, Dir. by William Castle.

Here's another horror I've seen a few more times than I can remember, and one that's always brought a good time. There are few actors I admire as much as Vincent Price, and the odds are I'll check out anything that's got his name on the box. But the first thing that anyone interested in him needs to check out is this one.

From horror gimmick maestro William Castle, the original House on Haunted Hill is perhaps the definitive 1950s B horror film. It's a pretty simple strategy - a bunch of people get invited to big old house where a reclusive millionaire (that would be Price) has planned a party for his not-quite-loved wife. There are rumors of ghosts, locked doors, vats of acid...everything you're gonna need for a night of terror for five unsuspecting fools.

House on Haunted Hill is definitely among the corniest of horror films, but it does this as well as possible. The finale shows this a lot, and makes more sense when you know the gimmick Castle wanted to put with it in theaters, but it also wraps up the film's biggest asset - the story.

Most b-horror films have similar stories, as I mentioned above, but this one's put together greatly around Price's lead performance. There are a lot of questions asked and the characters' perceptions of reality play heavily into their fates. When it all comes together with a final explaination, the rest of the film gains added clarity.

Of course, I was was wrong when I called the story the film's biggest asset, for that is and always will be Price's honor. If you want to see the master of horror stars at work, this is the place to start. It's a Prime Choice.

The Beast Must Die
1974, Dir. by Paul Annett

Now this is a movie I'd love to write more about, but I don't dare want to spoil a minute of it for those of you out there. To put it simply The Beast Must Die is an Agatha Christie-esque mystery...but the killer's a werewolf.

Yeah, why didn't I think of that? It's bloody genius. (And it happened well before I was born.)

Calvin Lockhart stars as a survival obsessed rich man who invites six guests to his home where he intends to find out which one of them really is the moon beast that's been creating havoc across the land. The most famously cast guests include the great Peter Cushing, Bond baddie Charles Gray, and future Dumbledore Michael Gambon. The six join Lockhart's Tom and his wife Caroline for a weekend of terror.

Produced by the renowned Amicus studios that showed up to battle Hammer Films at the end of it's run, The Beast Must Die takes itself quite seriously, resulting in a pretty tense viewing experience. Lockhart is formidable in the lead, and I'm a little shocked I haven't seen him in more. Cushing stands out as usual, though he's less prominent than his picture on the DVD cover would lead you to believe. I also like the idea of the
"Werewolf Break" (an idea once used by William Castle, too), which gives the audience a chance to speculate as to who exactly our lupine killer is.

The Beast Must Die isn't necessarily a great movie, but it gains points all over the place for its ingenuity. Add in the great cast and the sharpness of the script, and you've definitely got a film that's a Prime Choice.

That's all for tonight, and I'm not sure I'll get to writing tomorrow. But a pair of hidden '80s cheeseballs are soon to hit the site, and I promise to have something good to say about them. Happy Haunting!

Horror Quick Hits

Hey all, I'm gonna be posting more full reviews, but the fact of the matter is I'm attempting to watch too many movies this month to post full reviews of all of them. So, when that's not possible, I'm gonna throw in some brief comments about the other flicks I've watched. Starting now.

Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan
1989, Dir. by Rob Hedden.

Truth be told, I'm not the biggest fan of this series or the slasher genre as a whole, outside of Halloween, which set the bar too high for the likes of the '80s slasher. But I'm not above popping one in and having a good time as things go to pieces, and I will admit that Jason's one bad mamma-jamma. I picked this installment of the series to represent him this month, mostly because I hadn't seen it in years and it was the last one I needed for my collection. Unfortunately, it was as bad as I remembered.

The title is such a tease. About 60% of the movie takes place on a boat with goofy teens on a cruise to NY from Crystal Lake, and there's little of interest in them. Our heroine is the classic "oustider trying to deal with past demons" chick, which sets up some terrible "visions" of the young Jason who drowned in the lake (which somehow connects to NY). When the film finally does hit the Big Apple there are a few memorable scenes, particularly Jason's showdown with an amateur boxing champ and face-off with a gang of street thugs, but those are moments that are more "bad good" than good. And then there's the finale which is just ridiculously bad, as both a social commentary and a way of defeating a killer.

There are a lot of bad movies in the F13 series, but most of them are at least fun to watch. This one does not fit that role. In fact, I'd put it alongside the New Line produced Jason Goes To Hell as the worst in the series. (And if you bring up Jason X, I get angry. Jason X rules, and does not suck.)

The Mike's Rating: Run Away!

Midnight Movie
2008, Dir. by Jack Messitt.

Now, this is the kind of slasher film I can get behind...well, almost.

Made on a skimpy budget in what looks to be Chicago (Y'all's cities all look alike to us simple rural folks!), Midnight Movie tells of horror encountered by the staff and customers of a small movie theater that decide to play a midnight showing of the once lost horror film 'The Dark Beneath". This isn't your average horror film, as the director/star/writer went on a killing spree after being made to watch his film in a mental institute (Someday, this might be Uwe Boll's biopic!), and the cops suspect he might show up at this little theater with its little staff.

I'll give this movie some credit, it's flippin' out there. The filmmakers were not hesitant to shake the traditional slasher elements to the core, adding in some supernatural elements involving the film within a film and even gave us a Nightmare On Elm Street-ish theme of the power of fear. The film on screen also gives us some cool black-and-white scenes that are kind of a throwback to older indie horror, which is pretty cool most of the time. This film could have settled for standard slasher gimmicks, but they at least put some effort into shaking the viewer's preconceived notions as they went forward with their plot.

Midnight Movie isn't always successful, mostly due to the amateur nature of the actors and some goofy lapses in logic. I admit that my biggest issue, for most of the film, was trying to figure out why none of the movie theater employees seemed to have any idea that the things that were happening to the film they were playing weren't humanly possible (also, it seems like the filmmakers chose to ignore how a projector works too, didn't fit the story I guess), but that's just me being a theater employee still. Oh, and the soundtrack was a bit much too. Still, I'm not gonna damn this one, its good intentions weigh more than its superficial flaws.

The Mike's Rating: Solid Selection

Mad Monster Party?
1967, Dir. by Jules Bass

Slight change of pace from those two blood filled flicks. Mad Monster Party is a claymation theatrical flick from the makers of Rudolph the Reindeer and such, Rankin-Bass. Considering it boasts a cast of no less than Dracula, Frankenstein's Monster, The Mummy, The Werewolf, The Creature (which bears no resemblence to the Creature from the Black Lagoon whatsoever?), Jekyll & Hyde and "It" (I won't spoil the surprise, but you'll recognize It).....how could this movie look more fun? Oh yeah, it could add the vocal talents of BORIS FREAKIN' KARLOFF!

Mad Monster Party is definitely a fun look at these monsters for kids. As an adult, I find some of the musical numbers to be a little awful, and it's not much for depth in writing, but I can't imagine not being enthralled by this were I still the horror obsessed kid I once was. However, there are some very adult themed jokes for us older folks, and the animation is just gorgeous to look at from a "classic" standpoint...I'll take this over Pixar any day.

Oh, and Francesca is totally HOT. Rowwwr.

Sorry, I got distracted. What I mean to say is that Mad Monster Party is a diversion that any classic horror fan must experience, and hopefully share with horror ready children in their life.

The Mike's Rating: Prime Choice

That's all for tonight, but soon a review of the 1976 Italian chiller A Whisper in the Dark, and by Wednesday I should finally be able to bring you my thoughts on the long awaited Trick 'r Treat! Until next time, may your October be full of happy hauntings!

The Mike's October Awesome Horror Movie Playlist!

Hey all, long time no type. But I hope to feed you all more horror goofiness soon.

To put it simply, October is here. And to me, that's always meant horror movies. And what's the point of watching 50 or so horror flicks without writing a little something about them?

I don't plan on keeping the same format as my past reviews, but I plan to at least give updates by day when I watch a horror this month, to get some thoughts out to you all. I've got a line-up that spans the last 8 decades, and an honor roll of horror directors from across the globe. The most famous stars, the most famous killers, the most famous boobs...they'll all be here!

Tonight is my "pre-party" to get October rolling, and I started out with a couple of horrors that come from two very different schools of thought.

To start the evening, while I was whittling away at what movies I should or shouldn't watch this October, I popped in Kevin S. Tenney's 1988 flick Night of the Demons. Tenney, whose other '80s hit was the Tawny Kitaen vehicle Witchboard, did a decent job making this one watchable, but there's little to the movie that makes it stand out. Aside from '80s scream queen Linnea Quigley's presence, that is.

The film follows the very simple "Kids party in an old abandoned house that turns out to be haunted" formula, and is full of the out of date stereotypes that '80s horror flicks were famous for. In fact, several of the characters seem straight out of another Quigley flick, Return of the Living Dead. That's a good movie, but the characters weren't exactly its strong point. The haunting takes a demonic turn (duh, read the title Mike!) that resembles some Italian horror films, leading to a pretty standard climax.

There are some good things to be seen in Night of the Demons, particularly in visuals and music, and it's definitely a fun movie to watch. I'd never recommend it as a "good" movie, but it's nowhere near as bad as I thought it was back when I first saw it. I'd call it a Time Burner on my grading scale.

Second up this evening is Kenneth Branagh's adaptation of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. If you don't know anything about The Mike, one of the first things I should tell you is that Shelley's book is my favorite thing I've ever read. This movie should sate my hunger for a faithful version of that book, but it never really hits on the full potential that it had.

The most famous bit of discussion about this film revolves around the casting of Robert De Niro as Frankenstein's monster. Comedians and critics have blasted the choice, but considering how Shelley wrote the character (and disregarding how Karloff and Whale presented the character), it works. The monster was always meant to be a beast that draws both our sympathy and our fear, and De Niro, with an assist from some great makeup, fits that role well. I'd easily say he's the best thing the film has going for it.

Trouble is, Branagh's direction, mainly reserved for Shakespeare adaptations at this stage of his career, is terribly melodramatic. There is no subtlety in the over two hour run time, and many scenes seem to change the tone of the film too greatly. This is most evident in scenes involving the doctor and his family, which play more like a Jane Austen adaptation than a horror film.

There is a lot to admire about the attempt at capturing Shelley's novel, but the attempts to be too "grand" a film seems to doom its pace and tone. As is, this is a Solid Selection for any Frankenstein fan, but I'll stick to the less faithful Karloff flick as my go-to Frankenstein on film.

That's all I've got for today, but stay tuned for more as October unravels. Until then, and with Halloween around the corner, I wish you all happy haunting.