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OCTOBER 2002
Okay, we'll end the suspense. Last month, we related that
the B Monster urged the L.A. Daily News to cite his favorite
big bug flick in an article heralding the release of "Eight-Legged
Freaks." They didn't, so B Monster readers were asked to
speculate. Among the guesses were "The Black Scorpion,"
"Beginning of the End" and "Earth vs. the Spider." All incorrect.
The clue was right there at the foot of last month's newsletter:
"A new kind of terror to numb the nerves!" That's right,
"Monster That Challenged the World" is the B Monster's favorite
big bug B-movie. Admittedly, the recommendation comes with
a qualification: The earth-challenging critter isn't exactly
a bug but an outsized mollusk. So, to be precise, it's our
favorite mammoth mollusk movie.
OBITUARIES
Kim Hunter
Actress Kim Hunter, who won an Academy Award for her performance
in the film version of Tennessee Williams' "A Streetcar
Named Desire," is dead following a heart attack. She was
79. Hunter will be remembered by cult-movie fans for her
film debut in producer Val Lewton's atmospheric chiller,
"The Seventh Victim." Genre-film devotees also recall her
as a sympathetic chimpanzee scientist in the sci-fi classic,
"Planet of the Apes." Laboring under pounds of makeup, she
reprised the role in two sequels. Following her role opposite
David Niven in Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger's 1946
British fantasy, "A Matter of Life and Death," she was absent
from the screen until "Streetcar" was filmed in 1951. During
this time, she appeared in such Broadway shows as "Darkness
at Noon," "The Children's Hour" and the original Broadway
production of "Streetcar." Listed in the notorious "Red
Channels," a career-damaging book that cited people in the
entertainment business who purportedly had communist sympathies,
she was a victim of blacklisting, and film work was difficult
to find for several years. She nevertheless appeared sporadically
in films throughout the 1950s, including "Deadline: USA,"
"Storm Center" and "Bermuda Affair." She also worked extensively
in television, appearing in such programs as "Columbo,"
"The Magician," "The Edge of Night" and many others.
THE B MOVIE MONTH IN REVIEW
BOB BURNS UP TO OLD TRICKS ... AND TREATS
The B Monster's pal, movie memorabilia maven, creature curator
and premier protector of our fright-film heritage, Bob Burns,
is staging a Halloween extravaganza much like those that
once attracted droves of locals to his Burbank home. It's
been 20 years since Burns, reinvigorated by sales of "It
Came From Bob's Basement," a breathless round of personal
appearances, and the ongoing good will he's engendered over
the years through his generosity and dedication, has staged
one of his live October spook shows. The effort that Bob,
his wife Kathy and their dedicated friends poured into the
productions made them the stuff of local legend.
"This year's show is going to be based on the original
'Thing,'" Burns reports. "Dorothy Fontana has written an
incredible script for the show. A lot of the top effects
people, makeup people and actors are going to be working
on it as well." Original "Thing" cast members Robert Cornthwaite
and Bill Self are being enticed to participate. Sadly, Captain
Hendry himself, Ken Tobey, will be unable to attend. "We're
doing the show for two nights," says Burns. "Thursday, October
31 (Halloween night) and Friday, November 1st. We'll start
around 5:00 p.m. and go until approximately 11:00." If you
find yourself in the L.A. area come Halloween, the show
will be well worth seeking out. "We're going to have flyers
at all of the monster-related shops in the area," Burns
adds. "If this show comes anywhere close to what we've got
planned, it will be fantastic and one of the best and scariest
shows we've ever done. I don't want to give too much away,
but I can guarantee that it's going to be pretty ambitious."
"WEST" IS BEST IN OUR BOOK
The latest in TV Guide's ongoing series of "Top 50" lists,
keyed to their 50th anniversary in print, is the "50 Sexiest
Stars of All Time." Coming in at No. 18 is the name-dropping
B Monster's good friend, Anne Francis. The Guide cites TV's
"Honey West" as "the femme-fatale who drove robots mad with
lust in 1956's 'Forbidden Planet.'" (Better go back and
watch that one again, guys. Robby didn't do any drooling
that we can recall.) We're in total agreement, however,
with their assertion that "this honey hasn't lost any of
her luster." Just to put your curious minds at ease, ahead
of Anne at No. 17 was Jimmy Smits. Number 50 was Gilligan's
island-mate, Dawn Wells. Number one was a two-way tie between
George Clooney and Diana Rigg. You wuz robbed, Anne!
HOLLYWOOD'S DRACULA": RHODES REDUX
October is an appropriate month to celebrate the life and
career of Bela Lugosi. Belaphiles and horror fandom in general
have a ghoulash of Lugosiana to feast on this month, some
of it tasty, some of it sadly undercooked. Cape and shoulders
above every project extant on the subject is "Lugosi: Hollywood's
Dracula," a terrific two-DVD release from Lugosi expert
nonpareil, Gary Don Rhodes. As the author of three exhaustive
works on Lugosi's life and body of work, Rhodes brings a
respectable resume to the table, and it shows. The documentary,
narrated by beloved "Sun Demon" Robert Clarke, and actress
Rue McClanahan, utilizes striking, rare stills and rarely
seen footage of the actor, including snippets of his silent
work, and an intriguing filmed interview from the early
'30s. (Reporter: "Do you believe in vampires?" Lugosi: "Three
of them I married.")
Much ground is covered with great economy, and minimum
gimmickry (e.g., scene changes accompanied by a lighting
bolt, or clusters of split-second glimpses at still photos).
The talking heads, Rhodes included, are generally succinct,
with the screen time of contemporary Lugosi experts balanced
with that of people who actually knew him and have first-hand
stories to relate. Much to Rhodes' credit, the hyper-analyzed
"Ed Wood" period of the actor's life is covered with restraint.
No pop-psyche tea-leaf reading, just a straightforward account
of the sad end to a once-promising career. Significant among
the on-camera commentators are Richard Gordon, Frank Dello
Stritto, Richard Sheffield and makeup man Harry Thomas.
Special notice must be paid to the abbreviated, and decidedly
unsettling interview with Lugosi's truculent last wife,
Hope. In the documentary, she almost comes across as an
angel of mercy, writing to Bela when he was in rehab, seeing
to his needs and marrying him upon his release. In footage
shot in Hawaii a year before her death, she seems edgy,
disdainful and gives the impression that she'd like nothing
better than to be left alone. When asked to comment on her
marriage to the actor she sneers, "He saw a sucker and I
was it."
Other illuminating extras include nearly half an hour
of footage that was cut from the final documentary, a 1949
clip of Bela and Milton Berle on TV's "Texaco Star Theater"
and a disintegrating segment of film shot in 1918. A bonus
audio CD features a handful of Lugosi's radio appearances
opposite such luminaries as Fred Allen and Ozzie and Harriet,
and as the star of such dramas as "Mystery House" and "Command
Performance." Completing this wondrous package is an "Easter
Egg" hidden at the end of the disk's "DVD Notes." Toggle
to the final screen of notes, highlight the "Back" button
and press your "Up" arrow. Bela's medallion will highlight.
Press "Enter," and up pops "Chair," a mockumentary about
Rhodes' procurement of Lugosi's chair, and the travails
he endures as a consequence. It's priceless, and thank God
there's a film historian out there who doesn't take himself
or his subject so damned seriously! It's a comprehensive
package to say the least, and far superior in content and
approach to most of the junky documentaries AMC cobbles
together. (Did you catch "Behind the Scenes: The Making
of 'Predator?'") To find out more, or to purchase a copy,
visit: http://www.lugosidvd.com Most definitely tell 'em
the B Monster sent you!
BELA TAKES A BITE OUT OF BRITAIN
B Monster associate Bob Madison contributes the following
recommendation:
Dracula once more invades England, thanks to the indefatigable
researches of two top-tier film scholars, Andi Brooks and
Frank Dello Stritto. "Vampire Over London -- Bela Lugosi
in Britain" is Brooks' and Stritto's exhaustive examination
of Lugosi's final tour of Dracula in Great Britain. This
road show failed to generate the comeback Lugosi so desperately
wanted (and, at this point of his career, desperately needed),
and the 1951 stage "Dracula" is now remembered as something
of a failure. Not so, say the authors. Though Lugosi's 1951
"Dracula" never made it to the West End, it was a considerable
success in post-war British provincial theaters.
The authors back up their contention with a wealth of interviews
(a surprising number of Lugosi's English co-stars still
survive) and some fascinating archival material never before
seen in the States. Another key element to the success of
the book are the reminiscences of B-movie legend Richard
Gordon, who was instrumental in making the tour come about.
It is rare to find so lovingly designed and executed a volume,
with a superb cover, classy endpapers and a glossy center-section
of little-seen photos. It's the Holy Grail for Dracula and
Lugosi completists. "Vampire Over London - Bela Lugosi in
Britain" is 368 pages plus illustrations, hard bound with
dust jacket, and is available by mail order for $29.95 plus
$3.00 shipping and handling (in the USA). Each of the 1,000
copies is hand-numbered, and signed by at least one of the
authors. For your own copy, send a check to: Frank Dello
Stritto, 644 East 71/2 Street, Houston, Texas. 77007 USA.
THE LUGOSI LINE: MOVE OVER MARTHA STEWART
Bela Lugosi's son, Bela G., is a practicing trial and entertainment
lawyer in Los Angeles. He's made the rounds of the horror
conventions, experiencing firsthand the love of his father's
fans. He's now founded Lugosi Enterprises, which will produce
"a line of products spotlighting his father's works and
accomplishments." Heralded by the release of two DVDs, the
Lugosi line is touted as a "celebration of [Lugosi's] mystique,
with more to come from Lugosi Enterprises. Comic, cook and
trivia books, as well as home video, collectibles and apparel
will all be part of the Lugosi Enterprises line." Of the
twin films in question (both in the public domain, incidentally),
"The Devil Bat" is easily the best. It's one of Bela's finest
low-budget outings, enjoyable by virtue of its ghoulish
details (an after-shave that attracts vicious, oversized
vampire bats) and priceless dialogue -- not to mention Lugosi's
usual, full-throttle performance as the revenge-bent mad
doc at the center of the action. Less auspicious is "Bowery
at Midnight," a creakily paced thriller from producer Sam
Katzman featuring a cast of usual suspects that includes
Tom Neal, Wanda McKay and John Archer.
Audio commentary is provided by Bela G. and author Ted
Newsom. A passing listen to the troubling audio tracks is
revealing. He seems so distracted and disinterested, you'd
swear Bela G. had to be dragged into the sound booth kicking
and screaming, and chose to pout rather than enlighten listeners.
Doesn't the launch of a Lugosi line of fine products deserve
a more auspicious inauguration? Nevertheless, rest assured,
the B Monster will be sporting Lugosi commemorative apparel
the minute it becomes available. (Are those Bela Blue Jeans
zipper or button-fly?)
ANOTHER KILLER CHILLER
October means Chiller season is upon us. We refer, of course,
to the nation's premier gathering of genre fanatics, anxious
to avail themselves of this one-stop, horror sensory overload.
(This year's show is laudably dedicated to the late John
Agar.) Con-meister Kevin Clement has wrangled the usual
throng of memorabilia dealers and model-kit builders to
pack the teeming dealer's room. And, as always, the guest
list is composed of retro-celebs of every stripe:
Tippi Hedren of Hitchcock's "The Birds" and "Marnie"
"Forbidden Planet's" Warren Stevens
Dr. Smith himself, Jonathan Harris
Mark Goddard also of "Lost In Space" fame (does anyone ever
ask him about "Johnny Ringo?")
Kenny Miller of "I Was a Teenage Werewolf" and "Attack of
the Puppet People"
"Love Boat's" Bernie Kopell
Deanna Lund and Don Marshall, late of "Land of the Giants"
"Star Trek's" Walter Koenig
Those lovely "Ladies of Evil Dead," Betsy Baker, Ellen Sandweiss
and Sarah York
Sarah Karloff (the surname says it all)
And how could Chiller get rolling without a benediction
from TV's foremost horror host, Zacherley?
There's also the usual model-kit and costume contests,
seminars and a Saturday night monster party. It all starts
October 25 at the Sheraton Meadowlands in beautiful East
Rutherford, NJ. For more info, check out: http://www.chillertheatre.com
By all means, tell 'em the B Monster sent you!
STOMPING INTO PRINT
Scott Hamilton and Christopher Holland, the digital deans
of bad movie knowledge behind a quirkily acerbic website
called stomptokyo.com, have unleashed their first paper
compilation. "Reel Shame: Bad Movies and the Stars Who Made
Them," is a self-published collection of essays and analysis
addressing the embarrassing film forays of stars ranging
from Harrison Ford ("The Star Wars Holiday Special") to
Kevin Costner ("Sizzle Beach"). The "Trancers" series is
soundly skewered, as are "Zardoz," "Tentacles" (ouch! That
one embarrassed a lot of people), "Caligula," "Anaconda"
and more. There are also some handy appendixes with capsule
descriptions of the films mentioned, recommended reading
and web resources.
For more info, check out: http://www.reelshame.com
And, as always, tell 'em the B Monster sent you!
NEW ON DVD
A round of applause for 1970s drive-in king Sam Sherman
and his DVD-era counterparts at Image Entertainment, who
have tapped into the B-movie mother lode that is the prodigious
output of Sherman's Hemisphere/Independent International
canon. Image now offers the "Blood Collection," which showcases
Hemisphere's incredible "Blood Island" films. Why incredible?
Consider not only the content of the films, but the backstory
of their making. AIP's top teen heartthrob, John Ashley,
star of "Hot Rod Gang," "High School Caesar," "Frankenstein's
Daughter" and many more, quit the Hollywood scene in the
'60s and headed to the Philippines, there to inveigle his
way into the Filipino film industry and learn the ropes
of producing. (Upon returning to the states, he would produce
such hit TV series as "The A Team.")
Filipino producer Eddie Romero and director Gerardo DeLeon
were already on the B-movie map, having lensed their impromptu
"Island of Dr. Moreau" remake, "Terror Is A Man," starring
Francis Lederer, which was widely screened in the U.S. under
the alternate title, "Blood Creature." Ashley fell in love
with the Philippines where he, Romero, DeLeon and producer
Kane Lynn cemented a pandering movie partnership in 1967.
Sounds like a match made in B-movie heaven: Expatriate American
B king meets the Filipino Roger Corman! The team proceeded
to churn out some of the most giddily gory low-budget horrors
in history, all produced on a shoestring, every frame of
film packed with the stuff of drive-in dreams: Monsters,
mutants, spies, scantily-clad lasses, superstitious natives
and obsessed mad doctors.
BRIDES OF BLOOD
The Ashley/Romero/DeLeon/Lynn collaborations commenced with
this title, one of four (including "Terror is a Man") set
on Blood Island. Ashely plays government agent Jim Farrell,
who travels to this mysterious atoll accompanied by B-movie
stalwart, Kent Taylor ("Brain of Blood," "The Mighty Gorga")
and his voluptuous wife, Beverly Hills ... that's right,
Beverly Hills. Ostensibly conscripted to investigate reports
of mutated flora and fauna (the result of atomic testing,
of course), they quickly find themselves fending off mutated
plants, snaky strangling vines and a monstrosity known only
as "The Evil One." And wouldn't you just know it, "The Evil
One" must be appeased with virgin sacrifices. (You'd think
the supply of Polynesian virgin girls would have been exhausted
long ago!) It's sometimes goofy, mostly gratuitous, but
served up with such immense gusto -- another word might
be conviction -- that it's darned near irresistible. The
film's release was heralded by one of the more original
ballyhoos of the drive-in era; female patrons were invited
to become Brides of Blood, and "receive a free engagement
ring set." This shameless B-movie betrothal come-on is included
in this DVD release. Sadly, rings are not included. Sherman's
audio embellishments are most edifying, and he does a laudable
job of conveying Hemisphere's history with equal deference
to both novices and hardcore B-movie enthusiasts.
http://www.image-entertainment.com
MAD DOCTOR OF BLOOD ISLAND
Another, grisly, in-you-face frightfest, another gory gimmick;
packets of green goo were given to film patrons ("for those
who dare to drink the blood of the mad Dr."), and the notorious
"Green Blood Prologue" is intact on this DVD. This one's
wildly erratic, daffily entertaining, and possessed of much
chutzpah. As Dr. Bill Foster, Ashley returns to The Evil
One's sandy stomping grounds accompanied by Angelique Pettyjohn,
who has come in search of her drunken father. Another hapless
islander, Don Ramon, is being sought by the island maiden
he once took as a lover. Though Ramon was declared dead
seven years earlier, Ashley and company suspect otherwise.
While searching for the missing Don, they run afoul of the
slimy green chlorophyll monster who stalks this deadly dot
in the Pacific, disemboweling islanders in fits of pique.
Is the green monstrosity actually Don Ramon, victim of one
of the mysterious Dr. Lorca's experiments gone hideously
awry? Lorca is portrayed with great bravado by Ronald Remy,
star of "The Blood Drinkers," (see below) and one of Hemisphere's
dependable stock players (who were not unlike the Corman
crew that turned up in Roger's casts time and again). Producer
Sherman's commentary is, as always, enlightening and entertaining
(though he does attempt to defend what is undoubtedly the
most annoying abuse of a zoom lens in film history).
http://www.image-entertainment.com
NIGHT OF THE BLOODY APES/FEAST OF FLESH
The top half of this twin bill easily ranks with the most
stupefying, outrageous concoctions in B-movie history. Boasting
VERY graphic gore (gouged eyes, slashed throats, TWO open
heart surgeries) and wanton violence, this 1968 (some sources say 1969, others 1972) Mexican
mishmash seems to have been both conceived by AND aimed
at 12-year-old boys, exclusively. Its flashes of pandering
nudity and unashamed bloodletting are the result of the
most childish, ill-conceived plot contrivances imaginable.
To wit: A doctor's son lies dying of leukemia (pronounced
"loosemia" by one of his colleagues). The doctor's desperate
solution? Kill a gorilla and transplant its heart into his
dying son's body. He "feels" that ape blood is "more potent"
than human blood and will therefore eradicate the cancerous
cells from the lad's bloodstream. Instead, the boy's head
is transformed into that of a gorilla (well, sort of), and
he goes on a murderous rampage.
Now, do your best to link these shenanigans to reams of
footage of cute Mexican women wrestling. The leading lady
sports a skin-tight devil costume while in the ring, and
In one exuberant bout, she tosses an opponent into the front
row. The foe lands on her head and she's rushed to the hospital
in a coma. And who is the brain specialist called to the
scene? You guessed it, the mad medico with the gorilla fixation,
who casts a covetous eye at the fallen female's comatose
brain. It might fit nicely into sonny's cranium, so. ...
All of this is peppered with the most ludicrous, laughable
and wildly entertaining dialogue in dubbing history. For
instance, the grief-stricken doc confides to his assistant,
"We must wait and trust in God. Come, help me drag the cadaver
of the gorilla over to the incinerator." And an impatient
police chief, frustrated by a detective's theory that the
murders are the work of a "half-man, half-monster," admonishes,
"It's more probable that of late more and more you are watching
on your television many of those pictures of terror." (I'd
love to get a copy of THAT Spanish-to-English dictionary.)
This one's a wild ride, strewn with amateurish coincidences
and predictable ploys, too unashamedly exploitative to be
labeled "bad." Let's charitably call it a fascinating glimpse
into the hysterical miasma that is Mexican horror.
The second tier of this DVD double-header is a B-movie
stink bomb called "Feast of Flesh," a 1967 Argentine shocker
(presumably filmed between military coups) originally released
in South America as "Placer sangriento." It was directed
by the same craftsman who gave the world "The Curious Dr.
Humpp," "Blood of the Virgins" and "Violated Love." If that
track record doesn't tell you what's in store, you deserve
to sit through this disjointed, protracted turkey. In preparing
it for release in the U.S., Jack Curtis was brought in to write new
English dialogue, peppering it with lots of beatnikish "cools,"
"cats" and "drags," seeing as how much screen time is spent
in a seaside jazz club patronized by the same six people
every night. Jack must have left the looping sessions with
his hands raised in frustration, because no amount of verbal
exposition can salvage the nonsensical plot. I'd love to
provide a synopsis, but I simply cannot begin to tell you
what the film is about. There's a guy in a silly rubber
mask injecting girls with heroine and a spooky song that
plays whenever he's about to claim a victim and. ... I give
up. You watch it and tell ME what it's about! The Argentinians
were ahead of us in one respect -- half the film's characters
are openly homosexual. Sadly, they do nothing to ameliorate
the stereotypes that still exist.
http://www.image-entertainment.com
THE BLOOD DRINKERS
What do you think this one's about? The "Mad Doctor of Blood
Island" himself, Ronald Remy, portrays Marco, a vampire
who sets up shop in the hamlet that is home to the twin
sister of his beloved. The twin is near death, and Marco
wants to snatch her still beating heart and install it in
the dormant chassis of his girlfriend. The ingredients are
all here; the superstitious townsfolk, torch-bearing mobs,
the lusting, thirsty troupe of vamps, funeral coaches and
spooky mansions. In short, an enthusiastic effort on the
part of director Gerardo DeLeon and his Filipino film team
to recreate a Euro-Gothic milieu amidst a jungle backdrop
with the most meager funds. We applaud them for this. But
jarring shifts between atmospheric, tinted, black and white
footage, and full-color stock that looks too much like it
came from a South Seas travelogue, tend to undermine credibility.
Even so, if you're a vampire/Goth-film completist, you may
find it great, gory fun.
http://www.image-entertainment.com
A trio of Herman Cohen-produced "shockers," fresh out on
DVD, demonstrate just how varied the prodigious output of
the late B-movie meister could be:
THE HEADLESS GHOST
This horror-comedy absurdity (originally released soon after
Cohen's fun-filled stomach-turner "Horrors of the Black
Museum") can only be of interest to widescreen, DVD purists.
As patently dopey as "Black Museum" is horrific, this trite
tale of a trio of fortyish-looking college students sequestered
in a British castle doesn't deliver a single thrill. The
ghosts are bumbling and grumpy, and the insipid banter of
the protagonists wears thin in the early going. For what
it's worth, the ad art is great.
HORRORS OF THE BLACK MUSEUM
We've reviewed this classic, pandering shocker in the past,
but it's now been re-released in letterbox DVD format so
that fright film fans might enjoy it in all its 'Hypno-Vistic'
glory. Vividly recalled by even casual viewers, it stars
unctuous Michael Gough as a killer exacting varied and hideous
methods of murder. Fans who haven't watched the film in
30 years recall with disgust the "binoculars scene." Just
mention it to any baby boomer. They might not know the film
by title, but odds are they'll recall that grisly -- and
STILL quite shocking -- scene. Gough, Cohen's British psycho
go-to guy, is a mystery writer who hypnotizes his assistant
into committing gory crimes that Gough can incorporate into
his "fictional" paperbacks. The gimmick this time was "Hypno-Vista,"
and features a "renowned" specialist explaining the process
to the audience at the start of the film.
BRIDE OF THE GORILLA
This incessantly talky jungle melodrama serves up more chatter
than a barrel of starving monkeys. Poor Raymond Burr (as
a Brazilian plantation overseer) is surprisingly credible
as the loutish killer who believes he's turning into a gorilla.
Paul Cavanaugh barely survives the opening credits, and
Tom Conway seems humbled by another thankless role as a
jaded physician. Sarong-wrapped Barbara Payton is the principal
attraction, but her formidable feminine allure is stretched
thin. (Director Curt Siodmak delivered another lifeless
Amazonian shocker some years later -- "Curucu, Beast of
the Amazon.") This werewolf tale transplanted to the South
American jungle was Cohen's first producer credit. Siodmak
had scripted Universal's classic "Wolf Man" 11 years earlier
-- and "The Wolf Man" himself, Lon Chaney, is on hand as
the local constable investigating the titular "were-ape."
SPECIAL THANKS TO:
Michael F. Blake, whose books are available through Vestal
Press or at http://www.amazon.com
Scott Essman, scottessman@yahoo.com
Harris Lentz III, whose books are available at http://www.mcfarlandpub.com
Bob Madison, whose books are available at http://www.amazon.com
Bryan Senn, whose books are available at http://www.mcfarlandpub.com
and at http://www.midmar.com/books.html
Tom Weaver, whose books are available at http://www.mcfarlandpub.com
and at http://www.midmar.com/books.html
PARTING BLURB
"Creeping horror from the depths of time and space" --
Invasion of the Saucer-Men
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