THE BRIDES OF DRACULA (1960) – The Dungeon Review!

Terence Fisher directed several films for Hammer Film Productions. Most of the titles Fisher directed were during Hammer’s heyday in the 1950′s and 1960′s and are some of the studio’s best. Among his outstanding entries are The Curse of Frankenstein, Dracula, The Hound of the Baskervilles, The Mummy, The Curse of the Werewolf, The Gorgon and The Devil Rides Out. The Devil Rides Out is without a doubt, one of my favourite Hammer films of all time. I contributed a review for The Devil Rides Out to friend of the dungeon Basement Scream’s feature “Six Weeks of Satan” (to read the review click here). Terence Fisher directs The Brides of Dracula with stylish flare and a touch of sexy and the result is positively captivating!

Marianne Danielle has travelled a long distance by carriage to take a position as a teacher in an all girl’s boarding school. Along her travels the carriage driver stops at an inn and leaves Marianne to fend for herself. She is befriended by the Baroness Meinster who invites her to stay at the family estate. The Baroness’ it turns out has a son who she is keeping hidden from the townsfolk. The Baroness does not divulge to Marianne why she is imprisoning her own son only that there is a very good reason for doing so. When Marianne meets the Baron he appears to be ready to jump from the balcony to his death. She comes running to him only to discover he is in chains. The charming and handsome Baron paints a very different picture for Marianne of the reasons he is imprisoned in his own home. Falling for him instantly Marianne rushes to find the key that will unlock his chains. Marianne has no idea the evil she has unleashed, but she soon will.

Despite the lack of Dracula himself, The Brides of Dracula is a sequel of sorts. While Christopher Lee is absent the always excellent Peter Cushing is back as Dr J. Van Helsing. The performances are perfect by the entire cast. Our lovely Teacher Marianne is played by Yvonne Monlaur who is downright adorable. It is she who unleashes the naughty Baron Meinster played with devilish mischief by David Peel. Under the guise of a romantic gesture the Baron lures himself females to grow his vampire army. One of my favourite characters is Greta. Greta was charged to care for the Baron by his mother insuring he stay hidden, tethered and fed. Greta cackles madly at the discovery the Baron has been freed, and fulfills her duties as his human servant. Greta aids with such grim tasks as helping new vamps claw their way out of their coffins! Freda Jackson is fantastic as Greta creating a character that is both amusing and spooky. The icy Baroness Meinster is conflicted and realizes her decision to keep her son alive is a dangerous and foolish one. Marita Hunt plays the Baroness with sophistication and confidence and an air of self importance. There is no mistaking that she is indeed “the Baroness”. Last and certainly not least is the wonderful Peter Cushing. The serious and efficient Mr. Van Helsing can also show sensitivity and concern when necessary. Peter Cushing brings the perfect balance to the role creating a Van Helsing that is both very likable and credible. Cushing would reprise his role as Van Helsing for Hammer several more times after this.

Like most Hammer Films The Brides of Dracula is a high achiever when it comes to its visuals. The sets are just fantastic. The colors and lighting is extremely easy on the eyes and the always lingering red color scheme gives the film a blood soaked vibe. Much of the film takes place in the home of the Baroness and Baron Meinster. The property appears to be absolutely massive and the home and its interiors are divine. The scenes filmed from Marianne’s bedroom balcony are particularly impressive in displaying the enormity of the property. There isn’t much here for effects however and just a glimpse of blood; but The Brides of Dracula is certainly none the lesser for it.

Those crazy nightgowns women wore during the Victorian period were not the gear for running in. Of course all that flowing fabric makes for some pretty pictures. I wonder if any women broke bones falling down those Hammer stairway sets in that Victorian garb? In any case, the costumes are all lovely and impressive; they just are not very practical when you need to run for your life! The story is simple but engrossing and they even add a couple special touches that make this particular vampire tale unique. A steady pace and a thrilling finale seal the deal. Certainly these older Hammer films seem quite subdued and bloodless in comparison to the films that came after. Keeping in mind that color was still a relatively new concept in film; a beautiful gothic horror tale like The Brides of Dracula must have been that much more impressive to audiences.

I have seen The Brides of Dracula probably a half dozen times over the years and I never get tired of it. It is charming, beautifully shot, well acted and chocked full o’mood and atmosphere. An entertaining and well made gothic horror and one of Hammer Studio’s best in my opinion. Highly recommended!

Dungeon Rating: 4.5/5

Directed By: Terence Fisher

Starring: Peter Cushing, Martita Hunt, Yvonne Monlaur, Freda Jackson, David Peel, Miles Malleson, Henry Oscar, Mona Washbourne, Andree Melly

CULT OF THE COBRA (1955) – The Dungeon Review!

My Eisenhower and the Horror Movies feature is almost over. I will probably only get another two reviews posted by months end at this point. I am going to miss watching and reviewing the films from this period. I am really digging these black and white films! They are just so pleasant to look at. Even the crummier films look a little less crappy in black and white. It is also a nice treat to get some character development in a horror film. Not to mention characters you actually root for. Even in the 1950′s there was a certain amount of regurgitation with adaptations of the likes of Dracula and Frankenstein but the pool in which to dip was considerably shallower. Originality was abundant; one more reason to visit this particular era of horror filmmaking. What more can I say to convince you that classic horror rocks?

A group of American G.I.’s are looking for the ultimate tourist attraction as they end a tour in Asia. A snake charmer offers to sneak the men into a ritual of the Cult of the Cobra for a small fee. The outsiders are apprehended when one of the men can not resist snapping a picture. They manage to escape the angry cult members but not before a curse is placed on them. One of the men is bitten by a snake and is taken to a hospital where he quickly recovers; but mysteriously dies the next day. Fortunately the uneasy G.I.’s are travelling home to the U.S.A.; but you can not run from the deadly curse of the Cult of the Cobra!

Once back home in the U.S.A., a love triangle kick starts our story. Paul and Tom are both in love with Julia. On their return from duty Julia decides that Paul is the man she wants to spend the rest of her life with. It is a little weird that Paul and Tom are best friends and roommates but I chose to just ignore that. No hard feelings right buddy? One evening a woman’s scream sends Tom running to the apartment across the hall. The woman behind the scream is Lisa Moya. Lisa is new to the city and Tom who is smitten with her instantly offers to give her a tour.

I never heard of Faith Domergue before this feature. I have now seen two films starring the intriguing Ms. Domergue. In Cult of the Cobra she plays Lisa Moya and in It Came from Beneath the Sea she plays Professor Lesley Joyce. I rented It Came from Beneath the Sea from the library and it was in rough shape. A small section of the DVD would not play and it got stuck a couple times in other places which really messed up the flow. Damn shame really, because it features a giant Octopus and the effects were done by the great Ray Harryhausen! Between the DVD not functioning too well and the volume of giant monster flicks I’ve already covered, I decided not to write a review for it. One of these days I will rewatch It Came from Beneath the Sea and give it a proper review. Perhaps an entire Harryhausen feature? So back to Faith Domergue who plays strong central characters in both films. She is an interesting woman to look at. She has sultriness about her and the confidence to sell it. She is quite icy as Lisa Moya in Cult of the Cobra. Considering her true nature it makes perfectly good sense that she would lack appropriate social skills. It is not a spoiler to tell you that Lisa has the ability to transform into a snake. We see much of the film through her perspective. It is the film’s characters that must solve the mystery. I quite enjoyed Domergue and her cold demeanor and by the end of the film I even had empathy for her.

The acting is decent across the board. The G.I.’s have a good chemistry and the casual conversation felt natural. Cult of the Cobra has an intriguing opening and not too much downtime before the action begins. The film looks good and they include a particularly neat pov shot through a snake’s eye. What looked less than stellar was the snake transformation. You never actually see a transformation only the shadow of a snake on the wall. It was a cool and inexpensive way to execute but it looked like someone had their hand in a sock. Otherwise the death scenes are all lively and well done; each one is unique. I did have a wee issue with a detail in the finale but it is a spoiler so I will only say it was forgivable. They add some nifty touches like Tom’s dog being afraid of Lisa and barking when she is near. Minor flaws aside Cult of the Cobra is a damn good watch.

Cult of the Cobra is a creature feature with an intriguing story, strong performances, solid atmosphere and creative death scenes. Recommended.

Dungeon Rating: 3.5/5

Directed By: Francis D. Lyon

Starring: Faith Domergue, Richard Long, Marshall Thompson, Kathleen Hughes, William Reynolds, Jack Kelly, Myrna Hansen, David Janssen, Leonard Strong, James Dobson, Olan Soule

Deadly Dames of Horror! With Music by Lesley Gore!

My newest slideshow featuring a few of my favourite deadly dames of horror with music by Lesley Gore (You don’t Own Me). I would like to do a “more deadly dames of horror” slideshow and would really appreciate some suggestions! Who is your favourite deadly dame of horror? Leave a comment here or tweet me at ggsdungeon.

THE CYCLOPS (1957) – The Dungeon Review!

Bert I. Gordon aka Mr. B.I.G.; nicknamed on account of his initials and his penchants for featuring large critters and people in his films. Mr. Gordon, who is in his 80′s recently wrote a book about his life and career in the world of filmmaking. The Amazing Colossal Worlds of Mr. B.I.G.: An Autobiographical Journey sounds like something I should have on my bookshelf! The Cyclops was written, produced and directed by Mr. Gordon who also handles the film’s technical effects. Bert I. Gordon knows how to multi-task! His techniques are not always flawless by any means; but speaking for myself, I have yet to see a Bert I. Gordon film that didn’t entertain me. The Cyclops, I’m happy to say, is no exception.

Susan Winters is financing a trip to Mexico to search for her fiancé Bruce whose plane went down three years previous. She arranges a small four seat plane and hires pilot Lee Brand. Accompanying Susan is Bruce’s closest friend Russ Bradford and Martin Melville who hopes to find uranium. The quartet finds more than they bargain for when they discover the area is inhabited by giant animals. And that is not the only surprise that awaits the group…

There is of course a bit more to the story than that, but not a whole lot more. Bruce’s best friend Russ is in love with Susan and is hoping this trip will allow her to move on. Lee Brand the pilot they hire is a heavy drinker but it doesn’t effect his flying at all. The biggest threat in the film is the impossibly sweaty and obnoxious Marty Melville! In one hilarious awkward scene Melville punches Brand and knocks him out while he is flying the freaking plane! Boy oh boy is this a scene! Marty remains a thorn in everyone’s side right up to the bitter end! The story isn’t exactly mind-blowing and the twist is painfully obvious! I don’t think anyone could watch this film and not figure out the twist well before it happens. Gordon lets us in on the secret way too early! That said, there is still plenty here to entertain.

The film is insanely short and Gordon packs a fair amount of activity into the runtime. Gordon’s creatures are all real critters and he uses tricks of the trade to make them large. Who doesn’t love a 20 foot tall bird preying on a mouse the size of a dog?! Unfortunately the quality of the effects ranges quite a bit. The bird and mouse scene actually looked pretty good but another scene that features some type of lizard looked like my grade four art class collage project. The effects are occasionally iffy but I will take these delightful practical effects any day over CGI. This is one of the few if not the only giant creature flick I’ve watched during this Eisenhower feature that was entirely filmed in the daylight. A bold move really, but I liked it! The night would have added to the mood but who goes exploring some isolated canyon at night after seeing giant critters?! The Cyclops does not feature the one-eyed giant of Greek Mythology. Gordon’s cyclops is actually a giant man with a bad-ass eye injury. While some might be disappointed by this news, I assure you this guy is quite unforgettable. One side of “the cyclops” face is badly deformed and he has one mean freaking harelip complimented by some gnarly looking teeth. His mangled skin has grown over one of his eyes leaving him with only one huge bulging eyeball exposed. It is a face only a mother could love! Just have a look at this bad boy!

The cast do a decent job and it was particularly nice to see a dame in a 50s flick not portrayed as a wilting flower. Mind you Ms. Winter does have her screaming moments too. The ridiculously pretty Gloria Talbott, plays the personable and determined Susan Winters with plenty of heart. James Craig who plays Russ Bradford is fairly typical as far as leading men goes but does a fine job of it. Tom Drake who plays our hard drinking pilot never seems drunk at all. I felt he needed to work harder on his alcoholism, but he was a likable bloke really. And finally we have Lon Chaney Jr. who plays Marty Melville. Chaney has played more than his share of unsavoury characters over the years. As Melville he is nervous, self-involved, sweaty and cowardly. I wouldn’t call this Chaney’s finest hour but I think at least some of that can be attributed to the writing of the character.

Attack of the Puppet People will always be my personal favourite Gordon film. I had intended to make Attack of the Puppet People and The Cyclops a double shot video review but time and technical difficulties with the new camera put a damper on that. Despite its flaws I got a real kick out of The Cyclops. A short but sweet creature feature worth checking out. Recommended.

Dungeon Rating: 3/5

Directed By: Bert I. Gordon

Starring: James Craig, Gloria Talbott, Lon Chaney Jr., Tom Drake, Duncan Parkin, Vicente Padula

The Thing from Another World (1951) Images and Music from the film

Okay, The Thing from Another World does not fall within the Eisenhower years; I just happened to have some music from the film. Nonetheless, The Thing from Another World is one of the best of the classic horror/sci-fi films. If you haven’t seen it before you should make it a priority!

Check out my latest slideshow for The Thing from Another World with images and music from the film! Original music by Dimitri Tiomkin.