Gratitude and Love All Around

Andy of Taliesin Meets the Vampires has generously awarded me a Premio Dardos Award, which “is given for recognition of cultural, ethical, literary, and personal values transmitted in the form of creative and original writing. These stamps were created with the intention of promoting fraternization between bloggers, a way of showing affection and gratitude for work that adds value to the Web.“

This is quite an honor from an old blog buddy who has stuck with me through thick and thin, and I am truly humbled.

As tradition dictates, I am to pass the award onto 5 other bloggers. I choose to award the following blogs:

Trixie’s Treats

The Drunken Severed Head

Frankensteinia

Final Girl

Zombos’ Closet

I would be surprised to find that any of the blogs mentioned have not been given this award already, but I just wanted to continue the affection.

Thanks again, Andy.  It is certainly a warm “welcome back.”

Cult of the Cobra (1955)

From the DVD case: Vengeance is sworn against six American G.I.’s after they witness a clandestine ceremony worshipping beautiful women who can change into serpents.

Mark says:  Tom Markel can’t catch a break.  During his last day of service he and his buddies crash a snake cult ritual resulting in a curse upon the gang and the sudden death (cobra bite) of one of his pals.  After returning to the states, he loses his girl to his best friend and roommate, Paul.  The very same night he meets the woman of his dreams who, it is eventually revealed,  transforms into a cobra at will and is methodically knocking off his friends one by one.  The brutalities of war must have paled in comparison.

It is difficult to watch Cult of the Cobra without being put in mind of Val Lewton’s Cat People, released thirteen years prior.  We have the haunted, alluring woman, in this case Faith Domergue in the role of Lisa Moya, who has the ability to transform into a deadly creature and who fears she’ll harm or kill the man she loves;  we have an American leading man, Marshall Thompson (Fiend Without A Face, It! The Terror from Beyond Space) playing Tom Markel, who tries desperately to understand his girlfriend’s hesitancy towards passion; and we have the “other woman,” Kathleen Hughes (It Came from Outer Space) as Julia who stirs jealousy in our shapeshifting friend.

What Cult of the Cobra lacks is the artistry of Cat People.  There is no ambiguity as to who or what the killer is, a prime source of suspense in Val Lewton’s productions.  Although Cult of the Cobra attempts to use some of Lewton’s techniques (i.e. the false scare often termed “the bus”), it just can’t seem to pull them off in a convincing manner.  The suspense created is almost negligible.

Coming Soon!

I know, I know, you’re sick of my promises, but this one is the real deal.  I’ll start updating this page again with a review of 1955’s Cult of the Cobra, starring Faith Domergue and Marshall Thompson.  The review may be up as early as Sunday, but no later than early next week.  Hold me to it. ~ Mark

Trixie’s Treats

Still there? Good. Me, too! Now, since we’re all just loitering around, why not visit my good friend, Trix, at her (regularly updated) blog, TRIXIE’S TREATS.  There’s all sorts of morbid and vintage fun going on over there. If you’re real good, maybe I’ll post a review for Halloween!  Have a safe haunted season boils and ghouls.

Affectionately, Mark

Exclamation Mark Temporarily Out Of Commission

Not that I’ve been making a lot of posts anyway, but my computer got fried in a thunderstorm. I won’t be able to post updates or comments until I find a replacement. Continue to enjoy the archives and blogroll in my absence. Thanks! Mark

UPDATE: I’m back! However, continue to enjoy the archives and blogroll! Affectionately, Mark

Horror 101: The A-List of Horror Films and Monster Movies (Book Review)

As a sci-fi/horror movie blogger, sometimes people ask me for recommendations concerning horror and sci-fi film reference books. Up until now, I had three standards I recommended without hesitation: Keep Watching the Skies (American sci-fi/horror of the 1950s) by Bill Warren, Return of the B Science Fiction and Horror Heroes (interviews) by Tom Weaver, and The Rough Guide to Horror Movies (a great horror film overview) by Alan Jones. Lately, a new book has made my recommendation list, and I endorse it as full-heartedly as the former tomes.

Horror 101: The A-List of Horror Films and Monster Movies Volume 1 is a collection of essays edited by Dr. AC (aka Aaron Christensen).

Here’s how the book is described in its Introduction:

Herein, you will find 101 essays on 110 vital cinematic offerings within our beloved genre. With this book, we hope to accomplish a number of things: First, to get a list of essentials out there in the world, hopefully inspiring today’s younger horror fans to partake of the pleasures to be found within some “older” films. Second, to create an opportunity for the voice of the everyday horror enthusiast to be heard, allowing them to celebrate his/her favorite fright flick. After all, it has never been the “serious” critics who have helped these films stand the test of time, it has been the tireless masses who have slavishly devoted themselves to the cause. This is for the fans, by the fans.

Horror 101 is everything it promises to be. I was a bit reluctant to purchase it at first because I was fearful of the phrase “for the fans, by the fans.” I didn’t want to read gushing approval by rabid fans for films that were, at best, mediocre. (I know, I know, I see the irony here!) However, as soon as I started reading, my fears were put to rest.

Horror 101 is written by an intelligent group of writers who have both a knowledge of and an enthusiasm for the genre. The selection of films are of a top-notch variety (not the kind I usually review here, so you can relax), making this a great primer for the newly initiated. However, it also offers insights for people who have been hardcore fans for years.

I’ve read nearly every essay now, and I can honestly say that I’ve learned something from each piece. I was surprised to find unknown tidbits about films I thought I knew inside-out. The enthusiasm for the films is refreshing while not being “fan boyish.”

Click here to read reviews and order the book from Amazon.com. If the book should be out of stock (it’s already happened at least once!) you can always contact Dr. AC himself and I’m sure he’d be glad to fix you up. That’s what I did when the book became unavailable at Amazon, and not only did I get the book at a discount, but he personalized it for me, too!

As regular readers know, I don’t promote much on my blog, so this is something special. I also have a selfish motive: I’m hoping that this book does well enough that I’ll soon be purchasing Volume 2.

(Oh, and did I mention the forward is written by horror legend, Tom Savini? It is!)

Mark’s Rating: ! ! ! ! ! out of 5.

Jack Pierce Deserves A Star

Regular readers of this blog will most certainly know who make-up artist Jack Pierce is. If you have any questions about the man and his importance regarding the world of horror cinema, visit his official website, or read his Wikipedia entry.

That Jack Pierce deserves a star on Hollywood’s Walk of Fame is beyond question. Lately, horror fans, bloggers, MySpacers, etc., have been circulating an online petition to raise awareness for this amazing pioneer and get him his well-deserved star.

Though I’m cynical about how seriously online petitions are taken, it certainly can not do any harm. Please join me in signing the petition. All you have to do is click here. It takes no time at all.

By the way, that’s Mr. Pierce himself looking every bit the mad scientist (above) as he makes Boris Karloff up as the Frankenstein monster.

Because You’re Tired Of Finding Nothing New Here

As longtime readers know, I am a bit manic-depressive when it comes to making regular posts. In my manic phases I hit a stride and I enjoying watching and reviewing films on a fairly regular basis. On the flip side, I have my depressive stages where I am simply content to watch the films and I don’t make blog posts for months on end. (I’m not really depressed by any means, just lazy.)

Guess which phase I’m in now?

Anyway, since I haven’t posted anything new for some time, I thought I’d share a few blogs I’ve been enjoying lately. If you like it around here, you’re sure to love the following blogs:

Frankensteinia: The Frankenstein Blog. Pierre describes his blog as such: “Tracking Frankenstein and all things related in the arts, media and popular culture.” I don’t think I can add much to that, except that he’s a joy to read and he really knows his stuff.

Also:

The Drunken Severed Head. Visit Max who, like us, is “fascinated by all things dark and monstrous.” I love the monster nostalgia, but there’s a lot else to explore there, too.

By the way, I do plan to review more films. I have a big stack of DVDs that I want to share with you eventually, including The Magnetic Monster, The Mole People, and The Hideous Sun Demon to name a few. So keep hanging on and enjoy the bloggers above as well as the ones featured on my sidebar.

Yours, Exclamation Mark

The Woman Who Came Back (1945)

From the DVD case: Ever since the bus accident, nothing has been the same for Lorna Webster. She returns to the New England hometown where her family has lived for centuries. But no happy reunion awaits. She is convinced that she has become a witch, the target of a 300-year-old curse, and strange happenings soon persuade the townsfolk that she’s right. As desperately as she tries, she cannot shake the evil that seems to follow her everywhere. Caught up in a wave of hysteria, the entire town is driven to extremes. (1945, b&w)

Mark says: Any serious horror fan would be hard-pressed not to compare The Woman Who Came Back to the Val Lewton productions that were popular at the time. (See my review of Cat People for a quick background in Lewtonian plot/film devices.) Though The Woman Who Came Back follows the Lewtonian model closely, it demonstrates how delicate the scales of psychological terror and supernatural horror can be. If the scales are tipped too much on either side, the film can disintegrate before your eyes. Unfortunately, this is the problem which plagues the film at hand.

Nancy Kelly (The Bad Seed) plays Lorna Webster, a woman who left the New England town of Eben Rock under suspicious circumstances (apparently leaving her fiancé standing at the alter). The story begins a few years later and Lorna is returning to Eben Rock via bus trip. In a brief narrative we are told that one of Lorna’s ancestors, Elijah Webster, was a judge who 300 years earlier burned innocent women at the stake for witchcraft. One such woman was Jezebel Trister. Jezebel was burned with her “familiar,” a dog, and pledged to return one day to avenge her death.

As Lorna’s bus approaches Eben Rock, it picks up a strange traveler and her dog. The woman is suspiciously witch-like in appearance and seems to know all about Lorna and her family history. When the woman introduces herself as Jezebel Trister and raises her veil, Lorna screams and the bus plunges off a bridge right into Shadow Lake. Lorna is the only survivor and no trace of the mysterious woman is found, except for a black veil which is returned to Lorna as her own.

The townsfolk are immediately suspicious of Lorna’s sudden return, especially in conjunction with the bus accident. We are given hints that Lorna has always been regarded as peculiar, a woman who keeps to herself, and that perhaps other accidents in the past have been attributed to her. The only people who seem genuinely glad to see Lorna again are her fiancé, Dr. Matt Adams (John Loder, The Mysterious Doctor) and Rev. Jim Stevens (Otto Kruger, Dracula’s Daughter). Lorna and Matt immediately resume their relationship, but Lorna has suspicions that the alleged witch, Jezebel Trister, has somehow possessed her. The townsfolk are only too eager to believe the same.

The Four Skulls Of Jonathan Drake (1959)

From the DVD case: The sins of the fathers rest heavily on the heads of the sons – literally – in this fun-filled frightfest that’ll keep you awake and screaming through many a traumatic night. Faced with an age-old family curse that beheaded their forefathers, two brothers attempt to unravel the family plot, even as sinister forces attempt to put them into it! (1959, b&w)

Mark says: The Four Skulls of Jonathan Drake was an unknown film to me until a DVD (paired with Voodoo Island) from MGM’s Midnite Movies was released. When I noticed what amateur reviewers were writing at IMDb and Amazon, I started to take an interest. Apparently Four Skulls traumatized many a youthful audience member when it was first released. When a reader wrote me with a similar story concerning his history with the film, I knew I had to give it a view.

The DVD description is not quite accurate, and deserves some clarification. Jonathan Drake is the descendant of a man responsible for a massacre of an Amazonian tribe known as the Jivaro Indians, approximately 180 years ago. Drake’s ancestor (Wilfred Drake) slaughtered every man and male child of the tribe except for the tribal witch doctor, who escaped. The witch doctor placed a curse on the Drake family. Ever since, every male member of the Drake family, at the age of 60, succumbs to death and, more mysteriously, their heads are always removed before entombment. The skulls are eventually returned to the family tomb after each death. It is important to note that the Jivaro Indians are famous for their practice of shrinking heads.