John Rozum's Blog, page 49

31 Days of Halloween - Day 19

Schlitze in Freaks (1932). Cut paper.

31 Days of Halloween - Day 18 - Movie 2

A young woman in a wheelchair returns to the house of her wealthy father after an absence of ten years. She discovers that her father had to leave town and is left with her step-mother that she's meeting for the first time, the chauffeur, a doctor friend of the family, and the housekeeper. She has two experiences where she thinks she sees her father's dead body on the property, but no one believes her and she begins to believe that she imagined it. Then evidence appears which makes her think her father really is dead and that her step-mother is trying to kill her for the inheritance.

Scream of Fear (1961) is one of the Hammer movies that no one ever seems to talk about, but they should. This is a compelling psychological thriller with more secrets and revelations than you can shake a stick at, and they all work. The cast is excellent, and there are some lovely black and white visuals. The script by Jimmy Sangster is one of his best.

31 Days of Halloween - Day 18 - Movie 1

A pianist witnesses the murder of his neighbor, a psychic, then finds himself trying to uncover the identity of the killer even while the killer is working to block his investigation and kill him as well.

Profondo rosso/ Deep Red (1975) is a beautiful, stylized giallo by Dario Argento, with some truly gorgeous compositions and camera work. The plot, as with many giallos, is fairly convoluted and, like motivations and logic, secondary to the journey of the protagonists and to the murders themselves. It's best just to sit back and enjoy the ride without worrying too much about what route you are taking. It's easy to get sidetracked by details that don't make sense or add up in the end, but which make for interesting visuals, and keep this a riveting film to watch.

31 Days of Halloween - Day 18

Vincent Price as Matthew Hopkins in Witchfinder General (1968). Cut paper.

31 Days of Halloween - Day 17 - Movie 2

A team of archeologists exploring Mayan ruins encounter an ancient, corrosive, blob creature which the Mayans called the god, Caltiki. The archeologists manage to destroy the creature but bring back a sample to civilization to study and once again face peril when this sample grows to enormous size.

Caltiki, The Immortal Monster (1959) has a plot that's pretty hokey and melodramatic, but features some nice photography, really decent effects, and a blob monster that is disgusting  and really comes across as some weird living organism rather than simply a special effect. Riccardo Freda was the director, but he apparently stepped aside to allow Mario Bava would have a chance to direct.

31 Days of Halloween - Day 17 - Movie 1

A wealthy, alcoholic woman is tired of her philandering, gold digging husband. An encounter with a UFO and its giant occupant gives her the opportunity to get even, when she grows into a giant herself.


I have not seen Attack of the 50 Foot Woman (1958) since I was a kid, and really remembered nothing about it, except for what I've since seen in stills and in the trailer, so I was pleasantly surprised by how good it was. Allison Hayes, William Hudson and Yvette Vickers as the three sides of the romantic triangle, such as it is, are particularly good. Unlike films such as The Amazing Colossal Man, Allison Hayes remains normal size until close to the very end, which is actually fine since the movie is better before the giant woman appears on the screen. Sadly, the special effects, even for their time and budget, are anything but special. Both the space giant and the 50 foot woman are transparent against the backgrounds that they are superimposed over, and the 50 foot woman's scale is wildly inconsistent with her appearing to be about twenty feet tall in some scenes. The two giants are also represented by the least convincing oversized rubber hands imaginable (I'm guessing probably the same fake hand, only with mats of hair added for the male giant). Why they didn't simply use forced perspective with real hands, and non-superimposed actors is beyond me.





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31 Days of Halloween - Day 17

The hobo's dog in Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978) Cut paper.

31 Days of Halloween - Day 16 - Movie 2

Margaret Hichcock (Barbara Steele) is having an affair with the physician, Dr. Livingstone (Peter Baldwin), treating her ill husband, Dr. Hichcock (Elio Jota) who holds an interest in the supernatural. Margaret convinces Livingstone to murder her husband. When they find themselves essentially cut out of his will, they begin trying to get their hands on Dr. Hitchcock's hidden money, but are repeatedly foiled by ghostly visits from Dr. Livingstone.

The Ghost (1963) has a an unreal quality to it which lends it an atmosphere which heightens the effect of the story. Even the poor dubbing lends itself to this dreamlike quality. Visually it's quite striking even if the plot does feel a little long. Towards the end there are some nice plot points that elevate the mostly by the numbers script which comes across as something of a knock off of Les Diaboliques (1955).

31 Days of Halloween - Day 16 - Movie 1

I've decided not to give a plot recap of Crimson Peak (2015), Guillermo Del Toro's lush gothic romance, because I don't think it would do it justice, and I think that movies tend to be more enjoyable the less you know going in. The story itself, on the surface, is about as basic as you can get, but it's below the surface that really adds a rich texture to the film. There is sumptuous production design, costumes, and Del Toro's color coded manner of delivering information supporting the themes and character relations. There is also a lot pertain to the eye; to seeing and perception, the act of revealing as well as concealing and mirroring, or shadowing the way characters are dressed. This is an absolutely gorgeous movie, dense with visual information and compelling performances.

31 Days of Halloween - Day 16

Doug Bradley as the Hell Priest in Hellraiser (1987). Cut paper and nails.