Seth Tucker's Blog, page 8
October 24, 2017
31 Days of Halloween Day 24 – An iconic film from the classic era
I realize that I did an entire week of classics, but today’s film deserves a mention at any time. Even if you have never seen this film, you are very aware of the monster, in fact, I would bet that you know it as the definitive version. Today, I bring to you Frankenstein. Universal started their monster legacy with Dracula with Frankenstein closely on its heels. Most copies of the original version have the filmed opening by Edward Van Sloan, wherein he warns the audience. This was done because during the original screening, people fainted in their seats.
This film is easily a classic and deserves its iconic status. We have already covered The Bride of Frankenstein here. While the sequel is an amazing piece of cinema, it is a different beast than the original. In this first film, we see the driven doctor wanting so badly to play with the forces of life itself. After his success, he is ashamed of the violent nature of his creation and chains the creature. Boris Karloff’s performance as the monster, the pitiable beast shunned by its maker, is what you should watch this for. From his earliest moments, seeking sunshine and warmth, to his last frightened frames within a windmill, Karloff brings a sense of pathos to a monster that is more than just a horrible exterior.
Click below to pick up the entire Legacy collection featuring all 8 films of the original series. The official synopsis is listed below the cover.
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Synopsis: Boris Karloff is the screen’s most memorable creature in the story of Dr. Frankenstein, who tampers with life and death when he pieces together salvaged body parts to create a human monster.
Filed under: Uncategorized Tagged: 30s, 31days, 31daysofhalloween, bolts in neck, Boris Karloff, classic, Clive Covill, creature, Frankenstein, Halloween, horror, icon, iconic, Igor, monster, movie, original, Universal Monsters
October 23, 2017
31 Days of Halloween Day 23 – A Monster Monday running amok in a museum
Good Monday to you. I realize that this must sound like a Scooby Doo episode, but I assure you that it is not. For this monster Monday, I went back to the 90s and pulled The Relic.
Believe me when I say that the movie hardly resembles the book at all, but this is a fun movie. It’s set in the Museum of Natural History in Chicago, which provides an excellent backdrop for the Kothoga to stalk and kill. It’s days before the opening of the superstition exhibit and the Kothoga statue is on display. The real creature is actually stalking the grounds as well, using the subbasements and underground tunnels to traverse the labyrinth like museum. On the night of the opening exhibit, the Kothoga strikes and manages to cause the security system to shut down, trapping many of the guests (including the Mayor) inside, with 2 of the investigating officers and one evolutionary biologist who uncovers the origin of the monster. This film has a good feel to it, and I enjoy the characters, including the Kothoga. I assure you, that you’ll never look at the musuem the same way again.
Be forewarned, this movie does make use of mid-90s CGI, which did not age well. The filmmakers were smart enough though to also use a great deal of practical effects and shadows to keep the monster from being fully visible. For fans of creature features, this one is a must. Click the image below to grab a copy and read on for the official synopsis.
Synopsis: Come in—if you dare. The opening-night gala for a new exhibit at Chicago ‘s natural history museum is under way. But be advised: something terrif ying wants to make sure no one ever leaves. Penelope Ann Miller, Tom Si zemore, Linda Hunt and James Whitmore star in this effects-packed shocke r that gives haunted-house movies a terrific new setting. And the non-hu man star (brought to head-ripping life by Jurassic Park Oscar® winner St an Winston) is something no creature fan can let slip by. “The creature can hold its own with the Alien,” writes Chicago Tribune critic Gene Si skel. “When the last reel begins…the special effect is truly awesome.” Let the panic begin.
Filed under: Uncategorized Tagged: 31days, 31daysofhalloween, 90s, creature, creature feature, feature, Halloween, horror, Kothoga, monster, movie, Museum, Relic, The Relic
October 22, 2017
31 Days of Halloween Day 22 – A Silent Sunday with a modern film
Hello, I hope you have been enjoying our silent Sundays. Today, I’m going to take offer a different recommendation than normal. It is still a silent film, but this one is much more modern, having been released in 2007.
In February, 1928, H.P. Lovecraft published The Call of C’thulhu. A work which many would say set the tone for what he is most remembered for. It is an ambitious work and well worth a read, however, it was not converted into a faithful adaptation until 2007. The H.P. Lovecraft Historical Society set to work filming this tale. Feeling that it was best to do it true to the time period, they made a modern silent film. For fans of the tale, you’ll appreciate this adaptation. If you are interested in a film that you’re not likely to see playing on most television stations or streaming services, then this little gem will pleasantly surprise you.
You can click the image below to procure a copy and read on for the official synopsis.
Synopsis: The Call of Cthulhu, an all new silent film, is HP Lovecraft’s most famous story. The film follows the story’s three-part narrative construction, and it moves from the 1920s to 1908 to the1870s and back, as the story does.
Filed under: Uncategorized Tagged: 31days, 31daysofhalloween, classic, cosmic, cosmic dread, crowd funded, cthulhu, Halloween, horror, hp lovecraft, HPLHS, lovecraft, lovecraftian, movie, silent
October 21, 2017
31 Days of Halloween Day 21 – An illustrated horror
There is a wealth of horror comics available out there. Mike Mignola’s Hellboy and BPRD are good examples of using horror and classic pulp themes to great effect. Some of the Alien comics have actually done a good job of expressing the gothic terror of the first film. There are also adaptations of The Strain, Silent Hill, and H.P. Lovecraft stories to keep you busy for quite a while.
There are a plethora of horror comics available to fans in today’s market, but I’m here to discuss three specific books: one from IDW, one from DC Comics, and one from Marvel comics.
I’ll start with IDW’s Locke & Key. This series is written by Joe Hill (author of Horns and Heart-Shaped Box). It is beautifully illustrated and leaves you feeling uneasy as you continue to read the horrors that is unfolding within the New England mansion known as Keyhouse. You can click on the cover below to pick up a copy and read on for recommendations from the big two publishers.
DC Comics has always enjoyed a healthy alternative reality approach with their Elseworlds line, where they take established characters and place them in strange new settings. Starting in 1991, DC Comics took Batman, the Dark Knight, and pitted him against another creature of the night: Dracula. The first book in the series Batman: Red Rain showed a Batman outside of his depths with a truly supernatural foe. Two more books followed, dealing with a Batman who was transformed by his encounter with the vampire. You get to see a vampire Batman. This book is a great combination of the gothic superhero and gothic horror story. The Batman of this series is a great example of good writing in comics and how the Elseworlds titles could be used to explore the true humanity of these superhuman characters. You can click on the image below to purchase a collected edition featuring all three books. Below is the final recommendation.
In the early 2010s, Marvel published three books set in an apocalyptic world. This was not the Marvel Zombies universe, but instead, we were shown a timeline where a virus had swept through civilization affecting superhuman and regular human alike. It led to hyper-violent behavior and cannibalistic qualities. Rather than the zombies, we were treated to heroes reverted to a near primal state. As you can imagine, the scientists of this universe worked to find a cure, only to have the primal heroes call them wizards and want to stop them. This book deals with three different heroes during different times of the world. It is definitely worth reading to watch these heroes in their darkest hours, having to do unthinkable things to their former partners. Captain America specifically has the most poignant moment of the series. To get this entire series, you’ll need to purchase the three books listed below: Marvel Universe vs The Avengers, Marvel Universe vs Wolverine, & Marvel Universe vs The Punisher.
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And just in case any of you were interested, here’s the link to Mike Mignola’s page on Amazon, where you can find access to his large library of horror-themed comics. Also, if you were hoping for The Walking Dead, you can click on the cover below to pick up the first collected edition.
Filed under: Uncategorized Tagged: 31days, 31daysofhalloween, Alfred, art, Avengers, Batman, BPRD, cannibals, comics, DC, Dracula, EC, Elseworlds, Gotham, Halloween, Hellboy, horror, IDW, independent, Joe Hill, Joker, Lock & Key, Locke & Key, Marvel Universe, Punisher, scary, The Walking Dead, vampire, vs, Wolverine, writer, writing
October 20, 2017
31 Days to Halloween Day 20 – Freaky Friday by a master of the genre
John Carpenter is by no means unknown to the world of movies that make you think and leave you feeling freaked out. He has such classics as The Thing and Prince of Darkness. However, his most interesting and shudder-inducing film, in my humble opinion, is In the Mouth of Madness.
This film borrows thematically from the master of weird fiction, H.P. Lovecraft. Where most films go wrong with Lovecraft is trying to adapt a direct story. Most of these, with a few exceptions, are poor at best. However, John Carpenter took the source material and found the consistent themes running within. We have an average man, who finds himself facing something beyond his scope of understanding. The terror of this film is not in a monster, but a world turned on its head.
This film stars Sam Neil, Jurgen Prochow, with Charlton Heston in a supporting role. Click on the image below to pick up a copy, and the official synopsis is below.
Synopsis: Imagine a novel so overwhelmingly hypnotic, so tremendously horrifying that it paralyzes its audience with fear and turns even its most sensible readers insane. When the author disappears, an insurance investigator hired to find the writer discovers far more than he could ever imagine in this spellbinding thriller. Starring Emmy and Golden Globe-nominee Sam Neill (“Jurassic Park,” TV’s “Merlin”), Jürgen Prochnow (“The Da Vinci Code,” “The English Patient”), Julie Carmen (“Gloria,” “The Milagro Beanfield War”), Emmy-winner David Warner (“Titanic,” TV’s “Masada”) and Academy Award and Golden Globe-winner Charlton Heston (“Ben Hur,” “The Ten Commandments”). Directed by John Carpenter (“Escape from New York,” “They Live”).
Filed under: Uncategorized Tagged: 31days, 31daysofhalloween, CHarlton Heston, cthulhu, cult, Halloween, horror, hp lovecraft, in the mouth of madness, insanity, john carpenter, Jurgen Prochow, lovecraftian, madness, Sam Neil, weird, weird fiction, writer, writing
October 19, 2017
31 Days of Halloween Day 19 – a frightfully good anthology
I am a fan of great anthology films. Unfortunately, they haven’t made too many good ones in recent years. Once two titans of terror, George Romero (Night of the Living Dead) and Stephen King collaborated to bring to life a movie with five vignettes in it. Each of these stories was in the style of the old EC Comics horror comics: The Vault of Horror and Tales from the Crypt.
Packed with high-caliber talent, featuring the writing of King, while under the direction of George Romero, this movie is fantastic. Throw in effects by Tom Savini, and you have a can’t fail anthology film.
Click the cover below to procure a copy and read on for the official synopsis.
Synopsis: Two macabre masters – writer Stephen King and director George A. Romero – conjure up five shocking yarns, each a virtuoso exercise in the ghouls-and-gags style of classic ’50s horror comics. A murdered man emerges from the grave for Father’s Day cake. A meteor’s ooze makes everything … grow. A professor selects his wife as a snack for a crated creature. A scheming husband plants two lovers up to their necks in terror. A malevolent millionaire with an insect phobia becomes the prey of a cockroach army. Add the spirited performances of a fine cast (Hal Holbrook, Adrienne Barbeau, Leslie Nielsen, Ted Danson, E.G. Marshall and King himself) and the ghoulish makeup wizardry of Tom Savini. Let the Creepshow begin.
Filed under: Uncategorized Tagged: 31days, 31daysofhalloween, 80s, comics, EC, George Romero, ghost, Halloween, horror, lovecraftian, monster, movie, plant, stephen king, Tales From the crypt, Tom Savini, vault of horror, zombie
October 18, 2017
31 Days of Halloween Day 18 – Werewolf Wednesday from across the Atlantic
Hello, faithful readers. This is our third Werewolf Wednesday and I wanted to celebrate it with a film that a lot of people have never seen: Curse of the Werewolf.
This film is from Hammer Horror in England and kudos to it for going back to the origins of werewolf lore. It wasn’t the bite of the werewolf that carried a virus, but it was generally someone who was cursed, or who would perform dark magic and could take the shape of the wolf and other animals. If you actually look into history, they executed people for being a werewolf (no silver bullets on that one). But I digress back to the movie. It goes with a more classic origin. Our werewolf in this film is the result of a rape and according to myth – the bastard son of a rapist would become a werewolf. Accordingly our werewolf does begin to exhibit the symptoms of lycanthropy as he approaches his late teens (18, I believe) at which point he begins to rampage about under the full moon.
This is one of the more sympathetic characters in werewolf cinema because he actually tells his love’s father where to obtain a silver bullet and that he must be killed with it. The makeup effects on the film are a little dated, but Oliver Reed puts in a good performance as our tormented protagonist. This is the only werewolf film that Hammer Productions ever made, which is sad because it is such a good film.
The image below is a link to a Hammer films mutli-pack featuring Brides of Dracula starring Peter Cushing as Van Helsing and several other British horror classics. The official synopsis is below.
Synopsis: This re-imagining of the classic horror story is set in 18th century Spain and follows an orphan child who terrifies those around him when he becomes a werewolf after a hunting expedition.
Filed under: Uncategorized Tagged: 31days, 31daysofhalloween, 60s, British, classic, Curse, curse of the werewolf, Halloween, Hammer, Hammer Horror, horror, movie, Oliver Reed, Spain, werewolf
October 17, 2017
31 Days of Halloween Day Day 17 – Hare-raising terror
This one is by far a campy classic that was a favorite of mine when I was around six or seven. Today, I give you Night of the Lepus.
I think the best way to introduce this film is to quote from the actual film: “Ladies and gentlemen, a herd of killer rabbits is headed this way.” That’s right, giant killer man eating rabbits are roaming the plains of the Midwest devouring entire towns as they travel by night. Two great things about this 1) the rabbits are obviously shot on miniatures, and 2) the actors are never in the same shot as the monstrous hares. Also there’s nothing like a cute fuzzy bunny with bright red stage blood smeared on its face as it smiles. It’s cute.
Starring Janet Leigh, Rory Calhoun, and Stuart Whitman, this movie has a solid cast, but is just a little bit too campy to ever be seriously considered.
Click the image below to get the movie with the official synopsis below.
Synopsis: A hormone intended to alter the breeding cycle of rabbits overrunning ranchlands instead turns them into flesh-eating, 150-pound monsters in Night of the Lepus. Can anything stop these hare?
Filed under: Uncategorized Tagged: 31days, 31daysofhalloween, B-movie, campy, classic, giant, Halloween, horror, Janet Leigh, monster, Night, Night of the Lepus, rabbits, Rory Calhoun, Stuart Whitman
October 16, 2017
31 Days of Halloween Day 16 – Monster Monday Book edition
Hey, I thought I’d start off the week with a book recommendation. This is still very much a Monster Monday, and the monster of the recommended book clearly reflects that.
Owl Goingback’s first novel, Crota, was a Bram Stoker award-winning book. It has everything that you would want in a monster-driven horror novel: compelling characters, a great monster, an interesting backstory, and a setting that lends to the atmosphere. I’ve read all of this authors books, and they are all good, but Crota has always been my favorite with its blend of modern horror and Native American myth. I suspect many of you will quickly fall in love with this book as well.
Click on the image below to pick up your copy of this novel with the synopsis below.
Synopsis: It is called Crota…and it has awakened. Sheriff Skip Harding is called out to investigate a double homicide unlike any he has seen before: the bodies are torn to pieces in the woods. Some think it’s a bear. But others whisper something different. It’s the Crota, they say. The great beast of legend that one day will reawaken. And that day has arrived….
Filed under: Uncategorized Tagged: 31days, 31daysofhalloween, amazon, award-winning, book, Bram Stoker, Halloween, horror, indian, kindle, monster, native american, novel, Owl Goingback, scary
October 15, 2017
31 Days of Halloween Day 15 – It’s a Subspecies Sunday
As some of you may or may not have guessed, I’m going to suggest today as a good day to get introduced to Full Moon Entertainment’s film Subspecies. Really, I’d recommend getting comfy and powering through all 4 films, but I can appreciate that not everyone will agree with me.
Subspecies deals with a power struggle for the Bloodstone (which contains the blood of saints) between two vampire brothers, the monstrous Radu and the humane Stephan. Three American college students get caught in the middle, and there you have it. Subspecies was a direct to video hit from Charles Band’s Full Moon Production. Subspecies while having an interesting plot is also the first american film shot in Romania following the fall of communism. Plus the makeup is good and the story of Stefan and Radu is quite compelling b/c Anders Hove is absolutely loathsome as Radu, the twisted misshapen half brother of Michael Watson’s Stefan. Bonus it’s shot in Romania, the birthplace of the modern vampire. There are three sequels to this film, and I’ve enjoyed every one of them, so check out this series.
Click on the image below to pick up the entire collection with the synopsis for the first film listed below.
Synopsis: The evil vampire villain Radu returns to his hometown Prejnar, after spending years in exile. He steals the precious blood stone which is said to be bleeding from all saints, from his father and kills him. Meanwhile two American schoolgirls team up with a local girl for work on Romanian culture. Radu becomes attracted to them but runs into trouble when his brother Stephan helps the girls.
Filed under: Uncategorized Tagged: 31days, 31daysofhalloween, 90s, Anders Hove, Angus Scrimm, Charles Band, direct to video, film series, full moon, Halloween, Radu, Subspecies, vampire
