GHASTLY TALES (1932, original title Unheimliche Geschichten, aka UNHOLY TALES, THE LIVING DEAD) is another German horror anthology and essentially a remake of the 1919 film EERIE TALES. I read that this one was intended as a spoof but it's hard for audiences to tell that these days, as aside from some exaggerated performances it's all played straight and with a maximum of spooky atmosphere. I largely enjoyed it, especially the wraparound story which involves a reporter pursuing a murder through various tableaus; it reminded me of Wes Craven's SHOCKER of all things.
The first story is the best, a creepy reworking of Poe's standby classic THE BLACK CAT, featuring Paul Wegener - who you may remember playing the Golem - on top form. The second is THE SYSTEM OF DR TARR AND PROFESSOR FETHER, another Poe story and an asylum-set comedy this time around, which I felt went on a bit too long for its own good. The final segment reworks Stevenson's THE SUICIDE CLUB to strong effect. There's also a great little sequence (inspired by the silent classic WAXWORKS) full of creepy automated mannequins which I thought was another highlight. I caught this one on Youtube having seen it featured in Jonathan Rigby's EURO GOTHIC and I recommend it to fans of German expressionist cinema.
The first story is the best, a creepy reworking of Poe's standby classic THE BLACK CAT, featuring Paul Wegener - who you may remember playing the Golem - on top form. The second is THE SYSTEM OF DR TARR AND PROFESSOR FETHER, another Poe story and an asylum-set comedy this time around, which I felt went on a bit too long for its own good. The final segment reworks Stevenson's THE SUICIDE CLUB to strong effect. There's also a great little sequence (inspired by the silent classic WAXWORKS) full of creepy automated mannequins which I thought was another highlight. I caught this one on Youtube having seen it featured in Jonathan Rigby's EURO GOTHIC and I recommend it to fans of German expressionist cinema.