Reviews

CARNIVAL OF SOULS (1962) Starring Candace Hilligoss, Frances Feist, Sidney Berger, Art Ellison,

Stan Levitt Directed by Herk Harvey

If you're one of the many (too many) who haven't seen this little gem,

let me just tell you: This is the best film you've never seen.

Made in 1962 by Herk Harvey, an industrial film maker in Lawrence,

Kansas for a ridiculously tiny budget, CARNIVAL OF SOULS is a cult

masterpiece. Harvey shot most of the film locally (a few scenes were

shot near Salt Lake City), and used local talent. In fact, some of the

cast were also members of the crew.

The story opens with young Mary Henry and her girlfriends drag racing

against some boys. When the cars reach an old bridge, the girls's car

plunges over the side and into the river. While police and onlookers

search the river for signs of the car, Mary emerges from the water.

She's wet, muddy and in shock. She decides to put her past behind her

and takes a job in Utah, playing the organ at a church. On her way to

Utah, she passed an old deserted carnival on Salt Lake. It's a spooky

image and intrigues Mary for reasons she cannot fathom. She also sees

the image of a ghostly face outside her car window. This creepy man

continues to plague her, showing up numerous times after she arrives at

her new home. She doesn't know what the man wants with her, nor can

she explain her own increasingly odd behavior.

CARNIVAL OF SOULS has very little in the way of special effects, but it

doesn't need them. Harvey and crew create such a nightmarish

atmosphere and such compelling visuals that this film will keep you

thinking long after the final credits have rolled. Viewers who have

seen Roger Corman's NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD (1968) will definitely

notice the influence that CARNIVAL OF SOULS had on that film.

I have always loved this film, but lamented the limited sources from

which to obtain it. For years it was available only in a

bargain-basement VHS edition. A few years ago I was fortunate enough

to see CARNIVAL OF SOULS on the big screen in Kansas City. Many of the

cast and crew were present to discuss the film and answer questions.

While nothing can compare to that, the average viewer is much more

fortunate today because CARNIVAL OF SOULS is available on DVD. I

recommend The Criterion Collection's 2-disc set.

THE BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN (1935) Starring Boris Karloff, Ernest Thesiger, Elsa Lanchester, Coli Clive, Valerie Hobson, Dwight Frye Directed by James Whale

It's rare that a sequel, especially a horror sequel, surpasses the original. And when the original is the 1931 classic FRANKENSTEIN, it's an even greater accomplishment, but that's exactly what director James Whale did. He created a film that is not only considered one of the best horror films of all time, but also one of the best pictures, of any genre, in Hollywood's history.

After a brief prologue, THE BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN begins right where its predecessor left off. The Monster (Karloff) has survived the burning windmill and is once again in search of acceptance. He eventually meets up with the wonderfully evil Dr. Pretorius (Thesiger) who decides to make a female monster, a mate for Dr. Frankenstein's creation. Of course Frankenstein (Clive) refuses to be involved but is then forced to assist Pretorius when the villain has the Monster kidnap his wife (Hobson).

THE BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN is a joy to watch. Whale obviously relished the freedom he was given after his successes with FRANKENSTEIN and THE INVISIBLE MAN, and the cast seems to be enjoying themselves, as well. Whale did not, however, have a blank check. This is evidenced by the large amount of cuts the censors required him to make, mostly for being too blatantly, (homo)sexually symbolic. Despite this, the film retains a great deal of symbolism that makes for a more interesting viewing experience than one gets from the average horror film.

Boris Karloff argued against the Monster gaining the power of speech in this film. Many have said in retrospect that he was wrong. I disagree...partially. Karloff is right in that this would have been disastrous in the hands of any other actor. Karloff's gift for generating sympathy with the audience enabled him to pull it off flawlessly.

Ernest Thesiger is a delight as the evil (and slightly prissy) Dr. Pretorius. Again, this role could easily have been an overacted nightmare, but in Thesiger's care the character shines with tasteful camp rather than flamboyant buffoonery. Colin Clive returns as Dr. Frankenstein and the very beautiful Valerie Hobson replaces Mae Clark in the role of Elizabeth Frankenstein. Elsa Lanchester has a dual part, appearing first as Mary Shelley in the prologue, and later as the Bride. She does a great job as the female monster, bringing the mute character to surprising life, given the short amount of screen time she had. Many viewers will remember that Dwight Frye, the all too underrated character actor, played Frankenstein's assistant Fritz in the original film. He is back in a similar role here, this time called Karl (Fritz was killed in the original).

Once again, the makeup is amazing. Jack Pierce refined the Monster's features a bit and created another truly wonderful makeup for the Bride. She is both grotesque and oddly attractive...another of the dualistic symbols which permeate this landmark film.

THE INVISIBLE RAY (1936) Starring Boris Karloff, Bela Lugosi, Frances Drake, Frank Lawton, Walter Kingsford Directed by Lambert Hillyer

Universal's third pairing of Lugosi and Karloff strays in to the realm of science fiction while retaining many of the elements of horror for which the studio was famous.

Janos Rukh (Karloff) is a brilliant, workaholic scientist who lives with his beautiful wife (Drake) and mother in a sprawling gothic castle/laboratory/observatory in the storm-swept Carpathian Mountains (where else?).

Sir Francis Stevens (Kingsford) and wife, accompanied by the skeptical Dr. Felix Benet (Lugosi), arrive to see Rukh's latest discovery. By following a ray of light that left the Andromeda galaxy millions of years ago back to its source, he can see back in time. What he is able to show them is a giant meteor striking the surface of the Earth, on the African continent "thousands of millions" of years ago. With this proof that such a catastrophe occurred, he is able to embark on an expedition to Africa. The meteor is found and Rukh is able to harness a strange power that emanates from it...Radium X. Unfortunately, this mysterious element also causes Rukh to glow in the dark. And, as if that weren't bad enough, everyone who touches him dies. Dr. Benet comes up with a counteractive which will not cure Rukh, but will at least make him tolerable to have around. As with all such things, there is a price...Benet cannot promise what effects the counteractive will have on Rukh's mind.

For a film released in 1936, THE INVISIBLE RAY has some pretty good special effects. The image of the meteor sailing toward the Earth is impressive, though the actual impact is less than spectacular. The scene where Rukh launches his invisible ray at a rock formation and reduces it to nothing is also good, even by today's standards. The scenes at Rukh's home are what give THE INVISIBLE RAY its creepy atmosphere. As in other Universal horror productions, the set is made of almost exclusively vertical elements, casting long shadows. The doorways are so tall the tops of them disappear somewhere beyond the top of the screen. A middle segment that takes place in Africa is less eerie, but it does provide a nice setting for us to first see Rukh's glowing face and hands.

THE INVISIBLE RAY is a fun movie to watch despite (or because of?) a few flaws, like the fact that all of the Paris newspapers seem to be printed in English. Not as fun is the film's racist depiction of the African porters. Even allowing for the attitude of the time in which the film was made, these scenes will still make most modern viewers cringe.

DRACULA'S DAUGHTER (1936) Starring Gloria Holden, Otto Kruger, Marguerite Churchill, Edward Van Sloane, Irving Pichel Directed by Lambert Hillyer

Picking up exactly where its predecessor left off, DRACULA'S DAUGHTER opens with two policemen descending the stone staircase of Carfax Abbey. AT the bottom, they find the body of the hapless Renfield. Immediately following this discovery, they find Dr. Van Helsing (Van Sloane), caught red-handed, as it were, having just driven a stake through the heart of Count Dracula. The good Doctor is arrested and of course his story is not believed, so he asks for Dr. Garth (Kruger), a former student, to be sent for. Meanwhile, the mysterious Countess Marya Zaleska appears. She steals Dracula's body and burns it, thinking she's finally free of her family's curse. The Countess, who is actually the daughter of Dracula, is wrong. She still has to sleep in a coffin during the day and drink human blood to survive. When Dr. Garth arrives to help his friend Van Helsing, the vampiress thinks he may be able to help her as well...

A follow-up to DRACULA without Bela Lugosi generates pretty low expectations, and that fact actually helps this film. It is by no means the classic that the original was, but it is a surprisingly good little film just the same. This is especially true when you consider the fact that Edward Van Sloane was the only member of the cast known as a horror actor. Gloria Holden brings a cool sophistication to the vampire role. While not a particularly "pretty" woman, she did have very large, dark, beautiful eyes and when she appears shrouded in black, with only those eyes showing, she presents quite a striking figure. Otto Kruger, a fine actor not usually associated with this type of film, is brilliant as the hero. Incidentally, it is Kruger, not Holden, who gets top billing in the opening credits. Irving Pichel, who appeared in a good number of westerns, is great as the freaky Sandor, Countess Zaleska's manservant.

There are a great many creepy scenes in DRACULA'S DAUGHTER; I've already mentioned Holden's hypnotic gaze. There is also an especially nice scene where Holden and Pichel burn Dracula's body on the dark, foggy moors - very atmospheric. Another nice touch is the revisiting of Castle Dracula from the original film...the same spider web on the staircase and everything! Some not-so-subtle hints at lesbianism provide some interesting moments, as well. Director Hillyer, best known for the many westerns he made, does a much better job here than on his previous horror film MURDERS IN THE RUE MORGUE. He obviously has a penchant for humor and, unlike MURDERS IN THE RUE MORGUE, where Hillyer's attempts at humor were heavy-handed and inappropriate, the humor in DRACULA'S DAUGHTER is confined to a couple of scenes and is appropriate to the story.

MURDERS IN THE RUE MORGUE (1932) Starring Bela Lugosi, Sidney Fox, Leon Waycoff, Bert Roach Directed by Robert Florey

Bela Lugosi plays Dr. Mirakle, a scientist who travels with the carnival, showing off his prized gorilla named Erik. The creepy doctor explains his theories of evolution to the audience, all the while determined to prove his hypothesis. By night, he lures wayward women to his lab, where they are subjected to weird experiments as the Doctor attempts to inject them with Erik's blood. Exactly what he hopes to accomplish by this goofy idea is never fully explained, but it makes for some of the film's best scenes. When the women die, as they always do, Mirakle disposes of them via a cool trap door that deposits them into the river.

MURDERS IN THE RUE MORGUE is a decent film that could have been great. The main problems lie in the casting and the direction. Lugosi does very well as the demented Dr. Mirakle, but the remainder of the actors are guilty of the most horrific over-acting ever put on film. This is especially true of Leon Waycoff, who plays medical student Pierre Dupin. He's supposedly the hero of the story, but he is played in such an annoying manner by Waycoff that one hopes he'll be the next victim! Florey attempts to put some humor into the story in a few scenes, but it always seems so inappropriate. This isn't a humorous story, and scenes like the one where the three witnesses engage in a "who's on first" routine about the language spoken by the murderer just kill the otherwise wonderful atmosphere created by some of the best sets in any film of the genre.

That's the real shame of MURDERS IN THE RUE MORGUE. It has so much going for it - wonderfully surrealistic cityscapes, Lugosi, some extremely gruesome scenes for its time - but Florey's attempts at lightheartedness and some bad acting keep it from reaching its full potential. Viewed with realistic expectations, MURDERS IN THE RUE MORGUE is an enjoyable film to watch. Lugosi's performance and the surrealistic backdrop, reminiscent of the classic of German Expressionism THE CABINET OF DR. CALIGARI, are worth the effort in themselves.

THE RAVEN (1935) Starring Bela Lugosi, Boris Karloff, Irene Ware, Samuel S. Hinds Directed by Louis Friedlander

Like its predecessor THE BLACK CAT, Lugosi and Karloff are again teamed up in a film whose plot has very little to do with the Poe story from which its title was taken. This time, Lugosi plays Dr. Vollin, a brilliant surgeon who is obsessed with Poe's poem "The Raven." When he is contacted by Judge Thatcher (Samuel S. Hinds), who hopes to have Vollin treat his injured and dying daughter (Irene Ware), we see Vollin's true colors. He tells the judge that he no longer practices, he only does research, and he basically doesn't care. So much for the Hippocratic Oath! Vollin is cold, cruel, and uncaring. Only when Thatcher reveals to him that the other doctors admitted he was the only one who could save the girl does Vollin agree to see her. His desire to prove his supremacy over his peers is what drives him, not his concern for another's well-being.

Vollin saves the girl and, during the course of treating her, falls in love with her. She seems oblivious to his leering and suggestive remarks. Indeed, she even seems to encourage him. The Judge doesn't like the way this is going and tells the doctor not to see his daughter again; she's too young and Vollin is too weird. Of course the doctor's twisted mind begins to hatch a plot of revenge.

It's at this point that Edmund Bateman (Boris Karloff) shows up on Vollin's doorstep. He is a criminal on the run and he wants Vollin to perform plastic surgery to change his appearance. Perfect. The instrument of Vollin's revenge has arrived. He tries to bargain with Bateman...one of the best scenes in Universal's catalog: Vollin: "First, you must do something for me." Bateman: "Like what?" Vollin: "It's in your line..." Bateman: "Like what?" Vollin: "Torture...and murder..."

Bateman refuses, but Vollin agrees to perform the surgery anyway. When the bandages come off, Bateman discovers that Vollin has horribly disfigured him. The scene where Karloff sees his reflection in the mirror for the first time while Lugosi laughs maniacally from the other room is a classic. Of course, if Bateman wants his face fixed, he has to do the terrible things Vollin has in mind for him.

THE RAVEN has nowhere near the production value that THE BLACK CAT has, but it's still an eerie movie. Where THE BLACK CAT relied heavily on an elaborate set, THE RAVEN leans on Lugosi and Karloff, who both live up to their usual standards. Karloff, unusually, is the weaker of the duo this time out. He is cast as a slow-witted, essentially stupid, character. Of course, Boris Karloff had so much natural class and sophistication that lines like, "I want you should change my face," just don't sound very natural coming from him. He does, however, win points with the audience by playing Bateman as a sympathetic character, much as he did with the role of Frankenstein's monster.

Producer Val Lewton made some of the most intelligent horror films of the classic period. Along with "CAT PEOPLE" and "THE LEOPARD MAN," "I WALKED WITH A ZOMBIE" is an atmospheric tale, a masterpiece of psychological horror. Lewton's films always left the viewer to analyse the information presented and to decide for themselves exactly what it was they saw...or thought they saw.

Frances Dee (not to be confused with Sandra Dee), plays Betsy Connell, a Canadian nurse who accepts a job looking after the wife of a sugar cane farmer (Tom Conway) in the West Indies. The farmer's half-brother (James Ellison) also lives son the plantation and is the classic tortured soul, drowning his mysterious sorrows in alcohol. The stricken wife is a beautiful woman who seems to be in a trance. She cannot speak or think...but can follow simple commands. As Betsy settles into life at the plantation and gets to know the family and the native servants, she slowly starts to realize that not all is as it seems. There is some horrible past event that has somehow caused the wife's condition, the half-brothers despair, and the hardening of the farmer's heart. Discovering the source of all that is wrong at the plantation leads her into the mysterious world of Voodoo and zombies.

The screenplay, co-written by Curt Siodmak (the same man who wrote the classics "THE WOLF MAN," "FRANKENSTEIN MEETS THE WOLF MAN," "SON OF DRACULA," and "THE BEAST WITH FIVE FINGERS"), is loosely based on the classic novel "Jane Eyre." "I WALKED WITH A ZOMBIE" is a great film, full of eerie atmosphere (the scene where Frances Dee walks up the stone staircase in the tower is a classic of creepiness) and psychological terror, and that guy with the weird eyes is just too freaky! If you can get your hands on a copy of this wonderful classic, you'll be glad you did.

THE BLACK CAT (1934) Starring Boris Karloff, Bela Lugosi, David Manners, Julie Bishop Directed by Edgar Ulmer

The first film to feature both Boris Karloff and Bela Lugosi, THE BLACK CAT was, and remains, innovative and strange. The opening credits claim the film was "suggested by" the Edgar Alan Poe story, but other than the title there is absolutely no connection.

Lugosi gets to play a good guy for a change and he handles it very well. In fact, I might venture to say that the role of Dr. Vitus Werdegast is Lugosi's finest performance, perhaps because it is so much of a departure from the role of Dracula. Karloff plays Hjalmar Poelzig, a Satanic architect with a really freaky hairdo. David Manners and Julie Bishop portray the Allisons, an American couple honeymooning in Hungary (doesn't everyone?).

The real star of this film, though, is the house. What an incredible set! The house, designed and built by Poelzig on the ruins of a WWI fort where thousands of soldiers are entombed, is an architectural marvel, even by today's standards. All glass and steel, the house consists of sharp angles that cast long, expressionistic shadows, which gives the film its extremely creepy atmosphere.

Werdegast (Lugosi) meets the Allisons on a train and later shares a cab with them. As they drive through a storm, he explains that he is going to visit an old friend after having spent 15 years as a prisoner of war. Not far from his friend's house the cab crashes, killing the driver and injuring Mrs. Allison. They carry her to Werdegast's friend's house. The friend, of course, is Poelzig (Karloff) and it soon becomes obvious that the term "friend" is applied very loosely. In fact, the men have become enemies due to the fact that Poelzig betrayed Werdegast during the war, which led to his long imprisonment. In the basement, Poelzig reunites Werdegast with his wife, now dead and whom Poelzig had married himself while Werdegast was in prison. The freaky architect has been keeping her preserved in some sort of suspended animation type thing. When Werdegast demands to know his daughter's whereabouts, Poelzig tells him that she, too, has died.

What follows is a bizarre tale of two men who are opposite sides of the coin. They engage in a chess match (literally and figuratively) with the soul of the injured Mrs. Allison up for grabs. THE BLACK CAT is incredibly creepy and has some real suspenseful moments. It also has some very disturbing scenes, especially for a film made in 1934. The scene of Karloff reciting the black mass in Latin is especially ominous. One cannot, however, help noticing some gaping holes in the plot. Dr. Werdegast is supposed to be Hungary's leading doctors, and yet he has just been released from 15 years of imprisonment. Huh? Also, there is a cruel scene where Lugosi's character kills a black cat (he has a phobia) and nobody seems to think anything about it...even though it appears to have been a pet in the household. These minor points do not take away from the overall viewing experience, though. THE BLACK CAT still looks great after all these years and it still has the ability to make you shudder.

Following in the wake of the success of DRACULA, Universal's natural next step was an adaptation of Mary Shelley's FRANKENSTEIN. Bela Lugosi, the star of DRACULA, was courted to play the role of the Monster, but he turned it down. He felt that he didn't want to take a role with no lines (other than grunts), and he really objected to having his handsome good looks buried beneath mounds of makeup. The story goes that director James Whale "discovered" Boris Karloff in the commissary and recognized that his facial features would make a great monster.

The truth is that Karloff had made over 80 films prior to FRANKENSTEIN, and was no beginner. The experience he brought to the role helped to make it such a defining moment in his career, and in film history. Many of the films Karloff had made up to that point had been silent films and that seems to have been a fortunate fact, given the range of emotions he would have to deliver with no dialogue.

Director James Whale gave FRANKENSTEIN a decidedly impressionistic feel, akin to the German films of the day (THE CABINET OF DR. CALIGARY, for example), with great vertical shots and long shadows. Both Colin Clive in the role of Frankenstein (Frankenstein was the Doctor's name, NOT the monster's) and Mae Clarke, in the role of Elizabeth, had worked with Whale previously and this already-established rapport helped to make the director's vision become a reality.

Despite the fantastic effort of all involved it is, more than any other thing, Karloff's performance that makes FRANKENSTEIN one of the great films in Hollywood's history. He portrays the Monster in a sympathetic manner. Indeed, it is the way that others react to the Monster that is the true horror of the film, as is the real life treatment of any person who is different, through no fault of their own.

The other ingredient that made FRANKENSTEIN a truly great film is the makeup work of Jack Pierce. His realization of the character of the Monster, in the person of Boris Karloff, is one of the milestone achievements in special effects. The makeup he created has become synonymous with the character and is perhaps more enduring than the film itself. How many people have never seen this film, but would instantly recognize the makeup? Too many. If you haven't seen this film, you're missing one of the genuine treasures of cinema history.

Universal's 1931 production of DRACULA was not the first vampire film, nor even the first Dracula film, but it has become the standard by which all subsequent versions (and there have been many) are judged.

DRACULA was directed by Tod Browning, a successful stage director whose theater experience had a great influence on the film. Watching DRACULA is very much like watching a stage play. There are no camera zooms or pans. The camera is static. This gives the viewer (especially the modern viewer, so used to flashy camera work) an uneasy feeling. It's one of those situations where something just doesn't feel right, but is subtle enough that you can't quite put your finger on it. Another technique that has a similar result is the use of no musical score. Other than a brief scene at the opera where the music from the stage can be heard in the background, there is no music. This is especially effective in creating an eerie, creepy atmosphere.

Bela Lugosi is obviously the star of the film, though he was given the role only after first choice Lon Chaney died prior to filming. Lugosi gives the title character a cruel elegance, lots of style and sophistication. Despite this, his eyes really can project evil.

The remainder of the cast is made up of what would become part of Universal's "A" team for horror films. Edward Van Sloan and Dwight Frye, as Van Helsing and Renfield, respectively, are both excellent, as always. David Manners is his usual, bland self, and Helen Chandler plays a nice damsel in distress.

DRACULA is one of the true classics of the horror genre and, despite its age, remains an enjoyable film to watch, over and over again.