“Many men have gone there. Few have returned. I have returned. After fifteen years... I have returned.” Dr. Vitus Werdegast delivers this line with a grave determination that tells you he has vengeance on his mind. Join this episode’s Grue Crew - Joseph Perry, Chad Hunt, and Jeff Mohr - as they witness Werdegast exact his gruesome revenge in The Black Cat (1934), a Universal production featuring Bela Lugosi and Boris Karloff in the first of their pairings.
Decades of Horror: The Classic Era
Episode 67 – The Black Cat (1934)
American honeymooners in Hungary become trapped in the home of a Satan-worshiping priest when the bride is taken there for medical help following a road accident.
- IMDb
Edgar Ulmer’s The Black Cat shares nothing with Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Black Cat” beside a title and the presence of the titular character. Your loyal Grue-Crew is astounded by the film’s subject matter which includes genocide, PTSD, satanic worship, human sacrifice, and skinning a person. Being the first of eight Lugosi and Karloff pairings, this episode’s crew also thinks it is the best. Joseph identifies another of Ulmer’s films as a personal favorite while Chad is enamored of Lugosi getting a chance to play a good guy, or at least not the worst guy. Jeff speculates on how the film’s release date just prior to full implementation of the Hays Code might have affected the plot.
If you haven’t seen The Black Cat, this episode’s co-hosts highly recommend you seek it out, either online or in Scream Factory’s Blu ray boxed-set that includes the film along with three other Universal pairings of Lugosi and Karloff.
Gruesome Magazine’s Decades of Horror: The Classic Era is part of the Decades of Horror 3-week rotation with the 1970s and 1980s. In three weeks, the next episode in their very flexible schedule will be The Revenge of the Creature (1955), from Universal and directed by Jack Arnold.
Please let them know how they’re doing! They want to hear from you – the coolest, grooviest fans: leave them a message or leave a comment on the site or email the Decades of Horror: The Classic Era podcast hosts at feedback@gruesomemagazine.com
To each of you from each of us, “Thank you so much for listening!”
“Perhaps the sight of beauty makes him lose control of himself, so he kills.” Yeah, that makes no sense at all, but Mario Bava still makes it work. Join this episode’s Grue Crew - Joseph Perry, Chad Hunt, and Jeff Mohr - as they discover that the latest trend in fashion is murder in Mario Bava’s Blood and Black Lace (1964).
Decades of Horror: The Classic Era
Episode 65 – Blood and Black Lace (1964)
A masked, shadowy killer brutally murders the models of a scandalous fashion house in Rome.
- IMDb
Blood and Black Lace, aka Sei donne per l'assassino, is Mario Bava’s seminal work establishing many of the tropes commonly used in giallo films. Your Classic Era Grue-Crew is stunned by the vivid colors and cinematography in Blood and Black Lace. Jeff does his usual deep dive, this time into Cameron Mitchell’s career and also delves into the dubbing and subtitles (Shhhh! Let him think it’s interesting.) Although Chad and Joseph are not big giallo fans, they most definitely appreciate Bava’s genius. Joseph tells about his first experience with the bathtub drowning scene when he saw it as a child and how it stuck with him for decades. Chad praises Paul Frees, who dubbs most of the film’s male parts, and has equally high praise for the quality of Shudder’s streaming version of Blood and Back Lace.
Your Grue-Crew highly recommends Blood and Black Lace, Bava’s splendid and unique christening of the giallo subgenre. For more on Mario Bava’s work, check out the following Gruesome Magazine content:
Gruesome Magazine’s Decades of Horror: The Classic Era is part of the Decades of Horror 3-week rotation with the 1970s and 1980s. In three weeks, the next episode in their very flexible schedule will be The Body Snatcher (1945), a Val Lewton production for RKO, directed by Robert Wise and starring Boris Karloff, Bela Lugosi, and Henry Daniell.
Please let them know how they’re doing! They want to hear from you – the coolest, grooviest fans: leave them a message or leave a comment on the site or email the Decades of Horror: The Classic Era podcast hosts at feedback@gruesomemagazine.com
To each of you from each of us, “Thank you so much for listening!”
“I summon the vampires! I summon the werewolves!... I summon Viy!” You’d think spending three nights with a witch's corpse would be enough of a trial. Join this episode’s Grue Crew - Chad Hunt, Whitney Collazo, and Jeff Mohr along with special guest Doc Rotten - for a trip to Ukraine to take in Viy (1967), the Russian, folk-horror classic based on a Nikolai Gogol tale.
Decades of Horror: The Classic Era
Episode 64 – Viy (1967)
A young priest is ordered to preside over the wake of witch in a small old wooden church of a remote village. This means spending three nights alone with the corpse with only his faith to protect him.
IMDb
Your Decades of Horror: The Classic Era Grue-Crew has been trying to cover Viy for 2 years. When it finally showed up on the Shudder streaming service and a new Blu-ray was issued by Severin, they knew the time had come. The Blu-ray and Shudder streaming picture quality far exceed that previously available. Their general recommendation is you should see this film!
Doc tipped off the Grue-Crew to this film so it seems only natural that he join them to discuss Viy and he goes into detail about his love for the film. From beginning to end, he is fascinated by the culture, the Gogol-created folklore, the cinematography, the special effects, and the unique visuals present in Viy. Whitney is entranced by the magical quality of the film and admits she sometimes gets sucked-in by stories built around witches and folk tales. Chad really, really, really, really loves this film and his interest was aroused by the framework of the lead character having to spend 3 days locked in a church with a witches’ corpse. He also dives into Gogol’s source story and its genesis. Viy is a must-own for Jeff, having stayed up late into the night on the release date to be sure to get a copy of Severin’s new Blu-ray edition. The entire Grue-Crew discusses the escalation of the witch’s efforts over the three days and what they liked about each day.
Gruesome Magazine’s Decades of Horror: The Classic Era is part of the Decades of Horror 3-week rotation with the 1970s and 1980s. In three weeks, the next episode in their very flexible schedule will be The Body Snatcher (1945), a Val Lewton production directed by Robert Wise and starring Boris Karloff, Bela Lugosi, and Henry Daniell.
Please let them know how they’re doing! They want to hear from you – the coolest, grooviest fans: leave them a message or leave a comment on the site or email the Decades of Horror: The Classic Era podcast hosts at feedback@gruesomemagazine.com
To each of you from each of us, “Thank you so much for listening!”
“I do believe in spooks, I do believe in spooks. I do, I do, I do, I do, I do, I do believe in spooks, I do believe in spooks, I do, I do, I do, I do, I do, I do!” He also believes in wicked witches, flying monkeys, anthropomorphic trees, and wizards! Join this episode’s Grue Crew - Whitney Collazo, Chad Hunt, and Jeff Mohr - as they take a trip to the land of Oz by way of Kansas to make a request of The Wizard of Oz (1939).
Decades of Horror: The Classic Era
Episode 63 – The Wizard of Oz (1939)
Transported to a surreal landscape, a young girl kills the first person she meets and then teams up with three strangers to kill again.
- Rick Polito for TCM
You might not think The Wizard of Oz is a horror movie, but you will never convince Jeff. Let him count the ways it scares the crap out of him. He also considers the film to be his favorite film of any genre. Whitney is the one that recognizes that strong female characters run the worlds depicted in The Wizard of Oz. She is also astounded by how the makeup needs of over 100 munchkins were handled on a daily basis. Bert Lahr’s portrayal of the Cowardly Lion is one of Chad’s favorites, so much so, that as a child, he used to run around the house imitating him. The whole Grue Crew can’t stop gushing over The Wizard of Oz and its iconic characters and the actors that so ably performed as those icons, even though it has been 80 years since its original release.
Be sure to tune in for the next episode when the Classic Era Grue Crew travels to Russia for some folk-horror and discuss Viy (1967).
Please send us feedback on the films we cover, ideas for future films, or the podcast itself. After all, without you, we’re just four horror freaks talking about the films we love. Send us an email at feedback@gruesomemagazine.com or leave us a message, a review, or a comment at GruesomeMagazine.com, iTunes, the Gruesome Magazine Horror News Radio Facebook group or your friendly neighborhood podcast aggregator.
To each of you from each of us, “Thank you so much for listening!”
“Doctor, you’ll perform an autopsy!” “On a body that’s turned to stone?” Wait a minute! Isn’t that a Joe Walsh song? Join this episode’s Grue Crew - Whitney Collazo, Joseph Perry, and Jeff Mohr - as they struggle to avert their eyes from the horrors of The Gorgon (1964).
Decades of Horror: The Classic Era
Episode 61 – The Gorgon (1964)
In the early twentieth century, a Gorgon takes human form and terrorizes a small European village by turning its citizens to stone.
IMDb
Although The Gorgon is infamous for its startlingly bad version of a Medusa-like head full of snakes, the Grue-Crew found plenty to like. The film scores first with Terence Fisher as director and again with a Hammer hat-trick in its three stars: Peter Cushing, Christopher Lee, and Barbara Shelley. Whitney points out how ineffective Peter Cushing’s character is at controlling and manipulating the women in his life and how forceful and strong Barbara Shelley is as the lead female character. Joseph loves the almost swashbuckling fight between Peter Cushing’s and Richard Pasco’s characters. Jeff agrees and identifies the strength of the opening scenes as what drew him into The Gorgon.
Your Grue-Crew think this might have been a top-notch Hammer Film if not for the poor snake effects on the title character's head. As is, The Gorgon, though maybe not a must-see film, is most definitely a film you should see.
If you’re a Hammer Horror fan, you might want to check out our episodes on The Curse of Frankenstein (1957) and Nightmare (1964). The Decades of Horror: The Classic Era Grue Crew plan to release a new episode every other week. The next episode in our very flexible schedule will be Batman: The Movie (1966)! Yes, you read that right!
Please send us feedback on the films we cover, ideas for future films, or the podcast itself. After all, without you, we’re just four horror freaks talking about the films we love. Send us an email at feedback@gruesomemagazine.com or leave us a message, a review, or a comment at GruesomeMagazine.com, iTunes, the Gruesome Magazine Horror News Radio Facebook group or your friendly neighborhood podcast aggregator.
To each of you from each of us, “Thank you so much for listening!”
“Haven't you found anybody to put in your straight jacket yet?” “No, but I will by the time I leave.” Good luck with that! Join this episode’s Grue Crew - Joseph Perry, Chad Hunt, and Jeff Mohr - when they book a room in an old dark house and try to identify who is the cat and who is the canary in Paul Leni’s silent classic, The Cat and the Canary (1927).
Decades of Horror: The Classic Era
Episode 60 – The Cat and the Canary (1927)
Relatives of an eccentric millionaire gather in his spooky mansion on the 20th anniversary of his death for the reading of his will.
IMDb
The Classic Era Grue Crew has a lot of fun with this founding member of the “Old Dark House” subgenre of films. Chad enjoyed viewing The Cat and the Canary with the knowledge that what later become classic tropes, were being viewed in this film for the first time by a lot of people. It is the shadows and lighting that wowed Jeff when he first saw this silent classic, but this time around, it was all about the actors, the characters, and the humor. Joseph points out how Universal’s Carl Laemmle hired Paul Leni, whose roots are in German expressionism, with the purpose of adapting the form for American audiences in The Cat and the Canary. Your Grue Crew highly recommends this movie and don’t get us started on the plastic eye!
The Decades of Horror: The Classic Era Grue Crew plan to release a new episode every other week. Hey, where else will you hear podcasts on films ranging from The Old Dark House (1932) to House on Haunted Hill (1959) to It! The Terror from Beyond Space (1958)? The next episode in our very flexible schedule will be Batman: The Movie (1966)! Yup! You read that right!
Please send us feedback on the films we cover, ideas for future films, or the podcast itself. After all, without you, we’re just four horror freaks talking about the films we love. Send us an email at feedback@gruesomemagazine.com or leave us a message, a review, or a comment at GruesomeMagazine.com, iTunes, the Gruesome Magazine Horror News Radio Facebook group or your friendly neighborhood podcast aggregator.
To each of you from each of us, “Thank you so much for listening!”
“I sometimes foretell things that are frightening.” Please, tell us more! Join this episode’s Grue Crew - Whitney Collazo, Chad Hunt, Jeff Mohr, and special guest host Doc Rotten - as they take a deadly train ride with Dr. Terror who manipulates the cards in the tarot deck he refers to as his house of horrors in the aptly titled Dr. Terror’s House of Horrors.
Decades of Horror: The Classic Era
Episode 59 – Dr. Terror’s House of Horrors (1965)
Five strangers board a train and are joined by a mysterious fortune teller who offers to read their Tarot cards. Five separate stories unfold: An architect returns to his ancestral home to find a werewolf out for revenge; a doctor suspects his new wife is a vampire; an intelligent vine takes over a house; a jazz musician plagiarizes music from a voodoo ceremony; a pompous art critic is pursued by a disembodied hand.
IMDb
Dr. Terror’s House of Horrors is the first of seven portmanteaus produced by Amicus Productions. It has long been one of Doc’s favorites and he enthusiastically explains exactly why that is. Whitney is taken by the hand makeup in the “Werewolf” segment and also appreciates the disturbing art of Dr. Terror’s tarot deck. Jeff reveals that not only is “portmanteau” one of his favorite words but it’s also one of his favorite film structures. Chad reiterates his dread for disembodied hand scenes and manages to make a connection to the sinking of the Titanic. If you haven’t seen this Freddie Francis directed Cushing/Lee vehicle, your Grue Crew highly recommends you rectify the situation immediately!
The Decades of Horror: The Classic Era Grue Crew plan to release a new episode every other week. Hey, where else will you hear podcasts on films ranging from Dead of Night (1945) to The Hideous Sun Demon (1958) to Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956)? The next episode in our very flexible schedule will be The Cat and the Canary (1927), Paul Leni’s silent classic of the “old dark house” subgenre.
Please send us feedback on the films we cover, ideas for future films, or the podcast itself. After all, without you, we’re just four horror freaks talking about the films we love. Send us an email at feedback@gruesomemagazine.com or leave us a message, a review, or a comment at GruesomeMagazine.com, iTunes, the Gruesome Magazine Horror News Radio Facebook group or your friendly neighborhood podcast aggregator.
To each of you from each of us, “Thank you so much for listening!
“I can't believe that Godzilla was the only surviving member of its species... But if we continue conducting nuclear tests, it's possible that another Godzilla might appear somewhere in the world again.” Of course, Godzilla appeared in the world again, many, many times! Join this episode’s Grue Crew - Chad Hunt, Whitney Collazo, and Jeff Mohr - as they go back to 1954 when it all started with Godzilla (original title: Gojira).
Decades of Horror: The Classic Era
Episode 58 – Godzilla (1954)
American nuclear weapons testing results in the creation of a seemingly unstoppable, dinosaur-like beast.
IMDb
With the 31 May 2019 release date of Godzilla: King of the Monsters (2019) looming large on the horizon, the Grue Crew decided it was time to cover the original classic from Toho, Godzilla (Gojira, 1954), one of the all-time greats! They also dip a bit into the American version, Godzilla, King of the Monsters! (1956).
Chad loves all the Godzilla films but this one is special and has a much darker, almost nightmarish, tone than 1960s Godzilla fare. He also talks about how Akira Ifukube created Godzilla’s roar. As a youngster, Whitney was introduced to Godzilla films by her brothers and she found the monster itself to be intimidating and movies to be entertaining. This time around, she spots Honda’s artistic training in his filmmaking. Of course, Jeff dives into the historical relevance and discovers some of the reasons behind the decisions made in the American version. Joseph finds the drama and weight given to the human characters to be extraordinary, giving the military versus the scientist conflict more depth.
The Grue Crew all agree that Godzilla is much more than a monster movie and deserves its place as a genuine cinema classic.
The Decades of Horror: The Classic Era Grue Crew plan to release a new episode every other week. Hey, where else will you hear podcasts on films ranging from King Kong (1933) to Half Human (Jû jin yuki otoko, 1955) to The War of the Gargqantuas (1966)? The next episode in our very flexible schedule will be the first Amicus portmanteau, Dr. Terror’s House of Horrors (1965).
Please send us feedback on the films we cover, ideas for future films, or the podcast itself. After all, without you, we’re just four horror freaks talking about the films we love. Send us an email at feedback@gruesomemagazine.com or leave us a message, a review, or a comment at GruesomeMagazine.com, iTunes, the Gruesome Magazine Horror News Radio Facebook group or your friendly neighborhood podcast aggregator.
To each of you from each of us, “Thank you so much for listening!”
“Where does the dream finish, and reality begin?” At times, we’ve all had trouble distinguishing a nightmare from reality. Join this episode’s Grue Crew - Whitney Collazo, Chad Hunt, and Jeff Mohr - as they struggle to discover exactly what is real in Nightmare from Hammer.
Decades of Horror: The Classic Era
Episode 56 – Nightmare (1964)
Janet is a young student at a private school; her nights are troubled by horrible dreams in which she sees her mother, who is in fact locked in an insane asylum, haunting her. Expelled because of her persistent nightmares, Janet is sent home, where the nightmares continue.
IMDb
Hammer Films didn’t only focus on classic Frankenstein, Dracula, or Mummy films. They also produced a number of very good, psychological horror features and Nightmare is an excellent example. With Hammer regulars, Freddie Francis and Jimmy Sangster at the helm, how could they go wrong?
Whitney identifies “betrayal” as the dominant theme in Nightmare and she really appreciated Jennie Linden’s portrayal of Janet as a vulnerable and traumatized woman questioning her own sanity. Even though he’s more of a creature feature guy, Chad found Nightmare to be an entertaining film and felt it almost seemed like two different movies. Jeff enjoyed trying to figure out what was really happening but even then, the twists surprised him. The members of your Grue Crew recommend Nightmare to fans of psychological horror or to anyone that wants to see a good example of filmmaking.
The Decades of Horror: The Classic Era Grue Crew plan to release a new episode every other week. Hey, where else will you hear podcasts on films ranging from Bride of Frankenstein (1935) to The Curse Of Frankenstein (1957) to Abbott And Costello Meet Frankenstein (1948)? The next episode in our very flexible schedule will be Toho’s The War of the Gargantuas (1966), the kind-of-a-sequel to Frankenstein Conquers the World (1965).
Please send us feedback on the films we cover, ideas for future films, or the podcast itself. After all, without you, we’re just four somnambulistic horror freaks talking about the films we love. Send us an email at feedback@gruesomemagazine.com or leave us a message, a review, or a comment at GruesomeMagazine.com, iTunes, the Gruesome Magazine Horror News Radio Facebook group or your friendly neighborhood podcast aggregator.
To each of you from each of us, “Thank you so much for listening!”
“Dead people who walk! You still don’t believe in zombies?” Of course we do! Join this episode’s Grue Crew - Whitney Collazo, Joseph Perry, Chad Hunt, and Jeff Mohr - as they take in some Lucha libre featuring the great El Santo in Santo vs. the Zombies (original title: Santo contra los zombies).
Decades of Horror: The Classic Era
Episode 54 – Santo vs. the Zombies (1962)
Wrestling superhero Santo battles an evil scientist who has created a race of zombies.
IMDb
Needless to say, your Classic Era Grue Crew loves Santo movies and Santo vs. the Zombies is no exception. Whitney recounts the importance of Santo in Mexico as relayed to her by her father, while Joseph schools everyone on some interesting information about lucha libre and luchadores. It is the classic battle between good and evil that warms Chad’s heart and as usual, he brings in a Batman connection. Jeff finally turns the corner as he too now loves the Santo movies and recommends director Benito Alazraki’s Curse of the Doll People (Muñecos infernales, 1961) as a decidedly creepy Mexican horror film.
Treat yourself to a fun-filled experience and watch Santo vs. the Zombies! While you’re at it, make it a double feature with Santo and Blue Demon Against the Monsters and revisit episode 19 of Decades of Horror: The Classic Era on that film. Better yet, let your Grue Crew know your favorite Santo movie. They expect to be covering more!
The Decades of Horror: The Classic Era Grue Crew plan to release a new episode every other week. Hey, where else will you hear podcasts on films ranging from The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920) to The Curse of Frankenstein (1957) to Maneater of Hydra (1967)? The next episode in our very flexible schedule will be Carl Th. Dreyer’s Vampyr (1932).
Please send us feedback on the films we cover, ideas for future films, or the podcast itself. After all, without you, we’re just four unmasked luchadores talking about the films we love. Send us an email at feedback@gruesomemagazine.com or leave us a message, a review, or a comment at GruesomeMagazine.com, iTunes, the Gruesome Magazine Horror News Radio Facebook group or your friendly neighborhood podcast aggregator.
To each of you from each of us, “Thank you so much for listening!”
‘Walter has a clear mind. One day something will enter it, feel lonely … and leave again.’ The quote, of course, is referring to Walter Paisley, the character that eventually became the alter ego of the late, great Dick Miller. Join this episode’s Grue Crew - Chad Hunt, Whitney Collazo, Joseph Perry, and Jeff Mohr - as they tour the Roger Corman/Dick Miller collaboration on display in the art gallery known as A Bucket of Blood.
Decades of Horror: The Classic Era
Episode 53 – A Bucket of Blood (1959)
Synopsis:
A dim-witted busboy finds acclaim as an artist for a plaster-covered dead cat that is mistaken as a skillful statuette. The desire for more praise soon leads to an increasingly deadly series of works.
- IMDb
When news of Dick Miller’s death on 30 January 2019 reached the Decades of Horror: The Classic Era Grue Crew, they knew one of their next films had to be A Bucket of Blood, Roger Corman’s first attempt at dark comedy and one of Dick Miller’s few starring roles.
Does it go without saying that they all love A Bucket of Blood and Dick Miller’s performance? Whitney is interested in Walter’s need to belong which also fuels his decline. As he receives more and more recognition for his “art,” he is driven to commit more and more heinous murders. Roger Corman gave many filmmakers their start and Chad pays tribute to Corman’s legacy in that regard. He also brings up Dick Miller’s appearance’s in Joe Dante’s films. Joseph talks of how seeing Dick Miller in a film always brings a smile to his face. He also points out that Bert Convy’s main legacy is as a gameshow host. Jeff talks about some of writer Charles Griffith’s other screenplays and recommends the documentary on Dick Miller, That Guy Dick Miller (2014). All-in-all, your Grue Crew is impressed with what Roger Corman accomplished on a typically low budget and with Dick Miller’s performance. This one is highly recommended!
The Decades of Horror: The Classic Era Grue Crew plan to release a new episode every other week. Hey, where else will you hear podcasts on films ranging from The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920) to The Curse of Frankenstein (1957) to Maneater of Hydra (1967)? The next episode in our very flexible schedule will be Santo contra los zombies, aka Santo vs. the Zombies (1962).
Please send us feedback on the films we cover, ideas for future films, or the podcast itself. After all, without you, we’re just four whack-a-doodles talking about the films we love. Send us an email at feedback@gruesomemagazine.com or leave us a message, a review, or a comment at GruesomeMagazine.com, iTunes, the Gruesome Magazine Horror News Radio Facebook group or your friendly neighborhood podcast aggregator.
To each of you from each of us, “Thank you so much for listening!”
‘The old ones called it "the hour of the wolf." It is the hour when most people die, when most children are born. Now is when nightmares come to us. And if we are awake … we’re afraid.’ Everyone experiences this phenomenon but it was Ingmar Bergman who brought this bit of Swedish folklore to the mass consciousness and gave it a name. Join this episode’s Grue Crew - Joseph Perry, Whitney Collazo, Chad Hunt, and Jeff Mohr - as they do their best to decypher Ingmar Bergman’s Hour of the Wolf.
Decades of Horror: The Classic Era
Episode 52 – Hour of the Wolf (1968)
Synopsis:
While vacationing on a remote Scandinavian island with his younger pregnant wife, an artist has an emotional breakdown while confronting his repressed desires.
IMDb
Usually considered Bergman’s one true horror film, Hour of the Wolf, aka Vargtimmen, had your loyal Grue Crew baffled and befuddled at times. Joseph, the only Bergman non-virgin among them, did his best to guide the others. Jeff is impressed with several set pieces throughout the film giving it more the feel of a disjointed nightmare than a cohesive story and identifies Strange Brew as his favorite Max von Sydow appearance. The lady with the face that came off with her hat piqued Whitney’s interest as she found the makeup and effects fascinating. Chad is glad to have had the opportunity to broaden his horizons and to discuss Hour of the Wolf but still isn’t able to see it as a horror film. What he calls “surrealist, arthouse, but-is-it-horror?” horror films are a particular love of Joseph’s (Surprise, surprise!) so he finds much more to like in Hour of the Wolf than the rest of the Grue Crew.
As most Grue-Believers already know, Bergman is not for everyone and requires some work from the viewer. Having said that, your Grue Crew is universally impressed with the imagery Bergman put to film. Many of the scenes in Hour of the Wolf will be stuck in their collective memories for quite some time. You should definitely check this one out if you feel so inclined, but don’t expect to have a feel for exactly what happened.
The Decades of Horror: The Classic Era Grue Crew plan to release a new episode every other week and hey, where else will you hear podcasts on films ranging from Invasion of the Saucer Men (1957) to Bride of Frankenstein (1935) to Hour of the Wolf? The next episode in our very flexible schedule will be Roger Corman’s A Bucket of Blood (1959), starring the late, great Dick Miller.
Please let us know what you think of Decades of Horror: The Classic Era! After all, without you, we’re only talking about the films we love. Send us an email at feedback@gruesomemagazine.com or leave us a message, a review, or a comment at GruesomeMagazine.com, iTunes, the Gruesome Magazine Horror News Radio Facebook group or your friendly neighborhood podcast aggregator.
To each of you from each of us, “Thank you so much for listening!”
“My father had become a very strange man!” That’s not something anyone wants to hear from their daughter, but nevertheless, it’s what Boris Karloff’s character’s daughter says of him in The Devil Commands (1941). Join this episode’s Grue Crew - Whitney Collazo, Chad Hunt, and Jeff Mohr - as they lock themselves in the laboratory with the best of Columbia’s Boris Karloff “Mad Doctor” series of films.
Decades of Horror: The Classic Era
Episode 51 – The Devil Commands (1941)
Synopsis: A scientist becomes obsessed with the idea of communicating with his dead wife.
Jeff picked this movie when he discovered it was: 1. based on William Sloane’s novel The Edge of Running Water; and 2. directed by Edward Dmytryk, one of his favorite noir film directors. He was not disappointed! Though they hadn’t seen The Devil Commands before, Chad and Whitney were pleasantly surprised as well. Whitney finds the relationship between Karloff’s Dr. Blair and Anne Revere’s Mrs. Walters, a medium turned Svengali, to be disturbing yet realistic, considering Dr. Blair’s devastation at his wife’s death. Chad comments on the arc Dr. Blair follows from principled scientist and happy family man to a physically deteriorated, obsessed scientist who has lost almost all connection to his humanity.
The Devil Commands receives a unanimous recommendation from your Grue Crew as an undiscovered gem from the 1940s. Don’t waste any time checking it out! For that matter, dig into William Sloane’s novel as well!
The Decades of Horror: The Classic Era Grue Crew plan to release a new episode every other week. The next episode in our very flexible schedule will be Ingmar Bergman’s Hour of the Wolf (1968).
Please let us know what you think of Decades of Horror: The Classic Era! After all, without you, we’re just four mad doctors talking about the films we love. Send us an email at feedback@gruesomemagazine.com or leave us a message, a review, or a comment at GruesomeMagazine.com, iTunes, the Gruesome Magazine Horror News Radio Facebook group or your friendly neighborhood podcast aggregator.
To each of you from each of us, “Thank you so much for listening!”
“He's invisible, that's what's the matter with him. If he gets the rest of them clothes off, we'll never catch him in a thousand years.” They’re not talking about Jeff Mohr because if he got his clothes off, no one would want to catch him. Of course, the speaker is talking about the title character in Universal’s Horror Classic, The Invisible Man (1933). Join this episode’s Grue Crew - Whitney Collazo, Joseph Perry, Chad Hunt, and Jeff Mohr - as they take a deep dive into James Whale’s version of the H.G. Wells novel and make plans to go gathering nuts in May.
Decades of Horror: The Classic Era
Episode 50 – The Invisible Man (1933)
Synopsis: A scientist finds a way of becoming invisible, but in doing so, he becomes murderously insane.
This is the 6th Universal Horror Classic covered by the DoH Classic Era Grue Crew. Their previous “Universal Horror Classic” episodes are The Creature From the Black Lagoon (1954) - episode 3, The Mummy (1933) - episode 11, Bride of Frankenstein (1935) - episode 14, Dracula (1931) - episode 20, and The Wolf Man (1941) - episode 39. Don’t forget Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein (1948) – episode 44 and Phantom of the Opera (1925) - episode 42 (both Universal productions).
Your Grue Crew got a kick out of James Whale’s signature black humor although Joseph felt it didn’t work as well this time around and admits he might not have been in the right mood when he viewed it. Jeff was excited about the high body count in The Invisible Man and the bit parts given to John Carradine, Walter Brennan, and Dwight Frye. The special effects are what caught Whitney’s eye and she expressed gratitude for the painstaking, long hours put in by the pioneers in the pre-digital era. Claude Rains is what tripped Chad’s trigger as he points out The Invisible Man was Rains’ first American film and served as his breakout role. All-in-all, The Invisible Man is a must see movie if you consider yourself a fan of the classic era of horror.
The Decades of Horror: The Classic Era Grue Crew plan to release a new episode every other week. The next episode in our very flexible schedule will be Columbia’s The Devil Commands (1941), starring Boris Karloff.
Please let us know what you think of Decades of Horror: The Classic Era! After all, without you, we’re just four monomaniacal fanatics talking about the films we love. Send us an email at feedback@gruesomemagazine.com or leave us a message, a review, or a comment at GruesomeMagazine.com, iTunes, the Gruesome Magazine Horror News Radio Facebook group or your friendly neighborhood podcast aggregator.
To each of you from each of us, “Thank you so much for listening!
“Dear Lord, I pray that I am insane, that all that happened is only in my mind. I pray that tomorrow the sun will shine again on living things, not on a world where only the dead walk the Earth.” Isn’t this the daily prayer we all use? Join this episode’s Grue Crew - Chad Hunt, Whitney Collazo, and Jeff Mohr - as they go for an Edward Cahn hat trick with Invisible Invaders (1959). Yes, “Spaceships from another planet are here … only we can’t see ‘em!” Has your intrepid Grue Crew gone a Cahn too far?
Decades of Horror: The Classic Era
Episode 49 – Invisible Invaders (1959)
Yes, Invisible Invaders is the Decades of Horror: The Classic Era’s third dip into the pool of Edward Cahn’s extensive B-movie repertoire. First up was It! The Terror from Beyond Space (1958) in episode 36. The second Cahn extravaganza was just last episode with Invasion of the Saucer Men (1957) in episode 48. So why tackle the third Edward Cahn directed film so quickly? You’d have to ask Chad Hunt, who chose this episode’s topic, but his answer would most likely be, “It seemed like a good idea at the time.”
What do you do when the producer puts a choke hold on a Sci-Fi, horror, creature feature’s budget? The obvious answer is you make invisible creatures. As the film’s title explicitly states, Invisible Invaders is the story of invisible space aliens - even their spaceships are invisible - who have occupied the Moon for 20,000 years and have finally decided to conquer Earth as well. No one can quite figure out why or how, but the space aliens occupy and animate dead humans as a means to that end. A group of scientists of varying courage and a Major in the military are secured in a bunker while they experiment with ways to beat the invisible invaders. Directed by Edward L. Cahn and written by Samuel Newman, Invisible Invaders features a very experienced cast including John Carradine, Jean Byron, John Agar, Philip Tonge, Robert Hutton, and Paul Langton.
Invisible Invaders is a mixed bag with too much stock footage and minimal special effects countered somewhat by its third act. Chad was disappointed when John Carradine’s character is vaporized in an atomic blast after only a few seconds of screentime, but was then both happy and shocked to see him return, body intact, as one of the walking dead. It drags a little, according to Whitney (and Chad and Jeff!) but she is impressed with how John Carradine can add gravitas and reasonability to anything, no matter how ridiculous it is. Jeff notices this 1959 film uses “walking dead” and “living dead” to refer to the human bodies occupied by the aliens and compares the Karl/Karol confusion with Carradine’s character's name to the pronunciation of “Carl” in TV’s The Walking Dead.
If you can make it through the parts that drag, Invisible Invaders is worth a watch. Who doesn’t love invader shuffling “footprints” in the sand, aliens coated in plastic by spray guns, or sonic rifles that shoot concentric circles at the invaders?
The Decades of Horror: The Classic Era Grue Crew plan to release a new episode every other week. In celebration of reaching our 50th episode and our 2nd anniversary, the next episode in our very flexible schedule will be the Universal Horror Classic, The Invisible Man (1933), directed by the legendary James Whale!
Please let us know what you think of Decades of Horror: The Classic Era! After all, without you, we’re just some whack-a-doodles talking about the films we love. Send us an email at feedback@gruesomemagazine.com, leave a review on iTunes, or comment at either GruesomeMagazine.com or the Gruesome Magazine Horror News Radio Facebook group.
To each of you from each of us, “Thank you so much for listening!”
“I expected to be frightened on my wedding night, but nothing like this!” With a quote like that, you might be expecting a body-horror film. Come to think of it, with retractable needles in fingers and eyeballs on hands, you might be right. Join this episode’s Grue Crew - Joseph Perry, Whitney Collazo, Chad Hunt, and Jeff Mohr - as they sing a chorus of “Old Man Larkin had a Phone” and laugh until the cows come home in Invasion of the Saucer Men (1957).
Decades of Horror: The Classic Era
Episode 48 – Invasion of the Saucer Men (1957)
Directed by B-movie legend Edward Cahn and written by Al Martin and Robert J. Gurney Jr., Invasion of the Saucer Men is all about some Brussels sprout-headed aliens with eyeballs in their hands and hypodermic needles filled with 100%-pure alcohol, which extend from and retract into their fingers. The Saucer Men use their finger needles to inebriate a couple young hoodlums and Farmer Larkin’s bull, Walt. They also manage to kill Joe-the-alcoholic by increasing his already high blood-alcohol-content to a lethal level. Between these injection events, there's a lot of driving back and forth by young “hoodlums” while encountering Farmer Larkin (Raymond Hatton) repeatedly uttering “consarn,” a pair of small-minded opportunists (Frank Gorshin and Lyn Osborn), an amazing collection of incompetent military and law enforcement personnel, and an assortment of clueless, adult townspeople. There's even a couple (Gloria Castillo and Steven Terrell) whose plan is to elope amidst all this chaos. Now that’s what you call fun!
Invasion of the Saucer Men is as much a comedy as it is science fiction/horror and the Grue Crew had a lot of fun with it. Though the laughs are plentiful, they all agree there are some genuine scenes of horror. Whitney gets a kick out of Farmer Larkin’s dialect and wonders about the construction of Paul Blaisdell’s alien design, all the while cringing at Walt-the-bull’s injection event. Chad loved the creature design and has his own theory of why the Saucer Men landed. A lifelong fear of disembodied hands was the film’s gift to Joseph, but he’s glad the alien hand had an eyeball so it could see where it was going. Jeff takes a short jaunt into Raymond Hatton's filmography and thinks he might have figured out the significance of the title of the short story that served as the screenplay source material.
If you want a fun time combined with a few icky parts and innovative creature design, the Grue Crew recommends Invasion of the Saucer Men. It’s a hoot!
The Decades of Horror: The Classic Era Grue Crew plan to release a new episode every other week. The next episode in our very flexible schedule will be another Edward Cahn extravaganza, Invisible Invaders (1959)!
Please let us know what you think of Decades of Horror: The Classic Era! After all, without you, we’re just a bunch of nincompoops talking about the films we love. Send us an email at feedback@gruesomemagazine.com, leave a review on iTunes, or comment at either GruesomeMagazine.com or the Gruesome Magazine Horror News Radio Facebook group.
To each of you from each of us, “Thank you so much for listening!”
“You can take all the baths you want. I’m not one to make a fuss about a thing like that.” Sounds like a great landlady, right? Join this episode’s Grue Crew - Joseph Perry, Chad Hunt, and Jeff Mohr - as they take as many baths as they want and go dancing at the Carnival of Souls (1962)! After all, who would make a fuss about that?
Decades of Horror: The Classic Era
Episode 47 – Carnival of Souls (1962)
Sprouting from the imagination of director Herk Harvey and writer John Clifford, Carnival of Souls didn’t exactly take Hollywood by storm and, in fact, almost faded into oblivion. In the fifty-plus years since its original release, however, the film has gone from hard-to-get mythical status to legitimate legend with a coveted Criterion Blu-ray edition. As their only fictional film, Carnival of Souls is quite a legacy for Harvey and Clifford, a pair of co-workers at Centron Corporation, the maker of industrial and educational films.
Carnival of Souls tells the tale of May Henry (Candace Hilligoss) who narrowly escapes death as the car in which she is a passenger crashes through bridge guardrails and plunges into the river. As Mary’s life moves forward after the accident, she encounters the landlady (Frances Feist) at her new apartment, her new neighbor (Sidney Berger), the minister (Art Ellison) at the church where she plays the organ, and a doctor (Stan Levitt) who notices Candace is acting strangely. Throughout these encounters, Candace is haunted by the recurring vision of a ghoulish man (Herk Harvey). What does the ghoul want and who is he? What’s wrong with Candace? How will this all end?
Joseph saw Carnival of Souls in a theater during its official re-release in 1989-1990 and dug the film’s dreamlike surrealism. Chad and Jeff saw the film much later and were not quite as impressed but agree that decades of viewing Twilight Zone-type fare may have jaded them. The winning interpretation of the story comes from Chad while Jeff seems more interested in Herk Harvey’s background. The Grue Crew is unanimous in calling Carnival of Souls a must see for all horror fans.
The Decades of Horror: The Classic Era Grue Crew plan to release a new episode every other week. The next episode in our very flexible schedule will be Invasion of the Saucer-Men (1957)! Whitney Collazo is on a film shoot and couldn’t be with us for this episode but she should be back for this one.
Please let us know what you think of Decades of Horror: The Classic Era! After all, without you, we’re just some whack-a-doodles talking about the films we love. Send us an email at feedback@gruesomemagazine.com, leave a review on iTunes, or comment at either GruesomeMagazine.com or the Gruesome Magazine Horror News Radio Facebook group.
To each of you from each of us, “Thank you so much for listening!”
“... I leave before the dark. We live over in town, miles away. … We couldn't hear you. In the night. No one could. ... No one will come any nearer than that. In the night. In the dark.” Okay, get the picture? Hill House is an inviting and comforting place to stay, right? In fact, you’ll feel so at home, you might never want to leave. Join this episode’s Grue Crew - Whitney Collazo, Chad Hunt, and Jeff Mohr - as they brave a few nights in Hill House with The Haunting (1963)!
Decades of Horror: The Classic Era
Episode 46 – The Haunting (1963)
Dr. Markway (Richard Johnson), a researcher in psychic phenomena, has gained permission to stay in Hill House, a 90-year-old mansion with an evil, deadly history. Markway invites six people with a variety of psychic abilities to accompany him as research assistants, but only two take the bait: Eleanor (Julie Harris), a woman with a history of poltergeist phenomena, and Theo (Claire Bloom), who has proven ESP abilities. Luke (Russ Tamblyn), a member of the owning family and a skeptic, comes along to keep an eye on his property. Mrs. Dudley (Rosalie Crutchley), one of the caretakers of Hill House, makes an appearance early on to ominously warn the researchers that after dark, they will be alone and no one will come to help them. Almost immediately, Hill House begins to exert its power over the interlopers. They only last three nights and not everyone survives The Haunting.
The film is brilliantly directed by Robert Wise, sandwiched between his Oscar-winning efforts on West Side Story (1961) and The Sound of Music (1965). Wise, one of Val Lewton’s acolytes at RKO, exhibits mastery of Lewton’s preference for implicit, rather than explicit, danger in The Haunting. The screenplay by Nelson Gidding, adapted from Shirley Jackson’s novel, The Haunting of Hill House (1959), deftly establishes the four personalities of the research team members, their interpersonal relationships, and how Hill House interacts with and affects them. The acting, cinematography, and music fit the filmmakers’ vision perfectly, ramping up its nearly unbearable, sinister atmosphere.
Once again, the Decades of Horror: The Classic Era Grue Crew have a much greater appreciation for the film they discussed than they had going into this episode. Whitney loves the character of Eleanor and Julie Harris’ portrayal. She also likes the way the story walks a tightrope between the supernatural and insanity. On the other hand, Chad is all over the supernatural justification of events in The Haunting and loves the scenes with the inexplicable pounding on the Eleanor’s and Theo’s bedroom walls. Jeff was entranced with the optical distortions created by Wise’s intentional use of a not-ready-for-primetime lens and loved the introductory “history of Hill House” scenes. Of course, Chad managed to, yet again, find a Batman reference. Your Grue Crew highly recommends The Haunting (1963) as one of the top haunted house films in history, and especially now as a comparison to the recent Netflix series, The Haunting of Hill House.
The Decades of Horror: The Classic Era Grue Crew plan to release a new episode every other week. The next episode in our very flexible schedule will be Herk Harvey’s one-off classic, Carnival of Souls (1962).
Please let us know what you think of Decades of Horror: The Classic Era! After all, without you, we’re just four nutjobs talking about the films we love. Send us an email or leave us a message, a review, or a comment at GruesomeMagazine.com, iTunes, or the Gruesome Magazine Horror News Radio Facebook group.
To each of you from each of us, “Thank you so much for listening!”
“Look, Ann, this is a mistake any one of us might've made. And I'm getting a little sick of being called an irresponsible drunk, now believe me I am.” Who hasn’t accidentally unleashed a pack of killer creatures while irresponsibly drunk? Join this episode’s Grue Crew - Whitney Collazo, Chad Hunt, Joseph Perry, and Jeff Mohr - as they journey to a remote island and are trapped with The Killer Shrews (1959)!
Decades of Horror: The Classic Era
Episode 45 – The Killer Shrews (1959)
Gordon McLendon, the owner of a chain of drive-in movie theaters and a network of radio stations, decided to cut out the middle man and formed a short-lived movie production company to crank out a pair of typical, regional horror films. He enlisted Ray Kellogg as his director and Jay Simms as his screenwriter. The products of their efforts are The Killer Shrews and The Giant Gila Monster (1959).
The Killer Shrews tells an oft-told tale of pseudoscience gone wrong. Scientists on a remote island experiment on shrews in search of a way to reduce food shortages and the effects of population growth by making people smaller. Instead, they manage to enlarge the tiny creatures to the size of large dogs. Entering this cozy enclave is the captain of a charter vessel delivering supplies and his crewman, coincidentally arriving as a hurricane hits the island and are trapped. They soon learn that one of the island-dwellers recently released the enlarged shrews while “irresponsibly” drunk. The result is a horde of hungry, teeth-gnashing, rampaging killer shrews on the loose!
The original residents of the island are played by Baruch Lumet (Dr. Craigis), Glendon McLendon (Dr. Baines), Ingrid Goude (Dr. Craigis’ daughter, Ann), Ken Curtis (Ann’s fiance), and Alfredo de Soto (Mario, their assistant). James Best is Captain Thorne Sherman and Judge Henry Dupree is Rook Griswold, his crewman.
No one will ever mistake The Killer Shrews as a great movie. The effects, the dialogue, and some of the acting rank high on the cheese-factor scale. It is, however, a boatload of fun! Whitney recounts seeing the film as a child with her grandmother and gives us the “You do what you have to do” mantra of the low-budget, independent filmmaker. Though he has come to love it, Chad hated the movie when he saw it as a child. He also wishes Judge Henry Dupree and Alfredo de Soto had lasted longer into the film, though they both did have heroic deaths. Joseph points out that Baruch Lumet was director Sidney Lumet’s father and opines that James Best is giving it his all as the lead protagonist. The colorized version of The Killer Shrews gets a short test run from Jeff and he also reveals the connection between Ken Curtis and legendary director John Ford. Unsurprisingly, your Grue Crew gives a unanimous, cheese-dipped, thumbs-up to The Killer Shrews!
The Decades of Horror: The Classic Era Grue Crew plan to release a new episode every other week. The next episode in our very flexible schedule will be The Haunting (1963). We thought it was time to revisit the original following the recent release of The Haunting of Hill House as a Netflix series.
Please let us know what you think of Decades of Horror: The Classic Era! We want to hear from you! After all, without you, we’re just four nutjobs talking about the films we love. Send us an email or leave us a message, a review, or a comment at GruesomeMagazine.com, iTunes, Stitcher, Google Podcast, or the Horror News Radio Facebook group.
To each of you from each of us, “Thank you so much for listening!”
“I know you'll think I'm crazy, but... in a half-an-hour the moon will rise and I'll turn into a wolf.” “You and 20 million other guys!” Join this episode’s Grue Crew - Chad Hunt, Whitney Collazo, Jeff Mohr, and Joseph Perry - as they chuckle and guffaw their way through the comedy classic, Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein (1948).
Decades of Horror: The Classic Era
Episode 44 – Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein (1948)
Once director Charles Barton was on board, Bud Abbott and Lou Costello reluctantly signed on for the Universal International Pictures’ production of Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein. The film features a trio of Universal classic monsters - Dracula, Frankenstein (the monster), and the Wolf Man - as played by Bela Lugosi, Glenn Strange, and Lon Chaney Jr. respectively. Although the three monsters are there, the story-line doesn’t fit anywhere in the Universal monster canon, reinforcing its place as somewhat of a novelty among the other films.
Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein’s plot features two baggage handlers, Chick (Bud Abbott) and Wilbur (Lou Costello), tasked with delivering two large, coffin-sized containers holding Frankenstein and Dracula to McDougal’s House of Horrors. Dracula is in league with Dr. Mornay (Lenore Aubert), a mad scientist of sorts. In the meantime, Lawrence Talbot is trying to prevent delivery of the crates. The cast is supported by Jane Randolph in her last credited role, and the ever-present Frank Ferguson. As the brilliant comic duo roam the castle, much hi-jinks ensue!
The Classic Era Grue Crew couldn’t stop gushing about Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein. Chad goes into depth on the life of Bud Abbott and reminds us that this film includes Bela Lugosi’s second and last role as Dracula and Lon Chaney Jr.’s last role as the Wolf Man. An infatuation with Jane Randolph, first revealed in Episode 37 (Cat People, 1941), is reiterated by Joseph. Whitney identifies noticeable differences in Lon Chaney Jr.’s makeup between that used in this film and 1941’s The Wolf Man (Episode 39), and expresses her appreciation for a strong female role as a scientist. Several connections with 1925’s Phantom of the Opera (Episode 42) are pointed out by Jeff, including cameraman/director of photography Charles Van Enger. They all remarked on this film’s ability to still have them rolling in the aisles after decades of watching it. Yes, Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein is still funny and it’s a great “horror” film to watch as a family!
The Decades of Horror: The Classic Era Grue Crew plan to release a new episode every other week. The next episode in our very flexible schedule will be The Killer Shrews (1959), starring Roscoe P. Coltrane and Festus.
Please let us know what you think of Decades of Horror: The Classic Era! We want to hear from you! After all, without you, we’re just four nutjobs talking about the films we love. Send us an email or leave us a message, a review, or a comment at GruesomeMagazine.com, iTunes, Stitcher, Google Podcast, or the Horror News Radio Facebook group.
To each of you from each of us, “Thank you so much for listening!”
“You're a fool, Andreas! A complete, utter fool! Your fate is to be what you are - as mine is to be what I am... your Master!” It’s always best to know your place, and who could resist the commanding voice of Bela Lugosi, right? Join this episode’s Grue Crew - Joseph Perry, Chad Hunt, and Jeff Mohr (Whitney Collazo was on special assignment, but should be back next episode) - as they chase down the hidden 1940s gem, The Return of the Vampire.
Decades of Horror: The Classic Era
Episode 43 – The Return of the Vampire (1943)
Remember that classic sequel to Tod Browning’s Dracula (1931)? The one featuring Bela Lugosi’s second appearance as Dracula? Well, this is it, except this is not a Universal Picture and Lugosi doesn’t play Dracula. Instead, The Return of the Vampire is a Columbia Picture and the names have been changed to protect the not-so-innocent.
Directed by dependable journeyman Lew Landers, and written by Griffin Jay from an idea by Kurt Neumann, The Return of the Vampire features the legendary vampire, Armand Tesla. Really. His name is Tesla. Lugosi does double duty as Tesla and Dr. Hugo Bruckner, the famous vampire expert. The film also features an unexpectedly articulate, talking werewolf, whose lines are ably enunciated by Matt Willis. The hero of the story is Lady Jane Ainsley (Frieda Inescort), a very smart, take-charge scientist who out matches Sir Frederick Fleet (Miles Mander), the Scotland Yard Inspector on the case. The focus of Tesla’s efforts is the young and beautiful Nicki Saunders, played by the impressive and versatile Nina Foch. The cast is rounded out with some comic relief from two gravediggers (those guys are always funny) and a couple of detectives reporting to Sir Frederick Fleet.
Despite its relatively low budget, The Return of the Vampire has an impressive cast and crew and the Grue Crew all agreed it is far better than one might have expected at first. Joseph saw this as youngster and the final scene has stuck with him for all the decades that have passed. The werewolf looked more like a dog to Chad, but even so, he appreciated the character and the genuine arc he had. Jeff, on the other hand, was really impressed with the quantity and quality of the fog in the graveyard. At any rate, this episode’s Grue Crew strongly recommends The Return of the Vampire as somewhat of a hidden gem of the 1940s.
The Decades of Horror: The Classic Era Grue Crew plan to release a new episode every other week. The next episode in our very flexible schedule will be Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein (1948), the runaway winner of our latest Patreon Poll. Yay! More Bela Lugosi, Lon Chaney Jr., and Jane Randolph and our first film with Glenn Strange!
Please let us know what you think of Decades of Horror: The Classic Era! We want to hear from you! After all, without you, we’re just four nutjobs talking about the films we love. Send us an email or leave us a message, a review, or a comment at GruesomeMagazine.com, iTunes, Stitcher, Google Podcast, or the Horror News Radio Facebook group.
To each of you from each of us, “Thank you so much for listening!”
“Feast your eyes--glut your soul on my accursed ugliness!” Remember the old if-a-tree-falls-in-the-woods question? If Lon Chaney has a line in a silent-film and no one hears it, is it still a quote? This episode’s Grue Crew says, “Yes! If it appears in quotes on an intertitle card!” Join this episode’s Grue Crew - Whitney Collazo, Chad Hunt, Joseph Perry, and Jeff Mohr - as they make their third trip to the land of silent screams and visit the Paris opera house as depicted in Universal’s The Phantom of the Opera (1925).
Decades of Horror: The Classic Era
Episode 42 – The Phantom of the Opera (1925)
After the success of The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1923), Universal Pictures’ Carl Laemmle needed another vehicle for the considerable talents of Lon Chaney and seized on the timeless story told in Gaston Leroux’s 1910 novel, Le Fantôme de l'Opéra. Directed, at least in part, by Rupert Julian, The Phantom of the Opera tells the tale of a man, disfigured in both appearance and character. He is infatuated with a beautiful woman and plots to gain her trust by mentoring her singing career and follows that with subterfuge, manipulation, and coercion in an insane attempt to win her hand.
The cast of The Phantom of the Opera features Lon Chaney, Mary Philbin, and Norman Kerry. Of course, Chaney is the star of the film. Not only does he knock it out of the park with another groundbreaking effort in makeup artistry, but his performance as the Phantom/Erik is truly inspired. Universal’s Stage 28 set, designed by Ben Carré, deserves its own star billing as the grandeur of the Paris Opera House is recreated complete with stage, giant chandelier, opera boxes, cellars, and underground torture chambers.
The members of the Grue Crew are universally moved by Chaney’s artistry and dedication. Whitney recounts the joys of using collodion for makeup effects, the impact of seeing the film as a five-year-old, and her affection for the metal-band musical connections to The Phantom of the Opera. The multitude of different versions of the film, which one should you watch, and the true story of Mary Philbin’s lost love send Jeff down the rabbit hole again. Joseph agrees that the various versions and the multiple, creative hands in the pie are evident in the film. The pain experienced by Chaney as a result of the makeup appliances used for the Phantom make an impression on Chad, but he still manages to find yet another connection to the Batman TV series.
The Decades of Horror: The Classic Era Grue Crew plan to release a new episode every other week. The next episode in our very flexible schedule will be The Return of the Vampire (1943)! More Bela Lugosi!
Please let us know what you think of Decades of Horror: The Classic Era! We want to hear from you! After all, without you, we’re just four nutjobs talking about the films we love. Send us an email or leave us a message, a review, or a comment at GruesomeMagazine.com, iTunes, Stitcher, Google Podcast, or the Horror News Radio Facebook group.
To each of you from each of us, “Thank you so much for listening!”
“Feast your eyes--glut your soul on my accursed ugliness!” Remember the old if-a-tree-falls-in-the-woods question? If Lon Chaney has a line in a silent-film and no one hears it, is it still a quote? This episode’s Grue Crew says, “Yes! If it appears in quotes on an intertitle card!” Join this episode’s Grue Crew - Whitney Collazo, Chad Hunt, Joseph Perry, and Jeff Mohr - as they make their third trip to the land of silent screams and visit the Paris opera house as depicted in Universal’s The Phantom of the Opera (1925).
Decades of Horror: The Classic Era
Episode 42 – The Phantom of the Opera (1925)
After the success of The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1923), Universal Pictures’ Carl Laemmle needed another vehicle for the considerable talents of Lon Chaney and seized on the timeless story told in Gaston Leroux’s 1910 novel, Le Fantôme de l'Opéra. Directed, at least in part, by Rupert Julian, The Phantom of the Opera tells the tale of a man, disfigured in both appearance and character. He is infatuated with a beautiful woman and plots to gain her trust by mentoring her singing career and follows that with subterfuge, manipulation, and coercion in an insane attempt to win her hand.
The cast of The Phantom of the Opera features Lon Chaney, Mary Philbin, and Norman Kerry. Of course, Chaney is the star of the film. Not only does he knock it out of the park with another groundbreaking effort in makeup artistry, but his performance as the Phantom/Erik is truly inspired. Universal’s Stage 28 set, designed by Ben Carré, deserves its own star billing as the grandeur of the Paris Opera House is recreated complete with stage, giant chandelier, opera boxes, cellars, and underground torture chambers.
The members of the Grue Crew are universally moved by Chaney’s artistry and dedication. Whitney recounts the joys of using collodion for makeup effects, the impact of seeing the film as a five-year-old, and her affection for the metal-band musical connections to The Phantom of the Opera. The multitude of different versions of the film, which one should you watch, and the true story of Mary Philbin’s lost love send Jeff down the rabbit hole again. Joseph agrees that the various versions and the multiple, creative hands in the pie are evident in the film. The pain experienced by Chaney as a result of the makeup appliances used for the Phantom make an impression on Chad, but he still manages to find yet another connection to the Batman TV series.
The Decades of Horror: The Classic Era Grue Crew plan to release a new episode every other week. The next episode in our very flexible schedule will be The Return of the Vampire (1943)! More Bela Lugosi!
Please let us know what you think of Decades of Horror: The Classic Era! We want to hear from you! After all, without you, we’re just four nutjobs talking about the films we love. Send us an email or leave us a message, a review, or a comment at GruesomeMagazine.com, iTunes, Stitcher, Google Podcast, or the Horror News Radio Facebook group.
To each of you from each of us, “Thank you so much for listening!”
“Whiskey and soda mix, not whiskey and science.” This statement is heard early in the cult classic, The Hideous Sun Demon, and this episode’s Grue Crew doesn’t buy it for a second. Join Chad Hunt, Joseph Perry, and Jeff Mohr as they study the statement’s validity and have a ball along the way with The Hideous Sun Demon (1958).
Decades of Horror: The Classic Era
Episode 41 – The Hideous Sun Demon (1958)
Dr. Gilbert McKenna has “an accident” when he is handling highly radioactive material while suffering from a hangover. Gil seems to quickly recover, but when exposed to direct sunlight, he rapidly transforms into the hideous sun demon. Gil’s doctor prescribes avoiding the sun’s rays, but for a guy like Gil, that’s not as easy as it sounds. When the sun is down, Gil restlessly cavorts about town and encounters the beautiful Trudy (Nan Peterson) who is singing and playing air-piano at a rundown nightspot. Unfortunately, he also runs into her thuggish boyfriend George (Peter Similuk), who proves to be a problem. While all this is happening, Gil’s coworkers, Ann (Patricia Manning) and Dr. Buckell (Patrick Whyte), work to find a cure for Gil’s newly acquired condition.
A low budget creature feature inspired by the financial success of The Astounding She-Monster (1957), The Hideous Sun Demon is the brainchild of Robert Clarke who produces, directs, co-writes, and plays the lead in the film. Primary writers of the screenplay are E. S. Seeley Jr. and Doane R. Hoag.
Your Grue Crew wasn’t sure what to expect with The Hideous Sun Demon, but it turned out to be a barrel of fun, despite its low-budget related flaws. Jeff points out Clarke’s extensive use of family members in bit parts on the film. Chad feels it was like watching two different movies; one a fairly standard, radiation-created creature feature and the other, a noirish story complete with brutish thugs and a femme fatale. Joseph agrees that at times, it seems like Nan Peterson was channeling Marilyn Monroe with the lilt of her voice and the way she played a scene. At any rate, The Hideous Sun Demon was fun throughout and the Grue Crew gives it a big low budget, cult classic thumbs up!
The Decades of Horror: The Classic Era Grue Crew plan to release a new episode every other week. The next episode in our very flexible schedule will be the silent scream, The Phantom of the Opera (1925)! They can’t wait to discuss the brilliance of the legendary Lon Chaney!
Please let us know what you think of Decades of Horror: The Classic Era! We want to hear from you! After all, without you, we’re just four nutjobs talking about the films we love. Send us an email or leave us a message, a review, or a comment at GruesomeMagazine.com, iTunes, Stitcher, Google Podcast, or the Horror News Radio Facebook group.
To each of you from each of us, “Thank you for listening!”
“You, too, can feel the joy and happiness of hating.” Hmmm, words like joy and happiness used to describe hate? Sounds enticing, right? Join Chad Hunt, Whitney Collazo, and Jeff Mohr, along with guest host Bill Mulligan, as they they celebrate the early product of Mario Bava’s genius known as Black Sunday (1960).
Decades of Horror: The Classic Era
Episode 40 – Black Sunday (1960)
“Viy,” a short story by Russian writer Nikolai Gogol, provides a loose foundation for the film’s screenplay, written by Ennio De Concini and Mario Serandrei. Mario Bava is the director and cinematographer of Black Sunday and a beautifully shot film it is. Even though Black Sunday is Bava’s first official credit as the director of a feature film, he has dozens of credits as cinematographer as well as a few uncredited turns as director.
Released in the U.S. by American International Pictures, Black Sunday tells the story of a brother and sister burned at the stake as vampires. Or is it witches? Just before having spiked iron masks slammed home on their face with a gigantic mallet, they curse all future generations of the family. Flash forward 200 years when an incredibly inept doctor breaks the seals on Princess Asa’s crypt and then her coffin, initiates her resurrection by dripping blood on her (The Doctor That Dripped Blood?) so she can seek vengeance on the current incarnation of her family. Her plan includes raising her brother Igor from the dead and swapping bodies with her beautiful lookalike descendent, Katia. Barbara Steele is brilliant as Princess Asa/Katia and Arturo Dominici plays her evil accomplice, Igor. Other key players include Katia’s father (Ivo Garrani) and the two doctors (John Richardson and Andrea Checchi).
Whitney is impressed by Barbara Steele’s ability to play two such dichotomous roles: the consummately evil Asa and the innocent Katia. It is the spiked, iron masks and how they are pounded in place in the opening scene that leaves an impression on Chad. Bill, an avowed Bava fan, extols the virtues of the black and white cinematography, the set design, and the shot construction. Wholeheartedly agreeing with Bill, Jeff adds how impressed he is with the camera movement within those sets. You’re probably not surprised the the Grue Crew thinks Black Sunday is a genuinely great film and is a sign of future promise Bava so expertly fulfilled.
We plan to release a new episode every other week. On the next episode in our very flexible schedule, we‘ll be covering the cult classic The Hideous Sun Demon (1958).
Please let us know what you think of Decades of Horror: The Classic Era! We want to hear from you! After all, without you, we’re just four nutjobs talking about the films we love. Send us an email or leave us a message, a review, or a comment at GruesomeMagazine.com, iTunes, Stitcher, Google Podcast, or the Horror News Radio Facebook group.
To each of you from each of us, “Thank you for listening!”