Mark Jone

Not nearly as lecherous as it sounds. It's actually quite an affectionate homage to British studios Hammer Film's Karnstein trilogy from the early 70's and it's central character Carmilla. Which in turn was inspired by the 19th century novella Carmilla by Irish author J. Sheridan Le Fanu. James Corden is hilarious as the selfish Fletch and gets all the best lines and situations. It tries to be An American Werewolf in London but with vampires. It doesn't quite reach those heights but is an entertaining hour and a half with the art direction and Gothic atmosphere very well executed.

One of the often overlooked movies from Hammer Films golden age. Usually buried beneath the pre-60's Gothic quartet of Frankenstein, Dracula, the Mummy and Sherlock Holmes. Released in 1959, the film has shades of Dorian Gray but is actually adapted from the play; The Man in Half Moon Street, which itself was adapted into an early film version under its original title back in 1939. The Hammer version stars Anton Diffring, the gorgeous Hazel Court, fresh from being menaced by Frankenstein's monster and Christopher Lee in a rare heroic role after having menaced Hazel Court as Frankenstein's monster. Set in an eerie fog shrouded Paris, Diffring plays Dr Anton Bonner who has discovered the secret of eternal life through a series of glandular transplants that need to be performed every ten years. The process not only maintains his youth but protects him from succumbing to illness or disease. If he doesn't receive his replacement gland, he will not only return to his true age but his immune system will break down instantly and his body will be ravaged by every illness and disease he has, throughout his adult life managed to avoid. Usually selecting the donors from the recently dead, he has taken to murder to acquire a fresher supply. His assistant Dr Ludwig Weiss has been helping Bonner to remain young by performing the operations. Allowing him to reach the grand old age of 104 but Weiss continues to age and has recently suffered a stroke, preventing him from performing the next operation and the ten year time limit is almost up. Enter Christopher Lee, a brilliant young surgeon who is enticed into performing the operation by the eminent Dr Weiss but without being given any details. However, when Weiss discovers Bonner has resorted to murder on more than one occasion and his prolonged life has possibly resulted in him becoming insane, he refuses to perform the next operation and destroys a potion, which he has developed to maintain Bonner's youth for short periods until the next transplant can be performed. Bonner suffused with rage murders Weiss but without the elderly doctor's supervision, Christopher Lee refuses to perform the procedure. Bonner's response? He kidnaps Hazel Court, the woman that both men are in love with and imprisons her in a hidden dungeon until Lee has performed the vital operation as time is running out for Bonner. The insane doctor is already under suspicion by the police for the mysterious disappearances of several women in major capital cities around Europe. and Lee joins forces with the police inspector on the case to track down Bonner and discover the location of the dungeon where Hazel Court is being held captive. The film, like a lot of the early Hammer films is pure Victorian melodrama, but the premise and performances are really top tier with a suitable, full blown horror climax that is really well worth waiting for. Anton Diffring's make up as he not only reverts to his true age but is ravaged by illness and disease looks suitably gruesome. I first saw this film when I was a child and hadn't seen it again since very recently. If you've never heard of this Hammer film, I would rate it very much alongside Hammer's golden age classics of the late 50's. It's a film that has the stamp of solid Hammer pedigree, with the script written by Jimmy Sangster and directed by Terence Fisher. The same creative team behind, Hammer's The Curse of Frankenstein, Dracula, The Mummy and The Hound of the Baskervilles. It really should be up there with Hammer's other solid gold pre-1960's classics.

The third and most original take on the old story that Hammer Films ever produced. In fact this is probably the most original take anyone has ever produced. Although remaining in their Gothic, Victorian roots, even in the 1970's, Hammer were still producing works of great imagination and originality. The script was written by Brian Clemens, largely a writer and producer for television, he enjoyed great success with The Avengers TV series in the 60's and The Avengers revival, The New Avengers and another popular espionage show, The Professionals in the late 70's. He would also go on to write and direct another Hammer cult classic, Captain Kronos, Vampire Hunter. The only film he would actually direct in his long career and in 1974, he would write the script for Ray Harryhausen's The Golden Voyage of Sinbad. This guy had real pedigree. Clemens' approach was very different to every other Jekyll and Hyde story. Whereas all versions followed Jekyll in his quest to separate personalities, the good from the evil Ralph Bates' Dr Jekyll is more concerned with prolonging life. To be more specific his life in order to grant himself the time to complete his research. Jekyll's obsession compels him to acts of murder even before his alter ego shows up to carry on his work. Using female hormones, because he reasons that women live longer than men and have more resilience, he first removes these hormones from cadavers and later living subjects in this case prostitutes. Here, the film proves it's consistent inventiveness, not only from the plot perspective but also in its use of legendary real life grave robbers, Burk and Hare, although in reality, those two gentlemen actually operated in and around Edinburgh in Scotland and not London and also the incorporation of Jack the Ripper, tying in the murders committed by Jekyll and later Sister Hyde to the Ripper's real life killing spree in the Whitechapel area of London in 1888. Even though Jekyll discovers quite by accident that he has prolonged the life of a common house fly, his colleague notes that the fly has also spontaneously changed sex. Intrigued, Jekyll produces a serum and tests it on himself. The transformation is handled with great subtlety, no dissolves or witnessing the transformation happening in full view of the audience. The effect is actually sold almost entirely on the striking resemblance, actress Martine Beswick shares with Ralph Bates. It is totally believable as they could actually be brother and sister. Beswick's performance is decadent, self-indulgence, seeming far more comfortable in her female body than inhabiting Jekyll's awkwardness. The film is notable for its dark sense of humour and its ambiguity in addressing Jekyll's sexuality. Of the two siblings sharing the apartment above his, Jekyll seems far more drawn to the brother than the sister regardless of whether or not he is in the body of Jekyll or Hyde. In other versions Jekyll is clearly defined as good, Hyde as evil. Here both Jekyll and Hyde place themselves above the mediocrity of every day morality. The end justifies the means. It is these layers to the story that possibly make this the most interesting version of Jekyll and Hyde ever put on screen. Way ahead of its time and clever with it.

Creator of Dark Shadows, Kolchak, The Night Stalker and numerous other cult, supernatural TV shows and movies Dan Curtis turned his attention to Dracula in 1974. Made originally as a TV movie, the film enjoyed a theatrical release in Europe and benefitted from the adding of scenes of gore, which Curtis couldn't show on the TV version back in the day. Originally titled Bram Stokers' Dracula, the title was changed to Dan Curtis' Dracula, presumable because of the success and popularity of the Francis Ford Coppola movie, which also used that title. Both films actually deviate from Stokers original story with the Coppola movie remaining more faithful to the source material except in one vital plot point. Dracula pursues Mina because he believes her to be a reincarnation of his dead bride. This also contributes to altering the character of Dracula somewhat and his motivations are now different from those in the novel. In the Dan Curtis version, it is Lucy that Dracula pursues believing her to be the reincarnation of his dead bride. This is actually the very first time this horror trope was used in a Dracula movie and has been used many times since. It was first introduced in 1932's The Mummy and was used in every subsequent Universal Mummy movie since. Once Lucy is killed, however, Dracula pursues Mina out of revenge. Slightly different to the Coppola movie but this is exactly why I look upon the Coppola film to be more of a nod toward the 1974 Dan Curtis movie than a totally faithful retelling of the Stoker story. The Curtis movie itself, like a lot of versions is a condensing of the main highlights from the novel with a lot of added invention courtesy of screenwriter Richard Matheson. Jack Palance is a powerhouse as Dracula full of total contempt for the human race and rage at being cheated of his goals by mere mortals. Palance was well cast and brings a ferocity and almost alien quality to the role. In many respects, he's much closer to Stoker's creation than Gary Oldman. It's interesting to note that this was also the first film to attempt a link between the fictional Dracula and his historical counterpart Vlad Tepes, another plot point that Coppola also incorporated into his movie. Dan Curtis wanted Palance to return time and again for a series of Dracula movies to rival Hammer but unfortunately Palance did not wish to return to the role but in that one performance he gave it everything and more. Curtis' travelled to both England and Yugoslavia to film in authentic locations and this gives the film a sense of period and place. Veteran actor Nigel Davenport (Father of actor Jack Davenport who portrayed Captain James Norrington in the first three Pirates of the Caribbean movies) plays Van Helsing somewhere between the earnest and scholarly Edward Van Sloan from the Universal films and a far more pro-active Peter Cushing from the Hammer series. It's an entertaining version of the story, packed with pace and incident and a worthy addition to the Dracula legacy.

The third and the best of Hammer's three Quatermass films. Adapted from a BBC Sci-Fi series from the 1950's, this was the only one in the trilogy made in colour. There are actually four Quatermass stories but the fourth and final instalment was produced by the ITV commercial network in 1979 and not the BBC. In this film and the later one in 79, Professor Bernard Quatermass is somewhat of a hybrid of his two earlier incarnations and Professor Van Helsing. He is familiar with and even seems to have an interest in the occult. Here the supernatural merges seamlessly with an alien invasion scenario, ESP, psychic projection and telekinesis, an explanation for the Devil's horned appearance and a climax that is far more Exorcist than War of the Worlds. This isn't surprising as Quatermass creator Nigel Kneale would often splice science fiction with elements of the occult and supernatural in much of his other work. Alien, insect like creatures found buried in the London underground with the alien consciousness still active and still able to manifest telepathic control from beyond the grave is a wonderfully eerie scenario that is utilised to the fullest potential and is even more impressive considering the budgetary restrictions of many Hammer films. Yet they used their budget creatively and still managed to produce something that towered above any limitations. This is an interesting Sci Fi horror movie that feels very different to many films around at the time or have been produced since. This film and to a lesser extent the 1979 Quatermass story was undoubtedly a huge influence on Tobe Hooper's Lifeforce, only without the gorgeous, naked alien vampire from outer space. But then you can't have everything.

The first and the best of four Doug McClure dinosaur movies based on the lost world books of Edgar Rice Burroughs. The dinosaurs actually look good in this and the model work is superb. Not up to Ray Harryhausen standard but stop motion is very time consuming and they figured out a way to present the dinosaurs in a time efficient way that for the most part looked quite good on screen. Unfortunately, this quality of work did not continue into the other films in the series, resulting in mutant monsters that looked like superimposed glove puppets for Warlords of Atlantis, the third film in the cycle. The Land That Time Forgot was produced by Amicus, a studio that was better known for attempting to compete with Hammer Films in the late 60's, early 70's with their well respected horror anthologies like Tales From the Crypt and Vault of Horror and the occasional trips into Gothic horror like their largely faithful version of the Jekyll and Hyde story, I Monster, starring Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing. The Land That Time Forgot was hugely successful, reaching a far wider audience than their horror films ever did, prompting a change of focus directed far more at the family audience market. It turned Doug McClure from a TV star into a movie star. The sequels were fun but never quite reached the heights of this first entry in the series. Don't expect Jurassic Park quality dinosaurs or even Ray Harryhausen quality stop motion. It is however, for the most part very well done with an interesting story, impressively visualised and presented. I love these old fantasy movies. Not all of them stand the test of time too well but I have a great deal of affection for this one.

I first saw this movie in a dubbed version when I was a child and was intrigued and enthralled by it. I've seen it since in its original French and have been struck by how beautiful it is. There are horror films which are gruesome, horror movies which are disturbing and unsettling but few that can actually be called beautiful. This is strangely lyrical, dream-like and poetic. Made in 1959 but released in 1960, the film suffered minor cuts in some countries because of certain daring scenes at the time and which are still quite surprisingly graphic and unsettling when you consider how long ago it was made. Even by todays graphic standards, the surgery scenes will make you queasy and it's surprising how they even felt confident enough to present such scenes when the censors were far more vigilant and indignant about content then than they are today. Probably more unsettling than the surgery is the strange and disturbing mask, the daughter wears. It makes her look like a living mannequin with only the eyes clearly visible and showing emotion. The mask combined with her hair style and some of the clothes she wears makes her appear like a living but unsettling live-action version of Walt Disney's Snow White. The film is beautifully shot with well written, poignant dialogue and was notable for being made at a time when the French cinema didn't really produce horror films. So naturally it would stand out in its country of origin. I personally would rate this as one of the great innovators of the horror genre, along with contributions from Hammer Films and the likes of Mario Bava. It's horror as pure poetry. Both beautiful and unsettling, the way good horror should be.

Is this film horror, thriller or Film Noir? Possibly all three. William Castle was possibly the Dan Curtis of his age. Whereas Curtis's domain was mainly television, Castle's was clearly the cinema. At the time he was the king of the gimmick, providing sick bags, fright insurance and in-house surprises like electrified seats and skeletons on wires floating across the theatre. Anything to get bums on seats. He was a showman. It's testimony therefore to his skill also as a filmmaker that his movies have actually stood the test of time and are highly watchable without any hype or gimmicks. The Night Walker (1964) is probably one of his most mature and accomplished fright thrillers but also one of the most obscure and rarely seen of his films. It stars Hollywood royalty Barbara Stanwyck and Robert Taylor at a time when their more high profile and bankable careers were winding down. Stanwyck plays a wealthy widow, trapped in a loveless marriage with a literally blind and jealous older man. An apparent freak accident in her husbands laboratory which burns him to death frees her from his tyranny and leaves her without further obligation to live her own life and finally pursue a relationship with family attorney Robert Taylor. However, (There's always a 'however) Stanwyck is haunted by visions and dreams of her husband returning from the dead, horribly burned with glowing, blank eyes. Is she going insane? I won't spoil it. The film is accompanied by a jaunty and catchy theme from composer Vic Mizzy that plays over a striking and atmospheric opening sequence that looks as if it was styled after the title sequences of the James Bond movies. I love House on Haunted Hill and Castle's other movies but for me, this is probably one of his most sophisticated, accomplished and enjoyable films.

This must be THE film that completely encapsulates everything that was wonderful about the Hammer universe. This more than any other Hammer movie weaves a Gothic fairy tale ambience around the audience. It's sumptuous to look at. Every set and location maintains that sense of being in another world, a world of magic and dread. The film oozes atmosphere and the story at times suggests a touch of a Daphne du Maurier influence, particularly in the opening scenes at the Chateau Meinster. The film also has some of the most genuinely creepy scenes of any Hammer film and is probably the most overtly supernatural of all their vampire movies. The scene were Greta lies on the fresh grave of a new vampire, encouraging her to push her way to the surface until a pale white hand emerges through the earth, pushing aside the coffin lid as the vampire is exposed to the night is a wonderfully eerie scene, beautifully constructed and photographed. Then later as the innocent and naive Marianne watches over the coffin of her friend Gina, the padlocks drop away from the coffin lid but close inspection shows them to be still locked and then the lid rises. It's a wonderfully creepy scene. Of course I have to mention Peter Cushing's Van Helsing at his most swashbuckling here than in all of his five movies playing the character. Forget Hugh Jackman, this is Van Helsing at his most badass. Bitten by the evil Baron Meinster, he burns out the infection by actually pushing a white hot branding iron into the wound before going another round with Meinster in a burning windmill, flinging holy water into his face. More a Van Helsing adventure than a true Dracula movie, this is possibly one of the best showcases for that particular character and one of the most perfectly constructed of all the Hammer Films. This one is just a total classic through and through.

One of the lesser talked about Hammer vampire films. It has a conventional set up of honeymooning couple being stranded in a remote and sinister environment but Hammer always managed to take the conventional and subvert it with interesting new and imaginative ideas. The film begins with a shock pre-title sequence of a funeral watched by a mysterious figure who casually wanders over, picks up a spade and ferociously drives it through the lid of the coffin in full view of the shocked mourners. A woman's scream erupts from the coffin interior as blood swells up over the lid and around the embedded spade. This is probably one of the best openings of any vampire movie. We later learn that the strange antagonistic stranger is Professor Zimmer, this movie's Van Helsing character who is an amalgamation of Van Helsing and what would eventually become Andrew Keir's Father Sandor from Dracula, Prince of Darkness. Hard drinking and indifferent to the opinions of others. Zimmer reluctantly becomes involved in the affairs of the honeymooning couple when the young wife goes missing and the local inn-keeper and his wife insist that she never existed. This has shades of an Alfred Hitchcock set up. Zimmer however, remembers the wife and agrees to help the young man rescue her. Upon the couple's arrival they had been befriended by the aristocratic family on the hill, the Dracula like Dr Ravna and his son and daughter. Inviting the young couple to a masked ball, no doubt an inspiration for Roman Polanski's 1967 movie, The Fearless Vampire Killers (aka Dance of the Vampires), the young man consumes copious amounts of champagne until he is near insensible as his wife is mesmerised and spirited away. The husband is then ejected from the house by the Ravna family who are no longer so friendly toward him. Upon revealing the true nature of the Ravna family to the distraught husband, Professor Zimmer explains that his own daughter fell victim to a vampire and that was his daughter who's funeral he desecrated at the beginning of the film. The inn-keeper and his wife also have a daughter who they believe is being held hostage by Ravna in return for their total subservience. It is in fact too late for her also as she has already joined the ranks of the undead. The plot has many layers. It is suggested that Zimmer and his daughter did not get along, that he was too authoritarian and she rebelled by running away and becoming involved with a more hedonistic crowd introduced to the alternative lifestyle by Ravna himself. Unlike Van Helsing, Zimmer is motivated by revenge. Driven to study the black arts not out of academic interest or fascination but out of a burning desire to know his enemy and discover a way to defeat him. This leads to one of the most unique climax's in vampire cinema. No staking, no death by sunlight or crucifix. Zimmer actually uses black magic to destroy not just Ravna but his entire vampire coven, using evil to destroy evil. What a brilliant idea and highly original. Like The Brides of Dracula before it, it is casually suggested that Ravna is a disciple of Dracula, like Baron Meinster before him, placing Kiss and Brides in a kind of sub-genre of separate, entirely their own entity but loosely connected to the Hammer Dracula narrative and universe. Set during that period between Dracula's demise in the first film in the Hammer cycle and his resurrection in Dracula, Prince of Darkness. Kiss of the Vampire was made in 1963, Prince of Darkness in 1966. It's an interesting one off, taking a familiar theme and doing something different and unique with it.