The Mummy (1959) -review by the Director

 

The gist:

Some zealous archaeologists are hacking into Egyptian ruins looking for the 4,000-year-old tomb of remarkably caucasian looking princess Ananka. Angry Mehemet Bay with his intimidating fez hat warns the explorers that all they will find is death by desecrating sacred graves.

The revenge:

Stephen Banning, who’s dream has always been to locate the tomb of Ananka, finds the priestess sepulcher. The tomb looks like a stereotypical Egyptian Hollywood set. It’s remarkably well preserved probably because it was just built with plywood and paint.

Stephen enterers the tomb and screams, he falls on Ananka’s coffin. His friend Mr. Whemple and son John (Peter Cushing) find the poor bastard in a sad state of lunacy. A condition he stays in for the next three years.

Mehemet is pissed. Being the self appointed ‘humble’ servant of Ananka’s god he curses the three explorers who found and moved Ananka’s coffin and body to the British Museum.

Here we get a back story. The High Priest Kharis (Christopher Lee) is performing prodigious burial rites. The back story of ancient Egypt is returned to several times as the mystery is exposed.

Mehemet calls for the ancient guardian (who is a mummy) to kill the trespassers of Ananka’s sepulcher. Who is this Mummy? As the mystery unfolds we will find out. The Mummy journeys to England via Fed Ex. He gets to work quickly killing Stephen Banning and his fellow explorer friend Joesph Whemple. John Banning begins to investigate. He finds Mehemet in England. He uncovers a forbidden concupiscence between the long dead High priest Kharis and princess priestess Ananka. Will John Banning die at the hands of the Mummy? Who controls the mummy? How the hell can the Mummy be stopped?

You will have to watch the movie.

On the good side I enjoyed the sets in England. I enjoyed how powerful the Mummy was. He violently bashed through iron grates and large locked doors. (Interestingly the doors to the mansion were supposed to be made to break away when the Mummy crashes through them. The doors were not, they are regular doors. Christopher Lee to his credit bashes through the doors and breaks his shoulder, he never breaks character despite his injury. Lee is a tough and devoted actor!) The Mummy could be shot many times, be stabbed with a large spear, and never loose his volition of vengeance. Christopher Lee is always the superlative actor and the camera loves him. I watched this film mainly because Christopher Lee was in it.

On the negative side the sets in Egypt were a sad sight. They should have looked far more dilapidated by thousands of years of decay. It was enough to be distracting. The movie, much like the classic wolfman couldn’t escape its 1950s dated feel. Not so much with the lead actors, but all the supporting cast looked straight out of the 50s including Anank’s doppelgänger Isobel (Yvonne Furneaux). She especially looked dated. I only found this negative because it takes away from the timelessness that the film could and should have aspired to.

Gore:

Gunshots, stabs, chokings, an off screen tongue removal, mass murder, all PG, 1950s violence.

Sex:

A quick peek of Ananka’s naked side during her embalming. Just a cruel tease.

Directing:

Terence Fisher is a prodigious director. He is especially noted for his work on Hammer horror films. He didn’t seem to have much of a style other than he favors large encompassing shots. This allows you to watch wherever you want whether you are looking at a large room in a mansion or a crowded pub.

I loved the scenes with the murky pond. A fog rolled over the opaque bog. The Mummy slowly creeps out of it. His wrappings caked in filth. It looked fantastic.

The Wrap:

The Mummy is iconic classic horror. It is something all horror fans should see. It’s a trip down heritage lane. Is it worth running out to see it? No, I don’t think so. It’s a movie I’d recommend when you are in the right frame of mind for a classic film. There is something therapeutic about watching classic horror. One can unwind and soak in the nostalgia. If you are not in the right frame of mind, or you force yourself to watch it. I’m sure this exercise will backfire and you will get bored watching an old film that seems slow paced, dated, and tedious.
I would certainly recommend this so anyone obsessed with Christopher Lee. Though his role here is very character driven, he doesn’t have the ability to take many artistic liberties as high priest Kharis. not like when he plays a warlock, a wizard, a sith lord, a vampire, etc.

In his other role during the Mummy he is great. What is his other role? You’ll have to see the movie.

-the Director

Black Sunday reviewed by zee Director

Black Sunday

 

What the hell is going on? 

Asa (Barbara Steele) full-time witch and part-time vampire is put to a violent death by her own fucking brother Prince Vajda! The Prince renounces any ties with his sister, because seriously, nothing divides a family like religion. Asa vows to exact revenge on her family until Vadja shuts her up with a nasty little relic of medieval torture. It is referred to as the Mask of Satan.

The Mask of Satan as seen worn on the red carpet by Ann Hathaway 

The Mask has an Asian samurai looking battlestar galactica face on one side and long ass spikes on the inside. The bastards place that leaden veil on Asa’s face and with a giant hammer, at her brother’s behest, pound that mask into place. That is dressing up for Halloween the hard way.

         My hammer is a tree trunk. 

Sunday getting blacker: 

This film is directed by Mario Bava. He is the great Italian director from the golden age of Italian horror films. Bava’s work inspired the italian ‘gaillo’ film genre which later influenced the modern day slasher films. I obviously recommend his work as it was recommend to me.

Ironically the film is black & white and film has ‘black’ in the title yet there are no black people in the film.

After Asa is masked ‘iron maiden style’ she is buried in a coffin. The coffin has a little glass window at the face. Neat, huh? You don’t see many of those. Coffins with a view. It’s on purpose though. A giant cross is placed in clear view for Asa (through the mask of satan) which renders her powerless. Here, she is left to rot, and rot she dost.

Black Sunday then picks up on the 200th anniversary of Asa and her vampire lover/servant Javutich’s, death by angry mob. The current elderly Prince Vajda knows about the anniversary and is particularly troubled this year. His house servant gives him a phat gold cross and reminds him that crazy dead bitches can’t do shit when you gots a gold ass cross like dat. Well he doesn’t say it like that, being an elderly white man, but it’s basically what he says.

Elsewhere bumbling Doctor Kruejan and handsome young Doctor Gorovek are traveling to Moscow for a medical conference. Dr. Kruejan is a lot like Inspector Gadget but without the gadgets. (I”m not going to type out these long foreign names, so I’ll give them nicknames. Dr. K, and Goro.) Goro has a little too much delicious Russian vodka and Dr. K sends him off to bed. He tells Goro he is going to take a stroll with his pipe and then be up. I assume he isn’t going to take advantage of Goro. It’s not that type of movie. But, it is foreign so you really never know. That’s part of the reason foreign films can be so satisfying.

Without going through all the details, Dr. K ends up in the crypt of Asa the witch. The stooge knocks over the giant cross shattering it, which breaks the window in Asa’s coffin. If that isn’t enough he manages to cut himself and drip his blood on Asa. Here I’m not sure if this begins to restore Asa back to life, because she is a vampire or a witch. She is referred to as a witch yet she behaves like a vampire. It’s a little confusing but, it’s not really as big an issue as I’m making it seem.

Asa calls forth her love and servant Javutich from the grave. Javutich’s wet slimly hand pushes up from the moist earth. I love when you see the dead coming up from the grave. I may be wrong but most modern movies do not have zombies coming up from graves. Though Javutich isn’t a zombie. He is one ugly comrade and there is no way he is plugging Barbara Steele.

(even with his needle dick in her bot fly holes)

Javutich slowly digs himself out of the grave. Great scene. Oh and look another Mask of Satan!

Now the evil witch and her sidekick are back. They quickly posses Dr. K, (doctor of stupidity) and use him to dispatch the prince. It is here I will stop giving plot details.

Ok a few more important details. the Princess is Asa’s mirror image. Actually she is. Barbara Steele plays a dual role as Asa and the Princess. Dr. Goro and a priest become our protagonists, mostly Dr. Goro, who falls for the Princess.

   Dr. Gorovek on the right, me on the left. 

Oh and there is an angry mob. Apparently, before the TV and the internet forming an angry mob was how people entertained themselves at night.

It’s branding time bitch aka a typical weeknight in Russia before TV and the internet. 

Acting: 

I thought Barbara Steele’s performance as the witch stole the show. When she was the princess. She was very somber and pretty in goth but, when she was the witch, you couldn’t take your eyes off her. Well done.
Everyone else was good. I think actors in this era seemed to take their job very seriously. I thought everyone did well. Dr. Goro was a bit of a tool, but it was his character. He reminded me of a prince from a disney movie. Which disney prince? Any of them, except Aladdin, or any non-white 50s era type prince.

Sex:

Mario Bava doesn’t shy away from sex and nudity. This movie should have had some, but nada. So here is an image from one of Bava’s other films (The House of Exorcism) if you are a fourteen year old boy.

Gore:

We get the mask of Satan worn, ouch, some eye gouging, impaling, human bar-b-que, post mask of Satan scares, which look like the worse bot fly marks or the worst black heads ever. (‘Black’ heads in ‘Black’ Sunday!) One very cool eye forming in a skull effect. Mario Bava was know for his special effects and worked on creature FX in some films.

Javutich’s face is disgustingly gory. His bangs and mustache will haunt your dreams.

‘Come with me.’ (Hello! Who wouldn’t?)

Final Black Thought:

Ironically it’s Sunday as I type this in black.

This is a classic foreign horror. It’s creepy and scary like a campfire tale then a walk in the blackest woods. Though today’s movies have amazing practical special FX and CGI, there are classic tales like Black Sunday that still captivate. With me it’s often about two things, was it entertaining? and did it provide me with an escape from reality? This film did both for me. I loved the atmosphere. The details, the costumes, the creepiness of the film, the actors, and the the satanic genre. I don’t watch many black and white movies. I found I quickly accepted the lack of color and wasn’t irritated by it.

I wish there had been some nudity. But I’m just being sleazy. Perhaps the era of sleazy exploitation was not yet upon us. Truth is everything about this movie was cool and spooky, it was little details in films like this that inspired modern day horror masters and their predecessors in the 70s, 80s, and 90s. It is considered the pinnacle of Italian gothic horror. Who am I to question that reputation? Watch it and let it enfold you.

-Director

Ghost Ship

4 out of 5

-Ashley Sin Derella, “This movie is great!!!!!”

-Bloody Bobbie, “I love this movie!”

-Director, “I liked this movie a lot. Starts out gruesome and continues as a solid good time.”

-Gorehound, “The wire slice in the beginning is the best scene!

Candyman

“They will say that I have shed innocent blood. What’s blood for, if not for shedding?” -Candyman

5 out of 5 Stabs

-Girl Gruesome

–

Absentia reviewed by Rabid Fox

 

Overview: This film opens with main character Tricia pulling down old, weathered missing person flyers and replacing them with crisp new copies. Early on we find out that Tricia’s husband Daniel has been missing for seven years which is the time required for him to be declared legally dead in absentia. Tricia’s sister Callie comes to help support her big sister (big and prego btw, someone call Springer!) through the ordeal. Throughout the film Tricia is trying to cope with Daniel’s disappearance but is haunted by nightmarish images of the missing husband. Meanwhile, Callie begins to learn that a nearby tunnel used by joggers may be linked to many, many more disappearances. As Callie uncovers more evidence of sinister forces at work, the mysterious “something” starts to pay her special attention.

Impressions: What I like best about Absentia, without giving too much away (while spoil the fun?), is that this movie has a great emotional core. I found the opener with the “missing person” flyers to be very somber and helped me connect with Tricia’s mindset right away. Furthermore, every character is trapped in some sort of limbo. Tricia cannot really move on; even the death certificate in absentia doesn’t provide real closure. Tricia’s baby-daddy, the nice, well-meaning police officer, is stuck in emotional limbo because of Tricia’s situation. Callie is in addiction/recovery limbo, is also affected by Tricia’s situation, and gets drawn into and obsessed with the mysterious disappearance of Daniel and the others. Even Daniel’s parents show up in one brief but powerful scene and we’re given a glimpse of their ongoing pain at not knowing what has become of their son. And as for Daniel, well… you’ll see…

While there are some genuine scares in the film , the Daniel “apparition/hallucination” is creepy without succumbing to the “jump scare” trope, we are also, through much of the movie, left wondering if the events are indeed supernatural or just Tricia’s grief-stricken imaginings and Callie’s drug and alcohol-driven hallucinations. The real horror of Absentia comes after the fate of all the characters is revealed and you’ve had time to really let the situation sink in.

Other tidbits: Genre fans will enjoy a cameo performance by Doug Jones.(of Hellboy and “just about everything nowadays” fame). Also, this was a really good work especially given the relatively low (and Kickstarted!) budget.
Rating: 3 out of 5 for the slow, horrifying reveal.

-Rabid Fox

Tombs of the blind dead review by Lawrence S. Talbot

Tombs of the blind dead 

In 1972, Armando De Ossorio directed the first of four films in his delightfully creepy blind dead series. The resurrected Templet Knights might be the scariest zombies ever created and this film may be one of the most influential horror films of the 1970’s.

In a European castle in the middle of nowhere, the Templars, a fictionalized version of the real Templar Knights, are resurrected when the sun sets. Being horrible sadists in life, the Templars were burned at the stake and their eyes were eaten out by crows, resulting in their blindness. Nightly, they return from the grave as shrouded skeletal figures and feed on the blood of the living. Thought they cannot see, they locate their victims by sound.

An unfortunate woman decides to spend the night in the ruins and is feasted upon by the ghouls. Eventually, her friends venture  to the castle hoping to find her and end up having to fend off the relentless undead Templars.

Though the pacing of the film is a bit slow and it’s very short on plot, Tombs of the blind dead more than delivers when it comes to mood and creepiness. It’s also one of the first european horror films to combine graphic violence with sex, becoming a true exploitation classic. What makes the movie so memorable are the Templars themselves, the magnificent and eerie locations, and the haunting musical score.

The Templars aren’t nearly greasepaint smeared ghouls like most undead in films at the time. They are completely skeletal and shrouded in hoods and rotting medieval garb. Coming in droves, like an army, they slowly shamble along, reaching out their skeletal arms and relentlessly listen for their victims. They are inescapable and unstoppable, and in their reaper-like are hoods are like death itself literally creeping up. One can run for so long, but the undead fiends will eventually get you. To up the ante, the Templars ride on undead horses and carry swords in pursuit of their victims. More than just mindless flesh eaters, they are sadistic in nature and occasionally add sexual torture to the mix. As a result, the Templars are some of the most nightmarish and memorable creatures in the annals of horror. I honestly can’t say enough about them.

The movie was filmed in a crumbling Spanish castle which serve as possibly the most sinister, creepy sets ever put to film, being further augmented by a chilling score composed mostly of chants. The film contains a high level of eerie atmosphere, making Tombs of the blind dead is an unforgettable film experience.

It was followed by three sequels: Return of the evil dead, The ghost Galleon, and Night of the sequels. I would highly recommend the second one as well.

 -Lawrence S. Talbot