Tag Archives: Roger Corman

Saturday is Horror Day #130 – The Tomb of Ligeia

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Reviewer: Julie Lynn Hayes

The Tomb of Ligeia

Marriage is supposed to be till death do us part…but Verden Fell (Vincent Price) can’t get over the death of his beloved wife Ligeia. He becomes a recluse, living in the ruined abbey where she is buried. He wears strange glasses because of a peculiar sensitivity to light, and shuns the company of all. However, chance in the form of a hunt throws The Lady Rowena Trevanion (Elizabeth Shepherd into his path). Separating from her hunting companions, she comes upon the ruins and the isolated grave, but a black cat spooks her horse as well as the sudden appearance of Fell, and she is injured.

Rowena’s friend and hunting companion Christopher Gough (John Westbrook) rushes to her side at the sound of her scream, and recognizes Fell as an old friend of his, much changed. Fell carries the injured Rowena into the house and cares for her. She becomes instantly taken with him, and can’t get him out of her mind, even after she is returned to the home of her father, Lord Trevanion (Derek Francis).

Seizing a chance opportunity to visit Fell on her own, Rowena boldly puts the moves on him, and they are soon married. Everything seems well with them, he has even removed his glasses as they leave for their honeymoon. But that all changes on their return, when he falls back into his old habits, and she finds herself isolated from her new husband, who is clearly obsessed with his late wife. What secrets is he keeping from her? Rowena begins to wonder if Ligeia is really dead at all…

This is another of Roger Corman’s Poe-derived films starring Vincent Price, with a clearly padded story. Vincent Price is awesome, as usual, although the lady’s sudden fascination with his character doesn’t really make a lot of sense. Also, what is the point of the black cat? A familiar, perhaps? I have no idea. Some of the tropes of that time period are insulting, such as the weak woman who is always either hurt or frightened, such as the scene in the bell tower where she is paralyzed with fright over a cat and a tolling bell. Although Poe liked to play with the idea of a thin line between life and death, here it just becomes absurd.

Frankly, I would watch anything Vincent Price is in, but that doesn’t make them all great movies. This was not one of the better ones, I’m afraid. I’ll give this film 2 Stars.

Saturday is Horror Day #128 – Saw, Tales of Terror

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Reviewer: Julie Lynn Hayes

Saw

Two men, Lawrence (Cary Elwes) and Adam( Leigh Wannell) awaken on opposite sides of a disgusting filthy bathroom with no recollection of how they got they or any idea of why they are there. To make matters worse, each man is chained and unable to escape. But if they want to survive, they are going to have to rely on one another…and time is running out.

Suddenly Lawrence thinks he knows what is going on, as he was recently a suspect in a serial killer investigation being conducted by two policemen, Detective Tapp (Danny Glover) and Detective Sing (Ken Leung). This killer has left a trail of grisly crime scenes and victims who died horrible deaths in gruesome traps. The only known survivor of his blood lust – at least so far – is Amanda (Shawnee Smith), and the tale she tells is a horrifying one.

The clock is ticking and Lawrence’s family is at risk. He must do something before they’ll die…even if it includes killing Adam.

This is the film that started it all – the first Saw movie, directed by James Wan and written by him and Leigh Whannell. This film is not for the faint-hearted, although it doesn’t show the same degree of callousness as Terrifier. Much like its namesake, Jigsaw, the story is a puzzle with many layers, and the truth lies somewhere in the middle. I first saw it years ago, before I ever saw Lost, so I wasn’t familiar with either Michael Emerson (who plays an orderly) or Ken Leung, but I recognize them now.

I intend to rewatch the entire series, probably not in time for the new one next month. Even so, it will be fun. This one is almost 20 years old and it holds up well, setting the tone for what is to come. Except I already know the traps are going to get worse…far worse. Great beginning to one of my favorite horror series. I give this film 4 Stars.


Tales of Terror

Morella: Lenora (Maggie Pierce) returns to a home she has never known and a father, Locke (Vincent Price) who turned his back on her after her birth because of the death of his wife/her mother, Morella (Leona Gage). At first, he is less than thrilled to see her, until he learns that she is dying. But there is another who rejoices in this news and tends to make use of it – none other than the long-dead Morella, who has been kept uninterred in an upstairs bedroom.

The Case of Monsieur Valdemar – Valdemar (Vincent Price) is an older man who is dying, to the

chagrin of his young wife Helene (Debra Paget). To make matters worse, he has agreed to allow mesmerist Carmichael (Basil Rathbone) to attend to him, and to be on hand for the moment of his demise in order to carry out his “experiment” regarding what happens at the time of death. Helene is opposed and so is Valdemar’s physician, Dr. James (David Frankham). But Valdemark cannot be dissuaded. He also tells his wife that after his demise, she should be with the handsome doctor. But Carmichael isn’t all he appears to be, and he has plans both for the dying man and his wife.

The Black Cat: Montresor Herringbone (Peter Lorre) is an unemployed drunk who abuses his long-suffering wife Annabel (Joyce Jameson) in order to get money with which to continue drinking. One day, by accident, he stumbles into a wine tasting contest, and decides to challenge a connoisseur of fine wines, Fortunate Luchresi (Vincent Price). Afterward, Fortunato takes the drunken Montresor home and meets the lovely Annabel. The attraction is immediate and an affair begins. Suddenly, Montresor has no problem getting the money he needs to go drinking and stay away from the house. But when he learns the truth, what revenge will he exact on the lovers?

This is one of Roger Corman’s Poe-derived film, and is a favorite of mine, especially the Black Cat segment, which is based on the Cask of Amontillado. Peter Lorre does comedy very well. Also see Comedy of Terrors, which features the same cast, and which I’ll probably review at some time. Basil Rathbone does his usual inimitable job as the villain in Valdemar, and Joyce Jameson is stellar as Annabel in the Black Cat. You can never go wrong with Vincent Price. I’ve seen it a number of times and will watch it again undoubtedly. I give this film 4 Stars.

Saturday is Horror Day #124 – Malignant, The Pit and the Pendulum (1961)

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Reviewer: Julie Lynn Hayes

Malignant


Madison (Annabelle Wallis) is pregnant, but her four previous pregnancies have all ended in miscarriages. Her husband Derek (Jake Abel) is abusive. They get into an argument and he throws her against the wall, knocking her head hard, causing her to bleed. She locks herself in her room, and has a nightmare where she sees someone enter the house and kill Derek! The killer knocks her unconscious. She wakes to find herself in the hospital, and Derek is actually dead. Her sister Sydney (Maddie Hasson) has to tell her the sad news that her baby didn’t survive.

The police investigate, of course, but there is nothing Madison can tell them.  Madison goes home, and there she reveals to Sydney that she was actually adopted at the age of eight and has no memories before that time. Meanwhile, the killer kidnaps a woman during a Seattle Underground tour, and Madison’s head keeps bleeding for some reason.

 

Madison continues to have disturbing visions of death, which actually turn out to be true, but she can’t explain how she knows. During a hypnotherapy session, Madison remembers a childhood friend she had forgotten about – Gabriel. But her parents claimed he was imaginary, while Madison insists he was not. But the truth is stranger than that…

Malignant is a James Wan, and I love him. It has his signature look, including sophisticated and eerie graphics. But the beginning of the film suffers from looking too predictable, to the point where I considered turning it off. It did pick up, and the actual premise was more interesting than I gave it credit for being, even if rather unlikely. But I haven’t seen anything like it, so all in all not a bad film, just not as good as some of his others. I’ll give this film 3 Stars

The Pit and the Pendulum (1961)


Francis Barnard (John Kerr) is in search of answers as to what happened to his sister Elizabeth (Barbara Steele). She traveled from London to Spain to marry nobleman Nicholas Medina (Vincent Price), and then she died. No details were forthcoming, so he decided to find out for himself. On arrival at the castle, the servants tried to turn him away, but a young woman came to his rescue. She introduces herself as Catherine Medina (Luana Anders), Nicholas’ sister. But when he asks to know how his sister died, she has no ready explanation.

Barnard insists he will not leave without the answers he seeks. When he does meet Nicholas, who is obviously in mourning, he is reluctant to speak about his late wife. Later, Catherine tries to explain to Barnard of the horrible things Nicholas witnessed as a child. Their father had been an Inquisitor during the time of the Spanish Inquisition and possessed a torture chamber filled with unspeakable horrors. Having lured his wife and his brother into the dungeon, he accused them of adultery, and did what he did best, all witnessed by the young boy.

 

Fortune is with them when Nicholas’ good friend and physician, Doctor Charles Leon (Antony 


Carbone) arrives at the castle. But even he is a loss to heal his friend’s wounds. Nicholas reveals that he has a long-standing fear of premature burial, but Leon assures him his wife was quite dead when they buried her. Then why does he hear strange noises in the night? And who was playing the harpsichord she played so often? Could he have made a dreadful mistake?

Although based on a story by Edgar Allan Poe, this film does not follow the actual story. Even so, I have loved this movie since I was a kid. I mean, Vincent Price, what’s not to love? That being said, this is the story of a man whom circumstances are driving toward madness, despite the best efforts of his sister. Vincent Price is wonderful as Nicholas Medina, and the rest of the cast do a good job. This is what we watch a Roger Corman film for. Nicholas’ madness reminds me of that of Roderick Usher in The Fall of the House of User (another Roger Corman/Vincent Price collaboration). Still great after all these years. Not perfect, but good. I’ll give this film 4 Stars.