Carnival of Souls, (1962) is one of those B movies everyone makes fun of, but can’t help watching. If you decide to watch this film, just imagine you are seeing an extended episode of the “The Twilight Zone.” I remember when I was a little girl seeing this movie, it haunted me for days. Although the movie was done on a shoestring, it is scary, and director,  Herk Harvey does a fine job with it.

The movie opens up with a group of young people drag racing, if you want to call going 15 miles per hour drag racing; I guess that was the protocol back in the day. Mary Henry (Candice Hilligoss) finds herself on this ominous day on the passenger seat of one of the cars. When the cars race across a bridge Mary and her friends end up crashing into the water below. The credits roll, and then we see Mary’s ghostly like figure rising from under the water. She is pale, wet, and appears cold, but alive.

Although poor Mary is alive her troubles have only just begun. Mary is a church organist, and is offered a job in Utah. She packs up her little things and moves. On her drive to Utah in her beat up car, in a lonely and dark country road, she begins to see a pale, ghastly man. When she arrives in Utah, the ghastly man appears everywhere she goes and torments her relentlessly. The ghastly man, turns out, has friends, these zombie-like creatures who also pursue Mary. They beckon her to come to the other side. They dance a waltz to eerie, dark music, in an abandoned carnival that Mary is summoned to. As they dance, they smile at each other as if celebrating the new member, Mary.

Mary seeks help from people, but all think she has lost her mind. She continues to have flashes in which everything around her goes completely silent. As if for moments, she breaks the barrier between life and death. When she enters the silent world, she appears like a spirit in limbo. She cries out to people in the street, but they don’t hear her. Mary realizes she is caught between two worlds and must escape death’s grip. But can she?

The movie has campy dialogue, but the camera work is incredible. Shots of the organ and ghouls are eerie. The organ playing through out the film was a little too much, but tells a morose, dark, and eerie story. Hillgross’ performance was good, not Oscar worthy, but good. She captured the spirit of a detached, cold, & isolated young woman caught between two worlds. The guy who plays her neighbor drove me crazy. A pervert no one would want next door. Although Hillgross was the only real actor in the movie, the fact that the other characters were not fully developed adds to this film. They are like people in a dream, much like the dream Mary is in. OK, it’s a B movie, but it is scary in terms of mood, & setting, and well worth the watch. I must warn you, you may just not get up from this dream.

The second horror movie I recommend you see is the silent horror movie, “Nosferatu.” Although it was done back in 1922, it is still gripping. Out of all the vampire movies I’ve  seen, I find this one to be the scariest. The movie takes place in an eerie and sleepy town in Germany. The story is based on Bram Stoker’s novel, “Dracula.” There were some copyright issues and so a lot of the names of Stoker’s characters were changed for this movie.

A young married man, Hutter played by Gustav Von Wangeheim is summoned by a monstrous looking Knock (Alexander Granach) to pay a visit to Count Orlock  (Max Schreck) in Transylvania. Count Orlock wants to buy a house in Transylvania and it is Hutter’s job to help him do that. Knock dispels all rumors of phantoms, and ghouls in hopes of convincing Hutter to go and make this sale. Hutter however, didn’t need any real convincing, he wants to make money, and this is the deal of century. He goes and leaves his wife behind with relatives.

Here is when the movie gets dark and gloomy. Hutter’s trip to Transylvania builds up suspense as he gets closer and closer to Orlock’s lair. He stops at an inn and the locals warn him of what will happen to him should he continue on this journey to Orlock. They are full of dread and horror, but Hutter wants to make the dough, and laughs it all off. He proceeds on the journey but the coachman drops him off ways away from Orlock’s castle because he was afraid to get too close. Even this did not convince Hutter to turn around. Greed has taken him over.

When Hutter arrives, the castle is nightmarish, dark, and dank. The count does not look human, and his love of blood is spine tingling. Hutter realizes he’s walked into something so evil and there is no out. Hutter becomes Orlock’s meal. While all this is going on, Hutter’s wife is having horrible nightmares back home. Orlock beckons Hutter’s wife in these dreams. Orlock manages to get to her, will she escape his grip, or will she forever be with him in the world of the dammed?

Contemporary movies portray Dracula as an accomplished, enigmatic, and handsome seducer. This film, which I feel is a lot closer to the story than most, portrays him as a ghoul. F.W. Murnau’s film is a classic and masterpiece. Nosferatu is a scary, evil, and nightmarish ghoul who walks the earth looking for whom to devour. The movie devoid of today’s bells and whistles is gripping. The use of shadows, lighting, are visually impressive. One scene that sticks in my head is the one with all the rats running out of the coffin—truly unforgettable.

Freaks 1932

Halloween is coming and I’d like to feature one or two movies per week this month of must see horror classics. I have a lot I love, but certain ones stand out in the crowd, and in my opinion you must see them. Today’s horror flicks are full of awful violence, f-bombs, and sex, but no substance whatsoever. There are a few exceptions of course. Classic horror used sound, lighting and music to scare their audiences to death. And that is all it took, and it worked. We may look at these movies and chuckle, but some still scare people today and that is what I want to write about this month.  So on that note….

My pick for today is Ted Browning’s, Freaks (1932). Many people don’t consider this film a horror film per say, but others do. I think the film is horrifying in terms of the mood and setting. Freaks is a little disturbing and I think that Hollywood would not get away with a movie like this today. It wouldn’t be politically correct. The movie is about “Circus Freaks.” All the “Circus Freaks” live by a code, which one of their own, a trapeze artist (Olga Baclanova) violates when she plots to kill her midget husband (Harry Earles).

It is terrifying to look at characters like pinheads, dwarfs, midgets, human worm, and a bird girl. All kinds of human oddities send chills down your spine. But you also can’t help feeling sad for them. The movie is also about the human desire for love, and the battle to attain it. The movie did not do well in the box office because the critics trashed it. Freaks was banned in many cities, and taken out of circulation for thirty years. It did do great in Europe with the “hip generation.” The movie made a comeback in the 60′s in the US, in colleges and the late movie circuit–it was a hit. The 80′s rolled around and video rentals and sales made Freaks the greatest comeback movie in Hollywood history.

Freaks is a classic, but I don’t know that I’d call it a masterpiece. The script is a little cheesy, but so were many movies of the early 30′s. Talkies were new–they had not worked out all the kinks yet. The actors had little or no acting experience. You can almost see them reading their lines. Yet, the plot and the people are fascinating. In one scene, before the movie gets really creepy, there is a wedding. It is one scene that stands out. The freaks are celebrating Han’s marriage to the trapeze artist. Everyone is singing, laughing, and dancing. The bird girl does a shimmy on the table. One of the freaks starts a spooky jingle that goes like this, “one of us…” it’s a song which ushers in outsiders in the family of freaks. They are singing it to the bride, but it  repulses her—she’ll never be one of them. So she thinks… Watch the clip of Freaks below, and get freaked out for sure.

Much to Lisa’s relief, Robert makes a business trip. Lisa is hoping he’ll land a job! But just to be separated from him is respite for her. Robert’s plane crashes and Robert is declared dead. Lisa’s relief lasts for just a while because much to her shock Robert escaped death and is actually alive. But he wants everyone to believe he is dead because he wants to collect on the insurance money. He shows up at Lisa’s and convinces her to help him get the money. He promises he will never see her again, but she must help him swindle the Insurance Company. Lisa agrees and her real troubles begin.

Sohia in this role is as she was in all her roles, beautiful, sexy, but she captured the fear of a woman stuck in a violent marriage much like Farrah Fawcett did in “Burning Bed.” Perkins as the insanely jealous husband is creepy and unsettling. He just seems too real. The supremely thrilling ending will blow you away.

The movie begins in the days of vaudeville and an overly sweet little blond girl is singing a song on stage titled, “I am sending a Letter to Daddy.”  A letter she seals with kisses and sends off to Heaven. On stage she is every mother’s dream, but off stage she’s every mother’s nightmare. She is spoiled, gets her way, and makes fun of her sister Blanche. As these two sisters get older, it is Blanche who becomes successful in films, and Jane’s fame wanes.  Their lives forever change when they get in a car accident that crushes Blanche against a gate, paralyzing her. Jane is blamed for accident and somehow made to feel responsible for the long term care of her paralyzed sister.

Years have passed them both by and like the mansion, they too are decaying. Blanche watches her old films and recalls with excitement the by-gone years of fame and youth. Jane still thinks she is the child star and wants to get her act back on the road. Jane slips into complete madness and keeps her sister locked upstairs in her room. Jane terrorizes Blanche; I won’t tell you what she gives her for lunch, but it is too hard for Blanche to trust Jane again with her food. Blanche knows that she is in trouble and must try to get help. But Jane has cut her off her only contacts, the telephone and her maid. She tries desperately to get her nosy neighbor’s attention, but Jane finds out and mayhem is on the loose in the old “Valentino” Mansion.

Jane hires a man (Victor Buono) as a pianist, who in her mind is going to help her get the show back on stage. It is here I think Bette took on the role like no other could. Jane displays a ghoulish adult performance of “I’ve Written a Letter to Daddy.”  She gets completely lost in her insanity and resorts to murder. She becomes frantic and tries to run with a sickly, dehydrated, and starved, Blanche. But is soon caught, and once more, and for the last time, performs her child star dance routine before a cruel, and mocking young crowd.

Many considered this film, and still do, to be a “campy classic,” I don’t. I think this film to be a psychological thriller. The movie tells a story of two aging actresses and their inability of letting go of their past fame and youth. Sadly, it paralleled both these classic actresses’ lives. The fact that Crawford and Davis took on these roles tell me they had a desperate need to be in front of the camera. Crawford and Davis were beauty queens in the 30′s and 40′s. They were movie stars, and getting old was not going to stop that. Sadly taking on these roles in horror movies later in life trashed both their careers.

The fact that these two actresses hated each other made this movie work.  The director knew there would be problems between them, and it sure did bring out the worse in both, but it worked, and especially for Davis’ role. In this last battle between Crawford and Davis, it was Bette who won. In fact, it got Bette an Oscar nomination for her role as Jane. Bette didn’t look pretty at all in this role, but she had guts to play this role and play it to the hilt, and we can’t take that away from her.

After some time Ray tells her of his practice of using his appearance and charm to persuade middle-aged women to part with their money. The lost and morose Martha thinks nothing of it; she will do whatever to keep Ray by her side. The pair embark in a crime spree which shocked a nation just recovering for the Second World War. At first they lure middle-aged women and steal from them. Soon the crime graduates to killing off the victims. In total it is believed the pair killed a total of 20 women including a 2-year-old child.

The film done in black and white is creepy and the somber, emotional Mahler music is the icing on the cake. It’s a disturbing psychological thriller that will have you thinking twice about answering a “lonely heart,” ad ever again. The murder scenes are too real, especially when the child is led to her death. But what makes this film all the chilling is the fact that this really happened. The pair were executed in 1951. A must see for classic crime fans.

“The phenomenally popular cult classic, immortalised in celluloid by the celebrated writer, producer and director Edward D. Wood Jr.”

“It’s all here, the infamous not-so-special effects, as aliens in car-hop outfits invade Earth in paper flying saucers to implement the ninth plan of conquest (the first eight failed.) “

“An army of zombies, Vampira, Tor Johnson and the legendary Bela Lugosi in his “after death” performance, menace the world, (Lugosi died five months after filming started, so a local chiropractor took on the difficult Lugosi role).” Ha, Ha!!!! [source The Independent]

Download movie for free here.

Independent Film Channel and Turner Classic Movies has a great line-up of Horror Films for Halloween. It all begins very early on IFC with psychological thriller, “Afraid of The Dark,”(1992) at 8:20 AM EST. At 9:00 PM EST watch “Haxan” (1922) movie about witchcraft in the Middle Ages. So powerful are some images that even some modern viewers will turn away from the TV screen. At 10:50 PM EST watch Peter Lorre in Fritz Lang’s, “M” (1931) an eerie early talkie about a child killer.

TCM’s line-up starts early in the morning with some great classics. I recommend you see “Freaks,” (1932) I’ve blogged on this movie before, if you’ve never seen it, see it now, I promise it will “freak” you out. “Devil Doll” (1936) great special effects and spooky, Cat People (1942) Jacques Turner knew what made us afraid when he did this film, things like noises in the dark, shadows, and unseen killer. Watch Boris Karloff in “Bedlam” (1946), and lastly Vincent Price in “House of Usher,” (1960).

Visit ifc.com and tcm.com for local times and listings.

TCM starts its Halloween movie fest Monday, 10/30 at 2:00 AM (EST) with George Franju’s, “Eyes Without a Face (1959).” This movie has been hailed as the most “elegant of gore movies.” The movie based on a novel written by Jean Redon is both a beautiful, but disturbing story. A doctor (Pierre Brasseur) has a beautiful daughter (Edith Scob) that has had a horrible auto accident. Her face is monstrously disfigured. The doctor keeps her hidden away in his mansion, away from the world in a secluded area. He is just happy to have her alive–but appearances are everything. He must make her beautiful again. Louise (Alida Valli), the doctor’s devoted assistant helps him with his scheme.

The assistant is to lure young, and beautiful women to the mansion so that the doctor can strip their skin then use it to reconstruct his daughter’s face. Sounds pretty spooky huh? Yes, indeed.

Review: “What keeps EYES WITHOUT A FACE from falling into schlock category, unlike the novel it was adapted from, is Franju’s direction. Despite a face-lifting sequence that will make you thankful for black and white, the movie is infused with a visual poetry that transcends its original material and turns it into what could be called the most elegant of gore movies.”

“Valli’s lines are charged with chilling double entendre, particularly in the scenes where she lures a new victim to the house under the pretense of a room to rent. Hearing the dogs barking from the laboratory, the young woman asks uneasily if there are many of them. To which Louise, deliberately misunderstanding her, replies with a smile: “See? You will be safely guarded.” And indeed she will. Still with the same chilling smoothness, as she gently pressures her into renting the room, Valli adds: “Tomorrow, it will be too late”, mere seconds before the poor girl is smothered with ether. “

“This duality is at the core of the movie, whose protagonists have crossed the line between good and evil almost out of their own accord, blinded as they are by passion: Genessier’s for his experiments, more than for his daughter as she herself bitterly reflects. Louise’s for the surgeon who once performed miracles on her own face. Watching those characters interacting with each other is like witnessing the accelerated decay of a once beautiful body. None of them has a grip anymore on what exactly constitutes a human being. They just go through the motions, their best intentions forgotten. In the end, it’s up to Christine to remind everyone, in a most drastic way, that it’s all a question of free will.” [Source: feoamante.com]

Watch it if you dare…