As a Dracula fan, I was looking forward to this adaptation and was not disappointed. No, the storyline does not follow the book by any means, but very few versions of Dracula ever do (with the possible exception of Coppola's, but even that took quite a few liberties). I'm always interested in seeing new adaptations, and found the theme of Holmwood having syphilis to be quite an interesting slant on the story, including Lucy's resultant frustration with their marriage and eventual surrender to Dracula. Marc Warren would not have been my first choice as Dracula...I found him to be fairly repulsive rather than sexy. I was also puzzled by Van Helsing's banishment to the cellar. But overlooking these things, I found it very enjoyable. The filmography and scene locations were brilliant.
Reviews
25 Reviews
An American Haunting
(2005)
So-so movie, horrid ending.
15 November 2006
Warning: Spoilers
I am familiar with the Bell Witch story and was not expecting an entirely accurate portrayal here. I also like James D'Arcy, although his character was rather stilted.
Pros: I did like Sissy Spacek and Donald Sutherland, and the actress portraying Betsy did a fairly decent job.
I thought the storyline moved quite slowly. In addition, I found myself not relating to or caring about the characters very much.
Spoiler: The ending was just dreadful and ridiculous. After seeing it I was kicking myself for wasting my time even watching the whole thing. Hard to believe that that was "it." The alternate ending on the DVD showing Jonathan and Betsy 15 years later was somewhat better, but not much.
This legend is good enough to stand on its own, why add this dreck about incest in order to juice it up? Unfortunately I should have known what to expect. Recent horror movies have disappointed me so much that I need to write them off altogether. I don't know if I can hold out hope anymore for an intelligent movie about a haunting.
Pros: I did like Sissy Spacek and Donald Sutherland, and the actress portraying Betsy did a fairly decent job.
I thought the storyline moved quite slowly. In addition, I found myself not relating to or caring about the characters very much.
Spoiler: The ending was just dreadful and ridiculous. After seeing it I was kicking myself for wasting my time even watching the whole thing. Hard to believe that that was "it." The alternate ending on the DVD showing Jonathan and Betsy 15 years later was somewhat better, but not much.
This legend is good enough to stand on its own, why add this dreck about incest in order to juice it up? Unfortunately I should have known what to expect. Recent horror movies have disappointed me so much that I need to write them off altogether. I don't know if I can hold out hope anymore for an intelligent movie about a haunting.
The Amityville Horror
(2005)
A+ for props, settings D- for everything else
17 April 2005
Warning: Spoilers
I had been looking forward to this movie for a while now. As a fan of the original "Amityville" I was hoping for something that at least followed the book. The previews I saw looked promising. But, of course I was disappointed...way disappointed. While this wasn't the worst movie I've ever seen, there were a lot of turn-offs. To begin, it reminded me of a "Sci-Fi Channel Original Movie" which is not necessarily a bad thing, just not what I expect to see when I go to the theater. The acting was pretty dreadful. The actor who played George was particularly over the top. But what was most lacking for me, in terms of scariness, was the lack of emphasis on the house's attacking the Catholic Church via Father Delaney, the aunt who was a nun, etc. The family in this version seems to have no religion until Cathy finds a random priest towards the end who is attacked by some computer generated fly swarm when he goes to the house. Nothing was mentioned about the psychological distancing of the Lutz's from their family and friends, which might have added something. The subplot of the kid's real father who supposedly died was very annoying and didn't add much. In the end, lots is done for shock value only. For example, why did George have to kill Harry the dog in this one? It added very little except for some ghostly barks coming from the boathouse later. The secret slaughterhouse under the house at the end was so crazy it was laughable. The only redeeming aspect of this movie, IMO, was the attention to detail as far as 70's-era props...so many movies skimp here, which drives me crazy when watching something that is supposed to place in the past. I was appreciative of small stuff like the 70's coffee pot, a box of Super Sugar Crisp as well as the hairstyles and other small details. The house in this movie was just gorgeous. But a bit mansion-like for what it was supposed to be. In all, not a total waste of time, but someday it will probably be rerun on the Sci Fi channel, where it will feel right at home.
Dead of Night
(1974)
Incredibly creepy chiller
29 September 2004
I saw this movie on Chiller Theater sometime in the late 70's, and
it stuck with me for a long while. I never knew the title, however,
until I re-discovered it a few years ago. My memories of seeing it as a young kid mostly focused on the
weirdness of the film itself. Richard Backus does an amazingly
creepy performance as "Andy," a soldier in Vietnam who returns
home after being supposedly killed in action. His mom, overjoyed
to see him, refuses to believe anything is wrong, while his sister
and father begin to suspect all is not quite right given his behavior,
pale, vampiric appearance and the many strange incidents which
begin to occur around him. Mom continues to stay in denial until
the very end. The scene with the double date in the drive-in particularly stuck
with me after all those years. Honestly scared the bejezus out of
me as a kid! But re-watching as an adult, I saw the movie more for what it was
meant to be, a social commentary about the Vietnam war. It still
holds up very well today. I am glad to know it has been re-released on DVD with additions,
though I haven't seen this yet. For years it was difficult to even find
a video copy. Plus it was released under several different names. I
think I originally saw it as "The Night Andy Came Home." Definitely recommended.
it stuck with me for a long while. I never knew the title, however,
until I re-discovered it a few years ago. My memories of seeing it as a young kid mostly focused on the
weirdness of the film itself. Richard Backus does an amazingly
creepy performance as "Andy," a soldier in Vietnam who returns
home after being supposedly killed in action. His mom, overjoyed
to see him, refuses to believe anything is wrong, while his sister
and father begin to suspect all is not quite right given his behavior,
pale, vampiric appearance and the many strange incidents which
begin to occur around him. Mom continues to stay in denial until
the very end. The scene with the double date in the drive-in particularly stuck
with me after all those years. Honestly scared the bejezus out of
me as a kid! But re-watching as an adult, I saw the movie more for what it was
meant to be, a social commentary about the Vietnam war. It still
holds up very well today. I am glad to know it has been re-released on DVD with additions,
though I haven't seen this yet. For years it was difficult to even find
a video copy. Plus it was released under several different names. I
think I originally saw it as "The Night Andy Came Home." Definitely recommended.
Disturbing and effective
18 October 2003
The Possession of Joel Delaney has a strangeness to it from the opening scene where Nora (MacLaine) and Joel (King) attend a party together, seeming like lovers though they are brother and sister (to the point where other party goers who don't know her well comment on her young boyfriend). This sets the stage for a sort of incestuous undercurrent running through the movie, which is never fully explained or explored. Nora seems unnaturally possessive/protective as Joel and really doesn't know how to accept the changes which begin in him. At first it seems that she thinks he has been hanging around Spanish Harlem for kicks, which she is disapproving of...feeling that the influence is changing his personality when it is actually possession...as other reviewers have mentioned there is the contrast of rich/poor, especially her disdain for the poorer class/Hispanics (though her maid is Puerto Rican). Although slow moving at parts, it does have its shocking moments, which eventually lead up to the very disturbing ending where Nora and her children are trapped in a beach house with Joel/Tonio who terrorizes and humiliates them.... particularly, the children. I must echo the other reviewer with regards to what the 10 year old actor playing her son had to go through. I can't imagine ever happening in a movie today without some serious backlash...without going into detail, I just couldn't believe my eyes! All in all, this is a movie that has stuck with me for a long time...certain scenes replay themselves in my mind, and I would have to say that, despite some flaws, I do recommend it.
Blue Sunshine
(1977)
A good reason to just say no to drugs!
25 June 2003
This movie really does have a unique premise. It focuses on a group of people ten years after doing some bad acid called "Blue Sunshine" in their college days....we discover that those who dropped this particular acid back in their hippie days have suddenly become homicidal maniacs in 1976. But that's not all! Before becoming homicidal, some straaaaaange symptoms occur, namely severe headaches, sensitivity to sound and...baldness! I really believe that seeing this movie at the age of 13 put me firmly on the path of loving cheesy movies for the amusement factor. I remember watching this for the first time during a sleepover and almost died laughing. Particularly hilarious is the "transformation" of Blue Sunshine's homicidal crazies...one woman, while babysitting some loud and obnoxious kids, gets the telltale "headache"...then starts shoving so many aspirins in her mouth, she starts foaming...then her hair slides off, she grabs a knife and heads toward the kids! Another guy loses all hair except some wacky looking tufts and runs pell mell through a disco! It's really almost too great to be true. About ten years ago, I found the paperback "made from the movie" novel at a book sale and couldn't resist buying it for a dime. It had the great picture of the bald woman on the front cover, which, I believe was the same cover on the video. Still, it didn't match the movie...I suggest that you rent this, pop some popcorn, then invite friends over who "understand."
Invasion of the Sangroid Druids...
25 June 2003
I was compelled for quite a long time to watch Invasion of the Blood Farmers, which has been described as the "companion" to Shriek of the Mutilated (one of my favorite schlocky films). The same folks behind that masterpiece created this one. I finally caved in and bought the DVD. From the opening scene, where the victim is stumbling down the road looking like he's doing some strange dance while people in the bar (called the Huddle 2, no less!) make comments about him being loaded, I wasn't disappointed. Very similar to Shriek in many ways, unfortunately, down the to background music, which is by a composer named Bohuslav Martinu, I've learned. Great soundtrack, but this similarity kind of detracted a bit for me. But there are some great moments....and some familiar faces, for those who have seen Shriek! You'll see a lovable, kooky old professor and his protege that discover a blood sample that grows and looks like fizzy cherry soda! A freaky druid later sucks the blood from a dog...which suddenly becomes a white shaggy bathroom rug! Weirdo druids and their queen who rests in a plexiglass coffin! The bottom line, though, for me was that it wasn't quite as compelling as Shriek...the end, for example, was kind of lame and predictable. HOWEVER...if you are one of those who are into this kind of cheese-a-rama horror (which, for me, differs from those who are into slasher movies) you will enjoy.
The Funky Phantom
(1971–1972)
Kind of a low budget Scooby Doo...
2 November 2001
I caught this on the Saturday morning "Boomerang" show and it stirred a memory of having watched it on Saturday mornings long ago in the 70's. The bizarre thing about this (which didn't really click for me as a kid) is it's almost a carbon copy of Scooby Doo...teenage sleuths, goofy sidekicks (the phantom/his cat)...even the same music! Even more amazing is a Shaggy-like character complete with goatee! I really don't know what Hanna Barbera was thinking here....guess they were trying to capitalize on the success of Scooby...but it's nowhere near as endearing. The man who does the voice of the Phantom is, I believe the same who does Babu, Jabberjaw, ad infinitum...which really adds negative points in my book. Watch it for a slice of Hanna Barbera's "other" toons...
Bigfoot: Man or Beast?
(1972)
Great return to the 70's!
13 March 2001
This movie is a great nostalgia trip to the 70's, especially if, like me, you have a fondness for 70's paranormal programs (OK, maybe I'm the only one). J. Smith narrates as we watch Robert Morgan, John Green, Rene Dahinden and a host of others discuss Bigfoot! Watch Robert Morgan's expedition into Bigfoot country (in the shadow of pre-volcano-blasted Mount St. Helens). I just love it, it takes me back to my 70's childhood, when Bigfoot, UFO's and other topics were really getting a foothold into popular culture. If you like In Search Of, chances are you will like this.
Frankenstein
(1992 TV Movie)
This is a great adaptation
13 October 2000
I really enjoyed this movie, far, far more than the over the top Kenneth Branagh version. Randy Quaid is fabulous as the monster. I particularly loved the monster in this film, as he was very sweet and childlike until he had negative experiences with humans. His expressions were very poignant and heartfelt. Also, the concept of Frankenstein feeling his monster's pain was original and interesting. Definitely impressive for a made-for-tv movie!
The Many Faces of Christopher Lee
(1996 Video)
Wonderful, if you are a diehard Lee fan
26 August 2000
I adore Christopher Lee. In this documentary, Lee, seemingly unscripted, talks about his films in an casual way, with various scenes from his many films highlighted. It gives a very intimate feeling, as though you are sitting in the same room and listening to the man speak to you personally. Lee tends to ramble a bit, and while I find his stories fascinating, unless you really are a fan, I can see where it might be considered a bit boring. It is wonderful to see him is this mode. One can really, physically, get a feel for how tall, how imposing he is. He has been acting for over 50 years, and it is amazing to me that the man is still going strong and working on films currently at age 78. If you wish to get a good feel for this wonderful actor, I highly recommend it.
Stigmata
(1999)
Really, really dumb
11 June 2000
The beginning of the movie seemed promising, until we get to Frankie. We then realize she is supposedly living in Pittsburgh. My husband just looked at each other and laughed, as we are both from the Pgh area and none of this looked remotely familiar. Big turn off when the film takes place place in a city in which it was obviously not filmed. (Furthermore, I doubt seriously that 99.9% of the hairdressers in Pgh could afford an apartment in Shadyside like hers, let alone someone who works in a dumpy body piercing shop) The movie itself got more and more ludicrous, the stigmata scenes were really over the top (blood shooting out all over the place, but gee, it missed the main artery!). I laughed outright at the subway scene. As somone else mentioned, why was she being possessed? Why was she worried about being pregnant? I hardly cared enough to find out the answers. Please, avoid this one like the plague.
The Wicker Man
(1973)
Fantastic! A must see!
23 January 2000
This film is alternately bizarre, funny, thought provoking, fascinating, and at times, creepy...I wouldn't say at any time it frightened me. It seems that, often, devout Christians bash this movie or find it terrifying, which is understandable, once you've seen it. But for those who have a touch of pagan in them...it's marvelous. Sergeant Howie, though pitiful at times, is hardly a sympathetic character...the islanders, strange as they might be, are far more likeable. One almost has to laugh at Howie's bumbling through the town (wearing his policeman's cap the whole time) trying to maintain his air of authority and meanwhile becoming more and more offended by what he sees. Christopher Lee is great as Lord Summerisle, sweet and charming until crossed (though the hairstyle left a bit to be desired). I found some of the music to be slightly annoying at first, but it kind of grows on you after the second or third viewing...I found myself humming the maypole song and "Corn Rigs" for some time (not to mention Willow's song). I really don't understand why the video (or soundtrack, for that matter) is seemingly out of print...it's really a classic.
Beyond the Prairie: The True Story of Laura Ingalls Wilder
(1999 TV Movie)
I was disappointed...
2 January 2000
So much more could have been done with this wonderful literary series. Instead, at least four books were hastily sped through, leaving a dizzying series of events, most of which were so condensed and convoluted in this film to be unrecognizable to any reader of the books. The prairie settings were very realistic and true to life, some of the casting was good (particularly Lindsay Crouse and Richard Thomas and Ma and Pa) but I was not impressed by Meridith Monroe's portrayal of Laura. Much attention was given to setting and costuming, but Monroe's flowing 90's hair and boisterous mannerisms left me cold. The movie does improve a bit towards the end, but for the first hour I was wondering where in the world it was going. Perhaps if this were produced instead as a miniseries, it would have had more impact. For those only familiar with the totally fictional "Little House" TV series it will give some insight to her life that was completely passed over; for others who want to know the real story of Laura, her books, and all the wonderful autobiographical material out there, will serve you much better than this.
Horror Express
(1972)
Telly should've stuck to playing cops...
31 December 1999
Despite some of the more negative comments here, I would have to say this movie is actually pretty good. As someone pointed out, it was interesting to see Lee/Cushing on the same side against evil. However, Telly Savalas....well, I don't know who cast him in this role, but it was laughable. Perhaps if he had some semblance of a Russian accent, I wouldn't have minded, but...the New Yorky cop thing while dressed up in a red cossack suit was over the top. The Rasputin-esque monk guy didn't really fit in, either. But aside from this, I thought Lee and Cushing did a great job as the anthropologist/scientist team, the story line was interesting and the ending was decent, as well. There are some laugh factors, but overall not too shabby.
Count Dracula
(1970)
Christopher Lee is fabulous!
31 December 1999
It is sad that this film is so often overlooked...it's really a gem. Christopher Lee's portrayal of Dracula here is probably his best ever (at least in terms of following Stoker's book) as an aging vampire who progressively gets younger (20 years before Coppola's version). In addition, Klaus Kinski is brilliant as the insane Renfield. Lee's Dracula is given more of a human side that is missing in the Hammer films, where he usually barely speaks at all. There are some weak spots, but overall quite good, and a must for Lee fans really gives a different perspective of the Hammer legend.
Shriek of the Mutilated
(1974)
"He's mean and he's gruesome...He'll make your threesome into a twosome..."
18 November 1999
"The snowman's on the prowl..." Until a couple years ago, I was beginning to doubt whether memory served me correctly and I had actually seen this on late night TV in the late 70's, or whether it was something I imagined in my own mind. When I asked every one of my "horror movie addict" friends if they had ever seen a film about a bigfoot that is actually a professor dressed in a costume that eats his students one by one...they all looked at me as if I were slightly crazy and said, "No, but it sounds good!" (Actually, I had the title wrong, as I'd thought it was called "Screech of the Mutilated")...anyway, a fantastic bit of schlock! I was thrilled to find it on video, and it was all I had remembered and more. (Who could forget Lynn and her hexagon glasses!) I would love to know where these people are today. Find this video today, if you are a devotee of 70's horror!
The Crimson Cult
(1968)
Lee and Karloff play so well off each other...
18 November 1999
Warning: Spoilers
I ran across this one day and found it to be a great little tidbit. It's wonderful to see Christopher Lee and Boris Karloff together; Karloff as the wheelchair-bound professor is particularly fun, as despite his grumpiness he ends up rescuing Manning and the girl with the help of his mute chauffeur. Christopher Lee plays well the proper Englishman with the slightly demented side. Personally didn't care much for Lavinia or the "Lost in Space" type special effects, though.
Scars of Dracula
(1970)
Definitely going downhill
16 November 1999
This is probably my least favorite of the Hammer Dracula series. A young man goes to Dracula's castle to try to discover the whereabouts of his missing brother. You can kind of see where it leads to. Add a typical Igor-like servant, plus a sexy female vampire to the mix, plus a love starved barmistress. Kind of draggy and predictable, though some good scenes with Christopher Lee (still as sexy as ever).
Taste the Blood of Dracula
(1970)
Not bad, though not quite as good as some of the others in the series...
16 November 1999
Although perhaps not quite as good, or well known, as the earlier Hammer Dracula films, I found this to be quite entertaining. Four semi-elderly business men, who meet monthly to engage in debauchery, decide to make a pact with the devil (i.e. resurrect Dracula). They chicken out at the last moment and their partner in crime (Dracula's servant) is killed. Dracula then goes on to avenge his death by vampirizing the children of the men. I found the subplot of Alice and Paul's romance to be interesting, plus the implied incestual creepiness of Alice's father. One annoying aspect of the film was a close up of Christopher Lee saying, "The first," "The second..." as the victims are plucked off. But altogether not too bad, considering it is the beginning of the end of the series.
The Shining
(1980)
Overrated and a bore
15 November 1999
I've tried, really tried several times to sit down and watch this movie and find its redeeming qualities...what am I missing? Most people I know who've seen it rate it as one of the scariest movies of all time. I'm sorry, but I don't agree. It has its creepy moments. Jack Nicholson does a fair job of becoming increasingly deranged, there is some tension there, but scary? I don't know. Shelly Duvall is horrid, I just keep visualizing her as Olive Oyl, and it doesn't work. She is whiny and ineffectual; it is hard for me to empathize with her, and I find the little boy more and more irritating as the movie progresses. But the primary feeling I get is not fright, but utter boredom. Everything moves so slowly, so languidly that I find it hard to be interested, let alone frightened. I am not a great Kubrick fan, with maybe the exception being "Clockwork Orange"...so I am sure those who like his style might find it appealing. To each his own...
The Last Days of Disco
(1998)
Positively dreadful!
8 November 1999
A root canal would be preferable to seeing this movie again. I despised the characters, the plot went nowhere; I could go on and on. If sitting through the endless dialogue of pretentious idiots (with some extremely pathetic dancing mixed in) is your idea of a great time...by all means, go for it. Perhaps if you relate to these people and this lifestyle, you may enjoy it....I, however loathed them. Many other things irritated me, besides the characters...the 90's look of every single person in the film, which supposedly took place in the early 80's... the discussions in the "club" which were so unreal...enough said. I am sorry I wasted my money renting the video.
I was disappointed...
4 November 1999
I had seen a trailer for this on another video that led me to believe it would be a silly bit of early 70's cheese. I almost bought it, but rented it first. I was glad I did. I was under the impression it was a sort of spoof of NOTLD with some humor...but hardly. From the beginning there are no characters that I particularly liked, Alan Orsnby in particular. The rest of it was a drag, even the "climax" scene was predictable and dull. I was not expecting a cinematic masterpiece of course, but enough silliness to laugh at, but was quite frankly bored to the point of fast forwarding through a large part of it to see if anything interesting happened at the end (nothing you wouldn't expect). Very, very disappointing and not worthy of the hype.
The Haunted
(1991 TV Movie)
Better than the book...
18 October 1999
I really liked this movie, which was based on a book by the same name...the true story of a family terrorized by demons in their Pennsylvania home. Strangely, I found the characters in the movie to be much more likeable than the actual people in the book, with the exception of the grandma (Louise Latham) who bugged me to no end with her whining. The film appears to be very loosely based on the book, however, as most of this type of "true story" films are...many events were left out entirely or embellished upon heavily to make it more sequential. One of the funniest things was the casting of the fairly attractive (and relatively youthful) Diane Baker as Lorraine Warren...if anyone has seen the real Lorraine and Ed Warren, you will see what I mean. (Perhaps as co-writers of the book they had some sort of hand in the casting...?) All in all, it's not an Amityville Horror, but a pretty good made for TV movie that's worth watching.
The Blair Witch Project
(1999)
Left me physically ill, but not scared witless
6 September 1999
My husband and I waited a few weeks for the "hoopla" to die down before seeing this. Most everyone I had spoken to said it was quite good. I must admit it was very freakish at times, enough to cause hair to stand on end (which doesn't happen too often to me). But it was only so long before the jerky filming made me sick to my stomach. We left the theater feeling dazed, disoriented and physically sick, not from terror but from motion sickness. From total darkness to a sudden bright light, then a sideways shot and running...I literally don't know how much longer I could have sat there. The film was fairly good, interesting concept; I felt connected to the characters. But it didn't leave me frightened to death as I was led to believe it would. Creeped out, yes. (I believe one really would have to view it in a darkened theater to get the motion sickness effect, when one's eyes are forced to focus solely on the screen). At the end of the film, people were asking, "Is that it?", disgusted moans were heard; there seemed to be an overall disappointment. Yes, it was fairly good, and different; No, it was not stellar. My only hope is that we aren't subjected to a tidal wave of copycat "Blair Witch" films, ready to exploit this "new concept"--once was enough.
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