skjam | Entries tagged with christopher lee

Scream of Fear (1961) dir. Seth Holt (British title: "Taste of Fear")

Ten years ago, the Applebys divorced, and Mrs. Appleby got custody of their daughter Penny Appleby (Susan Strasberg). Eight years ago, Penny had a riding accident and lost the use of her legs. Three years ago, her mother died, and she was left alone with only her long-time companion. Three weeks ago, her companion drowned, an apparent suicide, and her father sent a letter inviting her to his home on the French Riviera near Cannes.

But when Penny arrives at the villa, she is met by Jane Appleby (Ann Todd), her father's second wife and thus her stepmother. Her father's been called away on "business" and it must have been important as he left despite having a non-specified medical condition, and without his chauffeur, Robert (Ronald Lewis). Jane's installed a couple of wheelchair ramps in the villa where practical, but most of the building is closed off to Penny by steep stairs or locks with out-of-reach keys. She can't even leave the estate without being carried by Robert! The only other servant at this time is Marie (Anne Blake) the housekeeper, who does not live in the villa so is usually absent at night.

That night, Penny sees a light in the supposedly locked "summer house." When she investigates, she sees what appears to be her father Mr. Appleby (Fred Johnson)--and he's dead! Retreating in fear, Penny accidentally wheels herself into the swimming pool. When she awakens, she's tended by her father's friend and frequent visitor Dr. Pierre Gerard (Christopher Lee). There is, of course, no corpse in the summer house, which has been locked up for months. (It's winter, by the way.)

A series of other events involving music no one else hears from a locked piano and the corpse reappearing and re-vanishing convinces Penny that either she's going mad...or someone is trying to drive her mad. If Mr. Appleby is truly dead, then Penny gets the money except for a pittance for Jane, but if Penny is deceased or "incompetent", then Jane gets it all. Dr. Gerard seems deeply concerned for Penny's mental state, and is chummier with Jane than the official "friend of your father's" description would imply. Robert is acting sympathetic, but can he be trusted? Can anyone in the villa be trusted?

This is another of the black and white thrillers Hammer Films produced before they went all-in on horror. The lack of color helps disguise that it wasn't shot in Southern France, but their usual locations in England. It's nicely suspenseful, and has an excellent ending. Christopher Lee described it as the best of the Hammer movies he was in, but he may have meant "favorite."

While Mr. Lee is quite good in his role despite a dubious French accent, he's more of a supporting role in this one, and not the main reason to see the movie. Ms. Strasburg is excellent as Penny, getting a lot of emotional range, and the other actors also do a good job.

I have difficulty dealing with "is this character crazy or not" stories, so some scenes, especially the one where Dr. Gerard suggests that Penny's paraplegia is psychosomatic and that her disappearing evidence might also all be in her head, were hard to sit through. The story does resolve this subplot well.

There's a nicely creepy atmosphere and a couple of well-distributed jump scares.

Content note: murder, suicide, corpses, implied marital infidelity. Some dubious treatment of mental and physical disability. At one point Robert wears swim trunks that would have been scandalously brief and tight for 1961 Britain. Older teens on up, maybe younger teens if adults are present for guidance.

Current Mood: enthralled
Current Location: Cote d'Azur

The Two Faces of Dr. Jekyll (1960) dir. Terence Fisher

Six years ago, Dr. Henry Jekyll (Paul Massie) was laughed out of the scientific community for his wild theories about the dual nature of human consciousness. Since then, he's been a recluse spending the majority of his time on his experiments with lab animals, and neglecting his lovely wife Kitty Jekyll (Dawn Addams). He has only two regular visitors, Dr. Ernst Lithauer (David Kossoff), the only scientist that didn't write him off, but worries about his health, and Paul Allen (Christopher Lee), a wastrel and gambler who befriended Jekyll at school, and hits him up for money whenever the cards go bad. (Good thing Dr. Jekyll has an independent income and doesn't need to work for a living!) Kitty frequently badmouths Paul to her husband, but is secretly having an affair with him.

As you might have expected from knowing this story already, Dr. Jekyll invents a formula that alters his personality, turning him into the "limitless" Mr. Edward Hyde. On his first night out on the town, Hyde happens to run into Kitty and Paul, and charms his way into being their new best friend. Shortly thereafter, Hyde also takes an interest in exotic dancer Maria (Norma Marla) and starts courting her. But he has two problems. The first is that the formula keeps wearing off, returning him to the dull and weak Jekyll. The second is that the world isn't ready for a man who's truly without limit, who is completely "free."

This movie was the second of three times Hammer Studios adapted the classic Robert Louis Stevenson story, The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. The first is relatively obscure comedy The Ugly Duckling (1959) and the third was the even more lurid Dr. Jekyll & Sister Hyde (1971). As it was already much-adapted and has become part of the background knowledge of our culture, much of the interest is in how the changes are rung.

This Doctor Jekyll dismisses the notions of "good" and "evil", instead talking of "man as he could be", the part of our nature that aspires to improvement and higher behavior, and "man as he would be", freed of internal constraints and free to act on any impulse. He must confront and understand the "would be" man, he says, in order to create the "could be" man. Henry is a hirsute introvert, speaking in a husky voice and laser-focused on his research. Edward is a clean-shaven extrovert, brimming with self-confidence and superficially charming, but easily distracted by his latest whim.

Hyde is amused by the fact that Paul and Kitty don't realize who he is, and thinks that first enabling Paul's bad habits and then using them to extort the man into "giving" him Kitty is a hilarious joke, having an affair with his own wife! And while he's a monster morally, this Hyde isn't especially powerful, getting himself drunk and mugged because he's not experienced in the ways of the underworld.

Kitty is unfortunately the old cliche of the "anti-science wife." She has zero interest in or understanding of her husband's research. That research takes up ninety percent of his time, and they're childless, so Mrs. Jekyll feels stifled and bored. She spends a lot of her time keeping up with social engagements that Henry can't be bothered with, which gives her plenty of cover to go dancing and...other things with Paul. She does recognize that while Paul is a lot more fun than Henry, he's not exactly a good provider. And while she's charmed by Edward, she has enough on her plate.

Paul is not a good person, in fact he's a rotter, but he, unlike Hyde, has limits. He might sucker-punch a man, but won't keep pounding on him once he's down, but Hyde will. He's okay with taking Dr. Jekyll's money and diddling his wife, but only as long as Kitty is okay with this. He enjoys taking Edward around to the fleshpots of the city when that man is funding his debts, but it turns out he's pretty conventional in his own vices, and balks once he learns Hyde's full price. Christopher Lee is of course a delight in the role.

Alicia is a proud young woman who trusts her constrictor snake more than men, and deservedly so. She's in an occupation that leaves her very vulnerable to the law and her clients, so she has to understand her own worth and keep up her defenses. She falls hard for the supremely confident and virile Hyde, which leads to tragedy.

Content: Murder, suicide, bareknuckle boxing, assault. Marital infidelity, extramarital sex (off camera), prostitution, sexual assault. Partial nudity, lots of women's outfits that are way too skimpy for 1874, exotic dancing. One extended dance number is basically just women flashing their undies over and over like they were in a shounen ecchi anime. Alcohol and opium abuse. Ophidiophobes should be aware there are several snake scenes. Ophidiophiles will be delighted to know the snake does not die. Gendered slurs. Older teens should be okay, maybe don't show this one to preteens. The "Icons of Horror" DVD has the full movie, other versions have minor cuts for content.

Overall: A less-seen but still good version of the Jekyll and Hyde story. Most recommended to Christopher Lee fans, but horror fans in general should enjoy this.

Current Music: "Vermont Open Road"

Sherlock Holmes and the Deadly Necklace (1962) dir. Terence Fisher

What comes from Benghazi?

Early in the morning, a group of children and a fisherman find a body floating in the Thames, prominently displaying the name of a recently docked ship, the Thyasia. As the passengers disembark from the ship, one of them bumps into a waiting Professor Moriarty (Hans Söhnker). This is observed by two loafers, one wearing an eyepatch. He directs the other to follow Moriarty's automobile.

At 221b Baker Street, Doctor Watson (Thorley Walters) and Mrs. Hudson (Edith Schultze-Westrum) banter while waiting for Sherlock Holmes (Christopher Lee) to return for dinner. The one-eyed man from earlier is in distress in the street, so Watson brings him in for medical aid, only to discover it's actually Holmes. Holmes chides Watson for falling for this, only to have another man be in distress in the same street. This is the fellow Holmes had sent to follow Moriarty. He's dying of an odd hiltless dagger in his back, and manages to utter a cryptic word and make a strange gesture before passing on.

Holmes brings in Inspector Cooper (Hans Nielsen) of Scotland Yard, who reminds Holmes that as a civilian, he should not be meddling in police business unless invited to do so. He also doesn't believe in Holmes' wild theories that respected archaeologist Moriarty is a criminal mastermind. Holmes and Watson are forced to follow up the investigation on their own.

At the Hare and Eagle public house, our detectives overhear just enough of the conversation between Moriarty and one of his henchmen to learn that a man named Peter Blackburn (Wolfgang Lukschy) who lives in Hertfordshire is the target.

At Mr. Blackburn's house, he's become increasingly paranoid, but won't explain why to his wife Ellen (Senta Berger) or friend Paul King (Ivan Desny). Can Holmes arrive in time to save him? (No.)

It seems that some six years before the story starts, Moriarty was on an Egyptian expedition that found a tomb alleged to be that of Queen Cleopatra. He'd engaged three men to steal a fabulous necklace that was part of the treasure in the tomb. Two were caught and sentenced to prison, while Blackburn rabbited back to England with the necklace. Moriarty has decided that now is the time to reclaim his prize, so had the prisoners broken out--only for the two to quarrel on the ship back, resulting in that first body.

This 1962 movie was a German production, though it had a British star and director, and was largely shot on location in London and Ireland. Evidently, the Doyle estate interfered greatly with the production, causing at least some of the issues with the screenplay. It was dubbed into German, then re-dubbed into English for international release, but without asking Christopher Lee to reprise his voice.

Good: Christopher Lee makes an imposing Sherlock Holmes and his physical acting is impressive. He gets to do a couple of disguises--watch how his body language changes.

There's some witty dialogue, and a couple of nice set pieces--one of the murders is an actual mystery that requires actual thought from Sherlock, and a heist plan looks nifty. Leon Askin puts in a creepy but sometimes pathetic performance as Charles, chauffeur and hitman for the professor.

Watson is a bit dim, but is shown to be able to follow basic clues to reach a mostly correct conclusion.

Less good: The dubbing is often mismatched in volume and tone, and Mr. Lee's actual voice is much missed. The plotting and flow is choppy in places.

Political: It's briefly suggested that Cleopatra's necklace be returned to the Egyptian government (after all it was illegally removed from that country), but this is immediately dismissed by the police in favor of auctioning it off to the highest bidder, with a nice finder's fee going to Holmes.

The "Many Lives of Sherlock Holmes" DVD I watched this on had a poor print of the movie, but did also have some remarks by Christopher Lee as himself on his love of the Sherlock Holmes books.

Overall: This is low-quality Holmes, the sort of thing that in my youth non-network TV stations would show on weekend afternoons while the network channels had sports events. It's not actively bad, but I'd mostly recommend it to people filling in their Sherlock Holmes or Christopher Lee movie checklists.

Current Music: "The God of Thunder"--Antti Martikainen

The Gorgon (1964) dir. Terence Fisher

It is 1908, and the police state of Van Dorf has had seven unsolved murders in five years. When painter Bruno Heizt's (Jeremy Longhurst) model and lover turns up dead and himself hanged, the police, led by Inspector Kanof (Patrick Troughton), are quick to call it murder-suicide. They are aided in this by the local physician, Dr. Namaroff (Peter Cushing) whose testimony at the inquest leaves out the important detail that the woman's corpse had turned to stone, something most artists aren't capable of doing.

Professor Jules Heizt (Michael Goodliffe), father of Bruno, isn't convinced. He noticed how shallow and evasive the testimony at the inquest was, and how railroaded the verdict seemed. Despite the hostility of the locals, Professor Heizt is determined to stay and uncover the truth. Soon, he too is dead, but he leaves a message behind.

Now it's time for Bruno's brother Paul Heizt (Richard Pasco) to take up the investigation. After a near-death experience, he forms a bond with Dr. Namaroff's lovely nurse/assistant Carla Hoffman (Barbara Shelley), who has problems of her own. Paul still isn't getting any straight answers, so it's a good thing his mentor, Professor Karl Meister (Christopher Lee) arrives from Leipzig to help.

This minor Hammer film has the advantage of featuring two of horror fans' favorite actors, and makes economical use of a limited number of sets. It has a relatively rare central monster, the gorgon named Megaera (Prudence Hyman), who mixes elements of the sisters of Medusa and the Furies from Greek mythology. Despite last being reported in Greece two millennia before, somehow Megaera manifested in a castle in Van Dorf in the 1850s, killing everyone on site. The castle is now abandoned, and none of the locals go near it. Then the gorgon was quiescent for decades, only starting to kill again about five years ago..for some reason.

The time and place setting of the movie work well, allowing Hammer Studios to use costumes and props that look suitably old-fashioned but would still be inexpensive to obtain in the 1960s.

The suspense builds nicely, even if the romantic subplot feels forced. This is one of those movies where the decision to keep the monster mostly off-stage, only seen in short glimpses or reflections until the ending was a good one. Because the one thing that really falls down is the special effects for the Gorgon itself. Without Ray Harryhausen or another master of effects, or today's computer magic, Megaera is disappointing. Possibly this is why, despite the obvious excuse for the movie to have a sequel, it never did.

Political: The police are negatively portrayed. They throw their weight around with civilians, refuse to go into situations where they might be in actual danger, engage in cover-ups to protect their jobs, and have to be threatened to provide needed background information. There's no police brutality on screen, but it's made pointedly clear they won't stop a mob from attacking outsiders if those outsiders don't stop snooping.
At no time do the police contribute to protecting people from or actively investigating the monster.

The ending is a downer.

Content note: Female nudity from behind. Bruno and his model have been having extramarital sex, and she's pregnant because of that. A surprisingly small amount of gore (I think I got the toned-down American cut.) Early Twentieth Century (mis)treatment of the mentally ill.

Overall: A middling horror film with a good structure, solid performances by the headline actors, and a disappointing monster. If you like Lee, Cushing, Hammer Studios or the more staid kinds of horror movie, this is worth your while. Turn down the lights, get comfy and enjoy the show!

Current Mood: contemplative
Current Location: abandoned castle

The Castle of Fu Manchu (1969) dir. Jesus Franco

Fu Manchu (Christopher Lee) has once again resurfaced. This time he has a plan to extort the nations of the world by freezing the oceans. He demonstrates proof of concept by creating an iceberg in the Caribbean and sinking a ship. Which works, but requires way too much power, burning out the generators in Fu Manchu's lair. He needs a more energy efficient method and a new lair. Perhaps a castle?

As it happens, Fu Manchu has read the work of Professor Heracles (Gustavo Re), who hypothesizes that opium can be used to create crystals that when added to water create instant freezing and expansion. The largest supply of opium near a large body of water is the governor's castle in Anatolia. Fu Manchu's cruel daughter Lin Tang (Tsai Chin) convinces local crimelord Omar Pashu (Jose Manuel Martin) to lend his men to cooperate with the dacoits in taking the castle. Naturally, Fu Manchu shows his gratitude by having Omar's men slaughtered once the castle is taken, sparing only Lisa (Rosalba Neri), Omar's moll, for...later. Experiments begin, with the captured Professor Heracles being coerced to cooperate.

Problem! Professor Heracles has a failing heart; pushing him too hard will simply kill him. Fu Manchu has an answer for that as well. He has cardiologist Dr. Curt Kessler (Gunther Stoll) and beautiful assistant Dr. Ingrid Koch (Maria Perschy) abducted to perform a heart transplant!

Meanwhile, Fu Manchu's nemeses, Sir Denis Nayland Smith (Richard Greene) and Dr. Petrie (Howard Marion-Crawford), are hot on his trail. Nayland Smith will have to team up with Omar Pashu if he wants a chance at infiltrating the castle, but the mob boss has his own agenda.

This was the last of the 1960s Christopher Lee Fu Manchu movies, and the budget well was running dry. This is most obvious in the special effects sequences borrowed from other movies, like A Night to Remember. Mr. Lee's performance is low-energy, not helped by stilted dialogue and heavy makeup. Lin Tang is more energetic and Tsai Chin is enjoying her role, and Lisa is criminally underused.

Dr. Petrie is an old duffer in this version, his romantic lead position taken by Dr. Kessler, who also inexplicably becomes an action hero in the last few minutes.

The plot is confusing, but never boring.

Content note: Fu Manchu is as previously mentioned on this blog a character steeped in the racist Yellow Peril notion, and it really does not help to have him played by a white actor in painful yellowface makeup. The film itself doesn't bother mentioning his race or national origin. The Turkish characters are also stereotypes (notably, the story is allegedly set in the 1920s, but the male characters wear fezzes, which was illegal in that country at the time, because of course Turks wear fezzes.) There's a bit of blood. There's tobacco smoking, but opium is only used to create crystals.

Overall: This isn't a good movie, but an entertainingly bad one. If you can handle the racism, sit down with some popcorn and turn off your brain. Or maybe try the MST3K version.

Current Music: "Blossoms"--The Amazing Devil

Crypt of the Vampire (1964) dir. Camillo Mastrocinque, aka "Terror in the Crypt", original title "La Cripta e l'incubo"

Antiquarian Friedrich Klauss (Jose Campos) has been summoned to Castle Karnstein in Styria by Count Ludwig Karnstein (Christopher Lee). It seems that some two centuries before, one of the Karnstein clan had been accused by the others of practicing blasphemous dark magic. She maintained her innocence, but as she was executed, she pronounced a curse on the family, saying that she would return in the form of one of them, and kill them all. The village of Karnstein fell into ruins over the years, leaving only a mostly intact bell tower that sometimes rings when the wind blows. Recently, a number of the scattered Karnstein clan have been turning up dead in horrific fashion, and the Count's daughter Laura Karnstein (Adriana Ambesi) is worried that she may be the fated murderer.

Laura may have been influenced in this by the mysterious dreams of death she's been having, and her nurse Rowena (Nela Conjiu), who's a dabbler in the occult. Pretty maidservant Annette (Vera Valmont), who's having an affair with the Count, doesn't get on at all with Laura and would be thrilled for an excuse to get rid of her. Friedrich's job will be to search the castle's records and library for clues to the appearance of the original witch which were erased or hidden upon her ignominious death. With luck, they will be able to prove that Laura isn't the reincarnation of the curse.

Friedrich is quickly smitten with Laura (though not to the extent that it interferes with his work), and she's coolly interested. After all, they don't get visitors often at the castle. But a couple of days later, there's a carriage accident nearby. A noblewoman and her daughter were traveling too fast, and it has quite worn out the daughter Ljuba (Ursula Davis). Laura agrees to put Ljuba up at the castle so the mother can rush on. Despite her "delicacy", Ljuba recovers quickly, and proves a charming companion for Laura. Soon the girls are inseparable friends.

But the curse still lurks, and the reappearance of a hunchbacked peddler (Angel Midlin) frightens Laura. She and Rowena need to get to the bottom of this, lest Ljuba become the latest one to die.

This atmospheric quickie is loosely based on the classic Sheridan le Fanu story Carmilla, which will spoil certain details of the ending if you've read it or seen other adaptations.

The limited budget is well spent, and the acting is decent. Christopher Lee as always is intense, and there's smoldering chemistry between the actresses playing the very good friends. One clunker is the dubbing for Ljuba's mother, which makes her sound wooden in a way that should immediately arouse suspicion in the people she's talking to.

Young women wander about in nightgowns (racy for the time period) and there's a couple of bare backs implying that nothing is worn in front in a couple of the scenes. That said, nothing is shown more in the way of physicality than some warm hugs. Oddly enough for a horror movie, the Satan worshiper isn't a villain as such.

Content note: some blood (in black and white), hanging, a severed hand, prejudice against the physically deformed.

Not one of the best Christopher Lee movies, but worth watching if you've exhausted all of those, or have a thing for implied lesbians.

Current Music: "Into the Night" --Yoasobi

Horror Hotel (1960) dir. John Llewellyn Moxey

In 1672 Massachusetts, the tiny town of Whitewood has supposedly been plagued by witches. The townsfolk have chosen Elizabeth Selwyn (Patricia Jessel) as their scapegoat and burn her at the stake. Elizabeth curses the villagers as she is consumed by the flames. Cut to Professor Driscoll (Christopher Lee), describing the events with great enthusiasm to his small college class. Nan Barlow (Venetia Stevenson) is entranced, but her fellow student and boyfriend Bill Maitland (Tom Naylor) is openly contemptuous of the subject matter.

Since New England History is apparently Nan's major, she wants to do her term paper on witchcraft in Colonial times, and use her next break to do some research in the actual area. Professor Driscoll suggests the town of Whitewood, where he happens to know the owner of the local hotel, Raven's Inn. Bill is dubious about this idea, but neither he nor Nan's brother Richard (Dennis Lotis), a science professor, are able to talk her out of it.

When Nan arrives at Whitewood, she takes a room at the Raven's Inn from proprietor Mrs. Newless (Patricia Jessel). The one open business in town is an antique store run by Patricia Russell (Betta St. John), who recently moved back to the area to take care of her blind pastor grandfather. As it happens, the shop has a book on Devil Worship in New England that just so happens to have relevant information. Nan learns more about witchcraft than is healthy.

When they don't hear from Nan in a couple of weeks, Bill and Richard head off to Whitewood to investigate.

This is in fact a British movie filmed under the title The City of the Dead but renamed for the American market. As such, some of the actors have difficulty keeping their American accents on point. And of course there's that ahistorical witch burning.

I suspect many women will recognize Bill and Richard's condescending attitude toward Nan's interests. But while she's right and they're wrong about the validity and importance of her subject matter, Nan would have been better off not going off on her own and ignores a number of red flags.

Fun moment: It turns out Satanists enjoy dancing to jazz music, and not even hot jazz.

Content note: Mute maidservant Lottie is abused by her employer. Actual witches may be upset at being conflated with devil worshippers.

Overall: A movie set in America, but filmed entirely on soundstages in England, with heavy use of shadows and fog, there's a certain amount of "off"-ness that creates an unsettling feeling. Mr. Lee is relatively subdued for most of the movie, but is still a draw here. It's not quite up to the level of a Hammer film, but is a decent watch.