Halloween Endurance Test: Horror of Dracula (1958)

Horror of Dracula was the second film in Hammer Films’ much celebrated original trilogy of horrors. Curse of Frankenstein had made both Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee into stars, so they return in another haunting literary classic. (And by the point the Mummy came out, Hammer Studios was now the star.) Of course, by “literary” I mean inspired by the classic, perhaps based off of, not so much an adaptation. Don’t let this deter you though, since, as I discussed with Universal’s version of Dracula, Bram Stoker’s original tale is a mess. Written all the past tense, with the reporting characters hardly ever actively participating in the action being described. Hammer does its best to fix this here.

First off, Stoker’s obsessive use of the past tense. This amazingly gets used in the film, courtesy of voiceover work by the principals. Giving the film that “Hey, we have read the book!” quality while still keeping the action present. Also, it allows for background information to be given to the audience without having to rely on the old “let’s sit around the library and read vampire books” exposition scenes

Also, in a nice nod to its literary forebears, Horror of Dracula includes all the media used to tell the tale in the book. Van Helsing (Peter Cushing) uses an early phonograph to learn about vampires. Jonathan Harker (John Van Eyssen) leaves behind a diary to tell his tale posthumously.

We first meet Jonathan Harker, are welcomed into the castle with him, and learn he’s on a secret mission to kill Count Dracula (Christopher Lee). No boring introduction scene with Harker being assigned his job from some higher-up. Harker already has the job, we play catch-up, and continue on his mission. A pacing technique that would sadly be ignored by most in the genre.

Another change Hammer instituted was in the architecture of Dracula’s castle. Gone are Universal’s ceiling to floor cobwebs and swirling dust mists. Hammer’s Dracula clearly has a maid service on call, and, being a Count and all, has no problem living up to his title.

The most immediate thing noticeable in the film though is the use of sound. Given the voice-over narrative work, there’s hardly any speaking. When Harker commences on his mission, Dracula’s bride howls when she’s staked, waking the Count up. It’s still daytime however, so the Count is powerless to protect himself. Lee does a brilliant job of portraying this vulnerability through his eyes, as well as the following predatory instinct when the sun finally goes down. Not a word is said, ‘cuz the eyes say it all…

This theme of “action over audio” carries on throughout the entire film. Even when Dracula invades London, an otherwise bustling metropolis, hardly anything is heard but John Hollingsworth’s score. That and invectives directed toward Van Helsing, a man who’s much less beloved then in Universal’s version.

While I still love Bela Lugosi as the Count, Peter Cushing is clearly the superior Van Helsing. While Edward Van Sloan’s interpretation certainly seemed more intelligent, more book-learned, Cushing looks better prepared to act on his knowledge. A good doctor who’s equally ready to fight or write.

Van Helsing’s also quite bright. Explaining a chain of events that are vital to the story, but never integrated well. Everyone knows that Dracula starts hunting Lucy Holmwood after he arrives in London. Why Lucy, friend of Jonathan Harker, is never explained though. A strange coincidence considering how large a city London is.

Here Dracula’s pick is motivated by revenge. Jonathan murdered Dracula’s bride back at the castle, so Dracula murders both Harker and his bride-to-be. And yes, I know that Harker didn’t kill any of Dracula’s brides in the book, nor was he Lucy’s fiance. Just some of the changes needed to be made to Stoker’s classic to make it less cumbersome.

A philosophy which would form the basis behind Hammer’s horror movies. Using the stock literary characters, and just varying the surrounding situations enough to keep the public interested. Eventually taking it so far, in 1973′s the Satanic Rites of Dracula, that Dracula finds himself as the villain in a spy thriller! (Unfortunately, it sounds more interesting than it plays.)

Halloween Endurance Test: the Whip and the Body (1963)

It’s amazing how powerful a film’s score can be. In the best cases, a great score can make a film. After all, no one can deny how instrumental (pun intended!) John Williams’ score was to Star Wars’ success. Unfortunately, things don’t always work out that way.

15 minutes into Mario Bava’s the Whip and the Body, and wayward son Kurt Menliff (Christopher Lee) is ahem… whipping his ex-girlfriend Nevenka (Daliah Lavi) on the beach. You’d think this would be cause for cheers, as the Whip and the Body is often credited as introducing the S&M subculture into cinema. Instead, though, you’ll just get hung up on Carlo Rustichelli’s overly romantic theme. One better suited for star-crossed lovers rather than public displays of domestic violence.

Video Watchdog's Tim Lucas says this may be one of the best introductions in film, and he may just be right!

While the score’s a hard sell if you’re in the mood for straight-up horror, it does suit the movie perfectly. This is one of those “sleeper” films that doesn’t immediately grab you with awesome visuals of the Blank cutting up model girls; thereby setting the standard for giallos everywhere. Instead it’s a slow build of resentment and bitterness in the Menliff family until it all boils over.

Kurt is the black sheep of this noble family; estranged after leaving for years to terrorize the countryside. He returns to make peace with his dying father, a man who refuses to believe his eldest has changed, and rekindles the notably kinky relationship he once had with Nevenka; who’s now his brother’s wife.

Don't be too weirded out, they start making out immediately afterwards.

Leaving no one surprised when the family servant wakes up to find Kurt dead in his room. No, it’s after Kurt’s ghost starts haunting the estate that the real surprises start.

And it’s a good thing too, as with Christopher Lee out of the picture, the supporting cast would’ve been extremely thin. Kurt’s younger brother, Christian (Tony Kendall) acts so wooden that each of his scenes plays as an endurance test in its own right.

(Though this may be a case of extremely poor dubbing; another trademark of Italian cinema, along with Bava’s beautiful compositions. As Nevenka’s dialogue can also be grating on the ears, which just makes for too much ugliness in an otherwise gorgeous film. Christopher Lee, so horrified by the dubbing given to him, actually made a point in all his later contracts that his voice would be the only one doing the English dubs.)

Kurt’s death brings about an intermission that perfectly bisects the film. Part I is all about Italy’s most troubled family. Kurt loves Nevenka, and Nevenka loves Kurt, but Nevenka is already set to marry Kurt’s brother, Christian. Christian, naturally, has his own ex in the wings, Katya, mussing up his desires.

Leading to the intermission which then transforms the film into a mystery. Three characters remain, all of whom have some kind of issue with the deceased Kurt. I won’t give anything away, but the ending makes you wonder whether this should be considered a “possession” film instead of a “haunting” one; which is a good ending to either type.

Halloween Endurance Test: Howling II: Your Sister is a Werewolf (1985)

The Howling is famous for updating the werewolf film. Back in the day, werewolf transformations were effected onscreen through time-lapse photography and pasting fur onto the actor’s face. Never convincing, the end result always ended up looking like Lon Chaney with fur pasted on his face. The eighties however, brought an advance to special effect technology: air bladders.

By placing a air bladder under layers of fake skin, one could create a (semi) realistic change to an actor’s musculature in realtime. An effect that was quite impressive at the time. The script was unusual too in that it updated the werewolf legend into modern times. Though it largely takes part in a secluded retreat, the film’s tone is straight seedy NYC of the early 80s. The film was dark, dirty, and depressing (involving, as it did, a story centered around sexual assault).

Sadly, it takes all of 10 minutes for the the werewolf from the original movie to bite it.

The Howling was so successful that a sequel was quickly made. Howling II: Your Sister Is a Werewolf hoped lightning would strike twice by again changing the backdrop. Forests are out, XXX-rated Times Square is out, sunny Los Angeles is in! Needless to say, this film was no where near as successful as its predecessor.

(It is rumored that Howling II star Christopher Lee apologized for appearing in it to (director of the Howling) Joe Dante when they met when working on Gremlins II: the New Batch.)

I imagine they hoped Christopher Lee would lend the film a aura of respectability; imbuing the film with a bit of his Hammer films stateliness. Unfortunately, he opens the film with a Criswell-esque monologue about whorish werewolves while standing in front of a star-field! I hope he made sure to cash his check before appearing in this.

The looniness doesn’t end there, as brightness is the order of the day here. Werewolves attack in broad daylight, so that every crappy aspect of their crappier make-up job will be on full display. Plus everyone is wearing that irritating “new wave” look Hollywood used for all punk rockers in their movies/TV shows. The strange asymmetrical haircuts, skinny ties, and sunglasses with thin, angular lenses.

The world's first were-hobo! (Ferdinand Mayne)

Lee plays elder statesman Stefan, a werewolf hunter/expert. He teaches us that a.) some werewolves are immune to silver, but vulnerable to titanium(!), and b.) there’s a Queen Werewolf named Stirba (Sybil Danning) who’s causing all other werewolves to lose control. Stefan decides quite early on that he’s going to end the werewolf menace, thus casting the film’s main characters Jenny (Annie McEnroe) and Ben (Reb Brown) in a purely nominal position straight off.

(While Stefan’s clearly the knowledgable elder statesman, not all his ideas are winners. Such as his idea of having the characters stay in touch with each other via puppet show! That’s right, they communicate through a puppet show! Remember this important fact the next time your parents talk about life before cell phones…)

Stirba quickly becomes the focus of the film; regaining her youth during a backwards-Bathory sequence. Where a young maiden is bathed in blood, and then has her life-force drained out of her. Leaving nothing but a dried-out, skeletal husk. She also shoots electricity through her fingertips, dresses poorly, and howls so loud that it causes eyes to explode!

Other than that though, Stirba doesn’t do much to make her a menace. She just waits for Stefan in her Transylvanian castle, having sex with Vlad, her were-servant.

Stefan finally arrives, and we learn that he’s Stirba’s brother. They obvious have a very unhealthy relationship, as all he can think about is killing her, while she’s obsessed with being with him. Which is scary in a gross, incestuous way. They reunite, he stabs her with a titanium dagger, and she sets him aflame.

Halloween Endurance Test: the Mummy (1959)

Wow. It’s amazing what a different studio can do with an otherwise stale script. Hammer Film’s the Mummy has completely washed the taste of Universal’s Mummy out of my mind. Seeing the success of Hammer’s the the Curse of Frankenstein and the Horror of Dracula, Universal wisely decided to give Hammer films its old scripts for the remake treatment.

The movie’s only just begun and already we’ve had an archeologist, Stephen Banning, sacrifice his son, John, (Peter Cushing) to a lifetime spent with a gimp leg and angered a Egyptian cult! Egyptians who, thanks to an easing of racial discrimination, actually look Egyptian!

“Mr. Banning! You would do well to remember the ancient saying, ‘He who robs the graves of Egypt dies.”

Not to mention the sets and costumes! While I personally have no way of knowing if the set does, in fact, look like Egypt, I do know it does, in fact, look like the Egypt portrayed in Raiders of the Lost Ark. This same sort of comforting movie logic dwells behind the costumes too. As if Steven Spielberg bought all the extras from Revolt of the Zombies (pith helmets and all) and relocated them to his archeological fantasy.

Cosmetics aside, Hammer’s version of the Mummy’s tale is pretty similar to Universal’s. A tomb is desecrated, and Kharis is revived to reap revenge. Pacing is the biggest difference here, as Universal used numerous flashbacks to tell the backstory, where Hammer just has the head priest drop bits and pieces of it into his incantations.

Mummies rising from a watery grave = frightening. The same cannot be said, however, for when the Mummy breaks into a sanitarium to strangle his first victim. The padded room’s bright lights effectively mute all the menace out the Mummy; making him look like a clumsy, muddy ninja.

Of course, with Christopher Lee wearing the Mummy’s rags, it’s a 6 and a half foot tall muddy ninja! So tall when standing flat-footed that the Mummy’s one-armed chokehold is totally believable, just because he towers above the rest of the cast anyway.

(Lee’s stature playing a big (pun intended) part in his becoming Hammer’s iconic movie monster man. Lee’s transformation into Frankenstein’s “Creature” in the Curse of Frankenstein was believable because his natural height was already so unusual.)

Kharis kills off the two of his three archeological victims easily, but is seen by John while killing his father, Stephen. Leaving John of Princess Ananka’s tomb to wondering who the mystery, rag-wearing assailant was, and why was he impervious to bullets?

An interesting question considering the monster in this film. Normally a monster’s weakness is as common knowledge as their strengths. Vampires are vulnerable to stakes through the heart, sunlight, holy water, running water, garlic, and crucifixes. Frankenstein’s monster’s biggest weakness is its own piecemeal construction; with it usually being burnt or clumsily falling to its death.

Leaving viewers to wonder, how does one kill a mummy?

Every film should have a Mummy versus shotgun scene. Even if the shotgun is as ineffective on Kharis as the poker that next gets jabbed through him.

Luckily John’s wife, Isobel (Yvonne Furneaux), looks exactly like Ananka (surprising since one would think Ananka would look more Egyptian, having been a Egyptian princess, rather than European), and is able to fool Kharis into murdering his master and slowly walking into a swampland ambush.

Where John Banning’s lone shotgun failed, a police battalion of shotguns succeeds; sending Kharis back to his watery grave.

Halloween Endurance Test: the Curse of Frankenstein (1957)

The Curse of Frankenstein is one of the most important films in the Frankenstein canon, if not, the most important one.  While Universal’s Dracula opened the door for horror films, and Frankenstein showed that horror films could also be as technically proficient as any other genre, it was Hammer Films’ the Curse of Frankenstein that opened up Mary Shelley’s domain for everyone else.  Assured by their lawyers that Shelley’s story (now in the public domain) was an actual, viable resource, Hammer made their own take on the tale.  Legally, Hammer just had to make sure their version of Frankenstein’s monster looked nothing like Karloff’s interpretation.

Even the stories are vastly different.  Universal’s Frankenstein was a well respected member of the community. a status completely at odds with his passion for grave-robbing.  (Not to mention the Edgar Van Sloan disclaimer that precedes the film, warning moviegoers of the ghastliness they’re about to see.)  When we initially meet Baron von Frankenstein (Peter Cushing), he’s already in jail, and threatening to strangle a priest!  My how standards can change in 20 years!

Here Victor is orphaned at a young age, and quickly becomes an enfant terrible.  He ushers his aunt out of the house, promising to keep her on the allowance his mother was providing her.  His literary love interest Elisabeth is actually his cousin here, and is removed from view just as quickly.  His aunt briefly noting that, “she’ll [Elisabeth] make a fine wife for someone someday,” before the door is slammed shut.  Absolutely no interest.

Victor has one interest, and that’s science.  He hires a science tutor, Paul, and learns all he has to offer in just two years.  Keeping Paul on salary afterwards as an assistant/voice of reason/love interest.  This would be total pedophile material if not for the fact that it’s Victor who’s clearly wearing the pants.  (Granted, nowadays it’d still be pedophilia, but back then, it the days of rigid social/class hierarchy, who knows?  There’s clearly no teacher’s union for Paul to fall on for support.)

Paul goes along with Victor through most of his experiments until classism again rears its ugly head.  Paul is fine helping Victor bring a dog back to life, rob a bandit’s grave, and endeavor to create life.  It’s not until Victor robs a sculptor’s grave that Paul feels their experiments have gone too far.

“Mutilating?  I’ve removed his brain; mutilating has nothing to do with it.”

Sensing this testosterone overload, and the questionable glances it’d bring out of movie-goers, Hammer brings Elisabeth back into the fold.  Her mother’s dead, she now has no place to live, and she’s engaged to Victor.  Who, we learn, has been seeing Justine, his maid, on the side.  These Europeans and their pansexualism!

Creating a love triangle between Victor, Paul, and Elisabeth.  A two-sided love triangle, as Victor still shows no interest in Elisabeth.  Making one wonder why she was even included in the script besides as being a tie-back to the novel.  Interesting as even “the Creature” (Christopher Lee) plays second-string to Victor!

(An important distinction here is that Christopher Lee is always referred to as “the Creature.”  Frankenstein’s creation having been called “the Monster” by Universal, the M-word was thus off limits in this film.)

Book nerds/academics will rejoice in the fact that the Curse of Frankenstein is assuredly Victor’s show.  No one watching the film will have any interest in the Creature.  Since, even after the monster is alive, no attention is paid to it.  In fact, it’s killed one scene later!  The movie’s final act’s sole focus being how Victor will give life back to it.

This film was a huge hit for Hammer, leading the studio to remake other Universal franchises (Dracula, the Mummy, etc…), as well as numerous sequels. It also made Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee into huge stars; quickly establishing themselves as stars in Britain’s new wave of horror.