MonsterGirl’s 150 Days of Classic Horror #21 Burnt Offerings 1976

BURNT OFFERINGS 1976

Dan Curtis’s Burnt Offerings (1976) is a sophisticated psychological horror film that subverts traditional haunted house tropes. It stars Karen Black, Oliver Reed, Bette Davis, Lee H. Montgomery, Eileen Heckart, and Burgess Meredith as Roz and Arnold Allardyce, the odd brother and sister who own the mansion.

Burnt Offerings is a morbidly fascinating tale of a family’s summer vacation gone horribly wrong. Karen Black and Oliver Reed star as Marian and Ben Rolf, a couple who rent a massive Victorian mansion for a suspiciously low price. Marian and Ben, along with their son David (Lee H. Montgomery) and Aunt Elizabeth (Bette Davis)—rent the sprawling house for the summer until things take a dark turn. Though the house is too good to be true, there is one catch: The Rolfs must care for Roz and Arnold’s unseen elderly mother, who resides in the attic.

The family soon discovers that their dream home has quirks, like Mrs. Allardyce, the mysterious old lady who never leaves her room, a garden that resurrects itself, and a house with an appetite for human souls.

The real scene-stealer, and the one that made me jump out of my seat in the theater, is the sinister chauffeur, played by Anthony James, who appears in Ben’s nightmares. James, known for his creepy on-screen presence, really gives you a shock to the system in the coffin scene with Bette Davis.

As the house’s sinister influence grows, the Rolfs find themselves in a race against time to escape before they become the latest addition to the property’s unique renovation plan. Burnt Offerings is the perfect example of 70s horror as many of the horror films from that era relied on psychological terror and a pervasive sense of dread rather than graphic violence or supernatural spectacle, though a soul-sucking evil house does have its moments.

Dan Curtis, adept at atmospheric Gothic horror, which includes character-driven supernatural narratives and thoughtful genre adaptations, masterfully builds tension through subtle atmospheric changes and the gradual transformation of the characters, particularly Marian’s growing obsession with the house. The film’s intelligent script, co-written by Curtis and William F. Nolan, delves into the psychological impact of the house on its inhabitants, blurring the lines between reality and supernatural influence.

Burnt Offerings stands out for its nuanced approach to horror, eschewing cheap scares in favor of a pervasive sense of dread. The film’s exploration of how evil can manifest through seemingly benign objects and the corruption of familial bonds is what truly adds a layer of shivers because family dynamics are complex enough when adding a layer of a malevolent force that seeks to destroy them.

Anthony James, with his uniquely imposing face and his topography of scars, delivers a chilling performance as the sinister chauffeur. This recurring apparition that haunts and tortures Ben’s nightmares serves as a harbinger of the house’s malevolent nature. The specter of James’s character becomes a symbol of the inevitable doom that awaits the family as the film explores themes of familial disintegration and the insidious nature of evil, a haunting meditation on the seductive and destructive power of both.

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MonsterGirl’s 150 Days of Classic Horror #20 Blacula 1972 & Scream Blacula Scream 1973

BLACULA 1972

Directed by William Crain and released by American International Pictures (AIP) in 1972, Blacula follows the tragic tale of Mamuwalde (the towering 6’5” figure of thespian William Marshall, a stage actor with a distinguished career in theater, performing in numerous classical stage works, including several Shakespearean plays. Marshall made his Broadway debut in 1944 in Carmen Jones), an African Prince who visits Count Dracula’s ( Charles Macaulay) castle with his beautiful wife Luva (played by Vonetta McGee) to plead for an end to the slave trade in the 18th century afflicting his people, the Abani.

However, the evening’s uneasy meeting quickly turns sour as Dracula scoffs at Mamuwalde’s proposal, baring his metaphorical teeth with a disdainful and haunty attitude toward him and making lewd insinuations about Luva. This confrontation escalates into a physical clash, culminating in Dracula’s transforming Mamuwalde into a vampire and cursing him with the moniker soulfully reimagined from Dracula to Blacula and mocking the prince, christening him, and cursing him with his name.

He condemns him to an eternal existence of bloodlust. Within the framework that is part of the blaxploitation genre, Blacula, on another level, explores themes of racial oppression, identity, and the lasting impact of historical injustices. (I will be talking about this film more extensively in the future.) Dracula imprisons Mamuwalde inside a coffin and leaves Luva to die after she witnesses Dracula feeding on her beloved husband and then entombing her.

Fast forward to 1972, two hundred years later, with a deliciously campy appeal, Blacula introduces us to Bobby McCoy (Ted Harris) and Billy Schaffer (Ricky Metzler), a flamboyant duo of gay interior decorators who embark on a treasure hunt in Transylvania. Their fabulous antiquing outing? To snag the most fabulous gothic relics from the former Castle Dracula at a steal. As they swoon over the macabre decor, the estate’s salesman regales them with spine-tingling tales of the real Count Dracula, but they dismiss his warnings with a flick of their wrists. Back in L.A., amidst their haul of treasures, including Mamuwalde’s coffin, Bobby’s curiosity gets the better of him, and he decides to pry it open, unleashing the undead Blacula. He springs to life, famished for blood, and in a wickedly, kitschy, and humorous scene makes them his first victims, turning Bobby and Billy into his first modern bloodthirsty acolytes.

He becomes enamored with Tina, a woman who resembles Luva, leading to a series of murders as he attempts to reconnect with her. Meanwhile, Dr. Gordon Thomas (Thalmus Rasulala), Tina’s sister’s (Denise Nicholas) boyfriend, is a pathologist who works for the Los Angeles Police Department. Gordon investigates the strange deaths and uncovers the truth about Blacula and the vampirism spreading in the city. The film culminates in tragedy as Blacula ultimately loses Tina and chooses to end his own life, succumbing to sunlight after a series of violent confrontations with the police and his kind.

Blacula features a special guest appearance by Elisha Cook Jr. as Sam, the morgue attendant, and Ketty Lester as a very unfortunate and frightening cabbie who plays one hell of a scary member of the undead!

Picture a vampiric version of hide-and-seek gone hilariously wrong, where Ketty Lester’s Juanita jumps out like an overeager bloodsucking jack-in-the-box, turning Sam’s quiet night shift into an unexpectedly terrifying welcome he never saw coming!

SCREAM BLACULA SCREAM 1973

Directed by Bob Kelljan (who also directed Count Yorga, Vampire 1970 and the sequel Return of Count Yorga 1971), this follow-up was produced by American International Pictures (AIP) and released in 1973. Scream Blacula Scream once again features the resurrection of William Marshall as the elegant Prince of Darkness, Pam Grier as Lisa Fortier, Michael Conrad as Lieutenant Harley Dunlop, Janee Michelle as Gloria, and Barbara Rhoades as Elaine.

The sequel picks up with the death of the voodoo priestess Mama Loa, which ignites a power struggle within her cult. Her arrogant son, Willis Daniels, attempts to resurrect Blacula using voodoo to exact revenge on those who overlooked him for leadership in favor of his stepsister, Lisa Fortier. However, upon resurrecting Mamuwalde, Willis finds himself turned into a vampire and enslaved by the very creature he sought to control. As Blacula resumes his killing spree, he becomes infatuated with Lisa, believing she can help lift his curse through voodoo magic. The film escalates as Justin Carter, Lisa’s boyfriend Justin Carter, played by Don Mitchell. Justin is a former police officer and an African art collector who investigates the murders linked to Blacula while trying to save Lisa from his grasp. The climax sees Lisa attempting to exorcise Blacula using a voodoo doll, leading to an ambiguous ending filled with horror and tragedy as their fates intertwine.

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MonsterGirl’s 150 Days of Classic Horror #19 Beware My Brethren 1972 & When a Stranger Calls 1979

BEWARE MY BRETHREN 1972

Beware My Brethren 1972 (also known as The Fiend) is a ’70s British psychological thriller directed by Robert Hartford-Davis. The film explores themes of religious fanaticism, sexual repression, and murderous obsession.

The story centers around the Wemys family: Birdy Wemys (Ann Todd), A diabetic widow who has become deeply involved with a fundamentalist religious sect called “the Brethren.” Kenny Wemys (Tony Beckley known for his disturbing portrayal of the homicidal psychopath Curt Duncan in When A Stranger Calls 1979), Birdy’s troubled and socially inept son, becomes a serial killer targeting young women he perceives as sinful. Patrick Magee plays the charismatic leader of the Brethren.

Brigitte Lynch (Madeleine Hinde) is a nurse hired to care for Birdy. Paddy Lynch (Suzanna Leigh), who plays Brigitte’s sister, is a journalist who goes undercover to investigate the Brethren.

The film is notable for several unsettling aspects. For one thing, its religious fervor: The Brethren’s intense services, complete with gospel-style music and frenzied baptisms, create an atmosphere of religious hysteria that is almost as disturbing as the killings. The graphic violence exacted by Kenny’s murderous mania and hatred of women is portrayed in brutal detail, with victims being strangled, stripped naked, and disposed of in shocking ways (e.g., dropped from cement mixers, hung on meat hooks, drowning, and crucifixion.

The sexual repression is not only attributed to Kenny’s murderous impulses, which are driven by his disgust at perceived sexual immorality, leading to disturbing scenes of violence against women but by his mother’s own sexual repression and latent lesbian desires. The Minister’s psychological manipulation and control over his followers, particularly Birdy, showcases the dangerous power of cult-like religious groups.

Director Hartford-Davis uses unsettling images, including dream sequences and vivid color contrasts, to create a disorienting and nightmarish atmosphere.

The opening sequence intercuts a religious service with the pursuit and murder of a young woman, set to an incongruously upbeat gospel song that includes lyrics like Wash Me In His Blood. Kenny’s attack on a prostitute, which involves forcing a torch down her throat, is particularly ferocious. Birdy’s lesbian attraction to Paddy leads to her being denied life-saving insulin by the Minister. All these elements, the religious extremism, sexual repression, and violence, make Beware My Brethren a deeply uncomfortable British video nasty.

WHEN A STRANGER CALLS 1979

When a Stranger Calls (1979), directed by Fred Walton, is one of the most chilling psychological thrillers of the late 1970s that has become a cult classic, particularly due to its shocking, nail-biting opening sequence.

Tony Beckley’s performance as Curt Duncan, the psychopathic killer, was notably compelling due to the actor’s low affect and intensity. Beckley portrayed Duncan as a complex character, balancing between a desperate attempt at sanity and terrifying volatility, tearing two young children apart with his bare hands.

Beckley did a masterful job of making his fiend both sympathetic and frightening. Tragically, this was Beckley’s final film role, as he passed away shortly after the movie’s release.

The film’s reception was mixed upon its initial release: Critics praised the opening 20-23 minutes, consistently regarding it as one of the scariest openings in film history. If memory serves me, it made me jump out of my seat in the theater. Despite mixed reviews, the film was commercially successful, grossing between $21.4 to $25 million against a $1.5 million budget.

Director Fred Walton, along with co-writer Steve Feke, based the story on the urban legend of “the babysitter and the man upstairs.” They claimed to have drawn inspiration from a real newspaper article about a babysitter in Santa Monica who received threatening calls from an attacker inside the house. The cast includes Carol Kane as Jill Johnson, the babysitter, Charles Durning as John Clifford, the undaunted detective on Duncan’s trail, and Colleen Dewhurst as Tracy, the barfly to whom Duncan takes an odd shine to.

The film’s narrative structure is unique, essentially combining two short stories with a police procedural middle section. The opening sequence, featuring Kane as the terrorized babysitter, is particularly noteworthy for its escalation of the tension and use of the telephone as a source of horror. Reminiscing of Bob Clark’s Black Christmas 1974, which used the telephone ingeniously. Black Christmas weaponizes it as an instrument of psychological terror, serving as a seminal example of this technique. The film’s masterful use of menacing phone calls transforms a mundane household object into a conduit for fear, creating an atmosphere of inescapable dread.

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MonsterGirl’s 150 Days of Classic Horror #18 The Black Cat 1934 & The Raven 1935

THE BLACK CAT 1934

EDGAR G.ULMER’S: THE BLACK CAT (1934) “ARE WE BOTH NOT"¦ THE LIVING DEAD?”

Edgar G. Ulmer’s The Black Cat (1934) is a psychological horror film that marked the first on-screen pairing of Boris Karloff and Bela Lugosi. Despite its title, the film bears little resemblance to Edgar Allan Poe’s story, instead focusing on the aftermath of World War I and its psychological impact on survivors.

The plot revolves around American newlyweds Peter and Joan Alison (David Manners and Julie Bishop ), who become entangled in a sinister feud between Dr. Vitus Werdegast (Lugosi) and Hjalmar Poelzig (Karloff) while honeymooning in Hungary. Werdegast, a psychiatrist recently freed from a Siberian prison camp, seeks revenge against Poelzig, an Austrian architect who betrayed their fort during the war, leading to thousands of deaths.

The film’s atmosphere is heavy with themes of revenge, psychological trauma, and the lingering effects of war within an ultra-modernist interior set that lends to the psychologically constrictive and repressive interior landscape.

Poelzig’s modernist house, built on the ruins of the betrayed fort, serves as a metaphor for the attempt to cover past atrocities with a veneer of progress, yet it feels like an avant-garde prison.

Ulmer employs expressionistic techniques, including stark sets and unconventional camera angles, to create a pervasive sense of unease. The titular black cat, while not central to the plot, symbolizes death and evil to Karloff (misconceptions that have led to the persecution of cats, particularly black cats), which menacingly affects the ailurophobic Werdegast. The film culminates in a tense game of chess between the two antagonists, deciding the fate of the American couple, and a climactic confrontation involving Satanic rituals and gruesome revenge. The Black Cat stands out among Universal’s horror offerings of the time for its psychological depth and its unflinching look at the dark aftermath of war. Edgar G. Ulmer’s film pushed the boundaries of what was acceptable in cinema at the time, featuring several controversial and disturbing elements that are shocking even by today’s standards.

This pre-code horror film strongly hints at necrophilic themes through Poelzig’s collection of preserved dead women. These bodies are displayed behind glass, lovingly maintained, and dressed in sheer, clingy material. Poelzig’s apparent fascination with these corpses, particularly his wife Karen’s preserved body, suggests a disturbing obsession with the sexualization of the dead.

The climax of the film features an incredibly gruesome scene where Werdegast binds Poelzig to an embalming rack and proceeds to flay him alive. While the actual skinning is not shown directly, Ulmer uses shadow play to depict the horrific act, accompanied by Poelzig’s agonized screams. This scene was so shocking and remarkable that it made it to the screen.

The film culminates in a Black Mass ceremony, where Poelzig prepares to sacrifice Joan to Satan. This depiction of devil worship was highly controversial for its time and added to the film’s overall sense of moral decay and corruption. The Black Cat also touches on other taboo subjects, such as Incest: Poelzig marries his stepdaughter, who shares the same name as his deceased wife.

There’s also the psychological trauma: exploring the lasting effects of war on the human psyche. The film’s ability to pack so many disturbing elements into its brief 65-minute runtime while mostly relying on suggestion rather than explicit depiction is a testament to Ulmer’s skill as a filmmaker. The Black Cat remains a landmark in horror cinema, pushing the boundaries of what could be explored on screen in the pre-code horror of the 1930s.

THE RAVEN 1935

The Raven (1935) is a psychological horror film directed by Lew Landers, one of the few rich collaborations starring Boris Karloff and Bela Lugosi in their second on-screen pairing. Despite its title, the film is only loosely inspired by Edgar Allan Poe’s works, focusing instead on a brilliant but unhinged surgeon’s obsession with torture and a young woman who is the object of his desire.

Dr. Richard Vollin (Lugosi) is a gifted neurosurgeon with a morbid fascination for Poe and torture devices. After saving the life of Jean Thatcher (Irene Ware), a young socialite, he becomes dangerously obsessed with her.

When Jean’s father, Judge Thatcher, forbids Vollin from seeing her, the doctor plots revenge. He recruits Edmond Bateman (Karloff), an escaped convict seeking facial reconstruction, by promising to fix his appearance. Instead, Vollin disfigures half of Bateman’s face to ensure his cooperation.

The facial disfiguration inflicted upon Edmond Bateman (Boris Karloff) by Dr. Vollin (Bela Lugosi) in The Raven (1935) is a gruesome and shocking act of cruelty. Vollin deliberately mutilates one side of Bateman’s face during what was supposed to be reconstructive surgery. The disfiguration is described as severely damaging the seventh cranial nerve, resulting in a grotesque asymmetry. The right side of Bateman’s face is left hideously scarred, with one eye rendered useless and the surrounding tissue distorted. The damage is so severe that when Bateman sees his reflection, he reacts with horror, desperately asking, “Do I look… different?” The audience is treated to a disturbing close-up of Karloff’s face, revealing the extent of the disfiguration – a mass of twisted flesh, a sightless eye, and nerve damage that likely causes partial facial paralysis.

This alarmingly graphic disfiguration serves as a visual representation of Vollin’s sadistic nature and becomes a central element in manipulating Bateman into becoming an unwilling accomplice in his twisted schemes.

Vollin’s basement houses recreations of Poe’s torture devices, including the pendulum from The Pit and the Pendulum. Vollin’s cruel manipulation of Bateman’s appearance is a central plot point.

The Raven culminates in a tense sequence where Vollin attempts to torture and kill Jean, her fiancé Jerry, and Judge Thatcher using his Poe-inspired devices, which consist of putting them in a small space with the walls closing in that will eventually crush them. Bateman, having developed sympathy for Jean, turns against Vollin. In the ensuing struggle, both Bateman and Vollin meet gruesome ends.

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MonsterGirl’s 150 Days of Classic Horror #16 Black Sabbath 1963 & Black Sunday 1960

MonsterGirl’s 150 Days of Classic Horror!

BLACK SABBATH 1963

Mario Bava’s Black Sabbath (1963), originally titled I tre volti della paura (The Three Faces of Fear), is a seminal horror anthology that showcases Bava’s mastery of the genre. Bava’s experience in striking visual realization is evident in cinematographer Ubaldo Terzano’s work on the film.

The film consists of three chilling and distinct tales, each segment introduced by the legendary Boris Karloff. The stories include “The Telephone,” which follows a woman receiving menacing calls from a stalker; “The Wurdulak,” featuring Karloff as a man returning home after killing a vampire-like creature; and “The Drop of Water,” where a nurse is haunted by the corpse of a medium after stealing her ring. Notably, Black Sabbath blends gothic horror with psychological tension, establishing itself as a precursor to the Giallo genre and influencing future filmmakers with its innovative narrative structure and visual style.

The international cast includes Boris Karloff, Michèle Mercier, and Mark Damon. Karloff’s involvement lent significant prestige to the project, and his chilling and moody performance in “The Wurdulak” is particularly mesmerizing.

Bava’s Gothic operatic horror film is a seminal anthology that showcases the director’s virtuosity. It demonstrates his masterful use of color and affinity for painting the interplay between illumination and shadow, shaping a compelling visual chiaroscuro and striking palette. Bava understands how to craft a sense of unease and foreboding through atmospheric tableaux, establishing a trend that would consistently pay homage to his expertise. His ability to construct haunting scenes through the strategic use of light and darkness kicked off a movement in horror cinema, with filmmakers continually bowing to his sophisticated command of the genre’s visual language. In the original Italian version, the order of the segments is as follows: The Telephone, The Wurdulak, and The Drop of Water. AIP rearranged segments for the American release, altering Mario Bava’s original intended sequence. Below is the American order of segments.

The Drop of Water:

This eerie tale follows Nurse Helen Corey (Jacqueline Pierreux), who steals a ring from a deceased medium’s corpse. The segment is notable for its haunting atmosphere, created through Bava’s use of vivid colors and unsettling sound design. The dripping water and the grotesque makeup of the medium’s corpse, particularly of her twisted face, is a standout element crafted by Mario Bava’s father, Eugenio Bava. This makeup that breaks through the surreal color scheme creates a terrifying effect, with the witch’s grotesque appearance being a highlight of the segment.

Bava’s background as a cinematographer is evident throughout the film. He employs a rich color palette, particularly in “The Drop of Water,” using bold blues and greens to create a surreal, nightmarish quality. The film’s visual style is characterized by its use of lighting to create shadows and depth, enhancing the eerie atmosphere.

The Telephone:

In the original Italian version, this segment features Michèle Mercier as Rosy, a woman terrorized by threatening phone calls from a menacing phantom voice. The story involves themes of lesbianism and prostitution, which were removed in the American release. The American version added a supernatural element, significantly altering the plot.

The Wurdulak:

The Wurdulak segment in Bava’s Black Sabbath is based on the novella “The Family of the Vourdalak” by Aleksey Konstantinovich Tolstoy. Tolstoy wrote this gothic story in 1839 in French, with the original title La Famille du Vourdalak.

The longest segment stars Boris Karloff as Gorca, a man who returns to his family after hunting a Wurdulak, an undead creature that feeds on the blood of loved ones. Mark Damon plays Vladimir, a young man who becomes entangled with the family’s fate.

Les Baxter was the composer for the American version, and Roberto Nicolosi scored the original Italian version.

The film was shot over an eight-week period in early 1963. American International Pictures was involved in the production, leading to changes in the film to make it more palatable for American audiences

BLACK SUNDAY 1960

BRIDES OF HORROR – Scream Queens of the 1960s! – Part 4: The Dark Goddess-This Dark Mirror

Mario Bava’s Black Sunday (1960), originally titled La maschera del demonio (The Mask of the Demon), is a landmark Italian gothic horror film that marked Bava’s official directorial debut. He was also responsible for the dramatic cinematography. The film, loosely based on Nikolai Gogol’s short story “Viy,” tells the tale of a witch who is executed in 17th-century Moldavia, only to return two centuries later seeking revenge on her brother’s descendants.

Starring Barbara Steele in a dual role, Black Sunday features striking black-and-white cinematography and innovative visual techniques that establish Bava as a master of the horror genre. The film’s plot revolves around Princess Asa Vajda, who is condemned to death for witchcraft but vows vengeance before her execution by being burned at the stake. Two hundred years later, she rises from the grave to possess her lookalike descendant and exact her revenge.

Asa Vajda’s body is discovered in a crypt by Dr. Choma Kruvajan (Andrea Checchiand) and his assistant, Dr. Andrej Gorobec (John Richardson- Tumak in One Million Years B.C. 1966). While examining her corpse, Kruvajan accidentally breaks the glass panel covering her face and cuts his hand. His blood drips onto Asa’s body, which initiates her reanimation. The process of reanimation is gradual and a stunning moment in classic horror. Asa uses her supernatural powers to contact her lover Javutich (Arturo Dominici) telepathically, who then rises from his grave. Javutich, wearing the spiked death mask, emerges as a terrifying figure clawing his way up from the ground. He serves as Asa’s accomplice in her quest for revenge against her brother’s descendants.

Black Sunday is renowned for its atmospheric visuals, including chiaroscuro lighting, expressionistic set design, and grotesque makeup effects. The film’s most iconic scene involves the gruesome execution method where a spiked “Mask of Satan” is hammered onto Asa Vajdas’s face.

Upon its release, Black Sunday achieved significant success, particularly in the United States, where it became American International Pictures’ highest-grossing film in its first five years. The film’s popularity helped launch Barbara Steele’s career as a horror icon and influenced the Italian horror genre for years to come.

Today, Black Sunday is considered a classic of gothic horror, praised for its visual style, creepy atmosphere, and role in pioneering the approach that would define Italian horror cinema. It is also considered to be one of the greatest horror films ever made.

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MonsterGirl’s 150 Days of Classic Horror #15 Black Christmas 1974

MonsterGirl’s 150 Days of Classic Horror!

BLACK CHRISTMAS 1974

The Dark Side of Christmas: Exploring Bob Clark’s Pioneering Slasher Black Christmas 1974

Bob Clark’s Black Christmas (1974) is a seminal proto-slasher film that laid the groundwork for the genre. It stars Olivia Hussey, Keir Dullea, Margot Kidder, and John Saxon. The film follows a group of sorority sisters who are terrorized by an unknown obscene caller/killer during the Christmas season. It has a ring of urban legend that gives a nod to ‘the killer’s inside the house’ trope. Clark’s direction creates a chilling atmosphere through the innovative use of POV shots and claustrophobic settings within the sorority house as ‘dirty Billy’ stalks his prey.

The film’s most unsettling scenes include the disturbing phone calls from the unseen maniac, whose unhinged rants are masterfully performed by Nick Mancuso and Clark himself (uncredited). Hussey’s portrayal of Jess, a strong-willed protagonist dealing with a personal crisis, adds depth to the typical “final girl” trope. Black Christmas can absolutely be seen through a feminist lens as the empowered Jess (Olivia Hussey) takes command of her own body without the influence of her manipulative and controlling boyfriend, Keir Dullea.

Kidder’s performance as the sharp-tongued Barb provides comic relief that contrasts sharply with the mounting tension. The film’s climax, set in the house’s shadowy basement, is a masterclass in suspense, with Jess confronting both the killer and her boyfriend Peter (Dullea), leaving the audience guessing until the end. Clark’s decision to leave the killer’s identity and motives ambiguous adds to the film’s enduring mystery and psychological impact.

Before John Carpenter’s Halloween in 1978, Black Christmas distinguishes itself with its nuanced approach to horror, merging realistic characters with an unsettling, almost surreal, claustrophobic atmosphere of dread. Clark’s masterpiece has had a profound influence on the genre and the countless slasher films that followed.

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MonsterGirl’s 150 Days of Classic Horror #14 The Bell from Hell 1973

THE BELL FROM HELL 1973

The Bell from Hell (1973) is a surreal Spanish-French psychological horror film directed by Claudio Guerin Hill, with post-production supervised by Juan Antonio Bardem after Hill’s tragic death on the final day of shooting. The film stars Renaud Verley as Juan, Viveca Lindfors as Aunt Marta, and Maribel Martín as cousin Esther. Swedish-born actress Lindfors is well known for roles including Queen Margaret opposite Errol Flynn in The Adventures of Duan Juan 1948, starring in Night Unto Night in 1949 directed by third husband director Don Siegel, in Dark City 1950, and for her role in the segment Father’s Day of 1982’s Creepshow.

Set in a small Spanish town, the story follows Juan, a young man recently released from a psychiatric facility, as he seeks revenge against his aunt and cousins who had him committed in order to steal his inheritance. The film explores themes of madness, revenge, and family corruption, blending dark comedy with shocking violence.

Hill’s direction emphasizes a Gothic atmosphere through Chiaroscuro lighting in abandoned houses and eerie village settings, surreal juxtapositions of beauty and horror, and unsettling close-ups of Verley’s enigmatic expressions. There are also graphic depictions of slaughterhouse brutality.

Uniquely disturbing, it stands out for its bizarre and unsettling scenes: Juan’s elaborate, cruel pranks on townspeople; A disturbing sequence in a real slaughterhouse; the use of bees as a weapon against his aunt; and a climactic scene involving cousins tied up in a makeshift torture chamber.

As a cult classic of European horror, the film is notable for blending arthouse sensibilities with exploitation elements. The production of The Bell from Hell is marked by the director’s death on the last day of filming, either from a fall or a jump from the bell tower featured in the film. This tragic event adds an eerie layer to the film’s already unsettling atmosphere. It remains a unique and disturbing entry in 1970s Euro-exploitation, combining psychological depth with shocking imagery and a darkly sardonic sensibility.

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MonsterGirl’s 150 Days of Classic Horror #13 Before I Hang (1940) / The Man They Could Not Hang (1939)

MonsterGirl’s 150 Days of Classic Horror!

BEFORE I HANG 1940

This medical science gone wrong horror thriller directed by Nick Grinde stars the incomparable Boris Karloff, who plays the kindly and sympathetic character of Dr. John Garth, a physician seeking a serum that will fend off the aging process. Garth is placed on death row for conducting a mercy killing but is permitted to pursue his experiments with his serum on the other inmates’ blood while secretly testing it on himself. His colleague, Dr. Ralph Howard (Edward Van Sloan), helps with his research. Dracula, Frankenstein, The Mummy, Dracula’s Daughter 1936). They inject Garth with the experimental serum taken from one of the executed murderers, a man who was criminally insane. Though Garth murders his colleague and a prison trustee, he manages to fool them into giving him a pardon for his work as a humanitarian. Dr. Garth emerges as a Jekyll and Hyde personality, becoming a homicidal killer. One of the best early chillers utilizing the very morbid yet enthralling idea that blood has its own consciousness. This concept will be used in films later on down the road, acting on the same premise that the human body, blood tissue, and bone retain the memory of the criminal whose body they belonged to—pulsing with a life force unique to that singular identity.

B-movie queen Evelyn Keyes plays Garth’s daughter Martha. Don Beddoe is Capt. McGraw and Bruce Bennett (Mildred Pierce 1945 Dark Passage 1947) plays Dr. Paul Ames.

THE MAN THEY COULD NOT HANG 1939

Boris Karloff is Dr. Henryk Savaard, a scientist working in the field of medicine who is searching for a means to prolong life. His experiments employ a mechanical heart to revive his subjects after they’ve been pronounced technically dead. Medical student Bob Roberts (Stanley Brown) volunteers to be the first subject of Dr. Savaard’s experiment. Savaard’s nurse, Betty Crawford (Ann Doran) Penny Serenade 1941, The Strange Love of Martha Ivers 1946), is frantic about her boyfriend Bob submitting to this and calls the police. They arrest Dr. Savaard for killing his assistant, and he goes to trial.

Dr. Savaard tries desperately to explain his altruistic intentions to the jury, but he is found guilty and sentenced to hang. Savaard has instructed his assistant Lang (Byron Foulger) to bring him back from the dead using his methods with the mechanical heart. Soon after, mysteriously, six members of the jury who have convicted Dr. Savaard wind up committing suicide by hanging themselves. The other six jurors, the judge, prosecutor, police inspector, and nurse Crawford are invited to Savaard’s house so that he can exact his revenge!

Lorna Gray plays Savaard’s daughter, Janet; Charles Trowbridge plays Judge Bowman; and Don Beddoe plays Police Lt. Shane—one of Karloff’s great sympathetic scientist thrillers with wonderful atmospherics in this other Nick Grinde B-movie classic.

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MonsterGirl’s 150 Days of Classic Horror #12 Bedlam (1946) & The Body Snatcher (1945)

MonsterGirl’s 150 Days of Classic Horror!

BEDLAM (1946)

A Symphony of Dark Patches- The Val Lewton Legacy 1943

Val Lewton’s visually haunting condemnation of mental asylums. Mark Robson directs Boris Karloff in perhaps one of his most vicious roles as the sadistic Master George Sims. Challenged by Mistress Bowen (Anna Lee) for his cruelty and inhumane treatment of the inmates, Sims orchestrates her confinement to Bedlam as she tries to reform the horrible conditions of the place. Stunning and brutal, Bedlam is the most savage story in the Lewton canon. It is a wonderful appearance by character actor Ian Wolfe, who always brings a bit of perspicuity to any film.

Bedlam(1946), as one of Val Lewton’s extraordinary visually poetic psychological horror films in his collection for RKO Pictures, is perhaps one his darkest poems. Val Lewton, known for his stylish horror B-films, co-wrote the screenplay under the pseudonym Carlos Keith, maintaining his approach to horror with a focus on psychological tension and suggestive shadows rather than overt supernatural elements.

The film, which would be the last collaboration with Boris Karloff and his final film for RKO, with the great actor commanding the screen with a deranged subtlety as Master George Sims, the cruel apothecary general of St. Mary’s of Bethlehem Asylum, and Anna Lee as Nell Bowen, a spirited reformer who seeks to improve the conditions for the asylum’s inmates, and the mistreatment of mental health patients in the 18th century.

Set in 1761 London, the film was inspired by William Hogarth’s painting series “A Rake’s Progress,” with Hogarth receiving a writing credit. The story follows Nell Bowen’s efforts to reform the notorious asylum, leading to her own commitment by the sadistic Sims.

Bedlam features several dramatic scenes that highlight the cruelty of the asylum and the tension between Nell Bowen and Master Sims. One of the most shocking scenes involves the “gilded boy,” where a young inmate painted in toxic gold performs for Lord Mortimer’s (Billy House) party, only to collapse and die from the poisonous paint while the callous partygoers and wealthy patrons revel in the spectacle of the poor boy’s suffering.

This scene vividly illustrates the callousness of Sims and the wealthy patrons towards the inmates’ suffering.

The cinematography by Nicholas Musuraca contributes significantly to the film’s atmospheric quality, employing chiaroscuro lighting techniques typical of Lewton productions. The set design, utilizing the church set from The Bells of St. Mary’s (1945), adds to the film’s gothic ambiance.

THE BODY SNATCHER 1945

The Body Snatcher (1945) is a chilling horror film directed by Robert Wise and produced by Val Lewton. Boris is set in 1831 Edinburgh. Karloff gives a tour de force performance as John Gray, a sinister cabman who moonlights as a grave robber and murderer—Karloff’s nuanced portrayal.

The film also features the sophisticated Henry Daniell with his concrete chiseled austere face as Dr. MacFarlane, a physician tormented by his past and Gray’s machinations to make money any way he can. Beloved Bela Lugosi appears in the film as Joseph, a blackmailing servant, and is a notably small role, marking the last on-screen collaboration between the two horror legends.

The story, based on Robert Louis Stevenson’s work, follows Gray’s increasingly disturbing methods of procuring cadavers for Dr. MacFarlane’s medical school, leading to a psychological battle between the two men that culminates in a haunting climax.

Some key scenes include the murder of the young street singer, which highlights Gray’s ruthlessness. Gray’s tormenting of Dr. MacFarlane in the pub, revealing their complex history, and the chilling carriage ride finale, where MacFarlane hallucinates Gray’s corpse coming to life. Robert Wise’s direction and Lewton’s emphasis on the pyshcological terror rather than explicit horror fix this in his legacy as a stunning masterpiece.

The film explores the ethical dilemma faced by medical schools in the 1830s when legal cadavers were scarce. This shortage led to a grim trade in illegally obtained bodies by graverobbing – blurring the lines between scientific progress and criminal activity. The story draws inspiration from the real-life Burke and Hare murders of 1828 which also adds a layer of authenticity to the narrative.

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MonsterGirl’s 150 Days of Classic Horror! #11 La Belle et la Bête ‘Beauty and the Beast’ (1946)

MonsterGirl’s 150 Days of Classic Horror!

La Belle et la Bête ‘Beauty and the Beast’ (1946)

Writer/Director Jean Cocteau’s magnificent & visually surreal odyssey, thanks in part to the stunning cinematography by Henri Alekan.

It stars Jean Marais as the enigmatic Beast who falls in love with the beautiful Belle (Josette Day), who has come to his hidden castle in order to take her father’s place as his prisoner. The Beast is enraptured by Belle and wishes to marry her. At first, horrified by the presence of this mysterious creature, she grows to care deeply for him. This film presents some of the most intoxicating imagery you’ll ever see. And like Belle… I found the Beast far more attractive than the Prince (also portrayed by Marais!)

Jean Cocteau’s La Belle et la Bête: Beauty and the Beast (1946) is renowned for its stunning design elements, which blend surrealism, gothic romance, and poetic imagery to create a magical, dreamlike landscape. The film’s visual style is a testament to Cocteau’s artistic sensibilities and his collaboration with key talents like cinematographer Henri Alekan and set designer Christian Bérard.

Henri Alekan’s black-and-white cinematography transforms everyday objects into elements of fantasy. Smoke, fog, and shimmering light create an ethereal quality that blurs the line between reality and imagination, and Cocteau’s use of mirrors as portals to other worlds reflects his fascination with transformation and duality, a recurring theme in his work.

The Beast’s castle is a hauntingly beautiful space inspired by Gustave Doré’s engravings. It features long shadowy hallways, billowing white curtains, and disembodied arms holding candelabras—an iconic touch that evokes both wonder and unease.

Belle’s family home contrasts sharply with the castle, drawing inspiration from Jan Vermeer’s paintings. The farmhouse scenes are grounded in realism, emphasizing Belle’s humble life before entering the fantastical world of the Beast.

The elaborate costumes by Christian Bérard and Marcel Escoffier enhance the fairytale aesthetic. Belle’s flowing gowns contrast with the Beast’s intricate lion-like makeup, which took hours to apply.

René Clément worked as a technical advisor, and Hagop Arakelian was responsible for designing the regal Beast make-up. The Beast’s design is both majestic and, while presented as a visage that is supposed to be grotesque, embodying his internal struggle between humanity and monstrosity. I find him most regal and beautiful in his sympathetic vulnerability. As a cat worshipper, I could never find a feline visage grotesque, even when they throw up in my shoes!

La Belle et la Bête incorporates symbolic objects like the rose, mirror, key, horse, and glove, each tied to the narrative’s themes of love, transformation, and power. The Gothic elements of the castle—such as living statues with moving eyes—heighten the sense of enchantment while maintaining a gorgeous yet eerie undertone.

The film masterfully juxtaposes Belle’s mundane world with the Gothic opulence of the Beast’s realm, emphasizing duality, metamorphosis, and redemption. This symmetry reflects Belle’s journey from innocence to self-awareness as she navigates between two contrasting worlds. Cocteau’s film is more than a fairy tale; it is visual poetry brought to life and, well… a thing of beauty!

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