A Trailer a Day Keeps the Boogeyman Away! Halloween A-Z

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The Nightcomers 1971

The Nightcomers is an elegant Gothic 1971 British film directed by Michael Winner who was concerned about potential censorship in the UK because of the provocative nature of the sex scenes. It serves as a prequel to Henry James’s classic novella “The Turn of the Screw” and explores the dark origins of tortured spirits of malevolent lovers and two troublesome children, Miles and Flora.

Set in a secluded countryside estate, the film introduces us to Quint (played by Marlon Brando), a charismatic and enigmatic manservant, and Miss Jessel (Stephanie Beacham), a seductive governess. They both exert a corrupting influence on the estate’s young siblings, Miles and Flora.

As the story unfolds, it becomes clear that Quint and Miss Jessel’s sinister behavior has a profound impact on the children, leading them down a path of moral decay and perverse sexuality. The film explores themes of corruption, innocence lost, and the blurred boundaries between desire and manipulation. The Nightcomers is a mix of chaos, cruelty, and a peculiar kind of fascination between the players and us, the spectators.

Winner’s The Nightcomers possesses a  chaotic gothicness and a provocative and unsettling examination of the origins of the psychological and supernatural horrors found in Henry James’s original story. It’s known for its bold and controversial themes and its exploration of the dark forces that can shape the lives of the young and impressionable and Marlon Brando as Quint the ill-fated gardener, lends an imposing presence that is alluded to in Jack Clayton’s earlier masterpiece.

Henry James’s The Turn of the Screw is a timeless classic, which was brilliantly adapted in 1961 with The Innocents starring Deborah Kerr who turns in an astounding performance of repressed sexuality. A decade later, director Michael Winner, known for films like Death Wish (1974) and The Sentinel (1977), (READ MY PIECE HERE:)presented an original prequel.

from Film School Rejects:

He (Winner) received the script from playwright Michael Hastings and thought it was brilliant. "It really doesn't mean much as someone else has to not only think it's brilliant but also put up the money, and nobody wanted to put up the money for this film."

While looking for funding a producing partner asked if if he thought Marlon Brando could play the Irish gardener Peter Quint, and Winner replied "Marlon could play the two children, the dog, the cat, the neighbor from the Caribbean, he can do anything." and Brando was surprised to learn that Winner was making the film nearly free of charge, and when he asked why Winner replied "for the honor of working with you."

The role of Miss Jessel was originally intended for Vanessa Redgrave, and she was locked in for the production. She had to drop out, though, when another film ran over schedule. Winner recalled Stephanie Beacham "” she had a single line in his film The Games (1970) "” and offered her the role, at first objecting to doing the role’s nude scenes but eventually ‘she caved in’.

While Beacham went nude for Jessel's S&M-themed sex scene with Quint, Brando of course refused to do the same. "He wore underpants, and for some extraordinary reason Wellington boots."

Flora is meant to be twelve years old but is played by nineteen-year-old Verna Harvey as the role gets weird. On the last day of filming Brando told him that "she's got a very nice ass, I wish I'd noticed it earlier."

One of the scenes shows a drunk Quint telling stories to the children Flora and Miles (Christopher Ellis), and Brando tells Winner he wanted to actually be drunk for the performance "” "so please shoot it at the end of the movie." Winner complied, Brando was intoxicated, and he nailed the scene.

Jessel's death scene required Beacham to be in the water which was extremely cold, but while she was advised to wear the thickest wet suit available she instead went with the thinnest as it kept her figure the best. "She went totally rigid, her face went blue, and we all really thought she was dead. She was carried ashore and some fellow gave her mouth to mouth, and eventually, she survived. That's actresses, bless 'em."

Necromancy 1972

Read my tribute to Pamela Franklin Here:

Necromancy also known as “The Witching,” is a sinister 1972 American horror film directed by Mr. Big himself – Bert I. Gordon. The movie centers on a young widow named Lori Brandon (played by Pamela Franklin) who becomes entangled in a web of dark supernatural forces when she moves to the small town of Lilith. Lilith is the mythic goddess and misunderstood primordial she-demon feared because of the threat of her powerful agency as a woman.

Directed Bert I. Gordon leaves behind gigantism for a moment to delve into satanism. Orson Welles is Mr. Cato a practitioner of the dark arts and leader of a coven in the small town of Lilith who wants desperately to bring his dead son back to life. He seeks out Pamela Franklin who plays Lori Brandon, a girl who has the power to help him raise the dead. When she and her husband Frank played by Michael Ontkean move to the seemingly idyllic town of Lilith they think they’re starting a new life, guided by the lure of a new career for Frank.

However, she quickly discovers that the townspeople are deeply involved in witchcraft and the occult. Lori’s arrival is met with suspicion and hostility from the locals, who view her as an outsider and finds out much to her horror the true reason behind Cato's motives. Some very atmospheric moments, with the ghost of a little boy that taunts Franklin and some eerie exterior camera work. Also co-stars Lee Purcell as Priscilla.

As she delves deeper into the mysteries of Lilith, Lori uncovers a sinister plot involving Cato’s coven of witches, determined to initiate Lori into their dark practices, believing her to possess unique powers. Necromancy’s growing sense of dread and peril permeates the film as Lori is trapped in a sinister world of witchcraft and dark forces and comes to a suffocating and violent end.

Nothing But the Night 1973

Nothing But the Night is a 1973 British horror film directed by Peter Sasdy and features Christopher Lee. The movie revolves around a series of mysterious deaths and a secret organization. Three rich trustees are murdered – appearing as suicides. When a bus filled with orphans and three other rich trustees have “accidents.” but come to learn they are ritual murders.

Over the past few months, three trustees responsible for the Van Traylen fund have met their demise in circumstances resembling suicides. Yet, following a puzzling bus incident involving the last three trustees and dozens of orphaned children, Police Colonel Bingham, portrayed by Sir Christopher Lee, initiates an inquiry. The initial query revolves around the inexplicable burning of the bus driver, who perished in the accident, despite the absence of any fire. To unravel the enigmatic events, Dr. Ashley, played by Peter Cushing, employs hypnosis to unveil the truth.

The story begins with the unexplained deaths of several prominent members of society, all seemingly unrelated. The victims include a judge, a doctor, and an industrialist. Colonel Bingham (played by Christopher Lee) is assigned to investigate these baffling cases, suspecting foul play.

As the investigation deepens, Bingham becomes increasingly convinced that there is a sinister connection between the deaths. It leads him to a strange Scottish orphanage and he discovers that a clandestine group is involved. An organization with a hidden agenda and a willingness to go to great lengths to protect its secrets.

The plot takes a more eerie turn when a young girl named Mary Valley (played by Gwyneth Strong), who has been orphaned and is under the care at a London hospital and the watchful eye of Dr. Haynes (Keith Barron) as the child exhibits strange and unsettling behavior. Sir Mark Ashley (played by Peter Cushing), a psychiatrist, becomes involved in Mary’s case, and together with Colonel Bingham, they begin to uncover the dark and supernatural forces at play.

Nothing But the Night is known for its suspenseful and atmospheric storytelling, as well as the presence of horror legends Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing. The film also co-stars Diana Dors as Anna Harb, Georgia Brown as Joan Foster, Fulton Mackay, Shelagh Fraser John Robinson, Morris Perry, Duncan Lamont and Kathleen Byron as Dr. Rose.

Night School 1981

Night School is a 1981 American slasher film directed by Ken Hughes and a screenplay by Ruth Avergon. The movie is set in the city of Boston and revolves around a series of gruesome murders that occur within the city’s nightlife.

A Boston police detective Judd Austin (Leonard Mann), investigates a series of gruesome decapitations of various college coeds committed by a helmeted, black-leather-clad serial killer which leads him to suspect a well-known anthropology professor as well as his female live-in assistant/lover Eleanore (Rachel Ward). As Detective Austin delves deeper into the case, he discovers a dark secret involving the night school and its students. The killer, shrouded in mystery and wearing a motorcycle helmet, continues to strike, leaving a trail of terror, carnage, and decapitated heads.

The film appeared (as “Terror Eyes”) on the UK’s list of video nasties. Both the cinema and 1987 Guild Home Video releases were cut by 1 minute 16 secs by the BBFC to heavily reduce the gore and shots of slashing during the changing room and café murders

Near Dark 1987

This uniquely radical take on the vampire mythos deserves The Last Drive In treatment with Saturday Nite Sublime. Stay Tuned!

Near Dark is a 1987 American vampire horror film directed by Kathryn Bigelow. The movie follows the story of Caleb Colton (Adrian Pasdar), a young man living in a small rural town who meets and falls for a beautiful and enigmatic woman named Mae (Jenny Wright). Unbeknownst to Caleb, Mae is part of a roving clan of vampires.

When Mae bites Caleb to turn him into a vampire, he is reluctantly initiated into the group, which includes a charismatic but ruthless leader named Jesse Hooker (Lance Henriksen) and several other members with unique and dangerous personalities. Caleb struggles to adapt to his new vampiric nature and the violent lifestyle of his newfound family. Bill Paxton gives a chilling performance as the vicious Severen. Caleb’s loyalty to Mae is tested as he begins to question his place in the dark world of the undead.

This is your EverLovin’ Joey Sayin’ N- No! don’t stand so close to that O’pen window, the Letter O will soon be upon us!

The Classic Movie History Project Blogathon: the 60s: The Bold & The Beautiful

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HOSTED BY THOSE BRILLIANT, PROLIFIC & WITTY WRITERS- FRITZI FROM MOVIES SILENTLY, RUTH FROM SILVER SCREENINGS AND AURORA FROM ONCE UPON A SCREEN!

THE 60S: THE BOLD & THE BEAUTIFUL: 1960-1969

bold |bōld|
adjective
1 (of a person, action, or idea) showing an ability to take risks; confident and courageous: a bold attempt to solve the crisis | he was the only one bold enough to air his dislike.
“¢ dated (of a person or manner) so confident as to suggest a lack of shame or modesty: she tossed him a bold look.

“I am my own woman” -Eva Perón

(source edited)- by Jürgen Müller for TASCHEN’s Movies of the 60s- “Like no other decade before or since, the 60s embodied the struggle against a jaded, reactionary establishment. As the Vietnam War dragged on, the protests grew in scale and intensity. Revolution ran riot, in the streets and on the silver screen. The movies of the epoch tell tales of rebellion and sexual liberation, and above all they show how women began to emancipate from their traditional roles as housewives or sex bombs…”

Drew Casper writes, “Some films still styled along classic lines while others simultaneously embodied both the old and new approaches… Stirred the placid waters of the classical with grittier degrees of realism with their accompanying darker sensibilities.” –Postwar Hollywood 1946-1962

Women like Jane Fonda, Anna Magnani, Simone Signoret, Audrey Hepburn, Ann Bancroft, Piper Laurie, Angie Dickinson,Bette Davis, Joanne Woodward, Patricia Neal and so many more became iconic for breaking the old mold and grabbing a new kind of individualism without judgement and new kind of self expression.

Barry Keith Grant writes in American Cinema of the 1960s-“The decade was one of profound change and challenge for Hollywood, as it sought to adapt to both technological innovation and evolving cultural taste.”

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In the 1960s we began to see more films like The Group 1966, Valley of the Dolls 1967, Bunny Lake is Missing 1965, Who Killed Teddy Bear 1965, Mr.Buddwing 1966, Walk on the Wild Side 1962, A Patch of Blue 1965, The Explosive Generation 1961, The Young Savages 1961, Look in Any Window 1961, Pressure Point 1962, Claudelle Inglish 1961, One Potato Two Potato  1964, Lilith 1964, Butterfield 8,(1960), Cul de Sac 1966, The Pumpkin Eater 1964, Sanctuary 1961, Belle du Jour 1967, Lolita 1962, The Children’s Hour 1961, Breakfast at Tiffany’s 1961, Rachel Rachel 1968, Up the Junction 1968, Darling 1965, To Kill a Mockingbird 1962, A Rage to Live 1965, Kitten With a Whip 1964, The Naked Kiss 1964, The Roman Spring of Mrs Stone 1961, What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? 1962 , Juliet of the Spirits 1965, Psyche 59 (1964), Lady in a Cage 1964  & Hush Hush Sweet Charlotte 1964

And of course, the films I’m covering here. These films began to recognize an audience that had a taste for less melodrama and more realistic themes, not to mention the adult-centric narratives with a veracious Mise-en-scène …

PS: I would have included Mia Farrow in Rosemary’s Baby but that is my favorite film and plan on doing a special post in honor of this brilliant timeless masterpiece… and Mia’s quintessential performance.

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Though I’ve decided not to include Breakfast at Tiffany’s, this is my little nod to Audrey Hepburn and cat…

As a little glance into a portion of cinematic history over the decade of the burgeoning sixties, the following are particular favorites of mine… Bold & Beautiful ‘as is’ and Beyond need of Redemption!

Continue reading “The Classic Movie History Project Blogathon: the 60s: The Bold & The Beautiful”

Postcards From Shadowland No. 14

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12 Angry Men (1957) Directed by Sidney Lumet Lee J. Cobb, E.G. Marshall, Jack Klugman, Edward Binns, Jack Warden, Henry Fonda, Joseph Sweeney, Ed Begley, George Voskovec… also stars John Fiedler, Martin Balsam and Robert Webber
Broken Blossoms
Broken Blossoms (1919) Starring Lillian Gish as Lucy the girl.
C cigarettegirl
The Cigarette Girl from Mosselprom (Moscow) 1924 Directed by Yuri Zhelyabuzhsky -starring Yuliya Solntseva as Zina Vesenina- the cigarette girl
Christmas Holiday
Christmas Holiday (1944) Directed by Robert Siodmak-starring Deanna Durbin & Gene Kelly
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Curse of the Demon (1957) Directed by Jacques Tourneur-Starring Dana Andrews, Peggy Cummins and Niall MacGinnis
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Diana Dors as Eunice Higginbotham in My Wife’s Lodger (1952)
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Directed by Lew Landers Harry Woods is Borno in- Call of the Savage (1935)
Hi Dante's Inferno devil
L’Inferno 1911, Dante Alighieri “A Divina Comédia”, Directed by Giuseppe de Liguoro.
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The Sea Hawk 1924 Directed by Frank Lloyd
Hodiak and Bankhead in Lifeboat
Alfred Hitchcock’s Lifeboat (1944) cinematic stage play with the vast scope of the Ocean and the claustrophobic air of desperation. Brilliant performances by Tallulah Bankhead and John Hodiak looking his hunkiest best…
Ingmar Bergman's Virgin Spring
The Virgin Spring (1960) directed by Ingmar Bergman-disturbing journey of revenge
J Gilda
Gilda (1946) directed by Charles VIdor and stars the magnificent Rita Hayworth in the title role Gilda Mundson Farrell, here dancing with Glenn Ford. A film noir classic
Last Tango in Paris
Last Tango in Paris 1972 directed by Bernardo Bertolucci-stars Marlon Brando and Maria Schneider as a pair of angst filled lovers whose relationship is based on sex & death
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Man Made Monster 1941 starring Lionel Atwill as the deranged Dr Rigas
monsieur Verdoux
Monsieur Verdoux 1947 directed by and starring Charles Chaplin-brilliant dark comedy of murder and anti-conformity.
Night of the Hunter Gish & Co.
Charles Laughton’s oneric fable of childhood terrors, the bonds of friendship and the plight of Love vs Hate… Beautifully filmed- starring Lillian Gish as Rachel Cooper and Robert Mitchum as the diabolical Harry Powell in Night of the Hunter (1955)
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Jane Eyre 1943 directed by Robert Stevenson starring Peggy Ann Garner is young Jane.
Plunder Road
Plunder Road (1957) directed by Hubert Cornfeld, perhaps one of the most edgy crime story film noirs headed up Gene Raymond and Elisha Cook Jr.
Robert Ryan in The Set Up
The Set-Up (1949) Robert Ryan stars as boxer Stoker in Robert Wise’s extraordinary noir film centered around the boxing ring and a down on his luck fighter that still has a lot of fight left in him. One of my favorite film noir classics, much to do with Ryan’s performance and Milton R. Krasner’s cinematography…
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the Wonderful Norman Lloyd in Alfred Hitchcock’s Saboteur 1942
Seconds
Rock Hudson is psychologically and physically spun around on his head in Seconds 1966 by John Frankenheimer- A story about that precious commodity… one’s identity
Seeds of Sin 1968 Andy Milligan
SEEDS (1968) Directed by Andy Milligan- it’s seedy and low budget and the perfect exploitative indulgence…
Shack Out on I0I
Shack Out on 101 (1955) different styled film noir starring Lee Marvin as Slob.. directed by Edward Dein and co-stars Terry Moore and Frank Lovejoy
ship of fools
Stanley Kramer directs this incredible ensemble of actors in Ship of Fools (1965) Here showing George Segal, Michael Dunn and Lee Marvin
somwhere in the night john hodiak
John Hodiak tries to remember in Somewhere in the Night (1946) -a taut amnesia themed noir with great characters. Directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz. Here with Fritz Kortner as Anzelmo or Dr Oracle.
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Street With No Name (1948) starring Mark Stevens and directed by William Keighly -This film noir also stars Richard Widmark and Lloyd Nolan…
sunrise
Sunrise (1927) directed by F.W. Murnau starring Janet Gaynor and George O’Brien-Beautifully filmed silent masterpiece
t-nightbirds
Nightbirds 1970 Andy Milligan’s gritty cult journey about two miscreants in London.
Terror From the Crypt
Terror in the Crypt aka Crypt of the Vampire 1964 directed by Camillo Mastrocinque based on the Karnstein saga with Adriana Ambesi and Ursula Davis and the immortal Christopher Lee
The Fiend Who Walked the West
The Fiend Who Walked the West (1958) directed by Gordon Douglas and starring Hugh O’Brian and a really psychotic Robert Evans.
The Scavengers 1959
The Scavengers 1959 starring Carol Ohmart directed by John Cromwell -an obscure film noir also starring Vince Edwards
The Secret Garden Margaret O'Brien
The Secret Garden 1949 starring Margaret O’Brien and a wonderful cast Herbert Marshall, Dean Stockwell, Gladys Cooper, Elsa Lanchester, Reginald Owen, Brian Roper, Aubrey Mather isobel Elsom and George Zucco fill out this fantasy drama directed by Fred M. Wilcox
the seventh sin
The Seventh Sin (1957) directed by Ronald Neame and Vincente Minnelli starring Eleanor Parker and Françoise Rosay Françoise Rosay as Mother Superior
The Soft Skin 1964 Francoise Dorleac
The Soft Skin 1964 Françoise Dorléac directed by François Truffaut
The Stranger 1946
The Stranger 1946 directed by Orson Welles
the terrible_people_1
The Terrible People (1960) directed by Harald Reinl adapted from the story by Edgar Wallace stars Joachim Fuchsberger
The Wild Boys of the Road thirty three
The Wild Boys of the Road 1933 directed by William Wellman
The Young One 1960
The Young One 1960 directed by Luis Buñuel starring Key Meersman as Evalyn. Also stars Zachary Scott and Bernie Hamilton
The-Exterminating-Angel
The Exterminating Angel (1962) directed by Luis Buñuel
The-Twilight-Girls
The Twilight Girls (1957) by André Hunebelle
To Kill a Mockingbird Jim and Dill
To Kill a Mockingbird 1962 directed by Robert Mulligan -John Megna as Dill and Phillip Alford as Jem. adapted from Harper Lee’s masterpiece

See you soon… Your EverLovin’ MonsterGirl!