MonsterGirl's 150 Days of Classic Horror! #6 At Midnight I’ll Take Your Soul (1964)

MonsterGirl’s 150 Days of Classic Horror!

AT MIDNIGHT I’LL TAKE YOUR SOUL (1964)

Director José Mojica Marins inhabits the role of Zé do Caixão, better known as Coffin Joe, a diabolically creepy gravedigger with wicked nails like claws who sports a top hat and cloak as he terrorizes the villagers with his evil desires. Set in a small, superstitious village, the film follows the blasphemous undertaker Zé, who is obsessed with finding the “perfect woman” to bear his child and continue his bloodline, scorning religion and morality along the way.

Zé’s reign of terror includes murder, sexual violence, and relentless cruelty, all justified by his nihilistic, Nietzschean worldview.

His lover, Lenita, can not bear him a child. He begins to pursue Terezinha de Oliveira (Magda Mei), who is engaged to his friend, Antonio. Zé do Caixão murders Lenita & Antonio. He rapes Terezinha, hoping to get her pregnant, but she commits suicide instead. Comes the Day of the Dead, as he mocks the supernatural and torments the townsfolk, he is warned by the local gypsy that his deeds will come back to haunt him and the spirits of his victims will avail themselves at midnight and send him to hell! The film climaxes in a nightmarish sequence of ghostly revenge, with Zé pursued by the dead and ultimately destroyed by his own guilt and paranoia.

Zé do Caixão: “What is life? It is the beginning of death. What is death? It is the end of life! What is existence? It is the continuity of blood. What is blood? It is the reason to exist!”

At Midnight I’ll Take Your Soul (1964) is a landmark in horror cinema, recognized as the first Brazilian-produced horror film and the debut of the infamous Coffin Joe (Zé do Caixão). Marins’s film is a brutal and surreal journey into a nightmarish landscape… shocking audiences with its violence, blasphemy, and transgressive themes, launching Coffin Joe as a cult icon and opening the door for a new era of Brazilian horror.

5 Down, 145 to go! – Your EverLovin’ Joey, formally & affectionately known as MonsterGirl, is on a mission to keep it short!

MonsterGirl’s 150 Days of Classic Horror #4 Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein 1948

MonsterGirl’s 150 Days of Classic Horror!

Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein (1948)

Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein (1948) is a horror-comedy that brilliantly combines the comedic talents of Bud Abbott and Lou Costello with Universal’s iconic monsters. The film follows baggage clerks Chick Young (Abbott) and Wilbur Grey (Costello) as they become entangled with Dracula, the Wolf Man, and Frankenstein’s Monster. The comedy stems from the duo’s classic dynamic: Abbott is the duo’s straight man as usual, maintaining a cool demeanor, while Lou Costello, as the funny man, is growing increasingly agitated. Their humor relies on their signature clever wordplay and witty banter, not to mention the brilliant physical comedy of Costello’s exaggerated reactions to the scary yet campy situations.

The film showcases their trademark routine of Costello witnessing frightening events, only for Abbott to miss them and dismiss Costello’s claims. This creates a humorous contrast between Costello’s terror and Abbott’s skepticism.

The Universal monsters are portrayed by their iconic actors: Bela Lugosi as the most mesmerizing of Draculas, Lon Chaney Jr. as the sympathetic Wolf Man. This time, after Boris Karloff decided to retire his beloved character, Glenn Strange takes up the mantle of Frankenstein’s Monster.

The movie successfully merges Universal’s horror and comedy franchises, using familiar horror tropes as a backdrop for Abbott and Costello’s comedic antics. It serves as both a parody and a continuation of Universal’s monster films, creating a unique blend of humor and traditional horror elements. Lenore Aubert co-stars as Dr. Sandra Mornay, a mad scientist who partners with Dracula to reactivate Frankenstein’s monster, and Jane Randolph plays Joan Raymond, a romantic interest and one of the main characters who helps unravel the mystery. Special appearance, in velvet voice only, of Vincent Price introducing himself as The Invisible Man in a hilarious twist ending!

YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN 1974

Mel Brooks’s Young Frankenstein is one of the most preciously hilarious spoofs on the Universal classics of the 1940s. It’s a masterclass in affectionate parody, a film that manages to both lampoon and lovingly resurrect the spirit of the Universal monster movies it pays tribute to. Released in 1974, the film is a riotous blend of Brooks’ signature anarchic humor and a meticulous, almost reverent recreation of the Gothic style and atmosphere of James Whale’s Frankenstein (1931) and Bride of Frankenstein (1935).

Brooks, never one for half-measures, insisted on shooting in black and white, using high-contrast lighting and even borrowing original Strickfaden lab equipment from the 1931 classic, all to ensure that every bolt of lightning and every shadowy corridor felt like it had been plucked straight from the golden age of horror.

At the heart of the film is Gene Wilder’s Dr. Frederick Frankenstein—sorry, that’s “Fronkensteen”—a man desperate to distance himself from his infamous grandfather’s legacy, only to be drawn inexorably into the same madcap quest to reanimate the dead. Wilder, who co-wrote the script with Brooks, delivers a performance that is both manic and deeply sincere, veering from wild-eyed hysteria to moments of genuine pathos. His comedic timing is impeccable, whether he’s wrestling with his own tongue-twisting name or leading the Monster in a show-stopping rendition of “Puttin’ on the Ritz.”

The supporting cast is a gallery of comic brilliance. Marty Feldman’s Igor (what hump?) is a bug-eyed, fourth-wall-breaking delight, his every line and physical tic a wink to the audience. Teri Garr’s Inga is all exuberant, wide-eyed innocence and sly innuendo, while Cloris Leachman’s Frau Blücher (cue the neighing horses) is a deadpan marvel, her every utterance dripping with Gothic menace and secret longing. Peter Boyle, as the Monster, brings a surprising tenderness to the role, his lumbering physicality offset by moments of childlike vulnerability and, in one of the film’s most famous scenes, unexpected showbiz flair. Madeline Kahn, as Frederick’s high-strung fiancée Elizabeth, is a comic force of nature, her every entrance and exit a study in escalating absurdity and sublime genius.

Brooks’s brand of humor is on full display throughout: irreverent, physical, and unafraid to mix highbrow references with lowbrow gags. He delights in wordplay, slapstick, and the kind of running jokes (the horses’ reaction to Frau Blücher’s name, the ever-shifting hump on Igor’s back), the brain in the jar that says Abnormal – (you know, Igor tells Frederick the brain he sent him to get came from Abby someone – Abby Normal) from that reward repeat viewings.

However, what sets Young Frankenstein apart from lesser parodies is its genuine affection for its source material. Brooks and Wilder don’t just poke fun at the old horror films—they inhabit their world, recreating their look, sound, and even their pacing so that the comedy feels organic rather than imposed. After all, we’re in the presence of comedic genius firing on all cylinders—improvisation so sharp it could slice through a graveyard fog!

The film’s style is a loving pastiche: Gerald Hirschfeld’s cinematography bathes the sets in the same expressionistic shadows and fog that defined the Universal classics, while the sets themselves are filled with Gothic arches, cobwebs, and flickering candlelight. The special effects, from the crackling lab equipment to the elaborate reanimation sequences, are both a send-up and a celebration of the practical magic of early horror cinema.

Young Frankenstein is more than just a collection of gags; it’s a film with real heart, exploring themes of legacy, acceptance, and the search for connection—albeit through a lens of gleeful absurdity. As Mel Brooks himself put it, he wanted to capture not just the silliness but also “the haunting, beautiful quality that James Whale got with Boris Karloff.” The result is a comedy that, fifty years on, still feels fresh, smart, and—like the Monster himself—very much alive.

#4 with 146 days left to go! Your EverLovin Joey, formally and affectionately known as MonsterGirl!

MonsterGirl’s 150 Days of Classic Horror! #5 Asylum (1972) / Tales From the Crypt (1972)

MonsterGirl’s 150 Days of Classic Horror!

ASYLUM (1972)

In one of Amicus’s best offerings, directed by Roy Ward Baker, Asylum is a campy portmanteau horror anthology based on several tales by master storyteller Robert Bloch (Psycho 1960). When Dr. Martin (Robert Powell), a psychiatrist looking for employment, arrives at the asylum for the criminally insane, he doesn’t know quite what he’s stepping into. Patrick Magee plays Dr. Rutherford, who gives him the odd assignment of figuring out which one of the patients is actually a former psychiatrist gone mad. Martin is sent to talk to four separate inmates, who then relate their own bizarre personal experiences of the macabre and how they ultimately landed in the asylum. This is one of the best Amicus productions, with a slew of fantastic actors filling out the cast. It’s cheeky and eerie and most definitely a contender for some of the Hammer horror anthologies with its horrific shock value and campy dark humor. The cast includes icon Peter Cushing in ‘The Weird Taylor,‘ Britt Ekland and Charlotte Rampling in ‘Lucy Comes to Stay,’ and one of my favs, Barbara Parkins (Valley of the Dolls 1967), Richard Todd, and Sylvia Syms in ‘Frozen Fear.’ The last segment is entitled ‘Manikins of Horror’ with Herbert Lom.

TALES FROM THE CRYPT (1972)

Tales from the Crypt (1972) is a British horror anthology film directed by Freddie Francis and produced by Amicus Productions. A chilling portmanteau consisting of five separate segments based on short stories from EC Comics’ series “of the same name. The film opens with five strangers stumbling into a crypt during a tour, where they encounter the mysterious Crypt Keeper (Ralph Richardson). He proceeds to reveal how each of them will die.

“…And All Through the House” Stars Joan Collins as Joanne Clayton, playing a woman who murders her husband on Christmas Eve and must fend off a deranged psychotic killer dressed as Santa Claus.

“Reflection of Death” Features Ian Hendry as Carl Maitland, A man who experiences a nightmarish time loop after surviving a car crash.

“Poetic Justice” Stars Peter Cushing as Arthur Edward Grimsdyke, A kind but eccentric old man who is tormented by his cruel neighbors

“Wish You Were Here” Features Richard Greene as Ralph Jason, A variation on “The Monkey’s Paw” story, dealing with the consequences of three wishes,

and “Blind Alleys” Stars Nigel Patrick as Major William Rogers and Patrick Magee as George Carter. Residents of a home for the blind revolt against their abusive administrator.

5 Down, just 145 to go!-Your EverLovin’ Joey formally & affectionately known as MonsterGirl

Step Right Up! We’re Gonna Scare the Pants Off America: The William Castle Blogathon is on it’s way to a theater near you! July 29th- August 2nd, 2013

THE WILLIAM CASTLE BLOGATHON

“I think he was a wonderful director. He followed his dreams, and after all he was right.”–Marcel Marceau

On July 29th 1959 American Producer/Director & Screenwriter William Castle premiered (click on link to read my past post) The Tingler in the US to theater goers. The audience had the underside of their seats rigged with electric buzzers which were activated at the moment Vincent Price cautions them “Ladies and gentlemen, please do not panic. But scream! Scream for your lives! The stunt was named ‘Percepto’ and once the projectionist got his cue to let the current rip, people in the audience got a mild jolt to their tuchus and their money’s worth of chills and thrills!

The urbane Vincent Price plays Dr. Warren Chapin a man driven by a curiosity to find out the source of the mysteriously evil force that creates the SENSATION of fear. He discovers an organism called"¦ The Tingler which manifests itself at the base of the spine when one is experiencing abject fear. The Tingler can only be subdued by the act of screaming.

In his memoirs Step Right Up! I’m Gonna Scare the Pants Off America he talks about the people who got their gluteus maximus’ buzzed with a small electric shock. Castle went as far as to hire fake “screamers and fainters” that he planted in the audience who would then be carted away on a gurney by “nurses” who were situated out in the lobby ready to put them in an ambulance parked outside the theater. This gimmick definitely outshines the last publicity scheme for his first chiller film touted with fanfare in which he offered a certificate for a $1,000 life insurance policy from Lloyd’s of London in case they should die of fright during his picture Macabre (1958) a film he felt inspired to make after seeing the success ofÂ Henri-Georges Clouzot’s Diabolique (1955)Â

Growing up in the 60s and 70s my childhood was filled with the sort of wonderful attractiveness William Castle’s shenanigans fostered in my yearning imagination. His films wouldn’t really be considered frightening by anyone’s standards today, but if you were a kid watching television on a rainy Saturday afternoon way back when, and suddenly you were thrust into a world where wearing whacky goggles would allow you to see wild ghosts wreaking havoc in an old eerie mansion in 13 Ghosts, or a disembodied hand rising up from a bath of brilliant red blood in an otherwise black and white landscape in The Tingler, or that moment when Nora Manning sees Mrs.Slydes the blind housekeeper who glides past her, a crone like harbinger of death, or those jaunty little party favors in the shape of coffins containing guns for the guests in House on Haunted Hill, with the added sensational musical scores and atmospherics you’d know the thrill and nostalgic glow that washes over you because William Castle made himself a presence quite like Hitchcock who was invested in bringing us into their world of fear and getting us excited about it!

Castle’s films have left an indelible mark on so many of us, not to mention the incredible movie stars and character actors who inhabited his memorable films, like Vincent Price, Joan Crawford, Barbara Stanwyck, Shelley Winters, Sid Caesar, Ann Baxter, Robert Ryan, Richard Conte, Julie Adams, Rock Hudson, Rhonda Fleming Robert Taylor, Guy Rolfe, Janette Scott, William Prince, Judith Evelyn, Audrey Dalton, Margaret Hamilton, Tom Poston and Elisha Cook Jr. and so many more…

Keep in mind, he produced my favorite film of all time, which I’ve been planning to do a major feature on down the road. The transcendent mind blowing tribute to paranoia and motherhood, Rosemary’s Baby 1968, thank god he decided to let Polanski direct, but still he was the man behind the masterpiece.

And Castle didn’t just do scary campy joyrides, if you look at his filmography you’ll see an array of film noir & mysteries like Hollywood Story (1951),The Fat Man (1951) Undertow (1949) series’ like The Crime Doctor & The Whistler, adventures like Serpent of the Nile (1953), with Rhonda Fleming. Westerns, television series and screwball comedies too like The Busy Body (1967) starring Sid Caesar, Robert Ryan and Ann Baxter , so if you’re a scaredy cat no worries there’s plenty to cover for everybody!

William Castle is one of THE most recognizable showman of film camp, purveyor of cheap chills, the maestro of gimmickry! In a time when the censors were becoming more lax and psycho-sexual themes were infiltrating the cinematic frontier, the trumpets were hailing Castle to step right up and create his own uniquely tacky ballyhoo! Sometimes kitschy, at times quite jolting and paralyzing, so many of us were marvelously effected by the collective tawdry Schadenfreude.

And so I got to thinking– geez it’ll be the 54th anniversary of that Spine-Tingling fun house ride of B-Movie schlockery and what better way to tribute the P.T. Barnum of Classic B-Movie fanfare than to co-host a blogathon with the witty and well versed Terri McSorley of Goregirl’s Dungeon.Â

Castle opens up The Tingler with this fabulous warning to the audience:

I was going to wait and announce the blogathon officially on May 31st which will be the anniversary of Castle’s death in 1977, but we all seem so excited about this, I thought I better get on it and post the details and start the Tingler climbing up our proverbial collective spines! And what a great bunch contributing too!

In honor of The Tingler’s 54th anniversary

The William Castle Blogathon runs from July 29th through August 2nd, 2013 and is Co-hosted by Joey (MonsterGirl) of The Last Drive In and Terri of Goregirl’s Dungeon.

The list of films and contributors are below: We’ll narrow down the dates each person will publish their post a little further down the road. I don’t want to be too restrictive about films being covered twice as everyone has their own unique perspective. There’s still a bunch of films not chosen yet so please consider widening the scope of our celebration by tackling a lesser known film of Bills! All are welcome, if you’re interesting in joining the ride, please contact me!

Please grab any banners for the blogathon and use them on your site if you’d like!

There’s also no constraints on how long your piece should be. As you know I tend to be really long winded myself. If you have any questions at all, like if you’d prefer your name displayed differently please always feel free to drop me a line at ephemera.jo@gmail.com or leave a comment here:

The Spine-Tinglers Are!

(Lindsey)-The Motion Pictures –Tribute &

(Gwen) Movies Silently– The Crime Doctor & The Whistler

(Dorian) Tales of the Easily Distracted– The Spirit is Willing (1967)

(Vinnie) Tales of the Easily Distracted –Zotz! (1962)

(Stacia) She Blogged By Night –Let’s Kill Uncle (1966)

(David Arrate)- My Kind of Story-Images – Shanks (1974) & Masterson of Kansas (1954) and It’s a Small World (1950)

(Brian Schuck) Films From Beyond The Time Barrier– Strait-Jacket (1964)

(Joey-MonsterGirl!) The Last Drive In –House on Haunted Hill (1959) & Johnny Stool Pigeon (1949) & Back Story: What Ever Happened to William Castle’s Baby? (Rosemary’s Baby)

Furious Cinema–

(Kristina)-Speakeasy– The Houston Story (1956)

(Paul)-Lasso the Movies– The Tingler (1959)

Goregirl’s Dungeon – ‘The Women of Castle”, tribute to musical scores &

(Steve Habrat) Anti Film School –Mr Sardonicus (1961)

(Ruth) –Silver Screenings– The Old Dark House (1963)

(Rob Silvera) The Midnight Monster Show– Homicidal (1961) & House on Haunted Hill (1959)

(Aurora) Once Upon a Screen… – The Night Walker (1964)

Classic Movie Hub– The Busy Body (1967)

(Karen) Shadows and Satin– Mysterious Intruder (1946)

The Nitrate Diva– When Strangers Marry (1944)

(Jenna Berry) Classic Movie Night Ghost Story/Circle of Fear

Forgotten Films-Macabre (1958)

(Kristen) Journeys in Classic FilmÂ Spine-Tingler: The William Castle Story

(Heather Drain) Mondo Heather– 13 Frightened Girls!(1963) & Bio

(Barry) Cinematic Catharsis –13 Ghosts (1960)

(Misty Layne) Cinema Schminema – Project X (1968)

(Ivan) Thrilling Days of Yesteryear-Â The Chance of a Lifetime (1943){Boston Blackie} & I Saw What You Did (1965)Â

(Rich) Wide Screen World – “Top 5 William Castle gimmicks”

(John LarRue) The Droid You’re Looking For- “Visual Feature-(various films)”

(Sam) Wonders in the Dark- Rosemary’s Baby (’68)

(Jeff Kuykendall) Midnight Only– Bug (1975)

(Le) Critica Retro– Texas, Brooklyn and Heaven (1948)

(Toby Roan)- 50 Westerns The Law vs Billy the Kid (1954)

(The Metzinger Sisters) Silver ScenesÂ “Busy Bodies: Promoting Castle’s Camp” & The Films of William Castle!

(Ray) Weird Flix -Slaves of Babylon (1953) & The Saracen Blade (1954)

And a special thanks to David Arrate at My Kind of Story for these banners!

MonsterGirl's 150 Days of Classic Horror: #3 And Soon the Darkness (1970)

MonsterGirl’s 150 Days of Classic Horror!

AND SOON THE DARKNESS (1970)

A Trailer a Day Keeps the Boogeyman Away! Darkness Unleashed!

Directed by Robert Fuest (The Abominable Dr. Phibes 1971, The Devil’s Rain 1975) and written by Brian Clemens. Pamela Franklin plays Jane, and Michele Dotrice is the ill-fated Cathy, two English twenty-somethings touring around the rural French countryside. The two argue about the route and become split up; Cathy vanishes without a trace. Jane begins to search for her friend and stumbles into a world of alienation and the very real threat of a sex murderer on the loose. Who can she rely on as she desperately tries to find her disappeared girlfriend while she is being stalked by a crazed killer.

3 down, 147 to go!- Your EverLovin’ Joey, formally and affectionately known as MonsterGirl

MonsterGirl’s 150 Days of Classic Horror: #2 Alice Sweet Alice (1976)

MonsterGirl’s 150 Days of Classic Horror!

ALICE SWEET ALICE (1976)

Director/Screenwriter Alfred Sole’s brutal tale of murder and madness draws heavily on Catholic symbolism, the dark underbelly of American religious zeal, and childhood trauma. Incredibly atmospheric and disturbing, as the backlash of the supposed sacred and holy premise of family and church becomes a nightmarish landscape of psychological paroxysm. Paula E. Sheppard plays the very troubled Alice Spages, a 12-year-old girl who doesn’t quite seem to fit in. She lives with her mother, Catherine (Linda Miller), and beautiful younger sister Karen (Brooke Shields), whom Catherine dotes on. One day, Karen is murdered in a horrific manner and left inside the church on the day of her holy communion. Of course, all eyes are on the disturbed, emotionless Alice. Soon, more murders are committed by a savage, knife-wielding killer in a grotesque, clear plastic mask and bright yellow raincoat. One of the best psychological horrors of the 70s! Cat lovers, be warned, a kitten is killed in this film…

2 down, 148 left to go!-Your EverLovin Joey, formally and affectionately referred to as MonsterGirl

MonsterGirl’s 150 Days of Classic Horror: #1 13 Ghosts (1960) & House on Haunted Hill (1959)

MonsterGirl’s 150 Days of Classic Horror!

13 GHOSTS (1960)

Director/Showman extraordinaire William Castle brings us writer Robb White’s story centered around a quirky, dilapidated mansion once owned by eccentric scientist/occultist Dr. Plato Zorba, who collected ghosts from around the world and invented goggles that enable you to see them. When Dr. Zorba dies, he wills the strange house and its contents to his nephew Cyrus Zorba (Donald Woods) and family, wife Hilda (Rosemary De Camp), son Buck (Charles Herbert), and daughter Medea (Jo Morrow). The Zorba family is broke; the bank has even reclaimed the last bit of furnishings. While blowing out the candles on his birthday, Buck wishes for a house with furniture that can’t be taken away.

So, the fortuitous inheritance comes just in time. Not long after moving in, they discover that the house is haunted. Cyrus finds Uncle Plato’s notes and learns about the 12 ghosts that inhabit the house, including Dr. Zorba himself, who also leaves his housekeeper, Elaine Zacharides (Margaret Hamilton), whom Buck constantly refers to as a witch, not a subtle homage to her role in The Wizard of Oz. Hamilton adds a nice bit of nostalgic camp to the creepy environment: floating objects, hidden panels, a bed canopy that closes up like a vice grip to crush the person sleeping in it, and lurking cobwebby fiends who lunge from the shadows. Trapped within the walls of the house are the 12 manifested ghosties: the crying lady, a feisty skeleton, a meat-cleaving Italian chef who murdered his wife and her lover in the kitchen, a roaring lion alongside its headless tamer, and Dr. Zorba himself. They need a 13th ghost to set them free. The family is in danger because of the fortune hidden in the house. Martin Milner plays Benjamen Rush, the lawyer who handles the estate for the Zorbas. Is there a flesh-and-blood killer among them looking for the hidden fortune? Well, you’ll just have to find out for yourself… A true William Castle fun house ride.

HOUSE ON HAUNTED HILL 1959

Full feature below:

House on Haunted Hill (1959) “Only the ghosts in this house are glad we’re here”

William Castle’s House on Haunted Hill (1959) is a quintessential campy horror film that has become a cult classic. Starring Vincent Price as the eccentric millionaire Frederick Loren, the movie follows a group of strangers invited to a supposedly haunted mansion for a night, with the promise of $10,000 each if they survive until morning.

The film’s plot revolves around Loren and his wife, Annabelle (Carol Ohmart), who have a tumultuous relationship filled with suspicion and accusations of attempted murder. Loren even gives out guns, which are presented as little party favors set inside mini coffins. The guests encounter various terrors as the night progresses, including apparent ghosts, gliding white-eye-balled witches, mysterious attacks, a severed head, and unexplained phenomena, all while Elisha Cook Jr. revels in the violent history of the house while he drinks himself into a stupor.

Castle’s direction combines gothic horror elements with psychological tension, creating a unique atmosphere that blends genuine scares with campy theatrics. The movie is famous for its use of carnival-style haunted house props and effects, which contribute to its distinctive tone. And his infamous gimmicks like Emergo, which entails a floating skeleton that elicited laughs from theatergoers who threw popcorn boxes at it rather than shiver in their seats.

House on Haunted Hill is particularly notable for its twist ending, which plays with audience expectations about the nature of the haunting. The film keeps viewers guessing whether any of the major players elaborately staged the happenings or if it was supernatural in nature.

The movie’s impact extends beyond its initial release, influencing future horror films and inspiring remakes. Vincent Price’s iconic performance has cemented the film’s place in horror cinema history.

1 down, 149 days to go… Your EverLovin’ Joey, formally, affectionately known as MonsterGirl

MonsterGirl’s 150 Days of Classic Horror!

Good Evening… Joey, formally & affectionately known as MonsterGirl in certain circles, is here to let you know that I’ve decided to give myself a challenge. I know I write a lot about obscure gems, and I do love shining my flashlight on the deep, cobwebby corners of cinema, throwing a little Joey radiance on films you might not ordinarily think of.

But I got to pondering. People won’t truly know what my personal favorite films are if I never get a chance to write about them in depth. I don’t spend a consistent enough amount of time here at The Last Drive In covering particular films that have absolutely resonated with me over the years. Masterpieces or little artistic offbeat offerings that I love so much I often find it hard to articulate the way I feel about them, and wind up chickening out like Don Knott’s Luther Heggs (The Ghost & Mr. Chicken) for fear my post just won’t do them justice.

So I thought to myself, it’s really time I start posting at least a little snippet of the films that are my chosen favorites. But because I go off on tangents and get so easily distracted, I should try and challenge myself to get to the point and list my TOP classic horror films, YET use only ONE photo, and ONE brief commentary about the film working through my list with the ease of a tortoise who’s been sipping espresso! So… grab your sidecar & ride along…

I started out with trying to list 100. I failed miserably. Then I thought, okay, let’s do 120. Again, that was as big a flop as Barney Fife’s sidecar or one of Grandpa Munster’s wily inventions!

I managed to come up with 150, with my sneaky way of fitting in a bunch of extras by making certain film pairings or triple features. Some I chose to put together because they naturally seem to be companion pieces for each other. The stories somehow connect, or the imagery or their confluence matches up with the vision of the filmmakers who made them.

Whatever the reason, it made it to my list, so you’ll have to accept that I am not one who can narrow down her love to one thing. It can’t be done. I’ve tried. Even with that proverbial gun to my head, like Bette Davis’s good twin/bad twin in Dead Ringer, I had to keep the list rolling. How can I leave out certain films that I just adore?

Now, I can tell you that Rosemary’s Baby and The Haunting are my all-time obsessions. Polanski’s masterpiece, but the devil’s in the details, and that’s a lot of writing! I’ve been putting off covering Rosemary’s Baby, but it’s time soon, lest Minnie Castevet (Ruth Gordon) appear at my doorstep, chocolate mouse and tannis root in hand, and demand I give birth to this critical masterpiece—after all, she chose me, honey, from all the writers in the world to give this film its due!”

For my 500th post here at The Last Drive In, I did pay tribute to The Haunting!

Robert Wise’s The Haunting (1963) “No one will come any further than town, in the dark… in the night”

I’ve finally got to talk about Tourneur’s Curse of the Demon and expand on Narciso Ibáñez Serrador’s beautifully Gothic The House That Screamed 1969 with Lili Palmer. And there are a few others that are absolutely going to wind up being examined extensively here at The Last Drive-In. Whichever I’ve already covered like Roeg’s Don’t Look Now 1973.

Unraveling the Knot: Don’t Look Now (1973) A Mesmeric Paradox of Grief in Uncanny Red: Part 1

Unraveling the Knot: Don’t Look Now (1973) A Mesmeric Paradox of Grief in Uncanny Red: Part 2

I’ll add the link inside each 150 Days post that briefly covers those films!

Any of these films are ones I’d pick to show as a marathon on Halloween or at my own real Drive- In Movie Theater if I ever won the lottery and managed to open up a fabulous retro Drive-in Theater/Cat Sanctuary/Coffee House. That’s a dream of mine, you know…

And you know, something funny happens when you post YOUR own list of movies? People leave the most delightful (exasperating) unsolicited comments like, “Why didn’t you include?” or “Nice list but, what about? “ And I find myself becoming like Daffy Duck who uncovers the pearl in the giant clam and goes off on his little tirade spewing, ‘It’s mine, it’s mine, it’s all mine, you understand!”

The list is mine! It’s mine!

That’s the point of making my own list. Because it’s MINE. If you don’t see a film here, don’t take it personally. Make a list of your own, and please feel free to let me know what YOUR favorites are.

Another essential thing to take note of here is that I can not possibly qualify which films are better than the rest. I won’t nor can’t do that. I think it’s theoretically impossible to compare different films and decide which is the best in order of rank. Which should take the #1 spot. To facilitate things, I’ve put them in alphabetical order. Not from better to worse. I hate qualifying things anyway. To me, lists that try to do that seem to elevate one film by diminishing another. And…

Some could be considered Horror/Sci-Fi/Fantasy hybrids or Suspense/Horror hybrids. The ones I’ve chosen seem to fall nicely into the classic horror realm, even if there is a science element to them, because there is a strong presence of the supernatural. Also, within the contexts of what makes a suspense-driven narrative that delves into the deep end of horror, I also take into consideration. If it contains a rather grotesque, brutal, or savage set of details, that’s how I’ve chosen to rank it as a horror film and not just a suspense film. BTW, I will not be including made-for-TV horror movies, in case you’re wondering why you don’t see treasured titles here like Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark and Trilogy or Terror!

So anyways, don’t think that I love 13 Ghosts the most and White Zombie the least, or that I’m batty because I think that anyone who carries around a hatbox containing a woman’s severed head, as was the case in Night Must Fall, doesn’t qualify as horrific as in Horror film.

Just to recap, this challenge is a way of forcing myself to fill my blog with films that fascinate, titillate, and inspire me. It really is a personal challenge for me to write only ONE short commentary with ONE defining photograph from that film. ONE image that sums up the story and nothing else. There is none of my long-winded synopsis, referential tangents, or my usual visual narrative that goes on and on and on and on…

I’ll still be releasing more deep dives and substantive overviews as usual; you can count on me as sure as the House of Usher crumbled and fell, I’m looking to present these 150 little posts and tell you– as if we were in an elevator only going up a few floors– about my favorites as I count down through the 150 or so, (er, hum says long-winded me) classic horror films.

Here’s a sneak peek at the list. It is in alphabetical order and will also include double and triple features, just like the good old days of sitting in the musty old movie theater with the smell of buttered popcorn assaulting your nose for hours because you could sit through three movies for a $1.50 or those balmy Saturday afternoons at home watching rare ones on the telly or those star-filled summer nights at the drive-in wearing your pajamas: I hope some of your favorites are on here too!

13 GHOSTS/HOUSE ON HAUNTED HILL 1959
ALICE SWEET ALICE 1976
AND SOON THE DARKNESS 1970
ABBOTT & COSTELLO MEET FRANKENSTEIN 1948
ASYLUM 1972 /TALES FROM THE CRYPT 1972
AT MIDNIGHT, I’LL TAKE YOUR SOUL 1964
THE ABOMINABLE DR. PHIBES 1972/THEATER OF BLOOD 1973
THE AMITYVILLE HORROR 1979
THE AWFUL DR. ORLOFF 1962 / THE HORRIBLE DR. HITCHCOCK 1962
BABA YAGA 1973 / NECROMANCY 1972
BEAUTY AND THE BEAST 1946 / THE QUEEN OF SPADES 1949
BEDLAM 1946 /THE BODY SNATCHER 1945
BEFORE I HANG 1940 / THE MAN THEY COULD NOT HANG 1939
THE BELL FROM HELL 1973
BLACK CHRISTMAS 1974
BLACK SABBATH 1963 / BLACK SUNDAY 1960
THE BLOOD SPATTERED BRIDE 1972 /BLOOD AND ROSES 1960
THE BLACK CAT 1934 / THE RAVEN 1935
BEWARE MY BRETHREN 1972 / WHEN A STRANGER CALLS 1979
BLACULA 1972 / SCREAM BLACULA SCREAM 1973
BURNT OFFERINGS 1976
THE BROTHERHOOD OF SATAN 1971
THE BIRD WITH THE CRYSTAL PLUMAGE 1970 / DEEP RED 1975
BEAST IN THE CELLAR 1970 / THE SHUTTERED ROOM 1967
THE BAD SEED 1956
THE BEAST WITH FIVE FINGERS 1946
THE CAR 1977
THE CHANGELING 1980 / GHOST STORY 1981
THE CANTERVILLE GHOST 1944
THE CRAZIES 1973
CARNIVAL OF SOULS 1962
CASTLE OF BLOOD (DANZE MACARBRA) 1964
CAT PEOPLE 1942 / CURSE OF THE CAT PEOPLE 1944
CHILDREN SHOULDN’T PLAY WITH DEAD THINGS 1972
CORRIDORS OF BLOOD 1958 /THE HAUNTED STRANGLER 1958
COUNT YORGA VAMPIRE 1970 /RETURN OF COUNT YORGA 1971
THE CHILDREN 1980
CRY OF THE BANSHEE 1970
CURSE OF THE DEMON 1957
DAUGHTERS OF DARKNESS 1971
DEAD AND BURIED 1981
DEAD OF NIGHT 1945 / FLESH AND FANTASY 1943 / CARNIVAL OF SINNERS 1943
DEATHMASTER 1972
DEMENTIA 13 (1963) / NIGHT TIDE 1961
DON’T LOOK NOW 1973
DRACULA (1931) / NOSFERATU 1922 / DRACULA’S DAUGHTER 1936
DEAD RINGER 1964 / THE NANNY 1965
THE DEVIL COMMANDS 1941
THE DEVIL’S RAIN 1975
THE DUNWICH HORROR 1970
DOCTOR X 1932
DEATH DREAM 1974
EYE OF THE DEVIL 1966
EYES WITHOUT A FACE 1960
THE EVIL DEAD 1981 /PHANTASM 1979
THE EVICTORS 1979 / THE TOWN THAT DREADED SUNDOWN 1976
EYES OF LAURA MARS 1978
THE EXORCIST 1973 / THE OMEN 1976
NEITHER THE SEA NOR THE SAND 1972 / THE WITCH WHO CAME FROM THE SEA 1976
THE FOG 1980 / HALLOWEEN 1978
FRANKENSTEIN 1931 / BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN 1935 / SON OF FRANKENSTEIN 1939
FRIGHT NIGHT 1985 / THE LOST BOYS 1987
FOUR SKULLS OF JONATHAN DRAKE 1959 / THE THING THAT WOULDN’T DIE 1958
FREAKS 1932 / THE UNKNOWN 1927
GAMES 1967 / WHAT’S THE MATTER WITH HELEN? 1971 / THE MAD ROOM 1969
GOD TOLD ME TO 1976
GRAVE OF THE VAMPIRE 1972
THE GHOST SHIP 1943 / THE LEOPARD MAN 1943 / THE 7th VICTIM 1943
GOODBYE GEMINI 1970
THE GHOUL 1933 / THE OLD DARK HOUSE 1932
HATCHET FOR A HONEYMOON 1970
HOMEBODIES 1974
THE HAUNTED PALACE 1963
THE HAUNTING 1963 / THE INNOCENCE 1961
THE HAUNTING OF JULIA 1977
THE HOUSE THAT SCREAMED 1969
HORROR HOTEL (CITY OF THE LIVING DEAD) 1960 / BURN WITCH BURN 1962
HOUSE OF USHER 1960 /PIT AND THE PENDULUM 1961
HOUSE OF WAX 1953
HOMICIDAL 1961 / THE NIGHT WALKER 1964 / THE TINGLER 1959
HUSH… HUSH, SWEET CHARLOTTE 1964 / WHAT EVER HAPPENED TO BABY JANE? 1962
I BURY THE LIVING 1958
I WALKED WITH A ZOMBIE 1943 / ISLE OF THE DEAD 1945 / THE BODY SNATCHER 1945
ISLAND OF LOST SOULS 1932
THE INVISIBLE MAN 1933
THE INVISIBLE RAY 1936 / THE WALKING DEAD 1936
KILL , BABY, KILL 1966 / LISA AND THE DEVIL 1973
THE KILLER INSIDE ME 1976
KWAIDAN 1964
THE LEGEND OF HELL HOUSE
LEMORA: A CHILD’S TALE OF THE SUPERNATURAL
LIVING DEAD AT MANCHESTER MORGUE (Let Sleeping Corpses Lie) / TOMBS OF THE BLIND DEAD
LET’S SCARE JESSICA TO DEATH
THE LODGER 1944/THE LODGER HITCHCOCK/HANGOVER SQUARE
LEGEND OF HELL HOUSE 1973
MARTIN 1977
M 1931 / MAD LOVE 1935
MESSIAH OF EVIL (DEAD PEOPLE) 1973 / DREAM NO EVIL 1970
THE MAN WHO LAUGHS 1928 / THE UNKNOWN 1927
THE MAN WHO TURNED TO STONE 1957
THE MASK 1961
THE MASQUE OF THE RED DEATH 1964
THE MAZE 1953 / THE SCREAMING SKULL 1958
MR. SARDONICUS 1961
THE NIGHT DIGGER 1971
NIGHT MONSTER 1942
NIGHT MUST FALL 1937 / SECRET BEYOND THE DOOR 1947 / NIGHT OF THE HUNTER 1955
NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD 1968 / DAWN OF THE DEAD 1978
NO WAY TO TREAT A LADY 1968 / MAN ON A SWING 1974
THE OMEGA MAN 1971 / THE LAST MAN ON EARTH 1964
THE OTHER 1972
THE PSYCHOPATH 1966
PSYCHO 1960 / THE BIRDS 1963
THE PREMONITION 1976/ PSYCHIC KILLER 1975
PLAY MISTY FOR ME 1971 / THAT COLD DAY IN THE PARK 1969 / A REFLECTION OF FEAR 1973
THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE 1974
PSYCHOMANIA 1973
RACE WITH THE DEVIL 1975
REPULSION 1965 / DIABOLIQUE 1955
ROSEMARY’S BABY 1968 / THE MEPHISTO WALTZ 1971
RUBY 1977
THE REINCARNATION OF PETER PROUD 1977
SHOCK WAVES 1977
SILENT NIGHT BLOODY NIGHT 1972 / DON’T LOOK IN THE BASEMENT 1973
SISTERS 1972
SCANNERS 1981 / SHIVERS 1975
SPIDER BABY 1967
SQUIRM 1976 / FROGS 1972 / SSsss 1973
STRAIT-JACKET 1964
THE SENTINEL 1977
THE SHINING 1980
THE STEPFORD WIVES 1975
STRANGLER OF THE SWAMP 1946 / FÃ¤HRMANN MARIA 1936
SUSPIRIA 1977
SUGAR HILL 1974
SPIRITS OF THE DEAD 1968
TARGETS 1968
THE TENANT 1976
TAM LIN 1970 / QUEENS OF EVIL 1970
THE UNINVITED 1944 / THE GHOST AND MRS. MUIR 1947
THE VELVET VAMPIRE 1971
TOURIST TRAP 1979
TERROR AT RED WOLF INN 1972
TRACK OF THE VAMPIRE (BLOOD BATH) 1966
VAMPYR 1932
VAMPIRE CIRCUS 1972
THE WICKER MAN 1973 / BLOOD ON SATAN’S CLAW 1971
THE WITCHES MIRROR 1962 / CURSE OF THE CRYING WOMAN 1963
WHITE ZOMBIE 1932
THE WOLF MAN 1941 / THE MUMMY 1942

Postcards from Shadowland No.11

Bela in Chandu the Magician — **Bela Lugosi and Irene Ware in Chandu the Magician 1932**

Chaney Sr., Lon (He Who Gets Slapped)_ — **Lon Chaney -He Who Gets Slapped 1924**

claudette-colbert-cleopatra-1 — **Claudette Colbert and Henry Wilcoxon in Cleopatra 1934**

**The Sound of Fury aka Try and Get Me 1950**

Dante's Inferno — **Dante’s Inferno (1911)**

FallenAngel — Fallen Angel (1945) *Dana Andrews, Alice Faye and Linda Darnell*

**Gun Crazy (1950) Peggy Cummins and John Dall**

InALonelyPlace — **In a Lonely Place (1950) Gloria Grahame**

kitten with a whip — *Ann -Margret* in Kitten With a Whip 1964

*Gene Tierney* and *Dana Andrews* Laura (1944)

MalteseFalcon jpg — *Mary Astor* The Maltese Falcon (1941)

misterbuddwing1965 — *James Garner* and *Angela Lansbury* -Mister Buddwing (1966)

out of-the-past — Out of the Past (1947) *Robert Mitchum* and *Virginia Huston*

plunder road — Plunder Road (1957) *Elisha Cook Jr.*

*Kim Stanley* and *Richard Attenborough* Seance on a Wet Afternoon 1964

svengali Barrymore and Marsh — Svengali (1931) *John Barrymore* and *Marian Marsh*

The blue dahlia alan ladd and veronica lake — The Blue Dahlia (1946) *Alan Ladd* and *Veronica Lake*

z-Aelita — **Aelita: Queen of Mars (1924)**

Horror Hotel / City of the Dead (1960): A Devilish Lovecraftian Nightmare Shrouded in Smoldering Shadows and Fog

” The basis of fairy tale is in reality. The basis of reality is fairy tales.”-Professor Alan Driscoll

HORROR HOTEL (1960) or The City of the Dead

“Religion. A daughter of Hope and Fear, explaining to Ignorance the nature of the Unknowable.” – Ambrose Bierce

“Religious superstition consists in the belief that the sacrifices, often of human lives, made to the imaginary being are essential, and that men may and should be brought to that state of mind by all methods, not excluding violence.”- Leo Nikolaevich Tolstoy

Horror Hotel poster — **“300 years old! Human blood keeps them alive forever.”**

“Horror Hotel, next to the graveyard”

Remake of City of the Dead due 2013 — **Remake of City of the Dead due out sometime in 2013?**

Horror Hotel (US) or The City of the Dead (British) (1960) is directed by John Llewellyn Moxey, who eventually emigrated to America and became, in my opinion, one of THE best directors of fantasy, horror, and suspense films made for television. (The House That Would Not Die 1970, The Night Stalker 1972, A Taste of Evil 1971, Home For the Holidays 1972, The Strange and Deadly Occurrence 1974, Where Have All The People Gone 1974, Conspiracy of Terror 1975 once again about a secret cult of devil worshipers this time in the suburbs of California, Nightmare in Badham County 1976, Killjoy 1981 and Desire, The Vampire 1982 not to mention contributing to numerous outstanding television series, and other films too many to list here.)

kolchak — ***Darren McGavin* as Kolchak The Night Stalker, produced by *Dan Curtis* and directed by the great *John Llewellyn Moxey.***

With a screenplay by George Baxt (The Shadow of the Cat 1961, Strangler’s Web 1965, Vampire Circus 1972 (uncredited) and his really awful mess, Horror of Snape Island 1972) he was also the scenarist on Sidney Hayer’s Circus of Horrors (1959) Baxt went on to do another witchcraft themed film co-scripted with prolific writers Richard Matheson’s (The Legend of Hell House 1973, Trilogy of Terror 1975) and Charles Beaumont’s (The Intruder 1962, Roger Corman’s Masque of the Red Death 1965) The other screenplay was based on Fritz Leiber’s 1943 novel Conjure Wife, which turned into yet another film directed by Sidney Hayer, and was an equally moody and unnerving piece in the trope of black magic-themed films entitled Night of the Eagle or it’s alternative title best known as Burn Witch Burn (1961).

Horror Hotel / City of the Dead is also a story co-scripted by Milton Subotsky, an American émigré who relocated to England and eventually took over as the head founder of Amicus, the only true rival to Hammer Studios Gothic series of films at the time. Horror Hotel was the first film made by the company, then called Vulcan Productions. Subotsky was also the uncredited producer of the film. Released in the States with the title Horror Hotel, the film used the inane catchphrase “Just Ring For Doom Service,” which is unfortunate as it downplays the truly profound artistic quality of the film’s visual narrative. The film also marks the first appearance of Christopher Lee in the Satanic Cinema genre. Then Lee appeared in The Alfred Hitchcock Hour‘s quite interesting occult-themed sequence rather than Hitch’s usual mystery methodology, an episode entitled The Sign of Satan (released May 8, 1964, from Season 2 episode 27) where Christopher Lee plays the mysterious foreign actor Karl Jorla in an episode that also dealt with devil worship.