So it's time for Axe Wound to come to an end, kind of.
Some of you may know that I have two other blogs (one for music, one for books). Some of you may also know about Ax Wound Zine, which is an online blog/mostly print zine that ALSO covers horror, though they are into feminist issues and focus more consistently on recent horror films. I don't care much about either of those things.
I've been throwing names around for awhile now, but the magic lightning bolt of inspiration finally went off in my head today. In honor of SATANICO PANDEMONIUM, I've chosen Satanic Pandemonium. I like watching and writing about Satanic movies, nunsploitation, horror, foreign films, boobs, blood, the surreal, the absurd, and exploitation. What more do I need in a name? Plus a lot of the books and music I review covers similar topics.
Obviously, there is much work to be done, but if you like this blog, please continue following me at my new home, Satanic Pandemonium.
Starring: Priscilla Lane, Robert Cummings, Otto Kruger, Norman Lloyd
I've been working my way steadily through the Alfred Hitchcock Masterpiece Collection boxset, which I would heartily recommend to any cinephiles or Hitchcock fans. You simply need to see most of these films. However, there are a couple of titles I've been stuck on, namely SABOTEUR, which I've spent a couple months heartily wishing could be FOREIGN CORRESPONDANT instead. Like most of his films I'm doubtful of, Hitchcock proved me wrong.
Barry Kane is accused of setting the fire that killed his best friend and blew up his place of employment, an aircraft factory. Only Kane knows that the crime was the work of a saboteur named Fry who mysteriously escaped and disappeared. As a result, Kane goes on the run from the law until he can find Fry and prove his innocence. Following a lead, Kane heads to a ranch owned by a respected businessman who turns out to be one of the saboteurs. At his wit's end, Kane accidentally comes to the home of a blind man who instantly believes Kane's innocence and cares for him. His visiting niece, Pat, is not so convinced, and she inadvertently drags the two on a adventure that plunges them into the heart of the conspiracy and gives Kane the opportunity to clear his name.
First, let me explain why I was so reluctant to watch SABOTEUR. Made in the midst of the US involvement in WWII, it is, without a doubt, a propaganda film. For newer audiences unfamiliar with filmmaking of this time period, a lot of lines are going to seem sorely dated. There are some lengthy speeches about patriotism and what it means to be an American (many of these were written by Dorothy Parker!!!) that will seem awkward and ham-fisted to modern film viewers. While I tend to hate American propaganda films, I watch a lot of WWII-era films and am familiar enough with this type of dialogue enough to be able to ignore it.
It is unfortunately also a "wrong man" film - one of Hitchcock's favorite premises. I wind up loving most of these, but always initially encounter them with gritted teeth. Robert Cummings who stars as Barry Kane doesn't have the aplomb of Cary Grant (who the hell does?) or the grim desperation of Jon Finch in FRENZY. But he doesn't really make the film, the writing does.
I'm not going to lie to you. Up until the half an hour mark, SABOTEUR is fairly dull. A good-hearted, hard working, blue collar American is framed by a bunch of wealthy pro-fascist traitors. He has to use his wits and will to survive to figure out who the real saboteur is, which is of course bolstered by the fact that he is a Patriot and Real American. I don't care about any of these things. At best, I tend to find most '40's American attitudes toward the war uninteresting and, at worst, despicable.
But then Barry Kane wanders into the blind man's house and this becomes a completely different film, both visually and narratively. The adventure Kane and Pat go on is a bizarre amalgamation of fairy tale and propaganda film. Their budding romance has a decidedly non-sexual flavor, making them seem more like youthful siblings on an unfortunate adventure. The extreme innocence of both characters places them worlds away from a film like CASABLANCA, where the two leads have pasts, mature sexual relationships, and understand the value of sacrifice. They know losing means a concentration camp or firing squad.
In SABOTEUR, losing means the theoretical, dinner-table fascists win and one man goes to prison. Really though, we understand that Kane won the moment he convinced Pat of his innocence. For them, this is really a struggle about what it means to be American. Hitchcock puts his unique and thoroughly non-American spin on this, with the assistance of British screenwriter Joan Harrison (who also penned REBECCA) and German screenwriter Peter Viertel. The film tells us that true Americans are people with open hearts, a willingness to trust, and the firm belief in "innocent until proven guilty." They are also freaks. Pat's uncle, the first kind person Kane encounters, is blind and decidedly eccentric. The next group of people to support him are literally circus freaks, traveling by train to their next performance.
On the other hand, the pro-fascist ring of traitors and saboteurs are mostly upper class Americans - people who dress well, have parties, hold public offices, and donate to charities. In a way, they are also innocent. They believe they are protecting the sanctity of their families by financially supporting the fascist cause. Fascism, in this case, means the rise of big business and the abolishment of socialist unions, not the formation of ghettos and martial law.
Visually, SABOTEUR is a masterpiece. Hitchcock takes us through a symbolic representation of what it means to be American. We move through farms, corn fields, and small towns until Kane and Pat find themselves in cities and mansions. The conclusion is one of the grandest in Hitchcock's early American works. In a film that constantly screams about what patriotism means, death by Statue of Liberty seems fittingly suspenseful and majestic, though it could easily have veered into silly and amateurish territory. It might seem hard to believe now, but many of these visual effects were ahead of their time and hugely influential. I don't know how he pulls it off.
Though I was surprised at how much I enjoyed it, I would only recommend SABOTEUR to seasoned fans. It does feel rushed and preachy and probably will seem terribly dated to most horror/suspense fans. Keep in mind that it was made almost immediately after the bombings at Pearl Harbor, which definitely colored the production and reception of the film.
Check out the single-disc DVD from Universal or find it in the Masterpiece boxset. Both have some making-of special features that focus mostly on the visual effects.
Starring: John P. Ryan, Frederic Forrest, Kathleen Lloyd, John Marley, Eddie Constantine, Andrew Dugan
Emboldened by the success (kind of) of IT'S ALIVE, Cohen decided to throw plot out on a limb, add a few more mutant killer babies, and hope fans would hang on for the ride. Again, color me surprised that I liked this film so much. When I saw the first one, I had my doubts, but loved it. I was sure I'd hate and/or be completely bored by the sequel. Though it's certainly more ridiculous than the first, three times the babies means three times the gore and mayhem.
Again written, produced, and directed by Cohen, IT'S ALIVE's John Ryan returns as Frank Davis soon after the events of the first film, this time as an activist seeking out families who are likely to give birth to mutant babies. He wants to help them deliver their babies in peace (away from the prying eyes of police, scientists, and the pharmaceutical companies) and give them a chance to get to know their unfortunately deformed offspring. The couples in question are taken to a private, secured facility full of scientists trying to study and help the babies. But obviously putting a bunch of mutant killer babies with razor sharp claws together is a poor choice.
I feel like I clipped my synopsis short, but so many ridiculous things happen that I don't want to give anything away. Why ruin the fun? I saw this in a theatre as part of a horror festival (Exhumed films's annual 24 hour Halloween horror fest) and I recommend you at least watch it with a group of like-minded horror and exploitation fanatics. A drive in would be best. Like most of Cohen's films, it's great fun if you're in the right mindset.
Sure, this is a sequel to a movie about killer babies, which means the audience is probably limited. It does unfortunately rehash some of the same themes/character struggles from the first film, but if you can suspend your disbelief and remember that you're watching a Larry Cohen film in the first place, everything should be fine. Also, I wouldn't recommend doing an IT'S ALIVE/IT LIVES double feature. If you space them out, you're much more likely to enjoy the second film.
The acting is about on par with the first, which is to say that it's like any '70's horror-exploitation film. The effects are easily as good as the first film and IT LIVES AGAIN is also scored by Bernard Hermann. You kind of wonder how the studio talked him into doing it twice after his usual work with Hitchcock. As far as I know this is only available on the two disc trilogy DVD, which comes with IT'S ALIVE, IT LIVES AGAIN, and IT'S ALIVE III: ISLAND OF THE ALIVE. And thanks to the power of the internet, you can also watch it right now on youtube.
Starring: John P. Ryan, Sharon Farrell, James Dixon, William Wellman Jr, Shamus Locke
In all honesty, IT'S ALIVE is a movie I want very much to dislike. The monster is disgusting, thoroughly unsexy, and, speaking as a person who hates babies, totally unsympathetic. Most of the main characters are either sentimental idiots or total assholes. Plus, did I mention that I hate babies? And pregnant women?
Despite all these things, I can't help but love IT'S ALIVE. Written, directed, and produced by the the great Larry Cohen, this film has heaps of gore, charm, absurd violence, and a pinch of that magic that made the '70's the great filmmaking decade it was.
Frank and Lenore Davis are expecting their second child. Cutting immediately to the chase, he's born fanged, clawed, and hideous. When one of the doctors tries to smother the baby, he kills everyone in the operating room (except his mother) and flees. While the police are harassing the family and searching for the baby, he heads slowly towards home, leaving a trail of corpses in his wake. Of course there's a side plot about how Lenore was on some prescription drugs that are really responsible for the monster-baby. The disgusted Frank is actively a member of the search team determined to find and stop IT. But first, the baby finds his way home and wins Lenore over. She hides the child in the basement and vows to protect it. Will the baby win Frank over? Or will he kill his own deformed offspring?
Banned in several countries, though I have no idea why, IT'S ALIVE does sport some truly gruesome effects and gore, all designed by the wonderful Rick Baker. This is one of those weird films that works despite its flaws and comes recommended for the right sort of audience. Normally, I hate any movies that involve pregnancy or childbirth, but IT'S ALIVE (and its sequel) are notable exceptions. The plot and dialogue aren't the most genius, but it's basically a combination between gorefest and cheesy exploitation that should please most horror fans.
I don't usually like to include images of the promotional art with my reviews, but I love this poster AND it has a good story. Apparently when the film was initially released it tanked in the box office. Warner Bros decided to redo the marketing campaign and gave it a scary new poster and tagline and then re-released it in theatres almost three years later to much greater acclaim. Really? I'd like to see someone try that now.
Pick it up on a cheapo DVD from Warner or get the trilogy. And you can just watch it on youtube, should you feel the immediate urge. Don't forget to check out the robust score by Bernard Hermann, a regular Hitchcock collaborator.
Today, Vincent Price turns 100. Well, would if he were still living, though as far as I'm concerned he lives on in the multitude of great films he left behind and the people whose lives he touched. Yes, that is cheesy, but I really don't care. If I had to pick a single figure in the horror world who has forever changed my life, it would be Vincent Price. Sure, there's a long list of writers and directors whose work is near and dear to me, as well as a smaller list of actors, but Vincent Price has been there from the beginning and has always been the most beloved.
Along with his dear friends Peter Cushing (whose birthday was yesterday, RIP) and Christopher Lee (also celebrating an amazing 89th birthday today), Vincent Price brought charm, class, talent, and heart to a business that is frequently maligned, misrepresented, and grossly under-appreciated. I grew up watching his films, still watch them as often as possible, and always love introducing his work to newbies.
It's well outside my ability to write an article length memorial for the great actor, but I had to add something to the hundreds of articles already on the internet (as of today alone) for this wonderful man who ALWAYS brings a smile to my face. He's incredibly inspiring to me (and a lot of other people) because of his genuine enthusiasm and love of the horror genre. He gleefully accepted starring roles, cameos, and guest spots alike and is also known for his work in the theatre. He is also well-known for his passionate love of the arts (he was a voracious collector and has a museum named after him) and his talent for gourmet cooking.
There's nothing I can say that you don't already know or can't find out elsewhere in more detail, so I thought I'd just give a video retrospective of some of my favorite highlights from Price's fabulous career.
Though his first horror film was in the Boris Karloff vehicle TOWER OF LONDON, I prefer his first horror starring role in THE INVISIBLE MAN RETURNS:
In the '40's he established himself as a villain in some classic films before moving on to straight horror in the '50's. He was also in a ton of television this decade, including an episode of Alfred Hitchcock Presents ("The Perfect Crime"). 1953's HOUSE OF WAX is one of my favorite films. It's also notable for being the first color, 3-D feature from a major American studio.
Though THE FLY is pretty amazing, Price's next film, William Castle's HOUSE ON HAUNTED HILL, was one of my first favorite films. It's in the public domain, which means you can watch the entire thing FOR FREE right now.
He closed out '59 with THE BAT, RETURN OF THE FLY, and another William Castle great - THE TINGLER. Watch the whole film below, including the great introduction by Castle.
The '60's is probably Price's greatest decade. It includes the Roger Corman series of films for AIP that adapted a series of Poe stories. It started with HOUSE OF USHER (1960):
Next came one of my favorites, THE PIT AND THE PENDULUM (1961), where Price co-starred with the ravishing Barbara Steele:
Then the anthology film, TALES OF TERROR, with the great Peter Lorre, which you can watch here:
While the TOWER OF LONDON remake starring Price is recommended for serious fans only, THE RAVEN (with Lorre and Karloff) is kind of a ridiculous treat that I try to watch every year around Halloween. DIARY OF A MADMAN is also of minor note. None of these really have anything to do with the Poe cycle (though AIP tried squeezing THE RAVEN in, though it has little to no connection to Poe ). Next up is the wonderful Lovecraft adaptation, THE HAUNTED PALACE, that I recently reviewed. It's another one of my favorite Price-Corman films. Watch it here:
We move back to anthologies with the Hawthorne inspired TWICE TOLD TALES and then to the silly comedy/horror mash up COMEDY OF TERRORS. It's a bit ridiculous, but I love it. How can you deny Price, Lorre, Karloff, and Basil Rathbone in one film?
LAST MAN ON EARTH, an adaptation of Richard Matheson's I Am Legend, takes a more serious turn as Price is confronted not only with hordes of vampires, but with the last woman on earth who may not be what she seems. Watch it here:
Next comes another one of my favorites, a film I recently reviewed and had the pleasure to watch on both DVD and laser disc - THE MASQUE OF THE RED DEATH - which also brings us back to the increasingly amazing Corman-Price-AIP Poe cycle. This is certainly one of the loveliest horror films I've ever seen. Watch it here:
TOMB OF LIGEIA is the last in the Poe cycle and I'm happy to say that the series goes on a strong note - this is one of my favorites. I'm also happy to say that this is another Price film that you can watch in its entirety on the internet!
After this ol' Vinnie lightened things up with the hilariously wonderful DR GOLDFOOT AND THE BIKINI MACHINE, which went on to spawn two sequels. He also had a cameo on The Man From U.N.C.L.E. and had a regularly occurring role as the villain Egghead in the original Batman TV series.
His only film of '68 is the impressive, mean-spirited WITCHFINDER GENERAL, probably the only time I've ever actually been afraid of Vincent Price. It's also one of the greatest masterpieces of British horror. Watch it here:
Next came a series of pleasing, but average films: THE OBLONG BOX and SCREAM AND SCREAM AGAIN, both of which co-star the clearly bored Christopher Lee, as well as CRY OF THE BANSHEE, another attempt to put Price in a witch-hunter role. He also hosted the memorable Canadian children's show, The Hilarious House Of Frightenstein. This show has a cult following and I recommend seeking it out.
1971 brought us one of my all time favorite Price films: the legendary ABOMINABLE DR PHIBES. It is surely one of the cinematic loves of my life and has to be seen to be believed. I must have seen this a good thirty times over the years, but it never gets old. I also Watch it here:
I also recommend the sequel, DR PHIBES RISES AGAIN, co-starring the hammy Robert Quarry. '72 also ushered in the average, but entertaining AN EVENING OF EDGAR ALLEN POE, which he narrated. He also starred in a few Night Gallery episodes that year. THEATRE OF BLOOD, which hit theatres in '73, is another film high on my list of Price greats. It shares a lot of similarities with DR PHIBES, but is more violent and less goofy. Watch it here:
I also recommend the much sillier MADHOUSE, where Price stars as an aging horror actor attempting to revive his career while being framed for murder. Or is he? Peter Cushing and Robert Quarry co-star. "To those among you who are easily frightened, we suggest you turn away. Now."
The early '80's brought the kind of painful MONSTER CLUB and the whimsical HOUSE OF THE LONG SHADOWS, both of which are generally lame attempts to cash in on the past success of various horror stars (and are fortunately saved by Price, despite absurd scripts).
Despite his age, Price kept working. He narrated the Tim Burton short "Vincent," recorded some dramatizations of Poe stories and poems, lent his voice to Alice Cooper (Welcome to My Nightmare) and Michael Jackson (Thriller, duh), and narrated some episodes of Faerie Tale Theater, which is where I first encountered him.
Another place I let him terrify me was on the Scooby-Doo spin off The 13 Ghosts of Scooby Doo, where he had a regularly occurring role as Vincent Van Ghoul.
I also want to mention his somewhat earlier contribution to The Muppet Show, which is amazing and needs to be seen by any Price fan. He was on a few episodes and here's a good one. Coincidentally, The Muppet Show is the only place Vincent Price ever played a vampire! I love The Muppets almost as much as Vincent Price, so the two of them together blows my mind.
While we're still on the subject of Price and children's film, he had a co-starring role (or his voice did) in the wonderful Disney film THE GREAT MOUSE DETECTIVE. This is the part where I start giving away my age. He plays, of course, the Napoleon of Crime. Growing up as a kid obsessed with Sherlock Holmes, I just about lost my mind when I realized who Professor Ratigan's voice belonged to:
He sadly finished his career with EDWARD SCISSORHANDS, when he finally succumbed to lung cancer. Did I mention he loved to smoke? He looks so old and feeble in this scene that it breaks my heart to watch it.
What else? He was truly an inspiring man. He performed his own one-man stage play, Diversions and Delights, about the sad end of Oscar Wilde's life, where he was broke, ill, socially stigmatized and love sick. I've already written about that here.
I've already posted so many videos I'm sure my head is going to explode if I post any more, but I'll wrap it up with these.
Price's brave stance against racism in 1950 on a radio broadcast of The Saint:
An episode of The Price of Fear, Price's mystery/horror radio show. This is the first episode and is particularly amusing.
I mentioned his art history prowess and here you can take a brief class with him. This rules.
He was also a hilarious man and put his cleverness to use in TV interviews, namely on Johnny Carson. Here he's witty, urbane, and talks about his love for horror.
Starring: Terry-Thomas, Curd Jurgens, Tom Baker, Michael Craig, Denholm Elliot, Dawn Addams, Anna Massey
It's safe to say that Roy Ward Baker is one of my favorite directors of the '70's. Responsible for such brit-horror greats as QUATERMASS AND THE PIT, THE VAMPIRE LOVERS, DR. JEKYLL AND SISTER HYDE, SCARS OF DRACULA, ASYLUM, and ...AND NOW THE SCREAMING STARTS, his films have a certain panache that make them worthy of any horror fan's attention.
VAULT OF HORROR aka TALES FROM THE CRYPT II is the sequel to the superior TALES FROM THE CRYPT. Both films are Amicus productions and are based on the EC comics series of the same name. Weirdly, there is a comic series called Vault of Horror, but the tales in this film are taken from the Tales From the Crypt series.
Five strangers stuck in a lounge (due to a broken elevator) share their own stories of recurring nightmares. The tales are as follows:
Midnight Mass - A man tracks down his sister to a creepy, seemingly abandoned town. He kills her to usurp the family inheritance, but when he goes to dine afterwards, stumbles across a nest of vampires.
The Neat Job - A man's messy wife gets tired of his nagging and snaps, unleashing all of her fury and insanity on his head. With a hammer.
This Trick'll Kill You - A tourist and his wife attempt to steal a magic rope from an Indian girl. When they murder her and try to work the trick out for themselves, they get much, much more than they bargained for.
Bargain in Death - A man is buried alive as part of an insurance fraud scheme, but his partner double crosses him. Coincidentally, two medical students need to dig up a body to help with their studies. When the gravedigger discovers the body is still alive, all hell breaks loose.
Drawn and Quartered - A painter (Doctor Who's Tom Baker!!!!!!!!!) living in Haiti seeks the aid of a voodoo priest to get revenge on three men who swindled him. When he returns to London he paints three cursed portraits, but must protect his self-portrait so he doesn't come to harm himself.
After the tales are complete, the elevator doors open to a vast cemetery. It turns out that the men are doomed spirits cursed to relive their mortal sins.
"Drawn and Quartered" is by far my favorite segment, though "Midnight Mass" comes in as a close second. Overall VAULT OF HORROR is not as scary or successful as TALES FROM THE CRYPT, but it's still worth watching, namely for these creepy and entertaining segments. "The Neat Job" is pretty annoying, despite the wonderful Terry-Thomas, but if you like anthologies, don't pass this one up.
It's available as a two-disc double feature with TALES FROM THE CRYPT from MGM's Midnite Movies series. Though TALES FROM THE CRYPT looks great, VAULT OF HORROR is an absolute piece of shit. It would be nice if someone who re-edit it and clean up the print, but I'm not going to hold my breath. I should also mention that it's an edited print, with a few choice moments of gore shaved by British censors back in the '70's.
Starring: Audrey Tautou, Benoit Poelvoorde, Alessandro Nivola, Marie Gillain
While I'm pretty resolutely disinterested in fashion, I have a passionate love for Coco Chanel, both as a woman and a business mogul. Her story, which has inspired countless biographies, is unique. She took herself from an orphanage (where her father abandoned her) and made a career as a seamstress and cabaret dancer, moving up through the French nobility, eventually gaining patronage from her lover Boy Capel. Though Capel was a playboy and married a wealthy British noblewoman, he supported Chanel financially, allowing her to maintain complete control of her business. It soon became one of the most profitable fashion empires in Europe.
COCO AVANT CHANEL (COCO BEFORE CHANEL) tells the story of Gabrielle "Coco" Chanel's rise to fame and fortune. If you like biographies, foreign dramas, or movies with Audrey Tautou, this is for you. If you're looking for a film about fashion or Chanel's artistic process, this is not it. At its heart, COCO AVANT CHANEL is a love story, albeit a terribly depressing one (not unlike LA VIE EN ROSE). This isn't a spoiler: any one who knows about Chanel has undoubtedly heard that Boy Capel's death in a car accident was supposedly the most tragic event of her life. Despite his marriage, their affair continued for almost a decade, and though she took other lovers after his death, refused to marry.
Though the film is somewhat slow and un-dimensional, it should be applauded for it's utterly unromantic depiction of Chanel's early life. From her abandonment at an orphanage on, her life seems to have been a series of bitter disappointments she was able to rise above with her powerful but unfocused ambition, as well as her unique and independent way of looking at life. Her determination to rise above the blue collar conditions she was raised in pushed her towards cabaret dancing (and signing, which is where she received her nickname) and eventually to becoming a kept woman. Her relationship with Baron Balsan is a sad affair - cold, manipulative, and entirely businesslike. I think the reason I liked this film is because of the interesting attempt at unflinching realism. At no point in the movie is it likely that anyone would admire or wish to emulate Chanel, but despite her many setbacks and stubborn ambition, lived a life completely of her own choosing.
Like all of her films, this is a Tautou vehicle. She has Chanel's mannerisms down and even resembles her. I'm not sure if I would recommend this film to most readers of this blog, but Chanel and Tautou fans should be pleasantly entertained, as well as anyone into period cinema. There's a simple Sony DVD should you wish to check it out.
