What Horror and Sc-Fi films have you seen lately?

[Joe Macclesfield]

W.G. Wrote: "Cushing could convincingly dislay a vain arrogance in many of his roles, but he was a dear, sweet, kindly gentle man." And one who, because he loved animals and hated cruelty, was vegetarian. I believe his favourite meal was marmalade on toast washed down with a pot of Indian tea!

[Western Guy]

Yes, and also crackers and cheese. He was a very light eater . . . and it showed.

[Joe Macclesfield]

Crackers and cheese--a good idea! Then, Hammer's THE MUMMY.

[Joe Macclesfield]

Hammer's THE MUMMY? It's highly touted. Some call it their best. It does have that delightfully cosy Victorian feel that Hammer could do well, particularly in the late 50s. But, apart from one or two exteriors, doesn't it strike you as studio bound (and a bit cramped at that)? The dread of the inexorable approach of Kharis is superbly conveyed by the great Felix Aylmer (I wonder if quite the same effect could have been achieved had a less talented actor been employed). And, how about John Banning (Peter Cushing), fumbling around to find the key of his gun cabinet while his uncle Joe (Raymond Huntley) is being throttled, instead of just breaking the glass!

[Western Guy]

I find a lot of Hammer Films to be . . . rather cramped in their interior settings. HORROR OF DRACULA, for instance, is almost claustrophobic. I know the studio sets were small and maybe that's why so many colorful items were used to adorn these premises, to offset the tightness of the decor. Just a theory. But speaking of claustrophobia: Both THE MUMMY and CURSE OF THE WEREWOLF have memorable death scenes, when the poor victim just has no chance of escape. The Felix Aylmer scene you mention . . . and poor Michael Ripper's demise at the hands of the werewolf. You can just heel the helpless terror in both of those, and can still sent a shiver up your spine.

Yeah, that scene with Peter Cushing struggling to open the gun cabinet always struck me as odd. Not necessarily realistic under the circumstances but obviously intended to build suspense.

Lots of questionable scenes in Hammer Films, but I can't imagine my childhood without them.

[Rita Hayworth]

I find a lot of Hammer Films to be . . . rather cramped in their interior settings. HORROR OF DRACULA, for instance, is almost claustrophobic. I know the studio sets were small and maybe that's why so many colorful items were used to adorn these premises, to offset the tightness of the decor. Just a theory. But speaking of claustrophobia: Both THE MUMMY and CURSE OF THE WEREWOLF have memorable death scenes, when the poor victim just has no chance of escape. The Felix Aylmer scene you mention . . . and poor Michael Ripper's demise at the hands of the werewolf. You can just heel the helpless terror in both of those, and can still sent a shiver up your spine.

Yeah, that scene with Peter Cushing struggling to open the gun cabinet always struck me as odd. Not necessarily realistic under the circumstances but obviously intended to build suspense.

Lots of questionable scenes in Hammer Films, but I can't imagine my childhood without them.

Stone, I seen many HAMMER FILMS in my lifetime and I really don't find them cramped at all because I feel that's their style of how they want their films to be presented in the first place. So, I don't consider them to be claustrophobic at all. Just their own distinct style of showcasing their own horror films and I feel that the HORROR OF DRACULA a classic and they made it within the confines of the space allowed them to make it.

I'm sorry and respectfully don't see things your way and I just wanted to convey that at the beginning of my post here.

I do agree with you with the MUMMY and CURSE OF THE WEREWOLF of where the poor victim has no chance to escape and that alone sends me a shiver down my spine every time I watch these two horror masterpieces. That's how I see it Stone.

One more thing, I just can't imagine my childhood without them ...

[Rita Hayworth]

Crackers and cheese--a good idea! Then, Hammer's THE MUMMY.

That's a great horror film ... Joe!

[Joe Macclesfield]

Erik, You're right. And I'll admit that it's one of the very few films that scared me as a kid. I've only just learned that the critic, Tom Weaver, doesn't hold a very high opinion of the Hammer classics - referring to them as "snoozers"! The best of them are very well crafted, given the constraints of space and budget.

[Western Guy]

Please don't apologize for disagreeing, Erik. That's the whole point of having a friendly discussion. It's just that, to me, as I got older that I noticed the indoor sets seemed a little "tight." Nevertheless, I'm still a huge Hammer fan and purchase the DVDs as soon as they are released. Cushing and Lee were truly my first real movie stars.

Joe, you're right about Tom Weaver. Not a fan of Hammer. In fact, I think his interest in horror films ceased with the Universal sci-fi's of the 50s. He does not hold a high opinion of most of the films released later, particularly the more contemporary releases.

[Joe Macclesfield]

I remember watching The Thing from Another World (a top favourite with me) on Granada T.V. in the early '80s. After the end of the movie, the programme announcer, Charles Foster, shrugged his shoulders and said: "Ah well, at least they've remade it now." My brother, Jim, phoned me almost instantly. like me - he couldn't believe what he'd just heard!

[RedRiver]

That's my feeling too, Joe. John Carpenter's telling has some good moments. But it's too much! It's LOOK AT THIS EFFECT! NOW LOOK AT THIS ONE! And the visual goes on and on. It's so caught up in technology, it's annoying.

[Joe Macclesfield]

RR, That's just it. The same thing applies to the remake of THE FLY too. A non-stop cavalcade of gruesome effects, just for the sake of it! Boris Karloff once said: "Anybody can show you a pailful of innards. The object of the roles I played is not to turn your stomach - but to make your hair stand on end." A rather nice little quote that sums up the difference in approach between modern and classical quite neatly.

[RedRiver]

The same thing applies to the remake of THE FLY too

Absolutely. Again, not a bad movie. But enough already. When gross becomes the point, the story is derailed.

[Joe Macclesfield]

Back to Hammer's The Mummy. When the scene shifts from Egypt to England, there seem to be quite a few Irish characters - the two carters, Michael Ripper's poacher, even the police detective investigating the killings. It just made me wonder, was this portion of the film originally intended to be set in Ireland?

[Western Guy]

I must confess I'm a huge fan of THE FLY, though I enjoy it more for its human element and the fact that Goldblum is gradually transforming into the title monster, unlike the '58 version where Hedison emerges from the teleporter whole and complete as the insect. Goldblum's effective playing makes you really sympathize with his dilemma. (Geez, and I complain about my mild psoriasis). But Cronenberg does have a tendency to push buttons on his gross-out effects, dating back to SHIVERS. THE BROOD (a film I also enjoy) has a scene near the end that has to be one of the most disgusting ever committed to celluloid. For the time. Films have long surpassed that degree of grossness.

Carpenter's THE THING is interesting. Again, I liked the film: the isolation and claustrophobia and mounting distrust among the men. But for a guy who went pretty mild on displaying graphic violence in HALLOWEEN and THE FOG, he pulled no punches in his sci-fi film.