The Silver Screen Oasis

My good friends at the Roxie Theater in San Francisco have prevailed upon
me to cook up a special Halloween Spooktacular this year and I think I’ve
come up with a pretty unusual program! I only wish everyone at the Oasis
could make it out to San Francisco to celebrate the holiday season!

On Friday, October 29 we’ll show a double feature of two of my favorite
50s fright films!
THE MAN FROM PLANET X (1951) is one of director Edgar G. Ulmer’s
finest, most visually stimulating films. Not so much frightening as it is eerily
drunk with its own powerful albeit minimalist imagery. On threadbare sets he
creates a spooky Scottish highlands visited upon by an alien from space. Produced
independently and distributed by United Artists, this film wound up being Ulmer’s
highest grossing film, even breaking house records in many of the theaters it played.
THE MAN FROM PLANET X (1951)
[youtube][/youtube]
It’ll show with
CREATURE WITH THE ATOM BRAIN (1955). This bizarre hybrid (noir/horror/sci-fi)
scared the daylights out of me one Saturday afternoon at the Royal Theater in
Detroit back in 1955. The twisted story tells of a revenge obsessed gangster who,
in league with a renegade former Nazi scientist, seek to create an army of zombies
out of the atomically resuscitated dead. An absolute forerunner to and influence on
both Carnival of Souls (62) and Night of the Living Dead (68) this rarely shown film
was directed by one of the true Kings of the Bs, Edward L. Cahn. It was written by
Curt Siodmak, Robert’s less well-known brother. Curt Siodmak wrote a great many
notable horror (several for Universal in the 40s) films as well as the classic novel
Donovan’s Brain.
CREATURE WITH THE ATOM BRAIN (1955)
[youtube][/youtube]

For Saturday, October 30 the mood turns decidedly stranger and, well, gorier.
Our diabolical double bill consists of
THE BROOD (1979), one of David Cronenberg’s most difficult films. It
seems oddly personal, this terrifying tale of mutant children who begin a wave
a terror and gruesome violence in their town. Cronenberg, when he’s at his best,
is a director without limits. Here, he has as few as he’s ever allowed himself.
THE BROOD (1979)
[youtube][/youtube]
and
CORRUPTION (1968) a genuinely rare Hammer import from the UK starring
the always unusual Peter Cushing. Here he gets to do his thing in a big way, as
a demented (really?) surgeon obsessed with making his hideously disfigured wife
the beautiful woman she once was. Pretty scary with a succession of disturbing
images to make your Halloween memorable!
CORRUPTION (1968)
[youtube][/youtube]
And the best part: all four of the films will be shown in beautiful
35mm STUDIO ARCHIVE PRINTS!!

Dewey...you are a temptress, sir!!! A temptress. When are you going to take your show on the road, say...come East Young Man. I gave a passing thought to a quickie weekend trip to San Francisco.

O, what Halloween morsels you're offering and -- as always -- one giant oblique step from the usual.

A chance to see the Ulmerific THE MAN FROM PLANET X on the Big Screen...WOW!

Dewey1960 wrote:CREATURE WITH THE ATOM BRAIN (1955). This bizarre hybrid (noir/horror/sci-fi)
scared the daylights out of me one Saturday afternoon at the Royal Theater in
Detroit back in 1955.

My father as well. For some reason the Nazi/zombie combo never fails to have people running for the exits. He was similarly frightened by a TV showing of Shock Waves (1977) in the late seventies.

Glad to see your talents put to good use Mr. D. I'll promote this on my other forums.

P.S. You won't have to worry about people running out during The Brood--they'll probably be too frightened to move. However, you might check under all the seats before you close up for the night.

For some reason the Nazi/zombie combo never fails to have people running for the exits.

Are there any Nazi/zombie combos where the Nazi is also a vampire (vampyr)? The trifecta of Horror!

I've heard about "Corruption," but haven't seen it. I think it is a British attempt to remake "Eyes Without a Face"?

Congrats, Dewey!

Your next challenge, should you choose to accept it, Mr. Phelps, is to come up with an appropriate program for Thanksgiving, Christmas and NewYear's Eve. No rush, Dew, but I know you could put these together standing on your head.

Are there any Nazi/zombie combos where the Nazi is also a vampire (vampyr)?
ChiO, you have me stumped, but then again wouldn't any depiction of a Nazi qualify as vampiric?
I've heard about "Corruption," but haven't seen it. I think it is a British attempt to remake "Eyes Without a Face"?
Mike, CORRUPTION is exactly that! The key word is attempt. Even though my own one-time recollection of CORRUPTION is pretty strong, it does pale compared to EYES WITHOUT A FACE. Most films would.
However, you might check under all the seats before you close up for the night.
Ark, nobody and I do mean nobody wants to check under the seats at the Roxie no matter what film is playing!!
Your next challenge, should you choose to accept it, Mr. Phelps, is to come up with an appropriate program for Thanksgiving, Christmas and NewYear's Eve.
Moira, I'm putting this assignment under advisement and I will keep you posted!
I gave a passing thought to a quickie weekend trip to San Francisco.
Maven, you say that every time! Let's see you make it happen!

If you're really interested in Nazi vampires (and who isn't) you may want to try Joel Schumacher's Blood Creek (2009). It's wacky (just check out the Nazi "vampire's" horse), with more zombies than vampires, but it's also pretty original.

Wish I could attend this great Spooktacular. Friday's double feature looks terrific. I just re-watched Creature with the Atom Brain this spring. It's been well over thirty years since I'd seen it last and it holds up quite well (and this time I didn't need mom's permission to stay up!)

Good luck with the mini-fest.