On one wall of my living room I have posters of the animated cast of the Simpsons (as of 1999), two related to beer, one for the first full length album from the band Therapy? and a poster for the Dave Clark Five.
Apparently, I like to listen to music while drinking and watching cartoons.
Or is there another way to interpret this? It didn't seem weird until I looked at it last night and this wall has been like this for years.
Perhaps it's a sign that I don't like redecorating...
09 November 2006
07 November 2006
'Then there’s the blood…'
‘The Monster Club’ is an old style horror anthology movie. The extras are proud to note that it was old style when it was made in 1980. It lacks nudity, sex and gore. It does not lack suspense or atmosphere.
The framing sequence concerns Vincent Price’s vampire character and John Carradine’s author. They bump into each other and Carradine is invited to the Club of the title to hear some stories. And listen to some music. And watch some people in rubber masks dance badly.
The first story involves a Shadmock, a creature with a sonic whistle of mighty power. This particular individual looks like John Schuck (it isn’t) dressed like the Phantom of the Opera. He’s not very monstrous. Mostly he’s lonely. When a team of con artists try to rip the rich monster off, it doesn’t go well for anyone. Effects are minimal but when flesh melts like a marshmallow it does look good.
The second story is much more amusing: the tale of a boy and his parents. His dad just happens to be a vampire, a count from the old country. When the boy gets followed home by the anti-vampire squad, things don’t go well… for awhile at least. It’s a fun little story with a couple of good twists in it.
Traditionally the last story in the anthology should be the best and this movie is no different. A movie director looking for a location to film at comes across a deserted village bound by a strange mist. The creatures inside the mist leer and pull at him. They are ghouls and they feed on flesh, dead human flesh when they can get it…
It’s the matter-of-fact quality to this last story that makes it so eerie to me. It’s not so much the ghouls, although their makeup is good (Patrick Magee took out his false teeth to play the Innkeeper, now that’s dedication to a role!). They drag themselves along and scramble as necessary. It’s the director’s interaction with the young girl, the humegoo (human and ghoul) that has never lived a life other than this one, that makes this work so well for me. When she speaks brightly and cheerfully about everything coming from boxes: clothes, wood, food and you realize the boxes are coffins, it’s a quality moment.
All three stories work. Even when meant to be silly, these are taken seriously. The framing sequences are less so and therefore don’t always play out well. The cheap rubber masks look even cheaper with the clarity of DVD. The musical acts are okay but don’t add much of anything to the film. They’re fun and make the place feel more like a club I suppose but I’d rather have had another story.
The framing sequences, even when they don’t work, are fun. Price and Carradine appear to be having a good time and, as a fan of their work, I enjoyed watching them be amused. With the movie’s style and relative innocence, it comes across as a good natured coda on a style of movies that would never be made again. It’s scary but not scary scary. It’s the sort of creeped out that you could enjoy being as a kid. You know, when the Frankenstein monster was the coolest thing. Not that he’s not anymore.
It’s not the best movie in the world but I like it.
The framing sequence concerns Vincent Price’s vampire character and John Carradine’s author. They bump into each other and Carradine is invited to the Club of the title to hear some stories. And listen to some music. And watch some people in rubber masks dance badly.
The first story involves a Shadmock, a creature with a sonic whistle of mighty power. This particular individual looks like John Schuck (it isn’t) dressed like the Phantom of the Opera. He’s not very monstrous. Mostly he’s lonely. When a team of con artists try to rip the rich monster off, it doesn’t go well for anyone. Effects are minimal but when flesh melts like a marshmallow it does look good.
The second story is much more amusing: the tale of a boy and his parents. His dad just happens to be a vampire, a count from the old country. When the boy gets followed home by the anti-vampire squad, things don’t go well… for awhile at least. It’s a fun little story with a couple of good twists in it.
Traditionally the last story in the anthology should be the best and this movie is no different. A movie director looking for a location to film at comes across a deserted village bound by a strange mist. The creatures inside the mist leer and pull at him. They are ghouls and they feed on flesh, dead human flesh when they can get it…
It’s the matter-of-fact quality to this last story that makes it so eerie to me. It’s not so much the ghouls, although their makeup is good (Patrick Magee took out his false teeth to play the Innkeeper, now that’s dedication to a role!). They drag themselves along and scramble as necessary. It’s the director’s interaction with the young girl, the humegoo (human and ghoul) that has never lived a life other than this one, that makes this work so well for me. When she speaks brightly and cheerfully about everything coming from boxes: clothes, wood, food and you realize the boxes are coffins, it’s a quality moment.
All three stories work. Even when meant to be silly, these are taken seriously. The framing sequences are less so and therefore don’t always play out well. The cheap rubber masks look even cheaper with the clarity of DVD. The musical acts are okay but don’t add much of anything to the film. They’re fun and make the place feel more like a club I suppose but I’d rather have had another story.
The framing sequences, even when they don’t work, are fun. Price and Carradine appear to be having a good time and, as a fan of their work, I enjoyed watching them be amused. With the movie’s style and relative innocence, it comes across as a good natured coda on a style of movies that would never be made again. It’s scary but not scary scary. It’s the sort of creeped out that you could enjoy being as a kid. You know, when the Frankenstein monster was the coolest thing. Not that he’s not anymore.
It’s not the best movie in the world but I like it.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)