IT CAME FROM OUTER SPACE (1953)
Article #229 by Dave Sindelar
Viewing date: 10-31-2001
Posting date: 3-16-2002

An astronomer discovers a spherical spaceship which is then buried under tons of rock, and nobody believes that he really saw it. Shortly after that, some people in town start acting strangely. Soon it is discovered that they have been replaced by aliens from the spaceship.

Despite the fact that I don’t care for some of the changes in dialogue that were made in the rewrite of Ray Bradbury’s original script, and that it contains at least one godawful moment (a bogus scare involving a kid in a spaceman outfit), this is my second favorite Jack Arnold movie. The fact that both the humans and the aliens have a fear and dread of each other is something I found uncommon in many SF movies, but it makes the movie seem that much more real. It also has a nice poetic touch, with some truly eerie and memorable images that stick in the mind. I was fortunate enough to see this one in 3D during the revival in the eighties, but this is one of those movies that doesn’t really need it. This is indeed one of the most important SF movies of the fifties.

THE INVISIBLE WOMAN (1940)
Article #228 by Dave Sindelar
Viewing date: 10-30-2001
Posting date: 3-15-2002

A scientist discovers a method to make people invisible and searches for a volunteer for the experiment. A woman seeking revenge on her boss is the volunteer.

This invisible (wo)man comedy starts out all right but gets fairly tiresome after a bit, due to the lack of really interesting gags. However, a familiar crop of faces adds some fun to the proceedings; John Barrymore in one of his last roles, Oscar Homolka, Virginia Bruce, and Shemp Howard all pop up at one time or another.

Maybe I’m being a bit cranky, but I have to admit that I’m not really all that fond of comedies about invisibility; the concept just seems a little too easy. I don’t know how many invisible man comedies there are out there, but I suspect there’s a few too many for my taste.

THE INCREDIBLE SHRINKING MAN (1957)
Article #227 by Dave Sindelar
Viewing date: 10-29-2001
Posting date: 3-14-2002

A man, after being exposed to insecticide and passing through a cloud of radiation, discovers that he is shrinking. This affects his relationship with his wife and puts his life in danger.

This is one of my very favorite SF films of the fifties, and far and away my favorite of Jack Arnold’s films. It seems to be various types of movies at once, as his shrinking effects different aspects of his life at different times; the early part of the film is a drama, the last half a thriller with religious and cosmic overtones. Though there are some moments that are a little clumsy (his ring falls off almost immediately after the line starting “as long as you wear that ring…”), once he is attacked by the cat, the movie never lets up. His battle with the spider is one of the most thrilling and harrowing sequences in all SF cinema. This is one movie that totally sweeps me up in the story, so much so that I even accept the mystical ending without batting an eye.

IN THE YEAR 2889 (1967)
Article #226 by Dave Sindelar
Viewing date: 10-28-2001
Posting date: 3-13-2002

A group of people try to survive a nuclear war by hiding out in a house surrounded by mountains to keep out the nuclear fallout.

This movie is really good . . . for about thirty seconds at the very beginning, where you see some nice fast-motion photography of rolling clouds and mountains. Then the movie starts in earnest, and you once again find yourself in the hands of Larry Buchanan, with his version of the AIP movie THE DAY THE WORLD ENDED. If you’ve seen his movies before, you know what to expect; not much. It’s static, talky, uninterestingly directed, poorly acted, and has that hangdog, weary, half-asleep-at-the-wheel feel of all of the films of his that I’ve seen. The original wasn’t great to begin with, and this version manages to remove whatever was good about the original. It is interesting to watch it in tandem with the original, if for no other reason than to see how the same script can fare in the hands of different directors. It’s all part of the fun of Larry Buchananland.

Buchananland; now there’s a concept! What would a theme park based on the works of Larry Buchanan be like? Well, instead of Mickey Mouse and Goofy running around, we’d have an eye creature and that monster with the ping-pong ball eyes running around, and they wouldn’t be sober. There would only be one dodgem car in the dodgem car ride. The ferris wheel would take you to the top and leave you hanging there bored for about an hour and a half (this ride emulates watching one of his movies). The merry-go-round would be up on blocks. And the fun house would consist of a dimly lit, dusty wooden room with a broken window and ratty curtains, and instead of the exit leading you to a room of mirrors, it would take you to a bathroom scale so you could weigh yourself. Now doesn’t that sound like fun?

And their motto would be “At least it’s not Andy Milliganland!”

All right, I’m ready for my medicine now.

I WAS A TEENAGE FRANKENSTEIN (1958)
Article #225 by Dave Sindelar
Viewing date: 10-27-2001
Posting date: 3-12-2002

Dr. Frankenstein decides to create life using teenage bodies, as they are more “alive” than older bodies. He creates a teenage monster that he tries to control.

This badly written follow-up to I WAS A TEENAGE WEREWOLF emphasizes the corrupt authority figure (Whit Bissell) over the monster (Gary Conway), the opposite approach to that of WEREWOLF. Bissell does the best he can with what he’s given to work with, but the doctor never really becomes a living, breathing three-dimensional character, despite the humorous lines he is given on occasion. Still, he’s a better-developed character than the monster, whose total personality seems to consist of his being a teenager who doesn’t want to be cooped up. The monster’s final rebellion against his creator is poorly motivated and makes little sense, and even though a better actor than Gary Conway might have pulled it off, as it is, it just feels like the moviemakers reached the point where they knew they needed to end the movie. The movie is also much talkier than its predecessor, with far too much running time spent on the Doctor’s love life. The monster’s makeup is memorable in its own way, but that bloated eye is a major distraction. All in all, my least favorite of the four “teenage” films produced by Herman Cohen.

I BURY THE LIVING (1958)
Article #224 by Dave Sindelar
Viewing date: 10-26-2001
Posting date: 3-11-2002

A businessman takes over as manager of a local cemetery. A map is used to keep track of the lots in the cemetery, white pins being used for unoccupied graves, black for graves that are now full. When he places black pins in some newly purchased plots instead of white by mistake, he is horrified to find that the people who reserved the graves die the next day. He grows to believe he has the power to cause death in this manner.

This is one of the best horror films to which I have to award the DS Rubber Brick Award for its ending; up to that point, it is a fascinating and gripping movie. I love the use of visuals in the movie; after a while, the map looks like two malevolent eyes staring out at you. The wonderful performances by Richard Boone and the various character actors adds to the terror of this movie. But the sad truth is that the movie is merely a dud firecracker with a long fuse; it builds the tension to the point where you’re waiting for the explosion, and it fizzles out. I recommend the first three quarters of this movie.

INDESTRUCTIBLE MAN (1956)
Article #203 by Dave Sindelar
Viewing date: 10-5-2001
Posting date: 2-18-2002

A criminal is brought back to life after his execution, a process which causes his body to become impervious to bullets. He vows revenge on his cohorts who betrayed him.

When I saw this movie as a kid, I couldn’t help but notice its similarity to MAN-MADE MONSTER; since I haven’t seen the latter film in years, I can’t attest to how similar they actally are. This one is a fairly clunky movie, with endless narration, some long pointless scenes (the detective taking the ex-girlfriend of the murderer out for hamburgers), plot points that are never developed (Paul Lowe acquires the map that shows the location of the hidden money, but never goes out to look for it, and he hires a safecracker for a job that never happens and is never mentioned again), and too many closeups of Lon Chaney, Jr.’s eyes for this time in his life. I also wonder whether or not “Butcher” Benton originally had lines after his return from the dead which were removed because of Chaney’s inability to remember dialogue at this point (he had lots of mute roles). I also wonder whether the indestructible angle was added later; overall, the story feels like a standard crime-revenge story with a science-fiction gimmick tossed in to make it more commercial. These are just speculations, of course. Nevertheless, despite its many problems, I enjoy the movie well enough, and there is something quite compelling about the outdoor footage in the city; you get a sense that it’s all happening in a very real place with lots of people milling around.

ISLE OF THE DEAD (1945)
Article #81 by Dave Sindelar
Viewing date: 6-5-2001
Posting date: 10-19-2001

A Greek general visits and stays overnight in an inn on an island. When a man is found dead of the plague the next morning, he puts a quarantine on the island and calls in a doctor to help. However, some of the residents do not believe it is the plague, but rather that the death was caused by a Greek vampire known as a vorvolaka.

This Val Lewton film is generally not held up as one of his best, and it was hampered by an uneven production schedule, partially as a result of the hospitilization of Boris Karloff in the middle of the filming, causing production to be held up for several months. The various story elements don’t mesh as well as they could, but there is still much to recommend in this movie; there is a haunting, stark, poetic atmosphere, and the science vs. superstition theme is reminiscent of the one in I WALKED WITH A ZOMBIE. I think Karloff does a great job in this, and he’s playing a very interesting character; though the Greek general Pherides is by and for the most vocal exponent of science towards the beginning of the movie, he is the one who most totally gives in to superstition as time passes. The movie also features Ellen Drew, Alan Napier, Jason Robards Sr., and the always unsettling Skelton Knaggs as the first victim of the plague. Certainly not a perfect movie, but worthwhile. Incidentally, this film was base on a painting, Bocklin’s “Isle of the Dead.”

ISLAND OF LOST SOULS (1933)
Article #80 by Dave Sindelar
Viewing date: 6-4-2001
Posting date: 10-18-2001

A castaway is left on an island by a cargo ship. There he meets a strange race of not-quite-human creatures, and the mysterious Dr. Moreau, who has plans for him. He meets and almost falls for the feminine charms of a beautiful woman named Lota, and then discovers exactly what Moreau is up to on the island.

Based on H.G. Wells’ novel, The Island of Dr. Moreau, this movie, directed by Erle C. Kenton, remains one of the few horror movies of the thirties that still delivers the jolts. The many strange faces of the animal-men on the island are geniuinely creepy, the bestiality subplot very unsettling (I suspect that this contributed to both the movie being banned in several areas and Wells’ dislike for this adaptation of his work), and denouement is truly nightmarish. I love Charles Laughton’s work as Moreau; he underplays the role and gives his character the traits of being offhand, relaxed and casual at inappropriate times, which just makes him all the creepier. Kathleen Burke was a good choice for the role of Lota, and she is quite effective. Bela Lugosi is here with one of his better supporting roles as the Sayer of the Law, and there are rumors that Randolph Scott, Buster Crabbe and Alan Ladd can all be found in there somewhere. A real classic.

“Not to spill blood. That is the law. Are we not men?”

THE INVISIBLE MAN (1933)
Article #79 by Dave Sindelar
Viewing date: 6-3-2001
Posting date: 10-17-2001

A man who has managed to turn himself invisible is desperately searching for an antidote to his condition. Unfortunately, the drug that made him invisible is also causing him to go mad, and he turns to using his power to take over the world.

When I was a child, I discovered that one of the local TV stations was running a show called “Creature Feature” on Saturday nights. This show sounded like a lot of fun, and I decided I was going to stay up late and watch it. My first attempt to watch the show ended with my falling asleep, as the movie that night, though a classic, was deliberately paced and fairly adult. Undaunted, I tried again next week. This time, they showed THE INVISIBLE MAN, and I easily kept awake. I was hooked. This movie was my real entry into the world of horror/science fiction/fantasy cinema.

This is another fine James Whale movie, and one of the few invisible man movies that really explores the potential for both terror and comedy inherent to the theme. It made Claude Rains a star (though not an instantly recognizable face), and he has a field day with the role. One can see it as a transitional picture between the two Frankenstein movies Whale directed, and it can be as tense and serious as the original or as witty as the sequel. The special effects are outstanding, and it would be decades before any real advances were made in invisible man effects. Then there’s Una O’Connor, warming up for her role in BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN, Gloria Stuart, William Harrigan (as the cowardly but doomed Dr. Kemp), and Henry Travers. And, if you keep your eyes and ears open, you can spot Dwight Frye, Walter Brennan, and John Carradine in small parts.

Though I can’t remember it word for word, it has one of my favorite quotes. “We’ll commit murders. Murders of big men, murders of little men. Just to show we make no distinction.”

Oh, and the classic movie during which I fell asleep? I’ll be touching upon that one shortly.