Classic Horror on TCM!

Well...  Good job, Turner Classic Movies.  I'm not going to have much room left on my DVR after October!

I don't know how many of you have access to the TCM channel, but I thought I would share a portion of their programming schedule for this month which is dedicated to classic horror films!  TCM is celebrating Halloween all month long with a great selection of vintage movies, including films from the silent era, the original Universal classics, and the Hammer films as well!

Friday, 7th
Nosferatu (1922) @ 8pm
The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920) @ 9:45pm
The Unholy Three (1925) @ 11:15pm
Phantom of the Opera (1925) @ 1am

Saturday, 9th 
Ghost of Frankenstein (1942) @ 8pm
Frankenstein meets the Wolfman (1943) @ 9:15
House of Frankenstein (1944) @ 10:45pm
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1920) @ 12:15

Sunday, 16th 
The Curse of Frankenstein (1957) @ 8pm
The Revenge of Frankenstein (1958) @ 9:45pm

Monday, 17th 
Horror Hotel (1960) @ 8pm
Horror Express (1972) @ 9:30pm
The House that Dripped Blood (1970) @ 11:15pm
The Creeping Flesh (1972) @ 1:15am

February, 21st 
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1941) @ 8pm
Eyes Without a Face (1960) @ 10:00pm
The Body Snacher (1945) @11:45pm
Phantom of the Rue Morgue (1954) @ 1:15am
Machabre (1958) @ 2:45am

Saturday, 22nd 
The Killer Shrews (1959) @ 6:45am
The Devil Bay (1940) @ 8am
The Seventh Victim (1943) @ 9:15am

Sunday, 23rd 
Frankenstein Created Woman (1967) @ 8pm
Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed (1970) @ 10pm
The Phantom Carriage (1922) @ 12am
Epidemic (1987) @ 2am

Monday, 24th 
The Gorgon (1964) @ 3:15pm
The Curse of Frankenstein (1957) @ 4:45pm
Rasputin, the Mad Monk (1966) @ 6:15pm
House of Dracula (1958) @8pm
Dracula, Prince of Darkness (1965) @ 9:30pm
Dracula Has Risen from the Grave (1969) @ 11:15pm
Taste The Blood of Dracula (1970) @ 1am
The Scars of Dracula (1970) @ 2:45am
Dracula A.D. (1972) @4:30am

Wednesday, 26th 
The Robot vs The Aztec Mummy (1965) @ 6am
The Time Machine (1960) @ 7:15am
Time After Time (1979) @ 9am
The Ice Pirates (1984) @ 1pm
Satellite In the Sky (1956) @ 2:45pm
Logan's Run (1975) @ 4:15pm
Soylent Green (1973) @ 6:15pm

Friday, 28th 
Dracula (1931) @ 8pm
The Mummy (1932) @ 9:30pm
The Invisible Man (1933) @ 11pm
THE Wolfman (1941) @ 12:15am
The Black Cat (1934) @ 1:30am
The Uninvited (1944) @ 2:45am
Island of Lost Souls (1933) @ 4:30am

Saturday, 29th 
The She-Doll 1936 @ 6am
Bedlam (1946) @ 9am
The Black Scorpion (1957) @ 12pm
The Blob (1958) @ 1:45pm
Village of The Dammed (1961) @ 3:15pm
The Thing From Another Would (1951) @ 4:45pm
Earth vs The Fling Saucers (1956) @ 6:30pm
Blood and Black Lace (1964) @ 8pm
Carnival of Souls (1962) @ 9:30pm
It's Alive (1974) @ 11pm
The Baby (1973) @ 12:45pm

Sunday, 30th 
The Tingler (1959) @ 12pm
The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1939) @ 1:30pm
The Abominable Dr. Philbes (1971) @ 6pm
Young Frankenstein (1974) @ 8pm
Abbott And Costello Meet Frankenstein (1947) @ 10pm
The Monster (1925) @ 12am

Monday, 31st 
Mark of The Vampire (1935) @ 6am
Walk With A Zombie 1943) @ 8:30am
Dementa 13 (1963) @ 9:45am
House of Wax (1953) @ 11:15am
Black Sabbath (1964) @ 12:45pm
Dead of Night (1945) @ 2:30pm
House on Haunted Hill (1958) @ 4:30pm
The Haunting (1963) @ 6pm
The Devils Bride (1968) @ 8pm
The Mummy (1959) @ 9:45pm
The Two Faces of Dr. Jekyll (1961) @ 2:45am
To The Devil, A Daughter (1976) @ 4:30am

The Phantom of the Opera (1925)

“If I am the phantom, it is because man's hatred has made me so. If I am to be saved it is because your love redeems me.”

Following the success of The Hunchback of Notre Dame in 1923, Universal began to plan the production of another epic spectacle.  In 1925 the studio released their silent adaptation of The Phantom of the Opera.

The Phantom of the Opera is based on the novel of the same title by Gaston Leroux.  Taking place in the Paris Opera House, the story begins with the new owners scoffing at the legend of "The Phantom"... until a mysterious figure is witnessed making a startling appearance in Box Five before vanishing.  

The shadow of the Phantom is witnessed stalking the backstage area by many of the workers who nervously exchange rumors.  The owners then begin receiving letters from the Phantom, demanding that they give the lead role in the opera to the young Christine.  The managers refuse which prompts the Phantom's wrath.  The Phantom ends up dropping the opera house's huge, grand chandelier, crushing numerous patrons.

Thus, Christine is given her moment in the spotlight during the next performance.  She puts on an amazing performance and receives a standing ovation from the crowd.  Raoul, Christine's fiancé, awaits outside her dressing room to congratulate her but is stunned to find that she has disappeared.  It is revealed that Christine has been receiving music lessons from a mysterious voice for years.  This "voice" turns out to be that of the Phantom, who captures Christine.

The masked Phantom takes Christine to his lair through a series of labyrinthine subbasements deep beneath the opera house.  The Phantom professes his love for Christine, but when Christine's curiosity gets the best of her and she unmasks the Phantom, she is horrified to see his disfigured face.  This is seen as an act of betrayal by the angered Phantom.  He allows Christine to escape, but only on the condition that she never sees Raoul again.  When she later attempts to meet Raoul in secret, the Phantom vows revenge!

With a budget of 1 million dollars, this production proved to be just an ambitious undertaking as The Hunchback of Notre Dame.  Just as in the aforementioned film, thousands of extras were employed to portray the opera house's audience, performers, and stage hands.  However, unlike its predecessor, for this film no trick shots or matte paintings were utilized by the filmmakers to give it its epic scope.  The scale of the opera house is realistic because a practical, full five-story replica was built in Universal's back lot.  Additionally, the Phantom's subterranean lair, including an underground river, was actually constructed.

Amazingly, the scene in which the grand chandelier falls on the audience was a practical effect.  This was achieved by gently lowered the chandelier onto the extras and then filming it being reeled back up to the ceiling.  To make it look as if patrons were actually being crushed to death, the scene was played backwards.

The extravagant budget also allowed some scenes to be filmed in color, utilizing the then-new method of Technicolor.  The scenes filmed in color included a masquerade ball in which the Phantom, disguised the Red Death, confronts Christine and Raoul.

Erik, the Phantom, is an intriguing character for a number of reasons.  While there is not direct explanation for his disfigurement there are hints that lead one to believe his gruesome appearance comes from leprosy, namely the fact that he is a criminally insane escapee from Devil's Island (a real-life leper colony).  The Phantom apparently had a hand in the construction of Paris Opera House which explains its various secret passageways and his familiarity with catacombs beneath.  Erik is not only an architectural genius, but also an adept musician and a master strategist more than capable of outsmarting his opponents.  He is also described as being a "Master of Black Art".  Due to his unfortunate affliction and subsequent life of rejection and exile he has been driven mad, making him not only a figure of dread, but also a somewhat tragic, sympathetic character.

Lon Chaney took on the role of the Phantom and was once again allowed to create his own makeup and prosthetics to create the gruesome visage of the titular character.  Chaney's Phantom makeup remains a shocking sight to behold even to this day.  To create the effect of a skull-like face, Chaney wore a set of false teeth and a bald cap with wisps of greasy, black hair.  He glued his ears to the side of his head, and, using putty, exaggerated his cheekbones. He also used a piece of material to pull his nose straight up and then used wire to enlarge his nostrils which gave the appearance of not having a nose.  To complete the effect, Chaney made his eyes seem larger by strategically placing white and black paint on his lower and upper eyelids.

To increase the effectiveness of the scene of the Phantom's unmasking, the studio did not allow the public to see any pictures of Chaney wearing the makeup in advance.  This is something that was actually played up in the marketing of the film, stating that it was "too shocking" to reveal.  There actually may have been some truth to this;  It was reported that more than a few audience members audibly screamed and subsequently fainted during this scene.

The chaos depicted on screen was somewhat mirrored by some real-life turmoil on the set due to friction between Lon Chaney and the director, Rupert Julian.  Apparently the situation was so bad that the actor and director would not directly speak to one another, but depended on communication through other crew members!

In spite of all this, The Phantom of the Opera remains a classic.

For your viewing pleasure:

The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1923)

Released in 1923, The Hunchback of Notre Dame was a highly ambitious film released by Universal Studios.  With massively elaborate sets, a "cast of thousands", and a stellar troupe of actors this movie was destined to become a classic.

An adaptation of Victor Hugo's novel, The Hunchback of Notre Dame is a silent film that takes place in 15th century France and tells the story of Quasimodo, a deaf, half-blind hunchback who serves as the bell-ringer for the Notre Dame Cathedral.  Quasimodo lives a peaceful life in spite of his disdain for the people of the outside world. But all of that changes when his master becomes obsessed with the beautiful gypsy Esmeralda and bids the hunchback to kidnap the girl, setting into motion a series of events forever change Quasimodo.

For this movie (and subsequent other period films) Universal created a huge medieval back lot which included a painstakingly replica of Notre Dame's cathedral.  Using glass matte paintings and long shots, the filmmakers convincingly recreated 15th century France.  The advertisements at the time spectacularly boasted that the film had "a cast of thousands", but this actually was the case.  Universal hired hundreds of actors to portray crowds of peasants, soldiers, and other background characters.  Indeed, this film is grand spectacle on a truly epic scale.

Despite being more of a drama than an actual horror movie, the plot primarily focuses the character Esmeralda and her plight against a backdrop of class warfare.  However, Lon Chaney's performance as the titular hunchback earns his portrayal of Quasimodo a place amongst the other iconic "Universal Monsters".

Lon Chaney puts on a spectacular performance as Quasimodo, showing a wide range of emotions even while wearing the various appliances he uses to give the appearance of the deformed hunchback.  Lon Chaney was often called "the man of a thousand faces" because of his innovations in theatrical make-up and prosthetics that allowed him to become a variety of characters throughout his career including the "vampire" from London After Midnight  and Erik from The Phantom of the Opera.  

For The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Chaney used false teeth, a wig,  mortician's wax to create new facial features, and a home-made wire device that served to distort his jaw. To create the hunched back effect Chaney wore a leather hump weighing about 20 pounds (Although some reports contend the apparatus weighed as much as 70 pounds!).  Additionally, a special harness altered Chaney's gait, keeping him in a semi-crouched position.  Even though he wore all of this equipment to change his appearance, Chaney's performance is not limited in any way and he is Quasimodo in this movie.

Personally, I really enjoyed this film and would recommend it to anyone who enjoys the old silent films.  I'd always heard about Chaney's performance in this film and I was glad to see that much of the hype was true.  Quasimodo is a character that you can definitely sympathize with and this is thanks very much to the actor who masterfully portrayed him.

For your viewing pleasure:

Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror

I've been compiling a collection of monster movie trailers for a project I've been working on (more on that another time...  maybe).  Through the course of seeking out these trailers, it's been really fascinating to see how motion pictures have progressed through the years.  There will probably be more of these kinds of posts in the future.

Anyway...

For the uninitiated, Nosferatu is a Romanian word that is sometimes synonymous with "vampire".  Nosferatu: Symphony of Horror is a landmark silent film from Germany released in 1922.   A German expressionist film, Nosferatu is still influential even to this day.  Nosferatu is not your typical vampire film.  Count Orlok is obviously a major threat in the film but the story also presents a unique, chilling idea of a vampire being a bringer of the plague.  This perhaps explains Orlok's distinctly rat-like appearance that sets his design apart from that of the usual movie vampire.

Count Orlok from Nosferatu has a distinct look, having a more rat-like appearance than other vampires portrayed in film

Silent films are unique compared to the movies of today. Obviously, there are no sound effects or vocal performances.  Inter-titles serve as narration and display dialogue essential to the story.  Those avoiding these films for the aforementioned reasons miss out on a truly special viewing experience.  Nosferatu was probably the first silent film I watched and having watched several now, this remains one of my favorites.  To me, this is a good movie to test the waters of silent films and see if it is something you would be interested in.

The music you may hear accompanying this particular film may differ depending on the version you watch.  The original score for Nosferatu has been all but completely lost, so most scores for the movie are varying interpretations.  I have heard of this film and other silent films being viewed publicly accompanied by live performers playing improvised music.  I would like to experience that someday!

An iconic scene:  Nosferatu stalks its prey...

Silent films are difficult for some to get into.  I know for me it was very much an acquired taste, but if you're into Horror, you should at least give this movie a try.  The music (depending on what version you watch), the lighting, and even the graininess of the film add to the film's creepy atmosphere.  I'm not sure that I could watch any other genre in this medium - aside from Comedy, thanks to the exaggerated  expressions and over the top pantomime performances.  Like many early movies, silent films had to improvise a variety of techniques to thrill the audience.  Nosferatu is no exception.  The film contains many memorable special effects that are mimicked even today, most notably the scene in which Count Orlok's distorted shadow is cast against the wall as it stalks its prey up a staircase.  

Count Orlok rises to the occasion...

The history of this film is very interesting.  The creators of the film very much wanted to make a movie adaptation of Bram Stoker's Dracula.  Unfortunately, the studio failed to secure the rights to do so beforehand.  As a result, they faced lawsuits from Stoker's surviving heirs.  In attempt to avoid trouble, the names of characters were changed, for example:  the "Dracula" character's name was changed to "Count Orlok" (Which sounds pretty darn cool too!).  The film was made, but Stoker's heirs still persisted and ultimately nearly all prints of the film were destroyed.  Only one or two prints survive today.

For your viewing pleasure: