"Look Into My Eyes..."

Mesmerizing Dracula artwork by Mark Spears.

"The Duel of the Monsters" - Creepy

Behold:  A recent eBay acquisition!  I've been collecting issues of Creepy and Eerie off and on for a while now, mainly focusing on issues featuring covers by Frank Frazetta.  

I've been eyeing this one in particular for a while now.  As always, Frazetta evokes such dynamism and you can really get a sense of the ferocity of the combatants here.  The crumbling architecture is a nice touch as well!  

The issue itself contains probably some of my favorite stories and artwork I've seen up to this point.  Be on the look out for more from this issue in the future!

"Vampires Fly at Dusk!" - Creepy

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

Never-ending Nosferatu

They just keep coming!

When Things go Bump in the Night...

Count Orlock wishes you pleasant dreams!

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: