NEW CASTLE OF FRANKENSTEIN COMING SOON!

Faster than a Mariphasa lupina lumina  blooming in the moonlight, the newest issue of CASTLE OF FRANKENSTEIN is coming your way this month. I'm excited to say that my in-depth retrospective on WEREWOLF OF LONDON will be one of the articles included in this tome of terror. So, scroll down and order a copy already!

From the publisher:

Castle of Frankenstein #43 investigates the history of the Lugosi classic White Zombie; travels through time via early motion pictures; celebrates more than 90 years of Werewolf of London; profiles Colossus: The Forbin Project and its foreshadowing of modern fears of AI; unearths horror Western The Devil’s Mistress; reveals an alleged brain transplant reported in 1873; and unwraps the chilling story of evil clown Mr. Flap Flap. Plus, regular features: Baron von Neck’s Mad Movie Reviews, Tales of Terror, Mike Goes to the Movies, Castle Book Critiques, and Slaymate of the Month. Color cover art by Scott Jackson with another whopping 128 perfect-bound B/W retro pulp pages loaded with photos!

Purchase your copy HERE.

THE INNOCENTS: A LOOK BACK

I place Jack Clayton's THE INNOCENTS high on the list along with THE HAUNTING and THE UNINVITED as one of the best ghost stories ever put on film. Based on Henry James' 1898 novella serialized in COLLIERS, "The Turn of the Screw" it is a marvelous screen adaptation of the story, which is a bit of a tough go as a result of its antiquated writing style, but still worth reading. James played down the supernatural aspect with the title, preferring to use the metaphor of the increasing psychological tension that unfolds during the tale. The film's title lends itself more accessible to modern audiences.

Behind Clayton's masterful direction, actors Deborah Kerr as Governess Miss Giddens, Martin Stevens as Miles, Pamela Franklin as Flora (as an adult, she would star in THE LEGEND OF HELL HOUSE) and the rest of the supporting cast all provide credibility to their characters, a critical element in stories such as this.

Deborah Kerr as Miss Gibbens.

Freddie Francis was the cinematographer behind the camera. He instills a disturbing, claustrophobic look to the film using modified lenses and creative depth of field shots which lend an overall air of Gothic Noir. Francis would sit in the director's chair  for a number of horror and science-fiction films including THE DAY OF THE TRIFFIDS (1963), THE EVIL OF FRANKENSTEIN (1964), DR. TERROR'S HOUSE OF HORRORS (1965) and DRACULA HAS RISEN FROM THE GRAVE (1968).

I highly recommend this film!

Pamela Franklin as Flora.

This article from CINEFANTASTIQUE (June-July 1983) offers an insightful retrospective of the film.

EXTRA!

Lobby cards:

SVENGOOLIE'S MONSTER MOVIES FOR MARCH

While we're on the subject of monster humor, TV horror host Svengoolie has announced his list of fright flicks for the month of March which include SON OF FRANKENSTEIN and THE MUMMY'S HAND.

After all these years, Svengoolie and his gang still serve up plenty of chuckles between commercial breaks and besides his comedic banter, he always provides viewers plenty of information about the films, actors and so on.

Here's the 411 from MeTV's, "Remind: The Home of Nostalgia" SITE.