 |
Video/DVD |
BLAD BO BR BU BY |
 |
|
THE BLACK ABBOTT (1934/Real Art/Ambassador) 56mins. BW. UK.
Credits: Dir: George A. Cooper; Prod: Julius Hagen; Sc:
Terence Egan; Ph: Ernest Palmer; Ed: Lister Laurance; Art: James A. Carter. From "The
Grange Mystery" by Philip Godfrey.
Cast: John Stuart, Judy Kelly, Richard Cooper, Edgar
Norfolk, Ben Welden.
The legend of a ghost conveniently helps some crooks kidnap a rich man.
The actors and the script are presented like a badly produced stageplay, which should
please those with a taste for terrible films. Watch for the excruciatingly awful comic
relief.THE BLACK BOX (1915/Universal) 30 reels. BW. Silent. Serial. 15 episodes.
US.
Credits: Dir., Prod. & Sc: Otis Turner. Based on
the novel by E. Phillips Oppenheim.
Cast: Herbert Rawlinson, Anna Little, Frank Lloyd,
William Worthington, Mark Fenton, Laura Oakley.
An early science fiction serial featuring thought transference, an invisibility cloak, a
television and an ape man. Several million, inch-square black cubes were given away to
theatre patrons to promote Universal's earliest serial.
THE BLACK CAT (1934/Universal) 65mins. BW. US. Aka: THE HOUSE
OF DOOM (UK), Re-released as THE VANISHING BODY.
Credits: Dir: Edgar G. Ulmer; Prod: E.M. Asher & Carl Laemmle Jnr.; Sc: Peter Ruric & Edgar G. Ulmer; Ph:
John J. Mescal; Ed: Ray Curtiss; Art: Charles D. Hall; Sfx: John P. Fulton; Mu: Jack P. Pierce;
Mus: Liszt, Schumann & Tchaikovsky; Mus.Credits: Dir: Heinz Roemheld. Based loosely on
the story by Edgar Allan Poe.
Cast: Bela
Lugosi, Boris Karloff, David Manners, Jacqeline Wells (Julie Bishop), Lucille Lund, Harry Cording, Egon Brecher, Henry
Armetta, Luis Alberni, Herman Bing, John
Peter Richmond (John Carradine), Anna Duncan, Andre Cheron, Andy Devine, King Baggot,
Albert Conti, George Davis, Alphonse Martell, Tony Marlow, Paul Weigel, Rodney Hidebrant,
Peggy Terry, John George
(unbilled), Michael Mark.
"Things you never saw before, or ever dreamed of!"
Dr. Vitas Verdegast, (Lugosi), recently released from fifteen years in prison, helps two
stranded travellers, (Manners & Wells), to the house of Hjalmar Poelzig, (Karloff).
There Verdegast plans to avenge his honour against the Satanist Poelzig who has hypnotised |
|
|
his daughter, stole his now deceased wife and built a home
over the ruins of a fort where 10,000 soldiers died in a terrible defeat caused by
Poelzig's treachery. The innocent travellers are caught in the middle of the ensuing
chaos. Verdegast plays a game of chess for the innocent woman's life as part of a satanic
ritual, but although he loses, Verdegast overpowers Poelzig and gleefully peels his skin
away bit by bit with a knife.
A bizarre premise is filmed with some style and although rather dull in places, Karloff
and Lugosi's demented portrayals raise it above the usual barnstorming melodrama. Inspired
less by Poe and more by the sensational story of Aleister Crowley who brought a libel suit
against Nina Hamnett for her 1933 book "Laughing Torso".
The many and varied references to a pervasive sense of evil and sadism slowly grows, even
though nothing much is happening on screen. The squeamish British censor removed all
scenes to do with satanism, changed the theme to sun worship and released it as THE HOUSE
OF DOOM.
John Carradine can be spotted briefly as a organ playing devil worshipper.
Clips from this film later appeared in the film HEAD (1968). |
|
 |
THE BLACK CAT (1941/Universal) 70mins. BW. US.
Credits: Dir: Albert S. Rogell; Prod: Burt Kelly; Sc:
Robert Lees, Fred Rinaldo, Eric Taylor & Robert Neville; Ph: Stanley Cortez; Ed: Ted
Kent; Art: Jack Otterson & Ralph M. DeLacy; Sets: Russell A. Gausman; Sfx: John P. Fulton; Technician: Hal Bumbaugh; Mus: Hans J. Salter.
Cast: Basil Rathbone, Hugh
Herbert, Broderick Crawford, Alan Ladd, Gale Sondergaard, Bela Lugosi, Gladys Cooper, Anne Gwynne, Cecillia Loftus, Clare Dodd, John Eldredge. |
|
|
"Her hats are full of bats, for spending all her
dough on cats." - Crawford.
In a gloomy old house, eccentric, but wealthy Henrietta Winslow maintains a crematorium
for her beloved cats. Her caretaker, Eduardo, (Lugosi), is the chief suspect for the
murders that surround the house, but after an emotional plea that he is innocent, Eduardo
is murdered by a strange relative of the old woman. When the old woman dies, an antique
dealer, (Herbert), and an estate agent, (Crawford), investigate her death.
A slow and uninspiring mystery despite the atmospheric camerawork, that wastes its good
cast. Unfortunately, by this time, Bela Lugosi was reduced to playing minor
"red-herring" roles.
Marlene Dietrich visited the set often to see her current paramour Broderick Crawford.
When Dodd had finished work for the day Dietrich stood in for her during several shots
with her back to the camera.THE BLACK CROOK (1915/Kalem) 6 reels. BW. Silent.
US.
Credits: Sc: Phil Lang. From a story by Charles Barras.
Cast: E.P. Sullivan.
A criminal makes a pact with the Devil.
THE BLACK DOLL (1938/Universal) 66mins BW. US.
Credits: Dir: Otis Garrett; Prod: Irving Starr; Sc:
Harold Buckley; Ph: Stanley Cortez & Ira Morgan; Ed: Maurice Wright; Art: Ralph
Berger; Sets: Emile Kurl; Mus: Charles Previn. From a story by William Edward Hayes.
Cast: Donald Woods, Nan Grey, Edgar Kennedy, C. Henry
Gordon, Doris Lloyd, John Wray, Addison Richards, Holmes Herbert, William Lundigan, Fred
Malatesta, Inez Palange, Syd Saylor, Arthur Hoyt, John Harmon.
Nelson Rood, (Gordon), knows that the household members of his quiet country estate have
reason to hate him due to his ruthless business activities that made him his fortune while
plundering an ore-rich mine in Mexico. However, one of them is a killer who leaves a black
doll as a sign of oncoming doom.
This mystery thriller contains only minor horror elements and was the second entry in
Universal's "Crime Club" series. The others include THE WESTLAND CASE, The Lady in the Morgue, DANGER ON THE AIR and THE LAST WARNING.
BLACK DRAGONS (1942/PRC./Monogram) 61mins. BW. US.
Credits: Dir: William Nigh; Prod: Sam Katzman & Jack
Dietz; A.Prod: Barney Sarecky; Sc: Harvey Gates; Ph: Art Reed; Ed: Carl Pierson; Art: Dave
Milton; Mus: Lange & Porter.
Cast: Bela
Lugosi, Joan Barclay, Clayton Moore, George Pembroke, Robert
Frazer, Stanford Jolley, Robert Fiske, Kenneth Harlan, Max Hoffman Jnr., Irving
Mitchell, Edward Piel Snr., Joseph Eggenton, Bernard Gorcey, Frank Helton.
"A challenge from the man of 1000 horrors! I defy moviegoers not to gasp when they
see Black Dragons: Never have I worked in a story so startling, or so blood-chillingly
shocking. See if you dare...!" - Lugosi |
|
|
Nazi Dr. Melcher, (Lugosi), is a plastic surgeon who
operates on Japanese spies transforming them into American industrialists. After his
arrest, Melcher escapes to America where he kills off the phoney industrialists.
Most of the plastic surgery elements are shown only in flashback during the last reel,
leaving most of the film as a confusion of skulking figures and screams.
Inspired by an actual murderous Japanese society named "Black Dragon" that
received notoriety after several newspaper articles appeared at the time.BLACK FRIDAY (1940/Universal) 70mins. BW. US.
Originally titled FRIDAY THE THIRTEENTH.
Credits: Dir: Arthur Lubin; Prod: Burt Kelly; Sc: Curt Siodmak & Eric Taylor; Ph: Woody Bredell (Elwood
Bredell); Ed: Philip Cahn; Art: Jack Otterson & Harold McArthur; Sets: Russell A.
Gausman; Sfx: John P. Fulton; Mu: Jack
P. Pierce; Technician: Charles Carroll; Mus: Hans Salter.
Cast: Boris
Karloff, Stanley Ridges, Anne Nagel, Anne Gwynne,
Virginia Brissac, James Craig, Paul Fix, Bela Lugosi, Edmund MacDonald, Murray Alper, Ray
Bailey, Jack Mulhall, Joe King, John Kelly, Jerry Marlowe, Edward McWade, Eddie Dunn,
Emmett Vogan, Edward Earle, Kernan Kripps, Edwin Stanley, Frank Sheridan, Harry |
|
|
Hayden, Dave Oliver, Harry Tenbrook, Ray Bailey, Ellen
Lowe, Franco Corsaro.
Gangster, Red Cannon, is injured and a college professor, George Kingsley, (Ridges), is
accidentally killed during a shoot out. Both men are at the surgical mercy of Dr. Sovac,
(Karloff), who saves his friend, the professor by using brain tissue from the gangster.
Sovac encourages the professor to believe that he is the gangster so that he can find the
whereabouts of some hidden money, however, the professor alternates between the two
personalities and becomes an insane schizophrenic who sometimes vengefully kills the other
gang members.
An engaging thriller that doesn't contain as many horrific moments as the cast list
suggests. Ridges replaced Lugosi in the role of the professor and outperformed them all.
Lugosi was regulated to a minor role, and for the sake of publicity he was hypnotised to
play his death scene by hypnotist Manley Hall.
This is the last teaming of Karloff and Lugosi for Universal studios.BLACK MAGIC (1916/Kalem)
25mins. BW. Silent. US.
Credits: Dir: James W. Horne Sc: George B. Howard.
Cast: Maria Sais, Ollie Kirby.
A wealthy woman is under the sinister influence of a Hindu fakir.
An episode from the film series "The Social Pirates".
BLACK MAGIC (1944/Monogram) 67mins. BW. US.
Aka: CHARLIE CHAN IN BLACK MAGIC; CHARLIE CHAN IN MEETING AT MIDNIGHT; MEETING AT
MIDNIGHT.
Credits: Dir: Phil Rosen.
Cast: Sidney Toler, Mantan Moreland, Frances Chan,
Jaqueline de Wit, Claudia Dell, Edward Earle, Joseph Crehan.
Charlie Chan investigates a murder at a seance and encounters phoney fortune tellers.
A minor Charlie Chan adventure with spooky undertones.
BLACK MOON (1934/Columbia) 68mins. BW. US.
Credits: Dir: Roy William Neill; Sc: Wells Root; Ph:
Joseph August. From the story "Haiti Moon" by Clements Ripley.
Cast: Jack Holt, Fay Wray, Dorothy Burgess, Arnold Korff,
Cora Sue Collins, Clarence Muse, Lumsden Hare, Robert Frazier, Edna Tichenor.
"Jungle Madness! Tropic Love!"
A white woman becomes so obsessed with voodoo rituals, that she almost sacrifices her own
daughter.
THE BLACK OPAL (1913/Ramo) 2 reels. BW. Silent. US.
An opal ring carries with it a terrible curse. |
|
|
BLACK ORCHIDS (1916/Universal/Bluebird Photoplays Inc.) 5 reels.
BW. Silent. US.
Credits: Dir. & Sc: Rex Ingram; Ph:
B.C."Duke" Hayward.
Cast: Cleo Madison, Francis McDonald, Wedgewood Nowell,
Howard Crampton, Richard la Reno, John
George, Jean Hersholt, Joe Martin (ape).
Frivolous young Marie de Severac, (Madison), is frightened into following a more virtuous
path when her father relates a story in which an equally frivolous woman is entombed
alive.
Remade by Rex Ingram in 1922 as Trifling Women.BLACK OXEN (1923/First
National) 8 reels. BW. Silent. US.
Credits: Dir: Frank Lloyd; Sc: Mary O'Hara; Ph:
Norbert Brodin. From the novel by Gertrude Atherton.
Cast: Corinne Griffith, Conway Tearle, Clara Bow, Alan
Hale, Kate Lester.
X-rays are used to transform a woman thirty years younger. The film examines the social
and psychological effects of age reversal. |
Top |
|
THE BLACK PEARL (1928/Trem-Carr/Rayart) 58mins. (6 reels). BW. Silent. US.
Credits: Dir: Scott Pembroke; Sc: Arthur Hoerl; Ph: Hap
Depew; Ed: J.S. Harrington. From a novel by Mrs. Wilson Woodrow.
Cast: Lila Lee, Ray Hallor, Carl Stockdale, Howard
Lorenz, Adele Watson, Thomas Curran, Sybil Grove, Lew Short, George French, Baldy Belmont,
Art Reynolds.
A mysterious gem stolen from the eye of an Indian idol exerts a baleful influence upon its
owner, Silas Lathrop, (Curran). After receiving several death threats pinned to daggers,
Silas decides to gather his relatives to gether for a reading of his will. Unfortunately,
Silas and other members of his family are killed until a detective, (Stockdale), disguised
as the butler and a young heiress, (Lee), reveal the identity of the killer.
A standard old-dark-house thriller.
Lee also appeared in similar roles for The Ghost Breaker (1922), The Gorilla (1930) and The Unholy Three (1930).THE
BLACK ROOM (1935/Columbia) 70mins. BW. US.
Aka: THE BLACK ROOM MYSTERY.
Credits: Dir: Roy William
Niell; Prod: Robert North; Sc: Henry Meyers & Arthur Strawn; Ph: Al Siegler; Ed:
Richard Cahoon. Based on a story by Arthur Strawn.
Cast: Boris
Karloff, Robert Allen, Marian Marsh, Edward Van Sloan, Thurston Hall, John Buckler, Katherine De
Mille, Colin Tapley, Henry Kolker, Torben Meyer, John Bleifer, Frederick Vogeding, Egon Brecher, Lois Lindsey, Herbert Evans, John George, Michael Mark.
"Embraced by the Devil! Monster...his kiss the password to oblivion!"
Noble twins are besotted by an ancient curse that prophesises that the elder will be slain
by the younger twin. The mild mannered Gregor, (Karloff), returns to the home where his
older tyrannical brother Anton, (Karloff), resides. Anton has summoned him back to the
estate in order to kill him and avoid the prophesy, so Gregor is slain and dropped into
the bottom of a pit in the "black room". Disguising himself as the dead twin,
the evil Anton woos for the affections of a girl, (Marsh), who would marry him into power,
but the disguise is discovered in time and Anton fulfils the curse by falling into the pit
only to be impaled on the knife that Gregor 's corpse is holding in its hand.
A wonderfully atmospheric and gothic melodrama with superb portrayals by Karloff.
THE BLACK ROOM MYSTERY (1935) see The Black Room
BLACK SHADOWS (1920/Fox) 5 reels. BW. Silent. US.
Credits: Dir: Howard M. Mitchell; Sc: J. Anthony Roach.
Cast: Estella Evans, Peggy Hyland, Albert Roscoe.
A victim of hypnotism feels compelled to steal.
BLACK WATERS (1929/British & Dominion/Sono Art/World Wide)
90mins (81mins US.) BW. UK.
Credits: Dir: Marshall Neilan; Prod: Herbert Wilcox;
Sc: John Willard & Frank Reicher; Ph: David Kesson; Ed: Rose Smith.
From the play "Fog" by John Willard.
Cast: James Kirkwood, Mary Brian, John Loder, Hallam
Cooley, Frank Reicher, Lloyd Hamilton, Robert Ames, Ben
Hendricks, Noble Johnson.
"Damn you all! I'm giving a party in Hell, and you're all coming with me
now!" - Rev. Kelly.
Charlie, (Loder), and Eunice, (Brian), board a ghostly sailing ship at a deserted San
Francisco wharf at midnight, captained by the mysterious and as yet unseen "Tiger
Larabee", (Kirkwood). A voice over the radio warns the guests that they should expect
to be dead before dawn, then one by one, sever al are reported missing from the ship.
Charlie and Eunice, a giant mute named Jeelo, (Johnson), and Reverend Elph Kelly,
(Kirkwood), stay together until Kelly reveals himself to be the insane captain Larabee and
that he has planted a bomb on board inviting everyone to join him at a party in Hell.
Injured and dying, Jeelo kills Larabee as Charlie tosses the bomb overboard.
Despite the excellent camerawork, the talkative script and Hamilton's awful comic relief
reduce the film to a just bearable thriller.
Unable to obtain suitable sound recording equipment in Britain, Herbert Wilcox produced
this all-talking film in America.
BLADE AF SATANS BOG (1919/Nordisk Films Kompagni) 80mins. BW.
Silent. Denmark.
Aka: LEAVES FROM SATAN'S BOOK.
Credits: Dir: Carl Theodor
Dreyer; Sc: Carl Dreyer & Edgar Hoyer; Ph: George Schneevoigt; Art: Carl Dreyer,
Axel Bruun & Jens. G. Lind. From the story "The Sorrows of Satan" by Marie
Corelli.
Cast: Helge Nissen, Halvard Hoff, Jacob Texiere, Erling
Hansson, Hermansen, Weigel, Glyche, Wilhelm Jensen, Hallander Helleman, Ebon Strandin,
Johannes Meyer, Nalle Halden, Hugo Bruun, Tenna Kraft, Emma Wiehe, Jeanne Tramcourt, Elith
Pio, Viggo Wiehe, Emil Helsengreen, Sven Sacholander, Viggo Lindstrem, Vilhelm Petersen,
Carlo Wieth, Clara Pontoppidan, Carl Hillebrandt, Karina Bell, Christian Nielsen.
Satan appears during four different time periods to claim a soul. As a Pharisee he tempts
Judas to betray Christ; as a Grand Inquisitor in 16th Spain; as a fervent revolutionary in
Paris of 1793; and as a defrocked Red monk during the Russo-Finnish war of 1918, where he
is foiled by a courageous Finnish girl who chooses to die rather than betray her country,
and frees Satan of a thousand years of damnation.
A short story compilation with a vague propaganda message.
BLAKE OF SCOTLAND YARD (1927/Universal) 15 Chapter Serial.
BW. Silent. US.
Prequel to: The Ace of Scotland Yard.
Credits: Dir: Robert S. Hill. From a story by Rock Hawkey
(Robert S. Hill).
Cast: Gloria Grey, Grace Cunard.
"The Spider" has control of an electrical death ray, but Sir James Blake, a
retired C.I.D. inspector of Scotland Yard, attempts to thwart the villain's deadly plans.
This successful cliff-hanger cost $97,000 to make and eventually grossed over $3,500,000
world-wide. |
|
|
BLAKE OF SCOTLAND YARD (1937/Victory Pictures Corp) 15 Chapter Serial. BW. US.
Credits: Dir: Robert S. Hill; Prod: Sam Katzman; Sc:
Basil Dickey & William Buchanan; Ph: Bill Hyer; Ed: Holbrook N. Todd & Fred Bain;
Sets: Fred Preble; Electrical Fx: Kenneth Strickfaden. From a story by Rock Hawkey (Robert
S. Hill).
Cast: Ralph Byrd, Herbert Rawlinson, Joan Barclay, Lloyd
Hughes, Dickie Jones, Nick Stuart, Lucille Lund, Gail Newbury, Sam Flint, Jimmy Aubrey,
George de Normand, Ted Lorch, John Elliott, William Ferrell, Frank Wayne, Robert Terry,
Dick Curtis, Henry Hall, Herman Brix.
The mysterious "Scorpion", a hunchbacked villain with claws, battles with the
former inspector of Scotland Yard, Sir James Blake, (Rawlinson), for possession of an
electrical death ray.
Also released as a six-reel feature through Ace Pictures Corporation.
In 1940, Robert S. Hill retired from active directing due to of a head injury that
occurred when a bullet ricocheted during the filming of a scene. |
Top |
|
A BLIND BARGAIN (1922/Goldwyn)
60mins. 5000 feet. BW. (with a colour sequence). Silent. Aka: THE OCTAVE OF CLAUDIUS.
Credits: Dir: Wallace Worsley; Prod: Sam Goldwyn; Sc:
J.G. Hawks; Ph: Norbert Brodine. Based on "The Octave of Claudius" by Barry
Pain.
Cast: Lon Chaney,
Jacqueline Logan, Raymond McKee, Virginia True Boardman, Fontaine LaRue, Aggie Herring,
Virginia Madison.
"Robert dearly loved Angela, but alas! Too soon they have to part, for shortly he
must leave her to fulfil a blind bargain with a mad genius of surgery!"
An insane scientist named Dr. Lamb, (Chaney) , experiments to prolong life by giving his
assistant monkey glands in an operation to turn him into a ape-man, (Chaney). A young
doctor, (McKee), offers his services to the scientist in exchange for a life saving
operation on the doctor's mother, but the ape creature warns the doctor of Lamb's
intentions. Together they escape releasing one of Lamb's other experimental monstrosities
from its cage, that kills the scientist.
The father of all "gorilla-running-amok" films, with Chaney playing two roles in
one of the few true horror films he ever made despite his reputation as a
"horror"actor.BLITHE SPIRIT (1945/Two
Cities/Cineguild) 96mins. UK.
Credits: Dir: David Lean; Prod: Anthony Havelock Allan;
Sc: David Lean, Anthony Havelock Allan & Ronald Neame; Ph: Ronald Neame; Ed: Jack
Harris; Art: C.P. Norman; Mus: Richard A. Dinsell. From a play by Noel Coward.
Cast: Rex Harrison, Kay Hammond, Constance Cummings,
Margaret Rutherford, Hugh Wakefield, Joyce Carey, Jaqueline Clark.
A novelist's, (Harrison), second marriage is threatened when the mischievous ghost of his
first wife, (Hammond), materialises during a seance performed by Madame Arcati,
(Rutherford). The ghost creates havoc and is responsible for the death of his present
wife, (Cummings).
A timeless comedy with outstanding performances from the lead players under superb
direction. Coward's original West End play was an instant success.
The Special Effects won an Academy Award.
BLONDE GORILLA (1945) see White Pongo
THE BLOOD SEEDLING (1915/Selig Polyscope Co.) 3 reels. BW. Silent. US.
Credits: Prod: William G. Selig.
Cast: Thomas Santschi, Leo Pierson, Thomas Bates.
A murderer is exposed at a seance.
BLOOD VENGEANCE (1911/Ambrosio) BW. Silent. US.
Based on the play "D'Annuncio".
A ghost has her daughter kill her murderess with a bag of asps.
THE BLOODSTONE (1908/Lubin) BW. Silent. US.
A cursed ring spreads violence and death in its wake.
BLOODY INN (1941) see Posada Sangrienta
BLUE BEARD (1901) see Barbe-Bleue
BLUEBEARD (1944/PRC.) 73mins. BW.
Credits: Dir: Edgar G. Ulmer; Prod: Leon Fromkess; Sc:
Pierre Gendron; Ph: Jockey Feindel; Ed: Carl Pierson; Art: Paul Palmentola; Mus: Leo
Erdody. From story by Arnold Philips & Werner M. Furst.
Cast: John Carradine, Jean
Parker, Nils Asther, Ludwig Stossel, Teala Loring, Iris Adrian, Henry Kolker, George
Pembroke, Emmett Lynn.
In 1885, puppeteer Gaston Morell, (Carradine), is terrorising Paris with the
"bluebeard" murders. He hires models, murders them and then dumps their bodies
into the Seine. One woman, (Parker), who he falls in love with, discovers that he is the
Paris Strangler.
Despite the low budget, the sets and photography are atmospheric enough to sustain
interest, and is actually this studio's finest film.
THE BODY DISAPPEARS (1941/Warner) 72mins. BW. US.
Credits: Dir: D. Ross Lederman; Prod: Ben Stoloff; Sc: Scott Darling & Erna Lazarus; Ph: Allen G.
Seigler; Mus: Howard Jackson.
Cast: Edward Everett Horton, Jeffrey Lynn, Jane Wyman,
Herbert Anderson, Marguerite Chapman, Craig Stevens, David Bruce, Willie Best.
Unconscious after too much drink at a bachelor party, a man, (Lynn), is placed as a joke
in a medical school morgue, but his body is stolen by a doctor, (Horton), who believes he
has invented a serum to wake the dead. As the man is already alive the serum makes him
invisible.
A poor comedy whose single joke loses its appeal after half an hour.
THE BODY SNATCHER (1943/RKO.) 78mins. BW. US. Released 1945.
Credits: Dir: Robert Wise; Prod: Val Lewton; Ex.Prod: Jack J. Gross; Sc: Philip McDonald &
Carlos Keith (Val Lewton); Ph: Robert De Grasse; Ed: J.R. Whittredge; Art: Albert S. D'Agostino & Walter E. Keller; Sets: Darrel
Silvera & John Sturtevant; Mu: Frank La Rue; Mus: Roy Webb. From the short story by
Robert Louis Stevenson. |
|
|
Cast:
Bela Lugosi, Boris Karloff, Sharyn Moffat, Henry Danielle, Edith Atwater, Russell Wade, Rita Corday, Donna
Lee, Robert Clarke, Mary Gordon, Bill Williams, Jim Moran, Mary McBride, Carl Kent, Jack
Welsh, Larry Wheat, Aina Constant, Eddie Parker.
"Graves raided! Coffins robbed! Corpses carved! Midnight murder! Body Blackmail!
Stalking ghouls! Mad thrills of terror and macabre mystery!...and don't blame us if you
stay awake all night!"
John Gray, a sinister grave robber, (Karloff), supplies bodies to Dr. MacFarlane,
(Danielle), but soon Gray is forced to murder to maintain his supply. He blackmails the
doctor into thinking he would also be implicated if the matter got to the police, but when
the grave digger dies, the doctor is haunted by his last words. After stealing Gray's
corpse for himself, the doctor rides with it in the back of his buggy, but the body seems
to come to life and the frightened doctor falls to his death over a cliff. When the body
bag is opened, the corpse of an old woman is revealed.
A superior film packed with eerie atmosphere and haunting images adding to Karloff's fine
performance. This was the last time Lugosi and Karloff would appear together and by this
time Lugosi had been relegated to minor supporting roles.
A section of the final scene featuring the corpse coming to life was cut by the British
censors. THE BOGEY WOMAN (1909/Pathe) 1 reel. BW. Silent. France.
The Bogey Woman transforms children into vegetables.
THE BOGUS GHOST (1916/Kalem) BW. Silent.
A woman believed to have been drowned, masquerades as a spirit for a fake mystic.
LA BOITE A MALICE (1903/Star Film) 165 feet. BW. Silent.
France.
Aka: THE MYSTERIOUS BOX; THE SHALLOW BOX TRICK.
Credits: Georges
Melies.
A girl vanishes from a scientist's magic box.
BOMBA ON PANTHER ISLAND (1949/Monogram) 76mins. BW. US.
Sequel to BOMBA THE JUNGLE BOY (1949).
Credits: Dir. & Sc: Ford
Beebe; Prod: Walter Mirisch; Ph: William Sickner; Mus: Edward J.Kay. Based on Roy
Rockwood's series of popular children's books.
Cast: Johnny Sheffield, Allene Roberts, Lita Baron,
Charles Irwin, Smoki Whitfield, Harry Lewis.
African superstition leads some people to believe that the soul of a black panther has
taken refuge in the body of a woman, (Baron).
This second entry in the jungle-bound Bomba series utilised jungle footage from AFRICA
SPEAKS and was influenced by the success of Val Lewton's The Cat People.
Sheffield gained fame as Tarzan's son in the Weismuller Tarzan films.
UN BON LIT (1899/Star Films) 65 feet. BW. Silent. France.
Aka: A GOOD BED; A MIDNIGHT EPISODE.
Credits: Georges
Melies.
While in bed, illuminated by the moonlight, a man is suddenly awakened by a giant insect
crawling across him. Leaping from his bed he attacks and kills the creature only to turn
and see two more climbing the bedroom wall. He lights a candle and explodes them with the
flame.
A horrific short with outstanding special effects for the time.
BONZOLINO (1924/Ward) Animated. UK.
The dog Bonzo appears as the famous actor "Bon Chaney".
THE BOOGIE MAN WILL GET YOU (1944/Columbia) 66mins. BW. US.
Credits: Dir: Lew Landers; Prod: Colbert Clark; Sc: Paul
Gangelin & Edwin Blum; Ph: Henry Fraulich; Ed: Richard Fantl; Art: Robert Peterson;
Mus: Morris W. Stoloff. From a story by Hal Fimberg and Robert B. Hunt. |
|
|
Cast:
Boris Karloff, Peter Lorre, Jeff Donnell, Maxie Rosenblum, Larry Parks, Don
Beddoe, George MacKay, Maude Eburne, Frank Puglia, Eddie
Laughton, Frank Sully, James Morton.
"You'll be tickled to death over this gay chiller diller!"
Professor Nathaniel Billings, (Karloff), is trying to sell his run down New England hotel
despite the selection of buried corpses in the cellar. Two buyers, (Parks & Donnell) ,
call in the sheriff, (Lorre), when they discover that Billings has been experimenting to
try and create supermen from spare body parts for the war effort. The sheriff sees the
potential profits in the scheme and encourages Billings to carry on the good work.
Inspired by the success of Arsenic and Old Lace, Columbia tries to
cash in, but unfortunately this film plays as a daft farce. Karloff and Lorre turn in fine
performances and make up for some of the failings.
Another one, of afour picture deal Karloff made with Columbia. LE BOSSU (1944) 110mins.
Credits: Dir: Jean Delannoy.
Cast: Pierre Blanchar, Paul Bernard.
An aristocrat disguises himself as a hunchback to avenge a murder.
BOTHERED BY A BEARD (1945/Gaumont/British Instructional)
36mins. BW. UK.
Credits: Dir., Prod., & Sc: E.V.H. Emmett; Ph: Jack
Rose; Ed: W.T. Lowe; Art: Jack Drury; Mu: W.T. Partleton; Mus: Bretton Byrd.
Cast: Tod Slaughter,
Jerry Verno, John Salew, Franklyn Bennett, Dorothy Bramhall, Anthony
Baird, Arthur Denton, Desmond Roberts, Clifford Buckton, Howard Douglas, Van Boden.
"In poor districts, even in big cities, the barber shop of bygone days was often
villainously dirty and dangerous, as you will see if you stay inside the theatre and take
a look at Britain's fruitiest draw!". |
|
|
An instructional film detailing the history of shaving,
notable for an appearance of Tod Slaughter reprising his role as Sweeny Todd, the Demon Barber of Fleet Street.
In a short vignette, Slaughter strops his razor well, parades his infamous throaty
chuckle, and "polishes off" his customer, (Anthony Baird), with consummate ease.LE BOURREAU TURC (1904/Star Film) 150
feet. BW. Silent. France.
Aka: THE TERRIBLE TURKISH EXECUTIONER.
Credits: Georges
Melies.
Four prisoners are executed by having their heads severed by one swift blow of a sword.
Whilst the executioner is pre-occupied, the heads escape from the barrel, replace
themselves on their bodies, capture the executioner and cut him in half. |
Top
|
|
BOWERY AT MIDNIGHT (1942/Astor/Banner/Monogram) 63mins. BW. US.
Credits: Dir: Wallace Fox; Prod: Sam Katzman & Jack
Dietz; A.Prod: Barney A. Sarecky; Sc: Gerald Schnitzer; Ph: Mack Stengler; Ed: Carl
Pierson; Art: David Milton; Mus: Edward Kay. From a story by Sam Robins.
Cast: Bela
Lugosi, John Archer, Dave O'Brien, Wanda MacKay, Tom Neal, Vince Barnett, J.
Farrell MacDonald, Wheeler Oakman, John Berkes, Ray Miller, Lew Kelly, Lucille Vance, Anna
Hope, George Eldredge.
"Mr. Dracula's most nerve-wrecking, terrifying role!"
Professor Brenner, (Lugosi), a slum missionary, is really the sinister Karl Wagner who
commits crimes by night. When his minions at the mission threaten his leadership he kills
them and buries the bodies in the cellar, but a drug addicted doctor manages to revive the
dead down and outs who have their revenge by killing the professor.
A cheap B-film along the lines of Dark Eyes of London that is not
nearly as bad as others from this studio, but it still marks the continuing decline of
Lugosi's career. BOYS OF THE CITY (1940) 65mins. BW. US. Aka:
THE GHOST CREEPS.
Credits: Dir: Joseph H. Lewis.
Cast: Leo Gorcey, Bobby Jordan, Vince Barnett, Dave
Gorcey, Minerva Urecal, "Sunshine"Sammy Morrison, Donald Haines, Hally Chester,
Frankie Burke, Dave O'Brien, Dennis Moore.
"Sentenced to a vacation in the country! Pint-sized gangsters sent up the
river...for a vacation in the country...in a haunted house!"
The East Side Kids are sent to the country and expose some phoney ghosts at a seemingly
haunted house.
The second of the East Side Kids series that began life as the Dead End Kids films.
THE BRAIN INSPECTOR (1910) see Le Retapeur
de Cervelle
THE BRAIN OF FRANKENSTEIN (1948) see Abbott and Costello Meet
Frankenstein
BRAINS REPAIRED (1910) see Le Retapeur de Cervelle
THE BRAINSNATCHER (1936) see The Man Who Changed his Mind
BRAND OF EVIL (1913/Essanay) 3reels. BW. Silent. US.
Credits: Dir: H. Webster; Sc: Edward T. Lowe.
Cast: Thomas Commerford.
When the eye of an idol is stolen, the thief's hand withers away.
THE BRAND OF SATAN (1917/Peerless World) 6 reels. BW. Silent. US.
Credits: Dir: George Archianbaud; Sc: J.F. Looney.
Cast: Montague Love.
A strangler is afflicted with a split personality.
THE BRIBE (1915/Universal/Victor) BW. Silent. US.
Cast: Charles Ogle, Mary Fuller.
A hypnotist, (Ogle), compels a girl, (Fuller), to steal while under his influence.
THE BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN (1935/Universal) 80mins.
(originally 75mins.). US.
Originally titled: THE RETURN OF FRANKENSTEIN, and FRANKENSTEIN LIVES AGAIN. Sequel to: Frankenstein (1931).
Credits: Dir: James Whale;
Prod: Carl Laemmle Jnr.; Sc: John L. Balderston, William
Hurlbut & Robert Florey (uncredited); Ph: John J. Mescall; Ed: Maurice Pivar & Ted
Kent; Art: Charles D. Hall; Sfx: John
P. Fulton & David Horsley; Laboratory Equipment: Kenneth
Strickfaden; Mu: Jack Pierce; Mus: Franz Waxman;
Mus.Dir: Mischa Bakaleinkoff. Based on "Frankenstein, or The Modern Prometheus"
by Mary Wollsencraft Shelley. |
Top |
|
Cast:
Colin Clive, Boris Karloff, Ernest Thesiger, Elsa
Lanchester, Dwight Frye, Valerie Hobson, O.P. Heggie, Una O'Conner, Ann Darling, Neil Fitzgerald, Douglas Walton, John Carradine, Gunnis Davis, Walter Brennan, E.E. Clive, Gavin Gordon, Reginald Barlow, Mary Gordon, Ted Billings, Lucien Prival, Maurice Black, Billy Barty, Norman
Ainsley, Joan Woodbury, Arthur S. Byron, Josephine McKim, Kansas DeForrest, Peter Shaw,
Helen Parrish, Robert Adair, John Curtis, Frank Terry, Rollo
Lloyd, Mary Stewart, Brenda Fowler, Sarah Schwartz, D'Arcy Corrigan, Elspeth Dudgeon, Josephine McKim, Monte Montague, Frank Benson,
Ed Piel Snr., John George,
Anders Van Haden.
"The monster demands a mate!"
Henry Frankenstein, (Clive), survives the windmill fire and vows to give up his inhuman
experiments, but the monster, (Karloff), has also survived. Henry is approached by the
sinister Dr. Pretorius, (Thesiger), who wants to join forces to create another human, and
he shows Henry his bizarre experiment results of miniature humans kept in glass jars.
Disgusted with the idea, Henry refuses to help the doctor. Meanwhile the monster is
causing chaos in the woodlands, and visits a blind hermit, (Heggie), who thanks God for
his unexpected mute friend. Two hunters arrive and force the monster to flee, but he is
caught and thrown into some dungeons. When he escapes he meets Pretorius who convinces the
monster that he needs a mate, so the monster forces Henry to help by kidnapping his fiance
Elizabeth. When the new creation, (Lanchester), comes to life she screams her abhorrence
at the sight of her mate. The broken hearted monster decides to end the lives of all those
involved, but as a last gesture of pity, he lets Frankenstein live and then blows up the
castle with the words "We belong dead!"
A classic of the gothic horror cinema with exactly the right amount of atmosphere and dark
humour. The original print of 75 minutes excluded the Mary Shelley, (Lanchester), prologue
and the burgermeister's death, but another 15 minutes were excluded from the final print
and never replaced including an extended prologue and a subplot involving Frye and his
aunt and uncle, (Tempe Piggott & Gunnis Davis). There was
also a courtroom session, and a shot during the scene Dr. Pretorius shows his creations to
Frankenstein of a miniature infant that looks like Karloff, (Billy Barty). Pretorius says "I
think this baby will grow into something worth watching ". All that remains
now is a brief shot of the baby waving.
Other cuts included a scene in which Dr. Pretorious explains the hold he has over his
assistant Karl, (Frye). Apparantly while bodysnatching, Karl dug up a victim of catalepsy
who Pretorious began to dissect while she was alive until her screams alerted him.
The ending that Universal opted for was not the original. Frankenstein was destined to be
blown up with the castle which is evident by his presence at the laboratory door when the
monster pulls the lever. Universal did not want the extra expense of re-shooting the
scene.
Lanchester's make up was based on Queen Nefertiti.
Shooting began Jan.2nd.'35 and was budgeted at $295,750, this is one of the first films to
have a full music score written specifically for a motion picture.
One glaring plot flaw begs the question as to why two scientific geniuses would build a
laboratory with a huge lever that can blow everything to pieces? However, the film remains
one of the greatest horror films of all time and certainly the most influential.
Sequel: Son of Frankenstein.THE BRIDE OF MYSTERY (1914/Gold
Seal) 4 reels. BW. Silent. US.
A doctor seemingly restores a dead girl back to life.
THE BRIDE OF THE HAUNTED CASTLE (1910/Artistic/Pathe) 15mins. BW. Silent. US.
A living skeleton confronts a bride trapped in a castle.
THE BRIDGE OF TIME (1915/Selig Polyscope Co.) 3 reels. BW. Silent. US.
Credits: Dir: Frank Beal.
A man is possessed by his villainous ancestor's soul.
THE BRIGHTON STRANGLER (1945/RKO.) 67mins. BW. US.
Credits: Dir: Max Nosseck; Prod: Herman Schlom; Sc:
Arnold Philips & Max Nosseck; Ph: J. Roy Hunt; Mus: Leigh Harline.
Cast: John Loder, June Duprez, Rose
Hobart, Miles Mander, Michael St. Angel, Ian Wolfe,
Gilbert Emery.
An actor, (Loder), portraying the part of the "Brighton Murderer" on stage
re-enacts the homicidal tendencies of the role after he receives a bump on the head during
a London air raid, and overhearing a casual comment by a passer-by that happens to be an
exact line from the play.
Loder's strong performance shines in this clever, but cheaply made thriller that is
similar to the classier A DOUBLE LIFE (1947).
Note the establishing shot that has the Houses of Parliament on the wrong side of the
Thames.
BRUCE GENTRY-DAREDEVIL OF THE SKIES (1949/Columbia) BW. Serial. 15 Chapters.
Credits: Dir: Spencer Bennet & Thomas Carr.
Cast: Tom Neal, Judy Clark, Ralph Hodges, Forrest
Taylor.
A scientist's assistant attempts to unmask a sinister villain named The Recorder who can
control an electronic flying disc.
A routine action serial.
THE BRUTE (1912/Champion) BW. Silent. US.
The Grim Reaper claims a drunkard's soul.
BRUTE FORCE (1912-13) BW. Silent.
Aka: THE PRIMITIVE MAN; WARS OF THE PRIMAL TRIBES.
Credits: D.W. Griffith.
A saga featuring animated monsters and a caveman.
THE BRUTE MAN (1946/Publishers Releasing Corp./Universal)
58mins. BW. US.
Credits: Dir: Jean Yarbrough; Prod: Ben Pivar; Sc: George
Bricker & M. Coates Webster; Ph: Maury Gertsman; Ed: Phillip Cahn; Art: John B.
Goodman & Abraham Grossman; Sets: Russell A. Gausman & Edward R. R obinson; Tech:
Joe Lapis; Mu: Jack P. Pierce; Mus: Hans J. Salter &
Frank Skinner. From a story by Dwight V. Babcock.
Cast: Rondo Hatton, Tom
Neal, Jane Adams, Donald McBride, Peter Whitney, Fred Coby,
Jan Wiley, Janelle Johnson, Beatrice Roberts, Oscar O'Shea, John Gallaudet, Pat McVey,
Peggy Converse, Joseph Crehan, John Hamilton, Lorin Raker, Charles Wagenheim, Tristram
Coffin, Jack Parker, Jim Nolan, Margaret Hoffman, Alan Foster, Cy Schindell, Warren
Jackson, Martin Skelly, Danny Jackson, Rodney Bell, Perc Launders, John Roche, Karen
Knight, Norma Gilchrist, Mary Ann Bricker, Jim Clark, Joyce Stuart, Carl Anders, Gabrielle
Windsor, Paula Gray, Larry Wyle.
When a handsome university footballer, (Colby), is caught in a laboratory explosion, the
disfigurement it causes him to become insane. He embarks on a campaign of murder against
those that scream at his ugly features, and calls himself The Creeper, (Hatton). A blind
girl, (Adams), befriends him, but she inadvertently leads the police to his whereabouts.
Universal were so ashamed of the film when it was completed that they farmed it out to
PRC., their B-picture studio for distribution.
Hatton's own story is much more compelling. As a handsome young man actively fighting in
World War One, he was gassed on the Western Front. The resulting disfiguring disease,
acromegaly, required numerous operations to restore him to some sort of normality. After
years of mental and physical agony, he tried Hollywood as a means to make a living. He
played a few bit parts until he was signed by Universal for seven years, billed as a freak
of nature and needing no makeup. Hatton made only two films for Universal before he died
in Beverly Hills at the age of 51 of a heart attack the year this film was released.
DIE BUCHSE DER PANDORA (1928/Nero Film) 131mins. (8043 feet.)
BW. Silent. Germany.
Aka: PANDORA'S BOX; LULU.
Credits: Dir: G.W. Pabst; Prod: George C.Horsetzky
& Seymour Nebenzahl; Sc: G.W. Pabst & Ladislaus Vajda; Ph: Gunther Krampf; Ed:
Joseph R. Fliesler; Art: Andrei Andreiev; Costumes: Gottlieb Hesch. Based on the plays
"Erdgeist" and "Die Bucchse der Pandora" by Frank Wedekind.
Cast: Louise Brooks, Fritz Kortner, Franz Lederer,
Carl Goetz, Alice Roberts, Daisy D'Ora, Krafft Raschig, Michael von Newlinsky, Siegfried
Arno, Gustav Diessl.
The promiscuous Lulu, (Brooks), ruins the lives of those around her, murders her lover,
and escapes to London where she makes a living as a prostitute. On Christmas Eve, Lulu
invites a strange client back to her flat and meets her death at the hands of Jack the
Ripper (Diessl).
A hypnotic and bizarre fantasy film that immortalised Louise Brooks in a superb
performance of the doomed beauty, with a vulnerable childlike innocence. A compelling
melodrama of which many edited prints were in existence until a full length version was
restored in 1983.
Remade in 1962 as NO ORCHIDS FOR LULU starring Nadja Tiller.
BUCK ROGERS (1939/Universal) BW. Serial. 12 Chapters. US.
1965
90 minute feature version titled: DESTINATION SATURN.
Aka: BUCK ROGERS CONQUERS THE UNIVERSE (video).
1959 condensed version titled: PLANET OF OUTLAWS.
Credits: Dir: Ford Beebe
& Saul Goodkind; Prod: Barney Sarecky; Sc: Norman S. Hall & Ray Trampe; Ph: Jerry
Ash; Electrical Fx: Kenneth Strickfaden. From the 1929 comic
strip by Philip F. Nowlan. |
Top
|
|
Cast:
Buster Crabbe, Jackie Moran, Constance Moore, Henry
Brandon, Jack Mulhall, Anthony Warde, C. Montague Shaw, Philson Ahn, Guy Usher, Wheeler
Oakman, Carleton Young, Reed Howes.
"Twelve amazing thrill-thronged chapters!"
After 500 years of sleep, Buck Rogers, (Crabbe), awakes in the 25th. century, remembering
only that he crashed his spaceship into some ice. He tries to adjust to the future, but
finds himself up against Killer Kane and the evil Captain Lasca.
Universal re-hashed their Flash Gordon scripts into an agreeable
sci-fi serial.
The edited feature versions make unimaginative use of the serial's footage. Subsequent
video releases have three episodes on each tape making up the full series of about
240mins.BUCK ROGERS CONQUERS THE UNIVERSE (1939) see Buck Rogers
BUCKET OF BLOOD (1934) see Tell Tale Heart
DER BUCKLIGE UN DIE TANZERIN (1919/Helios Film Gesellschaft)
BW. Silent. Germany. Aka: THE HUNCHBACK AND THE DANCER.
Credits: Dir: F.W. Murnau; Sc: Carl Mayer; Ph: Karl
Freund; Sets: Robert Neppach. Based on Reinhardt's "Sumurum".
Cast: Sacha Gura, John Gottowt, Paul Biensfeld,
Anna Von Pahlen, Henri Peters-Arnolds, Bella Polini, Werner
Krauss.
Wilton, a repulsive hunchback, (Gottowt), returns from Java a rich man after his discovery
of a diamond mine. He meets a dancer named Gina, (Gura), who has just finished a
relationship and accepts Wilton's gifts of exotic cosmetics and perfumes. When she later
reconciles with her lover, (Biensfeld), she still goes to Wilton to obtain more perfumes,
but this time Wilton mixes a subtle poison into the perfume that will kill any man who
kisses her. Upon discovering the deception, Gina rushes to Wilton, who consumed with
passion kisses her. While attempting to take the antidote, Gina snatches it away and
Wilton dies.
The film was apparently titled to capitalise on Hugo's popular story.
THE BUDDHA'S CURSE (1910/Lux) BW. Silent. US.
A magical Indian priest curses a household with sickness.
BULLDOG DRUMMOND'S SECRET POLICE (1939) 56mins.
Credits: Dir: James Hogan.
Cast: John Howard, Heather Angel, H.B. Warner, Reginald
Denny, Leo G. Carroll, Elizabeth Patterson.
Features a mad scientist, torture chambers, an eerie castle and a lengthy dream sequence
that includes footage from other films in the series.
Leo G. Carroll stands out in three villainous roles.
LES BULLES DE SAVON ANIMEES (1906) BW. Silent.
Aka: SOAP BUBBLES.
THE BUTCHER'S DREAM (1909/Lux) 1 reel. BW. Silent. US.
A butcher suffers from a nightmare in which he is being butchered by animals.
BY ROCKET TO THE MOON (1928) see Frau im
Mond
BY THE HOUSE THAT JACK BUILT (1911/IMP.) BW. Silent. US.
A wicked Queen steals the heart of a prince, and while under the influence of a witch's
potion, a girl's soul leaves her body.
|
|
|
BLAD BO BR BU BY |
|
|
Classic Horror Movies A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z |