I told the other B-Masters my roundtable update was probably going to be late this time, but even I never guessed that it would be this late! And as fate and closing-down video rental shops would have it, I didn’t even end up reviewing the movie I wanted to do. Instead, we’ll all have to make do with:
The Blood on Satan’s Claw (1971), in which the kids of the 1690’s give their elders just as much trouble as those of the 1960’s…
The Comedy of Terrors (1963), in which the world’s worst undertakers reveal themselves to be no better at the murder-for-profit business…
Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed (1969), in which he really, really must…
Frankenstein and the Monster from Hell (1974), in which the monster is actually from someplace else altogether…
The Horror at 37,000 Feet (1973), in which William Shatner is once again on the case to deal with supernatural disruptions to routine airline service…
The Magician (1926), which you’d swear was a rip-off of Frankenstein and Svengali, had it not come out five years before those movies…
and…
The Witchmaker (1969), in which the villain really does busy himself making witches!
#1 by KeithA on September 27, 2010 - 10:18 am
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I think “Monster from Hell” would be much less maligned if not for the unfortunate monkey suit — the curse of “King Kong vs. Godzilla.” For me, it brings the series full circle and to its most logical extreme, with Frankenstein basically back where he began (after years of actually succeeding in his surgeries, save for some glitch usually caused by a foe). Only now, rather than being at the beginning of a bold new era, he is defeated, insane, and seems to be doing it more out of habit. The Monster from Hell experiments are stripped of any of the pretensions of being “for the betterment of man.” It’s not my favorite of the series, but I always felt like it was a sorely underrated and underestimated conclusion.
#2 by DamonD on September 27, 2010 - 5:14 pm
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Satan’s Claw is a good one but, oh, poor little Zoe…it makes a tragic scene even more depressing, I keep hoping Patrick Troughton will rush in and save her.
37,000 Feet is just as you say, a completely solid 70s tv movie presentation of a load of old blarney. It’s an odd mix, a script like that might’ve worked better with a real out-there wild directorial touch rather than this meat-and-potatoes style.
However, credit where due, Shatner’s the best thing in it even though he’s slumming it. Coasting through it all, chugging the entire contents of the minibar and with a general air of amused detachment from all that’s going on. Even with an awkwardly tacked-on final fate, he’s the only one to make any impression in the acting stakes.
Well…him and the dog.
#3 by Ed on September 27, 2010 - 5:44 pm
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I enjoyed “Monster from Hell” as well. Glad to see you enjoyed Comedy of Terrors too.
#4 by The Rev. on September 28, 2010 - 7:41 am
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In related news…
TCM, the best channel in the universe, is playing all four (there’s only four, right?) of Hammer’s Frankenstein movies, including the two El Santo has just reviewed, on Friday, October 29th starting at 8 pm EST. Which means you’ll not only get to see them for the first time (well, if you’re like me), but also right in a row.
In more immediate news, the first four Hammer Dracula movies are playing at 8 pm EST this Friday, followed by Psychomania and Daughters of Satan.
Man, I’m gonna need to clear out my DVR…
#5 by El Santo on September 28, 2010 - 8:08 am
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“(there’s only four, right?)”
Seven, actually. Or six, if you want to exclude the one that has Ralph Bates instead of Peter Cushing.