Starring Christopher Lee, Barbara Shelley, Richard Pasco, Francis Matthews, Suzan Farmer
Directed by Don Sharp
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)
Rasputin, the notorious monk who exerted his influence over the Russian royal family, rises to power with the aid of strange supernatural abilities.
Hammer Films, well known for their horror output by this time, tries their luck at a historical drama, but it still comes out a horror film, and it's one of my personal favorites. Lee gives a convincing performance, portraying Rasputin as a soulless monster with hypnotic powers impossible to resist, and although historical fact is left by the wayside, the result is grand entertainment. Don Banks' ominous score is a perfect fit for the evil practiced by Lee onscreen, and Shelley and Pasco are very good as two of the victims Rasputin manipulates.
Showing posts with label Suzan Farmer. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Suzan Farmer. Show all posts
Saturday, April 6, 2013
Tuesday, March 19, 2013
Dracula: Prince Of Darkness (1966)
Starring Christopher Lee, Barbara Shelley, Andrew Keir, Francis Matthews, Suzan Farmer
Directed by Terence Fisher
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)
After perishing in the sunlight, Dracula's ashes are kept by his faithful servant and ten years later, he lures two vacationing couples to Dracula's castle to resurrect the Count.
This was the second sequel to Hammer Films' 1958 hit Horror Of Dracula, but the first to feature Christopher Lee reprising his role as the undead count, who strangely has no dialogue in the film, but nevertheless turns in a memorable animal-like performance. Director Terence Fisher, who helmed both of the previous films, returns, and delivers another atmospheric vampire tale with horror effectively built through deadly quiet sequences on the soundtrack and suspenseful pacing. And behind the scenes, the excellent Hammer production crew contribute strong work in the areas of production design, music, and costuming.
Directed by Terence Fisher
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)
After perishing in the sunlight, Dracula's ashes are kept by his faithful servant and ten years later, he lures two vacationing couples to Dracula's castle to resurrect the Count.
This was the second sequel to Hammer Films' 1958 hit Horror Of Dracula, but the first to feature Christopher Lee reprising his role as the undead count, who strangely has no dialogue in the film, but nevertheless turns in a memorable animal-like performance. Director Terence Fisher, who helmed both of the previous films, returns, and delivers another atmospheric vampire tale with horror effectively built through deadly quiet sequences on the soundtrack and suspenseful pacing. And behind the scenes, the excellent Hammer production crew contribute strong work in the areas of production design, music, and costuming.
Monday, March 4, 2013
Die, Monster, Die! (1965)
Starring Boris Karloff, Nick Adams, Freda Jackson, Suzan Farmer, Terence de Marney
Directed by Daniel Haller
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)
A young man travels to visit his girlfriend at her ancestral home, where he discovers her mother is gravely ill, and her father, engaged in strange experiments, warns him to leave immediately.
According to IMDB, this was Daniel Haller's directorial debut, coming after a long career as an art director for American International Pictures, adapting a short story by writer H.P. Lovecraft. Although Wikipedia points out that the film only "loosely" adapts Lovecraft's story, with many differences in characters and plot details, it's interesting to see Haller combine both sci-fi and horror elements in guiding this picture to its climax. It's by no means a great movie, but Karloff's screen presence is always engaging, and the film showcases some nice scares and worthy special effects.
Directed by Daniel Haller
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)
A young man travels to visit his girlfriend at her ancestral home, where he discovers her mother is gravely ill, and her father, engaged in strange experiments, warns him to leave immediately.
According to IMDB, this was Daniel Haller's directorial debut, coming after a long career as an art director for American International Pictures, adapting a short story by writer H.P. Lovecraft. Although Wikipedia points out that the film only "loosely" adapts Lovecraft's story, with many differences in characters and plot details, it's interesting to see Haller combine both sci-fi and horror elements in guiding this picture to its climax. It's by no means a great movie, but Karloff's screen presence is always engaging, and the film showcases some nice scares and worthy special effects.
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