Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed (1969) - Newspaper Ad

Oakland Tribune - February 11, 1970

Considering the amount of pre-release tampering that is alleged to have been done on Frankenstein Must De Destroyed, I was surprised to read that, when asked which of his own films were his favorites, Terence Fisher (in an interview in Vol. 4, Issue 3 of Cinefantastique magazine) said this was one of them. That, of all his films, Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed was the one he most enjoyed making.

As far as that supposed tampering goes, I heard there was a "last minute" decision it "spice up" the film with a sexual assault that, according to an interview with Veronica Carlson that appeared in (I think) Fangoria magazine, had both Cushing and Fisher apologizing to the actress throughout the filming of the scene.

Another ill-advised "last minute" inclusion was the comedic investigating carried on by Inspector Frisch (Thorley Walters). One could excise both the assault and Frisch scenes from the film and be left with a tighter, leaner, and far better paced movie, I think.

My favorite hammer Frankenstein's remain The Revenge of Frankenstein and Frankenstein Created Woman.

Double-billed with Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed is Dracula Has Risen from the Grave, the middle section of Hammer Film's trilogy of direct sequels to [Horror of] Dracula. While an interesting and entertaining enough follow up to Dracula Prince of Darkness, picking up more or less where that film ended, and leading directly into Taste the Blood of Dracula, I have to say that I prefer and enjoy both Prince and Taste a great deal more than Grave.

It is not bad, I just find it a tad slow and, because of that, it has tested of my patience at times. Other times, not so much.

Fright Flicks - Trading Cared #34

Alien (1979)

"Hello my baby, hello my honey, hello my ragtime gal!"
 

Clash of the Titans (1981) - Soundtrack

One of the few Laurence Rosenthal scores I have in my collection. The other one, also from Intrada, is the soundtrack for Meteor.

Turns out there was a solid reason for why Rosenthal's name and work is not all that familiar to me, then and now. Most of his work appears to have been for television and period dramas. Which is not my usual viewing of choice. Although he did compose the theme to Fantasy Island and the score for the 1977 version of The Island of Dr. Moreau.

His score for Clash of the Titans is superb and has me wishing he had been able to work in the arena of fantastic cinema more often.

Nothing But Trouble (1991) - Newspaper Ad

San Francisco Examiner - February 10, 1991

Although I had a certain morbid curiosity about this film when it crashed and burned at the box office in the early months of 1991, I did not see it until it was on home video.

Nothing But Trouble is an utterly bizarre and bonkers horror-comedy. Think National Lampoon's House of 1,000 Corpses. Really.

It tries, and fails spectacularly, at being something very weird and very different. Outside of Dan Ackroyd, who wrote and directed, I think only John Candy and Taylor Negron seemed to understand the assignment and role with it. Chevy Chase and Demi Moore both seemed stiff and embarrassed about being in the movie and I don't blame them.

All that being said, I do revisit the Mr. Bonestripper scene every so often.

Lady Death: Dark Alliance - Trading Card #69

Smitten

If her looks don't smitten you then the swords will. If you need an assassin, look Chastity up.

When Dinosaurs Ruled the Earth (1970) - Newspaper Ad

Oakland Tribune - February 9, 1972

Of the four prehistoric fantasy films that Hammer Film produced, this is the only one I have seen from start to finish. An entertaining little piffle that not only shows dinosaurs and humans co-existing, but that also postulates the moon was birthed from the area that would become the Pacific Ocean.

Okay...

Fright Flicks - Trading Card #33

A Nightmare on Elm Street Part 2: Freddy's Revenge (1985)

 

The Sentinel (1977) - Newspaper Ad

San Francisco Examiner - February 6, 1977

My memories of when I first became aware of The Sentinel, versus when I first saw it, are as murky as the film's narrative. I know that I saw a static image of the film during the Science Fiction Film Awards ceremony that was broadcast in 1978. Where The Sentinel was nominated for Best Horror Movie and up against The Hills Have Eyes, Dogs, Kingdom of the Spiders, and The Little Girl Who Lives Down the Lane. The winner was the very deserving The Little Girl Who Lives Down the Lane.

I also know that I first saw The Sentinel on broadcast television, but I do not recall it being broadcast on a major network. The film might have been a tad too sleazy and off-putting for one of the big three. That it had not been all that successful at the box office also did not do it any favors in selling to ancillary markets, either. Even with some minor edits for content and, most likely, time, the movie still proved unnerving and unsettling. It also traumatized my dad, of all people.

In 1979 or 1980 I read a book by Jeffrey Konvitz called The Guardian, which turned out to be a sequel to his novel The Sentinel. Which was the source material for this movie. I did not read The Sentinel until 1981 or 82.

I do know that when MCA Home Video released the film, I did rent it and watch it. But that had to have been in 1987 or 88. I think.

Scream Factory released the film on blu-ray, which I just so happen to own. So I give it an occasional watch. Like every other film directed by Michael Winner, it is blunt, uneven, violent, gross, sexually graphic, and exploitative. This is one of those movies that leaves its viewers feeling in need of a shower or cleansing bath.

Great score by Gil Melle, thought. That, along with counting the bonkers number of recognizable and underutilized actors in the cast, is the best thing about the movie.

Lady Death: Dark Alliance - Trading Card #68

Jade

Jade was turned by the Blood Goddess Purgatori a long time ago. She now has chosen her role and place in the world. She's endured much, caused much death and destruction, but now wishes to make amends with the world.

The Serpent and the Rainbow (1988) - Newspaper Ad

Oakland Tribune - February 5, 1988

After the creative misstep that was Deadly Friend (1986) Wes Craven returned to form with this atmospheric and effective horror film interpretation of the nonfiction book of the same name by Wade Davis. Although, yet again, the studio (this time Universal) insisted that Craven jazz up the scares with some nightmare sequences.

While not a huge hit at the box office, it did do modest to effective numbers, but nowhere near enough to give Craven the industry capital to make something outside of the horror genre. So it goes.