Hammer Films has just uploaded a trailer for their new 4K restoration release of the classic 1957 Lee-Cushing horror movie.
"The Curse Of Frankenstein" started the Hammer Films lineage of Frankenstein horror films, and an even longer list of great horror films featuring Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee. If you haven't seen "The Curse Of Frankenstein", you're missing out on some fantastic Frankenstein action, with some outstanding, meticulous acting by Cushing, and really some eye-popping visuals. Upon initial release, like many great films, it was panned by critics, but it was a financial success that spawned six sequels, and today is considered a cult classic, just like "Dracula", that was created just a year later by largely the same crew.
A secret service agent narrowly escapes the deadly rituals of worshiping the devil, and based on the evidence so far, Scotland Yard decides to consult occult expert Van Helsing...
"The Satanic Rites Of Dracula" is a later entry in the Hammer/Lee/Cushing series of Dracula films, and it might not come across as an overly "typical" episode, but it still looks absolutely Hammer, only with motorcycles and tape reels. Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing are in it, a couple of other familiar faces, and as all Hammer Draculas, it's a solid production in all regards. Chilling and entertaining, "The Satanic Rites..." can easily be recommended to all horror movie fans, and of course is a must see for everyone who likes vampires and the Hammer Dracula series.
The evil of Dracula has been destroyed. Or has it? With the help of a few drops of fresh blood, and a priest who has lost his faith, the prince of darkness returns...
Certainly one of the most spectacular adaptations of the material is "Dracula has risen from the Grave". It does some twists and turns to finally tie in with the universe created by the previous Hammer/Dracula/Lee productions, but it succeeds, and from there on it goes ever more boldly, and effectively, into an intricate story about Christian belief, atheism, and family. Of course it's a horror movie featuring Dracula, so the viewer can expect some adequate visual and aural stimulants - and this one doesn't hold back at all.
"Dracula has risen..." is loaded with erotic innuendo and not-so-innuendo, putting the underlying complex of sin-vs.-purity/family-vs.-rebellion/etc., that is present in all Dracula material, on full display, while being generous with the gore, creative and just as generous with psychedelic colors the likes of Mario Bava would be proud of, wasting zero time on fillers, and still devoting enough attention to some great dialogue that provides background and motivation to the characters. That's a lot of good stuff, and indeed the movie flows along nicely, without creating nostalgic "all-star", "all-Dracula" moments, but instead focusing on the action and the consequences.
Christopher Lee has comparably little screen time in the movie, and Peter Cushing is absent from the cast - creating a slightly unusual, unfamiliar mood. Some of the editing is razor sharp, Lee gives an exceptionally raw and wild performance, and the camera work is flawless to masterful. All of which makes the appearances of the lord of vampires even more menacing than they had already been previously. The producers of "Dracula has risen..." obviously had a vision of the pace, the visual quality, and the impact the movie should have, and they did not fail to put it on screen.
Verdict: Charming, sexy, fast, and genuinely scary! 8/10
In order to cure his lover's insanity, Hercules goes on a mission into the underworld. There he must retrieve a magic stone, and face King Lico, who has teamed up with the dark forces...
"Hercules in the Center of the Earth" (or "...in the Haunted World") is fantasy horror movie with a lot of swords and sandals, and some comic relief. It's a bit of a mash up of Greek mythology, default fantasy material, and vampire horror. There are no actual vampires here, but some obvious references to that kind of movie culture, and with Christopher Lee as the main antagonist it has an extra bit of Hammer horror feel. There's not much character study to be found here. "Hercules in the..." is a low budget production depicting mythology - the dialog is a bit harsh, the humor is a bit wooden, as is the acting, the sets are cheap, and the muscles are shiny.
To some, this may sound like "Hercules..." is a boring film, but unless you expect something very different, that is certainly not the case. With tons of styrofoam (or papier mache), paint, a handful of practical and camera effects, and loads of colored light, Mario Bava creates quite a spectacular picture of the underworld. His use of light is one of his trademarks - it's Technicolor on steroids, near-psychedelic, moody, and beautiful.
There are some bold shots of the scenery and architecture, Hercules meets some impressive adversaries, the women are (almost literally) goddesses - overall, "Hercules in the Center of the Earth" is very much a fantasy comic strip come alive, with a little bit of Dracula thrown in. It's cheap, but very bold, and for what it is, it works quite well. The story is of epic proportions, it moves forward steadily, has lots of action, some reasonably spooky horror elements, and great settings. What certainly stands out is the art direction: Decors, costumes, and most of all the fantastic use of light and color, together with some great cinematography, create a truckload of thick, dreamy atmosphere, the kind that can only be found in a Mario Bava movie. That's a lot of stuff to keep you captivated.
Verdict: Not too much substance, but highly watchable. 6/10
And together with Cushing, Lee und Savalas also Helga Line, Alberto de Mendoza, and Alice Reinheart in this slightly flashy, highly entertaining low-budget monster-shocker.
