I failed at the movie-a-day schedule. I’m okay with that.
If you’re interested, the other entries about this one-man horror film fest are here, here, and here. Also, here. Click on the titles for trailers.
The Devil and Daniel Webster (1941)
Like several others I’ve watched, his one probably is an outlier, but if the Faust myth isn’t horrorific, what is? Even the The Simpsons thought so.
In this Classic Hollywood version, Jabez Stone is a mid-1800s farmer in New England and is about to lose everything he’s worked for. Old Scratch offers him seven years of good luck and money for his soul. Jabez takes it and then hires Daniel Webster to defend him in court against The Devil. A beautiful looking film with two nice bonuses: Simone Simon and a Herrman score. Another Robert Anton Wilson recommendation.
The Abominable Dr. Phibes (1971)
The design elements in this movie are outrageous. It’s fantastic. Just watch the trailer. Vincent Price. Joseph Cotton. Yes, the same Joseph Cotton from Citizen Kane. You also get dialogue like this from bumbling detectives: “A brass unicorn has been catapulted across a London street and impaled an eminent surgeon. Words fail me, gentlemen.” Indeed.
Stake Land (2010)
Fantastic on my first viewing. I may have more criticisms when I watch it again, but I was energized watching it. A mix of The Road and The Walking Dead with vampires. I generally think of vampires in two ways: feral or sexy. These are feral with a heavy emphasis placed on them being undead. You know the score: a group attempts to survive an apocalypse.
Black Death (2010)
When I was growing up, there was a revitalization in the sword and sandal movie: Conan, Excalibur, Beastmaster, and a lot of weird Italian low budget productions. Black Death is that and a plague movie and a movie about ethics and religion. I thought the movie was great and I loved the ending.
Thus ends my month-long horror-fest. And now I must make good on a promise to attempt the first season of Gilmore Girls.
Stephen McClurg 