Warlock's Library #5

I am on an Aleister Crowley mission at the moment, studying his system of Thelema at this time (among other systems) and I have just finished three books relating to him that I will review in due course, including this one.

Sandy Robertson as a young lad one day asked his father who Crowley was. The look of horror on his father's face was enough for him to delve into Crowley's history and become a prolific collector of Crowleyana as it's called.

Collected here are artworks, personal photographs, articles and newspaper clipping of the man who was to be dubbed "The Wickedest Man in the World" by the British Press. Crowley did everything in his power to become recognised by the world, partially as a Great Magickian but unfortunately his notoriety got the better of him, and he wasn't taken seriously by the British People much to his chagrin.

Getting expelled from Sicily by Mussolini certainly didn't help, along with his reputation as a drug fiend, the deaths at his Sicily Thelema Abbey (including one of his own children) and his association with many Scarlet Women such as Leah Hirsig (The Ape of Thoth) with whom he sought to produce a mythical in-the-flesh Moonchild. This book doesn't go into the magickal rites of his system Thelema, but discusses his childhood raised into a family of strict (and wealthy) Plymouth Brethren, he was happy to discard as soon as he was able. It was his own mother that labelled him as "The Beast 666" for his chaotic ways, and that name stuck to him. Crowley wasn't a Satanist though, as he was a member of The Golden Dawn, O.T.O, his own society A∴A∴ (Arcanum Arcanorum), and finally his own system of Thelema that was a mixture of magickal systems including Qabala(Kabbalah), Enochian and Egyptian Mysteries.

The book attempts to explain Aleister Crowley as a man, and also as a Magickian and gives evidence of differring degrees from picturing him as a leading figure in Occultism to a conniving con-man who used his influence to take money from his followers for his various schemes. Such 'evidence' is supplied in a letter titled "The Memoir of 666" by Alan Burnett-Rae who claims to have rented a flat to Crowley and explains his eccentric behaviour, wild stories and apparent lack of assets and money.

Also described within is his various quarrels with other occult personalities such as the Head of the Golden Dawn MacGregor Mathers and the poet W.B Yeats who desired to see Crowley removed from the Golden Dawn. From Robertson's own collection of Crowleyana he provides pictures of the Thelema Abbey, poems, plays and stories written by Crowley, and discusses the influence Crowley had on horror fiction such as Dennis Wheatley's occult villain Mocata from The Devil Rides Out, who was portrayed by Charles Grey in the Hammer Film of the same name.

Lastly Robertson briefly mentions a Lovecraft-Crowley connection, and finishes with discussing Crowley's influence in the modern world, from featuring on The Beatles album Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, to influencing Led Zeppelin's Jimmy Page as well as Ozzy Ozbourne's song "Mr Crowley" and a mention in David Bowie's song "Quicksand" from his album Hunky Dory (Closer to the Golden Dawn/immersed in Crowley's uniform of imagery). More recently Crowley's influence found it's way into Carl McCoy's 80/90s Gothic Rock Band Fields of the Nephilim with such songs as Moonchild and Love Under Will.

If you are interested in learning more about Crowley this is a good place to start, because to understand Crowley the Magickian, you also have to know and understand Crowley the man.

Grave Reviews #9

DRACULA (1979)

Director: John Badham

Starring: Frank Langella, Laurence Olivier, Donald Pleasance, Kate Nelligan, Trevor Eve and Jan Francis.

A few days ago, starved for vampire movies to watch I perused Taliesin's A-Z list of vampire movies and came across this film which I hadn't seen since my twenties.

I had first seen it back in the 80s as a young vampire-obsessed lad, and although there were many vampire movies still unseen on Taliesin's list my fond memory of this film made me choose it over the others, hence I found it first on my to-watch-list.

After watching it again, this time after now seeing 100+ vampire movies, and probably 10+ Dracula adaptations (but back then I believe I'd only seen the Yorga films, Salem's Lot and a Lee Dracula or two) I believe that this film is one of the best Dracula adaptations produced.

The film follows the plot of Stoker's original story close enough, but omits and changes plot points such as omitting Transylvania and the Brides altogether (a pity) as well as swapping the character histories of Lucy and Mina. Here Lucy Seward (Nelligan) is only not of the Westernra family, but the daughter of Dr Seward who runs The Whitby Asylum, from within his mansion no less. She is engaged to Johnathan Harker (Eve), and Mina is the daughter of Abraham Van Helsing (Olivier) and is also frail and sickly.

Renfield is not a committed madman at the start of the film, but actually a labourer who delivers boxes of Transylvanian earth to Carfax Abbey, and gets more than he bargains for (including a taste for bugs) when he bad mouths Dracula at the abbey for having to shift the soil-filled crates.

Dracula arrives aboard the Demeter during a storm as per the novel, and as it smashes on the rocks, Mina though sickly runs down the cliffs to the wreck and follows a wolf to the nearby cave. There she finds an 'unconscious' Count Dracula in a fur coat to whom he now regards as his saviour. The workers at the abbey lead by Doctor Seward unload the boxes to transport to the Abbey as Harker arrives by motorcar to inquire on the health and wherabouts of Dracula.

The next night the Count attends the home of Seward to meet his new neighbours in a warm Whitby welcome and much to Harker's chagrin, Dracula and Lucy seem smitten with each other. Seeing Mina suffer from one of her fainting spells, Dracula insists on using hypnotism to calm and recouperate her as he believes the laudanam Seward usually administers her will make her blood impure.

Lucy is rather sarcastic to the Count's beliefs and also his choice of lodgings, only for him to remark he prefers his women strongwilled and full of life and blood, and that as he is of an old family a new house will not do. The decrepid Carfax Abbey is just the home from one such as he. Harker grows jealous when Dracula and Lucy dance.

That night while Lucy and Harker have a secret interlude, the Count descends the wall to Mina's bedroom and picking the frame from around the window enters the room to drink of her blood. The next morning Lucy awakes afright and summons her Father only to have both of them watch her die as she struggles for oxygen, not realising that vampiric blood is taking over her body and soul.

Mina is buried, and Seward at a loss with the marks on her neck summons her father Abraham from Paris to tell him of the terrible news. Harker arrives at Carfax to give the Count his deed to the property and he insists Harker file it at his law firm in London at once. When he apologises due to Mina's upcoming funeral, Dracula uses this time to invite Seward and his daughter to dine at his house while Harker is away, and would he be so kind to deliver the message.

As Abraham arrives at Whitby, Lucy is wine, dined and seduced by Dracula and agrees to become his bride. Van Helsing learns the true fate of his daughter after a mother of a murdered baby attests that the now dead Mina was the killer. So they dig her up her coffin and discover a tunnel into the mines were a cadaverous Mina lurks, and after a struggle the grieving father kills his daughter.

Dracula comes to Lucy's bed that night and turns her while making love, and Harker finds her in a similar state with the same puncture wounds that poor Mina sported. After Dracula fails to kill Helsing does the lead hunter learn who they must now destroy to free Lucy.

After a blood transfusion to slow Lucy's vampiric transformation, the men cut out Mina's heart and rebury her with a horrified Lucy watching from the window. She flees to warn her Master only to be stopped by the new vampire hunters. Seward locks Lucy in the Aslyum as Van Helsing and Harker attempt to destroy Dracula at Carfax. Helsing is surprised Dracula is mobile during the day, and they almost destroy him with sunlight but he escapes in bat form.

That night Dracula breaks Lucy out of the Asylum, he commissions a crate full of earth to return to his homeland, and only by a stroke of luck do the hunters' cross paths with the crate. After they are outwitted by the Count do they finally make it to the Scarborough Docks to see Dracula's ship sail off in the distance.

Hiring a boat Van Helsing and Harker manage to board the ship, locate the crate with The Prince of Darkness and his new Vampire Bride encased within. Harker tears a vampiric Lucy from Dracula's grip and the Count struggles with Van Helsing gaining the upper hand by impaling Van Helsing to the side of the ship. Harker misses Dracula with a ship hook, and subsequently getting strangled by Dracula, he is saved by the last ounce of strength from Van Helsing's limbs as he sends the hook into Dracula's back.

Harker desperately pulls on the crank of the rope sending Dracula screaming through the floorboards towards the deadly sunlight. The rays destroy his vampire powers and he dies becoming a decrepid old man. Harker turns away from the now restored Lucy in disgust and pain towards his now dead friend, and Lucy smirks triumphantly as she sees Dracula's cloak break free of the hook and sail in the shape of a bat into the horizon. Does Dracula still live?

One thing this movie has going for it is atmosphere. Any vampire fan will literally drool when they witness the exterior and interior shots of Carfax Abbey as I did. The mix of marble and cobwebs was lush, though I was a bit perturbed that Dracula slept in a crate, surely he could have acquired a lovely coffin or at least stole one from the cemetery.

The Edwardian clothing and furniture were sublime and Langella played a fearsome and seductive Dracula that gives Oldman and Co a run for their money. I find it funny that Coppola stated he tried to do something that wasn't done before with a love story, yet there is a twisted love story in this film, as well Dan Curtis' Dracula with Jack Palance.

The script and acting were good enough though I found Eve as Harker a tad annoying, was a bit confused as to why Van Helsing was French and not Dutch, and as usual Donald Pleasance played Donald Pleasance just like he did in Vampires in Venice, Halloween and Prince of Darkness among other films.

The SFX in this were great. I loved the wall-crawling and shapeshifting - the vampire bat wasn't too hokey as it usually is, and the shifting to wolf shape was done rather well. The fang and demon eye effects were great, and I was surprised that Langella's Dracula did not show fang once.

 Reading up on this film I read it was on Langella's insistence that his monster be more believable (though they kept in the wall-crawling and shapeshifting) I thought Dracula was a tad thick though for a 500-year old vampire as I do now when I watch these Dracula adaptations.

Surely the people of Romania knew his weaknesses such as the cross and garlic, which was part of the reason he moves to England, so he should know what to do when others discover his weaknesses? What happened to sneaking up behind hunters so they can't pull a cross on you, or grabbing some plates from the sideboard and tossing them like frisbies at vampire hunters' heads when they confront you in a dining room?

My Grade is A.

Grave Reviews #8

CLASH OF THE TITANS

Director: Louis Leterrier

Starring: Sam Worthington, Gemma Arterton, Liam Neeson, Ralph Fiennes, Mads Mikkelsen.

During a storm, a fisherman finds an ornate coffin floating in the sea. Inside he finds a crying newborn lying on his dead mother. He raises the child as his own and names him Perseus, and while teaching him his trade, makes no secret of his origins though most of it is a mystery.

About 20 years later the people of Greece, especially the people of Argos have grown weary of the God's ruling them and in an act of defiance destroy their towering statue of Zeus on their coast. Perseus and his family witness this, and Hades seeks revenge through Harpies and his own appearance, where Hades murders Perseus' family with a fireball sending their ship to the bottom of the sea.

The surviving Praetorian Guard take Perseus back to Argos, where the King and Queen declare an end to the rule of the Gods, name themselves Gods on Earth and their own daughter Andromeda more beautiful than Aphrodite. On Hades request Zues sends his brother to make an example of the people of Argos, killing the rest of the soldiers, (and is surprised to see Perseus immune to his magics) damning the prideful Queen to old age and death, and threatens Argos with destruction on the coming solar eclipse with his Kraken if they do not sacrifice Andromeda to him.

Now both the Gods and the people of Argos know a demi-god walks on the Earth in the form of Perseus, who is the son of Zeus (accidently) born to a Queen who was seduced by Zeus as punishment to King Acrisius for defying him in a futile war at the base of Mt Olympus. The King has the wife and bastard child murdered by Perseus survives due to his unique heritage. Later on he is gifted with dark power by Hades to destroy the bastard son of his dead wife in an effort to upset Zeus and also protect his own immortal skin from revenge.

Along with Draco, the leader of the Praetorian Guard, Perseus leads a quest first to the Stygian Witches for information on defeating the Kraken, and then to the underworld, Charon and the River Styx to do battle with Medusa. Will the party survive Giant Scorpions, Medusa, and the Kraken to save Argos and Andromeda? Will Perseus accept his father's offer of sanctuary to live as a God in Olympus, and who is the ageless Io who watched over him since his birth and aids Perseus on his quest? Has mortal man bit the hand that feeds them too many times, and is Zeus justified in destroying the very beings he created and loved to make an example?

I saw this movie in 3D* and let's get this part out of the way first. The 3D was good for the most part, though lifting my glassed occasionally to check the entire film didn't seem to be in 3D. There was a problem with Ghosting in the film especially with Hades, and one or two times with Zeus that I found rather annoying. A lot of critics are pulling the 3D version apart and also commented on the Ghosting problem, suggesting that you watch the film in regular 2D and I agree. I am afraid the AVATAR curse will plague other 3D films for some time, because if you've seen that film and you watch this and others in 3D format you'll find the others sorely lacking.

I enjoyed the modern update to the story though, especially the new additons such as the Djinn, Arab Warriors who delve in black magic to expand their power and lifespan and weild an fantastic blue flame ability that can harm or heal. Their entire body seems to be of this fire as their eyes glow electric blue and their hearts burned with the same blue fire. They also replace their damaged and missing limbs and skin with bark and wood, which when facing a Gorgon is quite an advantage.

Aside from the slightly dodgy 3D effects the movie's own special effects were spectacular. Besides the black magic of the Djinn, the giant scorpions, The Gorgon, Kraken and scenes of Olympus were well developed. The battle scenes were great and fast-paced (though I found the final battle between Perseus and Hades disappointng), and the Gorgon fight had me on the edge of my seat. I found it a bit strange that Perseus having no former warrior training could suddenly beat Draco in his first sword fight let alone start performing somersaults or gaining unconscious access to his abilities such as lightning summoning. This was explained as 'the God in Him", and though I realise the exposition of the story was only 106 minutes it still was a slight stretch.

In regards to performances, I like Sam Worthington (Aussie Oi! Oi!), but I've yet to see anything real awe-inspiring from him. I've seen Avatar and T:4 as well, and while he has charisma I think he needs to find a role that is more emotional to win my vote. Liam Neeson once more plays the leader and Mentor role this time in his visitations to Perseus, along with bestowing him with a magic sword, flying horse and gold coin for Charon.

Besides Ra's Al Ghul from Batman Begins along with Qui Gon Jinn from Star Wars, he almost seems to fall into a bit of a mentor typecast rut much like Ralph Fiennes is as a dial-a-villain with his portayal of Hades along with Voldemort from Harry Potter. I enjoyed his rendition as Hades still, it was more sublime and less corny than Voldemort and the SFX for his powers were awesome. Gemma Arterton is stunning in this, and plays Io, cursed with agelessness because she declined a God's advances. A great gift some might say, but as she mentions to Perseus she lives while those she loves die, something he should be sympathetic too.

Mads Mikkelsen was great as Draco, head of the Praetorian Guard, and I hadn't seem him in film since playing Le Chiffre in Casino Royale. His lack of humour and stoic demeanor comes from years of combat, and he himself states he will smile for the first time when he spits in the eyes of the Gods. Just like Zeus he acts like a mentor to Perseus and is responsible for him embracing his God like gifts to win the day, even though he himself desires a Twilight of the Gods.

For the rest of the cast, and I mean this seriously, see how many of the People of Argos and Praetorian Guard you recognise from the film 300. I counted at least three. The Queen of Argos was Atia from HBOs ROME series,.

The movie is an enjoyable action romp, and a great update to the original (that I didn't really care for, I found it camp and lame) but like other reviewers I suggest you see it in good ol' fashioned 2D.

I have two grades for this film. For 3D I give it a B-. If I was to see it in 2D I would give it B+

*My cinema seemed to only offer CLASH OF THE TITANS in 3D, which giving the errors in its translation from 2D is probably not a smart move.

Grave Reviews #7

FRIGHT NIGHT (1985)

Director: Tom Holland

Starring: Chris Sarandon, William Ragsdale, Amanda Bearse, Roddy McDowall, Stephen Geoffreys, Johnathan Stark.

At the start of the film, Charlie Brewster (Ragsdale) is watching a horror movie show hosted by Peter Vincent (McDowall) who is a Peter Cushingesque horror actor based on Vincent Price and Peter Cushing. For over a year he has been trying to sleep with his pretty, virginal girlfriend Amy (Bearse) only to grow constantly frustrated at her frigidity.

When Amy finally relents, Charlie notices that the vacant house next to his bedroom has two new occupants, who for some reason are carrying a coffin into the basement. He becomes instantly obsessed and Amy storms out angry at Charlie ignoring her.

That night, a prostitute asks Charlie if she has the right address, and he says she needs to go next door to the new neighbours. He mentions the neighbour to his mother who hopes that he isn't gay, and he retorts that he's not (due to the prostitute that he doesn't mention). In his room he hears a scream next door, and the lights next door go out.

At school, Charlie tells his best friend Evil Ed (Geoffreys) about the neighbour and is embarrassed by Amy with a pie in the face when he ignores her once more talking about his mysterious neighbour. He is horrified to see that the woman he saw has turned up dead, and Evil mentions that latest murder victims have been decapitated.

That night he sees a naked woman with one of the men about to do the deed when he freaks out at the long teeth the man has. The man notices Charlie watching him from a dark room, and he closes the window blind with a clawed hand. He sees the two men carry out the dismembered bodies in garbage bags later on, and goes to the police the next day telling them he knows who the serial killer is.

A policeman goes to the house with Charlie and interviews the flatmate Billy Cole who says Jerry is out of town. Charlie notices an old painting that resembles Amy and growing frustrated at Billy lying tells the policeman to check the cellar because Jerry is there sleeping the sleep on the undead away from the burning sun.

The policeman leaves threatening Charlie with imprisonment, and he flees to Evil's house and asks for advice (why is this he watches enough vampire films to know their weaknesses!)  Evil states the most important rule is that a vampire must be invited into a house by the rightful owner to gain entry.

He comes home to find that his mother has invited Jerry over for tea to get to know each other, and Jerry asks for permission to visit anytime. (This is in reference to my last article: Jerry needs permission to enter into a mortal's dwelling, and in asking for repeated permission this could either mean that he needs permission every time, or just states this to torment Charlie who knows the truth).

Later that night Charlie faces off with Jerry in his room barely surviving. Jerry trashs his car in retaliation for interferring with his life and staking his hand with a pencil.

Charlie's next step in gaining help with destroying the vampire is to visit his idol Peter Vincent at the TV studio who has just been fired because of the growing popularity with slasher films compared to jaded vampire films. After hearing Charlie's story, Peter claims Charlie is deranged and leaves.

In desperation to save their friend from commiting murder they visit Peter Vincent and pay him money to perform vampire tests on Jerry with Charlie present in two nights time. They all arrive, Peter hands Jerry tap water still not believing Charlie's claims, and Jerry becomes enamoured with Amy who is the spitting image of his mysterious lost love. They quickly leave however when on a whim Peter looks in a small compact mirror and notices that Jerry does not cast a reflection, dropping and shattering it in shock. Soon after they leave Jerry steps on the broken mirror fragment to realise he has to destroy them all for his own safety.

Jerry stalks them on the way home, turning Evil after he leaves Charlie and Amy and sets him on Peter at his apartment. Amy and Charlie run into a club only for Jerry to kidnap her, killing several bouncers in the process. Evil almost succeeds in killing Peter but since he is a newborn vampire is easily overcome by Peter's crucifix and he jumps through the window.

Jerry contacts Charlie to tell him to return to Jerry's house the next night alone with Peter is he ever wishes to see Amy again. Jerry turns Amy that night, Charlie and Peter come to the house to do battle, only for Peter to realise his crucifix has not effect on Jerry. He must have upmost Faith in the crucifix for it to work on a Master vampire. Billy knocks out Charlie and Peter flees next door to Charlie's house to find Evil in his mother's bed. Evil takes the form of the wolf to kill Peter after crashing through railing luckily stakes Evil with a broken piece. He removes the stake from Evil's reverted human form and leaves to save Charlie once more.

Charlie wakes locked in a room with Amy who is angry with Charlie for abandoning her with Jerry, and attacks Charlie. Peter returns to the house and frees Charlie from the room, and tells Charlie he must kill Jerry if he wishes to save Amy. Peter finds his Faith and wards off Jerry who with the coming sunlight flees to his coffin after the hunters destroy Billy who crumples to goo and bugs after getting staked through the heart.

They find Jerry's coffin in a secret compartment in the basement and are almost overcome unti the begin smashing windows trapping Jerry in bars of sunlight. Breaking an entire window Jerry is pinned to wall and his flesh is flayed by sunlight until he is utterly destroyed. Amy returns to humanity, and Peter returns back to television hosting B-grade Alien invasion films. Charlie and Amy are about to make out when he notices two red eyes in Jerry's old house staring at him, but dismisses them as his imagination. The film ends with Evil laughing, saying "Oh you're so cool Brewster". Peter removing the stake from Evil's body has resurrected him similar to the Dracula films.

****

This is one of the best vampire movies ever made. The homage to Peter Cushing and old vampire films, the Classical vampire of Jerry Dandridge who can become bat, wolf and mist, his ghoul-like servant Billy and some poor teens who get in over their heads makes a perfect combination along with a pumping 80s soundtrack.

Sarandon has the right amount of charm and menance to portray Dandridge and he rates up their with my favourite evil vampires alongside Radu and Yorga. Classical Vampires are my favourite breed of vampires, and unfortunately they are a dying breed.

 This film is a must for any vampire fan, if you don't own it or at least have never seen it, you should be ashamed of yourself and not call yourself a vampire junkie.

My Grade is A+

Sermons from The Bloody Pulpit #1

Vampires and Invitation into Private Dwellings

After the latest episode of Vampire Diaries last night, it got me thinking about the law of invitation for vampires. This law is not used in every vampire myth and story, lately it was used in Let The Right One In, along with movies such as movies Fright Night and The Lost Boys. Also this was a plot device on TV shows such as Buffy and Angel, and recently in True Blood 

From my knowledge, older stories such as Dracula and Carmilla didn't entertain this rule, and I wonder where it came from, and also which writers/filmakers were the first to use it in their stories?

In Dracula, there is some kind of mirrored law with invitation where Harker must "Enter Freely Of His Own Will" into Dracula's Castle though this could be a magical solution or trick to breaking the will of Harker, and dominating him as the Castle belonged to Dracula.

The first novel that I found to have an invitation revoked was Stephen King's Salem's Lot, while some other popular vampire series such as Rice's The Vampire Chronicles don't use this law at all, and from most of the modern vampire literature I've read over the years, this law seems to be as sparsely used as a vampire's reflection in mirrors.

So I'll put it out to my readers to test their knowledge. What do you know of The Law of Invitation, and what it's origins were, and what do you think of it as a plot device?

Grave Reviews #6

Premature Burial (1962)

Director: Roger Corman

Starring: Ray Milland, Hazel Court, Alan Napier, Heather Angel

Based on a Tale by Edgar Allan Poe.

This is the third Poe adaptation out of eight films by Roger Corman and the only one not to star Vincent Price.

Guy Carrell (Milland) develops an increasing level of paranoia from the fear of getting buried alive, when at the start of the film he witnesses a corpse getting exhumed and along with bloody claw marks on the lid of the coffin, the man's features are frozen in torment.

Guy writes a letter to his fiancee Emily (Court) telling her that the wedding is off for her own good. Not impressed with the letter Emily turns up to Guy's mansion unannounced and once getting past Guy's defensive sister Kate (Heather Angel) she learns of Guy's fears that are quickly growing into an obsession. She tells him she loves him unconditionally and will make sure his fear of inherited catalepsy (Guy's believes his father was buried alive in his tomb and heard him screaming the first night) will not get the better of him.

After the wedding, Guy builds a special tomb for himself, with all sorts of failsafes in case his worst fears are realised. The coffin is rigged to open at the slightest movement, and the crypt can open by pullcords that also open secret doors and a ladder with a hatch. If all else fails, there is a cord attached to a bell, food in the pantry and as a last resort poison in a chalice behind the black curtain.

Emily's old friend (and ex-lover) Miles stays in touch and rents a nearby house from Guy so he can work on his medical experiments along with Hazel's Doctor father where they can perform experiments on the body and mind. Miles is interested in the early stages of psychiatry and is intrigued by Guy's dilemma and attempts to help him find a solution.

Guy's hallicinations get worse, from seeing gravediggers stalk him, to an eerie graveside tune whistled only he can hear, to finding a trapped cat behind the walls. Kate demands an ultimatum, his fancy tomb or her with which he chooses her and blows it up with the dynamite, one of the options he had to escape the tomb. Miles comes to his wit's end with Guy's obsession and demands to see the body of Guy's father to prove once and for all that not only was his father not buried alive, but that catelepsy is not an inherited trait.

Upon seeing his father WAS buried alive he immediately falls into a cataleptic state. Emily struggles with her promise not to bury him in the crypt when Miles and her father declare him dead, and they bury him (alive) in the cemetery. Secretly a day later Emily's father has him dug up for medical research, and Guy begins to extract his revenge. He kills the graverobbers and Emily's father, and sneaks around his own house to listen in and discover who betrayed him.

He discovers Emily was behind it all, not only to get to his money, but also to have Miles for herself again although this plan was unknown to Miles himself. Guy kidnaps Emily and takes her to his grave to be buried alive herself as punishment, and after Miles is alerted to the dead graverobbers and Emily's father he gives chase to the cemetery to stop Guy.

Guy is compassionate to Miles, telling him to back off as he knows he played no part. Emily is dying under a foot of gravesoil in the grave, and as Guy gets the better of Miles he is shot dead by his own sister Kate who was aware of Emily's devious plan but was too hesistant to warn Guy because she would not be believed due to Emily's position to Guy. Miles retrieves Emily's suffocated corpse from the grave where Kate shows her the key to Guy's father's tomb tucked in her bosom, and they leave the two cursed lovers to rot in the cemetery.

This was a lush film, beautifully filmed and the sets were wonderfully gothic and necromantic. Like most of Poe's protagonists, Guy was half-mad and dealt with some obscure obsession. The film deviated slightly from the story, inasmuch as Guy's character does not die in the story, but at the end wakes up in a confined space, where at first he believes he is buried alive, but realises he is in berth of a boat, and subsequently overcomes his fear of being buried alive.

Of course this had to be changed from dramatic effect for film, and like Poe's tales adapted for film the end is a tragic one. Ray Milland was a fine substitute for Price, and to be honest I couldn't really see Price in this role, perhaps he turned it down? Hazel Court who plays Emily was in the Masque of the Red Death that I reviewed previously, and seemed to have made a name for herself as villains in Corman's Poe films. Both Milland and Hazel are admirable here, and the story seemed to centre on them mostly with Miles, Kate and others really one having minor parts.

But I watched this film for the gothic scenery and location (along with my love of Poe's literature) and I was not disappointed. Not sure if it's my favourite Poe adapatation yet, as I have to watch The Pit in the Pendulum and The Fall of the House of Usher etc, but this is certainly up there. I remember watching this in my teens years ago on T.V but can't remember whether I enjoyed it, though it must have left some impression.

My Grade is A-.

Grave Reviews #5

The Masque of The Red Death (1964)

Director: Roger Corman

Starring: Vincent Price, Hazel Court and Jane Asher

Based on the short story by Edgar Allan Poe

Prince Prospero (Price) is a right, royal bastard and also a cruel Satanist who rules with an Iron fist over a small medieval European village. At the beginning of the film, a elderly lady from a nearby village is called over by a holy man dressed in red leaning against a tree and gives her a white flower he turns red with a wave of his hand. He commands the woman to take the flower back to her village as a sign of deliverance from Prospero and his evil ways.

Prospero travels to that village on the same night, to give gratitude to them for this years harvest and to invite them to a feast at his Abbey in several days time. He doesn't take kindly to some of the silly villagers giving him lip, so he orders them garrotted only to be pleaded by a village girl named Francesca (Asher) to spare their lives.

Prospero is amused and offers the girl the choice of which one of the two shall survive his wrath, but this is interrupted by a moaning from a nearby hut where he discovers an elderly woman, the same who met the Holy Man, dying of the Red Death. He flees the tent and demands answers. The villagers tell him of a prophecy where they would be spared his tyranny, so in punishment (and also a way to prevent the Death spreading) he orders the village burnt to the ground, taking Francesca, her cheeky lover Gino along with her father Ludivico back to his Abbey.

Back at the Abbey where he is safe from the Red Death, he entertains nearby nobles and grants them a Masquerade Ball in honour of their safety, but all are forbidden to wear red. Juliana (Court), Prospero's current lover is not amused that Francesca has usurped her room, along with her bath and proclaims to Prospero she is prepared to perform the final Satanic rites to ensure her place within the Abbey and at his side, a move Prospero mentions she was not so eager to undergo before the arrival of the peasant girl.

Over the next few days Francesca witnesses Prospero's cruelty but also his realistic philosophy, comparing the black grace of his Dark Lord to Francesca's 'dead' god of 'love'. He states that Satan rules this Earth along with the universe, and that he is a God of Reality and Truth that opens the eyes to those shut by Blind Faith. He demonstrates this by showing her his Falcon kill a bird, and explaining that in the start a Falcon's eyes are sewn shut to give them loyalty and reliance on their master, much like her own dead God has done to her.

Prospero shows Francesca six rooms off the main ballroom, each in a specific style: blue, purple, green, yellow, white, and violet. He explains his father imprisoned a friend in the yellow room for three years, and when he released him he couldn't bear the site of sunlight or daffodils. He stops her at the last room, telling her she is not ready to enter yet, but one day soon with his instruction she will be ready to view its dark secrets beyond.

In the background Juliana is performing her own Black Rites, hoping to become Prospero's equal by becoming Satan's bride, and in the process removing Francesca from the competition. Unluckly for Juliana, Prospero has grown bored of her, and sees a better conquest in corrupting Francesca. Juliana 'helps' Francesca and her friends escape only to be captured by Prospero's who is onto his lover's treachery. He sets a Falcon onto Juliana's face, eviscerating her painfully till her death.

Beforehand he desired to have the two men fight each other to the death, but now at the feast before the Masque, he presents them with five knives, one of them poisoned and demands they each cut their forearm in turn. The poison will kill in five seconds, and Prospero continues with his Christian taunts of 'love thy neighbour' and to put their faith in their God to test it.

After four knives both are unharmed and Francesca's father snatches the last to stab Prospero. He dies on the point of Prospero's sword, and Gino is released back into the wilds to the mercy of the Red Death as a last test of his Faith.  On the road he meets the same Holy Man in red who gives him a tarot card and tells him to return to the castle and wait on the battlements.

At the ball Prospero is thrilled to have finally crushed Francesco's will, who is now prepared to undertake the same Satanic Rites that Juliana was prepared to undergo. Suddenly he spies a Masque guest dressed all in red, and furiously charges after him, catching up with him in the last room, which is painted black and illuminated with red light. He assumes that this guest is his Lord Satan finally come to show his gratitude to his number one servant.

As he follows 'Satan' back through the rooms, Prospero babbles on about how awesome a servant he is, and the guest informs him he is not Satan and that Death bows to no God. The guest waves his robe towards the Masque attendants and they suddenly become stricken with the Red Death, but Prospero is still oblivious and blinded by his own dark faith, much the same way he previously accused Francesca of on numerous occasions. The man in red tells Francesca to leave for the battlements where Gino is waiting for her, and in anger Prospero removes the man's mask to confront his own death, his own visage sweating blood.

The Masque attendees all clamour around a terrified Prospero who tries to escape his fate, and is coerced by the crowd to be lead back into the black room. There the personification of Red Death itself tells Prospero that he shouldn't fear his own death as his own soul died long ago, and with that Prospero succumbs to the illness.

At the end of the film, The Red Death is playing Tarot cards with one of the six survivors of the village, when he is greeted in turn by the personification (among others) of the Black and Yellow Death. Yellow Death has grown weary of the misery he has wrought, which perhaps signals the end of all the plagues across Europe.

The film ends with the line from the story: And Darkness and Decay and the Red Death held illimitable dominion over all.

This film was made by American International Pictures, the same company who made the Count Yorga films, and other Poe adaptations such as The Fall of the House of Usher and the Tomb of Ligeia. The latter films also starring Price who was their star actor much the same that Hammer Horror was to Christopher Lee. When you watch these films though you can see a resemblance in set design and atmosphere, which for a big Hammer fan like myself is quite a treat. To me Roger Corman was the Terrance Fisher of the USA, and produced many star vehicles for Price, and I have enjoyed each of his films which include Premature Burial, The Pit and the Pendulum and the Raven and those I mentioned just before.

Price is charismatic as always and chews every scene he is in. I don't enjoy Price as much as Lee (I can't explain why) but his movies were part of my teenagehood of Horror much as Lee's were. The scenery was lush, and the script wasn't bad (well it came from a Poe story) and I quite enjoyed Price's dialogue, he really stuck it to the peasants and his own noble class though I found his demise at the end a tad hokey.

My Grade is C.