Spooktober: “Mystery of the Wax Museum” (1933)

A couple weeks ago I featured 1953’s “House of Wax” as one of my Spooktober picks, and today I’m going back to a previous version of the story, 1933’s “Mystery of the Wax Museum”. The plots of both films are quite similar, but while “House of Wax” plays up the horror elements, “Mystery of the […]

Spooktober: “House on Haunted Hill” (1959)

“House on Haunted Hill” is famed horror director William Castle’s best movie. It’s got all the campiness of classic Castle, but with an intriguing, twisty plot that makes for a genuinely thrilling tale. Vincent Price, who also teamed up with Castle that year for the horror thriller “The Tingler”, stars as millionaire Frederick Loren, who […]

Spooktober: “Eyes Without a Face” (1959)

The French-Italian horror film “Eyes Without a Face” is a prime example of how opinions on films can change drastically over time. At the time it was made, British horror films from Hammer Studios were quite popular, and French produced Jules Borken decided to capitalize on this by bringing in Georges Franju—primarily a documentary filmmaker—to […]

Spooktober: “The Bat” (1959)

“The Bat” does not contain any of the cheesiness normally associated with horror films of its era. Despite being a low budget thriller, “The Bat” is a taut, suspenseful film that will keep you guessing from start to finish. Based on a 1920 Broadway play of the same name, “The Bat” was put on film […]

Spooktober: “Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde” (1931)

One of the greatest special effects ever put on film are the transformation sequences in 1931’s “Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde“. Fredric March, who plays the kind scientist who changes into an evil man when he takes a potion, looks right into the camera in these scenes as his face undergoes dramatic changes. The cuts […]

Spooktober: “House of Wax” (1953)

“House of Wax” is one of the most notable horror movies to come out of the 1950s, for technical reasons and because it’s simply a great film. It’s actually a remake of the 1933 movie “Mystery of the Wax Museum“; while that film is also great, this one has more distinct horror elements in it. Vincent Price stars […]