Dracula (1958 version) (5 Stars)

While watching "Dracula" today I wondered how it was received in 1958 when it was first released. Were the audiences prepared for what they saw? Did they know Bram Stoker's novel, of were they only acquainted with the 1931 film version? The purists who knew the book must have been shocked. So many things have been changed. It's not just deliberate changes, such as the film taking place in Bavaria instead of England. There are also blunders, such as getting the names of Mina and Lucy mixed up. Compared with the novel, the 1958 Dracula film is a mess. And yet, if judged on its own merits, it's a masterpiece. Christopher Lee is terrifying, much more than Bela Lugosi.

It's terrifying to see Christopher Lee appear at the top of the stairs. He's an imposing figure.

It's also terrifying to see him at the door.

Peter Cushing was the ideal choice to play Doctor Van Helsing. (We aren't told his first name in the film). He's a perfect gentleman in clothing and manners. His quiet, polite manners conceal the fact that he's capable of staking sleeping vampires without hesitation.

Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing are usually mentioned in the same breath by horror fans. They appeared in more than 20 films together, most of them horror films. In my opinion, their best joint performance was as Count Dracula and Doctor Van Helsing. Their respective performances bounce off one another.

Despite strongly deviating from the novel, this is one of the most powerful vampire movies ever made.

Success Rate:  + 13.4

	Order from Amazon.com
	Order from Amazon.co.uk
	Order from Amazon.de

Asylum (3 Stars)

This is a film I'd never heard of until a few days ago, when I saw it in the bargain bin at DM (Drogerie Müller) in Stuttgart. Four Euros for a Blu-ray with Peter Cushing and Britt Ekland's names on the cover was a tempting price. Stuttgart's biggest stores for films on Blu-ray used to be Saturn and Media Markt, but now Media Markt has closed and Saturn has down-sized. Saturn used to have a whole floor for music and films, but now there's just a small area for films in the corner of the lower floor. As far as I can tell, Saturn no longer sells 4K discs at all. Now DM is the only store left. It's true, I buy most of my films from Amazon, but I enjoy the atmosphere of walking through a store and flipping through the Blu-rays. Occasionally there's a special offer at DM which I can't refuse. For instance, "Asylum" would have cost be 12 Euros from Amazon, three times as much.

Now that the White Nights Festival is over I had time to watch it. It's an Amicus film made in 1972. In the 1960's and 1970's Amicus was considered the main contender to Hammer, particularly Hammer Horror. As far as the style goes, it's difficult to tell Amicus and Hammer Horror apart, because they had the same actors and directors. It's a shame that Amicus didn't last. Maybe the time was wrong for this type of film. Hammer also ceased operations in the 1970's.

I admit to feeling sentimental about Peter Cushing. He was an incredible actor, even though he spent most of his career acting in low budget films. (Yes, the Hammer Horror films were low budget films, but they were still extremely good). Ironically, most people know him for his appearance in "Star Wars", which was an untypical film for him. I was disappointed that he only appears briefly in "Asylum".

The film is about a young psychiatrist, Dr. Martin, applying for a job at Dunsmoor mental asylum. Today the word asylum is considered a slur, so there are more politically correct ways to describe it, such as a psychiatric hospital. But whatever it's called, it's still a place where the incurably ill are locked up for the rest of their lives. He's told that the previous head of the asylum, Dr. Starr, has had a mental break down. He's invented a new personality for himself and now lives as one of the patients. Dr. Martin is told that he'll be hired if he can recognise which one of the patients is Dr. Starr.

Dr. Martin speaks to four patients. The following film has the form of an anthology, even though the stories are original. Each of the patients explains why he's in hospital, and the stories of the first three patients involve lengthy flashbacks. The stories are told from the viewpoint of the patients, not necessarily what really happened. There are supernatural occurrences, which Dr. Martin dismisses as paranoid schizophrenia.

For instance, one of the patients sees a woman called Lucy who isn't really there. I wish I could see a woman as sexy as Britt Ekland in my bedroom.

But then again, Lucy makes the patient kill her brother. Why does paranoid schizophrenia always have to be about killing? Couldn't I just have an affair with an imaginary woman?

I've given the film a low rating because I don't like the anthology format. There are four self-contained short stories. I prefer full length films. And I want to see more than 20 minutes of Peter Cushing.

	Order from Amazon.com
	Order from Amazon.co.uk
	Order from Amazon.de

Daleks' Invasion Earth 2150 A.D. (4½ Stars)

Today I read the sad news that the British actor Bernard Cribbins has passed away. No cause of death has been stated yet, except that it was of natural causes, but at the age of 93 there are many natural causes that could have caused death. The Time Lords live forever, the companions don't. My immediate reaction was to listen to "Right Said Fred" and a few other songs that I'd never heard before. Once I had some quiet time for myself I fetched the second Dalek film from the cellar. I have a few other films in which he appears, but this is his only major role.

It's not quite the main role. Peter Cushing plays Doctor Who, the eccentric old man from London. Yes, he's a man in this film, not an alien. It's a shame that the studios decided to make it a non-canon film, an alternate universe to the Time Lord we know from the television series. I wish I'd been a fly on the wall listening to the creators talk about changes like this. Was it a serious decision to make the film more appealing to young children, or was it just a blunder? We may never know.

This film is a good example of why I can't be considered a serious film critic. The film has a cheap low-budget feeling throughout, and yet I love it. I'm too biased to be able to judge the film objectively. It's part of my childhood as one of the first films I saw in the cinema. If you look carefully you can see strings holding up the Dalek space ships. It doesn't matter to me. It's a film that I'll keep returning to as long as I live.

Even the small details of the film are ridiculous. The previous film had lava lamps decorating the Dalek control room. This film has the Robomen eating Smarties. (Bernard Cribbins is second from the left on the front row). I wonder if Rowntree's paid for the product placement. Don't get me wrong, I like Smarties, but I have my doubts about their nutritional value.

Here's Bernard Cribbins as a Roboman.

Here's Bernard Cribbins as the handsome policeman Tom Campbell.

In his smart uniform he's a credit to the police force. Louise (Jill Curzon) can't keep her hands off him. But does anyone else think that the Tardis looks like Frankenstein's laboratory?

Ironically, Bernard Cribbins appeared as a character in the Doctor Who television series 42 years later. He played the character Wilfred Mott, the grandfather of the companion Donna Noble. Two months before his death he was filming scenes for the 60th anniversary episode of "Doctor Who", which will be broadcast next year. Many fans will have tears in their eyes as they watch it.

Bernard Cribbins will be remembered forever, whether as PC Tom Campbell, Wilfred Mott or in one of his many comedy roles. Or maybe he'll be remembered as a singer of funny songs. I'm listening to "A Combination of Cribbins" as I write this post. Rest in peace.

Bernard Cribbins
29 December 1928 – 28 July 2022

Dracula (1958 version) (5 Stars)

It's six years since I last watched Hammer Horror's version of "Dracula". I remembered how good it is, but I'd forgotten how much it deviates from Bram Stoker's novel.

I suggest that you read the review I wrote in 2015. I have nothing to add to it.

Success Rate:  + 13.4

	Order from Amazon.com
	Order from Amazon.co.uk
	Order from Amazon.de

Daleks' Invasion Earth 2150 A.D. (4½ Stars)

I watched this film at random today. Sort of random. My son Benjamin saw it lying around and said he wanted to watch it. That's excuse enough for me.

It's a film that's hated by purists, because it isn't the Doctor Who that the fans know and love. The Doctor played by Peter Cushing isn't an alien, he's an eccentric old scientist from London who's invented a time machine that looks like a police box. That makes a lot less sense than the TV series' explanation that the TARDIS automatically adapted to the environment to blend in, but it got stuck.

This is Roberta Tovey posing for a promotional photo. She plays the Doctor's granddaughter Susan. Roberta was 12 when she made the film, but she looks younger. At least, I think she looks younger than 12. I always have difficulty judging the ages of young children, male or female.

At the Earth's Core (3½ Stars)

"The Land that Time Forgot" was made in 1975. Its sequel, "The People that Time Forgot", was made in 1977. In between the two, another lost world dinosaur film was made that was unrelated to the others. Maybe it's wrong to call the monsters in "At the Earth's Core" dinosaurs. They look dinosaur-ish, but no attempt is made to model them on any known dinosaurs.

The only connection with the other two films is that it's also based on a novel by Edgar Rice Burroughs and it also stars Doug McClure. No dates are stated in the film, but the fashion looks Victorian, on the Earth's surface, at least. The novel was written in 1914, so I assume that's when the story is supposed to take place.

Dr. Abner Perry (Peter Cushing) has built a drilling machine which he calls a Mole. It can dig through any rock at a speed of 78 feet per minute. Is that a reference to the old vinyl records? Accompanied by his financier, American millionaire David Innes (Doug McClure), he wants to demonstrate it by drilling through a mountain in Wales. Unfortunately, there's a malfunction, and the Mole drills downwards instead of sideways. When they finally get the Mole under control they're 40,000 miles beneath the Earth's surface. According to my calculations, that should have taken 188 days, but it seems like only a few hours have passed. Either the Mole sped up on its journey, or the screenwriters couldn't afford a calculator. Pocket calculators were expensive in the 1970's.

It's amazing. After 40 miles of vertical descent the crockery doesn't even fall off the shelves. Peter Cushing and Doug McClure do fall on the floor, because the Mole isn't equipped with safety belts. Maybe they hadn't been invented in 1914. In 1976 they would have known better. The slogan of the day was "Clunk, Click, Every Trip".

A few thoughts about Peter Cushing: I consider him to have been an excellent actor, maybe the best British actor of the 1970's, but only when he was playing serious roles. When he plays comical eccentric roles, he isn't funny, he just looks silly. I don't remember him ever being as ridiculous as in this film. He should have toned down the comedy.

The find themselves in a subterranean cavern with an eerie pink sky. They encounter monsters – dinosaurs? – like this.

And like this.

And like this.

This one even breathes flames. We never had anything like that in "Jurassic Park".

But it's not just monsters below the Earth's surface. There's also a beautiful cavewoman called Dia (Caroline Munro). She and all her tribe speak English. There's no explanation. They just do.

In an interview on the Blu-ray, recorded in 2014, Caroline Munro says that she was hired for the film after the director saw her on a billboard. She didn't need to audition, she was hired for her looks. It shows. She's not a competent actress like Sarah Douglas or Dana Gillespie. She grins too much at inappropriate moments. She gained experience and improved with time. A year later she was a Bond Girl in "The spy who loved me".

I remember seeing billboards with Caroline Munro all over Birmingham. She was advertising Lamb's Navy Rum. Maybe this is the billboard that convinced the director to hire her.

She was beautiful. I can't deny that.

She's still beautiful today. This is what she looked like 40 years later in 2014.

In her interview Caroline Munro calls "At the Earth's Core" a children's film. Is that true? It wasn't marketed as a children's film, although it did have a universal rating in the UK, allowing it to be seen by children of any age. Even if it is true, it's not a sufficient excuse for the poor quality. It's far below the quality of "The Land that Time Forgot" and "The People that Time Forgot".

Despite all my criticism, I've given the film an above average rating. Maybe it's because I feel nostalgic. I don't know. If you're as nostalgic as I am, I recommend that you buy the German release of the film on Blu-ray, where it's called "Der Sechste Kontinent" ("The Sixth Continent).

	Order from Amazon.co.uk
	Order from Amazon.de

Doctor Who and the Daleks (4 Stars)

I didn't intend to watch this film today, but my grandson Oliver talked me into it. While we were playing in the cellar I mentioned Daleks, and he wanted to know what they are. I showed him the case of this film, and he insisted on seeing it. It's a certificate U (Universal), so I brought the film upstairs.

Oliver loved the film from the beginning. He was annoyed that the Daleks didn't appear immediately, but he laughed at the antics of Roy Castle as Ian. I never realised until today how suitable he was for the role.

It would have been Oliver's second film, but he didn't have enough patience to watch the whole film. There was too much talking and not enough action, so he gave up after 52 minutes. That's a shame. I watched the rest of the film by myself, but it's possible that he'll want to watch the rest tomorrow.

The film is a remake of a story from the first season of "Doctor Who" in 1964, but with significant changes that make it non-canon. The Doctor is a human, not an alien. Susan and Barbara are sisters. Nevertheless, it's a good film with impeccable acting from Peter Cushing. He was the best Doctor who was never a Doctor, if you know what I mean.

And the Daleks are in colour!

	Order from Amazon.com
	Order from Amazon.co.uk

Twins Of Evil (4 Stars)

This is the third film in Hammer's so-called Karnstein Trilogy. I say so-called, because the three films have nothing to do with one another, apart from featuring the vampire Mircalla Karnstein. In each film she's played by a different actress, and in this film her appearance is reduced to a non-speaking cameo. She has 50 seconds of screentime, heavily draped, and we only see her face for three seconds.

The film is about the two identical twins, Frieda and Maria Gellhorn, played by the real life identical twins Madeleine and Mary Collinson. They're almost identical. Frieda has a spot on her right cheek, only visible in close up shots, and she's half an inch taller. Mary Collinson (on the right) is 5'6", while Madeleine (on the left) is 5'6½". They were the first identical twins to be chosen as Playboy's Playmate(s) of the Month in October 1970.

I can't comment on their real life personalities, but in the film they're very different. Maria is the good twin, Frieda is the evil twin. After the death of their parents they're sent to live with their uncle Gustav (Peter Cushing), a religious fanatic. Maria suggests that they should comply with his wishes, whereas Frieda is defiant.

This is Uncle Gustav preaching in the Brotherhood. Yes, it's a male only religious society. There's no place for silly women who don't understand the Lord's thoughts. And what are the Lord's thoughts?

Witches have to be burnt at the stake. That's what it says in the Bible. "Thou shalt not allow a witch to live" (Exodus 22:18). But how do Gustav and his followers recognise witches? That's obvious from their conversations. "There's a woman who lives alone and she doesn't want a husband. She must be a witch". Obvious, isn't it? So out they run with their stakes in their hands, ready to do the Lord's work.

The witches are all innocent women. That's obvious. There's only one real Devil worshipper in the village, and it's Count Karnstein. He prays to Satan, asking for the power to serve him. The Count sacrifices a virgin to get Satan's attention. That's one thing he has in common with Gustav: they both murder innocent women. Satan answers by reviving the long dead Mircalla Karnstein. In her 50 seconds of glory she rises from the dead, bites the Count's neck and makes him a vampire.

A word on the film's vampire mythology, because every vampire film has its own vampire lore. The vampires in this film can walk in the sunlight. They can be killed by a stake through the heart or being decapitated, but burning doesn't kill a vampire. If his body is burnt his soul occupies someone else's body. Curious. 

Being a vampire is a lonely life, so the Count searches for a worthy companion. He picks Frieda. I can see how she gained his attention. One bite and she's a vampire like him. That's another thing I should say about this film's vampire lore: unless the person is killed, he becomes a vampire within a few seconds of being bitten.

For the sake of journalistic authenticity, I'm providing a photo gallery to show how a vampire attacks.

Frieda invites Anton the choirmaster to her room.

She entices him.

She prepares for the attack.

The trap snaps shut. No way to escape.

From macho man to lifeless corpse in five seconds.

I enjoyed this film, but it's the weakest film in the trilogy. There's a new film which I've been told stays close to the original novel by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu. It should have been shown in cinemas in April this year, but it's been postponed indefinitely due to the Coronavirus.

	Order from Amazon.com
	Order from Amazon.co.uk