The Shuttered Room (1967), dir. David Greene, Troy-Schneck Productions
Moving into a slightly controversial area, as more than a few Lovecraft scholars don't consider the 1959 tale to truly written by Lovecraft, crediting it to Arkham House founder August Derleth under Lovecraft's name. For the film tonight it's irrelevant as the film has nothing in common except for the name.
Friday, July 31, 2015
Friday, July 24, 2015
Die, Monster, Die! (1965)
Die, Monster, Die! (1965), dir. Daniel Haller, Alta Vista Film Productions
With the Haunted Palace bringing in money, another Lovecraft tale seemed as inevitable as the tide. Going with the 1927 tale "the Colour Out of Space", this one would feature horror legend Boris Karloff.
With the Haunted Palace bringing in money, another Lovecraft tale seemed as inevitable as the tide. Going with the 1927 tale "the Colour Out of Space", this one would feature horror legend Boris Karloff.
Saturday, July 18, 2015
Beware the Batman: Darkness
"Darkness" Beware the Batman, Cartoon Network, 10 August 2014
Back again and here's another Batman
Brief recap from previous episodes, namely that Batman went toe to toe with Ra's al Ghul and lost utterly.
Back again and here's another Batman
Brief recap from previous episodes, namely that Batman went toe to toe with Ra's al Ghul and lost utterly.
Friday, July 17, 2015
The Haunted Palace (1963)
The Haunted Palace (1963), dir. Roger Corman, American International Pictures
While we've finished with the cinematic works of Robert E. Howard, I felt we could switch the focus to one of Howard's closest friends, namely H.P. (Howard Phillip) Lovecraft. Lovecraft's stories were of a different thread than Howard's works. Lovecraft's mythos told of dark inhuman and utterly alien things that mankind could never hope to truly defeat.
It seems that making a film based on his works would be difficult if not outright impossible. Filming something that couldn't be imagined by the human mind is a tall order even for the most talented director. So, for Lovecraft's first foray into motion pictures, Roger Corman presented it as a story based on Edgar Allan Poe, and the script was based on one of Lovecraft's stories that dealt with something a bit easier to imagine, namely "the Strange Case of Charles Dexter Ward"; even with the tweaks to the original script it ties it more into Lovecraft's better known Cthulhu Mythos.
While we've finished with the cinematic works of Robert E. Howard, I felt we could switch the focus to one of Howard's closest friends, namely H.P. (Howard Phillip) Lovecraft. Lovecraft's stories were of a different thread than Howard's works. Lovecraft's mythos told of dark inhuman and utterly alien things that mankind could never hope to truly defeat.
It seems that making a film based on his works would be difficult if not outright impossible. Filming something that couldn't be imagined by the human mind is a tall order even for the most talented director. So, for Lovecraft's first foray into motion pictures, Roger Corman presented it as a story based on Edgar Allan Poe, and the script was based on one of Lovecraft's stories that dealt with something a bit easier to imagine, namely "the Strange Case of Charles Dexter Ward"; even with the tweaks to the original script it ties it more into Lovecraft's better known Cthulhu Mythos.
Saturday, July 11, 2015
Solomon Kane (2009)
Solomon Kane (2009), dir. Michael J. Bassett, Davis Films
Here we reach the end of Robert E. Howard's cinematic endeavors. Released before the 2011 Conan film, but not reaching the US until 2012 (when I found it on cable), Solomon Kane was one of Howard's lesser known characters. A Puritan, Kane also traveled the globe fighting monsters of both the human and inhuman ilk. First appearing in "Red Shadows" (August 1928), Kane's literary career was shorter than Conan but I found his stories in many ways to be richer. Conan was often just motivated by revenge or greed in his stories, but Kane often fought because he felt compelled.
Here we reach the end of Robert E. Howard's cinematic endeavors. Released before the 2011 Conan film, but not reaching the US until 2012 (when I found it on cable), Solomon Kane was one of Howard's lesser known characters. A Puritan, Kane also traveled the globe fighting monsters of both the human and inhuman ilk. First appearing in "Red Shadows" (August 1928), Kane's literary career was shorter than Conan but I found his stories in many ways to be richer. Conan was often just motivated by revenge or greed in his stories, but Kane often fought because he felt compelled.
Friday, July 3, 2015
Conan the Barbarian (2011)
Conan the Barbarian (2011), dir. Marcus Nispell, Nu Images Films/Millennium Films/Paradox Entertainment
Fourteen years after Kull came and went, another attempt was made. This time it was decreed that the original flavor was what the public wanted, so it was decided that it would be Conan's sandal-ed feet to stride across the celluloid map. New star, new director, and a wholly new approach. What could possibly go wrong?
Fourteen years after Kull came and went, another attempt was made. This time it was decreed that the original flavor was what the public wanted, so it was decided that it would be Conan's sandal-ed feet to stride across the celluloid map. New star, new director, and a wholly new approach. What could possibly go wrong?
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