My wife acted like she did not like this movie, which is usually a good indication that I thought it was great…which I did. I will say that in a room with all the lights shut off, stretched out on the couch while watching a movie over 2 hours long, she stayed awake, which I don’t think she has ever done, so at the very least this movie should engage you. Visuals were stunning, and helped give the movie that magical feel that I think they were going for. I was entertained.
I remember loving the first movie because it had that feeling to it that you get when watching movies like “Big Trouble in Little China”, or “The Fifth Element”…not trying to win Oscars, but just good cheesy in a good way entertainment. I didn’t even know there was a second one, but when I was surfing through the leaving soon section of the HBO app there it was. Not knowing the 2nd one existed should have been my first clue. This movie was terrible. It was so bad, I’m thinking of rewatching the first one to make sure I’m not misremembering a movie I saw probably 20 years ago.
Someone who was mean to ants as a child was trippin’ balls on some acid when a friend handed them a notebook and something to write with.
This movie was terrible. Even if you are watching it just for the action and not for the story or acting, it still leaves much to be desired. Knowing that Snake-Eyes and Storm Shadow are probably the 2 most beloved characters of the franchise, you think they would have tried harder. The actor that played Snake Eyes was decent, but pretty much everyone else with lines was garbage. Especially Baroness, Scarlett and Storm Shadow. I really wish someone would have got this right. Even WB DC comic shows have been better than this and that is saying a lot. Woulda been nice if they coulda captured the feel of a show like Daredevil or Punisher and brought that to this movie, instead it felt like…I don’t even know?…but not good.
If Vincent Price is in a movie you should be entertained, and this movie is no exception. Rather gruesome scene at the beginning of the movie that I imagine would have pushed the limits of censorship at the time. The human sized fly costume is less scary than the scene that shows the fly sized version. I liked the movie, and it was on my list of movies I have to see, but it’s not one I feel like I would enjoy a second time. Seems like they could have done more with this story and its ideas to make it scary and more memorable, but they just barely touched on them. One thing I can say is this family was lazy, they didn’t seem to want to help each other as much as they should have.
This is a classic for a reason, it’s a must see. Most of the movie is a 6 or 7, but the last 20ish minutes, with the child scene and once the mob gets going, the movie is a 9 or 10. I remember thinking when I was a kid how tragic the scene with the child was (although I’m not sure I knew what tragic meant at the time, the idea definitely conveyed). He was out of flowers to float and made the next logical step in his damaged child like mind. I also wondered what happened to the poor kitten. As an adult watching old movies it’s amazing how lackadaisical parents are about watching their children. I was a child of the 70s and we ran the neighborhood alone, but leaving your kid that couldn’t swim, alone near a lake while you go to check traps…I would think that was poor judgment even in the 1800s when the story was written.lol One thing the movie didn’t do, was explain, even a little, how the father came to the conclusion that his daughter was murdered and how they came to the conclusion that it was the monster who did it. I mean the way I see it he had an alibi, everyone saw him crashing a wedding. At one point when they are listening for the monster that is loose in the wedding building the monster “groans”, and it sounds more like a fart box which I laughed at. Anyway I’m going to research how many actors were hurt in the making of this. Colin Clive or a stunt man rolled his leg over a torch in one scene which looked like it could have hurt and I doubt they had much in the way of safety precautions or equipment in 1931. If you get a chance read up on Mary Shelley’s life and all the people that were part of her life…talk about tragedies.
If you simply watch the movie and don’t worry about the source material or take the movie too seriously, it’s more entertaining than the original. It’s not really horror as much as comedy though.
This is one of the better old horror/suspense movies I’ve seen. The acting was superb. This was 2 hours long but didn’t drag at all and kept me engaged. The characters Monica, Leroy, and Hortense were especially engaging. Rhoda was a good little sociopath and the way she described the events at the picnic was and still is horrifying. Before it was a film it was a broadway play and you get that play like feeling watching the movie. The ending was sort of abrupt, but I liked it. Make sure you watch the character introductions at the end, there is a little lighthearted gag scene that’s kind of funny considering what just went down in the movie. Guess they were trying to lighten the mood.
The biggest prop bat on strings or real bat for that matter I’ve laid eyes upon. Love the music in the opening credits. I’ve heard it many times before, but can’t place it and don’t know if it’s original to the movie (going to have to do some research). To be honest, this movie was a little disappointing to me. I’ve seen 100s of vampire movies, but wasn’t sure if I had seen this before. I probably would have given it a 6, but I bumped it up to a 7 keeping in mind that it was made in 1931. It’s not very exciting, the movie is mostly silent and there isn’t any suspenseful music in the background and besides lighting up his stare, a stormy boat trip, some fog and lightning, a dangling bat, and a crawling spider there isn’t much in the way of camera tricks or special effects (not even bite marks or fangs). The acting isn’t bad, for the most part, and the sets are really good. It’s the OG Dracula, so it’s a must see. Updated: The music played during the opening credits is from “Swan Lake”, no wonder it sounded familiar, everyone has heard parts of it somewhere wether they know it or not. It fits the opening perfectly.
I think there is more fog in this movie than in “The Fog”. Venetia Stevenson, whose daughter was the inspiration for the Guns N’ Roses song “Sweet Child O’ Mine” and was married to Axl Rose, is absolutely stunning…what a beauty. She has some decent acting chops as well. Another fun fact, her likeness has been printed on Sweetheart Stout bottles and cans since 1958. Anyway to the movie…more fog machine please. The beginning part of the movie has the witches declaring their souls to Satan which may have been edgy at the time and seemed almost as if it was a different film with a darker tone. The acting is above average for a horror film and takes a little bit of the bad taste out of your mouth at having been fed plot points repeatedly. In classic horror film fashion, the lead ignores all the clues, even though she reads them out loud to the audience, and she goes into the basement anyway. This is a good movie even though the writers let you know at every turn what lies ahead. Literally…there is a guy at a stop giving directions and unheeded advice throughout the film, and another one that hitches rides at a turn towards town that is an omen of bad things to come.
This movie is a wreck if you dissect it, but it is also what makes it slightly more enjoyable. The problem is I don’t believe that was the intent. After the nurse faints from hearing a voice telling her something on the phone (the main plot of the movie), she takes what seems like 15 minutes of overacting and being cajoled to let us know exactly what was said to her during her 20 second phone call…I was cringing during this whole exchange. Later on there were flashback sequences that were much, much longer than most movie flashbacks and they showed things that the person having the flashback wouldn’t have been involved in, which I found funny (although I may have misinterpreted this, as I had some real life goings on outside my house that drew my attention away a couple of times while watching this and I didn’t care to watch it again). This was one of those movies that at every turn you will find yourselves thinking that no real person would react or act the way the characters did in almost every situation presented to them and this movie is probably worth the watch for that reason alone. This one will leave you scratching your head at times, not in a trying to figure it out way, but more in a that really just happened and I bore witness to it sort of way.
Some top notch actors on this project. Very good detective story based on an Edgar Allen Poe story “The Murders in the Rue Morgue” which some say is the template from which all modern detective stories were birthed. Fast paced movie with a decent plot twist, which is predictable, yet entertaining.
I enjoyed this movie, it had a little bit of a Texas chainsaw family feel to it, obviously before that movie was ever made. The spider game was creepy and fun. I don’t pretend to know the intent of the movie makers at the time, but it seems like they weren’t trying to make a serious horror film and were just having fun with it. The acting fits the content and gives the movie that campy feel like the Adam West Batman series. As with most old horror movies that have a person of color in them, it was easy to guess what was going to happen. In this case Mr. Moreland (The Messenger) is indeed the first character to play the “spider game”. Overall this movie does what it was supposed to do, which is entertain.
I really liked the concept of this movie. For some reason I enjoyed the build up of this movie more than the ending. The acting was excellent and some of the bizarre banter of the Doctors and Hospital staff along with the way the director captured facial expressions was enough to keep me interested and engaged. There is a lot said without a whole bunch of dialogue in this movie. Some great imagery and camera work.
A couple great gore scenes, bad 80s hair and outfits, b-movie acting, one of the worst/best endings, and a really horrible roll credits song that has to be heard to believe.
Some of the best acting in a 1940s horror movie that I have seen. Boris Karloff and Henry Daniell were amazing. Russell Wade’s acting wasn’t as good. Great plot partially based on some true life events (look up Burke & Hare). Toddy, Toddy, Toddy.
Good movie. Some laughable moments like the narration for the “Deaf Mute’s” thoughts. The acting wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t good either. I had a boss that behaved like the captain, where job safety issues were concerned. This crew should have been more concerned with their captain’s behavior.
Some decent acting, considering the thin plot they had to work with. I liked the drums and dancing. If there were half stars, it’s probably a 5 1/2. I gave it a 6 because I have a soft spot for old “horror” movies. Some of these movies are good because you are surprised at what they did with the technology available, some are good because they are just good movies that entertain you or may have actors that you have enjoyed in other movies & others in this genre are good because they are so bad. This one doesn’t really fit any of those categories.
Above average horror cheese. Over the top acting by the lead. Damsel in distress. Long winded fantastical scientific explanations that are easily accepted. A bad idea guy. Bet you can guess who dies first. Pretty decent looking “Shrews”. This might actually be an 8. Fun watch if you’re in the mood.
I’ve watched hundreds of old movies from silent films on through the 60s and this is one of my favorites of any genre. I feel that I have been entertained every time that I see it, which is probably once every 3 or 4 years since I was a kid. Maybe it’s just nostalgia, but I don’t think so…I mean I was born almost 40 years after it was made and I don’t think I saw it until I was 30 something.
It’s a well done horror film from 1980 with a decent story. Besides the lead, the acting is a little subpar. The music score does its job of adding to the suspense, even though the outcome doesn’t live up to the build all the time. It probably wouldn’t hold up to most peoples wanting to be scared expectations and I could see where some people might be bored by it. I gave it a 7, but if I could give another 1/2, I would. I wouldn’t put it in the great category, but it’s worth a watch and I don’t feel like I wasted my time on it.
This movie plays like an episode of the original Star Trek series. It was entertaining and kept me engaged. One thing I will say is that watching some of these old movies from the 50s and 60s, it’s alarming at how handsy and rapey the male roles are in some of them. I just watched Carnival of Souls yesterday and the guy in that one was cringe worthy too. After one of the characters in this was trying to take full advantage of the young woman in this, the commander tells her something along the lines of “you would have been asking for it for dressing the way you did”…I always thought that women were supposed to be treated like ladies and that men behaved like gentlemen in this era, especially in the movies. Maybe it’s this genre. Anyway, it was a decent watch, and I can tell it probably inspired future filmmakers. I know it inspired one of my favorite bands, Monster Magnet. They have a bonus song on some versions of one of their albums called Forbidden Planet, it’s a bunch of spaceship sounds and effects. Some album art of theirs is similar to the movie too.
I love old horror/suspense films. I’ve seen this one on a bunch of favorite lists, so I decided to give it a try. Some scenes had me scratching my head…the plot wasn’t a strong point. Honestly the guy in the room across the hall was more unsettling and scary than anything else in the movie and I don’t think that was the intention. Predictable ending, even though I was thinking throughout the whole movie that it wouldn’t make sense if they actually had the ending that they did. I liked the idea of reality changing when she went in the dressing room and came back out. Reminded me of some creepy thoughts I had as a kid. It’s worth a watch if you like this sort of genre. Not one of my favorites though.
