Dave's Journal / Oct2024
October - the haunted month and much fun to be scared at the movies. I favor the vintage (pre 1970s) "horror" flicks because stuff made after about 1970 is too gory / slasher / sadistic for me. The Hammer Studios productions (1950s - early 1970s) were the last of the best for me.
Anyway, I plan to add scary pics and clips here throughout the month.
Sanguis vere calidus est; suus sicut calidum scelerisque bibens sed magis eiulare.
Very dark, sinister, theatening, 1960 Italian movie starring the very dark, sinister, threatening Barbara Steele *.
* :
The most beautiful star of the greatest horror masterpiece of Italian film, Black Sunday (1960): Barbara Steele was born on December 29, 1937 in Birkenhead, Cheshire, England. Barbara is loved by her fans for her talent, intelligence, and a dark mysterious beauty that is unique; her face epitomizes either sweet innocence, or malign evil (she is wonderful to watch either way).
Note: that is not Barbara coming out of the grave up there. But her scenes are equally nightmare-ish.
One hundred and two years ago, when movies were a very new experience to most people, this movie was a shocker. And to be fair, you must watch it with that in mind, and with that in mind it is a scary nightmare (I watched it again last night.).
There are a confusing number of different surviving prints, restorations and alternate versions of Nosferatu. In the main, there are three 'complete' restorations and two incomplete, partially-restored versions. All five are available on DVD, while the latest two restorations, from 1995 and 2006, are also on Blu-ray. In addition there are countless low-quality public domain DVDs with different lengths, running speeds and soundtracks. All are derived from a single print held by the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA).
Excellent History of This Movie
I liked this, and so did others who enjoy vintage horror flicks. Storyline is simple villagers dealing with vampires (or "ghouls"). No Hollywood hero, minimal special effects - pretty old school film, extremely well photographed. If you need horror / slasher / thrills .... skip it .... but again .... I enjoyed it.
PS: the movie language is Russian, so you must read subtitles. Possibly there is an English dubbed version ??? Since I watch all movies with subtitles on, this did not bother me. Actually sometimes I watch movies with no sound and no subtitles and you'd be surprised how often this works just fine.
And while I am on foreign (in this case, German) vampire movies ..... This one is hot stuff. I promise you will not be scared watching Lesbian vamps do very very cool stuff besides biting people. And there is an English dubbed version floating around somewhere. I want the German DVD but it's $25 and I'm too cheap to actually pay that much.
This is a dark, slow-drama, dreamlike version, very mood-similar to the original 1922 movie. Klaus Kinski does an outstanding job as the nightmarish Nosferatu who clearly does not belong to this world. Bruno Ganz is excellent as a bewildered, weak-willed victim. And Isabelle Adjani .... what's not to love about her !
This is a very good film that was poorly titled and I think that fact diverted people from really appreciating it for its own qualities. It is a mildly scary drama - NOT a "horror" movie, not a vampire movie and has nothing whatever to do with "Dracula".
The plotline is a variation of "aged countess bathes in young blood to stay beautiful" and it is played as a mild drama, not a scary movie.
Excellent production, acting, cinematography and Ingrid Pitt in various sheer nightgowns !!
Very good movie - recommended by Dave.