His Name was Slaughter 🎃

Hi,

Tod Slaughter (1885-1956) was a British stage actor, who made his film debut at 50 in Maria Marten, or Murder in the Red Barn (1935). He soon became noted for his wonderful, over-the-top roles in a series of Victorian melodramas and horror films.

His name really was Slaughter. His film career lasted from the 1930s until the 1950s, but with a couple of large gaps.

My Dark Corner Of This Sick World has done a half-hour video on his films and career. Blood and Thunder – The Murderous World of Tod Slaughter looks at both his stage and film roles.

At one point he was murdering 15 people a day on stage, for several weeks, as two different characters ! His films are certainly worth watching.

Tod Slaughter seems to be largely forgotten today, which is surprising. I certainly had not heard of him until I got some large DVD sets from the American Mill Creek company, which included several of his films.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KdaFx2We_Gc

Paul Adams from New Zealand

KRAVEN

I remember Kraven, the big fur-wearing Hunter on old Marvel comics covers.

Not really knowing the Kraven origin story I was intrigued enough to watch the recent Marvel TSG movie of the same name last night in Netflix.

Having been disappointed by other fringe Marvels and DCs - Morbius, Black Adam, Shazam to name three - my hopes weren't high. But, I like B-list heroes and villains getting their day in the sun, whether it be toys, games, series or films.

I recognised the lead in Kraven from the Brian Cranston Godzilla flick - he was the expressionless soldier son - and I wasn't heartened. He'd got himself jacked up for the part, but somehow he didn't seem fierce. He moved like Wolverine yet lacked Wolvie's wildness. He was just too nice. He lacked teeth.

The Rhino was interesting and for me a first in film. I loved the character as a kid watching Spiderman cartoons in the Sixties. We should have seen more of the Rhino and less of the smiling actor.

The other characters - his Dad ( was that Russell Crowe?) and the Niles Frasier-like brother - were incidental fluff really, the main interest being Kraven and Calypso, a character new to me. 

I read Kraven was a huge financial failure and critical disaster, which is a shame for Marvel.

These lesser heroes and villains have a hard time in the cinema.

Let's hope this month's Clayface fares better for DC.

Have you seen Kraven?

A Pound for the Baskervilles

 Earlier in the year I bought this large framed and glassed print in an Ossett scrap store for one whole pound.

I was somehow drawn to the sitter's severely pale complexion and white garb set against her jet black hair, all with the pastelly chair and background.

She immediately reminded me of someone.

I had seen another painting of a classical lady just last year at the Cromwell Museum, where Elizabeth Cromwell, the Lady Protectress hangs, together with the actual pendant she wears in the picture.

But it's not her I'm thinking of.

For some reason Seventies singer Carole Bayer Sager, of Moving Out Today fame, sprang to mind. More whites and black locks.

But alas, it's not Carole. 

There is an actress I've seen recently, but I cannot for the life of me think where, so I'll stick with my first choice.

Hammer's The Hound of the Baskervilles starring Cushing and Lee, 1959.

My initial thought revolved around Judi Moyens from the opening scenes in her only film appearance, apart from the cover a 1950's Picturegoer magazine about horror films which I have.

The Peter Cushing Appreciation Society celebrated these two roles on their superb site with this explanatory panel of theirs from 2006.

It's not Miss. Moyens though.

Closer to the mark could be the second actress in the Hammer film, namely the excellent Marla Landi (now aged 93) brilliantly playing the unhappy Cecile Stapleton, for whom the new Sir Henry Baskerville falls madly in love.

But, despite all this, I have to say it's a more modern release I've been heading towards and just realized fully. 

It's the fantastic The Hound of the Baskervilles TV Movie with Richard Roxburgh and Ian Hart from 2002 that I believe that I'm thinking of and the actress within who I feel echoes the pale lady in my new painting:

Neve Mcintosh playing the the beleaguered Beryl Stapleton.

By jove, I think I have it! It is indeed Neve I'm thinking of.

The real sitter in the painting was Gertrude Vernon, Lady Agnew of Lochnaw (1864-1932).

It was painted by the American John Singer Sargent and appears to have been sold for a tidy sum by Bonhams in 2006.

Needless to say mine's just a print! 

Do you have an intriguing picture readers?

They were Perfect Things

 As I often warble in about, I'm a massive super hero movie nut.

I've seen the Marvel and DC universes so often they're old friends now. I know what they're going to say and join in.

Occasionally though, if freely available online, I'll watch an outlier, a hero movie in between franchises. A ronin.

These standalones are always risky affairs, both for the film companies and the ardent fan like me.

DC are a case in point, having done it with their two hottest properties, Supe and Bats, both of whom I adore.

But ..

The two Supe and one Batman standalones are not memorable in any way, at least not for me.

I think it's the actors.

They were newly chosen after other famous actors had retired. They're complete unknowns and alas, to me, wholly forgettable.

Harsh, I know.

How do you follow Christopher Reeves and Henry Cavill, both total heavyweights of Krypton and arguably the best Supermen ever.

And How do you follow Ben Affleck as the Dark Knight, my absolute dark fave after of course, Michael Keaton.

All Perfect things.

So, The three rogue movies I'm talking about are:

Superman Returns with Brandon Routh as Superman. Who?

You would have thought in 2006 they could have given Kal-El a magnificent reboot, but Returns is awful. Everyone on screen seems bored, muted, half-asleep. There's just no umph at all. Routh's Reevesian antics are true copycatting. Alas, I slumbered and only fan curiosity will get me to go back to this Metropolis. It would take Man of Steel, 2013, to show how it's really done.

The Batman, 2022 with Robert Pattinson wearing the bat mask. Who? 

Described as a gritty crime thriller I seem to recall it being filmed entirely in the dark. Other than a growling Batmobile Dodge car I remember absolutely nothing. Someone must do because there's a sequel coming. For Gotham's sake, turn the lights on! 

Superman, 2025 with David Corenswet donning the red cape. Who? 

I saw this last year and my memory of it is zero, zilch. Maybe Krypto the Superdog is cast. That's it. Wuff said.

OK, I'm completely biased. I am.

 If I was re-marrying I would want two Best Men, Henry Cavill and Ben Affleck please, dressed in their costumes, doing their thing, diamond absolutes.

Oh Why oh why have they hung up their capes? I'm bereft.

I can't be alone.

*

PS. 

In a similar way they did the same with Hell Boy. Ron Perlman's films were definitive. Why reboot them with a completely unmemorable lead? 

Do You Want to Know More?

I really like this boxy 1996 Galoob Starship Troopers Drop Ship. Do you?

I've never seen this toy in the flesh. It must be big. In fact I've never come across any Starship Troopers toys, unlike say, ALIEN and all those strange Xenomorphs.

In some respects Starship Troopers sits well with ALIENS, albeit much more tongue in cheek with its frenetic TV ads asking Do You Want To Know More (or was that Robocop?),  enormous brain bugs and very giddy troopers. I enjoyed the film.

Have you anything from Starship Troopers? 

The House of Long Posters

 It's been quite a weekend for haunted house films.

Two on my bucket list got half-ticked off. I've been wanting to see them for years. Alas, I was too knackered to stay up so compromising I watched the start of both, one on Fearsome and one on Rewind.

The House of the Long Shadows is the serious one of the two. Directed by Pete Walker, it involves Desi Arnez's son staying at a Welsh manor to write a book in 24 hours. The movie's claim to fame is that it's the only time four great old horror icons have started together: Lee, Cushing, Price and Carradine. Pete Walker always made interesting British chillers. I remember seeing Frightmare with a girlfriend at the flicks in the late 70s. Gruesome stuff, I think I was more creeped out than her! 

Next up was the black comedy Bloodbath at the House of Death starring the brilliant but waning Vincent Price once again and zany 80's funny man Kenny Everett. I don't get beyond the titles on this one so it's still all to ay for.

For some reason I think of Monster Squad too when I think of these two movies.

Have you seen any of them? 

Continuing the horror film theme, it's Father's Day here in Blighty and my lovely grown-up daughter, Son in Law and Grandkids got me a fabulous and original cinema movie poster, the third in the last ten years I reckon.

This one is To the Devil a Daughter.

It's a flick I adore, starring Christopher Lee and Richard Widmark, who always reminds me of my own late Dad too, being one of his generation. It's a great film and recalls the tension of Christopher Lee's earlier The Devil Rides Out.

Needless to say I was chuffed with my poster.

Do you have any film posters?

Oh and Happy Father's Day! 

Are You Sitting Comfortably?

Some more flicks seen of late. Have you seen them?

The Island. A vehicle for beautiful young things Ewan McGregor and Scarlet Johannsen to shine in, this sci-fi actioner hit the spot and even the Missus enjoyed it. Basically about the evils of the super-rich, I won't spoil it, suffice to say there are whiffs of 1984, THX and Logan's Run.

The Invasion. Another platform for youthful beauty, this time the golden pair are Nicole Kidman and Daniel Craig. We had to rent this for £3.50 but it was worth it and pleasant enough whilst scoffing tea. The title is an abbreviated form of two other older iterations of the same idea. As I point my finger at you, my mouth agape, I won't spoil it.

Old. I've come to realise that M.Nite Shyamalan's first name is actually Marmite. Not M.Nite. You either love his films or loathe them. This phenomena can also happen mid-film and it very nearly did in Old. However, the Missus and me carried on and in the end, slightly older, enjoyed it. As you may have guessed the film is about wrinklies like us.

The Skull. I may have mentioned this already, but then again a Cushing-Lee horror is worth screaming about. They're the dogs b*llocks and I love their stuff. Think of Jonny Depp's 13th Gate, replace the grimoire with a skull and you're near the mark. Sort of like extreme toy collectors! What a film!

Horror Express. I often confuse this with the equally brill Creeping Flesh, as they both contain Peter Cushing, Christopher Lee and a strange humanoid laid out on a gurney. Chuck in a trans-Siberian train, Rasputin and Telly Savalas and you come out with Hammer horror Kojak verses the Monster.

Rot. A low-point in the listings, this shoestring effort wasn't worth watching but I did and wonder why. There was something about the poster and the name, Rot, which appealed. Alas, the crew would have been better off simply filming a few rats at the local landfill for authentic decay. At least then they could have called the thing Rat.

What have you seen?

Hardly Heartthrobs

Spotting young obscure horror film actors in other flicks often sends me down rabbit holes of curiosity. Here are three of them, hardly heartthrobs, which you may or may not know:

Cabin Fever: not the modern one, the Eli Roth original, in which a young Sheriff visits the cabin and extolls the virtues of hard pardying, even when all around are rotting away from a flesh-eating disease. Yep, he's the pardying lawman on the lookout for campfire fun. 

Enter Independence Day with Will Smith, in which the same actor appears as a young kid. Turns out he's been acting a while and most curious of all, went on to write, direct and produce 50 independent flicks of his own, so much so that a documentary was made of his film-making, in which he's labelled a genius auteur! You would think that such praise would have got him noticed but quite the opposite. He disappeared entirely from public view in 2015! His name: Giuseppe Andrews.

Fright Night: again the original starring Roddy McDowell ably assisted among others by one Evil Ed, a memorable young boy with a very infectious laugh. Alas Ed succumbs to the nefarious whims of the undead and ends up with a crucifix brand on his, well, 'ed. 

Again, in a complete change of tack, Evil Ed then goes on to get very busy starting in countless pornos for his sins and we horror buffs are left with nothing but his hyena chuckle. His name: Stephen Geoffreys.

Scary Movie: the first of the sinister satires, this original included a young actor who's character's particular schtick, was, well, having a small d*ck, much to the amusement of his pals in the college changing rooms. Naturally annoyed, he goes on to be abruptly dispatched by the film's killer and I abruptly forgot about him.

Until recently, when fully-grown, he popped up in Arrow (2014) and did a very good job of a Police Captain. A very busy actor indeed, he's reprising his Scary Movie role in this year's remake, 26 years later! His name: Lochlyn Munro.

Do you know of any acting obscurities, sudden departures or bizarre changes in direction in the worlds of sci-fi and horror films and TV?

Telly Talk

Some recent telly I've seen.

Sphere: an underwater sci-fi flick from donkeys years ago, I saw it back then and I'm pretty sure I read the novel on holiday. The film was produced by Michael Crichton, so I assume he wrote the novel. It's not one of his theme parks but it is a destination. 

The film reminds me a lot of ALIEN. I don't know if that was intentional. The crew mess scenes where they sit around drinking coffee could be from Ridley's Nostromo. 

I like the central conceit, that whatever the main protagonist dreams actually happens. It's made clear that the dreams are heavily influenced by his reading of Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea, including a giant squid attack no less!

There's echoes of Event Horizon too, but I guess any film about first contact with an alien intelligence will touch on gradual human madness. 

Arrow: my personal quest to watch all 180 episodes of this DC series about the Green Arrow goes on unabated. I'm about half-way. Malcolm Merlyn (John Barrowman) has just become Ra's Al Gul, after being handed the title by the Green Arrow himself. You'll recall that in the Dark Knight films Liam Neeson played Ra's, a curiously compelling character with a passion for levelling cities.

The Flash has made another appearance and it's all building up to a DC Arrow/ Flash crossover, Crisis on Infinite Earths I think it's called, which itself spawns an adjacent 180 episodes of the Flash! I'm unsure yet if I can keep up with the Speedster. I'll stick with the Bowman for now. 

Anyone else seen Arrow?

What are you watching or have you watched of late?

Hangar 18 or the 9th Gate

Browsing for something to watch after the Antiques Roadshow and the fact that it's my choice tonight I had a look see at Sci Fi.

Hangar 18 caught my eye, not a film I know. Do you?

I opted for The Ninth Gate with Johnny Depp. A film about horror book collectors a bit like me. Except these old tomes are worth millions each! 

Anyone seen it?  

Madhouse! The Price of Fame!

I caught Madhouse on the box last night, the Vincent Price shocker from 1974, an American International Amicus film.

I'm a huge Vincent fan, but then again, I love most old horror films and all their stars.

I've seen Madhouse a few times and I've even read the original book with a still from the film on the cover. The old novel's title was Devilday, which I wouldn't mind finding in a charity shop at all.

Madhouse is basically about Paul Toombes, a once famous but now faded horror star and his shaky comeback 12 years after his wife was decapitated and his subsequent mental breakdown. The action is in London, mostly on a film set or in a country house basement, where an orange haired madwoman lives dressed in bright green and likes to kiss spiders ( mostly rubber).

Every horror stalwart cameos in Madhouse. Karloff, Rathbone and Lorre all appear in old clips and Peter Cushing co-stars in the flesh. There are recognisable actresses from horror too such as Linda Hayden.

Everyone looks a little confused in Madhouse. It feels like a diluted Dr. Phibes or a sort of bare-bones lucky bag of the fantastic Theatre of Blood, only much tamer and let's face it, how could you ever equal Diana Rigg and Vincent in the same movie!

Even old Vinny looks a bit dazed and tired in Madhouse as clips from his Poe cycle keep popping up!

Yorkshire's very own Parky the interview king can't straighten things out either and he looks decidedly uneasy in this, perhaps his only horror stint.

It's a strange film and I read that for one critic it marked the end of the Seventies horror movie boom. I'm not sure about that but it is a self-reflective moment.

Still, I enjoyed Madhouse a lot and no doubt will do again in the future.

Have you seen it?

So, Tron we go...

Hello Moonbasers!

What do the movies Tron, Tron:Legacy and Tron:Ares all have in common apart from their names?

They were all box office flops. Yet Disney keeps making them!

I just caught up with Ares on DVD.

Disney made the decision not to realease physical product in the Australian market any more. Unfortunately as they also own Fox, this means a significant array of titles are no longer available.

I used to trot along to a JB HiFi shop and buy my DVDs there. Now I have to buy from eBay and as I'd prefer the cheapest price, some of these might just be Chinese bootlegs, so Disney isn't making any profit from their change in marketing strategy.

...but I digress.

I was absolutely amazed at how good I thought Tron:Ares was. The idea of bringing the world of The Grid into ours was a clever variation on the established formula.

Does anyone else have an opinion?

Looey in Oz

Q the Movies: Serpents, Snatchers, Sickness and Saltburns

More film watching this long MoonBase winter. This week's treats have been:

Cabin Fever - early 2000' - this was Gorno King Eli Roth's debut and I imagine quite a tame offering to what he directed later ( not seen anything else he's made). CF isn't that gory at all, a sort of heavily diluted Evil Dead. Ive enjoyed it each time I've seen it and Roth even cameos as the cave dwelling junkie with a dog. The most interesting character is the young deputy who's obsession with 'pardying' is hilarious. Oddly enough this actor vanished from the public eye in 2015 ( thanks Wikipedia!). Cabin Fever was remade twenty years later and I doubt it retains the rustic simple charms of the original. 

Invasion of the Body Snatchers - 1978 - my, how I love this remake. It's got everything: Seventies New York, creepy dustbin wagons, Donald Sutherland, a young Jeff Goldblum and the gorgeous Brooke Adams, whom I must confess I'm in love with (she even starred in the Stuff!).  It's her fabulous smile! Yep, Invasion is a remarkable flick and the grex effects are just superb, the pod birthing scene being truly grotesque. And the leading man from the Fifties original gets a respectful cameo too! A great film experience and altogether chilling - a metaphor for all prejudices everywhere - who can forget that final finger-pointing shriek by Pod Donald!

Q the Flying Serpent - 1982 - a late Seventies- imbued creature feature, once more set in the frenetic Big Apple and a real monster gem. I love this movie! It stars Michael Moriarty, a true impresario of the schlock genre - he was the lead in the brilliant The Stuff - and a golden oldie from my Kung Fu days, David Carradine.  The lead actress is fab too, the name Shelley Winters springs to mind but I don't think that's right. Q the monster itself is a little ropey but I really appreciate the effort and together with the skyline world of NYC it really is an eerie experience. The sub-plot of an ancient race of creatures reminds of that other classic, Wolfen, which I must see again. Wow! Q! Bird is the word! It must be a model kit somewhere.

Saltburn - recent - my Missus mentioned this so we had a dabble. The name intrigued me as it's an east coast sea resort near here, where I once purchased loads of vintage boxed crawling spider toys from a clearance store! As for the flick itself, which has nothing to do with that easy coast resort if the same name, it's relatively new so I won't spoil anything. A sumptuous watch about the idle rich - it's lush set looks were influenced by Coppola's Dracula. If you can stand modern English toffs lounging about Saltburn, their sprawling country pile, waiting for anyone to brighten their hollow lives then this is for you! 

What have you watched of late? 

Them! (1954) Official Trailer

Remember this one? It's antsy! 

https://youtu.be/v4URRp39XOo?si=ZldmCea7uoK-tyJt 

The Giant Gila Monster (1959) Official Trailer

Yikes! It's coming!

https://youtu.be/QohcgiZXmE0?si=rmvHDH2Lu1yxe5Ft 

Hollow Man

I re-watched Hollow Man last night, the 2000 shocker starring grown-up brat packer Kevin Bacon as the man himself.

Despite fantastic special effects I now feel Verhoeven could have done a lot more with this story. OK, the process sent the invisible man mad but did that have to mean simply copping a feel from the female cast wherever he could. Is that all that invisibility is for for men?

My Missus actually got up and walked out. 

For true lab madness I'll stick to Darkman with Liam Neeson.

My next reventure back into the brat pack is going to be Flatliners. Remember that?

Disclosure Day

I must say I'm intrigued by Steven Spielberg's new film Disclosure Day coming this summer.

Having watched the trailer it strikes me as perhaps a Close Encounters for modern audiences and I for one am looking forward to what the old master has conjured up.

Are you?

https://youtu.be/UFe6NRgoXCM?si=tOMtYFQA5TaX9XAm

Shed Loads

 Like with any blockbuster toy or film, the knockoffs are never far behind.

No sooner had ALIEN burst into our lives the rip-offs were shedding their skin.

Here's just three.

I remember Within the Rock. It was a mid-90's TV film. I've only seen it once. It name checks Predator too!

Titan Find. Never seen this. I quite like the strapline, Where Space Ends, Hell Begins!

Another Within flick, The Intruder Within. This one is says 'an alien experience's in case you forgot it's an ALIEN knock-off!

Have you had the pleasure?

Any more ripoff aliens and predators out there?

Don't Block It!

 

Watched this tonight, The Block Island Sound from 2020 and enjoyed it.

A sort of The Happening set on the coast, the mystery in the island's surf is a strange reverberating noise sending residents bonkers. 

I wont say anymore.

Is The Goonie's Any Good?

I've been debating whether to watch The Goonies - 1985 - with my Grandson 

this Half term. He's 9 now.

For fun I had a look for it on VHS and realized it's a Spielberg film, which I'd forgotten. 

Have you seen the Goonies? Is it a good one for a young boy? 

Whilst searching I saw this VHS too, the Go-Kids.

It looks a lot like the Goonies artwork. I guess it must be a rip-off. There's even a Star Warsesque Luke/ Leia/ Lightsabre pose! 

Maybe it's actually a fan mash-up?

The original price was staggering, £59.95! Cor!