213) Waxwork II: Lost in Time (1992)

"You said it was over!" 

Director
Anthony Hickox

Cast
Zach Galligan - Mark Loftmore
Monika Schnarre - Sarah Brightman
Martin Kemp - Baron Von Frankenstein
Bruce Campbell - John Loftmore
Michael Des Barres - George

Alexander Godunov - Scarabis
Jim Metzler - Roger
Billy Kane - Nigel
Joe Baker - The Peasant
John Ireland - King Arthur
Patrick Macnee - Sir Wilfred
David Carradine - The Beggar

Do you remember when I reviewed the 1988 horror flick "Waxwork" back in 2021? Of course you do!

Well, now I've checked out its 1992 sequel, "Waxwork II: Lost in Time." 

Like the first movie, it's also a horror fantasy comedy, although the comedy aspect is a little less subtle than the first. And also like the first, Zach Galligan and Patrick Macnee return to their respective roles. In fact, they're the only cast from part one to come back. 
Monika Schnarre takes on the role of Sarah in this sequel, played by Deborah Foreman in the first movie. Also, unlike part one, there are no wax figures in this movie. 

Part two starts off where part one ends. Mark Loftmore (Zach Galligan) and his girlfriend, Sarah (played this time by Monika Schnarre) leave the burning wax museum. They climb into a taxi unaware that a severed hand has crawled out of the zombie wax scene and is following them. It crawls on the cab and hitches a ride back to Sarah's house where she lives with her abusive and vulgar stepfather (George 'Buck' Flower). 

The hand strangles her stepfather and then smashes his head with a hammer. Of course, Sarah is accused of her stepdad's murder, and quickly finds herself on trial for murder. 

She obviously claims innocence and tells the jury all about the wax museum. They obviously think she sounds insane...and guilty. 

Zach Galligan and Monika Schnarre in "Waxwork II: Lost in Time.

Mark comes to her defense and disrupts the trial shouting that she's telling the truth. 

Right after her court appearance, the two head to Sir Wilfred's house. Sir Wilfred (Patrick Macnee) died in the first movie after losing his head at the claws of a werewolf. Though Wilfred is dead, he left a film for Mark detailing the adventures that he and David (Mark's grandfather) had taken. 

He also discusses the variety of strange, mystical, and mysteriously powerful artifacts they collected during their trips. 

Among these objects, Wilfred notes one in particular called Solomon's Locket. It's a small trinket that looks like a compass. As Wilfred explains, it's a device by which good angels and fallen angels use to pass to other universes called the Kartagra. 

This is where eternal battles of good against evil take place. And both victories or defeats are somehow reflected in our world in the form of either peace or natural disasters. 

And these various universes are manifested in multiple movie stories we're familiar with - "Frankenstein," "Dracula," "Alien," "Godzilla," and even "Dawn of the Dead." That's weird!

They've kept these treasures in a secret room which Mark manages to open through a rigged chess piece on a chess board that Wilfred left set up.

When Mark and Sarah find Solomon's Locket, they start jumping from movie story to movie story. And just like what happened to them in "Waxwork" when they jump into each wax scene, they become a character in that story. They're also forced to survive each story they fall into as they struggle to find evidence to prove Sarah's innocence and get back to the normal world. 

This certainly isn't a scary movie, or maybe I'm completely desensitized by this point. Of course, I'm not. And it's not a scary movie. It's more grotesque humor. 

It barely passes as entertaining, but everything else is underwhelming.

Zach Galligan is an actor who truly seems passionate about actomg. Just listening to him in movie commentaries, particularly about his role in "Gremlins" and "Gremlins II," and watching him act, he never seems to half-ass his performances. There's a lot of effort and enthusiasm on Galligan's part. This is certainly true about his performance in this sequel.  

Bruce Campbell cameos as John Loftmore in a black and white scene.

"Waxwork II" relies nearly almost on the multiple references to the other movies that the story packs itself with - "Friday the 13th," "Dracula," "Frankenstein," "Psycho," "Godzilla," "Alien," "The Haunting," "Dawn of the Dead." I think there's more. 

Bruce Campbell has a small role in this movie. In one scene, his character makes a nod to his "Evil Dead" movies. Why not? 

David Carradine also has a cameo as a beggar. And Drew Barrymore shows up in a brief scene. 

Each of the movie references soon begins to feel like one parody after another. That's really the only entertaining factor. 

Somewhere in the middle of the story, I forgot what the movie was about. I forgot what Mark and Sarah were trying to do. It all felt like one large satirical throwback to all these other movies. 

By the end, it all came across as dull and repetitive. Yep...dull and repetitive. Dull here. Repetitive there. 

I remember the comedy in the first "Waxwork" being lousy. I think it's a little less lousy in this movie, as I did chuckle a couple times. Like I mentioned in my "Waxwork" review, the first movie felt both rushed through, and loose at the seams. 

In "Waxwork II: Lost in Time" it seems the writers decided to take it slow. Maybe, too slow. It's still loose at the seams. 

There's one scene at a royal feast in the presence of King Arthur (John Ireland) which feels like a bad 90s music video.

This movie does carry some appeal but relies more on its gimmicky tone rather than its workable story. Basically, it's looking in the wrong direction. 

Of course, it's set up for a sequel which, I don't think ever happened. Maybe it's better that way.  

212) Crawlspace (1972)

"He existed as an issue between us, and for all intents and purposes, though we had managed to get him out of the crawl, he was still very much present in the house." - Herbert Lieberman.

Director
John Newland
Buzz Kulik

Cast
Tom Happer - Richard Roy Atlee
Arthur Kennedy - Albert Graves
Teresa Wright - Alice Graves
Eugene Roche - Sheriff Emil Birge
Matthew Cowles - Dave Freeman
Dan Morgan - Dr. Harlow
Roger Serbagi - Davalos
Louise Campbell - Miz Gerard
Fleet Emerson - Wheeler

A couple of months ago, my family and I moved from "the Little Apple" in Kansas up to a small town that boasts being the "Irish Capital of Nebraska." Among the action-packed adventures we've had up here, a huge book sale was actually one of the more entertaining excursions we've taken. At my age, it doesn't take much to amuse me. 

Evidently, the current owners of a local antique store called "This N' That" bought the building which housed a huge selection of books that included a ton of paperbacks. When it comes to literature (using the term loosely) I'm a sucker for paperbacks, cheap editions, and I have a forbidden love of movie novelizations. Actually, during a weekend stay in Omaha a few months ago, I just found a paperback novelization of the 1977 movie "The Goodbye Girl" which is based on Neil Simon's play, and stars Richard Dreyfuss and Marsha Mason. I'm a fan of Neil Simon movies so it caught my eye...and my wallet. 

Anyways, the store owners were trying to sell off this huge inventory of books all summer at nearly nothing of a cost. So, they had these random sales throughout the summer. 

Arthur Kennedy as Albert Graves in "Crawlspace."

I found some desirable paperbacks and a few hard cover treasures including a first edition of Charlie Chaplin's book, "My Autobiography," and a first edition of Robert Curran's book "The Haunted" about the Smurl family of West Pittston, PA and the hauntings they claim to have endured. I think it's currently out of print. I read that book twenty years ago in two days. 

Among the haul of paper backs I walked away with, each one costing a quarter each, was Herbert Lieberman's novel "Crawlspace." 

I'd never read anything by Lieberman until now. The title alone caught my attention. 

When it comes to horror and thriller stories, I have this weird affinity for ones that take place in run-down, unsettling homes where the characters find themselves lost in the hallways and walls within. Movies such as "Nothing But Trouble," "The People Under the Stairs" and "The Boy" come to mind. What's inside the walls? What's behind all those doors? What's down in the basement? They have to go in, in order to get out. It's an imagination's playground. 

I couldn't put the book down. But if I did, I was anxious to get back to it. The story begins with a vagrant living in the crawlspace of a New England couple's home. 

According to fantasticfiction.com, it's Lieberman's first novel. And if his other books are anything like this one, Lieberman definitely kicked off his novel-writing career with an entertaining and truly suspenseful book that kept me wanting to come back, no matter how frustrating I found the characters to be. 

And me being...well...me, I had to find out if this, or anything Lieberman wrote, received the honorary movie adaptation. Luckily enough, "Crawlspace" did get a movie adaptation back in '72. It's a made for T.V. That's really nothing special. But it is what it is. I'll take it. 

By the way. I've already reviewed a movie called "Crawlspace" with Klaus Kinski. That's a completely different movie. 

This "Crawlspace" based on Lieberman's book is difficult to find. Regardless, I was determined to find it. I certainly wasn't willing to pay the $172 Amazon was asking for a copy of the DVD. 

So, I found it uploaded for free on the YouTube channel, "TVTERRORLAND." Granted the video quality is a bit poor, but it worked out alright. 

Like the novel, the story begins with an elder couple, Albert and Alice Graves (Arthur Kennedy and Teresa Wright) who live alone in a small home in a quaint New England town. 

The couple never had children of their own. 

Tom Happer as Richard Atlee.

It's winter when the story opens, and the Graves's furnace is low on oil. So, they call for someone to replenish their supply. 

A young-looking kid named Richard Atlee (Tom Happer) comes over to take care of it. When he's done, Alice chats with Richard for a bit before inviting him to stay for dinner, which Richard accepts. Albert isn't keen on the idea but just goes along with it. During dinner, Richard takes an interest in Albert's books, particularly a book of poems by William Blake. Richard asks to borrow it, and Albert reluctantly agrees so long as he promises to return it. 

A few days later, the couple wakes up to noises outside near their cellar door. Albert checks the basement the next morning to see what might have cause the noise. 

When he crawls in, he finds some small items that belong to him including the book of poems he lent Richard. 

Disturbed by this discovery, yet sympathetic to the young man, the couple soon begin to take pity and welcome Richard into their home and take care of him. 

Richard, in turn, works around the house, and often cooks for them as well. 

However, things take a dark turn rather quickly, especially as locals in town don't care much for Richard's presence. Nor do they approve of the Graves giving him room and board. 

The story follows Albert and Alice's relationship, and how negatively it's affected once they invite Richard into their lives. In fact, Richard soon dominates their whole lives. Their irrational kindness morphs to pure regret and a sense of being trapped. Richard doesn't kidnap them, but he develops a psychological hold on the both of them.  

I think this made-for-tv adaptation captures the sharp emotions in the book, but to a diluted degree. 

It needs a longer run time to include some of the more crucial scenes in the book, especially the shocking ending. 

One scene in the book which isn't included in the movie sees Richard showing Albert a cave deep in the woods behind their house where he was hiding for a while. There, Richard and Albert have a conversation about themselves that gives the reader insight into both of their motivations and mind-sets. Some other crucial scenes in the book are simply given lip service. 

The movie goes through the actions, and has a small amount of the book's intrigue, but it doesn't give the story enough time to develop naturally and build up properly. Some of it's there. Just as the characters capture the audience's interest, it bulldozes through the final act and then ends. 

Teresa Wright as Alice Graves.

It feels much too condensed and misses the emotional turmoil Alice and Albert deal with by having Richard stay with them. It tries. It clearly does!

I mentioned sharp emotions. The story deals with empathy, trust, priorities, regret, fear, family, intrusion, duty...there's a lot in this story. 

Despite the compacted movie version of "Crawlspace," it still manages to portray that initial fear behind someone intruding into our lives whom we're unable escape from thanks to fear. 

The actors, especially Arthur Kennedy and Tom Happer, do a well enough with what they're working with. 

The way they depict their respective characters is how I imagined them when I read the book. 

I hope one of these days, Lieberman's initial novel gets a theatrical movie. It has a lot of promise and suspense. It's also timely in a metaphoric sort of way. You know - welcoming undesirable strangers into our own home with only a false notion of charity to back up the insanity behind such a dangerous decision. 

It's a story that should be given the theatrical treatment. The T.V. movie told the story semi-well. And being a made-for-TV film, "Crawlspace" is more like an extended episode of some TV drama. It does as much as it can with what's given to it - good actors and a thrilling, suspenseful story. 

As for the novel, it's the best 25 cents has ever gotten me! 

211) Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale (2010)

"The real Santa was totally different. The Coca-Cola Santa is just a hoax."

Director

Jalmari Helander

Cast
Onni Tommila - Pietari Kontio
Jorma Tommila - Rauno Kontio
Tommi Korpela - Aimo
Rauno Juvonen - Piiparinen
Per Christian Ellefsen - Riley
Ilmari Järvenpää - Juuso
Peeter Jakobi - Pietari's Elf

I wanted to review a sci-fi Christmas movie for my platform 1000daysofscifi.blogspot.com. My first post over there, "Santa Claus Conquers the Martians" is the only sci-fi Christmas movie I know of. Otherwise, I had trouble finding another one. 

When Googling other movies in the holiday sci-fi subgenre, if there is such a subgenre, I came up with a list of Christmas movies that look more like horror that sci-fi. One of the movies suggested by Google was the 1984 movie "Gremlins." I suppose that can be labeled science fiction. It is a Christmas movie. Afterall, the holiday plays an integral part in the "Gremlins" story, so it checks that part of the formula in what constitutes a Christmas movie. As for sci-fi, that's another discussion for another time, which I'll probably never have on this nor any of my other platforms. 

On IMDB's list of "Christmas Movies SciFi & Horror Style" the titles I found there seem to be horror rather than sci-fi. 

And "Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale" from 2010 is number one on the list. So, I cozied up in a Christmassy blanket, poured me a glass of egg nog and brandy (I can't have one without the other) and watched this list-topping sci-fi or horror movie. 

"Rare Exports" is a Finnish movie labeled as a fantasy action horror comedy. The horror is light. The fantasy is moderate, and the action increases as the story progresses. Above all, it's certainly a take on Santa Claus and his lore the likes of which I haven't seen in any other movie. 

The film starts as a research and excavation team, working for the firm "Subzero," are drilling for samples on top of a fell called Korvatunturi located in the Lapland region of Finland. 

Riley (Per Christian Ellefsen), the excavation leader, thinks this fell is really a burial site built by the ancient native people known as the Sámi. He hopes to unearth the remains of Santa Claus whom he believes is buried within. 

Meanwhile, from the village at the foot of the fell, two young boys, Juuso (Ilmari Järvenpää) and Pietari (Onni Tommila), sneak up to the top of the fell to watch the workers blast open and search inside the alleged huge burial site. Pietari lives with his father, Rauno (Jorma Tommila), in the village.
Juuso tells Pietari that Santa Claus is, in fact, real. However, the common depiction of Santa as the jolly old fat man dressed in red is made up. The real Santa hands out punishments to bad children that are far more severe than putting coal in their stockings. He does, however, watch children closely. And that includes Juuso and Pietari. 

Meanwhile, reindeer hunters from the village discover nearly hundreds of dead reindeers near their village. They think wolves were driven to kill all these reindeer by the Subzero workers scaring the wolves down to the village, especially after using dynamite to blast into the stone. 

So, several villagers march up the top of the fell to demand reparation for the dead reindeer as they rely on the hunting for food and such. 

When they reach the top, there's no one up there. All they find is a massive deep hole. 

Meanwhile, one of Rauno's wolf traps ends up capturing a strange, seemingly deceased, naked old man on Christmas Eve morning. 

Rauno and his neighbor Piiparinen (Rauno Juvonen) take the body into the slaughterhouse and lay him down. They soon realize the old man is still alive. Piiparinen leans in close to the old man, who suddenly jumps up and bites his ear. 

As they tie him up and discuss what they should do next, Pietari tries calling his friends only to find that they're all missing. 

Pietari fears the old man is actually Santa, and that his friends are missing because they must have been bad and were therefor taken by Santa. 

So, he's compelled to confess to his dad that he snuck up to the fell and caused the deer to be eaten by wolves. If he confesses, then maybe Santa will leave him alone. 

Rauno and Piiparinen decide to dress the old man as Santa and offer to sell him to Subzero workers as compensation for the money lost from the dead deer. 

They haul this guy up to the fell where they meet Riley. However, he tells them the old man is not Santa. Rather, he's one of Santa's elves. 

Soon, several other elves appear and end up killing Riley. 

The men run into a nearby hanger where they find a looming horned figure frozen in ice, which turns out to actually be Santa Claus. 

Next to him is a huge sack filled with crying screaming children. 

Their discovery turns into a destroy and rescue mission, and Pietari takes it upon himself to come up with and carry out the plans to accomplish this unbelievable task. 

"Rare Exports" is more horror with little (if any) sci-fi elements as general audiences would claim the meaning of "sci-fi" to be.

The movie has an unsettling tone unlike other holiday horror movies I've seen, particularly those movies that depict an evil Santa in some way or another. That also includes the 2015 movie, "Krampus" which has a tinge of satire to it.  A lot of that tone comes from its dramatic tone and realistic (real world) atmosphere.

There's something about the evil child-punishing elements surround Santa Claus, or whatever depiction of Santa various countries have, that seems to be all the trend now.

What I don't appreciation is the trend in celebrating folkloric Christmas characters like Krampus who has become a symbol of anti-Christmas and defiance in general in modern society. Various places now offer kids an opportunity to visit Krampus just as they would visit Santa Claus, and get their picture taken with him.

Society today lambasts personal responsibility for crimes and misdeeds, so it's no wonder that the evil side of Christmas folkloric characters like Krampus are celebrated in place of Christ or Saint Nicholas at Christmas. Being contrarian in the face of innocence and goodness is nothing to aspire.

Anyways, I think "Rare Exports" is a horror movie with subtle comedy or satire that audiences might interpret in different ways. Perhaps it's a criticism or cynical take of modern Christmas commercialism and how it sees the history of Christmas celebrations. 

It's a different take on the whole "bad Santa" schtick seen over and over again in movies, especially horror movies.  

What I like about this is it's real-world realism. I enjoy movies that take a true-to-life approach to fictional and fantastical aspects of life...like Santa Claus. Mel Gibson did it really well in the 2021 movie, "Fatman." The 2004 independent movie, "Primer" is such a movie that takes a realistic depiction of time travel comes to mind. Although, "Rare Exports" still carries a hint of fantasy. How can a movie about Santa, no matter how serious it tries to be, not carry a tone of fantasy? 

It's an entertaining, certainly different, type of movie. I have an interest in movies that portray otherwise fantastical things in a true-to-life manner. 

I'm skeptical about what I'm supposed to take away from this movie, at least as far as consequences go for a person's misdeeds. What are the characters saving the world from? A retributive Santa? The consequences of misdeeds? Old ancient lores? Is the movie satirizing that whole notion? Or is it just a creature-feature rendition of Santa Claus and his elves? 

Whatever the case might be, it's unpredictable. I honestly couldn't determine what was going to happen. When I thought I knew where the story was leading, it went in a different direction from what I expected.  

The movie is well structured and certainly something unlike anything I've seen before in the huge library of Christmas movies of any genre. 

It has satisfying suspense with the spice of terror, action, and fantasy. Within all that maintains a true Christmas feel and charm. And I mean that! As far as its story goes, I'm still unsure what sort of message it's trying to leave me with. Otherwise, the movie doesn't overstay its welcome, and doesn't waste time with excessive build-up, nor does it feel conceited.

210) Mouse Trap (2024) - NEW TO HORROR

"You cannot trap me." 

Director
Jamie Bailey

Cast
Simon Phillips - Mickey Mouse / Tim Collins
Sophie McIntosh - Alex
Madeline Kelman - Jayna

Ben Harris - Ryan
Callum Sywyk - Marcus
Mireille Gagné - Gemma
James Laurin - Paul
Kayleigh Styles - Jackie
Mackenzie Mills - Rebecca
Jesse Nasmith - Danny
Allegra Nocita - Marie
Damir Kovic - Det. Cole
Nick Biskupek - Det. Marsh

With "horrorized" re-imaginings of popular children's properties began popping up within the last five years, such as "Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey" and "The Mean One" (a horror version of "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" by Dr. Seuss) it seems clear this is going to be the new trend in the movie genre. It's the most gimmicky of horror subgenres. I think it's a fad that'll die off sooner than later. I highly doubt mainstream audiences want to see their favorited cartoon characters "reimagined" as killers going on blood drenched murder sprees. 

At the time I write this, a horror version of the famed cartoon character Popeye, called, "Popeye the Slayer Man" is set for release in 2025. These older properties falling into public domain account for this new gimmick in the horror genre. The other half of the trend likely stems from unknown directors trying to quickly make some sort of name for themselves, grabbing these properties for themselves and greedily squeezing out all the innocence and whatever money these old properties might still have. Soiling up or simply destroying innocence seems to be the thing to do in modern society. 

When the 1928 Mickey Mouse cartoon "Steamboat Willie," considered to be Mickey Mouse's debut, became public domain in January of this year, it took no time for some shlubs out there to follow this horror trend and turn the early version of Mickey into a horror movie psychopath. However, the producers of the recent horror movie "Mouse Trap" seemed so eager to do this that they forgot to write a worthwhile movie and just threw something together haphazardly.

By the way, here's some trivia for those who don't know this. "Steamboat Willie" is actually a satire of a silent movie popular at the time called "Steamboat Bill, Jr." staring silent film comedian, Buster Keaton. The iconic tune whistled by Mickey Mouse in the cartoon is the same as the movie's opening score.
"Mouse Trap" was released in Aug. 2024. However, it's worth mention that there are some old Mickey Mouse comic strips that depict Mickey in a less-than-savory way. The Disney Company would prefer these comic strips be forgotten about. Here, I recommend the 1989 comic book "The Uncensored Mouse" published by Malibu Graphics' Eternity Comics. It's a collection of Mickey Mouse comic strips from the 1930s, most if not all drawn by American cartoonist Floyd Gottfredson, which depict such things as Mickey unsuccessfully attempting suicide, racial stereotypes, and so on. 

Simon Phillips as "Mickey Mouse."

Anyways, "Mouse Trap" is a pointless and unnecessary movie about a group of lame and forgettable teens who are trapped in an arcade. 

A guy in a Mickey Mouse mask, with some sort of supernatural ability to teleport (I'm not exaggerating) goes around killing each of them one by one for unclear, unspecified reasons. 

The movie begins as two of movie history's most commonplace good cop/bad cop police detectives interrogate a gothic girl named Rebecca (Mackenzie Mills) about several murders that took place at the arcade. She tries as hard as she can to be an intimidating, callous bad ass, unaware of how much of a joke she really comes across as. 

The story cuts to the arcade where two young girls, Alex (Sophie McIntosh) and Jayna (Madeline Kelman), as they work their shifts at the arcade. Alex seems to take her job seriously while Jayna is just there to collect the paychecks. 

Their supervisor, Tim Collins (Simon Phillips) who also owns the arcade, tells them they need to work an extra shift that night as someone booked the arcade for the night at the last minute. 

Alex stays on but Jayna ditches work to hang out with some boys, begging Alex to cover for her until she gets back which Alex agrees to.

Meanwhile, Tim sneaks off to watch "Steamboat Willie" because the writers had to force the connection to the public domain cartoon somehow. He watches it in a small theater adorned with some vintage Disney posters and memorabilia including a rubber Mickey mask locked in a curio cabinet. 

Tim begins hearing some ethereal voice in the room with him. It seems to come from this Mickey mask. What it is, or why it's coming from the mask is unknown. He eventually goes into a hypnotic state due to some ethereal presence, and puts the mask on. It's never revealed why this is all happening. 

While Alex is working alone, she catches the masked guy in the back of the arcade chaining the door. She panics and tries to flee when she bumps into her friends who have arrived to throw her a surprise birthday party. She completely forgets about the stranger in the Mickey mask sneaking around the back chaining the door, in order to party. 

As the party begins, and these characters do a lot of nothing but recite their lines, some with hardly any emotion, the Mickey killer starts murdering each teenager with a knife. He doesn't talk. His motives are never revealed. He just stares at his victims, holds his knife out like a show-n'-tell session without a word, and then kills. 

The movie feebly attempts to portray panic and fear. Everyone runs around while the audience waits for each one to die. None of the characters emote. None of them are memorable or express any depth that entices the audience to care what'll happen to them. 

The only memorable character is the guy in the Mickey Mouse mask only because he's wearing a Mickey Mouse mask. None of the other characters are interesting nor memorable. So, there's hardly (if any) any sympathy when they die. 

With all the doors chained, no one has the brilliant idea to break the front glass doors or any of the windows and escape.  

What's weird is that this killer somehow has the power to teleport. At first I thought it was bad continuity. Once the movie establishes his ability to teleport, it comes across as a lame solution to bad continuity. It's as if the producers weren't interested in putting in the work of going back and reshooting or making necessary edits to improve continuity. 

However, when he gets caught in strobe lights, he can't teleport. It's random as hell, stupidly predictable, and thankfully forgettable.

There's nothing original, scary or even semi-worthwhile about this bitterly mundane bore-fest. 

Sophie McIntosh as "Alex."

There's a side story that made no sense to me. I couldn't follow what was happening within this side story, so I won't even bother trying to explain it. 

The movie relies solely on Mickey Mouse's face being used in a horror movie. Everything else is unoriginal, uninspired, and terribly banal. And even Mickey's image adds nothing. It's not scary. It's not unsettling. The only thing Mickey's image, and the entire story in general, can produce is a yawn and an eyeroll. Cliché is not a big enough word.

The acting is horrible. The lines are embarrassingly scripted. The story is non-sensical. The characters are poorly established. Nothing about them is convincing. I didn't even know who was who. This movie doesn't deserve any significance, regardless of what it dares to do with Mickey's image. And what's most frustrating is how proud this movie is of itself for trying to turn Mickey Mouse into a horror movie villain. 

It's one big gimmick of a movie. It's almost like a gag gift to horror fans, but certainly not to Disney fans. It feels as though as the writers knew they could take Mickey Mouse from "Steamboat Willie" and work him into a horror flick, they made this movie as quickly as they could to beat anyone else who might do the same just so they could be the first to say, "look what we did with Mickey!" 

It's certainly proud of itself for doing just that. 

It's a big, conceited flop. As soon as the Star Wars screen crawl explaining that neither the production company nor the movie are affiliated with Disney and its subsidiaries, the producers surely wanted to get through the pesky dialogue and writing just to get to the Mickey and horror. They even had to steal a line from the 1996 far better horror movie "Scream." 

"Mouse Trap" feels like a college freshman film class project produced haphazardly with no time for creativity or thought. I'd ask if the movie has some underlying social commentary about Disney as a global entertainment giant, and how it has influenced the world, but that would involve the writers actually writing something interesting, even if by accident. The movie strikes me as too stupid and lazy to work something like that in. "Mouse Trap" is a disgrace to Mickey Mouse whom the movie claims to love. It's one poor mess of a gimmick.  

209) The Raven (1963)

"If I would have been sober, which I admit doesn't happen very often, but, it would have been an entirely different story! Entirely different."

Director

Roger Corman

Cast
Vincent Price - Dr. Erasmus Craven
Peter Lorre - Dr. Adolphus Bedlo
Boris Karloff - Dr. Scarabus
Hazel Court - Lenore Craven
Olive Sturgess - Estelle Craven
Jack Nicholson - Rexford Bedlo
Connie Wallace - Maid
William Baskin - Grimes
Aaron Saxon - Gort

If I walked up to any random person on the street and asked them what the first thing is that comes to their mind when I mention the macabre poet and storyteller, Edgar Allan Poe, chances are his 1845 poem "The Raven" is what they'd say. 

It's probably his most iconic and notable work. I mean, there's even an NFL football in Baltimore named after Poe's famous poem. What other writer has a sports team named after their work?

For me, it brings to mind my high school English class in which every month for all four years of high school, I and everyone else in my class had to memorize an assigned poem or sonnet, and then recite it in front of the class. One of those poems I had to memorize was, "The Raven." Too bad I don't remember the entire poem. 

Roger Corman's fifth Poe film happens to be (finally) "The Raven" - not to be confused with the 1935 movie, also called "The Raven," directed by Lew Landers. I happen to have that original movie in my film library and I'll get to it eventually.  

While Corman's previous Poe movie "Tales of Terror" felt the most Poe-like so far as it tells a trio of short stories, and Poe was a writer of short stories and poems, "The Raven" surprisingly feels the most un-Poe like. 

Honestly, I'm torn on this movie. I enjoyed it overall for its own sake. I'm also of the opinion that movies based on books and such don't have to completely follow the book. But I do think they need to respect their source material. They shouldn't convey an opposite message of what the author originally intended. Nor should it stray so far from the original source material were it becomes completely unrecognizable.

Vincent Price returns once again along with some other well-known and well-respected stars - Peter Lorre, Boris Karloff and a young Jack Nicholson. Lorre stars in the previous Poe movie, "Tales of Terror."

Nicholson and Karloff also appear in Corman's following movie "The Terror" which was filmed on the back of "The Raven." That's an interesting story for another time.

Nicholson also has a cameo in Corman's popular 1960 flick "Little Shop of Horrors." He's also in the 1958 film "The Baby Killers" produced by Corman. 

Anyways, "The Raven" starts off in a similar way as the poem as Vincent Price recites the opening of the poem before the movie goes in a completely different direction that's miles from Poe's original work. 

Vincent Price as Dr. Craven in "The Raven."

In this movie, matching in the Gothic horror style of the previous Poe movies, the poem's narrator - the one mourning over his lost Lenore - is a magician and sorcerer named Dr. Erasmus Craven (Vincent Price). Lenore has been dead for the prior two years. 

His daughter, Estelle (Olive Sturgess) is truly concerned about her father as she watches him exist in his morose state since the death of her mother.

One night, a raven lands on his window sill tapping on his window. He lets the bird fly into his study much to his amusement. 

I'll add here that this is the best dialogue in the entire movie.

Craven asks the bird, "Are you some dark-winged messenger from beyond?"

The bird doesn't respond. 
"Answer me, monster, tell me truly," he says.

But still, nothing.
"Shall I ever hold again that radiant maiden whom the angels call Lenore?"

Finally, the raven responds.

"How the hell should I know?" 

It brings to mind "The Simpsons" take on "The Raven" from the "Treehouse of Horror" episode in season two which aired back back in 1990. 

In their version, more faithful to the poem, Bart takes on the role of the raven, who initially quoths to Homer, mourning his lost Lenore (depicted as Marge), with "Eat my shorts." His sister, Lisa who's reciting the poem, reprimands him to take it seriously. 

Anyways, the raven is actually another sorcerer, Dr. Adolphus Bedlo (Peter Lorre). He was transformed into a raven during a duel with Dr. Scarabus (Boris Karloff). 

So, Bedlo asks Craven to help turn him back into his human form. And once he does, the two of them hunt down Scarabus to take revenge. 

Bedlo wants to get back at him for turning him into a raven. And Craven wants to get his hands on Scarabus because Bedlo swears he saw Craven's beloved Lenore inside Scarabus's castle. 

Estelle, along with Bedlo's son, Rexford (Jack Nicholson) join them in their mission to find and battle Scarabus. 

Peter Lorre and Jack Nicholson.

There's not really enough content in the source material to make an entertaining movie. If the film's writers just used the scenario as Poe wrote it, the movie would be nothing more that the narrator pondering, weak and weary, over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore, brooding over his lost Lenore while arguing with a cheeky raven perched upon a bust of Pallas just above his chamber door. Perched, sitting, and nothing more. In other words, it would probably be painfully boring!

So, to prevent that, the movie takes a sharp right turn as soon as the raven utters his first line and takes a whimsical juvenile tone than previous Poe movies from Corman. 

Clearly, since "The Raven" is a poem, this movie takes some major liberties with it, turning it into something completely different. I both disliked and loved this movie. I'm torn. 

The story concludes with a duel of spells between Price and Karloff that must have been hilarious to watch on set sans the early special effects. 

I get the impression it's not supposed to be funny but the actors wouldn't mind at all if they saw audiences laughing at them through the whole scene. It feels heavier with comedy than the previous Poe movies in this series. 

While the previous movie had a Poe-like style and feel to it, though I don't know how accurate it is compared to the book, "The Raven" takes perhaps the most well known of Poe's works, gives it lip service in the beginning, and then deviates so far from the source material that it's not even recognizable. It's 99 percent Corman and one percent Poe. 

There is something very iconic of seeing Vincent Price with the raven perched on his arm. It's as though his tie in with such an iconic and well-known poem is meant to be. It's kind of like Sherlock Holmes investigating Jack the Ripper's murders. That has been depicted several times. The 1979 movie "Murder by Decree" comes to mind. 

With the final climax resembling something out of a live-action Disney movie, I'm a bit surprised that out of all of Corman's Poe movies, this one, based on Poe's most well known poem, is the most disappointing and laughable. But I like it for its absurdity, cast, performances, and laughs despite it deviating so far from Poe's genius. The story in and of itself is a trip to watch. For what it is, it's cheesiness is entertaining, and the cast is clearly enjoying it. 

208) Whoever Slew Auntie Roo? (1971)

"So, she's bad?"

Director
Curtis Harrington

Cast

Shelley Winters - Auntie Roo
Mark Lester - Christopher Coombs
Chloe Franks - Katy Coombs
Ralph Richardson - Mr. Benton
Lionel Jeffries - Police Inspector Willoughby
Rosalie Crutchley - Miss Henley
Judy Cornwell - Clarine
Michael Gothard - Albie

It recently occurred to me that I didn't know for sure what the difference is exactly between a horror and a thriller movie. The term "horror/thriller" confused me. A lot of horror movies are categorized as such. 

A horror movie put simply intends to scare its audience. I knew that much before searching for the difference. 

Evidently, a thriller aims to keep its audience in anticipation. But doesn't a horror movie accomplish the same thing? A thriller movie keeps its audience on the edge of their seat. 

When it comes to characters in thriller movies, they're usually pulled into the scenario or evil plans of the antagonist unwillingly. Think of "Die Hard" when Hans Gruber (Alan Rickman) and his band of nasty terrorists as they decide to take over the Nakatomi building just as John McClane (Bruce Willis) walks in to make up with his estranged wife in time for the holidays. This is a perfect specimen of a thriller.

Horror is a bit of the same thing, but with more dreadful, unsettling imagery and actions. Horror movie characters, who are normally victims, find themselves up against powers and threats that in some way or another fall into the realm of the inexplicable. The horror more often comes to them through circumstances they can't control. And the way out of their nightmare, whatever it may be, is often through a means that's just as dreadful or paranormal as the situation they're up against. 

To put it simply, one genre builds tension, and the other builds suspense. So, it's easy to mix these two genres together. Mystery, crime and action/adventure movies can claim the label of thriller as well. 

I'm sure, if I thought about it for a few minutes, I could name a decent amount of horror/ thriller movies that are a perfect mix of both genres. While watching the 1971 holiday horror/thriller flick "Whoever Slew Auntie Roo?" directed by Curtis Harrington, the topic of horror versus thriller came to mind. 

Shelley Winters with young co-stars
Mark Lester and Chloe Franks in "Whoever Slew Auntie Roo?"

In this movie, Shelley Winters plays the wealthy Rosie Forrest who hosts a fabulous Christmas party every year for a group of children from a nearby orphanage inside her huge estate. 

The kids come over on Christmas eve, celebrate, and spend the night so they can wake up the next morning and see what Santa Claus brought them. 

Only ten kids are selected by the head house mother, Miss. Henley (Rosalie Crutchley), to attend.

And while Rosie, whom the kids affectionately call Auntie Roo, has a warm and welcoming grandmotherly demeanor, what the kids don't know is that she keeps the mummified remains of her deceased daughter, Katherine, inside the nursery hidden away in the attic which is setup as a nursary. 

Roo even holds regular seances to try and contact Kathrine in the afterlife. As far as she knows, these seances work. During the rituals, she can hear her daughter calling out to her from the beyond. The seances are led by Mr. Benton (Ralph Richardson) whom Roo doesn't realize is a fraudulent medium. Roo pays him to hold these seances, and Mr. Benton splits the payments with Roo's butler, Albie (Michael Gothard).

However, two particular orphans, Christopher and Katy Coombs (Mark Lester and Chloe Franks) decide they're going to sneak into the party despite not being among the ten lucky chosen party goers. 

When they're discovered, Roo doesn't mind their presence at all and includes them in the festivities. She also thinks that Katy looks similar to her late daughter. 

During the night, after the children are sent to bed, Christopher sneaks around the house, and eavesdrops on Roo's seance. 

While peaking through a keyhole, he spots the house maid, Clarine (Judy Cornwell), hiding in the pantry pretending to be Catherine from the beyond, all in a continuous effort to fool Auntie Roo. 

After the kids wake up on Christmas morning, open their gifts from Santa, and eventually head back to the orphanage, Roo kidnaps Katy to raise her in place of Katherine. Since his sister is not with the other kids, he secretly stays behind to find her. 

Of course, he's caught rather quickly. Christopher thinks that Roo is a witch who intends to cook and eat him and Katy. So, he takes it upon himself to take her down and rescue his sister by himself. 

The oldest rule, perhaps, in storytelling is to show rather than tell. "Whoever Slew Auntie Roo?" seems to have nailed that rule well. There's little, if any, exposition. The story plays out rather naturally. 

And it's a prime textbook example of a genuine horror/thriller movie. It doesn't rely on much to be precisely that.

It's slightly misguided at first, as though it wasn't sure where to take itself. As the story finds its footing, it seems to realize that its plot is similar enough to the story of "Hansel and Gretel." So, that's what it decides to be - a very loose retelling of Hansel and Gretel.  

By the final act, it's proud of itself for realizing how similar it is that the audience starts hearing Christopher's thoughts in which he compares his and Katy's dilemma to that of Hansel and Gretel. 

The movie feels a little labored, especially as the two children try to escape Roo and her house but are outsmarted by her. The movie really milks the ending for all the trepidation and thrills it can squeeze out. 

It's a thriller that has a satisfyingly decent amount of fear and unsettling elements to make it a horror movie. Though the movie is overall predictable, it still manages to be entertaining. 

"Whoever Slew Auntie Roo?" is also a perfect example of the horror sub-genre known as "psycho biddy horror." I wrote about this subgenre in my review of "Mountaintop Motel Massacre" from 1983. Also often referred to as "hagsploitation," the term refers to horror movies centered on older and often wealthy women, or "old biddies," who are driven to the point of psychotic behavior. 

The genre became popular in the 1960s. Writer Stephen King made his mark in the subgenre with his novel, "Misery" which director Rob Reiner turned into a movie in 1990 staring Kathy Bates. 

"Whoever Slew Auntie Roo?" reminds me of the 2019 psychobiddy horror movie "Ma" which stars Octavia Spencer as an older mother who wins the favor of a group of teens by supplying them with alcohol and throwing them parties, all for nefarious purposes. There are some similarities between both movies. For one thing, they both have Hansel and Gretal vibes, though "Whoever Slew Auntie Roo?" constantly compares itself to the fairy tale as it progresses. 

Shelley Winters puts on an amusingly uncomfortable performance. She's well cast in this role and certainly off-putting to watch, even as she plays the grandmotherly figure to the orphans at Christmas. The way she develops her character is well played. She's likeable, sympathetic, and evil in the end. 

Actor Mark Lester is perhaps better known for his performance as Oliver Twist in the 1968 musical "Oliver!"

And director Curtis Harrington is known for directing some other supernatural and psychological horror flicks such as "The Killing Kind" (1973) and "Ruby" (1977). He also directed Shelley Winters alongside Debbie Reynolds in another psychobiddy horror film, "What's the Matter with Helen?" released the same year as this movie.

The atmosphere carries enough uneasiness to keep me invested. Putting children in harm's way, especially in the looming presence of an otherwise motherly or grandmotherly figure, gives movies like this a unique edge of uneasiness and intensity. Children in a vulnerable scenario at the hands of a mother-figure threatening danger of cruelty is enough for an audience to grasp their seats unable to look away because they need to see the resolution. 

The story may be simple and predictable, but its overall creepiness and unsettling tone makes it a Christmas horror movie worthy of being a cult classic. It's a fun movie despite itself, if the mood calls for such a flick. 

207) Tales of Terror (1962)

"And it is with death and dying that we concern ourselves."

Director

Roger Corman

Cast
"Morella"
Vincent Price - Locke
Maggie Pierce - Lenora Locke
Leona Gage - Morella Locke
Ed Cobb - Coach Driver

"The Black Cat"
Vincent Price - Fortunato Luchresi
Peter Lorre - Montresor Herringbone
Joyce Jameson - Annabel Herringbone
Lennie Weinrib - Policeman
Wally Campo - The Barman

"The Case of M. Valdemar"

Vincent Price - Ernest Valdemar
Basil Rathbone - Mr. Carmichael
Debra Paget - Helene Valdemar
David Frankham - Dr. Elliot James

Halloween is over for another year, but thankfully the Fall season - my favorite time of year - carries on. If there was an ideal season for watching classic horror and thriller flicks, this is it. It's just how my imaginative mind works. 

Now that I've finished my string of Dracula/ Vampire movies for Halloween, I'm anxious to get back to other things, particularly Roger Corman's Edgar Allan Poe films. 

The last Poe film I reviewed was "Premature Burial" which follows a theme Poe seems to love. Namely, being buried alive.

"Tales of Terror" is an anthology movie that tells three different tales of the macabre. It's been a while since I reviewed a horror anthology movie. For a short period, I was reviewing a bunch of them and calling those reviews, "The more horror there is." They're fun to watch and comment on. I should get back to that anthology thread. 

The word "macabre" strongly comes to mind after watching this movie. And as expected, one of the stories involves being buried alive. 

As Poe is well known for writing short tales of terror, this movie has a true Poe feel to it. Thankfully, Vincent Price returns after being absent in "Premature Burial."
The Poe movies with Vincent Price were produced through American International Pictures (AIP). "Premature Burial" however was produced through Pathé Lab. While Corman wanted Price to appear in the last movie, Price was under contract with AIP. So, Ray Milland took on the lead role. But Vincent Price is back, and in three different and distinct roles! 

"Morella"

The first tale begins with a young lady (that's never a bad start) named Lenora (Maggie Pierce) as she's headed to Boston to see her estranged father, Locke (Vincent Price). He lives a reclusive life in his dark and dingy mansion. 

He's a big lush suffering from a stinging loneliness. Who wouldn't be if they lived alone for some many years in a huge house?

Locke holds a grudge against his daughter blaming her for the death of his late wife, Morella, who died while giving birth to her. 

While roaming his house, Lenora finds her mother's remains resting in a bedroom and treated as though she's only sleeping. 

Locke cannot accept Morella's death and has closed himself off from the outside world. He's waiting for death to take him, too. 

Lenora tells her father that she's sick and could die as a result. So, he begins to dissolve his grudge and allows her to stay. Despite having been estranged from his daughter, he doesn't want her die. 

That night, Morella's ghost returns to her decaying body since daughter is now in the house. She arises from her bed and restores her decaying corpse to her former beauty. But the catch is that her body is exchanged with Lenora's body as an act of revenge for being the cause of her death. Lenora's body then becomes the decaying corpse in Morella's spot.

Morella seeks out Locke and strangles him. His huge mansion catches fire, and Morella and Lenora switch places again. 

Lenore breaks a smile as she lies on the body of her dead father, while the bodies inside burn with the house. Burning houses, by the way, seem to be a reoccurring event in these Poe movies. 

Peter Lorre as Montresor Herringbone in the "Tales of Terror."

"The Black Cat"

In this segment, Peter Lorre plays Montresor Herringbone who has absolutely no love for his wife, Annabel (Joyce Jameson). 

He has even less affection for her black cat. 

He's also a huge lush like Locke in the previous story and wanders around town looking for a drink. 

After getting kicked out of a tavern, he stumbles upon a wine tasting party hosted by a widely respected wine connoisseur named Fortunato (Vincent Price). He decides to take on Fortunato in a wine identifying challenge. 

Herringbone impresses Fortunato by identifying each wine flawlessly. He chugs each glass while Fortunato sips and smells each glass like a well-trained connoisseur would. But Herringbone passes out before the challenge is over. Of course, Fortunato is just fine since getting plastered wasn't on his agenda for the night. Afterall, a connoisseur needs to stay respectable.  

At the end, he walks the drunk Herringbone home. There, Fortunato meets Herringbone's wife, Annabel (Joyce Jameson) while her husband remains passed out.  

After a while, Fortunato and Annabel become a little too familiar with each other. 

When Herringbone wakes up and realizes what happened between the two, he takes his revenge on both by sealing them up alive inside a wall in the cellar. 

However, after bricking up the wall, he doesn't realize that the black cat found its way inside as well and is now crying to get out. 

Police later show up to investigate Fortunato's disappearance. That's when they hear the crying cat which leads them to the sealed wall. 

When they break it open, they find the remains of Annabel and Fortunato. 

Vincent Price as Ernest Valdemar.

"The Case of M. Valdemar"

In the final segment, Vincent Price plays M. Ernest Valdemar who's suffering from a horrible illness that's slowly killing him.
So, he consults a hypnotist named Mr. Carmichael (Basil Rathbone) to hopefully ease his pain and maybe even cure him. 

Carmichael puts Valdemar into a trance. But then he keeps him a state between life and death as a kind of experiment.

While in this trance, Valdemar telepathically begs and pleads for Carmichael to end the trance or to kill him. But in the name of experimentation, Carmichael keeps him in this trance. In fact, he keeps him in this state for months. All the while, Valdemar's body starts to decay though he's still alive. 

Meanwhile, Carmichael starts to move in on Valdemar's wife, Helene (Debra Paget). She rejects his advances which infuriates him enough to attack her. This all happens in front of Valdemar's decaying lifeless body. 

However, he knows what's taking place. So much so that he slowly wakes up and kills Carmichael. 

 Vincent Price, David Frankham, and Debra Paget in
"The Case of M. Valdemar."

My thoughts...

I enjoyed "The Black Cat" the most. The late, great Peter Lorre launches this segment into grand heights. 

I really appreciate Corman casting Lorre in this film. His performance is fantastic, making "The Black Cat" among the most enjoyable stories in all the Poe films I've watched so far. Watching him work off of Vincent Price is the stuff of film legend. It's a real rarity to see these two on screen together. To my pleasure, they appear together in the next of Corman's Poe movies, "The Raven" which I will post commentary on later. 

Also, Basil Rathbone - Sherlock Holmes himself - is a welcomed sight as he plays a conceited character whose self-righteous style of cruelty effectively makes the audience want to dislike him. His performance lends Vincent Price a little more triumph when he awakens to kill him. 

I've heard "Tales of Terror" referred to as a throw-away horror flick, whatever that means. The talent is there with its big-name cast, and I'm partial to its gothic horror style just as I am with the other Poe films. 

The scare factor is in the scenarios, gothic sets, and situations. Like "House of Usher" in which the house is the monster, "Tales of Terror" relies on those three things. 

The first tale is decent enough, but more of the same as previously seen. It's a grim situation in a big creepy house just as the previous movies are. And the final tale is rather subtle. I think it's "The Black Cat" that really makes "Tales of Terror" worthwhile. 

Despite any problems this movie might have, I appreciate it for the variety that distinguishes it from Roger Corman's, especially with its off-putting tales. 

The subplot of being buried alive, seen in "The Black Cat" is depicted as an act of revenge rather than an act of despair as seen in "House of Usher." And that burial scene delivers one of the most chilling exchanges in the Poe series.

As Fortunato is being sealed up alive in the wall, he begs and pleads for Herringbone to let him go.

"For the love of God, Montresor," Fortunato pleads.

Montresor glares back and says coldly, "Yes...for the love of God." 

Vincent Price most impressively plays multiple characters, one for each story. Each character he portrays is depicted with completely different personalities. 

He's a depressed recluse in the first segment. That's followed by his performance as a conceited professional wine expert and scoundrel in the second segment. And in the third segment, he plays a sick man trapped in his own body. This movie alone shows how versatile an actor Vincent Price was. 

Out of all of Corman's Poe movies I've seen so far, this is the most Poe-like film. Of course, this and the previous movies takes various liberties with Poe's short-stories and poems. 

And it's an anthology movie which is right up my alley. I love horror anthologies. 

The movie really takes its time with its pace. Its runtime is two hours. 

Overall, "Tales of Terror" deserves appreciation. And it's a perfect segue for the next movie in Corman's Poe series which I can't wait to get to!