Hammer Horror : The Dracula Films Ranked

A darker, more gothic take on the Classic Monsters that Universal Studios made popular, British movie Studio Hammer Films has always held a place in my heart for making scarier versions of my favorite characters. Here  I made it a point to watch all of their Dracula films, most of which star Christopher Lee in the title role. The atmosphere of these movies plays a huge role, and while they are more sensual than the Universal films, they are not as lurid as my memories made them..  So here are all 9 films ranked in order. 

9-The Legend of the Seven Golden Vampires - 1974

This was a sad end for the franchise as it's a kung-fu movie, little to do with Dracula, who, in the movie, is not Christopher Lee; what was Peter Cushing thinking? Julie Ege was underutilized in this movie.

8- Satanic Rites of Dracula -1973

I appreciate the concept here, but the execution was off, and it felt too much like a true crime thriller at times. Dracula as a CEO worked for me, but too little Dracula and too much buildup.

7-Bride's of Dracula-1960

Nothing really to do with Dracula at all, more focused on Van Helsing; the vampire's a goof in this one, but the sets are great. 

6-Dracula- 1958 

Was pretty solid, though Cushing's Van Helsing steals the show, as Lee was just getting used to the cape. Cool mood that separates this film from Universal, though Lee might have been too British here. Closer to the book than Bela  Lugosi's. 

5-Dracula AD -1972-

Modern Day Dracula works better than many of the films, though it suffers from too much build-up and not enough Dracula until the final 20 minutes of the movie. Stephanie Beacham stands out in this one.

4-Dracula Has Risen From the Grave-1968

Prince of Darkness just edged this one out; Barbara Eden from I  Dream of Jeannie is in this one. The rooftop scenes are darker in this movie and set the mood. The end is another ridiculous death for him. 

3-Dracula Prince of Darkness -1966

Lee is more settled into his role, though he plays a more feral version of the resurrected title character. Not just throwing candlesticks at people, but has more power, making him scarier. A greater sense of dread runs throughout the movie; however, it does have one of the silliest endings. 

2-Taste the Blood of Dracula-1970

The more occult elements in this were ahead of its time, and it is clear this movie was getting an R-rating; he has a marginally less silly death, and it's a more violent film than the previous ones with a sense of dread creeping up from its shadows. But it does follow the formula the Hammer uses for these films, where it's the first half of the movie establishing the why of what is going on. 

1-Scars of Dracula- 1970

All of these have a bit of silliness here; it's the bat. But the cast and vibes work well. Perhap the tension was not as high as it's the looking for a lost brother thing, and Dracula is less invested and rightfully feels less threatened, though he is more allergic to crosses in this one. In some way more accurate in his power set, though, and Lee feels most at home in the role here, as he has played him differently in almost every movie. Jenny Lanely is great in this one and puts her step toward the top tier of Hammer Girls.

Film Review : "Feed"

 I am alwaqys looking for a good vampire movie, so the trailer for this movie excited me.It is different than the trailer leads youto beleive.The bulk ofthis is in some part due to one of the film's strengths in how it deviates from what you normally expect from a  vampire movies as it takes a twist on the lore. However this twist is clearlyinfluenced by one of my favorite vampire book series Brian Lumley's "Necroscope", Granted the lore is on the surface based on the Irish legends of the Dearg-due.According to the robots of   Google Gemini, Marco Van Belle claims it is influenced by Bram Stoker's Dracula, whichc is almost as funny as when Coheed & Cambria said they had never heard of Rush.

Sure I might have preferred a Necroscope movie, but this one works well enough. Itis a shame that this movie went straight to streaming services as it is a better movies than the critcally acclaimed "Sinners", which was just a ripoff of "From Dusk Til Dawn" and everm for all this movie's unacknowledged Lumely influence it's still more original than "Sinners". The only draw back to this movie is for it to be an Irish film it really triesto  come across as an American film, and plays into a few Western casting tropes,which are not deal breakers.

The vampores use more of a psychological attack that takes mesmerism to a new level. I prfer the more animalistc predatory nature the vampires in "30 Days of Night' held , but this new approach, that I am not going to spoil for you is something fresh that successfully set this movie apart. The lore is well blended and the ending works for me even if this narative get's alittle shaky by the end in places. We know audiences hunger for vampire movies that are well made and not "Twilight" romances, which is why they fell for things like the Nosferatu remake and "Sinners', so here's hopiong this movie develops more of acult following as it is more deserving. 

Film Review : "Sinners"

Anyone who thinks this is an original movie has an odd view of what constitutes originality. Recycled must fit into this warped definition. I have heard this called a remake of 'From Dusk Till Dawn," and unless this means vampires really only show up for the second half of this movie, I disagree. Though this is not the "Odyssey," this movie was certainly influenced by "O Brother, Where Art Thou" by Fr, and certainly influenced by "From Dusk Till Dawn," But the vampires were not coming from within the building. I am not sure I would call this movie a horror movie. It was not scary. In fact, the preacher's kid was the only likeable character in the movie, so not sure how they intended you to become invested in any one. 

The message that all black music came from the blues was heavy-handed in the surreal sequence where, all of a sudden, girls were twerking; they could have been more subtle and still gotten the point across. It needed a great deal of editing as the story dragged on the front end. I think Louisiana would have made more sense, but it is what it is. It was well made for what it was, but then the bar is pretty low when it comes to Hollywood; it certainly did not look like it was a Tyler Perry movie, so someone was doing something right along the way. 

The violence and action scenes needed a great deal of work. The script could have used a major overhaul. I am sure you could go into this movie and think, well, it's just going to be fun, if you knew absolutely nothing about the basics or storytelling. People get dumber every day, the Fast and Furious movies are an example of this even though they keep putting butts in seat. As PT Barnum said there is a sucker born every minute. It is high-brow Blaxplotation, less sexy than Foxy Brown, but looks better than Blacula. It will sell lots of popcorn to stupid people. 

Film Review : " the Last Voyage of the Demeter"

This movie is better than 'Renfield". It should be as it's helmed by Trollhunter director Andre Ovredal. The Norwegian director understands he has to play Hollywood's game if he wants to play in Hollywood's toybox and move into the mainstream. Not that this film's opening weekend is going to help him with that, and there lingers a suspicion that if he trusted his gut. Instead he agreed to a screen play with weak characters , the main weakness it's protagonist who feels forced into the canvas of this tale. Granted we know the ship is doomed, but they could have made us care about the fate of the crew. Instead no one except the child and his dog are likeable characters. The movie looks good and captures a mood well, but aside from that things are paper thin, which might have still works if it was not for some of the more glaring problems. 

 The plot holes are so large you could sail the Demeter through them. The very premise of the film being called into question by one. This movie should be filling in the blanks of a story already told. One of the largest comes to glaring crack in the fissure of the premise with that fact that if  Dracula was on the ship to begin with it is  because as a vampire he can bodies of moving water. So why is he flying over water in the film's third act. No, you twit there can't be spoilers to the movie as it follows Dracula's arrival in London direct from Bram Stoker's source material.  If he could fly in this manner there would be no need, to take a boat to England rather than fly there , it's only a three hour flight . He has to move all the dirt from his homeland you say? Well if Dracula has the foresight to hire Johnathan Harker to help handle his business affairs then he could have had the dirt shipped ahead of time to Carfax Abbey. 

Dracula might be in a weakened state from travel at the beginning of the movie , but we never see him as the character documented in Stoker's work.  Instead we get a mocking monster who in it's best moments looks a little like a Nosferatu, but never captures the regal nature of the character. I get artistic license and wanting to do something new, but when you are pulling directly from a book, you have chosen your parameters. It's been brought up that this is basically "Aliens" and while that is true in the monster stowaway trope, I think they did the best they could to avoid that. I did not find this movie to be scary, but it was entertaining for what it was. though while "Renfield ' was overall a worse movie, I might at least preferred Cage's take on Dracula which had some Bela Lugosi moments to fall back on. Hollywood needs to learn nobody cares about the story they want to tell and we want the story that should be told, sure try it from different angles, but if you are making movies of icons like Dracula or the Wolf-man then balance your artistic twist in a manner that still honors that legacy.  Hopefully the spanking it took at the box office will drive this point home. 

Film Review : 'the Invitation"

 

This movie came out back in August to a limited theatrical release, though much like "Terrifier 2" it did well when considering the limited budget. It's a vampire movie, which   being a massive fan of vampires I was on board for. I have even endured the romantic vampire tropes made popular by "True Blood" and "Twilight". This movie does play off some of those tropes but gave it enough of a spin to win me over.  Writer Blair Butler admitted to being very influenced by the Bram Stoker novel when she wrote this. There are some winks to the characters in the novel, if not elusions to the fact the antagonist might be Dracula himself. 

The star Nathalie Emmanuel works well with the script she has. The turns her character takes are where the story goes which works until the last 9 minutes of the film. Iti not a spoiler to call the main vampire the antagonist, as that is telegraphed from when Thomas Doherty takes the screen. I think this actor would be a pretty good Super-man should the role need be filled by a younger actor, and not much emphasis is place on Clark Kent. He has charm, though not a great deal of menace, yet are the sexy vampires really ever given space to menace you, like who was scared of Edward Cullen, which he splits the difference between taking that kind of role and being Dracula. I think as a Dracula role it's his confidence that is his strength. A great deal of the film's weight lies in its acting as the pretty sets.  

When the wedding goes down it is a very effective reveal / twist. The film was originally titled the "the Bride", I think it is not until the film's last 9 minutes that it falls apart, but I am more likely to give this when the first hour and twenty-one minutes I enjoyed, and endings seems to be a problem for movies no matter the genre these days. My major problem with it is do not lay out the mythology if the world you are building if things are not going to line up. Not no try to sell me on a 400-year-old vampire being bested by someone who has just turned into a vampire While this concept worked in 30 Days of Night, the protagonist was also a cop who managed to hold his own against vampires in human form, so he had experience, but a waitress? Not going to buy it. With that said if you like vampires it is worth the watch. 

The Only Lovers Left Alive

Like Stoker in the sense it has many elements of horror without being a scary movie, the new Jim Jarmusch film is a very character driven film where these characters happen to be vampires. It winks at varied elements of vampire lore, but even then the fact the characters are vampires both is an isn't the crux o the matter.

The humans in the vampires' eyes are the most horrific element, in fact the almost drive Tom Hiddleston to suicide, which of course requires him to have his Renfield go fetch him wooden bullets.The Eve to his Adam Tilda Swinton uses her everlasting love to rescue him from his depression.In many ways this is a romantic comedy , but in Jarmusch's hands the contemplative tone of the movie makes this less offensive than a rom com most commonly is.

The dialogue is what the film rides on , but it is shot in such a way that a ambiance is created, particularly when the vampires take their night cap, which is the only time they get fangy.The soundtrack plays a key role ad Hiddleston's Adam is a reclusive musician, but it is hinted at he may have well been others things, such as the first scientist who like Prometheus brought fire down to the people, using the likes of Tesla and Eddison as the messengers.

The main supernatural quality the vampires posses is living a long time gives you time to get good at a little bt of everything, other than that they have lighting reflexes, but are not strong as it takes to to throw a body in the river.They are emotionally very human, in fact almost experiencing emotions in a hyper sensitive manner, which is made worse by the humans' which they refer to as zombies that keeping fucking up the world around them.

This is a movie without flaw and though not horror it would appeal to horror fans, as it is dark but at the same time sweet, if nothing else it is highly recommended as so far it is likely the best movie of the year.

True Blood Season 6

So we are back with a new season of True Blood that premiered last night.  I had not been looking forward to this season as much as I had past ones even though I enjoyed last season. Six season is a long time to hang tough and the show  had some episodes which have gotten bogged down in the multiple story lines, with Sookie not being directly involved in many of them. This season picks up right where we left off from last , with Billith on a rampage. This starts off feeling very horror as Sookie and Eric try to escape. Later the season arc foreshadows its self when Eric see an interview with the Mayor of Louisiana who wants to take the day back and wages a war of sorts on vamps.

Sookie seems confused most of the episode but when she stakes the uber power upped Bill she seems pretty confident in her choice. Her brother is now obsessed with finding their parents Killer. The episode did flow really well, the Mayor character fills the place of a Russell Edgington type character, though not as in your face big bad , he is more the man pulling strings and making deals behind the scenes. When his people go to shut down Fangtasia they appear to be armed with the fire power to put vampires down and it didn't appear to be wooden bullets so maybe some sort of sliver nitrate.

Jessica , my favorite character for aesthetic reasons, if very comfortable being uncomfortable in her own undead skin and when Bill has her under her sway he sides with him against Eric's contingent in a very watchdog manner.  Sam isn't in the episode much, he does take on a big responsibility. Lafayette is pretty much just hiding out at the bar in one scene, so his role is waaay scaled back.  There are fey babies who grow up rather quickly to Andy's chagrin.

Pam is conflicted to say the least o find out about Eric's sister and we see more of the strained dynamics of their 100 year relationship which Tara finds out how resentful Pam is about her place in his life. The were-wolves are celebrating Alcide as their new pack master, there is a new were-wolf girl who is pretty decent eye candy, so that means if you know my taste she is on the curvy side. So i hope to see more of her as the skinny red neck thing most of the woman have going on gets old.

Overall I look forward to seeing where they go from here so will be tuning in. I think when the show takes a more serious turn it lends itself to being horror so lets hope they push it further in that direction.    

V/H/S

the Signal director David Bruckner's new film V/H/S is a found footage anthology. Each story has a sperate writer and director Ti West of House of the Devil fame being one. With so many cooks in the kitchen the results very.

the background story is about hipster internet criminals paid to retrieve a video tape from a dead man's house.

In the first piece a vampire story whose title Amateur night I found on the movie's Wiki. The vampire comes as no surprise when the character is introduced. I do like the fact it's a feral monster vampire, no sparkle to it and the effects regarding it's super human abilities are handled well, similar to Let the Right one in, but able to fly.

The second piece title Second Honeymoon is filmed with higher resolution but a lot of build up for not much pay off. it falls into the horror mishap of not caring if the characters die because they annoy you, it works in Friday the 13th style slashers but these are mainly character driven so not so much.

The third vignette called Tuesday the 17th, is a typical going to a cabin in the woods, though nothing so clever as Joss Whedon, instead we get amateur gore the knife coming out of the eye scene is bad 80's and might work in a "Dear god no" type setting here , it looks like this is a YouTube video.

Fourth The Sick Thing That Happened to Emily When She Was Younger shot shot like a cam chat. Its along the line of a paranormal activity style haunting, though with viasable ghosts.it 's one of the more effective pieces on here though i have a thing for a good ghost story, the twist t the end of this one , has a nice pair of tits courtesy of Liz Harvey, so it works for me as the ever classic marriage of boobs and horror can't go wrong. Another thing to be said for this movie is aside from this short they keep with my survival rule

the ongoing story escalates and it is what it is , as a rule all off these movies every one is don't go in the basement horror dumb.

The final short is very "Last Exorcism" meet typical haunt, the arms coming out of the wall are a little over done and some of the poltergeist like effects are hokey, but it has some effect tense scares and I liked the ending. The tuesday the 17th short is the only one I didn't like at all, all the rest had there moments some the vampire, and the final two I really liked SO this is recommended if you are not burned out on the found footage thing , which i think this demonstrated still has some life in it yet.

True Blood Season 5

In juggling shows the excitement leading into the kick off of True Blood season Five was not as feverish as previous season. While the show has succeeded in bringing blood-splatter to small screen ans some suspenseful moments , like the Harris books it rides the line of dark fantasy rather than horror, but these days we take what we can get.

Spoilers Ahead...



This season picks up where it left off even recapping slightly as to the logistics of the killings that ended last season. Pam is really being stepped in her dialogue and will be a show favorite by the middle of the season if she isn't already. Lafayette goes from a break down to having an attitude all in the span of taking a bath. Sookie is well.. the least developed in the this episode and the tone of the show seems the sub plots take more precedence over her , namely her brother Jason as his interactions with the turn preacher now scorned gay lover of sorts as well as Jessica's fleeting affections. So there soap opera element is dialed up in this regard.

Bill and Eric seem like they are going to be juggling the big bads and leaving Bon Temps to deal with Vampire Tara, which like the Vampire Diaries both shows seem to be falling into the trap of turning every one into something , which makes being a monster less unique, granted Vampire Diaries is jumping the shark with it where Ball is still holding the back woods charm and knows the human element is the shows bread and butter ...up to a point.

If you are expecting Russell or any of the big bads to come busting into this season guns blazing don't hold your breath as the tone is basically being set here.

Sam and the were-wolf thing is so far re-moved from the book I could careless and while I like his character makes it more appropriate to go grab a diet coke and check my email , much like some of Tara's subplots in earlier seasons.

Jessica doesn't have any competition as to being the hottest character on the show by far, Bill doesn't seem to be aging a gracefully as a vampire should, Eric is too thin and appears to have lost substantial muscle tone, and Sookie has become increasingly bland as the series continues. Even Ball himself has stated the aging actors as a reason for the show to wrap by next season. Right when it seems the writing finally got where it needs to be . My hopes for the season aside from Jessica getting naked is some of the threads from the books are realized like Lafayette getting killed,the witch room mate and aren't we supposed to have the were- tiger by now? Not to mention Bubba.

Tim Burton's Dark Shadows

Well, this movie is getting reviewed on the basis of the iconic show it was based on. Ed Wood was not a horror movie and I suppose Sleepy Hollow is the closest Burton has come to making one. Depp whose work with Burton is now becoming formulaic, was in one of my top 50 horror movies the 9th gate. While this movie was mildly entertaining and not as bad as the trailers suggested it would be, it followed the mold already cast by the two on Charlie and Chocolate Factory, in fact Depp's Sweeny Todd was made of more horrific stuff than Barnabas Collins. Sure the movie did not use the same visual flare as a typical Burton movie. The melodrama of the television show was touched upon but by and large it was Depp who was shouldered with this task. The man out of time gag ran thin and the only laughs were in one scene..where Depp's Collins makes his first appearance interacting with the family at the table. Granted I'm not a fan of comedy and the genre as a whole is lost on me, but I do know it is supposed to illicit laughs. The attempts at this were so vague they could have been done away to better effect, and like the show which played it straight to get unintentional laughs more effectively than the ones this film was going for. The hue of the blood was enjoyable as well the scene showing Depp as he stalked the lava lamp. The cast got the job done but felt very color by numbers with little invested in their characters. eEva Green looked good on screen and either her psuh up bra worked wonders or is more stacked than I thought as he clevage was her primary prop. Helen Bonham Carter, had her moments as well, though lost it midway through, the remainder of the ensemble was largely card board cut outs. The movie threw in the kitchen sink by the end of the film,not unlike some of Burton's more recent work where the endings have seemed rushed.Much like a band who keeps re-writing the same song, Burton's inspiration in making this homage seems as muddy as his vision. While aside from the rushed ending and often mixed tone of the movie it is otherwise enjoyable and managed to suceed on some level. The most notable being escaping from the dismal failure the trailer predicted, at the same time I am glad I did not throw down the 11.00 to see it in theaters.

the top ten Horror Movies of 2011

This wasn't easy as horror fared a little better on television this year than in the movies. In the year to come i think one hand is going to feed the other and the success of American Horror Story will fuel more horror on television which in turn will help what we see in theaters by the end of 2012. so here we go in countdown format.

10-the Devil's Rock- I had fun with this one I think with a little more money sunk into this it could have more fully realized, though budget aside the monster reveal looked like a throw back from Angel. But any time you have a female Satan you have my vote.

9-the Thing - So it wasn't supposed to be a re-make but a prequel, yet it sure as hell felt like a remake .Lots of eye candy it didn't scare me but was a helluva a lot better than the remakes of Fright night or Let the Right One in. Considering the grudge i have with remakes , the fact it made the list should say something.

8- We are the Night - a trio of Pseudo lesbian Vampires bling it up. The opening scene on the airplane was a great way to open the film, another fun but not scary one , the different take on vampires was enjoyed though i suppose it was like if the L-word was combined with the Vampire Diaries, yet it turned out better than that sounded.

7-Wakewood- This one will sit nicely along side the other late period Hammer Films. It felt very Wicker-man to me , but any movie that deviates from vampires , zombies and serial killers works for me .

6-Red State- Hostel in Jeeeezus name . Nutbags for Christ are pretty scary and i could see this sub-genre catching on. From the guy who brought you Dogma.

5-Hostel 3 - Recently reviewed this, this one caught me by surprise. A straight to video sequel that holds up against the originals.

4-Stake Land- The next four all have their distinct identities . This one was Zombieland with out the sense of humor and the bleakness of the Road. The overlooked gem of the year and the vampires are mean as shit . No sparkle here.

3-The Last Exorcism- why put paranormal activity on the list when you have this one. I like the end and am a firm believer in horror movies should have no survivors or happy endings . I predict the Devil Inside won't be able to touch this one and i won't even bring up the Rite.

2- I Saw the Devil - Since this is number two you can already guess number one if you know me . So some of you can interchange the two and be happy or not . While in some ways this turned into more of a twisted action movie, i think the beginning and end bookend it nicely. This will stand the test of time as a classic.

1-Human Centipede 2 : the Full Sequence- Tom Six, Knew what you wanted and turned it into a beautiful piece of grime and blackness. Take my earlier review and gush over it some more as other viewings allowed me to fully appreciate this. I Saw the Devil set the bar high for this one, but the artistry put behind this is amazing. I already saw the interview with Tom Six and the third film and i would honestly rather see his take on other elements of the genre, but if he out does this film put him up there with Lynch and Hitchcok.

so the break down is
torture porn - 4
vampires -2
devils - 2
monsters -1
sounds about right - look mom no zombies

Stakeland

Didn't have to wait long for this one , ok at least as long as i though i would , now for red state . WoW , is what i have to say after just finishing this movie, first lets get the comparisons out of the way zombieland... zombie land is a joke , a well crafted joke but a comedy non the less , this movie takes it self very seriously , the other the road, a movie i loved, the road was grim , but not horror , the cannibals popped up for a minute but i would say it was sci-fi drama, i will say it is more of a feel good movie than the road , though most films are spider and tarnation aside, the road has a bigger budget and they apocalypse did not come from vampires , so it was more visual than this movie, the make up effect here are ok though the vampires do come across as fast zombies , as they are very feral, i think un-romanticizing vampires could be a trend in the twilight back lash, as film makers take back the night so to speak,what the film does well it excels at , very character driven , several oh shit how are they going to get out of this suspenseful moments, and thing i was oh shit i'm scared , like the basement scene in paranormal activity 2 , no i thought it was good story telling and film making but , i suppose there are some who might find this scary, it would be scarier than say last years over hyped indie film monsters, if zombie scare you then yes , if you are easilly creeped then yes , if not and you like horror see this anyway, the holly wood moments were kept to a minimum, this always scores big with me , am i a little jaded perhaps, but as an avid horror fan i am this audience you gotta throw the curve ball and if you are reading this chances are you might be as well

we are the night

haven't enjoyed a vampire movie this much since let the right one in, though genre film both not sure either would be a true horror film if we are going to nit pick here , because we are the night never scared me, neither did let the right one in, both films the main character comes from desperate beginnings that's where the similarities end, the only faults are one of the main character, who comes across like alice from twilight, and the heavy handedness to the climatic battle scene, a problem i also had with the wolf-man remake. the theme is familiar but with a different feels more lost boys than anything else which comes to mind aside from the beginning which i found to be slightly girl with the dragon tattoo , but is not a cut and paste of vampire films, it adds to the mythos slightly though the broader origins are left out, but thats where the film strength lies is what they don't tell you, there were several opportunities the could have cheesed it up and gone in a glitzy direction but use restraint. the cinematography had some cool moments , not a dazzling as say night watch and the violence wasn't as brutal as 30 days of night a vampire movie , i felt was actually scary, but it did me well and should hold me over until i can get my hands on a copy of stakeland , which i have the feeling is going to come across as how i am legend should have been made
up next ... we'll say tues my review of i saw the devil

House Of The Wolf-Man

Had this ordered for my birth day, after a long hunt for it, a very limited release, even shorter than human centipede's , talking select showings then straight to video which is elusive to making online purchase your only option. Low budget, though not on the ed wood level, the film is a homage to the universal classics , though it spots it could have stood to take better cues from the celluloid gods its worshiping as it is pace more like the haunting on the hill house rather than Dracula , Frankenstein or the Wolf-man, who all make appearances here. The appearance of a monster doesn't occur until an hour into the movie.
The script is a mixed bag and the story veers wildly off from the mythos of the characters, making me wonder why Ron Chaney whose acting the films weakest , did not make the role more of a lawerence talbot , thing and leave the mad genius to some one else. Unknown Cheryl Rodes, who looks to be a scream queen on the rise is the films stand out.Granted the element of camp is a part of it's vintage charm, the universal films did not directly wink and took themselves seriously, the stereotypes, hunter , nerd ,vixen etc play into the genre but some of the characters could have been more solidly fleshed out though i started believing them in time, right when the movie takes the turn to monsters who dispatch of some of main characters rather quickly, which i give the film the guts for doing, the violence is blood free and rather , tame off camera, monster make up in some case works better than others, the wolf man's body looks like a teddy bear sleeping bag in some shots, the Frankenstein vs the Wolf-man battle is one of the highlights, plays out like a no dq anything goes wrestling match, much more physical , the monster is fleet on his feet rather than a lumbering buffoon, it's a power vs speed thing. the film leaves the movie open for a sequel which with certain elements from this film and a bigger budget, so it doesn't blatantly appear the castle walls are stage flats when the monster slams the were wolf against them , it was a little bit of a distraction, if you are not a true fan of the universal movies , then this might not be for you, but is fun if you can go into it with low expectations and a gentle train of thought on its production short comings and cartoon like story line, glad its part of the collection and if any movie deserves to be remade on a bigger budget with better writing this is one that should be thought of as a pilot or demo reel for a bigger studio