The House That Screamed… “Murder!”

by Kimberly Lindbergs | October 6, 2011

Categories | Movie Reviews, Actors, Horror, Spanish Cinema, Thrillers, Gay Interest

Mod Macabre continues over at The Movie Morlocks today where I take a look at Narciso Ibáñez Serrador’s horrific thriller The House That Screamed (1969) featuring a great cast that includes Lilli Palmer, Cristina Galbo, Mary Maude and mod wonder boy, John-Moulder Brown. Here’s a brief description of The House That Screamed from my post:

“THE HOUSE THAT SCREAMED takes place at an isolated boarding school where troubled young women are being taught by a sadistic headmistress called Madame Fourneau (Lilli Palmer) who enjoys disciplining her female students with a whip followed by a tender kiss. After an attractive young French girl named Theresa (Cristina Galbó) enrolls and is given a tour of the grounds, it quickly becomes apparent that something odd is going on at the school. Unseen eyes seem to follow Teresa’s every move and the tense atmosphere is punctuated by the headmistress’s cursory behavior. The other young women at the school immediately take an interest in Teresa and she becomes an object of adoration and scorn for one particular student by the name of Irene (Mary Maude). Irene is Madame Fourneau’s right-hand girl and she enjoys helping the headmistress discipline ill-behaved girls. Adding to the tension is the addition of Madame Fourneau’s handsome son, Louis (John Moulder-Brown) who is kept at the school due to his poor health. His mother insists on isolating him from the young women who she feels aren’t “good enough” for him. The headmistress wants her son to meet someone like herself who will look after him and keep him safe but Louis isn’t interested in following her advice. It soon becomes apparent that he’s been spying on the girls at the school as well as starting up relationships with a few them. So when an unknown killer begins stalking the students it’s easy to assume that Louis might be the murderer but he’s not the only suspect. There’s the lurking gardener (Vic Israel) who seems to also enjoy spying on the students and of course the headmistress herself comes under scrutiny along with the cruel Irene. Director and co-writer Narciso Ibáñez Serrador keeps the audience guessing until the film’s final moments and the plot’s unpredictable twists and turns should surprise many viewers.”

Pictured: Teresa Hurtado and John-Moulder Brown (1969)

To read more just follow the link:
- The House That Screamed… “Murder!” @ TCM’s Classic Movie Blog

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Sean Connery in Woman of Straw (1964)

by Kimberly Lindbergs | August 25, 2011

Categories | Movie Reviews, Thrillers, Movie Morlocks, TCM, Sean Connery

Sean Connery in a promotional shot from WOMAN OF STRAW (1964)

I’m celebrating Sean Connery’s 81st birthday today over at the Movie Morlocks with a look at his performance in WOMAN OF STRAW (1964). A brief excerpt from my post:

“What I admire most about Connery’s memorable performance in WOMAN OF STRAW is the way he underplays his character early in the film before transforming into a murderous monster. Connery had just finished starring in his second James Bond film, FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE (1963), and he was riding high on his success and sudden superstardom. But he was worried about being typecast as the suave and handsome spy so he jumped at the chance to play the ruthless Anthony in WOMAN OF STRAW. In the film, Connery uses his sex appeal to lure Gina Lollobridigida’s character into complacency while convincing the audience that he’s worthy of their sympathy. It’s a difficult trick to manage but Connery has rarely looked as handsome as he does in this film and his masculine confidence is disarming.”

Follow the link to read more:
- Sean Connery in WOMAN OF STRAW (1964) @ TCM’s Classic Movie Blog

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Remember My Name (1976) & TCM News

by Kimberly Lindbergs | June 2, 2011

Categories | Movie Reviews, News, Horror, Japanese Cinema, American Cinema, Science Fiction, Anthony Perkins, Thrillers, Movie Morlocks, TCM

Anthony Perkins & Geraldine Chaplin in Remember My Name (1976)

I’ve been really busy lately so please excuse the lack of updates around here. Lately it seems like I only have enough free time to share my Movie Morlock updates and today is no exception. I recently got the opportunity to watch Alan Rudolph’s unusual thriller Remember My Name (1976). I was originally interested in seeing the film because one of its stars was the one and only Anthony Perkins but I was surprised by how terrific the movie was. Follow the link to read my thoughts about this intriguing neo-noir:
- Remember My Name …or else. @ TCM’s Classic Movie Blog

I also wanted to let my readers know that during the month of June TCM is hosting a bunch of Drive-In Double Features every Thursday night! If I had my way TCM would make these Drive-In Double Features a regular part of their programming schedule but at least me and my fellow monster lovers will be able to enjoy some great movies this month. TCM put together a terrific promo video for this event that I just couldn’t resist sharing. June is going to be a fun month!

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What Ever Happened to Jennifer?

by Kimberly Lindbergs | April 15, 2011

Categories | Movie Reviews, American Cinema, Thrillers, Movie Morlocks, TCM

Ida Lupino in Jennifer (1953)

In my latest post at the Movie Morlocks I take a look at an unusual and little known thriller called Jennifer (1953), which features a great performance from Ida Lupino and some breathtaking black & white cinematography from James Wong Howe. If you enjoy unconventional noir films or low-key horror movies that rely on mood over visceral scares, you might find Jennifer as intriguing as I did. Follow the link to read more.
- What Ever Happened to Jennifer? @ TCM’s Classic Movie Blog

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Unman, Wittering and Zigo (1971)

by Kimberly Lindbergs | March 3, 2011

Categories | Movie Reviews, British Cinema, David Hemmings, Thrillers, Gay Interest, Movie Morlocks, TCM

It’s a rare occurrence when I come across a movie I’ve never heard of before or seen. Such is the case with John Mackenzie’s Unman, Wittering and Zigo (1971). I sought the movie out because the title was intriguing and it caught my attention when I was scanning David Hemmings’ filmography on IMBD. After hunting around a bit I discovered that the film was available to watch at Amazon so I purchased it for a number of reasons. First of all, I love Hemmings and enjoy watching him in just about anything. I also love British cinema and I’m especially fond of horror films, mysteries and thrillers. Unman, Wittering and Zigo isn’t a typical horror film and I hesitate to call it one since it relies on mystery more than outright fear to unnerve its audience but debating genre labels is tiresome. You can call Unman, Wittering and Zigo whatever you want and I’ll just call it a damn good movie that genuinely surprised me. You can read my take on this unusual British film at The Movie Morlocks blog.
- Authority Is the Child of Obedience @ TCM’s Classic Movie Blog

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Fulci & Jodorowsky at Severin

by Kimberly Lindbergs | February 10, 2011

Categories | Movie Reviews, Giallo, Italian Cinema, Lucio Fulci, Thrillers, Alejandro Jodorowsky, Marisa Mell

Marisa Mell in Perversion Story (1969)

The kind folks at Severin recently invited me to participate in a series of month-long guest blog posts at the Severin Blog where we’re asked to share clips from one of our favorite Severin DVD releases. I decided to write a little bit about Luci Fulci’s excellent Italian thriller Perversion Story (1969), which I originally wrote about in 2007. I love the film and Fulci did an amazing job of capturing the “City by the Bay” in the late ’60s. I spent a lot of time in San Francisco during the ’80s and North Beach was one of my regular haunts so I highlighted a scene Fulci shot on Broadway for my “Clip of the Day.” Please visit the Severin Blog to see the clip and read some of my brief thoughts about the movie.

- Clip Of The Day: Perversions In San Francisco, Fulci’s PERVERSION STORY @ Severin Blog
- Perversion Story - From the Cinebeats’ Archives

I also wanted to mention that Severin has recently released my favorite Alejandro Jodorowsky film on DVD, the magnificent Santa Sangre (1989). Santa Sangre has been one of my favorite films since I originally saw it on video back in 1990. It had an extremely limited theatrical run and hasn’t been available on DVD in the US until now. Severin did an amazing job on their release and the DVD looks terrific. It’s also loaded with extras including:

• Forget Everything You Have Ever Seen: The World Of Santa Sangre. Exclusive Feature Length Making-Of Documentary Featuring All-New Interviews with the Cast And Crew
• Audio Commentary with Jodorowsky and Journalist Alan Jones
• Deleted Scenes with Director Commentary
• For One Week Only: Alejandro Jodorowsky: 1990 UK Documentary
• Goyo Cárdenas Spree Killer: Documentary on the Real Life Inspiration For Santa Sangre
• On Stage Q&A With Jodorowsky
• Jodorowsky 2003 Interview
. . . and more!

Coincidently I also wrote about my deep appreciation for Jodorowsky’s movie back in 2007 when I was asked to select some of my favorite foreign language films for an online poll. At the time I said:

“Santa Sangre is probably Jodorwsky’s darkest effort and it’s also his most fully realized film in my opinion. It’s brimming with unforgettable imagery and startling storytelling techniques that recall an earlier time in European horror cinema. Like many of the films on my list, Santa Sangre is not easy viewing. It demands a lot from potential viewers, but it’s a film that constantly comes to mind when I think about foreign language films that have deeply affected me. It changed the way that I view cinema and shaped my appreciation of the art form.”

I still feel that way today and the Severin’s DVD release has only added to my enjoyment of Jadorowsky’s masterpiece. You can find my full (but brief) comments about Santa Sangre in the Cinebeats Archives.
- 12 Favorite Foreign Language Films (including Santa Sangre) - From the Cinebeats’ Archives

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They Only Kill Their Masters (1972)

by Kimberly Lindbergs | January 21, 2011

Categories | Movie Reviews, American Cinema, Thrillers, Movie Morlocks, TCM

At the Movie Morlocks this week I wrote about my disappointment with James Goldstone’s 1972 film They Only Kill Their Masters. This dull and unimaginative mystery wasted the talents of all the actors involved including James Garner, Katherine Ross, Peter Lawford and Hal Holbrook but it does showcase a pretty groovy beach house if you’d like to see a movie with some eye-popping ’70s style interior design.
- “Was the murderer a man… or man’s best friend?” @ TCM’s Classic Movie Blog

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‘Tis the Season

by Kimberly Lindbergs | December 1, 2010

Categories | News, Directors, Blogathons, Thrillers, Julie Christie, Paul Naschy, Irvin Kershner, Gene Tierney, Deborah Kerr, Eli Wallach

Happy Holidays from Cinebeats & Julie Christie!

‘Tis the season. I’ve been preoccupied with home renovations, work and holiday plans lately so I haven’t had a lot of free time to watch movies or blog and I don’t think I’ll be updating much in December. In an effort to keep things interesting here at Cinebeats I thought I’d compile a bunch of brief updates into one post and wish you all Happy Holidays!

Giving Thanks
I celebrated Thanksgiving at the Movie Morlocks last week by writing about a bunch of movie related people and characters that I’m thankful for. We don’t say thank you enough anymore and I’m not sure when good manners became so passé but I suppose I’m a little old fashioned. I decided to share my thanks for a few things I’ve had on my mind lately including Joseph Cotten, Gene Tierney, Deborah Kerr, Richard Harris, director Fritz Land and Eli Wallach who recently received his first Academy Award at age 95.
- Giving Thanks @ The Movie Morlocks

Eli Wallach in The Good, The Bad and The Ugly (1966)

The Paul Naschy Blogathon
Over at Mad Mad Mad Mad Movies The Vicar of VHS is hosting a Paul Naschy Blogathon November 29 - December 3. I love Paul Naschy and I don’t know if I’ll have the time to participate in the blogathon, but you can bet that I’ll be doing a lot of reading in December! The Vicar is gathering links to all the blogathon submissions and the response has been tremendous so far. Naschy would have celebrated his 76th birthday this week and he’s still fondly remembered by his fans. It’s wonderful to see this Spanish horror icon getting so much attention and The Paul Naschy Blogathon is a great way to keep Naschy’s memory alive.
- The Paul Naschy Blogathon @ Mad Mad Mad Mad Movies

Irvin Kershner 1923-2010
Over the Thanksgiving holiday I watched a bunch of terrible new or “newer” movies including James Cameron’s ridiculously expensive cartoon Avatar (2009), Peter Jackson’s mind-numbingly bad The Lovely Bones (2009) and Sylvester Stallone’s The Expendables (2010), which (once again) wasted the talents of Jason Statham and Jet Li and only served to remind me why I disliked so many ’80s action movies. In the midst of all this crap I re-watched one of my favorite Irvin Kershner films, the deliciously decadent murder mystery, The Eyes of Laura Mars (1978). During the film I kept being reminded of Kershner’s talent and wondering why he never made another film as interesting and stylish as The Eyes of Laura Mars? I’ve written a little about Kershner’s A Fine Madness (1966) as well as his odd comedy S*P*Y*S (1974) but I haven’t written about The Eyes of Laura Mars or another Kershner favorite, The Flim-Flam Man (1967). Today Irvin Kershner is mostly remembered for Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980), which many consider to be better than the first Star Wars film. When news spread that the director had died on November 27th after suffering from lung cancer for 3 years, The Empire Strikes Back garnered the most headlines and attention but I think of it as the movie that ended Kershner career. After making that Star Wars sequel he seemed to slowly fade away and didn’t take on any more challenging projects. I wish Kershner would have worked with director & writer John Carpenter (the writer of The Eyes of Laura Mars) again. They made a really interesting team and delivered one of the most fascinating American thrillers of the ’70s. If you want to see Irvin Kershner at his best watch The Eyes of Laura Mars.
- Irvin Kershner’s Obituary @ The Los Angeles Times

Fay Dunaway stars in The Eyes of Laura Mars (1978)

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Modern Mondays: Before the Fall (2008)

by Kimberly Lindbergs | October 5, 2009

Categories | Movie Reviews, Science Fiction, Spanish Cinema, Thrillers, Modern Mondays

Before the Fall (aka Tres días) is a terrific Spanish thriller with an end-of-the-world setting. This thoughtful genre-mixing film takes place in a small Spanish village as the news breaks that a giant meteor has begun rapidly descending towards earth. The meteor is expected to hit the planet in just three days and scientists predict that the world will come to a sudden and violent end when it does. As these events begin to unfold director and co-writer F. Javier Gutiérrez focuses his camera on one very troubled family that is struggling to live with some deep scars caused by a traumatic encounter with a serial killer many years earlier. Unfortunately the family is forced to face their past head-on when the killer escapes from jail in the chaos following the frantic news announcement of the meteor’s decent.

In most films with a doomsday plot line the characters act as if they don’t have a past. But they’re willing to fight for a future that often seems vague and undefined. Characters might struggle with family matters before the action starts and occasionally make reference to it as the drama progresses, but once the adrenaline kicks in their personal history mysteriously seems to vanish into thin air. This lack of emotional depth and character development in many science fiction films and thrillers can be distracting and exasperating for some viewers. Before the Fall is smart enough to reject typical scenarios found in countless apocalyptic films and instead director F. Javier Gutiérrez managed to craft a taut psychological thriller that never forgets about its very human characters.

The film’s deep sense of humanity is what separates Before the Fall from countless other end-of-the-world films that have preceded it. Throughout the course of the film the flawed protagonists in Before the Fall are never allowed to forget their past and the events that have shaped them. Director F. Javier Gutiérrez knows that death is inevitable whether it comes in the form of a giant falling meteor, suicide or a serial killer so the meteor plunging towards earth in Before the Fall is only a minor distraction that never gets in the way of life’s bigger questions and conflicts. The film unapologetically allows viewers to forget about the impending disaster facing planet earth and embrace the troubled family in their very personal plight.

Besides some surprisingly creative directing choices by Gutiérrez, the film also features some wonderful performances from Víctor Clavijo as the reluctant hero of the film as well as Mariana Cordero as his mother and Eduard Fernández as the determined killer. These three characters really make up the heart, soul and mind of this unusual movie that happens to be one of my favorite films of the last decade.

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