Tonight's feature is House of Wax (1953), directed by André De Toth and starring Vincent Price as a horribly disfigured sculptor who opens up the House of Wax in New York, using the wax-covered bodies of his victims as his displays. And he's now set his eyes on his Marie Antoinette...
The movie was directed by Fred F. Sears, and stars Hugh Marlowe and Joan Taylor.
The groundbreaking flying saucer effects were courtesy of the legendary Ray Harryhausen.
Project Skyhook, a U.S. effort to launch a dozen satellites, is visited by a flying saucer. A misunderstanding leads to the aliens being fired on, and they retaliate by destroying the project site, killing everyone except Dr. Russell Marvin and his wife Carol. The sequence of events quickly spirals out of control and leads to a full scale invasion of Earth. Can Dr. and Mrs. Marvin find a way to stop these creatures, or is it the end of the human race?
The movie was directed by Don Seigel; the cast includes Kevin McCarthy, Dana Wynter, Larry Gates, King Donovan, and Carolyn Jones. It was based on the novel by Jack Finney.
A small-town doctor learns that the population of his community is being replaced by emotionless alien duplicates.
This movie was remade in 1978 by Philip Kaufman, with Donald Sutherland in the lead role.
Walt Disney released the movie 20000 Leagues Under the Sea in 1954. It was directed by Richard Fleischer; the cast includes Kirk Douglas, James Mason, Paul Lucas, and Peter Lorre.
The movie won two Oscars: Best Art Direction-Set Decoration, Color; and Best Effects, Special Effects. It was nominated for Best Film Editing.
A ship sent to investigate a wave of mysterious sinkings encounters the advanced submarine, the Nautilus, commanded by Captain Nemo.
Here's the trailer (scroll down for the full length movie):
A troubled teenager seeks help through hypnotherapy, but his evil doctor uses him for regression experiments that transform him into a rampaging werewolf.
Here's another movie I loved watching on TV as a kid in the 60's and 70's, though we didn't have MST3K (or cable).
The Amazing Colossal Man stars Glenn Langan as Lt. Col. Glenn Manning, who is inadvertently exposed to a plutonium bomb blast at Camp Desert Rock. Though burned over 90% of his body, he survives, and begins to grow in size. As he grows, his heart and circulatory system fail to keep pace with his growth, and he is gradually losing his mind as a result of reduced blood supply to his brain. He reaches 50 feet tall before his growth is stopped. By this time he has become insane, and escapes to wreak havoc upon Las Vegas.
An alien (Klaatu) with his mighty robot (Gort) land their spacecraft on Cold War-era Earth just after the end of World War II. They bring an important message to the planet that Klaatu wishes to tell to representatives of all nations. However, communication turns out to be difficult, so, after learning something about the natives, Klaatu decides on an alternative approach.
Halloween is over (sigh), but here's a little pre-Christmastime tale for you.
Escape's "Back for Christmas" was adapted from the short story of the same name by John Collier. Both Escape and Suspense presented this tale but without the gruesome elements of the original work. The radio dramatizations also added extra scenes to fill the half-hour format.
The story begins in England, inside the house of a professor of botany named Herbert Carpenter. He and his wife, Hermione, are soon to leave for an extended trip to America, where he will be lecturing.
Hermione is a shrew who keeps her husband under her constant control. She has planned every detail of their trip with precision and, to her annoyance, Herbert is not conforming with her plan. Instead, he is wasting time on a botanical project in their cellar. He is also lingering too long at the bookshop to chat with the bookseller, Miss Markham.
Hermione has promised all of their friends that they will be back for Christmas, but if Herbert has his way -- she won't be.
The radioplay performed on Escape had originally aired on Suspense on December 23, 1943. Peter Lorre played the role of the professor and his rendition of the hen-pecked husband gone mad is classic. The name of the actress who played Hermione is not given, but it was probably Jeanette Nolan.
The story was also produced as an episode of Alfred Hitchcock Presents in 1956. You can watch the full episode in a popout window by clicking on the picture below.
Here it is - the movie that's behind the name of this blog, the first horror movie I remember seeing as a kid on TV, the movie featuring Steve McQueen in his first starring role - The Blob!
What would the average sensible American do if he encountered a pulsing ball of protoplasm from outer space? That's right: he'd poke it with a stick. Thus begins the endearingly earnest and silly tale of The Blob.
Young Steve McQueen takes on his first leading role as, um, Steve, a spunky teenager with plenty of heart. Steve sees the blob kill the local doc, but darn it, none of the town's adults will believe him! Yup, it's up to the teens to save the day! Steve and his trusty girlfriend Jane (played by Aneta Corsaut, who was Andy's girl Helen Crump on The Andy Griffith Show) break their curfews(!) and head off into the night to find the Blob and warn the town.
The Blob is a completely enjoyable watch from start to finish, offering the triple pleasures of 1950s morals, gee-whiz acting, and a whole lotta extras running around and screaming. The special effects, though primitive, certainly get the job done, and it is still a treat to watch the Blob ooze its way to its next meal.
You may notice that the theme song is surprisingly bouncy for a horror flick ("Beware of the Blob! It creeps, and leaps, and glides and slides across the floor"). It was written by Hal David's brother, Mack, and a fresh young composer by the name of Burt Bacharach.
I remember watching The Blob, starring Steve McQueen, on TV when I was a kid in the 60's. It was one of the first horror movies I ever saw, and I fell in love with the genre.
Later addendum: The full length movie can be viewed from this post.
BREWERBLOB, posted by Bill Brewer, is a general horror blog containing movie clips and trailers, Friday Night Frights, literature, music, art, and more.
If this is your first time here, please view the introductory post with navigation tips by clicking on the link below.
