More Early Horror!
By
Kristin Battestella
Not
everyone may like the dated production values and low video qualities of film’s
earliest efforts. Nevertheless, here’s a quartet of fun, moody, scary, and
atmospheric old tales for fans of classic movie macabre.
Frankenstein – Wow! It’s easy to find time for this rediscovered
13 minutes from Thomas Edison Studios just for the 1910 novelty alone. Of
course, the print looks poorly, but numerous editions are available now and
it’s fascinating this holds up so well. Though the credit admits to being a
very loose Shelley adaptation, the new inter titles help clarify the tale and
the expected, overdone acting. There are both black and white and sepia or
other colored plates, too, and the wonderful period to us design and styles
simply cannot be done today. Great music accompanies the touch of scares and
the fantastical, fiery monster creation, too. The effects and monster design
may seem primitive today, but they are actually pretty well done, even
frightful despite the short run time. This one’s perfect for a creepy viewing
party or macabre book discussion night.
The
Rogues Tavern – The introductory
music is somewhat whimsical to start this 1936 hour plus, and the dated,
simplistic dialogue, lame humor, and weak investigation will be too old
fashioned for some. The video quality is a little poor, too, but interesting
panning and dolly camera work and lots of silence add to what is perhaps an
obvious or Scooby Doo-ish, old hat premise. The cast of characters trapped in
this isolated hotel seem stereotypically familiar- the fool, the detective
couple, the creepy old couple, the creepy psychic lady, a man in a wheelchair,
a loudmouth with a gun, and an implicated wolf dog. There is some good spin,
however, and the early thirties dressings, cool looking staircase, and gothic
touches accentuate the murderous screams. Charming ala Clue, the good deaths, tension, and mystery are well paced and
entertaining for the duration.
Svengali – John Barrymore (Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde) gives a wonderfully disturbing performance
as the eponymous hypnotist in this 1931 gothic drama based upon the book Trilby by George du Maurier. The look
foul Rasputin-esque makeup is very effective, and the creepy eye effects are
damn near diabolical. The look matches his greedy intentions and the
seductively so wrong, suggestive dialogue as sympathy builds for the cute
Marian Marsh (The Black Room). No way
would anybody today send his or her daughter to this piano teacher! Perhaps it’s
too long at 80 minutes and slightly slow when Barrymore is off screen for the
standard young love plot, but great zooms, camera work, angles, and shadows keep
the pace ghoulish. Fine costumes, décor, a black cat, and French elegance tie
it all together as we are tricked into thinking we see more of this pre-code
scandal than we actually do. Although some of the singing may be shrill and the
acting or humor dated, the music is delightful and this adaptation remains spine
chilling.
Torture
Ship – This 1939 hour suggested
from Jack London and directed by Victor Halpern (White Zombie) has a lot of tough to understand colloquialisms and dialogue.
It’s slow to start and a little confusing for such a short piece. The subject
matter is also simplistic and not very psychologically deep, and one can’t
expect much gore or debauchery from the crooks and titular experiments, either.
Fortunately, the mood and creepy are definitely here, with boating sets and
nautical touches to keep things interesting. The dark print is tough, granted, but
the lighting and shadows are excellent accents to the sinister medical
equipment and overboard deaths. Perhaps this one isn’t totally scary, but the
atmosphere is twisted, the science is awry, and the fun is quite bizarre.
Conveniently,
these particular titles are also all in the public domain and available at
varying sources online or streaming. So, there’s no excuse in getting your
frightful early film feet wet!
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