Tuesday Terror – Curse of Frankenstein

Curse of Frankenstein (1957)
I’ve harmed nobody, just robbed a few graves!

curse 3 — Curse of Frankstein ©Hammer Film Productions

Hammer Film’s first incursion into the Frankenstein mythos, Curse of Frankenstein, spawned several sequels, all of them starring soon-to-be horror icon Peter Cushing as Victor Frankenstein. Directed by Terence Fisher, in what would be the first of many films that Fisher would make for Hammer Films, the film also starred a young Christopher Lee, playing the Monster, before he would go on to don Dracula’s cape for the next three decades.

Universal Films fought vehemently to protect their own Frankenstein film and its rights, which reflected heavily on many decisions Hammer made during filming. Make-up artist Phil Leaky created a brand-new look for the monster, and several key scenes from the novel were cut due to a limited budget. Despite its limitations, Curse of Frankenstein impressed many with its art direction, costuming, camera work, and the stellar cast, which also included English actor Hazel Court, (just starting out in her lengthy career as a horror queen), and Scottish stage and TV actor Robert Urquhart.

©Hammer Film Productions

This story revolves around Frankenstein himself, rather than his creature, choosing to show the Baron as a more ambitious, egotistical and ruthless man; at the start of the story, he awaits execution for several murders. Hammer’s version of Dr. Frankenstein is a villainous man, willing to commit crimes, set up a man’s accidental death, aka murder, to obtain the parts he needs to create his creature, and even use the poor creature to kill opponents standing in the way of greatness. Since, the brain was damaged, it becomes apparent quickly that the monster has little intelligence and is too far too violent to control, thus, Frankenstein is forced to destroy his greatest creation. With the evidence gone, fate comes down to his younger associate Dr. Paul Krempe, the only witness to the experiments.

Colin Clive may have had the most memorable line in horror history, but it was Peter Cushing who was highly praised for the truly unforgettable performance of Victor Frankenstein, for fleshing out the character that audiences deemed charming and intriguing, in spite of his villainy. It was Cushing that helped inspire the mad scientist archetype and motivated Hammer to continue his story all the way into the 70s.

Curse of Frankenstein was Hammer’s first color film and considered by many to be the first truly gory film. The deep red blood and guts appeared gorier on screen than any other horror film of its time, causing a bit of uproar and scathing reviews. It even received an X rating for a time, when it opened at the London Pavilion in 1957. Despite receiving the lukewarm reviews from critics, audiences seemed to really like the film, grossing nearly $8 million, thus, putting Hammer Films squarely on the map.

curseoffrankensteinposter — Curse of Frankstein ©Hammer Film Productions

Haiku of the Week

broken stone
a lover, taken too soon
empty grave

Poe Sundays

The Sleeper
by Edgar Allan Poe
(published 1831)

At midnight, in the month of June,
I stand beneath the mystic moon.
An opiate vapor, dewy, dim,
Exhales from out her golden rim,
And, softly dripping, drop by drop,
Upon the quiet mountain top,
Steals drowsily and musically
Into the universal valley.
The rosemary nods upon the grave;
The lily lolls upon the wave;
Wrapping the fog about its breast,
The ruin molders into rest;
Looking like Lethe, see! the lake
A conscious slumber seems to take,
And would not, for the world, awake.
All Beauty sleeps!- and lo! where lies
Irene, with her Destinies!

O, lady bright! can it be right-
This window open to the night?
The wanton airs, from the tree-top,
Laughingly through the lattice drop-
The bodiless airs, a wizard rout,
Flit through thy chamber in and out,
And wave the curtain canopy
So fitfully- so fearfully-
Above the closed and fringed lid
‘Neath which thy slumb’ring soul lies hid,
That, o’er the floor and down the wall,
Like ghosts the shadows rise and fall!
Oh, lady dear, hast thou no fear?
Why and what art thou dreaming here?
Sure thou art come O’er far-off seas,
A wonder to these garden trees!
Strange is thy pallor! strange thy dress,
Strange, above all, thy length of tress,
And this all solemn silentness!

The lady sleeps! Oh, may her sleep,
Which is enduring, so be deep!
Heaven have her in its sacred keep!
This chamber changed for one more holy,
This bed for one more melancholy,
I pray to God that she may lie
For ever with unopened eye,
While the pale sheeted ghosts go by!

My love, she sleeps! Oh, may her sleep
As it is lasting, so be deep!
Soft may the worms about her creep!
Far in the forest, dim and old,
For her may some tall vault unfold-
Some vault that oft has flung its black
And winged panels fluttering back,
Triumphant, o’er the crested palls,
Of her grand family funerals-

Some sepulchre, remote, alone,
Against whose portal she hath thrown,
In childhood, many an idle stone-
Some tomb from out whose sounding door
She ne’er shall force an echo more,
Thrilling to think, poor child of sin!
It was the dead who groaned within.

Sinister Saturdays – Vampire Chocolate Mousse Parfait

Vampires. Creatures of the night. Tortured souls doomed to walk the earth for eternity. No other archetype in horror has captured our fantasy like the powerful vampire, with that insatiable hunger that drives the frenzied brain in search of prey. From the dark corners of alleys, all the way to highest chambers of royal castles, bloodlust is their curse, and to that, I say… too bad, so sad, more chocolate for us!

The mighty hunter, the Vintage Kitchen Chef has created a decadent dessert worthy of eternal worship, Vampire Chocolate Mousse Parfaits.

Vampire-Chcoclate.jmousse1 — Photos ©The Vintage Kitchen

Ingredients:

For The Mousse:

4 oz Chocolate Baking Bar, White Chocolate; broken into pieces (or any high quality white baking chocolate)
4 oz. Chocolate Baking Bar, Semi-Sweet Chocolate; broken into pieces (or any high quality semi-sweet baking chocolate)
1 1/3 cup heavy cream
2 eggs, separated
Black food coloring
Wilton rose icing decorations; optional

For The Edible Blood:

1/2 cup light corn syrup
1 Tablespoon cornstarch
1-2 Tablespoons chocolate syrup
1 tsp. cocoa
Red food coloring

For full recipe and instructions, please go here:
https://www.thevintagekitchenchef.com/vampire-chocolate-mousse-parfaits/

Photos ©The Vintage Kitchen

Like a stake through the heart, this recipe might be the death of you. But, that’s okay, because you’ll have a smile on your face when you go.

Friday Fright Nightcaps – The Walking Dead Cocktail

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, The Walking Dead returned this past week for its tenth season. The Walking Dead comics, once considered too complicated for mainstream television, now inspire pop culture in ways, we haven’t seen since the Romero’s horror hit masterpiece, Night of the Living Dead.

Last season divided fans, but with a new spin-off show in the works, in addition to the already popular, Fear the Walking Dead, there’s no denying that we like zombie TV. So, grab your cocktail shaker and let’s celebrate with Kat Balog’s crazy take on an old classic cocktail, The Walking Dead Cocktail.

walking-dead-zombie-cocktail- — Photo ©Kat Balog

Ingredients:

1-1/2 oz vodka
1 oz Kahlua
2 oz cream
1 tbsp caramel topping
1 tbsp. fudge topping
Ice

Blood:
– 3 tbsp Simple syrup
– 2 drops Red food coloring

For mixing instructions, please go here: https://katbalogger.com/the-walking-dead-zombie-cocktail

Vintage Halloween Collectibles Wish List

Do you love Halloween Memorabilia? Do you wish all the money in the world belonged to you so you could buy Halloween collectibles? Join the club!

I adore the vintage Halloween style. I especially love old Halloween antiques, but true Halloween collectibles are pricey, leaving many of us out in the cold. Interest in Halloween yesteryears has spawned a growing sidearm in the Halloween retail industry, replica vintage Halloween décor. Beistle Company, which started out in 1900 making paper products, was one of the very first companies to make Halloween decorations and party goods. Today, they make replica items of their very own designs! Pretty genius.

There is one downside however, and that’s if you’re a serious collector who wants real vintage merchandise, you might have a tougher time finding authentic vintage memorabilia. Those who wish to get into collecting vintage Halloween items, you need to do your homework. Learn the business, the items, the creators, the prices, even the people who deal in collectible market. Many of them are quite nice and always willing to answer questions or help out with their vast knowledge of Halloween history.

There are tons of guides out there. Two of my favorite comprehensive guides are Vintage Halloween Collectibles, 3^rd Edition by Mark B. Ledenbach, and the newly published, Vintage Hallowe’en: Tricks, Treats & Traditions authored and created Robert S. Pandis and Heidi Pandis.

Halloween Collectibles, 3rd Edition-Mark B. Ledenbach

Vintage Hallowe’en: Tricks, Treats & Traditions-Robert S. and Heidi Pandis

Everyone has different preferences in the type of Halloween collectibles, they’d like to own. Below is my own personal wish list. Feel free to chime in on the comments below or hit me up on Twitter and Instagram and let me know what’s on your list.

Vintage Postcards, 1910s
($5-$100) **

Vintage postcards and other ephemera can be found at paper shows and antique shops. Prices vary based on condition and rarity of the piece.

Beistle Embossed Die Cut – Black Cats and Moon,
($20-$100) **

Authentic Halloween Die Cuts are usually thick cardboard and embossed, always check the back. Prices vary based on condition and rarity of the piece.

Gurley Novelty Co. Halloween Candles, 1950s
($15-$80) **

I posted a pic on Instagram on October 8, 2019 that shows the solo black cat below, but in really bad shape. I’d love to get another one and more like it.

Dennison’s Bogie Book, 1920
($30-$150) **

This is a pic of the original Hallowe’en, Harvest and Thanksgiving party planning guide. There are many Bogie Books from Dennison’s floating around. The 1920 version is supposedly in public domain, which means anyone can copy, reprint and sell them. If you just want the information, cool, but understand, you’re not buying an antique. I’ve seen authentic originals sell upwards of $150.

Anton Reiche Dresden Witch or Pumpkin Chocolate Molds, 1930s
($25-$350) **

If you’re a chocolate lover, you might enjoy checking out this history of chocolate molds from Germany, at http://www.chocolatemoldsmuseum.com/history/chocolate-molds/ Friedrich Anton Reiche from Dresden made lots of chocolate molds for several holidays, including these two below for Halloween.

Rosbro Halloween Snowman Candy Container, 1950s
($75-$250) **

There are hundreds of collectible Halloween candy containers from either Rosen/Rosbro or Kokomold to search out if you’re looking to get into collecting those (I hear the Kokomold witch rocket on wheels are extremely rare and valuable), but I particularly adore these Halloween Snowmen.

Vintage Horror Movie Posters, 1930s
($1500-$435,500) **

According to this Guardian article from 2012, The Mummy film poster from 1932 comes in as the second most expensive film poster of all-time, behind the Sci-fi thriller, Metropolis from 1927, which recently auctioned off for $1.2 million, along with other memorabilia in a bankruptcy deal.

**All prices are only estimates from the lowest to highest auctions that I’ve seen.

Wicked Art Wednesdays – Drew Rausch

Artist and comic creator Drew Rausch is our go-to guy for all things spooky AND weird. I’ve had the pleasure of meeting him a couple of times at horror shows and in addition to being uber-talented and crazy busy, he’s super nice and funny. Drew is co-creator of the webcomic My Blacks don’t match, with Jocelyn Gajeway, Eldritch! with Aaron Alexovich, and the subculture comic Sullengray, also co-written with Jocelyn Gajeway. His work can be seen in Boom Studios’ Cthulhu and Zombie Tales, SLG’s Haunted Mansion, IDW’s Edwards Scissorhands, and many more.

DrewRausch CampfireGhostStory — ©Drew Rausch

Artist: Drew Rausch
Where to Purchase Goods: Online store, Comic and horror conventions, gallery shows, and special events
Website: https://drewrausch.com or https://drewrausch.bigcartel.com/
Social Media: https://www.instagram.com/drewrausch

Why we love them: Based on my few convos with him, Drew is just like any of us, a big ‘ole Halloweenophile, comics fan, music lover, classic horror movie buff and lover of all things spooky and weird. Whether he’s drawing webcomics or creating cool pins of offbeat characters he’s dreamt up, one can clearly see the influences of comics, monsters, and classic horror movies in his artwork. Plus, he still takes commissions from time to time, when he’s not busy (which is almost never, so be patient, but his art is totally worth the wait.)

©Drew Rausch

Tuesday Terror – The Black Cat

The Black Cat (1932)
“Did you ever hear of Satanism, the worship of the devil, of evil?”

theblackcat6

Today’s black and white classic is the horror-thriller The Black Cat from Universal Pictures. Horror icons Bela Lugosi and Boris Karloff square off for the first time in a movie about a traumatized doctor with a cat phobia named Werdegast and an American newlywed couple, who seek medical aid at the home of the doctor’s nemesis, Hjalmar Poelzig, the dark high priest of a devil-worshipping cult. The doctor’s original plans of revenge on Poelzig are changed when it is revealed the priest plans to sacrifice the young bride at the dark of the moon.

the black cat2

Produced by Carl Laemmle, Jr., the young studio head believed in director Edgar G. Ulmer’s vision enough so the man had free rein over the pic. Although presumed to be loosely based on the story by Edgar Allan Poe, there are not too many similarities here. It’s a bit strange really because the movie is good enough to stand on its own merits. This perhaps one of my favorite classic films. The story is excellent, with strong performances from the entire cast. David Manners and Julie Bishop pile on the melodrama with their romance, which is now part of the charm in some of these old films, but let’s be honest, they weren’t who we’re here to see anyway. Lugosi playing the tortured Werdegast against Karloff’s evil Poelzig in a battle for screen supremacy is one of the best horror face-offs ever found in horror. I’d say Lugosi is the clear winner, due to a more fully fleshed-out character and more dialogue to offer, but Karloff does manage to say quite a lot with just a creepy stare. Madness and secret motivations are the whole reason why this film is so scary. Clearly, something evil has hold of these men.

the black cat1

The film escaped the Pre-code guidelines but Ulmer’s first cut of the film, which included several scenes of satanic worship and skinning alive of Herr Poelzig, was deemed too dark and violent for the Laemmles (father and son). Between that and Bela Lugosi’s complaints that he appeared to be too villainous, Ulmer reshot several scenes, downplaying the gruesome last scene, and added some sprinkling of humanity in the tragic Dr. Werdegast. In a touch of irony, while cleaning up the film’s ending, Ulmer snuck in some extra shots of Poelzig’s necrophilic menagerie. Already heavy with a dark look and satanic theme, studio execs managed to miss The Black’s Cat’s seriously taboo subject matter, or perhaps they ignored it.

theblackcat5

The eerie movie score runs 80 minutes contains many classical selections, including the Toccata and Fugue in D Minor, only the second time a horror film featured the now cliched song. The set of Poelzig’s mansion is considered somewhat of a masterpiece in the industry, part art deco, part haunted house. In contrast to The Old Dark House, this film is well-lit, casting defined shadows in a way that you’re unsure if you’re watching a horror film at all.

theblackcat2

The Black Cat is considered to be the first movie to use psychological horror, capitalizing on public interest in psychiatry at that time. Despite the audience’s distaste for the dark subject matter, it was the biggest box office hit for Universal that year, due in part to the popularity of its stars. What didn’t work then is exactly why it works now. The Black Cat is creepy, scary, and a masterclass in great classic horror.

Haiku of the Week – Inspired by The Black Cat

screeching cat
death is no cure for madness
mourning

Poe_black_cat_byam_shaw — The Black Cat ©Byam Shaw

Poe Sundays

ALONE
by EDGAR ALLAN POE

From childhood’s hour I have not been
As others were; I have not seen
As others saw; I could not bring
My passions from a common spring.
From the same source I have not taken
My sorrow; I could not awaken
My heart to joy at the same tone;
And all I loved, I loved alone.
Then — in my childhood, in the dawn
Of a most stormy life — was drawn
From every depth of good and ill
The mystery which binds me still:
From the torrent, or the fountain,
From the red cliff of the mountain,
From the sun that round me rolled
In its autumn tint of gold,
From the lightning in the sky
As it passed me flying by,
From the thunder and the storm,
And the cloud that took the form
(When the rest of Heaven was blue)
Of a demon in my view.