jaragon Posted September 11, 2016 Share Posted September 11, 2016 I just saw "Dracula Prince of Darkness" which stand up pretty well and Christopher Lee is Dracula. I wonder why Hammer never did one of those Universal style monster meet ups like " House of Dracula" Link to post Share on other sites
LawrenceA Posted September 11, 2016 Share Posted September 11, 2016 Hammer probably felt they were "above" such silly shenanigans. The later Universal movies were considered by many critics as goofy and disrespectful to the originals. Which is nonsense, imo. Also, would Christopher Lee play Dracula and Frank's Monster and the Mummy? Link to post Share on other sites
Swithin Posted September 11, 2016 Share Posted September 11, 2016 Hammer probably felt they were "above" such silly shenanigans. The later Universal movies were considered by many critics as goofy and disrespectful to the originals. Which is nonsense, imo. Also, would Christopher Lee play Dracula and Frank's Monster and the Mummy? I agree with you about the later Universals -- I like them very much. I think I probably disagree with you about the Hammer remakes of Universal monsters, though. I'm not a huge fan. I do remember liking The Scars of Dracula very much (which is never shown when TCM inundates us with Hammer films). In looking at the credits for Scars, I wonder if I prefer it because it was directed by Roy Ward Baker, whose color work I find preferable to Terence Fisher's. I do like some of Fisher's earlier work, from the non-horror Wicked Lady to Hammer's Curse of the Werewolf. And I do like this Hammer lady (as I've said often): 1 Link to post Share on other sites
LawrenceA Posted September 11, 2016 Share Posted September 11, 2016 I really like Curse of Frankenstein and Horror of Dracula and The Mummy, but the sequels got increasingly worse. Peter Cushing was always a dependable presence, and he could make the silliest scripted dialogue sound important. The main issue with the Hammer films for the longest time was that they tended to be so serious, which could be interesting at first, but gets tedious when the scripts aren't up to par. Other Hammer's that I like are The Curse of the Werewolf, The Reptile, Plague of the Zombies, The Devil Rides Out (I'm honestly surprised you didn't like that one, Swithin), Kiss of the Vampire, The Brides of Dracula, The Gorgon, The Vampire Lovers, Countess Dracula, and Captain Kronos - Vampire Hunter. Link to post Share on other sites
TopBilled Posted September 11, 2016 Share Posted September 11, 2016 I do remember liking The Scars of Dracula very much (which is never shown when TCM inundates us with Hammer films). THE SCARS OF DRACULA is airing on October 24th: http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/89215/The-Scars-of-Dracula/ Link to post Share on other sites
Swithin Posted September 11, 2016 Share Posted September 11, 2016 I really like Curse of Frankenstein and Horror of Dracula and The Mummy, but the sequels got increasingly worse. Peter Cushing was always a dependable presence, and he could make the silliest scripted dialogue sound important. The main issue with the Hammer films for the longest time was that they tended to be so serious, which could be interesting at first, but gets tedious when the scripts aren't up to par. Other Hammer's that I like are The Curse of the Werewolf, The Reptile, Plague of the Zombies, The Devil Rides Out (I'm honestly surprised you didn't like that one, Swithin), Kiss of the Vampire, The Brides of Dracula, The Gorgon, The Vampire Lovers, Countess Dracula, and Captain Kronos - Vampire Hunter. It's funny that you said you were surprised that I didn't like The Devil Rides Out because I didn't say that. But I actually wasn't crazy about it (I didn't dislike any of the Hammers; I just didn't like them very much). Shortly after I got a PAL VCR many years ago, I was excited to find a video of The Devil Rides Out in London. I didn't know the film, and what I read about it made it sound great -- but it didn't grab me. I was, however, surprised to see the great classical actress Gwen Ffrangcon-Davies, nearly 80 at the time, cavorting around half dressed! Ffrangcon-Davies was Juliet to Gielgud's Romeo in 1924. She was London's premiere Mary Tyrone in 1958. I do remember liking Countess Dracula. Link to post Share on other sites
Swithin Posted September 11, 2016 Share Posted September 11, 2016 THE SCARS OF DRACULA is airing on October 24th: Thank you, TB! I have to take a close look at the October schedule. Just checked quickly -- I see that great horror classic, North by Northwest is on. 1 Link to post Share on other sites
Swithin Posted September 12, 2016 Share Posted September 12, 2016 Btw, I am a fan of Dr. Jekyll and Sister Hyde. Link to post Share on other sites
TopBilled Posted September 12, 2016 Share Posted September 12, 2016 Thank you, TB! I have to take a close look at the October schedule. Just checked quickly -- I see that great horror classic, North by Northwest is on. LOL...yes. I'd expect PSYCHO to air in October instead of NORTH BY NORTHWEST. Or THE BIRDS. 1 Link to post Share on other sites
LawrenceA Posted September 12, 2016 Share Posted September 12, 2016 It's funny that you said you were surprised that I didn't like The Devil Rides Out because I didn't say that. I wasn't trying to put words in your mouth, I thought you had listed the ones that you liked in your previous post. Forgive my unconscionable presumption. Link to post Share on other sites
Swithin Posted September 12, 2016 Share Posted September 12, 2016 I wasn't trying to put words in your mouth, I thought you had listed the ones that you liked in your previous post. Forgive my unconscionable presumption. You read my mind -- that amused me. I meant to say something about that film, and my thoughts were transmitted all the way down the East Coast! Link to post Share on other sites
jaragon Posted September 12, 2016 Author Share Posted September 12, 2016 Cushing usually played Van Helsing to Lee's Dracula-perhaps Hammer thought the audience might be confused if the saw Cushing as Frankenstein in a Dracula movie. Link to post Share on other sites
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now