MONSTERS! Terror In Black and White (Part One)

CLASSIC SILVER SCREEN MONSTERS ARE ON THE LOOSE IN THIS INSTALLMENT OF “TERROR IN BLACK AND WHITE”

When fans of classic black and white horror films are asked what they love most about the genre, monsters are usually at the top the list. Iconic creatures like Dracula, the Mummy, Frankenstein’s monster and the Wolf Man come to mind immediately. It seems only fitting, then, that this opening installment of TERROR IN BLACK AND WHITE is dedicated to three of our favorite creepy creatures. We’re about to unleash one pissed off alien, an aquatic beastie with a thing for the ladies and the original Bridezilla. Don’t say we didn’t warn you!

THE THING (FROM ANOTHER WORLD)

DIRECTED BY: Christian Nyby SCREENPLAY BY: Charles Lederer (based on the 1938 short story “Who Goes There?” by John W. Campbell, Jr.) STARRING: Kenneth Tobey, Margaret Sheridan, Douglas Spencer, Robert O. Cornthwaite and James Arness ORIGINAL US RELEASE: April 27, 1951 by RKO Radio Pictures.

Something has fallen from the sky and ditched in the vast, frozen wasteland at the North Pole. With the help of dashing US Air Force Captain Patrick Hendry (Tobey) and his fellow crew members, a team of scientists from a nearby research facility ventures out to investigate. At the crash site, it quickly becomes apparent that what they’ve found is not from Earth.

In addition to the wreckage, they locate a second object buried nearby. Upon closer inspection, the men realize they’ve stumbled upon the body of an alien creature thrown from the spacecraft. In the name of scientific discovery, they bring the thing back to their camp, still frozen in a block of ice. Oh yeah, he (or it) is also about eight feet tall. So, our alien “visitor” is really big, stranded on a faraway planet and probably not too happy about it. Boy, would it suck if someone accidentally thawed the ice and revived the monster. Guess what happens next?

There’s a reason THE THING endures as a sci-fi and horror classic: it’s a fantastic film. Beautifully shot and exceptionally well cast, it brought an A-list pedigree to a genre that was awash in low budget cheapies. Unlike many “creature features” of the day, THE THING was made for adults and took a more measured and intelligent approach to post-War paranoia about nuclear war and science run amok. It holds up well to this day and pairs nicely with John Carpenter’s excellent 1982 re-make. CLICK HERE to read more about that film and others in our “Scariest Movie Moments” feature from the RONTHINK archive.

SCREAM SCENE 

• The iconic moment when the team of scientists and Air Force crew members spread out to form the shape of the crashed craft. When they end up in a perfect circle, it’s a chilling and effective visual. 

FREAKY FACTS 

• James Arness was still a relatively unknown bit player when he was cast as the murderous monster from outer space. Less than five years later, he would become a huge star, playing Matt Dillon on GUNSMOKE from 1955 to 1975.
• Though Christian Nyby gets the director’s credit, rumors have swirled for years that it was really Howard Hawks calling the shots. All the classic Hawks touches are certainly there: overlapping rapid-fire dialogue, a strong sense of camaraderie among male characters and the “Hawksian woman.” Margaret Sheridan might be the only female in the cast but she’s no shrieking violet. Pay special attention to her scenes with Tobey; they crackle with a level of overt sexuality that was definitely not the norm for films of the early 1950s.

CLICK HERE to buy THE THING on DVD. As of this writing, there is still no announced date for a Blu-ray release of this title.

CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON (1954)

DIRECTED BY: Jack Arnold SCREENPLAY BY: Harry Essex and Arthur A. Ross STARRING: Richard Carlson, Julia Adams, Richard Denning, Whit Bissell, Antonio Moreno, Nestor Paiva, Ricou Browning (uncredited) and Ben Chapman (uncredited) ORIGINAL US RELEASE: February 12, 1954 by Universal International Pictures.

Deep in the wilds of the Amazon lies the Black Lagoon, a dark and mysterious place from which no visitor has ever returned. What better setting could there be for a horror movie about an ill-fated scientific expedition and a creature that picks off cast members one by one?

In the mid-50s, most big screen beasties were marauders from outer space or the byproduct of something radioactive here on earth. Taking a dramatic detour from the pop-culture paranoia of that period, THE CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON turned to evolution for its title monster. Tacit endorsement of Darwinism and a focus on the science behind the scary stuff made this title a true outlier when it was released. Also unique: humans are the interlopers who draw first blood. This creature is as misunderstood as it is manic.

The Gill Man, as The Creature is more affectionately known, is one of the classic Universal Monsters. While separated by fifteen or more years from titles like DRACULA, FRANKENSTEIN, THE WOLF MAN and THE  MUMMY, this moody and atmospheric film is a genre favorite. CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON might not get the same respect as its creepy compadres, but it remains one of my favorite black and white fright fests.

SCREAM SCENE

• When Kay (Julie Adams) goes for a dip in the Black Lagoon and is totally unaware that she’s not alone. The Creature is swimming underwater just below her and she’s almost within reach of his webbed fingers.

FREAKY FACTS

• The look of the now famous Gill Man costume also marks a sad chapter in cinematic sexism. Though credited to noted make-up artist Bud Westmore (at his insistence), the bulk of the development and design of The Creature was actually the work of former Disney animator Milicent Patrick. Universal publicized Patrick as “The Beauty Who Created the Beast” and sent her on tour to promote THE CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON. That didn’t sit well with Westmore, who went into overdrive trashing Patrick to studio execs. His hissy fit eventually worked and she was sent packing. Westmore successfully swept her contribution to the film under the rug and stole the credit for himself. CLICK HERE for an excellent article on the life and career of the mysterious Milicent Patrick.
• The movie was originally filmed in 3-D but most audiences didn’t get a chance to see it that way. By 1954, 3-D was a fast-fading fad. Like Alfred Hitchcock’s DIAL M FOR MURDER (released the same year), CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON saw its widest distribution in the traditional flat, 2-D format.
• The Creature was actually played by two different actors. Ben Chapman wore the rubber suit on land and Ricou Browning handled things in and under the water. Both actors were not credited on screen for their work in the film.

CLICK HERE to buy CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON on Blu-ray. Both 3-D and 2-D versions of the film are included in this package.

THE BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN (1935)

DIRECTED BY: James Whale SCREENPLAY BY: William Hurlbut (adapted by Hurlbut and John Balderston) STARRING: Elsa Lanchester, Boris Karloff, Colin Clive, Valerie Hobson, Ernest Thesiger, Gavin Gordon, Douglas Walton and Una O’Connor  ORIGINAL US RELEASE: April 22, 1935 by Universal Pictures.

Picture it: England…a long time ago. It’s a dark and stormy night; the perfect setting for a tale of monsters, mayhem and madness. Mary Shelley (Elsa Lanchester) regales Lord Byron (Gavin Gordon) and Percy Shelley (Douglas Walton) with the further tales of Henry Frankenstein (Colin Clive) and his diabolical craft projects. In this chapter: The Monster (Boris Karloff) demands a mate and Dr. Frankenstein delivers.

THE BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN towers above all other classic monster titles from Universal Studios. In fact, the film has transcended the horror genre entirely and is regarded as one of the finest movies of all time by many critics and historians. It is that rare sequel that surpasses the original by just about every measure.

While some ding DRACULA, FRANKENSTEIN and THE MUMMY for slow pacing and dated cinematic style, THE BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN has stood the test of time. The big, iconic set pieces still pack a punch and the campy humor that simmers just below the surface adds a welcome dash of levity to the macabre mise en scène. By any measure, it’s a gorgeous production and director James Whale’s master work.

SCREAM SCENE

• The scene where The Bride (Elsa Lanchester, doing double duty) is brought to life is probably one of the best known in the entirety of the horror genre. When Henry declares his creation alive, the moment is electric (no pun intended). Alas, it is but a fleeting triumph. The Bride rejects the advances of The Monster with a scream that still stings as hard as it did in 1935.

FREAKY FACTS

• Due to the whims of Hayes Code officials here at home and censors in countries around the world, THE BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN was subjected to a host of nips and tucks prior to its release. The biggest offenses were images of overt sensuality, murders deemed too violent for the day and comparisons between the stitch wizardry of Henry Frankenstein and the creative prowess of God.
• James Whale let his gay flag fly in THE BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN. From The Bride’s infamously fabulous shock-do to over-the-top performances by Una O’Connor and Ernest Thesiger, this was as out and about as a movie could get in the otherwise repressive cinematic landscape of the mid-30s. For a more intimate look at the life of James Whale, check out director Bill Condon’s excellent 1998 feature GODS AND MONSTERS starring Ian McKellen (as Whale) and Brendan Fraser.

CLICK HERE to buy THE BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN on Blu-ray.

CLICK HERE for “Murderers! Terror In Black and White (Part Two)”

THE ARCHIVE: SCARIEST MOVIE MOMENTS (PART 2)

CLICK HERE FOR PART 1 OF “THE SCARIEST MOVIE MOMENTS”

CLICK HERE FOR PART 3 OF “THE SCARIEST MOVIE MOMENTS”

Invading aliens, angry monsters, vengeful spirits and nature gone berserk. A chance encounter with any one of these terrors is probably going to ruin an otherwise lovely day. Keep watching the skies as we dive into part two of “Scariest Movie Moments.”

NOTE: This post contains plot details and, in some cases, spoilers. In each installment of this three part series, films are listed alphabetically. Rather than cluttering the post with tons of video players, a link to a clip of each scariest movie moment is included. Some of these clips are particularly graphic. You have been warned.

ALIEN (1979)

SCARIEST MOMENT: DINNER WITH A SIDE OF CHEST BURSTER

When I saw ALIEN back in 1979, I was just shy of my 13th birthday. With my dad in tow (again), we strolled into the movie theatre blithely unaware of what we were about to experience. R-rating aside, there was no internet or social media spoilers in those days. I hadn’t yet read any coverage of the film in Starlog and the now classic trailer deliberately left just about everything to the imagination. That first screening of the Ridley Scott classic scared the bejeezus out of me.

Everything about ALIEN was new and it took audiences completely by surprise. Suddenly, the “lived in look” of outer space (pioneered in STAR WARS) had become a nightmare world. It was gritty, ugly and every character on screen was in a state of constant danger. Scott took all of the trappings of a classic gothic horror movie, dropped them into a far flung corner of the universe and created one of the best science fiction films ever made.

Picking the scariest scene in ALIEN is a tough one. I flirted with that doozy of an ending in the escape shuttle and the intense sequence that ends with the death of Captain Dallas (Tom Skerritt) but settled on the iconic “chest burster” demise of Kane (John Hurt). Out of nowhere, a perfectly mundane crew dinner turns into a blood bath. The scene is brightly lit and there is no music. Didn’t matter. When that metal mouthed nasty tears through Kane’s midsection, I jumped and  lost half a bag of peanut M&Ms. It’s the moment in the film when you know the stakes are real and there is no turning back.

CLICK HERE to watch this scariest moment.

CLICK HERE to purchase the movie from Amazon.

THE BIRDS (1963)

SCARIEST MOMENT: DEAD-EYE DAN

Alfred Hitchcock followed the box-office sensation PSYCHO with THE BIRDS, his last truly great film. It’s as much a traditional horror movie as it as another attempt by Hitchcock to upend a tired genre. He pulls the whole thing off in grand style. THE BIRDS has no traditional musical score and ends on a downbeat, wholly ambiguous note. The entire plot turns on nature run amok but never offers a clear explanation for the full-tilt flip out by anything with feathers and wings.

Even more delicious, just about every one of Hitchcock’s female-focused hang ups is on prominent display. Mommy issues? There’s Lydia (Jessica Tandy), the brittle and clingy mother. Bizarre bias against brunettes? Husky-voiced Annie Hayworth (Suzanne Pleshette) has you covered. Fascination with unattainable, icy blondes? Watch a flock freak out poor Melanie Daniels (Tippi Hedren).

For me, the scariest moment in THE BIRDS is the one that always pops into my head first: the discovery of Dan Fawcett’s body by Lydia. Those brief, jump cut shots of his pecked out eyes stay with you for life. The lack of any musical cues and Tandy’s spot-on reaction of silent shock makes the entire scene viscerally terrifying. It seems almost real…which is exactly as Hitch wanted it.

CLICK HERE to watch this scariest moment.

CLICK HERE to purchase the movie from Amazon.

CLOVERFIELD (2008)

SCARIEST MOMENT: SUBWAY TUNNEL FROM HELL

I love CLOVERFIELD. From the brilliant pre=release marketing to the spectacularly shot production itself, it’s a wild and scary ride that packs a punch. The film breathed much needed creative life into the “found footage” genre; which had been beaten close to death in the years since THE BLAIR WITH PROJECT.

From a production perspective, there are more than a few similarities with THE BIRDS. Because everything we are seeing is supposedly video from a camcorder, there is no traditional musical score. CLOVERFIELD doesn’t have a particularly upbeat ending (one of the final deaths almost took “scariest moment” here) and we are never given a definitive reason for the monster arriving on the scene.. These atypical, non-Hollywood flourishes made the entire film much more effective and frightening.

The scariest moment happens after the huge monster has made its presence known. Four of the main characters are on the run and make the mistake of ducking into a subway station. What follows is a claustrophobic and chaotic trek through darkened tunnels that ends with a terrifying attack by a nasty horde of “parasite” beasties. They are vicious and relentless. When scores of fleeing rats aren’t the problem, you know things are pretty bad. This is also about the time you realize you probably shouldn’t get too attached to anyone on screen.

CLICK HERE to watch this scariest moment.

CLICK HERE to purchase the movie from Amazon.

THE FOG (1980)

SCARIEST MOMENT: LAST VOYAGE OF THE SEAGRASS

My sister and I first saw THE FOG at a drive-in. It was on a double bill with PHANTASM (which will be featured in the final installment of this series). To this day, it remains one of my all-time favorite B-horror films. I also like to pretend the dreadful 2005 re-make was just a bad dream.

High on atmospherics and very low on budget, director John Carpenter still managed to craft a tight little ghost story and stock it full of chills and “bump in the night” jolts. The top-shelf cast includes the first on-screen pairing of mother/daughter Janet Leigh and Jamie Lee Curtis, along with Hal Holbrook, John Houseman, Tom Atkins and (my favorite) Adrienne Barbeau.

THE FOG is set in the quaint seaside hamlet of Antonio Bay on the eve of the town’s centennial celebration. The basic plot involves a group of ticked off ghosts on a mission to avenge their deaths at the hands of six duplicitous town founders. Our first sighting of these spectral sailors happens on board The Seagrass, a small fishing trawler. The three man crew never makes it back to port. They are skewered and gutted in a spooky scene that sets the stage for the action that follows. There’s very little gore in this particular sequence but effective use of sound and lighting make it a scary standout nonetheless.

CLICK HERE to watch this scariest moment.

CLICK HERE to purchase the movie from Amazon.

POLTERGEIST (1982)

SCARIEST MOMENT: TAKEN DOWN BY THE KILLER CLOWN

NO, Steven Spielberg did not direct POLTERGEIST. That urban legend has been laid to rest by Tobe Hooper, the guy who did helm the modern horror classic. You can decide for yourself if you believe there is any truth to the “Poltergeist Curse.” (which I think is a bunch of hooey). None of that matters because this is a damn good fright film and it holds up remarkably well.

Sure, there are scares a plenty and the “…it is The Beast” line (courtesy of Tangina, played to perfection by Zelda Rubenstein) still sends chills down my spine but you can’t talk about POLTERGEIST and not have someone confess to still being creeped out by the infamous clown scene. It plucks just about every childhood nightmare nerve in your body (and any fear of clowns you carry with you into adulthood). The minute you see that evil looking stuffed doll, you know the thing is going to cause problems…you just don’t know when.

CLICK HERE to watch this scariest moment.

CLICK HERE to purchase the movie from Amazon.

THE THING (1982)

SCARIEST MOMENT: REALLY BAD BLOOD

John Carpenter directed this superb remake of an equally fine classic. Both THE THING and THE THING FROM ANOTHER WORLD, the 1951 black and white original directed by Christian Nyby (or Howard Hawks, depending on who you talk to), are based on the novella “Who Goes There?” by John W. Campbell, Jr. Though initially a critical and box office dud, thanks in large part to a bleak ending and the massive attention being heaped on ET: THE EXTRATERRESTRIAL (which had opened two weeks prior), Carpenter’s film became a cult favorite. and has since received a positive reassessment by critics.

While the Nyby/Hawks version is a straightforward “creature on the loose” tale, Carpenter ratchets up the terror (and paranoia) by hewing more closely to the central conceit of the source material: the alien “thing” can assimilate and duplicate any life form it comes in contact with. One by one, the crew of an Arctic expedition becomes monster meat…literally. The groundbreaking, pre-CGI make-up effects were created by a then 23-year-old Rob Bottin. Kids, everything you see on screen was created by hand without the aid of digital pixels.

There’s a ton of over-the-top gore in THE THING but the scene that always gets me is the blood test. Leading the battle for survival is helicopter pilot RJ MacReady (Kurt Russell). After witnessing several spectacular deaths, he reasons correctly that any part of this alien life form will fight back when threatened…even a small blood sample. The scene oozes with  mounting tension, classic misdirection and “holy shit” brutality. For the love of god, MacReady, light that damn flamethrower!

CLICK HERE to watch this scariest moment.

CLICK HERE to purchase the movie from Amazon.

The third and final chapter in this trio of terror is coming soon. While you’re waiting, step into my parlor and allow Mr. Hitchcock to sell you some of his most precious birds.