Boo (1932)

 3.5 / 5  Jun '11 
Tagline:  N/A
Directed by:  Albert DeMond
Written by:  Albert DeMond
Actors include:  Morton Lowry
Genre:  Horror, Comedy, Short
Length:  10 minutes
Banned:  Nope





 
Review:
This is a rather cute little mash up of the current films that were popular at the time.  Expect scenes from Frankenstein, Nosferatu, and intriguingly the only surviving footage from a lost film called The Cat Creeps (okay well the sound reels only exist at this point).  Over top of the remix we have a narrator mocking the scenarios and throwing out cheap jokes (most of which work, some of which don't).  It's as cheesy as they come, but luckily I have an healthy appreciation for cheese.  It weighs in at around ten minutes which is perfect because it starts to run out of steam towards the end.  Still worthy of a gander for genre fan, thanks so much to my pal Happywax (Doomgoryums Horror Emporium) for mentioning this one to me!

 Availability:  I don't believe it's on DVD but watch it here:

The Most Dangerous Game (1932)

5 / 5 Feb '10
Tagline: N/A
Directed by: Irving Pichel, Ernest B. Schoedsack
Written by: James Ashmore Creelman, Richard Connell
Actors include: Joel McCrea, Fay Wray, Leslie Banks
Genre: Adventure, Thriller, Horror,
Length: 63 minutes
Banned: Finland

Review:
This truly was an experience one won't soon forget, it's filled with excitement, danger and it has one heck of a story! The really amazing thing is that the film is just over an hour long and it was from 1932...it's pretty evil considering. After a boat capsizes a man swims to safety who just happens to be a big game hunter (his companions were mainly eaten by sharks). He ends up on this deserted island well deserted except for the large castle of Count Zaroff...another hunter who has found a new game he loves to hunt. Also involved here are two others who were shipwrecked their earlier including the charming Fay Wray and her brother. It seems that when folks are shown the Count's trophy room they never seem to come back! This really has just about everything in it and never a dull moment to be had.  Highly recommended for anyone, one heck of a high quality flick that is easy to love and has most definitely been highly influential to many.

Availability:  On DVD

Vampyr - Der Traum Des Allan Grey (1932) aka Vampyr aka Adventures of David Gray aka Castle Of Doom aka Not Against Flesh aka The Strange Adventure of David Gray aka The Vampire aka Adventures of David Gray aka Vampyr, ou L'etrange Aventure De David Gray

4 / 5 Jan '10
Tagline: N/A
Directed by: Carl Theodor Dreyer
Written by: Sheridan Le Fanu, Christen Jul
Actors include: Julian West, Maurice Schutz, Rena Mandel
Genre: Horror, Fantasy
Length: 75 minutes
Banned: Nope

Review:
This is a rather slow and atmospheric film that has many creepy images. Such care seems to have been put into the shadows, scenery and overall detail of the film which I think is what makes it so special. The actual plot is a bit muddled (or I'm a bit stupid, take your pick), but always there is something to appreciate, somewhat surreal I guess. The story (I think) is about a young man who goes to a castle and starts seeing things...scary and strange things. He starts to believe that he's being called to rescue a girl, but whom and why and where? We are made aware that our lead character was often having delusions so it's hard (or at least I found it so) to judge reality from dream. It definitely has some shocking things in the film considering that it was released in 1932 which I applaud. It does also have a whole bunch of reading to do and if you know anything about the legend of Vampires most of it will be redundant (and why do they give you so much time with each page to read...I could have read each 10 times over). It does have a few odd twists on the tale that I'd not heard before which I found interesting. For the most part though I think those interested in art and the history of vampire lore may get more out of this than some, but maybe I'm wrong.

Availability:  On DVD