My take: An interesting spin on the classic ghost story. Worth watching, especially if you like Italian horror.

Rating: 3 out of 4 stars

I’m starting to see why people like Italian horror movies. After having watched Castle of Blood and The Horrible Dr. Hichcock, a pattern is becoming evident. Those Italians pushed some boundaries. I don’t know how they got past the censors with some of these films. The Horrible Dr. Hichcock and Castle of Blood both had elements of necrophilia. Now, with The Whip and the Body, we are getting a sadomasochistic love story. This isn’t something you see everyday.

The Whip and the Body (La frusta e il corpo in the original Italian) stars Christopher Lee as Kurt, an estranged son returned home. He claims to be back to congratulate his brother on his recent marriage. But he has actually returned to reclaim his title, claim his right to inherit his father’s property, and to steal away his brother’s bride, Nevenka.

Kurt and Nevenka making out on the beach in The Whip and the Body.

He manages to get away with the latter in a graphic beach scene between Kurt and Nevenka that involves some whipping and the implication of some very hot sex.  The next morning, a servant finds Nevenka unconscious on the beach, and Kurt is found dead in his room, stabbed.

Nevenka awakes from her unconscious state but slowly begins to believe she is haunted by the ghost of Kurt. She sees him in the shadows of her room, finds footprints leading from the window, and feels the sting of his whip.

I liked this movie for the same reasons I liked The Horrible Dr. Hichcock. The story was unique and contained subject matter than you rarely see in films from this era. Adding sadomasochism to the plot managed to make a basic ghost story feel fresh and interesting.

I’d recommend this movie to fans of Italian horror, Christopher Lee and haunted castle movies.

I ordered a DVD via Amazon, but you can also find the movie online. I could not find a trailer on YouTube in English, but here is one in the original Italian:

My take: This is a truly terrifying tale of a hypnotist with a ventriloquist doll that is more than it seems.

Rating: 3 out of 4 stars

Horror stories have helped to develop in me an innate fear of dolls. Child’s Play, Annabelle, that one Twilight Zone episode are just a few that come to mind. This movie was similarly terrifying and did not help me with my fear.

The story is about a reporter who is investigating a new act in town, the Great Vorelli. Vorelli is a hypnotist and ventriloquist who is able to make his doll do things no other doll can do. The doll can talk while Vorelli eats and drinks. He can also walk to the edge of the stage on his own, without strings.

Poster for Devil Doll from 1964.

The effect is frightening and mesmerizing to the audience, but the reporter wants to know how it works. He ends up unraveling the strange history or Vorelli and the doll’s nefarious origins.

The story was unique but easy to follow, Vorelli was fascinating to watch, and the doll was downright creepy. All of these elements made for a solid scary-doll picture, and one that I plan to add to my line-up of favorite classic horror.

I recommend this one to fans of classic horror and those who enjoy scary movies about dolls.

I got the movie on DVD from Netflix, but you can also find it online. Here’s the trailer:

My take: Can’t go wrong with three Poe-inspired tales that all have Vincent Price in them.

Rating: 3 out of 4 stars

Let me just be clear: I love me some Vincent Price. If his name is associated with a horror film, I am pretty much guaranteed to enjoy it on some level. Just the sound of his voice sets the mood for a creepy tale.

I did not read the summary of Tales of Terror before I hit play. As a result, I screamed like a school girl when I heard Vincent Price’s voice narrating the start of the movie. And he stuck around through all three stories in this feature.

In the first story, he plays a hermit widower whose estranged daughter returns home. He always blamed his daughter for the wife’s demise, but he quickly learns that his wife’s death was not as simple as he believed.

In the second story, Vincent plays a celebrated wine taster opposite Peter Lorre (Mad Love and The Maltese Falcon). Peter Lorre’s character is an alcoholic, and Vincent Price’s character takes advantage of his drunkenness by having an affair with his wife. But the alcoholic is more devious than he seems.

Vincent Price playing a famous wine taster and philanderer in The Black Cat, the second tale in Tales of Terror.

In the third story, Vincent plays a man on his death-bed, who uses a hypnotist, played by Basil Rathbone, to alleviate his pain. But the hypnotist takes a cruel pleasure in controlling Vincent’s character’s mind.

Each story on its own would not be enough for a feature-length film. But the short stories work well together. Their short length helps you quickly get over any plot holes or other annoyances. And the all-star cast makes it a fun movie to watch.

I would recommend this movie to fans of Poe, Vincent Price and classic gothic horror.

I got the movie on a disc from Netflix. Here’s the trailer that I found on YouTube:

My take: There aren’t as many brides as I was expecting, given the title, but it is still a good follow-up to the Horror of Dracula.

Rating: 2.5 out of 4 stars

The same year that Hitchcock was releasing his movie Psycho, Hammer Films released Brides of Dracula. It’s a natural followup to the success of their version of Dracula from two years earlier.

This movie follows a young woman named Marianne, who is traveling through the countryside on her way to a new job. Her driver ditches her in a small village, where the townsfolk are all spooked and scared for her. Before they can convince her to leave, the Baroness from the nearby castle whisks her way into the scene and invites naive Marianne to stay with her until morning.

I am starting to believe that Peter Cushing is utterly badass. He makes a good Van Helsing.

Of course, Marianne does not know what horrors lie at the castle. The baroness has her vampire locked up in his rooms and she brings young, unsuspecting girls so he can feed. But what happens when Marianne releases the captive vampire? Trouble. Lots of trouble.

From the title, I had expected many busty young brides all over the film drinking the blood of men. The film went an entirely different direction, however. And it was not an entirely bad direction.

Peter Cushing ties this movie to it’s predecessor by reprising his role as Van Helsing.  Coupled with the unique story and lush gothic set design, the film is a fun followup to Hammer’s Dracula. I would recommend this to people who enjoy a solid, old-school vampire film, Hammer films and classic horror.

I ordered a copy of the movie from Amazon on DVD. Here is the original trailer:

My take: This is a masterpiece of suspense and horror. If you have not seen it, I am utterly jealous of you because I would pay good money to watch it again for the first time.

Rating: 4 out of 4 stars

I remember the first time I saw this movie. I was in high school and my mom did a terrific job setting it up. She didn’t tell me anything about it other than to say, “You have to remember that Janet Leigh was a star. Everyone was going to the film to see her.”

With that in mind, I hit play and was utterly floored at how quickly things progressed. Just in case there are those of you who have not seen it, I do not want to ruin the fun too much.

The story basically involves a young woman (played by that infamous Janet Leigh) who is in love with a man who cannot afford to marry her. When $40,000 in cash falls into her lap at work, she grabs the opportunity and takes it. She drives quickly toward her beau, fearful of the police coming after her.

Poster for Psycho

But the drive is long, and when she becomes lost in a storm she is forced to spend the night at a motel run by Norman Bates…

I’ll leave it at that. But I can tell you that the movie is good enough to have spawned 4 sequels, one remake, and a television show (Bates Motel). I would recommend this movie to darn near anyone. I don’t think you even have to be a fan of horror to appreciate Hitchcock’s mastery of suspense.

Even this trailer for Psycho is excellent and shows the man himself giving you a private tour of the set: