The Hands of Orlac

Director - Edmond T. Greville (Temptation, House on the WaterFront)

Starring - Mel Ferrer (Nightmare City, Eaten Alive!), Christopher Lee (Sleepy Hollow, Howling II... Your Sister is a Werewolf), and Dany Carrel (Inferno, The Chaser)

Release Date - 1960

Genre - Horror

Tagline - "The frightening nightmare of a man who finds himself with hands which he can't control"

Format - Bluray (Personal Collection) (Screener)

Rating (out of 5):

     I've been lucky enough to review several Christopher Lee movies over the years.  Most were horror tales but a few, like the previous film Beat Girl, are not from my beloved genre.  Lee will always be remembered for his long and varied career but horror fans will always be grateful for his contributions to the genre.  Many genre fans, myself included, hail Lee for his performances in the many Hammer horror films.  His performance as Dracula and many other characters for Hammer horror is legendary by any standards.  As I started down the list for the new Eurocrypt of Christopher Lee Collection 3 I noticed a movie that I was very unfamiliar of.  When I was in high school I went through a period where I was obsessed with silent cinema.  It was during this time that I watched The Hands of Orlac which was a classic from it's time.  However, this set just happened to contain a movie by the same name.  This was a huge surprise to me because I had no idea that it was remade in 1960.  I was really excited to see this one and couldn't wait to hit play on it.  

     The film follows a world famous pianist who finds himself in a life threatening accident where his hands are severely burned.  His hands start to heal after the accident but he is unable to play to the degree that he was able to before the accident.  To make matters worse, he learns that his hands were actually transplanted to him and once belonged to a murderer.  Now his hands are taking on a life of their own and want to murder everyone around him.

     I went into The Hands of Orlac not knowing what to expect.  It had been damn near 20 years ago that I had seen the original film and did not remember a lot about it but I was excited to see this early 60s horror title that featured the legendary Lee.  The acting in this one is great.  I absolutely loved Lee's character in the film.  It was as if he was written for Lee specifically.  His larger than life performance was great but was overshadowed by the film's star, Mel Ferrer.  Ferrer made the film for me.  His performance is pretty fucking intense, especially during the last portion of the film, and brought out so many emotions.  He really does a fantastic job making the film what it was.  The story for this one is great for a drive-in era horror title.  As I stated earlier, I don't remember a lot about the original film so I cannot speak on how close it resembles it but I enjoy it for what it is.  What I like about this one is that it takes the premise for the brain transplant films and swaps it out with murderous hands.  It's a fun little change that works to a certain degree.  With that being said, some of the scenes in the film lead to nowhere.  They do nothing for the story nor the pacing.  Finally, the film has some light make-up effects and that is about the extent of it.  Like the films of it's time, the movie doesn't rely on the gore to get a rise out of the viewer.  Instead, it's character driven and we are expected to use our imaginations for the deaths.  Overall, The Hands of Orlac is not going to be a memorable film in the filmography of such a great actor but it's a decent film for what it was.  It's a worthy addition to this set and worth your time.  Check it out.  

Beat Girl

Director - Edmond T. Greville (Guilty?, The Silk Noose)

Starring - David Farrar (The 300 Spartans, The Webster Boy), Noelle Adam (Sergeant X and the Foreign Legion, The Wonders of Aladdin), and Gillian Hills (A Clockwork Orange, The Killer Wore Gloves)

Release Date - 1960

Tagline - "My mother was a stripper... I want to be a stripper too"

Format - Blu (Personal Collection) (Screener)

Rating (out of 5):

     Christopher Lee is a name that any movie fan recognizes.  His career is legendary and he left his mark on every genre imaginable.  While I grew up on he Hammer horror films and later the Lord of the Rings trilogy, it was his late 90s and early 00s family friendly films that I've learned to appreciate the most.  His career spanned 70 years and showcased some of the best acting ever filmed.  I've seen a lot of his films over the years but I'm always open to watch more.  That's why I jumped at the chance to review Severin Film's Eurocrypt of Christopher Lee Volume 3.  I had seen two of the films in the set but the other four were brand new to me.  I couldn't wait to check it out and as soon as I could I tossed in Beat Girl which was released originally under Wild for Kicks.  I want to thank Severin Films for sending this one over!

     The film follows a wealthy designer who returns to his home after being away for several months with his new wife in tow.  Waiting for him at home is his 16 year old daughter who is deep into the underground jazz scene.  The step-mother, who is a former stripper, tries hard to connect with her new step-daughter but the closer she gets to her the further away she pushes her into a career of stripping.

     Beat Girl is not the kind of film that I would willingly go out of my way to review.  This dance drama is not the kind of movie that I would be interested in.  However, seeing Christopher Lee's name appear on the poster made me instantly interested and while I was not a big fan of this one, I still enjoyed it.  The acting in this one is great and I might as well go ahead and dress my only problem with the acting.  That is that Lee himself is not in the film as long as I would have liked.  With that being said, David Farrar and Gillian Hills make the film.  Farrar is fantastic as the father that has distanced himself from his daughter and Hills is amazing in her role.  She absolutely kills and it makes this film as fun as it is.  The story for this one is kind of a bratty take on the dance drama of the era.  It's hard to like these wealthy, entitled characters but the film finds of way to keep it interesting and glued to the screen.  While this is not a film that I could see myself watching on my own, I still enjoyed the story and how well the pacing was.  Finally, don't expect a film with a body count or memorable deaths.  It's a character driven drama with a great cast.  Overall, Beat Girl is not the kind of movie many of you Horror Society readers would be interested in.  However, seeing Christopher Lee early on in his career is pretty fucking cool.  Check it out.  

     

Psycho

Director - Alfred Hitchcock (Rear Window, Vertigo)

Starring - Anthony Perkins (Psycho II, Psycho III), Vera Miles (The FBI Story, Alfred Hitchcock Presents), and John Gavin (Spartacus, The Alfred Hitchcock Hour)

Release Date - 1960

Genre - Horror

Tagline - "A new- and altogether different - screen excitement!"

Format - 4K Ultra HD (Personal Collection) (Screener)

Rating (out of 5): 

     I've been fortunate enough over the years to review some modern day hits, indie masterpieces, and legendary horror films that were re-released on a new format.  When I get one of these classic films in for review I always feel like I'm contributing a small piece to movie history.  Psycho is one of the most iconic horror films and a movie that is still discussed all these decades later.  When I was sent this 4K box set to review with Psycho included I had a rush of excitement go over me.  I couldn't wait to dive into this one.

     The film follows lonely hotel owner Norman (Perkins) who lost his mother several years ago but refuses to let her memory go.  His mental state allows him to slip in and out of his own consciousness and into that of his mother which has resulted in Norman killing several of his tenants.  When a sister and her boyfriend start searching for a woman that had stolen 40 thousand dollars and skipped town they track her to Norman's hotel where he becomes the prime suspect in her disappearance.  

     Psycho, as I stated earlier, is one of the most iconic horror films to ever be released and one of Hitchcock's titular titles.  The film inspired several sequels, a remake, and a television show with countless fans forever immortalizing Norman Bates and Marion Crane's shower scene on posters, artwork, tattoos, and other forms of memorabilia.  Reviewing this film is almost like reviewing The Goonies and Beetlejuice because everyone has seen it but I wasn't allowing that to stop me from checking out the 4K transfer.  The acting in this one is great.  I wouldn't compare it to Rear Window but Anthony Perkins does a phenomenal job creating the now iconic character of Norman Bates.  His calm and innocent demeanor that slow moves into the land of the unstable is brilliant and really works well with the story.  Janet Leigh's performance is great even though she is in the film for just a short time.  Her shower scene may very well be one of the most iconic scenes in movie history.  The supporting cast is great but those characters are easily forgettable.  The story for this one is simple enough but is stretched a little thin at times.  The meek mannered man that is obsessed with his dead mother killing tenants in a hotel is a absolutely brilliant story for a horror film but some of the scenes do drag out a bit too long.  The dialogue heavier scenes does drag the tone of the film down just a bit.  It still works but it a tad too long.  Finally, though a horror film, this one is not a bloody masterpiece like more modern horror tales.  We do get some practical effects but nothing that will last with the viewer.  Overall, Psycho is an absolutely brilliant horror thriller from the master of suspense.  The 4K transfer is picture perfect but the black and white tone is not lost in the upgrade.  

13 Ghosts

Director - William Castle (The Old Dark House, The Tingler)
Starring - Charles Herbert (The Outer Limits, The Farmer's Daughter), Jo Morrow (Doctor Death: Seeker of Souls, The 3 Worlds of Gulliver), and Donald Woods (True Grit, The Wild Wild West)
Release Date - 1960
Genre - Horror
Tagline - "13 times the thrills.  13 times the screams. 13 times the fun"
Format - Bluray (Personal Collection) (Screener)

Rating (out of 5):

     There are a lot of movies that I should have seen by this point in my life and haven't.  I absolutely adore William Castle and his theatrical gimmicks.  I would have given anything to be alive during one of his theatrical stunts.  He made going to the movies fun.  When I was in middle school I went to Tennessee to spend the weekend with my brother and we rented the film Thir13en Ghosts.  I fucking loved it.  I talked my brother into buying me the movie on DVD which I still have.  It would be a few years before I come across my first William Castle movie but once I did I was fucking hooked.  It was then that I learned that Thir13en Ghosts was actually a remake of a 1960 William Castle film.  As much as I loved the remake I never did watch the original.  That changed when my friends over at Mill Creek Entertainment sent me the William Castle double feature with 13 Ghosts and 13 Frightened Girls.  
     The film follows a family that is behind on their bills and have lost everything when an attorney reaches out to them.  He tells the family that they just inherited their uncle's home.  Their uncle was long thought dead and spent most of his fortune studying the occult.  The family thinks their luck has finally changed and move into the house only to discover that it is haunted.  They find a book and learn that the uncle has brought 11 ghosts into the home and he has now died making it 12.  The plan is for one of them to die and make the 13th ghost but something happens and the attorney tries to kill them so he can search the house to get the money their uncle left behind only to fall prey to the ghosts.
     What I loved so much about Thir13en Ghosts was the character development and the ghost's backstories.  I love when I watch a movie and every character is fully development and we get some layers to go along with it.  I knew that the original film would not have that kind of character development but I knew it would have some chills and great suspense.  It had to considering that its coming from the mind that brought us House on Haunted Hill.  13 Ghosts does not have the backstory or character development but it does deliver an entertaining film.  The acting in this one is great. I really liked Donald Woods as the father figure.  He was strong, supportive and caring.  All the qualities of a great father.  I also really enjoyed Martin Milner as the attorney who is secretly planning on killing them to get the money.  Sadly, the one cast member that I was not digging was child actor Charles Herbert who received top billing to be apart of the film.  He may have been known at that time for his previous work but he was somewhat cruddy in his role in this film.  The story for this one is fun considering but compared to the remake it is rather boring.  The film gives us no look at the other ghosts other than a few hints here and there.  One of my favorite aspects from the remake is nowhere to be seen in the original.  However with that being said, it has some great atmosphere and beautiful cinematography.  The film is a rather slow burn but that only adds to the suspense.  Finally, if you are looking for blood and gore then you will be out of luck.  Sadly, the film has no real kills and the ghosts we see are superimposed onto the screen.  This is almost laughable considering we get amazing scares and jumps in House on Haunted Hill when this film was made by the same team.  More thought was placed into the gimmick instead of the actual film.  Overall, 13 Ghosts is another classic ghost story that should be in regularly rotation in every horror fan's movie marathons.  Its fun and has some great suspense.  Check it out.