"Just a word, ladies and gentlemen. A word of reassurance. When you go to bed tonight and the lights have all been turned out and you look behind the curtain and you dread to see a face appearing at the window, just remember: There are such things!"
-Christopher Lee.
It is the month of Halloween, and one film which is ideal viewing is this wonderful documentary on Dracula. Directed by Swedish filmmaker Calvin Floyd and based on the book by Raymond McNally, this film examines not only the 1897 Bram Stoker book which started it all, but also vampire lore from long before its publication.
It also points out how Dracula was inspired by Vlad Tepes, the 15th Century Prince of Wallachia, who became infamous for the manner of which he disposed of his enemies such as the Turks.
It also looks at other notorious killers, such as Peter Kürten, who became known as the "Vampire of Düsseldorf" due to his drinking the blood of his victims and who, some say, became the basis for Fritz Lang's great movie M (1931), although Lang himself would claim this was not the case.
Naturally, the film looks at the famous screen depictions of the Count, including Nosferatu (1922), Dracula (1931) with Bela Lugosi, and Horror of Dracula (1958) with Christopher Lee, who, appropriately, narrates this documentary as well as appears as Vlad and the Count. Curiously, the scenes with Lee in the cape are from Scars of Dracula (1970).
Although The Satanic Rites of Dracula was released two years earlier, one could call this Sir Christopher's true swan song as the Count because it reveals the Count's origins and why the character has endured for over a century.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Flesh and Blood: The Hammer Heritage of Horror (1994)
"We who created that world add a touch of immortality to them. And you who share that world over the years can revisit it as you recal...
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtTYL_9zILVEljeJUGYoqjFHdAZiN9CtnRdygLJY7wue6uomgj7aVGxqO_2FOOS9QnKryadgVbjSdNrLiH2Qx4Phwp-n1MZIBcyNXdss-SdT0Xp9swIHzEseY-w-MtkXFZtz_w7omNAFjtnhaEQxIuFdD25LuZAjCLb5W2ZoUpKwdIfS72DIbfO_7EOPg/s320/Hammer.jpg)
-
This article looks at two of the worst series finales ever. In 2001, just a few months prior to the tragedy of 9/11, two series aired th...
-
With the recent passing of Adam West, this article looks at the classic TV series that became his legacy. The recent passing of Adam West...
-
My latest Agony Booth work looks at the Scream franchise, on the 20th anniversary of the first film. This year marks the 20th anniversary...
-
This is a review of a miniseries that first aired on ABC. With a new cinematic version of Stephen King’s 1986 novel It due to hit theater...
-
My newest Agony Booth article looks at Star Trek: The Next Generation 's third season, which set the course (if you'll pardon the p...
-
A number of my Agony Booth articles have made reference to The Fly , so I thought my latest one for the site should be one celebrating its ...
-
My third entry in the Agony Booth's Movies That Predicted Trump series looks at one of John Carpenter's best movies. As the 1980s ...
-
"I'm in this thing for the full ride!" -Terry McCaleb. For some reason, I predictability in movies for me can vary how I en...
-
This weekend, I had the pleasure of chatting with Roxann Dawson, who is best known for playing B'Elanna Torres on Star Trek: Voyager ....
-
This Agony Booth article is an affectionate look at Sir Roger and his legacy. I was originally preparing to review Licence to Kill , the 1...
No comments:
Post a Comment