Monday, October 31, 2011

Captain's Library: THE MONSTER CLUB Conclusion

While standing outside a bookstore displaying his works, noted horror author R Chetwynd-Hayes is accosted by a vampire.
The sanginarian, Eramus by name, is enthralled with the fact that his latest snack is a revered writer of the macabre.
To apologize, Eramus brings Chetwynd-Hayes to an establishment with a most exclusive clientele...monsters only, in order to provide the writer with inspiration for future stories!
The vampire regales his guest with a tale and is about to begin another, when a stripper...with a difference...takes the stage...
As a special bonus, the text feature by adaptation writer Dez Skinn that accompanied the story...
Click on the page to enlarge and read
The movie is adapted from the novel The Monster Club and the short story "My Mother Married a Vampire", both by R Chetwynd-Hayes, a real British horror writer!
(The original novel didn't have Chetwynd-Hayes as a character.
A young man named Donald McCloud is bitten by Eramus)

Sunday, October 30, 2011

Captain's Library: THE MONSTER CLUB Part 1

As our Halloween feature we proudly present...
...the adaptation of the final film from Amicus, Hammer's primary competitor in the 1960s and 70s.
And it is at this point, dear reader, that we take our leave until Halloween...

Tuesday, October 25, 2011

Captain's Library: CREEPSHOW "Something to Tide You Over"

It's not often Stephen King writes a comic book!
But when he does...
...you'd want someone the caliber of Berni Wrightson to illustrate it!
This little terror-tale was adapted from the 1982 anthology CreepShow (scripted by Stephen King and directed by George Romero) for a graphic novel also written by King and illustrated by Berni Wrightson.
The movie version of this particular tale starred Leslie Nielsen, Ted Danson & Gaylen Ross.
The flick is an homage to EC Comics horror line and features many lighting and optical effects mimicking comic book graphics (a common practice now, but ground-breaking in '82).
While the graphic novel adapts all the stories in the movie, it leaves out the framing sequence involving a little boy (played by King's son, Joe Hill), a copy of a CreepShow comic book, and the kid's disapproving father.

Oddly, no network or cable/satellite channel is showing it over the Halloween weekend, but you can catch it on DVD or Blu-Ray.

Thursday, October 20, 2011

Captain's Library: CURSE OF FRANKENSTEIN Conclusion

...now that everything's been explained, let the mayhem ensue!
The box office success of this film resulted in Hammer launching both a series of Frankenstein sequels and a slew of other monsters in their own films.
Some like Dracula and The Mummy proved to have staying power and spawned their own ongoing series.
(Frankenstein had six, Dracula had eight, The Mummy had three)
Others like The Werewolf and Phantom of the Opera had only one film each.
Unlike the Universal Horror series, there was never a Hammer crossover film involving two or more monsters!