Phil celebrates the 85th anniversary of DRACULA (1931)-February 14, 2016

Happy Valentine's Day everybody! Now, I'm not a huge Valentine's Day fan, only because all it is really is a made up holiday created by a evil conglomerate greeting card corporation (I'm looking at you Hallmark Cards) for the only purpose of selling their lame holiday themed cards. However, today is a day for celebrating, but not for St. Valentine's sake. Nope, today is the 85th anniversary of one of the greatest horror films ever made. Yes horror hounds, I'm talking about the 1931 Universal Pictures classic DRACULA!!

Original Movie Poster (1931)

The film's official synopsis: Bela Lugosi stars as Dracula in the 1931 original screen version of Bram Stoker’s classic tale. Towering ominously among the shadows of the Carpathian Mountains, Castle Dracula strikes fear in the hearts of the Transylvanian villagers below. After a naive real estate agent succumbs to the will of Count Dracula, the two head to London where the vampire hopes to stroll among respectable society by day and search for potential victims by night. Directed by horror specialist Tod Browning, the film creates an eerie, chilling mood that has been rarely realized since and remains a masterpiece not only of the genre, but of all time.

Originally silent film actor Lon Chaney, star of THE HUTCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME, THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA, and LONDON AFTER MIDNIGHT had made a series of films with famed cult director Todd Browning for Universal Pictures. Browning's next project for studio was DRACULA and he was going to cast his friend for the lead role. However, on August 26, 1930, Chaney died from a throat hemorrhage.

The Hungarian born Lugosi created the role of Dracula on the Broadway stage and became a sensation. However, Universal originally didn't want Lugosi to portray the Count and as a result, wasn't even placed on their list of potentials. However, the studio gave him a test screening and eventually he was cast in the lead. The film was released on Valentine's Day in 1931. The rest, as they say, is cinematic history.

The film became a huge sensation and it spawned several sequels including DRACULA'S DAUGHTER, SON OF DRACULA and HOUSE OF DRACULA. Also, during the making of the Todd Browning classic, Universal was also simultaneously making a Spanish version of DRACULA for their Mexican market. Browning's cast and crew would film during the day and then director George Melford and his stars Carlos Villarías (Dracula), Lupita Tovar (Eva), Barry Noton (Juan Harker) and the rest of the Spanish cast and crew would film on the exact same sets at night. Also, they would look at the dailies from Browning's shoot and decided the they could do better. Some fans have said the the Melford version is scarier than Browning's. As for me, I love them both but I have to go with the Lugosi version and I'll tell you all why that is.

Universal Classic Monsters Blu-Ray Boxset (2012)

I first saw the film when I was four years-old. It was 1977 and our local television station KTVU Channel 2 out in Oakland used to show a lot of the old black and white horror movies from when my parents were kids. I remember playing on the living room floor and my dad sitting on the couch watching T.V. Then he told me to look up and see what was on the screen. It was DRACULA and I distinctly remember just being in awe at what I was watching. The Gothic setting, the cobwebbed infesting spooky old castle, the howling of the wolves and then, standing on the staircase stood the iconic Lugosi as the caped clad vampire. It was the most amazing film I had ever seen. It was the very first horror film I ever saw and soon, I watched all the other classic Universal monster movies. But it was DRACULA that got me into loving horror movies and the genre and it remains to this day my favorite horror film of all time.

Over the years the film has been released on VHS, DVD, and then in 2012, Universal released a brand new restored version of the film for their Universal Classic Monsters Blu-Ray Boxset. Last year, the studio released the films individually for fans and horror film lovers. Now a whole new generation can watch these treasured classics in stunning Hi-Definition.

DRACULA is one of the greatest horror films ever captured on celluloid. It started off the Universal Monster cycle with Lugosi creating the look and sound of the vampire and became the standard for all other Dracula movies to follow. One of the most important movies in film history!! 5 out of 5 stars!! Highly recommended and required viewing!!

DRACULA is currently available on both Blu-Ray and DVD and can be purchased at your local retailer or by visiting the Amazon website at http://www.amazon.com

Thanks for reading, and enjoy the show!

Phil's Horror Watch: Phil reviews WHITE ZOMBIE (1932) Blu-Ray From Kino Lorber-February 3, 2013

WHITE ZOMBIE Blu-Ray Cover (2013)

WHITE ZOMBIE
Starring Bela Lugosi, Madge Bellamy, Joseph Cawthorn, Robert Frazer, John Harron
Written by John Harron
Cinematography by Arthur Martinelli
Produced by Edward Halperin & Phil Goldstone
Directed by Victor Halperin
Originally released by Untied Artists
Distributed by Kino Lorber

Hello my faithful readers and welcome to Phil's Horror Watch! The purpose of this brand new series is to show all of you horror fans out there that you don't need to wait for October to watch horror movies. With the recent wave of classic and forgotten titles being released at a rapid pace, horror fans around the world can celebrate Halloween ever day! Today I will review the horror classic WHITE ZOMBIE, starring the great Bela Lugosi, which was just released by Kino Lorber as part of the "Kino Classics" label.

The film's synopsis: Young couple Madeleine (Bellamy) and Neil (Harron) are coaxed by acquaintance Monsieur Beaumont (Frazer) to get married on his Haitian plantation. Beaumont's motives are purely selfish as he makes every attempt to convince the beautiful young girl to run away with him. For help Beaumont turns to the devious 'Murder' Legendre (Lugosi), a man who runs his mill by mind controlling people he has turned into zombies. After Beaumont uses Legendre's zombie potion on Madeleine, he is dissatisfied with her emotionless being and wants her to be changed back. Legendre has no intention of doing this and he drugs Beaumont as well to add to his zombie collection. Meanwhile, grieving 'widower' Neil is convinced by a local priest that Madeleine may still be alive and he seeks her out.

The film was shot in eleven days on the Universal Studios lot as well as and Bronson Canyon, which is located in Griffith Park (which I've been to) in Los Angeles. The sets for the film came from other Universal films, such as the pillars and a hanging balcony from 1923's THE HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME, chairs from 1927's THE CAT AND THE CANARY, the great halls from 1931's DRACULA, and the dark corridors from 1931's FRANKENSTEIN. And if that wasn't enough, the make-up artist for Lugosi was none other than Jack Pierce, the man responsible for creating the make-up for several other famous Universal horror films like FRANKENSTEIN, THE MUMMY, and THE WOLF MAN.

Lugosi gives another hair raising performance in the film. Much like his other famous character Dracula,  Legendre's suave demeanor hides his true side; that as an evil voodoo master. With his piercing, hypnotic eyes, his double jointed hands, and his thick Hungarian accent, Lugosi embodies the look and sound of the bogeyman; an evil that will terrify people for generations to come.

Original Movie Poster (1932)

When the film was released in 1932, it was met with negative reviews. Many press articles and reviews stated that it featured poor acting, no scares or thrills, and its over-the-top storyline. There was some positive reviews for the film, but those were few and far between. At the time of its release, Universal's FRANKENSTEIN was garnering all the acclaim, as well as all the boxoffice receipts. Over the years the film fell into the public domain and soon there were several video companies selling poorly transferred versions of the film.

The Kino Classics Blu-Ray (and DVD) boats a Hi-Def transfer from a 35mm grain master of the film (there were some missing scenes from the film that were filled using a 16mm source. Those scenes are easy to spot since they were in really poor shape and were cleaned as best they could.), a raw, unenhanced version of the film complete with all the wears and tears, audio commentary by film historian Frank Thompson, stills gallery, the 1951 theatrical re-release trailer, and an "Intimate Interviews" short from 1932 that features a 6 minute interview with Bela Lugosi himself! This is a very rare interview and is a real treat to Lugosi fans as well as horror fans!

WHITE ZOMBIE has been given the prestige of being considered the first feature length zombie film and has been described as the archetype and model of all zombie movies. It also helped spread the folklore of Haiti's black magic and voodoo practices. In the years that followed, numerous horror films have borrowed themes from the film, such as people returning from the dead and other elements of zombie mythology. The film has been referenced in other Hollywood films and was even the name of the popular 1990's heavy metal group White Zombie, featuring future horror movie director Rob Zombie, who has publicly stated his affection for the film. The Kino Classics is by far THE best version of the film to ever be released since its premiere back in 1932! If you're a horror fan, you need this movie!! 5 out of 5 stars!! Highly recommended!!

WHITE ZOMBIE is avalable on both Blu-Ray and DVD and can be purchased at your local retailer as well as the Kino Lorber website. To purchase a copy, please visit www.kinolorber.com.

Thanks for reading, and enjoy the show!

Phil's Horror Watch, Day 6: Phil watches DRACULA (1931)-October 6, 2011

Welcome back to day six of my horror movie marathon! Tonight's film is ranked as one of the most important horror films of all time. When the film was released in 1931, it caused a sensation at the boxoffice, and thus launched the Universal Horror film series. Directed by the legendary Todd Browning and starring the great Bela Lugosi, DRACULA is the quintessential vampire movie, a movie that is still talked about to this very day.

Theatrical Movie Poster (1931)

This film cemented the look, the mannerism, and the voice of the vampire. Lugosi is the personification of Dracula, and to this day whenever someone dresses up like a vampire, or says a line from the film, it is in Lugosi's voice. But believe it or not, Lugosi wasn't going to be cast as the famed creature of the night.

Silent film actor Lon Chaney, star of THE HUTCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME, THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA, and LONDON AFTER MIDNIGHT had made a series of films with famed cult director Todd Browning for Universal Pictures. Browning's next project for studio was DRACULA and he was going to cast his friend for the lead role. However, on August 26, 1930, Chaney died from a throat hemorrhage.

Lugosi created the role of Dracula on the Broadway stage and became a sensation. However, Universal originally didn't want Lugosi to portray the Count, but the studio gave him a test screening and eventually he was cast in the lead. The film was released on Valentine's Day in 1931.The rest, as they say, is cinematic history.

If you have never seen this film, then you must go watch it now. This film launched the Universal Horror Movie cycle, to which a plethora of classic horror films were made, including FRANKENSTEIN, THE MUMMY, THE WEREWOLF, and THE CREATURE OF THE BLACK LAGOON. Also with the recent vampire trend that is currently taking place, none of it would exist if not for the success of DRACULA. And thanks to Lugosi and Browning, Universal became the House of Horror.

DRACULA is currently available on DVD and can be purchased at the Amazon website. Visit their website at http://www.amazon.com

Thanks for reading, and enjoy the show!