Scream Queen Icon Despite having only eight screen credits to her name, Zita Johann used her Broadway background, captivating beauty, and piercing eyes to steal the spotlight from Boris Karloff in the 1932 Universal Monsters classic, The Mummy. Her career began in small plays, eventually performing on Broadway in 1924. There are twelve credited BroadwayContinue reading “Reign of the Scream Queens: Zita Johann”
Tag Archives: Classic Horror
Reign of the Scream Queens: Fay Wray
Scream Queen Legend Although she predates the term, Fay Wray is considered to be one of the earliest scream queens. Born in Cardston, Alberta, Canada in 1907, Ms. Wray found her way to Hollywood in 1919 via Salt Lake City, Utah. She made her screen debut in the film short Gasoline Love in 1923. MostContinue reading “Reign of the Scream Queens: Fay Wray”
Classic Horror: The Fly (1986)
“Be afraid. Be very afraid.” George Langelaan crafted a twisted short story in 1957 in which a brilliant scientist builds machines that he dubs disintegrator-reintegrators that allow him to transport things from one unit to the other similar to the way that the transporter beams are used on Star Trek (which debuted almost a decadeContinue reading “Classic Horror: The Fly (1986)”
Classic Horror: A Nightmare On Elm Street (1984)
“One, two, Freddy’s coming for you….” I revisited 1984’s A Nightmare On Elm Street over the weekend. It’s been quite a long time since I last saw it and decided to see just how well the film has stood up over time. Aside from a few aged special effects, it holds up surprisingly well. TheContinue reading “Classic Horror: A Nightmare On Elm Street (1984)”
Classic Horror: Bowery At Midnight (1942)
“Keep that cat from desecrating my graves!” Bowery At Midnight has everything that it needs to be a great horror film. It stars Bela Lugosi, Count Dracula himself, features a creepy mad doctor, and even has a few reanimated undead victims. The problem though, is that the undead folks don’t show up until the finalContinue reading “Classic Horror: Bowery At Midnight (1942)”
Classic Horror: The Exorcist (1973)
“What an excellent day for an exorcism.” Even with its fiftieth anniversary approaching next year, The Exorcist (1973) is still one of the most impressive supernatural horror films to ever hit the big screen. To this day, many people refuse to watch the film due to its subject matter (demonic possession). It was banned inContinue reading “Classic Horror: The Exorcist (1973)”
Thirty-One Days O’Horror: The Curse of the Werewolf (1961)
Hammer’s Lone Wolf Despite releasing multiple films featuring re-imagined versions of some of Universal’s most popular classic monsters in the 1950’s, 60’s, and 70’s, Hammer Productions only released one film featuring a werewolf. That film, 1961’s The Curse of the Werewolf, gives us a unique look at the creation of the werewolf and spends almostContinue reading “Thirty-One Days O’Horror: The Curse of the Werewolf (1961)”
Classic Horror: The Vampire (1957)
“I got plenty of reasons, Willy. Three deaths in three days.” With the rise of the Atomic Age in the 1940’s, classic monsters such as vampires, werewolves, and Frankenstein’s monster gave way to giant monster films such as Godzilla, Them, The Blob, and Robot Monster in the 1950’s. The 50’s also gave us sci-fi horrorContinue reading “Classic Horror: The Vampire (1957)”
Classic Horror: Murders In The Rue Morgue (1932)
“Do they still burn men for heresy?” Just over a year after the release of the film that made him an icon of horror, Bela Lugosi traded in Dracula‘s cape for the wild eyebrows of Dr. Mirakle in Universal’s Murders In The Rue Morgue. Loosely based on Edgar Allan Poe’s short story of the sameContinue reading “Classic Horror: Murders In The Rue Morgue (1932)”
Classic Horror: The Amityville Horror (1979)
“For God’s Sake, Get Out!” Despite being panned by critics, 1979’s The Amityville Horror rose above the negative press to become one of the most financially successful independent films of all time. The cast included James Brolin, Margot Kidder, and Rod Steiger. Brolin and Steiger were already well established actors and Kidder, despite having beenContinue reading “Classic Horror: The Amityville Horror (1979)”
Ken's Alternate Universe! 