Topic: Dragonfire's 2010 Horror Marathon

[Dragonfire]

The Haunted Mansion From the studio that brought you Pirates Of The Caribbean...here's the fright-filled comedy adventure loaded with hair-raising laughs and eye-popping special effects! Eddie Murphy (Daddy Day Care) stars as a real estate agent whose family comes face to face with 999 grim, grinning ghosts in the creepy old Gracey Manor! Now, with the help of supernatural psychic Madame Leota (Jennifer Tilly - Liar, Liar), they must hilariously battle to break the mansion of its age-old curse...and do it before the clock strikes 13! My Thoughts This is another movie based on a ride at Disney.  I've never been on the ride.  The plot is interesting and I think it makes an entertaining family friendly haunted house movie.  There are all sorts of ghosts in the movie, but nothing that happens is that scary.  A few things might be a little scarier to younger kids, so parents may want to check it out first. The actors are fine in their parts, though Eddie Murphy can be a little annoying at times.  Overall, I enjoy the movie and think it is a good family friendly movie to watch around Halloween. I did get a review posted on Epinions after I saw the movie in the theater originally. Haunted Mansion

[Antares]

If you have the time try to watch the spanish version included who is even better. Carlos Villarías did a much better job with his interpretation than Bela Lugosi did...

Have to disagree with you on this one Jimmy. Overall the Spanish version has a much deeper and moody atmosphere to it, but Villarias at times appears too wooden and cartoon-like in his portrayal.

If you could put Lugosi into the Spanish version, you would have the de facto Dracula presentation.

[Achim]

Wooden and cartoonish...? I would describe Lugosi's acting all the same Editing and direction did their part to enhance that impression.


For me the ultimate Dracula will always be Christopher Lee. Probably mainly because he is the first one I saw.

[Jimmy]

Except for the accent Bela Lugosi isn't a great Dracula and he is certainly the worst star actor in those universal classic monster film.
I agree with Achim
Christopher Lee is without a doubt the best Dracula

[Najemikon]

Yeah, for the de facto Dracula, you need Lee and Cushing in a Val Lewton production, a la Body Snatcher. 

[Antares]

Wooden and cartoonish...? I would describe Lugosi's acting all the same Editing and direction did their part to enhance that impression.

Cartoon-like was a poor choice of adjective, what I was trying to convey was his performance was depth-less. You can tell that he truly has no concept of the character and his performance suffers because of it. Lugosi, on the other hand, grew up in a region where Vampire mythology was rampant and that is why I feel his portrayal has more substance to it.

For me the ultimate Dracula will always be Christopher Lee. Probably mainly because he is the first one I saw.

I can't comment on Lee's performance as I have never seen it.

[Najemikon]

Wow, considering your appreciation for British film, I would have thought you'd have dipped your toe in Hammer.

[Antares]

Wow, considering your appreciation for British film, I would have thought you'd have dipped your toe in Hammer.

Just not a fan of Christopher Lee. I don't know what it is about him, but I just don't care for him. 

[Najemikon]

I do instinctively know what you mean, but Dracula, Lord Summerisle and a handful of others still catch me out with their power.

[Antares]

Lord Summerisle is probably the only role I liked him in. I always liked Peter Cushing better in horror films.

[Najemikon]

Wooden and cartoonish...? I would describe Lugosi's acting all the same Editing and direction did their part to enhance that impression.

By coincidence I saw the first part of a BBC Four series on horror tonight presented by Mark Gatiss of League of Extraordinary Gentlemen fame. He makes for a marvellous host and the program was superb and very open-minded.

This first part talked about Lon Chaney's silent work (with a visit to a museum complete with Chaney's make up box!) and how Dracula was the first horror with sound. Interestingly, this contributed to the wooden effect of Lugosi as no-one understood how to talk properly on film.

And this is what I mean by open-minded, because Gatiss on one hand praises Lugosi, but points out that the film as a whole is stagy and dated (the story started as a play). It was Whale's Frankenstein that really set the standard. Still, Dracula and Karloff's monster were the pillars for the genre.

He goes on then to talk about Boris Karloff's late change in fortune (Frankenstein was his 81st film and as his daughter said, no-one saw the first 80!) and through several collaborations, Lugosi's fall. It really is very sad. For Son of Frankenstein, the cast fought the studio to pay Lugosi properly who they found they could get very cheap. Lugosi then gave possibly a career best performance as Igor.

I'd never realised it was him. He is superb in that. However, Gatiss says he never shook Dracula (who Lugosi said was his Hamlet) and gave his last performance in an Abbot and Costello spoof. As Gatiss says, that should have been a final insult, but actually, the film is an good grace note for the genre and Lugosi gives a better performance as Dracula that time around.

Sadly he tried to revive his career during a tour of the Dracula stage play in England, playing all the crappy little towns. How far to fall, and it was a failure. He died 5 years later and was buried in that blasted cape. Tragic.

The program finished with a bit on Val Lewton's legacy and again, is open to criticise in an interview with John Carpenter who can't understand the fuss and finds him overrated. Absurd! They redress the balance and finished with clips from The Body Snatcher, which was Karloff's last time alongside a subdued Lugosi.

Utterly marvellous program. Next week they explore Hammer's rise in the 60s. Can't wait. I loved those films!

Mondays 9pm. Try and catch this one on iPlayer.

[Antares]

Damn, I really want to see this, but Iplayer says it's not available in my area.  

[Achim]

This first part talked about Lon Chaney's silent work (with a visit to a museum complete with Chaney's make up box!) and how Dracula was the first horror with sound. Interestingly, this contributed to the wooden effect of Lugosi as no-one understood how to talk properly on film.

That explains Lugosi, but not the director... Sound had been around since 1927...

[Dragonfire]

Is Body Snatcher a Dracula movie?

[Rogmeister]

I haven't seen it but the description says it has to do with someone using unscrupulous methods to obtain cadavers...so no, it's not a Dracula movie.