BorgoPass Reviews

Scared to Death (1946)

Sick To Death...of Nat Pendleton!

[2/10 · 25 February 2006]

I bought this DVD to see the performances of, primarily, Bela Lugosi (stupendous) and George Zucco (stiffer than usual), but what do I get? The Nat Pendleton Show! "Pesky" Pendleton plays Bill "Bull" Raymond, an ostracized homicide's detective trying to redeem himself by catching a murderer...any murderer! And along the way, he gets more lines and screen time than the supposed stars of the movie.

Anyway, others have detailed the plot-line here, so I just want to add my feelings of frustration of having to endure this actor's heavy handed comic(?)-relief in this film. He played virtually the same part in Lionel Atwill's "Mad Doctor of Market Street" (1942) and nearly sank that movie as well. He belongs in the Abbott and Costello flicks and had no business in horror films!

Nearly as bothersome was Douglas Fowley as the newspaper reporter. Where does he come off "demanding" answers to his questions from the characters? And why do they allow him to brow-beat them in their own home? Oh, why even bother analyzing this dumb movie? The plot holes are so numerous that the movie hardly makes any sense.

Leave the interjection of comedy in the horror genre to the likes of James Whale; in the hands of others, it may as well be the Marx Brothers! Bottom line: LOVED Bela, HATED this movie!

Black Moon (1934)

What a gem...and, oh, those drums!

[8/10 · 18 February 2006]

I didn't expect too much from this film due to the simple fact that I'd never heard of it, but on a recommendation, I took a look at it and to say that it did not disappoint is an understatement! If you are a fan of 1930's horror films, this one has it all. The incessant background drumming on the island of San Christopher (Haiti) heard throughout 90 percent of the movie is wholly pervasive and will get your heart pumping at an increasingly frenzied pace right up until the closing credits.

This is one of the last of the pre-code pictures and it hold nothing back. Jack Holt, Dorothy Burgess and, especially, Fay Wray give fine performances. No comic relief here; this is all played for horrors and suspense! Director Roy William Neill (of "Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man" fame) does a commendable job of keeping the pace of the film frantic, yet tight. Too many "zombie" pictures just sort of plod along, but this one (though technically "voodoo", rather than "zombie"-themed) is non-stop, edge of your seat kind of fare.

As a fan of the genre, what a delight to "find" this movie and more so to have it exceed all of my expectations. Fay Wray made several other renown horror films in the 2 year period preceding "Black Moon": "The Most Dangerous Game", "Doctor X", "The Vampire Bat", "Mystery of the Wax Museum", "The Clairvoyant", and, oh yes, a little movie called "King Kong". "Black Moon" holds its own along with all of the aforementioned films.

Dark Streets of Cairo (1940)

Zucco in a fez...mummies can't be far behind!

[5/10 · 17 February 2006]

No mummies here (of the "living" variety anyway), but it does have a very sinister George Zucco in an Egyptian setting (sound familiar?).

While on an expedition in Egypt, an American archaeological team unearths the rare "Seven Jewels of the Seventh Pharaoh." A local businessman of dubious reputation, Abbadi (Zucco...who really is "a baddie" in this movie), along with his henchmen, go about stealing the famed jewels and replacing them with fakes. In order to divert suspicion and pin the crime on someone else, Abbadi invites to Cairo a renown antiquities collector from Stockholm, Sweden who, along with his daughter, are held captive and framed for the theft.

When strange things start occurring in Cairo, the local inspector teams with a pair of the archaeologists to solve the mystery. Suspecting Abbadi of some misdeed, they are tipped off by his wife and plan a rendezvous with justice in an abandoned system of antiquated aqueducts underneath the city. As is typical of this genre, one of the archaeologists is the serious "straight man" and the other is the "comic relief." A little bit too much comic relief in a film that clocks in at a mere 59 minutes, but as I said, Zucco is VERY diabolical here, so maybe it's warranted.

Some huge plot holes here, but the gist is understood. The stereotypes depicted border on absurdity and do not expect historical accuracy (a cabbie named "Yahudi"??...in Egypt???) Not among the best mystery movie by any means, but it is a Universal picture from the "Silver Age" of horror and the stock musical score adds a real sense of suspense to this film. Undoubtedly, though, it is the usually superior performance of George Zucco that makes this worth seeing. 5/10

Mysterious Island (1961)

Surf n' Turf on Skull Island...what a magnificent gem!

[8/10 · 8 January 2006]

Schneer and Harryhausen team up to create a film that has all the allure and adventure of Kong's Skull Island. It's a war story, an adventure and a fantasy all in one.

Each scene is gripping and doesn't really slow down for me until the introduction of Capain Nemo. I wish the film had taken a different direction at that point, but I realize that it was a necessary part of the story to include him.

If only the contestants on "Survivor" had it so good! With the boiled crab, fresh oysters and BBQ chicken, who needs take-out? And the girl's outfit is just as skimpy; several years ahead of Raquel Welch in "One Million Years BC." This movie is everything that "The First Men in the Moon" is not. It has mood and atmosphere that is lacking in the fore-mentioned movie. I thoroughly enjoyed this movie. It succeeds on the strength of its story and is only enhanced by the wonderful Harryhausen creations, wisely spaced evenly throughout the movie.

I only offer one word of advice: climbing to the rim of an active volcano is never a good idea. But, what the heck, the climb was worth the goat's milk!

First Men in the Moon (1964)

Didn't like it as a kid...still don't!

[2/10 · 7 January 2006]

Possibly due to its being shown seemingly every other Saturday afternoon when I was a kid in the early 70's, I was hugely burned-out on this movie at an early age. I guess it was the let down of expecting this movie to be more "The Thing" or "Earth Vs. the Flying Saucers" than what it was.

Let me not diminish Harryhausen's contributions, but they seemed a bit under-whelming here, perhaps due to them being used sparingly.

But my main beef with this film is this: I didn't care a scintilla for any of the main characters! We have a nutty professor, a woman who's "marry me, or else" attitude is nauseating and and our "hero", a meandering playwright, investor (gambler?), squatter...who knows what else? I didn't care if these people made it to or off the moon or not. Let the bugs have at 'em.

This movie is not a thriller, not moody or atmospheric, just silly and uninteresting. Again, this opinion is largely due to this movie popping up in the TV Guide too many times for my liking 35 years ago, taking up valuable viewing opportunities for "Frankenstein" or "The Invisible Man."