Movie Review: The Ghost Ship (1943)

The Ghost Ship (1943) directed by Mark Robson

Fresh from school, Tom Merriam (Russell Wade) signs on as third officer on the Altair, a cargo ship. The captain, Will Stone (Richard Dix), takes an immediate liking to Tom, seeing him as a younger version of himself. Both are popular with the crew, though most of the crew are new. Captain Stone shares some odd theories about authority, especially his wide-ranging authority as ship's captain. Tom starts to worry as small events reveal the crumbling sanity of the captain. The situation gets worse when Tom confronts the captain, who shows his true nature. The rest of the crew don't know all the details that Tom does, so they side with the captain. Tom becomes more isolated and vulnerable as the ship sails on. Soon enough, he is fearing for his life.

The movie is particularly effective because of Dix's performance as the captain and how well-written his character is. At first, he seems reasonable and genial, with only hints of oddness. And he does at times try to fight against going crazy, but it's a losing fight. Tom's slow realization is rational and makes sense to viewers. The crew's isolation of Tom also makes sense due to their lack of information that Tom has. The only odd element is the title, which hints at a supernatural presence that is just not there. Famously, producer Val Lewton was often given a title and then expected to come up with a movie based on that. This movie not only had the random title, but also a hand-me-down set from RKO's big-budget feature Pacific Liner. Lewton makes good use of the sets if not the title.

Recommended.

Book Review: Horror Noir by Paul Meehan

Horror Noir: Where Cinema's Dark Sisters Meet by Paul Meehan

Author Paul Meehan draws an uncontroversial but fascinating connection between horror films and film noir. The noir genre grew up in America with the pre-World War II departure of many German film makers (like Fritz Lang and Otto Preminger, among others) who were steeped in the German Expressionist movement. Expressionism used high contrast and often surreal images to create a feeling of uneasiness or dread. The style fit naturally to horror films and was used to great effect in Universal's series of classic monster films--Dracula, Frankenstein, The Wolf Man, et al. The supernatural elements (vampires, curses, magic) slowly diminished, especially with the series of low-budget but highly influential B-movies produced by Val Lewton, many directed by French emigre Jacques Tourneur. Cat People and I Walked with a Zombie clearly have supernatural elements but Tourneur would go on to more great acclaim with Out of the Past, which has no supernatural elements whatsoever.

Film noir emerged as a distinct genre especially in the post-WWII era, when an air of cynicism, dread, and despair filtered into the gangster and crime drama films, first seen in WWII-era films like The Maltese Falcon and The Big Sleep. The genre's style was well suited to Gothic stories like Jane Eyre or Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, and modern versions like Rebecca. Alfred Hitchcock is mentioned early and often, even getting his own chapter that looks more deeply at Vertigo and Psycho.

Noir saw a demise in the late 1950s and early 1960s. The style still came out in the 1960s and 1970s, sometimes using supernatural elements, as in Rosemary's Baby or Eyes of Laura Mars, sometimes not, as in Chinatown or Peeping Tom. Horror went its own way after Psycho, with many slasher films. A serial killer craze was started in the 1990s by The Silence of the Lambs, mixing the police procedural elements of noir with seemingly superhuman killers who can barely be stopped.

The book provides an interesting history of the two genres and how they cross over. The Hitchcock and Lewton chapters were favorites. A very interesting chapter details the relationship between detective and supernatural thriller radio shows from the 1930s and 1940s and the movies they inspired that fit the horror-noir bill. The book is a very enjoyable read if you are interested in either or both genres.

Recommended.

Movie Review: The Leopard Man (1943)

The Leopard Man (1943) directed by Jacques Tourneur

A publicity stunt for a night club performer goes horribly awry! Spanish dancer with castanets Clo-Clo (Margo) has her act interrupted by rival Kiki (Jean Brooks) when she brings in a leopard on a leash. The audience is on edge and Clo-Clo decides to scare the cat by clicking her castanets at it. The beast escapes into the small New Mexico town, but not before clawing a waiter. Panic starts to spread as the cat-hunt starts. Other locals are unaware, like Teresa Delgado, who is sent out to buy cornmeal. The local shop is closed so she has to cross town. On her way back, she crosses paths with the leopard and is chased home, dying on her own doorstep. Kiki's publicist and boyfriend Jerry (Dennis O'Keefe--yeah, he's the guy who brought the leopard into the picture) feels guilty and reluctantly helps out in the search, especially since he owes $225 to the cat's owner. Things go from bad to worse when another young woman is killed and Jerry starts to suspect that the killer may be human.

The movie is full of pros and cons. The visual style is excellent, with many scenes of stalking and discussions of fate, cat nature, and personal culpability. The "less is more" style of Val Lewton's productions is used to full effect. Teresa's death happens on the other side of a door with only her screams and other sound effects hinting at what's happening...until the blood comes under the door. On the other hand, the plot almost literally wanders around as new characters are introduced when another character walks by their window. New sets of people show up and viewers are left wondering what they have to do with the story. While these shifts make for intriguing moments, they also rob the main characters of time for character development and make the narrative choppy. The film also hints at supernatural elements but then abandons that motif at the end for a straightforward psychological drama.

Mildly recommended.

Movie Review: The Seventh Victim (1943)

The Seventh Victim (1943) directed by Mark Robson

Boarding school student Mary (Kim Hunter) is called into the office for trouble. Her tuition hasn't been paid in six months. Her sister Jacqueline (Jean Brooks) lives in New York City and owns a cosmetics company. But she hasn't paid the tuition or been in contact for the six months. Mary decides to go to New York to look for her sister. She makes a lot of surprising discoveries--her sister sold the company, got married, and was involved in a Greenwich Village cult! The cult turns out to be Satan worshippers, though they are hardly costumed, chanting, raving lunatics. They look very mundane but they are after Jacqueline, the titular seventh victim of their cult.

The story moves in fits and starts with lots of strange events. The terror slowly builds as more information comes in and the awfulness of the situation grows worse and worse. Weirdly, Dr. Judd (Tom Conway) from Cat People is in the movie, so this must be set earlier, though it is hardly a prequel. Conway gives a good performance and his character is smarmy as ever. Brooks also gives a great performance as a world-weary and frightened woman. The movie looks great, with lots of stylish direction and fascinating locations--film noir galore. The understated performances give realism to the story. The theme is rather bleak and pessimistic, all the way to the end. I don't agree with the world view presented here but I appreciate the well-crafted work.

Recommended.

Movie Review: The Curse of the Cat People (1944)

The Curse of the Cat People (1944) directed by Gunther V. Fritsch and Robert Wise

Amy is the daughter of Ollie and Alice Reed, the couple married off at the end of Cat People. Ollie was originally married to Irena (Simone Simon), a Serbian woman too obsessed by the folklore of her Serbian ancestors. The folklore said she was descended from the ancient Serbs who rejected Christianity and became the Cat People, who could turn into fierce felines when angered or jealous. Irena did in fact turn into a panther-like cat a few times in the previous movie, though she died tragically at the end.

In this film, Amy is a friendless six-year old in Tarrytown, New York (of Headless Horseman fame). She has an overactive imagination and dreams up a friend to keep her company. The local kids don't hang out with Amy because her parents are overprotective and Amy's fantasy life makes her unpopular. So she sticks with her imaginary friend, who looks just like Irena! The ghost is benevolent though her presence causes no end of trouble for Amy. Her dad doesn't like her fantasies and wants to hear nothing about them. Her mother is more sympathetic but just as skeptical. Amy also befriends a reclusive, aging actress, Mrs. Farren, who lives under the care of her daughter Barbara. This mother-daughter relationship is strained because Mrs. Farren claims her daughter died as a youngster and this woman is not her daughter. Mrs. Farren's kindness to Amy only drives the (understandably) exasperated Barbara further into frustration.

As a sequel, this movie is a bit bizarre. It has the same characters further along in life. Irena's ghost is more like a guardian angel to Amy than the titular curse. Any jealousy or malice is removed from the character. The parents are typical suburban parents with some overprotective parenting, perhaps the real curse. The horror is downplayed for the most part. The Mrs. Farren/Barbara plot at first seems shoehorned in to add some spooky atmosphere (their house is pretty creepy) and tension to an otherwise mundane family drama.

A little reflection makes the purpose more obvious. Amy has difficulty telling reality from fantasy; Mrs. Farren has the same problem. Their family members have a hard time coping with the fantasies that Amy and Mrs. Farren have embraced. The parents have some support (friends, each other, Amy's teacher) to help them deal with Amy's imagination more appropriately. Barbara seems trapped in the house with little other than her mother's constant denials. She's always edgy and occasionally angry with no way to release the pressure. The movie is able to show two possible outcomes for the same situation.

The acting is superb all around. Ann Carter as Amy gives a surprisingly nuanced performance for a child under ten, especially with her in most of the film. Elizabeth Russell as Barbara gets a lot of mileage out of the minimal screen time she has and just oozes creepiness while she also gets sympathy.

Recommended--don't expect it to be more of the same from the first film. This could have easily been a stand-alone film without any "Cat People" connection.

Movie Review: Cat People (1942)

Cat People (1942) directed by Jacques Tourneur

Serbian Irena (Simone Simon) is a lonely woman who meets Oliver Reed (Kent Smith) at the zoo when she is sketching panthers. They hit it off, eventually leading to his proposal of marriage. She is happy to marry but at their wedding night she refuses to consummate the marriage. Her Serbian village had lots of old folk tales--ancestors who were driven to evil and to the mountains, who can turn into cats when they kiss someone they love or when in fits of jealousy. Oliver, being a hard-headed American, ignores the tales. Her stand-offish behavior bothers both him and her. He arranges for some psychiatric treatment with the helpful suggestion of a co-worker...a female co-worker who is also in love with Oliver (though otherwise she is extremely nice). The psychiatrist uncovers Irena's deeply held belief that she is a descendant of the Cat People. She doesn't want to hurt anyone but thinks she will anyway. Irena quits the treatment and a malevolent, cat-like force stalks the co-worker. Things get more complicated from there.

The film is produced by Val Lewton, whose short but spectacular production career brought to the horror genre a more psychological approach along with a "less is more" approach. This film is a perfect example of skillfully blending the two approaches. The set-up is slow but deliberate and detailed. The first unsettling moments are just uncomfortable (a random Serbian woman at a restaurant (who is dressed like a cat) calls Irena "My sister" in Serbian); later, the tension skyrockets, as when the co-worker is stalked by something in the shadows at a darkened indoor pool. The film does a great job suggesting Irena's transformations without showing them. The movie is visually impressive.

Simone Simon gives a great performance as Irena. At first she seems mousy and shy but viewers can also see that she has a lot going on inside her head. Tom Conway as the psychiatrist also hits the right blend of disdain for the folk tales and of caution for the unusual abilities of crazy people (even if he denies the paranormal abilities); he's a bit smarmy too, suggested the co-worker may not be as nice as she first appears. The cast is uniformly great, delivering the subtlety and depth of the script.

The plot moves ahead a little too quickly at one or two points, but given the 73-minute running time, it's hard to complain. Especially with all the other fine qualities in the film.

Highly recommended.

Movie Review: Bedlam (1946)

Bedlam (1946) co-written and directed by Mark Robson

In 1761, the infamous mental hospital St. Mary's of Bethlehem Asylum is known as Bedlam. It's run by Sims (Boris Karloff), a toadying, frustrated man who sucks up to the nobility (his benefactors, including the easily manipulated Lord Mortimer (Billy House)). By contrast, he is harsh and cruel to the inmates. He faces a big challenge when Lord Mortimer's protege, Nell Bowman (Anna Lee), finds him a bit repulsive and decides to visit the asylum. Her sassy and mocking tone changes when she sees the conditions of the inmates. She is even more repulsed. Nell convinces Mortimer to provide funds for reforms, like decent food and actual beds for the inmates. She convinces Mortimer until Sims catches his ear and convinces Mortimer that the expense will cut into his cosy lifestyle. Sims's cruelty doesn't end there--he convinces Mortimer to strip her of his patronage and eventually commit her to Bedlam. Her haughtiness gives way to her better nature as she tries to help out the inmates even as she is one of them.

The movie is a fascinating study in contrasts. Both Sims and Nell are sharp-witted and given to disdain for others. But Sims is fully committed to securing his own position while Nell learns to help out others in any way she can. She's inspired by a Quaker stonemason who wants to do some work at the asylum. He too is horrified by the conditions but is true to his faith and refuses to disdain others or participate in the corruption of Bedlam. He pushes Nell in the right direction and provides minor support throughout the film (and eventually winds up as a sort of love interest for her, though that is very minimal and feels tagged on to meet Hollywood expectations). Nell's influence on the other inmates inspires them to stand up for themselves in a critical moment. She makes a great heroine against Karloff's evil scheming.

The acting is very good. Anna Lee holds her own in scenes with Karloff, which is no small accomplishment. The other actors give fine performances, not going too over-the-top as the "loonies" or too detached from reality as the aristocratic class.

The sets mimic the Hogarth paintings (a set known as "The Rake's Progress) from which the story is inspired. The DVD has an interesting commentary by a film historian, including details about Hogarth, Karloff, Lee, director Mark Robson, and producer Val Lewton.

Recommended.

The movie is available as a horror double-feature in the Val Lewton collection along with Isle of the Dead.

Movie Review: Isle of the Dead (1945)

Isle of the Dead (1945) directed by Mark Robson

During the Balkan War of 1912, a harsh Greek general (Boris Karloff) goes to visit his wife's grave on an island near his latest successful battle. The grave has been plundered and her body is gone, so the general visits the locals to demand an answer. Only a handful of people are left on the island, a few caretakers and some tourists who fled from the battle to the island. The general is convinced to spend the night. Someone falls victim to septicemic plague. The general enforces a quarantine to protect his troops, even though a diplomat wants to get back to his duties and some young lovers want to escape. If that wasn't trouble enough, an old lady spreads superstition, claiming the female young lover is a Vorvolaka, a mythical creature that drains the life force of its victims. At first the general is very rationalistic and gets a military doctor to come. When the doctor falls to the plague, superstition rears its ugly head.

The movie is produced by Val Lewton (of Cat People and I Walked with a Zombie fame) and exemplifies his "less is more" style. Sound effects and shadows create the atmosphere of terror. The tension between superstition and science is well drawn, shifting sympathy from character to character throughout. The ending isn't fully satisfying but still delivers some chilling moments and sympathy for all the characters, even the misguided ones.

Recommended for atmospheric horror fans and Karloff fans (if you aren't a Karloff fan, what's wrong with you?).

The movie is available as a horror double-feature in the Val Lewton collection along with Bedlam, which I haven't watched yet but will soon!

Quick Review: I Walked With a Zombie

I Walked With a Zombie, 1943, directed by Jacques Tourneur

I Walked with a Zombie is one of the earliest zombie movies, made in the 1940s by producer Val Lewton. Lewton is famous for taking a very different approach to horror films than Universal Pictures did with Dracula, Frankenstein, the Wolfman, etc. Lewton emphasized the psychological  and personal elements, leaving ambiguous whether certain events, transformations, etc., were caused by natural or supernatural means.

The story here follows the adventure of Betsy, a Canadian nurse who accepts a job taking care of a woman on the Caribbean island of San Sebastien. She is the "I" of the movie's title. As she departs her snowy home for the lush tropical island, she discovers that something strange has happened to her ward, Jessica. A while back, she came down with a terrible fever that has left her in a mentally vacant state (yes, she is the "zombie" of the movie's title). Their first meeting is harrowing for Betsy, as she follows some unearthly moans into a tower and is cornered by the shambling, persistent Jessica. Eventually Betsy lets out a scream that draws help to her.

Help consists of Jessica's husband Paul Holland, a sugar plantation owner, and his half-brother/ne'er do well Wesley Rand. Their mother also lives on the island, working at an infirmary helping the poor. It is slowly hinted at that Jessica's state may not have been an ordinary fever and many of the locals consider her to be a zombie. Also complicating matters is the romantic overtures of Holland toward Betsy and the implications of a past love triangle between Jessica and the two brothers.

The movie is well directed by Jacques Tourneur, whose most famous movie is another Lewton collaboration, Cat People. He makes great use of light and shadow, and especially good use of music. The music is partly a score that emphasizes dramatic or horrific moments, but there's also the music in the story: the drums of the voodoo ceremonies, heard in the distance at first, and the song locals have made up about the love triangle.

Another aspect of the film I appreciated was the respectful tone it took towards the voodoo beliefs of the people on the island. Neither sensationalistic nor exploitational, the practices are taken at face value and not overdone (like the native of Kong Island in either the original or most recent versions of King Kong). Whether the credit for Jessica becoming a zombie is due to the supernatural or the psychological or merely the medical result of the fever is left ambiguous.

I definitely recommend this film as a good, non-gory early zombie horror that will give you the creeps through stimulating your interest.