Monster Mash: The Greatest “Verses” Films in Horror

 

Monster Mash: The Greatest “Verses” Films in Horror

What’s better than a horror movie? Two horror movies! And what’s better than two horror movies? Two horror movies rolled into one! The monster mash, the peanut butter and jelly of horror movies, has been around for 80 years.  Used most effectively by Universal in the 40s and Toho in the 60s, the monster vs monster formula still has the potential to give fans what they want, mainly their favorite horror creations from various films and genres all under one roof.  What follows is a list of some of the greatest monster vs. monster films out there.

25) Monster Brawl (2011)- This is less a narrative story and more of a live action fighting game. With almost no plot, the film simply features fights between various monsters in WWE style bouts. The film will probably leave most horror fans scratching their heads but there are a few that would like this, mainly those fans of professional wrestling and fighting games. Several real-life wrestling performers appear (including Kevin Nash and Jimmy “Mouth of the South” Hart). Somehow, the makers of this film got Lance Henrikson to lend his gravelly voice, doling out occasional Mortal Kombat style commentary.

24) Dr. Jekyll y el Hombre Lobo (Dr Jekyll and the Wolfman) (1971) -The first of many Paul Naschy films to appear on this list, this is a pretty ingenious idea that I’m surprised Universal never thought of, as both Mr. Hyde and the Wolf Man involve the unleashing of our darker, bestial sides. Naschy plays both Mr. Hyde and the Wolf Man with veteran horror actor Jack Taylor as Dr. Jekyll. A solid film that fans of Spanish horror will enjoy.

23) The Creeps (1997)-If you were a Gen X fan of horror, Full Moon Pictures was the best thing going from the late 80s through the 90s. Their movies were usually low budget, but never looked like it, and as they were skipping the theatres and marketing straight to the video store, they usually had some creative ideas. A plot that is too convoluted to bother with involves a mad scientist trying to bring to life history’s greatest monsters; Dracula, the Frankenstein Monster, the Mummy and the Wolf Man. He succeeds, but the process goes awry and the monsters are created as 3 foot tall versions of themselves. The pack of pint sized terrors is led by Dracula, played by veteran genre actor Phil Fondacaro (Willow, Bordello of Blood, Troll, Dollman vs Demonic Toys (which appears later on this list) and about a million other things.

22) La Maldicion de la Bestia (Night of the Howling Beast) (1975)- Another Paul Naschy film with him as the Wolf Man. In this installment, his doomed protagonist finds himself in the Himalayas.  There is a circuitous plot involving a group of mountain witches and an army of bandits, but what lands the film on this list is the finale which features Naschy’s Wolf Man fighting the Abominable Snow Man (aka the Yeti).

21)-Destroy All Monsters (1968)- Most Godzilla films feature Godzilla vs other monsters. Often these monsters  are created just for that film, but occasionally other monsters are imported from other franchises. The Shōwa period of Godzilla films (i.e. the 60s and 70s) was a mixed bag with some movies that were serious, some farcical and all with a little camp. Destroy All Monsters is heavy on the camp, maybe too heavy, which prevents it from landing higher on the list, but for kaiju fans it is a must see, being a veritable who’s who of 50s and 60s Japanese monsters: Godzilla, King Ghidorah, Rodan, Mothra, Baragon, Manda, Varan and others.

20)- Assignment Terror (Los Monstruos del Terror) (1970)- Another Paul Naschy film with him as the Wolf Man. In this film, aliens (???) bring to life a werewolf, a mummy, Frankenstein’s monster and a vampire with a plan to use them to take over the world, because sure why not. The Wolf Man (who ,interestingly, is always the protagonist in both the Universal films and the Naschy films) has to fight the other monsters in turn in order to save humanity. This film is pretty weak compared to Naschy’s other films of the period, but you have to give credit to the ambitious story.

19)-House of Dracula (1945)- The penultimate monster mash for Universal, it was preceded by House of Frankenstein.  Lon Chaney Jr. reprises his role as the tortured Wolf Man and Glenn Strange returns as Frankenstein’s monster. John Carradine reprises his role as Dracula and thankfully gets more screen time than he did in House of Frankenstein. It also features Universal horror regular, Lionel Atwill.

18)- The Robot vs. The Aztec Mummy (1958)- If you are unfamiliar with Mexican horror, the first thing you need to know is that it never followed the “rules” of American horror, and nowhere was this more evident than in the Aztec Mummy trilogy. These films feel like something a group of kids came up with while hopped up on too much candy and soda. The final film in the saga features the ever-vengeful Aztec mummy fighting a mad scientist and his very atompunk looking robot man. Pure fun.

17) Alien vs. Predator (2004)- A film that sort of gave fans what they wanted while also leaving them wistfully hoping for more. The premise for this started in the 1989 Dark Horse comic and in typical Hollywood fashion, they rejected the source material in favor of something else. Ever since the ending of Predator 2, which showed an Alien skull mounted as a trophy in a Predator ship, fans had hoped for this match up. Alien vs. Predator has good looking Aliens and good looking Predators, but it lacked the punch of the better volumes of either franchise. Pretty much mandatory viewing for fans of both franchises but most other horror fans can skip it.

16) Dollman vs Demonic Toys (1993)- A crossover between three different Full Moon films; Dollman (a futuristic cop shrunk to the size of a GI Joe and played by Tim Thomerson; Demonic Toys, toys powered by infernal spirits; and Bad Channels a story about reality warping aliens. The film wouldn’t make a top 10 list of Full Moon features, but is notable for the comic book like attempt to bring so many properties together.

15) House of Frankenstein (1944)- This film is the direct sequel to Frankenstein Meets the Wolfman (which appears later on the list) and features Lon Chaney again as the Wolf Man. This movie is the first of 3 times that Glenn Stange would play Frankenstein’s Monster. John Carradine is a rather dapper Dracula, who unfortunately gets very little screen time. The best part though is the addition of Boris Karloff as the antagonist of the story. A truly fun film for fans of Universal monsters.

14) Underworld: Rise of the Lycans (2009)- This is the third film in the Underworld franchise and the only one that doesn’t star Kate Beckinsale. What sets it apart from its leather clad brethren is its setting, taking place entirely in the Middle Ages. The film attempts to tell the franchises backstory about how the centuries old war between werewolves and vampires began. Strong performances from everyone involved and some really nice black armour for the vampire knights. Even though its best viewed after seeing Underworld, it’s totally watchable as a stand-alone film.

13) Godzilla vs. Mothra (1992)- In case you’re not hip to the lingo, about every 15 years, the Godzilla franchise reboots itself and a new “era” of films begin, with only the original 1954 film remaining in cannon. The second era, the “Heisei” era, ran through the 80s and 90s and is notable for creating a single cohesive story that loosely connects all of the films together.  This film features a match up between Big G and Mothra and is essentially a reboot of the Showa period film featuring the same match up. It is a technically better made film than its predecessor and even introduces a new monster, Batra, a sinister version of Mothra. As good as it is, it’s still a remake and you always get bonus points for being first, which is why I put it just slightly behind the original.

12) Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster (1964)- A true Godzilla battle royal featuring Godzilla’s most dangerous foe, the three headed dragon King Ghidorah.  But we also get Rodan and Mothra who team up with Godzilla to beat the evil dragon. A fun film, it takes itself more seriously than Destroy All Monsters and this really helps the story. A truly entertaining film and a must see for kaiju fans.

11) Mothra vs. Godzilla (1964)- Mothra is one of the most interesting and bizarre kaiju to come out of the genre. Not only is she largely a benevolent creature but she is usually accompanied by her two twin fairies that sort of speak for her. Mothra had previously appeared in her own 1961 film. As it was a huge success, it was only natural that she team up with Godzilla. Mothra movies are always a little weird and this helps elevate the match up above most of the other Godzilla movies.

10) Werewolf vs The Vampire Woman (La Noche de Walpurgis) (1970)- The final Paul Naschy film to appear on this list, it is maybe his best film, and definitely the best of his werewolf movies. In this installment, the doomed lycanthrope must go against a vampiric queen of the undead.  The film is a real masterpiece of 70s horror featuring beautiful women, spooky ambiances, morbid visuals and Naschy at the top of his game. Worth seeing even if you are totally unfamiliar with the franchise or Spanish horror. It’s just a great looking, creepy film.

9) Underworld (2003)- Werewolves had been fighting vampires on screen for almost 60 years by the time this film came out, but no other film has done it as well, before or since. Underworld tells the story of Selene, a soldier in the vampire army whose sole reason for existence is to hunt down and kill their furry enemies. Her un-life gets more complicated when she falls in love with a mortal who is at the center of a werewolf plot to destroy the vampires. A super stylish film and Kate Beckinsale is smoking hot decked out in latex and leather. A must see for fans of the old White Wolf role playing games.

8) Mad Monster Party? (1967)- Not really a horror movie as much as a fun homage to horror movies. Mad Monster Party? was brought to us by Rankin and Bass, the masters of animation that gave us the classic Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer as well as the 1977 version of The Hobbit and the 80s dark fantasy The Last Unicorn. The film features a who’s who gathering of monsters with practically every western horror icon appearing. It also features the voice of Boris Karloff as the mad scientist organizing the affair. Mandatory viewing for Halloween, and fun whether you’re 8 or 48.

7) Van Helsing (2004)- Following the success of the first two Brendan Fraser Mummy films, this was Universal’s next attempt to revitalize its monster franchises since it closed up shop in the 1950s. Hugh Jackman plays the titular Van Helsing who teams up with Kate Beckinsale (fresh off the success of Underworld) to fight Dracula, his Brides, the Wolf Man, Frankenstein’s Monster and even the Hunchback of Notre Dame. A very stylish movie that is well made with high production values that refuses to take itself too seriously. The late 90s/ early 00s was a bit of a low point for horror but this film has aged better than most of its counterparts of that era.

     One question remains: Stephen Sommers made both the 1999 Mummy and Van Helsing and both films were successful. Why did we never get Van Helsing vs The Mummy?

6) King Kong vs. Godzilla (1962)-OK, first off ,this film looks like crap compared to some of the other Godzilla films of the same era. Godzilla’s design has changed many times, sometimes making Big G look scarier, sometimes sillier. This design is about middle of the road but it seems like a Ray Harryhausen sculpt compared to the Kong design, which makes you wonder if the film makers ever even saw a picture of an actual gorilla.  So how could I have it placed so high? Because its King Kong verses Godzilla!!! This is the kind of film that fanboys and fangirls grow up dreaming about! This isn’t the typical Godzilla crossover with multiple Toho properties meeting under one roof. This was 2 monsters from 2 different film companies from opposite sides of the planet! This was like putting Ric Flair and Hulk Hogan on the same tag team! Or having the Avengers fight the Justice Leage!

    The film is pure camp, but for lovers of kaiju, it doesn’t get any more fun than Kong vs. Godzilla.

5) Freddy vs. Jason (2003)- What King Kong vs. Godzilla was to kaiju fans, Freddy vs. Jason was to slasher fans. Freddy and Jason were the kings of 80s slasher films (Freddy had 5 films in the 80s while Jason had 8, compared to Michael who only had 3 in the decade and Leatherface who only had the 1).

    By the 21^st century, both franchises had long since passed their primes but this film gave fans something to get excited about with a new film that actually offered something creative without simply relying on nostalgia to carry the story. The most amazing thing about the film is how faithful it is to both characters. You never get the feeling that either character has been plucked out of its home franchise and dropped into unfamiliar lands. The story feels natural and the characters are just as you remembered them. A great achievement in the annals of slasher film history.

4) Waxwork (1988)-Of the many great horror films of the video store era, this is one of the best because of its fun, its creativity and its high production values. The story surrounds a nefarious wax museum run by a sinister curator (David Warner). A preppy college student (Zach Galligan) starts nosing around after his sort of girlfriend goes missing after visiting the museum. What he discovers is that the museum is playing home to real life monsters whose spirits are stored in the displays.

    And what a list of monsters it is: Dracula, a werewolf, a mummy, the Marquis de Sade, not to mention appearances from Frankenstein’s creature, zombies, and various murders, monsters and more. There are also appearances by Miles O’Keefe and John Rhys-Davies. A very entertaining film with good looking special effects and some memorable monsters.

3) The Monster Squad (1987)- The plot is simple, Dracula is trying to bring about the end of the world with the help of the Wolf Man, the Mummy and the Gill Man. All that stands in his way are a group of kids aided by Frankenstein’s monster.

    The film’s strength is its total commitment to being fun. The kids are likable if occasionally unbelievable and Dracula is thoroughly evil. Duncan Regehr’s portrayal is very memorable, making his Dracula a little bit like a Bond villain. The monster effects all look beautiful, especially the Wolf Man which has a design echoing Hammer’s Curse of the Werewolf. As a bonus, this movie is totally appropriate for kids. Definitely needs to be on your Halloween watch list if you are looking for something without sex and (too much) gore.

2) Frankenstein Meets the Wolfman (1943)- This is the granddaddy of verses films and really the film that created the blueprint for monster vs. monster movies. The only reason its not #1 on the list is because the final film just has so much to offer.

In this film, Lawrence Talbot (dead after the events of The Wolf Man) is brought back to life and is actually pretty depressed about it. While most of us might be stoked at a second chance, all Larry can see is an eternity dealing with the curse of lycanthropy. He learns about Dr. Frankenstein’s work and reasons that, if Frankenstein can bring life to the dead, perhaps he can bring death to the seemingly unkillable Larry (makes sense if you think about it). He soon finds himself coming face to face with the Monster (played by Bela Lugosi this time (Chaney himself had played the Monster in the previous Frankenstein film).

Beyond this being the first time that we ever got to see horror icons face off on the screen, the movie also has other merits. Lawrence Talbot is a kind of Goth prototype (or at least Emo). He’s very depressed and suicidal and has no goal beyond escaping his own miserable existence. While the follow up films, House of Frankenstein and House of Dracula, are campier and played for fun, this film is more serious.

1) Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein (1948)- The greatest monster mash of all time! By the mid 40s, Universal horror was on the decline in popularity and its not difficult to understand why. After the real world horrors of WW2, audiences just weren’t in the mood for anything morbid. Horror in general took a back seat to science fiction through most of the 50s.

But the Universals Monsters had enough left in the tank for one last hoorah and it was brought to us by the most successful comic act of their time. Abbott and Costello had grown to monumental popularity during the War (when people needed a laugh more than ever), and they would be the vehicle to give the Universal Monsters a memorable send off.

The combination of humor and horror proved to be potent and popular, spawning several more Abbott and Costello creature features. For fans of monsters, this is like revisiting a beloved childhood memory. Lon Chaney Jr. revised his role as the Wolf Man, Glenn Strange returned for his 3^rd appearance as Frankenstein’s Monster and ,best of all, Bela Lugosi took on the Dracula mantle for the first time since his 1931 portrayal. The only way this film could possibly have been any better was if Karloff had been involved somehow, but him playing the Monster was simply out of the question as he was in his 60s by this point and the role was very taxing for even a young man.

Of every movie on this list, Abbott and Costello meet Frankenstein is the absolutely must see  film and (I think) a mandatory part of any October line up.

                So Hollywood, its time for some more monster vs. monster films! Michael vs. Leatherface, or Gremlins vs. Critters, or Species vs. Aliens, or Chucky vs. Annabelle or…..

50 Great Scream Queens Part 1 of 4: The Euro Queens

  

50 Great Scream Queens Part 1 of 4: The Euro Queens

          Scream Queen. What an interesting nomenclature. No other genre has such a popularly recognized name for its performers. But what does the term mean? How does one become a Scream Queen? Well like, one of my old professors told me, it’s like the difference between punk and rock n’ roll. He knew it when he heard it.

            Broadly speaking, a Scream Queen is a woman who stars in a horror movie, but that’s not really enough. Mia Farrow starred in Rosemary’s Baby, one of the scariest and best known horror films around, but no one considers her to be a Scream Queen. No, for an actor to be a Scream Queen, horror needs to be one of the first things, if not the very first thing, that comes to mind when you hear her name.

            It’s interesting that the concept of a “Scream King” has never caught on given that (arguably) the best known names in the genre belong to men. Lugosi, Karloff, Cushing, Lee and Price are some of the pillars of the genre, but somehow they occupy a different place in our collective pop culture consciousness. 

            There are different kinds of Scream Queens. Some are women who have devoted most of their careers to horror. Others have had wide ranging careers but made significant contributions to horror along with their other works. Some are house hold names known by movie fans who don’t even like horror. Others are known almost exclusively to horror fans, their names becoming a kind of litmus test that allow fellow fans to spot the faithful.

 

            What follows in this entry, and over the next few weeks, is my celebration (some might say devoted adoration) of these women. I’ve made a list of 50 great Scream Queens that I will talk about over the next  few weeks. Notice that I said “Great” not “Greatest”. The horror field is too large and goes back too far for anyone to have a truly comprehensive knowledge.  There are ,no doubt, many women, unknown to me, whose contributions have been greater than some of those that made my list.  Also, why a list of 50? Well, 10 was definitely not enough. 20 barely got me out of the usual suspects. 100 was far too many (at some point your list ends up being an encyclopedia). So 50 was a good cut off. Even at 50 there were about 10 actors that I kept going back and forth with that ended up being cut in favor of others.

            Rather than just a long list I have divided them up into groups; European Scream Queens, character creators (those actors known mainly for one important part), the workhorses of the genre (those actors whose work has kept the genre going but maybe don’t get credit for being Scream Queens), and finally the sort of crème de la crème, those actors that I considered most important to the genre. 

Also, FYI, many of these actors could fit into multiple categories, so if you don’t see your favorite performer, just wait, she may show up in a later post.

The Euro Queens

            Hollywood (mainly Universal Studios) owned the horror genre through the 1930s and 40s. It’s hard to compete with the likes of Lugosi and Karloff. Universal’s special kind of gothic horror, sometimes deadly serious, sometimes tongue in cheek was hugely successful, making their properties recognizable around the world. All of that would change by the end of the 40s.

            Maybe it was all the real world horror that everyone had experienced during the Depression and World War 2. Maybe it was that the ominous threat of nuclear annihilation suddenly made vampires and werewolves seem quaint. Maybe gothic horror had just run its course. But whatever the reason, interest in horror had waned. Oh there were still good horror movies being made. But for the most part, the 1950’s belonged to science fiction. Universal’s most successful horror film of that decade, The Creature from the Black Lagoon, was as much sci-fi as horror.

            Meanwhile, across the pond, another studio was gearing up to bring horror back in a big way, and that’s just what Hammer Studios did. With their one-two punch of Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee, they revitalized the gothic horror genre with Curse of Frankenstein (1957) and quickly followed that up with Horror of Dracula and The Mummy. Through the 1960s, the best horror being made was being made by Hammer, but by the 1970s, interest in those films had begun to decline as well. Hammer held on, and in a flurry of creativity, turned out some of their best movies in the first few years of the 70s, but by the middle of the decade they were done.

            Through the 50s and 60s, horror had continued in America (the Vincent Price /RogerCorman collaborations being the best example), but it was still second banana behind science fiction. American horror would come back in a big way (thanks to the video store) with a kind of horror Renaissance in the 1980s.

But with the end of Hammer there was a vacuum left in horror and it was filled by films from continental Europe, especially Italy and Spain. Their own brand of horror had come into its own in the 60s with the films of Barbara Steele, but the permissiveness of the 70s allowed for sexier and more gruesome movies than anyone had previously attempted, and the European horror scene was at the forefront.

            These new Scream Queens were a whole new breed, emblematic of the times. They were mysterious and risqué. They pushed sex to new limits (sometimes pornographically). Sexiness has always been a part of the Scream Queen phenomenon, but now it was a defining characteristic. But it wasn’t the coquettishness of the Universal Horror stars or even the voluptuous glamor of the Hammer starlets. Some of these new Scream Queens seemed downright dangerous! And that danger added to their appeal.

            It might be tempting to see these actors (and these movies) as a kind of place holder, keeping the fires burning between the Hammer era and the rebirth of American horror in the 1980s. That would be inaccurate though. Their sexuality was an extension of what had been happening in Hammer toward the end of its life and would heavily influence the American horror genre of the 1980s. They were, in every way, part of the natural evolution of the genre and the Scream Queen phenomenon.

Daria Nicolodi- Daria’s name may not be on the tip of the tongue of American horror fans, but fans of Italian horror probably know her well. She starred in six different Dario Argento films: Deep Red, Inferno, Tenebra, Phenomenon and Opera. She also has a writing credit for Argento’s most famous film, Suspira. She also appeared in Mario Bava’s final film, Shock. Even those who are unfamiliar with Italian horror probably know another one of her masterpieces. She is the mother of Asia Argento.

-Asia Argento- Asia is a member if the First Family of Italian horror. Her father, Dario Argento directed some of those most important Italian horror films of all time (maybe second only to Mario Bava). As stated above, her mother, Daria Nicolodi, starred in movies by both Dario and Mario.

Asia’s first horror role was at the age of 10 in Lamberto Bava’s  Demons 2. She had a much bigger role a few years later in its sequel, The Church.  In 1993 she joined her father for Trauma, the first of several movies that she would star in for her dad including the bizarre The Stendhal Syndrome, The Phantom of the Opera, Mother of Tears and the regrettable Dracula 3D (2012). Her horror career followed the trajectory of her father and she hasn’t done any horror in years.  But even if she doesn’t make another horror film, she’ll always be an important part of 80s and 90s Italian horror.

-Helga Liné- German born and raised in Portugal and Spain (her family fled Nazi Germany) Helga’s heritage symbolized the continental flavor of Euro horror from the mid-1960s through late 1970s. As a child and teenager she was a circus performer before becoming a model and later an actor. She starred in several sword and sandal movies before appearing with Barbara Steel in Nightmare Castle (1964). She starred in some westerns, spy dramas and comedies before starring in the murder mystery, Kriminal and its sequel. In 1972, she starred in Horror Express with Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing.

Her greatest horror role came the next year in Horror Rises from the Tomb where she shared the screen with (and stole the scenes from) Spanish horror icon Paul Naschy. She played a witch returned from the grave to wreak havoc and get revenge.

She joined Naschy again for The Mummy’s Revenge. She had another big role as the sexy supernatural villain in The Lorely’s Grasp. She made a few more horror films over the next few years including Dracula Saga, The Vampire’s Night Orgy (great name!) and even starred opposite of Mexican wrestling icon Santo in Santo vs. Death. One of her last horror roles was as the leader of a Satanic cult in Black Candles.

-Erika Blanc- Erika has worked in Italian, German, Spanish, and Belgian movies, across multiple genres. Though her acting career has been incredibly long (over 50 years) her horror career was only a small part of that. However, she has contributed to some memorable and important movies. Her first horror role was in 1965’s La vendetta di Lady Morgan, an Italian gothic horror about a vengeful ghost. She followed that up with The Third Eye and Kill Baby…Kill!

For the next several years Erika stayed very busy with movies in several genres; spy thrillers, action, and westerns. She returned to horror in 1971 with a very memorable role in The Night Evelyn Came Out of the Grave (great name!). That same year she starred as a succubus in The Devil’s Nightmare. In 1973 she starred in Mark of the Devil 2. In 1975 she finished the horror arc of her career, starring with Paul Naschy in the serial killer drama, A Dragonfly for Each Corpse.

-Julie Saly- Julie is one of the workhorses of Euro horror; a name you may not recognize but a face you definitely know. She had a small part in Amando de Ossorio’s Demon Witch Child in 1975 and then a more prominent role in the finale to Ossario’s famous Blind Dead Saga, Night of the Seagulls. A few years later she starred with Paul Naschy in the very creepy and sexy Inquisition.

Her crowning horror achievement (again with Naschy) was starring as the lead villain, a kind of undead /witch/ vampire version of Elizabeth Bathory, in Night of the Werewolf (1981). She teamed up with Naschy ,yet again, for the weird horror-thrillers Carnival of the Beasts and Panic Beats before finally finishing her horror career with (you guessed it) Paul for the Spanish-Japanese werewolf film, The Beast and the Magic Sword. Looking at her career in total, it’s kind of hard to imagine what Paul Naschy would have done without her.

-Britt Nichols- Jess Franco had a few women that were obviously his muses, appearing again and again in his films and Britt was one of them. Portuguese by birth, Britt fit in well with the multicultural flavor of Jess’ films which often featured French, German and Spanish stars. Britt’s first appearance in horror was being sacrificed by evil Templars in Tomb of the Blind Dead. After that, she teamed up with Franco to make seven movies in the next 2 years.

Her best roles were as the vampiric main character in Dracula’s Daughter (not to be confused with the Universal horror film of the same name) and in the witchcraft themed lesbian nunsplitation, The Demons. Her work was during that period when the line between porn and art was very blurred and this was especially true in The Demons. The scenes in that movie were pretty graphic and could never be made today in a theatrically released film. Then, as quick as she appeared, she disappeared. Britt (who today goes by the name Carmen Yazalde) had a few more projects over the years but the bulk of her work (and all of her horror work) seems to be behind her.

-Soledad Miranda- Soledad had a lot of talent and the potential for her career seemed high. She started in show business as a child singer then became a dancer and then finally got into acting. She was very busy making movies (including 2 horror movies)  until she took an early retirement to have a child.

After a 2 year hiatus she came out of retirement to make 100 Rifles and then began a string of films with Jess Franco. She played Lucy in Franco’s Count Dracula with Christopher Lee. She must have sparked Franco’s interest because he planned a whole pack of films to shoot with her.  They made The Devil Came from Akasava, a spy thriller, before making her most memorable (and maybe Franco’s most memorable) film, Vampyros Lesbos. It was stylish and sexy with a brilliant psychedelic soundtrack. Soledad was captivating as the aloof, aristocratic vampire. The film walked the line between art and erotica perfectly.  They made another excellent film together, She Killed in Ecstasy and finally the softcore Eugénie de Sade.

Sadly her career was cut short by a tragic car crash. Soledad didn’t even get to enjoy the success of these three films. Franco was incredibly prolific (he and Soledad made 5 films together in about a year or two). As a result, these films were all in post-production at the time of her death. Vampyros Lesbos didn’t come out until a year after her death. However, Soledad left us with a few but very memorable and important performances to remember her by.

          That’s all for this installment. Next time I’ll be looking at Scream Queens who have created memorable characters.

  

 

 

 

Assignment Terror

 

Assignment Terror

1970

Director- Hugo Fregonese, Tulio Demicheli

Cast- Michael Rennie, Karin Dor, Craig Hill, Patty Shepard, Ángel del Pozo, Paul Naschy, Manuel de Blas, Ferdinando Murolo, Gene Reyes

            

     

Sometimes people have great ideas that turn into great movies. Sometimes people have great ideas that don’t pan out and become bad movies. And sometimes you just have to scratch your head and wonder what folks were thinking.

            A group of aliens, masquerading as humans, are on Earth to prepare it for invasion. Their own planet is about kaput and they’ve set their eyes on earth. Their plan is to use Earth’s greatest monsters, Dracula, the Wolfman, Frankenstein’s monster, and the Mummy, as their weapons against humanity. This combination of science fiction with gothic horror characters is a brave choice. Paul Naschy himself wrote the original script. Supposedly he was promised a big budget and that may explain his ambitious script. However, the budget didn’t pan out, the directors changed part way through the film, and whatever potential the film had was not realized. Naschy himself was inconsequential in the film. His part was rather small which his reflected in him getting sixth billing.

            The movie, from its opening title sequence has a silly feel, a cross between a late 60’s Euro comedy and Plan 9 from Outer Space. However, the movie doesn’t commit to being either fun or scary. It gets stuck somewhere in the middle.

            I suppose fans of monster mash movies like Monster Squad or House of Frankenstein will enjoy the chance to see all of these monsters together on the screen. I think the Frankenstein’s monster looks either smug or sleepy, however the Mummy looks really good. The actor was very skinny and it gives the Mummy a real desiccated look.  The other reason to see it is that it is part of the Waldemar Daninsky series. For my money, this series got a lot better after Assignment Terror.

One other note, if the lead alien looks familiar, it’s because he  is played by Michael Rennie (the alien Klaatu from The Day the Earth Stood Still), in what would be his final film role before his death a year later.