The Haunted Palace

Convinced that he is a warlock, the townspeople of Arkham drag Joseph Curwen from his palatial estate and burn him alive. Before he dies, Curwen puts a curse on Arkham and vows to come back from the dead to take his revenge on the descendants of those who killed him. One hundred and ten years later, Charles Dexter Ward, the great-great-grandson of Joseph Curwen, comes to Arkham to claim the property that he has inherited. The people of Arkham are immediately suspicious of Ward, who bears an uncanny resemblance to Curwen. Is it just a coincidence or has Joseph Curwen finally come back to take his revenge? Despite AIP's marketing, The Haunted Palace is primarily based on H. P. Lovecraft's novella The Case of Charles Dexter Ward. Surprisingly, it is the also the very first movie to be based on one of Lovecraft's works. The sets and the performances are all very good, especially Vincent Price's dual/dueling roles. The only thing that isn't great in the film is the makeup design, everything just looks a little off-color. Despite that, The Haunted Palace is easily one of Corman's best "Poe" films.

Rating: 68%

(Image from Wikipedia)

Ginger Snaps Back: The Beginning

The third film in the Ginger Snaps series, Ginger Snaps Back: The Beginning, is essentially both a prequel and a remake. The story is very similar to the original film, but the setting has been changed from suburbia to the unforgiving wilderness of Canada in the 19th Century. Emily Perkins and Katharine Isabelle are still playing Brigitte and Ginger Fitzgerald, only now they're old-timey versions of those same characters. The dialogue in the movie is fairly contemporary, which is welcome and also kind of funny. While the movie is clearly low budget, given the limited number of locations and ample use of fog, the sets and costumes are all well done. While I don't really understand the motivation of making this entry of the series into a prequel, especially given that the second film ended on somewhat of a cliffhanger, Ginger Snaps Back is still a fairly entertaining film.

Rating: 63%

(Image from Wikipedia)

Horror of Fang Rock

The first three seasons of Tom Baker’s run as the Fourth Doctor, produced by Philip Hinchcliffe with Robert Holmes as the script editor, are considered by some to be the “golden age” of classic Doctor Who. And it’s not hard to see why. Ratings were at an all-time high and the show’s mix of gothic horror and imaginative science fiction appealed to a wide demographic. But, just like the Doctor’s appearance, things change. After Tom Baker’s third season, Phillip Hinchcliffe moved on and Graham Williams was brought on as the show’s producer. Additionally, Williams had been given instructions by the BBC to tone down the horror and violence after complaints from some moral watchdog groups. Some of these changes are evident in Horror of Fang Rock, the first story produced by Williams, most notably in the weak cliffhanger endings of each episode. Under Hinchcliffe, most episodes would ramp up to a fever pitch before coming to a climactic and enticing ending. Each episode of Horror of Fang Rock just kind of peters out at the end. It doesn’t help that the script is a little stale. Written by Terrance Dicks, a former script editor on the show and one of the major creative voices during the Third Doctor era, Horror of Fang Rock finds Leela and the Doctor facing off against a shape-shifting alien in a remote island lighthouse. Most of the action takes place in a few small rooms with a limited cast. It’s not bad, it’s just a little flat when compared to some of the previous serials.

Rating: I always find trouble%

The Premature Burial

The first two films in Roger Corman's Poe cycle had been moneymakers for American International Pictures (AIP), but a dispute over the profits prompted Corman to go independent for The Premature Burial. Leaving AIP meant that Corman couldn't use Vincent Price, so Ray Milland was cast in the lead role. As the story goes, the heads of AIP came to set on the first day of shooting to wish Corman well and to let him know that they had bought out his financiers, putting his film back under the AIP umbrella. The Premature Burial is stylistically similar to Corman's previous Poe pictures: lots of fog, a suspenseful score and the expressive use of colors. Ray Milland is quite good in the lead role, it's honestly hard to picture Vincent Price playing the part. The movie has a nice slow build and a great third act.

Rating: 68%

(Image from Wikipedia)