Classic horror movies: ‘Chamber of Horrors’

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I first became acquainted with “Chamber of Horrors” sometime in the 1970s when it aired on TV. Which was ironic since the movie was made for TV in 1966 – it was even a pilot for a series, as the final “what adventure will we get into next time” scenes makes obvious – but was considered too gruesome for broadcast.

So “Chamber of Horrors” was released to theaters and with that release came the opportunity for a great gimmick.

Cesare Danova and Wilfred Hyde-White are the owners of a wax museum in Baltimore in the late 1800s. They are also amateur detectives, investigating killers who might be good displays for their gruesome House of Wax.

The run across a serial killer, Jason Cravatte (Patrick O’Neal, suave in a cast of suave actors), who would make a likely addition to their chamber of horrors.

If he doesn’t kill them first.

Cravatte is a fun Big Bad because of his gimmick. He’s missing a hand, so – like the villain from “Enter the Dragon,” only years before – he replaces the missing appendage with various murderous sharp objects.

To flesh – no pun intended – out the running time of the movie for theatrical release and amp up the gimmickry, the producers inserted the “Fear Flasher” and “Horror Horn,” visual and audio clues to tell audience members when they should close their eyes or turn away.

When Cravatte was about to chop off a body part, the screen would flash red and ungodly noises would begin blasting at the audience.

If we didn’t understand, narrator Wiliam Conrad explained things to us:

“Ladies and Gentlemen … The motion picture you are about to see contains scenes so terrifying, the public must be given grave warning. Therefore the management has instituted visual and audible warnings at the beginning of each of the FOUR SUPREME FRIGHT POINTS … the HORROR HORN and the FEAR FLASHER. The Fear Flasher is the visual warning. The Horror Horn is the audible warning. Turn away when you see the Fear Flasher. Close your eyes when you hear the Horror Horn.”

Of course, if you dared continue watching, you didn’t really see any gore. Not like the decapitations and amputations on your average episode of “The Walking Dead” today.

But it was a great gimmick.

Personally, I wish “Chamber of Horrors” had led to a TV series. It would have preceded “The Night Stalker” as an episodic horror series by several years and would have been a favorite of all us bloodthirsty movie and TV geeks from back in the day.

‘Oz the Great and Powerful’ trailer fascinates

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I’ve watched the trailer for “Oz the Great and Powerful” a few times now and I’ll probably watch it again tonight. The preview for Sam Raimi’s return to Oz – with the backstory of the Wizard from Kansas and those sisters who become witches – is loaded with beautiful shots and glimpses of the movie.

Part of what’s fascinating is how the trailer for the film, starring James Franco, Mila Kunis, Rachel Weisz and Michelle Williams, exploits the visual iconography of the “Wizard of Oz” story.

Want proof? Check this out:

What about that image doesn’t remind you of Margaret Hamilton’s appearance as the Wicked Witch of the West?

Author L. Frank Baum’s “Oz” stories were all over the place not only in terms of the geography of Oz but also the stories and characters.

But the trailer, at least, sticks mostly to territory familiar to lovers of the 1939 Judy Garland movie as well as “Wicked,” the book and play that explores the lives of the witches before they were witches.

Random thoughts about the trailer:

I like the switch from small, black-and-white screen to widescreen, CGI-filled color. I’m guessing the movie follows the format of the 1939 film in that respect, but if not, at least the trailer creates a connection to the classic film by doing so.

The movie looks to be exploring the iconography of the books. The fragile little doll in the movie appears to be a resident of The Dainty China Country, from the first book.

There’s also plenty of familiar characters and imagery, including a healthy dose of Munchkins.

Is the flying monkey who accompanies the wizard comic relief? If so, that will contradict the nightmares of a few generations of little kids.

Who’s the wicked witch? I guess we’re to assume it’s one or both of the dark-haired sisters played by Kunis and Weisz. Or is it a character we don’t see until her appearance in that swirling red cloud?

We’ll know the answers to all our questions in March.

 

iPhoneography (and otherwise) Falls of the Ohio fossil beds

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The Falls of the Ohio State Park, on the Indiana side of the Ohio River, is a beautiful place. The river runs between the park’s starkly modern interpretive center and downtown Louisville.

Along the river are 390 million year-old fossil beds dotted with millions of tiny animal and plant remains embedded into rock as well as tiny tidal pools full of water from the river.

There’s an otherworldly feel to the landscape, with driftwood piled high on the Indiana side and the locks of the river on the other.

I’ve been a couple of times now and here are a few pictures, iPhone photos and ordinary digital pics.

Above is a digital shot of sunset along the river.

I love the contrast of tidal pools and the city in the background.

 

What we want to see in new ‘Star Wars’ movies – and what we don’t

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The announcement that George Lucas had sold Lucasfilm to Disney for $4 billion – and that Disney intended to release new “Star Wars” movies, beginning in 2015 – was just the beginning.

Then came news that “Toy Story 3” writer and Oscar-winner Michael Arndt was writing the first movie and, in fact, had written a lengthy treatment for all three movies.

All of a sudden the possibility of new “Star Wars” movies was real. And then word came out that Harrison Ford wasn’t actively opposed to making an appearance in a new movie, presumably as an aging Han Solo, and that Carrie Fisher and Mark Hamill were enthusiastic about reappearing as Luke and Leia.

So since this is really happening, what do we want to see in new movies?

Keep in mind that I’ve only read one “Star Wars” original novel, “Splinter of the Mind’s Eye,” that came out while the original trilogy was still being made. I know only a little about what happened in the later books that took the form of sequels and prequels and killed poor old Chewbacca.

In other words, I don’t know if these ideas have already been out there. I just know that they intrigue me.

Consider mixing things up in time. While the stories will likely take place after the original trilogy, it’s not a given that they take place 40 years later. Maybe recast the main characters for action that takes place right after the timespan of the original movies but have some scenes featuring the original actors playing older versions of their characters. It worked to have Ford play an older Han Solo in Lucas’s “Young Indiana Jones” TV series.

Let us have more Luke and Leia and maybe more Han Solo, even if they’re in cameos. But make it dignified and make it make sense.

Don’t bring back Darth Vader. I know it would be tempting to resurrect the former Anakin Skywalker. But the first two trilogies were all about his fall and redemption. It would cheapen everything to bring him back.

Bring back, or at least make reference to, the occasional supporting character. Lando, Chewie and others would be a nice presence.

Make the scope of the movies range from the personal to the epic. It would be great to see intimate drama and suspenseful stories about characters in the huge “Star Wars” universe, even characters we don’t know yet. Take a cue from the “Clone Wars” series here. But also consider the type of galaxy-spanning action the earlier movies specialized in as an essential element.

Maybe take a pass on the droids. We can have some robots, for sure. But I don’t know that I ever need to see C3PO and R2D2 again.

While you’re at it, lose all the cute characters. No Ewoks. No Gungans. And yes, I realize that might feel like the path to alienating the younger kids who will be the primary audience for the ongoing movies. But, again, take a cue from the “Clone Wars” animated series. They’re fun and action-filled and respect their audience.

Jedis would be good.

Lots of the Force. And not Midi-Chlorians.

Yoda. I wouldn’t mind seeing Yoda again. And yes, I know he’s a glowy Jedi ghost now. But a smart guy like Arndt can find a way to make it work.

 

‘Fistful of Collars’ fetches Chet back to readers

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Spencer Quinn, as Stephen King has said, speaks fluent dog.

Quinn – a pseudonym for a writer who is no doubt still somewhat surprised to have become a best-selling writer of mysteries from a dog’s point of view – has written five books now about Chet the dog and his master, Bernie Little, operator of a one-man-and-one-dog private detective agency in a sleepy suburb of L.A.

More surprising than the success of the series is that the books are narrated by Chet, the “100-plus-pounder” who flunked out of K-9 school when he got a little too enthusiastic.

Enthusiasm is Chet’s strong point, along with tail-wagging, biting perps when necessary and recounting the cases he and Bernie take on.

If you think the Chet and Bernie books are too cutesy by far – cutesy beyond the clever names, including the latest, “A Fistful of Collars” – you’re wrong. What they are is an enjoyable exercise in narrative style, relying on a somewhat unreliable narrator who gets distracted by errant hot dogs and sometimes falls asleep during long discussions of the finer points of his and Bernie’s latest case.

The new book isn’t one of my favorites, with a cast of Hollywood characters – Chet and Bernie are hired to babysit a big movie star – I couldn’t bring myself to care about.

But the book does have Chet and Bernie and equally dependable Susie, Bernie’s girlfriend. And that’s enough for a fun read.

If you’re a dog lover, you can’t go wrong with these funny, witty stories.

‘The Walking Dead’ – “Say the Word’

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If you’ve been watching “The Walking Dead” this season – and the huge ratings would indicate it’s likely that you are – you’re probably thinking the show is a big improvement over the second season, which spent way too much time with the characters hovering around Hershel’s farm and wondering where Sophia was.

In the first five episodes of this season, including tonight’s episode, “Say the Word,” we’ve seen quite a bit of action by comparison. The bulk of the survivors are holed up in the prison while Andrea and Michonne are in the town of Woodbury, run by the Governor – who likes to keep human heads in aquariums – and Merle, single-handedly scary as ever.

Last week, of course, we saw T-Dog and Lori meet gruesome ends and Lori’s baby born. Was there same plan to keep Lori alive through a C-section under even the best circumstances?

By the way, they’re sure coming up with a lot of creative ways to kill walkers. I counted at least two heads-split-from-top-down tonight. It’s a nice contrast to the top-of-head-cut-off move that the show has been doing.

It’s startling how fast-paced this season has been, and how many concepts were introduced in tonight’s episode alone:

The Governor’s daughter. The leader of Woodbury not only has a room full of fish tanks with heads in them. He has his zombie daughter in a cage.

Daryl as loving nurturer. Wow, the inevitable contrast – and conflict – between the two brothers when Daryl and Merle are reunited will be mind-blowing.

Zombie Fight Club. Merle and a series of contenders fight in a circle of walkers. The Governor assures Andrea it’s just for show. But what do you want to bet that, maybe in the second half of this season, Rick or Daryl – maybe especially Daryl – will be taking on Merle in the zombie squared circle?

The phone. Who the hell’s on the phone that Rick answers? I’m not sure if this plot point is in the comic books or not.

And not addressed tonight: Where’s Carol? She’s got a grave, but is she in it?

Three more episodes this year, followed by eight more early next year. Good stuff.

iPhoneography: Cave Hill Cemetery, Louisville

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I love cemeteries. Pioneer cemeteries that stand isolated in farm fields, huge, old city cemeteries, they’re all beautiful, peaceful places. And good subjects for iPhone pictures.

Cave Hill Cemetery in Louisville, Kentucky, is one of the most beautiful cemeteries in the Midwest. Located on 300 acres of land in the heart of the city, Cave Hill has rolling hills, soaring monuments and more than a little quirkiness.

Many of the cemetery’s monuments are fairly traditional.

Some less so, including this one with a beautiful stained glass inset.

One of the best ideas I’ve seen at any cemetery was at Cave Hill, where families can plant trees to remember their loved ones. I really enjoy that this one was for a fan of “The Big Lebowski.”

Two of the most visited graves at Cave Hill are for gentlemen that have a common history in food.

One is Harry Leon Collins, a professional magician who, according to Internet sources, was a longtime spokesman for the Frit0-Lay snack company.

Apparently in performances he would often, instead of saying “Abracadabra,” say, “Frito-Lay!”

The most notable celebrity at Cave Hill is undoubtedly Col. Harlan Sanders, founder of Kentucky Fried Chicken.

A yellow line along Cave Hill’s interior roads leads tourists to the colonel’s grave.

And believe me, the tourists show up to pay homage.

Aside from the pop culture elements of Cave Hill, there’s a lot of truly beautiful work there.

 

 

 

iPhoneography: Winchester, Indiana

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Here’s another of our periodic looks at communities as seen through my iPhone.

This time: Winchester, Indiana.

The county seat of Randolph County, Winchester has about 5,000 residents. It’s downtown has fared pretty well compared to many Midwestern towns. There’s a restored – and renovated – courthouse (above) and a fairly vital downtown core around the courthouse square.

The courthouse square is decorated, like many others, with memorials to veterans and past wars.

Some of Winchester’s memorials are beautiful.

And dramatic, like this doughboy statue.

There’s some slightly more modern weapons of war on display.

Inside the courthouse, a memorial to famous Randolph County residents. To me, the best known is probably director Robert Wise, who made “West Side Story” and “Star Trek: The Motion Picture.”

So it’s especially nice that downtown Winchester still has a working movie theater.

 

The Essential Geek Library: ‘A Pictorial History of Horror Movies’

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As a young science fiction and horror movie fan, I watched every movie I could see, a challenge sometimes in those pre-home video days. So I spent endless hours checking out books about the genre. I’m noting a few of them here in this recurring space.

If Famous Monsters of Filmland was my favorite magazine, Denis Gifford’s “A Pictorial History of Horror Movies” was my standard reference, my bible.

Gifford’s book, published in 1973, was a scholarly but loving look at several decades of horror movies.

Gifford, a British writer of comic books and books about pop culture, apparently amassed what was considered one of the biggest collections of British comic books in existence.

But it’s his love for and knowledge of horror movies that endears him to me.

His book truly lived up to its name. “Pictorial History” is loaded with vintage photos from horror films from the 1920s to the 1970s. Even before I saw some movies, Gifford’s look at them gave me a good visual frame of reference. Some movies, like the silent version of “Frankenstein,” are completely represented in my mind by the pictures included in Gifford’s book.

As a young man who loved to draw, I would study those stills and try my hand at reproducing them with pencil and paper.

And Gifford’s book didn’t discriminate. He included movies from the Universal classics to low-budget movies made here and abroad.

Gifford passed in 2000. I’m hoping he knows what a milestone he left for all of us fans. I’m guessing he knew.

As a side note, by the way, the hardcover cost only a few dollars in 1973. In doing research for this, I found it for sale online as high as $199. I showed that to my son, who said, “You should sell it!” Never.