[7] Director Tim Burton puts his stamp on Washington Irving’s The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, casting his Ed Wood and Edward Scissorhands star Johnny Depp in the role of Ichabod Crane. In this retelling, Crane is a 1799 New York forensic investigator sent to Sleepy Hollow to investigate a string of murders. The townspeople tell him the victims are decapitated and their heads haven’t been …
[2] Peter Cushing stars in this Amicus production about a collector of supernatural antiquities who comes into possession of the Marquis de Sade’s skull. Christopher Lee (in a cameo) warns him that the skull has the power to possess its owners and force them to do evil things. Cushing poo-poos the notion at his peril and ends up fighting the skull’s intentions for him to …
[5] Tim Burton’s big-screen adaptation of Dan Curtis’ cult TV show Dark Shadows wants to be a comedy about a vampire transplanted from centuries past into the 1970s. That movie – one that focused on the vampire’s relationships with his surviving relatives, perhaps gaining their trust by helping them financially — could have been a good one. And thirty minutes into the movie, it looks …
[6] Christopher Lee dons the fangs again for this sequel to Hammer’s original Horror of Dracula, but he hated his dialogue so much that he refused to say any lines. Even though he’s mute and his screen time is limited, a little Lee goes a long way. His performance is interesting and unusual, a more feral depiction than any of his other Dracula outings. Unfortunately, …
[6] The stakes are lower than usual and the action in short supply, but Roger Moore’s second outing as James Bond almost makes up for it in character. The colorful supporting cast includes Christopher Lee as a three-nippled baddie and diminutive Hervé Villechaize (TV’s Fantasy Island) as his lethal handy-man. Britt Ekland and Maud Adams are the Bond girls this time around, and I’d rank both of …
[5] Dr. Jekyll (and Mr. Hyde) must be one of the harder characters to pull off in any believable way. So while I admire Paul Massie’s bravery, he wasn’t quite able to convince me. I think it’s primarily because of the weird voice he uses while he plays Dr. Jekyll. And how do we explain the fact that he is bearded as Jekyll, but clean-shaven …
[4] The mystery is paper-thin in this tale of Medusa-like sisters who turn their victims to stone. Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee have precious few scenes together, and neither are on their best game (Cushing’s character isn’t much to work with). The Gorgon is a sub-par entry in the Hammer Horror canon, but you’ll still find a few scenes of delicious gothic ambience. I love …
[5] If you like your tunnel-dwelling cannibals all distraught and sobbing, Raw Meat might be for you. Donald Pleasence stars as a quirky detective trying to solve a missing person case that leads to an even bigger fish. Turns out there are inbreds living in the London subway tunnels, and oh deary my, they like to eat people. The film spends fully half its time …
[6] Part two of George Lucas’ Star Wars prequel trilogy is still cluttered and over-produced like the previous installment, but it’s a modest improvement over part one, thanks in large part to a solid final act. But man, oh, man, do you have a long tedious slog to get to that third act. Lucas and co-screenwriter Jonathan Hale bank on cross-cutting story lines (ala Empire …
[7] Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing play rival scientists trying to contain a defrosted prehistoric creature aboard the Trans-Siberian Express in this moody, well-paced midnight horror flick. You’ll have to suspend your disbelief where science is concerned, and also in the casting of Telly Savalas as a crazed Cossack, but the film has quite a bit to offer otherwise — including Lee and Cushing at …
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