Monday, July 26, 2021

Fifties Replication Of Thirties Horror!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!



 





                                     These two stills are from the opening sequence of 1958's "Frankenstein 1970," which was directed by Howard W.  Koch--yes, darlings, THAT Howard W.  Koch--who later became an A-list film producer, and President of the Motion Picture Academy Of Arts And Sciences from 1977 to 1979.  This sequence was also used again, as TV filler when Edgar G. Ulmer's underrated 1957 film, "Daughter Of Dr. Jekyll," was shown on TV.


                                       Ulmer and Koch must have had some sort of professional connection, for Koch to  allow  a sequence from  a picture released after--though, maybe, shot at the same time--as 'Daughter.'  In any case,  regarding "Frankenstein 1970," only about several minutes of this opening sequence is the only good moment in the entire film.   The sequence has a  punch line, which I  will not reveal, but once it is, the movie is  over, as far as I  am  concerned.


                                          Nevertheless, this demonstrates that, when  filmmakers wanted  to, they could replicate Thirties  horror.


                                          Too bad so few  of them did.

2 comments:

  1. Caring for my stepdad with dementia, was not unlike a horror movie.
    He truly became a different person.
    I don’t want to say a “ monster”
    But, it is a cruel and evil disease

    ReplyDelete
  2. Victoria,

    I completely get it. You are
    right. Watching my mother die
    before my eyes of lung cancer,
    when I was just a tender 24,
    was truly horrific!

    ReplyDelete