B+ Gothic horror Written by Emily Harris, from a story by Sheridan Le Fanu Directed by Emily Harris I find vampires much more interesting than other supernatural creatures of horror fantasy. Unlike that other popular form of the living dead - zombies - vampires seem downright housebroken. They can treat you like an honored guest…until … Continue reading Carmilla: Sexy vampires of Olde England
Category: Horror
Jewish Horror: The Golem on Blu-ray
To understand this hundred-year-old German/Jewish horror movie, you need to know a bit about the German Expressionist movement. The Golem: How He Came into the World was never intended to look realistic. Neither the acting, the makeup, nor the costumes were intended to recreate the medieval period of the setting. This expressionism allowed set designer Hans … Continue reading Jewish Horror: The Golem on Blu-ray
Fritz Lang and David Lynch: Saturday at BAMPFA
I spent Saturday at the Berkeley Art Museum/Pacific Film Archive (BAMPFA), watching three movies I'd never seen before. Fritz Lang's Indian Epic The day started with two Fritz Lang action flicks, The Tiger of Eschnapur and The Indian Tomb. These are two movies the way Kill Bill are two movies. It's one story, with the … Continue reading Fritz Lang and David Lynch: Saturday at BAMPFA
Another Hole in the Head Film Festival
As December approaches, the autumn glut of Bay Area film festivals falls to few and finally none. But the last film festival of the year is one of the strangest. The Another Hole in the Head Film Festival isn't like any other. The movies it screens are rarely about poverty, divorce, or existential angst. Characters … Continue reading Another Hole in the Head Film Festival
It’s October, and that means horror movies in Bay Area theaters
Halloween is only one day, but Bay Area movie theaters celebrate it weeks ahead. Here's what's coming if you want to jump out of your seat…or merely laugh at the ridiculousness of it all. I'm skipping new movies in regular release. My recommendations These are your best options for frightful cinema: Double bill: B+ Frankenstein … Continue reading It’s October, and that means horror movies in Bay Area theaters
Gothic Tales from very scary Women
Here's another film festival, one intended to give you the willies from mid-July to late August. Modern Cinema: Haunted! (subtitled Gothic Tales by Women). It will play at SFMOMA's Phyllis Wattis Theater. SFMOMA's latest "Modern Cinema" series looks at gothic stories, most of them horror of some sort. All of them are written by a … Continue reading Gothic Tales from very scary Women
What’s Screening: October 26 – November 1
Halloween approaches, and that tells you plenty about what’s on Bay Area movie screens this week. And if you don't like scary movies, you can attend one of more of the Bay Area's current four film festivals. Festivals The United Nations Association Film Festival continues through Sunday The Berlin & Beyond Autumn Showcase opens Thursday … Continue reading What’s Screening: October 26 – November 1
The Shape of Water: A great film comes from The Black Lagoon
A Horror thriller Written by Guillermo del Toro and Vanessa Taylor Directed by Guillermo del Toro Only Guillermo del Toro could make a grand, romantic, suspenseful, and horrifying sequel to The Creature from the Black Lagoon. And in doing so, The Shape of Water brings up issues concerning military overreach, the abuse of science, and … Continue reading The Shape of Water: A great film comes from The Black Lagoon
Movies I’ve Recently Seen: Murder on the Orient Express, The Learning Tree, Finding Oscar, The Leopard Man, & Loving Vincent
Just another selection of random movies I've finally got around to seeing. A- Murder on the Orient Express (2017), Grand Lake Theatre Much better than the stagey 1974 version, and a whole lot more fun - even if it does take considerable liberties with period details and basic plausibility. Director and star Kenneth Branagh turns Hercule … Continue reading Movies I’ve Recently Seen: Murder on the Orient Express, The Learning Tree, Finding Oscar, The Leopard Man, & Loving Vincent
Movies I’ve Recently Seen: EDtv, Cat People, Irma Vep, & The Body Snatcher
Here are four films I've recently revisited or seen for the first time. I bet you can guess which ones I watched on Halloween. A EDtv (1999), DVD Near the end of the 20th century, two comedies foretold the concept of reality television. The first, The Truman Show, got all the praise. But the second one, … Continue reading Movies I’ve Recently Seen: EDtv, Cat People, Irma Vep, & The Body Snatcher
