TERRIFIC TEAM-UP IMAGE: WHEN DRACULA STRIKES!

SUNSET BLVD: NOT HORROR

It's a debate that perplexes me. I balked at the notion decades ago when someone (albeit with decent intent) dared to compare Billy Wilder's 1950 hit, Sunset Boulevard, as being cut from the same dark cloth as Psycho and Whatever Happened to Baby Jane? After many years of contemplation (hearing all the pros and cons), I'm even more adverse to the idea now. Shoot, I nearly came to blows with a know-it-all who tried to shove the idea down my throat at a New Year's party, but I settled instead on setting the record straight through a refined, verbal lashing. I'll now recount my pompous position for this post.  

Sunset Boulevard has been categorized as "hag horror," but it's not, let alone does it hold the consequential, warped-clan/incestuous seeds that inevitably seep from such, not by a long shot. It's more in tune with John Brahm/Charles Beaumont/Jerry Sohl's Twilight Zone episode, "Queen of the Nile," but "Queen" has a distinct, supernatural bent, whereas Wilder's movie (which he not only directed, but cowrote) has none. It's about an eccentric recluse who wishes to relive her days of glory. That's not horror. That's not out of the ordinary. If anything, it comes across as a later-day slice of costume drama, empowered by Wilder's excellent execution, Gloria Swanson's over-the-top performance as Norma Desmond and William Holden's charismatic inclusion as Joe Gillis, the eyes through which one experiences the tale. 

Sunset Boulevard isn't wrought with substantial, psychological warfare, either, in the way of Baby Jane, and it doesn't hit the shock value of Psycho or its sequels, let alone its deviations through the "real life" horrors of the Texas Chain Saw Massacre queue, or the likes of Homicidal; Strait Jacket; Hush ... Hush, Sweet Charlotte; Dementia 13; Spider Baby; Three on a Meathook; Magic; Deranged; and well, the sicko, sub-genre list goes on and on. 

Unfortunately, so does the irritating, nonsensical debate. Heck, Sunset Boulevard was even referenced as hag horror in a recent Scary Monsters, but dang it, folks, it's not horror! It's not even a general thriller, though it does hold a few edgy elements. It's no more than a quirky quasi-comedy with a surprise wraparound.  

You know, I'd sooner step forth and say, due to the production's flamboyant margins, it's something that the drag-queen crowd would appreciate, and that crowd doesn't liken its antics to horror, unless one considers Dr. Frank-N-Furter, and he's never been a genuine embodiment of horror, no matter who argues the point. (We all know that Rocky Horror is more of a "pride parade" disguised as a monster movie, and there ain't no shame in that.)

For the record, Sunset Boulevard was also the basis for an Andrew Lloyd Webber/Don Black musical, and all for good cause. Its content meshes with that frilly-dilly sort of thing, and don't be a wiseass and try to compare it to Webber/Charles Hart's Phantom of the Opera, let alone its underrated sequel. Those productions are impassioned animals all unto themselves, and indeed, horror-sprung, regardless of their pretty polish.  

Anyway, there you have my two cents worth on Sunset Boulevard. For me, I hope this puts an end to the banter, at least when it comes to my vexed presence, and opens the door for worthier quarrels, like "Is Robert Eggers' Nosferatu a true-blue, Christmas movie?" Now, that's something worth debating.

PINUP TIME: NICHELLE NICHOLS IS UHURA, MIRRORED

 

MAIN'S GREEK MYTHOLOGY #2: MORE ON DIONYSUS VIA NEWSOME

Several posts prior, I shared a couple, sneak-peek illustrations from artist Keith Newsome for my upcoming story, "The Arrangement: A Dionysus Fable," to be included in Main Enterprises' Tales From Greek Mythology #2. For this post, I present two additional examples.

The top illustration depicts a woeful aunt and uncle, some time after the the tale's protagonists have left their farm to pursue Dionysus' favors. This splendid image is followed by a confrontational one, in which three of the leads are featured (plus one guest star), but to convey its particular ramifications would spoil the outcome.  

Nevertheless, all will come clear, since Tales From Greek Mythology #2 will soon be constructed and even include more of Verl Holt Bond's Set Sail!, a Jason & the Argonauts serial-strip, which has gained great praise since #1's advent. Stay tuned. 

WISE WORDS:

 

BRAM STOKER'S VAN HELSING: A LOOK BACK

I recently reviewed director/writer Steve Lawson/Higher Fliers Films' exhilarating, 2023 Wrath of Dracula (see January 2, 2024 post), which gave me incentive to review his earlier, vampiric escapade, Bram Stoker's Van Helsing. 

In Van Helsing, which Lawson cowrote with Simon Patrick Avedon, Dracula's presence is but a misty insinuation. In other words, we never see the full brunt of him. The focus instead falls on Lucy Westenra, played by the Charlie (The Huntress of Auschwitz/Strippers vs Werewolves) Bond. It's then a matter of Joe (Escape from Cannibal Island) Street's Dr. John Seward and Tom (Jekyll and Hyde 2021) Hendryck's Arthur Holmwood enlisting the former's old friend, Mark Topping's Professor Van Helsing, to see what's pushing the maiden's poor health.  

This prompts the already-in-tune Van Helsing to plunge in, with the adroit Topping channeling Peter Cushing for most of his scenes, projecting vigor and sophistication as he conducts his esoteric methodologies. (Topping grants the same spot-on aura in Wrath of Dracula, where the circumstances accentuate his Cushing quality even further.) 

All the same, Lucy remains the retelling's uppermost component, with Bond submerging into comely weariness and later full-blown, parasitic sexiness, as Dracula's offscreen nibbling reshapes her. Her death and resurrection are detailed, and as such, more than hold their own with the worthiest, Dracula adaptations. Additionally, there's a distinct, virile punch surrounding her frightful progression, which makes even the verbal exchanges feel urgent in light of Lucy's illness, and let's face it, this is a distinguishing, redoubtable aspect that discerns Stoker's text; why ignore it? 

It was fun to (re)analyze Van Helsing after engaging the catchy frivolity of Lawson's second installment: a reboot, in truth. In a way, Wrath picks up on Van Helsing much in the way that Sam Raimi's Evil Dead movies restage their endings for unforeseen directions. The technique may not please everyone, but for this particular, Stoker cause, the culmination should click for anyone who enjoys a hearty twist. 

Nevertheless, those desiring an omnipresent, screen Dracula will be disappointed, but again, Lucy, especially in her saucy stages, is worth the price of admission, even if she never enters the novel's "bloofer lady," child-feasting quadrant. However, that Van Helsing is on top of his game more than compensates for it, and therefore, the title delivers on its pledge, even if the promotional artwork is more in line with Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Hunter than a Cushing-influenced revival.

Check out Bram Stoker's Van Helsing for a new view of the classic. Perhaps even position it for a back-to-back showing with Wrath. If you've a penchant for any and all interpretations of Stoker's dark brainchild, this set will be worth the Gothic ride. 

FOR THE FUN OF IT:

I SAW WRATH OF DRACULA

Director/writer Steve (Jekyll and Hyde 2021) Lawson's Wrath of Dracula, a 2023, Higher Fliers Films production that's (re)surfaced in the wake of Nosferatu-mania, is, in fact, a reboot of Lawson's Bram Stoker's Van Helsing (a Lucy Westenra-leaning effort). Like Van Helsing, Wrath of Dracula experiments with various components of Stoker's novel, while keeping the mythological tropes intact (similar to Maximillian Elfelt/Michael Varrati's modernized Dracula: the Original, Living Vampire, though in Wrath's case, the doting brio comes with a rollicking aesthetic). 

Mark (Jekyll and Hyde 2021) Topping plays Van Helsing, as he did in Lawson's 2021, vampire-hunter epic, though in the later instance, he's teamed with Hannaj Bang Bendz's diary-driven Mina Harker. The two enter the Carpathian Mountains to rescue hubby, Jonathan, played with convincing anguish by Dean Marshall, as Sean Cronin assumes the role of the commanding Count Dracula and Ayvianna Snow, Marta Svetek and Jasmine Sumner perform as his siren-like Brides. 

Lawson's execution is Hammer-esque, with Van Helsing encouraging Mina to get into fighting shape, which references Hammer's Captain Kronos - Vampire Hunter and its Run Shaw Shaw collaboration, The Legend of the Seven Golden Vampires. Also, Topping's Van Helsing is cut straight from the Peter Cushing cloth, and he does a phenomenal job capturing the Hammer's star's erudite essence and determined glint. (It should go without saying that Topping achieves the same impressive level in Lawson's earlier, Dracula venture, even if it's displayed through a more conventional lens.)

To offset Van Helsing and the Buffy-ish Mina, Cronin makes an excellent Count, incensed, regal and slippery (rather like a fanged Ming the Merciless), though he's often relegated to the shadows and doesn't take centerstage until the tale's final phase. (For the record, Dracula was kept in the margins throughout Lawson's Van Helsing, being but a faceless insinuation and never a full-blown persona.) The Brides, however, are conspicuous and at that, beautiful to behold, adding believability to their lure and the parasitic danger they press upon Jonathan, Mina and the professor. 

Throughout it all, Wrath of Dracula never gets bogged down with selling a message, seeming content with serving no more than lurid escapism. On occasion, it even feels a bit like Marvel Comics' The Tomb of Dracula, albeit placed in a grounded, period setting. Lawson rolls it at a no-nonsense pace, but his writing also gives his fine cast the means to make the best of their characters, in particular Van Helsing and Nina, who by the mission's end form a steadfast, John Steed/Emma Peel bond. The culmination is, therefore, most satisfying, with a hint of a sequel (one featuring werewolves, no less), which I do trust comes about. 

TERRIFIC TEAM-UP IMAGE: WEREWOLF MEETS FRANKENSTEIN

COLLECTIBLE TIME: THE KILLER SHREWS LOBBY CARDS

For Christmas, my friend, Mel, gifted me a new set of 8" x 10", lobby-card reproductions, commemorating one of my favorite, drive-in/UHF submissions: Ken (Festus) Curtis/Ray Kellogg/Jay Simms' 1959 opus, The Killer Shrews (depicted for this post in a series of succinct, "stock" shots). 

The first, as featured above, spotlights one of the ravenous creatures in full, snarling-facial form. Ah, cutely frightful, ain't it?

The second is a barrel-protruding shrew, in one of the movie's most nerve-wracking moments.

The next features hero James Best hoisting sexy Ingrid Goode (Miss Sweden 1956) to safety, followed by a tense shot of frantic Goode pointing at an evident, furry foe.

The Killer Shrews is one of those low-budget gems that just gets more pleasing with each passing view. These wondrous, lobby cards remind me of how much I love Killer Shrews, enough so that I'll soon revisit it yet again. Thanks, Mel, for once more satisfying my cult-movie cravings. 😊

PINUP TIME: MARINA SIRTIS IS SWEATERED TROI

 

MAIN'S GREEK MYTHOLOGY#2: KEITH NEWSOME SNEAK PEEK

Above and below are sneak-peek illustrations that Keith Newsome rendered for my Tales From Greek Mythology #2, Dionysus fable. 

As most will recall, Newsome supplied the detailed imagery for my "Medusa Reinvented," featured in #1.

Newsome's artistic abilities are awe-inspiring, and indeed, the visual aspects of #2 are truly taking flight, especially when one considers that Verl Bond's Jason & the Argonauts' Set Sail! is also part of the package.  

More updates to come ...