R.I.P. VERONICA CARLSON...

You enchanted me to the libidinous core when I first saw you in the chilling Dracula Has Risen from the Grave. 

Thereafter, I became further enthralled with your beauty in the eerie duo, Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed and Horror of Frankenstein.

But it wasn't just in these Hammer classics that you rose to the beguiling occasion. There's also Joshua Kennedy's Hammer homage, House of the Gorgon; The Ghoul '75 (aka Night of the Ghoul/The Thing in the Attic; directed by Hammer's Freddie Francis); Vampira (aka Old Dracula); Night of the Devil; Hammerhead; Crossplot; Pussycat, Pussycat, I Love You; Smashing Time; The Best House in London;  Stellar Quasar and the Scrolls of Dadelia; and your recurring role as the wily Wallis Ackroyd on The Spyder's Web. 

In addition to your movie career, your presence in the modeling field is second to none, making you one of the greatest pin-ups ever to grace Britain and abroad. To boot, you were also an exceptional artist, whose renderings of Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing became every fan's delight. 

You were an amiable lady and a charmer supreme, Ms. Carlson. My only regret is never having met you, and for that there will always be a woeful hole in my heart. 

HAPPY TWIN PEAKS DAY 2022

 

I saw Jonathan Frid's Bio...

Jonathan Frid, as forlorn vampire, Barnabas Collins, became a media sensation during the '60s (and remains such to this day), sharing the same prestigious and beloved status as Leonard Nimoy's Mr. Spock and Adam West's Batman.  

Beyond Dark Shadows: The Jonathan Frid Story, produced/directed by Mary O'Leary, now sheds light on the man behind the vampire, giving fans insight as to why Collins became a pop-cultural icon. It was, in fact, Frid's nuanced ferocity and sensitivity, along with Dan Curtis' deft writing staff, that turned the soap-opera bloodsucker into a heartbroken Hamlet whom women adored and the downtrodden championed. 

Indeed, Frid's defensive stance made his character easy to embrace, for like Lon Chaney Jr's Lawrence Talbot, the cultivated Collins didn't wish to kill; he was simply cursed to do so. It was, therefore, important for fans to follow the woeful vampire's pursuit to right the wrong implanted within him, but if thirsty fangs appeared in the interim, well, so be it. That was a huge part of Dark Shadows' ghoulish draw. 

Frid's Shakespearean background colored Collins' composition, and the documentary covers the actor's erudite foundation to a marvelous degree, showing footage from Frid's performances and later covering his popular one-man shows. The bio also presents fond and insightful recollections from those who knew Frid best, including John Karlen, Eve Wallace, Nancy Barrett, David Selby, Anthony Zerbe, Lara Parker, Kathryn Lee Scott, Marion Ross and Dick Cavett. 

The content is touching and inspiring, with emphasis on Frid's need to rise above his perceived limitations, and there were many, but none were ever daunting enough to quell his indomitable spirit. 

Some have complained that O'Leary's documentary doesn't place enough focus on Frid's personal life. However, the complaint is of small consequence. Frid was his work; his work constituted who he was and will always remain paramount to his adoring fans. Any clandestine interludes could only at best be speculative and distract from what distinguishes this remarkable gentleman. 

With this said, O'Leary succeeds in giving viewers a well rounded perspective on Frid's theatrical ascent and achievement of eternal stardom. Her approach will leave most viewers elated and brimming with respect for an actor who's long touched their lives, not only through Dark Shadows but well beyond. 

PIN-UP TIME: BARBARA STEELE

Collection Recommendation: Mr. Lobo's Cinema Insomnia (Venus Fly Trap/The Return of Doctor X)

Mr. Lobo's Cinema Insomnia (with a wee help from oldies.com) presents the latest in the series' long line of "misunderstood" chapters: Venus Flytrap (aka, The Return of Doctor X, Body of Prey and a number of other inventive titles). As one might infer, the film is one the greatest, killer-plant flicks never seen and comes from one of the most off-the-cuff but beloved directors of all time, though in this instance performing solely as writer: Edward D. Wood Jr.  

For this '70 release (reputedly made in '67, from a '50s script, which was shot partly in Japan), noted pulp raconteur, Norman Earl Thompson directed and produced the mad ingredients, but keeps all the proper Wood-grained elements intact: an ominous atmosphere (shown per Cinema Insomnia in black and white, even though the film was shot in color); an ersatz Audrey Jr (with fantastic, flytrap hands); an earnest but doomed Darwinian/Frankenstein-esque scientist, played by Hollywood veteran, James Craig; and delightful doubletalk that only the great, Plan 9/Glen or Glenda creator could have tapped.

As with any Wood movie, Venus Flytrap is uneven and therefore quite comfy for those who savor such uncanny blends. The entry becomes even more eclectic thanks to Mr. Lobo and Miss Mittens, who surround the rarity with snappy, one-sided witticisms, tasty trailers and Japanese commercials featuring quick-buck, American stars.  

Whether one watches Venus Flytrap at 2 am or in the daring throes of blaring daylight, it's destined to invigorate to the flesh-feasting extreme. 

Order this vegetated gem at

https://www.oldies.com/product-view/1168D.html

TERRIFIC TEAM-UP IMAGE: BILLY THE KID V DRAC/JESSE JAMES MEETS FRANK'S DAUGHTER

FEMFORCE #195: GIANTESS V GIANTESS

 

AC's all-color Femforce #195 lands a walloping punch of the giantess kind, with the mega spotlight falling upon the Garganta-inspired Stella Stargaze and the towering Tara Fremont, who end up in a powerhouse confrontation that Femforce fans won't soon forget (and this is just the first part of their titanic clash). 

Bill Black's story and Art Coile's imagery tie it all together to majestic perfection, as Ms. Victory, She-Cat, Synn, Nightveil, Stardust and Paragon guest star. 

Readers are also treated to a She-Cat supplement called "Driving Miss Crazy", wherein our heroine must race to the finish line to get her licence renewed, though not before facing a Nightveil-tied obstacle. The frantic spree features pleasing artwork by Mark & Stephanie Heike, sprung from a clever script by Mark and abetted by Bobby Ragland's vibrant layout.

Femforce #195 is a blast from beginning to end and acts as exciting warm-up for the inevitable #196.

Grab a copy of #195 at your favorite comic shop or on-line source. (I nabbed mine at Steve's Comic Relief on Quakerbridge Road in Lawrenceville, NJ: the ideal hub to satisfy one's superheroic needs.)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, FREDDY, FROM UNCLE MIKE (IT'S ALL RIGHT, iT'S OKAY)

 

I saw Texas Chainsaw '22...

Texas Chainsaw Massacre '22 enters Neflix, adding another notch to the rampaging-slasher series. I've appreciated all entries, though some are more or less alternative offshoots than clinging prequels/sequels, with only a few creeping close to the Tobe Hooper/Kim Henkel '74 original in their visceral vantages.

How then does director David Blue Garcia's yet-another-direct-sequel-to-the-original perform? Well, it's pure, cold-sweat adrenaline once it gets rolling and pure, suffocating doom during its interludes, thanks in no small part to Fede Alvares/Rodo Sayagues' concept and Chris Thomas Devlin's script, which is embellished by Sayagues' steamy cinematography and Colin Stetson's fervent score. These well blended elements put Chainsaw '22 on a par with the founding pic (not to mention the spirited '03 remake and a previous, 3D/alternate sequel), and that Marilyn Burns' Sally Hardesty, now played by Olwen (The Survivalist) Foure, is back for revenge strengthens the link. All the same, this isn't a full-fledged, never-saw-that-before breakthrough, and so...

Chainsaw '22 buzzes across the screen as another slice-and-dice indulgence, with Mark Burnham taking the chainsaw-jutting lead, looking familiar but redesigned, as brutish and nightmarish as Leatherface should. On all pivotal points, he hulks and darts about as expected, but then at this stage of the backwoods game, what's a madman to do? Leatherface doesn't need a specific motivation to justify his primal thrust; just let him thrust. On the other hand, if one must engage the nitty gritty, Leatherface collects bodies for meals (always has, always will), but perseverance and preservation are also additional factors for the masked butcher in this particular chapter: ironic, considering that such characterize those he pursues. 

As for Leatherface's invading morsels, they're portrayed by Elsie Fisher, Nell Hudson, Sarah Yarkin, Jacob Latimore and Jessica Allain: each curious but naive for the necessary pickin'. (BTW: Alice {Trek 8/Ghost Story} Krige cameos as Leatherface's compatriot/mom, and Moe {Vikings} Dunford says howdy, as the obligatory, can-he-be-trusted, cool head.) 

As mentioned previously, Leatherface also reunites with his old and most famous victim, and sweet ol' Sally does give the encounter a nice, Laurie Strode slant, which (beyond Dennis Hopper's Lt. Lefty Enright in Texas Chainsaw 2) hasn't been a common, plot device in the ferocious franchise. The vengeful eye-to-eye is a tense, if not reasonable, melodramatic shakeup (though in this instance, staged with subtlety); it works quite well. 

On the further, standard hand, it doesn't matter how meek, tough or revenge-thirsty folks get in this insertion. Those who cry, fight and die do so hard, and when one might survive, we wonder for how long. Shucks, do any of Leatherface's prey survive the hell he puts them through? Ah, there lies the bloody rub! Escape is but a ruse, whether it spans minutes or decades beyond the cerebral-clanging fact. 

Texas Chainsaw '22, as it stands, is a tale of frenetic survival and contemptuous pursuit, its originality absent in favor of austere atmosphere and funhouse hijinks, which sometimes wander into the grassy expanses of frightened flight. Garcia's direction ensures the thorough spree stays on nightmarish track, even if that makes his taut contribution par for the impetuous course. (Those faithful to the gory core won't bemoan the approach.) 

By the time the final, frightful shot sears the eyes, this new Texas Chainsaw has delivered a raw yet resumed landscape for a scary string of films that doesn't seem apt to cease anytime soon nor (for the sake of grindhouse, horror enthusiasts) should it.