'House of Horror' contains both good and bad

House of Horrors (1946)

Starring: Martin Kosleck, Rondo Hatton, Virginia Grey, Robert Lowery, Bill, Goodwin, Alan Napier, and Joan Fulton

Director: Jean Yarbrough

Rating: Six of Ten Stars

Marcel (Kosleck), a sculptor of meager talent, manipulates a psychopathic killer known as The Creeper (Hatton) into murdering critics he feel ruined his career as an artist.

"House of Horrors" is a well-acted, fairly well-written film that is elevated by stylish camera-work  stylishly shot with sets and camera angles and lighting that takes full advantage of the black-and-white medium. Like most the Universal horror films from the 1940s and 1950s, it's a film that's worth watching for the quality cinematography alone. It makes this already briskly paced film go by even faster. The chilling scenes where Rondo Hatton's character is preparing to kill Virginia Grey and Joan Fulton respectively are also definite highlights of not only this movie, but horror films of the 1940s in general.

Among other highlights are Alan Napier (perhaps best remembered as Bruce Wayne's butler in the 1960s "Batman" television series) as an art critic you'll want to see murdered; fine performances by Martin Kosleck and Rondo Hatton as a pair of very different maniacs; and Robert Lowery and Virginia Grey who have a sort-of lowkey on-screen chemistry that make them very believable as a couple in a steady relationship.

So why did I only give "House of Horrors" a Six of Ten rating? 

Well, for one, the script moves a little too briskly. While I got that the psychopath was so grateful to the artist for saving his life that OF COURSE he's willing to kill those who have done harm to his new (and only) friend. What I want to know is how did Marcel know that the psychotic killer he fished from the harbor would be willing to kill for him?

Second, while I like the fact the film has a sort of in media res feeling vis-a-vis Rondo Hatton's serial killer character, I still think the film would have stronger if they'd filled in a little more of his backstory. It might have given an opportunity to explain why Marcel knew he would "weaponize" him successfully. (On the other hand, it allowed me to fill in the blanks with something  far more interesting than what the writers probably would have provided. Still, there is such a think as leaving too much to the imagination, and I think this is an example of that.)

Finally, although generally well-written, I found some of the actions taken by the film's heroine, played by Virginia Grey, to be so annoyingly stupid they almost ruined the character entirely. I can't get specific, but they fall squarely in the Stupid Character Syndrome (SCS) that's caused by writers who are either too sloppy or lazy to make their plot flow , so one or more characters has to do monumentally stupid things to make sure the story keeps movie toward the resolution. When Grey's character does the first stupid thing, you may think she's just hungry for a scoop to fill her weekly arts column, but when she does the next stupid thing, you'll see the full-blown case of SCS for what it is. It's a shame more care wasn't spent on those parts of the plot, because it drags the whole movie down. 

Although not perfect, "House of Horrors" is still well worth our time, especially if you're looking for some light viewing to get ready for Halloween.

Halloween is Coming...

 ... and Vampirella is here at Shades of Gray HQ. She's getting ready to spend the week in meditation, so she becomes more attuned to the Spirit of Halloween. Wish her luck, everyone!

Goth Chick Appreciation Day

October 13th is Goth Chick Appreciation Day. In celebration, here are some goth chicks for you to appreciated.

The Mysterious Mose Meets Betty Boop

Mysterious Mose (1930)
Starring: Margie Hines (voice of "Betty Boop"/The Girl) and Bill Murray (voice of Bimbo/The Mysterious Mose)

Director: Dave Fleischer

Rating: Seven of Ten Stars

After she is harassed by the ghosts haunting her home, Betty Boop's sleepless night may  be about to go from bad to worse when the notorious night-creeper known as the Mose invades her home.

There are some films that need to be experienced with as little advanced warning and spoilers from reviewers like me. "Mysterious Mose" is one such film. It's opens with with some risque weirdness brought on by a frisky ghost-- clearly establishes that the Bimbo and Betty cartoons were made for an adult audience--and it just keeps getting stranger as it goes. I guarantee that you will have a hard time predicting what's coming from one moment to the next, and you will certainly not be able to predict the film's ending. And that is what makes this bit of gothic-flavored weirdness so much fun to watch. The catchy music helps, too.

One thing I do have to mention specifically is that I've been referring to the female main character in this cartoon as "Betty Boop" for ease of reference more than anything else--like everyone else, I presume. When this cartoon was made, "Betty Boop" had yet to sport that name; her iconic look had likewise yet to be fully established. This was her fourth appearance and her design changed from film to film--as did that of Bimbo, actually--but this was the point where the "Betty" everyone recognizes began to take form. That said, she is still an anthropomorphic dog with droopy ears at this point, and she has darker skin that she would be portrayed with (for the most part) going forward. Still, this is the first time the future "Betty Boop" is clearly recognizable as Betty Boop.

But enough from me. Why don't you take a few minutes out of your day to check out this classic cartoon? It's guaranteed to entertain, as well as stir the Halloween Spirit!

 

Musical Monday with Sheena Easton

We continue our Halloween-themed music videos with a great tribute to the classic Universal monster movies that has little to no connection with the subject matter of the song. Nonetheless, it's fun to watch Sheena Easton sing her heart out while squaring off against (or being absolutely unphased by)  Frankenstein's Monster, Dracula, the Hunchback of Notre Dame, and even King Kong! (Although... one does have to wonder if she's brave, doesn't have anymore more damns to give, or is stone-deaf when it comes to her reaction to the Frankstein's Monster!

I hope you enjoy this classic music video, which was directed by the Steve Barron, who helmed some of the greatest music videos of the 1980s... and this neat little gothic romance in the style of great horror movie classics is certainly counted among those!


Telefone (Long Distance Love Affair) (1983)
Starring: Sheena Easton and the Universal Monsters
Director: Steve Barron
Rating: Nine of Ten Stars

Halloween Warm-Up: The Apparition

Pioneering filmmaker Georges Méliès was making special-effects laden fantasy films and horror comedies when most of his contemporaries could barely conceive of using film for anything but documentary purposes. The film I'm offering as Halloween warm-up viewing today sees him deploying nearly his entire bag of tricks in a three-minute supernatural romp.


The Apparition (aka "The Ghost and the Candle") (1903)

Starring: Georges Méliès 

Director: Georges Méliès

Rating: Eight of Ten Stars

A lecherous old man (Méliès) gropes a maid and is subsequently haunted by a vengeful female ghost.

This is another one of those Méliès films where too much blather from me will ruin the fun of watching it, so all I'll say is that the early 20th century must have been a very different time than today, since the main character in this short film isn't phased by a candle that moves on its own, nor seems to find a woman solidifying from a cloud of smoke strange at all.  

But why don't you take a few minutes to watch "The Apparition"? It's bound to put a smile on your face while getting you ready for the tricks and treats that are coming our way later this month! 

Saturday Serial: My Father's Brain

"My Father's Brain" by Richard Sala originally appeared in Blab #8 (1994). We're serializing it as part of our annual effort to spread the encourage the Halloween Spirit. Click on the strips for larger versions. Please come back next Saturday for the shocking finale to this ninja-laden tale of stolen-brain intrigue.

MY FATHER'S BRAIN: PART TWO

By Richard Sala

To Be Continued...

Meanwhile, in the Shadows!

In Observence...

... of the day when one of the worst criminal-minded, murdering bigots to ever walk the Earth got what he deserved.

If you like old vampire movies and great comics, you're going to love this book!

Peculia and the Groon Grove Vampires (2005. Fantagraphics)
Story and Art: Richard Sala
Rating: Eight of Ten Stars

When a member of the Baby Sitters Club mysteriously disappears, Peculia is recruited by the remaining three girls to help with a special assignment that required all four members: The new family in Groon Grove have needs that require special attention... 

Richard Sala's reluctant monster-fighter returns for a full-length adventure in "Peculia and the Groon Grove Vampires", and she once again find herself under threat when all she wanted to do was hang out with other teen girls and do some babysitting/caregiving. While Peculia may not have the fun experience she was hoping for, I think readers of this book who enjoy classic horror films and well-crafted comics will have a great time reading it. Sala once again delivers a deftly told tale that delivers chills and chuckles in equal measure.

"Peculia and the Groon Grove Vampires" is a fun tribute to classic horror and vampire films, with nods to the greats from Universal Pictures during the 1940s and Hammer Films during the 1960s, as well as some familiar elements from 1980s slasher flicks. Sala had a love of and respect for these films, and it shows in his work. He was also one of an ever-diminishing crop of writers/artists who understood and had fully mastered the art of the comic book medium, knowing how to lay out a page to keep the reader's eye moving to what's important; knowing when to use a long shot, medium shot, or close up; and knowing how to pace a story one page at a time to encourage the reader to keep turning them to see what happens next. I feel like Sala did some of his best work on the Peculia stories in general and this book in particular. He uses a starker style than in many of his other works, with lots of contrasting solid whites and blacks that sometimes feel like woodcuts; and his scripts are more economical and done in style that harkens back to old-time newspaper comic strips where, supported by traditional visual cues that were also originated in the newspaper strips. While this is true of much of Sala's work from the early 1990s onward, it is most evident in the Peculia stories, I feel.

This approach--of letting the art speak for itself--heightens both the humor and horror in this book, making its best moments even better. And there are some really good moments in this book. 

Sala has some wonderful, wordless scenes featuring George, a young boy who is being baby-sat by one of the soon-to-be-vampire-victims. George fills the role of a comic relief character who spends the story running from horror scene to horror scene, but, who in the end plays a pivotal role in the success of the hero--a kind of character that was a mainstay of the 1940s horror films that served as part of Sala's inspiration here. Sala, however, does a much better job with George than many of the screenwriters did with such characters Back in the Day; George is cute and funny where the old-time comic relief characters were oftentimes more annoying than anything else.

Other highlights are Peculia's mostly silent fights against the vampires; she's always been a girl of few words, but this is more true here than in almost any of her previous appearances. Her silence alternatively makes the horror and humor of her various scenes far greater than it would have been if Sala had caused a quip or a cry to issue forth from her.

Few books are perfect, but the only major flaw I find with this the presentation of how Peculia dispatches two of the vampires. Sala plays a similar gag back-to-back, and I would have preferred a little more variety, or at least a little more distance between the two. (The first time he plays it, it unfolds over what are two of the very best pages in the book.. which could also be why it doesn't work as well the second time around.)

In balance, however, "Peculia and the Groon Grove Vampires" is an excellent read that I highly recommend to anyone who enjoys classic vampire movies and well-done graphic novels/comic books.

How can you tell Halloween is coming?

The air is turning cold... the shadows are deepening... and Vampirella is dropping by Shades of Gray for her annual visits!

Meanwhile, Wonder Woman will continue her bi-weekly appearances as well, since her latest movie has been postponed again. Although, since she was expecting to be off because of her movie coming out, all she's doing is showing the costume she'll be wearing for Halloween: She'll be going as the goddess Diana.