Vintage Comics: Haunted Thrills - Nightmare Mansion, Horror Hour (Cover-14)

Halloween is sadly over, but the spirit of Horror lives on, ready to strike again next year. That isn't relevant to this post, but I figured it was worth saying. And now for the beginning of yet another vintage comic. This one is called 'Haunted Thrills', and the issue features some interesting stories. Whereas the last comic had a lot of words, this one seems to make very brisk connections from one event to the next. What I do appreciate about these stories, though, is that the panels are quite dynamic. They aren't just squares, but varying shapes, making one page look quite different from another. The first story is about a good cop and a bad house, as well as the importance of proper housekeeping. The second is about a mysterious murder, and a confusing investigation...

Horror Flick of the Week: Love at First Bite

Every year, my best friend and I gather a collection of our ‘traditional marathon movies’ and watch them like crazy on Halloween. The night always starts with Love at First Bite. Not only is it one of Hamilton’s funniest movies, but he’s also playing Dracula. I’d also like to add that it’s a quote-able movie, with plenty of awesome lines to go around.

The atmosphere at the beginning is great: fog, candle-light, howling wolves and Dracula in tails. In short, they’ve nailed the Tod Browning feel. Renfield is amazingly neurotic, creepy, funny, and…funny. The whole picture is nice and light, like a good appetizer before you sink your teeth into the main dish.

Dracula longs for the company of a woman, Cindy Sondheim, a model in New York. Now Dracula is pretty much always on the prowl, in any and all incarnations he’s ever taken. It’s no surprise then, that Cindy Sondheim is the reincarnation of his true love…Mina Harker. Instead of wasting away longing for her company and reading gossip magazines, though…he’s ousted by the government so his castle can be converted into a training facility for young athletes. This is the perfect opportunity to finally pursue the woman of his dreams.

And what’s an eviction notice without an angry mob of villagers?

He finds her, they spend the evening together, and then-Dracula gets to meet her psychiatrist/occasional love interest…Van Helsing’s grandson. They don't get on.

I’ll leave all the juicy bits out for anyone unfamiliar with this movie to discover on his or her own, but chances are that if you like Tootsie…and if you like Dracula in any form…you’ll probably like this. No, there sadly isn’t any drag, but it really brings Tootsie to mind anyway. I guess it’s the time period…or the setting…or the wig. Not sure. I’ll get back to you on that.

Horror Flick of the Week - Sundown: Vampire in Retreat

Sundown: Vampire in Retreat. With a title like that you'd expect an epic tour de force of vampire action. Well, this isn't Dusk Till Dawn, so don't hold your breath. But with David Carradine, and Bruce Campbell, any intelligent person knows what they're walking into. Delicious camp. It's also directed by someone a little familiar, if you've seen Waxwork I and II. I had no idea he was actually one of the bit parts in those movies either, until I saw his picture this afternoon...but back to Sundown.

It's a fun popcorn movie, the kind you can pretty much talk through and not miss much. Plus, come on...David Carradine is Dracula (...I mean Mardulak) and Bruce Campbell is Van Helsing!

Just for some reference, here's one of the covers. It's got that great art style you only get with 80s and 90s VHS tapes. As you can clearly see, this is a western-style story. Not really in the wild west, because it's the modern era, but...I don't know. The bad guys dress up like cowboys in the end, so there's that.

It starts with a little girl having nightmares about vampires. Her father gets a job at a research facility in a new town, and it's soon evident to the viewers that the town is full of vampires. Actually, that was pretty clear in the beginning when one of them literally knocked a guy's block off. Unfortunately for the family, a person from their past is one of the members of the vampire community. He's not a nice guy.

It's hard to tell much more without giving everything away, because that's pretty much it. The story is a cut-and-dry horror comedy, good for a Friday night with friends. Best of all, it doesn't suck.

Drive-in Trailers: Fanged Fiends

Fanged Fiends, because 'Vampires' was too overdone. What's great about these creatures, is that no two versions are alike. Some of them are bad-ass, some of them aren't, some of them have fangs, some of them blur the lines between actually being monsters or just psychologically disturbed. The list goes on. It's hard to define what a vampire is because they are the root of all monsters. One that was human who thrives on what still is...

Ending it on the lucky number '13', and saving the Hammer films...for another day.