Dracula's Recent Activity - Spout

Film:Dracula

Fri, 07 Aug 2009 01:29:34 GMT

Title: Dracula
Year: 1931
Director: Tod Browning
Plot: "I am....Drac-u-la. I bid you velcome." Thus does Bela Lugosi declare his presence in the 1931 screen version of Bram Stoker's Dracula. Director Tod Browning invests most of his mood and atmosphere in the first two reels, which were based on the original Stoker novel; the rest of the film is a more stagebound translation of the popular stage play by John Balderston and Hamilton Deane. Even so, the electric tension between the elegant Dracula and the vampire hunter Professor Van Helsing (Edward Van Sloan) works as well on the screen as it did on the stage. And it's hard to forget such moments as the lustful gleam in the eyes of Mina Harker (Helen Chandler) as she succumbs to the will of Dracula, or the omnipresent insane giggle of the fly-eating Renfield (Dwight Frye). Despite the static nature of the final scenes, Dracula is a classic among horror films, with Bela Lugosi giving the performance of a lifetime as the erudite Count (both Lugosi and co-star Frye would forever after be typecast as a result of this film, which had unfortunate consequences for both men's careers). Compare this Dracula to the simultaneously filmed Spanish-language version, which makes up for the absence of Lugosi with a stronger sense of visual dynamics in the lengthy dialogue sequences. In 1999, a special rerelease of Dracula was prepared featuring a new musical score written by Philip Glass and performed by The Kronos Quartet. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Times Tagged: 11
Number of Lists: 33
Number of blog posts: 5
Number of discussion threads: 19
SpoutRating: 3

Spout Post: Re:Another Sad Farewell...

Fri, 19 Jun 2009 18:14:03 GMT

Post By: Risselada
Post To: HORROR MOVIES 101
Post Date: 6/19/2009 2:14:03 PM
Body: [quote user="Dr_Gor"] [quote user="Risselada"] I see what you are saying when you say you always know it is David Carradine. Like John Wayne, I don't know if he had a huge range. But John Wayne had a presence no doubt. That's a good list of actors there. I'm not sure if I'm familiar with Dwight Frye though. [/quote] Well you will soon be familiar with Dwight Frye ... as all good Horror fans should be.... Dwight Frye was a great "character-actor" of the 1930's and 40's. He was "Renfield" in Dracula and the "hunchback- assistant" , Fritz, in Frankenstein . He then went on to appear in the next SEVERAL "Frankenstein" movies including ; "Bride of..." , "Son of..." , "Ghost of..." and others... Here is a link that will help you... Dwight Frye ... < GOR > [/quote] Oh yeah, I have seen him in Dracula and Frankenstein. I do remember them talking about him on the audio commentary on Dracula now. Yeah he was good in that.

Spout Post: Watch it at night, with the lights out

Thu, 07 May 2009 22:07:29 GMT

Post By: The_MOW
Post To: The_MOW Blog
Post Date: 5/7/2009 6:07:29 PM
Body: NOTE: This is a review of the original print from the "Universal Monsters Classic Collection" that was released on VHS years ago. "Renfield" (Dwight Frey) has traveled from London to Transylvania on business at "Castle Dracula," a run-down castle owned by the mysterious "Count Dracula" (Bela Lugosi in his most famous role which he first performed on stage). The "Count" has decided to leave his native country for London, where he has rented property, to which "Renfield" is bringing him the lease to sign, despite being warned not to go to the castle by fellow passengers on the coach he is riding to the village "Castle Dracula" looks over, and the villagers -- all of which believe that Castle Dracula is home to vampires. The "Count," who indeed is a vampire, quick;y gains "Renfield's" trust and offers him something to eat. He then places "Renfield" under his power. "Renfield" becomes "Dracula's" maniacal servant who craves the blood of small insects. "Dracula," with "Renfield" in tow, then travels on the "Schooner Vesta" to London. The ship drifts into Whitby Harbor following a violent storm -- with the crew dead, and the captain tied to the wheel. Those who come on board to investigate, heard only in voice-over, then discover "Renfield" down in in the ship's hold. A newspaper report, written after the ship drifted into the harbor, then reports that "Renfield," the reported sole survivor, has been admitted to "Seward Sanitarium," run by "Dr. Jack Seward" (Herbert Bunston). "Dr. Seward," who lives at the sanitarium with his daughter "Mina" (Helen Chandler), calls upon "Prof. Van Helsing" (Edward Van Sloan) to consult on the "Renfield" case and study "Mina's" friend "Lucy" (Frances Dade), who has become one of the vampire's first British victims. Now, "Van Helsing," "Dr. Seward," and "Mina's" fiance, "John Harker (David Manners) must race to save "Mina," whom "Dracula" has targeted as his next victim, from the world of the undead. Based on the Broadway play, which itself was based on Bram Stoker's famed novel, the movie has wonderful sets, eerie lighting, a few good performances and some really campy performances. Two performances which really stand out from the rest are Frey and Lugosi himself. Both make their characters really freaky which really helps set the tone of the film. Van Sloan also brings a pretty strong performance. On the other hand, most of the minor supporting cast bring laughable performances, which I do not think was intended. Light and shadow help set the mood of this film. When "Dracula" is hypnotizing his intended victim, everything except his eyes are in shadow. Because of the topic of the film, which was released on Valentine's Day 1931, many of the outdoor scenes, which are obviously on a soundstage, are foggy nights. With dim light, and fog, this also helps set the tone of the film. Because of the time of the movie's release, there is absolutely no blood, nor is "Dracula's" attacks violent. However, in your mind, you will know what happens -- and that helps make this movie scary. Another thing that helps make this film scary is that there is no music, except from a music box in one scene and an orchestra in another. One problem with this movie is sound. In a few scenes, it is painfully obvious that there is only one microphone recording the sound. In these scenes, the performers are far from the microphone and are barely audible. Another problem is that some subplots are not resolved, and leaves some questions. The special effects are very cheap compared to today's standards. It is very obvious that some animals, including the bat which "Dracula" turns into, are fake. Another special effect is the distant sound of a howling wolf, that is established by the dialogue as one of the creatures "Dracula" turns into. Much of the dialogue, like many of the performances, are pretty laughable. However, these lines are forgettable. There are also some scenes which will drag a little. One thing I suggest you do when watching the original print, which has no soundtrack, unlike a special 1999 print that has a soundtrack added in, is watch this movie at night, with the lights off and either nobody else in the house or asleep. This situation will help play the mind games you will need to help scare you.

Spout Post: Re:Is there anything scarier than the imagination?

Tue, 13 Jan 2009 16:33:41 GMT

Post By: Risselada
Post To: HORROR MOVIES 101
Post Date: 1/13/2009 11:33:41 AM
Body: [quote user="Dr_Gor"] [quote user="Risselada"] [quote user="seely"] I was thinking about Horror films as I walked to work today, and I came up with a question for you all... Is there anything scarier than your own imagination? I always feel as though too often there are incredibly detailed, graphic potrayals of violence and brutality in horror films for the shock value. Some of the truly scariest horror scenes that I can remember were ones actually left to the viewer's imagination... you don't see exactly what happened, so you're forced to imagine what did. I almost feel as though directors now don't give their audiences enough credit when making these explicitly graphic films. Curious to hear how you all feel about it... [/quote] You are probably right. I found The Blair Witch Project to be one of the scariest movies and there's really hardly anything really shown. Just the fear of main characters. [/quote] This is a good subject. Many of the BEST horror films have NO on-screen gore at all! Blair Witch is an EXCELLENT example, Rizzo! The Haunting and Frankenstien and Dracula and almost everyone of those old Universal Horror Movies! All of the violence takes place JUST off-screen and we are treated to some sound effects to make the illusion complete. Try watching The Texas Chainsaw Massacre one more time and you will think that you are watching an edited version of that film! There is virtually NO on-screen gore at all! It is all done with sound effects and your own imagination... < GOR > [/quote] Sometimes it's the suspense that you might see something horrible that is so disturbing. I actually found the very beginning sequence of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre to be super freaky because of this. You know how everthing is black and then you see a flash and hear that noise of the flash bulb coming up? It's been a while since I've seen this movie, but I remember for just a moment each time you hear that noise you see a quick flash of something grotesque. Although I don't think anything was actually that bad, somehow you were afraid that with the next flash you were going to see something even worse!

Spout Post: Re:Is there anything scarier than the imagination?

Tue, 13 Jan 2009 02:49:35 GMT

Post By: Dr_Gor
Post To: HORROR MOVIES 101
Post Date: 1/12/2009 9:49:35 PM
Body: [quote user="Risselada"] [quote user="seely"] I was thinking about Horror films as I walked to work today, and I came up with a question for you all... Is there anything scarier than your own imagination? I always feel as though too often there are incredibly detailed, graphic potrayals of violence and brutality in horror films for the shock value. Some of the truly scariest horror scenes that I can remember were ones actually left to the viewer's imagination... you don't see exactly what happened, so you're forced to imagine what did. I almost feel as though directors now don't give their audiences enough credit when making these explicitly graphic films. Curious to hear how you all feel about it... [/quote] You are probably right. I found The Blair Witch Project to be one of the scariest movies and there's really hardly anything really shown. Just the fear of main characters. [/quote] This is a good subject. Many of the BEST horror films have NO on-screen gore at all! Blair Witch is an EXCELLENT example, Rizzo! The Haunting and Frankenstien and Dracula and almost everyone of those old Universal Horror Movies! All of the violence takes place JUST off-screen and we are treated to some sound effects to make the illusion complete. Try watching The Texas Chainsaw Massacre one more time and you will think that you are watching an edited version of that film! There is virtually NO on-screen gore at all! It is all done with sound effects and your own imagination... < GOR >

Spout Post: Re:Which of these movie Draculas from movies based on the original novel is your favorite?

Mon, 08 Dec 2008 18:02:25 GMT

Post By: filmgal81
Post To: Movie Polls
Post Date: 12/8/2008 1:02:25 PM
Body: Although I picked Kinski, I also wanted to give credit where credit is due to Gary Oldman. What a transformation! But Kinski's vampire was really 3 dimensional, especially since most of the other characters in that film were so flat. my favorite scenes are 1) when he is moving the coffins off of the ship with this funny little walk to the church and 2) when he is running through the deserted streets of the town, bounding and leaping with such exaggeration. Too funny! [quote user="Risselada"] I picked this poll for a couple reasons. 1. This conversation in the Horror Movies 101 group turned towards discussing the greatest Draculas. 2. There was recently a vampire poll/tournament put on by Spout in which I think many people were a little disappointed that Twilight fans overwhelmed it. In this poll it won't be the tournament format and since it's just Dracula, the Twilight guy won't be included. Please vote only once in each poll. Movies referenced in this poll:Nosferatu the Vampyre (1979)Dracula (1979)Horror of Dracula (1958)Dracula (1931)Dracula: Dead and Loving It (1995)Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992)Nosferatu the Vampire (1922)Dracula (1931)Dracula: Pages from a Virgin's Diary (2002) [/quote]

Spout Post: Which of these movie Draculas from movies based on the original novel is your favorite?

Mon, 08 Dec 2008 17:17:28 GMT

Post By: Risselada
Post To: Movie Polls
Post Date: 12/8/2008 12:17:28 PM
Body: Please reference this thread for the rules of this group. I picked this poll for a couple reasons. 1. This conversation in the Horror Movies 101 group turned towards discussing the greatest Draculas. 2. There was recently a vampire poll/tournament put on by Spout in which I think many people were a little disappointed that Twilight fans overwhelmed it. In this poll it won't be the tournament format and since it's just Dracula, the Twilight guy won't be included. Please vote only once in each poll. Movies referenced in this poll:Nosferatu the Vampyre (1979)Dracula (1979)Horror of Dracula (1958)Dracula (1931)Dracula: Dead and Loving It (1995)Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992)Nosferatu the Vampire (1922)Dracula (1931)Dracula: Pages from a Virgin's Diary (2002)

Spout Post: Re:This Is Interesting..

Wed, 26 Nov 2008 15:15:59 GMT

Post By: seely
Post To: HORROR MOVIES 101
Post Date: 11/26/2008 10:15:59 AM
Body: I'll have to check those out. I've been catching up on Vampire flicks lately (can you believe I had never seen Interview with the Vampire? My girlfriend couldn't either...). I'm definitely rewatching Nosferatu, which I watched in highschool as a film class assignment and led me to believe that Max Schreck must have been the creepiest person to ever leave. Definitely going to have to get Dracula and check out those performances by Palance and Langella. Its really interesting to see all the different (and widely varied) interpretations of Dracula out there. No two are really alike. [quote user="Dr_Gor"] [quote user="seely"] Lugosi was CREEPY. Did you vote for him in our little Vampire Cage Match? I was disappointed to see him get bumped on the first round, as I think he was clearly the best vampire on screen that I have seen anyways. [/quote] Lugosi was a fine actor and the quintessential "Dracula" and the role model for every vampire to follow. Did you know that Lugosi never wore fangs in any of his vampiric roles? The movie Dracula was written specifically for Universal's biggest horror star at that time, Lon Chaney Sr., but when he died shortly before shooting was to begin they brought in a Hungarian actor who had played Dracula on the stage (Lugosi) and a star was born. My favorite, however, was Christopher Lee who played Dracula in several films, often with no lines! Lee's Dracula was much more violent and animalistic than Lugosi's and his confrontations with Van Helsing, etc. were extremely physical and athletic and entertaining! When his eyes turned blood red and he bared his gleaming white fangs and hissed at you, you just KNEW he was pissed! Jack Palance and Frank Langella both made fine Dracula's as well. < GOR > [/quote]

Spout Post: Re:This Is Interesting..

Sat, 22 Nov 2008 11:37:18 GMT

Post By: Dr_Gor
Post To: HORROR MOVIES 101
Post Date: 11/22/2008 6:37:18 AM
Body: [quote user="seely"] Lugosi was CREEPY. Did you vote for him in our little Vampire Cage Match? I was disappointed to see him get bumped on the first round, as I think he was clearly the best vampire on screen that I have seen anyways. [/quote] Lugosi was a fine actor and the quintessential "Dracula" and the role model for every vampire to follow. Did you know that Lugosi never wore fangs in any of his vampiric roles? The movie Dracula was written specifically for Universal's biggest horror star at that time, Lon Chaney Sr., but when he died shortly before shooting was to begin they brought in a Hungarian actor who had played Dracula on the stage (Lugosi) and a star was born. My favorite, however, was Christopher Lee who played Dracula in several films, often with no lines! Lee's Dracula was much more violent and animalistic than Lugosi's and his confrontations with Van Helsing, etc. were extremely physical and athletic and entertaining! When his eyes turned blood red and he bared his gleaming white fangs and hissed at you, you just KNEW he was pissed! Jack Palance and Frank Langella both made fine Dracula's as well. < GOR >

Spout Post: Vampire Love Interests: A Timeline

Fri, 21 Nov 2008 17:00:37 GMT

Post By: SpoutBlog
Post To: SpoutBlog on spout.com
Post Date: 11/21/2008 12:00:37 PM
Body: The vampires of Stephanie Meyer’s Twilight novels are described as impossibly beautiful. But it’s one vampire, “Edward Cullen,” who is written as having such appealing details that it would seem impossible for a girl not to fall in love with him. In actuality, that’s what has happened to most females, young and old, who have read the books. And while his cinematic portrayer, Robert Pattinson, doesn’t quite resemble a marble statue of Adonis, the actor is still getting his fair share of seven-year-old suitors asking to be bitten. Cullen is hardly the first vampire to so strongly attract the hearts (and necks) of mortals. But what is it about the bloodsucking undead that turns us on so much? Is it truly their stone-white skin and chiseled features? Or perhaps it’s their ability to go all night long? Let us take a look at the many vampire love interests that literature and cinema have given us over the years in an attempt to find out their sexy secret. 1819: Lord Ruthven from The Vampyre by John Polidori One of the granddaddies of modern English vampire literature, Polidori’s short story features a character not unlike Twilight’s Cullen in terms of suave, seductive sex appeal. Yet this alluring vampire is as deadly as he is desirable, and while he might honor a lady with his hand in marriage, he’s still liable to kill his new bride and then go into hiding. 1828: Lord Ruthven from Der Vampyr by Heinrich Marschner and Wilhelm August Wohlbruck This is basically the same guy from Polidori’s story, but in Marschner and Wohlbruck’s opera he has to disguise himself in order to be granted the young Malwina’s hand. And when he’s exposed, he’s struck by lightning and sent to hell, very much lowering his availability. 1872: Carmilla from Carmilla by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu Young Laura is just happy to have a new best friend, but lesbian vampire Carmilla is interested in more and keeps lunging at Laura’s chest. Unfortunately, it would take another 100-plus years before heterosexual girls found it both acceptable and trendy to “dyke out” with their gal pals. Also see versions of the story in Carl Dreyer’s Vampyr and Roger Vadim’s Blood and Roses. 1897: Count Dracula from Dracula by Bram Stoker He’s not quite Lucy Westenra’s love-interest, more like a meaningless fling for the newly engaged girl. But after a nightly affair with the Count, Lucy seems to have acquired a mysterious, deadly STD, which is later discovered to be vampirism. Fortunately for Mina Harker, his next “partner,” the disease is curable by way of killing the person you contracted it from. Also see Tod Browning’s 1931 adaptation and Terence Fisher’s 1958 version. 1922: Count Orlok from Nosferatu, directed by F.W. Murnau Based on Dracula, Orlok (Max Schreck) is also not much of a love-interest, probably because he’s so damn ugly. But he is tricked into thinking he’s desired at the end, as Ellen (Greta Schroder) gives up her body as a self-sacrificial attempt to stop the spread of vampirism to others. Or because she’s like those cruel popular girls at school who’d tease the nerds for their own narcissistic pleasure. 1966-1971: Barnabas Collins from Dark Shadows, created by Dan Curtis He should have never cheated on his true love, Josette, or he might never have been turned into a vampire by his jilted, supernatural mistress, Angelique (Lara Parker). And Josette might never have killed herself. Ever since, Barnabus (Jonathan Frid) has just been looking to replace her, whether with look-a-likes or her actual reincarnated spirit. And no girl wants to feel like she’s a substitute for another woman, even if she’s supposedly that woman reborn. 1969-present: Vampirella from miscellaneous Vampirella comics, created by Forrest J. Ackerman Though a vampire hunter by trade, Adam Van Helsing couldn’t help falling for Vampirella the moment he first laid eyes on her. He would say that it’s because she’s not like other vampires, that she’s not evil. But he’s a guy, and really the immediate attraction was that body and its near lack of clothing. 1970: Carmilla from The Vampire Lovers, directed by Roy Ward Baker Ingrid Pitt is hot and all, and those longing stares of hers are enchanting, but the only reason she has more luck seducing friends like Emma (Madeline Smith) than did her 19th century literary counterpart is because this film was made at a time when experimentation with lesbianism was becoming more acceptable, especially to the guys who went to these kinds of movies. Not surprisingly, there would be plenty more soft-core lesbian vampire movies to come. 1972: Prince Mamuwalde from Blacula, directed by William Crain Blacula (William Marshall) may be one smooth vampire, but he’s not so good at keeping his ladylove from being killed…twice! At least he comes to the understanding that he’s as dangerous as he is attractive and so doesn’t allow any more women to succumb to his seductions. 1979: Count Dracula from Love at First Bite, directed by Stan Dragoti Thanks to blood banks, Dracula (George Hamilton) no longer needs to be such a villain, and he can devote himself more fully to romantic pursuits. Unfortunately, he’s got issues similar to those of Barnabus Collins and is only after a girl (Susan Saint James) who reminds him of his true love, Mina Harker. Fortunately, she’s kind of flaky and she doesn’t mind being a substitute. 1983: Miriam Blaylock from The Hunger, directed by Tony Scott No man or woman can resist the beauty of this vampire played by Catherine Deneuve, but her lovers pay a terrible price. They become immortal yet they still age, so they end up looking like the walking dead rather than the undead. Still, Miriam has amazing seductive powers, and even after seeing what has happened to one companion/victim, and even though she’s married and not a lesbian, Dr. Sarah Roberts (Susan Sarandon) can’t help climbing into bed with the gorgeous creature. 1985: Countess from Once Bitten, directed by Howard Storm With a girlfriend as hot as his, Mark (Jim Carrey) should just wait for her. But as a teenage male, he’s got to have sex, and like many young dudes, a sexy older woman is the answer. But not only does she not take his virginity, she begins turning him into a vampire and, worse, won’t allow his attempt at a one-night stand be simply that. 1987: Star from The Lost Boys, directed by Joel Schumacher She’s only a half-vampire, but that makes Star (Jami Gertz) all the more appealing to the new guy in town, Michael (Jason Patric). Especially when it turns out she’s not a full-blown vampire because she didn’t kill him as instructed. 1989: Rachel from Vampire’s Kiss, directed by Robert Bierman Like Countess from Once Bitten, this beautiful vampire (played by Jennifer Beals) similarly serves as a caution against one-night stands. But she could also just be a figment of Nicolas Cage’s character’s imagination. 1992: Count Dracula from Bram Stoker’s Dracula, directed by Francis Ford Coppola Those sunglasses are downright sexy, but thanks to a prologue connecting Dracula to Vlad the Impaler, the titular vampire (played by Gary Oldman) has pretty much the same obsession issues he exhibits in Love at First Bite. He’s just after Mina (Winona Ryder) because she resembles his love from centuries earlier. Which means that girl in 1979 actually reminds him of Elisabeta. 1994: Lestat and Louis from Interview with the Vampire, directed by Neil Jordan It’s kind of like My Two Dads, only one of the guys is actually into the other guy and the non-bisexual one acquired their “daughter” (Kirsten Dunst) by metaphorically pedophilic means. And 30 years later she can’t forgive him for having his way with her, forever stunting her growth as a woman. Dysfunctional family or strange vampiric romance? When you’re as good looking as Tom Cruise or Brad Pitt, it’s hard not to attract all sorts of admirers and possibly complicated relationships. 1995: Maximillian from Vampire in Brooklyn, directed by Wes Craven Even for the ‘90s, that mullet was not attractive, yet it somehow didn’t deter Angela Bassett’s character from falling victim to Eddie Murphy’s advances, as well as his fangs. 1997-2003: Angel and Spike from Buffy the Vampire Slayer, created by Joss Whedon Buffy (Sarah Michelle Gellar) is apparently similar to Adam in the Vampirella comics, because even though it’s her job to slay vampires, sometimes she can’t help but have sex with them. It’s not her fault though, especially if they have a soul and look like hunky actor David Boreanaz, or if they’re just Billy Idol-sexy like actor James Marsters. 2003: Selena from Underworld, directed by Len Wiseman It’s hard enough making a relationship work between a vampire and a human, but vampire on werewolf love is totally out of the question. Or is it vampire on vampire/werewolf hybrid love? Who cares, Kate Beckinsale is hot in that leather outfit! Whatever he is, Michael (Scott Speedman) is a lucky man, or something. 2008: Bill Compton from True Blood, created by Alan Ball At last, vampires have gained civil rights, yet interspecies love is still not completely acceptable. This of course makes them even more appealing to open-minded and sexually curious individuals like Sookie (Anna Paquin), who is immediately smitten with Bill the vampire (Stephen Moyer) when he walks into her bar/life. 2008: Eli from Let the Right One In, directed by Thomas Alfredson Many young boys tormented by bullies eventually turn to the goth subculture for acceptance. And typically the initial attraction is by way of a cute goth chick, similar to the crush Oskar (Kare Hedebrant) has on his new neighbor, Eli (Lina Leandersson). But if that chick turns out to actually be a vampire and is able to fight her boyfriend’s battles for him, it might be time for that guy to find a new crush and subculture. Hint: ska girls are cute, too, if there’s any still out there. 2008: Edward Cullen from Twilight, directed by Catherine Hardwicke He may be the hottest thing to happen to young girls since The Beatles, but he’s obviously more of a fantasy, not being real and all. Still, to fellow character Bella (Kristen Stewart), he’s absolutely perfect, and perfectly incarnate. It’s a little strange that he’s 108-years-old and still attending high school — or maybe that’s just his way of finding statutory rape victims — but otherwise he’s attractive in every single way. Except that he’s not human, and he puts her life in danger. But apparently those things are part of the allure of vampires. Originally posted on:SpoutBlog

Spout Post: Horrorigins: A Brief History of the Horror Movie

Fri, 31 Oct 2008 21:00:30 GMT

Post By: SpoutBlog
Post To: SpoutBlog on spout.com
Post Date: 10/31/2008 5:00:30 PM
Body: It’s Halloween, a time when sales of candy and rentals of horror movies spike off the charts. Candy has been around since the time of the ancient Egyptians, but the horror film is barely 100 years old. The genre is enjoying a resurgence in popularity over the past several years: right now you’ve got Saw V in wide release, Let The Right One In in limited theaters, the vampy teen Twilight coming up in a few weeks and True Blood making waves on HBO. Studios can’t seem to go more than a few months without releasing some sort of a zombie flick, and vampires are coming back into their own. But what was the first real horror film? Before movies existed, people had to get their scares from books and the local newspaper, but now you can just switch on cable and tune into NBC’s Chiller channel for instant scares. Check out a brief history of the horror movie after the break, and look just how far we’ve come. Georges Méliès is best known for his short film A Trip To The Moon, with the iconic image of the Man in the Moon with spaceship embedded in his eye like a bullet. He was born in France in 1861 and eventually became a successful stage magician, although he found more fame (but no fortune) as a filmmaker in the then newfangled art of cinema after seeing a demonstration by the Lumiere brothers in 1895. For the next several years he created some of the first films to feature special effects, especially using the “stop-trick” of stopping the camera and substituing something into the frame before resuming filming. Just watch any episode of Bewitched or I Dream of Jeannie to see this used ad infinitum. One of Méliès’ first films was Le Manoir du Diable, or The House of the Devil, which is considered to be the world’s first horror film. It’s two minutes long, extremely grainy, and not scary at all by today’s standards. It premiered on Christmas Eve in 1896, and was the first in a string of many short horror films, including Le Diable Noir, Le Monstre (check out the dancing skeletons!), and Le Chaudron Infernal. By the early 1900s, Germany was producing full-length feature horror films with Der Golem in 1913 (remade in 1920), as one of the first Frankenstein-esque films, Das Kabinett des Doktor Caligari in 1919, which influenced the look and feel of the classic horror films of the 1930s, and Nosferatu in 1922, which was one of the first enduring vampire stories. These movies eventually made their way to Hollywood, and by the 1930s Universal was making many of the horror films which are considered the “Universal Classic Horror” movies. Films like Dracula, The Mummy, and The Hunchback of Notre Dame were just some of the films that terrified audiences and launch the careers of actors like Lon Chaney, Bela Lugosi, and Boris Karloff. These movies persisted through the 1950s, although by then the fear of the atomic bomb had given rise to movies about irradiated creatures terrorizing mankind, like Them! and Tarantula. The possibility of aliens invading the Earth and having their way with humans was also a common theme in horror films, from Invasion of the Body Snatchers to It Came From Outer Space. The late 1950s also featured often gorier films, a trend that continued heavily through the 1960s. Hammer Films seized on the new obsession with gore and churned out low budget bloodfests often starring Peter Cushing or Christopher Lee. This period was also when Vincent Price rose to popularity, having starred in the very popular House of Wax in 1953, he went on to star in a series of low budger horror flicks for Roger Corman, based on the works of Edgar Allan Poe. Although films that were based in gore continued to be made through the 1960s and 70s, they were considered camp and didn’t break into the top ten. In 1960 Alfred Hitchcock turned the tables to show that it was often unhinged people who were more terrifying than ever with Psycho. Gone were the supernatural creatures, the irradiated monsters, and so on. But by now horror had become splintered and fractured with many different subgenres and categories. The late 1960s through the 1970s saw popular horror movies like Rosemary’s Baby, Jaws, The Exorcist, and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. By the 1980s, Jason, Freddy, and Michael were the top trio of movie monsters, who spawned multiple sequels that were all extremely formulaic and repetitive, and by the 1990s the fervor for horror movies had died down. Although in the early 2000s, horror movies became extremely popular again with supernatural movies like 1999’s The Blair Witch Project jumpstarting the craze that went on to movies like and The Grudge and The Ring, and “torture-porn” began filling seats with people begging to be grossed-out in movies like Saw and Hostel. We’ve come a long way since Georges Méliès flickering short films entertained audiences, and he could probably have never imagined the kind of horror movies people would be watch today. But he’d probably be fascinated by the special effects, and making inventive scary movies of his own. Originally posted on:SpoutBlog

Spout Tag:Classic

Sun, 23 Aug 2009 22:54:36 GMT

Classic
Number of films tagged: 816

Number of people who tagged: 312

Number of times used: 1453

Spout Tag:blood

Fri, 04 Dec 2009 18:50:21 GMT

blood
Number of films tagged: 382

Number of people who tagged: 64

Number of times used: 155

Spout Tag:vampire

Wed, 02 Dec 2009 23:13:39 GMT

vampire
Number of films tagged: 610

Number of people who tagged: 62

Number of times used: 135

Spout Tag:gothic

Sat, 31 Jan 2009 21:44:49 GMT

gothic
Number of films tagged: 72

Number of people who tagged: 16

Number of times used: 31

Spout Tag:tension

Sat, 13 Jun 2009 21:24:52 GMT

tension
Number of films tagged: 183

Number of people who tagged: 16

Number of times used: 17

Spout Tag:immortality

Mon, 12 Oct 2009 04:48:03 GMT

immortality
Number of films tagged: 210

Number of people who tagged: 15

Number of times used: 23

Spout Tag:dracula

Tue, 24 Feb 2009 19:37:28 GMT

dracula
Number of films tagged: 110

Number of people who tagged: 13

Number of times used: 16

Spout Tag:castle

Wed, 16 Sep 2009 23:55:15 GMT

castle
Number of films tagged: 448

Number of people who tagged: 10

Number of times used: 20

Spout Tag:bat

Tue, 17 Mar 2009 17:44:17 GMT

bat
Number of films tagged: 8

Number of people who tagged: 8

Number of times used: 9

Spout Tag:philipglass

Mon, 14 Apr 2008 12:25:32 GMT

philipglass
Number of films tagged: 32

Number of people who tagged: 6

Number of times used: 40

Spout Tag:bloodsucker

Wed, 12 Aug 2009 13:02:59 GMT

bloodsucker
Number of films tagged: 115

Number of people who tagged: 4

Number of times used: 5

Spout Tag:coffin

Thu, 16 Apr 2009 13:02:03 GMT

coffin
Number of films tagged: 58

Number of people who tagged: 4

Number of times used: 8

Spout Tag:Bela-Lugosi

Fri, 20 Feb 2009 19:42:11 GMT

Bela-Lugosi
Number of films tagged: 2

Number of people who tagged: 3

Number of times used: 3

Spout Tag:thirst

Tue, 15 May 2007 06:06:40 GMT

thirst
Number of films tagged: 2

Number of people who tagged: 2

Number of times used: 2

Spout Tag:vampirebat

Wed, 07 Dec 2005 20:14:32 GMT

vampirebat
Number of films tagged: 13

Number of people who tagged: 0

Number of times used: 0