My Review of Night Creatures

At Matt's suggestion, I am writing a review of Night Creatures, a Hammer movie I wasn't familiar with until very recently. Matt had recommended another Hammer movie, Dracula: Prince of Darkness. I set out to find that one on our library system's web site and couldn't, but I did run into a two disc set of Hammer movies (The Hammer Horror Series). A few of the movies on that set were obscure, at least to me. I saw that Night Creatures was included, so I decided to order it just to see something a little different.

If you're into Hammer movies you know what the usual fare is: Vampires/Werewolves/Frankenstein (pretty much the same monsters as Universal) a heck of a lot of fog, a horse and carriage, and some neon orange/red "Hammer blood" spurting around. What's different about Night Creatures is that there are no traditional monsters. Instead there is the legend of "The Marsh Phantoms" who ride their ghost horses around at night.

The phantoms are pretty cool for back in the day. (This movie was made in 1962.) There's even this shooting out at you!

So there are ghosts in the story and pirates and the grumpy Captain Collier bugging the townsfolk for tax money on the booze they're smuggling. This story is set in England during the 1700s. There isn't much of that Hammer blood at all, but there are some Hammer trademarks. That fog machine is still rolling, there's a busty exotic woman thrown in for good measure, and there's of course this guy:

Quite the wig, eh? I didn't recognize Peter Cushing at first as he was up preaching to a church full of people and wearing this hair. But the cheekbones were a tip off. You get to see a different side of Peter Cushing in this. He's at times dead serious and at other times mischievous and funny. I thought this was a more complex role for him. Actually, this entire movie was more complex than what I'm used to seeing out of Hammer. I'd call it more of a drama than a horror film.

It's hard to talk about Night Creatures without giving too much away. There are plenty of twists and turns that I don't want to ruin for you. The basics are...

Back in the 1700s, there's a pirate named Captain Clegg. Captain Clegg has a wife who is attacked and nearly killed by a man on his crew. Clegg is so angry that he treats this man as a traitor and gives him a really nasty punishment (removing his tongue and leaving him for dead on an island). After that gross scene, we're shown the church where Dr. Blyss the minister (Peter Cushing) is giving his sermon and Captain Clegg is buried. The Captain is said to have been hanged.

We're also told of the mysterious phantoms that are lurking about at night. Some demanding soldiers turn up looking for tax money on the smuggled booze I mentioned earlier and they've brought with them the tongueless dude who was left on the island. They conveniently rescued him. So there's all sorts of drama with the booze smugglers outwitting the soldiers with some pretty clever plans, the tongueless guy looking for revenge, and a little romance to boot. The romance seemed a little contrived, but this is Hammer so we have to have a random plot with two attractive young people and their love life.

Overall, I really enjoyed the movie. It was dramatic and well thought out. Peter Cushing was very likable! There were a few parts that didn't quite add up to me or weren't altogether believable but I let that slide. I would have ended Night Creatures completely differently if I had written it, but that doesn't mean I don't recommend watching the movie. I just cannot figure out why they went in that direction at the end. My guess is that the writers couldn't figure out how to tie up a bunch of wild plots so they took a simple way out.

This is an interesting movie to watch even if you're just watching it on mute. The sets are atmospheric and I think atmosphere is Hammer's strong suit. Some of the actors are fascinating to watch, especially this guy:

That's Michael Ripper and he made some expressions that cracked me up! Between him and Peter Cushing there are a whole lot of amused looks exchanged.

While looking for photos from the movie, I ran across some videos from a band named "Captain Clegg and the Night Creatures". I was actually already familiar with one of their songs from a Halloween mix CD I was sent. It's a good one! "Zombie A Go Go"

I guess the women are the "Night Creatures"? You'll see more Hammer type blood in this short video than in all of Night Creatures.

So, I'd be interested to discuss Night Creatures with anyone who has seen it. If you haven't seen it yet, I think it's worth checking out. Especially for you Hammer fans! I think you'll appreciate seeing something different from the film company.

This is the trailer. It's pretty cool and won't spill too many beans:

Goodbye and Thank You Christopher Lee

I'm sure that by now many of you know that Christopher Lee has passed away. I'll probably be far from the only person to write a blog post in tribute to him, but I'm still going to share a few thoughts. This morning I was surprised to read on Twitter that he had died. Not that I could be all that surprised that a 93-year-old died, but Christopher Lee has been a fixture for my entire life and for people a lot older than me! He's one of those people it seems has always been around, confidently striding out onto the screen with an air of sophistication in one scary role or another.

He was a real inspiration who showed that a person could still be cool in their 90s. A lot of people just hang up the towel and declare themselves "old" decades and decades before they're in their 90s. But there he was, recently acting and singing in a metal band! He was cooler in his 90s than a lot of people are at any age.

What made Christopher Lee the natural vampire was the regal way in which he carried himself and that voice! Not that you heard much of it in those Hammer Dracula films, but the little bit you did hear was so deep and powerful. He seems like he should have been doing Shakespeare, almost like he was slumming it in those Dracula movies. Sometimes I think he knew that, because when I look at his eyes before he's about to bite someone he looks sort of bored and disgusted by his prey. It's like he's thinking "Centuries of these dumb girls. Oh well, a neck's a neck."

Are we having fun yet?

But he sure looked lively during those fight scenes with Peter Cushing! Like in this scene from Horror of Dracula:

It occurred to me that I'd watched Christopher Lee die as Dracula so many times in these movies and then somehow be resurrected in the sequels, that it's weird for me to think of him actually being gone. But like Dracula, he does have a sort of immortality. Christopher Lee will live on forever through the many movies he made. That's the almost magical thing about actors, that so long as they exist on film somewhere, they still live on for their audience. Most of us had never met Christopher Lee, so all we'd ever seen of him was in his movies. So when you watch him, as I plan to do tonight, his greatness will still be there for you as a movie viewer as much as it ever was.

The monsters have arrived! My review of Midnight Syndicate's Monsters of Legend

Remember my recent blog post about Midnight Syndicate's new album Monsters of Legend? Well, the CD just arrived in the mail! The men of Midnight Syndicate were cool enough to send me a copy to review. How lucky am I? I couldn't wait to pop this into my CD player the minute I saw the package. First of all, I have to say how well done the cover art is. Both the front and back. The CD itself has a very vibrant Frankenstein and cool fonts on it too.

The album's cover art

The back of the album and song list

Pretty cool, hey? I love when the CD itself is well designed.

The men of Midnight Syndicate looking dapper and deadly

So, first I listened to the album all the way through. I wanted to soak in all the songs as a collection or series of events. Much like Midnight Syndicate's Carnival Arcane album, this one sets a mood in part through atmospheric sound effects. If you listen closely, you really can visualize the different settings and story lines. The album is open to interpretation, and I think those with a creative mind will be able picture more with every time they listen to it.

As I wrote in my previous blog post, this album was inspired by the classic Universal and Hammer movies. The songs aren't titled in a way where they directly point to one movie. Well, there is a little hinting with "Building the Monster" and "It Lives!" but otherwise I think it's up to the listener to connect the dots. The back of the CD states:

A foreboding castle perched upon the cliffs looms over the mysterious village of Arcacia where monsters of legend roam its hillsides. Will you dare to venture forth?

So there is a loose story line involving those classic Horror movie characters. For those of us who are familiar with Universal and Hammer movies, it's a fun exercise to listen for the clues as to which movie influenced each song. I think I figured out most of the movie influences. That's not to say that I interpreted the movies and sounds in the same way as the musicians did! Maybe I'm hearing something different in the songs than was intended.

As I wrote before, I first listened to the full 65 minutes of the album to sense it as a whole. Then I listened for the little details a second time around. I'm going to go through the songs and give you a brief or not so brief idea of what I heard. I'd love to hear from anyone else who has listened to this album to see if you agree with my interpretations.

1. Return to Arcacia: The album starts off with subtle sound effects, the clanking of chains, a wolf howling in the distance, a faint heart beating. This is followed by foreboding orchestral music. This introduction felt like the calling of the creatures to gather at Arcacia castle.

2. Into the Valley of Shadows: After all the movie monsters have gathered in the castle and surrounding woods, you get the feeling you are riding through the dark woods in a stagecoach towards the castle. This image is very Hammer. So many of those movies had these awesome fog filled settings with a carriage on its way to a dreary location. You hear the sounds of the forest, crickets chirping, an owl hooting, and then the hooves of the horses carrying you along. There's that Wolfman howling again! The cymbals crashing at the end give this an old time cinema feeling.

3. A Watchful Gathering: Now that you've traveled through the dark haunted woods in your Victorian stagecoach, you stop at a clearing. It's dark and fog swirls around the coach. Crows are cawing all around you. You can't see much because it's a dark night, but you have the distinct feeling that you're being watched. Something is approaching the carriage from all sides.

4. Inn of the Weeping Sparrow: The carriage moves along to the Inn. You know the classic Inn the protagonist always visits on his way to the haunted/vampire filled/mad scientist occupied castle. The Inn with peasants drinking beer who suddenly warn him against going where he simply must go! There's a harpsichord playing and then an organ. This song has a very haunted feeling. There's the hint of wind blowing through chimes and what I interpreted as the singing of ghost children. This could also be seen as a Woman in Black interpretation, because of the haunted, isolated, ghost child feeling. Maybe the townsfolk are warning someone away from Eel Marsh House?

5. Unwanted Visitor: Well, I see this one of two ways. Either the protagonist who just left the Inn is on their way to the castle where they are an unwanted visitor or it's about Dracula as an unwanted visitor. You know that classic line about how a vampire can only come in a place where he's been invited. A door creaks open and light footsteps can be heard. A bell rings. There are some dark mumbling voices that you can't quite make out, similar to those in the Carnival Arcane album. You can tell the mumbling voices are attached to something scary, though. By the end of this song someone or something has been let in.

6. Requiem: Another door opens and the organ music begins to play. I very much feel like we're in Dracula's castle at this point. We're in an old, abandoned chapel in the castle that most people do not know exists. The church bells are ringing and there is the sound of monks chanting. At first I'm not sure if these are positive spiritual people hoping to fight Dracula or something darker. There is another dark voice I can't quite make out. It sounds like he's speaking in Latin. I managed to make out "infinito" in the man's chanting. So infinite... Is this a dark rite where Dracula is becoming something that will be around for an infinite amount of time? Or is this a priest who banishing him for infinity? This is a mysterious one. There is a huge crash at the end of the song. A Requiem or Requiem Mass is known as a Mass for the dead, so take that for what you will.

7. Witching Hour: This is a pretty orchestral song with sort of a dink-dink-dink in the background that reminds me of the kind of music Michael Myers would be stalking along to. There is a definite stalking in the night feeling to this track.

8. Unexpected Cargo: There is no doubt in my mind what this one is about. From the title and sound effects, I know Dracula has traveled in the bowels of a ship in his coffin. He is the unexpected cargo. The ship rocks back and forth as the waves crash. Chains clank and the faint howl of a wolf sounds at the end.

9. Black Woods: This is definitely a song for The Wolfman or a werewolf. This is the sound of a creature stalking through the darkness seeking out its prey. There are some great howling moments in this song, followed by the sounds of something cracking twigs in the woods and rustling through plant life. You can almost feel him breathing down the back of your neck.

10. Twilight: I'm going to assume this has absolutely nothing to do with the recent series of Twilight movies. I'm sure the title more refers to the sun setting as men are about to turn into wolves and Dracula is about to emerge from his coffin. This could also be inspired by The Woman in Black because it is a very haunted song. There is the singing of what sounds like ghost children. Twilight was the about the time things got ugly at Eel Marsh House.

11. Carriage Ride: The sound of horse hooves coming to a stop. Suddenly they're moving and quickly. This is classic Hammer for me. I can picture the introduction to many a Hammer movie. Peter Cushing is probably in this carriage, rushing to Dracula's castle. I really like the horse and carriage sound effects in this one. They make me feel like I'm listening to an old time Horror radio drama. Every once in a while, the crack of a whip can be heard. The scary end to this makes you feel like Peter Cushing has just arrived at Dracula's castle.

12. Stone Guardians: The title makes me think of gargoyles, maybe the types of gargoyles that can be seen on Dracula's castle. I definitely think that's where we are, from the sounds of bats and vampiric organ.

13. Ancient Portal: There is the sound of rattling chains and the opening of what sounds like a heavy entrance to what is indeed an ancient portal. The Mummy's tomb perhaps? Also, there's the plodding sound of something slowly moving. I can imagine The Mummy dragging his feet out of the tomb to this music. Then there is the sound of ancient chanting, perhaps the voices of those who built this tomb?

14. Dark Tower: This song is probably creating a setting for the next one. Like the Frankenstein monster is going to be created in this tower.

15. Building the Monster: You can hear Dr. Frankenstein clanking at chains and equipment while building his creature. Later there are the bubbling noises you'd imagine in a mad scientist's lab. There is what sounds like an electrical charge building up at the end. Then there is the definite sound of electricity flowing. My favorite tracks on this album have the subtle sound effects and multiple layers of sound.

16. Lord of the Realm: The intro to this one reminded me of The Twilight Zone. It's a mysterious, haunted song. This is the only one I wasn't able to connect to a Horror character or movie, so if you know the movie connection please let me know!

17. Forgotten Alcoves: This brief track starts with more great sound effects. I think I'm hearing chains being dragged. Something just woke up and decided to escape the forgotten alcoves of an old mansion.

18. A Terror Unleashed: The terror being unleashed could be any number of the movie monsters, but it's probably something that was chained up. There is some subtle heart beating interspersed.

19. Cloistered Cemetery: This song has a haunted sound. It's like the spirits of long ago monks are chanting through the cemetery. There are some nice, magical sounding instrumental parts after the chanting. This is the most relaxing track for me.

20. It Lives!: You can guess who this is about. This song has a very classic movie feel for me. Then there are some kind of high pitched metallic strings. The song ends with the electric sound that gives the creature life.

21. Beyond the Veil of Time: Is the title referring to vampires and their endless existence? Or is it referring to how these classic movie monsters endure through time?


The album didn't end up having any of those swinging 70s Johnny Alucard type songs. Much as I like the old cheesy stuff, it wouldn't have fit with the rest of the songs. Midnight Syndicate kept their collection classy. 

Monsters of Legend is a fitting tribute to the classic movie monsters. It fits with all the images you have in your head of Dracula emerging from the mist, The Wolfman stalking the woods, and Frankenstein coming to life. Like other Midnight Syndicate albums, this would work well as the background music in a haunt. In my case, the trick-or-treaters will be hearing these songs as they approach my door, as will the guests at the annual Witches' Gathering!

Get ready for the Monsters of Legend!

I am so looking forward to Midnight Syndicate's new album! I'm a huge fan of their music and would be excited for any upcoming project from them, but this one has an especially cool theme. The new album, "Monsters of Legend" is based around the classic Universal Horror and Hammer Films! You all know I love Hammer movies (if you don't know, read Hammer Time) and like pretty much everyone else on the planet, I love Universal Horror movies. 

When I found out about this upcoming album, it was like finding out there was coffee flavored ice cream. A favorite music group + some of my favorite movies! It has to be good. I think what I'm most looking forward to is hearing the interpretation of these movies through sound and music. I have my own sound associations with these movies and it should be interesting to hear how my impressions compare with Midnight Syndicate's.

For anyone who isn't familiar with Midnight Syndicate, you can hear samples of their music on their YouTube channel:

http://www.youtube.com/user/MidSyndicate

I especially recommend listening to songs from their "Carnival Arcane" album. That one really paints a picture in your mind. It could be the soundtrack to "Something Wicked This Way Comes".

You may have heard some of their music without realizing it. I heard some Midnight Syndicate songs playing in Halloween stores last year and I know some of their music is played in theme parks. You can read more about Midnight Syndicate and connect with them on these sites:
 
http://www.midnightsyndicate.com/

 

Blogger: http://midnightsyndicate.blogspot.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/MidSyndicate

I was sent a press release for "Monsters of Legend" and like a good reporter I'm going to share it with you! I'm in reporter mode, because I'm going to be reviewing this album when it comes out! I can't tell you how cool that is for me as a fan.

 The Monsters of Legend Press Release

 

June 20, 2013 (Cleveland, OH) - On July 19, Midnight Syndicate will release it's sixteenth studio album, "Monsters of Legend." This "tribute to the golden age of horror" will feature sweeping symphonic horror instrumental music and sound effects in the signature style the band pioneered. "We want to make you feel like you are a character in one of those classic horror films - that you've entered a world where any one of the iconic characters from the Universal Horror and Hammer Films could be right around the corner," said composer Edward Douglas. 

The CD artwork features original images from classic Universal Studios horror movies including Frankenstein, Werewolf of London, and Dracula. "Listeners will hear the influence of the Universal Monster, Hammer, and Euro Horror films from the 30s through the 70s, not only in the music but in the images the songs conjure," added Gavin Goszka. Although the band promises the new disc will deliver the dark atmosphere haunted attractions, roleplaying gamers, and Halloween enthusiasts expect from them, they feel they've crafted a disc that transcends their favorite time of the year." As we did on Carnival Arcane, we're always trying to take things up a notch both musically and with the sound design. There is a lot going on in this one. Plenty to pull you in, spark your imagination, and keep hold of you anytime you're looking to visit that mysterious place in your mind's eye." 

The CD will be available for pre-order the first week in July. In addition to other new merchandise, Entity Productions Halloween Music will be releasing a special edition 12" vinyl version of the Monsters of Legend album, hand-numbered and limited to 250 copies.

Sounds like our kind of thing, right? I'm probably most looking forward to the 1970s inspired songs. Maybe we'll even hear a Stoneground influenced song? Just kidding, but you get a few points if you understood that.
  
P.S. ~ You can catch a great interview with Edward Douglas & Gavin Goszka of Midnight Syndicate on the HaunTopic Radio podcast:

http://scaryvisions.com/midnight-syndicate/

A heads up: This episode of Scaryvisions is from last July, so don't try for the contest that's mentioned!

The Subtle Scares of The Woman in Black

Last night, I finally got around to watching The Woman in Black. I say finally, because I'm not sure what took me so long! I'm a fan of Hammer movies and haunted house movies in general. That and nearly everyone I chat with online has recommended it to me!

Now that I've finally seen the movie, I'd like to discuss it with all of you who probably saw it awhile back. I'll also share an interview and a behind the scenes video. For anyone who hasn't seen The Woman in Black, I don't want to spoil anything. So I won't go into specific plot details. Here are the basics: Arthur Kipps (Daniel Radcliffe) is a young widowed father who works as a lawyer. He is required to take care of some last minute estate business at a creepy haunted mansion that happens to be in the world's most unfriendly town. It turns out that the townspeople have good reason to be miserable, but they're still pretty awful. I was wondering if the inevitable ghost would be as bad as the townsfolk!

Of course the ghost is unpleasant. I won't be giving much away by saying that she is a woman in black. She wears what might be described as Victorian mourning clothing, which keeps her pretty obscured and mysterious throughout the film. You only ever see a hint of her face. Overall, I liked how subtle the movie was. The ghost provides little hints of movement out of the corner of your eye or bits of shadows passing a mirror. Seriously, this movie is only for people with good eyesight.

So many modern horror movies throw violence and loud noises at the viewer, so the subtle moments were refreshing. I remember writing my Halloween blog post last October, which was filled with subtle things that terrify me. I came to realize that shadowy hands reaching out of the darkness or narrative songs didn't do as much for everyone. So I understand that different things scare different people.

Still, I think most people would agree that they felt some wonderfully uncomfortable anticipation during the movie. There was some serious tension being built up. Sometimes the tension led to nothing, like when our main character senses something and follows his hunch all the way around the house to a room where there's... nothing. I was reminded of a moment in a Simpson's Halloween Special, when Lisa is reading Poe's "The Raven" and gets to the part where there's "Darkness there, and nothing more". Bart says "You know what would have been scarier than nothing? ANYTHING!" Yeah, there were a few moments like that. On the other hand, seeing nothing sometimes drove home the point that the house was haunted. Isn't the scary part of ghost stories that you can't see what's looking at you?

Daniel Radcliffe did a great job, especially considering that he was the only person in many of the scenes and had to use his own imagination to be afraid. He reacted the way most people would in response to noises and shadows, except for when he followed them. I don't think my first impulse to hearing a loud noise in a dark house would be to go upstairs and check it out. Although, a movie about a person who just sat downstairs in denial while all Hell broke loose upstairs, would not be very exciting.

Speaking of denial, I'm reminded of the "Daily" character played by Ciaran Hinds, one of the few nice acting people in the unfriendly town. Daily had as many reasons to be unfriendly and afraid as anyone else in this movie, but his denial of the supernatural is basically what held him together.

Under the scares, there are some interesting messages in The Woman in Black. I was left thinking about how the different characters dealt with loss and the many forms those feelings can take. I thought about how the belief in the paranormal and the afterlife can change a person's actions. I also wondered about the ghost's motivations. The Woman in Black was probably more sad than scary for me overall, but as I said before, there was some serious tension brewing!

The scenery in this movie was pure Hammer. The old house was beautifully decayed, with layers of funk over the old jewel toned walls. Thick fog covered the trees and crooked grave markers in front of the house.

The movie was incredibly classy looking, aside from what I felt was one cheap trick thrown in near the end. I thought the ghost should be presented differently, when we finally get to see her up close.

For those who have seen this movie, do you think the ending was happy, sad, or both? It felt kind of bittersweet to me, but I did have a sense of closure with the ghost. 

Here are those extra bits I mentioned earlier. I ran into an interview with the author of The Woman in Black and the screenwriter of the movie.

Touched by evil: Susan Hill and Jane Goldman on what inspired The Woman in Black.

There are some really interesting parts in that interview about the inspiration for the story, revenge, and sympathy for the ghost. I felt some sympathy for the ghost too, even while finding what she was doing despicable. 

I thought this was a nice little behind the scenes video with a few interview clips:



For those who would like to relive some of the scarier parts of the movie, here's a series of video clips from The Woman in Black:



If you haven't seen this movie I recommend it, and if you have seen it, let me know what you thought of it!

One more thing! It would be fun to connect with those of you who use Tumblr. I just started a page there as a place to store some of my favorite images. I know some people use the site as a blog, but my page is more of a gallery with no words. You can find my Tumblr page here: Justine's Halloween Tumblr Page or you can always click on these eyes on the side of my blog: