Subj : Halloween Movies part 2
To   : ALL
From : Mike Powell
Date : Wed Nov 06 2019 22:14:10

THE BAT (1959) * * * -- Mystery author Corneila Van Gorder (Agnes
Moorehead) rents a summer home in the small town of Zenith.  Shortly
thereafter, over $1 million of securities are found to be missing from the
local bank.  In the meantime, bank president Fleming (Harvey Stephens) is on a
hunting trip deep in the woods with his doctor, Malcolm Wells (Vincent Price).
Fleming confesses to Wells that he stole the securities, has them hidden
somewhere, and plans to frame another bank worker by faking his own death.  He
needs Wells to assist.  When a forest fire disrupts their conversation, Wells
kills Fleming and uses the fire to cover the murder.  Wells returns to town,
eager to find the money. Meanwhile, the town is being terrorized by a serial
murderer known only as "The Bat."  Will Wells find the loot and get away with
murder?  Will The Bat kill Van Gorder and her entourage?

Not a bad movie.  Several scenes point towards one male charater or the
other as being the obvious Bat before you find out which one it really is.
I did not know this until later, but "Darla" from "Our Gang" has a small role
in the film as a bank employee who "saw something" that implicates Fleming.

THE HOUSE ON HAUNTED HILL (1959) * * 1/2 -- Vincent Price plays millionaire
Frederick Loren who is throwing a party in a haunted mansion for his lovely,
and much younger, wife Annabelle (Carol Ohmart).  The invite list includes
five people who supposedly do not personallyl know the Lorens or each
other, but who all need money.  The house has a grisly past involving 7
murders and 7 possible ghosts of those victims.  Loren offers each of the 5
guests $10,000 to spend the night locked in the mansion together.  Anyone
who survives the night in the haunted home will receive their winnings.
During the film, it is revealed that the Loren's are not such a happy
couple.  Mrs. Loren suggests that Mr. Loren may have murdered his previous
wives and would like her murdered.  Mr. Loren suggests she would like to
see the same for him.  Soon one of them is found dead, either by suicide,
murder, or ghost killing.  Who will be next?

This movie has a pretty decent plot twist near the end.  It also features
Elisha Cook as one of the guests and the only one with a prior history with
the mansion... he lived there when at least two of the murders took place,
and apparently has a stong belief that the ghosts are very real.  The movie
also features a vat of acid which plays a role in the final resolution of
the story.  HOUSE OF WAX, the next film I watched and also starring Price,
features a vat of boiling wax... I guess Price liked dangerous vats!

HOUSE OF WAX (1953) * * * -- The only movie I watched that was in color.
Professor Henry Jarrod (Vincent Price) is a wax sculptor in a was museum in
NYC in the early 1900's.  He specializes in historical figures & dislikes
the idea of creating horror figures to make better money (considering
Price's reputation, he has some really funny lines about not liking
horror!).  His business partner (Roy Roberts) wants a quicker return on his
investment and reveals a plan to burn the establishment for insurance.
Jarrod, who is very attached to his wax works of art, strongly objects.  A
fight begins, ending when Jarrod's partner sets the museum ablaze with him
trapped inside.  He is believed to be killed in the fire.  Later, a friend
is surprised to find that he has survived, albiet severely maimed, and has
opened a new wax figure "theatre," complete with a "Chamber of Horrors"
that his previous establishment lacked.  Meanwhile, a series of unsolved
deaths, disappearances, and city morgue body thefts has begun, all
perpetrated by a strange figure in black.  One of the deaths involves
Jarrod's former business partner, who died of an apparent hanging.  Who is
the mysterious figure tied to some of the crimes?

Charles Bronson plays a deaf-mute sculptor named Igor, who assists the
wheelchair-bound Jarrod in making his wax visions come to life.  Carolyn
Jones plays the role of Jarrod's obsession, whose face resembles the face
of his lost wax sculpture, Marrie Antionette.

DR JEKYLL AND MR HYDE (1920, silent) * * * 1/2 -- Henry Jekyll (John
Barrymore) is a straight-laced medical doctor who runs a free clinic in
London.  Sir George Carew (Brandon Hurst), the father of Jekyll's fiancee
Millicent (Martha Mansfield in one of her final roles before her accidental
death) is irritated by the Doctor's tardiness and "tight" moral character.
During a dinner one evening, Carew explains his belief to Jekyll that every
man is made up of two selves - one good, one evil -- and the only way to
control the evil side is to sometimes yield to the temptations of life.
Carew then takes Jekyll out for an evening of such temptation, introducing
him to a dance establishment which features a young, beautiful Italian
woman (Nita Naldi).  Jekyll is initially repulsed by his feeling of
temptation, but soon being research into a way to separate the good and
evil natures of man, so that the "evil" side can be satisfied without
spoiling the "good" side.  Soon, Jekyll has developed his potion and is
transformed into the evil Mr. Hyde (also Barrymore).  While Hyde takes
advantage of the young Italian beauty, Jekyll strugles to keep his
commitments to Millicent.  Eventually he begins turning into Hyde without
taking the potion, and also runs out of a key ingredient for the antidote.

A very good movie.  Barrymore's acting during the transformation scenes is
very dramatic and he sells it well.

DR JEKYLL AND MR HYDE (1931) * * -- In this pre-code film, Jekyll (pronounced
throughout the film as "Jee-kle") and Hyde are played by Fredric March.
The plot is very similar to the 1920 silent movie described above.
However, in this movie, Jekyll starts out already with the idea of
splitting the good and evil parts of a man into two.  His fiancee's father,
while bothered by his arrogance and impatience, has no real intention of
leading him astray.  Instead, that part is played by Hyde's eventual love
interest, music hall singer Ivey (Miriam Hopkins).  Jekyll is more self-aware
of his scientific brilliance in this movie, although there are moments where
his human side is clear (he also has a free clinic for the poor, still helps
kids, and helps Ivey with her injuries during their initial meeting). The
ultimate fate of Jekyll/Hyde is more dramatic, and less dignified, than his
demise in the 1920 silent film.

Jekyll's fiancee, Muriel Carew, is played here by Rose Hobart.  I liked
this movie, but would not "have to see it" every time it shows up on the
schedule.  I may have enjoyed it more had I not seen the 1920 movie first.
It was difficult to top.

Mike


 * SLMR 2.1a * Tip: Never take a beer to a job interview.

SEEN-BY: 1/107 17/1

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