Reviews
Dead in Love (2009)
Ghost in reverse
I saw this new Chris Watson film with Chris and several cast members at Spudic Movie Empire last year. Watson is known for his horror films, typically filled with blood, sexual perversion and dwarfs. I expected more of the same, but this one really took me by surprise. Two guys die and continue to walk around checking out girls and doing all the things they used to do in this unique romantic comedy. This low budget film is quite original and walks an entirely different path than most by actually being sweet and playing on positive emotions. It's a romantic comedy turned inside out, with lots of little unexpected twists. It surprised me in a very pleasant way. And not the least surprise was to see Oscar winning child star Margaret O'Brien (all growed up) in the picture!
House of the Wolf Man (2009)
House of the Wolfman
Let me start with the good stuff. I grew up on Universal monster films and was eager to see this attempt at finishing the "House of..." cycle. It captures the atmosphere of the period quite well, the full-orchestra score is dead on, and the monsters all look terrific. So do the sets and the miniature castle shot at the open is as good as any from the classic movies. This movie was clearly made lovingly by true fans, and that warns my soul. Nods to Universal abound, such as cutaways to the Creature From the Black Lagoon skeleton on a table, alongside the glass dome contain the now dead and decomposed King homunculus from Bride of Frankenstein.
However, the script is laborious, it rough going even at 74 minutes. When I was an hour and five minutes into it and still no monsters had shown, I knew we were in trouble. Up to that point, it plays more like one of those Monogram mystery films more than Universal. Things pick up when the monsters arrive, they look just great. You can see the seams on the Frankenstein make-up, but the design is terrific and the black and white photography obscures some of the flaws. There is no real setup for the monster, he just staggers in for the obligatory (and well staged) fight with the wolfman. Dracula appears, too, right at the end and for apparently no reason.
The story falls apart when the creatures appear, but it's what we are here for, and the preceding hour is completely forgotten at that point. Apparently by the film makers as well.
The acting from everyone is over the top, probably intentionally, but it is taken too far. Watch the old Universal films. The acting styles may be more stagy than we see today, but they are well-played by actors who believed what they were doing and consequently made you believe. These guys are playing a campy style, and it is at odds with my respect for the old films. Ron Chaney, here of course for his name alone, is the worst violator. His annoying monotone gets very old very fast and he is completely incapable of carrying the titular role.
The sole exception the late Michael R. Thomas as Dracula, who seems to be channeling Lugosi. Too bad there isn't more of him.
All that said, if you are a fan of these old movies, and they are your touchstone in life, as they are for me, then you can't afford to miss this uneven film with a big heart squarely in the right place.