Horror and Sci-Fi Stuff
Canadian actor, Raymond Burr, began his career in film noir, often as the villain. Appearing in some fifty films from 1946 to 1957, Burr was already well-established and respected in Hollywood when cast in one of the two roles that would forever define him. From 1957 to 1966, Burr starred in the television series Perry... Continue Reading →
There is a prevalent opinion that slashers besmirch the reputation of the horror genre and are an embarrassment to those involved. Maniacs and Monsters vehemently disagrees. We are slasher movie fans. Black Christmas (1974) and Halloween (1978), the two films credited with kicking off the slasher subgenre, are among our favourite films of any category. ... Continue Reading →
The trope of the mysterious and possibly supernatural curio shoppe is long-standing, going back to the writings of H. G. Wells. These shops will always have what you are looking for, regardless of whether or not you know you are looking for it. Almost everything can be had for a bargain, but nothing is without... Continue Reading →
Last year, about this time, Maniacs and Monsters attended Horror-Rama in Toronto, Ontario. A relatively small convention, its main draw for me was several unique celebrity guests, including the iconic Caroline Munro. It is also where I met Canadian horror author, C. M. Forest. At that time, I picked up a copy of his novella,... Continue Reading →
We at Maniacs and Monsters will always rise to defend the oft-maligned B movie. No matter how you interpret the designation, there is no shame inherent in B movies, and we hope to combat the stigma connected to the label. Given the association with low budgets, independence, and minimal recognition, perhaps B movies are a... Continue Reading →
Brains. Most of us have one. But who among us has ever stopped to consider whether our brains are friends or foes? We don’t question the loyalty of our brains, which is a sign they are hiding the answer from us. Brains issue decrees with divine authority that we are powerless to deny. Your brain... Continue Reading →
Man is a morbid and macabre creature. An awareness of our own mortality has quite naturally developed into a fear of, and a fascination with, death and the final resting of our remains. Thus, it is of little surprise that the work of the body snatcher or resurrectionist, as those in the profession prefer to... Continue Reading →
In a long and varied career, there may not be a film style that Roger Corman has left untouched. His is a legacy that defies classification but, if you were to try, Corman is probably most closely associated with his Gothic horrors and low-budget B-movie fare from the 50s and 60s. The Gothic horrors were... Continue Reading →
There is an old Hollywood adage attributed to W. C. Fields (although probably not originating from him) that states, “Never work with children or animals.” When at their best, children and animals command the spotlight and steal scenes from the rest of the cast. When at their worst, they are unpredictable creatures that don’t behave... Continue Reading →
Film historians love to define “Golden Ages”, periods in which certain genres, cultures, locales, and/or studios saw a boom in both the creation and the acceptance of their films. These “ages” provide a useful short form for discussion purposes but, not surprisingly, their boundaries are not clearly defined. The 1960s saw the emergence of a... Continue Reading →
In 1960, MGM British Studios first introduced us to a pack of blond-haired, candescent-eyed children in Village of the Damned (starring Barbara Shelley, a Hammer regular). Four years later, the frightening and murderous youth would return in Children of the Damned. In the interim, Hammer Film Productions would produce and release its own film about... Continue Reading →
From 1935 until 1979, Hammer Film Productions released some 166 feature films. A phrase commonly used when referring to many of these pictures is ‘lesser known’. Even if you restrict yourself to the horror and thriller genres for which Hammer is best remembered, there is still a large number of ‘lesser known’ works. Of course,... Continue Reading →
In 1972, Hammer Film Productions released a double bill titled Women in Terror. With some influence from the giallo all'italiana film genre popular at the time, both films were psychological horrors including mystery elements. As the title of the double feature implied, the films focused on terrorized women and how a lack of comprehension about... Continue Reading →
Let’s get one thing out of the way up front. Producer/Director Roger Corman is responsible for some great movies. His many films starring Vincent Price and based on the works of Edgar Allan Poe immediately come to mind. But Corman knew he was in the B-movie business and took pride in making films with next... Continue Reading →
Guillermo del Toro, director and co-writer of Crimson Peak (2015) would be the first to tell you it is not a horror film. Actually I take that back. The first person to emphatically state what Crimson Peak is not, is the film’s protagonist, Edith Cushing. In an early scene, when Edith’s manuscript is dismissed by... Continue Reading →
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