Day 13: House of Usher (1960)

Kelley 2016, 31 Days of Horror, Classics, Part 4, Reviews Leave a Comment

Day 13 begins our discussion on horror films of the 1960s, and we’re kicking things off with Roger Corman’s House of Usher. The movie is based on the grim, gothic short story by Edgar Allan Poe, and said story is hella bleak. Fittingly, it stars camp horror legend Vincent Price (House of Wax, The House on Haunted Hill), with whom you are familiar even if you think you’re not. Don’t believe me? Listen to Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” again. That creepy, gravelly voice doing the narration and maniacal laugh at the end belongs to none other than Mr. Price! Here’s the thing about House of Usher, though: it somehow manages to both exceed and fall short of my expectations. Vincent …

Day 12: Tarantula (1955)

Kelley 2016, 31 Days of Horror, Classics, Part 4, Reviews Leave a Comment

It’s Day 12 today, and we’re closing out the 1950s! I admit that after reviewing the less-than-stellar It Came From Outer Space on Monday, I watched 1955’s Tarantula with a slight trepidation. I had begun thinking that maybe Creature Features just weren’t up my alley, but thankfully, I enjoyed today’s film about 100 times more. There is still a certain B-movie feel to it (the premise is that a gigantic tarantula is terrorizing the town, after all), but for the most part it succeeds where many other monster movies of this era fail. It doesn’t go over the top with kooky, animatronic creatures and silly sound effects, and the movie is supported at its core …

Day 10: It Came From Outer Space (1953)

Kelley 2016, 31 Days of Horror, Classics, Part 4, Reviews, Uncategorized Leave a Comment

Welcome back! We’re up to Day 10, and today we’re talking about the 1953 Sci-Fi classic It Came From Outer Space, starring Barbara Rush and Richard Carlson. I’m sorry to say it, but I really didn’t enjoy this movie very much. It is a combination of all the worst aspects of ’50s movies: it’s supremely cheesy, xenophobic, flimsy in plot, and just plain boring. It isn’t horrible, or even BAD, necessarily…but it definitely does not stand the test of time. I fell asleep at least twice while watching, and then had to rewind to be sure I hadn’t missed anything. Spoiler alert: I hadn’t. It might be fun to see with friends at the drive-in for a …