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(2001) (From December 2001) THE LOWDOWN ON THAT HOUSE Hey There Monster Man: What a night (Halloween) to check out the new HORROR-WOOD (November issue)! Which I did. A few comments to make. I read the letters concerning Hill House and House On Haunted Hill and you were right that Castle's Haunted Hill was filmed in a Frank Lloyd Wright house. That same house was used in The Black Cat with Karloff and Lugosi and furthermore, if you visit the Ackermansion and are lucky enough to spend the night in the guest room, the large windows overlook the winding road that is Glendower Avenue, and sitting high above the end of that road is the House on Haunted Hill. Used in many movies, TV shows and commercials, it is now once again in private hands. For years it was home to a weird cult of some kind. If you visit Forry at any time, all you need to do is look up and you'll see the house. The exterior shots for Castle's Hill were shot there, and the scene in the beginning where they are all standing on a balcony and far below you see lights of the city. That's Vermont Avenue stretching for miles southward and the city is, of course, Los Angeles. --Ron Waite Ron: Thanks for clearing that up. Yes, that's a famous old house, although its futuristic Frank Lloyd Wright design just doesn't fir in the Old Dark House tradition. --Renfield THREE "NAME THAT MOVIE" CATCHES... Renfield: Enjoyed the latest issue--here's help with three "name that film" items in the letters column. 1. You'll get a hundred responses to this one--the "zombie kids on a bus" film was simply called The Children (1980). 2. You'll probably get a hundred responses to this one, too--it was the 1999 remake of House On Haunted Hill that shifted the setting to an abandoned mental hospital--and it was no more true than was the Castle version. 3. But how many people will help you with this one? We're after a Mexican film called The Body Snatcher? Darn close--that's the fair translation of the title of 1959's El Ladron De Cadaveres, which was never released in an English-language version in America. This was an early example of Mexican wrestling/horror movies, and quite a good one, all told. The monster in question was a human athlete (Wolf Ruvinskis, who would later become the wrestling super hero "Neutron" in his own movie series) who had received the brain of a gorilla in a transplant. You'll never find a copy of this b/w item in English, but if you're lucky, the Spanish-language version may pop up on such services as Telemundo again. I'll tip you off if I notice it playing. As always, cheers! --Shane "Remo D" Dallman Shane: That's two good catches and one great catch! If that reader caught that last one on a Spanish channel, that would explain how they found something so obscure. But nothing to too obscure for you, Shane. Cheers! --Renfield AND THE OUTFIELD'S IN GOOD FORM, TOO Renfield: In answer to the question a reader sent in about a busload of zombie kids, that sounds like the 1980 film, The Children. --Regards, Evil Skip Hey, Renfield: In response to Kelley's question about the movie with the zombie children with black fingernails, the movie is called, oddly enough, The Children. I saw it on HBO back in 1980 and it really creeped me out (of course, I was only ten at the time). My local video store has a copy, so I know it's been released on video at some point. Hope this helps. --Rob Smith Renfield: The movie that your reader was referring to, with the children riding on the bus into the fog was The Children. --Nosferatu Evil Skip, Rob. Nosferatu: Thanks for the answer. I guess when it comes to kids with black fingernails who ride school buses, poor old Renfield is in the "fog," too! --Renfield A K. GORDON MURRAY FAN Hi, Renfield I really dug the recent stories on K. Gordon Murray! As you already know, HORROR-WOOD is my fave Webzine! --Rock Savage Rock: Well, we didn't know, but we're happy to hear it. Cheers! --Renfield SEEKING SCREAM OF FEAR Renfield: I am searching a film titled Scream Of Fear, year 1961, with Susan Strasberg and Christopher Lee, also known with the title Taste Of Fear. Can you help me ? --Thank you, Daniele Daniele: Actually, a friend of mine shows 16mm movies on a regular basis in his basement, and I saw Scream Of Fear there a few months ago. It's definitely one of Hammer's better "psychological thrillers," with a neat twist ending. Alas, the video can be had at Movies Unlimited and Amazon.Com, but since it's out of production, the price is high. I suppose you'll have to decide whether it's worth the extra fright, er, freight. I hope this helps. --Renfield RENFIELD'S IN THE RETAIL BUSINESS? Renfield: I saw in the HORROR-WOOD Website that you offer a cane from The Wolf Man movie. The link did not work, are you still offering the cane? If so I would like info on this matter. Also do you wholesale this item? If not I am still very interested in the cane. If this is not the right email please pass this on to whom it concerns. Thanks, David Cox, Wildogs David: We don't offer that cane and never did. It was featured at a Monster Bash, officially licensed from Lon Chaney's family enterprise. The cane can be purchased from Monster Mania. Hope this helps. --Renfield A MAN OF FEW (BUT VERY WELCOME) WORDS Renfield: Your site really rocks! Cheerio! --Tim Tim: We try! We try! Thanks for writing. --Renfield (From November 2001) HAUNTED BY A REAL HAUNTED HOUSE... Renfield: Years ago I saw a film called The Haunting Of Hill House, not to be confused with The House On Haunted Hill. The original scared me almost witless as a young kid. Apparently, the story was loosely based on a real mansion somewhere in Weymouth, Massachusetts. In college, I knew someone that visited that house and was so frightened he refused to enter it. This was the remade into The Haunting in recent years. I have no idea if the house still exists, but it might be worth a look by HORROR-WOOD, as I'm sure it would make an interesting article for your readers and apparently the house was very much haunted and abandoned because of the bizarre happenings there. In the early Seventies, my wife and I lived in a house in Georgetown, Connecticut, that was I believe haunted by numerous spirits. There was a bedroom upstairs that caused three separate individuals over a three-year period to have nervous breakdowns. Downstairs, unseen beings would tap you on the shoulder until you turned and looked in that direction. Other weird things happened in that house as well while we lived there. Aside from the fact the house was built in the late 1600's and used as a roadhouse between Danbury and Norwalk, I was never able to find any history on this house. All histories vanished due to floods or fires. The house still stands but is used as office space now I believe. --Dan Dan: The Haunting Of Hill House is the Shirley Jackson novel upon which the 1963 classic horror film The Haunting was based. Forget about the awful sequel. I'm not certain if the novel was based on an actual house or not, but it is certainly possible. You've certainly had a "haunting" experience yourself! Thanks for the interesting letter. Cheers! --Renfield MORE HAUNTING QUESTIONS... Renfield: I just read the article on "The Real House On Hunted Hill" (October 2001), but I was looking for more info based on the movie House On Haunted Hill that had previously been a mental institution. I had been told that the movie was somewhat of a true story, as far as the mental asylum goes. Is this true? I seem to have an absurd fascination with things like this. Where can I find more info on the subject? --Heathen Heathen: House On Haunted Hill, the William Castle original, was filmed at a house designed by the great Frank Lloyd Wright. I don't think it ever served as a mental institution and I doubt if Castle used a true story for the plot. Sorry I couldn't be more help. --Renfield MEXICAN BODY SNATCHERS? Renfield: I am looking for a Mexican monster film titled The Body Snatcher. It was probably made in the Fifties or Sixties. My only knowledge of this film is a very impressive looking monster from the pages of Famous Monsters Of Filmland magazine. He appears on a full page in # 100, pg. 19. Any information would be most helpful. Thanks. -Justin Justin: The Body Snatcher is a film make by Val Lewton for RKO with Boris Karloff and Bela Lugosi back in 1945. I doubt if that's the film you're looking for. Except for the recent remake of Invasion Of The Body Snatchers called Body Snatchers, my best guess is that you mean the former film--Invasion Of The Body Snatchers, about aliens who try to take over Earth via giant sea pods that duplicate human bodies. It was directed by Don Siegel in 1956. Could this be your film? If so, it is available in video. Hope this helps! Cheers! --Renfield WHERE THE "HELL" IS IT ON VIDEO? Hello, Renfield: I really enjoy your Website, where I read a review of From Hell It Came by Dave Duggins. I wonder if you have any information on how to get a copy of this film? Or could you suggest people to contact who might help? As far as I can see, this film is not available anywhere. Thanks in advance for any help you can provide. And keep up the good work. --Mike Goeller Mike: Although many of us have urged that someone, somewhere put this film on videotape and DVD, there have been no takers. A few of the video dubbers out there have it on video and you'll need to check out the folks on our Video Sources page. Creature Feature Video is probably your best bet. I hope this helps you. Cheers! --Renfield ZOMBIE KIDS ON A BUS? Hi, Renfield: I wasn't sure where to go or who to ask but maybe you can send me in the right direction. I am trying to find the name of an old horror film I had seen when I was younger (I am only 28 now...it may have been 20 years ago). I remember watching a film on TV. I doubt if it was ever at the movies. All I can remember was the movie was about "zombie" children. They were on a school bus, the bus went down a winding road into a fog. When the bus came out of the fog, all the children were zombies with black fingernails. If they touched you with their hands...it would burn you. The only way to stop them was to cut off their hands. I have no idea what the name was or if anyone would even remember it. I was so young. If you know the name I would appreciate the help or if you know anyone I could ask I would be indebted forever. Thanks so much for your time. --Kelley Kelley: Zombie kids on a school bus...hmmmm. No, that doesn't ring a bell in Renfield's old belfry. But perhaps an alert reader will give you it's title. Fair enough? Cheers! --Renfield A FACE ON A SHOULDER Renfield: I am trying to find a horror film that I saw years ago. All I can remember about this movies is this man that had a face on his shoulder that got bigger. Can you help me please? --Terri Terri: Was it black and white? Did it take place in Japan? If so, I believe it is The Manster, a weird monster film from 1959. Does that ring a bell? Cheers! --Renfield THANKS FOR THE "BLOOD" AND "POPCORN" Renfield: Thanks for writing and posting the positive review of Blood And Popcorn (The Book Rack, October 2001). I know that HORROR-WOOD does not usually handle works of fiction, so I really appreciate you putting it on your web site. I might actually sell a few copies. I'll keep you posted on new developments. Again, thank you guys for your effort and great web site. --Your pal, Perri Pagonis Perri: You're welcome! Hope you do sell a few copies. I mean, "Blood" and "Popcorn"...a combination no real horror film fan can resist. Thanks for writing. --Renfield THREE FRIGHT FILM PUZZLES SOLVED? Hi, Renfield: In the last letter in this month's Gore-respondence (October 2001), the first movie is definitely Spider Baby with the great Mantan Moreland as the unfortunate postman. The second movie with the two women struggling in the fire sounds a bit like part of the ending of Universal's Night Monster, though the women weren't sisters. And more than one of Roger Corman's Poe films have ended in flames with people fighting. Maybe the movie was Tomb Of Ligeia. Hope this helps. --Joe Winters Joe: Yeah, I agree with the first film. The second and third are really up in the air...with such a short description, a number of films could be what the reader was seeking. Thanks for the help. By the way, readers, you can see Joe's great article on the Jack The Ripper movies in December's issue. Look for it! --Renfield LOOKING FOR THE RETURN OF DRACULA Hello, Renfield: I was wondering if you could help me find a movie called The Return Of Dracula, directed by Paul Landres and staring Francis Lederer (1958). I'm wanting to buy this video but can't find it in the United Kingdom. Could you help me, please? --Wayne Nicholson Wayne: This film is also known as The Curse Of Dracula (title for TV syndication), and under that title it can be purchased from a number of outlets, including Amazon.Com. Hope this helps. --Renfield HAPPY B'DAY. HORROR-WOOD! Happy birthday, Renfield: Keep up the great work for many years to come. As long as there are people out there like you that really give a damn about horror and sci-fi, it will never die. I have been a fan of yours ever since my brother the original "Monster" Ron Waite told me to check his article on the master of horror, the 4E Acker-Monster. I look forward to each month of new blood and gore. A job well done. --Mike Hart Mike: Thanks! Four years is a long time on the Web and we were pleased to share with with our faithful readers last issue. Cheers! --Renfield HORROR HOST FINALLY FINDS POST Renfield: We recently had the premiere of Prof. Griffin's Midnight Shadow Show as a weekly program! Fridays from 11:00-Midnight on Austin cable channel 16. Austin finally has an on-air horror host. --Rest In Peace, Professor Griffin Dear Prof: Congrats! It took a while but it's finally happened. It's great to see a new horror hosts haunt the airwaves. Good luck and may you spread the horror for many seasons. --Renfield A TRUE HORROR-WOOD TYPE Hi, Renfield: I love the web-zine, it's awesome. I look forward to it each month as I am a 100 percent cult horror head and have been since my Dad took me to see the Blood On Satan's Claw back in 1971. I have a great collection of cult horror flicks that I love to trade with my buddies. I have a copy of Kuroneko, the Japanese horror classic, and I strongly recommend it and I know you would love it because it is so different. I have never seen another vampire film like it and it is one of my favorites. I also have a extremely rare copy of Count Dracula with Louis Jourdan in it from BBC that has the missing "baby" scene missing from other copies floating around by others. --Bryan Brian: Well, you certainly have two rare and interesting videos in your collection! You sound like a true blue horror film fan. Enjoy! And thanks for the kind words about HORROR-WOOD. --Renfield SEEKING THAT "THING" Renfield: Do you know where I can buy the movie, Teenagers Battle The Thing? --Thanks, John John: That was offered by some off-the-wall video company that normally sold aviation videos. It's no longer available. Try the auction Websites or Video Oyster. Frankly, it's a re-titled version of an awful "Bigfoot" flick from the early Sixties. Not worth your while, really. I hope this helps. --Renfield A MODEST PROPOSAL... Mr.Renfield: Here is an outline I have drawn up.I am hoping enough people will be interested and a committee can be formed online to ratify the draft.Creating form letters for paste up and e-mail or sent through the post office to individuals Congressional Representative and Senator and drawing up a petition to be e-mailed and distributed for copied off the Web, and collecting the signed petitions for submission to Congress are some of the other things that should be done be committee. I hope you find this of interest. First Came the Idea. A few years ago the idea came to me when I was told by a friend about Bill (Bojangles) Robinson, the great tap dancer, though most accomplished in his art he got few major film roles save for being sidekick to Shirley Temple and some what is now known as blaxploitation movies. He was of the most finest tap-dancers of his time but Hollywood did not offer to him what he deserved, at the time when Caucasian artist, such as Gene Kelly and Fred Astair, were given preference over Afro-America people in the major motion pictures. In 1989, the United States Congress had declared his birthday May 25th as National Tap Day. Later when thinking about this I drew some parallels to the careers of Bill Robinson and Bela Lugosi though circumstances differed in specific areas.Bela Lugosi an actor of refined technique also was accomplished in his art. Being an immigrant, as we all do descend from immigrants, he was at disadvantage dealing with major studios such as Universal and when finally given the role of Dracula he was forced to work for the sum of five hundred dollars a week, quite small for an actor of his merit. As a result of playing the film role Dracula, for which he is virtually synonymous, he became type cast in horror films and with that came the reputation of being a major star who would work cheap. Considered by many as the King of Horror, a title shared by friend (yes,the rivalry was mostly rumor) and colleague Boris Karloff, his contribution to the genre of gothic horror movies is extensive and is in many respects a milestone of American horror films. Knowing that his birth date is October 20th, eleven days before Halloween, I reasoned that it would be appropriate to honor his accomplishments, as did Congress do for Bill Robinson, by establishing Bela Lugosi's birth date to be National Gothic Horror Day. A Draft of the Proposal Bela Lugosi immigrated to our country,as did many of our great citizens, in search of a better life. In his Native home of Hungary he had gain fame as a celebrated actor and matinee idol of stage and silent film.He served his country bravely in the Hungarian Army and was wounded in the line of service. He came to America, bringing with him a rich cultural heritage, where he became a great contributor to the Theatre and Motion Picture Industry. In the role of Dracula he established himself as an icon of the Gothic Horror Genre. His name became synonymous to the aristocratic character of Count Dracula. For over a decade, he was a headline star in American motion pictures until his career fell victim to the suppression of horror films. Still, Bela Lugosi struggled to work at the professional art he had spent a life time to develop and refine. During World War II, he made his patriotic contribution to the nation to which he became a naturalized citizen.He toured the country to promote War Bond drives that aided in our fight against the fascist powers in Europe and the Pacific campaigns. Bela Lugosi had made great contributions, as an artist and a citizens, in the country that he embraced as his home.Yet he tragically died in poverty still making efforts to work and be a productive citizen. Today the enthusiast of the gothic horror genre are proposing to honor him and commemorate the classic horror movie we know as gothic horror as an art form that is appreciated and timeless. Many of the fans now are of a generation not yet born in the times when these movies were produced and first released. It is because they bridge generations and offer a quality of entertainment value the we recognize that they are classics. These articles of the proposal outline some of the reasons whey we now appeal to the Congress of the United States to establish now and for all time that October 20th, the birth date of Bela Lugosi, be recognized as National Gothic Horror Day. Some Plans for the Campaign. I had discussed some ideas with a friend who is a practicing lawyer. He has a better idea of legislative procedures than do I and gave me some helpful directions in planning. Three basic ideas at present look to be good. We can use them all in coordinating efforts. Still to be developed, they are: 1. A letter writing campaign.Mailing by United States Postal Service letters to petition our request to your own Congressional Representative and Senator. 2. An Email campaign in to your Representative and Senator requesting consideration of the proposed idea. 3. A former petition to be drawn up and circulated to gather as many signatures as possible and be formally presented to the Congress of the United States. The object will be to have both Houses of Congress to formally vote on the proposal and officially establish National Gothic Horror Day on October 20th now and for all time. We should make this a group effort. In a democratic society as ours the more voices that are heard in Congress the better our chances of a successful campaign. --Thank You, Vernon Sears (AKA Dracula's Guest) Vernon: I applaud your effort and the notion in general. However, I feel the day that we have a National Gothic Horror observance is the day when John-John finally gets compound fractions...not very likely. --Renfield (From October 2001) HALLOWEEN MOVIE ON THE BIG SCREEN Hey, Renfield: On Saturday, October 13th, the original House On Haunted Hill will be back up on the big screen! Cartoons too! Free vampire bats will be given out, while supplies last. DVD and video giveaways, too. Creepy Classics will display DVDs, videos and tee shirts in the lobby! Admission is $5 a seat. You can get the details by clicking here. Where? The Ligonier Theatre, Ligonier, PA, with matinees at 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. Also taking place is one of the biggest craft, art and antique shows in Pennsylvania with over 150 vendors up and down the streets of downtown Ligonier. Come very early as parking around downtown Ligonier will be a premium. Town parade will begin at 10:30AM. Detais on Ligonier Days Craft fest are here. Kick off the Halloween spirit in Ligonier, PA, with Creepy Classics and a mini-Monster Bash! You can even ger directions by clicking here. --Ron "Rondo" Adams, Creepy Classics Video and The Monster Bash Rondo: Sounds like fun. If any readers are going to be in the area, they should definitely stop by and see something they may have never seen--a classic horror flick on a big theater screen! By the way, you can read Ron's article in this issue about a real haunted house here. --Renfield WHAT SHOULD I SHOW FOR HALLOWEEN? Renfield: I own a historic theatre in Missouri. This is our second year since we have owned it and this year we are doing a haunted theatre tour with the showing of classic horror flicks. Due to our low budget we our wanting to purchase public domain movies on VHS. Thus far I have found Theatre Of Blood with Vincent Price, House On Haunted Hill, Face Of the Screaming Werewolf, and Count Dracula And His Vampire Brides. In my research, I'd prefer Horror Of Dracula or its sequel, Dracula, Prince Of Darkness and The Bride Of Frankenstein but find they may not be public domain. Please make some suggestions. Opera Theatre owner with a cause. --Thanks, Doug Strothkamp Doug: Those last three films you mentioned are definitely held by a copyright owner, so unfortunately you'll have to skip them. But why not add some nice sleazy horror to your lineup? Like The Brain That Wouldn't Die and Bride Of The Monster? And Night Of The Living Dead is public domain, too. Hope this helps. Cheers! --Renfield HOUSE OF WAX IN 3-D ON DVD? Hello, Renfield: I was considering an online petition to get the
movie House Of Wax on DVD. I thought it would work well as a double-sided disc, 3-D
on one side and normal on the other. It's important to get the 3-D in there because it's
been too long since fans have seen it as it was intended. Perhaps if the petition had an
intent to buy clause in it saying signers expect to purchase the DVD's if available then
it would help show demand. Any thoughts on this? If it goes well perhaps it could be
linked to a lot of online horror movie sites. Marshall: I don’t know how effective a petition would be on the studio that owns House Of Wax (Warners), but it’s worth a try if you’re willing to shoulder the effort. I was lucky enough to see the special re-issue of House Of Wax in 3-D at a theater in the early Eighties, and I know it’s one 3-D film that delivers the goods. Good luck with it. --Renfield A "MONSTROUS" DISSERTATION Dear Mr. Renfield: My name is Mandy Carter and I'm about to go into my
final year of my English and Media degree at De Montfort University, Leicester, UK.
I'm currently researching for my film dissertation, title: "Monsters feed our desire
for fear: A study of genre, gender, history and signs in cinema." I'm studying
a variety of films with monstrous creatures and beasts in them such as Jaws, The
Birds and King Kong, observing how women and men are portrayed, how history of
the time may be reflected in the films and signs and meanings. I'm basically looking into
how monsters are portrayed in films and in particular how many people viewed Creature
From The Black Lagoon as oppressive in --Mandy Carter Mandy: --Renfield FINALLY FOUND THE UNDERTAKER Renfield: How's it going, man? Sure was glad to run up on your site, I been searching for a video that I haven't seen since I was 13. I'm 43 now! I wasn't even sure what it was called until now. The movie is The Undertakers And His Pals. That was a fun movie, it had a little bit of everything. I was getting to think I just dreamed it up. Everybody I asked didn't seem to know anything about a movie such as that, that includes movie buffs, or self proclaimed experts. After searching for over 25 years, I would say that high honor goes to "Renfield, " the true Drive-In Movie Expert. Thanks again! Is this movie on video? Do you know how or where I get a copy? --Thanks, Mike Mike: Well, we’re glad we ended your long odyssey. The article you found in our archives, "The Undertaker And The Drive-In," was written by another person, although I did catch the flick at the drive-in (double-billed with The Corpse Grinders). Yes it’s available from Something Weird Video on VHS, but that’s the cut version. The uncut version is available on DVD. Thanks for the kind words. --Renfield LOOKING FOR CLASSIC POSTER REPROS Renfield: I'm looking for classic movie posters (repros)--Frankenstein, Dracula, The Creature From The Black Lagoon. Can you help or do you have any info on where else I can look? --Thank you, Ruth Ruth: There are many outlets for repros of classic horror movie posters and lobby cards. The differences lie in the quality of the repros and the prices. One excellent source for classic horror repros is Creepy Classics. Hope this helps. --Renfield MIDNIGHT VIDEO SEEKER Renfield: I am looking for anyone who might have copies of the Seventies/early Eighties Midnight Video direct-to-video chain. These films were available at video stores such as Prime Time Video up till the late Eighties and early Nineties. Do you remember these films? The box art was always very lurid and were much larger than most of the other boxes at the video store...like the old Elvira tapes. I am looking for one in specific, a knockoff of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde; I think it was The Two Faces of Dr. Jekyll And Mr. Hyde or something a little more sensationalistic than that. I am also looking for anyone who has tapes of the old USA network show that Captain USA would host on Saturdays. They would show B-horror and sci-fi films and Captain USA was some middle-aged man with a beer gut in spandex and a cigar. Do you have any info on these? Thanks for your time. --Zayne Reeves Zayne: Regarding the old Midnight Video series, those might be found at one of the on-line auction sites, a used videotape site, or a tape-trading newsgroup. Really, the best thing to do is an Internet search for the specific titles and perhaps you'll find a site that has a few of the series for sale. The Two Faces of Dr. Jekyll is a Hammer production from 1961 and I kind of doubt it appeared under the Midnight Video banner. I get constant requests for anyone who has tapes of the old Commander USA program and I too have fond memories of it. That was back when some great and fun programming aired on USA Network, like Night Flight. No more, alas. Anyway, I've never run across anyone who taped those shows. But, again, someone who did could crop up. As always, I'll throw this open to our alert readers in next month's issue. Fair enough? --Renfield RENFIELD CAN'T NAME THIS FILM Dear Renfield: I saw a film about 15 years ago about a group of backpackers getting slaughtered and I can't remember its name. The group was lead by two guys in cowboy hats and ended up in a ghost town, waiting to be killed. Every time someone was dispatched, the camera would show the instrument of murder being hung back on the wall covered in blood (there was an axe, a scythe and I can't remember the third thing). The only other thing I can remember about this film was there were two motor bikers that the group ran into, one dressed in green, the other in blue (I think). They didn't take of their helmets and I don't think they even spoke. Sorry if this is kind of a vague description but it was about 15 years ago and I was very young when I saw it but I hope you can tell me what its called. --Cheers, Chris Duffy, Scotland Chris: Bits and pieces of your description match some films but taken together, they don’t ring a bell in Renfield’s old bat-filled belfry. Hopefully, an alert reader can come up with this film’s title. Cheers to you! --Renfield BUT HE CAN NAME THIS FILM Renfield: As a child of the Sixties, I remember seeing an old black and white about a brain attached to its spine that crawled along the ground. It would jump up and wrap around your neck and suck your spinal fluid out. Can still see the farmer tending his cow in the barn. For years, I have wondered if I would be as scared today as I was back then. Can you help with the name of the movie? --Thanks, Ben Ben: No problem! That is the cult classic "Fiend Without A Face" from 1959 with Marshall Thompson. It is again available on video and also on DVD. I heavily recommend the DVD. Cheers! --Renfield RENFIELD STRIKES OUT AGAIN Hey Renfield: Can you or other readers please help me name a couple of films I saw at the drive-in during the late Sixties or early Seventies? I can't remember much about either one but here goes. A mailman is calling out for a resident but their is no answer so he pokes his head in a window. The window is slammed down by a woman inside the house, pinning him in. Then she proceeds to cut off his ear. The second has even less info. Two women are fighting (I think there sisters) towards the end of the movie, their is a fire burning, curtains and so forth. That’s all I remember. Great site, I love it, keep up the good work. --Thanks, Dean Dean: --Renfield (From September 2001) TATTOO YOU? Dear Renfield: How's this for horror movie dedication? All of these pictures are tattooed on my leg and we are only up to the knee. I am going all the way to the hip and all the way around the leg with the classics, old and new, from Nosferatu to Pinhead. I'd appreciate your opinions.
--John John: Umm...umm...you really don't want my opinion. Trust me on this. --Renfield PATCHES, ANYONE? Renfield: I've been looking al over the Internet for horror movie patches...you know, like cloth printed patches, the kind you sew on to shirts and bags. Can't seem to find any...any suggestions? --Efsef Dsfdsf Dear Efsef: No, I don't. But if you do find out, don't tell John...he'll probably want to sew them directly on his hide. Cheers! --Renfield SOMEBODY READS HIS STUFF Renfield: Hello! HORROR-WOOD's great! Fresh, articulate, and funny. What a great resource. I will be returning to this tomb with great frequency. I particularly enjoyed Joe Romano's June 2001 interview with Angus Scrimm, wherein Angus was so kind as to mention that he had a copy of my novel, A Very Fast Descent into Hell, in his "to read" pile. God, a nod from the Tall Man himself! The mind reels. --Rock on, Simon Drax Simon: Hey, I understand Mr. Scrimm even reads HORROR-WOOD between trips to the mausoleum. Cheers! --Renfield WHAT'S THE MATTER WITH READERS TODAY? Renfield: I started a message board thread at "The Cabinet of Dr. Casey" (now defunct) with the exact same title: "What's the matter with kids today?" Believe me, it's a very hot topic of discussion, as is evident by the over 100 replies my message received. For the most part, it's true: kids today, as well as many adults, don't appreciate older horror movies. I think John-John's rebuttal emphasized that fact more than anything. However, I think it is the older generation that is largely responsible for that. Why are kids' attention spans shorter? Why do they expect to "see the blood and guts fly"? Why does plot lose out to fast-paced action and mayhem? Well, the kids aren't making these films, their elders are. You can look at it this way. Back in the forties, it was a huge thrill to ride a roller-coaster. Any roller coaster. The ones available back then were mostly wooden and had nowhere near the level of intensity that today's coasters do. But, as time passed, there was more and more competition to make the fastest coaster, the tallest, the one with the most loops, etc.. A simple wooden coaster with a few hills isn't good enough for most people these days, except for those who appreciate the history of the ride. The same could be said for horror movies. Up until the early nineties, there was a mad rush to see who could make the goriest horror films, the one with the most kills, and so on. The slasher boom of the eighties is evidence of this. After a while, no one was content to see an old-fashioned monster movie. Blood, gore, fast-paced editing, and gratuitous nudity came to be expected. But it wasn't the kids that started the trend. It was the adult filmmakers. The kids just ate up what was fed to them. Now, it's too late to go back. With the advent of the mid-nineties, the changing political climate, and Columbine High School, now you can't even see gore and gratuitous nudity like you used to. What's the result? "Satire" horror movies like Scream and I Know What You Did... Even the latest Halloween installment was a Scream clone. Nowadays, if someone tries to make a really scary horror movie, like Rob Zombie and his Night Of 1000 Corpses, the movie can't even get a distributor. So, until politicians realize that horror films aren't corrupting America's youth, we'll be stuck with the same old re-treads of re-treads that have been released the last eight years or so. But you can't blame the kids. It took almost a century to get where we are now, and the blame lies solely on the shoulders of adults. --Rob Smith Rob: So true. It's going to be a real miracle if interest in classic horror continues much beyond the next generation or so. But who knows? We won't--we'll be elsewhere! Cheers! --Renfield OKAY, ANOTHER PETITION Dear Renfield: Since you were so kind to add me on for our Night Of The Comet petition, I am asking for your help again with another for the release of Near Dark on DVD too. Why should Near Dark be brought to DVD? Because it is a great example of vampire genre. It has every aspect of a good vampire movie without ever mentioning the evil in the movie are vampires. Modern twists and great acting from Adrian Pasdar, Jenny Wright, Lance Henriksen and Bill Paxton. I highly recommend the film to anyone who wants a classic from the Eighties! My link is here. Keep up the great work! --Kelly Creamer Kelly: Okay, just this once more. But you have to understand, we like those old pre-Eighties horror films around here. Cheers! --Renfield "LOST" UNIVERSAL FILMS? NOPE! Dear Renfield: I just stumbled across the article and pics of the "Lost Universal" films. Are the pics of the posters/artwork created for these planned-but-unfilmed movies for real? Someone who has two Universal-related clubs on Yahoo has displayed the Castle Vasaria "poster" in his clubs, stating that it was a poster for a film that was never made (implying that was an actual poster by Universal). --Greg Greg: No, we just created them for grins. Every so often we hear a rumor about some "lost" Universal or A.I.P. or Hammer classics and find out that the person is referencing our old "lost movie" articles. Cheers! --Renfield VAMPIRES THAT SHRIVEL UP? Dear Renfield: I need to know the name of the horror movie I saw about 15-20 years ago you horror movie buffs. I can only remember it was a space ship that carried some kind of virus that made people like vampires. They captured one and put him behind bars and when this vampire needed to feed and couldn't, he began to shake and shrivel up and then blow up to dust. More and more people became infected and became vampires needing to feed every day or would shrivel up. That's all I can remember, but I do know it was good and gory. Any help out there? --Thanks, Linda Linda: The closest guess I can come up with is 1985's Lifeforce, but I suspect that's not the flick you're looking for. Once again, hopefully our alert readers will be able to answer your query. Thanks for writing. --Renfield FRANTICALLY SEEKING TERROR ON TAPE Dear Renfield: Please help me in locating a video copy of Terror On Tape. I believe it came out in the Eighties. It was hosted by Cameron Mitchell, who appeared as a video store clerk and showed several scenes from various horror films. I know it might be hard to find, Video Wasteland had a copy, but was sold out by the time I got there. Any information would help. Thanks. --Justin Justin: That's an out-of-print video, so your best bet is an auction Website like eBay or one of the tape-trading newsgroups. Good luck. --Renfield LOOKING FOR THE BEST DUB QUALITY Renfield: I was wondering if you could help me out. I was looking through your video source reviews on the mail order video companies. I'm looking for a video company that puts out the best video quality. I thought maybe ask you since you dealt with all of companies on the video source page. Do you know a video company that puts out good quality dupes that are just as good as the pre record videos that you rent at your local video store. --Steve Steve: It all depends on the individual film in question. Some dubs are from laserdisk or from very clean film prints and are sure to be excellent quality. Other dubs are from nacky prints (because that's all there is) and from PAL sources--these will not be as satisfying, I'm afraid. As we recommend on the "Stalking Video Value" page, contact the dubber and ask about the quality of the tape before you buy it. Nearly all will be up-front with you. Hope this helps. Cheers! --Renfield JOHN-JOHN A GROWNUP? Hey, Renfield: What's up with this "John-John" bit? How old is he, really? I know he's an adult. By the way, I Iove your site! --Kimberly Kimberly: John-John an adult? Tell it to his parents! --Renfield JOHN-JOHN GETS FAN MAIL Dear John-John: I had read your article which appeared in Classic Horror this past month of August. I noticed how you said that in modern Vampire movies when a vampire bits somebody on the neck blood spurts up to the ceiling. Now in my days, a vampire like Dracula was a polite and fastidious gentleman who was neat and wouldn't waste all that food. It would be better to leave what he did not drink for a later time when he got hungry again. If you read my two part article for August and September about the history of vampires you will know that they had learned when falling on hard times not to waste all that good warm blood. Kids to do don't understand things like that. --Your friend, Vernon, AKA Dracula's Guest Mr. Dracula's Guest: You sound like Uncle Renfield, kinda. In your day there wasn't no good gory films and people didn't have video games or nothing, so lame scary movies were okay for you, I guess. But now we know what's good. We got standards now. --John-John P.S.: That Kimberly knows how grown-up I am, Uncle Renfield. You're just jealous! (From August 2001) GOOD ADVICE ON FINDING AN OUT-OF-PRINT VIDEO Renfield: To the reader who wanted a copy of Just Before Dawn: you can get this film easily at many places online, as long as you're willing to take a bootleg of it. You can get it at Video Screams for about $11, I believe. For a pre-record, try eBay or a similar auction site, flea markets and yard sales (seriously), or older video stores that sell used movies. You can check the sites listed under the video sources section of this site and see if they have them. Good luck. -Leah Leah: That's good info! Thanks. And you're right...close-out sales, yard sales, and even library sales can turn up copies of many an out-of-print video. Cheers! --Renfield NEEDS FEEDBACK ON A VIDEO VENDOR Renfield: Ever dealt with LSVideo? --Eric Grayson Eric: No, I haven't. I can't give you a recommendation either way. Readers, have any of you dealt with this firm? Eric could use the feedback. --Renfield NAME THIS FRIGHT FLICK ABOUT A GHOUL BUS Renfield: Please help! I am looking for a film and all I can remember about it is a scene with deformed child like people in an old school bus in the woods. This is an older film I had seen in my childhood (born 1968). Any help you can provide would be most appreciated. --Carolyn Doss Carolyn: Deformed kids in a school bus? It sounds like John-John and his little school chum out on a field trip! Seriously, that description raises not a bat in Renfield's creaky belfrey. Readers? --Renfield MIKE FINALLY FOUND US Renfield: I don't even remember how I found you about a month ago. It doesn't matter; it was love at first site. It is great that you are totally an online magazine. Most of these sites turn out to be ads for their subscriptions. I am on the Web daily and love reading, so it's great to actually find "content" in my wanderings. Of course, I have you marked as a favorite, and here's hoping for your continued success. --Mike Mike: Yes, we may be the last of a dying breed...rather like an old fossil. In fact, just the other day, a young lady told me I resembled something from a museum. But we'll keep publishing each month, never fear. Thanks for the kind words, Mike. Cheers! --Renfield CREATURE FEATURE AVAILABLE ON TAPE? Renfield I am looking for some old time movies/series called Creature Feature. I have not seen these movies since the 1970s on TV, usually on a Saturday afternoon. Could you please give my any information on where I can locate these movies? I thank you so much for any help you can provide. --LexusE300 Lexus: If you're looking for actual tapes of the old Creature Feature horror film TV series, you'll need to haunt the newsgroups and horror film message boards to find someone who taped the programs. Good luck! --Renfield THE UNCUT HARVEST HOME? Renfield: I was wondering if you know of an uncut version of The Dark Secret Of Harvest Home? I know that the movie is on VHS, but because it was a TV mini-series it was too long so they cut out a lot of part from the movie. --eForest eForest: This TV movie, starring Bette Davis and Rosanna Arquette, aired for two nights on NBC back in 1978. As you say, it originally ran for around 200 minutes and a feature film version was made of it that ran only around 118 minutes. Right now that cut version is all that's available on home video. Perhaps a DVD version will be released eventually that will contain the entire original broadcast program. Thanks for writing. Cheers! --Renfield LOOKING FOR WITHOUT WARNING Dear Renfield: This may not be in your expertise, since it came out in the early 80's, but I have been looking for a VHS copy of Without Warning. It starred Jack Palance,Martin Landau, and Kevin Peter Hall as a very tall, cool alien. When I caught this on late night tv, the scenes of the tall alien with its carniverous flying disks gave me the creeps. Please help me in locating this film. I would love to see it again, it has been about seven years since I last saw it. Thank you. --Sincerely, Justin Justin: Wow, that's the stinker that lots of folks remember fondly as a real piece of cheese. This film has come up before in HORROR-WOOD. Well, the flick was offered in HBO Video at one time. But it seems to be out of print now. Your best hope is either a used VHS copy on eBay or perhaps one of the video dubbers offers it. Cheers! --Renfield JUST STUMBLED INTO OUR WEBZINE Renfield:Although I'm classic horror fanatic, and have been surfing the web for years, I've only just now stumbled upon your site. It's great! I particularly loved the "A Universal Horror Christmas Carol" article. Great, funny, insightful stuff. I plan to be a chronic visiter. Nice work! --Douglas Lang Douglas: That's an oldie but a goodie! Glad you stumbled on to us and we hope you'll stumble each and every month for new issues of HORROR-WOOD. Cheers! --Renfield BEGGING FOR GUIDANCE Renfield: Wow...amazing pinnacle of horror here ..you guys are devoted. But I'm at my wits end...I cant find any copies of any kind of Don't Be Afraid Of The Dark or Deathship. Begging for guidance. --Dave Dave: Both videos are likely only available used or unsold. Your best bet is Ebay or Yahoo Auctions or some such. Perhaps one of our readers may have a copy to lend. Good luck. Thanks for the noce words about HORROR-WOOD. Cheers! --Renfield EVERYONE "NAMED THAT FILM" BUT OLD RENFIELD! Dear Renfield: That film that Jamie is trying to identify (Gore-respondence, July 2001) is From Beyond (1986). It was directed by Stuart Gordon. The bald headed guy is Jeffrey Combs (a Gordon regular), he went under a mind transfurence, that worm is like a "third eye" so to speak. Your clue about eating the brain in the hospital clinched it for me. That nurse who discovers him and quickly becomes a next victim, is Stuart Gordon's wife, who he also puts in his films alot. Hope this clears things up for Jamie. -Justin Renfield: In repsonse to Jamie's question about the guy with a hole in his head... sure sounds a lot like From Beyond to me! You know, the Lovecraft flick. --Ron Waite Renfield, Wormlike antenna from the head and a desire for brains? The film in question is called From Beyond and reteamed the Re-animator team of Barbara Crampton and Jeffery Coombs. Although not in the same league as its predecessor, it provides some interesting moments and reintroduces Ken Forey of Dawn Of The Dead fame back to the Horror genre. Worth checking out. Oh, and thanks for printing our Wicker Man piece last issue (July 2001), we can't wait for the Anchor Bay DVD release later this year. --Take it easy, Tony Renfield: This is for Jamie--I believe the movie in question is From Beyond, by the same team who gave us Reanimator. Jeffrey Combs stars as the bald guy, and the worm-like creature sticking out of his forehead is actually his enlarged pineal gland. The film also stars Barbara Crampton and Ken Foree (Dawn Of The Dead). It's a pretty nutty film that I enjoyed watching. This site is a lot of fun...I love the classic monsters and it's nice to visit a site that truly appreciates them. The reviews are interesting, but I wish you would get somebody to write an alternative opinion of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. This seminal film deserves a lot more than the dismissive review that it has been given. Have you ever done a profile of Forry Ackerman and the great Famous Monsters Of Filmland? They certainly gave a lot of us our first appreciation of the classic monsters. Keep up the good work. --Mark Renfield: Bingo again--the "hole in the head/brain eater" movie that a reader seeks an ID for is none other than...Stuart Gordon's From Beyond! --Shane "Remo D" Dallman Hey Renfield: Here is the answer to the question posed by Jamie in this issue's HORROR-WOOD. The film he/she is describing is From Beyond, a wonderful Stuart Gordon/Brian Yuzna brainstorm (they also gave us Re-animator and Bride Of Re-animator). The worm-like creature Jamie described is an enlarged Pineal gland, and yes it does make it's hosts hunger for brains. Great movie! --Tess Hensen All: So you all answered it, huh? Showed up old Renfield, huh? Well, I don't have to stay here and be insulted! John-John, you handles the rest of the Gore-respondence this month! I'm outta here! --Renfield JOHN-JOHN WIMPS OUT Renfield: (Concerning a mutual acquaintence) I just assumed she didn't like my bold, outgoing, "boisterous" spirit! I'll not appologize for that, though, to "anybody"! I've been shy most of my early life, and I always regreted not having courage to "just walk up to total stranger and talk to them"! I didn't get dates with girls in high school because I was too "chicken" to just talk to them, and when they followed me after class, I'd "run" (as Ed Wood ran from cops when he didn't have a permit, in that scene in "Ed Wood")! I didn't make the friends I could have had I "just talked to people I didn't know"! After all, every friend (& "fiend"!) you and I have now was once a "total stranger"! I didn't always know the friends (and "fiends") I have now! Nor did you or "anybody" else! So, I don't care if someone doesn't like me, as I try to be friendly with people! Those that don't like "Rockman" (me, David "The Rock" Nelson, "The New Ed Wood," independent filmmaker!), simply will not take the time to give me a chance and try to "understand" me! Well, they can continue to have that attitude, but not me! I'll continue to try to enjoy life to the fullest, and be happy with "who I am"! We're all special to God! Each and every one of us is "unique"/"special" in our own way! There are no duplicates! You cannot duplicate a "soul"! Maybe cloning you can get features duplicated, but not the soul! What you and others see is only my "outward" body, but there's a spirit inside this body, which is what and "who" I really am! I'm proud and happy to be different! I'm glad I'm exactly who I am! God loves me for who I am, He loves me for who and what I am, no matter what anyone else "thinks"! That's just "their [quote!] opinion"! So, as I said, "If they don't like me, that's 'tough'"! A lot of people come to the Monster Bash every year to hear "Rockman" (yours truly/"Rock" Nelson) talk/speak from the heart and they enjoy it and get a lot of laughs! Even Comedian Don Reese said to me, "Rock, I had1/4 the amount of people (in the audience) that walked out after you were done with your speech!" So, I had "over" 4 times the amount of people he (Don Reese) had! He also said (along w/pals Scott & Karl Goettel of WHAS Radio and their pal, "The Big Guy", Phil, whom I call "The Whopper," as he's a big, big man) that after my speech, over half the people left the auditorium and didn't stay for the movie, World Of The Vampires! They came to hear me, and when I was done, they went about their business! Scott Goettel (and Don Reese agreed!) said, "They came to hear you, 'Rock'! Over half the audience left after your speech was over! That says alot!" So, people can criticise me all they want, but I have my supporters, and the list is growing, I have new "fiends" in Pittsburgh, too! They take care of me before and after the Monster Bash and picnic. Well, enough on this already! Now, I want to thank you, Renfield, for treating me at "Sleepy Hollow"! That was nice of you! Also, I was wondering how I can know if some movie (and it's music in the movie) is "public domain," as I'm interested in using some scenes of Creeping Terror (inside spaceship for backdrop in my lab scenes for Miss Frankenstein, etc.) and music in Beast Of Yucca Flats (wanted to use that music for years, but didn't know for sure if I could use it! I even wrote Anthony Cordoza and he didn't quite make it clear to me. He said some guy in Germany owned rights to the song or something--that was around '96 or '97 when he wrote me back). Anyway, I'll be writing or emailing you in future as you seem to have alot of knowledge on "Monster" movies that I'd be interested in knowing. Thanks/"Fangs" again, for listening to me here and for everything! --Your "fiend," David "The Rock" Nelson, "The Ed Wood of the 21st Century and Beyond" Uncle Renfield: You gotta take this Gore-respondence thing back. I don't know what to say to this guy--he kinda scares me. 'Bye. --John-John John-John: You little wimp! Come back here! Aw...nuts! Rock: You're right. Each of us is special in our own way. Cheers! --Renfield (From July 2001) BARB AT THE BASH Dear Renfield: Well, I'm just about rested up from the Bash weekend. I've been toall 6 Bashes, but this was my first one working on staff. Somepeople might look at it as being stuck at the Registration Desk. I looked at it as a great chance to meet everyone. And wow was it fun. Frank Morea introduced himself when registering. Frank, I have a picture of your son with Bela and Dwight I'll email later when I have them fixed. I had a digital camera this year and now I can play with the pictures. Meeting people is the best part of the Bash. Brian, your Mummy video was so cool. And hearing the story and seeing the tana leaves and Mummy's hand was great. Rod, Scott and Bill, I wish we would have had more time to catch up. Jack and Ellen...gee, what can I say about Jack and Ellen! My best Bash Buddies. Ellen, I made it back to the room on Sunday night okay...it was all back roads! The Dracula and masks you brought were fantastic. And the pictures turned out pretty good. Bela Jr. was a lot friendlier this year. I even saw him smile once or twice! I don't remember who is a Chilly Billy Fan, but I can make you jealous. When Bill Cardille arrived, I took him back to his table and had a chance to talk to him. Really friendly. Wow, did it bring back memories..Signs Omens Superstitions...Those Were The Days...Strange But True. I was smiling the whole time. And I know that my Mom was walking beside me the whole time. Jane Adams was so sweet. She asked me how much she should charge for her pictures. And she was nervous before her Q. and A. I only hope she doesn't remember how we first met. Ron put me to work pretty much right away and I was frazzled and sweaty. When Ursula introduced me to Jane Adams and her grandson, well it went right over my head. I figured an Adams relative or someone and just kinda said "Hi, how ya doing." Only after she walked away did I realize who she was. Dwight D Frye, Bob Burns, Frank Dietz, everyone was friendly and that's what makes the Bash a convention to go to. Of course the one sour note was Bob Tinnell...so unfriendly and rude! Yeah right, of course I'm kidding. Bob is a wealth of information and I never miss a chance to hear him talk about making (and not making) movies. Truly Bob, I made sure I didn't miss either time you were on...before Believe and Saturday afternoon. Gary P.'s Old Dark Clubhouse was great again this year. I went up on Saturday night and got to see Kerry Gammill's video and see Sorko's photographs. Dennis D. from Scary Monsters particularly liked the photos. Bill Edwards was there videoing the room. Highlights...the Bob Burns presentation on Glenn Strange. Bittersweet and funny. Orlok in the bar on Saturday night before playing for Nosferatu. Mike Thomas as Ygor and Bela. And as Bela trying to leave while Jeffrey Sarrault, the magician was on. When he got to the locked door, he turned around and as Bela said "I vant to die!" As Ygor, he and Richard Valley of Scarlet Street doing a Abbott and Costello like patter about The Ghost of Frankenstein. Once again Ron pulled off the magic of the Bash. And once again I thank him for the opportunity to be a part of it. -- Barb Heiss Barb: Thanks for a great wrap-up of the Bash. And who knows? Maybe at next year's Bash. we'll actually have time to meet! Cheers! --Renfield STILL TRYING TO NAME THAT FLICK... Dear Renfield: I still think the bone-sucker movie (Gore-respondence June 2001) is Island Of Terror--the creatures didn't look like vacuum cleaners, but remember, the correspondent was taking time out of the drive-in experience! As for the gorilla responding to the belled bracelet, look no further than Phantom Of The Rue Morgue with Karl Malden... and Merv Griffin! --Shane "Remo D" Dallman Shane: Well, now we have a "what's that flick" question ranging over several issues! I'm inclined to agree with you about the "vacuum cleaner" query--it's gotta be Island Of Terror. That second movie is spot-on too, I'll wager. It's that Merv Griffin appearance that makes me forget that version of "Rue Morgue" every time! --Renfield ANOTHER APPLICANT FOR RENFIELD'S JOB Greetings, Renfield: I've been skimming through the latest edition and it looks good! Pushing the envelope a couple times, but that's one of the things that keeps it interesting, and yet still in the bounds of good taste. Nice to see The Whip And The Body reviewed from a female point of view. Good to be reminded that us guys aren't the only ones who like horror films. A couple points in the Gore-espondence section. If one of the movies in question is indeed Island Of Terror, I'd tend to go along with the description of the monster as somewhat resembling an old vacuum cleaner, so I think that's the movie they were looking for. As to the movie where the ape kills in response to the bracelet bells, that would be Phantom Of The Rue Morgue (1954) in Technicolor and originally in 3-D with Karl Malden. Surprised you missed that one. Hey, whenever there's a question from a reader that you're not clear on the answer too, feel free to e-mail me and some of your other writer/contributors. Chances are, between us we'll have an answer that'll help cement HORROR-WOOD's status as the know-all/tell-all horror webzine! --Joe Winters Joe: Oh, Joe--et tu? First Tess Henson, then you! Here's my writers trying to take over the one feeble little job I have on this webzine! Sheesh! I got treated better at Doc Seward's asylum. (Readers, be sure to catch Joe's great Abominable Snowman article in this month's issue.) --Renfield AGAIN WITH THE BELLS... Renfield: The gorrilla that kills people when he hears the Bells on a bracelet ringing is Murders In the Rue Morgue by Edgar Allan Poe. --Carl T. Carl: Got it! Thanks. --Renfield NAME THAT MOVIE QUOTE... Hey, Renfield: I've been trying to work out this quote for ages and i thought you might know it. The quite is: "Do I scare you? (said suggestively). Do you want me to?" Apparently, it's from some Eighties teen cult slasher movie. Maybe you can shed some light on it. I'd appreciate it. --Cas Nolan Cas: Since it's from a teen slasher flick, I can't shed any light on that quote. Maybe one of the readers can. It does sound kinda juicy. Cheers! --Renfield BRING BACK NIGHT OF THE COMET Hiya Renfield: I love the site, it truly rocks! I have a favor if at all possible. I am working with Kelli Maroney, the film's co-star, to petition to have Night Of The Comet re-released on dvd. The film currently is out of print. There is a great chance of this happening if we recieve enough signatures. If at all possible could you add a link to your site in regards to this? I appreciate your time and thanks. Folks can sign the petition by clicking here. --Kelly Creamer Kelly: Night Of The Comet is a bit newish for us, but we applaud for devotion to a film you obviously love, and we appreciate the kind words regarding HORROR-WOOD. If any of our readers feels the same way about the film, we hope they'll click on the link and sign your petition. Good luck. Cheers! --Renfield WE HEAR FROM A LEG MAN To Whom It May Concern: I know the plenty of you there would have to be young guys, so you many not even know of this movie. But I was curious to know if you may know as to whom this babe with the legs, whom got gobble up'ed by the walking carpet, in the low budget feature The Creeping Terror? She wasn't the only babe with legs whom got the chomp down on her by the walking pile-on, there were many other to follow suit. But she had the sexiest legs of them all. Yes? Let me know, if you know anything. --Status Status: That article ran some time ago ("The Carpet Wore Tennis Shoes") and the film is so obscure that obtaining any information of the extras would be all but impossible. Besides, that lady is now old enough to be your grandmother! Shame on you! --Renfield FILM WITH A HOLE IN THE HEAD? Hello there Renfield: In a horror movie from the Eighties there is this character who is bald with a bullet sized hole in the middle of his forehead. Whenever a worm-like creature stuck out of this hole he was possesed and had an urge to eat human brains. Any idea what movie this is? I've seen Henenlotter's movie Brain Damage. It's not the movie I tried to described. The movie I have in mind had characters which reminded of the X-men comic book characters. It had a more serious tone. In one scene where the bold headed guy who is in hospital he eats a preserved brain then a passing security guard's. --Jamie Jamie: If it isn't Brain Damage, I have no clue (as usual!). Perhaps a less clueless reader can help. Cheers! --Renfield A DAVID HEMMINGS FAN Renfield: Ever since seeing Argento's Deep Red I have been a fan of David Hemmings. Recently I found out he played the title role in a made-for-TV version of Dr. Jekyll And Mr. Hyde. Is this available anywhere? Also, I have always regarded Maximillian Schell's turn as the Phantom Of The Opera to be the best. It has been a long time since I viewed this film. Could you help me in trying to find copies of Jekyll and Hyde and Phantom? I am also looking for a copy of the 1972 TV film Frankenstein: The True Story. I remember it was released on video a few years ago, but I can't seem to find it at any video stores. Is it still available or out of print. --Justin Justin: Alas, there is no known factory VHS or DVD release of this interesting version of the classic "split personality" study in horror. Video Search Of Miami does carry a dub. Please read what we've wrote about that firm in "Video Sources" before you buy from them. Their quality is uneven to say the least and you're better querying them first about the quality of the transfer. The Frankenstein movie is available from the dubbers. Hope this helps. Cheers! --Renfield MORE GORILLA MOVIE INFO Renfield: This is for Danceshooz, who can'nt remember the name of the movie movie about a killer gorilla (Gore-respondence June 2001). The name of the movie is called Gorilla t Large (1954). A 3-D horror movie in color. With Raymond Burr, as the carnival owner, Lee J. Cobb, Cameron Mitchel, and Charoltte Austin. Show it once in TV back in 1980 in 3-D and never show the movie again. --Edwinsejvp Edwin: I recall that film. Anne Bancroft looked great in tights and Raymond Burr looked uncomfortable as heck. George Robot Monster Barrows filled out the gorilla suit. But I don't recall the "bells." Maybe I was too busy looking at Anne Bancrost's legs. Thanks for writing. Cheers! --Renfield IN SEARCH OF JUST BEFORE DAWN Hello, Renfield: I wonder if you could help me. I am trying to locate a copy of Just Before Dawn, directed by Jeff Lieberman on VHS or DVD, DVD preferably. Your help in this would be greatly appreaciated. --Thank you, Army Army: We really don't get into the later "slice 'n' dice" flicks, and we don't known of any DVD or VHS release of this admittedly above-average slaughter fest. Sorry. Thanks for writing. --Renfield (From June 2001) ASK TESS, SHE KNOWS... Hey Renfield: The movie title Jgaona is looking for regarding the Tree-Terror flick question in your latest HORROR-WOOD "Gore-respondence" (May 2001) is Day Of The Triffids. Shame on you for not knowing! Hey, ever thought about including an "Ask Tess" section for these people who want to know the titles of some of these films--this is the third one in a row I've gotten. --Take Scare, Tess Henson Dear Tess: That's right, rub old Renfield's nose in it, just because you're constantly able to name those fright films and you know your beans about horror films, and...I guess I'd better stop while I'm still behind. Anyway, thanks for the great catch and we'll think about that column--maybe we should just call it "Don't Ask Renfield." (Readers, be sure to check out Tess' latest article in this issue.) --Renfield AND DON'T ASK RENFIELD... Hello, Renfield: I'm looking for an old movie from the Sixties drive-in collection. Back when we were young, a bunch of us would go to the drive-in to do what teenagers did back then--with absolutely no regard for the movies playing! One night, however, "love" took a back seat to a hilarious B&W monster movie. There were creatures scooting around who looked vaguely like Hoover tank vacuum cleaners. When the creature latched on to you, it sucked all the calcium out of your body, leaving you a boneless mass of quivering flesh! Absolutely charming and guaranteed to keep viewers laughing so hard that everyone's virtue remained intact...and I know that everyone couldn't have been as high as we were, but there was laughter from cars all over the drive-in! Do you have any clues? (I've searched & found Island Of Terror but it sounds too good! I'm talking not B grade, but maybe C- for the one I remember!) Thanks for any help you or other buffs/experts can give. --Aging Boomer, Nancy Wheat Nancy: Hey, old Renfield is an aging Boomer, too, and we need to stick together. And I also spent many nights at the drive-in with girlfriends way back when where I can't even recall the titles of the movies that played. Well, once again, I can't answer yout query--it sounds like Island Of Terror, sorta, but the nasty little suckers in that flick didn't resemble vacuum cleaners. We'll leave it to an alert reader to solve...Tess? --Renfield RENFIELD MUFFS IT AGAIN... Renfield: I am desperately trying to remember the name of a Fifties era horror film, in color, about a gorilla that is trained to kill anyone wearing a bracelet with little bells on it. Anyone know what movie that was? --Danceshooz Dear Dance: Yipes! A homicidal gorilla with a tinkle-bell fixation! I have no clue. Three in a row I'm drawing a blank on! Readers, does this flick's description "ring a bell"? --Renfield BUT DAN COMES THROUGH... Hello, Renfield: This is for "Stacie," who was wondering about a lost flick she couldn't remember ("Gore-respondence," May 2001). The film is Don't Be Afraid Of The Dark, a made- for-TV film from the Seventies that has become a cult favorite. Not in print anymore but always popping up on the Ebay auctions. --Dan Dear Dan: Thanks for the assist. I'm sure Stacie appreciates it--I know I do. Thanks for writing. --Renfield YOUR CHANCE TO BE A SCREENWRITER Dear Renfield: I am writing to introduce you to Slamdance Film Festival and our Screenplay Competition. Since its inception in 1995, Slamdance has grown to be counted amongst the top 10 film festivals in the world. Though we are most known for our film festival, we have grown into a year-round organization focused on networking independent film makers and screenwriters. Now entering its sixth year, the Screenplay Competition continues to grow and is now considered one of the nation's top screenplay competitions. Last year, announcement of our year 2000 winners received second page coverage in Variety. This year, in conjunction with the Sci-Fi Network we are pleased to launch our first ever genre-specific Slamdance/Sci-Fi.com Science Fiction Screenplay Competition. Our competition is open to everyone, and we will be accepting both Short and Feature length screenplays in the science fiction, horror and fantasy genres. For more information on our organization and the competition your readers can visit our Web site. --Sincerely, Gianna Chachere, Director, Screenplay Competition Dear Gianna: Thanks for letting all our budding screenwriters out there know about your competition. Readers, if you'd like to scratch that writing itch, just visit that Web site and enter. --Renfield WHERE THE "HELL" IS A COPY OF THAT TREE FLICK? Renfield: Please tell me where I can get a copy of the 1957 classic tree walking movie From Hell It Came. I remember seeing this as a kid growing up in Cleveland, Ohio, on Shock Theater with horror host Ghoulardi and it was just too cool and I gotta find it. --Thanks a bunch, Jeff Magnum Jeff: Ah, yes, one of our favorite schlock flicks--a film whose "bark" is worse than it's bite, a film that "wooden" scare John-John, one that "leaves" you laughing...okay, I'll stop now. Alas, Jeff, it's not out on factory VHS or DVD. Your best bet is to check out the video dubbers out there on the Web. By the way, the flick wasn't cool, but Ghoulardi was. Cheers! --Renfield GOOD ADVICE EVEN FROM RENFIELD Renfield: I am seeking to purchase a copy of Child's Play 3. I can't find it any where. Can you help me out please? Thank You. --Glenn Glenn: I can help you out best by advising you to spend your hard-earned cash on something better than Chucky (the third time around). Thanks for writing. --Renfield (From May 2001) A RANT ABOUT CRAVEN KIDDIE HORROR FLICKS... Hello, Renfield: I have a rant. Hopefully you will publish it and not get offended. I think the state horror is in now is terrible.I mean Scream and all this trendy, teenie bopper horror that is not scary or meaningful. When I was in high school horror, Goth music, and art was a way to get away from a conformist and shallow MTV worshipping society. Now Wes Craven comes along and makes Scream, that joke of a movie and ruins it all. He basically creates a horror film for people who listen to Britney Spears. People that don't know a damn thing about horror as is. Now maybe I can forgive him spoofing slasher films because I think even the serious slasher films, well other than Bay Of Blood and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre were jokes. Then he had to commit something I can't forgive...the bastard remakes Carnival Of Souls, one of my favorite movies of all time, period. I mean that movie is what horror should be.The feeling of terror but wonder that was created by Poe, Rimbaud, Salvador Dali, Clive Barker, Andy Warhol's "Electric Chairs and Atom Bomb" paintings. It was a film with no cheap gore or nudity. It was a movie that showed what its like to be isolated, to feel distant than those around you. And this idiot that makes movies for little 13-year-old girls who don't know anything about that goes and makes an awful remake. That movie should not have been remade. In Clive Barker's hands, a remake could have been good, though. Not in the hands of that hack Wes Craven. Horror is meant to be art. If Friday The 13th and garbage films like that did not ruin the art of horror, Scream and all its copies certainly did. People these days like stupid and mindless entertainment. That is why you will see more people renting Scream than you will Suspiria. Oh well, those people are idiots that like art spoon fed to them. But to be fair, I will not put all the blame on Wes Craven. Did you see that remake of The Haunting? Wow! Utterly terrible! The original was truly scary and gave you a sense of the paranormal. The remake on the other hand...those computer effects are supposed to be so incredible. Yes, incredible--so incredible you know they are fake and they don't scare you. Something must be done or horror will be lost forever. I mean, yes, I know it's modern times but please anyone making a horror film rely more on atmosphere and a story than some stupid computer graphics! Very sad about Fulci not being with us anymore. I think his death may have been a premonition on just how pathetic horror would get. Well, I hope someone out there feels the same as I do. And I hope I did not come off as too abrasive, angry, or pretentious. --All the best, Marzine Dear Marzine: Thanks for your insights on the state of horror in cinema today. We certainly sympathize with your opinions. Wes Craven certainly didn't cover himself with glory over that awful Carnival Of Souls remake. And you're right about horror movies needing more creepy atmosphere and less CGI. Perhaps someone out there with some influence in film circles will read your "rant." Cheers! --Renfield A BUDDING FILMMAKER SPEAKS... Dear Renfield: Great job with the magazine. I particularly like the lost Universal movies article. I hope there are more coming! Also, as soon as I buy a camera, I'm going to start making monster movies. I need a fabulous script, but I'm thirteen and am going to have a small budget. Please help! --Sincerely, Neo Godzilla Dear Neo: Thanks for the kind words concerning HORROR-WOOD. I guess the best advice I can give you is for you to film perhaps a good horror short story from an author you admire just to get used to cinematically putting a tale on film. Then, when you feel more confident, come up with your own concept and film it. At 13, it's not too early to get started. Just have it as a hobby, okay? Cheers! --Renfield LOOKING FOR TREE-TERROR FLICK... Renfield: I'm writing to ask about an old movie in which there many ugly 6- to 8-foot trees (maybe bigger) that go around killing and scaring people. At the end of the movie they led away by the music of a ice scream truck. I would like to know the name of this movie. --Thank you, Jgaona J-man: Man, that takes in some territory! It could be the Wizard Of Oz, aside from the ice cream truck. Can't help you, alas. Perhaps an alert reader can. Thanks for writing! --Renfield LOVE THE COLLECTOR'S CRYPT, NEED MORE DVD REVIEWS Renfield: Thank you for the update. I always check your web magazine at the start of every month. You are very prompt in your updates! I first was led to it by looking into the HORROR-WOOD Collector's Crypt. I am always checking the Web for new monster toys and models. I noticed that you haven't updated the DVD reviews yet. Nothing new this month? Keep up the good work. --Bill Harrison Bill: Thank you! We publish each and every month on the first day of the month, regular as the mortgage payment. Glad you like the Collector's Crypt; it's certainly a valuable guide for monster memorabilia and a good read besides. Mark Clark's column isn't always updated every month; he doesn't have new DVDs to review. But he'll be there most months, never fear. Check for the "Updated" graphic next to his column on the Contents page. Cheers! --Renfield A DAY LATE AND A FESTIVAL SHORT... Hey Renfield: Did you know that I am having a Lon Chaney festival beginning April 5th? Here's the line-up: The Silent Movie Theatre, Hollywood, pays tribute to this great silent legend with eight of Chaney's greatest achievements including: (many movies listed)... --Charlie Lustman, Proprietor, The Silent Movie Theatre Charlie: No, I didn't and since you sent this so late, neither will me readers in time to attend. Please readers--we would love to publicize events like the above in HORROR-WOOD, but we have to have the info in time to make the appropriate issue. Please keep us in mind for such worth announcements. And remember, we're always at least a month ahead of the calendar for publishing purposes. A TIMOTHY CAREY CON...REALLY! Hello, Renfield: My name is Galen Rosenthal, I am the programmer of the Bicknell International Film Festival in Bicknell, UT (right outside Capital Reef National Park). Bicknell specializes in showing film oddities each year. It is hosted by the tiny town of Bicknell, Utah, and is now in it's sixth year. Festival dates this year are July 20-21, 2001. B.I.F.F. is the only Film Festival in the world that boasts plenty of free parking, a parade, and a swap meet! The parade is the fastest in the world, at times reaching speeds up to 50 mph. There are also parties and a Saturday afternoon Secret Seminar. Each year B.I.F.F. takes on a special theme. Previous themes have been, UFOria, Giant Bugs, Japansters, Mean Teens and King B: The Fine Films of Al Adamson. The Festival Founding Fathers are filmmaker Trent Harris and Lory Smith. Harris is the evil mastermind behind such cult classics as Rubin And Ed, a complex tail about two Republicans trying to bury a frozen cat and Plan 10 From Outer Space, a wickedly funny sci-fi film about Mormons. Lory Smith was instrumental in starting the Sundance Film Festival and is the author of Party In A Box, a chronicle of the 20-year history of the Sundance festival. We were wondering if you would be interested in covering this years festival. This year's festival theme is a retrospective to actor writer/director Timothy Carey (The Killing, Paths Of Glory). We will be screening both his directorial efforts, The World's Greatest Sinner, and Tweets' Ladies Of Pasedena, plus films from Timothy Carey's vault. Guest joining us for the festival are Romeo Carey, Timothy Carey's son, Ray Dennis Steckler cinematographer on The World's Greatest Sinner, and others. The World's Greatest Sinner is an amazing film…with ahead of his time producer/director/screenwriter/distributor/star Carey as Clarence Hilliard, an insurance salesman who drops out, starts his own religion and eventually runs for president! (It was filmed from 1958 to 1961, years before Privilege or Wild In The Streets). The feature cost $100,000. Clarence says, "There's only one god and that's man!" and renames himself God Hilliard. God says, "Each and every one of use should be millionaires. We should be gods, every one of us here – super human beings!" After witnessing a wild, screaming, multi-racial rock show, he gets a guitar and a fake goatee and starts doing a rock/preacher show that might make you think of Elvis mixed with James Brown as Jimmy Swaggart. God and his loud, crude rocking band, (with female sax player) work the audiences into a frenzy (the film's original title). All of a sudden the music stops and God yells: "Please! Please! Please! Please! Please! Take my hand." He takes off his white suit coat, does the same crazy Ulysses dance from Poor White Trash, flops on his back on the stage like he's having an epileptic fit, then jumps into the converted crowd! God's followers wear "F" arm patches. God also seduces an old lady for her money, welcomes a 14-year old groupie to his bed, hits his daughter, and drives a man to suicide. The narrator is a snake. Effects, including a flash foreword, a color scene and some upside-down shots are used. Another cult figure who got his start on The World's Greatest Sinner was Ray Dennis Steckler. Carey brought Steckler to Long Beach to shoot scenes of crowds of extras watching Carey on stage then rioting. Several other cameramen had already been fired. Steckler later said that when he was in the closet loading film, Carey threw a boa constrictor in with him. After some more cinematography and acting jobs, Steckler directed Wild Guitar for Arch Hall Sr., then began his own unique career with The Incredibly Strange Creatures Who Stopped Living And Became Mixed-Up Zombies. At the premiere of The World's Greatest Sinner, Carey got everything off to a memorable start by firing a pistol above the heads of the audience. For more promotion, he wore his gold lame Gold suit and told people on the streets about his must-see feature. Carey turned down a roll in The Godfather because he was busy directing |
