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Showing posts from June 6, 2013

The Bat Whispers (1930) - Roland West

I had to go back a few years and re-watch this movie. The review is from 2009 and I re-wrote some pieces. Enjoy. The Bat Whispers is one of the more thriller heavy horrors flicks. The movie focuses on the crime side of the narrative; Quite a bit heavier than its horror side. However, it does have its spooky moments. A lot of the movie was in questionable condition. I had to turn my television all the way up past eleven just to hear the damn thing. The movie has some amazing shots and even better sets that make it look just like a noir comic book. For sets, the producers use everything from trick photography to scale models. They really put everything into this one. The movie is very dark and has this almost freakish tone that really sets the mood. The film about a caped theif/killer called 'The Bat' who terrorizes the occupants of an old mansion. It follows the "Old Dark House" narrative. The art in the movie is superb, the audio sucks but it was the 30's. T

The Man Who Laughs (1928) - Paul Leni

This is a very dark dramatic period movie. However, I made the executive decision to watch it and classify it as horror. The Expressionistic dark shadowy tones are more than enough to creep you out on a late night. It also stars our good friend Mr. Conrad Veid as Gwynplaine the disgraced and infamous "Laughing Man." His face is quite horrific and sticks in your mind. I can see why Bill Finger and Bob Kane used his character as an inspiration for the Joker, Batman's nemesis.  The film is pretty mediocre at best. It has its moments of triumph but overall just feels like filler. The story is a saving grace. It is the tale of a man that is disfigured as a boy when his father refused to kiss the then king's ring. When he is grown up the man travels as a sideshow act and falls in love with a blind girl named Dea. Happiness doesn't last forever and the now Queen of England, Queen Anne, plots against Gwynplaine and Dea. Of course in any situation like this one lov