Articles by Charlie Largent

Dr. Terror’s House of Horrors

Dr. Terror’s House of Horrors 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray Vinegar Syndrome 1965 Starring Peter Cushing, Christopher Lee Written by Milton Subotsky Photographed by Alan Hume Directed by Freddie Francis Universal’s classic horror films were inspired by Victorian literature, Hammer Films was inspired by Universal, and Amicus Productions was inspired by Universal, Hammer, and comic…

The Mask of Fu Manchu

The Mask of Fu Manchu Blu-ray Warner Archive 1932 Starring Boris Karloff, Myrna Loy, and Lewis Stone as Nayland Smith Written by Irene Kuhn, Edgar Allan Woolf, and John Willard Photographed by Tony Gaudio Directed by Charles Brabin The Mask of Fu Manchu is not so much a movie as an issue of Architectural Digest…

Two from Jean Rollin

La Vampire Nue, Les Démoniaques Blu-ray – All Region Powerhouse Indicator 1968, 1974 Starring Christine François, Joëlle Coeur, John Rico Written by Jean Rollin, Serge Moati Photographed by Jean-Jacques Renon Directed by Jean Rollin Which came first, the art of Philippe Druillet or the films of Jean Rollin? There’s an easy answer; Druillet began his…

Butcher, Baker, Nightmare Maker

Butcher, Baker, Nightmare Maker 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray Severin Films 1981 Starring Susan Tyrrell, Bo Svenson, Jimmy McNichol Written by Stephen Breimer, Boon Collins Photographed by Robbie Greenberg Directed by William Asher As the love-starved auntie with romantic designs on her teenage nephew, Susan Tyrrell delivers a primal scream performance that would send the…

Tormented

Tormented Blu-ray Film Masters 1960 Starring Richard Carlson, Juli Reding, Susan Gordon Written by Bert I. Gordon, George Worthing Yates Photographed by Ernest Laszlo Directed by Bert I. Gordon As a man bedeviled by the ghost of his jilted lover, Richard Carlson is feeling Tormented, and after a few minutes of this waterlogged spook show,…

The Scarface Mob

The Scarface Mob Blu-ray Arrow 1962 Starring Robert Stack, Walter Winchell, Neville Brand Written by Paul Monash Photographed by Charles Straumer Directed by Phil Karlson The Great Depression made the high-rolling mobsters of the movies seem all the more glamorous; audiences not only sympathized with those sharp-dressed devils, they dreamed about trading places. Even a…

The Panther Women – The Batwoman

The Panther Women – The Batwoman Blu-ray Powerhouse Indicator 1967/1968 Starring Maura Monti, Ariadne Welter, Elizabeth Campbell Written by Alfredo Salazar Photographed by Agustín Jiménez Directed by René Cardona A garden of unearthly delights, Famous Monsters of Filmland was the Cahiers du Cinéma for middle-school monster fans. But 1964’s July issue opened up a different…

To Die For

To Die For 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray Criterion 1995 Starring Nicole Kidman, Matt Dillon, Joaquin Phoenix, Illeana Douglas Written by Buck Henry Photographed by Eric Alan Edwards Directed by Gus Van Sant A wide-eyed kewpie doll with the disposition of Lady Macbeth, Suzanne Stone’s only friend is the lens of a television camera—when the…