Over the last few Halloweens, I've made a habit of reviewing a few Ray Harryhausen movies. The iconic animator's creature effects defined what special effects were for entire generations of monster movie fans. While many of Harryhausen's films cast a long shadow over the rest of the pop culture, none might be more influential than 1963's “Jason and the Argonauts.” I've been wanting to review the movie for a while now but I figured it wasn't really enough of a horror movie to classify. However, I guess I finally reached the realization that any movie with a marauding band of murderous skeletons in it is at least kind of fitting for a Halloween marathon. Besides, it's still pretty early in September.
Power hungry Pelias conquers the city of Thessaly, killing King Aristo. A prophecy states that one of Aristo's children will slay Pelias and he thinks he's killed all of them.. But the youngest boy, Jason, is carried to safety. Two decades later, Pelias and Jason's paths cross again, the boy unaware of who he is. Pelias sends Jason on a quest to retrieve the mythological Golden Fleece, knowing he'll likely die before he returns. Yet the gods intervene, granting Jason a great ship – the Argo – and a crew of mighty men. Jason and his Argonauts will encounter many adventures and monsters on their way to the Golden Fleece.
If the Greek myths were the superhero stories of their day, then the mythological saga of Jason and the Argonauts has to represent the first superhero crossover event. Jason would gather together a number of known mythological heroes for his quest. Including Hercules, the most famous of all Greek heroes. Perhaps unsurprising, that more famous supporting name ends up outshining most of the other Argonauts. Jason is played by Todd Armstrong, who was dubbed by another actor. He's kind of a bland performer and we rarely get a bead on Jason as a character. Hercules, meanwhile, is played by the charismatic Nigel Green, who steals every scene he's in. Once Hercules exits the movie, following the death of his bro Hylas, some of the energy goes out of “Jason and the Argonauts.” The Gods aren't immune to the mixed cast either. While Honor Blackman brings some charm to Hera, Niall MacGinnis has to deliver one of the most sedated takes on Zeus I've ever seen.
This would hardly be the only time Harryhausen's effects and monster-making completely overshadowed everything else in the film. In fact, that seems to be the case more often than not with the films he worked on. “Jason and the Argonauts,” those chattering skeletons especially, influenced many future filmmakers. Sam Raimi and Tim Burton are only the most prominent names to include explicit shout-outs to them. There was even an entire toyline/cartoon show inspired by these guys! While many of the elements of “Jason and the Argonauts” are stodgy or awkward, the thrill factor provided by Harryhausen's dynamic creations outranks everything else and makes this movie a classic of special effects. [7/10]
One can only assume that the “Amityville Horror” sequels continued to be profitable, as they kept pumping out new ones. Yet, perhaps, producer Steve White had a special fondness for this misbegotten franchise. After merely shepherding the fourth, sixth, and seventh “Amityville” films, he would step into the director's chair for the eighth. Having presumably used up all the haunted objects from the original house, “Amityville Dollhouse” all-but severs every connection to the original film. It's not set in Long Island, never references the DeFio murders, and has no direct connections to any of the events of the previous installments... Except for a dollhouse that happens to look just like 112 Ocean Avenue. You've got to give these movies points for creativity.
Bill has recently married Claire, much to the chagrin of her son Jimmy. Her previous husband died recently and Jimmy resents the attempt to replace his dad. Bill's kids, teenage Todd and little Jessica, are having trouble adapting too. The family moves into a home Bill designed. Inside the shed – the only structure left standing from the previous house on the land, which burned down – he finds a strange dollhouse. He gives it to Jessica for her birthday. Little does Bill know, the dollhouse is a gateway to a demonic netherworld. Soon, bizarre accidents and disturbing visions begin to haunt the family.
The incest subplot, culminating in a spooky masturbation sequence, is only one overheated touch in this sequel. “Amityville Dollhouse” features some laughable nonsense. Probably the funniest scene is when Todd's girlfriend is randomly set ablaze next to the often faulty fireplace. Todd continues to blend margaritas in the kitchen, apparently not hearing his girlfriend screaming and burning the next room over. Another very silly subplot involves Bill's sister, a spiritualist with a biker boyfriend who attempt to dissect the evil intention of the dollhouse. This leads to a goofy autopsy of a tiny voodoo doll and some shit falling off the shelves around them. Simply put, a dollhouse is probably the silliest threat this franchise has thought up since the lamp in part four. No attempt is made to explain its actions and the shots of the dollhouse spinning around are far from spooky.
Steve White presumably did not find the process of making “Amityville Dollhouse” too satisfying. Though he's continued to be an active producer, with the next year's “The Devil's Advocate” probably being his biggest credit, this remains his only directorial effort. As far as the standards of the direct-to-video “Amityville Horror” sequels go, “Amityville Dollhouse” represents a step-down from the last two surprisingly entertaining installments. Yet it's also less terrible than I was expecting, considering it's the eighth one of these damn things I've watched. As far as low budget D.T.V. horror schlock of the late nineties go, it's not without its charms. [6/10]
“Alfred Hitchcock Presents” did not invent the idea of a suspense/horror anthology series on television. The format goes back to 1946, not long after general television broadcast began, with an adaptation of popular radio show “Lights Out.” Other early examples include “Suspense,” “Trapped,” “Tales of Tomorrow,” and “The Boris Karloff Mystery Playhouse.” Yet Hitchcock's show was hugely successful in its day, running for ten whole seasons and over 300 episodes. Its popularity and acclaim, and especially Hitchcock's droll host segments, undoubtedly made the series an influence on later shows. While looking at lists of the scariest episodes of the series, season one's “The Creeper” popped up multiple times. It sounded like a good choice for the six weeks of Halloween to me.
The episode takes place in a New York City gripped by two discomforts: A grueling heat wave and a serial killer called the Creeper. The murderer targets blonde woman left alone at night, while their husbands are at work. This fear has driven Ellen into a protracted state of anxiety. She begins to suspect everyone around her of being the Creeper: The nosy landlord who is a shitty victim-blamer, the overly eager apartment handyman, the creepy hardware store owner. Only the idea of getting new locks installed on the door comfort her. Her husbands, feeling bad about a fight they had earlier in the day, sends his friend over to comfort her... Unaware that he's an ex-lover of Ellen and seemingly unhinged. Could he be the Creeper?
If nothing else, season three of “Forever Knight” continues to expand the show's mythology. “Hearts of Darkness” begins with a stripper going home with one of the guys from the club. The man ends up dead, tied up in a bondage dungeon with a knife shoved into his chest. Nick and Natalie quickly determine the murderer is a vampire, due to the lack of blood and the bite marks. Specifically, it was a female vampire. The stripper, whose real name is Ellen, is the prime suspect but she has no memory of what happened. Nick and Javier begins to suspect an old acquitting of his, a vampire named Urs that he brought across in the 1700s, might be responsible.
“Hearts of Darkness” is an episode that weirdly shifts the focus away from our main characters. Even Tracy Vetters is absent for long stretches of the episode. Most of the plot revolves around Ellen and her stripper alter-ego. Nick is totally absent from the flashback scenes, which focus entirely on the relationship between Javier and Urs. I guess Javier is a main cast member by this point but he still feels like a guest player. Centering so much of the story around new characters makes it hard to be too invested in the mystery this week. The ending also suggests vampirism is largely a psychosomatic condition, which I just don't buy. What is notable about this episode is it begins with LaCroix emceeing a strip contest, which is pretty funny. The move from network television to cable definitely allowed “Forever Knight” to get more explicit with its sexual and violent content, which is also displayed in this otherwise mediocre episode's bloody climax. [5/10]
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