Had a pretty good time at the classic horror triple bill at the Portage Theater last night, despite coming in a bit late for the first feature and deciding not to stick around for Dr. Cyclops.
First up was Evil of Frankenstein. I don't think it was my first Hammer, but I'm pretty sure it was the first of their Frankenstein films I ever saw. The scene where the Baron and his assistant discover the monster frozen in the ice brought back a flood of memories. I haven't seen it since that first time as a wee geek, so between nostalgia and the thrill of a "new" Hammer film, I was grinning for the length of the picture.
I said in a previous post that Evil is considered a lesser Hammer film, and it is. Hammer struck a distribution deal with Universal for this picture, and as a result were allowed to incorporate Jack Pierce's iconic monster make-up into the design for their own creature. But the spirit of Universal seems to have taken over the whole film, what with the frozen creature and pitchfork-wielding mob and evil hypnotist and exploding castle and what-not. Peter Cushing's Baron isn't even the baddie this time, and his characteristic amoral streak is almost buried beneath his avuncular affection for his assistant and a few emo moments.
Which is not to say the movie isn't fun, because it's a blast. Cushing has some pretty good one-liners, and even gets in a bit of derring-do here and there. And while the creature make-up is pretty crappy, it's still cool to see what is basically the Karloff Frankenstein lumbering about with Cushing's mad doctor. Come on - would a Universal/Hammer mashup sound bad to any kid who grew up watching old monster movies on TV?
The House That Dripped Blood was cute. You could see the twists coming a mile away - heck, they even wave to you as they come trundling near - but there is one genuinely creepy moment during the first tale. And what a cast! Cushing again, Christopher Lee, Denholm Elliot, Ingrid Pitt, Joss "Diplomatic Immunity" Ackland, and Jon Pertwee gurning to his heart's content. Still, I expected a bit more, from screenwriter Robert Bloch if not from Amicus. House is not something I feel the need to rush out and buy on DVD, but I'm certainly glad I saw it.
The lobby of the Portage was filled with vendor tables, apparently a fixture of these monthly mini-fests. There were some interesting items on offer, but given my financial situation I didn't want to poke around too much.
The only downside to the event was the fact that the films were projected from DVD. It's understandable - the screenings are organized by one fan as a labor of love - but a bit disappointing. The picture was a little soft and the colors were quite muted. Still, it was probably the best digital projection I've yet seen, particularly given such a large screen.
The theater itself was pretty impressive, a huge domed auditorium with staggered row seating. While it obviously has seen better days, I hadn't been so impressed with a movie venue since my first time at London's Coronet Cinema. You can check out pictures at the Portage's web page.
There's another triple horror bill on December 5th. It's sponsored by a different group so I'm hoping for a film screening instead of another digital projection. A few friends have expressed interest in attending with me this time, as we're ally pretty excited about [REC] 2, so my second excusion to the Portage should be even more fun than the first.
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