THE DESCENT (2006). With rare exception, Hollywood has lost its ability to create memorable or meaningful horror flicks, which made this British import all the more welcome when it hit theaters last summer. One of the finest terror tales in many a full moon, writer-director Neil Marshall’s gory gem follows six outdoor enthusiasts — all female — as they embark on a spelunking expedition deep in the Appalachian mountains. The competitive Juno (Natalie Mendoza) leads the outfit while Sarah (Shauna Macdonald) tries to overcome a recent tragedy in her life; along with the others, they descend deep into a cavern that’s frightening even before its cannibalistic occupants (who all look like Gollum’s cousins) show up and start tearing into human flesh. The Descent is so expertly made that it more than holds its own as a full-throttle horror flick, yet it’s Marshall’s decision to provide it with a psychological bent that puts it firmly over the top. The film addresses guilt — specifically, survivor’s guilt — in a welcome manner and imbues its protagonists with messy moral dilemmas that allow them to alternate between heroine and villain, survivor and victim, wallflower and warrior. The original ending, the one seen in the rest of the world, is infinitely superior to the more routine one presented to U.S. audiences, and viewers can marvel at its potency on the “Original Unrated Cut” DVD. Extras include audio commentary by Marshall and his cast, a separate commentary by Marshall and his crew, a “Beneath the Scenes” feature, an interview with Marshall in which the discusses the two different conclusions (the American ending was the one preferred by — now here’s a shock — typically dense test audiences), deleted scenes and outtakes.
Movie: ***1/2
Extras: ***1/2
MONSTERS AND MADMEN (1958-1959). Taking a break from acclaimed indies and imports, the good folks at Criterion have decided to let their hair down and release a set of “B”-level genre flicks from the late 1950s. Lovingly overseen by enterprising film producers Richard and Alex Gordon, these four yarns split up into two camps: Period horror yarns starring Boris Karloff and sci-fi odysseys exploring strange new worlds.
The Haunted Strangler (1958) casts Karloff as James Rankin, a late-19th century writer who’s convinced that the wrong man was convicted and executed for being the Haymarket Strangler. But as Rankin digs deeper into the mystery, he learns that he himself might be closer to the case than he suspected. Karloff basically gets to play Jekyll and Hyde in this moody tale, and his physical transformation is all the more impressive since it required virtually no assistance from the makeup department.
Corridors of Blood (1959), the best film in the set, isn’t a horror film per se; in this compelling tale, Karloff delivers an exquisite performance as Thomas Bolton, a compassionate doctor determined to find a way to perform surgeries without putting patients through a lot of pain (this is set in the days before anesthesia). His fanatical devotion to concocting a solution not only lands him in the company of disreputable characters like Resurrection Joe (Christopher Lee, in the formative years of his own lengthy career in the horror field) and Black Ben (Frances De Wolff), it also turns him into a drug addict. Both films benefit from Robert Day’s atmospheric direction (in this sense, the pair bring to mind Karloff’s acclaimed pictures for producer Val Lewton) and Buxton Orr’s rich music scores.
The sci-fi outings aren’t as memorable as the Karloff twofer, though First Man Into Space (1959) accomplishes a lot on what was obviously a miniscule budget. Bill Edwards plays the title character, a cocky pilot who, while testing a rocket in Earth’s atmosphere, ignores the orders of his superiors and hurtles forward into space. But after getting enveloped in space dust, he returns to our planet as a misshapen monster who needs blood (and plenty of it) in order to survive. More thoughtful than many of the era’s other E.T. endeavors, this one posits the creature as a remorseless killer who nevertheless still displays flashes of a dormant humanity. The monstrous make-up is pretty cool, too.
The one-eyed alien in The Atomic Submarine (1959) is a nifty creation as well, but the movie surrounding it is borderline dull, with interesting themes that are nullified by leaden dialogue and drab characters. After a string of naval vessels goes missing in the Arctic waters, the crew of a cutting-edge submarine is sent to investigate; what they discover is an outer space enemy who has taken up residence in the ocean depths. Perhaps tellingly, The Atomic Submarine is the only picture in this collection not directed by Robert Day (matinee serial king Spencer G. Bennet handled helming duties), and a thudding presentation weakens the finished product.
DVD extras include audio commentary by Richard Gordon, the late Alex Gordon and writer Tom Weaver, new interviews with cast and crew members, an interesting piece on why certain scenes in Corridors of Blood were censored by the ratings board, and promotional material galleries.
The Haunted Strangler: **1/2
Corridors of Blood: ***
First Man Into Space: **1/2
The Atomic Submarine: **
Extras: **1/2
This article appears in Jan 24-30, 2007.
