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ravenus · 9th March 2005, 05:48 PM

Quickies rather than full reviews but this'll have to do:

2 horror movies adapted from books I haven't read.

Salem's Lot - Tobe Hooper

This 2-part TV adaptation of Stephen King's book, which in itself was a modern-day take on Dracula, turns out a very so-so movie with many meant-to-be-scary parts being rather hokey. The idea of an entire town of people being taken over by vampires never really comes across. It has some good parts like mostly due to some decent acting (especially James Mason as the Renfield replacement Straker), but tends to be dull on the whole.

The Devil Rides Out - Terence Fisher

Based on a Dennis Wheatley novel about a group of people fending off the diabolical advances of a black magic coven...that guy's supposed to have written a lot of pulps using the occult as plot device.

Anyway the film, produced by Britain's famous Hammer Studios, maintains a mostly energetic pace with the actors, headed by Christopher Lee (playing the good guy for a change) and Charles Gray, appearing to have a lot of fun in their roles (also catch a young Paul Eddington who went on to play that beloved bumbling politician in BBC's Yes Minister and Yes Prime Ministerseries). The campy goings-on are quite entertaining even if often inconsistent...in this movie Satan appears far more easily despatched than his alcolytes. After the 2/3rds mark, apart from a cool scene where the protagonists from inside a sacred circle face off against a variety of nasties including the Angel of Death himself, it flags somewhat and is not one of the classic Hammers but still a nice modern-day diversion from their usual horror flicks.

9th March 2005, 05:48 PM	#17 (permalink)
ravenus Heretic Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: India Posts: 1,352	Re: The Horror Film Watch Quickies rather than full reviews but this'll have to do: 2 horror movies adapted from books I haven't read. Salem's Lot - Tobe Hooper This 2-part TV adaptation of Stephen King's book, which in itself was a modern-day take on Dracula, turns out a very so-so movie with many meant-to-be-scary parts being rather hokey. The idea of an entire town of people being taken over by vampires never really comes across. It has some good parts like mostly due to some decent acting (especially James Mason as the Renfield replacement Straker), but tends to be dull on the whole. The Devil Rides Out - Terence Fisher Based on a Dennis Wheatley novel about a group of people fending off the diabolical advances of a black magic coven...that guy's supposed to have written a lot of pulps using the occult as plot device. Anyway the film, produced by Britain's famous Hammer Studios, maintains a mostly energetic pace with the actors, headed by Christopher Lee (playing the good guy for a change) and Charles Gray, appearing to have a lot of fun in their roles (also catch a young Paul Eddington who went on to play that beloved bumbling politician in BBC's Yes Minister and Yes Prime Ministerseries). The campy goings-on are quite entertaining even if often inconsistent...in this movie Satan appears far more easily despatched than his alcolytes. After the 2/3rds mark, apart from a cool scene where the protagonists from inside a sacred circle face off against a variety of nasties including the Angel of Death himself, it flags somewhat and is not one of the classic Hammers but still a nice modern-day diversion from their usual horror flicks.