Normally, I don't do reviews of television or movies on this blog, but once in a while, something comes along that so catches my interest and so impresses me, that I have to share it with others. This is one of those cases. I happened across this Blu-ray set of movies while scrolling through Amazon - which seems to be the way I come across quite a number of things in recent years! - and having never heard of it before, I was curious as to its contents. After all, with my love for all things gothic, that tagline definitely had my attention. And when I discovered who directed four of the five films, well, there could be no doubt but that I had to have this collection! Thankfully, I was a really good boy this year, and "Santa" gave me the Blu-ray collection, and I was able to check out these classic tales of gothic suspense!
Classic Ghosts was a five-film series aired late nights on ABC television back in 1973 during the "ABC Wide World of Mystery" time slot. In so many ways, it was clearly inspired by the success of Dark Shadows, the daytime soap which aired on the same network from 1966 to 1971. All five films were filmed directly on tape and produced in the same manner as daytime serials, so when watching them, you almost get the feel as if you are watching a Dark Shadows-esque series. While the sets are beautifully decorated and colorful and the costumes are elaborate, if one pays any attention whatsoever, it is easy to see that four of the five films use the same exact set, but simply redecorate it and move the walls around a bit. Nevertheless, the stories - all of which are based on published stories - are engaging and the actors definitely give it their all (even if some of it comes across a bit campy - and hey, it worked for Dark Shadows, and quite honestly, it works here, too!).
"The Haunting of Rosalind" originally aired on April 10, 1973 and was based on a short story by Henry James titled "The Romance of Certain Old Clothes" (1875). It tells the story of two sisters - Perdita (portrayed by a very young and very beautiful Susan Sarandon!) and Rosalind - who are vying for the attention of the same man - Arthur Lloyd, a friend of their brother who comes to visit. Rosalind believes Arthur has feelings for her, but he marries Perdita instead. When Perdita dies (under mysterious circumstances), Rosalind worms her way into Arthur's life and marries him - but she can't shake the feeling that Perdita is still haunting her. All the while, the sisters' brother is beginning to suspect Arthur is not everything he says he is, and quite possibly he murdered his first wife. Their rush to save Rosiland at the end proves to be a fantastic climax to the tale! While this film has some massive time jumps that are bit jarring, the story is actually really good, and the performances by the actors truly set the tone well. This movie was directed by Lela Swift, who also directed quite a number of episodes of Dark Shadows, so if you get the vibe of that show while watching the film, you'll know why.
"The Screaming Skull" originally aired on February 14, 1973 and was adapted from a short story by F. Marion Crawford (1908). This movie tells the tale of Luke Pratt (played by David McCallum, best known for his role on The Man from U.N.C.L.E.), a physician who is always engrossed with his research. He is married to a rather testy woman, Helen, who blames him for not saving her son when he died. When Luke's brother comes for a visit and relates a strange story of how a woman in South America got away with murdering three of her husbands by a rather ingenious method, Luke begins to gets ideas. It's never explicitly stated whether Luke kills his wife (it could have been hallucinations, him dreaming of doing the deed), but he thinks he did, so he goes to the grave and removes her head to hide the evidence by keeping her skull among the other skulls in his office. The only problem is, the skull won't leave him alone! It appears everywhere, moaning at him, reminding him of what he did, until he can no longer take it. When he dies, his brother inherits the property - and the curse of the skull! A rather enjoyable gothic tale, and even though it's clearly the same set redressed, the story and acting are good enough to make you overlook that fact. This movie was directed by Gloria Monty, who is probably best known for her work on General Hospital in the '80s.
"Deadly Visitor" originally aired July 4, 1973 and was taken from Fitz-James O'Brien's short story, "What Was It? A Mystery?" (1859). This was the second movie to be directed by Lela Swift, and it stars a very young Perry King (from the television show, Riptide) as a young writer moves into a boarding house where his artist friend resides so that he can finish the book he is working on. The room he rents turns out to be haunted, but the landlady, Mrs. Moffat, plays down that fact - no, she is more interested in making moves on Jaime (the writer)! Jaime, though, has other things on his mind, because there is a ghost in his room that can't seem to decide whether it loves him or wants to kill him! Jaime begins to think it is the ghost of a woman from his past (especially after they capture the invisible form and make a plaster cast of it, identifying the shape as female), but later learns it could be something far, far worse! The special effects for this one are actually pretty good considering the time when the movie was made, and I thought the actors did a superb job with the material - especially King, who had to fight with an "invisible" ghost and consistently react to something that was not really there. The ending was somewhat ambiguous, as we do not get any real resolution, but from what I understand, the short story leaves things unresolved as well.
"The House and the Brain" originally aired May 20, 1973 and is said to be based on Edward Bulwer-Lytton's short story, "The Haunted and the Haunters; Or, The House and the Brain" (1897); however, from sources I've found online, the movie has very little connection to the short story. This was the second film directed by Gloria Monty and stars Keith Charles (known for his work on a number of soap operas during the '60s and '70s) as a military man who has recently been discharged and is looking to rent a room in a beautiful old mansion in New Orleans. He is at first warned away by the property owner's ward, Marianna, but the housekeeper appears and assures him the room is for rent. We get glimpses of a mysterious person upstairs with a bird who seems to insist that David (the military man) stay and that he fall in love with Marianna - for what purpose, we don't know right away - but as the movie continues, the clues are there. The painting of Marianna's great-grandmother who so closely resembles her; the warnings from Marianna; the strange tombstone on the patio; and the cryptic demands that Marianna convince David to fall in love with her ... it seems David's friend, Kate (portrayed by Gretchen Corbett from The Rockford Files) is the only one who realizes there is something fishy going on in that old house...sadly, by the time David realizes it, it's too late! The actress who plays Marianna was perfect casting - she has that young, innocent look that Alexandra Moltke had when she was cast as Victoria Winters in Dark Shadows, but in this case, looks can be very deceiving - which gives the story the perfect gothic twist!
"And the Bone Came Together" originally aired February 15, 1973. The story was written by Sholomo Keil and is the only one of the five films that does not utilize that same house set with the staircase. Instead, this one is a rather unique gothic set in New York City. It is the only one of the five films directed by a man - Henry Kaplan, who directed quite a few episodes of Dark Shadows, and went on to direct episodes of All My Children, Another World, Ryan's Hope, and others. The plot involves a widower Jewish man who is being evicted from his apartment so the city can tear down the building and rebuild new, more modern housing. He is unable to convince the real estate agent to let him keep his home, so he somehow manages to place a curse on the agent, which ultimately affects both him and his pregnant wife (played by a young Robin Strasser, from One Life to Live and Passions). Strange, supernatural things begin to happen, and the agent becomes possessed by the old man's spirit. Strasser's character is so scared, she goes to the grave of the old man and begs him to release his hold on her husband, willing to do anything to make that happen - which results in a very surprising twist at the end. This one is definitely far different from the other four films, not just in location, but in the plot and characterization. It is not your typical "gothic" tale - yet, it definitely has the elements necessary to fit the genre!
Obviously, the movies do not necessarily hold up when compared to today's films - back in 1973, the industry did not have the same technology today for filming and special effects; however for the period in which they were made, I'd have to give these films two thumbs up. The sets are magnificent, the acting is well done, and the casting was pretty much spot on for nearly all the characters. Anyone who enjoys gothic tales will love these films, as they adhere to the standard gothic tropes from the '60s and '70s novels, daring to go a step beyond by including the supernatural elements as real and not merely imagined by the characters. I highly recommend this collection!
RATING: 9 weeping grave stones out of 10 for a fantastic effort at cashing in on the gothic craze of the 1970s and giving fans some great visual tales of a now almost-forgotten genre!
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