Ghosts[ Book Contents]
Henry Robin and a Specter [Thiébault, 1863]
A man about to shoot himself is confronted by his own ghost in this photomontage by Thiébault.
Ghosts[ Book Contents]
Macbeth [Théodore Chassériau, -]
The Ghost of Banquo by Théodore Chassériau depicts the scene in William Shakespeare’s Macbethat the banquet when only Macbeth can see the ghost of the murdered Banquo.
Ghosts[ Book Contents]
The Shining [Stanley Kubrick, 1980]
Jack Nicholson as Jack Torrance, driven insane by the ghosts of Overlook Hotel, breaks down the door in an attempt to kill his wife and child. Based on the novel by Stephen King.
Ghosts[ Book Contents]
The Innocents [Jack Clayton, 1961]
Deborah Kerr as Miss Giddings, the governess. Beautifully photographed by Freddie Francis, this is one of the best ghost movies ever made.
Ghosts[ Book Contents]
The Orphanage [Juan Antonio Bayona, 2007]
Another disturbing ghost story, set in an orphanage in Spain. Produced by Guillermo Del Toro.
Ghosts[ Book Contents]
The Uninvited [Lewis Allen, 1944]
After watching this film, you will never smell mimosa again without looking anxiously over your shoulder.
Ghosts[ Book Contents]
Poltergeist [Tobe Hooper, 1982]
Steven Spielberg produced this all-American suburban ghost story. JoBeth Williams’ initial delight at invisibly moving kitchen chairs turns to terror when her daughter stares into a television showing nothing but static and announces, “They’re here.”
Ghosts[ Book Contents]
The Haunting [Robert Wise, 1963]
Claire Bloom and Julie Harris react to the very loud sounds made by “something” in the hallway outside their bedroom door in this Robert Wise classic.
“It was an evil house from the beginning —a house that was born bad.”
Dr. John Markway (Richard Johnson), The Haunting
Ghosts[ Book Contents]
The Amityville Horror [Stuart Rosenberg, 1979]
Based on the best selling “true story” about a haunted house in Long Island, New York, The Amityville Horrorwas sold with the wonderful tagline, “FOR GOD’S SAKE, GET OUT!”
Ghosts[ Book Contents]
Topper [Norman Z. McLeod, 1937]
Cary Grant and Constance Bennett as the ghosts of George and Marion Kerby, killed in a car accident. This delightful comedy also stars Roland Young as Cosmo Topper, the only person who can see or hear them. Based on the novel by Thorne Smith.
“You know something George? I think we’re dead.”
Marion Kerby (Constance Bennett), Topper
Ghosts[ Book Contents]
Kwaidan [Masaki Kobayashi, 1964]
Kwaidan means “ghost story” in Japanese, and this beautiful anthology film is comprised of four Japanese folk tales compiled by Lafcadio Hearn. Pictured is “Hoichi the Earless,” a blind musician who has an intense and agonizing encounter with the ghostly subjects of his songs.
Christopher Leeas Kharis, impaled by Peter Cushing as John Banning, in The Mummy[Terence Fisher, 1959].
MUMMIES
In 1922, archeologist Howard Carter’s expedition discovered the tomb of Tutankhamun in Egypt. The fabulous treasures of “King Tut’s Tomb” created a worldwide sensation and renewed the public’s fascination with ancient Egypt.
Universal Studios’s tremendous success with Frankenstein[1931] and Dracula[1931] had them looking for a third Universal Monster to exploit. They settled on The Mummy[Karl Freund, 1932], yet another story about a living corpse. Universal even used the same music for the opening credits of The Mummyas they did for Dracula, Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake!
Boris Karloff again sat patiently while make-up man Jack Pierce created yet another classic monster. Using cotton, collodion, clay, and spirit gum on Karloff’s face and hands, Pierce then wrapped him in singed linen bandages and coated it all with dust. Karloff only had to go through this once (the Mummy only appears in one memorable scene in his burial dressing), but he referred to this make-up as the worst and “most trying day” he had ever endured on a movie. The film is a romance, with Karloff’s priest Imhotep being mummified and buried alive for daring to fall in love with the Princess Ankh-es-en-amon. Centuries later, his sarcophagus is discovered and opened. When one of the archeologists reads aloud from the life-giving Scroll of Thoth, the Mummy Imhotep awakens, in one of the great moments in fantasy cinema. The terrified archeologist (Bramwell Fletcher) can only scream and say, “He went for a little walk.”
The Universal Mummysequels became increasingly silly, as the Mummy (now called Kharis) became just a shuffling automaton. And now it could be anyone under those bandages—Lon Chaney, Jr., Tom Tyler, and stunt man Eddie Parker all took turns as Kharis.
In the late 1950s, the then-booming Mexican film industry started to produce its own Mummy movies—Aztec Mummy movies. Meanwhile, the UK’s Hammer Films bought the rights to Universal’s Mummyand made their own The Mummy[Terence Fisher, 1959] with Christopher Lee in the title role.
Stephen Sommers’ big-budget remake of The Mummy[1999] was heavy on the CG and an international hit. It, too, spawned sequels, one of which, Tomb of the Dragon Emperor[Rob Cohen, 2008] was shot in China and brought us action hero Jet Li as the mummified first Emperor of China.
None of the many Mummy films produced since the Universal original have captured the sense of love and sorrow, dignity and decay of Karloff’s performance.
My vote for the best, non-Karloff Mummy movie goes to Don Coscarelli’s wonderfully insane Bubba Ho-tep[2002]. Based on the novella by Joe R. Lansdale, it tells the story of what really happened to Elvis Presley. It features an ancient Mummy that sucks the souls from his victims in a rude way, as well as fantastic performances from Bruce Campbell and Ossie Davis. The movie breathes fresh life into what had become a tired concept.
Mummies[ Book Contents]
The Mummy’s Tomb [Harold Young, 1942]
Ad art for The Mummy’s Tomb; Lon Chaney, Jr. plays Kharis for the first time.