Monthly Archives: March 2025

The Picture of Dorian Gray (1945) – A Timeless Reflection on Vanity and Corruption

02 Sunday Mar 2025

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Eighty years after its release, Albert Lewin’s The Picture of Dorian Gray remains one of the most compelling cinematic adaptations of Oscar Wilde’s infamous novel. A gothic tale of moral decay, vanity, and suppressed guilt, the film masterfully captures the essence of Wilde’s work while adding a visual grandeur that enhances its haunting themes. Starring Hurd Hatfield in the titular role, alongside a stellar supporting cast including George Sanders and Angela Lansbury, this 1945 production remains a fascinating exploration of beauty’s fleeting nature and the cost of indulgence.

Wilde’s story has endured for well over a century, and Lewin’s adaptation successfully brings its themes to life on the silver screen. The film’s lush black-and-white cinematography, punctuated by shocking Technicolor glimpses of the corrupted portrait, offers a striking visual metaphor for the contrast between outward beauty and inner depravity. Hatfield’s eerily composed performance adds to the film’s unsettling nature, portraying Dorian as a man who, despite his eternal youth, becomes increasingly hollow and detached from humanity.

At its core, The Picture of Dorian Gray remains relevant because its themes never age. In an era obsessed with image and self-preservation, the film’s exploration of facades and moral decay feels as timely as ever. Dorian’s relentless pursuit of pleasure, devoid of consequence, mirrors modern anxieties about vanity and the curated perfection we present to the world.

For all its elegance, Lewin’s adaptation does not shy away from the darker aspects of Wilde’s work. Dorian’s gradual descent into cruelty, his inability to form genuine connections, and the film’s eerie atmosphere all contribute to a sense of creeping dread. Angela Lansbury’s heartbreaking turn as the ill-fated Sibyl Vane remains a highlight, showcasing how Dorian’s influence can destroy those around him.

As The Picture of Dorian Gray celebrates its 80th anniversary, it stands as a testament to the enduring power of Wilde’s vision. A film that perfectly balances beauty and horror, it continues to captivate audiences, reminding us that behind every perfect exterior, shadows lurk beneath the surface.

  • Saul Muerte

The Mangler (1995) – Tobe Hooper’s Industrial Nightmare Turns 30

02 Sunday Mar 2025

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It has a CRUSH on you!
When an accident involving a folding machine at an old laundry happens, detective John Hunton investigates. As his investigation progresses, he begins to suspect the machine is possessed by a demon from Hell.

By 1995, director Tobe Hooper had long cemented his legacy in horror history with The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974) and Poltergeist (1982), while Robert Englund had become an icon as Freddy Krueger. Their reunion in The Mangler—an adaptation of a lesser-known Stephen King short story—should have been an exciting horror event. Instead, it became one of the more peculiar and divisive entries in all their careers.

It’s not every day that a movie about a possessed industrial laundry press makes it to the big screen, but that’s exactly the kind of bizarre energy The Mangler brings. The film exists in a world of exaggerated performances, over-the-top set pieces, and a plot so ludicrous that it straddles the line between horror and dark comedy. Englund, buried under grotesque makeup as the sadistic factory owner Bill Gartley, chews the scenery with relish. Meanwhile, Ted Levine, fresh off The Silence of the Lambs, lends his gravelly, weary presence to the role of the skeptical detective who slowly realises that there may be supernatural forces at play.

Hooper leans into the absurdity, crafting a grimy, oppressive atmosphere that feels reminiscent of his early work, albeit with a more surreal, almost operatic quality. However, the film struggles with pacing and tone—moments of genuine horror are often undercut by unintentional comedy, making it an acquired taste even for die-hard horror fans. The practical effects and gore are commendable, but the story itself stretches believability to the breaking point, even for King’s standards.

Despite its many flaws, The Mangler has developed a small cult following over the years, thanks in part to its sheer audacity. While it never reached the heights of Hooper’s greatest works, it remains a fascinating oddity in ‘90s horror, a relic from a time when studios were still willing to gamble on the outlandish. For those willing to embrace its madness, it’s an entertaining, if deeply flawed, slice of supernatural horror.

  • Saul Muerte

The Monkey (2025) – A Misfire That Claps to Its Own Beat

01 Saturday Mar 2025

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Osgood Perkins has built a reputation for moody, atmospheric horror (The Blackcoat’s Daughter, I Am the Pretty Thing That Lives in the House), crafting eerie slow burns that settle under your skin. So it’s baffling that his adaptation of Stephen King’s The Monkey swings so wildly in the opposite direction, embracing an oddly comedic tone that is both its saving grace and its Achilles’ heel.

The film follows twin brothers who, after discovering a cursed wind-up monkey, become entangled in a series of grotesque and improbable deaths. Decades later, the sinister toy resurfaces, forcing the now-estranged siblings to confront their past—and the murderous primate—before its deadly rhythm consumes them completely.

As someone who was deeply impacted by King’s short story during my formative years, this adaptation feels like a tonal misstep. While Perkins injects moments of dry, almost absurd humour that occasionally land (I’ll admit, I chuckled more than once), the film never fully commits to either horror or comedy, leaving it feeling strangely weightless. The sense of dread that should accompany a tale about an unrelenting, supernatural force is missing, replaced with an offbeat energy that doesn’t quite fit.

Visually, The Monkey does retain some of Perkins’ signature flair. There are pockets of eerie imagery, particularly when the toy is in motion, its drum banging in ominous slow motion as its glassy eyes seem to bore into the characters’ souls. However, the film’s pacing stumbles between moody horror and slapstick absurdity, undercutting its tension just as it starts to build. Instead of letting the horror breathe, it often pivots to a joke or exaggerated reaction, as if second-guessing its own scares.

The performances do their best to sell the concept, with the lead actors committing to the madness, but there’s a disjointedness to the storytelling that prevents any real emotional weight from forming. Without a stronger anchor—whether it be a grounded sense of familial trauma or a truly nightmarish atmosphere—the film lacks the staying power of both Perkins’ previous work and King’s original story.

With The Monkey, Perkins seems to be playing against type, but instead of reinventing the demonic toy subgenre, he fumbles it. The film claps along to its own beat, but much like the monkey itself, the rhythm grows tiresome—thumping away long after the terror has worn off.

  • Saul Muerte

Night of the Living Dead (1968) – A Genre-Defining Nightmare

01 Saturday Mar 2025

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Few horror films have had the seismic impact of George A. Romero’s Night of the Living Dead (1968). A micro-budget, black-and-white nightmare, the film forever altered the portrayal of zombies in cinema and ushered in a new era of socially conscious horror. More than just an exercise in terror, Night of the Living Dead is a politically charged masterpiece that reflects the anxieties of its era while setting the foundation for the modern zombie genre.

Redefining the Undead

Before Night of the Living Dead, zombies in popular culture were largely tied to the voodoo mythos, as seen in films like White Zombie (1932) and I Walked with a Zombie (1943). Romero and co-writer John A. Russo stripped the concept down and rebuilt it into something far more terrifying: relentless, flesh-eating ghouls with no master to control them. These undead creatures, driven by an insatiable hunger, served as an unsettling mirror to the living, an idea that would be expanded upon in Romero’s later Dead films.

Political and Social Commentary

What sets Night of the Living Dead apart from many of its horror contemporaries is its deep well of social and political commentary. Though Romero often insisted that the casting of Duane Jones as Ben—the film’s intelligent, level-headed protagonist—was not an overt political statement, it was impossible to separate his presence from the racial tensions of the time. Ben’s ultimate fate, gunned down by a posse of white men who mistake him for a zombie, is a chilling echo of America’s violent racial history, particularly in the wake of the assassinations of Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X.

The film also taps into Cold War paranoia, with radio and television broadcasts offering conflicting theories about the zombie outbreak. The apocalyptic tone, coupled with government incompetence and misinformation, reflects the growing distrust in American institutions during the Vietnam War era. There is a sense of nihilism at play, where survival feels uncertain regardless of how rational or prepared one may be.

Themes of Fear and Isolation

At its core, Night of the Living Dead is a study in fear—both of the unknown and of each other. The film’s claustrophobic setting, a rural farmhouse besieged by the undead, intensifies the growing tensions among the survivors. Personal conflicts—embodied in the power struggle between Ben and the cowardly Harry Cooper (Karl Hardman)—highlight how, even in the face of an external horror, humanity’s greatest enemy may still be itself. The breakdown of cooperation and trust among the group underscores a bleak message: civilisation crumbles not just due to external threats, but because of internal divisions.

Legacy and Influence

Upon its release, Night of the Living Dead shocked audiences with its unflinching violence, nihilistic tone, and unorthodox approach to horror. While initially controversial—particularly due to its graphic scenes and bleak ending—it has since been recognised as a watershed moment in horror cinema. The film laid the groundwork for countless successors, from Romero’s own Dawn of the Dead (1978) to contemporary hits like The Walking Dead and 28 Days Later (2002).

More importantly, it demonstrated that horror could be both viscerally terrifying and intellectually stimulating, using the genre as a lens through which to examine societal issues. Over five decades later, Night of the Living Dead remains as haunting and relevant as ever, a grim reminder that the true horror lies not just in the monsters outside, but in the darkness within humanity itself.

  • Saul Muerte