Basil Rathbone stars in the next film featured in DK Canada’s immensely enjoyable Monsters in the Movies book. As I delve into the chapter on Dragons & Dinosaurs I’m, so far coming across a number of films I had never even heard of. This family fantasy adventure is another one. Rathbone plays the evil wizard Lodac,…
Tag: ghosts
The Ghost of Slumber Mountain (1918) – Willis O’Brien
It’s more dinosaurs as I journey through the Dragons & Dinosaurs in DK Canada’s Monsters in the Movies. This time I have a look at the early silent short, The Ghost of Slumber Mountain. Clocking in at eighteen minutes, this little title must have been made to show off the special effects of the time,…
Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End (2007) – Gore Verbinski
The third volume of Disney’s theme park attraction turned tentpole franchise is the next selection in DK Canada’s Monsters in the Movies book as I explore the chapter on Myths, Legends and Fairy Tales. I’ll admit this instalment in the series is a little top heavy with a convoluted plot, but as showcased in the…
The Family Plot (2016) – Cherie Priest
Haunted house stories take a fine hand to craft and make them entertaining, believable, and scary. Cherie Priest accomplishes all of that with her superior horror novel, The Family Plot. Music City Salvage is barely staying afloat, and Charles Dutton the owner, risks everything to keep it afloat when he buys the Withrow house for…
Sleepy Hollow (1999) – Tim Burton
DK Canada’s Monsters in the Movies book takes me into classic ghost tales territory with the next film that haunts the chapter on spirits, Tim Burton’s take on the legend of Sleepy Hollow. His bloody film, which serves as his version of the tale, also serves as a nod and homage to Hammer Films as…
The Changeling (1980) – Peter Medak
Next up in DK Canada’s immensely enjoyable Monsters in the Movies, is the classic Canadian horror (shot in Vancouver and featuring some homegrown talent), The Changeling, a wonderful addition to the ghost chapter I am currently delving into. After his wife and child are killed in an accident while on vacation, composer John Russell (George…
The Amityville Horror (1979) – Stuart Rosenberg
The next film to haunt the ghost chapter of DK Canada’s Monsters in the Movies is the granddaddy of the modern ghost/haunted house movie The Amityville Horror. Based on the non-fiction(?) book by Jay Anson. When a house comes up for sale (at a cheap price – a now recognizable horror staple), the Lutz family…
The Fog (1980) – John Carpenter
The venture into the paranormal continues as I delve into the chapter on ghosts in DK Canada’s very entertaining Monsters in the Movies book. This time, it’s John Carpenter’s take on what plays out as a classic ghost story. The story itself is basic, and in the hands of Carpenter we get a creepy little…
Ghostbusters II (1989) – Ivan Reitman
They’re back! Ghostbusters II from 1989, is the next ghost title in DK Canada’s Monsters in the Movies book, and it has been a long time since I actually sat and watched this one. It’s undeniable that the first film is the better one, but there are some cool things at work in the follow-up…
Ghostbusters (1984) – Ivan Reitman
A chapter on ghosts in the cinema, as illustrated by DK Canada’s Monsters in the Movies, would be remiss without covering the 80s comedy classic, Ghostbusters, starring Bill Murray, Dan Akroyd, Harold Ramis, Ernie Hudson, Sigourney Weaver, and Rick Moranis. I remember when I first heard about this movie, first heard the classic song, saw…
Topper (1937) -Norman Z. McLeod
Cary Grant headlines the first film I dive into as I hit the chapter on ghosts in DK Canada’s Monsters in the Movies. Played as a bit of a romantic comedy, the film is one I had never heard of, and I always enjoy settling in for a Grant picture. The suave leading man plays…
Spirited Away (2001) – Hayao Miyazaki
The next big title in DK Canada’s incredibly entertaining and informative The Movie Book, is going to allow for a bit of a dive into Miyazaki’s films, which is going to be truly enjoyable as they are always so fully realized and beautifully animated. It’s time to settle in for the Academy Award winning film…
