Racism and Horror - start of the 1950s - 1950-1954
We just finished the first half of the decade in horror. It's been interesting. I assume because of war stuff that that explains the shortage of horror films. I also suspect the war influenced the focus on mega-monsters and new racial politics in the films. But it's made for a curious few years. Here's our reviews below as well as our favs.
1951
Son of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde: I actually really enjoyed this one. Jekyll and Hyde wasn't super popular in the 40s, and I think it was a fun return with Chaney, Jr. I think this was my fave of the Jekyll and Hyde movies, and, rather than trying to completely resist the past as the Frankenstein children did, Jekyll's kid tries to prove that Jekyll's science didn't work. A much cooler plot in my opinion.
1953
House of Wax: This was an interesting film. I've loved the few wax films we've seen so far, but this one, in technicolor, was rather captivating. Largely a revenge narrative, I liked the use of special effects, and the mystery of it all. Grotesque in its own way.
Mesa of Lost Women: The first big spider film. But it was fucked. Most common phrase was "Shut up" directed at women. Latinx characters were used and abused, and disability was seen as animalistic. It was...very, very fucked up.
1954
Creature from the Black Lagoon: A late Universal monster, I loved the underwater footage here. Our first real terror from the deep film, and it was well done. I felt trapped alongside the main characters, and I felt sympathy for this animal-based monster, possibly more so than with a lot of the portrayals of the Frankenstein monster.
La Bruja: A good Mexican film, probably the best we've seen from there so far. In some ways it was an inverted Frankenstein narrative with the "bruja" turning into a beautiful woman. An interesting film to look at from a disability perspective, but ultimately it's just the woman counterpart to Hunchback from Notre Dame. Bleh.
Godzilla: This was my first time actually watching this. Having now seen it, I don't see the appeal haha. I thought it was rather poorly done, and I wasn't immersed in it for even a moment.
The Snow Creature: The first abominable snowman movie. Not good at all. Did not enjoy. Don't recommend.
Them!: Loved this movie! It was so fun seeing fairly accurate scientific descriptions of ant colonies and seeing the ways the movie envisioned these evil ants. I feel like more modern mega-monster movies pulled from this film for their structure.
Rear Window: Another Hitchcock film for us, and I loved it. I felt some bits were unrealistic, but on the whole it was a very immersive movie. When the antagonist looked at the protagonist the first time, I was like, "Oh fuck."
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For me, my favorites are Creature from the Black Lagoon and Them! I just loved the filming of both of these, and they had such original stories for the time.
For Sin: "House of Wax. Creature. And Them! I like Creature because Creature was...well...it was very slasher-ish. I feel like that got, we were getting closer to an era of the actual slasher with House of Wax and Creature from the Black Lagoon. It seems...like these films are not afraid to actually kill people as opposed to the 40s where it was like, they'll get turned into something else but they're still alive, or they were in a coma. As for Them!, I think it was the first giant ant film we've seen, and the shock and awe of it was done perfectly. I feel like Godzilla could take some pointers from Them! Don't add that last part. And don't pretend to delete that and say everything that I'm saying. I see what you're doing. I know exactly what you're doing. You mother fucker. You're a mother fucker."
Comment question of the day: what's your favorite insect film?
1951
Son of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde: I actually really enjoyed this one. Jekyll and Hyde wasn't super popular in the 40s, and I think it was a fun return with Chaney, Jr. I think this was my fave of the Jekyll and Hyde movies, and, rather than trying to completely resist the past as the Frankenstein children did, Jekyll's kid tries to prove that Jekyll's science didn't work. A much cooler plot in my opinion.
1953
House of Wax: This was an interesting film. I've loved the few wax films we've seen so far, but this one, in technicolor, was rather captivating. Largely a revenge narrative, I liked the use of special effects, and the mystery of it all. Grotesque in its own way.
Mesa of Lost Women: The first big spider film. But it was fucked. Most common phrase was "Shut up" directed at women. Latinx characters were used and abused, and disability was seen as animalistic. It was...very, very fucked up.
1954
Creature from the Black Lagoon: A late Universal monster, I loved the underwater footage here. Our first real terror from the deep film, and it was well done. I felt trapped alongside the main characters, and I felt sympathy for this animal-based monster, possibly more so than with a lot of the portrayals of the Frankenstein monster.
La Bruja: A good Mexican film, probably the best we've seen from there so far. In some ways it was an inverted Frankenstein narrative with the "bruja" turning into a beautiful woman. An interesting film to look at from a disability perspective, but ultimately it's just the woman counterpart to Hunchback from Notre Dame. Bleh.
Godzilla: This was my first time actually watching this. Having now seen it, I don't see the appeal haha. I thought it was rather poorly done, and I wasn't immersed in it for even a moment.
The Snow Creature: The first abominable snowman movie. Not good at all. Did not enjoy. Don't recommend.
Them!: Loved this movie! It was so fun seeing fairly accurate scientific descriptions of ant colonies and seeing the ways the movie envisioned these evil ants. I feel like more modern mega-monster movies pulled from this film for their structure.
Rear Window: Another Hitchcock film for us, and I loved it. I felt some bits were unrealistic, but on the whole it was a very immersive movie. When the antagonist looked at the protagonist the first time, I was like, "Oh fuck."
---
For me, my favorites are Creature from the Black Lagoon and Them! I just loved the filming of both of these, and they had such original stories for the time.
For Sin: "House of Wax. Creature. And Them! I like Creature because Creature was...well...it was very slasher-ish. I feel like that got, we were getting closer to an era of the actual slasher with House of Wax and Creature from the Black Lagoon. It seems...like these films are not afraid to actually kill people as opposed to the 40s where it was like, they'll get turned into something else but they're still alive, or they were in a coma. As for Them!, I think it was the first giant ant film we've seen, and the shock and awe of it was done perfectly. I feel like Godzilla could take some pointers from Them! Don't add that last part. And don't pretend to delete that and say everything that I'm saying. I see what you're doing. I know exactly what you're doing. You mother fucker. You're a mother fucker."
Comment question of the day: what's your favorite insect film?
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