THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, December 29, 1994 TAG: 9412280193
SECTION: SUFFOLK SUN PAGE: 11 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY FRANK ROBERTS, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 70 lines
Here 'tis - Part 2 of the list of titles of horror and sci-flicks from the 1920s to the mid-1960s.
I got into this in November's Nostalgia column, promising solemnly to finish it this time.
To refresh your memory: The most oft-used first words in the titles are beast, black, blood, bride, cat, creature, curse, day, dead, devil, doctor, ghost, horror, house, invasion, invisible, lost, mad.
Last month, we wound up with curse. Today we begin with day as we take a look at some of the more bizarre plots dreamed up by bizarre scriptwriters.
The most fascinating plot in the ``day'' category is the story of ``The Day the Earth Froze.'' What made it freeze? A witch ordered the sun not to rise, so the Earth turned into a ball of ice. Witch-ie was a ``Wizard of Oz'' reject.
Incidentally, if you prefer hot over cold, there was also ``The Day the Earth Caught Fire.''
One of my favorite titles is in the ``dead'' movie category: ``The Dead Are Alive.'' Neat trick.
The devil, you say. That's our next word and, checking the many titles, it is obvious that the man in red is quite a popular villain.
As for doctors - imagine these names on the name tags of men in white: ``Dr. Blood,'' ``Doctor Cyclops,'' ``Dr. Terror'' and - gulp - ``Doctor Death.'' I can't help but wonder if these characters had first names - like Ralph Terror, Max Death . . .
You know about the many versions of ``Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde,'' but do you know about the other family member, ``Dr. Jekyll and Sister Hyde''? Here's what happened: A Jekyll injection backfired. The new serum was supposed to prolong his life. Instead - well - just call him Ms.
As far as ghosts are concerned, the invisible trophy must go to ``The Ghost of Dragstrip Hollow.''
While ``Plan Nine from Outer Space'' is generally considered to be the worst movie ever made, this one could run a close second. The quick flick is about a bunch of teenagers abused by ghosts.
Want horror? There's ``Horror Castle.'' If you can't get a room there, check in at the ``Horror Hotel.''
But check ``The Horror of Party Beach.'' Once again, teens are involved. This time monsters show up at pajama parties and sock hops. The creatures want to eliminate the generation gap by eliminating a generation.
Next on the list - ``house'' pictures, including ``House in the Woods'' about a murdered wife who refuses to stay dead. Really.
Another oft-used movie title word is ``invasion,'' and the prize in this batch goes to ``The Invasion of the Saucer Men,'' one of those American-International cheapies so popular in the '50s.
This gem is about big-headed, bug-eyed aliens who land in - where else? - Hicksville. Eventually, hotrodders get involved, and that leads to the demise of the aliens. What did them in? The cars' headlights.
Watching invisibility is always popular. Notable is ``The Invisible Ray.'' For the umpteenth time it's Bela Lugosi vs. Boris Karloff.
Being ``lost'' was always popular. One example is ``The Lost Continent,'' the picture that has everything - deadly seaweed and oversized crabs and jellyfish.
Finally - no surprise here - there is ``mad.''
The hands-down prize goes to ``The Mad Monster,'' starring George Zucco, as much a staple of this genre as Karloff and Lugosi. In this 1942 movie, he wants to create a race of super-werewolves to do battle with the Nazis. His assistant is not too keen on the idea, and for good reason - he's scheduled to be the first experimental model.
There were some classics, yes, but there were an awful lot of cheapies. by CNB