Keith and Christina spent a lot of Sunday evenings watching movies with Christina's parents. And then, after the dad died, they watched a lot of movies with Mrs. Z. In honor of Mrs. Z., who passed away in early 2024, Keith showed us four of her favorite movies.
Note: There mya be spoilers.
In some ways, this session reminded me of a "Bring Your Own Movie Month," since these were four very different movies, of different genres, with little to tie them together. I'll note, of course, that Keith never grilled Mrs. Z. about what her favorite movies were. Rather, he was going by what movies Mrs. Z. would request he bring for their Sunday night get-togethers.
Laura, starring Gene Tierney, was definitely my favorite of these. I'm always down for a good film noir, and this was definitely a good one. It had the sharp dialogue that the genre is famous for, and it kept me guessing the whole time. It was also a special treat to see Vincent Price (before he was famous) as a leading man. I really enjoy seeing him when he's not camping it up. Of course, one drawback for me is that, whenever I see the name "Dana Andrews" in the credits, I can't help but hear Richard O'Brien singing "Dana Andrews said prunes / Gave him the runs [pronounced runes] / And passing them used lots of skill." But I suppose that's not anything to hold against the movie.
I also really enjoyed Horror of the Zombies (AKA The Ghost Galleon), which was the third in the Blind Dead series. In it, some modern-day models find themselves aboard an old galleon carrying the corpses of the Knights Templar. The setup is convoluted, but it's still a good story with some good scares. It was a low budget film, but the producers did a good job of keeping it from feeling cheap -- for the most part, anyway. It does a good job of building suspense slowly. So, like a lobster in a boiling pot, you hardly realize how you've been sucked in. And you don't even see the zombies until more than an hour into the movie. I have to wonder if some of the inspiration for this movie was the Bermuda Triangle lore that was popular around that time. It also bears noting that this movie had a great ending.
I had a harder time getting into Dracula Has Risen from the Grave and The Pyjama Girl Case. Admittedly, they're both good movies. Dracula, especially. It was Christopher Lee's last portrayal of Dracula, and he does a good job with it. But I've found myself a bit burned out on Dracula movies. Going into Pyjama, I was expecting a giallo. And while it had giallo elements, it didn't really stay true to the form. Having said that, I'll note that it featured a 100% giallo ending. Still, hard for me to get into.
The trailers:
Dracula has Risen from the Grave:
Horror of the Zombies:
The Pyjama Girl Case:
Laura:
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