Double Dipping: 'The Weird Tailor' - Boris Karloff's Thriller

 Asylum is a surprisingly rich topic for content.

One of the Segments was called 'The Weird Tailor.'

Well, in 1961, it was also adapted into an Episode of Boris Karloff's Thriller.

With Robert Bloch writing both versions, how do they match up?
Let's see...

A drunk, young man waltzes into his Dad's Room, where he is doing a dark, possibly Satanic ritual.

He walks into the Circle and... dies...I guess.

I mean, I guess that makes sense...maybe?

Unlike the Film's version, we see more of the Tailor- played by famous That Guy Henry Jones- and he's...a drunk jerk.

Joy- I'm glad they fleshed him out here.

The rich guy- calling himself Mr. Smith- sees a Psychic to make his next move and she leads him to...a Used Car Salesman.

That guy sells him the Book for- wait for it- $1 million.  

That's ALOT!

Also the Psychic is blind, which is supposed to be a twist.

He finally goes to see the Tailor- who, to be clear, is not actually weird here- and everything plays out the same.

Make the Suit between midnight and 5 am.  Use only this material.  No buttons.

During all of this, we see that the depressed Wife keeps the old Suit Mannequin in a nearby Room (since it was damaged) and talks to it because she is so unhappy.

Fun.

In a slight change, the Tailor finds the body and thinks that the Dad killed the Son and, somewhat intentionally, stabs him off-camera.

He returns home and gets abusive, literally choking the wife.

The Mannequin- with the suit on it- comes to life and kills him, speaking to her.
The End.

I think that sometimes less is probably more.  There's probably not a bad Robert Bloch Story out there, right?

Even so, I like the cut down one better.

For one, they don't make the Tailor a bad person.  He's exasperated by being broke and under pressure.  When he kills Smith, it is the classic 'trying to wrestle the gun away' bit, so he's not an active killer.
He's also not awful and then killed (the latter because he has to be 'telling the story,' of course).

Likewise, there's far more mystery about Smith in Asylum as well.  We don't see how his son died, which is key.  We don't see him go to a Psychic- twice, no less! 
Seriously, that second appearance was filler, right?

We also don't know that he's spent all of his money, which is a nice twist to add when the Tailor comes for payment.

Again, I must ask- why is this called 'The Weird Tailor.'  He's a dick in this one, but that's, sadly, not that weird.

So, I won't say that the Thriller Episode is bad- not at all.  It's just a rare case of the shorter version hitting all of the right beats without adding the stuff we don't need.

Fun fact: Jones was the final Villain on Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea.  He was a Time Traveler who tried to betray America to the British and change history in their last Episode.

Asylum has the better, shorter version, but do check this one out too.  I mean, it's Thriller- it's always going to be pretty good.

Old School Flix: Dead of Night (1945)

 A Film so good, they made it twice.  Well, kind of.
I'll get to that later.

This is Dead of Night, a 1945 British Horror Film with a dash or two of Comedy sprinkled in. 
For somewhat obvious reasons, Horror Films were discouraged in the UK during WWII.  This was supposedly one of the first ones allowed to be made after the War (there) ended.

The Plot involves a confused man in a familiar situation.  Why does he remember these people he's 'never met?'  Will their Stories clear things up?

To find out, read on...

As an Anthology Film, it has multiple Directors for the Framing Device and separate Stories.

Of note, Mr. Crichton ended his career by Directing 'A Fish Called Wanda.'  Neat.

A man arrives at a Cabin way out in the Woods where he meets a bunch of people.

He seems to know them but doesn't know why.  They don't know him either.

He also speaks vaguely of something dire...

The first tale involves a Young Racecar Driver (this is pre-NASCAR) who nearly dies.
He has a dream/vision of a hearse, and the Driver says that 'There is room for one more.'

The next day, he is about to get on a Bus, but the Driver is the same one he saw and says the line.

He doesn't get on the Bus, and it crashes.

The next tale involves a young lady at a Christmas party.  Topical...ly late!

She plays a form of Hide & Seek, but gets separated after a guy tells her the tale of a kid killed there years before.  Christmas!

She finds a child and puts him to bed...only to find out that he was the Ghost of that kid.

The kid does nothing btw.

In the next Story, a woman gets a mirror as a gift for Husband.
No issue there, right?

Well, it apparently was owned by a man who went crazy and killed his (not really) cheating wife.

It seems to possess the Husband...until she breaks him free.

Another Guest tells a tale that is clearly designed to lighten the mood (both in and out of story)...

A pair of Golfers agree to decide who can romance a woman with a Golf Game.  The winner seems to cheat, so the loser drowns himself in a lake!

Yep, this is the Comedy one.

Said man is now a Ghost who makes his old friend unable to enjoy life.  They settle things, but now the Ghost can't 'disappear.'

In the stress of teaching him how, the living man...disappears...somehow and the Ghost gets the girl.

******

The next Story- and the final one- is the most famous of the Film.

A Ventriloquist has a sardonic dummy that makes him thinks that he'll leave him for another Ventriloquist.

When said man finds the dummy missing and in that guy's room, he shoots him (but not fatally).

The Therapist- who was skeptical the whole tie- tells of how the man eventually smashed the dummy...and then began to speak in his voice.

Back in the Framing Device, the lights go out and the group splits up.

Our Hero kills the Therapist and escapes...into the settings of the previous Stories.

He wakes up and tells his wife about his vivid dream...before the phone rings.

He's invited to help out a man at his Cabin and that's...the guy from the beginning (with the Golf Story)!

Time Loop?  Hell?  White Bear?
Dunno.  

The End.

A good, if dated, Film that has some good Stories to share.  There's certainly no confusing Dead of Night with a modern Horror Film in any way, shape or form.  Is that a bad thing though?

The Film doesn't necessarily feel stodgy or outdated- just of its era.  There's no blood.  There's no guts.  There's really not much that's graphic or anything.  The worst you get is the Mirror Story or the creepiness of the Ventriloquist's Story.

Oddly, for me, the most unsettling thing was the casual nature of how the one guy just walked into the Lake to die and nobody stopped him.  At a certain point, what did you think he was doing?  Why didn't you help him?!?

If you're looking for true Horror, the Stories are mixed bag. 
The first one with the Racecar Driver is ominous, while the Christmas Ghost is harmless. 
The Golf Story- casual and avoidable suicide aside- is intentionally Comedic. 
The Mirror Story has a nice slow burn, just not the payoff you might expect as a modern viewer.
The Ventriloquist Story is the most famous one for a reason.  While there's still no actual death, it is the most Horror of them all.

The wrap-up is intentionally vague, but interesting.  I have to imagine that David Lynch was inspired by it.

Dead of Night is a Classic bit of unique Horror- just know what you're getting into.  Don't be caught off-guard like this little guy, which is a small animal reacting to the Golfer's slow-motion suicide.  No, really.

Next up, I might as well watch the follow-up (in name only) Film next.  Will 30 years change the tone?  Stay tuned...

Poor Bastards of Cinema: Dracula's Daughter (1936)

 Let's go back to the Golden Age of Cinema to see a random schmuck get killed.

In 1936's Dracula's Daughter (also the first Universal Horror Sequel, Film Trivia Buffs), we see the titular character show up to burn/bury her Father.

She has been afflicted with his same curse and hopes that his death will end it.

Sadly, that bit of lore had not been made up yet.

Pressed on by her Man Servant, she goes out to see if she can resist temptation.
A man walks into her range...

She does not succeed at her check and approaches the man...

She does her trick involving her hypnosis ring on him.

She also has her Dad's face-covering thing down.

...and I guess he's dead.

They didn't show fangs in a Vampire Film until the 1950s, so I guess this is for the best.

While he is an intended victim, his appearance is sudden, he is never named (not even in the Credits AFAIK) and only gets a passing mention as 'a previous victim' before the Film's end.

The lesson- avoid strange ladies in dark alleys.  I guess big rings too.

Next time, I go back to a previous Holiday Review to memorialize some real ancillary Characters.  They aren't important, but their deaths sure are violent!  See you then...

Poor Bastards of Cinema: Revenge of the Creature (1955)

 I decided to interrupt the Schedule due to noticing one I missed in a Classic Film that Svengoolie just played.

In Revenge of the Creature, Gill-Man is brought to America- specifically a Florida Water Park.

He, of course, escapes...

While he's not quite out for revenge- as the Title states- he does get what he is after.

Specifically, he kidnaps the Blonde Scientist (who quickly becomes a fainting damsel, since, 1950s).

No, the Poor Bastards are not the people who get their dinner interrupted.

...it's these 2 random guys.

For no clear reason, Gill-Man sets her down on a Beach and goes into the water.  Checking the temp, I guess?

They see her and stop...but don't realize that Gill-Man is back.

They die.

In most 1950s Films, this would be about them as the Leads.
Instead, they are nameless Poor Bastards who are killed off-screen, but their death is confirmed in the next Scene.

The lesson- don't go to the Beach at night.  When has that EVER worked out?

Tubi Thursday: Black Magic (1949)

 Since it is Black History Month, let's watch a Black Film that is all about History.
Also it is based on a Book that didn't make you read in High School.  This is...

In a random Framing Device, Alexandre Dumas Sr and Jr discuss the tale of Cagliostro.

I think the idea is that this inspired the Writing of the Book...maybe.  Raymond Burr is here for like 2 seconds.

We learn that Cagliostro was once a Romani (I won't use the slur name) who's Parents were killed by Nobles.

A grown up version- Orson Welles, who supposedly-Directed some Scenes- learns that he can hypnotize people and vows to get long-form revenge.

He rises to power by showing off his ability to influence/control minds.

He gets popular with the elites like Louis XV and Marie Antoinette.

The Film is long and not super-exciting (it looks nice and all), so I'll summarize...

He forces a woman who looks like Marie to marry him under hypnosis.
He tricks her Lover and a Royal Guard into an elaborate scheme involving an expensive necklace that will make the Commoners hate the Queen.

One goes to steal it for 'Marie' and the other to get it away before people discover it.

All caught up and not at all confused (especially since the two guys are nearly Twins here)?

Will his convoluted scheme work?

Is this Poster great?

It all ends with Cagliostro on trial and nearly getting his way.

A Deus Ex Machina shows up in the form of Dr. Mesmer (not a Marvel or DC Villain) who hypnotizes HIM into confessing.  We know that he's not lying...but it sure looks like he's under mind-control to lie...so our Hero?

Naturally, it still ends with a sword fight- it's a Dumas Story- and the villain dies.  The End.

It's...very long and busy.  Granted- it's also good too, so don't judge me too much.

To be blunt, there's ALOT going on here, we get random narration that kind of helps, but it's still alot to follow.  We get multiple characters, actual twins, two guys that are nearly twins and a very complicated revenge scheme.

Welles is quite fun to watch as the (sometimes titular) villain.  He definitely overshadows everyone else as he hams it up just enough with his big, bug-eyed expressions.  He's young and virile here, bringing alot to the role.  That doesn't include sword-fighting, it seems, though as his obvious Double fights with his back to the camera the whole time.

Fans of this kind of Old School Film (which looks to have luxurious colors that we don't see in a B&W print) will enjoy this often-overlooked Film.  Like I said, it is ALOT to keep track of, so enjoy it.  After all, it is apparently the...

A complicated and mostly-worthwhile Film that definitely shines due to Welles.  Fans of this kind of Period Drama should love it.

Old-School Flix: Bluebeard (1944)

 Clearing another random DVD off of the Watch Pile.  This time, it is Bluebeard, a 1944 Film that is sadly not a Pirate Film.  If you don't know, the term comes from the name given to Men who date rich, older Women and then kill them.  That's thankfully not a notable thing anymore, not that, you know, murder and all that doesn't still happen.  It's also not *that* important to know here, since the Film is actually not about that.  Why the Title?  Dunno.  They call him that for no clear reason, so let's just accept it.  It was Directed by Edgar G. Ulmer, who has a few notable Films on his Resume.  For one, he did the 1934 'version' of The Black Cat (with Bela Lugosi and Boris Karloff), as well as other Films from this time.  Its Star is John Carradine, who is thankfully in the good part of his Career and not the part where he's singing 'Night Train to Mundo Fine.'  Good times.  In the Film, Carradine is a killer who falls in love.  Aw.  Will he be able to stop himself?  To find out, read on...

A random woman's body is found floating in the River Seine.

Don't worry- the Film isn't too French.
In fact, it's mostly just American with like 4 French guys in it.

There is a killer on the loose!

Thankfully, this Exposition Flyer is there to explain it all...and to take way too long to go away, since I guess people read slower back in the '40s.

I mean, it's obviously this guy.

The Film makes no mystery of this, so why should I?

Carradine's Character is a bit complicated to explain, so let me try...

- He's a Serial Killer.

- He's a Puppeteer

- He's also a Painter.

- He paints a portrait of a woman before he kills her.

All good?

He has an Art Dealer who sells said Paintings on the Black Market, but always wants more.

Of course, he knows how he gets them too AND he knows that they could be evidence...like when he sells it to a rich guy who displays it proudly.

It was the last victim.  Oops.

The woman who happens to be falling for Carradine turns out to be the Sister of the Detective trying to solve the case.

What are the odds of that?!?

They set up a sting operation to catch Carradine, but he recognizes the woman from earlier and kills her!

His Dealer friend helps out by delaying the Police and escaping...until he's killed too in his next Scene.

Our Heroine eventually finds Carradine- as part of another Police Sting- and he says that he feels bad about, you know, killing her Sister.

Well, that's alright then....hey, wait a minute!!!!

He fights off the Police- since he suddenly can't kill a woman fast since she's the Main Character- fairly well...until he falls to his death.  

The End.

A slow, but steady Film.  The Plot is fairly-simple...at first.  He's a killer, but he's also conflicted.  Got it.  Now he's a Puppeteer that falls in love- sure, alright.  Now he's also a Painter who draws his victims before he kills them.  Um...alright.  Now there's an Art Dealer, who's separately-corrupt, a Detective, a rich guy, the Sister, a random Courtroom Scene with some Prostitutes, a Police Sting, an underground Phantom of the Opera-esque Tunnel and...did I miss anything?  There's a bit much, no?  The Puppeteer stuff also completely vanishes after the first 20 minutes (it just gets him with her), so what was the real point of it?  Why couldn't he just be a Painter who tries to romance her?  The Movie's not really that long by modern standards (70 minutes) and pretty much on par for its time.  I guess they couldn't reach the proper length without that pointless Puppet Show version of Faust, eh?  None of the seeming-filler is bad though.  Ultimately, it's a Film that is all about letting you see the killer and somewhat understand him.  That's something that would be more prevalent in later Decades, so kudos.  Bluebeard is a good, if 'of its time' Film (no on-screen killing, for instance).  If you can't say one thing about it too, it sure is certified.

Next time, I dig deeper into the Random DVD Pile.  Who knows what will come up next?  Stay tuned...

Old School Horror: The Black Sleep (1956)

 A great Cast does not always a Classic Film make.  This is The Black Sleep, a 1956 Horror/Thriller with some big potential.  The Film is also important for a key historical reason.  

Right off the bat, you have to know who's in this Film. 
Basil Rathbone. 
Lon Chaney Jr. 
John Carradine. 
Tor Johnson. 
Bela Lugosi.  

How many notable names can you get for one Film?!?  As a bonus, it was Directed by Reginald Le Borg, who was behind the lens of a number of notable Films.  Jungle Woman, Weird Woman, Calling Dr. Death (both parts of the Inner Sanctum Series) and The Mummy's Ghost- just to name a few.  

Back to Lugosi, this would- unfortunately- be the final Film that he completed before his death.  Yes, his Test Footage/Random bits for Plan 9 don't count for this. 
So why is a Film with so many Stars/Attractions and a (dark) historical importance so forgotten? 
The Plot involves a mad Doctor, brain surgery and a random-ass Third Act.  To find out how this turns out, read on...

A man is sentenced to death for a murder he didn't commit.  His Doctor friend- Rathbone- gives him a formula that fakes his death and takes his body away.

He awakens as a free and 'dead' man.

The pair are up to no good, doing experimental surgery on people that the latter catches.  They are then drugged with the titular substance.

The guy on the right was supposed to be Peter Lorre, but his asking price was too high.

The 'dead' man is a Doctor and agrees to help Rathbone with his treatments.

His work involves brain surgery and it, well, is a work in progress.

One of his past subjects- Mongo (Chaney).

He used to be a Doctor, but the surgery made him a bit crazy.
His Daughter works with Rathbone, but it gets awkward when her Dad keeps trying to choke her to death.

Lugosi is another Subject, but he's better off- he's just mute.

Just don't try telling Bela (back when you could) that he was better off- he was pissed that he got no Dialog!

As enough time goes by the good Doctor and the Daughter suspect that more is going on.  They're right.

They see the previous subjects and find out that they are still alive, albeit mutated and/or crazy.

They also find out that the Doctor was framed for his crime (shocking, I know) by Rathbone and the 'victim' is still alive.  It's another mute, angry-faced Tor Johnson role.

The show-stealer- an absolutely bonkers John Carradine as a man who thinks that he's a Soldier in The Crusades!  It's like he's from a different Movie!

It all leads to a silly confrontation that ends in all of the bad people being killed...in pretty lame ways.

The Cops arrive and...that's it.  The End.

A Film that should be great.  Basil Rathbone as a Mad Scientist- great.  Lon Chaney Jr as a mute marauder- good.  Lugosi as, well, anything- good.  It's just a shame that the big attractions don't get to do nearly enough.  

Carradine appears so late in the Film that he can't do much more than steal the Show.  He's such a fun, random character that him being in here like this is just plain weird.  He belongs in a big, broad Comedy and this ain't one!  Chaney is, well, that's about all he can really do.  You don't lose much with him here- no disrespect.  The same goes with Tor, although his towering presence is a nice treat.  You get a mute killer showdown that we were denied when New Line didn't go with Jason vs. Michael back in the day.  Even if it is brief, seeing the pair have a face-off is a bit like that 'tease a match for later during a big match' thing that the WWF/E likes to do.  

Lugosi is wasted here the most as I genuinely can't talk about anything interesting he does.  He exists in the background (see above) and that's about it.  What excuse do you have?  

Rathbone does shine here, as he was clearly determined to make his villain more than one-dimensional.  You get the same basic beats that you'd later get with Classics like Eyes Without a Face (got no human race) or the less-classic Mansion of the Doomed.  Good for him.  

The Film is pretty damn dry and that's a shame.  You can have some fun with this one, but...eh, it's just alright.  

On the plus side, this Film is the context for this weird picture you see making the rounds on Google...

Next time, I cover another Black Film.  Will Bela get a second chance?  Stay tuned...