Spellbound (Passing Clouds) - 1941

Next up in our horror list was this strange movie. The title card was just the words "Passing Clouds" over a pyramid. It also had a couple other titles, but the movie is only based on one book: The Necromancers by Robert Hugh Benson.

I couldn't tell what anyone's names were except for a few people, so I'm going to refer to them by what we were calling them throughout the film.

Our main man, Lenny, falls in love with Amy. She's only a shopgirl, so Lenny's mother isn't fond of the idea of her baby boy marrying below his social status. Fortunately for her, Amy has a frail constitution and magically dies. I was curious why the doctor was just upstairs with the body for a few minutes for no reason. "She passed away a few minutes ago." And you're just now informing the family? What were you doing up there, sir?!

Anyway, Lenny takes it pretty hard and gets sucked into the spiritualist community. The woman who was lined up to be his bride (mother approved) is hanging out with Lenny and trying to keep him sane. Her name is Diana, and she just hangs out around him, but we weren't sure if she lived in the house or nearby.

Lenny goes into a trance and channels Amy, and then he hears her voice through a medium named Vincent. Now he's really all in. But he has a friend who calls in Mr. Catgut. Now Mr. Catgut is the hero of the movie and a real pro. He tries to tell Lenny that Vincent is messing around with demons, and Lenny shouldn't go to the séance, especially if they're trying to materialize something. Of course Lenny is a moron and doesn't listen, so now he's possessed. Diana saves him with the power of love, and the groundskeeper pushes his wheelbarrow into the sunset (well it was actually the sunrise, but potato/potato). I'm not kidding. That's how the movie ended.

I started out ready to make fun of this movie like I normally do. I couldn't understand the women because they were talking too fast, and the groundskeeper had a marbles-in-the-mouth accent. But as time went on, I liked that the movie was approaching the spiritualist angle in a different way. It wasn't just ghosts or fakes, it was the way it presented the possibility that dabbling with the spiritual world could open a door to things you don't want coming through.

But then the end happened. I seriously had to track down this book. It was written in 1909, so I knew it had to be in the public domain. There's no way (I hope) that the author of the book wrote that ending. Lenny comes home possessed and freaks out Diana. She calls Mr. Catgut and then convinces him to leave her alone in a room with the demon possessed man, while she says a prayer for him. She then falls asleep until morning and then WOW! Instant demon removal! And all because Diana loves Lenny...what?!

Seriously, I was all on board toward the end of this one. The actor was doing a great job acting possessed. His eyes were creepy, and the maniacal laughter was spot on. I was looking forward to the showdown between the forces of good (theologian Catgut) and evil (demon possessed Lenny), but no. We don't even get to find out if there were any consequences for Vincent since Lenny touched the demon ghost. It was just frustrating at that point. Another movie that had potential, and they ruined it by shoehorning in a completely unnecessary romance. But I will discover if it was the book's fault. It's in my "to be read" pile waiting for me...

Side note: Props to Hay Petrie for his portrayal of Mr. Cathcart (Catgut) - he made the movie worth it.

Men in War - 1957

I can't remember how this movie ended up on my radar. I think it had to do with it being about the Korean War, because I haven't seen any movies about that particular time. Anyway, I had this on my laptop, and I'm running out of space, so I needed to watch it to clear up some room.

This movie revolves around a group of soldiers trapped in a valley and surrounded by the enemy. They believe they just need to make it to the top of the hill to reconnect with friendlies, but they've been unable to reach them over the radio. One of the men has been killed without anyone hearing anything, and they decide it's time to move.

They load up the contents of the destroyed truck they were in and start walking. Eventually, a sergeant comes motoring by in a Jeep with a shell-shocked colonel. It takes some convincing, but they join forces and make their way to the hill, only to find out it's currently in the hands of the enemy. 

This movie was intense and depressing. Only three people make it, so getting attached to anyone is probably a bad idea. It's based on a book called Day Without End by Van Van Praag, but that was set during WWII and was related to the Normandy campaign.

The movie itself was a bit of a slog, but I understand what it was trying to do. Montana was a complex character, which made him my favorite. He was a super jerk to everyone, but he was just trying to protect the colonel, who he looked up to as a father. I was also happy to see Vic Morrow (from Combat! - a show I'm very slowly getting through), but he's playing a MUCH different character here.

I'm neutral on this movie. It had some good moments, but overall, I wasn't really sucked into the story. I didn't feel like I got to know the characters at all, except for the main 3 or 4. I'll just stay on the fence.

Invisible Ghost - 1941

Hopes were high when we turned this movie on. The title was horror-ish, and it starred our good pal, Bela Lugosi! Let's see what the movie had in store for us, shall we?

Before I start the review, I'm going to do things a little differently. Normally, after a movie, I head to the internet and download the movie poster for the review. When I do that, I read a bit about the movie. Sometimes I learn interesting tidbits about the filming, and other times I learn things that help me understand what I watched. This one was so confusing, I'm going to go through my impressions before looking anything up about the movie.

Murders are happening around the home of Mr. Kessler. His wife disappeared a few years ago, but he believes that one day she'll return. In reality, she ran away with another man, got into a car crash, got brain damage, and is living in a cellar under the barn. She's being fed by the groundskeeper who found her after the wreck, but she emerges from the cellar every once in a while, and that's when the murders happen.

You'd think she's the one responsible, but it's really Bela. When Mrs. Kessler stands beneath the window and stares at the house, Bela "senses" it and falls into a trance. He curls up his hand, and tracks down a victim to play peek-a-boo with before strangling them with his cape, robe or sometimes his bare hands. There were times during the movie I was wondering if she really was a ghost since she was outside in the rain, but she was perfectly dry. The rain was streaming down the window, so she wasn't protected by an overhang. But then, in the next moment, her face was wet. Then, she was dry again. Whatever.

Then we have Ralph. Poor Ralph. That man was executed for a murder he didn't commit, and no one really acknowledged that. His brother came from South America to find out what really happened, but at the end, no one mentioned that "hey, we really did have the wrong guy, eh?" Also, they were trying to pin the murders on the poor butler. And the whole psychiatry exam was the weirdest thing I've ever seen. Let's sit him down in a chair and simply ask him, "Do you think Mr. Kessler is insane?" How is that a test of the butler's sanity? So weird. 

And nothing made sense. Why did Bela go into a trance when his wife was near? Why did it make him kill people? Why did his wife die once she got into the house? She'd been near him before, so why at that moment does she die, and why does that moment break the spell over Bela? And why did lightning break the spell? And why were there no invisible ghosts?!

Every person in this movie was awful. The police railroaded poor Ralph. All they had was circumstantial evidence, and he supposedly had the best lawyer in the county. I have my doubts. The brother was an idiot, and his suspenders made his pants too high. The coroner couldn't tell when a person was dead. The cops watching the house never saw the woman in a bathrobe. The daughter was useless. The only helpful person was the butler. Evans was the man, and he's the real hero. And they tried pinning the murder on him!

I went to look into the movie and found nothing of note. I think if you're in the mood for a strange nonsensical Bela movie, you might be entertained by this one. I think The Devil Bat is much better though and would recommend it over this one easily.

The Great Escape - 1963

I've been meaning to watch this movie for the longest time, but the length of it was a serious consideration. It's also one of those movies I feel like I need to be in the mood for.

This movie is based on the true story of an organized breakout from Stalag III during WWII. The Germans are tired of POWs breaking out, and their brilliant plan is to put them all in the same camp and to keep track of them. Not surprisingly, the men immediately start to plan an escape.

I'm not going to mention much more of the plot. It's an escape movie. It's not 100% accurate by any means, but there are places it got things right. Three men escaped, and fifty were executed (just not in the way portrayed). The three tunnels were named Tom, Dick and Harry, but the locations were different. The Americans were involved in helping with the setup for the escape, but they were moved from the camp before the attempt. The motorcycle chase never happened (shocking!).

I kept thinking parts of this movie felt familiar, but I know I've never seen it before. I tried to think if maybe my dad had it on TV, but I can't be sure. I don't think I'm mixing it up with Stalag 17. I also tried to check and see if I'd already read the book, but I don't have a review for it, either. I have no idea!

I did like this movie, and I want to read more now. Two of the three escapees wrote memoirs, and I'm going to keep and eye out for those as well as the Paul Brickhill book that collected stories and tells his side of helping with the setup. He was unable to participate in the escape due to fear that his claustrophobia would affect the mission, so he helped in other ways.

Either way you look at it, this was a bold move made by many men. The cost wasn't measured in money, but in lives. Was it worth it to risk so many lives to set three free? I don't want to speak for the men, but since they worked so hard to get out, they knew those risks, and they were prepared to take them. It was a good movie, and now I'm adding to my pile of things I want to read...again. One thing about it - I'll never be at a loss for something to read! Good Movie!

Side Note: It was nice to see Donald Pleasence in a role other than a villain for once. I'm not sure I've seen that before!

The Ghost Train - 1941

Ok, I am fully convinced the person that put together this horror list either wasn't paying attention or didn't watch some of these movies. I'll explain later.

A group of people misses their connection because a moron stops the entire train when his hat flies out the window. This man reminded me of Kay Kiser from You'll Find Out. He even looked like him, too. The weather turns bad, and the group decides they're spending the night in the station. The stationmaster warns them the building is haunted by a train, and they should beware. He leaves, and shenanigans ensue. The strange man (I'm calling him Shaggy), makes jokes and eventually pulls out a record player and starts singing a song. Enter the hero of the film, Richard. He sacrificed his game of chess to spare everyone more inane singing by throwing the record player outside on the train tracks. What a hero!

About halfway through the movie, the stationmaster comes back and croaks on the floor. Then a dramatic woman bursts through the door and claims she simply must be at the station. The ghost train is coming tonight! Her brother is trying to get her out of there, and the others are trying to help her. When the ghost train comes roaring by, it becomes clear that not everything is as it seems.

This was not a horror movie. This was an episode of Scooby Doo before Scooby Doo existed. There's a conspiracy to keep people away from the station because it's being used to smuggle weapons to the Nazis. They've come up with the Ghost Train myth to keep people out of the area, and they even have a ghost! Also, I'm giving credit for the solving of the mystery to Richard, because I love that he punched Teddy (I guess he's the Scooby in this scenario?) in the face. I wish he could've punched Shaggy, but it was glorious enough when he demolished the man's music. When Teddy wakes up, he's upset they won't be there when the Ghost Train comes back so they can expose the villains, but they would have been outnumbered had they stayed. I'm still calling it a Scooby Doo episode. I mean, people did die, so I'm calling it Hardcore Scooby Doo. Also, they left the bird lady at the station. That was a bit rude.

Those Nazi sympathizers would've gotten away with it if it wasn't for that stupid meddling moron and his hat...