Click here for Classic-Horror.com's podcast featuring Nate Yapp and your Tenebrous Hostess, Girlkaiser of the Tenebrous Empire, discussing the Karloff/Lugosi film "The Black Cat" and the occult freakiness of "Alucarda."
Take a listen, and be treated to thirty-three minutes brimming with morsels of excitement like:
- Boris Karloff's awesome haircut
- Panty-moistening art deco architecture
- Incestuous necrophilia
- Subnormal is the NEW normal
- Blood-drenched lesbonic hottness
- Why "Alucarda" is not a nunsploitation film
- Psychic battles with gypsies
Thanks again to Nate for inviting me to chit-chat, even knowing what an arrogant, long-winded bastard I can be. He's good like that.
9 comments:
The ItWasADarkAndStormyWorkday Zone cackles:
THE BLACK CAT.
One of the
Best. KARLOFF. Films. EVER.
Best Scene? K's sardonic amusement when beating Lugosi at chess thereby winning The Property RITES Over Others' Fates...
Panty-moistening decor? There IS a colour remake of said abode (albeit on a slimmed down scale) in NJ that *i* was privileged to...imbibe L'absinthe in...;) HIGH P-M Factor *there* lemme tell Yas Peeples!
hrm...NEED to find copy of BC *illustration* i did many m00ns ago and send to said abode...
I love it! You and Nate really work well together. You made me want to revisit THE BLACK CAT.
Sorry for making another comment, but now I'm getting into the ALUCARDA discussion . . . fantastic points being made! On the "red tent" issue, what about the yonic imagery of the cavernous worship space? One could write volumes about this film.
Wonderful stuff, Empress! Makes me want to get together with friends and geek out on the Universal classics.
If, you know, I *had* any friends who liked to geek out on the Universal classics. :P Unfortunately the Duke is on one of his many excusions--I got a postcard from Uzbekistan yesterday, but haven't deciphered the code yet. ;)
I think it was wise of the filmmakers to give Lugosi's character a sinister edge along with his softness, as you guys discussed--I mean, you'd *never* buy him as ALL good, so that added element of menace really sets it off and makes him fully fleshed out, imo.
In the past I've derided David Manners as a totally useless cardboard cut-out, not only here but in just about every Universal horror he inexplicably was cast as the hero in (Dracula & The Mummy most egregiously), but in THE BLACK CAT I think his affable cluelessness actually works for once as a foil to Karloff and Lugosi's sparring--they keep everything in sinister subtext that the viewer can enjoy, almost like adults talking over an innocent child's head.
And the "floating corpse tank" containing Lugosi's wife--awesome visual stuff.
As for Alucarda, I surrender to your knowledge. I will add only: BLOOD-FILLED COFFIN. Wow.
Mmmm, psychic battles with gypsies sounds good.
Nate and Kate, like THE BLACK CAT and ALUCARDA, you make a great double-bill!
Joey Zone, while I DO appreciate the flattery, I'm afraid the Apartment of Erotic Horror isn't even a pale shadow of the manse in "The Black Cat," although Baron XIII does appreciate a fine New Wave hairdo as much as Karloff's character in the film... And YES YES YES! Please share your illo with the class--we want to seeee iiiiit!
Thank you so much, Headless! I'm glad you enjoyed our ramblings :) It was Nate's choice to do both films, and I was psyched to have a great reason to watch "The Black Cat" again. It's a real jewel of gothic horror!
Vicar, you're making me all sad over here, man! You need to come hang with my posse. It's pretty much nothing *but* geeking out. All the time. Well, in between the drinking.
Monster Scholar--BUH-lieve it!
Thank you, Pierre! I'm blushing over here :)
You know, I was just thinking, we should do this again sometime. I think I've figured out the sound quality issues (maybe).
Let me know if you're interested.
Absolutely, Nate! Your casket or mine, cupcake? ;)
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