Tuesday, January 13, 2009

Double Feature: The Shuttered Room & It!

The Shuttered Room [aka Blood Island]
Genre - Horror
Year Released - 1967
Running Time - 99 minutes
Directed by David Greene
Written by D. B. Ledrov & Nathaniel Tanchuck
*Based on a book written by August Derleth & H. P. Lovecraft
Cast Includes: Gil Young, Carol Lynley, and Oliver Reed

IT! [aka Curse of the Golem]
Genre - Horror
Year Released - 1966
Running Time - 96 minutes
Directed by Herbert J. Leder
Written by Herbert J. Leder
Cast Includes:
Roddy McDowall (from the Planet of the Apes film, as well as Fright Night 1 & 2)
Alan Sellers
Jill Haworth

Rating: 3 Skulls for The Shuttered Room and 4 Skulls for It!

Plot Summary:
Available on one disc, from Netflix, this double feature of 1960's horror films delivers star power along with the shocks.

In The Shuttered Room, Gil Young & Carol Lynley portray a couple investigating a sinister secret in their inherited New England home.

Then, creepy London museum curator Arthur Pimm awakens the golem, a centuries-old demonic clay figure, to do his bidding, in 1966's It!

Review:
Not really much of a review here - I watched both of these movies, the night before I left to visit family, over the holidays. . . I've seen a lot of movies between now and then, however I feel that both of these films are worth mentioning.

Carol Lynley is reason enough to watch The Shuttered Room

The Shuttered Room tells the story of Susannah, who finds out that an old mill house has been left to her, on Dunwich Island. So, taking her husband along, they go to look into the situation. When they arrive upon the island, [I wanted to find a picture of the ferry that they took across - it was basically just a big square block of wood, with a motor on it, just big enough where they could drive their car onto it - too funny!] they discover that those who live upon the island are not the most friendly, and there is a mystery behind the mill house. . .

What I really liked about this one [other than Lynley] was that it was a very "atmospheric" film.

In It, Roddy McDowall plays Arthur Pimm, an assistant curator at a London museum. After the museum's warehouse mysteriously burns down, the head curator is mysteriously killed. Pimm, who has worked years at the museum, is passed over for promotion to head curator. This does not sit well with Pimm [who, incidentally, keeps his mother's skeleton around ala Norman Bates in Psycho] After Pimm discovers how to awaken & control the museum's recently acquired golem, things don't bode too well for others. . .

I really liked this one, and I felt it was the better of the two films.

I was unable to find a trailer for either film. However, if you enjoy older, classic films, then these two should suit you just fine.

Jason

4 comments:

Unknown said...

I agree, I love both of these. And yes... Carol Lynley is gorgeous.

thebonebreaker said...

Awesome! :-)

J

Anonymous said...

these are two of my all time favorite cult movies, and carol lynley has to be one the hottest chicks of all time.

thebonebreaker said...

Glad you agree Snob! :-)

J