1940s: Most OVERRATED and UNDERRATED FIlm in Golden Age Horror Forum

0 Points

Forum Jump

1940s: Most OVERRATED and UNDERRATED FIlm

Author	Comment
Imhoteps Ashes	Re: 1940s: Most OVERRATED and UNDERRATED FIlm	#21	[-]
Aug 1 05 4:32 AM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	Overrated: FRANKENSTEIN MEETS THE WOLF MAN. Really not much better than THE GHOST or HOUSE OF FRANKENSTEIN - which I don't consider as good as HOUSE OF DRACULA - this picture tarnished any hopes of the Universal monster cycle's future. I've always been lukewarm with this one. Underrated: DR JEKYLL AND MR HYDE. I can't believe this has been posted as overrated! Spencer Tracy - laughable at times - generally succeeds, in a totally repellant character. "I'll show you what horror means!" - Fredric March, DR JEKYLL AND MR HYDE (1932)
	Remove this ad
hnicolella	Re: 1940s: Most OVERRATED and UNDERRATED FIlm	#22	[-]
Aug 1 05 8:36 AM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	(Underrated: DR JEKYLL AND MR HYDE. I can't believe this has been posted as overrated! Spencer Tracy - laughable at times - generally succeeds) What I like about Tracy's Hyde is that he's not a demon, just a particularly vile human being. He's like an abusive, sadistic, bullying drunk who enjoys seeing people cower. Another plus is that his make-up is not especially monstrous or werewolf like so you can still see Jekyll in Hyde. I think it's been mentioned elsewhere but the dvd of the fmovie is missing a few minutes that were included in a BBC broadcast of the film some years back It's interesting stuff-espcially a bit at the climax where Jekyll looks into a mirror and Hyde looks back at him from the glass and begins taunting him ("Kind-ly Dr. Jekyll!"). It's not likely to change anybody's opinion of the film-which I certainly agree is underrated-but it's nice to see and I wonder why it disappeared from the standard prints.
TomWeaver999	Re: 1940s: Most OVERRATED and UNDERRATED FIlm	#23	[-]
Aug 1 05 9:09 AM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	I'm told that the recent DVD release of THE GENERAL DIED AT DAWN (1936) is missing a couple minutes at the beginning. At the beginning -- so that you kinda have to play "catch-up" plot-wise for a while. In their defense, though, maybe that footage doesn't exist any more, whereas with the J&H, yeah, the missing stuff exists and is even on TV in another part of the world.
Imhoteps Ashes	Re: 1940s: Most OVERRATED and UNDERRATED FIlm	#24	[-]
Aug 1 05 9:12 AM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	The footage certainly isn't present on the Region 2 DVD, although the BBC is (in)famous for carrying rare film in their archives. "I'll show you what horror means!" - Fredric March, DR JEKYLL AND MR HYDE (1932)
Joe Karlosi		#25	[-]
Nov 3 09 3:44 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	It's been 4 years ... anyone want to give their thoughts who hasn't yet?
Buzz Dixon		#26	[-]
Nov 3 09 4:49 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	I think DR. SPENCER & MR. TRACY is over-rated; as I've posted elsewhere, without a physical transformation it's just a story about a mean drunk. I think YOU'LL FIND OUT is under-rated. It's not a great movie by a long shot, but it sure doesn't deserve the hate it gets! www.SnokieStories.com www.BuzzDixon.com http://twitter.com/snokiestories
luisj40		#27	[-]
Nov 3 09 4:53 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	I wasn't posting here four years ago but I'll say DR. JEKYLL & MR. HYDE 1941 is fairly overrated plays out more like a melodrama than horror. Most underrated a tie between THE MONSTER AND THE GIRL and THE MAD GHOUL two fine little films that still hold up today. Luis
todmichel		#28	[-]
Nov 3 09 5:08 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	OVERRATED : I think DR JEKYLL & MR HYDE is totally overrated, an inferior remake of the Mamoulian masterpiece. Moreover, it's utterly ridiculous that nobody seems to recognize Dr. Jekyll under Mr. Hyde's features, when he is virtually the same man... UNDERRATED : I have no precise title in head. Perhaps CRIMES AT THE DARK HOUSE, but "ignored" would be a more correct adjective I think. My favorite Tod Slaughter movie.
tonyrivers		#29	[-]
Nov 3 09 5:47 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	Over-rated: CAT PEOPLE. It's a really good movie but not as great as some make it out to be. Of course I'm one of those who would rather watch a Universal movie with a monster in it than a Lewton film. Under-rated: there are quite a few films that fit this category but one I haven't seen mentioned yet is CRY OF THE WEREWOLF. Not a classic but not as bad as its reputation. And i think it would be better liked by many if Nina Foch had turned into a monster similar to the wolfman makeup in RETURN OF THE VAMPIRE.
luisj40		#30	[-]
Nov 3 09 5:54 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	tonyrivers wrote: Under-rated: there are quite a few films that fit this category but one I haven't seen mentioned yet is CRY OF THE WEREWOLF. Not a classic but not as bad as its reputation. And i think it would be better liked by many if Nina Foch had turned into a monster similar to the wolfman makeup in RETURN OF THE VAMPIRE. Yes CRY OF THE WEREWOLF is a fine film but as you mention no werewolf make-up kills this film for many. Luis
	Remove this ad
Joe Karlosi		#31	[-]
Nov 3 09 7:06 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	Even though my vote back then was, and still is, DEAD OF NIGHT as "most overrated," I would put the 1941 JEKYLL & HYDE right behind it. "Dr. Spencer and Mr. Tracy"... heh heh... good one, Buzz!
Rakshasa		#32	[-]
Nov 3 09 7:32 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	luisj40 wrote: Yes CRY OF THE WEREWOLF is a fine film but as you mention no werewolf make-up kills this film for many. Agreed. The German Shepherd posing-as-a-werewolf is inexcusable and painfully un-scary. It looks exactly like what it is, a German Shepherd. Links To All The Classic Monster Stills I've Posted: http://monsterkidclassichorrorforum.yuku.com/topic/30758
Dr Stinson		#33	[-]
Nov 3 09 10:46 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	OVERRATED: THE WOLF MAN (1941) I haven't seen it in years but I recall thinking that it was pretty bland. UNDERRATED: THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA (1943) and THE CLIMAX (1944). These two usually are categorized as being as being more about opera than horror but I find that I enjoy them quite a bit.
Joe Karlosi		#34	[-]
Nov 4 09 5:30 AM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	Dr Stinson wrote: OVERRATED: THE WOLF MAN (1941) I haven't seen it in years but I recall thinking that it was pretty bland. UNDERRATED: THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA (1943) and THE CLIMAX (1944). These two usually are categorized as being as being more about opera than horror but I find that I enjoy them quite a bit. Everyone's allowed their opinion, but did I read yours right? Did you say you enjoy THE CLIMAX and THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA, but find THE WOLF MAN bland?
clore103051		#35	[-]
Nov 4 09 7:40 AM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	I suppose I'll get an argument as to whether it's a "horror" film, but Cukor's Gaslight just doesn't do it for me. The British original may not have the star power or the gloss, but it has 30 fewer minutes which is a blessing. I've a great fondness for The Mysterious Doctor, a Warner film which looks as if it were shot on the Universal lot. It could have easily been a Sherlock Holmes tale, in fact Lester Matthews even plays a "Dr. Holmes." Matt Willis once again seems to be aping a Chaney performance, this time Lennie Small. Star John Loder and cinematographer Henry Sharp would be paired again on The Woman Who Came Back to which I give an honorary mention for most underrated. I confess to not seeing it in 40 years but while it may not have been up to Lewton standards, it struck me as having a lot more going for it than a lot of genre pieces from the same era.
Alias the Scarecrow		#36	[-]
Nov 4 09 8:01 AM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	Hmmmmmmm...for most overrated I would go with BEDLAM, DR.JEKYLL & MR.HYDE and DR.CYCLOPS.. For underrated I would say SON OF DRACULA, FRANKENSTEIN MEETS THE WOLF MAN and STRANGLER OF THE SWAMP.
Rakshasa		#37	[-]
Nov 4 09 8:08 AM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	Alias the Scarecrow wrote: underrated: FRANKENSTEIN MEETS THE WOLF MAN Interesting, as I generally perceive this to be an absolute favorite of most fans. Links To All The Classic Monster Stills I've Posted: http://monsterkidclassichorrorforum.yuku.com/topic/30758
atenolol		#38	[-]
Nov 4 09 10:46 AM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	The most underrated horror film of the 1940's, or at least certainly the most overlooked, is THE ROCKING HORSE WINNER. According to IMDB, it was released in Britain in November of 1949, so it qualifies. I found it strikingly anticipatory of THE EXORCIST, with a child possessed by a demon rocking horse, but where THE EXORCIST was as subtle as a sledgehammer, THE ROCKING HORSE WINNER is understated in the old British manner, while being not only more convincing, but ultimately darker and more unsettling. The most overrated--I guess I could jump on the DR JEKYLL AND MR HYDE bandwagon--but who actually likes this movie that much, so is it overrated? It is difficult to come up with horror movies from that era that are overrated. Most get short shrift. There is a certain amount of support for the 1943 THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA among boardmembers, so I will pick this bland misfire in gaudy technicolor as my most overrated. Last Edited By: atenolol Nov 4 09 10:57 AM. Edited 1 times.
atenolol		#39	[-]
Nov 4 09 10:50 AM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	atenolol wrote: Another of my clumsy duplicate posts, but I might as well make a comment on Tracy's J & H. While I agree with most of the criticism of this movie expressed in earlier posts, I don't agree with the one about people recognizing Hyde as Jekyll. Who ever saw both of them? I think only Ivy. Ivy has a crush on Jekyll, though, and as us scarred old geezers have often learned the hard way, love is blind. Last Edited By: atenolol Nov 4 09 11:01 AM. Edited 2 times.
Cool Ghoul		#40	[-]
Nov 4 09 11:05 AM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	Overrated: The Uninvited Underrated: The Leopard Man
	Remove this ad

<< Previous Topic Next Topic >>

Add Reply

Yuku free message boards

1940s: Most OVERRATED and UNDERRATED FIlm