Dead Men Walk - PRC's finest hour? in Poverty Row Forum

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Dead Men Walk - PRC's finest hour?

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thebrainfollower	Dead Men Walk - PRC's finest hour?	Lead	[-]
Jan 8 07 12:51 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	Just watched this one last night and I have to say it seemed the best of the PRC horrors I have seen. Low budget like all of em (what's a closeup) but it's a great script with a fascinatiing dual performance from George Zucco (the two brothers are NOT opposites but similiar in some respects) and the last ever (I think) horror role for the legendary Dwight Frye. The vampire element is somewhat underplayed as well (probably due to budgetary constraints) which makes for an interesting change from the usual (contrast this with Son of Dracula someday) and a great fiery climax. Any other opinions of this overlooked gem?
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Professor Von X	Re: Dead Men Walk - PRC's finest hour?	#1	[-]
Jan 8 07 1:15 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	Not just being contrary, I found this to be deadly dull. Couldn't stay awake for it, but it was a late-night viewing and perhaps, to be fair, I should try it again. I DID pay for the Roan version afterall. Professor Von X
thebrainfollower	Re: Dead Men Walk - PRC's finest hour?	#2	[-]
Jan 8 07 2:26 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	I agree it's not the most exciting of pictures certainly.
CAPTAINCOMPANY	Re: Dead Men Walk - PRC's finest hour?	#3	[-]
Jan 8 07 4:13 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	Hey Brainflower! Although I think "Dead Men Walk" is a decent film (at least by "poverty row" standards), I feel that 1946's "Strangler of the Swamp" is their crowning achievement. The studio bound sets are atmospheric, Charles Middleton is an eerie presence, and Frank Wisbar's camera work and compositions are definitely much better than the average hack directors associated with the "B-movie assembly line. Now, for sheer entertainment value, my favorite PRC is (hands down) "The Devil Bat" with Bela Lugosi as "kindly Dr. Carruthers" Bryan
thebrainfollower	Re: Dead Men Walk - PRC's finest hour?	#4	[-]
Jan 8 07 5:38 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	Haven't seen Strangler Yet, Devil Bat is great too though.
Joe Karlosi	Re: Dead Men Walk - PRC's finest hour?	#5	[-]
Jan 8 07 9:14 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	I just tried it again recently. Thought it was a real bore again, unfortunately. ---------------------- "It's MORE ... than a hobby!"
Imhoteps Ashes	Re: Dead Men Walk - PRC's finest hour?	#6	[-]
Jan 9 07 12:33 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	For me, this is rivalled by SCARED TO DEATH alone as the most boring poverty row horror film. "Hideous Half-Man, Half-Beast Who Terrorized Millions!" - Tagline, WEREWOLF OF LONDON (1935)
Eric Huffstutler	Re: Dead Men Walk - PRC's finest hour?	#7	[-]
Jan 10 07 2:29 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	To me, PRC's "The Monster Maker" is more entertaining than "Dead Men Walk". "Scared To Death" was not PRC but it too was hard to follow with waaay too many flashback cut-aways and the same annoying music. And the look is of the 2 strip Technicolor rather than 3-strip process. I also know that "Devil Bat" is always on the top of Poverty Row movies but the dime store scenery and obviously fake bats on clothes hangers (in the same category as Ed Wood's flying saucers in Plan 9) just throw me off from being popular with me. Eric
Joe Karlosi	Re: Dead Men Walk - PRC's finest hour?	#8	[-]
Jan 10 07 5:42 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	*Quote:* To me, PRC's "The Monster Maker" is more entertaining than "Dead Men Walk". Me too. By about a hundred miles. ---------------------- "It's MORE ... than a hobby!"
Count Gamula	Re: Dead Men Walk - PRC's finest hour?	#9	[-]
Jan 12 07 3:37 PM Burgomaster Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	I would rate PRC movies THE MAD MONSTER and THE MONSTER MAKER, as well as STRANGLER OF THE SWAMP as better than DEAD MEN WALK, although I do enjoy it. The chance to see Zucco as both the good and bad guy (the good guy wears a toupee) is kinda cool. And Dwight Frye returning to his Renfield roots is a great touch. But the film falls pretty flat overall. It would really help if a nice copy of the film ever showed up. The ones I've seen are all-but unwatchable quality. Is there a particularly good DVD edition out there?
CAPTAINCOMPANY	Re: Dead Men Walk - PRC's finest hour?	#10	[-]
Jan 12 07 4:17 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	Hey Kerry! Probably your best bet is the Roan disc (which pairs it with the aforementioned "Monster Maker") True, its no "Warner's restoration", but for the most part, it's a fairly sharp print, and definitely better than the Alpha version. Bryan
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Count Gamula	Re: Dead Men Walk - PRC's finest hour?	#11	[-]
Jan 13 07 12:20 AM Burgomaster Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	I do have the Roan DVD. I took another look and the picture isn't as bad as I remembered. The daylight scenes look pretty good, but some of the night scenes are a bit murky, though not nearly as dark as the Alpha disc.
MarkDClark	Re: Dead Men Walk - PRC's finest hour?	#12	[-]
Jan 18 07 3:55 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	I enjoy DEAD MEN WALK, but I don't think it's a patch on BLUEBEARD or STRANGLER OF THE SWAMP.
MyDarkSide	Re: Dead Men Walk - PRC's finest hour?	#13	[-]
Jan 18 07 7:52 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	My two cents on DMW is that it isn't too bad. Zucco always succeeded at playing an Ass more than any other type of role. Always strange to see Zucco with hair, as I usually notice him to be bald/mostly bald in most roles he's in.
Count Gamula	Re: Dead Men Walk - PRC's finest hour?	#14	[-]
Jan 18 07 11:53 PM Burgomaster Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	He wore hair in THE MAD MONSTER too and probably a few more. But yeah, he seems more Zucco-ish without it.
haevensnacht	Re: Dead Men Walk - PRC's finest hour?	#15	[-]
Jan 20 07 9:36 AM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	Yes, BLUEBEARD and STRANGLER OF THE SWAMP are definitely PRC's finest. THE DEVIL BAT follows and DEAD MEN WALK is middle of the pack. I always liked PRC more than MONOGRAM though.
LesDaniels	Re: Dead Men Walk - PRC's finest hour?	#16	[-]
Jan 20 07 10:37 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	I think DEAD MEN WALK was the first horror film I ever saw, on stone-age television, but my favorite PRC is FOG ISLAND. I love the Atwill vs. Zucco casting (like a low budget version of a Karloff vs. Lugosi clash), and the climax in the locked room is the only scene in a Poverty Row film that actually chilled me.
Cadaverino	Re: Dead Men Walk - PRC's finest hour?	#17	[-]
Jan 22 07 12:38 AM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	Who owns PRC's nitrate negatives?
sirharryflashman	Re: Dead Men Walk - PRC's finest hour?	#18	[-]
Mar 11 07 12:42 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	Caught Dead Men Walk last night for the the first time. Phew, talk about over-ripe dialogue! Zucco is the only one, or in this case two, of the actors in the film able to deliver lines without causing me to cringe every time a mouth was opened...and that's only if I could hear it over the watery warbling of the background print noise. Great fiery finale, but otherwise just a cheap and watered down variation of Dracula with occult elements and twins thrown into the mix, hell, even Dwight Frye is on hand in a Renfield-like role. Hard to sit still for its admittedly short entirety but George Zucco kept me interested. Cheers, Charles Sherlock Holmes in Film, Books and Media
Eric Huffstutler	Re: Dead Men Walk - PRC's finest hour?	#19	[-]
Mar 11 07 3:42 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	PRC (Producers Releasing Corporation) was absorbed by Pathe in 1940 and kept making movies under the PRC name. Then that was taken over in 1948 by J. Arthur Rank's Eagle Lion and ceased to exist. BTW Eagle Lion made "The Amazing Mr. X" 1948; "Deatination Moon" 1950; "Forbidden Jungle" 1950, and "Prehistoric Women" 1950. One site states that "Strangler of the Swamp" 1946 is PRC's best Horror film. From what I can tell they were distributed and owned by United Artist so I guess MGM or Warner Brothers has the rights like they do to Monogram (which we are still waiting on releases of these titles from them). Also maybe Wade Williams has some of them like "Destination Moon"? Eric
TomWeaver999	Re: Dead Men Walk - PRC's finest hour?	#20	[-]
Mar 11 07 3:52 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	The hero of DEAD MEN WALK, Ned Young, later became an Oscar-nominated (maybe Oscar-winning? I forget) screenwriter.
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Dead Men Walk - PRC's finest hour?

Dead Men Walk - PRC's finest hour?