tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2316228451187611813.post6134195669780450207..comments2024-01-28T19:45:11.660-08:00Comments on At the Mansion of Madness: Night of the Seagulls (1976)Giovanni Susinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03253382939348997303noreply@blogger.comBlogger16125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2316228451187611813.post-88362330389821956212015-09-02T23:06:46.888-07:002015-09-02T23:06:46.888-07:00You make a very good point as well. There are case...You make a very good point as well. There are cases where I think its my attachment from the time that makes me like it so much. But there are others, and often how I truly judge, where when I see something new that is similar, but get a similar reaction. For example, I really loved/love 70s and 80s Chinese kung fu films. I wasn't sure if it was just cause of the time and place. But a few weeks ago I saw Five Deadly Venoms for the first time and was so impressed, so entertained, it was like being a kid in the 80s again.R.S. Sterlinghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09342230029830159127noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2316228451187611813.post-91519485892951929482015-09-02T18:36:28.013-07:002015-09-02T18:36:28.013-07:00Thanks for the comment, Rob! It's been a while...Thanks for the comment, Rob! It's been a while since I've seen this one, but I remember it well. I can't remember a lot from this review though, heh heh. My expectations of a film can sometimes be influenced by what others are saying, but my final thoughts are almost always different, especially in the case of a commonly ragged on film like this one. I like what you've said regarding sentimental bias; I've often wondered if that feeling is true for me with regards to my thoughts on a lot of my favorite films and how I compare them to more recently viewed films, and I have to say I'm unsure. Giovanni Susinahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03253382939348997303noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2316228451187611813.post-42576943303436611012015-09-01T21:29:29.375-07:002015-09-01T21:29:29.375-07:00I'm glad to see you like this one too. I don&#...I'm glad to see you like this one too. I don't know if it is my favorite of the series, but I liked it quite a bit. So many people rag on this one. Granted, I rarely listen to people, but still I went in not expecting too much and was pleasantly surprised. It might also be that I saw all the movies together. So there was no real bias or sentimental value to any of them. R.S. Sterlinghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09342230029830159127noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2316228451187611813.post-64045330062427661052012-05-06T02:57:37.598-07:002012-05-06T02:57:37.598-07:00CLips from one of the greatest movies with a song ...CLips from one of the greatest movies with a song by one of the greatest bands ever. Bloody wonderful http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IklEac6xvvEBernandohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16584172624713130656noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2316228451187611813.post-88020687981865137592011-10-31T13:21:48.702-07:002011-10-31T13:21:48.702-07:00I find all four films of the "Reitenden Leich...I find all four films of the "Reitenden Leichen" (blind Dead) wonderful! Great costumes, great masks... nice films!Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10750384332347562905noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2316228451187611813.post-31168895523311900782011-10-20T23:42:37.593-07:002011-10-20T23:42:37.593-07:00@Real Queen of Horror: Thanks for the kind words, ...@Real Queen of Horror: Thanks for the kind words, I am glad you enjoy it here. If you do check out the Blind Dead films be sure to start with THE TOMBS OF THE BLIND DEAD, as it is the best introduction. If you dig that, then there’s a good chance you’ll dig the rest.<br /> <br />@occhio sulle espressioni: I agree that Amando De Ossorio crafted some of the best atmosphere in his films. Your write up on De Ossorio’s horror films was terrific (I totally forgot about Malenka), and I enjoyed your comprehensive look at the Blind Dead series (I agree that the ending to TOMBS was excellent). I encourage other fans to check it out.Giovanni Susinahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03253382939348997303noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2316228451187611813.post-90058627331467783542011-10-20T15:12:53.654-07:002011-10-20T15:12:53.654-07:00It is also my favorite of the 4, I appreciated
the...It is also my favorite of the 4, I appreciated<br />the setting, the village, the beach. then I<br />like movies where a small house in this small and<br />ancient, distant from others!<br />For Ossorio devoted an entire "special": http://occhiosulleespressioni.blogspot.com/search/label/Amando%20de%20Ossorio<br />It was a great craftsman of the atmosphere!<br />Bye! ;)occhio sulle espressionihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14825768722893715391noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2316228451187611813.post-65180471420759627192011-10-20T13:19:25.813-07:002011-10-20T13:19:25.813-07:00Lol @ you shouting at the the movie. At least it w...Lol @ you shouting at the the movie. At least it was an entertaining watch! ^_^ I have heard of this movie but I have not seen it. I love coming to your blog because you sometimes introduce me to movies I never seen before or movies I heard of but haven't seen.Real Queen of Horrorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06786342064401390635noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2316228451187611813.post-6228398159180338022011-10-19T09:35:28.923-07:002011-10-19T09:35:28.923-07:00@cinemarcheaologist: I know what you mean about t...@cinemarcheaologist: I know what you mean about the first sequel, I first viewed it as sort of a double feature with my first viewing of TOTBD. I was so impressed and floored by the first one that I immediately threw on the second film only to be disappointed for the same reasons you mentioned. It is probably the least necessary sequel since it really is, as you say, a poor remake of the first. The other sequels, though not without their own flaws, really did something different with what TOTBD started. Thanks for sharing your opinions; I really do appreciate the second thoughts as well as more notes on the other films in the series which I think my review was lacking. <br /><br />@Amanda: I’m glad you enjoyed it. Teddy is an appealing character in the film that at first seems like he was intended to be somewhat of a comical character but turned out to be someone viewers feel very sorry for as an unfortunate but good natured character who receives a very harsh treatment in the story. Teddy seems like he was born into misfortune with only the 2 outsiders to turn to for help which still ends up with a pessimistic and depressing outcome.Giovanni Susinahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03253382939348997303noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2316228451187611813.post-79399860412964054862011-10-18T22:40:20.855-07:002011-10-18T22:40:20.855-07:00I thoroughly enjoyed this film, my first of the bl...I thoroughly enjoyed this film, my first of the blind dead films.... And I am not ashamed to admit that I kept waiting for you to mention Teddy, and was happy when you did. As you know, he was my favorite character. :)amandahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01858780268134404571noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2316228451187611813.post-68145893518039870882011-10-18T13:52:14.040-07:002011-10-18T13:52:14.040-07:00I notice, now, that I didn't say, earlier, how...I notice, now, that I didn't say, earlier, how much I <i>absolutely love</i> the Blind Dead flicks. The CITIZEN KANE reference may have given it away, but, historically speaking, that would be totally defensible as an objective comparison, even from someone who despised the sightless Templars. I love them. I even love THE GHOST GALLEON which is widely targeted as the worst of the lot--it has plenty of big, obvious problems, but for a movie made for practically nothing, I thought it was a fine little atmospheric horror tale. The Blind Dead flicks are incredible movies from an incredible era, one I think we, today, may be on the cusp of seeing reborn (but that's perhaps a discussion for another time and place).<br /><br />The only real clinker in the batch is the second one, and I dislike that one rather profoundly. It's just a really bad remake of the original, with some NOTLD thrown in, but it's faster-paced than the others, and in a world in which far too many have come up short in the attention-span department, that's often enough to earn it a degree of praise it does absolutely nothing to earn. I can't say a single original thing in its favor, because there isn't a single original thing in it to praise.<br /><br />An amusing footnote: The Blind Dead were made Portuguese Templars because the Spanish censorship of the time wouldn't allow things like monsters to be portrayed as coming from Spain. This is also the reason Paul Naschy's wolf-man had to be a Pole, rather than a Spaniard.<br /><br />BTW, I'm pretty sure the proper usage of Amando's name would just be "Ossorio," not "de Ossorio."cinemarchaeologisthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13507603255666191405noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2316228451187611813.post-81808046427090109952011-10-17T11:57:39.091-07:002011-10-17T11:57:39.091-07:00@Aaron: Hello and welcome. I’ve seen The LORELEY’...@Aaron: Hello and welcome. I’ve seen The LORELEY’S GRASP and thought it was a fun movie. I enjoyed the part in the underwater lair and I think it contains Helga Line’s most memorable role even more so than her Bathory-esque character in HORROR RISES FROM THE TOMB, and I do love the “wink-wink” moment when the camera zooms in on the skeleton hand prop used in the Blind Dead films. I do prefer the Knights Templar over the rubber lizard monster from LG though. <br /><br />The complaint I made about the Templars breaking into the house towards the end was a small one, but I’ve seen that scenario so many times already that I thought it hurt it a little for me, though it doesn’t hurt it enough for this to not be one of my favorite films and in 1976 I’m sure it wasn’t so overused. Thanks for commenting. By the way, you’ve made me realize that I was improperly using De Ossorio’s last name in the write up. I’m going to have to make some edits.<br /><br />@cinemarchaeologist: Looking at this write up in retrospect I might be inclined to agree with you that I’ve overrated this film a bit, but it wasn’t the intention and it also wasn’t the intention to make NIGHT OF THE SEAGULLS sound superior to the rest of the series . I think the reason it ends up seeming a little overrated here is because the write-up is primarily focusing on this one film and I said very little about the other films and so it comes off as sounding like a far superior film. I think in order to atone for this a review for TOMBS OF THE BLIND DEAD may become necessary in the future. <br /><br />Still, NIGHT OF THE SEAGULLS is my favorite of the 4 films, and in the review I was careful to write that in the first person so that it would come off as a subjective statement. TOMBS OF THE BLIND DEAD is a close second in my opinion, and is in no way inferior and deserves to be regarded as the best in the series because it was the starting point of a great thing and is a very important and significant film in this respect and also easily one of the best that Euro-horror has to offer. This ends up being the case for me with Romero’s Dead series. I think NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD is an extremely important film, but my favorite ends up being DAY OF THE DEAD, but without NOTLD we’d have no DOTD.Giovanni Susinahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03253382939348997303noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2316228451187611813.post-59164258010210975072011-10-17T09:20:31.791-07:002011-10-17T09:20:31.791-07:00I'll throw another vote behind THE BLOOD ON SA...I'll throw another vote behind THE BLOOD ON SATAN'S CLAW--definitely a great movie.<br /><br />Meanwhile, in ranking this one as superior to even the original, I fear you do--yes, I'll go ahead and use the dreaded word--overrate it, G. I think it's a very good movie, and easily the best of the Templar sequels, but it can't hold a candle to the first, which is, in its originality, creepiness, and brilliant simplicity, a landmark of Eurohorror in the same way CITIZEN KANE was a landmark for cinema.<br /><br />The Blind Dead films straddle a major transition in horror cinema, from creepy, atmospheric Gothic horror that had dominated for more than a decade before them to the more modern breed exemplified by NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD. That's where that "old fashioned feel" comes from--these are films that try to straddle that fence. This one and, especially, the first are major successes, insofar as that experiment is concerned. LORELEY'S GRASP that Aaron mentions makes the same effort, but with mixed results. It's quite good, to be sure, but some of the "modern" elements Ossorio tried to shoehorn in are handled rather clunkily, to put it as kindly as I dare.cinemarchaeologisthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13507603255666191405noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2316228451187611813.post-4274493395450796862011-10-16T21:07:58.057-07:002011-10-16T21:07:58.057-07:00I remember being a little underwhelmed with this o...I remember being a little underwhelmed with this one, but there were moments in it that I liked... the part towards the end where the templars were laying siege to the house, which you mentioned in your review, was one of my favorite moments in the BLIND DEAD series. However, it's been far too long since I've seen it for me to give you a solid opinion on it. What I can say is that my favorite De Ossorio film is LORELEY'S GRASP. Have you seen that one?Aaronhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02153426751208051792noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2316228451187611813.post-5391780936068830642011-10-16T12:50:01.652-07:002011-10-16T12:50:01.652-07:00I haven’t seen THE BLOOD ON SATAN’S CLAW, but afte...I haven’t seen THE BLOOD ON SATAN’S CLAW, but after a quick peek at the movie’s IMDB page I’m convinced that it looks like something I’d get hooked on like so many other euro-horrors from the 70s.Giovanni Susinahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03253382939348997303noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2316228451187611813.post-5077935157728139122011-10-16T03:29:39.339-07:002011-10-16T03:29:39.339-07:00I really enjoy spotting 'night for day' sc...I really enjoy spotting 'night for day' scenes. Blood on Satan's Claw has some belters too.Rich Flannaganhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17155636100765113518noreply@blogger.com