Friday, March 20, 2026

FRANKENSTEIN (1931): It's Alive! at 95 - Celebrating the Universal Monster Classic

FRANKENSTEIN (1931) d. James Whale (USA)
BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN (1935) d. James Whale (USA)
SON OF FRANKENSTEIN (1939) d. Rowland V. Lee (USA)
THE GHOST OF FRANKENSTEIN (1942) d. Erle C. Kenton (USA)




The legacy of Frankenstein is one of the most influential in the history of horror. Released by Universal Pictures in 1931 and directed by James Whale, the film helped define what audiences now recognize as the classic Hollywood monster movie. Drawing from Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley’s novel and filtered through several stage productions, the film transformed into a powerful visual and emotional experience that changed cinema forever.

Friday, March 13, 2026

THE INNOCENTS (1961): The Greatest Ghost Story Ever Filmed?

THE INNOCENTS (1961) d. Jack Clayton (UK)




The Innocents, the spellbinding 1961 screen version of Henry James’ The Turn of the Screw. Producer/director Jack Clayton and cinematographer Freddie Francis conjure a haunting onscreen atmosphere with an eye for hypnotic, symbolic imagery, where the sunlit scenes are frequently more chilling than those set at night.

Friday, March 6, 2026

FEMALE VAMPIRES OF 1971: Forbidden Blood & Sapphic Shadows!!

DAUGHTERS OF DARKNESS (1971) d. Harry Kumel (Belgium/France)
VAMPYROS LESBOS (1971) d. Jesus Franco (Spain)
THE VELVET VAMPIRE (1971) d. Stephanie Rothman (USA) 
TWINS OF EVIL (1971) d. John Hough (UK)
LUST FOR A VAMPIRE (1971) d. Jimmy Sangster (UK)
THE SHIVER OF THE VAMPIRES (1971) d. Jean Rollin (France)
THE WEREWOLF VS. THE VAMPIRE WOMAN (1971) d. Leon Klimovsky (Spain)




1971 was a remarkable year for the female vampire — seductive, dangerous, liberated… and deeply entangled in the contradictions of exploitation cinema. Tonight, we’re exploring a remarkable cycle of films from that year, on both sides of the Atlantic, that transformed these immortal bloodsuckers into figures of erotic power and cultural tension.