Blu-Ray Review: At The Earth’s Core (1976).

Directed by Kevin Connor
Produced by John Dark, Max Rosenberg & Milton Subotsky
Screenplay by Milton Subotsky
Based on At The Earth’s Core by Edgar Rice Burroughs
Music by Mike Vickers
Cinematography: Alan Hume
Film Editors: John Ireland & Barry Peters

Cast: Doug McClure (David Innes), Peter Cushing (Dr. Abner Perry), Caroline Munro (Princess Dia), Cy Grant (Ra), Godfrey James (Ghak), Sean Lynch (Hoojah), Keith Barron (Dowsett), Helen Gill (Maisie), Anthony Verner (Gadsby), Robert Gillespie (Photographer), Michael Crane (Jubal), Bobby Parr (Sagoth Chief), Andee Cromarty (Girl Slave)

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Here’s a Blu-Ray review that’s been sitting in my Drafts folder for years. Not sure what happened.

I was 12 years old when Kevin Connor’s At The Earth’s Core (1976), based on Edgar Rice Burroughs’ book, arrived at the Village Twin in Raleigh, NC. I was a perfect specimen of AIP’s targeted demographic for movies like this.

The previous Amicus/AIP/Burroughs picture, The Land That Time Forgot (1975) — also directed by Kevin Connor and starring Doug McClure, had been cool, but this one was even better, since it stirred in Peter Cushing, more cheesy monsters, a gang of underground mutants and Caroline Munro. I went twice before it left town.

Director Kevin Connor told an interviewer: “I sort of fell into the Edgar Rice Burroughs world thanks to Milton Subotsky and Max Rosenberg at Amicus. They liked what I did with Beyond The Grave (1973) and offered me Land That Time Forgot… Just a great time and fun making those monsters on such low budgets.”

McClure and Cushing try to drill through a mountain with their “Iron Mole,” and when they go (way) off course, they find themselves in Pellucidar — a weird subterranean world of flying monsters with ESP (the Mahars), various and sundry dinosaurs, mutants with combovers (Sagoths), a group of cave people (Wing People), prehistoric plant life and a pink sky.

Our heroes set about freeing the Wing People from the evil Mahars, with McClure taking a shine to the lovely Princess Dia (Munro). Along the way, McClure fights dinosaurs, Sagoths and the Mahars. Dinosaurs fight each other. And there’s the big finale where the Wing People try to bring down the whole Mahar regime. Peter Cushing is a lot of fun (and appears to be having a lot of fun) and Caroline Munro is as beautiful as ever. 

Then there are the monsters. Connor again: “We had a somewhat bigger budget thanks to the success of Land. The beasts were specially designed so that small stunt guys could work inside the suits in a crouched position and on all-fours. Needless to say it was very cramped and the stunt guys had to take frequent breathers. Some worked better than others – but we were experimenting and trying something different.”

In one way, the monsters are a let-down. The effects are certainly, well, ineffective at times. But cheesy monsters of the guy-in-a-suit variety have a charm all their own — I much prefer the ingenuity of yesterday to the technology of today. And in the end, the not-at-all-convincing monsters and dinosaurs are one of the main reasons I have alway loved this movie.

Kino Lorber’s Blu-Ray gives us At The Earth’s Core looking better than some probably think it deserves. It does a great job with Alan Hume’s cinematography and the picture’s crazy/weird color scheme. Hume did some brilliant work on pictures like The Kiss Of The Vampire (1962), Dr. Terror’s House Of Horrors (1965), For Your Eyes Only (1981), Return Of The Jedi (1983) and Runaway Train (1985).

The lossless audio adds plenty of depth to Mike Vickers’ score and the stomping of the dinosaurs. And we get all kinds of extras, from a vintage featurette to a commentary from Connor to an interview with Munro. It’s a fun movie and a fun Blu-Ray to mess around with.

At The Earth’s Core would be the next-to-last Amicus film. They’d go out with The People That Time Forgot (1977). I guess that, like Hammer, times changed and they weren’t able to adapt. What a shame. 

2018 In Review – Part 2.

When I started doing DVD and Blu-Ray commentaries, it no longer felt appropriate to survey the best DVD and Blu-Ray releases of the year. So, as a substitute (maybe a poor one), here’s a reminder of a few things we were treated to this year. We’ll let all the praise, complaints or ranking come from you in the comments. Part 1 can be found over at 50 Westerns From The 50s.

This was a banner year for old sci-fi and horror movies making their way to Blu-Ray. From what we’re hearing so far, next year might be the same for noir and crime pictures. Anyway, here’s some of 2018’s bounty — a few of which I’m still working on proper reviews of.

The Thing (From Another World) (1951)
This is one of the all-time favorite movies. I find something new in it every time I see it — a line, a look, a particular setup, the music, a new appreciation for the guy who did the fire stunt. It’s always something — and that, to me, is one of the requirements for a Great Movie. Warner Archive worked long and hard on this one, and I’m in their debt for sure.

The Hammer Draculas
It’s like there was some sorta Monster Movie Summit, and it was decreed that the Hammer Dracula series would be given its due on Blu-Ray. Warner Archive did a lot of the heavy lifting with Horror Of Dracula (1958), Dracula A.D. 1972 (1972) and The Satanic Rites Of Dracula (1974). In the meantime, Scream Factory came through with Dracula – Prince Of Darkness (1966). Taste The Blood Of Dracula (1970) hit Blu-Ray a few years ago. That leaves Scars Of Dracula (197) as the only Hammer Dracula picture not available on Blu-Ray. Who’s gonna step up to the plate for that one?

The Hammer goodness wasn’t limited to the Dracula pictures. Mill Creek included some Hammer pictures in their twin-bill sets, some of the best values in all of home video. Hammer Films, William Castle, Ray Harryhausen — there’s some good stuff in those sets.

The Creature From The Black Lagoon Complete Legacy Collection
That’s quite a name for a set that only includes three movies. But what movies they are — the first two, anyway. And they’re in both widescreen 2-D and 3-D.

Gun Crazy (1949)
Joseph H. Lewis hit it out of the park with Gun Crazy (1949). So did his cast — and this year, with a stunning Blu-Ray, so did Warner Archive.

Invasion Of The Body Snatchers (1956)
Don Siegel making it to Blu-Ray is always a reason to celebrate, and this is one of his many milestones. Over the years, we’ve all put up with some pretty shoddy-looking stuff when it comes to this incredible movie. Olive Films’ Blu-Ray is a huge improvement.

The Tingler (1959)
It’s hard to pick between this one and House On Haunted Hill (1958) for my favorite William Castle movie. Scream Factory did a wonderful job with this one, and they’ve given us other Castle pictures as well.

Dark Of The Sun (1968)
Warner Archive has been hinting around about this one on Blu-Ray for a while. It’s beautiful — and still one of the damnedest movies I’ve ever seen.

There’s a few that stood out for me. What DVD and Blu-Ray releases knocked you out this year?

Blu-Ray Review: Dracula A.D. 1972 (1972).

Directed by Alan Gibson
Written by Don Houghton
Director Of Photography: Dick Bush
Film Editor: James Needs
Music by Michael Vickers

Cast: Christopher Lee (Count Dracula), Peter Cushing (Lorrimer Van Helsing/Lawrence Van Helsing), Stephanie Beacham (Jessica Van Helsing), Christopher Neame (Johnny Alucard), Marsha Hunt (Gaynor Keating), Caroline Munro (Laura Bellows), Janet Key (Anna Bryant)

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By 1972, Hammer Films was a bit of a train wreck. Where once they’d been a real innovator with their colorful, bloody takes on the horror classics, they were now chasing trends rather than creating them. Where they’d pushed the envelope a bit with sex and violence in the late 50s, the nudity and gore of the early 70s eliminated a huge part of their core audience — thanks to the R rating in the US and X certificate in the UK keeping kids out of the theaters. Seems like they couldn’t catch a break.

So when a picture like Count Yorga, Vampire (1970) made money by bringing the classic-type vampire into the modern day, doing the same with Christopher Lee must’ve sounded like it couldn’t miss. The result of that thinking is Dracula A.D. 1972 — and it does miss. But maybe not by as much as you remember.

It’s 1972 and some dude named Johnny Alucard is making the scene in London, crashing ritzy parties with his hipster entourage in search of kicks. As any of us could’ve told him, rich old people throw boring parties — and when Johnny figures this out, he figures it’s time for a Black Mass. They end up with Caroline Munro covered in blood and Dracula (Christopher Lee) back from the dead in a dilapidated old church — and wanting revenge on the modern-day descendants of Van Helsing (Peter Cushing). And as “movie luck” would have it, there’s a gorgeous young Van Helsing (Stephanie Beacham), in Johnny’s gang.

Every once in a while — mainly whenever Cushing and Lee are on the screen — Dracula A.D. 1972 really gets something going. Those guys can carry a picture on their backs without breaking a sweat, and director Alan Gibson owes them a tremendous debt for their work here.

The period opening sequence is cool, somehow seeming less dated than the “modern” stuff. And the final Dracula/Van Helsing conflict is very strong. But you can’t help but notice the desperation burned into each frame of film. And it’s a real shame.

However, if you’re like me, Cushing and Lee in the same movie is about as good as it gets. So while the results are disappointing, the opportunity to spend some time with those two makes me return to Dracula A.D. 1972 every once in a while. And with it now looking splendid on Warner Archive’s new Blu-Ray, the experience is much improved. The color’s splendid and the sound’s nice and bright and crisp. This is one of those times when the improved picture and sound actually improves the movie itself. So while I’ve certainly given Dracula A.D. 1972 a hard time, it’s not hard to recommend this new Blu-Ray.

Blu-Ray News #195: Three Hammer Dracula Pictures Coming To HD.

With three of the Hammer Dracula pictures on the way on Blu-Ray, the Count’s about to put a real bite on our finances. Oh well.

Dracula – Prince Of Darkness (1966)
Directed by Terence Fisher
Starring Christopher Lee

It took Hammer almost 10 years to do a sequel to their Horror Of Dracula (1958). They did it in Techniscope, which is really cool — one of the few Scope horror films Hammer did. Barbara Shelley’s terrific, but Peter Cushing is missed as Van Helsing.

Both Lee’s resurrection and demise are really effective — this one really knocked me out as a kid. Coming to Blu-Ray soon from Scream Factory.

Dracula A.D. 72 (1972)
Directed by Alan Gibson
Starring Christopher Lee, Peter Cushing, Stephanie Beacham, Carolina Munro

Bringing Dracula into the 70s turned out to be a better idea than a movie (probably inspired by AIP’s Count Yorga, Vampire), but Dracula A.D. 72 (1972) has plenty to recommend it. Cushing’s back, which helps a lot. Caroline Munro makes her first Hammer appearance (of two). And the period opening is terrific. I can do without Stoneground, who replaced The Faces (that would’ve been cool). Coming to Blu-Ray from Warner Archive.

The Satanic Rites Of Dracula (1973)
Directed by Alan Gibson
Starring Christopher Lee, Peter Cushing, Joanna Lumley, Freddie Jones

By the time Hammer got around to The Satanic Rites Of Dracula (1973), things were getting pretty tired. Way too much times is devoted to some stuff about the plague, but when Lee and Cushing duke it out, it’s glorious.

At one point, this was distributed in the States by some cheeseball company as Count Dracula And His Vampire Bride. Coming to Blu-Ray from Warner Archive.