City Of The Dead
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Movie Reviews of City Of The Dead
Movie Review: Such a strange movie
Summary: 5 Stars
City of the Dead/Horror Hotel involves a girl who is directed by her college professor, Christopher Lee, to investigate the city Whitewood as well as research it's occult history. Witches colide with "THE CROSS" as a battle emerges between the virtuous young woman and the city of the dead. One of the best!Movie Review: Creepy As Hell
Summary: 5 Stars
For a film full of fog, unsettling characters and a sense of terrible things to come, this film really packs a punch.
Faultless horror for those who appreciate such gems.
Movie Review: "Burn, witch! Burn!"
Summary: 4 Stars
After suffering through bootleg copies of this film under the "Horror Hotel" title for years, this DVD was a welcome addition to my classic horror film libary. Now that a nearly-flawless print of the film is available, I hope it will start to get the attention it deserves.
City of the Dead was made during the horror revival that began in 1957 with Hammer's Curse of Frankenstein. This was a time when the creaky old horror formulas of Universal (don't get me wrong, I love 'em) were giving way to more graphic scares, as audiences began to expect to SEE more than what their imaginations could provide. Yet the film is something of an anomaly, in that it retains a gothic visual style without relying heavily on special effects.
Student Nan Barlow (then-newcomer Venetia Stevenson) is sent by her professor (Christopher Lee) to the New England town of Whitewood to research her paper on witchcraft. Local legend tells of a witch who was burned there in 1692. As Nan delves into the town's history, she encounters a host of diverse characters, many of whom seem to believe Whitewood is still under satanic influence. I don't want to give away one of the major plot points for those who haven't seen it, but let's just say the story takes a shocking left turn about midway through the film. Not everything is what it seems, and no one may be safe.
As for the disc itself, VCI is to be applauded for their efforts here. The film looks terrific, and even though the sound is mono, it's clear and uniform throughout. The interviews and commentary tracks are nice for fans of the film, but may come off a bit dry to casual viewers. Venitia Stevenson, in a 2001 interview, seems just a tad embarassed and/or mystified by the film's popularity. Lee, who pontficates at-length about his career, has the misfortune of being saddled with a rather irritating on-screen interviewer. The only other real problem, a common one with VCI, is that the menu takes a little getting used to.
After languishing in b-movie hell for decades, I think it's time City of the Dead was elevated to "classic" status. This fully-loaded--and attractively-priced--disc should go a long way towards that end.
Movie Review: "He Will Be Pleased" ~ Witchcraft And Satanism in New England
Summary: 4 Stars
Down a long, deserted and all but forgotten backroad in rural Massachusetts stands the town of Whitewood. No longer appearing on any current maps, the only people who know of its existence are some of the older locals from neighboring towns who would stay away at all costs and of course the witches.
According to legend Whitewood was cursed by Elizabeth Selwyn (Patricia Jessel) and handed over to Lucifer as she burned at the stake in 1692 for practicing witchcraft and consorting with the Devil. Now some 250 plus years later the 'Raven's Inn' stands in the historic spot of the event.
Nan Barlow (Venetia Stevenson), a pretty college coed comes to Whitewood on the recommendation of her professor, Alan Driscoll (Christopher Lee) to do some primary research for her term paper on Witchcraft. She checks into the 'Raven's Inn' and is never heard from again. Her sudden and unexpected disappearance brings her brother and boyfriend to Whitewood to find her and instead discover a nest of witches in search of yet another sacrifice for Candlemass Eve.
One of the earliest and in my estimation one of the best British horror films ever. Released in the U.S.A. under the title, 'Horror Hotel', the American version is two minutes shorter than its British counterpart, 'City of the Dead.' The additional material is at the beginning of the movie during the burning at the cross sequence when the accused witch is calling upon Lucifer to curse Whitewood. It doesn't add much to the plot, but if you're a purist like I am it's nice to have the film intact in its original form.
This may have been produced on a small budget, but they made up for it with a great storyline, some ingenious atmospheric effects, an eerie soundtrack and an excellent cast. Besides those aready mentioned, also wonderful performances by: Betta St. John, Dennis Lotis and Valentine Dyall as Jethrow.
Movie Review: Creepy and atmospheric tale of terror
Summary: 4 Stars
"City of the Dead" is also known as "Horror Hotel", a 1960 B&W feature that is actually quite noteworthy and deserves more recognition. Though this movie is sparse in terms of effects, it more than makes up for this lack by turning up the atmosphere - and the result is an authentic Gothic tale of witchcraft in New England. A young college student who is studying the occult, Nan Barlow (Venetia Stephenson), decides to exlore the small New England town of Whitewood, on the urging of her college professor, Alan Driscoll (Christopher Lee). She arrives in Whitewood, where she puts up (again at the behest of her professor), at the rather sinister Raven Inn, which is run by Mrs Newless (Patricia Jessel). The girl is rather naive and seems oblivious to the sinister undertones present in the inn and also in the village. Nan goes to the village bookstore on one of her excursions and meets Patricia Russell (Betta St John) who kindly lends her an old book on witchcraft. Patricia is also the granddaughter of the village Reverend, and when Nan goes missing, Patricia goes in search of Nan's family, to return a personal item that comes into her possession. She meets Nan's brother Richard (Denis Lotis) and Nan's boyfriend before returning to Whitewood just before the Witches' Sabbath, finding that her life may be in grave peril. The story moves on at a quick pace towards a climactic and quite unexpected ending.
This version is complete and uncut - containing 2 minutes of footage missing from the DVD titled "Horror Hotel". There is also an interview with Lee, Venetia Stevenson, and director John Moxey. Total running time is 78 mins. Aspect ratio is 1.66:1. This is a low-budget horror gem that definitely merits a watch and would enhance any classic horror fan's library.