Each October, the Unsung Horrors podcast does a month of themed movies. This year, they will once again be setting up a fundraiser to benefit Best Friends, which works to save the lives of cats and dogs across America, giving pets second chances and happy homes.

Today’s theme: Sequel

The film is the third in Universal’s Dracula film series and the first in seven years since Dracula’s Daughter. In this installment, Lon Chaney Jr. takes over the role of Dracula, or as he’s called in this installment, Count Alucard. It was initially written by Curt Siodmak, who was asked to leave by his brother, Robert, when he was chosen as the director. Curt said that the two had “…a sibling rivalry. When we were in Germany, Robert had a magazine, and when I wrote for it, I had to change my name. He only wanted one Siodmak around. This lasted 71 years, until he died.” Eric Taylor took over as writer.

Count Alucard is invited to New Orleans just in time for wealthy Colonel Caldwell to die and leave his money to his daughter Claire (Evelyn Ankers) and his estate, Dark Oaks, to his daughter Katherine (Louise Allbritton), who soon marries Alucard. This upsets her fiancé, Frank Stanley (Robert Paige), who shoots Alucard, and the bullets pass through him, killing Katherine. Or maybe not, because she only shows up at night, claiming that she and her husband conduct experiments throughout the day. When the cops investigate — Frank has turned himself in — they find her dead body. As you can guess, she’s one of the brides of Dracula now.

Professor Lazlo (J. Edward Bromberg) arrives and does the common-sense thing of telling everyone that Alucard means Dracula, something no one ever gets. But Katherine still loves Frank and turns him into a vampire while also telling him how to kill Alucard. Man, it’s like Dracula noir!

Frank, however, doesn’t want to be a vampire, so he does what any of us would. He sets her on fire.

But who is the son of Dracula? I guess Alucard is supposed to be.

While filming, Allbritton and co-star Paige were constantly playing jokes on the cast. One day, Pat Moriarity, who played the sheriff, and Paige were filming a scene in which they opened Katherine’s coffin. Imagine their shock to find Allbritton inside, completely naked.

Each October, the Unsung Horrors podcast does a month of themed movies. This year, they will once again be setting up a fundraiser to benefit Best Friends, which works to save the lives of cats and dogs across America, giving pets second chances and providing them with happy homes.

Today’s theme: Sequel

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Adam Hursey is a pharmacist specializing in health informatics by day, but his true passion is cinema. His current favorite films are Back to the Future, Stop Making Sense, and In the Mood for Love. He has written articles for Film East and The Physical Media Advocate, primarily examining older films through the lens of contemporary perspectives. He is usually found on Letterboxd, where he mainly writes about horror and exploitation films. You can follow him on Letterboxd or Instagram at ashursey.

I waited an entire year with great anticipation for this movie.

I watched the original Mirror, Mirror for my Karen Black pick in last year’s Horror Gives Back challenge. It was unexpectedly one of my favorite films from that month. Karen Black’s presence definitely helped, but it was more than just her. I was invested in the characters. I really enjoyed the performance from Rainbow Harvest (just the best name ever) as she channeled Winona Ryder’s goth stylings of Lydia Deetz from Beetlejuice. Perhaps what intrigued me the most was to find out how many women were involved in the production. Directed by a woman (Marina Sargenti) and mainly written by women (including sisters Annette and Gina Cascone), the film feels different and refreshing compared to most horror movies released in the early 1990s. 

I was excited to watch the sequel, Mirror Mirror 2: Raven Dance. So much so that I saved it for this challenge, expecting to be able to plug it into the sequels category, which is typically an option. I wouldn’t say that I made a terrible mistake, but boy howdy was I let down. I guess I only have myself to blame. How could I possibly have had such high expectations for this film? I blame the poster.

If you watched Mirror, Mirror, you may as well forget everything you saw. Raven Dance is basically a sequel in name only. You could easily go straight to this film without having seen the original (don’t do it, though). The only returning element is the mirror itself, although is it the same mirror? How would it have gotten to a church orphanage? And there is a 17-year time jump in this film as well. Maybe someone manufactured a bunch of mirrors, and the demonic force can travel among them. Again, no answers and really why am I even questioning it. I cannot put more thought into the lore than the writers, right?

In the cold open of this film, a nun is blinded by the power of the mirror. Seventeen years later, Heather from Mr. Belvedere (Tracy Wells—her actual character name here is Marlee) and her younger brother show up at the orphanage after the death of their parents. For (again) some unknown reason, a rock band is setting up to play at a charity event (I guess?). They make fun of the fiddle-playing little brother, and Marlee makes a random wish that the mirror grants, frying the band members but blinding her in the process.

Things only get weirder from here as Sally Kellerman shows up as Marlee’s stepsister, Roslyn. Having been cut out of the will, Roslyn hatches a plan with Dr. Lasky (Roddy McDowall) to incapacitate Marlee and steal the inheritance. But a mysterious man named Christian (Mark Ruffalo of all people, in his film debut) is there to help Marlee get her groove back. Maybe. Unless he is evil. It doesn’t really matter.

Throw in some extended ballet dance sequences and shots of a raven now and then, and you have all the ingredients for a mid-90s direct-to-video sequel to a film that was pretty obscure in the first place. It’s not great. Although I will say that the twist ending was perhaps the most interesting aspect of the film, it didn’t quite save it, but it did bump the whole experience up by half a star.

Will I be watching Mirror Mirror III: The Voyeur next year? One hundred percent, I will! I’m always committed to a bit. Plus, Mark Ruffalo is in this one, too, but as a totally different character. Sign me up.

I watched this film on Arrow Player, but it is also available on TUBI. 

Each October, the Unsung Horrors podcast does a month of themed movies. This year, they will once again be setting up a fundraiser to benefit Best Friends, which works to save the lives of cats and dogs across America, giving pets second chances and happy homes.

Today’s theme: Lon Chaney (Jr. or Sr.)

I do love a mummy movie. I really love Lon Chaney Jr. as Kharis, the Mummy. But Chaney went through a lot to play this role, telling Frederick C. Othman that “I sweat” and I can’t wick away. I itch and I can’t scratch.” He took out his anger by choking actor Frank Reicher out, according to director Reginald Le Borg.

Andoheb, a High Priest of Arkam, has summoned Yousef Bey (John Carradine) to the Temple of Arkam to pass on his duties. Meanwhile, Professor Matthew Norman (Frank Reicher) is trying to convince his students that the mummy Kharis is a real thing. One of his students, Tom Hervey (played by Robert Lowery, the second actor to portray Batman), barely listens. After all, he has a hot Egyptian girl, Amina Mansori (Ramsay Ames, actually Spanish; she got the role when “Venezuela Volcano” Acquanetta fell during a dizzy spell and landed head-first on rocks painted white that she assumed were fake). But when anyone even mentions Egypt, Amina starts to feel uneasy.

Yousef Bey starts brewing the nine tea leaves, Kharis returns, the professor gets choked and Amina somehow has a new birthmark after seeing the mummy. Kharis starts leaving mold all over his victims, and the body of Ananka falls into dust, as she’s reincarnated into Amina, as you probably already figured.

The actual problem arises when Bey decides that she’s so gorgeous that he wants him for herself. Kharis reacts by shoving him out a window and narrowly avoiding a mob, only to sink back into the swamp as both he and his bride age. Too bad for Tom, who was about to elope.

When you see Kharis tearing up the museum, know that that’s what it is. They didn’t put the necessary items into the set on time, and Chaney cut himself. That blood is all real! Hardway blood, as they say in wrestling.

Hayes Code be damned, the female heroine doesn’t survive and you can see her, well, nipples in one scene. I guess they snuck this one in!

As I mentioned earlier, I love all mommy movies. At least the Universal ones are somewhat tied together. Too bad Lon hated the wrap so much.

Bill Fleck’s Horror Behind the Scenes writes, “According to Christopher Lock, makeup master Jack P. Pierce’s current biographer, the Mummy’s make-up is by now a rubber mask fashioned by propman Ellis Berman. But before the mask is applied, Chaney is wrapped by John Bonner and Pierce in what studio publicity claims is “400 yards of gauze tape.”

Pierce then takes Chaney out into the California sunshine when possible, and applies dark paint to the wrappings in order to suggest the scorching the creature has lived through in previous films. Pierce then wraps up Chaney’s hand, so as to give the illusion that the Mummy’s fingers have been burned off — and puts that arm in what looks like a sling.

Finally, the rubber mask, blocking out Chaney’s eye is glued to the actor’s face —presumably by Fuller’s Mud — and this is also raked through his hair, and Pierce then applies cotton, spirit gum, liquid latex, and tissue on the mask to form a more realistic look. Lastly, greasepaint and powder are added.

It’s by far Chaney’s least favorite makeup.”

The good news is that his dog, Moose, got to visit the set. Moose was Bela Lugosi in werewolf form in The Wolf Man and became Chaney’s beloved pet.

You can download this from the Internet Archive.

Each October, the Unsung Horrors podcast does a month of themed movies. This year, they will once again be setting up a fundraiser to benefit Best Friends, which works to save the lives of cats and dogs across America, giving pets second chances and happy homes.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Adam Hursey is a pharmacist specializing in health informatics by day, but his true passion is cinema. His current favorite films are Back to the Future, Stop Making Sense, and In the Mood for Love. He has written articles for Film East and The Physical Media Advocate, primarily examining older films through the lens of contemporary perspectives. He is usually found on Letterboxd, where he mainly writes about horror and exploitation films. You can follow him on Letterboxd or Instagram at ashursey.

Today’s theme: Lon Chaney (Jr. or Sr.)

The horror landscape in the mid to late 1960s was a bit fractured, in a sort of limbo, almost waiting for a subgenre to emerge. Hammer had a stranglehold on gothic tales of horror. Herschell Gordon Lewis was busy inventing the splatter film. Jose Mojica Marins brought his boogeyman creation of Coffin Joe to life in Brazil. Mario Bava had planted the initial seeds of giallo with Blood and Black Lace, waiting for Dario Argento to come in and reap the benefits a few years later. For mainstream America, everything changed in 1968 with the release of films like Rosemary’s Baby and Night of the Living Dead. But before those landmark films changed everything, most horror films were pulling from the past rather than pushing the genre forward. Spider Baby is an interesting representation of where horror stood in 1967.

Spider Baby was written, edited, and directed by Jack Hill. Out of the Roger Corman school of filmmakers, Hill would go on to direct some of the most famous exploitation films of the 1970s, including Coffy, Foxy Brown, and The Switchblade Sisters. Prior to Spider Baby, Hill (along with a personal favorite director of mine, Stephanie Rothman) directed the troubled production of Blood Bath (the very first film covered on the Unsung Horrors podcast). For Spider Baby, Hill seemingly pulled from what was popular in horror films at that time—an old, dark gothic house filled with a family who is not quite right, and cast an actor (in this case Lon Cheney Jr.) who might need a sort of comeback vehicle, similar to what Robert Aldrich did in What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? and Hush…Hush, Sweet Charlotte. 

Inflicting the family with a fictional genetic condition called “Merrye Syndrome”, where the unfortunate inflicted begin to regress mentally after puberty, Spider Baby is infused with colorful characters where anything can happen. The “children” act in feral ways, particularly Virginia, who captures victims in a makeshift spider web before “biting” them with a pair of knives. Bruno (Cheney Jr.) has taken charge of the siblings as his wards, trying his best to protect them from themselves, and perhaps society from them. Everything changes though when some desperate distant relatives show up, hoping to claim a stake to the family’s inheritance.

While the film might mostly resemble a typical gothic nightmare (spiderwebs, skeletons, and subterranean pits in the basement abound), it also offers aspects not seen in a lot of horror movies at that time. There is definitely a comedic tone to the whole story. A character breaks the fourth wall to directly address the audience at the beginning and end of the story. Perhaps most striking to me was a meta moment where a character at the dinner table references The Wolf Man, Lon Cheney Jr.’s most iconic role.

I’m not sure if Spider Baby is going to be the most memorable film I watch this month, but it is a solid start for sure. 

I watched this one on Arrow Player, but it must be in the public domain, because it is streaming just about everywhere.