io9: belalugosi

Don't Inject Ladies with Gorilla Blood [Found Footage]

Annalee Newitz — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 22:51:26 PDT

I just can't get enough of Bela Lugosi gorilla movies, and 1932 freakout Murders in the Rue Morgue is one of the best. Here's the awesomely spine-tingling trailer for this tale of a mad doctor who kidnaps a woman, puts her in a cage, and transfuses her with the blood of an ape! In case you were wondering: Yes, there's just a wee bit of racial anxiety in this movie, but don't let that stop you from reveling in this tale of hybrid horrors and menacing Eastern European men. Plus apes! And women in chains! And syringes! Oh hell, I just love this movie. [Murders in the Rue Morgue via IMDB]

Ape Man Goes Wild! [Found Footage]

Annalee Newitz — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 17:15:36 PDT

In The Ape Man, an example of raw craziness from 1943, Bela "Dracula" Lugosi finds himself turned into an "ape man" due to some kind of mad science accident. After puttering about in his lab wearing gorillaface, he realizes that he only needs a bunch of spinal fluid to make himself human again. So he starts attacking humans with his gorilla buddy (whom he actually sleeps with in that cage at night), sucking out their spinal fluid, and whining about how "it's not enough." Finally, as you can see in this climactic scene, he captures a lady who refuses to let him suck spine.

He winds up duking it out over her with his gorilla pal. I just love all the running and screaming and gorilla noises. Apparently this flick did so well that in 1944 Lugosi starred as a different mad scientist in Return of the Ape Man — he and a pal decide to transplant a "less primitive" brain into the body of a caveman and the fun begins. This wasn't even Lugosi's first gorilla tale — that honor goes to his star turn in Murders in the Rue Morgue (1932), where he plays a mad scientist who wants to put the blood of a gorilla into the body of a nubile, caged-up woman in order to create some kind of hybrid. [The Ape Man via IMDB]

Must See: Plan 9 From Outer Space [Plan 9 From Outer Space]

Annalee Newitz — Sun, 30 Sep 2007 23:07:46 PDT

Must-see movies are futuristic classics that shouldn't be missed. Of course, not every must-see is perfect. That's why we've rated them 1-5 on the patented "crunchy goodness" scale. Written by Jason Shankel.

Title: Plan 9 From Outer Space
Date: 1959

Vitals: Alien zombies try to prevent mankind from developing some sort of cosmic gasoline bomb that's never really adequately established or explained.

Famous names: Bela Lugosi Vampira Edward D. Wood Jr.

Crunchy goodness: 3

Elevator pitch: The Day the Earth Stood Still meets Night of the Living Dead, only not good

Life lesson: Go for broke: there's no percentage in making the second worst movie of all time.

Design breakthrough: Shower curtains really do look like cockpit doors...who knew?

Review Including Screenshots, Audio & Video