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Movies => Good Movies => Topic started by: RCMerchant on September 16, 2007, 09:35:15 AM



Title: Dr. X (1932)
Post by: RCMerchant on September 16, 2007, 09:35:15 AM
 Last night, on TMC, they showed 5 Fay Wray fims one after another! They started out with the classic KING KONG, then DR.X MYSTERY in the WAX MUESUM, Frank Capra's DIRIGABLE (1931),and then the MOST DANGEROUS GAME. I skipped watching KONG (as I have it on tape), watched DR.X, fellasleep before WAX MUSEUM (also have on DVD ) and woke up in time to catch DIRIGABLE ( a fine film! Catch it if you can!) Started to watch the MOST DANGEROUS GAME again,but nodded off. They should have include the underrated the VAMPIRE  BAT (1933) with Dwight Frye and Lionel Atwill,though!

 Anyway...the one I really wanted to see was DR.X,which could have been a lot better film without the wisecracking comic reporter,who constantly destroys any tension that was building in the search for the cannibalistic killer  on the loose plot. A pretty gruesome subject for the time....maybe Warner Bros.,not really sure how to handle pure horror films,decided to water it down with the reporter (basically the same function as Glenda Farrell had in the MYSTERY of the WAX MUESUM...also by Warner). DR.X and WAX MUESUM could almost be the same film...both star Atwill and Fay...both featured hideous mysterious killers,and both were done in early color process.
  The best scence,though,is worth the wait....when (SPOILER) the one-handed doctor who is exempt from suspition (the killer uses two hands to strangle his victums) transforms himself-via 'synthetic flesh') into a truly grusesome monster-molding a fake hand onto his useless stump,and animating via electronic mumbo jumbo.
  Still...the photography is nice and creepy...and the Atwill is always fun...and Fay looks great-as usual. Worth a look...if only for the cool monster transformation scene!

 (http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l79/RCMerchant/l_f4468e924f5ddb38200323cfebca8c6f.jpg)


Title: Re: Dr. X (1932)
Post by: BoyScoutKevin on September 16, 2007, 10:08:29 AM
I saw this a number of years ago and enjoyed it. Watch for the scene with the reporter in the whorehouse. It'd be a long time before you saw another one of those in a film.

RCMerchant, I agree with what you said about the filmmakers not knowing how to handle horror. As I said, I saw this a number of years ago, but it is only recently that I saw the trailer for the film. You'll see the trailer use the words mystery, love, comedy, what you won't see the trailer use is the word horror.


Title: Re: Dr. X (1932)
Post by: Raffine on September 17, 2007, 08:43:32 PM
Yep, those early Warners horror films are a mixed bag: they usually have really gruesome plots and makeup effects, but their idea of humor is pretty strained. Of course, the 'humor' in some of the early Universals is a bit dicey, as well! I'm thinking that 'funny' asylum guard and 'funny' maid in DRACULA, even though almost any time a character in a movie, TV show, or even on the news is suffering from an unfortunate mental condition we always crack "E's cru-raazy! They're all cur-aazy 'ere!"

A big difference between the early Warners horror films and the the Universal horrors films was the Warners almost always had a contemporary, American, and urban setting (and wise-ass reporters) while the Universal are almost always set in a sort of timeless generic European country.

And you gotta love that colorized-ish early Technicolor in the Warners!

The studio that really gave Universal a run for their money in those early days of horror was Paramount, with some really great creepy films like ISLAND OF LOST SOULS and MURDERS IN THE ZOO. Ironically these are now owned by Universal, who has for some reason refused to release them on DVD.  :hatred:


Title: Re: Dr. X (1932)
Post by: Scott on September 17, 2007, 10:34:24 PM
I've been wanting to see this film for years now. I think Oldies.com had a copy, but I didn't want to pay the $6.99 for it. I'm sure it's in a 50 pack somewhere. Maybe I have it. I better check before I say to much.


Title: Re: Dr. X (1932)
Post by: RCMerchant on September 18, 2007, 05:25:33 AM
MURDERS n the ZOO!  :thumbup:  Have always wanted to see it....but the closest I've gotton was a review in William K. Everson's CLASSICS of the HORROR FILM book...(sigh...). Another forgotton oldie Iv'e wanted to see...MURDER by the CLOCK, (1931)with Irving (DRACULA's DAUGHTER) Pichel as a lunatic in a tale about premature burial. I used to have ISLAND of LOST SOULS on vhs...and,of course,I lent it out...never to be seen again...

 Scott-I'm afraid that you won't find DR.X in a 50 pack....it seems to not be available on dvd anywhwere!  :bluesad:


Title: Re: Dr. X (1932)
Post by: Scott on September 18, 2007, 12:04:31 PM
One of my favorite films is ISLAND OF LOST SOULS which is like THE ISLAND OF DR. MOREAU.

Here's Bela Lugosi as the hairy Sayer Of The Law.

[youtube=425,350]http://youtube.com/watch?v=-gL3P377BQA