Monday, March 15, 2010

DER FLUCH DER GRÜNEN AUGEN - Herbert Jarczyk - "Cave Of The Living Dead" (1964)

So now you know where the term came from, I don't know if this film really is one or not, but it's not bad! This is an interesting film because it plays more like a German Edgar Wallace thriller even though it's also a vampire movie! Pretty Cool!!

Being as it's "International Week Of The Living Dead," we're proud to present our second installment in Living Dead Filmalistic Hysterical Histrionics and Hijinks, "The Cave Of The Living Dead" and it's a goodurn, hailing auf Deutschland this go round!!

Literally translated, it's "Curse Of The Green Eyes" and the US version was titled the so very original, "Night Of The Vampires," but whatever you want to call it, this Ákos Ráthonyi directed film is well worth a watch!!

Setting the mood and tempo of the film right out of the box with an opening theme by Herbert Jarczyk that swings hard!! Some of Herbert's other accomplishments are, he wrote the theme song for the long running German TV show, "Der Kommissar" and wrote the score on some films like "Two Times Adam, One Time Eve," "The Phony American," and "The Foggy Night Murderer, but mostly worked on strictly German films!

Adrian Hoven as Inspector Frank Dorin has just wrapped up one case, and has other things on his mind like some rest and recreation!

But the phone rings, and as much as he tries to weasel out of it, he is forced to take the call! This is exactly the reason I have an answering machine!!

Next thing you know, he's headed out on a cruise, and it's not to some lovely South Pacific island with white sand beaches!! No, that's not the way Frank's luck works! He's going some place much darker!

This is an atmospheric and spooky little film, and there were about six murders before the first reel ever got rolling!

Do you think the local villagers might be on to something when they start all that jabbering gossip about vampires? Well, that's what Frank Dorin has come here to find out!!

Straight out of "Ripley's Believe It Or Not," Ladies and Gentlemen, presenting for your pleasure, The world's smallest fireplace!! Maybe he's expecting Dopey and Sleepy to come over and drink some brews with him!

Firmly entrenched in the weird, Adrian Hoven went on to do a number of films with Jesus Franco before passing away way back in 1981! Here he's investigating several murders and the local's claims of vampires, when he decides to consult the neighborhood witch!

The witch explains a few things and shows Frank a little dance number in the fire she's been working on!

Well, how bout that? There is actually a real cave! Behind Frank you'll see John Kitzmiller as John, the black servant. John Kitzmiller was the first black person to win a best acting award at the Cannes Film Festival, for his role as Sergeant Jim in the film "Dolina Miru."

"Oh, C'mon, don't tell me you are going to wear that same hat again in this year's stupid hat contest? You didn't even place in last year's event!"

Well, we've got a new dance and it goes like this, Bop shooba, bop a bop a shooba, so shake those buns, Twistin' with the Nuns!!!

Uh, Oh, she's supposed to be dead!! Hey, what's going on here??

I don't know, these villager dudes don't look like they have anything to be scared of, more like the other way around! I don't think any self-respecting vampire is going to latch onto one of these cats, because looks like their breath alone would be deadly, so I'm sure their blood must be poison!

The vampire babes seems to be multiplying; they have a tendency to do that, and they've got more than just an eye on Frank. Good thing the guy is smart enough to wear a good old-fashioned crucufix around his neck!!

You've got to be a bit more duplicitous than that, if you want to try and sneak up on a cop as sharp as Frank Dorin!!

Erika Remberg and Karin Field are the two femme fatale leads. Erika was also in "Circus of Horrors" and the 1970 slam bammer "Esotika Erotika Psicotika" or in English, "The Lickerish Quartet!" Whoa! Karin Field was also in some awesome titles like "Sex In The Office," "Meat Is Meat," "The Devil's Girls," and "The Sex Demons" just to name a few!

I don't know, man, what did you expect from us anyway?? We were following you!

The final score was 7 - 0, it was a close game at first, but the vampires lost bigtime in the end when their lead scorer went up in smoke! Still more Living Dead tales coming up on Wednesday and Friday, stay tuned!!

4 comments:

Prof. Grewbeard said...

that was weird, i was halfway through the screen grabs before i realized i'd seen this movie!...

Christopher said...

they seem to be channeling Nosferatu in those early scenes..

Nac said...

Yeah, I see nosferatu right there! Mostly with the use of the shadow and ponty fingers.

Unknown said...

Cool!

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