The Ten Commandments (1956)

A biblical epic from Cecil B DeMille, it stars Charlton Heston as Moses and Yul Brynner as Rameses. You start with Moses being found by the Pharaoh’s daughter in the reeds and is adopted and brought up in the Royal household. We follow the life of Moses as he is contacted by God and given the commandments and then he returns to Egypt to set his people, the Hebrew slaves free.

Running at 3 hours and 40 minutes this truly is an epic and it does need to be watched in more than one sitting, the flaws of this film run to the pacing. It is from a different era and can feel very slow at times, there is also the religious nature of the story that may not sit well with some people and their own beliefs. However I think that you can see past this and the fact that Charlton Heston is not a very likeable man. Also some of the coincidences that happen in the film are almost laughable and almost as if it was organised by God.

With sterling performances from Heston, Brynner and Vincent Price and some epic scenes with some awesome effects including the parting of the Red Sea this is a must see for all film buffs and historians. It shows exactly what film makers in the 50’s were capable of, this is a strong 3 star recommendation.

The Monster Club (1981)

Starring Vincent Price, Donald Pleasance and John Carradine this is an anthology film that has 3 short films about cross bread monster creatures and the interlinking story has some musical interludes. This film is strange, I thought that it would be a horror film but did not know that much about it but with Vincent Price I was looking forward to it. It is based upon the stories of R Chetwynd-Hayes who I learned all about listening to Hypnobobs episode 18. 


This film is aimed at children and I will be honest and say that I was not aware of this as I watched it and I was very disappointed as it was not what I thought it was going to be. So if you watch it go in knowing it is aimed at a younger audience. The first story is about a vampire and the squad lead by Donald Pleasance who come to get him. The second story gets a bit creepy about a couple that try to rob a creature who whistles and the final story is about a film director that goes to find a location for his film and he finds trouble. The surrounding story is an enjoyable part with Vincent Price and John Carradine, however weirdly there is a musical segment between every story and there are 4 songs played out in full.


Overall this film is not great perhaps it will be better with better set expectations, however it is worth seeing if you like anthologies or enjoy seeing horror from the eighties aimed at a younger audience this is a low 3 stars from me.

The Last Man on Earth (1964)

Film of 2012 #13
Some Spoilers

The film based upon the Richard Matheson Novella "I Am Legend" it is the 1st adaptation and  the truest to the original story. It follows Vincent Price in the titular role of the only surviving Man in a world over run by vampires. If you have ever read the book, this is the visualisation of the world that Matheson envisioned and explores what it would be like to be the only living human in a world of Vampires.

I love the book and the story and the end point that explains the title and the fact that you might not necessarily know what the consequences of your actions are no matter what your intentions or or thoughts The biggest flaw for this film for me is that Vincent Price while an awesome actor and character he is very much Vincent Price and it is hard to see past this when watching the film but still you get the idea of the impression that Matheson was trying to convey in the book.

This film is a must for all fans of genre films and the Richard Matheson story, this is a solid 4 star recommend for me, the flaw of the wrong actor for the art and the clearly small budget within a film that is clearly dated, still well worth seeing.

The House on Haunted Hill (1959)

Public Domain films are abundant and easy to get your hands on and one I watched recently via a free podcast was the 1959 Walter Scott classic The House on Haunted Hill starring the classic horror actor VIncent Price who brings his full presence to this atmospheric film.

The set up of this film is a Millionaire, played by Vincent Price invites 5 strangers to a haunted house party and straight from the start there is something going on within the household and the scene between Vincent Price and his screen wife Carol Ohmart is brilliant and will help redifine how you think of black and white films from the 50's if you are not a fan of these films. This film is a true classic of it's time and still holds up today and is worth seeing.

I really enjoyed this film and would recommend that everybody gives it a look, this is a 4 star film for me and as it is public domain it should be easy for everybody to see. Let me know if you have seen it or if you do see it in the near future.