Ricou Browning Dies

Browning said that he could hold his breath for minutes underwater, making him especially adept at the swimming part.

Ricou Ren Browning was born on February 16, 1930, in Fort Pierce, Florida. He was best known for his underwater stunt work, especially in the 1954 film Creature from the Black Lagoon, in which he portrayed the titular Gill-man during the film’s underwater scenes. Browning said that he could hold his breath for minutes underwater, making him especially adept at the swimming part. Other actors played the Gill Man on land.

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Brides of Dracula (1960)

The most evil, blood-lusting dracula of all!

Last Updated Jul 23, 2022 @ 4:37 pm

I watched the 1960 Hammer British supernatural horror film Brides of Dracula on Svengoolie. It stars Peter Cushing as Dr. Van Helsing, our original vampire slayer. He appeared in 22 horror films, 5 as Van Helsing and 6 as Baron Frankenstein. He also played roles as Dr. Who in 1965 and 1966 and Grand Moff Tarkin in the 1977 Star Wars. The vampires in these films are treated as tortured souls who are unable to resist their curse and have an unquenchable thirst for human blood.

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The History of Werewolves

Even a man who is pure in heart and says his prayers by night, may become a wolf when the wolf-bane blooms and the autumn moon is bright

We’ve all seen them in the movies and on television but are they real? The Beast of Bray Road and the Michigan Dogman[1] are described as werewolf-like creatures. Eyewitnesses describe them as bipedal, shaggy creatures with wolf-like heads. A werewolf is any person who can turn into a wolf or wolf-man hybrid, willingly or unwillingly, in an actual physical (not illusionary) transformation.

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Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man (1943)

You think I’m insane. You think I don’t know what I’m talking about. Well you just look in that grave where Lawrence Talbot is supposed to be buried and see if you find a body in it!

I watched the 1943 sequel to The Wolf Man, Universal Studios Frankenstein Meets The Wolf Man on Svengoolie. When grave robbers, looking for buried money in the Talbot mausoleum, open Larry Talbot’s crypt they find his body and the coffin stuffed with Wolf’s-bane. Lon Chaney Jr. (played the Mummy, Dracula, Frankenstein monster, and the Wolf-Man), Larry Talbot, is free and starts seeking an end to his suffering. He locates the gypsy woman Maleva played by Maria Ouspenskaya

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The History of Horror Movies: The Beginning

Horror is a genre of speculative fiction which is intended to frighten, scare, or disgust.

I love a good horror movie. One of my favorites is the 1931 “Dracula” starring Bela Lugosi. I try to watch Svengoolie, on MeTV, every Saturday night and I used to watch Elvira, Mistress of the Dark. The movies started back in the silent era and continue today.

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The Ghost of Frankenstein

Better death… than a life like this.

I watched this 4th installment in the Universal Frankenstein movies, the 1942 “The Ghost of Frankenstein” on Svengoolie. Taking up where the previous movie left off, Frankenstein’s monster (Lon Chaney Jr.) and Ygor (Bela Lugosi) are chased out of town. They seek out the younger son of Dr. Frankenstein, played by Cedric Hardwicke, to continue his dad’s experiments. Ygor wants revenge by having his brain transplanted into the head of the monster.

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The Wolf Man (1941)

Even a man who is pure in heart, and says his prayers by night;
May become a wolf when the wolfsbane blooms and the autumn moon is bright.

I watched the 1941 Universal Pictures movie The Wolf Man starring Lon Chaney Jr. on Svengoolie. It was his first appearance as, Larry Talbot, The Wolf Man, but he would reprise his role in four sequels. He is also the only actor to play all four of the classic monsters; Frankenstein, Mummy, Wolf Man, and Dracula. This was the second Universal werewolf film, the first being the 1935 Werewolf of London.

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Werewolf of London (1935)

“You are foolish, but without fools there would be no wisdom”

I watched this 1935, Universal picture, Werewolf of London on Svengoolie. This was the first mainstream movie to feature a werewolf. The film is directed by Stuart Walker (American producer and director in theatre and motion pictures) and stars Henry Hull (American character actor, lots of westerns) as Wilfred Glendon, a world-renowned Botanist turned werewolf. Jack Pierce designed the make-up to look like what would come six years later in The Wolf Man,

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Son of Dracula (1943)

Temptress of terror! A vampire’s bride … with blood on her lips!

I watched the first Universal-directed movie by thriller specialist, Robert Siodmak (The Killers, The Dark Mirror, The Devil Strikes at Night), the 1943 Son of Dracula on Svengoolie. Lon Chaney Jr. plays Count Alucard (Dracula backward) in the third Universal Dracula show, the first two being Dracula and Dracula’s Daughter, and the first bringing the vampire to America. Lon Chaney Jr. played four of the Classic horror monsters in, The Wolf Man, Frankenstein’s Monster and The Ghost of Frankenstein, The Mummy’s Tomb,

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Dracula’s Daughter (1936)

So how come her last name isn’t Dracula?

This 1936 Universal Pictures horror film is a sequel, taking up exactly where the 1931 Dracula left off. I watched this movie, directed by Lambert Hillyer (The Invisible Ray, the first screen depiction of Batman, and many westerns) on Svengoolie.

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