Val Lewton and film noir horror

[Bob Sullivan]

While laid up after more surgery, and as a gift to myself, I purchased the 9-movie boxed set of the Val Lewton Horror Collection. Lewton started the RKO horror B-movie division in 1941. The idea was to create quickie B-pictures for a tiny investment to make back some of the money RKO lost on the at-the-time major flop CITIZEN KANE. To further add to the nonsense, Lewton was assigned outrageous "audience-tested" movie titles and asked to build his movies around them.

The result is a set of very cool, atmospheric happy accidents of circumstance. Glorious black and white gems saddles with such ridiculous titles as The Cat People, (it's sequel, Curse of of the Cat People, is a particularly wonderful surprise IMO), The LeopardMan, I Walked with a Zombie, Isle of the Dead, and others of the same vein. However, Lewton, teamed at first with veteran director Jouque Turner, and later helping to launch the career of no less an A-picture master as Robert Wise, used the lack of budget to an advantage rather than a deterrent. By keeping the horror in the shadows, behind the door, just around the next corner, etc, while helping to create a mood of shadow and light later identified as film noir, these little mood films still hold up surprisingly well. Scenes in the Cat People and I Walked with a Zombie are filmed with such gorgeous attention to light, shadow, composition, etc, that I often find myself admiring the photography even as my mind is working overtime on the horror just out of camera range.

For those who don't think they like horror films, or are interested at how far black and white photography and a low budget can get you, any film from this set is worth viewing. If you do like horror film, these little classics can still give you an appreciation for a new type of approach--horror through the tapping of the imagination. I personally would recommend starting with Cat People/Curse of the Cat People (they are available on one disc for rental or to buy) to see an excellent pairing, while The Leopard Man and Ghost Ship were, IMO, not as strong.

I know some people these days who categorically write off "old" horror films, but I still find a lot to admire here. Anyone willing to meet these movies halfway (of course, it's not going to be a "30 Days Later" experience so don't go in expecting one) can be richly rewarded.

[Janet Williams]

I so agree with you...Val Lewton is one of the masters of building a horror story with subtle atmospheric touches. Who couldn't love a movie called "I Walked with a Zombie" or "Curse of the Cat People"? I recently bought a set of Lewton films so I can watch them at my leisure. It's great to know there are others who appreciate Lewton as much as I do.

[Joe Shearer]

I love old horror films. We do regular "reviews" of old schlocky horror films on The Film Yap, though most haven't gone back as far at Val Lewton's days-most of the ones I've been watching have been in the 60s and 70s eras, maybe a little in the 80s here and there. I do want to eventually add some of his stuff, and other stuff from the 40s and 50s to our collection, though. Love old horror movies!

[Larry Prather]

I love Val Lewton movies and most classic horror. I like the Paramount classics, Frakenstein, Dracula, The Wolfman. I enjoy all of the Hammer films with Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing. I even like the Robert Corman - Vincent Price Edgar Allen Poe movies. I just saw where they are releasing another of my favorites in a boxed set this month, The William Castle collection.

For anyone who is not familiar with Castle's work he released low budget horror such as House on Haunted Hill, 13 Ghosts, The Tingler, Homicidal, and others. He was known as the king of the gimmick. Most of his movies were accompanied by some gimmick such as nurses in the lobby in case of someone having a heart attack. Skeletons flying out from behind the screen. Vibrating devices placed underneath the seats.

If you don't want to get the DVD, some of his movies are being shown on TCM's this month so be sure to check them out.