The Monster Club (1980)
Apr 2, 2007 6:41:49 GMT -5
Post by Gloomy Sundae on Apr 2, 2007 6:41:49 GMT -5
The Monster Club (Sword & Sorcery, 1980)
Chetwynd-Hayes is minding his own business when he's attacked in the street by Erasmus, a vampire in need of his blood fix. When he realises just who he's attacked, Erasmus is all apologies: seems RCH is well thought of in fiend circles and, out of gratitude for his 'donation', Erasmus introduces him to the Monster Club, an exclusive venue whose membership is entirely composed of the ranks of the undead. As the night unfolds, RCH learns more about his fellow revellers by way of three little docu-dramas: There's Raven the Shamock, a relatively benign fellow who just wants a woman to love him. Unfortunately for all concerned, Angela and her boyfriend George hatch a scheme whereby she'll pretend to fall for Raven so she can separate him from the bulk of his sexy cash. When Raven is made aware of her real feelings toward him - somewhere far South of revulsion - he whistles. We've already seen what that can do to a cat who mauled one of his beloved pigeons, what will it do to a woman?
Next we turn our attentions to the Bosotsky family for a window on movie producer Milton's childhood. He had a nice time of it, actually, loving parents, the lot, but his father was a vampire, relentlessly pursued by Pickering, the Chief of Van Helsing wannabe unit the B-Squad (also known as "The Bleeney"). After the strange, touching and nasty Shadmock story (which improves 100% on the Chetwynd-Hayes original, to which it bears little relation), this is a faithful adaptation of his My Mother Married A Vampire which effortlessly matches it for irritating "you have to laugh, don't you?" bonkersness. Were it not for the performances of B. A. Robertson and the Viewers in the club scenes, this would arguably be the nadir of the film. And yet, perversely, it seems like it should be there, that The Monster Club wouldn't be quite the vaguely surreal experience without it.
No complaints about The Humgoo, which keeps all the best bits of RCH's original as movie director Sam seeks out a suitable location for his next horror movie and winds up in the mist-shrouded village of Loughville, home to an isolated community of inbred ghouls who survive on the materials they can scavenge from the "boxes" in the cemetery. Luna, the innkeeper's daughter, had a human mother and that side of her nature still craves the love of a mortal and a shopping expedition to London, and she helps Sam to escape his captors before they can make him the menu highlight for "the great eating." Tragically, Luna is felled by a well aimed rock as they flee the hungry villagers. Sam reaches the motorway and flags down a police car to report the terrible things he's witnessed ...
Finally, we return to the club where Erasmus has nominated RCH for club membership on account of man being by far the worst monster on the planet, before the final horror: The Viewers playing us out with the truly abominable Monsters Rule, OK? with Carradine and Price showing off their disco moves.
Far from being the greatest horror movie ever, this is still one of the most fascinating on account of just how wildly it fluctuates between the sublime (the Humgoo and Shadmock stories, the trite (the My Mother Married A Vampire adaptation[/i], and the downright ghastly (the clubbers - who look like they've been costumed and masked courtesy of the local pound-shop) being regaled by bands that surely weren't even popular at the time including B. A. Robertson, Night, The Auters and sundry sessioneers. Given that Chetwynd-Hayes collections are likewise often things of lofty peaks and lowly troughs, The Monster Club accidentally stands as a fitting tribute to all that is best and worst about this true Brit horror great.
Producer - Milton Subotsky
Director - Roy Ward Baker
Writers - Edward & Valerie Abraham: adapted from the R. Chetwynd-Hayes novel The Monster Club and the short story My Mother Married A Vampire from The Cradle Demon (1978)
John Carradine - R. Chetwynd-Hayes
Erasmus - Vincent Price
Club Secretary (Werewolf) - Roger Sloman
The Shadmock:
Raven - James Laurenson
Angela - Barbara Kellerman
George - Simon Ward
Geoffrey Bayldon - Psychiatrist
My Mother Married A Vampire:
Anthony Steel - Lintom Busotsky
Richard Johnson - Lintom's vampire dad
Britt Ekland - Lintom's mother
Warren Saire - Lintom as a child
Donald Pleasence - Pickering of the B-Squad
Anthony Valentine - Mooney of the B-Squad
Neil McCarthy - Watson of the B-Squad
The Humgoo
Stuart Whitman - Sam
Lesley Dunlop - Luna
Patrick Magee - Innkeeper, Luna's dad.
Various clubbers & entertainers
B. A. Robertson - Sucker For Your Love
Night - The Stripper
The Viewers - Monsters Rule OK
The Pretty Things - The Monster Club
Suzanna Willis - Stripper
Also featured on the soundtrack are:
The Expressos - Valentino's Had Enough
UB40 - 25%
John Georgiadis - Transylvanian Terrors
Alan Hawkshaw - Ghouls Galore
Chetwynd-Hayes is minding his own business when he's attacked in the street by Erasmus, a vampire in need of his blood fix. When he realises just who he's attacked, Erasmus is all apologies: seems RCH is well thought of in fiend circles and, out of gratitude for his 'donation', Erasmus introduces him to the Monster Club, an exclusive venue whose membership is entirely composed of the ranks of the undead. As the night unfolds, RCH learns more about his fellow revellers by way of three little docu-dramas: There's Raven the Shamock, a relatively benign fellow who just wants a woman to love him. Unfortunately for all concerned, Angela and her boyfriend George hatch a scheme whereby she'll pretend to fall for Raven so she can separate him from the bulk of his sexy cash. When Raven is made aware of her real feelings toward him - somewhere far South of revulsion - he whistles. We've already seen what that can do to a cat who mauled one of his beloved pigeons, what will it do to a woman?
Next we turn our attentions to the Bosotsky family for a window on movie producer Milton's childhood. He had a nice time of it, actually, loving parents, the lot, but his father was a vampire, relentlessly pursued by Pickering, the Chief of Van Helsing wannabe unit the B-Squad (also known as "The Bleeney"). After the strange, touching and nasty Shadmock story (which improves 100% on the Chetwynd-Hayes original, to which it bears little relation), this is a faithful adaptation of his My Mother Married A Vampire which effortlessly matches it for irritating "you have to laugh, don't you?" bonkersness. Were it not for the performances of B. A. Robertson and the Viewers in the club scenes, this would arguably be the nadir of the film. And yet, perversely, it seems like it should be there, that The Monster Club wouldn't be quite the vaguely surreal experience without it.
No complaints about The Humgoo, which keeps all the best bits of RCH's original as movie director Sam seeks out a suitable location for his next horror movie and winds up in the mist-shrouded village of Loughville, home to an isolated community of inbred ghouls who survive on the materials they can scavenge from the "boxes" in the cemetery. Luna, the innkeeper's daughter, had a human mother and that side of her nature still craves the love of a mortal and a shopping expedition to London, and she helps Sam to escape his captors before they can make him the menu highlight for "the great eating." Tragically, Luna is felled by a well aimed rock as they flee the hungry villagers. Sam reaches the motorway and flags down a police car to report the terrible things he's witnessed ...
Finally, we return to the club where Erasmus has nominated RCH for club membership on account of man being by far the worst monster on the planet, before the final horror: The Viewers playing us out with the truly abominable Monsters Rule, OK? with Carradine and Price showing off their disco moves.
Far from being the greatest horror movie ever, this is still one of the most fascinating on account of just how wildly it fluctuates between the sublime (the Humgoo and Shadmock stories, the trite (the My Mother Married A Vampire adaptation[/i], and the downright ghastly (the clubbers - who look like they've been costumed and masked courtesy of the local pound-shop) being regaled by bands that surely weren't even popular at the time including B. A. Robertson, Night, The Auters and sundry sessioneers. Given that Chetwynd-Hayes collections are likewise often things of lofty peaks and lowly troughs, The Monster Club accidentally stands as a fitting tribute to all that is best and worst about this true Brit horror great.
Producer - Milton Subotsky
Director - Roy Ward Baker
Writers - Edward & Valerie Abraham: adapted from the R. Chetwynd-Hayes novel The Monster Club and the short story My Mother Married A Vampire from The Cradle Demon (1978)
Main cast
John Carradine - R. Chetwynd-Hayes
Erasmus - Vincent Price
Club Secretary (Werewolf) - Roger Sloman
The Shadmock:
Raven - James Laurenson
Angela - Barbara Kellerman
George - Simon Ward
Geoffrey Bayldon - Psychiatrist
My Mother Married A Vampire:
Anthony Steel - Lintom Busotsky
Richard Johnson - Lintom's vampire dad
Britt Ekland - Lintom's mother
Warren Saire - Lintom as a child
Donald Pleasence - Pickering of the B-Squad
Anthony Valentine - Mooney of the B-Squad
Neil McCarthy - Watson of the B-Squad
The Humgoo
Stuart Whitman - Sam
Lesley Dunlop - Luna
Patrick Magee - Innkeeper, Luna's dad.
Various clubbers & entertainers
B. A. Robertson - Sucker For Your Love
Night - The Stripper
The Viewers - Monsters Rule OK
The Pretty Things - The Monster Club
Suzanna Willis - Stripper
Also featured on the soundtrack are:
The Expressos - Valentino's Had Enough
UB40 - 25%
John Georgiadis - Transylvanian Terrors
Alan Hawkshaw - Ghouls Galore