Oh my goodness - I watched a couple of great movies tonight! Both were by Val Lewton - a great director of horror.
First I watched I Walked with a Zombie, a wonderful film with voodoo, family strife, a tropical island and romance. It was moody and dark and well acted with beautiful camera work. It was made in 1943, and it's a better movie than much out there since 1943.
Then I watched The Body Snatcher (1945). This one is even darker - and it has an incredible villain - because he's played by Boris Karloff. If you have never seen Boris Karloff in action, this is a great introduction. My God, that man had presence. There are some amazing shots and use of shadows in the film, and I loved the cinematography. By the way, this movie is twisted.
Val Lewton started as a journalist, wrote publicity for the movies, wrote pulp fiction, then moved to screenplays and producing. He is most famous for his RKO horror films. Have you heard of Cat People? I've heard of it for years but never seen it. I just moved it to the top of my queue. Not the remake - the original. The original is Val Lewton.
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