Tag Archive: Alfred Hitchcock
Eric San Juan
October 26, 2010
Many of the films we dive into during this week o’ horrors will be silent films. Not this one. House on Haunted Hill is an influential B-movie from 1959 starring the legendary Vincent Price. So influential, in fact, it was one of the inspirations for Alfred Hitchcock’s slasher classic, Psycho. House on Haunted Hill tells the kind of story you’ve probably heard before. Five people are invited to stay in a house overnight. Guests who stay until morning win a boatload of cash. But staying is dangerous, and terrible, terrible things begin to happen. The film is in the public domain, and that means you can watch it right now: A few things to note: * The film was re-made in 1999, starring Geoffrey Rush,…
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Eric San Juan
October 25, 2010
This creepy, dreamlike film from 1920 is based on the old Jewish folklore of the Golem, an artificial creature made of inanimate matter and brought to life. (Shades of Frankenstein’s monster there.) In this moody German production, the creature comes to life and, naturally, wreaks havoc. This variation on the tale — the full title is The Golem: How He Came into the World — is one of the great examples of German impressionist cinema. Both the story as well as the approach to visual storytelling in this film proved highly influential, guiding the work of legends like Alfred Hitchcock. Since the film is in the public domain, you can check it out yourself right here: * The film is available to download (legally) right…
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Eric San Juan
March 29, 2010
So you might remember that I co-authored a book. It’s called A Year of Hitchcock and it is wonderful. Did you buy a copy? If you did not, you should. I would be pleased if you did. Thank you. Carry on. Thanks. Pardon?
Eric San Juan
November 25, 2009
Okay, I’ve got to link to this week’s episode of the Year of Hitchcock podcast, if only because I cracked myself up while editing it. The faux German shtick in the first few minutes of the Lifeboat episode were a bit of unexpected stupidity that had me howling when I listened to it a few weeks after recording. I had completely forgotten I did that. Moments like this are the reason why we do the podcast. Because it’s fun, and hopefully entertaining. We enjoyed writing the book of the same name and think it holds up quite nicely as a worthwhile addition to any film aficionado’s library, but the podcast is something different entirely. Stuff like this is why. Schnell un blitzenberg!
Eric San Juan
November 13, 2009
I’ll never claim to not be shameless when I need to be. So I will now be shameless. Behold! My book, co-authored with Jim McDevitt, was released in April. If you have yet to get a copy, do take a look. If you have yet to tell a friend about it, please do so. If you have a film lover in your family or circle of friends, please consider it as a Christmas present. You can get it through Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and other fine retailers. Your support is appreciated. While you’re at it, please look at our podcast of the same name. If you have not subscribed (it’s free), please do so. If you have not told your friends about it, please do…
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