The Gruesome Twosome (Herschell Gordon Lewis, 1967)
Mar
27
1967
The March 27, 1967 newspaper headlining CAMPUS PUZZLED! and GIRLS VANISH and FATE STILL A MYSTERY. It's Monday. DP: Roy Collodi.
– Burn witch, burn witch, burn! – Dig that crazy beat, man.
The City of the Dead (John Llewellyn Moxey, 1960)
Mar
3
Nan Barlow (Venetia Stevenson), exploring. DP: Desmond Dickinson.
“I like the settings where the lights and desire cross path. The desire to communicate with the invisibles in the darkness, or in memory, or in the future. It's always related to cinema and we as insects that are drawn to lights.”
สัตว์วิกาล [Sud Vikal / Vampire] (Apichatpong Weerasethakul, 2008)
Mar
2
Dr. Seuss' birthday
Applying blood to attract the Nok Phii. It's cold. DP: Chaisiri Jiwarangsan.
Imaginary animals or food for Theodor “Dr.” Seuss Geisel's birthday (1904).
– Apichatpong Weerasethakul, via
Villagers in the north of Thailand reported a rare sighting of a male and female Nok Phii, an elusive species of bird that feeds on animals' blood. It is unknown if the sighting was reliable, and if this vampire does, or ever did, exist.
“Feast your eyes. Glut your soul on my accursed ugliness.”
The Phantom of the Opera (Rupert Julian, Lon Chaney, Ernst Laemmle + Edward Sedgwick, 1925)
Jan
28
Gaslights
An enormous gaslit chandelier dangles over the Paris Opéra audience's heads. DPs: Milton Bridenbecker, Virgil Miller & Charles Van Enger.
Gaslights for the first recorded public street lighting powered by gas, demonstrated in Pall Mall, London, on 28 January, 1807. The introduction of gaslight had a major influence on theatre and opera, including the new Paris Opera (1875), which was lit by no less than 960 gas jets. Thanks to the brilliant light, stage actors could tone down their mannerisms and stage makeup.
– The Phantom
However, in the dark dungeons under the Opéra lives a pitiful creature, doomed to dwell in darkness. His makeup, provided by The Man of a Thousand Faces, Lon Chaney, was both grotesque and eerily real .
Alan “How long will I live?” Cesare “Till the break of dawn.”
Das Cabinet des Dr. Caligari [The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari] (Robert Wiene, 1920)
Dec
25
Hanukkah + Christmas
Cesare (Conrad Veidt) escapes with Jane (Lil Dagover) in his arms. Composition and distribution of light and shadow – much of which was painted directly on the set pieces – strike a strong resemblance with the oldest known survived photograph by Nicéphore Niépce from ca. 1822 – 1827. DP: Willy Hameister.
A favourite scene featuring light for Hanukkah and Christmas.
Die Sage vom alten Hirten Xeudi und seinem Freund Reiman [The Legend of the Old Shepherd Xeudi and His Friend Reimann] (Hans-Jakob Siber, 1973)
Dec
11
International Mountain Day
The two friends setting off on their track of the Swiss mountains. Their chalet can be seen in the foreground. DP: Hans-Jakob Siber.
Mountain living on International Mountain Day. Available to watch via the Zürcher Hochschule der Künste's media archive.
“So this is the team, ey? A priest, a detective near retirement, and a young moron rookie of a cop… Terrific.”
Rosso sangue [Absurd / Monster Hunter] (Joe D'Amato, 1981)
Nov
2
spaghetti
Pretending to be set somewhere in the US, people watch an American Football match on TV. Being Italian, their go-to snack is spaghetti. DP: Joe D'Amato.
– Sgt. Ben Engleman
Legacy of Satan (Gerard Damiano, 1972/74)
Oct
31
cherry pie
A lady cuts her left index finger with a knife. Nearby a plate with bloodred cherry pie. DP: João Fernandes.
La notte dei diavoli [The Night of the Devils] (Giorgio Ferroni, 1972)
Oct
12
soup
The two children (Cinzia De Carolis on the right) eat soup and giggle. Some parsley is stuck to the left child's mouth. DP: Manuel Berenguer.
