Oriel

Fans of Claude Rains and Kay Francis shouldn't miss this one. It has its weaknesses--the romantic lead (Ian Hunter) is simply not as interesting as the devilish Rains--but it's tremendous fun nonetheless. The opening sequences may be the strongest: independent model Kay Francis meets the dashing but underhanded Claude Rains under strange circumstances, and the two form an unlikely partnership. The scenes between these two are the highlight of the film.

In a great supporting role as Francis's best friend and Rains's severest critic, acid-tongued Alison Skipworth is hysterical. And I love the elegant and often eccentric fashions spotlighted by the movie in the fashion show sequences. For me, the interest only flags during the "stolen holiday" of the title--a forced romantic idyll between Francis and Hunter. When Rains starts scheming and Francis starts suffering, that's when the movie really cooks. You'll have your work cut out for you finding this movie, but it's worth seeking out.

Perhaps the key to enjoying this movie is to come to it with no expectations, as I did--or to be a fan of William Castle (as I am becoming!). If you know William Castle's work, you know to expect low-budget chills that don't take themselves very seriously. What's surprising about this film is that it's actually fairly sophisticated. The plot has some excellent twists; the chills are more psychological and less gore-dependent than in other Castle films I can think of; and it's just fun to see two great (albeit aging) stars get their teeth into a horror script. Barbara Stanwyck is excellent, and Robert Taylor comes a close second.

Why this little gem isn't available on DVD with (what I consider to be) lesser Castle works baffles me. It's definitely worth seeking out for your next cheesy horror fest.

As someone who wrote her dissertation on vampires, I'm very picky about vampire films, especially those that try to retell Bram Stoker's phenomenal _Dracula_. But, even with all that baggage, I was thoroughly impressed with _Dracula 2000_, and I think Stoker himself would have approved. It may not be the letter of his novel--no film, least of all the overpraised Coppola version, has yet provided that--but it comes closer to capturing its spirit than any of the other versions I've seen.

First of all, it has few artistic pretensions: it's a good old-fashioned horror/adventure, with good guys (and gals) trying to save the world. That alone makes it refreshing, and closer to the modest aims of Stoker's novel. And it's glorious to finally see Stoker's villain come to the screen as just that--a villain--instead of the lovesick romantic underdog that's been palmed off on us for years.

But, more importantly, it delves into the deeper themes and ideas that have made Stoker's novel so timeless: the blood exchange in both book and film acts as a metaphor for heredity, for the inherited taint of evil that each human (but especially, here, Van Helsing and his daughter Mary) must fight against. The dangers of familial influence and blood inheritance, so significant to Stoker's portrayal of the battle of good vs. evil on an internal level, finally come to the screen. The intricacies of the family ties (which I won't spoil for those of you who haven't yet seen the film) create a powerful level of the story about the complex forces that make up human personality. The movie also delves into the provocative question of how people's choices can alter their character--and potentially that of their children. These themes elevates the movie, like the novel itself, above the level of sheer disposable entertainment.

Certainly the decision to set the film in the present day will jar some fans of the novel, who are looking for the Victorian setting we all associate with Dracula, but again, this decision works for the story, reminding us that for all our sophistication, we can't be sure that the old evil creatures of folklore won't sneak up on us out of a dark alley. This was exactly the sensation Stoker himself worked so hard to create. In order for his vampire to scare us, we have to believe that he can exist in our world--that he is something relevant to us.

I never thought I'd hear myself say this, but thank heaven for Wes Craven!