Ghostly films

Just watched PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN; great fun, and probably as close as
we're ever going to get to seeing Hodgson's THE GHOST PIRATES on film. The
scene where the cursed sailors are swarming up the ropes under the besieged
ship could have been right out of Hodgson, taken from Jessop's description
of the figures seen climbing over the side of the MORTZESTUS. Don't be put
off by the fact that the film is based on an attraction at Disneyland; it
has a lot of fairly sophisticated humour, and some good swordfight scenes,
and plenty of ghostly chills. THE HAUNTED MANSION film, on the other hand,
seems to be another kettle of fish (judging by the reviews); anyone care to
comment on this film?

Also just watched DEATH LINE (retitled RAW MEAT for the North American
moviegoing public; so much for subtlety, not that the original title is all
that subtle either). Haven't seen this for ten years or more, when I caught
it on a late-late-night Halloween movie bill on BBC-2. Donald Pleasence is
very funny, and the scenes in the Underground - both the modern tube station
and the disused section - are very creepy (the scene in the Underground in
AMERICAN WEREWOLF IN LONDON is pretty close behind in the creepiness
stakes). Not a supernatural film as such, of course, but up there with
THEATRE OF BLOOD in the 'not supernatural but pretty close' category (unless
we're to assume that Edward Lionheart really did die in TOB, an
interpretation the film doesn't really support). When I caught the film on
the BBC, it was shown uncut; a version that turned up on Canadian TV cut
much of the gore but left the exposition, while a version I saw on American
TV cut much of the exposition but left the gore intact (and that's perhaps
as good a comment on our various countries as I've seen!).

Barbara

On Sun, 21 Dec 2003 20:55:23 GMT, "Barbara Roden" <nebuly.TakeThisOut@telus.net>
wrote:

 >Just watched PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN; great fun, and probably as close as
 >we're ever going to get to seeing Hodgson's THE GHOST PIRATES on film. The
 >scene where the cursed sailors are swarming up the ropes under the besieged
 >ship could have been right out of Hodgson, taken from Jessop's description
 >of the figures seen climbing over the side of the MORTZESTUS. Don't be put
 >off by the fact that the film is based on an attraction at Disneyland; it
 >has a lot of fairly sophisticated humour, and some good swordfight scenes,
 >and plenty of ghostly chills.

Oh, I really have to second this. Sharon borrowed it from a friend
and I was a little dubious when we sat down to watch it but after
about 10 minutes I was enjoying every bit of it. I'm just glad I
didn't know it was based on a Disney attraction or I might not have
even bothered watching. Johnny Depp with more eye liner than Dusty
Springfield makes a fabulously camp pirate captain and even manages an
English accent; sort of. Some of the other accents seem a bit
peculiar too and its all great fun. Look out for the damned ghost
pirate monkey too. I want one.

Geoff<!-- ~MESSAGE_AFTER~ -->