What's in a Title? Horror Films Volume II Quiz

Answer: Frankenstein

Dawley's version of the now perennial horror flick is the first known silver-screen adaptation of Mary Shelley's classic gothic novel. The 16-minute silent was for many years thought to be a lost film, but it has since being found. It's been cleaned up a bit and is easily available online since it's in the public domain.

The Monster in this version is nothing like what has since become the standard representation of Frankenstein's Monster. The former was played by Charles Ogle, the latter created by Universal studios for Boris Karloff.

Early on in the film, there is a wonderful scene which takes a lot of visual influence from Henry Fuseli's oil painting "The Nightmare", and another equally as impressive at the end of the film when the Monster disappears into a mirror.

Thank goodness it wasn't lost.

Answer: White Zombie

The star of "White Zombie" is Bela Lugosi (who had risen to fame as Count Dracula in Universal Pictures' "Dracula" just one year earlier) as Murder Legendre, who employs voodoo power over the workers at his sugar mill. His eyes are the leitmotif of the film, and without his presence it would probably be noteworthy just as a historical footnote.

Fascinating readings of the film as a critique of the American occupation of Haiti (1915 - 1934), slavery, capitalism, and even first world rationality threatened by third world superstition, have been written about the film. However, it can just as easily be enjoyed as a wonderful horror fantasy.

"White Zombie" is often mentioned as the first full-length zombie film and its influence can be felt throughout the history of the sub-genre. Director Halperin returned to the theme in 1936 with the less memorable "Revolt of the Zombies".

Answer: The Wolf Man

Lon Chaney, Jr. played Larry/The Wolf Man, a role that he made his trademark. Chaney went on to play the character in films such as "Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man" (1943), "House of Frankenstein" (1944), "House of Dracula" (1945) and "Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein" (1948), the first two of which were written by "The Wolf Man"'s writer, Curt Siodmak. "The Wolf Man" also starred Claude Rains, Béla Lugosi, and Maria Ouspenskaya.

Although the werewolf legend has long existed in European folklore, many of the standard myths surrounding the legend weren't really set until 19th Century Gothic literature began to lay down the rules of conduct. These were further embellished by horror films, arguably starting with "The Wolf Man" despite it not being the first.

What I really like about the character played by Chaney is how tortured he is by his condition. Making a monster into a tragic character is a common theme throughout horror films and nowhere is it bettered than here.

Answer: The Haunting

"The Haunting" is based on the book "The Haunting of Hill House" by Shirley Jackson. Director Robert Wise has said that the title came from a conversation with Jackson in which Wise asked her if she had ever considered another title for the book and she replied, "The Haunting."

Dr Markway, played by Richard Johnson, rejects the idea of the house being haunted and prefers to call it "diseased, sick, crazy if you like. A deranged house". The most highly-strung of the guests, Nell Lance, is the most responsive the house's bad vibes, and she becomes deeply unsettled. At one point she does actually refer to its "haunting", the only time the title is ever uttered by a character.

The horror of "The Haunting" is mostly generated by sound and nothing shocking is shown. There is some bulging woodwork and a rickety staircase, but it really is a text book example of how to create atmosphere without doing much, but doing it perfectly. The main plot, i.e. that of the haunted house, is uninspired, but through the subplot of sexual tension, bullying and psychological breakdown, it builds up to an exhilarating, spine-chilling classic.

Answer: Two Thousand Maniacs!

The title "Two Thousand Maniacs" refers to the number of inhabitants of Pleasant Valley, who all take part in the festivities.

"Two Thousand Maniacs" was Herschell Gordon Lewis's tenth film in five years and it shows in the production values. Actually, the awful sound recording adds to the creepiness, as do the quite obviously non-professional extras' stilted performances.

As one would expect from the so-called "Godfather of Gore", there are some really gruesome scenes, but it's the celebration of cruelty amongst the crowds which is so disturbing since it's so recognizable in human behaviour. That it's all wrapped up in cartoon style hijinks makes it all the more frightening.

Answer: Mark of the Devil

The title comes from the idea of needing evidence, i.e. the mark of the devil, in order to indict alleged witches and sorcerers. The corrupt officials are more than willing to provide the incriminating marks.

The jejune assistant actually believes they are doing the work of God, whereas the two older men are blatantly abusing their power in order to indulge in their perversions, and in the case of the top-notch witch-hunter, in the service of his superiors.

The head witch-hunter, Lord Cumberland, is played by Herbert Lom. Czech-born Lom's real name was Herbert Karel Angelo Kuchačevič ze Schluderpacheru, which he quite sensibly changed to Lom when he got into the entertainment business. His young sidekick was played by Udo Kier in one of his first film roles, and the absolute villain (the local witch-hunter) was played brilliantly by the genuinely frightening Reggie Nalder.

"Mark of the Devil" is renowned as one of the most gruesome horror films of its time due to the torture scenes, but it can quite easily be read as a political film. The theme of people following orders, unquestioningly doing what is necessary, and even the reprisals from the locals who "had no idea what was going on" must have struck a chord in 1970s Germany.

Answer: The Wicker Man

The final scene of the film in which a wicker man containing live sacrificial offerings (poultry, pigs, goats and Edward Woodward) is burnt not only gave the film its name, but one of the most iconic images in horror cinema. It is made all the more powerful by Sergeant Howie (Woodward) reciting Psalm 23 from the Bible. Over 30 years after its initial release, director Robin Hardy revealed to Woodward that the words Sergeant Howie utters following the recital of Psalm 23 were taken from Walter Raleigh's final words just before his execution in 1618. Throughout the whole scene the pagan islanders are singing the 13th century English folk song "Sumer Is Icumen In".

"The Wicker Man" is often on top-ten lists, not just of horror films but of British films as a whole. Everything works perfectly, and it hasn't really dated either. I think what makes it really special is that it doesn't mock the devoutly Christian character yet neither does it portray the pagan community on the island as evil or uncivilized. Having said that, I have avoided any kind of event touted as an authentic folk tradition since seeing the film.

Answer: Blood Sucking Freaks

There's quite a lot of cannibalism in "Blood Sucking Freaks" but the only sucking comes in an infamous scene involving a crazy dentist conducting neurosurgery with a drill and straw. The "freaks" part of the title could refer to one of many of the characters. I wonder if it was a nod to Tod Browning's "Freaks" (1932), which also featured midgets.

"Blood Sucking Freaks" was originally called "Sardu's House of the Screaming Virgins" which would hint at the freaks being the naked women they keep in the cellar and feed human flesh. It was also released as "The Incredible Torture Show".

Film director Eli Roth ("Hostel" 2005) has made some preposterous claims regarding the film's influence. With his tongue firmly in his cheek he claims practically everything from "Taxi Driver" to "The English Patient" to is indebted to Reed's OTT splatter classic.

Answer: The Serpent and the Rainbow

Just prior to the opening credits, we are shown the following text: "In the legends of voodoo the Serpent is a symbol of Earth. The Rainbow is a symbol of Heaven. Between the two, all creatures must live and die. But because he has a soul, man can be trapped in a terrible place where death is only the beginning."

"The Serpent and the Rainbow" deals with Vodou and zombies in connection to the oppressive regime of Jean-Claude "Baby Doc" Duvalier and the terrifying Tonton Macoutes. In fact, the scenes of torture are more frightening than the supernatural nightmare trips. Much of the film was shot on location in Haiti, just a couple of years after Baby Doc had fled the country amid a general uprising.

Answer: Martyrs

Lucie had been abducted as a child and put through indescribable torture until she managed a miraculous escape. It is revealed to Anna that a secret society was responsible and that Lucie was just one in a long line of victims. The purpose was to create a martyr, i.e. a witness, who would be able to see into the afterlife and then report back.

"Martyrs" is one of the most disturbing films I have ever seen, and is in a league of its own when compared to films apparently of the same ilk such as "Saw" or "Philosophy of a Knife". The brutal violence, which isn't tempered, is vividly realistic and genuinely frightening. The concept might seem flaky on paper, but all credit to director Pascal Laugier and actress Morjana Alaoui for making it disturbingly real.

Laugier is often said to be an exponent of New French Extremity, but whether a movement of that type really exists is open to debate.