Of special interest is how Dr. Frankenstein brings his creature to life, something which Mary Shelley never described in detail in her original novel.
You can download it to your PC (or MAC) or view it online. Pretty incredible!
29 August 2006
Original 1910 Frankenstein
Click here to view the ORIGINAL Thomas Edison 1910 film version of Frankenstein long thought to be lost. At just over 12 minutes, it's a fairly short but very interesting take on the story with impressive special effects considering the technology available at the time.
08 August 2006
The Last Man on Earth
What would it be like if you were the very last human on this planet? Ohhhh wait - not just the last human, but probably the last mammal --- maybe even the last living creature?
How long would it take before you'd go insane? Before the loneliness drove you to complete and utter despair?
Robert Morgan is not alone, however. He is surrounded by freaks. Monsters. Zombie-like vampires whose only desire is to eat the last bit of fresh meat on the planet. But I'm getting ahead of myself...
The Last Man on Earth is based on the Richard Matheson novel: I AM LEGEND. The premise of the story is that a worldwide pandemic has wiped out all of humanity - all except for Robert Morgan (Robert Neville in the book). For some reason, Morgan is immune to the virus; and after watching all his friends, loved-ones, neighbors and even his enemies die and then come back as soulless undead, he finds himself alone in a world surrounded by zombie-like vampires who can't carry a good conversation but would love to have him over for dinner.
How often have I wanted to be left alone - nobody to interrupt me as I pursued my own selfish desires. Quiet time to read, to watch television or a movie, to surf the internet to my heart's content, to just lay around and do nothing. How quickly the fruit grows bitter and spoils when there is no choice but to be alone. The hermit can always leave his cave and rejoin society --- but not so Robert Morgan. The free food, free cars, first pick of house and clothes and electronic toys freely at his disposal cannot in any way make up for the lack of companionship - the lack of community - the lack of personal friendship and family. And Robert Morgan lived at a time BEFORE Nintendo, Playstation or XBOX. How AWFUL to be alone with absolutely nothing to do!
As a movie, and even as a book for that matter, this story isn't as much terrifying as it is depressing (although, that scene in the movie where Robert's wife comes back from the dead still gives me chills everytime I see it!)
And that, my friends, is the crux of this story: There is NO hope! Towards the end, we meet the vampire-zombie half-breeds - infected but still living / not living-dead. "Freaks" Robert called them. Every day for them is a fight to survive - to overcome the virus which wants to overtake their bodies - which wants to turn them into the insatiable undead. They live in a world devoid of life, devoid of hope, devoid of any real future. Sure, there are plants, trees and grass - but no insects to annoy them - no animals to comfort them - not even the song of a sparrow or the buzz of a cicada fly to break up their days - to color their boring, monochrome existence.
Robert Morgan was the last man on earth - the last being created in the image of God. And in the end, Robert Morgan was no more. If this is the way it really has to end, I'd rather end it right here - right now.
Thank God, I have a far better and more certain hope than that which died with Robert Morgan; for without my faith in the Omega Man, the Alpha and Omega Man that is, this waste of time on planet earth would be the epitome of hopelessness - and nothing more - indeed, nothing more.
How long would it take before you'd go insane? Before the loneliness drove you to complete and utter despair?
Robert Morgan is not alone, however. He is surrounded by freaks. Monsters. Zombie-like vampires whose only desire is to eat the last bit of fresh meat on the planet. But I'm getting ahead of myself...
The Last Man on Earth is based on the Richard Matheson novel: I AM LEGEND. The premise of the story is that a worldwide pandemic has wiped out all of humanity - all except for Robert Morgan (Robert Neville in the book). For some reason, Morgan is immune to the virus; and after watching all his friends, loved-ones, neighbors and even his enemies die and then come back as soulless undead, he finds himself alone in a world surrounded by zombie-like vampires who can't carry a good conversation but would love to have him over for dinner.
How often have I wanted to be left alone - nobody to interrupt me as I pursued my own selfish desires. Quiet time to read, to watch television or a movie, to surf the internet to my heart's content, to just lay around and do nothing. How quickly the fruit grows bitter and spoils when there is no choice but to be alone. The hermit can always leave his cave and rejoin society --- but not so Robert Morgan. The free food, free cars, first pick of house and clothes and electronic toys freely at his disposal cannot in any way make up for the lack of companionship - the lack of community - the lack of personal friendship and family. And Robert Morgan lived at a time BEFORE Nintendo, Playstation or XBOX. How AWFUL to be alone with absolutely nothing to do!
As a movie, and even as a book for that matter, this story isn't as much terrifying as it is depressing (although, that scene in the movie where Robert's wife comes back from the dead still gives me chills everytime I see it!)
And that, my friends, is the crux of this story: There is NO hope! Towards the end, we meet the vampire-zombie half-breeds - infected but still living / not living-dead. "Freaks" Robert called them. Every day for them is a fight to survive - to overcome the virus which wants to overtake their bodies - which wants to turn them into the insatiable undead. They live in a world devoid of life, devoid of hope, devoid of any real future. Sure, there are plants, trees and grass - but no insects to annoy them - no animals to comfort them - not even the song of a sparrow or the buzz of a cicada fly to break up their days - to color their boring, monochrome existence.
Robert Morgan was the last man on earth - the last being created in the image of God. And in the end, Robert Morgan was no more. If this is the way it really has to end, I'd rather end it right here - right now.
Thank God, I have a far better and more certain hope than that which died with Robert Morgan; for without my faith in the Omega Man, the Alpha and Omega Man that is, this waste of time on planet earth would be the epitome of hopelessness - and nothing more - indeed, nothing more.
03 August 2006
Of Monsters and Morals
This may seem a little strange, but for some reason I found myself contemplating levels of culpability amongst monsters from the classic horror genre (I'm strictly talking humanoid monsters --- not freaks of nature like King Kong or Godzilla). For what it's worth, these were my conclusions...
GHOSTS
Ghosts, spooks, wraiths, spectres, however you refer to them are basically disembodied souls. They're simply spirits separated from their bodies. As such, they ARE the person who once inhabited their vacant bodies; and, as such, whatever good or ill they do is by their own freewill (they are free spirits, after all). Thus, in my opinion, ghosts are fully accountable for all of their evil or mischievous deeds (as in the case of poltergeists) just as they should be honored for any good deeds (e.g. intruding into our world to save someone's life). Whether driven by bitterness or love, of all the creatures which dwell in the shadow-realms - I believe ghosts are the most responsible for their behavior.
ZOMBIES
Zombies are the opposite of ghosts. They're bodies without a soul. (I'm talking George Romero-type zombies here --- not VooDoo zombies). That guy over there might look like your Uncle Bob; but trust me --- IT's NOT! Zombies are reanimated corpses. What's left of their brains, depending on how long they were dead, leave them with little intellect; much less any sense of right or wrong. They want to eat you because they're hungry. There is no malice in their bite. No hatred. No premeditation. Only a desire to eat. In my humble opinion, zombies are the least culpable for their heinous deeds. They're like animals acting only on instinct. And like animals, perhaps they can even be taught (speaking of Bob...) - but in the end, we really can't blame them for their actions. Just keep your distance; and if they get too close, whack 'em in the head! Don't worry, they can't feel a thing.
WEREWOLVES
No matter how you look at it, werewolves are victims. Nobody chooses to become a werewolf, it just happens (wrong place at the wrong time). Werewolves, in general, are "bad" only some of the time. They can be doctors, lawyers, bus drivers or computer geeks, rich or poor, skinny or fat. Werewolves come in all people-types; but generally, they're really nice people as long as there isn't a full moon on the rise! Like zombies, werewolves are driven by their desires. Many have no memory of what they did under the full moon; and when they eventually find out, they feel guilty and helpless to change their ways. In my opinion, out of all the "monsters", werewolves are the most like you and me. They want to do good, but instead they do the evil they hate. They're torn by their sense of right and wrong and their inability to walk the higher path. An honest werewolf will do whatever it must to restrain itself during the full moon - like lock itself into a secure room --- but in the end, only death frees the werewolf from its evil deeds. They cry out with St. Paul: "Wretched man that I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death?" They are to be pitied, not despised.
VAMPIRES
Out of all the classic monsters, vampires are by far the most complex. Some people choose to become vampires, while others are victims. And unlike zombies, though technically undead, vampires still have their souls. Some, like lawyers or politicians, have abandoned their morals for wealth, sex and power - but others, like you, me and that werewolf down the street, are cursed with a desire to do right but overcome by an appetite that leads to destruction. Bram Stoker gave us Vlad Dracula, Lucy and Mina (and let's not forget Renfeld - the vampire wannabe). In Anne Rice's world, we have Lestat and Louis; not to mention Claudia. Who is clearly evil? Who is merely cursed? Keep reading beyond Interview and even Lestat will surprise you. There is culpability amongst vampires. They can choose to embrace their insatiable hunger at the expense of others, or feed off lesser creatures and maintain some sense of morality and dignity. In the end, they're still cursed, and those of us living should be slow to cast judgment upon those that are undead. God have mercy on us all!
MUMMIES
I almost forgot about mummies. Mummies are resurrections gone bad! If the soul had only rejoined the body BEFORE all the organs were removed and the fluids drained and the body left to dry for a few millenia, it wouldn't be nearly so bad. Unfortunately, it never works that way. Most mummies had it made when they were alive. You had to have money to be embalmed --- peasants were simply tossed into common graves. So when they come back, if they're lucky enough not to have been victims of grave robbers, they've still got their riches and they've got life but NOBODY wants to hang out with a mummy! All their friends are long-dead, and the babes don't find them attractive anymore; even with all that mummy bling. But I'm getting off-topic. What about morals? I guess that depends on the mummy. Some mummies revive in response to a curse, others because some idiot thought it would be funny to recite verses out of the Book of the Dead. In the end, I guess I feel more pity than disgust towards mummies. They're the ones who really believed that whoever dies with the most toys wins, and in the end found out that toys or no toys, when you're dead none of that stuff matters anymore.
So yeah...that's the kind of stuff that's been unravelling in my head today, not unlike a mummy's bandage...or band-aid, and speaking of BAND-aids and mummies has anyone seen Keith Richards lately....NEVERMIND!
What do you think? Am I right? Am I wrong? Am I NUTS? (you don't have to answer that one - I think we already know...)
Oh yeah, about those freaks of nature like King Kong and Godzilla? Look no further than the closest mirror: Mankind is to blame for their havoc.
GHOSTS
Ghosts, spooks, wraiths, spectres, however you refer to them are basically disembodied souls. They're simply spirits separated from their bodies. As such, they ARE the person who once inhabited their vacant bodies; and, as such, whatever good or ill they do is by their own freewill (they are free spirits, after all). Thus, in my opinion, ghosts are fully accountable for all of their evil or mischievous deeds (as in the case of poltergeists) just as they should be honored for any good deeds (e.g. intruding into our world to save someone's life). Whether driven by bitterness or love, of all the creatures which dwell in the shadow-realms - I believe ghosts are the most responsible for their behavior.
ZOMBIES
Zombies are the opposite of ghosts. They're bodies without a soul. (I'm talking George Romero-type zombies here --- not VooDoo zombies). That guy over there might look like your Uncle Bob; but trust me --- IT's NOT! Zombies are reanimated corpses. What's left of their brains, depending on how long they were dead, leave them with little intellect; much less any sense of right or wrong. They want to eat you because they're hungry. There is no malice in their bite. No hatred. No premeditation. Only a desire to eat. In my humble opinion, zombies are the least culpable for their heinous deeds. They're like animals acting only on instinct. And like animals, perhaps they can even be taught (speaking of Bob...) - but in the end, we really can't blame them for their actions. Just keep your distance; and if they get too close, whack 'em in the head! Don't worry, they can't feel a thing.
WEREWOLVES
No matter how you look at it, werewolves are victims. Nobody chooses to become a werewolf, it just happens (wrong place at the wrong time). Werewolves, in general, are "bad" only some of the time. They can be doctors, lawyers, bus drivers or computer geeks, rich or poor, skinny or fat. Werewolves come in all people-types; but generally, they're really nice people as long as there isn't a full moon on the rise! Like zombies, werewolves are driven by their desires. Many have no memory of what they did under the full moon; and when they eventually find out, they feel guilty and helpless to change their ways. In my opinion, out of all the "monsters", werewolves are the most like you and me. They want to do good, but instead they do the evil they hate. They're torn by their sense of right and wrong and their inability to walk the higher path. An honest werewolf will do whatever it must to restrain itself during the full moon - like lock itself into a secure room --- but in the end, only death frees the werewolf from its evil deeds. They cry out with St. Paul: "Wretched man that I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death?" They are to be pitied, not despised.
VAMPIRES
Out of all the classic monsters, vampires are by far the most complex. Some people choose to become vampires, while others are victims. And unlike zombies, though technically undead, vampires still have their souls. Some, like lawyers or politicians, have abandoned their morals for wealth, sex and power - but others, like you, me and that werewolf down the street, are cursed with a desire to do right but overcome by an appetite that leads to destruction. Bram Stoker gave us Vlad Dracula, Lucy and Mina (and let's not forget Renfeld - the vampire wannabe). In Anne Rice's world, we have Lestat and Louis; not to mention Claudia. Who is clearly evil? Who is merely cursed? Keep reading beyond Interview and even Lestat will surprise you. There is culpability amongst vampires. They can choose to embrace their insatiable hunger at the expense of others, or feed off lesser creatures and maintain some sense of morality and dignity. In the end, they're still cursed, and those of us living should be slow to cast judgment upon those that are undead. God have mercy on us all!
MUMMIES
I almost forgot about mummies. Mummies are resurrections gone bad! If the soul had only rejoined the body BEFORE all the organs were removed and the fluids drained and the body left to dry for a few millenia, it wouldn't be nearly so bad. Unfortunately, it never works that way. Most mummies had it made when they were alive. You had to have money to be embalmed --- peasants were simply tossed into common graves. So when they come back, if they're lucky enough not to have been victims of grave robbers, they've still got their riches and they've got life but NOBODY wants to hang out with a mummy! All their friends are long-dead, and the babes don't find them attractive anymore; even with all that mummy bling. But I'm getting off-topic. What about morals? I guess that depends on the mummy. Some mummies revive in response to a curse, others because some idiot thought it would be funny to recite verses out of the Book of the Dead. In the end, I guess I feel more pity than disgust towards mummies. They're the ones who really believed that whoever dies with the most toys wins, and in the end found out that toys or no toys, when you're dead none of that stuff matters anymore.
So yeah...that's the kind of stuff that's been unravelling in my head today, not unlike a mummy's bandage...or band-aid, and speaking of BAND-aids and mummies has anyone seen Keith Richards lately....NEVERMIND!
What do you think? Am I right? Am I wrong? Am I NUTS? (you don't have to answer that one - I think we already know...)
Oh yeah, about those freaks of nature like King Kong and Godzilla? Look no further than the closest mirror: Mankind is to blame for their havoc.
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