Yet another warlock's head in a box

[PennyDreadful]

 It's generally accepted that the 1958 B-movie "The Thing That Couldn't Die" inspired the Judah Zachery storyline on DS.  When picking movies to host next season on my show, I ran across this post-DS 1973 film which stars Spanish horror star Paul Naschy -- http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0070039/

  The film is called "Horror Rises From the Tomb" aka "El Espanto surge de la tumba" and concerns a warlock's head in a box which, once discovered, begins to take possession of people!

  I'll probably wind up hosting the "clean" US version of this film at some point.  I wonder if there's a literary origin behind the "warlock's head in a box" premise (other than tales like "The Monkey's Paw?)"

 ~Penny~
 

[Gothick]

Hi Penny Dreadful,

forgive me if I'm insulting you even by ASKING this, but have you ever seen the 1965 Amicus film, The Skull, co-starring Uncle Peter Cushing and Uncle Christopher Lee?  I think it's based on a Robert Bloch tale and am pretty sure Bloch wrote the film.

I think the plot of this movie and the premise concerning the skull of the Marquis de Sade is closer to the Judah Zachery (haha I almost typed "Judith Zacherley"--Zack's EEE-vil sister, perchance?) storyline than the films you mention.

A Fan 4ever,

Gothick

[Darren Gross]

good points, Steve, and I have another to add to the pile...visually the constant recurring usage of the head glaring at everyone through the glass box explicitly recall THEY SAVED HITLER'S BRAIN/MADMEN FROM MANDORAS...

[PennyDreadful]

 Hi Gothick,

 Oh yes I have indeed seen "the Skull" starring my drear Uncles!  You are absolutely right!  "The Skull" is a..head of the others in its similarity to the Judah story!  It has been many years since I've watched "The Skull," and I have never read the story.  I shall endeavor to do so soon!

  Judith Zacherley!  I love it!  Mayhaps we can convince ol' Zack to don drag and play his evil twin sis?

  A Fan of Gothick,
 Penny  
 

[Gothick]

Darren, I've never seen They Saved Hitler's Brain, but I think it now qualifies as must viewing, thanks to that hysterical still!  Thanks so much for sharing it!

Penny Dreadful, oh how I wish you could talk Zack into doing it! Especially if Judith Zack were given some of the dialogue of our own beloved Judith Collins!

cheers, G.

[PennyDreadful]

 I must watch this movie now.  What a picture!  By the by Darren, I don't know if I've mentioned it yey but I really enjoyed your interview with Robert Cobert in the new DS music CD box set.

 ~Penny~

good points, Steve, and I have another to add to the pile...visually the constant recurring usage of the head glaring at everyone through the glass box explicitly recall THEY SAVED HITLER'S BRAIN/MADMEN FROM MANDORAS...

[Darren Gross]

I must watch this movie now.  What a picture!  By the by Darren, I don't know if I've mentioned it yey but I really enjoyed your interview with Robert Cobert in the new DS music CD box set.

Thanks, Penny. That's very nice of you to say.

Apparently the Hitler head just glowers at everybody. I wonder who gets to coif his hair and trim his mustache?...it'd be a good double feature with I WAS A BARBER FOR THE SS.

"Ve vill create a master-race, but first, you must fix der fuhrer's comb-over and trim his nose hair."

My buddy Glenn wrote a terrific review of THEY SAVED HITLER'S BRAIN which also addresses restoration issues which are quite fascinating...

http://www.dvdtalk.com/dvdsavant/s2115mand.html

[Mysterious Benefactor]

I wonder who gets to coif his hair and trim his mustache?...it'd be a good double feature with I WAS A BARBER FOR THE SS.

"Ve vill create a master-race, but first, you must fix der fuhrer's comb-over and trim his nose hair."

OMG, I'm

You should definitely share that talent over on the Caption This! boards.

[Darren Gross]

OMG, I'm (slapping the floor laughing)

You should definitely share that talent over on the Caption This! boards.

Yeah, I'm a "real riot around (the) water cooler!"

[Gerard]

I'm pretty sure I saw The Thing That Couldn't Die on Elvira, Mistress of the Dark.  Was she ever hysterical!

"People often confuse me with Cher.  I tell them - hey! - I'm the one with the boobs, not the one who marries them!"
-Elvira

Gerard

[Philippe Cordier]

Severed heads that have continue to live or have supernatural powers figure in several world mythologies.  I remember looking into that a couple of years ago and discussing it here.

Personally, I didn't see "The Thing That Wouldn't Die" (or whatever it's called) as a direct inspiration for the Judah Zachary head.  I hadn't heard about the movie "The Skull," but would love to see it.

Since these living heads tend to occur in myths, movies, stories, etc., it seems to me that the concept may be tapping into some sort of archetype or primitive fear that has always existed in humankind.

It would be nice to find a direct inspiration for Judah Zachary, but my hunch is that there isn't any one single source for the storyline.  I think the DS writers may have drawn on various strands of this concept and then created something unique and very effective for the 1840 storyline.

 

[MagnusTrask]

I'm pretty sure I saw The Thing That Couldn't Die on Elvira, Mistress of the Dark.  Was she ever hysterical!

"People often confuse me with Cher.  I tell them - hey! - I'm the one with the boobs, not the one who marries them!"
-Elvira

I'm on an Elvira message board.  I've done an Elvira drawing.    I'm Mr. Elvira Guy for the purposes of this thread.    I'm in Elvira's will as soon as stalkers gain the legal rights they've been so unfairly denied for decades.

[Gerard]

I got to meet Elvira in person, too!  It was way-back-when in the 80's, at the height of her show.  I was living in Vegas at the time, and they had the premier of a movie that was a "That's-Entertainment" style look at horror movies (the name of the film now escapes me).  She hosted it.  And isn't it ironic that her real first name is Cassandra, and she donned a dark wig to cover her natural blond (more like a strawberry-blond, I think) hair.  You just can't trust those women named Cassandra - they're always over on the dark side!

Gerard

[MagnusTrask]

Hey ho there Gerard....I wondered at her apparent dissatisfaction with the name "Cassandra" as well.... "I was living in Vegas at the time"... I don't gernerally consider myself to be all that rat-packy a guy at all (!!!) but that's a compelling phrase to be able to use concerning oneself.

[Willie]

I used to watch her show every weekend back in the early '80s.  I actually pre-ordered the DVD's when I heard about them, it was great seeing her again!  I forgot how corny her show was.  I hope they come out with more of them.  "The girl with the curves that'll rattle your nerves".