Glenn Erickson's Reviews: Month: November 2025

Burden of Dreams 4K 11/29/25

Is that Werner S. Herzog, for Sisyphus?  What filmmaker goes out of his way to make his work impossibly difficult?  Werner Herzog did just that on Fitzcarraldo and filmmaker Les Blank documented the entire frustrating, risky process, which included the insane engineering feat of hauling an enormous steamboat over a hill. Herzog chose to shoot in an absurdly remote jungle, where warring tribes forced a location change. We see bits of the aborted first try with Jason Robards and Mick Jagger; Klaus Kinski and Claudia Cardinale are great replacements. But nothing matches Herzog’s ‘fornicating jungle’ speech, or Kinski’s panic on a runaway ship rushing down a river gorge. Extra fun: the legendary short subject Werner Herzog Eats His Shoe. On 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray from The Criterion Collection.
11/29/25

The Diabolical Dr. Z 11/29/25

Nothing says ‘holiday time’ quite like jolly Jess Franco, so we asked UK correspondent Lee Broughton to cover of one of the mad Spaniard’s early films. This one features both medical horror and cold, calculated revenge. A coherent narrative, a stylish look and some reasonable technical qualities might surprise viewers familiar only with Franco’s later ‘film-as-jazz’ approach to movie-making. On Region B Blu-ray from Eureka! Classics.
11/29/25

Abbott & Costello meet Frankenstein — 4K 11/22/25

Yet another movie we dearly love, remastered in glowing 4K — a show that’s so much fun, who would want to poke about looking for faults?  No fear there … Bud Abbott and Lou Costello seem to love the monsters as much as we do, and put out the welcome mat for Lon Chaney’s Wolf Man, Bela Lugosi’s Dracula, and Glenn Strange as the Frankenstein Monster. The 4K transfer emphasizes the high production values and a smart story that integrates laughs and horror-lite chills. Bud and Lou are at their best and Charles T. Barton’s direction builds to an action climax that tops most of Uni’s straight horror pictures. Also with Lenore Aubert, Jane Randolph and Frank Ferguson. On 4K Ultra HD from KL Studio Classics.
11/22/25

In the Mouth of Madness   — 4K 11/22/25

Director John Carpenter applies himself to this solid attempt to (finally) nail down the H.P. Lovecraft ethos on film. The project and its script were actually initiated by its producer, Michael DeLuca. Thanks to our emotional connection with star Sam Neill, we stick with a horror hallucination nightmare that threatens to become its own in-joke. But we’re happy to see a Lovecraft film that follows through with its aim — to watch reality dissolve before our very eyes, as the world is reclaimed by Evil ‘Old Gods.’ On 4K Ultra HD from Arrow Video.
11/22/25

Nightmare Alley  (2021) — 4K 11/18/25

Reviewer Charlie Largent takes on a weighty show, Guillermo Del Toro’s stylish remake of the classic noir about a circus sharpie turned mentalist sensation. The picture had separate releases in color and B&W versions, both of which are present on the deluxe 4K presentation. Bradley Cooper is the unscrupulous crook Stanton Carlisle, supported by Cate Blanchett, Toni Collette, Willem Dafoe, and Rooney Mara. On 4K Ultra-HD + Blu-ray from The Criterion Collection.
11/18/25

The Master of Ballantrae 11/18/25

Errol Flynn is back in harness as an 18th century Scottish patriot who survives the Battle of Culloden only to fall in with pirates of the Caribbean. No, really — it’s from a novel by Robert Louis Stevenson. Flynn’s late career mini-epic tries to cover too much story and the direction isn’t distinguished, but Flynn is in good form and there are good scenes along the way. Compensating even more is the handsome Technicolor camerawork of Jack Cardiff and able acting support from English actors Roger Livesey, Anthony Steel, Beatrice Campbell and (swoon) Yvonne Furneaux. On Blu-ray from The Warner Archive Collection.
11/18/25

Hell’s Angels  — 4K 11/15/25

A 4K remaster puts a high polish on Howard Hughes’ WW1 air war epic — an enormous personal project that allowed the playboy tycoon to indulge his obsessions for women, movies and especially aviation. The film’s air combat has never been equalled: some shots have upwards of 30 aircraft buzzing through the clouds at the same time. The film made Jean Harlow an instant star; he even included a color sequence to show off her platinum hair. The sex attitudes are frank and shameless, and Harlow bares a lot in the name of pre-Code license. The new uncut disc is ‘multi-aspect ratio’ — the home video screen adjusts for a 1930 gimmick called ‘Magnascope.’ On 4K Ultra-HD + Blu-ray from The Criterion Collection.
11/15/25

The Racket  (1951) 11/15/25

The irreplaceable WAC brings forth another sterling HD remaster of a vintage crime thriller. Robert Mitchum and Robert Ryan go head-to-head in this remake of Howard Hughes’ silent hit; the context is modern mob racketeering but the screenplay turns the conflict into an old-fashioned personal grudge match. Playboy producer Hughes threw the picture together and then brought on 4 directors for extensive re-shoots. Lizabeth Scott and Ray Collins are along for the ride, while we admire the acting of clean cop William Talman and sleazy politico cop William Conrad. On Blu-ray from The Warner Archive Collection.
11/15/25

Dead of Night  — 4K 11/11/25

One of the creepiest and most elegant fright films ever made gets a much needed audiovisual overhaul in 4K: Ealing Studios assembles 5 classic horror tales inside a diabolically clever wraparound story, one that poses an impressive conceptual puzzle. Four English directors set the stage with a tidy little gathering for tea, and waste no time plunging the audience into an Expressionist nightmare. Mervyn Johns, Googie Withers, Michael Redgrave and Sally Ann Howes star, along with Britain’s horror mascot Miles Malleson: “Room for one more inside, sir!” On 4K Ultra HD + Region B Blu-ray from Studiocanal.
11/11/25

Intruder in the Dust 11/11/25

Don’t congratulate Hollywood too quickly — would this honest and accurate story of American racism have been filmed if the author of its source story weren’t William Faulkner?  Juano Hernandez is a propertied black man who won’t back down or apologize when he’s accused of murder … in a town where a lynching can still happen. Director Clarence Brown films on location, with a screenplay that stays clear of liberal sermonizing. Even the trailer is a shocker. David Brian, Claude Jarman Jr., Porter Hall and Elizabeth Patterson star. On Blu-ray from The Warner Archive Collection.
11/11/25

Alraune  +  The Student of Prague 11/08/25

German Silent Genre Rarities from director Henrik Galeen.  Diving into these 100 year-old silent films was like being back in film school again, excited by ‘new’ film ideas. Henrik Galeen was at the heart of German Expressionism, and this pair of Uber-classics show the style at its best. The Student of Prague is one of the best films ever about selling one’s soul to the Devil; Conrad Veidt’s performance is one for the ages. Alraune is based on a sordid, unhealthy superstition mixing sex and heredity. The amazing Brigitte Helm goes 100% vamp for a tale of a primal female creature also without a soul. Macabre fantasy!  Alraune has some of silent cinema’s best-ever scenes of perverse eroticism … just in Fräulein Helm’s wanton stares. On Blu-ray from Deaf Crocodile.
11/08/25

The Cat and the Canary  (1927) — 4K 11/08/25

Beware of hidden panels above your bed!  The best of the silent ‘old dark house’ thrillers comes to 4K in a new remaster with a beautiful new music score. Laura La Plante is inheriting a vast fortune, but a pop-eyed monster with a clawed hand is eliminating the other relatives come to hear a reading of the Will. The magic here is the endlessly creative direction of Paul Leni, that turns a stage play into a suspenseful yet funny nail-biter. The expressionist touches are marvelous — perfectly designed images express unseen sounds and unavoidable fears! On 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray from KL Studio Classics.
11/08/25

Wicked Games  — Three Films By Robert Hossein 11/04/25

Gaumont’s restoration brings back a trio of French-language thrillers by the under-appreciated actor-director Robert Hossein. Two are Euro-noir takes on steamy pulp fiction crime stories costarring the dreamy Marina Vlady; the third is a fatalistic political western made years before the Italians got into the act. Each has a hard edge and at least one surprisingly grim narrative twist. Hossein directed for the stage as well; the pictures showcase Henri Vidal, Serge Reggiani, Odile Versois, Giovanna Ralli and Mario Adorf. Plus, the disc is Region A compatible. On Blu-ray from Radiance Films.
11/04/25

I Died a Thousand Times 11/04/25

This remake of a gangster classic barely 15 years old adds CinemaScope, Warnercolor and a selection of method-y actors — and it copies some scenes shot-for-shot. Jack Palance is mostly scary as the ‘new’ Roy Earle, and Shelley Winters less vulnerable as his new love. Also good crime-time fun are Lon Chaney Jr., Earl Holliman, Gonzales-Gonzales, Lori Nelson and especially Lee Marvin, who really shines. But the story is the same, lady: a major Public Enemy may acquire a sense of soul and self-worth, but he sure ain’t got no hope for redemption. On Blu-ray from The Warner Archive Collection.
11/04/25

Hollywood Legends of Horror Collection 11/01/25

A while back it was Sci-fi pix, and the WAC now follows up with a sextette of prime ’30s horror, two from Warner Bros. and four from MGM. The haunting is undertaken by experts: Boris Karloff, Bela Luggosi, Lionel Atwill, Peter Lorre, and Lionel Barrymore, with a weird turn from Humphrey Bogart to lighten the brew. That’s The Devil Doll, Mark of the Vampire and The Return of Doctor X, plus a trio of stone classics: The Mask of Fu Manchu, Doctor X and the deliriously twisted Mad Love. It’s a regular Smörgasblood, folks: vampires, zombies, a Full Moon fiend, puppet people assassins and a demented surgeon with a Pygmalion complex. The review is by creepy Charlie Largent. On Blu-ray from The Warner Archive Collection.
11/01/25

For Whom the Bell Tolls 11/01/25

Nominated for 9 Academy Awards, Paramount’s blockbuster adaptation of the ‘hot’ Ernest Hemingway novel was given a grand Road Show release, then cut by over half an hour for general audiences. Poor studio curatorship left the biggest picture of its day in a restoration limbo. This new disc works with the existing UCLA Archive restoration. A few visual issues can’t diminish the power of the drama or the performances of Ingrid Bergman, Katina Paxinou, Akim Tamiroff and Gary Cooper; the production design of William Cameron Menzies represents the peak of Old Hollywood moviemaking in Technicolor, as does the film score by Victor Young. On Blu-ray from KL Studio Classics.
11/01/25