Treasure of Horrors
So Halloween once again hurls towards us like a horseman throwing a flaming jack o’ lantern in our direction. It’s just around the corner now.
One of the few things I do remember about Halloween, when I was a kid, was the half hour cartoon special called “The Legend of Sleepy Hallow” that always remains a great moment in memory lane. There was a time when we didn’t have machines to record shows nor did we have any modern technology such as discs to be bought off the shelf.
When something like “Legend of Sleepy Hallow” would be on television, I would be settling in front of the monitor making sure I don’t miss it.
I was still living in Manawa at the time, a small place about fifty miles north of Oshkosh, a rather dismal place, not very big. Not much there except for a couple of bars and a gas station along a few other things. It was as if time stopped completely in Manawa because it looked pretty much the way it did back in the mid seventies when I lived there. Not much changed there at all. Manawa was in a freeze frame. So the only real way for a kid to get a glimpse of fantasy was through the boob tube.
But I do remember the cartoon fondly. It used to be part of the one hour long special when it was put together with another half hour cartoon called “Adventures of Ichabod and Mister Toad.” I never much cared about the one with the toad. Sorry. But the other one. There was a sense of creepiness about it that made me sit down through it. This lonely adventure through Sleepy Hallow, with its beauty of drawings and long shadows, was a far cry of the two.
The show was narrated by the soothing, wonderful voice of Bing Crosby. A familiar face in movies. So it was a sincere piece, hearing his voice peppering his thoughts throughout. It worked better this way. His voice was the kind that would lure you into a stupor, a comfort, making you feel unprepared for the ending of the episode.
It was charming.
The story revolves around a lanky toothpick thin man named Ichabod who tries to get the attention of a local woman while in the heat of a competition with a town bully. Some of the most memorable and funny parts was during the dance when they would strive to fetch the woman’s interest. All of this was topped by Brom the bully’s story of an old legend. There is still some humor punching through the following scenes, but there’s a growing tension, a wrapping darkness that presses into you like a storm. And this cartoon does create a very good building up in atmosphere.
You also have sympathy for the Ichabod character because he was something of an outsider, a nerd, someone who might often be found left in the corner of a party. The one person not very many people understands. So it is with a deep sorrow to see the fate of this character in the show, leaving you a bundled with sadness. You really didn’t want to see the girl end up with the bad guy. And you really didn’t to see anything happen to Icahbod Crane.
This was a Walt Disney film in the fullest of tradition as it brings to life the story written by Washington Irving when he was, of all places, living in England. But the story is set in a small pocket of the New York countryside called Sleepy Hallow, and the town is still there to this very day. And I did get a chance to visit it some years ago when I flew out to New York City to visit with a cousin who gave the grand tour. Part of the excellent tour was a sideline visit to the bountiful village of Sleepy Hallow with all its mood, reclusive beauty.
Yes, I did get to visit Irving’s cottage that he had in this area which is a very modest place. And yes, I did get to see the long trail on which the headless horseman has supposedly rode on like the fire on wind, a monster who hides in legends and gossip. For the most part, Sleepy Hallow has become a sleeping town now awakened with tourism.
This was certainly one of Disney’s little treats. And one of my favorites. I could not tell you how much the imagination was sparked by those short thirty minutes as it quickly pulls me into the story when I was a child.
It would be something recommend for the upcoming Halloween weekend.
Also, I’ve just got a chance to see the 1965 film “Tomb of Ligeia” which is part of the old Vincent Price cycle of movies based off of another familiar author, Poe. This was an excellent offering of mood and a certain different interpretation of the Black Cat. But it’s a good one.
Many people have their favorite actor/director combos. Some might say Burton/Keaton or Scorsese/De Niro. For my money, I would throw in with the greatness of Price/Cormon for their wonderful work of the Poe stories they did during the 1960s.
The films were flooded with great atmosphere, always filmed at ridiculously cheap prices. The films looks stellar due to the fine location shooting as they would find the perfect spots for their stories. And the mood… it is like stepping into a very dark corner without knowing where you’re going.
Vincent Price has a beautiful voice. And he’s the perfect actor to be in these types of movies, bringing a tilting mood that often sits on edge. “The Tomb of Ligeia” is the very last of the movies to round off their excellent portrayal of the Poe stories, and this is no exception to powerful atmosphere. You can feel it in the low ceilings hanging over the gloomy sets, and the cluttered glares of twilight that fills every corridor. There seems to be no way of getting out of the gridlock of horror that the film sucks you in, slowly, like a giant shadow creeping over you. The evil always feels contagious to you.
A great screenplay by Robert Towne.
They make the movies as if they do care about the source material and they do it well here. Some people may complain that Price hams it up. But I think he’s a wonderful actor and couldn’t be better cast than in these delightful tourism into the heart of psychotic horror. You fall into misery just as he does in these films. They’re great to watch.
This story centers on the idea of a deceased wife who is taking possession of another woman and driving her husband to the point of madness… and it is well played through the actors and actresses involved. No stately special effects to create the mood. Just a few good scares created with timing and suspense.
Spend your Halloween evening with Vincent Price. You couldn’t go wrong. These films might be old stuff. But they’re just as good as any they crank out these days. Even better, actually.
So go ahead. Have a good scare.
One of the few things I do remember about Halloween, when I was a kid, was the half hour cartoon special called “The Legend of Sleepy Hallow” that always remains a great moment in memory lane. There was a time when we didn’t have machines to record shows nor did we have any modern technology such as discs to be bought off the shelf.
When something like “Legend of Sleepy Hallow” would be on television, I would be settling in front of the monitor making sure I don’t miss it.
I was still living in Manawa at the time, a small place about fifty miles north of Oshkosh, a rather dismal place, not very big. Not much there except for a couple of bars and a gas station along a few other things. It was as if time stopped completely in Manawa because it looked pretty much the way it did back in the mid seventies when I lived there. Not much changed there at all. Manawa was in a freeze frame. So the only real way for a kid to get a glimpse of fantasy was through the boob tube.
But I do remember the cartoon fondly. It used to be part of the one hour long special when it was put together with another half hour cartoon called “Adventures of Ichabod and Mister Toad.” I never much cared about the one with the toad. Sorry. But the other one. There was a sense of creepiness about it that made me sit down through it. This lonely adventure through Sleepy Hallow, with its beauty of drawings and long shadows, was a far cry of the two.
The show was narrated by the soothing, wonderful voice of Bing Crosby. A familiar face in movies. So it was a sincere piece, hearing his voice peppering his thoughts throughout. It worked better this way. His voice was the kind that would lure you into a stupor, a comfort, making you feel unprepared for the ending of the episode.
It was charming.
The story revolves around a lanky toothpick thin man named Ichabod who tries to get the attention of a local woman while in the heat of a competition with a town bully. Some of the most memorable and funny parts was during the dance when they would strive to fetch the woman’s interest. All of this was topped by Brom the bully’s story of an old legend. There is still some humor punching through the following scenes, but there’s a growing tension, a wrapping darkness that presses into you like a storm. And this cartoon does create a very good building up in atmosphere.
You also have sympathy for the Ichabod character because he was something of an outsider, a nerd, someone who might often be found left in the corner of a party. The one person not very many people understands. So it is with a deep sorrow to see the fate of this character in the show, leaving you a bundled with sadness. You really didn’t want to see the girl end up with the bad guy. And you really didn’t to see anything happen to Icahbod Crane.
This was a Walt Disney film in the fullest of tradition as it brings to life the story written by Washington Irving when he was, of all places, living in England. But the story is set in a small pocket of the New York countryside called Sleepy Hallow, and the town is still there to this very day. And I did get a chance to visit it some years ago when I flew out to New York City to visit with a cousin who gave the grand tour. Part of the excellent tour was a sideline visit to the bountiful village of Sleepy Hallow with all its mood, reclusive beauty.
Yes, I did get to visit Irving’s cottage that he had in this area which is a very modest place. And yes, I did get to see the long trail on which the headless horseman has supposedly rode on like the fire on wind, a monster who hides in legends and gossip. For the most part, Sleepy Hallow has become a sleeping town now awakened with tourism.
This was certainly one of Disney’s little treats. And one of my favorites. I could not tell you how much the imagination was sparked by those short thirty minutes as it quickly pulls me into the story when I was a child.
It would be something recommend for the upcoming Halloween weekend.
Also, I’ve just got a chance to see the 1965 film “Tomb of Ligeia” which is part of the old Vincent Price cycle of movies based off of another familiar author, Poe. This was an excellent offering of mood and a certain different interpretation of the Black Cat. But it’s a good one.
Many people have their favorite actor/director combos. Some might say Burton/Keaton or Scorsese/De Niro. For my money, I would throw in with the greatness of Price/Cormon for their wonderful work of the Poe stories they did during the 1960s.
The films were flooded with great atmosphere, always filmed at ridiculously cheap prices. The films looks stellar due to the fine location shooting as they would find the perfect spots for their stories. And the mood… it is like stepping into a very dark corner without knowing where you’re going.
Vincent Price has a beautiful voice. And he’s the perfect actor to be in these types of movies, bringing a tilting mood that often sits on edge. “The Tomb of Ligeia” is the very last of the movies to round off their excellent portrayal of the Poe stories, and this is no exception to powerful atmosphere. You can feel it in the low ceilings hanging over the gloomy sets, and the cluttered glares of twilight that fills every corridor. There seems to be no way of getting out of the gridlock of horror that the film sucks you in, slowly, like a giant shadow creeping over you. The evil always feels contagious to you.
A great screenplay by Robert Towne.
They make the movies as if they do care about the source material and they do it well here. Some people may complain that Price hams it up. But I think he’s a wonderful actor and couldn’t be better cast than in these delightful tourism into the heart of psychotic horror. You fall into misery just as he does in these films. They’re great to watch.
This story centers on the idea of a deceased wife who is taking possession of another woman and driving her husband to the point of madness… and it is well played through the actors and actresses involved. No stately special effects to create the mood. Just a few good scares created with timing and suspense.
Spend your Halloween evening with Vincent Price. You couldn’t go wrong. These films might be old stuff. But they’re just as good as any they crank out these days. Even better, actually.
So go ahead. Have a good scare.
posted by K.M. Paters at 11:12 AM
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