House of Movie Monsters

03/08/2026

In one of the more audacious horrorcast projects you will ever see, Dr AC boldly hosts a panel discussion of no less than seven female vampire films from 1971.
From more widely known Hammer entries Twins of Evil and Lust for a Vampire to more obscure oddities such as Jean Rollin's Shiver of the Vampires and Paul Naschy's Werewolf vs the Vampire Woman, the discussion brings to the fore the remarkable diversity of stylized horror cinema that was being produced in the early 1970s as well as the advent of women exerting their power over men who are often simple-minded and brutish (only in these films of course....).
Join us and return to the roots of horror cinema before marketing and merchandising eclipsed the integrity of the films themselves.

DAUGHTERS OF DARKNESS (1971) d. Harry Kumel (Belgium/France) VAMPYROS LE**OS (1971) d. Jesus Franco (Spain) THE VELVET VAMPIRE (1971) d. Stephanie Rothman (U...

02/22/2026

RSVP at https://bit.ly/463LgrZ
You will be crying too if you miss this free private screening featuring a night of unmatched Hollywood hypomanic hysteria as we present “For Jerry Lewis Fans Only,” a double-feature of the fractious, frenetic film auter’s early directorial efforts from 1961 The Errand Boy and The Ladies Man. To add to the excitement these features will be presented in 35mm via original prints courtesy of The Chicago Film Society, and we will have some of our collection of Jerry Lewis memorabilia available for viewing. All attendees will receive a commemorative souvenir to honor their deep appreciation of the singular comedic talents of film auteur extraordinaire Jerry Lewis.
Seating is limited so please RSVP at Eventbrite (search Jerry Lewis) or at the link at the top of the post.

02/03/2026

Barry Kaufman and Evelyn Spear cordially invite our friends to a free private screening featuring a night of unmatched Hollywood hypomanic hysteria as we present “For Jerry Lewis Fans Only,” a double-feature of the fractious, frenetic film auter’s early directorial efforts from 1961 The Errand Boy and The Ladies Man. To add to the excitement these features will be presented in 35mm via original prints courtesy of The Chicago Film Society, and we will have some of our collection of Jerry Lewis memorabilia available for viewing. All attendees will receive a commemorative souvenir to honor their deep appreciation of the singular comedic talents of our idol Jerry Lewis. RSVP at https://bit.ly/4k8WHnQ

02/02/2026

Barry Kaufman and Evelyn Spear cordially invite you to a free private screening featuring a night of unmatched Hollywood hypomanic hysteria as we present “For Jerry Lewis Fans Only,” a double-feature of the fractious, frenetic film auter’s early directorial efforts from 1961 The Errand Boy and The Ladies Man. To add to the excitement these features will be presented in 35mm via original prints courtesy of The Chicago Film Society, and we will have some of our collection of Jerry Lewis memorabilia available for viewing. All attendees will receive a commemorative souvenir to honor their deep appreciation of the singular comedic talents of our idol Jerry Lewis. Seating is limited so reserve now whether you're a big maaaan or a little laaaaaydeeeee!!! RSVP at https://bit.ly/4k8WHnQ ,

10/23/2025

Here in Chicago Halloween has been overshadowed by the real-life terror being inflicted by the US Gestapo ICE as it shoots, abducts, teargasses and brutalizes our brothers and sisters in neighborhoods across Chicago. We the people have come together in solidarity against the invasion as we repel heavily armed agents left vulnerable by the conspicuous absence of any tangible protection from Governor Pritzker and Mayor Johnson. Trump has mobilized his forces to assault us, they should be mobilizing their forces to protect us. What will it take for Governor Pritzker to do anything but make parody videos for the Jimmy Kimmel Show?

10/17/2025

We will be set up at The Music Box of Horrors Saturday October 18th offering over 800 Blu Rays and DVDs and 500 original horror/sci-fi movie posters!
But please note I will be in the theatre for four movies, most of all this one.
Lemora, A Child's Tale of the Supernatural (1973) is a film that had untold influence on me after seeing it on Channel 44 in Chicago's "Monster Rally Movie" at the tender age of 12.
It was part of my inspiration for making films which I did for 10 years and for starting a fanzine on obscure horror cinema.
When I had a video store in the south suburbs from 1980 through 1985 (named All-Horror Video of course) we carried the first home video version on Moore Video and I pushed my customers to purchase or at least rent it.
While the gorehounds didn't quite get it, most were floored by the film's "Alice in Wonderland" sensibility and its immersive Southern gothic atmospherics.
With good reason. Director Richard Blackburn was fresh from USC film school and had aspirations to hit it big with a horror film as the genre was popular, particularly low-budget vampire film like Count Yorga (1970) and Blacula (1972). Unfortunately, distributor Media Cinema Group had no idea how to handle the film, marketing it as an Exorcist spinoff and the film performed dismally at the boxoffice.
Blackburn's inspirations ranged from Val Lewton to Lewis Carroll/Alice in Wonderland, and as such the film plays like a Southern gothic fable, Robert Caramico's cinematography bathing the film in a surreal palette of deep reds and blues, frames crowded with decaying artifacts of the past lending an authenticity to the enigmatic feeling of witnessing a half-forgotten dream.
The morality play aspects, and the powerful innuendo of a loss-of-innocence tale being told through the eyes of a 13 year old Baptist church singer got the film noticed by the Catholic Legion of Decency which condemned the film as blasphemous. The tension between the claustrophobic constraints and guilt imposed by Christianity and free thought and spirit remain relevant in a time when ancient books of fiction rule our politics.

07/17/2025

1970 was a very good year for vampire cinema, and as you can see I was most excited to talk about it. In this installment of Horror 101 with Dr. AC, we discuss the changing face of the vampire on film from the biting Vietnam era cynicism of Count Yorga Vampire to the pastel-laden translucent Victorian nighties of Hammer's titillating The Vampire Lovers to the contemporized soap-opera gothic House of Dark Shadows. Jess Franco's attempt at a faithful interpretation of Bram Stoker's Count Dracula, featuring a somber turn by Christopher Lee, seems almost an anachronism among the other titles, while Jean Rollin's surreal social parable The N**e Vampire (1970) begs for interpretation as the most genre-bending of the five films. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kiDKK3NH9L8