Audiences Were Invited to a Bloody Birthday Celebration and More!
This week in cult film history, April 21-28
Greetings and salutations, Strangelings! I hope you’ve had a pleasant week. Step into my Misty Oracle Manor and follow me into the Sinemastalgia room. Let’s have a seat, brew some tea, or perhaps some other unique concoction. I know, this is the most unique room in the manor. I do enjoy a spot of bright color against the darkness. It provides a refreshing change of scenery. Now, let us gaze into my kaleidoscopic masterpiece and enter the portal to Eccentrica to explore some bizarre and unique independent and cult films released this week in sinema history
April 26:
Mark of the Vampire (1935)
Also known as Vampires of Prague, this film is described as a “talkie remake” of Todd Browning’s 1927 silent film, London After Midnight. It is noted that the film doesn’t credit the silent film or its writers.
Also directed by Tod Browning, the story follows a series of vampire attacks and deaths come to the attention of Professor Zelen (Lionel Barrymore). Irena Borotyn (Elizabeth Allan) becomes a target. Years earlier Irena’s father, Sir Karell (Holmes Herbert) died from an apparent vampire attack and it is suspected that he has risen as a vampire and is the culprit behind the attacks. The cast includes the iconic Bela Lugosi as Count Mora.
Many critics praised the film, describing it as captivating and fun. Audiences have a mixed reception due to its twist ending, which I’m not revealing if you haven’t seen the picture.
April 28:
Bloody Birthday (1981)
This early 80s American slasher film follows a group of three children, who all share a birthday with the further unique distinction that there was a solar eclipse on the day they were born. On the day of their 10th birthday, they become homicidal. The film stars Susan Strasberg, Jose Ferrer, and Lori Lethin.
The Horror Show (1989)
Also known as House III: The Horror Show, this slasher is the third installment in the House film series. This installment is a standalone film in the series, revolving around Detective Lucas McCarthy and his family who are menaced by the spirit of serial killer Max “The Cleaver” Jenke, whom McCarthy apprehended. Produced by Sean S. Cunningham, who brought us Friday the 13th, the film stars Lance Henriksen and Brion James.
Odd Facts
The oldest wooden wheel is over 5,000 years old. The wheel was found 12 miles south of Slovenia’s capital, Ljubljana. Radiocarbon dating determined the wheel is approximately 5,100 to 5,350 years old.
Tea is a nice topper to end of a long day or comfort on a frigid evening. Tea bags make enjoying this beverage much easier. Did you know that tea bags were accidentally invented in 1908? When customers received tea samples in small bags from New York tea merchant Thomas Sullivan, they mistakenly assumed Sullivan meant for the bags to be used in the same way as metal infusers. After his customers told him how much they loved the product, Sullivan designed tea bags for commercial production. The gauze tea bags we now take for granted arrived on the market in the 1920s complete with a string and tag for easy removal.
Can anyone ever resist popping bubble wrap? That irresistible insulation meant to protect sensitive packaging was originally intended to be wallpaper. Engineers Alfred W. Fielding and Marc Chavannes invented bubble wrap in 1957. The bubbles were created by fusing two shower curtains together. After unsuccessfully marketing it as wallpaper, the two soon realized that it could be put to better use. In 1960, they founded the Sealed Air Corporation, selling the wrap to be used to protect delicate items in packaging. Their first major client was IBM. Today, Sealed Air still produces bubble wrap plus Cryovac food packaging.
Paris is known for the Eiffel Tower but the famous landmark was originally supposed to be located in Barcelona, Spain. City officials rejected Gustave Eiffel’s proposal because they didn’t think it was aesthetically pleasing enough for Barcelona. This decision was not officially documented and is based on rumor. Whatever the case may be, if this is true, Spain must be regretting this decision. The tower they deemed too ugly to acquire brought a lot of tourist trade to France. As one of the most popular monuments in the world, the Eiffel Tower brings over seven million visitors annually.
Sources: Movie blurbs culled from the pages of Wikipedia and the odd facts from the following articles:
125 Interesting Facts | Random Fun Facts That Will Wow You (rd.com)
Weird Facts So Strange, You Won't Believe They're True (bestlifeonline.com)
Weird Facts So Strange, You Won't Believe They're True (bestlifeonline.com)