A quick note of apology to Audre Myers, one of my regular readers: Audre mailed me a DVD of the film Bell, Book, and Candle (1958) at the beginning of October. I have been waiting for opportunity to watch it with my girlfriend, then was going to review it.
Well, it turns out when you live four hours apart from each other, your weekends get filled up pretty quickly with fun activities and/or family obligations outside of the house—or catching up on a shared television series. Poor BB&C has fallen by the wayside.
As such, I’ve yet to watch what appears to be a wonderful film, sent by a very wonderful friend. I do apologize, Audrey, but I will make time this week to hook up the Blu-Ray player and watch the film solo. Expect a detailed, lovingly handcrafted review in one week!
As I’ve noted many times before, Shudder has some of the best (and so-bad-it’s-the-best) content of any streaming service I’ve ever encountered. Something I appreciate about the service is that they don’t just stick to slashers, but really take an expansive approach to “horror” as a genre. They go out of their way to deliver some excellent classics that probably don’t show up anywhere else.
One such film—one that I would not strictly classify as a “horror” film, but which certainly deals with a horrific scenario—is 1967’s Wait Until Dark, starring Audrey Hepburn as a blind woman living with her photographer husband in a basement apartment in New York City. Hepburn’s character, Susy Hendrix, has only been blind for a year or so, the result of a tragic accident, so she is still learning how to attend to everyday tasks without sight.
That said, she is fairly capable, and manages well enough, though the film clearly demonstrates that she is vulnerable due to her disability. The stage is set for conflict when Susy and her husband come into the possession of an old-fashioned doll. Unbeknownst to them, the doll is filled with heroine smuggled from Montreal, and a trio of crooks are intent on recovering the stash.
The Portly Politico 