I'm fully back to writing my monster book (which is like a Daniel Cohen monster encyclopedia, but working off the assortment of critters from the first Monster Manual -- if you'd like to follow along on my hyperfocused production, hop in the Patreon for my monthly patron newsletters). In addition to spending most of my time writing and reading about monsters, I'm also trying to squeeze in some monster movies. This past weekend I got in The Mummy (1959) and The Gorgon (1964), both from Hammer.

Hammer movies exist in my mind as a sort of fuzzy VHS montage. I saw a bunch as a kid, but they didn't leave deep impressions for the most part. As an adult, though, in HD? Wondrous. So many gorgeous sets! So colorful! So well lit! And Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing are just effortlessly terrific, even when the material is mediocre. Which is not the case here! I'd seen The Mummy before and boy, there are some fantastically creepy moments in it. I was also surprised at a late bit of colonialism-skewering dialog that questions who the real villains of the piece are, a question that isn't entirely answered at the end. I'd never seen The Gorgon, but wow, what a movie. Again, surprisingly complex, Gothic and lacking easy answers or happy outcomes. Immediately leaped into my top three Hammer films (along with Captain Kronos and Quatermass and the Pit, in no particular order). Highly recommended!