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Killer Toy
Killer toys are fictional characters based on toys, dolls or puppets that come alive and commit violent or scary acts. Reasons for these actions have included possession by demons, devils, monsters, ghosts, supernatural creatures, dark magic, and malevolent or malfunctioning technology. Concept Toys coming to life is a common and historical concept in children's literature, and the idea has been adapted into numerous horror films and other horror fiction. The 1945 film ''Dead of Night'' represents a key inspiration for subsequent films such as ''Magic'', while the subgenre's best-known films are the ''Child's Play'' films.Lennard, Dominic WAll fun and games...: children's culture in the horror film, from Deep Red (1975) to Child's Play (1988) '' Continuum: Journal of Media & Cultural Studies'', Vol. 26, No. 1, pp. 133-142 (2012) Several works have used ventriloquist's dummies as antagonists, with the dummies either being outlets for their operator's psychosis, or acting ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Fiction
Fiction is any creative work, chiefly any narrative work, portraying individuals, events, or places that are imaginary, or in ways that are imaginary. Fictional portrayals are thus inconsistent with history, fact, or plausibility. In a traditional narrow sense, "fiction" refers to written narratives in prose often referring specifically to novels, novellas, and short stories. More broadly, however, fiction encompasses imaginary narratives expressed in any medium, including not just writings but also live theatrical performances, films, television programs, radio dramas, comics, role-playing games, and video games. Definition Typically, the fictionality of a work is publicly marketed and so the audience expects the work to deviate in some ways from the real world rather than presenting, for instance, only factually accurate portrayals or characters who are actual people. Because fiction is generally understood to not fully adhere to the real world, the themes and conte ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ventriloquism
Ventriloquism, or ventriloquy, is a performance act of stagecraft in which a person (a ventriloquist) creates the illusion that their voice is coming from elsewhere, usually a puppeteered prop known as a "dummy". The act of ventriloquism is ventriloquizing, and the ability to do so is commonly called in English the ability to "throw" one's voice. History Origins Originally, ventriloquism was a religious practice. The name comes from the Latin for 'to speak from the stomach: (belly) and (speak). The Greeks called this gastromancy ( grc-gre, εγγαστριμυθία). The noises produced by the stomach were thought to be the voices of the unliving, who took up residence in the stomach of the ventriloquist. The ventriloquist would then interpret the sounds, as they were thought to be able to speak to the dead, as well as foretell the future. One of the earliest recorded group of prophets to use this technique was the Pythia, the priestess at the temple of Apollo in Delphi, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Trilogy Of Terror
''Trilogy of Terror'' is a 1975 American made-for-television anthology horror film directed by Dan Curtis and starring Karen Black. It features three segments, each based on unrelated short stories by Richard Matheson. The first follows a college professor who seeks excitement with her students; the second is about twin sisters who have a bizarre relationship. These two segments were adapted by William F. Nolan. The third, adapted by Matheson himself, focuses on a woman terrorized by a Zuni fetish doll in her apartment. Black stars in all three segments, and plays dual roles in the second. The film was first aired as an ''ABC Movie of the Week'' on March 4, 1975. Black initially turned down the project, but reconsidered when her then-husband, Robert Burton, was cast in the first segment "Julie". A television film sequel titled ''Trilogy of Terror II'', written and also directed by Dan Curtis, was released in 1996. Plots "Julie" Chad Rogers is a college student with a crush on ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Patayin Mo Sa Sindak Si Barbara
''Patayin Mo sa Sindak si Barbara'' () is a 1974 Filipino psychological horror film directed by Celso Ad Castillo, written by Mike Relon Makiling, and starring Susan Roces as the eponymous character. Plot Barbara (Susan Roces) has always been overly indulgent of her little sister, Ruth's every whim. Years later, Barbara meets and falls in love with Fritz (Dante Rivero), who is smitten with her. But the spoiled Ruth (Rosanna Ortiz) confesses to her older sister that she too is in love with Fritz and threatens to kill herself if he does not marry her. So with a heavy heart, Barbara once again accommodates Ruth's demands and convinces Fritz to court her younger sister instead. In a twisted act of devotion, Fritz reluctantly agrees to marry Ruth, to prove his love for Barbara. After the wedding, Barbara decides to start a new life abroad, to give Fritz a chance to fall in love with Ruth and for Barbara to get over her feelings for him. Her past comes back to haunt her when Barbara re ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Craze (film)
''Craze'' is a 1974 horror film directed by Freddie Francis. It stars Jack Palance as a psychotic antiques dealer who sacrifices women to the statue of Chuku, an African idol. It was the last film produced by Herman Cohen. Cast * Jack Palance as Neal Mottram * Diana Dors as Dolly Newman * Julie Ege as Helena * Edith Evans as Aunt Louise * Hugh Griffith as Solicitor * Trevor Howard as Bellamy * Suzy Kendall as Sally * Michael Jayston as Wall * Martin Potter as Ronnie * Percy Herbert as Detective Russet * David Warbeck as Detective Wilson * Kathleen Byron as Muriel Sharp Production The film was based on a 1967 novel ''The Infernal Idol''. In 1972 it was reported Herman Cohen had the rights and a script was being written. In March 1972 it was announced Jack Palance would star in a film version, which would be a co production between Herman Cohen and Joe Solomon. Freddie Francis had made a number of horror movies for Amicus and other producers, including Herman Cohen for whom ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
From Beyond The Grave
''From Beyond the Grave'' is a 1974 British anthology horror film from Amicus Productions, directed by Kevin Connor, produced by Milton Subotsky and based on short stories by R. Chetwynd-Hayes. It was the last in a series of anthology films from Amicus and was preceded by ''Dr Terror's House of Horrors'' (1965), '' Torture Garden'' (1967), ''The House That Dripped Blood'' (1970), ''Asylum'', ''Tales from the Crypt'' (both 1972) and '' The Vault of Horror'' (1973).Bryce, Allan (ed.), ''Amicus: The Studio That Dripped Blood'', Stray Cat Publishing, 2000, pp. 126-137 Plot Four customers buy or steal items from Temptations Limited, an antique shop whose motto is "Offers You Cannot Resist". A nasty fate awaits those who cheat the shop's proprietor (Peter Cushing). The Gatecrasher Edward Charlton (David Warner) buys an antique mirror for a knockdown price, believing that he has tricked the proprietor into accepting that it is a reproduction. Charlton holds a seance at the suggestio ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Asylum (1972 Horror Film)
''Asylum'' (also known as ''House of Crazies'' in subsequent US releases) is a 1972 British anthology horror film made by Amicus Productions. The film was directed by Roy Ward Baker and produced by Milton Subotsky. Robert Bloch wrote the script, adapting four of his own short stories. Baker had considerable experience as a director of horror films, as he had tackled '' Quatermass and the Pit'' and ''Scars of Dracula''. Bloch had written the novel '' Psycho'', on which the film directed by Alfred Hitchcock was based. ''Asylum'' is a horror anthology film, one of several produced by Amicus during the 1960s and 1970s. Others included ''Dr. Terror's House of Horrors'', '' Torture Garden'', ''Tales from the Crypt'', ''The House That Dripped Blood'', '' The Vault of Horror'', and ''From Beyond the Grave''. Shot in April 1972, the film was edited and set for release 15 weeks after the final day of shooting, premièring in July 1972 in the UK. The film had its North American début on ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
A Reflection Of Fear
''A Reflection of Fear'' is a 1972 American thriller film directed by William A. Fraker with a screenplay by Edward Hume and Lewis John Carlino and starring Sondra Locke, Robert Shaw, Mary Ure, Signe Hasso, Gordon Devol and Sally Kellerman. It is based on the novel '' Go to Thy Deathbed'' by Stanton Forbes. The film spent a long time on the shelf. Principal photography was completed in the early part of 1971, but its premiere was not until late 1972 and its general release was not until the winter of 1973. Lead actress Locke was nearly twice the age of her character. Although Ure played Locke's mother, she was in fact only eleven years older than Locke. Plot The film is set in an alienated mansion in Eastern Canada that houses Marguerite, 15, the main protagonist, her mother Katherine and her maternal grandmother, Julia. Marguerite suffers from what appears to be paranoia as is apparent when she is shown talking to her dolls, especially one named Aaron or an amoeba collected ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Barbarella (film)
''Barbarella'' is a 1968 science fiction film directed by Roger Vadim, based on the French comic series of the same name by Jean-Claude Forest. The film stars Jane Fonda as the title character, a space-traveler and representative of the United Earth government sent to find scientist Durand Durand, who has created a weapon that could destroy humanity. The supporting cast includes John Phillip Law, Anita Pallenberg, Milo O'Shea, Marcel Marceau, David Hemmings, Ugo Tognazzi and Claude Dauphin. Having expressed an interest in comics and science fiction, Vadim was hired to direct ''Barbarella'' after producer Dino De Laurentiis purchased the film rights to the comic series. Vadim attempted to cast several actresses—Brigitte Bardot and Sophia Loren—in the title role before choosing Fonda, his then-wife. A friend of Vadim's, Terry Southern, wrote the initial screenplay, which changed considerably during filming and led to seven other writers credited in the final releas ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
House Of Evil
''House of Evil'' (''Serenata macabra''/ ''Macabre Serenade'') a.k.a. ''Dance of Death'', is a 1968 Mexican horror film directed by Luis Enrique Vergara and Jack Hill. It stars Boris Karloff and Julissa. It was filmed in May 1968, but released theatrically in 1972, three years after Karloff had died.Nollen, Scott Allen. Boris Karloff: A Gentleman's Life. Pg. 307. Midnight Marquee & BearManor Media. ''House of Evil'' is one of four low-budget Mexican horror films Karloff made in a package deal with Mexican producer Luis Enrique Vergara. The others are ''Isle of the Snake People'', ''The Incredible Invasion'', and ''Fear Chamber''. Karloff's scenes for all four films were directed by Jack Hill in Los Angeles in the spring of 1968. The films were then completed in Mexico.Stephen Jacobs, ''Boris Karloff: More Than a Monster'', Tomahawk Press 2011 p 503-504 Plot synopsis Morhenge Mansion, 1900: The dying Matthias Morteval invites his dysfunctional relatives to his home for a will readin ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Devil Doll (film)
''Devil Doll'' is a 1964 British horror film about an evil ventriloquist, "The Great Vorelli", and his dummy Hugo, directed by Lindsay Shonteff. It stars William Sylvester and Yvonne Romain. Plot Hypnotist/magician "The Great Vorelli" and his dummy Hugo perform before a packed audience in London. The audience observes tension between the ventriloquist and Hugo, who Vorelli keeps in a locked cage between performances. American reporter Mark English is assigned a story on Vorelli, and solicits his girlfriend Marianne Horn, a wealthy heiress, to go with him to another show. At the show, Vorelli asks for a volunteer. Mark encourages Marianne to go up. Vorelli hypnotizes her and makes her dance the Twist (dance), Twist. During Vorelli's ventriloquism act, Hugo gets up from his chair and walks around, seemingly under his own power. Mark, wanting a closer look at Hugo to determine how this trick is performed, gets Marianne to invite Vorelli to her aunt's charity ball. While Vorelli p ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Curse Of The Doll People
''The Curse of the Doll People'' ( es, Muñecos infernales "Infernal Dolls"), or ''The Devil Doll Men'', is a 1961 Mexican horror film directed by Benito Alazraki. It was produced by Cinematográfica Calderón S.A. The screenplay by Alfredo Salazar is an uncredited adaptation of the novel Burn Witch Burn! by A. Merritt. Plot The story surrounds four men who are cursed by a voodoo priest for stealing a sacred idol from his temple. Soon after being surrounded, evil 'doll' people begin to kill their family members. Cast * Elvira Quintana as Karina * Ramón Gay as Dr. Armando Valdés * Roberto G. Rivera as Molinar * Quintin Bulnes as Zandor * Alfonso Arnold Release K. Gordon Murray imported the film to the US and added several English-language scenes. Reception Writing in ''The Zombie Movie Encyclopedia'', academic Peter Dendle Peter Dendle is a professor of English at Penn State Mont Alto, teaching classes on folklore, 20th and 21st century representations of the Middle Ages, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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