Science-Fiction & Fantasy Cinema: Classic Films of Horror, Sci-Fi and the Supernatural

This book has proved to be the most popular of my many movie books.

I guess this is not surprising as the book does cover a wide range of great classics from "Metropolis" to "Star Wars".

But I've also included some personal favorites such as Frank Wisbar's "Strangler of the Swamp", probably the best picture to emerge from Poverty Row's PRC. And, as I detail in the book, it's available on DVD.

A few years ago, Albert Lewin's "The Picture of Dorian Gray" was the most requested movie in TCM's vast library. It's pleasing to find that this great movie still has a vast following.

Alas, "The Horn Blows at Midnight" seems to have fallen from grace. When I was at Uni, it was the number one cult movie. The only point against it was its copout conclusion. But how else could you end the movie? It's still one of my favorite films.

And which Abbott and Costello do you prefer? "The Time of Their Lives" or "Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein"? I like them both equally.

But when it comes to "Dracula" (1931), I definitely prefer Universal's Spanish version, starring Carlos Villarias (I thought he was far more menacing than Lugosi). As the super-lovely Lupita Tovar explains in Universal's DVD, the aim of director George Melford was to excel Browning's version. Melford sat on the set by day and watched Browning work. He then pondered how to do even better when the Spanish players moved on to the set at night.

I'm sorry, Lugosi fans -- I like Bela too -- but on the whole, I think Melford succeeded. Why not grab hold of the DVD and see for yourselves?