UnowPriceless hyped garbage

Erica Derrick By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

Kimball Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.

Cheryl A clunky actioner with a handful of cool moments.

Wuchak RELEASED IN 1960 and directed by John Moxey, "The City of the Dead" (aka "Horror Hotel") takes place in Massachusetts when a curious college gal (Venetia Stevenson) vacations in the remote village of Whitewood to investigate its infamous roots in witchcraft/satanism. When she doesn't return her brother (Dennis Lotis) and her boyfriend (Tom Naylor) come to find out what happened. Christopher Lee plays her solemn professor while Patricia Jessel appears as the town's hotel proprietor. Betta St. John plays the the only normal person in the strange hamlet.The movie was released in the UK at the same time as Hitchcock's "Psycho," but this one went into production six weeks earlier. I point this out because they share a plot similarity that was groundbreaking at the time (which I'm not going to give away). The film appears set bound, but it doesn't really matter since it was shot in B&W. Regardless, there's an effective spooky ambiance with fog galore. The intelligent and winsome Venetia Stevenson shines as the principal protagonist. WATCH OUT for her surprising "Whoa, Mama!" scene (surprising for 1959, when the film was concocted).FYI: The film was not released in the USA until two years later (1962), albeit with the name "Horror Hotel." Important dialogue bits from the opening burning-at-the-stake sequence were censored from the American version, which was the version I viewed. Key scenes were used in the Iron Maiden video for their song "Bring Your Daughter to the Slaughter" (1990).THE MOVIE RUNS 78 minutes and was shot at Shepperton Studios, Shepperton, England. WRITERS: George Baxt (screenplay) & Milton Subotsky (story).GRADE: B+

Mark Turner I remember the first time I ever saw this film as a child on a late night horror hosted program. Called "HORROR HOTEL" (the name given the film for its American release) it was one that stuck with me years after I had seen it. Whenever I saw it was on TV I made a choice to watch it again if possible. I'd seen it released on DVD in various packages and from different companies but knew that most of them were low quality releases for the film so I never bothered. I pleased to now say that a definitive version of the film is available and includes some fantastic extras with it.If you've never seen the movie it starts off with a young female college student named Nan Barlow (Venetia Stevenson) looking into witch trials in American history. Willing to do extra credit she takes the advice of her professor Driscoll (Christopher Lee) to visit a small village called Whitewood where he came from. 300 years ago Elizabeth Selwyn was burned at the stake there for witchcraft and he tells her she could find plenty of information on the topic there, suggesting that she stay at The Raven's Inn run by a Mrs. Newless (Patricia Jessell). As viewers we immediately recognize Mrs. Newless as Selwyn, the witch burned at the stake years ago and seen in a short prologue at the beginning of the film.Strange things begin to happen immediately and it isn't long before Nan is soon marked to be a sacrifice to a coven of witches that still remain in Whitewood. Before that can happen Nan's brother Richard (Dennis Lotis) shows up in town as well in search of his sister. He is befriended by a blind priest and his granddaughter Patricia (Betta St. John) who runs a local store. Richard and Patricia soon become enamored with one another as she helps him try to find out what happened to Nan. Having befriended Nan when she arrived even Patricia is wondering what's going on. Before the film ends witches will rise, a coven will threaten non-members and a twist will reveal itself.What makes this film work on all levels is the atmosphere it creates from the start of the film. The town of Whitewood is creepy as all get out, with a low lying mist forever working its way across the ground. It seems as if daylight has never reached this village and the odds of it ever doing so again are slim. Add to that the eerie factor on display from events that happen throughout, from dancing guests that disappear to strange individuals who can be found in the town to the fact that the priest has a church with no one in attendance and you get the impression early on that this is not a town to remain in for long.The appearance of Lee in the role of the professor, a man who takes the subject he teaches seriously, lends a certain amount of horror credibility to the entire film as he had played Dracula, Frankenstein's monster and the Mummy in the previous 3 years. His time on screen is short but valuable in establishing many moments of the film. Jessell does an amazing job of moving from mad to subtly threatening in her role and adds to the overall creepiness on screen.Although over 56 years ago (!) the film holds up amazingly well. Made at a time just before people began to honestly fear a resurgence in devil worship and cults between the Manson family and the release of "THE EXORCIST", the movie uses both themes to instill fear in the viewer. I'm sure there was some fear of both prior to the film's release but at the time movies had no problem using those themes to create a horror tale. While that continues today most are wary of using either for entertainment purposes and more people are fearful of watching films like this than at that time. That this film can still make you feel dread and concern over the topic is a testament to the power it has.VCI has released the film before but this Blu-ray version offers a pristine transfer of the film, the best I've seen to date, as well as numerous extras to go along with it. The film itself offers both the U.S. version as well as the lengthier British version. Extras include an archival interview with Christopher Lee and a behind the scenes interview with Lee when he was signing autographs for a previously released VCI edition released in 2001. There is a new audio commentary track by Bruce G. Hallenbeck (a British film authority and contributor to "LITTLE SHOPS OF HORRORS MAGAZINE"), liner notes by Mike Kenny, a trailer for the British title of the film and a gallery of photos that include lobby cards, stills, posters and more.If you loved this film as a child or having discovered it on TV years after it was released then by all means you'll want to check out this edition of the film. As I said it retains the creepy factor after all these years, might still inspire a nightmare or two and is the best version of this movie that can be found right now. The folks at VCI have outdone themselves with this release. All that's missing is a horror host to introduce the film to take me back to my youth.

AaronCapenBanner John Llewellyn Moxey directed this atmospheric thriller about a young college student named Nan Barlow who, over her boyfriend's objection, goes to a small New England town called Whitewood to do research for her paper about witchcraft that her Professor(played by Christopher Lee) has requested. Once there, she stays in the Raven's Inn run by a woman named Mrs. Newless, but in reality she is a much more sinister figure who lures her to a most unexpected exit...Meanwhile, her boyfriend goes to the town to search for Nan, but instead finds the daughter of the town reverend, who warns them to get out to escape the evil... underrated(and serious-minded) horror has fine acting and eerie direction, with a most striking finale.

ctomvelu1 A witch is burned at the stake in 1692, and shows up as the proprietor of an inn in the same town, Whitewood, Mass., centuries later. A college student in New York or Connecticut or somewhere equally close by is urged to visit the town by one of her professors, who teaches witchcraft and is a native of Whitewood. There she quickly discovers all is not right. For one thing, the place is constantly shrouded in mist. And the only church is shut and in disrepair. When she abruptly disappears, her brother and a friend come looking for her. Christopher Lee stands out as the seemingly kindly professor who is actually a member of the Whitewood coven. While filmed on sound stages, the movie is very atmospheric and creepy and holds up well.