Steven Helmer Publications

Synopsis: Richie Bridgestone and his divorced father, Robert, spend a father/son weekend at their secluded mountain cabin. While taking a moonlight stroll, they are attacked by a werewolf. Robert manages to kill the creature but is bitten and, the next time they go to their cabin, turns into a werewolf himself. Richie witnesses this but nobody believes him. Who's in it? The movie stars Kerwin Mathews , Scott Sealey, Elaine Devry , Robert J. Wilke and George Gaynes. Review: It had been nearly a decade since I last watched The Boy Who Cried Werewolf and, when I came across it this morning, I figured I'd give it another try. I had hoped rewatching the film would change my overall opinion of it. Unfortunately, it didn't. I still think it is a bad movie. Actually, let me put this a different way. I think the movie is hilarious at times. The problem with that is it is a film that isn't supposed to be, at least not intentionally. First, paraphrasing something my daughter s...

Synopsis: After attempting to replicate Frankenstein's experiments, Dr. Gustave Niemann is sent to prison. Niemann, however, escapes with the help of another inmate, Daniel, a hunchback who is looking for a new body. The pair commit murder to take over a traveling horror exhibit and resurrect Dracula, whose body is one of the attractions, to get revenge on the man who sent Niemann to prison. Later, they meet the Wolf Man and come across the original Frankenstein's monster. Who's in it? The movie stars Boris Karloff , John Carradine , Glenn Strange , Lon Chaney, Jr . and Anne Gwynne. Review: I had some time yesterday evening while my wife was at her sewing studio so, since I recently re-watched Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man , I figured I would give House of Frankenstein another try as well. I didn't remember much about this movie, other than I recalled not enjoying it as much as I thought I would. After re-watching it, I now remember why I had that opinion. On the s...

Synopsis: A reputable but eccentric scientist invites a group of colleagues to his remote jungle laboratory to help them with a secret scientific experiment. When they refuse to leave, he believes they intend on stealing credit for his discoveries, shrinks them and holds them captive. At first, he only plans on studying them. However, when he learns the effects of his shrink ray are only temporary, he decides to kill them. Who's in it?  The movie stars Albert Dekker, Thomas Coley, Janice Logan, Charles Halton and Victor Kilian. Review: I had watched Dr. Cyclops on a couple different occasions, both times with my daughter. However, since it had been a while since I last saw it and it is one of my favorite classic science fiction thrillers, I decided to watch it again this morning.  That viewing did nothing to change my mind. It is still one of my favorites. There are quite a few things I like about this movie. One of the main ones is the jungle location of the film. There a...

Synopsis: Walter Mitty uses daydreaming as a way to escape a life of boredom and verbal abuse from his mother, fiancée and others. His dreams of excitement suddenly become too real when he shares a taxi with a woman he met on the train and discovers his life is in danger. Who's in it? The movie stars Danny Kaye , Boris Karloff , Virginia Mayo, Ann Rutherford and Thurston Hall. Review: I remember first watching The Secret Life of Water Mitty about a decade ago with my wife. While I remembered liking it enough to want to see the 2013 Ben Stiller remake (something I have yet to do), I realized that was about all I could recall about the film. So, since I had some time before going into the office this morning, I gave it another try.  Now I remember why I liked it. I have not seen a whole lot of Danny Kaye films, and this is a movie that makes me realize that is a mistake. The movie's script and his role as the title character give him an opportunity to show off his wide range...

There was a time when the Pro Bowl meant something. Selected players, barring an injury, would willingly participate in it, both for the additional paycheck and the free trip to Hawaii. The fact it was held after the Super Bowl also increased the chances of players from the best two teams being involved. Then things changed. Player salaries increased to the point the Pro Bowl check didn't mean as much while the risk of injury watered the product down further by the league taking every precaution to avoid a scandal if a star got hurt playing in a meaningless contest. Fan voting also arguably plays too much of a role, with players being selected because of name recognition rather than anything they did on the field. This is why the NFL should replace it with the Practice Squad Bowl. Here's how I would do it: Each team selects four players that finished the regular season on the practice squad. Those players are divided into the traditional AFC/NFC categories, with each team getti...

Synopsis: Seeking a cure for his werewolf curse, Larry Talbot travels to Ludwig Frankenstein's castle only to discover it has been burned to the ground and the monster still lives. Who's in it? The movie stars Bela Lugosi , Patric Knowles , Dwight Frye , Lionel Atwill and Lon Chaney Jr. Synopsis: It had been ages since I last watched Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man so, when I came across it this morning, I just had to take the time to watch it again. Unfortunately, while I usually enjoy the original Universal monster movies and the expanded universe that was created by them long before that became a regular thing, this one wasn't as good as I remembered. My biggest problem with this movie is, despite the title, Frankenstein's monster (Lugosi) and the Wolf Man (Chaney) share surprisingly little screen time. I would describe this as a film that was more or less a sequel to The Wolf Man that happens to have a cameo from the other monster that lasted only about 10 min...