The Dream Factory
The Dream Factory is a podcast about the sometimes magical, sometimes terrifying world of MGM studios during Hollywood's golden age. Join host Derek Lajeunesse and fellow movie fans as they reawaken the ghosts of MGM, deep diving into people and the films that defined an era of moviemaking.
The Dream Factory
The Scream Factory - Mark of the Vampire (1935)
Happy Halloween!
We interrupt our regularly scheduled Technicolored programming on the Dream Factory, sorry I mean the SCREAM FACTORY, for a seasonal change of pace. I travel back to MGM in 1935, a place of glitter and glamour but not many ghouls, to take a bite out of the horror film Mark of the Vampire. Hollywood was horror movie crazy at this time and MGM jumped on the bandwagon resulting in the atmospheric but messy Mark of the Vampire directed by the legendary Tod Browning.
Flying solo for this one-off special episode, I dissect this strange little movie about vampires terrorizing a village and an occult expert brought in to solve a murder. It manages to squeeze Lionel Barrymore, Bela Lugosi, amazing shots, creepy sets and costumes and a truly incredible ending into its lightning-quick 60 minute run time.
Mark of the Vampire is not a standard MGM offering but it does contain the distinctive MGM style and look, even on a small budget ...and remains an odd and kooky experiment by the studio.
Thanks for listening to the special episode of the Scream Factory and happy Halloween!
Thanks for listening!
Derek
Instagram: @thedreamfactorypod