RARA-AVIS: Re: Black Alibi

From: JIM DOHERTY ( jimdohertyjr@yahoo.com)
Date: 16 Feb 2008


Christina,

Re your question below:

"Tourneur's adaptation of the story is generally categorized as horror, isn't it?"

Very often, it is. It was certainly a production of Val Lewton's horror division at RKO (Lewton also did THE CAT PEOPLE, I WALKED WITH A ZOMBIE, and other classics).

Lewton, however, was something of a insurrectionist, and not all of the "horror" movies he produced had a supernatural or science fiction element (presuming you regard such elements as a prerequisite of horror). THE SEVENTH VICTIM, for example, is about a group of devil worshippers trying to kill a former member, but Satan takes no direct hand in the proceedings, and it could just as easily be classified as crime or suspense.

I haven't seen THE LEOPARD MAN, but, if there's no supernatural element, it's probably another of those
"is-you-is-or-is-you-ain't" kinda things Lewton did.

JIM DOHERTY

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