Tag Archives: krimi

Shadows and Fog: The Forgotten History of the German Edgar Wallace Krimi

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Dead Eyes of London

Miskatonic Institute of Horror Studies – London

Instructor: Jim Harper

Date: 12 November 2015

Time: 7-10pm

Venue: Horse Hospital

Address: Colonnade, Bloomsbury, London WC1N 1JD

Prices: £10 advance / £8 concs / £11 on the door

Miskatonic website

Between 1959 and the early 1970s, German film companies released more than fifty low-budget crime thrillers inspired by the works of British writer Edgar Wallace. Featuring some of Europe’s most well-known cult and horror actors (including Christopher Lee, Klaus Kinski and Gert Fröbe) the Edgar Wallace krimi combined fast-paced action, surprising violence and zany humour. Sold en masse to US television and shown in an edited and badly dubbed form, these films have rarely received the attention they deserve. Jim Harper explores the background and history of the Wallace krimi, from their beginnings to their long-term influence in Germany and beyond, discussing the charm and appeal of these quintessential European cult favourites.

About the instructor:

JIM HARPER is a writer and film critic specializing in cult cinema from around the globe. He is the author of Legacy of Blood: A Comprehensive Guide to Slasher Movies (Headpress, 2004) and Flowers from Hell: The Modern Japanese Horror Film (Noir, 2008). His work has appeared in many publications and websites, including Midnight Eye, MYM, Electric Sheep, Necronomicon, V-Cinema, Deranged, Alternative and Scream, and he has contributed to Intellect’s ground-breaking Directory of World Cinema series, writing for the Spanish and Japanese volumes. Currently Harper is working on a revised and updated edition of Flowers from Hell, and preparing the first English-language book about the German Edgar Wallace films of the 1960s.

About the Miskatonic Institute:

Named for the fictional university in H.P. Lovecraft’s literary mythos, The Miskatonic Institute of Horror Studies is a non-profit, community-based organization that started in Canada, founded by Kier-La Janisse in March of 2010. The school currently has branches in Montreal and London, with Miskatonic London operating under the co-direction of Kier-La Janisse and Electric Sheep Founder/Editor Virginie Sélavy.

All classes take place at the historic Horse Hospital, the heart of the city’s underground culture. Individual class tickets are £10 advance / £11 on the door / £8 concessions and will be available 30 days in advance of each class.

The last course date of the autumn semester is 10 December. For the full details of the course please check the Miskatonic website. For all enquiries, please email Miskatonic.london[at]gmail.com.

East End Film Festival 2015 Preview

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EEFF 2015

East End Film Festival

1 – 12 July 2015

Various venues, London, UK

EEFF website

Running from 1 to 12 July, this year’s edition of the East End Film Festival presents an eclectic mix of new films from global and local independent filmmakers as well as industry masterclasses, free pop-up cinema screenings and music-focused events. With a special focus on showcasing home-grown talent , it’s also a great place for late and new discoveries of all kinds and one of the most exciting events this year is the screening of Hélène Cattet and Bruno Forzani’s neo-giallo The Strange Colour of Your Body’s Tears, now presented with a brand new original score by Edinburgh-based musician Ben Power (Blanck Mass, Fuck Buttons). The result is a fascinating score that enthralls, seduces and terrifies in equal measure and that is also available on double vinyl, released by Death Waltz Originals, presented in a 425gsm reverse board gatefold sleeve pressed on an exclusive screening event colour ltd to 500 units.

We are also delighted to be taking part again in a special day of screenings in the opulent and ornate surroundings of the Masonic Lodge Temple on Saturday 4 July, the perfect venue for a krimi classic such as The Dead Eyes of London, which screens at 1pm, followed by a special talk on krimi cinema hosted by Electric Sheep’s Alex Fitch, who will be joined by author and critic Kim Newman, and author Jim Harper. The afternoon screenings are then followed by a masquerade ball, in homage to George Franju’s 1963 production of Judex.

Among other highlights we are looking forward to an afternoon of radical film from contemporary Greece at the Whitechapel Galley, Marielle Heller’s celebrated Sundance hit Diary of a Teenage Girl and a special gala screening of Volker Schaner’s enlightening docu-portrait Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry’s Vision of Paradise, with the reggae and dub legend himself in attendance.

For more information about the programme and how to book tickets please visit the EEFF website.

Electric Sheep at the East End Film Festival 2015

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Masonic Temple

The Dead Eyes of London

Screening date: Saturday 4 July 2015

Time: 1pm

Venue: Masonic Temple, Andaz Hotel Liverpool Street, London

Tickets: £10

Buy tickets

Part of the East End Film Festival, 1-12 July 2015
Director: Alfred Vohrer

Writers: Egon Eis, Wolfgang Lukschy

Original title: Die toten Augen von London

Based on the novel by: Edgar Wallace

Cast: Joachim Fuchsberger, Karin Baal, Dieter Borsche

Germany 1961

104 mins

East End Film Festival website

Electric Sheep is very pleased to be partnering again with the East End Film Festival this year for a screening of The Dead Eyes of London at the amazing Masonic Temple, Andaz Hotel Liverpool Street, London, on Saturday 4 July, as part of the ‘From Murder to Mind Control’ weekend at the East End Film Festival. The film will be followed by a panel discussion hosted by Electric Sheep assistant editor Alex Fitch with celebrated film critic and author Kim Newman, author of Nightmare Movies, and Jim Harper, author of Flowers from Hell, who is currently working on a book on krimis.

The Dead Eyes of London, directed by Alfred Vohrer in 1961, is one of the best examples of the krimi (Kriminalfilm) genre, which flourished in West Germany from the mid-50s to the late 70s. Based on the work of English mystery writer Edgar Wallace like many of these crime thrillers, The Dead Eyes of London revolves around a series of murders committed by blind criminals who lure their victims into London’s dark back streets. And in the shadowy city engulfed in permanent fog hides a monster. Strange and atmospheric, it is a great introduction to a fascinating genre that remains relatively little known and unexplored, and the Masonic Temple the perfect venue to enjoy it!

Listen to Kim Newman talk to Alex Fitch about The Edgar Wallace Mysteries.

Following the screening there will be a short graduation ceremony in which Kim Newman will hand out their diplomas to the alumni of The Miskatonic Institute of Horror Studies – London.

Next up at the Masonic Temple will be Cigarette Burns’ screening of Sergio Martino’s seductive giallo The Case of the Scorpion’s Tail on 16mm. More details of the ‘From Murder to Mind Control’ weekend on the East End Film Festival website.