The Monster Club 1981

A fictional interpretation of the author R. Chetwynd-Hayes, portrayed by John Carradine, finds himself approached on a bustling London street by a peculiar man, who turns out to be a famished vampire named Eramus, played by Vincent Price. After Eramus bites the bewildered writer, he takes Chetwynd-Hayes to a mysterious nightclub that serves as a secret rendezvous for various supernatural beings. Amidst the club’s eclectic music and captivating performances, Eramus shares three intriguing tales about his fellow night creatures.

“The Shadmock” follows a young woman named Angela, played by Barbara Kellerman, who is in dire financial straits. She takes a position at a secluded manor owned by Raven, a tragic hybrid creature known as a Shadmock, played by James Laurenson, infamous for his haunting whistle. As Angela grows closer to the enigmatic Shadmock, he proposes marriage. However, Angela, spurred on by her domineering boyfriend George, played by Simon Ward, feels compelled to accept to secure the Shadmock’s wealth. During the engagement party, Angela is caught attempting to rob his safe and, in a panic, declares her inability to love him. Heartbroken, the Shadmock’s sorrowful whistle leads to Angela’s face melting before the eyes of her terrified fiancé, who ultimately descends into madness and is institutionalized.

“The Vampires” centers on Lintom Busotsky, portrayed by Warren Saire, a shy human boy from a peaceful vampire family. Lintom leads a solitary life, plagued by bullies at school while his vampire father, played by Richard Johnson, remains distant. Upon discovering that he is indeed the son of a vampire hunted by bureaucratic vampire hunters led by Donald Pleasence, Lintom’s life takes a turn. The hunters invade their home and end up staking his father. In a twist of fate, the father bites the head hunter before dying, destined to be staked by those he once commanded. After a chaotic chase, Lintom’s father proves to have faked his death, escaping with a tomato ketchup-filled vest.

“The Humgoo” features an American film director, played by Stuart Whitman, and his nightmarish journey to the cursed village of Loughville, located in Norfolk. The isolated location hides malevolent ghouls who feast on corpses, and as he attempts to leave, he meets Luna, portrayed by Lesley Dunlop, a girl born of both a ghoul father and a deceased human mother. Luna implores him to take refuge in the church, a sanctuary that ghouls cannot trespass. Within the church, the director uncovers the horrifying reality of the village’s past, where ghouls intermixed with humans. As he makes a bid for escape, tragedy strikes, and Luna falls victim to the very monsters they both fear. Captured, he faces a grim fate, escorted back by ghoul law enforcement.

Ultimately, as the film concludes, Eramus delightfully recounts the myriad of cruel ways humans can inflict harm upon one another. He triumphantly asserts that humanity stands as the most despicable of all monsters, leading to Chetwynd-Hayes being honored as a new member of this peculiar club of creatures.