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Harrington
from The Raven Issue 5
by GhostScribes
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Speaking of Art
If you’re a fan of New Queer Cinema or a lover of independent horror films, then you know Curtis Harrington. If you’re not a devourer of either of these genres, then meet Curtis Harrington, Hollywood director, writer, cinematographer, and actor; a man whose works were heavily influenced by Edgar Allan Poe.
Harrington was born September 17, 1926, in Los Angeles, California, the perfect birthplace for anyone passionate about films. And that Harrington was, catching the film bug early, around the age of 14.
Like most students in America, Harrington read Edgar Allan Poe’s short story, “The Fall of the House of Usher” in an English Lit class. He fell in love with Poe’s atmospheric setting and flawed characters, which later in life Harrington would consider a not-sosubtle stand-in for society. Combining his passion for film and Poe, Harrington wrote his first screenplay, based on “The Fall of the House of Usher,” in high school. He shot the short film himself, using 8mm. When his family learned of his debut film, they were surprised, his mother in particular who tells of Harrington diving under his chair when watching his first horror film years before.
Harrington attended UCLA and majored in film studies. Upon graduation, he went to work as a film critic—much like Poe, whose professional resume’ includes stints as a critic. (Visit issue two of The Raven for more on Poe’s professional career.) Harrington soon laid down his critic’s pen and turned back to his true love – filmmaking. After meeting and working with leading avant-garde film directors and writers, Kenneth Anger and Maya Deren, Harrington began creating experimental underground shorts. That work, in the ‘40s and ‘50s, earned him the title “Pioneer of New Queer Cinema.” His films focused on the gay, lesbian, transgender lifestyle and movement.
Harrington’s talents and achievements caught the notice of famed Hollywood writer/producer Jerry Wald (Mildred Pierce, Key Largo, and many other classics). Hollywood beckoned and Harrington answered, signing on as a production assistant. The move effectively shifted his career from independent to major studio films, from low to blockbuster budgets, from working with unknown talents to working with marquee names - Cary Grant, Joan Crawford, Humphrey Bogart, Lauren Bacall, and more. Luckily for us, what did not shift was
The Raven
Harrington’s love for horror. He continued to write in the genre he loved.
In the late ‘50s, Harrington pitched a screenplay, Night Tide to a young, influential actor, Dennis Hopper, who agreed to star in the film. Night Tide, inspired by Edgar Allan Poe’s poem, “Annabel Lee,” is about a man who falls in love with a woman who claims to be a mermaid. Previous boyfriends died under her spell. Would Hopper? In 1961, the movie was released and garnered widespread praise for its atmospheric setting and talented acting. The film’s success led to Harrington’s next move – director of major motion pictures.
In the ‘70s, Harrington directed two features for which he’ll be forever known, Whoever Slew Auntie Roo? (1972) and What’s the Matter with Helen? (1971). The latter film is the one that snagged the attention of the Ghost Scribes and made us instant fans of Harrington. We still remember the tension that gripped us while watching Shelley Winters, the lead actress in the film, sink deeper and deeper into madness.
According to Harrington, “When it comes to fear, I usually go by instinct. know what will affect me, but I don’t have a formula. I avoid the cheap effect—adding a loud noise to the soundtrack that startles the audience, for example. I still think the Val Lewton approach is the best one, and that is the power of suggestion. What you don’t see is more unsettling than what you do see.” In the ‘80s, Harrington decided to try his hand at television work. He made TV movies and shows, Charlie’s Angels and Dynasty to name a few. Though engaged in small screen productions, he continued to create short, mind-bending films, a collection of which is available at Watch The Curtis Harrington Short Film Collection Online | Vimeo On Demand on Vimeo. A standout among his later shorts is one titled Usher, which he wrote and shot in 2000. As you probably guessed, Usher is another tribute film to Poe’s “The Fall of the House of Usher,” and fittingly, it is the last film Harrington made.
In May 2007, Harrington died from complications of a stroke. Since then, industry players, artists, and film organizations have been involved in preserving Harrington’s independent works so that future generations may know and marvel at the talents of the man Time magazine called, “Poe with a megaphone.”
