The Nightmare Before Christmas
As The Nightmare Before Christmas delights audiences once again, this time in brand new 3D form, Eye For Film looks back at some of the classics of years gone by. Get out your red and green glasses and relive the thrills and spills as if you were seeing it all for real.
Ten 3D movies to watch and wonder at:
Bwana Devil - It's Man versus Nature as ferocious lions attack workers on Africa's first major railway, with a lone hero going out to finish them off by himself. 3D movies originated much earlier than most people realise - in 1890 - but this 1952 feature was the first full length colour production to utilise such techniques. Loathed by many of those who have seen it, it remains, for others, a kitsch classic.
Man In The Dark - This early classic follows an amnesiac criminal and his former girlfriend as they hunt for money stashed in his mysterious past. Trashy but gripping, this is a movie with some real thrills in store, especially during the final chase through a theme park.
House of Wax - Imitated but never equalled, this 1953 cult favourite helped establish Vincent Price as the 'King of 3D'. Playing a disfigured creator with a terrible secret, he may have something nasty in mind for the lovely Phyllis Kirk.
Fort Ti - Directed by genre stalwart William Castle and starring George Montgomery, this was the first ever 3D western. It follows a group of English soldiers fighting the French in colonial America. Castle would go on to work on several similar productions.
It Came From Outer Space - Based on a Ray Bradbury short story, this is one of few 3D movies to have truly stood the test of time and to remain loved as more than a mere gimmick. A classic of Fifties paranoia, it features a young couple forced to take matters into their own hands when no-one will believe that the thing buried in the nearby mines is a spaceship full of hostile aliens.
Kiss Me Kate - A big gamble for MGM, this Howard Keel musical proved that the 3D experience could appeal to mainstream audiences. The story of a divorced couple who reluctantly fall back in love whilst performing in The Taming of the Shrew, it's aleady bold, brash and colourful and it makes great use of the 3D effect.
Creature From The Black Lagoon - Possibly the most famous creature feature of all time, this makes gleeful and gory use of 3D effects and still thrills audiences today, even if its rubber-suit-clad monster doesn't quite scare 'em like he used to.
Jaws 3D - After several years in the film fashion wilderness, this was the movie which relaunched 3D - and promptly sank it again. Pitting an anxiously manly Dennis Quaid against a giant shark trapped in a sea-based theme park, it turned out to be a giant turkey, but there are still some great moments to enjoy courtesy of the special effects team.
The Polar Express - One of surprisingly few animated films to employ 3D techniques, this festive favourite tells of a young boy's intrepid journey to seek the home of Santa Claus. With a star cast including Tom Hanks, it looks set to thrill young audiences for years to come.
The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl - A superhero movie from Robert Rodriguez, this makes dazzling use of its 3D effects as young hero Max journeys into his own imagination to save a doomed planet from a malign alien intelligence. Its eager reception suggests that the world of 3D cinema will be around for a long time yet.
