Thursday, October 11, 2018

Halloween cinema

I am asked on occasion what movies I typically watch during the final two weeks of October leading up to(and including) Halloween on October 31st. Here are some movies(all horror) that I tend to watch every October on or around Halloween:

Pit And The Pendulum (1961) - directed by Roger Corman with Vincent Price, who I consider arguably the best horror movie actor ever, headlining the film's cast. Vincent Price, playing Count Medina, is at his best here, transitioning from a lonely, heartsick and paranoid widower to a hateful, menacing maniac after learning the true fate of his beloved wife.

The Curse Of The Werewolf (1961) - a Hammer Films production with Oliver Reed cast as a Spanish nobleman who transforms into a bloodthirsty werewolf when the moon is full. The makeup effects are exceptional on Reed and the monster in this film has always been one of my favorite "werewolf" renderings.

Horror Of Dracula (1958) - another Hammer Films movie with Christopher Lee cast as Dracula and Peter Cushing as Van Helsing, tasked with stopping Dracula's campaign of terror. With all due respect to Bela Lugosi, Christopher Lee is, in my opinion, the best version of Dracula in cinema.

Night Of The Living Dead (1968) - directed by (the late) George Romero, this film sets the standard for zombie cinema. A small group of terrified people bunker themselves inside a farmhouse after humanity turns to walking, flesh eating zombies. I like the fact this film is in black and white, the origin of the "zombie-fication" of people isn't entirely explained and the struggle to survive among the non-infected includes the expected tension, fisticuffs and outright terror you'd expect when surrounded by hordes of zombies relentless at trying to eat you. Some gore presents itself at times and the ending personifies the overall grim and dreary atmosphere of the entire movie.

Friday The 13th (1980) - directed by Sean Cunningham. I remember first watching this movie at The Omni Theater in downtown Atlanta(GA). I love the score and the "whodunit" motif throughout this film in which a group of camp counselors arrive at Camp Crystal Lake, then immediately become prey for an unseen killer. The mystery within this film's story is interrupted by the gory "kills" of the various camp counselors who are methodically butchered by the unseen killer.

Honorable mentions: Halloween III-Season Of The Witch (1982), House Of Wax(1953), The Burning(1981), The Gorgon (1964) and Candyman (1992).