Day 31 Trick or Treat

In 1978 John Carpenter put a man in plain coveralls, a William Shatner mask, and created the Halloweenseries. Little did Carpenter know that his $325,000 movie would earn over $150million and spawn a new genre of horror films, after this no teenaged babysitter would ever be safe on the big screen again.

When Halloween was set to be broadcast on television in 1981 the censors deemed several sequences of the film to be too graphic for viewing audiences. Coincidentally Halloween 2 was being film at the same time, and additional footage was shot to replace the sequences the censors did not approve of. This version of the film features the replacement footage as well as the original footage, creating an extended cut of the film with more details on the background and mental illness of the killer.

Ladies and Gentlemen, it has been a pleasure sharing 31 of my favorite horror films with all of you. I feel that the past 31 films are some of the best (and worst) fright films that the cinema has offered us, it was not an easy list to assemble, and I am well aware that I left out many classics. Thank you for joining me in this trip through cinema horror.

Happy Halloween, and if you see a hitchhiker on the side of the road, next to an insane asylum, down by the abandoned amusement park, off the corner of Terror Drive and Dead Mans Notch, stop and pick him up. After all, he might have candy.

Day 30, there’s no way of knowing which direction we are going

For 37 years Gene Wilder has terrified children and adults alike in his portrayal of Willy Wonka. Wonka, an eccentric candy maker decides to open the doors of his ultra secretive factory for one day, and only allow children to visit him. Wonka is without a doubt in my mind the inheritor of all the morality lessons, destruction, and violence that the Brothers Grimm ever wished to impart to children.

This movie is as much musical as it is nightmarish visual masterpiece. Every cast member sings and dances, some with more style and skill then others. No matter how much Wilder and Fred Astaire have in common, his skill is over shadowed by the antics of the Oompa Loompas. Singing and dancing midgets with bright orange skin and hair that only the Joker would approve of. Some call this movie horror, some call it a classic, some obsess about its comparison to the novel by Roald Dahl, and some prefer Johnny Depp.



Tune in tomorrow, when 31 days of horror concludes. What will be the movie selected for Halloween? Will it be one of your favorites? Will it scare you? Will you even bother to tune in? Or will Oprah Winfrey ban the whole thing as “indecent and immoral? Tune in tomorrow to find out!

Day 29, having dinner with an old friend

Silence of the Lambsis a delicious example of a movie where the supporting actor over whelms the main characters and steals the attention of the audience. When asked about this movie, most people do not mention Buffalo Bob, or the FBI they simply render an impression of Hannibal Lecter flicking his tongue quickly over his lips. This is a movie that gets into your head, just as the villain of the movie does to the hero of the movie.

Ever since Jack the Ripper terrorized White Chapel, serial killers and lunatics have given audiences a perverse thrill. Silence of the Lambs brings the audience two killers in one movie, all from the safe warm perspective of a young FBI agent. It’s a guilt and calorie free ride, where the audience is rewarded with the exciting possibility of a sequel. Really, what chef could ask for a better complement then the audience doing their best impression of Oliver Twist as they say; “Please sir, can I have some more?”

Day 28, the Pumpkin King

Werewolves, ghosts, witches, vampires, the Boogie Man and musical numbers, it must be a horror movie. Only Tim Burton could imagine a story like The Nightmare Before Christmaswhere Halloween is prepared and exported to our world by fantastical creatures of our darkest nightmares. Disney was reluctant to release this movie, as they thought its content would scare children, so they released it under their Touchstone Pictures. Little could they suspect the pop cultural impact this movie would have on audiences.

This stop motion animation film is a tribute to some of Burton’s favorite movies and cultural icons. Jack Skellington’s dance moves are reminiscent of Fred Astaire; Halloween Town itself is a tribute to the German Expressionist film era, while Christmas Town could have been drawn by Dr. Seuss himself. With a basic story, extremely detailed animation, catchy tunes, and an on screen torture scene with Santa Claus this movie should fit nicely into your Halloween viewing schedule.

Day 27, Suspiria

Suzy Banyon is a talented dancer from New York City who has just received an invitation to a prestigious dance school in Germany, it’s the chance of a lifetime, and it may be the end of her life. Italian horror director Dario Argento’s Suspiria is a very rarely seen piece of horror movie history. An innocent young girl follows her dreams, and quickly finds herself at odds with a murderous witches coven.

Argento’s film draws the audience into the world of his characters. Garishly colored sets, harsh lighting, and a soundtrack that burns your eardrums, make the viewer feel as if they are a part of Suzy Banyon’s story. If visual and audio assault is not enough to turn your stomach, this movie brings you unsettling events that will leave their mark on you. A fleeing young dancer falling into a room filled with razor wire, a seeing eye dog turning on it’s master, and a chilling sequence with death brought on by shards of a stained glass window. American audiences rarely see Argento’s films, but they have made their mark on horror movie history.

Day 26 Stay the night

What would Halloween be without its master of ceremonies, Vincent Price and his House on Haunted Hill? During his career Price played many a role, comedian, voice over artist, gourmet cook, and horror movie icon. In an era where Bug Eyed Monsters (BEMS) were pulling in box office bucks, Price left his mark on Hollywood for all time.

Frederick Loren and his wife Annabelle do not have what you would call a “successful marriage”, but they sure do know how to throw a party. If their guests can survive one night in the only true haunted house in the world, they will win $10,000. The only catch is the ghosts aren’t the only real threat, their fellow guests are. Plot twists abound in this classic campy horror film classic. Ghosts, skeletons, vats of acid, and the eternal question, do ghosts exist?

Day 25 George C Scott’s house is haunted

When his wife passes away John Russell moves into an old mansion to spend some time alone with his thoughts, and stumbles into his very own ghost story. Russell soon discovers that he is not alone, and that his unexpected houseguest has a story to tell. Part mystery, part ghost story, and a dash of paranoia mix together to make an intelligently creepy horror film.

George C Scott’s presentation of widower Russell shows a man lost in his own misery, a man unable to reconcile the tragic events of his own life, yet his drawn to uncover the truth behind the specter that haunts his house. Windows open when they should not open, a ball bounces down a stairwell without a hand to throw it, and a wheelchair lurks in the attic. Can a man seeking peace find it in the search for a decades old murder victim?

Day 24, Death is just the beginning

HP Lovecraft returns to 31 Days of Horror with Re-Animator, a cult favorite movie based loosely on the serial novella Herbert West, Re-animator this film has been both shocking and amusing it’s audience since 1985. Director Stuart Gordon made the decision to modernize the story, but thanks to a young actor named Jeffery Combs the production was able to keep in tune with the feel of one of Lovecrafts’ most popular pieces.

Combs portrayal of West is detached from morality, and humanity and he quickly draws his naive roommate into his experiments at re-animating dead flesh. Scientific curiosity, college hormones, peer pressure, and egotism quickly cause events to spiral downward into a frenzy of imaginative violence and surprising levels of gore. Quite possibly the only movie I’ve ever seen that features a walking, talking headless corpse, and a homicidal cat returned to life attacking its former owner.

Day 23, A Modern Prometheus

DoctorVictor Frankenstein had a dream, a dream to conquer death and disease. Not all dreams work out for you the way you would like them too, sometimes you only create the number 2 box office draw movie monster. If torch-wielding mobs had their say, Frankensteinwould be the number one monster of all time. Pieced together from bits and pieces of murderers, thieves and whatever parts were on hand, Frankenstein has smashed, crashed and torn his way through as many movie theatres as the Prince of the Undeadhas.

Over the years many cinematic scientists have attempted to follow in the footsteps of Boris Karloff, some have succeeded,and some have missed the mark. Rarely does a parody outshine an original, but director Mel Brooks surpassed all expectations and gave us the 1974 comedy gem Young Frankenstein. Luck was with Brooks during the filming as he stumbled across the actual props used in the Karloff film. One year later, the film world would be changed forever as a door was opened that could never be closed again.

Day 22 Vampires on Parade

Call him Dracula,or Vlad the Impaler, or even Nosferatu. There is no doubt that vampires rule the month of October as kings of the night. More movies have been made about vampires then about any other of the classics of cinema monsters. With origins born in folklore vampires have threatened almost every culture on earth, but when an image of a vampire comes to mind, our minds conjure up an image of Hungarian born actor Bela Lugosi.

Any great icon spawns imitators, and Lugosi was not without his bastard children. John Carpenter brought us Vampires,a violent obscenity filled tale of modern day vampire hunters that comes complete with its very own Baldwin brother. Joel Schumacher brought us the tale of the deadly vampire teenagers of Santa Carla. Because no genre is complete until Mel Brooks mocks it movie audiences were subjected to Dracula, dead and loving it,a forgettable film which makes one think fondly of Count Chocula. Keep your crucifix close, the undead are out and about in Hollywood.

Day 21, Bark at the Moon

A werewolf does not knock on your door to introduce itself, it howls. When a TV news anchor is offered an exclusive interview with a reported serial killer, she cannot pass up the opportunity. Little does she realize that she is about to leave the world of humanity and enter into the world of primal animalistic rage.

Communities gather together to defend themselves against the parts of the world that they fear. The parts of the world that threaten their lives, and the lives of their children, this is a community of werewolves living in what looks like an ideal vacation destination. Humanity and beasts have something in common, they both fear and destroy what they do not understand. Humanity covers the globe and dies under tooth and claw, werewolves are few and require a silver bullet to destroy. Who will survive and what will be left of them?

Day 20, Zombie

In 1979 director Lucio Fulci knew where the winds of horror were blowing, they were blowing towards Zombies. This film has no relation to the George Romero series, but the director hoped that he could profit off of Romero’s fan base. Fulci copied Romero in many ways, but not in everyway. These zombies were the result of a cursed island, an island where nearly the entire movie takes place.

American audiences were promised ‘barf bags’ when they bought a ticket to this movie, as it’s level of gore was promised to be excessive. A strong special effects budget produced a movie best known for two memorable scenes. This is the only movie to feature an underwater zombie vs. shark fight. A real live shark, not a special effect, bites a zombie and they fight it out. The other sequence is a slow scene where a zombie drags a victim toward a shard of wood that pierces her eyeball in slow motion. This is not a zombie movie for the faint of heart, or the faint of stomach.