From ghoulies and ghosties
And long-leggedy beasties
And things that go bump in the night,
Good Lord, deliver us!
~Scottish Prayer
Cool temperatures, dark overcast skies, and the scent of autumn in the air brought with it the desire to begin our marathon of frightful films. With October at the half way point, it seemed quite fitting to begin now, and to begin with the Master of horror films, Vincent Price.
And so we started with that tongue-in-cheek film, The Raven, that Roger Corman classic loosely based (extremely loosely) on the poem of the same name by Edgar Allan Poe. Such a fun film, with all the tropes of classic horror films.
How about you, are you into scary movies? Do you have any October film traditions regarding horror films? Are there films you wait until dark October nights to revel in year after year?

Well if so, or if you have memories of watching scary films that still stick with you today, or if you have a favorite or favorites of the creepy/horror genre that you love, why don’t you share those thoughts with us? Anyone who does has a chance to win the above pictured R.I.P. II Fright Night Prize Pack. Simply share your comments, stories, etc. on whatever deliciously dark film(s) that you want here in the comments section by midnight Friday Night and as the witching hour passes I will draw a name from the list of participants to see who the lucky winner of the Fright Night Prize Pack. Said package includes:
-A brand new, unopened copy of the second film in the Underworld series, Underworld: Evolution. Kate Beckinsale in leather…destined to be a classic. π
-A gently used copy of the first Thin Man film starring William Powell and Myrna Loy. Mary bought me the entire boxed set of this series and thus this like new film needs a new home. If you haven’t seen the Thin Man series, it is a must! These classic whodunits/screwball comedies are wonderful and Powell and Loy have such a great chemistry.
-A copy of Annette Curtis Klause’s best-selling, recently adapted to film young adult book, Blood and Chocolate.
-A copy of the Neil Gaiman/Dave McKean audio book based on their film Mirrormask, read by star Stephanie Leonidas.
-A set of stationary based on the Hellboy: Animated series. Envelopes, stationary, and stickers all have great Hellboy images on them.
-Your very own R.I.P. II bookmark
-Not pictured: A special edition Stainless Steel Droppings Envelope of Doom containing horror film related paraphenalia
It is a great prize pack, but more importantly I look forward to some horror film discussion.
And speaking of Prizes:
I am pleased to announce that the winner of the Freak Me Out Prize Pack is none other than
Rampant Bicycle !!!
Congrats RB! Email me your address to cvincent68@comcast.net and I’ll get this to you in the mail. Nothing like new books to distract you from school work! π
I am also pleased to announce that the winner of a cool R.I.P. II bookmark for visiting Estella’s Revenge is:
Debi!
Congrats Debi! I have your address and will get this out to you to enjoy!
And while we are on the subject of contests, let us not forget that there are some contests still going here for the R.I.P. II Challenge:

The Raising the Stakes contest continues until 11:59 p.m. October 30th with a vamptastic Venator Prize Pack up for grabs: details here.

The We Are Not Alone: Visitation Giveaway ends this Friday, October 19th at 11:59 p.m. Make sure you let me know in the comments on that post if you’ve visited all the sites. Details here.

The Terrible Tales Tiny Story Contest also ends this Friday, October 19th at 11:59 p.m. I have several entries thus far and would like several more. Take a chance and don’t delay. Details on the contest and the great R.I.P.ing Yarns Prize Pack are here.

And of course the Something Sinister Contest continues until the witching hour on All Hallow’s Eve, October 31st. I have gotten a few entries thus far and will probably post them in the next few days in order to inspire the rest of you to get your cameras out and get snapping. Contest and prize details are here.
That’s all for today, keep those contest entries coming in and don’t forget to discuss horror films in today’s post by Friday night for a chance at the Fright Night Prize Pack!
I don’t see a reference to “The Mummy” here. I adore the version with Brandan Fraser!
When I was in high school (and yes, I know I’m dating
myself here!) my 2 best friends and I went to see a late
Sunday night showing of Nightmare on Elm Street. There
were only 2 other people in the theater. We were so
creeped out, the guys behind us dropped their popcorn,
and the 3 of us screamed! I don’t think my best friend
has yet forgiven me for making her go see this movie!!
Stephanie: I was either in junior high or high school when the first Nightmare movie was out and I saw it in the theatre as well, so as far as age goes, you’re in good company.
Suzanne: I really enjoy both Brendon Mummy movies as well. In fact we just watched The Mummy a month or so ago as Tori had never seen it.
Okay, at first I was going to be upset with you for rubbing it in. Getting to watch your creepy favorites that, is. Each year, we love to watch The Nightmare Before Christmas and Halloween. But I think we’re out of luck this year. Our 6-year-old is currently in an “afraid of his own shadow” phase, and won’t go to sleep without one of us in the room with him. NO WAY could we ever watch either of these movies with him in the room…seriously, he has nightmares after watching Scooby Doo! Decided the other night we would try to outlast him and watch The Nightmare Before Christmas after he fell asleep on the floor. I got a yummy movie-watching snack all prepared and everything. 10:15 rolled around, and we just had to concede defeat to the little rascal once again.
Anyway, I can’t really be upset with you after all though, can I? I’m too busy feeling ecstatic over winning the RIP bookmark!!! Thank you, thank you, thank you! I wanted to win that soooo much! (And I’m not going to let Annie talk me into giving it to her!)
By the way, please don’t enter me in this contest, but Stephanie’s story reminded me of my own high school times. I had this one particular friend who loved horror movies as much as I, and we would go to the theater to see as many as we could. But it’s the original Friday the 13th that really sticks out in my mind. I get through the whole movie just fine, the credits start showing, most people are leaving the theater. Then his hand comes up out of the water…totally caught me off-guard and I screamed and jumped right into my girlfriend’s lap.
Showcase Cinemas are featuring B Movie Thursday during the month of October; scary movies, of course. This Thursday I’m going to see The Terror and House on Haunted Hill!
it always surprises me when the younger generations enjoys watching old movies! (I loved the Thin Man movies! and still watch them when they pop up on television)
Dont add me in this drawing I think others would appreciate the gifts more than I…
That being said, I have to say the one thing about this part of the year that I really love is that the old black and white horror movies come out! I always loved the Trio of Boris Karloff, Bela Lugosi and Lon Chaney Jr !! Probably because when I was very young they scared the doo doo out of me! lol.. and now they are like watching old friends, that I miss if they don’t show up.
I know there are many new movies much more scary but for me it will always be those old movies.
… I am so bummed out! Now with this broken foot I can’t go and do what I wanted to for the Something Sinister contest!! I had all planned to stop by a cemetary for pics plus some other things and now I’m virtually “out of commission”! grrrrrrrrrrrr I know I sent a few pics but to me they are more like “testing” what can be done… I don’t know how, but sure hope I can find a way to take more photo’s!!!
Hi there. Been a while. Hope all is well.
Like Debi, my yearly “creepy” films are more on the whimsical side. One is Nightmare Before Christmas, which this year will be in 3-D SCARE-O-RAMA, about which I’m totally excited. I also watch Hocus Pocus every other day and twice that in October.
I also watch ‘Hush,’ the Season 4 episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Nothing creeps me out like those Gentlemen.
I have always prided myself on having a very strong stomach when it comes to gore in films. I would always go to the theater to see a scary movie just to laugh at everyone when they would scream or jump at something on the screen. I mean, come on, it’s just a movie, right? Unfortunately, as I’ve gotten older, I’m not as tough as I used to be. I’m also a lot more jumpy. It doesn’t help to have a husband who is extremely adept at jumping out from behind doors, or even lunging at me from the sofa, and scaring the bejeebies out of me. Karma has come around, and I’m now one of the people I used to laugh at.
That being said, the last true gory/scary movie I watched was the remake of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre. I really don’t know what it was about that movie, but it got to me the way no horror movie ever has before. I didn’t even watch that much of it, I’m ashamed to say that I had to turn it off before I completely freaked. I still get a little creeped out, remembering how I felt as Leatherface chased one of the kids through the hanging laundry.. it was panic, plain and simple, and I think part of what still bothers me about it is that I don’t know how I got so wrapped up in the film that it was able to evoke that deep of a response.
Give me Evil Dead 2 any day over that.. phew!
Stephanie- A friend and I did that all the way through Chucky. Luckily, the theatre was mostly empty!
When I was young “Ghost Story” with Fred Astaire, freaked me out. That dead chick scared me.
Since I was about 9 years old, I’ve done the Halloween marathon. As I’ve mentioned before, Halloween is my favorite horror movie franchise, the first and second movies being my favorite and October can’t pass without me cuddling up in bed to these movies! My love for these was brought on by an old New Orleans favorite TV show by the name of Morgus! Morgus was this mad scientist who would come on tv on the weekends with his sidekick Chopsley who was an executioner who didn’t talk. During his show he would play horror movies and every Halloween, he would feature the Halloween movies. I fell in love with them then and have watched them ever since!
My other favorites are Tim Burton’s movies and I usually watch all of his works during October…Nightmare Before Christmas, Edward Scissorhands, and Sleepy Hollow are just perfect!
I watch these all year, but they’re just extra special in October!
And on the tiny story front…did you get mine? I sent it to you a few days ago.
Oh! And congrats to Rampant Bicycle and Debi π Awesome Prizes there!
…wait, what? I won?
*squee!*
Wow, that’s a nice lift in an uber-stressful day. Hooray! (and thanks so much… :))
I would do a happy dance if I wasn’t exhausted. π
However, I have to say something about horror movies. I love them. Especially the old bad ones, for which I have a particular weakness…but that’s a different story. I once took a course in horror films in university (most fun EVER) and am still very likely to settle in on the couch for an all-night movie marathon of killer doll movies when the opportunity presents itself.
When it comes to seasonal fare…I think my favorite movie to watch ’round Halloween time is…well, Halloween. Not only is it the ur-slasher film, it is also one of the rare horror pictures that’s legitimately a good film in its own right. (I also maintain that there is fascinating cultural material to be mined from it, and that the real “crime” in Halloween has nothing whatsoever to do with sex, unlike its host of imitators…)
For those who are looking for good creepy viewing this year, may I recommend The Haunting? (The 1963, version, please – not the “de Bonting” from a few years back.) That’s a really quality film…and it achieves genuine spookiness with a grand total of ONE special effect. More horror movies should follow its example. π
Carl,
I rented “Pet Cemetary” with a friend when we were at school and watched it over at his place. I then walked home across town at about three in the morning and as I passed this one house, a black cat jumped up on the fence next to me. Scared the hell out of me.
Also, I sent you a tiny story entry on Sunday. Have not received a confirmation email from you.
Stuart
Debi…ah, kids! Actually, though it isn’t fun at the time, it will make for fun stories later on once your he gets brave again. Sorry it is cutting into your eerie movie enjoyment, but hopefully you’ll get a few early sleep nights this month and can squeeze some scary movies in.
Janet, is this the Vincent Price version of House on Haunted Hill? I have that one on DVD and really enjoy it. Another fun movie that crams in all the trappings of classic horror films. Have fun! I am pretty sure I’ve seen The Terror as well.
Deslily: I learned to really appreciate classic films when I was dating a girl in high school who loved them. I quickly fell in love with them as well as they fit so well into the huge romantic nostalgia part of my personality. I think I picked up the first Thin Man movie on a whim at a local rental place decades ago just because I wanted to see a Myrna Loy movie (very attractive! Rowr!) and fell hard for them. They are all (except for the 6th one which I don’t really care for) fantastic films. We’ve indoctrinated our daughter into the love of classic/black and white films as well. I’m not sure that newer films are essentially scarier as many of these older movies, when watched in a dark room at night, especially alone, can evoke some very creepy vibes. I hope your foot heals quickly, sorry to hear about that, and hope you have a chance to send in even more picture entries.
Scott: glad to see you back, things are looking up, thanks. I too am a HUGE fan of Nightmare Before Christmas and was disappointed that I missed the 3-D rerelease last year and hope to catch it this year…this coming weekend in fact. That is my hope anyway.
Asara: I didn’t watch the newest Tx Chainsaw Massacre mostly because of my memories of the original and the nightmare I had after I watched it the first time. Something about that film really creeped me out.
Chris@: I’m not sure I’ve seen that Fred Astaire Ghost Story film…I will have to see if I can snag that on Netflix.
Chris and Stuart: I am waaaay behind on my emails, but I did get your stories. Thanks.
Chris: I really want to try to squeeze Sleepy Hollow in again within the next few days. Love that show, and it creeps me out as well. Perfect for this time of year.
RB: Congrats again.
Stuart: Pet Semetery, the movie, is okay, but the book is what really gave me the heebie-jeebies. I read that as a very young teenager and just freaked myself out. Had I had your experience back then I would have probably had a coronary!
Hi,
I sent you (mail: cvincent68@comcast.net) a 100 words story for the contest “Terrible Tales: A TinyΓΒ’Γ’βΒ¬ΓΒ¦CreepyΓΒ’Γ’βΒ¬ΓΒ¦Story Contest” on 14 Oct.
I haven’t received any reply so, as per your indication, I’m posting this comment.
Please tell me if I should resend.
Thank you,
Cristina
Sadly I can’t enter this one, as I really Do Not Do horror films. Can’t. Too squeamish. We’re talking someone who gets squicked out by people merely HOLDING sharp blades (let alone doing anything with them.) I had trouble with The Talented Mr. Ripley in that respect.
I decided that I would never again bow to peer pressure in going to see a film after Jurassic Park. I was the last person in the Western world who hadn’t seen it, but I spent at least a third of it with my eyes shut. The arm incident was a particularly bad moment (if you’ve seen it, you know what I mean).
The last film I watched that got under my skin was probably Brazil… although I really enjoyed it (what other films can you think of which are about records management? Recognition at last!) I’m not sure many people would say it’s gory, although there’s a bit of black-comedy macabreness. But it’s definitely frightening.
Kicking, so do you like black comedy or horror parodies, like the classics featured in the Vincent Price films I have pictured at the start of this post? Or are those not up your alley either? Just curious. I don’t remember the arm incident in Jurassic Park, but it has just been way too long since I’ve seen that. Definitely not fun to pay money for a movie to sit and “watch” it with one’s eyes closed…especially with the price of movies today!
I guess It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown doesn’t really count, huh? I prefer the classics and am v e r y slowly collecting them (if you count a grand total of 2 as a collection). Last year it was The Night of the Living Dead which was much more gruesome than I expected; I thought it would be campier. I still liked it though. This year we have The Blob, which I’m totally excited about. My BIL has most of the Alfred Hitchcock series so I can just borrow those for years when we’re saving up for Christmas… I’m not sure what the next one will be but I have to say I’m somewhat partial to zombie films.
Well, I have had a huge thing for horror movies all my life. As a kid I watched all the old b/w classic movies. Then came the Japanese monster movies. I remember these so vividly. After school at 4’o clock on a Buffalo station they would show a movie with a host whose name was Barry something, I think. I saw Gargantua and I was hooked. The scene with the monster eating the little Japanese people was fabulous! Then came the ’80s and my friends and I would have horror movie weekends where we’d gather at someone’s house and watch slasher movies. I’ve seen Friday the 13th and Nightmare on Elm Street about 25 times each! After motherhood something must have happened to my metabolism because I can’t handle gory, slasher type movies at all. Even the commercials for movies like “Saw” send me into a panic. Now, my love is for classic horror. Particularly ’30s and ’40s movies. But I also love the 70’s stuff, particularly the Hammer Films. I love Karloff with a passion and Lugosi, though to a lesser degree. Vincent Price is priceless, sorry for the pun! I love everything he’s done. The Dr. Phibes movies are wonderful. This October I will watching a DVD set I got for Christmas which I have been saving to watch during the Halloween season, The Val Lewton Horror Collection which includes such classics as ‘Cat People’ and ‘I Walked with a Zombie’.
I have an odd relationship with horror movies. When I was very young my brother traumatized me with “Nightmare on Elm-Street”, and it took a while for me to give horror movie another chance.
These days, however, I am not very easily impressionable, and I can watch most things without being too disturbed. I prefer subtle and atmospheric movies to gory ones… movies that actually have a story instead of just making you jump in your seat with sudden loud noises. I absolutely love Tim Burton’s work, of couse. Another horror movie I loved was the original Ring movie. It was mostly the story that intrigued me. I thought it was told very interestingly.
I can ocasionally enjoy big franchise horror movies, though. I enjoyed the few Halloween movies that I’ve seen. I also really enjoyed the first Scream movie, because of the way it could create a horror-in-the-daylight sort of atmosphere, a constant sense of menace… I hope this makes sense π
Oh, this is a perfect question because Turner Classic Movies is having a three movie Halloween film feature every Friday this month! I’ve loved discovering some of those scary and campy horror classics.
Joan Crawford was great in “Strait-Jacket” not only because she acted so well but because she truly looked intimidating with that strange black wig, too-young-for-her dress and those bangles. I’ll never be able to think of that jewellery without visualising axes chopping off heads in a barn.
“The Last Man on Earth” with Vincent Price was fantastic! I loved the way Price acted the part: even though he hadn’t been infected, the daily struggle of absolute loneliness (on the planet it first seemed) and living with the death all around must have acted as a sort of drug or stupor for him. Also very cool to see the influence of films like “28 Days later”.
My other favourite from the lineup so far was “Cat People” starring this great French actress, Simone Simon. I loved how she was written as such a sympathetic character, despite her darker animal side; and even though I think the viewers were supposed to be cheering for her American husband and his swell, down-to-earth female American co-worker, in the end Simone totally stole the show.
I can’t wait until this Friday to see what TCM shows next.
(Oh, and The Thin Man rocks — books and films!)
Oh, I just checked my weekly Turner Classic Movies schedule and wanted to make a correction: the Halloween movie feature is an all-day bonanza. The three movie evening feature is for classic Hollywood directors. It’s a good thing I don’t have classes on Friday. π
Oh! (Last comment, I promise, but I’m a huge film buff so I can’t help myself. Maybe you could edit all these into one comment, Carl?) There are two Vincent Price movies showing this Friday: The Tomb of Ligeia (apparently the “last movie in ‘Poe cycle'” of films he did Corman) and The Abominable Dr. Phibes.
Imani, that sounds like a great way to spend a Friday!!! I know I’ve seen the Cat People version you mention but I barely remember it at all. Last Man on Earth is great. In some ways I am disappointed they are remaking it with Will Smith, although I’ll no doubt be there opening weekend to see it. Have you read the story by Richard Matheson? It is great!
Nymeth, isn’t that just like a sibling? π I’m not a huge fan of gore movies per se, I much prefer the atmospheric ones, but I do like several films that others would probably consider gory. For example, I will no doubt see SAW IV in the theatre. One of my all time favorite movies is the Nicole Kidman film, The Others. That has just the perfect blend of slow dramatic tension and eerieness that I love in a film. I have been putting off watching it this year, but I’m not sure I can wait much longer before I pull it out.
Great stuff, Nicola, thanks for sharing. I love the Hammer and AIP films as well. Price is my favorite, but I really enjoy movies with Peter Lorre in them as well. I’m beginning to appreciate Karloff more now that I’ve seen him in more films. I like your horror-in-the-daylight description of Scream. Hadn’t thought of it that way, but you are correct.
Pardon My French: It’s the Great Pumpkin absolutely does count. I really should have specified horror and Halloween movies and not made it seem like I just wanted to hear/talk about movies that fit snugly in the horror genre. I can’t wait to watch Great Pumpkin every October. It was one of the annual movies I looked forward to the most and am so glad it continues to find new audiences today.
My only Halloween movie tradition consists of watching (and singing along with) Rocky Horror Picture Show. For the most part, I don’t watch scary movies as they will keep me up for weeks with nightmares – but I don’t consider movies like Underworld horror movies.
Now this is perfect, to be responding to this post on a dark and stormy night while listening to some marvelous thunder. I’d like to find the original, black and white version of Phantom of the Opera. I remember watching that with some cousins of mine when I was about twelve and having trouble sleeping for days afterwards. I think it more the creepy sets. I loved Nightmare on Elm Street, the first one. However, I doublt if I could handle watching Johnny Depp get sucked into that mattress again. I also love the Topper series. They are the most unscarey ghosts I’ve ever seen.
Carl — I think I was twelve when Jurassic Park came out, so my dad paid for my ticket; not that that was a great consolation… Since there’s probably no point in avoiding spoilers for a sixteen-year-old summer blockbuster: the “arm incident” in question happens when a man and woman (previously trapped in the visitor centre, I think) make an escape attempt on foot and are separated. It’s dark and rainy. The woman is spooked, and calls out; she’s then relieved to feel the man’s arm around her shoulders… but it’s just his arm, in the mouth of (probably) a Velociraptor.
I probably screamed at that point.
I’m mostly not crazy about very black comedy, I have to say: I was expecting to like The Ladykillers (the original), for example, but found it bleak and nasty. I can manage comedy gore (I got through Hot Fuzz OK) but tend to find it, well, not very funny of itself. Action movies are mostly OK; the camera doesn’t linger, and death is mostly bloodless. Yeah, unrealistically bloodless. But still.
It’s odd, because I can read things with equanimity that would upset me to watch: comedy deaths in early Terry Pratchett are fine. I even got through Heart-Shaped Box recently, but I would NOT want to watch a film of that. I think it’s just as Nymeth says: I never grew out of being impressionable. I can’t turn on a “don’t take this seriously” filter. It may be genetic – my mother once walked in on me watching Who Framed Roger Rabbit? and said “Why do you want to watch that nasty film?”
As for classic films in this genre – I haven’t seen many! The only one that comes to mind is Night of the Hunter, which I didn’t find scary, but didn’t find particularly effective, either, despite its legendary reputation.
Kicking, I would definitely recommend a viewing of some of the classics, that’s for sure.
Court: Thanks, now I have ‘Time Warp’ burning in my head! π Underworld certainly isn’t horror in the vein of films like Friday the 13th, it is much more of an action film, but I pretty much lump anything that uses horror tropes, like vampires, into a very broad horror definition.
Pat: this whole day was perfect for scary reading and scary viewing, that is for sure.
I’m a huge Horror buff, so I watch Horror movies all year long, not just around Halloween. The season of All Saints is the best, though, ’cause that’s when all the great old classics (and some new classics) get screen time.
Scariest Halloween- themed Horror film EVER? How about “Dark Night of the Scarecrow.” This made-for-TV movie is scary because of all the stuff you DON’T see, proving that blood and gore aren’t necessities. Unfortunately this movie has never been released on DVD, so the only way to see it today is to hunt down a bootleg copy. It’s worth it, though.
Haven’t heard of that one Wayne, but I’ll be keeping my eye out. Maybe they’ll re-air it sometime. I do find that scary movies that are effective because of what they don’t show are often the best.
I have “The Thin Man” and “Rosemary’s Baby” on tap for this weekend (via Netflix). I also plan to haul out one of my favorite campy scary movies, “Hush, Hush Sweet Charlotte”, directed by Robert Aldrich and starring Bette Davis, Agnes Moorehead (Endora in the TV show Bewitched), Joseph Cotton, Olivia de Havilland, and a very young Bruce Dern. I love this movie – I watch it every year on Halloween.
Out of curiosity, what’s the feeling on gore here? Personally, I dislike excessive amounts (unless it is a zombie movie, I suppose, not that most zombie movies have anything to do with “real” zombies…but I digress) and consequently I have never made plans to see anything from the Saw series. Anyone else got an opinion?
And who thinks more zombie movies should have proper voodoo zombies in them? π
oh! and, by the way, if anyone wants a slasher flick for their Halloween viewing, may I recommend a trip to Wikipedia’s list of them? It’s surprisingly large, and kind of intriguing.
Other than b&w classics I’m surprised no one has mentioned the original “The Omen” or Linda Blairs “The Exorcist” …and I can never forget seeing Psycho in the movies!
Definitely anti-gore. But then, also anti-zombie. It may be a senseless prejudice, but… I’m not alone: see this link: http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main.UncannyValley
You see, I’m all for gore, zombies or what have you or I’m fine without it…I like any kind of horror movie, but each one is a totally different experience. Horror movies with lots of gore tend to be almost comical to me. Sometimes they get to the point where they’re so ridiculous that it’s just laughable.
I also wanted to weigh in on the old black and whites. I saw Hush, Hush Sweet Charlotte and Night of the Hunter mentioned and both of those are favorites of mine! Other favorties are some of the old Hitchcocks. Spellbound is my all time favorite Hitchcock, but I love Suspicion, Shadow of a Doubt, Vertigo, Rope, etc….The Bad Seed is another one that just popped into my head, and of course The Haunting of Hill House…love that one! I could go on forever with these old ones!
Oh, and Asara, love Evil Dead 2…one of my favorites π
Oooo..the Bad Seed…that is a good one, especially with the original ending.
I’m not anti-gore, I just am not the biggest fan of slasher movies. I don’t consider the SAW films gorey, with the exception of the third (which had a story line that tied into the gore) because they mostly make you cringe by what is implied, not what is seen.
And I love Zombies! Gotta love zombies! Thanks for the link K, that was an interesting article.
I’m fine with gore as long as there is a story to go along with it, and maybe some acting. Otherwise you get a hunk of garbage like “Cabin Fever,” just a series of gross-out shots stitched together without any sense of cohesion or direction.
As for zombies, I dig ’em, provided–again–there’s a plot involved. Of the movies I’ve seen, I’d say Lucio Fulci’s “Zombie” and Wes Craven’s “Serpent and the Rainbow” feature the most accurate portrayels of zombies according to folklore, But the best zombie movie I ever saw, “28 days Later,” didn’t even have real zombies. Go figure.
I do like Hitchcock’s movies. Psycho, Rear Window, The Trouble with Harry. Of course the Nightmare before Christmas, the Curse of the Were Rabbit, and Charlie Brown are great ones too, so I’m all over the place with Halloween movies. Then there are the scary comedies. Army of Darkness or Shaun of the Dead are fun!
i have one funny memory, which is of the first time i saw “a nightmare on elm street”…
i started watching it in the daytime and i was really enjoying it, although i found it very scary! two thirds of the way through the film my mom went out, leaving me alone and around that time it also started started to get darker outside. i knew had to switch the lights on in the house, but i was so riveted to the screen that i couldn’t pull myself away…
then the end came and it scared me so much! what a terrible end, i thought, he’s still alive! by this time it was totally dark out, although i hadn’t noticed it yet. then the credits came up and suddenly i was plunged into absolute darkness, with just the names of the credits providing the only light in the house!
now that might not sound scary at all, but purposefully watching a film in the dark is one thing, while watching one in the light and then suddenly finding yourself in the dark is something else entirely!
and then, to make matters worse, that bloody song started up…
needless to say i crapped myself.
Okay Wayne, so that begs the question, what is a ‘real’ zombie?
Geek Girl! Great choices. Isn’t The Trouble With Harry fantastic? I saw that when it was out in the theatre and then rented it for my wife to see back when it came out on DVD. I’m hoping to see Nightmare Before Christmas on DVD this weekend. Curse of the Were Rabbit is wonderful, isn’t it? I just saw Shaun of the Dead for the first time a few months ago and loved it!
I would define a “real” zombie, such as is seen in the movies, as an animated corpse. In order to become a true zombie, it is necessary that one must first have died and then been resurrected. The “infected” in “28 Days Later” were still technically living beings, though their minds were gone. Which is actually the difinition for the real-life zombies that have been documented in Haiti and other locations.
So maybe THAT should be the definition for a “real” zombie, and an animated corpse should be called a “Hollywood” zombie?
Geeze, this is gettin’ confusing…
hmmm. one i don’t think anyone has mentioned is Audition. A wonderful, spooky, terrifying japanese horror. a long, slow, creepy build up to an amazing last act that will leave you stunned! rent it!
as for older horror, I love Poltergeist. It terrified me as a child; i could not force myself to walk past a TV on snow/no signal for years. of course, that was back before remotes so i would have to walk up to the tv to even turn it off!
now i have only seen the first SAW movie but i would say it is worth seeing also just for the last 15 minutes. it is pretty blah/normal before that.
hmmm. just saw that A nightmare before Christmas 3d IS playing near me this year!