Häxan: Witchcraft Through the Ages (1929)
If this classic silent film is viewed along with The Wicker Man, then just maybe the third Halloween film can be better appreciated. Although very dated in its special effects technology and very primeval, this movie is just as effective now for its haunting terror. I love this film because it is very atmospheric. It blends a documentary and fiction together as the history of witchcraft is explored. While the Wiccans of today proclaim that they are not witches, there are similarities that must be studied.
The Times of Their Lives (1946)
This Abbott and Costello horror-comedy outshines all their other scary products (except Abbott and Costello meet Frankenstein) for the simple reason of them not acting as a team. This movie was made when tensions between the pair was at its peak, and some of it can be seen on-screen. That made for some of the best laughs, however suitable or unsuitable that was for the camera to capture.
While they masquerade as their characters, I really do have to ask how upset were they with each other in real life when the movie was made. Lou Costello is hilarious and adorable as Horatio Prim. When he gets branded a traitor and denied an afterlife, he has reason to be upset! When his rival Cuthbert Greenway (Bud Abbott) outdoes him in his bid for affection of Nora (Anne Gillis), Prim’s fate is sealed when he and Melody Allen (Marjorie Reynolds), are mistaken as traitors to the American cause and are shot. A century passes and they are forced to haunt the old estate they worked for until they are proven innocent.
The plot is very nicely thought through and this movie offers a look at how badly ghosts can behave when provoked by the living. Very rarely will a movie offer this look at life on the other side. Audiences never get to see what the spirit is feeling, and that’s what makes this movie a joy to watch.
The Haunting (1963)
This Robert Wise classic makes its contemporary remake, The Haunting (1999) look pale. Part of this film’s success is to make the scares happen off camera. All it takes is excellent direction by Wise and strong acting from Julie Harris (as Eleanor) to make the scares feel real. To really feel the psychological tension, The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson to which this film is based on is worth reading. Even though I saw the 1999 film first, I thought I should work backwards and when I had to compare the three products, it’s now the book or the original that’s worth visiting more than the glitzier version where I still think the sound-mix is worth blasting on Halloween night. That’s the only time I can work out the subwoofer.
But when I consider how the best ghost stories work, I’m of the firm belief that the emphasis is about some character finding a place where he or she can belong and not be bothered with the trivial aspects of life. There’s no place like home here, whether or not the denizens are dominated by an angry lord or not.
The Ghost and Mr. Chicken (1966)
This Don Knotts movie is very fitting for the Halloween season because of the challenges sometimes wrought during this time. There’s always one creepy house nobody likes to visit, and children make a game out of who is willing to cross the lawn (at least) if not to go into the abandoned abode to spend the night there. Even I had a nearby house which I felt was just off; it lurked behind another abode and was shrouded by heavy-set trees.
And I can relate to Luther Heggs (Knotts). He is a small-town typesetter who aspires to be a reporter, but to do that, he has to spend time inside a very creepy mansion. The laugh-a-minute spectacle is nothing like the CGI film Monster House (2006), another under-appreciated movie for the season, and it’s worth looking at for some crazy spirit of the night mojo.
The Wicker Man (1973)
When mysterious deaths summon the attention of Sergeant Howie (Edward Woodward) and he has to investigate, just what he uncovers is appropriate for the season. But this is not the time of harvest. Instead it’s a spring holiday to celebrate a rebirth of the land. To say too much will spoil the twist and turns of this piece. Although this movie attempted to create a new genre of folk horror for cinema (it primarily exists in literary form), not many people understood it. It took me three watches before I realized why this film is so appealing. The performance by Christopher Lee is just haunting.
This genre is certainly under appreciated outside of Europe and it certainly needs study to understand the cultural nuances that influence it outside of the ideological world where Christianity dominates.
House (1977)
This Japanese film by Nobuhiko Obayashi as a gentle eeriness to it until the story unfolds. When Gorgeous (Kimiko Ikegami) invites six of her friends to her family’s home, little would she know that the abode has other plans for them. It’s one part terrifying and two parts surreal. I feel that this is the perfect haunted house story to watch for the season.
Some fans like to compare this work to that of John Hughes or Sam Raimi but they emerged later in the horror cinema scene. The Evil Dead was not made until 1981! I believe Raimi might have been influenced by this film before he made his first or second film.
KISS Meet the Phantom of the Park (1978)
This movie is a conundrum when considering the members of KISS must have relaxed their feelings towards how they are depicted on-screen. I’ve watched Scooby-Doo! & KISS: Rock and Roll Mystery (2015) and I see the band is just as buffoonish in this recent animated take. In this newer movie, they are super-powered. In this 70’s film, they just rely on their stage magic to fight the evil.
The plots for both are just as outlandish. While the story is nothing like Image Comic’s Psycho Circus, where the glitter is replaced with the gothic, I accept this 70’s product for what it is, to spotlight their music. At least we get to see Peter Criss, the original Catman, sing Beth as it should sound. I’m sad for Peter. He is the Catman! Whatever his personal problems were, he owns this song because it delved into his heartaches, not the band’s.
The Changeling (1980)
When John Russell (George C. Scott) moves to a quiet abode, perhaps the first tell-tale sign of danger is the fact the mansion he rented is decrepit. As he tries to put back his life (his wife and daughter died in an accident), maybe he should have checked into a ward instead. The home has a spirit, and in what’s effective is how the ghost tries to make its presence known. The effects are subtle. As he probes into the history of the home, he learns about the skeletons in the closet that still exists here. What makes this film effective is that the ghost was never evil; it instead is a proper Deus ex machina to guide the story along so that it will reach a chilling climax.
Not all ghost stories have to be about terror and death. In this film, it’s about getting the justice the entity needs to move on.
Shock Treatment (1981)
The Rocky Horror Picture Show has become a Halloween viewing tradition after its original screening back in the late 70’s and if it was meant to stand alone, then a follow-up would have never been penned. Richard O’Brien and Jim Sharman offered a look into what’s next in the married life of Brad and Janet Majors. Instead of looking into the aftermath of this pair’s encounter with Dr. Frank-N-Furter, this film jumps ahead several years to look at 80’s America culture. This film is a departure from the themes its predecessor was looking at. Even though one diddy, “Little Black Dress,” recalls some of the fun Rocky Horror extols, this lesser known product is a beast of its own. The title song, “Shock Treatment,” says it all; The suspicion of traditions [are] so new wave. Heck, I even keep these two songs on my iPod as part of my Rocky Horror selection.
Halloween III (1982)
Fans of this series can hate this film for all its worth because the story is not about Michael Myers. When the producers intention was to feature stories taking place around this holiday, perhaps they should have said something in the marketing of this film. It was made to be a piece of folk horror, not many people understood it because of the sudden change from where the last film left off. I believe that this movie would have fared better if it was advertised under a different title.
I recall reading that the producers wanted to make a series of Halloween movies that were not associated with Michael Myers. However, when the majority of the fans wanted this character back, the series did not feel as fun. Sure, some folks love seeing a slasher keep on coming back like a bad zombie flick, I’m not surprised the rocker turned film maker, Rob Zombie would take on a new product. I enjoyed it, but in the back of my mind I would keep on wondering how this franchise might have evolved if the producers did not bow down to fan demand.
This Gaelic festival’s occult origins is a subject worth exploring. There’s nothing terrifying about this pagan tradition, but you never know. And if there were ritual sacrifices involved, maybe they were enacted because it’s to appease the ancient gods so Winter would not be as harsh.
A Chinese Ghost Story (1987)
The first film is a romp through a house of terror than its sequels (or animated iteration) because it uses the cabin in the woods trope very well. In this isolated home, several lovely spirits serve an evil tree-demon, and must pick up weary travellers to suck their soul away. The essence is not theirs to keep, and that’s the true terror. The horror may be real for them in feudal China, but for audiences, it’s a mix of campy romantic fun and martial arts action! This movie was produced by Tsui Hark and directed by Ching Siu-tung and it stars Leslie Cheung and Joey Wong — both of whom are legends in the Chinese entertainment scene.
In the early 90’s this film was popular in cinema art houses to screen. But ever since the turn to a new century, this movie has sadly become largely forgotten. A family friendly remake appeared in 1997, and that animated take was very Disney. It’s far more cuter because the romance between Ning and Siu Lan is emphasized far better than the live-action one. Also, the music is very catchy.
Pin (1988)
This Canadian-made movie featuring David Hewlett, Cynthia Preston and Terry O’Quinn is truly chilling piece of cinema directed by Sandor Stern. There’s no monsters here, only a medical dummy that Dr. Frank Linden (O’Quinn) uses to teach his children, Leon (Hewitt) and Ursula (Preston) about how the body works. Ventriloquism is used, and if there’s ever a movie that plays successfully on the Automatonophobia, this movie has to be it! It’s effective use of camera pans and stillness of the air (and the mannequin) while showing Leon’s descent to dementia makes for some creepy juxtapositions. This movie is close to being forgotten by most horror film aficionados and it deserves praise for its direction. I did not sleep at all after watching this movie!
Nightbreed (1990)
When this movie came out, it was critically panned. The cuts made to it nearly made the film unwatchable and since then, the Cabal Cut (which restores Clive Barker’s vision) only made its rounds at select conventions. This restored version is a must watch for the season, even though it’s not set around Halloween.
Here, what’s examined is the cold heart within. It’s not the Hellbound Heart that launched the Hellraiser franchise but instead it’s the chill that can take place when an individual does not understand himself. Boone (Craig Sheffer) is trying to understand the nature of the beast. He’s a seemingly normal young man. However, he experiences waking nightmares and almost like Caesare from The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920), he shambles about. Most of it is due to the meds that Decker (David Cronenberg) prescribed to him.
Due to massive brainwashing, Boone believes that he is The Beast. When several brutal murders point to him, he believes he’s guilty. In what separates him apart from humanity (or anyone else) is in what he thinks is true about himself. Thankfully Shout! Factory has released a restored cut of the film that respects Clive Barker’s original vision. When considering this film spawned spinoffs in comic book media and two video games, that says something about this legacy.
This film is worth a watch during the All Hallow’s Eve season for the same reason that everyone wants to embrace their inner beast during this time.