Halloween Movies #10-16
Halloween Movie #17
Rosemary's Baby [1968]
Halloween Spook-o-meter: 5/5
While making this series, I have Googled quite a few "Best Horror Movie" lists and have started to piece together a theory: all of the movies that are considered the best have spawned movements in the horror genre. George Romero invented modern zombies with Night of the Living Dead. Steven Spielberg brought the vengeful animals with Jaws. John Carpenter created the disfigured serial killer in Halloween. William Friedkin started the devil possession movement with The Exorcist. Stanley Kubrick (with help from Stephen King) defined haunted house films with The Shining. With Rosemary's Baby, Roman Polanski began two tropes that we continue to see in scary movies. While many films would later examine the fear of raising the child of Satan (The Omen), none of them are as frightening as Rosemary's Baby for the simple fact that Mia Farrow is portraying every mother's absolute worst nightmare: she is literally pregnant with the Devil's spawn. This film also helped set the standard for horror films that generate their scares through isolation and paranoia. Rosemary believes that the neighbors are scheming against her and is quickly horrified to discover who else is a part of the plot. Rosemary's Baby is available on Netflix.
Halloween Movie #18
The Frighteners [1996]
Halloween Spook-o-meter: 3/5
This horror-comedy is Michael J. Fox's last feature film and was directed by Peter Jackson. Fox plays Frank Bannister, a man who exploits his ability to see ghosts for financial gains and finds himself in the hot seat when the city's body count starts rising. At the time, the graphics were state of the art and they're still quite impressive 16 years later. The comedic relief and moments of horror mix a little unevenly, but over all its a fun film. The Frighteners is available on Netflix.Halloween Movie #19
Mad Monster Party [1967]
Halloween Spook-o-meter: 1/5
Universal Studios recently announced they plan to create a Avengers-style atmosphere with their Classic Monsters properties, a choice that seems so profitable it's a wonder that it didn't occur sooner. Audiences have loved watching the onscreen pairings of Dracula, the Wolf-man, the Mummy, Frankenstein and friends from the comedy of Abbott and Costello to the cartoons of Scooby-Doo to the action of Van Helsing. Mad Monster Party is a late 1960s Claymation feature about a "meeting of the monsters" called to order by Dr. Frankenstein voiced by Boris Karloff (you can see where Adam Sandler got the idea). The film is probably too long and Phyllis Diller sings too many songs, but it has some funny moments and impressive animation. Seeing all these monsters together really does create a sort of Halloween excitement, the kind that viewing Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer makes for Christmas. Mad Monster Party is available on Netflix.
Halloween Movie #20
Night of the Living Dead [1968]
Halloween Spook-o-meter: 4/5
I sort of spoke about the mass appeal for this film when discussing Rosemary's Baby. This movie gets so much acclaim because it the equivalent of Dracula, a rulebook followed by almost every proceeding zombie/vampire film. The aimless wandering of zombie, the necessity of a head shot, the infectious bite, the blood-soaked clothed; they all originated with George Romero. As the Walking Dead enjoys record breaking numbers, it is fun to go back and revisit where the craze began. Night of the Living Dead is available on YouTube.
Halloween Movie #21
The Thing [1982]
Halloween Spook-o-meter: 5/5
John Carpenter's The Thing follows an Arctic outpost that becomes prey to a creature from outer space. In order to survive, "The thing" morphs and transforms into different life form, including members of the group. With creative graphics and plenty of gore, the film gets its best scares from the possibility that anyone in the group could be "the thing". In particular, the blood test is a fan favorite because it builds so much suspense from the uncertainty. If nothing else, you can at least bask in Kurt Russell being a total boss and his immaculate beard. The Thing is available on DVD.
Halloween Movie #22 Part 1
Ghost Dad [1990]
Halloween Spook-o-meter: 0/5
I have been using the "Halloween Spook-o-meter" to indicate the level of scares involved in the film. I figured a '1' would indicate the documentaries and kid films while any film deemed a '5' would give you night terrors. It never occurred to me that I would watch a movie so incredibly bad that I would find it necessary to give it a '0': avoid at all costs! Recommended by Netflix, this film stars Bill Cosby as a lawyer who is driven off a bridge by a Satanist and returns to help set his affairs in order before crossing over. I've got to be honest, I found it so unenjoyable that I had to turn it off after an hour. In order to make up for the lost time, I watched and wrote about Pixar's first foray into television specials. Ghost Dad is available on Netflix.
Halloween Movie #22 Part 2
Toy Story of Terror [2013]
Halloween Spook-o-Meter: 1/5
Growing up I had a VHS containing 4 hours of various Halloween specials my grandmother had taped for me. Although Christmas annuals remain in rotation and continue to be popular, Halloween programs seem to have become more of a past time. Fortunately somebody at Pixar must have had a similar tape. This special reunited all of the original cast members for a spooky night at a roadside motel. Most of the plot is reheated events from the movies, but any fan of the Pixar films (young or old) will find this an enjoyable addition to the franchise. Toy Story of Terror aired on ABC (but it easily locatable via Google).
Halloween Movie #23
Jaws [1975]
Halloween Spook-o-meter: 4/5
Everyone has seen Jaws by this point, right? The first half of the movie focuses on a shark as it terrorizes a small community and their sunny summer beaches. Steven Spielberg switches gears for the second half as we focus on three men and their doomed fight against nature. Nearly 40 years after its release, Jaws continues to be a nightmare to anyone swimming in unfamiliar waters. The film is a fun thrill ride with smartly crafted characters and captivating direction (and is probably one of the greatest movies ever made). Jaws is available on DVD.
Halloween Movie #24
Hocus Pocus [1993]
Halloween Spook-o-meter: 2/5
If I'm going to make a list about watching Halloween movies, Hocus Pocus must be included as it is the quintessential family film for the season. We follow along on the race to stop The Sanderson Sisters, three witches galvanized on Halloween night, as they attempt to steal the souls of the city's youth. Hijinx occur! Bette Midler is perfectly cast and is clearly having a blast as the sisters' leader Winifred. If you're looking for a movie to put you in the Halloween mood, you can't go wrong with this Disney classic. Hocus Pocus is available on DVD and likely playing on ABC Family.
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