Night of the Living Dead
The fore-father to every zombie movie made up to today, George Romero’s Night of the Living Dead is all about tension from beginning to end. Every moment from Johnny taunting “They’re coming to get you, Barbara,” to the bonfire of bodies at the end just makes your heart. This masterpiece of horror history speaks our fears as a society and our individual places in that society. The commentary this film puts forward is still relevant today just as the fears it invokes are. Adding to that is the birth of a genre of horror that has only grown since Night of the Living Dead was released. It definitely has a place on my 13 Nights of Halloween list and should be on yours as well.
Buy A Copy Here!
Waxwork
Not every movie needs weight behind it to be fun and entertaining for the Halloween season. Waxwork is strictly a fun horror film (with some solid werewolf make-up in my opinion). A gathering of high school friends attend a mysterious waxworks private showing at midnight. When some of the teens get too close to the statues and sets, they are suddenly teleported into whatever scene is being depicted, which are scenes of horror and danger. All of this is part of a larger plan for evil.
And speaking of evil, the curator of the museum is played brilliantly by David Warner. But, he is not the only actor of stature in the film. You will see scenes with John Rhys-Davis, Zach Galligan, Dana Ashbrook, Patrick Macnee, and others. The movie is great for the sheer amount of set changes and the way the rhythm of the story changes when we follow a teen into the scenes. Add to all of this, the lean towards humor while still maintaining effects meant to cause horror.
Buy A Copy Here!
Night of the Demon
Lots of black and white films on this list this time. Here is a British-American joint film production about a scientist, Dr. John Holden, giving a lecture to expose the fraudulence of a local Satanic cult and its leader. This lecture was to be given by Holden’s predecessor Professor Harrington who died under mysterious circumstances. Holden staunchly believes that magic is fake and this cults leader, Dr. Julian Karswell, is a charlatan. Karswell puts a cursed on Holden and tells him the exact day and time he will die unless he gives up on ridiculing Karswell.
Night of the Demon has some great acting, incidental music, and an engaging story. While it is not overly terrifying, it does have a very impressive demon creation for the time. While a bit slower-paced and more dialogue-heavy then the American version (Curse of the Demon) I think this movie should be seen in its original British form. A film way better than the marketing or title would lead you to believe, Night of the Demon has a special place on my 13 Nights of Halloween list.
Buy A Copy Here!
13 Ghosts
No. This is not the 2001 remake Thirteen Ghosts. This is the original William Castle schlocky film of the 1960s. We follow a family who are down on their luck and suddenly inherit a house from a distance uncle. The only problem is the house comes with ghosts, 12 to be exact, and a fortune hidden in the house. Also, someone is due to die and add the 13th ghost to the house’s inhabitants.
This movie is like Leave it Beaver meets ghosts. Everyone in the family is very loving and proper. The spirits are more mischievous than dangerous. Like most of Castle’s films, this had a hook for the audience. When you would enter the theater, you would get a pair of two colored glasses in an effect dubbed Illusion-O. When the ghosts appeared on screen, you could look through the glasses and see ghosts or if you were too scared, you could look through the other color and the ghosts would be hidden. I don’t know who would go to a film about ghosts and want to not see ghosts… Still, the movie is a lot of fun and even stars Margaret Hamilton in a secondary role as a housekeeper who may or may not be a witch.
Buy A Copy Here!
Elvira Mistress of the Dark
Next for my 13 Nights of Halloween, we have one of my favorite horror characters starring in the self-title Elvira Mistress of the Dark. This horror-comedy fleshes out the horror hostess of Movie Macabre, Elvira. After quitting her show and trying to raise money for a stage show in Las Vegas, Elvira finds she has inherited the estate of her deceased aunt (hmm… just like the last movie on this list). However, her…personality clashes with the dry, old fashioned, and overly moral town that her aunt lived in. The second she arrives, people in the town try to get rid of her. This does not extend to the teens of the town to whom she represents freedom from their oppressed lives. Elvira finds herself in a situation when she discovers she is a descendant of a line of witches and must defend her family’s power from her evil uncle.
I love Elvira. Her special mix of punk and valley-girl, her comedy, and her strong, unapologetic personality makes a great representative of modern (‘80s and up) horror fans. Beyond her, the film is funny and entertaining. The little bit of horror that occurs in the film is well-done for the time, but even though the movie was not scary, Elvira is a living embodiment of Halloween and this movie is one you should see each year.
Buy A Copy Here!
Fright Night
What can you do if a vampire moves into the house next door? Well if you are like Charlie, you freak out for a while and stumble your way through trying to get help all while drawing attention to yourself and alerting the vampire you know what he is. Fright Night is a lot of fun and one of the stand-out vampire films of all time. Chris Sarandon plays the vampire Jerry and has all the charm you would expect from Dracula with all the monstrosity of any modern creature of the night. The film also stars Roddy McDowall brilliantly playing the host of a TV show called…Fright Night. The music, the story, the actors, all come together to bring us on a captivating adventure in a suburb with a vampire.
Buy A Copy Here!
There you go. Another 13 Movies of Halloween with more films you can enjoy this year. Are any of these already your favorite? Did any of the peak your interest? Have any movies for your own list? Let me know in the comments. Happy Halloween!
Leave a Reply