Movies For Halloween

The Monster Squad– 1987, Tristar Pictures

A group of children who love the old Universal Studios creature features must face off with the real Mummy, Dracula, Wolf Man, the creature from the Black Lagoon and Frankenstein monster after Ibrahim Von Helsing failed to vanquish the Count more than a century ago.

Ghost Story– 1981, Universal

The cast is perfect. Fred Astaire is Frederick Hawthorne, John Houseman is Sears James, Melvyn Douglas is Dr. John Jaffrey, Douglas Fairbanks Jr. Is the elder Mr. Wanderly and Craig Wasson is Don Wanderly. In a small New England town, the seniors who comprise the Chowder Society are suffering terrible nightmares. What’s coming next is the real thing.

The Shining– 1980, Warner Bros.

Jack Nicholson tears up the screen with pure terror, Shelley Duvall is his wife who, ever so slowly, comes apart while the Torrance family do winter caretaking at the closed Overlook Hotel. Real scary.

Duel- 1971, Universal, ABC Movie of the Week directed by Steven Spielberg (his first movie)

Dennis Weaver plays in a, basically, one-man story. He’s chased across California by an evil driver in a filthy Peterbilt pulling a 1950s fuel tanker. Trust me here. You trust me, right? Well, then just this once, okay?

Frankenstein-1931, Universal

Boris Karloff in the role of a lifetime. Eerie, scary and, finally, heartbreaking.

Creature from the Black Lagoon– 1954, Universal

Still too intense for me, but you gotta see it.

Predator– 1987, 20th Century Fox, with Arnold Schwarzenegger, Carl Weathers, Jesse Ventura, Sonny Landham

An action film about American mercenaries in Guatemala, I didn’t see this one coming. It’s a semi-slow build from jungle warfare to a terrifying chase and a desperate struggle to survive.

It (2017) It Chapter 2 (2019), Warner Bros.

A group of kids are all traumatized by parental abuse or the bullies of Derry, Maine. Suddenly people start to vanish, and they band together as The Losers to fight an enemy more dreadful than anything from a nightmare. The first part is typical King formula with weird but ultimately valiant kids coming of age. 27 years later, one who never left notices posters of missing kids all over town and calls for The Losers to reunite. Both parts have horrifying openings, especially the first. Both are terrifying films, expertly acted, filmed and edited. Starting at sunset on Halloween night, watch them back-to-back. Don’t overdo the popcorn, though.

Graphic, It and It Chapter 2 are as far as I can go. I don’t do slasher faire and therefore don’t recommend them. But Pennywise actor Bill Skarsgård is so terrifying in his role that I can’t help myself. Unforgettable.

Sleepy Hollow– 1999, Paramount, Director Tim Burton

One of my favorites, this is not what you think it is if you know the story by the Irving classic short story or the Disney cartoon.

Starring Johnny Depp as Ichabod Crane, a queasy New York City Police constable in 1799 who insists on scientific methods for detection of clues to solve crimes, which does not sit well with his superiors.

Christopher Lee, the one and only, is the judge so fed up with Crane’s insistence on seeking true justice (he is quickly interrupted when stating that innocents have been routinely imprisoned) that he tasks the constable with the impossible: journey upstate to the town of Sleepy Hollow and use his advanced detection methods to catch the person responsible for 3 decapitations within a fortnight.

Michael Gambon (who would succeed Sir Richard Harris as Albus Dumbledore in the Harry Potter series), Christopher Walken as the Hessian mercenary whose thirst for battle and blood make him formidable and terrifying, and Richard Griffiths (Vernon Dudly, Harry Potter’s uncle) are part of an incredible cast. I defy you to tell the difference between stage and exterior shots; the sets and techniques for filming are quite mood-setting, and the yarn is well told in its new form. This is one to buy; you’ll want to see it again.

The Ninth Gate– 1999, Artisan, Director Roman Polanski

Another 1999 Johnny Depp adventure, featuring Frank Langella, this is one slow burn broken into segments by puzzling and violent incidents. Depp is Dean Corso, a rare book appraiser and shifty middleman who cashes in on the ignorance of others who have rare volumes but don’t know their worth. When Boris Balkan (Langella) hires Dean Corso to a determine whether a rare book is genuine, Corso travels to Portugal and France to examine the only two (other) remaining copies. Which one is genuine is not the mystery, as all three have differences. As Corso finds himself in something deeper than the usual rare book would carry with it, things go from troubling to pure darkness. Depp did not play Corso as Polanski wanted him to, but it works. His understated version adds to the burn and lends something surprising to the end.

End of Days– 1999, Universal

Arnold Schwarzenegger and Kevin Pollack are partners in a security firm that is hardcore, with high profile clients. As the title suggests, 1999, the end of the millennium, marks the time when the antichrist is to be conceived. Moody, dark, gory and scary, the film was ripped by critics and did not do well at the box office, but for me, it’s a classic Arnold film, and he plays a perfect straight man to Pollack’s irreverent quips. The film works to remind me that in the battle between good and evil, people are never sure which side they’re on until the last second, and this is illustrated as the Time’s Square New Year countdown begins. Screw the critis and check it out.

An American Werewolf in London– 1981, Universal

David Naughton, Jenny Agutter, Griffin Dunne

Dimwitted backpackers in England are attacked by a werewolf. Stellar acting, Director John Landis at his best, and classic soundtrack make this one a classic. Dry British and American humor and vivid nightmare sequences and outstanding creature effects all work perfectly together. A classic.