Classic Horror Lovers discussion

I get a kick out of Halloween because I think it's a fun holiday. I've been trying to watch the scary shows and movies coming on, although I avoid the gory stuff.

What Halloween viewing are you doing?

Right now, I'm about to start watching The Mummy's Hand.

I recently watched the 1931 Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. I am DVR'ing this week several Vincent Price movies I haven't seen because they're not available on Netflix (Like Theatre of Blood). Of course I am still working my way through Supernatural as it arrives, almost done with season 2 and still loving it!

Im mostly only watching Supernatural. Hard to find good horror films around here.

I plan to watch The Call of Cthulhu shortly. Don't know how much it will put me in mind of Halloween as such, but it should hit the spot.

Martha, there's an interesting Halloween episode of Supernatural. I'm sure my sister could tell you the name and number of the episode. It was the one where the father snuck some candy and ended up getting razorblades stuck in his throat. There were also some zombies and a witch who was trying to raise a demon, if I'm not mistaken.

Simon wrote: "I plan to watch The Call of Cthulhu shortly. Don't know how much it will put me in mind of Halloween as such, but it should hit the spot."

Enjoy! I know I loved it, to me it's the kind of adaptation Lovecraft deserves but rarely gets.

I just watched The Raven (the old Lugosi/Karloff one), The Black Cat, and Murders in the Rue Morgue, all on the same disc, from Netflix. Great post-Expressionist fun! Next up, old Thriller episodes.

Lady Danielle "The Book Huntress" wrote: "Martha, there's an interesting Halloween episode of Supernatural. I'm sure my sister could tell you the name and number of the episode. It was the one where the father snuck some candy and ended up..."

Sounds like fun! I just watched the one where the trickster was recreating urban legends on a college campus. That one was so hilarious I had tears from laughing!

MArtha, where are you dvring the Vincent Price movies from? I mean, which channel?

A channel called ThisTV. TCM is also playing a few this weekend. I don't really know much about ThisTV other than it appeared when I got digital cable.

I DVR'd a couple of the Hammer Films from TCM that I plan on getting around to. Also our Halloween tradition includes breaking out some old Santo movies.

Not a lot... I tend to like very old horror movies. There are exceptions of course. I like (with reservations) the original Halloween movie. I'm not one who enjoys "murder" movies and the "dead teenager" motif (of which this is an early example and the best of a bad lot)usually leaves me "cold" (no actual word play intended there, it just came out that way LOL) and I detest "slasher flixs". All that said this low budget masterpiece uses it's nickle and dime money to great advantage...the lighting and the score that is probably one of the most recognizable out there are great. The look of the film is stark and adds to the atmosphere (I watched the "making of" documentary and a lot of that "stark look" came from the lack of money to pay extras etc. but it worked to the movie's advantage.). Turner Classic movies usually runs some good old films also. That's where I saw the restored Nosferatu. There's also another I like (the name escapes me) shot in a very eerie manner, some double exposure used to show ghostly shots. There are others..I guess I should have jotted the names down. They're showing the original Phantom of the Opera this weekend...

Since my wife doesn't enjoy horror I find myself catching an occasional horror film on AMC when she is not around. Also have been watching some clips and trailers of new & classic horror films on the computer.

Already have WALKING DEAD programmed into the DVR, so I'm all set for that.

I tried to watch Vampyr yesterday, it was neat the grainy, ghostly way in which it was shot. However, I only got around 30 min into it because it made me extremely drowsy. Probably due to the near-silent nature of it and the dreamlike visuals. I don't know if I'll finish it or not. I get the feeling that the rest of the movie is going to be more of the same dreamy incoherence.

Today I am watching Karloff in The Devil Commands.

Been watching Spongebob Monster week,lol
There's supposed to be a run of classic horror films on TCM-nothing so far!

Mike, how old are you talking? Which films do you like?

Steve? She doesn't like horror? OH MY!!! I can't imagine my life without it. There are lots of sites where you can watch entire films annnnnnnnd youtube sometimes has movies too but they tend to be hard to find since they are constantly deleted due to violations.

My wife indulges my love of horror, westerns and comics, so there is rarely a problem. You're right about sites like FearNet, etc. showing horror films, but I'll also watch them on my day off or on Bingo night when Donna is out with her friends.

I'm 58 (see my profile lol)... I like the old Karloff films, especially Val Lewton's 3 (at least I know of 3)and most of Lewton's other films. Martha mentioned Vampyr, I think that's one of the ones I couldn't remember the title of. Eerie camera work and interesting for it's day. I also like many of Bela Lugosi's earlier films, he gets sad later. So...I suppose most of the ones I like were made by the 40s, not all but most.

By the way have you ever noticed that in the original Halloween, there's virtually no blood? Interesting when you look at the rest of the series.

You're right, Mike. The film was pretty bloodless, but as with Hitchcock's PSYCHO you seem to remember a number of bloody scenes where it was actually clever editing that gave that impression. The original HALLOWEEN still ranks among my favorite horror films.

Right that's what I was getting at. No one seems to remember how bloodless the film is. It manages to leave the impression simply by atmosphere and music.

Did you ever see the documentary where they showed some of the scarier scenes with and without the score? The music score is a big part of that film.

That is a GREAT score, isn't it? And the movie is a triumph of restraint and atmosphere.

Mike, I am totally with you on the slasher movies. I can't stand them.

Mike (the Paladin) wrote: "Right that's what I was getting at. No one seems to remember how bloodless the film is."

Oddly enough, almost the same thing is true of THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE - for such a notorious title, there's little on-screen bloodletting. It just effectively builds such a grotty and chaotic mood that when the awful events happen (and there are awful events, just not a lot of actual blood) the mind fills in the gaps - just like the classics.

Mike, were you able to rush through those THRILLER discs. THRILLER was one of the last vestiges of Universal/RKO/Monogram old-style horror.

Guys can you recommend great,athmosphere strong old horror movies ? I dont watch horror these days because outside few Asian films they suck mostly,too cliche for my taste.

I cant find old horror on tv or dvd rental stores.

I do use DVD site with huge database of many old movies and i usually rent world cinema 4 times a month.

Mohammed wrote: "Guys can you recommend great,athmosphere strong old horror movies ? I dont watch horror these days because outside few Asian films they suck mostly,too cliche for my taste.

I cant find old horror..."

CARNIVAL OF SOULS, almost any Val Lewton (although I'm partial to I WALKED WITH A ZOMBIE for pure atmosphere, NIGHT TIDE (more of a dark fantasy than horror), THE BLACK CAT (1934), LET'S SCARE JESSICA TO DEATH (1971 - atmosphere you can cut with a knife), DAUGHTERS OF DARKNESS (1971)...

Not sure what you may like Mohammed. I'm not a big fan of many of the "newer Asian" horror films, but.... Did you ever watch any of the old 1930s/1940s films. Lugosi's Dracula, Lon Chaney Jr.'s Wolfman, even the old Mummy movie? You have to set your mind to "buy into them" but I like them. Also Lon Chaney Sr.'s surviving work is good along with some other silent era stuff. Have you seen the old Nosferatu? Most of the copies were destroyed due to a law suit but a surviving copy has been restored lately...

Depends on your taste, just a few suggestions.

I second Mike's recommendation of the old Universal monster movies like Dracula, the Wolfman, the Mummy, Frankenstein, even the Creature From the Black Lagoon is pretty good. I also love any movies starring Price or Karloff, generally 30's thru 60's with those.

Mike (the Paladin) wrote: "Not sure what you may like Mohammed. I'm not a big fan of many of the "newer Asian" horror films, but.... Did you ever watch any of the old 1930s/1940s films. Lugosi's Dracula, Lon Chaney Jr.'s Wol..."

No i havent watched those films but i know of them and are looking for them.

I was hoping for less known old movies. I have no type of old horror movies. Just that they are good,different. Like Wolfman.

My fav Asian horror are like classic horror, they are deep,athmosphere. Im not talking about weak stuff like Ring,japanese horror but korean,chinese horror.

Conn, Nosferatu! Very diffefent to modern Dracula movies- I so want to see that but its never screened! Also Poe's the Ravrn with Vincent Price

@Shawn
I thought Carnival of Souls is fantastic.
@Mohammed The Spiral Staircase is more mystery than horror but it has its moments and it just drips with atmosphere.
The Uninvited w/Ray Milland starts out very spooky wonderful lighting and shadows but if I remember correctly turns into something of a romance.

If you want atmosphere, the Italian '60s stuff is hard to beat! Black Sunday is one of my all-time favorites -- starring Barbara Steele, "the girl who could sneer with her eyelids." Castle of Blood, Kill Baby Kill (I know the American title is idiotic, sorry), and The Long Hair of Death are also very atmospheric and fun.

Thanks for reminding me of Mario Bava.
Also Black Sabbeth.

Mohammed, you like Asian films like A Tale of Two Sisters? I have seen a bunch of Asian movies but that one always sticks out as one of the best.

Martha wrote: "Mohammed, you like Asian films like A Tale of Two Sisters? I have seen a bunch of Asian movies but that one always sticks out as one of the best."

Tale of Two Sisters is the type of horror i mean. Horror you never really see too much in, that lets your mind scare you to death. Just like any good atmosphere horror literary story.

Tale of Two Sisters was one of the best films I'd seen in years.

Mario Bava is a terrific recommendation. Love Black Sabbath and Kill Baby Kill.

Also from Universal, for something a little different but still pretty fun, are the Inner Sanctum Mysteries starring Lon Chaney, Jr. They're from the early/mid 40's. They're more "film noir" in style. Titles like Weird Woman (loosely based on Fritz Leiber's novel) and The Frozen Ghost to name a few. They're nice and short too; perfect for late night viewing. Probably easy to find on Netflix.

Mohammed, have you seen Kwaidan? (I believe I got the title right). It's a compilation four Ghost stories heavy in atmosphere. I believe it's only available with subtitles, but it's worth seeing.

Cathy wrote: "If you want atmosphere, the Italian '60s stuff is hard to beat! Black Sunday is one of my all-time favorites -- starring Barbara Steele, "the girl who could sneer with her eyelids." Castle of Blood..."

Thanks for the italian recs, i like to watch more movies outside US,UK and the anglo saxon part of the west.

I watched "The Last Man on Earth" for the first time this morning. It was pretty good.

Turner Classic Movies is running some back to back movies today. As I write "Curse of the Demon" is on...loosely based on M.R.James Casting the Runes. Then they're starting some of the late '50s early '60s Frankenstein movies...

Mohammed wrote: "Guys can you recommend great,athmosphere strong old horror movies ? ..."

i think the bava recommendations (especially Kill Baby Kill) and all of shawn's choices are excellent. i'd also add:

The Innocents
Don't Look Now
Masque of the Red Death (the corman version)
Curse of the Cat People
The Devil Rides Out (aka The Devil's Bride)
The Gorgon
Horror of Dracula
Dracula Has Risen from the Grave
Plague of the Zombies

A Tale of Two Sisters is superb. i think The Heirloom (Taiwan) and Acacia (South Korea) are both interesting and atmospheric, but not of the same calibre.

Mike, thanks for the heads up re: TCM, will check it out later!

The original version of 13 Ghosts is about to come on TCM. 12:30pm Central Standard Time.

We were talking about "Freaks" earlier. I won't be watching it as it's coming on at 5:15 AM Sunday morning (I'll not be up yet and I plan to leave for church later so... But, in it's way it is one of the most frightening movies ever made. It's so disturbing on several levels (including it's use of real side show performers) that it was banned in some places when it was made. Oh, 5;30 AM on Turner Classic Movies or TCM. Just a heads up. They're pretty much doing back to back classic horror films through tomorrow night.

Hmmm, must be US only! TCM for us britys is just regular non-horror films! Was looking forward to this too! Hmmff

I suppose you just can't trust "Ted". I always suspected it....

Mike, who's Ted?

....Ted Turner, Turner Movie Classics....

He got into cable channels early and had like, the second so called "super-station" back in the "early days" of cable (became TNT, Turner Network Television). He also got the rights to lots of old movies and started TCM... He has a lot of other TV interests, includes founding CNN. He's a big left wing political guy and "media mogul" now.

Mike i know you are a TCM watcher. So you probably already are aware of the Lewton movies early Halloween AM.
Val Lewton a man in the shadows is excellent. Preceded by Cat People and followed by Leopard Man.

I am, I like a lot of Lewton's films...may tune in after church tomorrow. (Had TCM on today when I was near the TV, though not now, saw Hunchback and as for later, I'm not a big fan of "Baby Jane" saw it years ago...several times LOL.) Anyway, thanks. I'd noted they were planning to rerun the Lewton movies. I think they're doing Vincent Price tomorrow after that.