Halloween Video Suggestions II

Halloween Video Suggestions II: Again, not a dictionary definition in the traditional sense, but these movies may have redefined (your) Halloween Holiday. The list has been revised, updated and categorized (Midnight Viewing, Well After Midnight, Before Midnight and Classic TV Programs...). OK, its still incomplete, but we can't include everything... Now includes mini-reviews...


To Be Viewed At Midnight…

Black Sabbath (1963, Mario Bava, Boris Karloff) Our favorite vignette – “The Drop of Water”…you may let loose some liquids with this one…

The Haunting (1963, Robert Wise, Julie Harris, Claire Bloom…) Unsurpassed eeriness and low-budget special effects and elegant filmwork… Its almost as if Shirley Jackson was right there with you…

Dead of Night (1945, Several directors, Michael Redgrave) Have you seen this?

Creature from the Black Lagoon (1954, Jack Arnold, Richard Carlson) Classic monster.

The Incredible Shrinking Man (1957, Jack Arnold, Grant Williams) Still a mind-bender, even today.

Psycho (1960, Alfred Hitchcock, Janet Leigh) Classic Hitchcock.

Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956, Don Siegel, Kevin McCarthy) Camp classic.

Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978, Philip Kaufman, Donald Sutherland, and more…) Though a “remake”, its really more than the sum of its parts…Great cast…

The Blob (1958, Irvin Yeaworth, Steve McQueen) Love the cheap, but horrific special effects.

The Blob (1988, Chuck Russell, Kevin Dillon, Shawnee Smith) Love Shawnee Smith and some of the devouring scenes!

Night of the Living Dead (1968, George A. Romero, Duane Jones) Keep a bucket handy!


The Thing (1982, John Carpenter, Kurt Russell) Absolute classic. Love this. It’s a nightmare captured on film.

They Live (1988, John Carpenter, Roddy Piper...) Sometimes an absolute hoot. More famous lines in horror movies came out of Roddy Piper than in all the others combined..."I am here to chew bubble-gum and kick ass. And, I am all out of bubble-gum!". "Life's a b****, and she's in heat!" to Keith David. And, "Your face looks like it fell in guacamole in 1957!" to one of the aliens. Meg Foster's character is marvellously treacherous.



Prince of Darkness (1987, John Carpenter, Donald Pleasance) A real "sleeper". And, the late, great Donald Pleasance is in this one - always a pleasure.

The Mothman Prophecies (2002, Mark Pellington, Richard Gere...) A great Richard Gere movie? Yes, this one is great and sometimes based on real-life experiences and disasters connected in some way or another to The Mothman. Note: The Mothman features only briefly in a few scenes - its said - but we've never been able to identify him. The ending is, though, more than a little unbelievable. But, do you want to meet Indrid Cold?

Trilogy of Terror (1975, Dan Curtis, Karen Black) Have you seen this? A forgotten ‘classic’. Karen Black is morbidly great.

The Funhouse (1981, Tobe Hooper, Elizabeth Berridge) A small gem of small town terror.

Poltergeist (1982, Tobe Hooper, Heather O’Rourke…) Love the kitchen chairs scene…

Jeepers Creepers (1981, Victor Salva, Gina Phillips) Oh, Hi!!

The Thing from Another World (1951, Howard Hawks, Christian Nyby, James Arness – as the Monster) The original classic.

Sleepy Hollow (1999, Tim Burton, Johnny Depp, Christina Ricci…) Tim Burton at his maniacal, inspired best!

The Serpent and The Rainbow (1988, Wes Craven, Bill Pullman) The zombie bride and the “hand in the soup” scenes are the tops!

The Exorcist (1973, William Friedkin, Ellen Burstyn…) Unsurpassed.


To Be Viewed Well After Midnight…

The Mummy (1932, Karl Freund, Boris Karloff) Classic.

Frankenstein (1931, James Whale, Boris Karloff) Classic.

The Wolfman (1941, George Waggner, Lon Chaney, Jr.) Classic.

The Body Snatcher (1944, Robert Wise, Boris Karloff, Bela Lugosi) Creepy.

Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956, Don Siegel, Kevin McCarthy) See it again.

Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978, Philip Kaufman, Donald Sutherland, and more…) See it again.

X: The Man With X-Ray Eyes (1963, Roger Corman, Ray Milland) Still a mind-bender, at times, unforgettable…

It! The Terror from Beyond Space (1958, Edward L. Cahn, Marshall Thompson) A fun ride for all.

Fiend Without A Face (1958, Arthur Crabtree, Marshall Thompson) Very grotesque climax.

The Blob (1958, Irvin Yeaworth, Steve McQueen) Love the cheap, but horrific special effects.

The Blob (1988, Chuck Russell, Kevin Dillon, Shawnee Smith) Love Shawnee Smith and some of the devouring scenes!

Night of the Living Dead (1968, George A. Romero, Duane Jones) Keep a bucket handy!

Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975, Jim Sharman, Sorry, Tim Curry stole this one…)

(?) Forbidden Planet (1956, Fred M. Wilcox, Leslie Nielsen) Great film…the murder and monster scenes might qualify this for Halloween viewing…

The Sixth Sense (1999, M. Night Shyamalan, Bruce Willis) Just superb. A wonder for Night.

Trilogy of Terror (1975, Dan Curtis, Karen Black) Great…

Godzilla “King of the Monsters!” (1956, Ishiro Honda,Terry Morse , Raymond Burr) Classic…

Invaders from Mars (1953, William Cameron Menzies, Jimmy Hunt…) Classic…we believe you, Jimmy!

Invaders from Mars (1986, Tobe Hooper, Karen Black…) Best Line: “They understand! They understand!...”

The Funhouse (1981, Tobe Hooper, Elizabeth Berridge) Best Line: “Blood is thicker than water”.

Poltergeist (1982, Tobe Hooper, Heather O’Rourke…) See it again.

Jeepers Creepers (1981, Victor Salva, Gina Phillips) Hi again!

The Howling (1981, Joe Dante, Dee Wallace-Stone) A sexy horror movie?

An American Werewolf in London (1981, John Landis, David Naughton)

The Fly (1958, Kurt Neumann, Vincent Price) Macabre science fiction.

The Fly (1986, David Cronenberg, Jeff Goldblum) Nauseatingly good at times.

Arachnophobia (1990, Frank Marshall, Jeff Daniels) Funny yet deadly?

The Exorcist (1973, William Friedkin, Ellen Burstyn…) You are compelled to watch this one.

The Body Snatcher (1944, Robert Wise, Boris Karloff, Bela Lugosi) Fun with creeps.

The Relic (1997, Peter Hyams, Penelope Ann Miller...) This film transforms itself from a terrible B-movie to a rather terrifying monster movie. The special effects used to create the 'Kothoga' are convincing and terrifying. Put the little ones to bed before putting this one on...

To Be Viewed Before Midnight…

The Shining (1980, Stanley Kubrick, Jack Nicholson, Shelley Duvall) Genius.

Alien (1979, Ridley Scott, Sigourney Weaver) Modern classic genius.

Predator (1987, John McTiernan, Arthur Schwarzenegger) A great Arnold film?

The Birds (1963, Alfred Hitchcock, Tippi Hendren…) A little dated, but still a good ride…

Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975, Jim Sharman, Sorry, Tim Curry stole this one…) Tim Curry anyone?

The Thing (1982, John Carpenter, Kurt Russell) See it again. A genius nightmare caught on film. Masterpiece.

The Thing from Another World (1951, Howard Hawks, Christian Nyby, James Arness – as the Monster) Camp classic.

Sleepy Hollow (1999, Tim Burton, Johnny Depp, Christina Ricci…) Christina Ricci at her finest.

The Others (2001, Alejandro Amenabar, Nicole Kidman) So who knew Nicole Kidman could act?...no, seriously, she is just great in this thriller.

Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992, Francis Ford Coppola, Gary Oldman, Winona...oh, forget it...) As always, Gary Oldman brings that extra something to the screen, whereas Winona...oh, forget it...

(?) Forbidden Planet (1956, Fred M. Wilcox, Leslie Nielsen) Does this fit the list?

The Sixth Sense (1999, M. Night Shyamalan, Bruce Willis) See it again.

Young Frankenstein (1974, Mel Brooks, Gene Wilder, Peter Boyle…) Still great. The cameo of Gene Hackman still provokes wild laughter.

Invaders from Mars (1953, William Cameron Menzies, Jimmy Hunt…)

Invaders from Mars (1986, Tobe Hooper, Karen Black…)

The Howling (1981, Joe Dante, Dee Wallace-Stone)

An American Werewolf in London (1981, John Landis, David Naughton)

Cujo (1983, Lewis Teague, Dee Wallace-Stone) Keep your shots up to date!!

The Dead Zone (1983, David Cronenberg, Christopher Walken) Drop dead brilliant.

Arachnophobia (1990, Frank Marshall, Jeff Daniels)

The Island of Dr. Moreau (1996, John Frankenheimer, Marlon Brando…) 2 words: Fairuza Balk. Oh, you need more? How about a way-over-the-top Marlon Brando as the gloriously *M*A*D* Dr. Moreau, Val Kilmer's character loses his sanity just before the climax and is David Thewlis's character human or ...? Kind of like Doctor Doolittle meets Apocalyspe Now. A tribute to the late, great Marlon Brando's screen presence is the way he stole the scene where he initially appears amidst a throng of half-crazed, mutant, hybrid, half-human beast animals.

The Addams Family (1991, Barry Sonnenfeld, Raul Julia…) The whole cast is a hoot.

Addams Family Values (1993, Barry Sonnenfeld, Raul Julia…) Better than the first?

The Twilight Zone (1983 Various Directors, Various Actors…) Kevin McCarthy is a cult favorite in this film version and John Lithgow is a hoot.

The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993, Henry Selick, William Hickey…) The Tim Burton modern classic.

Classic Television Programs

The Outer Limits (the classic series from the '60's, not the later version...)

The Twilight Zone (including the later version from the '80's...) Amazing that a half-century old program still has this much impact...

One Step Beyond (featuring the great and largely forgotten John Newland...) All right, it never had quite the polish of The T-Zone, but almost always based on factual tales of the paranormal right out of everyday life. Catch it if you can. The most "Fortean" of these television shows. Best line? "I'm so tired I wish I was dead...".

Alfred Hitchcock Presents (featuring The Master of Suspense himself, Alfred Hitchcock...)

And at least two episodes from The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (starring the late, great Jeremy Brett). Those being The Cardboard Box and The Hound of the Baskervilles. Not to be missed. We suppose it was fitting that The Hound was feature-length and The Box was the series finale.

We know, we know...we left out some or all of your favorites. You know what they are...Halloween, Friday the 13th, Scream, Texas Chainsaw, Saw, Hostel...the list goes on...we just can't cover them all.

Updated/Revised: Friday, October 16, 2009. Saturday, October 17, 2009. Sunday, October 18, 2009. Wednesday, October 21, 2009.








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