The Changeling - My all-time favourite scary movie. When I was eighteen I saw this with friends and it began my love of scary movies. The ending was a tad weak, but the rest of the film is fantastic. That scene in the beginning where George C. Scott is in the phone booth still gives me the chills. This year I asked some co-workers for recommendations but I didn't like any of the ones the fellas recommended (too gory or Saw-like where there's humiliation and mental torture plus some of them had rape scenes - NO THANK YOU!) so I asked lovely Karen if she had any recommendations. First on her list? The Changeling! Then she and I emailed back and forth and I told her how much I love this film and George C. Well, it turns out that Karen was actual an extra for three days on the set of Taps. Whaaaaaat!!!!???! Yup, she said her scenes were cut because she couldn't take her eyes off of George C. Scott. Can't blame her!
♥ Highway to Heaven - I Was a Middle Aged Werewolf - I'm SO glad that Tubi has every episode of this wonderful series. This is one of my top five eps. It's still so hilarious.
I Was a Teenage Werewolf - Meh. It was nice to see a young Michael Landon and he did a decent job, but it wasn't a very good film. At least in my opinion.
* Only Murders in the Building - Opening Night - I really only obsessed over the first season, which was fresh and exciting. The second and third were really blah except for lovely Meryl Streep. But this last ep with the music and play all together and done was most definitely the best one of this season.
♥ House of the Long Shadows - Tubi did it again and has a great print of this flick. I only discovered it a handful of years ago and it's quickly become one of my faves - just to see the three Gemini giants onscreen together and for when Vincent Price calls Christopher Lee a bitch at the end. Fantastic!
♥ The Fog - I know this isn't everyone's fave John Carpenter film but I really love it! The ghosts, the bay, the small town, the cast!! Tom Atkins, Jamie Lee, Janet Leigh, Adrienne Barbeau, and Hal Holbrook. The music is great, I love the lighthouse down all those steps. It's a bright sunny day, but the whole film holds an eeriness that won't let the viewer relax.
* It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown
Werewolf By Night - Gorgeous in black and white but I am so not a comic book person. I really only watched it because it features Gael Garcia Bernal.
Totally Killer - As someone from the 80s, I felt this was a story created by someone who was not alive in America during that time period and therefore it felt very disconnected. When creating a story that is meant to be real but contains events which are completely impossible, everything that can be real must ring true. This was not the case with Totally Killer and that's why it felt a bit off to me. Interesting concept and I loved the cast but sadly, I didn't dig this film as much as I thought I might.
* Invitation to Hell - Starring Susan Lucci, Robert Urich, and Joanna Cassidy PLUS Soleil Moon Frye and Barret Oliver!!!! Oh and secondary characters played by Joe Regalbuto (from one of my fave eps of Bosom Buddies), Kevin McCarthy from Innerspace, the pilot ep of Hawaii 5-0, and a fab Columbo episode, plus Patty McCormack!!, and Bill Erwin from Somewhere in Time, Hart to Hart, and Seinfeld. It was a 1970s and 80s television bonanza! I even messages dear Jeffrey of one of my fave Instagram accounts (jeffreymixed has been cracking up me and mine for years now and there's no end in sight) to let him know I was watching this dusty ole gem.
♥ The Tingler - I previously said the following back in March of 2016:
John Waters mentioned this film and I went in to it thinking it was going to be dull and way, way campy but honestly, it was awesome! Scary and interesting and yes, campy at times. The scene where the wife dies and the husband is virtually expressionless had me cracking up. He was looking at her corpse like he's deciding which loaf of bread to buy. "Multigrain....whole wheat....Wonder White..." I thought it was a fabulous film.
♥ Sharkdog's Fintastic Halloween - This was Lucy's pick and oh my gosh - SO CUTE!
(photo kidnapped from ten30studios)
♥ Watcher in the Woods
* Dracula (1979)
* The Fly (1958) - Saw this on the big screen with Wayne for Vincent Price Day and it was actually pretty interesting. Vincent Price's cranberry smoking jacket in his opening scene was spellbinding. I'd kill for one just like it!
♥ Mr. Boogedy (originally posted the following in 2019 but I updated it a bit):
My whole family absolutely loved this movie and all these years later it is still fabulous. The cast is outstanding with Richard Masur, Mimi Kennedy, who delivers the best line in the film "Time to call a real-tor.", David Faustino (so young!), John Astin, and Kristy Swanson as the quintessential eye rolling 1980s teenager girl. I watched this for free on YouTube before Disney tore it down...the DVD set of Boogedy and Bride of Boogedy were crazy expensive last time I looked (forty bucks!) so I'm glad I caught it on Disney+ this year!
* The Comedy of Horrors - Oh the bitchy comments from Vincent Price's character that were flung at his wife were endless and hysterical!
Elvira Presents Night of the Living Dead
* The Bat
* The Haunted Palace
♥ Frankenweenie (1984)
♥ Poltergeist
* The Wolf Man (1941)
* The Canterville Ghost (1996) - Not as much fun as the Gielgud/Milano version I grew up with, but it was cute.
* Elvira's Haunted Hills - While re-listening to Cassandra Peterson's memoir I realised I hadn't seen this film. It was super wacky and beyond silly.
* Asylum - Peter Cushing's performance in his vignette always brings me to tears.
* I Know What You Did Last Summer - Yeesh, Ryan Phillippe's character was the epitome of a hot head. He was constantly blowing up about one thing or another. While this is not the best teen slasher film of all time, it does bring back fond memories of my younger years and how I really loved Freddie Prinze, Jr. in this and of course, She's All That.
* An American Werewolf in London - I saw a bit of the beginning with a pal in grade school and only just now got around to checking out a copy from the library this past week. It was good, and I love Griffin Dunne in all that he does, but the monster makeup? Still extraordinary.
* Ghostbusters
** Halloween H20 - This is my fave of the Halloween franchise, probably because it was the first one I watched. Pax, having loved the original, had a showing of it at his and Bishop's place one October and he gave the back story of Laurie Strode. I thought Jamie Lee Curtis was excellent, as usual, and seeing her onscreen with lovely Janet Leigh was wonderful. Plus the sweet nod to Psycho was especially cool.
* He Never Died - I was thoroughly impressed with Henry Rollins' performance in this 2015 film. I saw it earlier this year or maybe last and thought he was so convincing and natural. Really well done.
BONUS:
Parks & Recreation: ♥ Halloween Surprise, ♥ Meet N' Greet, and Greg Pikitis
♥ Hart to Hart: Night Horrors
Modern Family: ♥ Halloween Open, ♥ House of Horrors, ♥ Awesomeland, * The Revenge of Rod Skyhook, It's the Great Pumpkin, Phil Dunphy and Good Grief
The Ghoul (1933)
* You Cast a Spell On Me
3 Bed, 2 Bath, 1 Ghost
♥ Michael Jackson's Thriller
* - liked
♥ - loved
Any unmarked titles were, in my opinion, so-so.
