RodneyAn

“Nosferatu Didn’t Sparkle”

– A Natural-Born Philosopher at Comic Con

There was a time when vampires weren’t considered sexy. That all changed with Bela Lugosi’s portrayal suave of Count Dracula. Before that, Vampires fell somewhere on the sexiness scale roughly between rabid dogs and slightly less rabid dogs. I.e. they were seen as feral disease spreading predators.

Thank you, people behind “30 Days of Night” for making vampires scary again.

We’re ten days into the countdown, so I’m going to break protocol and declare today a DOUBLE FEATURE DAY.

Please watch the films in the following order: first “V/H/S/85” and then “Totally Killer”. Trust me on this.

Like all anthologies, “V/H/S/85” has its hits and misses, but it hits more than it misses, so it’s recommended. Whereas “Totally Killer” is scores a homerun by portraying the 80’s as the Hellscape they actually were. And those are the last sports metaphor I hope to ever use in my lifetime.

Stop! …Hammer Time!

There are dozens of great Hammer Horror films that I could’ve chosen for today’s film pick, but Christopher lee claimed that “The Devil Rides Out” was his favorite. Can you think of a higher authority on Hammer Films than Christopher Lee (other than maybe Peter Cushing)? No. Neither can I.

Fun fact: the movie’s villain is based on Aleister Crowley whom script co-author Dennis Wheatley invited to dinner for a little assistance with research.

Some cults, as portrayed in cinema, are much more believable than others. The cults in “The Invitation” (2022) and “Midsommar” (2019) are definitely more realistic than the cult in “Race with the Devil” (1975). Hell, the Oompa Loompas are more realistic than the cult in “Race with the Devil”.

If you’re searching for a horror film with a believable cult, then look no further than 2017’s “The Endless” which contains the portrayal of cult so authentically that you’ll feel like you’re about to be offered a free personality test.

I promise you that this film will hook you in the first 5 minutes… maybe the first 3.

I have a rule of (deformed) thumb that states in order for a Horror/Comedy to work it must be roughly 80% Horror and 20% Comedy and “The Day of the Beast” falls firmly into the parameter. The acting is played completely straight with absolutely no sly winking at the audience. Shit, Luther! The rituals portrayed in this movie are the most accurate this side of 2016’s “A Dark Song”.

Must be the Season of the Witch. From “Haxan” (1922) to “City of the Dead” (1960) to “The VVitch” (2015), you’ve probably seen a lot of great witchy movies. While I don’t know if I’d classify 2017’s “Pyewacket” as a great movie, it’s certainly a very, very good one.

Nicole Munoz (star of “Chupacabra vs. the Alamo” – no, I didn’t make that up) portrays a teenager who really should’ve brushed up her counter spells. 

And, yes, Pyewacket is the name of the Siamese cat in the excellent Horror Comedy “Bell, Book and Candle” (1958). Go watch that one, too.

Lost for more than forty years before a copy was discovered in a shed (or in the foundation of Rustin Parr’s house) in 1971, “A Page of Madness” is amazingly twisted despite having been made nearly a century ago.

The film tells the story of a man who takes janitorial gig in a mental hospital so that he can remain close to his wife who tried to kill their child.

Oh, I see that I have your attention. OK, now go watch the entire film, for free, on YouTube

I’m coming out swinging by starting off my 31 Days of Halloween movie recommendations with a truly sick classic from Universal Pictures – 1934’s “The Black Cat” starring Boris Karloff and Bela Lugosi (Undead, undead, undead…) and directed by Edgar G. Ulmer.

This film was made just before the Hays Code was adopted by Hollywood which is why the makers could get away with scenes of Satanism, torture, and necrophilia.

The next time you hear some buffoon spout “Why can’t Hollywood make wholesome films for the entire family, like they did back in the 1930s?” show them this flick… the punch ‘em.