October 6, 2010
Things have been hectic lately. September was spent on a series of family emergencies that kept me away from the Casa and away from the blog.
But Halloween is coming, and I am hoping to spend as much of October as possible celebrating the season. The bins of decorations are down from the attic, the Halloween village is mostly up. The yard is not decorated yet. But since it is currently filled with a boxelder beetle infestation, I am willing to give it a couple of days before nagging the DH and #2 to get the ghouls out of the basement.
In the meantime, to keep myself in the mood, I am having a month long, movie marathon.
Of course, there is some question as to which mood I should be in. Due to a sudden change in contract, the most recent work will now be a Christmas book, out in December of 2011. While I am at the desk, I am hanging mistletoe.
The rest of the time, I’m hanging crepe.
But back to the movies. If you are a writer, and make a plan to sit on your butt watching old movies for a month, it is probably a good idea to find a way to turn it into some kind of research. Or at least to blog about it. That way, you can claim to anyone who is rolling their eyes that you are actually working.
So here goes. The first five days of October, as seen on TV.
October 1, Brides of Dracula, and Dracula, Prince of Darkness.
I’m not a huge fan of the Hammer films, but I may be changing my tune. The first was quietly ridiculous, and totally lacking in Dracula. But it did have Peter Cushing. And some industrious Googling taught me that, at one time in his career, he’d played Mr. Darcy in P & P.
That’s terrifying enough for one move.
The second movie had plenty of Dracula. And a “Don’t go up to the Castle” plot and bloody result, that reminded me of any teen slasher movie of the last 30 years, but with a lot more mascara.
I was marginally creeped out.
October 2: The Tingler
Vincent Price drops acid, and is attacked by a rubber worm. This is the movie that permanently scarred me as a child. Of course I introduced my children to it, in their formative years.
They laughed at me. And imitated the tingler, flopping around on the living room carpet, and pointing out that in the movie, you can clearly see the string pulling the worm.
In the old days, prints were never re-mastered for DVD. TV reception was bad. And children were more innocent and imaginative. That’s my story, and I’m sticking to it.
And my kids were scarred by the picture of the Sacred Heart of Jesus hanging in my childhood bedroom.
Wimps.
October 3rd: Creepshow
Creaky fun. The kid in the opening and closing sequence was Stephen King’s son Joe, who grew up to write The Heart-shaped Box, and Horns.
The King family stands as proof that there are children more morbid than mine.
October 4th. Return of the Killer Tomatoes.
There are four Killer Tomato movies. I have all of them.
This is clearly the best. Also, it is my favorite George Clooney movie. Especially the scene where he is trying to get dates by pretending to be recruiting women for a “Date Rob Lowe” contest, offering himself as second prize.
No, it is not scary. But I am making the rules, and I say it counts.
.
Have you seen Snakes on a plane? Not classic scary but close enough
Oh, definitely. I could not resist going when it was in the theater.
I am against torture porn like the Saw movies, and unless there is a great script, slasher movies leave me cold. But I have a weakness for rediculous animal attack movies.
I was wondering whether I should count it later in the month, since we have our own copy.