I Got A Rock

It's that spooky time of year again, and I am dipping into the Halloween-ish delights just a little at a time. In fact, I must confess that I haven't been in a very scary mood this October. No idea why, though I did have a premature horror movie craving (and fix) in September. Netflix provided a handful of decent flicks to tide me over... stuff like Orphan, Don't Be Afraid of the Dark, and The Hole. 

Given my early satiation in the macabre department, I haven't felt much like reading any dark-themed stories lately. I did dig out a few of my old compilations of creepy tales, but have not yet delved into them. One of the more ghastly book covers appears below:

A ghoulish looking selection of tales of terror

that I hope to peruse this Halloween season

Whenever this month of All Hallows' Eve rolls around, I am reminded of trick-or-treating as a youngster. As a little kid, I dressed up as characters as wide-ranging as a robot, a rabbit, and a Mexican bandito, replete with curly mustache, sombrero, and poncho - all with the help of my mother. When I was a bit older, I worked on my own get-ups to re-create myself as Dracula, Mr. Hyde (Dr. Jekyll's alter-ego), and a Star Trek science officer (not Spock, since I didn't have naturally pointy ears). As a Trek dude, I sported a "real" embroidered uniform insignia (from the fan club store) and funky replicas of the phaser, communicator and tricorder (assembled from my 1970's Aurora model kit). 

My old pair of vampire fangs from Halloweens of yore

This year I will make at least some effort to get into the mood for the arrival of the Great Pumpkin. I feel as though I should re-watch the classic Charlie Brown Halloween special, since I haven't seen that in quite a while. Of all the Peanuts cartoons, that one is my favourite. I love Snoopy's World War I adventure, battling the infamous Red Baron aboard his soaring Sopwith Camel doghouse, then sneaking spy-like across the atmospheric countryside in search of sustenance and entertainment with the Allies. Maybe I need to add that old gem to my video collection.

"There are three things I have learned never to discuss with people: religion, politics, and the Great Pumpkin". Wise words from Linus.

I recently picked up some movies to watch on or near Halloween: finally, I grabbed an inexpensive Blu-ray copy of Let the Right One In, the best modern day vampire film. 30 Days of Night, Shadow of the Vampire, and Only Lovers Left Alive were cool in their own ways, but none quite captured the same eerie mood of the stark Swedish realm in which Let the Right One In resides. I think the last truly great vamp flick prior to this was Bram Stoker's Dracula (by good ol' Francis Ford Coppola). 

I also paid a pittance for a poorly packaged set of Howling sequels (numbers 3, 5, and 6 in the series). They are all full-screen and all jammed onto one disc, which maddens me, but for less than ten bucks, I figure it's a good way to revisit one of the films and see the other two for the first time. If they stink, then no big deal. If I really like any of them, I can always upgrade to Blu-ray sometime, and give this cheapie away. Bring on the werewolves!

And I will likely try to squeeze in at least one, if not a few, of my all-time favourite horror movies. My substantial video collection often taunts me and turns me away empty-handed, but I think I could re-watch some of my dearest masterpieces of the genre. Perhaps the original Phantom of the Opera (1925), An American Werewolf in London (not Paris!), and The Wolf Man (1941). If I'm feeling really ambitious, I may even put on the 1956 original version of the chilling Invasion of the Body Snatchers which still gives me the shivers in its beautiful depiction of terror, suspense, and paranoia. Great fun for this fan of the frightening!

One of the very first movies I ever bought

(on VHS in the 90's) to start my horror collection