Here are some of my Halloween movies. Hopefully there are a couple here that you haven't seen--new recommendations are always fun.
1989, Michele Soavi
A crazy, gothic mess of an entertainment. Incredible imagery and one of my favorite giallo movies. Also watch Soavi's hilariously oddball Cemetery Man.
1968, Jack Hill
Madness from start to finish, a deliriously insane ride. I've seen a lot of weird movies, and this is one of the weirdest--in a very, very good way.
1935, James Whale
Not remotely scary, but thoroughly odd--from the opening scene with foppish poets hobnobbing in a fancy parlor, to the tiny king in a bottle trying to woo a tiny queen in another bottle, you really won't guess what's coming next. The birdlike Bride herself only gets about four minutes of screentime. An absolute delight, and one of the most original movies I've seen.
2002, Don Coscarelli
An aging Elvis battles ancient Egyptian demons in a nursing home. Need I say more?
1962, Herk Harvey
Incredibly creepy tale of a young Salt Lake City organist haunted by ghosts.
1942, Jacques Tourneur
Incredible movie. Watch the very different sequel as well.
1984, Neil Jordan
Angela Carter's fairy tale visions on screen. Poetic, creepy, campy, and has great werewolf transformation scenes.
1971, Harry Kumel
Stylish, elegant, European vampire trash. If the 19th century Romantic writers (Coleridge, Poe, Le Fanu, etc) had been B-movie Euro-trash directors in the 70s, they would have come up with something like this sumptuous dish. Lots of red.
1988, David Cronenberg
Jeremy Irons plays two very creepy twins. Rather brilliant.
1968, Ingmar Bergman
Bergman's foray into horror is an unsettling journey into the Scandinavian heart of darkness.
1964, Masaki Kobayashi
Somewhat creepy, but mostly gorgeous and poetic. A great series of short Japanese ghost stories.
2008, Tomas Alfredson
One of the most wonderful films I've ever seen. The stark Swedish winter surrounds a warm, yet unnerving, relationship between its two young protagonists. Best teen vampire movie ever, by a thousand miles. (Avoid the American remake, which is fine on it's own, but at best a pale counterpart to this rich masterpiece).
1974, Mario Bava
Bava's movies are filled with incredible imagery, rich colors, and fantastic storytelling--and this is my favorite Bava. Surreal, poetic, and perhaps closer to being arthouse fare than it is to being a B-movie cult classic. Watch lots of Bava, please. He was the Godfather of Giallo.
1967, Jules Rankin
Rankin & Bass's Christmas classics (Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, Year Without A Santa Claus, etc.) are wondrous, and their Halloween treat is no less delightful. I watched this the other day with my daughter (age four), and she thought it was a hoot. A little edgier than the usual Rankin/Bass fare.
1955, Charles Laughton
One of the most amazing movies ever made, and one of the most unsettling. Part fairy tale, part Flannery O'Connor, part chase movie, part religious allegory; all brilliant.
1922, F. W. Murnau
Still one of the scariest movies I've seen, this silent vampire film somehow burrows it's way into your psyche like a horrific albino rat.
1977, Dario Argento
Argento picked up where Bava left off. Insane colors and weird archetypal imagery tell the story of a ballerina and witches. I liked the follow-up, Inferno, almost as much as Suspiria.
2005, Neil Marshall
One of the scariest movies I've seen. If you have claustrophobia (I do), this will destroy your life for an hour and a half.
1970, Jaromil Jires
Dreamlike Czech coming-of-age fantasy, with vampires. Lovely music, too.
1988, Robert Bierman
A crazy vampire Nick Cage jumps on a table. It happens. This movie makes me laugh.
Have a happy Halloween!
