Topic: Halloween! 2014

[Ratty]

Take a long breath of that crisp air outside, watch the early leaves fall and blow in the wind, it's the first day of Autumn. And as surely as Dracula rising from his crypt every 100 years that means it's time to once again resurrect our annual Halloween thread!

Feel free to post thoughts, plans and opinions on the spookiest and funnest of holidays here. Wearing a costume? Planning on giving out candy to trick r treaters, or celebrate in some other fashion? In addition to activities on the day itself, feel free to list and discuss music, film and games you plan to (re)experience in the celebration leading up to All Hallow's Eve. For it is upon us once more my friends!

Squirrel Nut Zippers - Ghost of Stephen Foster - High Quality

2012 Halloween Thread
2013 Halloween Thread

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BOO!

[X]

Got some of my favorite shows just for Halloween;

The Skeleton Dance - Walt Disney (1929)

The Real Ghostbusters HD "Halloween II 1/2"

And of course Halloween is not complete without this;

[Ratty]

I've been collecting lots of original Hammer horror films stuff w Christopher Lee etc and am planning on watching the greats. I'm a big film fan but my knowledge of monster movies is pretty limited. If anyone wants to contribute a Top 10 Monster Movie Classics list that would rule...

Limited you say? How limited? If you're a film fan just starting to explore the weird wonderful world of creature features I recommend checking out a beautiful coffee table book called "Hollywood Horror: From Gothic to Cosmic". (Perhaps best acquired through Inter-Library loan.) Which uses lots of snips from interviews and contemporaneous film reviews to help give a broad overview of the evolution of the American horror film. From the silent era through the 1960s. Illustrated throughout with gorgeous reproductions of original publicity photos from the films being discussed.

As for my personal suggestions well, the Hammer films are largely remakes/"re-imaginings" of monster movies that had been successful 20-30 years prior at Universal Studios, so I think you should definitely check out at least some of the Universal films.

Of the Universal monster movies the best is probably The Bride of Frankenstein, it's a good idea but by no means essential to see the also excellent original 1931 Frankenstein before seeing Bride.

Bride of Frankenstein Official Trailer #1 - (1935) HD

The Wolf Man, The Creature from the Black Lagoon and Werewolf of London are good fun as well. 1931's Dracula is a bit hard to call a "monster movie" (you never even see Dracula with fangs) but is worth seeing for the magnificent sets and costumes of the first half. As well as for its historical significance as it was incredibly influential and probably the first proper "talkie" horror movie. I'm rather fond of Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man and Abbott & Costello Meet Frankenstein is funny. All of the movies in "The Mummy" series are enjoyable, albeit only in a cheesy way after the elegant first entry.

More recently and outside Universal/Hammer I could go on forever but off the top of my head The Howling (the first one- not any of the dreadful sequels) American Werewolf in London and Night of the Living Dead are all must-watch.

[Belmontoya]

I nominate Nosferatu for the top of that list!

Here comes Halloween!

[Abnormal Freak]

Already put up my H'ween decorations over a week ago and began Fall Horrorthon 2014 the same time. The outside air was cooling off and it felt like a good time to do so. As usual, it's now starting to get hot again, so when it's warm I just don't like marathoning horror movies, so the bulk of my viewing will be in October when it's hopefully gotten crisp again and for good. (Besides, Skyward Sword is taking up a big chunk of my time anyway.)

Got a movie night planned where I want my friends and I to watch two of the goriest movies I know, Braindead (uncut version of Dead Alive) and Premutos: Lord of the Living Dead while chomping on spaghetti to signify guts 'n' stuff.

On Halloween weekend, a theater nearby is showing a 35mm print of the amazing '70s haunted funhouse movie House. It really is the perfect H'ween party movie, so I can't wait to see it on the big screen with my gal and pals.

HOUSE (1977) Trailer - The Criterion Collection

[Lelygax]

What?! We are already in this part of the year?! Time surely flies 

Maybe I will see some Umineko material and a old horror movie.

[Nagumo]

For anyone who feels like watching a creepy anime, I strongly recommend Yami Shibai. My favorite episodes are "The Talisman Woman" and "Contradiction".

[Dracula9]

For anyone who feels like watching a creepy anime, I strongly recommend Yami Shibai. My favorite episodes are "The Talisman Woman" and "Contradiction".

I haven't seen The Talisman Woman, but Contradiction is fuckin' eerie. I'll take your word on the other one and pick it up.


As for plans...dunno yet. So far the only thing I know I'm doing is helping my old high school with its annual haunted-house fundraiser. Fifth year doing it, and being someone who knows the haunted-house intricacies and tricks of the trade (as well as being pretty good with monster makeup and effects), I've lent a hand every year since its inception. This year's looking to be a splendid one, as the seniors there this year are a pretty rad bunch, and are totally psyched for it; unlike the last few years, where most showed up late and I was expected to successfully make up some forty-odd people in the span of two hours or less. But it's a fun ride. I'd actually put the word out there to come down if anyone gets the chance, but IIRC nobody here lives remotely close to me, lol.

[Ratty]

For anyone who feels like watching a creepy anime, I strongly recommend Yami Shibai. My favorite episodes are "The Talisman Woman" and "Contradiction".

I haven't seen The Talisman Woman, but Contradiction is fuckin' eerie. I'll take your word on the other one and pick it up.

I looked it up and hey, the first and second season are on crunchyroll for those in the US! http://www.crunchyroll.com/yamishibai-japanese-ghost-stories#

Also didn't want to put this in the first post again but-

Helloween - Halloween (1987)

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Powerwolf "We Drink Your Blood" (OFFICIAL VIDEO)

POWERWOLF - Amen & Attack | Napalm Records

[theplottwist]

For anyone who feels like watching a creepy anime, I strongly recommend Yami Shibai. My favorite episodes are "The Talisman Woman" and "Contradiction".

I gave it a try thinking "Hey, maybe this internet person is on to something, but all "creepy" anime I ever watched were not creepy at all".

Daaaaamn I loved it! The last episode of the first season, with the realistic boy on top of the characteristic animation was perfectly scary! Awesome reccomendation!

[eryson]

Hey, i didnt know any horror anime who is really scary, i will try this.

[Ratty]

Watched some episodes of that anime you recommended Nagumo, I've read and seen enough urban legends to see the twists coming but it's still very creepy at times! Good morals to- don't stay out alone at night, don't go to abandoned buildings, and especially never let anyone into your house in the middle of the night lol. Very well done. I wonder if "The Umbrella Goddess" is a real folk legend figure? Certainly doesn't seem to match up with the Buddhist one I found on a quick google search.

Other than that the start to my celebrations have been rather subdued thus far. I've mostly just been reading more stories from "The Vampire Archives" a big honking collection of 80 Vampire short stories and novellas. The pulp collection "Weird Vampire Tales" was much better, but then that's possibly the best anthology I've ever read. The most enjoyable story out of the 10 I've read in "Archives" is still Carmilla by far. Which I read on Halloween day last year. And you can check out on the internet archive here https://archive.org/details/inglassdarkly01lefa

Also while we're at it-

The Book of Hallowe'en- https://archive.org/details/bookofhalloweenb00kell

Hallowe'en festivities - https://archive.org/details/halloweenfestivi31sche

The Topaz Story Book: Stories and legends of autumn, Hallowe'en, and Thanksgiving- https://archive.org/details/topazstory

And here's Dracula and the rest of Bram Stoker's books https://archive.org/details/TheBramStokerCollection You'll need a free epub reader for these files but you can quickly and easily find them in other formats on the internet archive and/or Project Gutenberg if you wish. Along with tons of other old horror tales.

[X]

How could you not read Washington Irving's 'The Legend of Sleepy Hollow' for Halloween?

[Ratty]

How could you not read Washington Irving's 'The Legend of Sleepy Hollow' for Halloween?

That is a great one for Halloween but I've already read it a bunch of times since I was a kid, when I made a point to read all the popularly-consider "classic" horror tales. Now I just need to read most of the works of Edgar Allan Poe and H. P. Lovecraft and I'll be done with that lol.

[X]

Don't have to read it, you can watch it. But which version to watch...there's lots made over the decades. I like Tim Burton's take personally.