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I read that the weather was going to cool down this weekend, so I thought I’d invite people over and show two BluRays that have been sitting on my shelf.

Normally, when I have movie nights I like to show films that might be a little out of the ordinary and hard to see on cable; but this time I wanted to show two classics that I never get tired of seeing. I had a full but not packed house with just enough room so that most people got a comfortable chair or were able to lay about on the floor.

The first feature was The Night of the Hunter. I was surprised that several people who had come over had never seen this masterpiece of a film. Part Film Noir, part fable. It truly is like no other film.

Best moment of the night is during one of the suspenseful chase scenes where the children are hiding from Robert Mitchum, the doorbell rang. Gwen from down the block was late because she couldn’t get a sitter. I told her as she came in, ‘You scared everyone half to death when you rang the doorbell!”

I found the BluRay print beautiful, but its almost too clear with a lot of film grain showing during some of the scenes. Overall, its a stunning restoration.

I then showed Scarlet Street. Scarlet Street is one of my top ten favorite films. Great performances by Edward G Robinson, Dan Duryea and especially Joan Bennett. If you haven’t seen it; you are really missing one of the best of the Film Noir genre.

The print of this is outstanding. For years I’ve only seen it in Public Domain copies; the best thing about the restoration is the sound is so crisp that although I’d seen this several times it was as if it were a new experience.

Overall, film group watching. Night of the Hunter is a much more visceral film experience. Whereas Scarlet Street is a little quiet and and too long for a second feature starting after eleven. However, it still one of my favorite viewing parties I’ve had in a long time.