31 Frights

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Tricks & Treats Night #16: For the Birds

Posted by Dave on October 16, 2012
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Trick & Treat for October 16th:

THE BIRDS (1963; with Tippi Hedrin, Rod Taylor, Suzanne Pleshette, Jessica Tandy; directed by Alfred Hitchcock)

Our movie takes flight when a young, pretty blonde woman steps into San Francisco’s Davidson Pet Shop. “The girl” (as Hitchcock referred to Tippi Hedrin) is Melanie Daniels. Melanie causes trouble immediately, when she poses as a sales clerk and then allows a bird to escape from its cage. The errant avian is caught by another pet shop shopper, the debonair and eligible Mitch Brenner (Rod Taylor). Intrigued and inspired, the conniving Melanie decides that birds–love birds, to be precise–are the way to Mr. Brenner’s heart. Soon thereafter, Melanie swoops down into the small, California coastal burg of Bodega Bay with her two, winged cupids. Daniels’ eyes are like those of a hawk as she closes in on the Brenner residence. She’s delivering the love birds ostensibly as a birthday present for Mitch’s young daughter, Cathy. However, Mitch’s mom (Jessica Tandy) is like a mother hen to her son, and views Melanie suspiciously. As does the local schooteacher, and former love interest of Mitch’s, Annie (Suzanne Pleshette).

Soon, there’s chaos, and this time it’s not just one bird out of control. It’s many birds. Flocks of birds. Dozens, hundreds of them. No doves here, only menacing gulls and crows, darkening the skies and darkening the lives of Bodega Bay’s bewildered and terrified residents. Heads are pecked, eyes too. The reasons behind the rampage are unknown. Perhaps they’re really just another one of Hitch’s infamous MacGuffins. What’s significant in this story is the change the birds inflict upon the Brenner family and its relationship with the intruding Melanie and the two, cuddly caged companions she brings. Is the love between Mitch and Melanie meant to be? Or is love only for the birds? 

Who wants to wait until the 31st to wallow in Halloween indulgences and scary movies?! Home Projectionist doesn’t! And so we’ll have pairings of 31 Frights and 31 Bites every one of October’s 31 nights: a scary, snack size movie “trick”, and a delicious “treat” to go along with it.

Tricks & Treats Night #15: Red Hot

Posted by Dave on October 15, 2012
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Trick & Treat for October 15th:

AMAZING COLOSSAL MAN (1957; starring Glenn Langan; directed by Bert I. Gordon)

Lt. Col. Glenn Manning’s amazing adventure begins at an A-bomb testing site, and ends near Las Vegas. Like the characters in a more recent film set in Vegas, THE HANGOVER, Glenn also wakes up with a big head. But in Lt. Manning’s case, it’s literally a big head… and arms, legs and… well, we will stop there. During a noble attempt at a rescue, Glenn is exposed directly to the full force of an atomic blast. The good news is that he survives. The bad news is that he’ll need some really colossal socks, among other items, as he is now growing upwards to an eventual height of 60 feet, barefooted. This does not sit well with Glenn (played by Glenn Langan). He becomes irritable and acts out, evidenced by such behavior as impaling a soldier with a giant hypodermic needle and vandalizing the Golden Slipper Casino. Making sure that what’s happening in Vegas stays in Vegas, the U.S. Army takes its customary, 1950s sci-fi movie measures: pulverization via banks of artillery. Not surprisingly, we recommend enjoying this ridiculous but fun film with a box of Atomic Fire Balls. If it’s too much “red hot flavor”, just remember: you might grow… to like them. 

Who wants to wait until the 31st to wallow in Halloween indulgences and scary movies?! Home Projectionist doesn’t! And so we’ll have pairings of 31 Frights and 31 Bites every one of October’s 31 nights: a scary, snack size movie “trick”, and a delicious “treat” to go along with it.

Tricks & Treats Night #14: Screamy, Creamy

Posted by Dave on October 14, 2012
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Trick & Treat for October 14th:

ALIEN (1979; starring Sigourney Weaver, Tom Skerritt, Veronica Cartwright, and Harry Dean Stanton; directed by Ridley Scott)

Deep in the far reaches of the galaxy, the space freighter Nostromo is returning home from its mission in space for a nefarious outfit called the Company. The crew of the ship, meanwhile, is in deep hibernation. But they are awakened by Nostromo’s Mother computer system. A nearby planet has sent out an S.O.S. The Nostromo lands and the crew investigates, discovering an array of strange looking “pods”. Whereas you’d attach an Apple iPod to your body, on this planet the pods attach themselves to you. Whether you like it or not. Judging by John Hurt’s reaction, you won’t like it. Soon, a large, alien creature has emerged and begins haunting the nooks and crannies of the Nostromo, threatening the crew and displeasing the ship’s cat, Jones. That’s when things have gone too far, and when Sigourney Weaver springs into action. Ridley Scott’s ALIEN raised the bar high for future sci-fi films set in and around the Milky Way, just as the Milky Way bar raised the bar for, well, you know… 

Who wants to wait until the 31st to wallow in Halloween indulgences and scary movies?! Home Projectionist doesn’t! And so we’ll have pairings of 31 Frights and 31 Bites every one of October’s 31 nights: a scary, snack size movie “trick”, and a delicious “treat” to go along with it.

Tricks & Treats Night #13: Sometimes You Feel Like a Nut…

Posted by Dave on October 13, 2012
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Trick & Treat for October 13th:

DR. JEKYLL AND MR. HYDE (1932; starring Fredric March and Miriam Hopkins; directed by Rouben Mamoulian)

This classic “tampering in God’s domain” movie was one of several cinematic explorations of the Robert Louis Stevenson story. This, the first sound version, stars Fredric March in the title roles. March plays Jekyll, the wealthy, compassionate doctor with a dark side. The brainy but overly curious doc decides to expand his practice into areas where he has no expertise, areas that were better left unexplored. As a result of a chemical concoction he self-prescribes, his winning personality spins-off into a second entity that is brutal and lecherous, and without any bedside manners: the depraved Mr. Hyde. Where Jekyll is kind and thoughtful, Hyde is aggressive and relentless, pursuing his prey with joyful abandon. That prey is primarily a young and beautiful woman, Miss Champagne Ivy Pearson (the coquettish Miriam Hopkins). Jekyll’s fascinating transformation is accompanied by the sound of a heartbeat–that of the director himself, Rouben Mamoulian. And so the personality battle rages on, Jekyll to Hyde, Hyde to Jekyll, and back again. Sometimes you feel like a nut. Sometimes you don’t. 

Who wants to wait until the 31st to wallow in Halloween indulgences and scary movies?! Home Projectionist doesn’t! And so we’ll have pairings of 31 Frights and 31 Bites every one of October’s 31 nights: a scary, snack size movie “trick”, and a delicious “treat” to go along with it.

Tricks & Treats Night #12: Cold As Ice

Posted by Dave on October 12, 2012
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Trick & Treat for October 12th:

THE THING FROM ANOTHER WORLD (1951; starring James Arness, Kenneth Tobey; directed by Howard Hawks)

Near a cold and very remote Arctic research station, a large, unidentifiable flying object has apparently crashed. Scientists rush to the location and discover that the spacecraft is buried in ice. In the course of setting off thermal devices to free the craft, they’ve destroyed it. However, there’s a body–what appears to be the ship’s pilot. Cutting the body away within its slab of ice, they transport it back to the lab for safekeeping. Scientists being human, after all, they make mistakes. These scientists are, as we can see, no exception to the rule, as they allow a space heater to thaw the ice, uncovering a very large, very unhappy alien being (Gunsmoke’s James Arness), who, it’s soon apparent, dogs don’t like. Is it a letter carrier from another world? As it turns out, it’s more like a vegetable–a sort of carrot, to be precise. This carrot, like most carrots, keeps well in the fridge, and–like most monsters–it runs amok. And this being a 50s sci-fi film (and a very good one), there’s the requisite humanitarian, who begs we refrain from our animal urges and reason with the monster–er, carrot. Thus, he’s an expendable character. But meanwhile an ingenious plan to dispose of this veggie has been devised and implemented, and soon, it’s The End. Or is it? “Keep watching the skies!”, we are warned. Here’s another warning: beware of unwrapping “things”. Like your Zero bar, for instance. You just don’t really know what’s in it. 

Who wants to wait until the 31st to wallow in Halloween indulgences and scary movies?! Home Projectionist doesn’t! And so we’ll have pairings of 31 Frights and 31 Bites every one of October’s 31 nights: a scary, snack size movie “trick”, and a delicious “treat” to go along with it.

Tricks & Treats Night #11: A Dark and Stormy Night

Posted by Dave on October 11, 2012
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Trick & Treat for October 11th:

THE OLD DARK HOUSE (1932; starring Boris Karloff, Melvyn Douglas, Charles Laughton, Gloria Stuart; directed by James Whale)

This group should have checked with Travelocity’s “roaming gnome” before setting out on a nighttime drive through the English countryside. Just in case they were to find themselves on a lonely road in the middle of nowhere during a raging thunderstorm. Murphy’s Law being what it is, that’s exactly what happens to these folks, and as they run into trouble there is nary a Holiday Inn in sight. Luckily (or unluckily, as luck would have it), there’s shelter nearby, in the form of an old, dark… well, you know the rest. And so, what we have here in this terrific, classic film, is a variety of individuals much like those in later movies such as GRAND HOTEL. Except this group’s overnight stay turns out to be much less than grand. The guests include stuffy Raymond Massey, war vet Melvyn Douglas, delicate Gloria Stuart (the elderly Rose in James Cameron’s TITANIC),  and the rich, repulsive Charles Laughton. Director James Whale (BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN) assembles them in the title location, where they come to realize that the permanent residents of the house (who include an alcoholic Boris Karloff and a pyromaniac) have some unfortunate and disturbing “issues” that will require much more than chocolate therapy–Hershey’s Special Dark or otherwise–to work out. 

Who wants to wait until the 31st to wallow in Halloween indulgences and scary movies?! Home Projectionist doesn’t! And so we’ll have pairings of 31 Frights and 31 Bites every one of October’s 31 nights: a scary, snack size movie “trick”, and a delicious “treat” to go along with it.

Tricks & Treats Night #10: Crunch!

Posted by Dave on October 10, 2012
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Trick & Treat for October 10th:

GODZILLA (1972; with Raymond Burr; directed by Ishiro Honda)

“A bull in a china shop” might be an apt but understated description of this classic and genuinely frightening monster movie. Released in Japan in 1954 as Gojira, the great-grandfather of all Asian giant lizard films came out two years later in the U.S. with the Americanized addition of Raymond Burr. Burr is reporter Steve Martin, broadcasting the story not of King Tut but of the newly-crowned “King of the Monsters”–the 40-story, fire-breathing, upright-walking and ungraceful Godzilla himself. The big-footed, oversized reptile–a victim of post-war a-bomb testing–emits a horrifying growl as he runs amok on his periodic strolls through Tokyo, seeking revenge on whatever person, place or thing strikes his fancy at the moment. The huge success of the film sent Toho Studios on a relentless Godzilla rampage over the years, as countless sequels stomped their way through movie theaters. In each of them, you can count on at least a few of Godzilla’s patented, crispy rice crunches, as he tours, and tears, his way through his beloved Japan. Get in the spirit of things, and imagine yourself to be King of the Monsters as your powerful jaws bite that helpless Crunch bar. 

Who wants to wait until the 31st to wallow in Halloween indulgences and scary movies?! Home Projectionist doesn’t! And so we’ll have pairings of 31 Frights and 31 Bites every one of October’s 31 nights: a scary, snack size movie “trick”, and a delicious “treat” to go along with it.

Tricks & Treats Night #9: Gory and Gooey

Posted by Dave on October 9, 2012
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Trick & Treat for October 9th:

THE GORE GORE GIRLS (1972; with Henny Youngman; directed by Herschell Gordon Lewis)

Suzie Cream Puff. It’s not the original name for the Goo Goo Cluster. No, Suzie was a stripper. “Was”, ‘cuz now Suzie’s career has been cut short, seeing as how she’s been brutally murdered. The savage killer is on the loose, but a determined and spunky Chicago newspaper reporter has hired a private investigator, albeit a very obnoxious one. Meanwhile, stripper Candy Cane becomes victim number two. This prompts the P.I. to suspect the strip club’s somewhat unstable bartender. His instability is evidenced by the fact that he draws faces on vegetables that he then proceeds to smash with his bare hands. But before you know it, there’s another ghastly murder of yet another stripper. Expanding the investigation, the P.I. questions the Donald Trump of strip clubs, a Mr. Mobilie (played incongruously by Borscht Belt-type comedian Henny Youngman). Nothing more about the story need be revealed (although plenty of other things do get revealed during the course of the film, if you know what we mean). Eventually, the actors face the camera and ask you to leave them alone. You may have already done so by that time. The gooey combo of marshmallow and caramel within a Goo Goo Cluster isn’t to everyone’s taste. The same goes for the gore and guts of this downright trashy, early 70s slasher film. 

Who wants to wait until the 31st to wallow in Halloween indulgences and scary movies?! Home Projectionist doesn’t! And so we’ll have pairings of 31 Frights and 31 Bites every one of October’s 31 nights: a scary, snack size movie “trick”, and a delicious “treat” to go along with it.

Tricks & Treats Night #8: Devil Girls

Posted by Dave on October 8, 2012
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Trick & Treat for October 8th:

ROSEMARY’S BABY (1968; Mia Farrow, John Cassavettes, Ruth Gordon; directed by Roman Polanski)

If you’ve ever asked yourself, “Am I paranoid… or are they all in it together?!?”, this unnerving film will most likely not help your condition. It begins when Mrs. Rosemary Woodhouse (Farrow) and her aspiring, talented stage actor husband, Guy (Cassavetes) sign a lease at Manhattan’s vintage Bramford Apartments (in reality the Dakota). In short order, the bright, young couple are greeted by their elderly neighbors, the eccentric Castevets, Minnie (Ruth Gordon) and Roman. Minnie’s a busy body, but seems harmless enough. Roman’s jolly but a bit stuffy. At first, Rosemary and Guy are amused. Soon though, Guy is spending more time with the ritualistic Roman and less with his now pregnant wife. The expectant Rosemary accepts the gift of a peculiar necklace from the intrusive Minnie, who sends Rosemary to an unusual sort of baby doctor (Ralph Bellamy). Strange (and deadly) things happen. Now very isolated and increasingly worried, Rosemary loses weight and begins to wonder whether she’s lost her mind. Chocolate mousse, as you will see, would be the devilish choice here. But since that’d be difficult to handle, we instead recommend R. Crumb’s Devil Girl Choco-Bar. “It’s BAD for you!”, says the label. If only Rosemary had gotten the same advice about socializing with Minnie and Roman.    

Who wants to wait until the 31st to wallow in Halloween indulgences and scary movies?! Home Projectionist doesn’t! And so we’ll have pairings of 31 Frights and 31 Bites every one of October’s 31 nights: a scary, snack size movie “trick”, and a delicious “treat” to go along with it.

Tricks & Treats Night #7: A Grand Evening

Posted by Dave on October 7, 2012
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Who wants to wait until the 31st to wallow in Halloween indulgences and scary movies?! Home Projectionist doesn’t! And so we’ll have pairings of 31 Frights and 31 Bites every one of October’s 31 nights: a scary, snack size movie “trick”, and a delicious “treat” to go along with it.

Trick & Treat for October 7th:

HOUSE ON HAUNTED HILL (1959; Vincent Price; directed by William Castle) Debonair millionaire Fredrick Loren (Price) is having a birthday party for his fourth wife, Annabelle. Since it is well known that Fredrick and Annabelle’s house on the hill has been the site of seven (give or take) horrible deaths, Fredrick is compelled to offer invitees an incentive to RSVP besides the birthday cake. The enticement: $10,000 in cash for each of the five, if they’ll spend the entire night. Feeling it’s better to receive than to give, they accept Fredrick’s generosity, and the five guests gather at the house. When midnight arrives, the doors of the Loren home are locked tight, and the dour party games begin. In light of the fact that Fredrick parts with only $50,000 and not 100, we suggest eating only one-half of your 100 Grand candy bar, and save the other 50 grand to consume tomorrow. If, that is, you make it through the night… 

Tricks & Treats Night #6: Death-Defying

Posted by Dave on October 6, 2012
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Who wants to wait until the 31st to wallow in Halloween indulgences and scary movies?! Home Projectionist doesn’t! And so we’ll have pairings of 31 Frights and 31 Bites every one of October’s 31 nights: a scary, snack size movie “trick”, and a delicious “treat” to go along with it.

Trick & Treat for October 6th:

CIRCUS OF HORRORS (1960; with Anton Diffring, Donald Pleasance; directed by Sidney Hayers) You’ve heard of people who are dying to get into the world of the circus? Well, hurry, hurry, hurry, to this fast-paced, British horror film, where they’re dying to get out of it! Or, to put it another way, they’re dying because they want out. And for good reasons. It seems that the big top’s owner (who also happens to be a plastic surgeon of dubious reputation) might be responsible for certain, ghastly “unscheduled performances”. Namely, freakish “accidents” that befall the women of the circus. If this underrated and frightening movie isn’t freakish and ghastly enough for you, just bite into a few circus peanuts. 

Tricks & Treats Night #5: Cracking Up

Posted by Dave on October 5, 2012
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Who wants to wait until the 31st to wallow in Halloween indulgences and scary movies?! Home Projectionist doesn’t! And so we’ll have pairings of 31 Frights and 31 Bites every one of October’s 31 nights: a scary, snack size movie “trick”, and a delicious “treat” to go along with it.

Trick & Treat for October 5th:

REPULSION (1965; with Catherine Deneuve; directed by Roman Polanski) We’ve all had lost weekends, spent alone in our apartments eating candy bars. However, it is hoped that none of us have had one like that which Catherine Deneuve’s character, Carole, experiences in this, one of Polanski’s earliest films. The director at the time was very broke; perhaps he was on the verge of a collapse, which would help explain what this troubled Belgian manicurist endures. Despite living in an upbeat, swinging part of London, we see her slowly but surely, over the course of a Saturday and Sunday, have a complete mental breakdown. What happens to, and around, Carole, will explain why our suggested treat is a Krackel. 

Tricks & Treats Night #4: The Terrible Twos

Posted by Dave on October 4, 2012
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Who wants to wait until the 31st to wallow in Halloween indulgences and scary movies?! Home Projectionist doesn’t! And so we’ll have pairings of 31 Frights and 31 Bites every one of October’s 31 nights: a scary, snack size movie “trick”, and a delicious “treat” to go along with it.

Trick & Treat for October 4th:

SISTERS (1973; Margot Kidder, Jennifer Salt; directed by Brian DePalma) Twix: Is it a cookie, or is it a candy bar? Where does Danielle end, and Dominque begin? These are the questions. Separated, but living together, Siamese twins Danielle and Dominque appear to have a very troubled relationship. Dominique is very unhappy, to say the least, when her sister brings Emil, a male acquaintance, home to their Staten Island apartment. When a neighboring, ambitious young journalist (Jennifer Salt) eyes the sisterly spat from her rear window, she senses a story, becomes inquisitive, and subsequently gets much, much more than she bargained for. This terrifying thriller–one of DePalma’s earliest and best, and with a chilling score by Bernard Herrmann–will probably bring to mind Hitchcock’s PSYCHO and REAR WINDOW. “What the Devil hath joined together, let no man cut asunder.” Think about that during this movie, and when you’re ready to devour that Twix. 

Tricks & Treats Night #3: Junior Partner

Posted by Dave on October 3, 2012
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Who wants to wait until the 31st to wallow in Halloween indulgences and scary movies?! Home Projectionist doesn’t! And so we’ll have pairings of 31 Frights and 31 Bites every one of October’s 31 nights: a scary, snack size movie “trick”, and a delicious “treat” to go along with it.

Trick & Treat for October 3rd:

SON OF FRANKENSTEIN (1939; Basil Rathbone, Boris Karloff, Béla Lugosi) Villagers are mincing no words: they are none too pleased now that Frankenstein, Jr. (Rathbone) is back in town. Unwilling to forgive and forget. Junior, however, attempts to assuage their fears. He vows that he will not pick up where dad left off. But the remnants of his father’s legacy are all around him. The Frankenstein monster (Karloff) left a local constable (Lionel Atwill) with a rather acute injury. Then there’s the slightly off-kilter shepherd (a very creepy Béla Lugosi), who carries a grudge over the neck pains he incurred during that attempted hanging. With some self-serving revenge in mind, Lugosi persuades Jr. to take up dad’s old hobby. Predictably, it becomes quite a mess, and not a chocolaty one either. (Mel Brooks drew upon this excellent sequel for YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN.) 

Tricks & Treats Night #2: Baby Love

Posted by Dave on October 2, 2012
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Who wants to wait until the 31st to wallow in Halloween indulgences and scary movies?! Home Projectionist doesn’t! And so we’ll have pairings of 31 Frights and 31 Bites every one of October’s 31 nights: a scary, snack size movie “trick”, and a delicious “treat” to go along with it.

Trick & Treat for October 2nd:

WHATEVER HAPPENED TO BABY JANE? (1962; Bette Davis, Joan Crawford, Victor Buono; directed by Robert Aldrich) Former vaudeville child star “Baby Jane” Hudson (Bette Davis) has left her best days far behind her. Now, as an adult, she lives in a dark, locked-up Hollywood mansion with her talented, but now disabled, movie star sister, Blanche (Joan Crawford). The child-like, cruel and delusional Jane taunts and torments Blanche relentlessly. This fascinating, grotesquely sad horror movie was a forerunner of films starring aging, big-name actors in gaudy dramas. There are plenty of nuts here in more ways than one. So fasten (and loosen) your seat belts, it’s going to be a bumpy night!