Being as it's Fall and Halloween is almost upon us, it seemed fitting to talk about a few of my favorite Halloween movies. Notice I didn't say Horror. I'm certainly not a fan of that disgusting genre. No, when I say Halloween, I mean two things: One is suspense. The kind that has you biting your nails and on the edge of your seat, where danger is always lurking around the corner, but you never actually run into it. The other is suspense spoofs - the kind that have you biting your nails, but also laughing out loud. So, let's review a few of my favorites:
1. Arsenic and Old Lace (1944) - Take two cute old maiden ladies who just happen to be serial killers, one nephew who thinks he's Teddy Roosevelt, one nephew who is a homicidal maniac, and one nephew who's trying to deal with it all while preparing to leave for his honeymoon. Starring Cary Grant, Josephine Hull, and Raymond Massey, it's flat-out hysterical, a screwball comedy/mystery if ever there was one. And Raymond Massey is so creepy, I've never been able to watch him in anything else without looking over my soldier.
2. The Body Snatcher (1945) - Boris Karloff is a creepy menace as the grave robber/murderer who supplies two Doctors with cadavers for their research. Henry Daniell is the main researcher who is willing to look the other way, all in the name of moving science forward. Creepy, suspenseful, and full of foreboding. Definitely watch this one in the daytime.
3. The Sixth Sense (1999) - Bruce Willis as a psychologist treating a young boy (Haley Joel Osment) who sees the spirits of dead people. This one has plenty of atmosphere, and the twist at the end is masterful. The best of M. Night Shayamalan's movies.
4. Young Frankenstein (1974) - Mel Brooks's masterpiece. A spoof on the original Frankenstein, here Gene Wilder stars as a descendent of the original Doctor, who is trying to get beyond his family's past, but ends up giving into it. Peter Boyle as The Monster, Madeline Kahn as the fiance, Terri Garr as the buxom Assistant, Marty Feldman as Eye-gor, and Chloris Leachman as Frau Blucher. Funny, funny, funny. You won't be able to keep from quoting it.
5. Clue (1985) - Based on the classic board game, where several guests arrive at a mysterious mansion and try to discover "whodunit". So funny, it needed three alternate endings.
6. Corpse Bride (2005) - A groom on the eve of his wedding accidentally says "I Do" to a dead young woman, and he then has to find a way out of the underworld and back to his true love. Outstanding animation, and voices by Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter. A whole lot of spooky fun.
7. Beetlejuice (1988) - Another one from Tim Burton. This time, a young dead couple tries to scare a crazy familie of eccentrics out of their former home. When all else fails, they call on Beetlejuice. Spooky, funny, and totally creative.
8. It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown (1966) - The kids are all ready for Halloween, and go off trick-or-treating, while Linus waits in the pumpkin patch for the arrival of The Great Pumpkin on Halloween Eve. Totally precious, and it should be on every kid's Halloween viewing list (and every grown-up's for that matter).
9. Cat People (1942) - Simone Simon is a young married woman who won't consummate her marriage because she's under an ancient curse, and afraid she'll turn into a panther. But when the husband starts stepping out, her jealousy ends up setting the curse in motion. A moody, and atmospheric thriller, where something is always lurking in the shadows. If you watch this, make sure all the lights are on first.
