I discovered The Innocents (starring Deborah Kerr) recently, and thought it perfect for Halloween...what other lesser known movies would you suggest to make great viewing for this coming All Hallows Eve?
Since you mnetioned The Innocents I'm going to assume that you like creepy and atmospheric rather than visceral and gory. So along those lines:
Let's Scare Jessica To Death
The Changeling (George C. Scott)
Alice Sweet Alice
The Others
The Orphanage
Don't Look Now
Mungo Lake
Vanishing On 7th Street
Special mention to a new halloween cult classic:
Trick 'r Treat (a little bloddy but loads of fun)
I just watched Trick 'r Treat yesterday on netflix. I liked it a lot. It started to seem like it wasn't going to make any sense, but it all tied up nicely at the end. I recommend it for some Halloween fun.
The Haunting
The Other (not The Others)
Gargoyles
Don't Look Now
Black Orpheus (it works well as a Halloween movie, even though it's Mardis Gras)
Carnival of Souls
Lady In White
Mad Monster Party
Munster, Go Home
The Sentinel
One of my favorites is THE FOUR SKULLS OF JONATHAN DRAKE. Cheesy horror film but one that really does creep me out to this day.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RQebamp--no
Of course, the movie SSSSSSSSSSS Terrified me when I saw it on TV as a kid.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MnasfM3UtDc
Finally, one can never go wrong with THEATRE OF BLOOD. Campy and funny as well as suspenseful.Sad they don't make films like this anymore.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lGcT8gFzH14
I loved Let's Sacre Jessica To Death and Alice Sweet Alice.
One of my other faves is MADMAN (not to be confused with I, Madman). Its a cheap 80s slasher flick but lots of good fun.
I also like HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME.
The original, black and white Lord of the Flies. I had nightmares for days after seeing that.
Dead of Night- Episodic and has a lot of trappings and stories that are familiar but are pretty creepy. I am talking about the ventriloquist and his dummy.
Cat People- Val Lewton B-horror that is exceptionally photographed with incredible atmosphere.
Black Cat- Lugosi vs. Karloff with a surprisingly disturbing subtext for the period.
The Uninvited- 1944 version
Diabolique- Proto-Psycho
I don't know of this is Halloweeney or not, but the movie that has always scared the sh*t out of me is the Donald Sutherland "Invasion Of The Body Snatchers".
Of course the embryonic slimy unfinished pod people are just nasty as hell, but after the movie was over the sense of paranoia and dread stayed with me. Ugh, I still get shivers.
And it certainly didn't help that they get you while you sleep.
And then there is that final shot......
Anyway, I only have three more words to say: hobo and dog
Two seemingly innocent movies that Disney put out in the early 80s aimed at children scarred me for life. THE WATCHER IN THE WOODS and SOMETHING WICKED THIS WAY COMES.
I like THE COMPANY OF WOLVES, an early Neil Jordan film based on Angela Carter's take on the Red Riding Hood story--and it features Angela Lansbury as the grandmother.
Broadway Legend Joined: 11/3/05
The Company of Wolves is terrific, Reg!
Another vote for Let's Scare Jessica to Death.
I love finding new horror films and this time of year so many are on tv. One thing though is that the updated Fios wont search for "horror". Every year at this time I plug that in and tape a whole bunch, but now have to slog through all film titles.
For the next two weeks AMC is showing only horror movies. Edited horror movies, but even still.
We were looking in the horror section at our local video store last night, and I was amused to find John Huston's "The Dead" filed there.
You have a local video store? I'm jealous.
Yes, it's a great one! We Deliver Videos on 1st Ave and 89th St. They were the first to rent DVDs years ago, and believe it or not managed to run a Blockbuster three blocks away out of business. (At least that's what I'd like to think happened; at any rate, it closed 5 or 6 years ago.)
A great selection, and the folks who run it have gotten to know me over the years and are great at making recommendations and telling me whether they think I'll like something or not.
They also have a delivery deal with the restaurant next door to it; they'll drop off dinner and a movie!
Nothing mentioned in this thread is "lesser known" to me, so I really have no point of reference.
DEAD AND BURIED - 1981
EXORCIST 3 - 1990
THE WOMAN IN BLACK - 1989
THE UNINVITED - 1944
VILLAGE OF THE DAMNED - 1960
I haven't heard of most of these, so thanks...seeing as you all mostly seem to have such good taste I really look foward to seeing them!
The Dead I have seen, though...and maybe it's just from The Witches/Addams Family but Anjelica Huston seems perfect for Halloween to me!
Also, SESSION 9 never fails to scare the crap out of me.
I only saw it once, so I can't promise it's all that good, but I really enjoyed THE WOODS, starring Patricia Heaton as the creepy headmistress of a creepy girl's school.
It was Patricia Clarkson, Reg.
I think Patricia and Kelly Clarkson should do a SYBIL remake.
Dammit! I corrected myself mentally and still typed the wrong name.
Videos