5 More Horrific Soundtracks

This Halloween season has been pretty quiet. Oh, there’s plenty of screams to wake you up at night, along with those pesky bumps. Then, of course, you’ve got the cackling witches in your backyard (why they can’t get their own damned giant cauldron to chant Shakespeare quotes, I haven’t a clue), but where’s the music? The carols? The mood-setting tunes? They are, as always, in the movies. Bringing you back around once more for even more epic horror OST’s, and here’s hoping you have an awesome Halloween.

Oh, by the way, I did finally get around to watching Mephisto Waltz. It was good, but the score was better.

 

1. Suspiria

It would be a crime to forget Goblin on another one of these OST horror lists, and an absolute tragedy to forget Suspiria. Chilling, beautiful, and packed with atmosphere. There could have been no artists to rival the beauty of the movie and pair so well with Argento’s masterpiece than Goblin.

2. Return of the Living Dead

Maybe I’m in a metal mood. A punk mood. An 80s mood. Or, maybe, just maybe–Return of the Living Dead has not only one of the most epic title songs in cinematic history (well, maybe not traditionally epic, but definitely awesome), but it’s an arrangement of some of my absolute favorite music artists to boot.

3. Near Dark

Tangerine dream. There’s just something about them. Even though synthesizers aren’t generally my style, they somehow manage to take the style and create something absolutely beautiful. Another excellent example of a band that paired so well with the atmosphere of the movie, I can’t imagine anyone else being quite so perfect.

4. A Nightmare on Elm Street part 3: Dream Warriors

Okay, so why didn’t I pick part 1? That’s where the original title song came from, isn’t it? Yes, however, part 1 didn’t have Dokken. Part 3 did. They have a lot more fun with rock in this one than the earlier two did, and it definitely shows in the somewhat ‘metal’ moments of the better character deaths.

5. 28 Days Later

When this film came out, my mom immediately rushed out to buy the cd. Neither of us had heard anything like it before, or seen a film quite so groundbreaking. Yes, say what you will about 28 Days now, but there’s no denying that it transformed the genre of zombie films. I’d say maybe the same way Sam Peckinpah changed westerns. The music is jarring, gritty, and yet–absolutely beautiful, beginning to end.

Horror Flick of the Week: Don’t Torture a Duckling

If you’re unfamiliar with Giallo (regular readers should be, I love them.) This one may be one of the easier films to foray into if you aren’t, as the plot is more structured than you’d expect from a Giallo. As usual, it’s got some absolutely stunning cinematography. Since this is one of those ‘must sees’ in the genre, I’d expect nothing less. In fact, if you’re interested in Giallo at all…make this one of your top 5 to watch before the end of the year.

Voodoo. Paranoia. Religion. Gratuitous nudity. It’s gruesome. Mean-spirited in the style only Fulci seems to nail so well. A mystery about some serial killer offing little boys should be, shouldn’t it? Not for the faint of heart, and I’d advise those who are more sensitive in their horror tastes to not even watch the trailer below. For the rest of you, definitely check it out this October. This week. Tonight. As soon as you can.

Vintage Halloween Paper Dolls

Children, small and big, arguably even adults…can be destructive. Which is why, when you find yourself a vintage Halloween magazine or game book…you may want to reconsider cutting out the paper dolls inside for a one-time spooky game of house. Fear not, those beautiful images can be appreciated outside of their antique setting, thanks to modern technology…google…and your printer.

The following dolls were some of my favorites I found browsing the web, and they’re absolutely perfect for the Halloween season.

Charlotte Ware, 1939-40

 

Newspaper Doll Series, 1926

Joan Walsh Anglund, 1987

Dolly Dingle by Grace Drayton, 1916

Children’s Playmate Magazine, 1958

 

Horror Flick of the Week: The Witch’s Mirror AKA El Espejo De La Bruja (1962)

Spanish is a beautiful language, no matter the dialect. Mexican Spanish in particular is the one I’m accustomed to hearing the most (being from Texas.) I love the husky quality of a slow speech in a Mexican film, especially when you combine it with the crackle of old cinema, and the eery atmosphere of shadows created in a black-and-white picture. Combine that with angry witches, curses, mirrors…you’ve got yourself an incredible picture.

On a dark night, preferably a rainy one too, watch this one by candlelight. Keep your phone off. Don’t let anything distract you…and soak it in like a bath. It’s how all true horror should be experienced, especially dark classics like ‘The Witch’s Mirror’, which tells the story of a witch…obviously…who tried to protect her god-daughter, but failed…and seeks vengeance on the young woman’s husband who murdered her through the power of the same magic she had tried using for good.

Book(s) of the Week: The Monster at the End of this Book

The Monster at the End of this Book, written by Jon Stone

I know sometimes it’s a little funny how I’ll go from discussing very adult films and books, and then diving in to suggest some children’s stories to my readers. Okay, now that I’ve addressed that, let’s move on to the very simple and yet very classic ‘The Monster at the End of this Book’.

Horror? Perhaps not to most of you, unless your parents read to you as kids. This book features as one of the favorite stories my mom pulled off the shelf every other night to read for me, not only because of her excellent voice skills (as you’ve no doubt heard in my podcast episode intro), but because this was a scary book. For a four-year-old.

It’s quite short. And based on how the adult reads to the child, can be either very fast…or very slow. The slower the better, because it’s a fantastic introduction for the little ones into the world of tension. Each page turned (of course) brings you closer to ‘the monster’ at the end of the book, hence the title. And each page, Grover, becomes more and more panicked. Did the premise need to be explained? I certainly hope not, because at this point my blog entry has become longer than the actual story.

So in summary, if you’re a mom or a dad, please do your kids a favor and read them ‘The Monster at the End of this Book’, before they’re too old to put 2 and 2 together before figuring out the monster’s identity by the end.

Horror Flick of the Week: Suspiria (1977)

Back in the 60s, there was an intriguing artist who had come into the world of directing. Inspired by Mario Bava in his art, Dario Argento created some very interesting…and very striking films. Three films of his focused on witched, the ‘Three Mothers’ trilogy. Suspiria is my favorite of these movies, if not my favorite Argento picture in general….with The Bird With the Crystal Plumage as a close second.

 

 

It takes place in a bizarre (and prestigious) dance academy where some of the more curious students seem to be dying in very strange and mysterious ways, by the hands of something living…or perhaps dead? It’s an absolute visual feast, a movie that demands full attention if it is to be appreciated. I had put off watching Suspiria for a long time because of the hype, and that generally kills a movie for me. I really wish I hadn’t, but I’m also glad I did, because seeing this as an adult really helped me to appreciate the brilliant cinematic qualities of this movie.

If you like witches. If you like magic. If you like horror. Faerie tales. Creative murder scenes. Creepy children. Weird tall men with ugly teeth. Intriguing camera techniques. Beautiful architecture. Intense lighting design. Any of this…you need to watch Suspiria as soon as possible.

Horror Flick of the Week: Masque of the Read Death (1964)

It’s a tough go for me to say I like Roger Corman movies. I should, I mean…he’s (arguably) the true king of low budget horror and even just low budget movies in general. His skills at creating a ‘decent’ film with relatively little money in an incredibly short amount of time are legendary. Thanks to him, many people got their launch in the industry. This all sounds great…but I’ve hardly seen many of his movies that left me astounded. I also read a pretty inflammatory book of interviews about him once which kind of put me off Corman for awhile. But I digress, because I’m not here to talk about his faults today. I’m here to mention one of my favorite Corman (and Price) films which itself stands as a pretty good example of the incredible movies he was capable of when he actually tried.

Some day Mister Corman will receive a very good post from me, but I don’t want to spend all of this entry focusing on him. I want to focus on my flick of the week, ‘Masque of the Red Death’. Loosely based on the Poe story of the same name, and I say loosely because the movie adds a thousand more details. Good ones, which managed to flesh out an otherwise decent but not outstanding Poe story.

I can’t help but wonder if Corman went on a Bava binge before undertaking the explosion of color this film turned out to be. Everywhere you look, the lighting and the costumes match the setting just so. I really can’t stress enough how absolutely stunning this picture was.

 

Everyone in this movie is at their best. Vincent Price. Hazel Court. Roger Corman himself, directing of course. I might even go so far as to say that I think this is his best movie. It also goes incredibly with a good bottle of red wine, to match the mood.

There is a lot of dialogue and presentation in the whole film, very minimal action. But when the action does take place, it is very gruesome. Especially Hazel’s scene wherein she marries the devil and soon…’joins him in their nuptial rights’. Masque is a very good introduction piece before delving into a heavier cinematic work, like ‘Kill Baby…Kill’ or ‘Black Sunday’, both excellent…but very long movies.

In short, I highly recommend this ‘Masque of the Red Death’ for anybody who loves a good bit of color and period clothing…with a little bit of blood thrown in for good measure. But you can also take your pick of the other colors of death, if you like too…

A Tribute to Barbara Steele

I’ll be hard-pressed to ever put any horror actress above Ingrid Pitt, but of all the icons, Barbara Steele is one of the most memorable. He had an incredibly distinct bone structure and…these eyebrows that could just kill a guy. What’s more, she had presence. Presence that dominated the screen, no matter who she was with. Except Vincent Price…they were a good match onscreen. But I’m very biased towards Mister Price, as I’m sure most of you realize by now.

 

 

When I first saw ‘Black Sunday’, I was struck dumb by just how gorgeous this woman was at the same time as being…very creepy. If I had to pick one woman to represent the Victorian ideal of beauty onscreen, I think Barbara would take the cake. Much like Anita Ekburg, Barbara was often dubbed over with other women’s voices in her roles. I will go ahead and say I am not a fan of that particular device when I think an actress has a perfectly lovely voice, but what is even more amazing is that Barbara was still wonderful, despite the fact that she still didn’t often get the chance to do her own talking.

Unfortunately, Barbara really didn’t get a fair cut in a lot of movies. She also grew to resent being known as a scream queen, which is perfectly understandable. She was almost onscreen in a Corman film, but her scenes were cut. I haven’t seen them, so I can’t say for certain whether or not the decision was a good one…but it probably wasn’t.

I’d like to end this short entry with a quote from Barbara herself, which might shed some light as to why she was so incredible in the few horror films she was in, and I think holds true for all great movies…scary or not: “Film is so porous, and to my mind, so oddly occult, that I think that film itself absorbs odd energies like a living skin.” You’re one in a million, Barbara Steele. One in a million.

 

Halloween Hotties: Vintage Pinups for October

Halloween isn’t just a time for…y’know, doing all that stuff I talk about all the time. It’s also a great time for awesome photography. Spooky trees, interesting tombstones, ghosts…and Bombshells. From Betty Davis to Dusty Anderson, and everyone in-between. Chances are, if there’s a beautiful model or actress from the golden age out there, she’s had her own little October photo shoot. The following are a selection of my favorites.

 

Scream Queens and Glamorous Ghouls

Recently I made a picture post devoted to the male horror greats in their youth, who made the silver screen come alive (ironically). Now I’ve decided to give you guys a bit of a treat, for the women onscreen who, whether evil or innocent, still stand today as creepy icons.

 

 

 

 

 

Simone Simon

 

Perhaps not so famous to most of us, she was incredibly gorgeous, and especially in Catpeople, which is what makes her an icon, in my mind.

 

 

 

Ingrid Pitt

 

Ingrid was one of the most beautiful women I’ve ever seen onscreen. With one look, she could probably seduce every man on-set in her prime. This helped her incredibly deadly characters, and was only emphasized by the grace she seemed to exude with every movement or word. If it’s not apparent, she’s one of my favorites.

 

 

 

Vampira (Maila Nurmi)

 

I don’t think I need to explain why this lady is an icon.

 

 

 

 

Vera Miles

 

Psycho. Nuff said.

 

Jamie Lee Curtis

 

Honestly, I can only ever picture one woman when it comes to slasher chicks. She’s the top girl in these movies, even after all the different movies that have come out. Though Jamie is defined by more than just her famous horror role, Micheal would be nothing without her.

Elvira (Cassandra Peterson)

 

 

She’s the mistress of the dark. I really don’t need to add anything else.

 

 

 

There are so very many actresses out there who’ve made their splashes on the big and little screen in very scary ways, but not nearly enough time in the world to cram them into one entry. In the future, I hope to mention a few more, but hopefully this will do for now.