Halloween Treats
Saturday November 1, 2008 in halloween |
This is a postdated entry as I’m currently away. And I have a bag of books with me to share with you at a later date … but I didn’t want to miss out on Halloween. So … here’s five random snippets with a spooky theme.
Scary Song
Often at this time of year the old records that suit the mood are sought out and dusted down. Monster Mash and Thriller are the obvious choices, although I have a preference for The Witch by the German rock band The Rattles. However, if you want something truly scary then you can’t do better than Kate Bush in particularly barking form.
Hammer films are back in production. I hear that Kate is available…
Obscure Film Trailer
There are many of these and I sometimes think that they exist in trailer form only, that nobody really went as far as making a feature length film. But they did … and this one features Donald Pleasence, an actor forever associated with Halloween.
Classic Hitch
Alfred Hitchcock strolling around the Universal studios backlot and talking about Psycho. This is a very strange little film, and not really in keeping with Psycho as you might remember it (I’ve never known how to take his pieces to camera). But it’s worth staying with his ramblings. And it’s interesting for anyone who’s ever visited the preserved set on the Universal tour.
Dark and Lonely Water
This used to terrify me as a child. Exactly what it was supposed to do. One of the fondly remembered British Public Information Films. Often the films were obsessed with dangerous driving and/or dangerous road crossing. Viewers also learnt how to deal with burst water pipes and were advised not to leave gates open when visiting the countryside. But this one is truly scary, warning of the dangers of playing near water…
Is that Donald Pleasence again?
And Finally, the Master…
A trailer that doesn’t really try that hard. It’s a great film nevertheless. Perhaps his most charming film is Dance of the Vampires from 1967, but as his life took such a tragic path I think the subject matter of his films in the following decade is inevitable …
Roman Polanski as The Tenant. Enjoy Halloween.