Day 10: Favorite Hitchcock Film - Rebecca

This one was tough because Hitchcock made a lot of really great films, but Rebecca just barely edged the rest of them out, and not because that was the best Laurence Olivier ever looked. Rebecca is a mix between Gothic romance/horror and film noir. (By the way, if you like Rebecca, you should check out Dragonwyck starring Vincent Price and Gene Tierney.)

The movie is about a girl who meets a rich man, quickly falls in love before really getting to know him, and they marry. She moves into his mansion and is terrorized by his housekeeper, who constantly reminds her that she'll never live up to the first Mrs. de Winter, her husband's previous wife. She becomes extremely insecure, believing her husband never got over Rebecca.

SPOILERS: Mrs. de Winter eventually learns from her husband that Rebecca had an affair, said she was pregnant, and wanted her husband to claim the child as his own. During a heated argument, she fell, hit her head and died, so he decided to hide her body. Now, I'm not saying he did or didn't kill his wife, I'm not even going to comment on the rest of the movie. All I'm saying is that if I were Mrs. de Winter and I heard that story, I would be kind of skeptical. Why hide the body if you didn't kill her? I'm just saying. Either you're guilty or you're just stupid. That pretty face can only get him so far. (I guess the money can get him a little further, too, but eventually, he's going to run out of things to fall back on.)

Honorable Mention 1: Strangers on a Train - This film is about...Two strangers who meet on a train and have a chat about committing murder for each other. Only one of them is just joking around, while the other is actually serious and goes through with the plan, becoming enraged with the other man doesn't old up his end of the deal.

Honorable Mention 2: Psycho - Everyone already knows about this film, I'm not going to talk about the plot. I love this movie because of Anthony Perkins. He made Norman a somewhat sympathetic character, I'm not sure how many actors could have done that. The sequels to this movie were mostly disappointing, but after watching them, it becomes easier to understand how Norman became the way he did, and even though it doesn't excuse his actions, I felt sorry for him.

Day 9: Favorite Stephen King Film Adaptation - Silver Bullet

I've never read Cycle of the Werewolf, but I've watched Silver Bullet probably around 50 times and I love it. The movie is about Jane and her brother, Marty, and their weird uncle Red (played by Gary Busey), who dotes on Marty and does all kinds of things to piss off the kids' mom.

After a series of attacks in town, the fireworks show is canceled, so Red 1. Gives Marty a wheelchair that he built with a motor fast enough to outrun a wild animal and 2. Buys Marty a bunch of fireworks so he won't be as disappointed over the cancellation of the fireworks show. (Jane gets nothing because apparently no one likes her.) So what does Marty do? He sneaks out of the house in the middle of the night (even though his best friend was recently torn apart and killed by someone or something), gets on the motorized wheelchair Red built for him, and goes off to set off the fireworks. Smart.

Enter the werewolf. Marty shoots off one of the fireworks at it, impaling its left eye, and manages to escape thanks to the Silver Bullet from uncle Red. At this point, Marty asks his sister to go around town looking for someone with an injured eye and eventually, the two of them go to Red, who reluctantly decides to help them, even if he doesn't believe their story.

I know there are a lot of people who think Gary Busey is just a punchline to a joke, but I love him as an actor. He's great in this movie and he was so talented before the motorcycle accident that caused all of his strange behavior. He was even nominated for an Oscar for his portrayal of Buddy Holly in The Buddy Holly Story and he should have won it because he was perfect. Flawless. This has nothing to do with Silver Bullet, but I wanted to throw it out there anyway.

The last thing I want to briefly mention is that there's a scene in this movie where everyone in church turns into a werewolf and it's terrifying, probably one of the scariest scenes I've ever seen in any film, so thanks to my parents for letting me watch this when I was like, five-years-old. A+ parenting.

Day 8: Favorite Holiday Horror Film - Krampus

My dad said to me, "You should watch Krampus, it's cute." And I was just kind of like, "Yeah, sure, whatever you say." Krampus is...Cute?

WELL. Krampus IS cute! It's a really cute movie. It's almost like a cross between Gremlins and Cabin in the Woods and I relate to the poor kid in that movie on a spiritual level because my family is out of control and I've had some really weird, awful holidays, too.

The movie is about a dysfunctional family and what happens when Max finally gets fed up with them, tears up his letter to Santa and throws it out his bedroom window. Apparently, this is enough to summon Krampus, who is kind of like Santa's evil twin. (I'm sure that's not entirely accurate, please forgive me.) He's going to send in mischievous toys to devour you and kill your family.

How is this cute? There are gingerbread men who come to life. And...I don't know, okay? It just is. It's a cute, cautionary tale of what happens when you ruin a child's Christmas and all families should be forced to watch it. It's fun, it's not a serious film and if you go into it knowing that, it's really enjoyable.

Day 7: Favorite Foreign Horror Film (That Isn't Train to Busan) - Kairo

Full disclosure: I don't even completely understand Kairo. I don't understand most J-horror films, I feel like they're sort of ambiguous. Even so, I love this movie. I hated The Grudge and The Ring and had almost written off Japanese ghost films, but then I watched this, and even though I was left confused by some of the plot, I still felt it. I'll explain that in a moment.

Kairo is about, from what little I understand, people being spirited away. Ghosts begin slipping into our world through the internet. Now, keep in mind, this movie was made in 2001 and the internet wasn't what it is today. I don't know how it was for everyone else, but when I was younger and I spent a lot of time online, I was really judged for it. Now, people never disconnect from the internet, people are always on their phones looking at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat...It was a different time in 2001 and I think this movie really shows that. It's not about the internet as we know it today.

The feeling this movie conveys so well is loneliness. I may not understand anything else that happens in this film, but it really got the point across that the characters in this movie are so lonely and feel so forgotten, that their entire existence just fades away. It's a really unique ghost story. It isn't frightening, but it's deeply unsettling and it does a great job of making you feel the despair the characters feel.

Day 6: Favorite Vincent Price Film - House on Haunted Hill

House on Haunted Hill is another William Castle film (this time he had a skeleton fly over the audience in the theater) and it's probably my favorite. Vincent Price's character invites a group of strangers to a haunted house, offering to pay them $10,000 each, if they make it through the night. There's betrayal and mystery, and some good old-fashioned scares. There was a remake of this film, and while it differs greatly from the original, I actually enjoyed it. It gets pretty ridiculous, but it's not bad (especially compared to other remakes, like Thirteen Ghosts, which was the most awful thing I've ever seen).

Honorable Mention: The Tingler - This is one of those movies that people would probably roll their eyes at now, but it terrified me when I was younger. It's about a creature that latches onto your spine when you're frightened, paralyzing you with fear and eventually killing you, if you're unable to scream. The creature itself looks almost like a large centipede. Vincent Price really is the reason this movie works so well because no matter what the story is, he was such a fantastic actor that he could make you believe it. This was also another William Castle film and at a specific point in the movie, the chairs in the theater would give a little vibration. Castle really thought of everything with his films and while some people might call it gimmicky, I think the added touches probably enhanced the overall experience.

Day 5: Favorite Silent Horror Film - The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari

I really enjoy German Expressionism, especially its use in film. The result is a surreal, bizarre, dream landscape. The sets used in The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari are some of my favorites and have clearly inspired many directors, most notably Tim Burton (you can see the inspiration he took from Caligari all throughout his films.)

The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari is about a somnambulist named Cesare, who goes around committing murders. That's the short version, anyway. It's a great film, but honestly, what makes it my favorite are the sets and the most notable thing about the movie is that many people say it features the first "twist ending." We're all used to twist endings by now and at this point, it's almost more of a surprise when a movie doesn't have one. I can only imagine how people reacted when this movie was released and the ending was completely unexpected.

Day 4: Favorite Universal Monster Film - Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein

Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein is the first movie I can ever remember watching. It's always been a part of my life. This is the absolute best monster mashup film ever created. I'm a fan of Abbott and Costello (mostly Bud Abbott, if I'm being truthful, but I do love them as a comedy team) in general, but this movie was the highlight of their career. They meet Lawrence Talbot (the Wolf Man), who warns them that Dracula is trying to revive Frankenstein's monster. Together, they have to prevent this from happening. It's comedy gold. And, on top of that, when I was younger, there were scenes that actually scared me. It's not all fun and laughs. The movie stars Lon Chaney Jr. as the Wolf Man, Bela Lugosi as Dracula and Glenn Strange as the Monster. There's also a really fun cameo from Vincent Price as the Invisible Man.

There are a couple things I want to note about this film and also about Abbott and Costello's films in general.

Lon Chaney Jr. basically said that Abbott and Costello ruined the monster movies. It's interesting that he said that because...He starred in this one. And also because this movie is one of the most beloved Abbott and Costello films and Universal monster films. I completely disagree with his statement and if anything, I feel like there were some spinoffs/crossovers of the original monster films that were poorly done with lackluster stories that are completely forgettable.

The last thing I want to mention is that Abbott and Costello's films saved Universal Studios from bankruptcy. The last time I was at Universal Orlando, I went into a shop and they only had one small print of the poster from Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein, which is now framed and hanging on my wall. (I voiced my concern over this at checkout and explained why, because I'm annoying and it upset me that they were barely even acknowledged after all they contributed to the studio.) To me, the fact that Universal even bothers to stock a product featuring that film is a testament to the fact that people still really love it.

Day 3: Favorite Black and White Horror Film - 13 Ghosts

13 Ghosts is probably one of the first horror movies I ever saw and to this day, it's still one of my favorites. It's about a family who inherit a house inhabited by 12 ghosts, some of whom are hostile. The ghosts can be seen through a pair of goggles, which is kind of cool because William Castle made this movie and if you know anything about him, you know that his films were an experience. If you saw them in the theater, there was always something extra to the viewing, and in the case of 13 Ghosts, it was a pair of glasses that would allow you to see (or not see, if you were too frightened) the ghosts in the film. The DVD I own actually came with a pair of those glasses, which was a nice touch.

Honorable Mention: Horror Hotel (aka City of the Dead) - This is a movie I really like, but also tear apart every time I watch it. A girl goes to a town in Massachusetts to study the history of witchcraft there. When she disappears, her brother goes to Whitewood to search for her. It's a genuinely creepy film. However. My problem with it is that it is so clearly inspired by the Salem witch trials and yet, they talk about witches being burned at the stake. That absolutely did not happen in Salem. The witches there were hanged, with the exception of Giles Corey, who was pressed to death. I don't even think witches were burned at all here, that was something that happened in Europe. This was a British production, so maybe that's the reason behind it. I honestly don't know, but it bothers me every time I watch the movie because it's historically inaccurate.

Day 2: Favorite Horror Movie Theme Song - "Suspiria" - Goblin

Suspiria is one of the most terrifying films I have ever watched, up until you find out what's actually going on. It sort of fell apart for me after that. But the use of color and the set design in that film, along with the score by Goblin, made it horrifying. "Suspiria" in particular, with murmuring about witches, is incredibly unsettling. I have never heard anything as scary as what Goblin achieved with this song.

Day 1: All Time Favorite Scary Movie - In the Mouth of Madness

I remember being awake at some ungodly hour between 2:00 and 4:00 a.m. when I was younger, going through all the movie channels when I saw Sam Neill and finally stopped. "Hey, it's that guy from Jurassic Park," is what I thought and anything Jurassic Park related is enough to catch my interest, even if I have no idea what I'm getting into.

In the Mouth of Madness is a film about the disappearance of a horror writer, Sutter Cane, and the mass hysteria caused by his novels. The more people who read Cane's work, the more the world shifts into something darker and his "creations" begin coming to life. The ending is ambiguous, something I really enjoyed about the film. You're not exactly sure what to believe by the time it's over. Was Cane really a prophet for the Old Ones? Or did everyone actually go insane after reading his books?

I'm a huge fan of this film, I wish more people would watch it. John Carpenter had so much success with Halloween, but honestly, I think In the Mouth of Madness (as well as The Thing and The Fog) was so much better, as someone who isn't really into slasher films. The name of my blog is even a reference to the movie. It also lead to my interest in H.P. Lovecraft and Lovecraftian horror. I had no idea who Lovecraft was until I went online to read more about this film after I watched it. Now, looking back, you can see that this movie is filled with references to his work and I would even say that this is the best film I have ever seen inspired by his work that isn't meant to be a direct adaptation of one of his stories. It's so well done and genuinely horrifying at times. I highly recommend it.