"Bela Lugosi's dead...Undead Undead Undead..."
 

This month of October, I've taken to digesting as many inspired horror/freak films as I can dig up on Netflix. Alright, I've started a week late, but no matter! Besides, had to finish up with that Nazi-Germany documentary binge I was in (10-15 films?).
Last night I watched Nosferatu, the original, to kick things off, then swung right into Werner Herzog's Nosferatu, to compare and contrast, and ultimately to confirm that Herzog's is the most beautiful vampire film known to me (the wandering through the crazed at the height of the plague, is just so amazingly poetic). And now I've watched Paul Morissey's Blood For Dracula (1973). Delightfully ridiculous. And then:

Dracula (1933)
Vampyr (1932)
The Fearless Vampire Killers (Roman Polanski, the 60s)
Naked Lunch
Fellini Satyricon
White Zombie (1932)
Faust (1926)
Alphaville
Edward Scissorhands
HOur of the Wolf (Ingmar Bergman)
Fando y Lis (Alejandro Jodorowsky, 1968)
Ed Wood
The Brothers Quay Collection (short animation)

I suddenly have an old burning desire back again to shoot nothing but black and white motion picture film for a good number of years. Mmmm (smacks lips)...

S.

ps Happy Halloween!

LOL

Horror films and Halloween are great. I just watched my widescreen HALLOWEEN (It being that time of year) and everytime I see it I realize how amazing this film is. God, I wish they could make more horror films like this. Straight up and taken seriously. The scene where Jamie Lee is inside the closet and Myers is busting through and the hanging light bulb is swinging back and forth and there is just a little blue backlight.....

Great great great movie!

Yes, "Halloween" is one of those defining films, isn't it? Isn't there one in that series that's pretty offbeat, doesn't portray Michael Myers....? #3 or something? I'm trying to keep my list somewhat offbeat, but you've peaked my curiosity. Hooper's original Texas Chainsaw..., for example, is so categorically definitive, not to mention awfully amazing, that I'm kind of avoiding it (well, and I saw it a few months ago, and so am sated). In all of this, I'm also studying the sacred art of truly bad acting (I'm an actor turned videographer). The Paul Morissey films are particularly good for this, although I'm sure Ed Wood it. Put in the proper context, bad or wooden acting adds an unexpected layer of surreality (David Lynch films being an obvious example), which I'm always up for.

The Brother's Quay collection is so creepy...!

You need to start looking at Japanese horror too.

"Cure" is quite good. "Ringu".

"Uzumaki" was also recommended to me.

Japanese horror Yes, of course!
The only Japanese film that might be considered horror that I'VE seen is a crazy kinetic, low budget, outrageous, partially stop motion 1989 release called
TETSUO: THE IRON MAN. Lots of wild subtext, at least I think so. One of my absolute favorit films ever.

Thanks for the recs!

The Brothers Quay...yep, nothing like them. Their Institute Benjamenta is pretty great also. Live actors, brilliantly black and white (oop! smacking those lips again).

S.

<<<-- Originally posted by Shawn Mielke : Japanese horror Yes, of course!
The only Japanese film that might be considered horror that I'VE seen is a crazy kinetic, low budget, outrageous, partially stop motion 1989 release called
TETSUO: THE IRON MAN. Lots of wild subtext, at least I think so. One of my absolute favorit films ever.
-->>>

That movie came into my hands in a very strange way... And It´s absolutely.. the most weird non chemical induced visual experience I´ve had...

Recently I got hold of TETSUO II, but haven´t seen it yet, I have to prepare my psyche for another dose of that.

A few japanese I liked (besides Ringu)..
The Grudge, and The Eye.

TETSUO II, yeah, well, no spoilers here, except that the first one is just plain genius in some ways, and it just can't really be done more than once.
I'm surprised no one started a cult somewhere because of that film. Maybe someone did. God there is some fabulous acting in that movie.

"That movie came into my hands in a very strange way... And It´s absolutely.. the most weird non chemical induced visual experience I´ve had..."
Ever seen El Topo? I have a tough time watching the films of Jodorowosky. He's an interesting guy but his films are just way too.....disturbing.

NOW we're talking.
El Topo...is practically a documentary about Jodorowsky's id. I couldn't get into it terribly well the first time, but as I researched AJ and saw more of his films, I was ready for his static discharge the second time around. Think fairytales and childhood psychology and the potency of dreams. Jodorowsky may not be a superb film craftsman in the traditional sense, but his brave willingness to trust his vision cannot be denied.

Note that his Fando y Lis is part of my October line up. Has anyone seen
The Holy Mountain? I've never seen even a hint of a copy.

His Santa Sangre is exactly the kind of thing I'm looking for in all of this horror film fare: genre bending with a personal, if mystical, payload.