Halloween (1978)

The first time I saw John Carpenter's 'Halloween' was well over ten years ago. I had heard so much about it, especially from my mom who saw it on the big screen when it first came out in 1978, and my expectations were high. For my mom it was a traumatic experience at the time and in her memory it has remained the scariest movie she has ever seen. This build-up made my first viewing of 'Halloween' somewhat anticlimactic.  The movie had a very slow pacing and I didn't find it very scary compared to other movies like 'The Shining'. This year I did however want to give it another chance.

The movie starts of in 1963 on Halloween-night where a 6-year-old Michael Myers stabs his older sister to death with a kitchen knife while he's dressed up as a clown. 15 years later, Michael escapes from the mental institution where he's been locked up since the murder. Dr. Loomis, who is the only one who understands what Michael is capable of, assumes that he's heading back to his old home in Haddonfield to go on a killing spree, and sets out to stop him. 

Not surprisingly I enjoyed the movie quite a bit more this time around. First if all I didn't expect the scariest movie ever made and secondly I've grown very fond of a slow pacing in movies. The build-up is just perfect and I love the introduction to the different characters. Dr. Loomis is my favorite character and Donald Pleasence is simply amazing in the role. He's sort of a tragic hero and is the only defender against the evil of Michael. Jamie Lee Curtis as Laurie Strode is also exceptionally good. She's a very sympathetic and we really care about her and want her to survive. 

I love the looks of Michael Myers with his boiler suit and white mask. I do however think he is most frightening when we don't see much of him. The way he stalks the teenagers in the first half of the movie without showing himself too much is very creepy. The second half of the movie is also very good, but suffer a bit from being copied and parodied so many times. Michael also appears weaker and more fragile than one would expect him to be. This was of course before the idea of sequels became a thing and they made min into a supernatural entity of evil. 

The soundtrack is nothing less than a masterpiece. It's simple but very effective and creates the perfect atmosphere for the movie. It has a nightmarish quality to it and must be one of the most recognizable soundtracks ever created.

All in all 'Halloween' is a true horror classic in every sense of the word.  It's obviously a must see for any horror fan and really put John Carpenter on the map as one of the greatest horror directors of all time.

Witchfinder General (1968)

Time for another Vincent Price classic. Though it might not be a straight up horror flick, Witchfinder General from 1968 does have it's fair share of horror elements. As the title suggests it deals with witches, but more as a historical and cultural phenomenon than something supernatural. The horror lays in the depiction of torture and abuse which the accused men and women went through. But lets dive into the story. 

Vincent Price plays a professional witchfinder in England during the Civil War. He and his partner travel the land, seek out potential witches and usually manage to drag confessions out of them. People pay good money to get rid of individuals they don't like so witchfinding is apparently good business. Not surprisingly they do however make enemies in their line of work.

As a kid I became very interested in the European witch trials. At universityty I even based my bachelor's degree in history on the topic. Though this movie might not be a 100 percent accurate it's still a pretty damn good and gruesome flick. The torture scenes are truly horrific and are probably some of the most effective I've seen. When it came out it must have been a very shocking experience.

Vincent Price is, not surprisingly, the main attraction of this movie. He's just so delightfully evil and sinister and seems to grow worse throughout the movie. The other cast is not bad at all, but they just can't compete with the master himself. He's perfect in every sense of the word.

Interestingly enough 'Witchfinder General' also has a lot of western elements. It kinda reminds me of movies like 'Chato's Land' and 'The Great Silence' with all the horse riding, tavern brawls and its themes of vengeance and injustice.

I'm always glad to see a movie that deals with the historical and cultural aspects of witchhunting. If you're somewhat interested in the subject and have a love for Vincent Price, 'Witchfinder General' is the movie for you.

The Black Cat (1981)

I'm not as familiar with Lucio Fulci as I am with other Italian directors such as Dario Argento, but I really enjoyed his classic movie 'Zombie Flesh Eaters' when I was a teenager. I recently picked up the Arrow release of 'The Black Cat' and was intrigued by the premise and that it was inspired by the Edgar Allan Poe story. It did however turn out to have little to do with Poe, but I won't hold that against it.

The story is set in a small village in England where a number of mysterious deaths occur. An American photographer staying in the village begins to suspect a black cat of being more than it appears to be and starts investigating the murders.

Like other Italian horror films I have seen it is more about mood and atmosphere than story. You kinda have to lean back and just enjoy the experience and not think too much about every single plot point. The camera work is simply amazing totally blew me away. Almost every single shot could be framed and hung on the wall. The gothic setting is beautiful and creates a great atmosphere.

The weakest point of this movie is it's lack of characters I cared about or found interesting. Other than that it is a great little flick, and I'm looking forward to seeing more Lucio Fulci films in the future.