Ghost Upon the Floor

October 1

noreply@blogger.com (Ghost & What a Witch) — Tue, 01 Oct 2024 17:32:00 +0000

Life has been a lot for this Ghost this year, even more than last. I am going to be doing my best to write everyday; even if it is just a few shorts words, or a photo, about where the Ghost is in October, and what his spirit is out there doing.

So, today. The first day of our month. I saw this, admittedly spotted, leaf, that is a gorgeous shade of red. And later I watched 1931's "Frankenstein" and, as always, fell in love with those all black and white monstrous voices and images. As always, James Whale's production design took me in, and didn't let go for it's nearly one hour and ten minutes run time.

Happy October, to all you ghouls out there.

You look like you’ve seen… a few Ghosts.

noreply@blogger.com (Ghost & What a Witch) — Sun, 08 Oct 2023 01:58:00 +0000

This October night, something different. Now, is the time when ghosts are present. We have some new ghosts being wrought across the floor. The ghost of Halloweens yet to come? What a ghost, what a trio of ghosts, indeed.

Boo!

“Plant rosemary by your garden gate…”

noreply@blogger.com (Ghost & What a Witch) — Fri, 06 Oct 2023 19:37:00 +0000

Tonight’s film was one I have found myself returning to most years in early October, for my witchy fix: “Practical Magic.”

To me, this film will always be perfectly immortal. The right amount of humor, horror, romance, schmaltz, with an incredible heart. The cast is, of course, amazing. Sandra Bullock, Nicole Kidman, Dianne Weist and Stockard Channing (who have quite a few Oscars between them) are incredible. As well as the little girls who play Sally’s daughters; they are incredible little actors.

I believe, for the first time, last night I noticed that the woman from the opening of the film when Sally and Gillian are children, wanting the love spell with the pigeon, comes back at the end as a part of the phone tree coven.

I will also eternally plug what is now a series of books that Alice Hoffman has now written. While the first novel this film is based on is incredible, the follow ups manage to be even more meaningful; with “The Rules of Magic” being perhaps my favorite, the origin stories of the aunts Franny and Jet. If you love this movie and haven’t read them, why are you reading my blog? Go read those, instead.

Before the film, I found myself in the lower gorge of Niagara Falls for my brother’s wedding. A beautiful place in the fall.

“In the bosom of one of those spacious coves which indent the eastern shore of the Hudson…”

noreply@blogger.com (Ghost & What a Witch) — Thu, 05 Oct 2023 19:19:00 +0000

Every October, I return to and linger a long while in Sleepy Hollow. The town, in reality and fiction and folklore, embodies the spirits of October in more ways than there are headstones in the church yard. Washington Irving’s story is, quite possibly, the most perfect ghost story. The mystery, the doubt, the fear, the urban legends— it is so perfectly the stuff of ghosts.

Tonight I went to put on Robert Van Nutt’s animated story book version of the tale, narrated by Glenn Close, which is such a perfect, and book accurate, adaptation. In the process, I found and rented Hobey Ford’s “Ichabod: Sketches from Sleepy Hollow,” which while a very short short, was highly entertaining and worth the one dollar and ninety-nine cents.

I still watched the Van Nutt version, after. The slowly moving illustrations are the perfect, nostalgia-tinged way to experience the story, in as close a way to reading the text can be without reading the text.

Sometimes, I like to go for walks in graveyards

noreply@blogger.com (Ghost & What a Witch) — Wed, 04 Oct 2023 16:06:00 +0000

And run there. And take photographs. And, sometimes, I just read under a tree. I have a favorite tree.

This afternoon I went to read there, but ended up taking my camera (and phone) and taking countless photos, too. The ones here are all from my phone.

This area of the cemetery is one of my favorites. One of the oldest areas on the oldest grounds, which was also used as a cemetery before the cemetery was officially incorporated. Here, in the fading afternoon light, the world, and even October, stands still. Every now and then a leaf will fall to the ground. If you’re listening, you can just hear it.

The Bride

noreply@blogger.com (Ghost & What a Witch) — Tue, 03 Oct 2023 15:46:00 +0000

Tonight, I kept going with the Universal Monsters. You can’t beat them. “The Bride of Frankenstein” truly is one of the greatest film sequels of all time. The continuation of the story is seamless (though there is some reworking of the original “Frankenstein’s” ending), and the horror, the humor, emotion, the creepy atmosphere, even the acting and characters— all feel elevated. Even the new characters like Dr. Pretorious and Minnie feel both elevated and like they have been there all along.

Karloff’s performance is perhaps a huge reason for this. No doubt, more time to live within the character gave him more depth, but the addition of being able to talk some of his lines gave Boris the opportunity to add layers to the character that seem the most true connection to Shelley’s original novel, where our Monster (?) famously speaks eloquently and waxes philosophical.

Tonight there was some rain, to break the humidity, and the brightening leaves feel more like the season.

On Fog and Heat

noreply@blogger.com (Ghost & What a Witch) — Mon, 02 Oct 2023 22:31:00 +0000

I write this from my desk overlooking a yard full of trees. Leaves to my left, leaves to my right, leaves everywhere I look are starting to blaze. Deep red, yellow, orange. And it is just under 80 degrees. Which does not seem right, to this Ghost, at all.

Yesterday morning I ran in the fog. The mysteries of the earth really seem to hover over creation when the fog comes, and, somehow, it was just what we needed here to feel autumn's warm, cooling embrace. The world hides in the fog, and what is hidden always feels like such a celebration of Halloween.

At the Ghost's haunted house, interior Halloween decorating remains on hold for a few days, as life has thrown us new furniture and such we are in the process of assimilating. Nevertheless. October carries on, and I have been putting up what I can.

Again last night, about midnight, I poured myself some apple cider in a wine glass-- why not?-- and followed up "Frankenstein" with Todd Browning's 1931 undead classic, "Dracula." The sets. The ghostly nature of it all, looking so far back into the past; somehow, this film gets better each year, and each time I watch it. Toward the final half of its short running time, the day began to catch up with me, and I started to fall asleep. Bela, his Count Dracula, Mina and Renfield and Van Helsing and Jonathan Harker, somehow, all showed up in my dreams. "Dracula" is such a dreamlike film, falling asleep to it, which is something I have done before, seems like a particular type of black magic. When I woke, Van Helsing was standing above the Count's coffin with a stake; I rewound the DVD and watched the last half in its entiriety, before retiring, dark and dreary, to my bed.

Sadly, I did not dream of vampires. That I remember.

On little black cat's feet...

noreply@blogger.com (Ghost & What a Witch) — Sun, 01 Oct 2023 12:51:00 +0000

Hello, old friend. Welcome back to the nights of breeze taking leaves, the red orange bursting from the green in the trees, the flickering candle light behind pumpkin flesh on a porch.

Life, as always, continued to challenge this year. In some ways, I have been less prepared for this Season of the Witch than any in recent memory. But when the heat begins to leave us, and make us create our own with sweaters and hoodies and baking ovens and candles for the sun leaves sooner; that, is a challenge, the Ghost is always up for.

I started the (no fewer) than 31 Days of Scary Movies a bit early last night, as soon as midnight brought our favored month with it. As I have the last several years, I have started the month of night off with not my fancy, gorgeous 4k print of James Whale's 1931 immortal classic "Frankenstein," but with the nostalgia-dripping box set of Frankenstein from the early-mid 2000s, which the Ghost bought at a time he did not have much else, and each cent has been worth it tenfold ever since. I love the ambient menus with thier old movie sound effects and voices and sound effects of real ghosts, nearing the age of almost 100 years, and listening to the rain, the wind, and, of course, the electric volts used to summon the monster.

As always, the sets hit me first. What would it have been like to be on those sets, all those years in the buried past, and see the graveyard with the tower reaper, the stairs leading up to the lab, and the high-vaulted rooms of the Frankenstein estate-- up close, in living color, in person? Also of not much note, on this viewing I noticed more than usual how Elizabeth and Henry seem to have the beginnings, or want for the beginnings, of a relationship even when they are first introduced, and it's a nice detail to wonder just how long Henry's descent into his experiments have been, and what Elizabeth's motives are for staying around and still wanting to marry into all this wealth.

Sometime while I was watching this scary movie, the fog crept in al lover my world. I looked outside and it was as if Carl Sandberg's poem had come true; and, this time, it was a little black cat who's feet the fog crept in on. I had one more glass of apple cider-- perhaps too much sugar before bed-- and went to sleep with the theme music and scenes from John Carpenter's classic ghost movie, "The Fog," playing in my head.

Oh, and earlier in the day I placed this lovely Bat! gifted from a dear friend on our door.

I have missed you, October.

31 Days of Scary Movies: “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” 1988

noreply@blogger.com (Ghost & What a Witch) — Wed, 12 Oct 2022 00:53:00 +0000

And now for something new. From 1988. Narrated by Glenn Close, this version of Washington Irving’s “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow,” is part storybook, part narrated moving painting. With gorgeous images and narration that are both accurate to the original text, this version of the tale is a spellbinding autumn treat.

I hadn’t even heard of this before a friend turned me on to it. Clocking in at under 40 minutes, this is long enough to take its time to adapt the tale fully, and short enough to not fill itself with too much unnecessary filler. And I thought I’d seen them all.

The illustrations and paintings are lush, gorgeously detailed and real in a way many— possibly all?— adaptations of America’s preeminent ghost story are not. The bright orange crisp fall of early American autumn, the harvest, the local lore of the superstitious and Ichabod’s ride home. Just gorgeous and spooky and everything this tale needs to be told. This is now a permanent fixture on my fall film list.

Something Different… and Sugary

noreply@blogger.com (Ghost & What a Witch) — Tue, 11 Oct 2022 00:23:00 +0000

Earlier this Halloween season, I began seeing this premade

Count Chocula and Frankenberry cookies. After several trips to the grocery store, and a recommendation from What a Witch, I gave in and immediately made these.

They are worth every cent of the few dollars they cost. The house smelled amazing when both kinds were in the oven, and the results were sugary treats in cookie forms; that tasted like slightly elevated versions of the cereal. While Count Chocula is my favorite of the cereals, I have to say I think I liked the Frankenberry cookies just a little more. If you’re a fan of the cereals, give these a shot.

31 Days of Scary Movies: “Hellraiser” (2022)

noreply@blogger.com (Ghost & What a Witch) — Tue, 11 Oct 2022 00:14:00 +0000

Last night, with all the orange lights up in my living room, looking out on my neighbor’s across the street with orange and flame lights adorning their house, during a wind filled thunderstorm, I took a break from the classics, and watched something new. The brand new “Hellraiser” remake/reboot/sequel on Hulu.

As a fan of the original film, and a bigger fan of the uber disturbing novel by Clive Barker, I found this film a mixed bag. The good is the casting, especially of Pinhead. Jamie Clayton is a perfect actor for this character; her presence on screen, and her voice work is amazing, and actually terrifying. The rest of the cenobites are perfect as well, being truly original and scary. The rest of the cast is very capable as well, and I loved seeing Goran Vinsjic in another Halloween/horror film so soon after watching “Practical Magic.” The direction is also super strong.

The not so good is the script. I was expecting a remake, or some variation on the original’s characters; their marriage, their desires and their traumas that lead them to the box. This film deals with none of that, and is more a straight up horror film that seems to not understand why Barker wrote the novel, or why the original film was so successful. The end result is not a bad film. It is extremely watchable; I just wish, given the huge opportunity and great talent involved with this, that they had done more, and more in line with the original Barker work.

31 Days of Scary Movies: “The Wolf Man” (1941)

noreply@blogger.com (Ghost & What a Witch) — Sun, 09 Oct 2022 23:27:00 +0000

Last night it was time to return to the Universal Monsters again, with one of their more recent monsters: 1941’s “The Wolfman.”I’d initially scheduled this one for later in the month, but I want it fresh in my mind when I was Disney/Marvel’s new “Werewolf by Night,” this week.

I love this film. There are an embarrassment of riches with great actors in this film, and Universal monster royalty. Lon Chaney Jr., in the title role, and Dracula himself Bela Lugosi playing the Romani fortune teller. The performances are perfect, and Chaney especially gives something that should be been recognized by the Academy. The makeup is one marvel, but the character work he does, struggling between and good and evil and what that means, and wrestling with his curse.

Like all the Universal films, the storytelling is an economical one hour and ten minutes, and it wastes no moment and hits every best perfectly. I am always struck by the opening of the film in which Chaney meets his love interest, by looking with his telescope into her apartment. Even in the 1940s world of the film, it is remarked as being untoward and creepy— and while it absolutely is, it does start the film off on an interesting note, that we know our hero is not exactly a good guy.

The wolf man himself is only on screen for a few minutes, and like his fellow monsters, those moments catapult him to the status of an immoral icon. Unlike the rest of the Universal Monsters, we watch our hero go from a regular person to a cursed monster. The journey is emotional, fascinating and scary. This one will never leave my October schedule.

31 Days of Scary Movies: Disney’s “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” 1949

noreply@blogger.com (Ghost & What a Witch) — Sun, 09 Oct 2022 01:00:00 +0000

Of all the things I watched in October, Disney’s “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow,” the concluding segment to “The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad,” is one film that has perhaps been with me the longest. I believe I first came to it via “Disney’s Halloween Treat,”— the titan of Halloween nostalgia— which will come later in the month. But for more years than I can count, I’ve been watching the animated tale of Ichabod Crane and the ghost stories in Sleepy Hollow.”

Washington Irving’s “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow,” is maybe my favorite ghost story. And I love ghost stories. The tale, about the fear of tales told in October and scary stories, about schoolmaster Ichabod Crane and his mysterious disappearance, is eternal and classic, and stands large over American horror. There is a lot in Disney’s short animated adaptation that shouldn’t work. Bing Crosby narrates, and he is iconic. Adding popular (at the time) songs to the animation sung by Crosby shouldn’t, on paper, work, but they do. And are incredibly charming. The segments of song with Ichabod, Katrina van Tassel and Brom Bones are always a delight to watch, and do a lot of character work to set up the mystery at the end.

Perhaps my favorite song is “The Tale of the Headless Horseman,” told by Brom Bones at the Halloween party. The animation is beautiful, and a Halloween wonder to watch. As the night progresses, and Ichabod heads home after the scary ghost stories, the animation becomes even more affective and iconic. The house with the wind in the trees. Ichabod and his horse slowly galloping though the silent woods, the cemetery, and encountering the ghostly (?) Headless Horseman.

I love this film, and could watch it so often I watched it twice last night. Things I noticed on this watch, are being more aware that Ichabod lives in his school house, and the background design of his bed is so detailed; with his bed and books and teapots. Every scene— the ghost story, the autumn fields, the Horseman’s woods— are this detailed, and I would live in them if I could.

31 Days of Scary Movies: “Practical Magic”

noreply@blogger.com (Ghost & What a Witch) — Sat, 08 Oct 2022 01:39:00 +0000

Last night was one of my favorite nights of the year. The night, in October, when I watch one of my favorite movies— one that I watch several times a year— “Practical Magic.” Released to success in 1998, the film has since on home video and streaming become an autumnal cult classic among those who love magic and witches.

Based on the Alice Hoffman novel of the same name, the film takes several liberties from the novel, and they all work beautifully. “Practical Magic” is a beauty story of sisterhood, love, family and being different, told in only the way that witchcraft can. In more recent years, Hoffman has written now three sequel novels: “The Rules of Magic,” a prequel about the aunts Jet and Frannie and their backstory; “Magic Lessons,” the Owens’ family ancestor Maria’s backstory, and “The Book of Magic” and sequel that follows our beloved characters after the events of “Practical Magic.” For the few years, a series adaptation of “The Rules of Magic” has been in the works at HBO, and I sincerely hope it happens, as it is my favorite novel in the series, and one of my all time favorites. They also need to make it, so that a proper adaptation of “The Book of Magic” can be done; a story that practically begs for Bullock, Kidman, Weist and Channing to reunite and tell.

Back to the magic of the film at hand. The story is beautiful. The lines I know by heart. The comfort is all around, and I will never tire of watching it. For plot points so fantastical, so much is said so aptly about human relationships, how we survive and the family we keep along the way.

Things that struck me on this viewing. The chemistry between all our actors; especially Kidman and Bullock and Channing and Weist. Also, the young actors who play Bullock’s daughters are so good. The house, oh goodness the house. Few houses on film, gorgeous and old and sprawling and covered with cats and books and plants and love— and a greenhouse— make me want to live in them more. Part of me always will live, however, in the house with rosemary planted by the garden gate. And where I fall in love as often as I can.

31 Days of Scary Movies: “Mad Monster Party?”

noreply@blogger.com (Ghost & What a Witch) — Fri, 07 Oct 2022 00:48:00 +0000

Last night it was time for another newer (to me) Halloween classic: 1967’s “Mad Monster Party?” Rankin and Bass, of “Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer” and other stop-motion animation Christmas classics fame, made this lesser known special as their answer to Halloween.

Part love letter to the Universal Monster movies, part 1960s music extravaganza, “Mad Monster Party?” is an all that and the kitchen sink special that is incredibly endearing. Perhaps the program’s biggest claim to fame— and arguably best feature— is the get of having Boris Karloff himself voice, and sing, the part of Baron von Frankenstein, our Dr. Frankenstein character who’s discovery brings together our gallery of monsters— from Dracula, the Werewolf, the Creature (from the Black Lagoon) and others. And, of course, the Mummy. It’s the Mummy. It’s the Mummy.

The first time I watched this, the songs didn’t make much of an impression of me, but, with their zany cheer they, they enchanted me. And that happens all the more so with each viewing. On this viewing, I also realized that one of the things I love most about this is the incredible, gorgeous and painstakingly made and designed sets. The creepy ship, Frankenstein’s Castle, the island and the lagoon. This is art made by people who love the classic monster movies, and it shows.

31 Days of Scary Movies: “Tales from the Crypt” (1971)

noreply@blogger.com (Ghost & What a Witch) — Thu, 06 Oct 2022 02:28:00 +0000

Last night I visited with one of my more recent additions to my favorite seasonal films: 1971’s “Tales from the Crypt.” Part 1950s horror comic anthology, part 1970s Hammer horror film, “Tales from the Crypt” is a film all its own.

Several years ago, I randomly stumbled across this film, as you should, late one night about 1am, and stayed up to watch it all. I loved the 1990s HBO show of “Tales from the Crypt,” and I’ve even king loved the 1950s era comics on which it was based. But somehow I never knew there was a film that came first, in 1971, and it featured Joan Collins in the iconic segment of murder and a psychotic— and also murderous— Santa Claus.

I find something so comforting in the way the cemetery is shot in the opening, our strangers brought together on a cemetery tour of a crypt. And something so comforting about the 1970s, almost Hammer like horror effects. The fake blood and the zombie makeup, and the dead rising from their graves. What more could you want?

Watching this again, I was struck by how strong each segment is. Joan Collins’ opener is epic, and gets a lot of the recognition for the film, but each segment— especially Peter Cushing’ tale of neighborly strife. From the moment each segment starts, we know how it will end, and we will happily go along for the ride anytime.

The character of the Crypt Keeper is also so well done in this. The polar opposite of the HBO series’ ghoulish puppet, in this version, the Crypt Keeper of the the tales is simply a man in a brown robe and hood. Not showy at all, letting the pure, pulpy horror fun of the tales take center stage. A beautiful piece of horror filmmaking.

31 Days of Scary Movies: “The Bride of Frankenstein” (1935)

noreply@blogger.com (Ghost & What a Witch) — Wed, 05 Oct 2022 02:37:00 +0000

There are so, so very many bad horror film sequels out there. Some in franchises I love. But horror sequels were once done right, and perhaps none so right as arguably the first, most-high profile time: with “The Bride of Frankenstein,” James Whale’s sequel to “Frankenstein,” released in 1935.

I could not love “The Bride of Frankenstein” more. Normally, I save it for a bit of Universal Monster magic later in October; however, last night, I decided to indulge myself early on. What makes this film so special? Perhaps it is the inventiveness found all around. From the opening, when we are treated to a terrific scene showing Elsa Lancaster as Mary Shelly talking on a stormy night with her husband Percy and Lord Byron. Lancaster is fantastic as Shelley, as she spars with Byron and Percy, in a gorgeously decorated room. Working on her needlepoint, there’s something so impressively confident about her Shelley, and we fully believe that this is genius that wrote “Frankenstein.”

Other things that set this film apart. The actors. Karloff’s Monster is allowed to shine even more here, as he gets lengthy character driven scenes like the ones in the cottage with the blind man, and delicious straight up horror film scenes, like his emerging from the burned windmill in the beginning, where he sends the parents of the girl thrown in the water in “Frankenstein” to join her. Colin Clive is again perfect as Henry Frankenstein, aided with an assist by Ernest Thesiger’s Dr. Pretorious, a new, deeply comic, deeply creepy and deeply horrifying character.

The score is sweeping and even grander than the first film. The sets, too. The sets which excelled in “Frankenstein” are expanded, and absolutely lush, gothic and gorgeous. My favorite perhaps being the graveyard being literally expanded, from the iconic opening scene in the first film, and takes us down into the crypt where the Monster literally stumbles upon a dead woman and asks, “Friend?”

And, of course, Elsa Lancaster is perfect to immortality as the Monster’s Bride in the film’s horrific, heartbreaking conclusion. What a gorgeous horror film, sequel, and artistic achievement in its own right.

31 Days of Scary Movies: “Dracula” 1931

noreply@blogger.com (Ghost & What a Witch) — Tue, 04 Oct 2022 02:18:00 +0000

Maybe Tod Browning’s “Dracula,” from 1931, is my favorite of the Universal Monster films. Picking between them is a bit like picking a favorite child, I’d imagine— but, just maybe, “Dracula” is my favorite. I have long loved the myth of vampires, especially Bram Stoker’s masterpiece “Dracula” which popularized so much of the vampire mythology we have in current pop culture. And Browning’s film is a large part of that.

Last night was “Dracula’s” turn on the stage of 31 Days of Scary movies. This film is another I watch many times a year, and always, without fail, in early October. There is just simple perfection in the black and white crackling world of Renfield’s travel to Transylvania, where he meets the locals who fear Count Dracula— and then the count himself.

And what a Count he is. Bela Lugosi’s performance will live as long as film is remembered, and rightly so. The performance he mastered for years on the stage is at full, captivating, haunting and frightening power here on film.

Things of note that stayed with me after last night’s viewing. The power of the direction. The scene where Dracula is first seen, rising with his brides from their coffins; in silence, among the rats in the cavernous crypt. The camera pans so expertly, and creates such a sense of unnatural and macabre dread that works as well today as it first did decades and decades ago when it was shot.

Also, while no adaption of Stoker’s novel has ever been quite faithful on film— and most vary wildly— for all the liberties Browning’s film takes, it works so well as a film, while keeping the main story beats. Yes, Renfield takes Jonathan Harker’s story in the beginning and is the one to travel to Transylvania, but the journey to Transylvania happens; they travel to England aboard the Demeter in a storm; arriving at Whitby. Lucy dies, and Mina is threatened; and Dracula, and his evil, eventually is defeated at the end. The changes the film makes just work, and are a large part of the reason this classic endures.

Happy Halloween, “Dracula.” Maybe my favorite child of the night.

31 Days of Scary Movies: “Frankenstein” (1931)

noreply@blogger.com (Ghost & What a Witch) — Sun, 02 Oct 2022 23:46:00 +0000

Last year, I attempted to watch 31, scheduled Halloween and or horror films in October. One each day. And write a blog post about them. It became overwhelming, swiftly, but I accomplished it. It became a juggling act; watching the 1.5-2 hour films each night, and writing a blog post that sought to do the films— some of my most beloved— justice. All while having a life and living my best life in the cool October light. This year I am doing the same, but in an attempt to be less overwhelmed, I will be writing some brief thoughts on each film in a quick post each night.

Last night was the immortal, amalgamated monster that is director James Whale’s adaption of Mary Shelley’s “Frankenstein,” from 1931. This is a film I watched many times a year, but most often in early October, as it stands tall among the early Universal Monster movies, and, along with tomorrow evening’s film, stands tall as perhaps the most culturally influential horror film of all time.

It won’t be many years before Whale’s classic turns 100, and the piece is accessible as it was those many years ago it was made. You would lose much time from your life is you were to list every film, book and piece of art that has taken elements of its neck bolted monster, rising from beneath the sheet from a jolt of lightning caused by a presumably mad scientist one dark and stormy night.

Things that also stood out to me in this viewing were the ground it manages to cover in its brevity. Clocking in at just under an hour and ten minutes, the iconography in this film strikes such the needed balances of intrigue, horror and emotion just the right way each moment, and is capable of doing more in its short run time that decades of films much longer have been able to. Much of this is due to Boris Karloff’s incredible performance,

Also, while perhaps not at the same level— or, more aptly, style— of its sequel “The Bride of Frankenstein,” this film manages to create some of the most beautiful, detailed and affective sets in all of film history. From the tower castle where the Monster is created, to Elizabeth’s bedroom, to the lake with its lilies— not to mention the windmill— each set is a masterwork.

One last note I wrote down was how much the assistant character, who would later come to be known as Igor, causes perhaps all of the mayhem of the film. It is his mistreatment of the monster— against Frankenstein’s orders— that first push the Monster to act out.

The lighting strikes, Dr. Frankenstein screams and proclaims “it’s Alive!” and Karloff’s Monster rises. Halloween is here.

Hocus Pocus 2

noreply@blogger.com (Ghost & What a Witch) — Sun, 02 Oct 2022 03:04:00 +0000

And so we begin October with perhaps the most eagerly anticipated Halloween movie of the last 30 years: “Hocus Pocus 2.”

The film, which easily should have been made ten (or more) years ago, has finally been made because of the dedication of stars like Bette Midler and millions of fans who have made “Hocus Pocus” into the cult classic— or, maybe more aptly, simply the classic— it is today. “Hocus Pocus 2” is as released on Disney at 3 am Thursday morning, and the Ghost has since watched it twice already.

It’s simply magic to see Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker and Kathy Najimy reprise their roles as the sisters Winifred, Mary and Sarah Sanderson. My only complaint when it came to their performances was that they weren’t longer. Although they don’t enter the film until almost 30 minutes in, every second of their screen time is worth the film. And that says nothing of Doug Jones’ reprisal of his role as Billy Butcherson, perhaps one of my most loved things about the film.

I had been expecting to not love the choice of opening with a flashback to the sisters’ childhood; it would deprive us of precious screen time with the original actresses. But the girls who play the Sandersons were fantastic, and one of my favorite things about the film.

The only real notes I had were that there’s not enough Halloween in the film. While the new cast of kids in the modern story are forgettable, they don’t seem to have an affinity for Halloween night, or any of the magic that time brings to Salem. There are no scenes of trick or treating, but we do spend nearly 10 minutes in a Walgreens (which, in fairness, is one of the funniest scenes in the film.) Also, the sentimental lean the ending takes is a bridge too far, and the way it is done is out of character, and something I wish they wouldn’t have done. Oh, and there’s no reason we couldn’t have had another talking cat character.

My notes being minor, they can’t take away the magic that does exist in “Hocus Pocus 2.” The film comes nowhere close to capturing the greatness of the first film; nor should it. “Hocus Pocus,” has captured the haunted hearts and minds of generations. If this sequel can bring more people to the incredible 1993 film, it is all worth it.

31 Days of Scary Movies: “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” (1949)

noreply@blogger.com (Ghost & What a Witch) — Tue, 26 Oct 2021 16:49:00 +0000

Next up we returned to Disney and returned to the village of Sleepy Hollow. Disney’s “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” was made in 1949 as a short film, and packaged with the other, unrelated short film adaptation of “The Wind in the Willows,” and released together as one film, “The Adventures of Ichabod and Mister Toad.” In later years on television, they were shown separately—with Ichabod’s segment titled “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.” For the purposes of our film series, I watched only the Ichabod portion, which clocks in under half an hour.

Bing Crosby narrates—and sings-- this beautifully animated tale. While the songs are whimsical—“Katrina,” for instance—Disney does not, thankfully shy away from the spookier elements of the story, with the “Headless Horseman” song in which the ghost story is related to Ichabod, and culminating in the spectacularly animated conclusion of Ichabod riding home through the woods—and being chased by the Horseman himself. The animation is so detailed and wonderful—from the Horseman’s cemetery, through the woods, and over the bridge. The Horseman himself and his horse are fiendishly perfect.

Something I appreciate a great deal about this version, is while even the Horseman’s chase gets a little—well—cartoonish, they do not shy away from its ultimate conclusion, and in fact embrace the original story’s ambiguity as to Ichabod’s fate. Did he fall victim to the Horseman that night? Did he leave to start a new life? Is the Horseman a real ghost story or not? Disney leaves all of Irving’s original uncertainty—and becomes one of the best adaptations of the Horseman’s tale in the process.

31 Days of Scary Movies: “Halloween: H20” (1998)

noreply@blogger.com (Ghost & What a Witch) — Mon, 25 Oct 2021 18:00:00 +0000

For the 31 Days of Scary Movies project, I tried not to repeat too many different types of movies, and was careful to avoid series. The “Halloween” films being the exception. With last weekend’s “Halloween Kills” having just been released this year, I wanted to at least revisit the original 1978 film, because I never wouldn’t at least once in October. And with the hype around the 2018 film and its now sequel, I wanted to revisit Jamie Lee Curtis’ original return to the franchise, in 1998’s “Halloween: H20.”

Set twenty years after the origial film, Halloween: H20 is, still for the Ghost, one of (if not the) strongest of the sequels. Right off the bat, it gets the look of Haddonfield right and matching the first film, with the late Dr. Sam Loomis’ house resembling most of the homes in the first film, as well as the iconic Meyers house. The opening montage— where Joseph Gordon Leavitt in celebrity cameo is dispatched as Meyers ransacks Loomis’ files clearly looking for information on Laurie Strode, does a tremendous job of explaining away the convolutions of the films that followed without Curtis, in which she was apparently killed in a car accident. Laurie has gone into hiding under a new identity, now teaching at a seculted private boarding school in California; in symmetry to the first film, that took place in Illinois but was filmed in California. Laurie teaches English and has a terrific scene with a class whiel she teaches Mary Shelley’s “Frankenstein,” harkening back to when young Laurie discussed similar topics of fate in an English class during the first film.

In addition to the homages and call backs to other “Halloween” films, “H20’s” cup runs over with the inclusion of Curtis’ real life mother, Janet Leigh, in a small supporting role at the school. Immortal in horror film for her starring role in Alfred Hitchcock’s “Psycho,” Jane Leigh’s call backs (dirivng home on Halloween in the car from Hitchcock’s film) are a delight, and seeing Curtis and her mother act together is such a gift from the horror gods. This film is also otherwise filled with 1990s nostalgia; including young heartthrob Josh Harnett as Laurie’s son, and Michelle Williams as his girlfriend. Comparisons are often made to the “Scream” films, as they were huge success in the 1990s; but aside from the celebrity making a cameo and quickly getting killed off in the film’s openings, the conparisons aren’t really there. Of course, Janet Leigh’s “Psycho” invented that, and the film seems to be having great fun with that.

This film also gets right Michael Meyers’ portrayal. In so many of the seuqels, he is often stalking random teenagers; but what “H20” reminds us, is that the “Halloween” films are at their strongest—and most tension filled— when he is stalking Laurie Strode, and she is fighting back. In this film we get Michael driving again as he does in 1978, and the way he is constantly coming toward Laurie is so affective, and something many horror films in more recent years have followed. Among my favorite things about this movie is Laurie and Michael’s final confrontation, that is no less powerful and empowering today as it was when first watched over twenty years ago. Also of note is John Ottoman’s score, that smartly uses much of Carpenter’s original music, and expands orchestrally on the basic themes for the perfect ambiance of a “Halloween” film.

For too many years, I have not included “H20” as necessary October viewing. We are going to change that going forward.

31 Days of Scary Movies: “Witch’s Night Out” (1978)

noreply@blogger.com (Ghost & What a Witch) — Sun, 24 Oct 2021 16:39:00 +0000

It was time for “Witch’s Night Out,” yesterday night. The 1978 Canadian animated television special looms high in the haunted hearts of many children of the 70s, 80s and early 90s, when this was heavily played on TV. It was extremely formative for yours truly, and while in more recent years DVD releases and fanfare has seen this gem recognized, it still has not been given its just credit in my book.

The plot of the half hour special is simple, the animation zany and kooky, the theme song spooky and the voice talent brilliant. Led by Gilda Radner as the title witch—a Norma Desmond like character who has been forgotten by the world, no one connecting with the real magic and witches of Halloween anymore—the case also includes the great Catherine O’Hara (seen previously in the film project as the voice of the Frankenstein’s monster Sally from “A Nightmare Before Christmas) as the aptly named Malicious. Gilda’s witch is legendary, and her voice performance is absolutely a result of that. Her comedic timing, in just her voice work and adapted by the animators is something special, and always beautiful to watch. As her Witch gets her groove back, which consists of loosing her wand and finding it again, all while teaching everyone in town the true meaning of Halloween—that for one night a year you can embrace the darkness and be whatever you want—will never not be perfect.

I don’t know if there is a year I have been alive that I have not watched this, but among what stood out the most to me this viewing was, as always, just how detailed and beautiful Jonathan Rogers’ animation is. While some of the characters don’t have detail beyond colors (until they learn the meaning of Halloween and are transformed, that is), the scenery—the Witch’s abandoned haunted house, the woods, even the town—are so beautifully drawn and painted and an absolute love letter to all that is Halloween. Here’s to the true October classic, “Witch’s Night Out.”

31 Days of Scary Movies: “Sleepy Hollow” (1999)

noreply@blogger.com (Ghost & What a Witch) — Sat, 23 Oct 2021 15:07:00 +0000

While I have tried to be diverse about my selections for the film project, some names can’t help but show up multiple times. Some are just too essential to Halloween viewing to only make an appearance on one night. Director Tim Burton is one of those names, and he returned last night with his wildly October 1999 version of “Sleepy Hollow.” Starring Burton standard Johnny Depp as Ichabod Crane and Christina Ricci as Katrina Von Taseel—with a wickedly beyond perfect performance by Christopher Walken as the Headless Horseman—“Sleepy Hollow” is what is now quintessentially a Burton film, but one that stands all on its own.

There is precious little in the film that is faithfully adapted from Washington Irving’s definitive American ghost story “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.” Ichabod is not a school master but a detective from New York City, and there is no ambiguity over whether or not the Horseman is supernatural or Brom Bones playing a trick on Ichabod. But that is okay. This is a wild amalgamation of an American Halloween film—using Irving’s immortal ghost story as a jumping off point, this is part Halloween film filled with jack o’ lanterns and scarecrows, part mystery, part witch legend and part slasher film. The atmosphere of this film is dreamlike and brilliantly contained. The dreary October woods and Colonial villages are painstakingly recreated, and always a beautiful sight to take in. The Horseman himself is scary while being over the top but not too much so; in Walken’s few flashback scenes where he has his head, you know while watching them that no one else could play the Horseman like him. Depp is also spectacular, brilliantly modeling his detective Ichabod after Angela Lansbury’s “Murder She Wrote” character; a perfect choice for Ichabod as a detective, if there ever was one. Miranda Richardson is also wickedly wonderful in her role.

The physical horror here is also played up to a degree that Burton has rarely touched, but when he does he gets it perfectly right. The decapitations happen quick and furiously, and creates a world where at any moment the world turns still and the Horseman can charge out of the road, removing anyone’s head who is in his path. This effect could have misfired, but it is so effective and, truly, scary. Burton knows what he is doing, and uses blood the way the old Hammer horror films did; not constantly, but when present shockingly over the top. Danny Elfman’s score for the film is also iconic, and used to great effect in this village of “Sleepy Hollow.” I have watched this version every October for many years, and will always continue to do so.

31 Days of Scary Movies: “Halloween” (1978)

noreply@blogger.com (Ghost & What a Witch) — Fri, 22 Oct 2021 16:45:00 +0000

I have watched a lot of “Halloween” films this October. But none have the spot on my list the original John Carpenter film from 1978 has. Last night, it was finally time to revisit the classic that launched a thousand horror films—and quite a few of its own sequels and reboots of its own. Much ink has been spilled over the discussion of the sequels to this film—but for all the debate over which sequels are the best, or even good, even though I enjoy many of the sequels (Halloween 2, H20, the 2018 film)—the first absolutely can, and often should, stand on its own.

I have watched this film more than a dozen times, and will watch it more than a dozen more. Young Michael Meyers murders his teenaged sister in cold blood; is institutionalized for it, and breaks out years later to return home and terrorize his small town of Haddonfield, Illinois. For all the fear in the films that come after, nothing will ever be scarier than Meyers stalking Jamie Lee Curtis’ Laurie and her friends through the streets of Haddonfield on Halloween night. While the low budget film which became a mega smash hit was famously shot during the summer in California—with leaves on the trees and fake fallen leaves littering the ground—I can’t think of many other films that get the feel of Halloween night as right. While the main action with Laurie takes place on a lonely street between two houses, the tension and terror is genius, and not only holds up, but delivers every time. As someone who first saw this at home and much later at the theater, this is one of the best horror films to watch in a theater; no matter how many times you have seen in, there is nothing like the rush of an audience after Michael Meyers sits up behind Laurie’s back after she thinks she has killed him.

Things that struck me again watching, as always, is how good Donald Pleasance is in this as the doctor who tries to get the world to believe Michael is evil—only to be constantly dismissed. Also, especially with the more recent sequels, what stands out most powerfully about the original is how scary Meyers is as the unknown; all we know about him is what people see as he stalks and terrorizes him, and absent of any narratives telling us he is or is not supernatural, Laurie’s question to Loomis at the end, “Was that the Bogeyman?” lingers. We don’t know if Michael I’m ok Meyers is the bogeyman, supernatural or not; we only know that he has terrorized us, and that he is still out there. And that is the way Michael Meyers should be.