Wednesday, October 8, 2014

Halloween Films


I am one of those people who don't do really scary movies so my Halloween picks consist of comedies and suspense.

Here are my top choices for (not very) creepy movies/ghost movies/romantic-comedies-set-at-Halloween to get you in the spirit of the month.


First up: Arsenic and Old Lace (1944) - when I think of Halloween movies, I think of this one. Cary Grant's over the top performance is perfect.


Next: Cat People (1942) - a cult classic and perfect for an autumn evening, even though it has Christmas in it...


I Married a Witch (1942) - a great Halloween/Romantic Comedy about a 17th century witch returns to ruin the descendent of the Puritan who burned her and her father by making him fall in love with her.


Rebecca (1940) - it's a Hitchcock film, Mrs. Danvers is creepy, and there's a costume ball.


The Ghost Breakers (1940) - Bob Hope. Haunted castle in a swamp. Zombies. For a more lengthy review, check out this post on Classic Film and TV Café.


The Ghost and Mrs. Muir (1947) - not scary at all. Rex Harrison plays a sea captain who also happens to be a ghost. And he's in love with a human! Don't miss little Natalie Wood!


Tonight's the Night (1954) -  "The whole village mourns when General O'Leary, owner of a hunting estate in South Ireland, is killed in an accident. His nephew, Jasper O'Leary (Niven), takes over the estate and soon has aroused the displeasure of all, with the exception of Serena McGluskey (De Carlo), as much a schemer as he is a cad. The villagers plot to drive Jasper away using the occasion of "O'Leary Night", when the ghost of the first O'Leary walks the halls, to create general chaos" - imdb. The beginning is kind of slow but the end is hilarious!
 
 
The Time of Their Lives (1946) - Abbott & Costello. It's funny. Trust me. Article on TCM blog
 
 

Welcome to my Classic Movie Blog!

Hi! Welcome to my Classic Movie Blog!

This past year I have watched a lot of new movies.. that is, new to me. I have been taking full advantage of my DVR and Turner Classic Movies; the DVD, movie books, and autobiography section of my local library; and YouTube. So far this year I have watched 190 "new" movies and re-watched 40 "favorites." I have also "discovered" four Classic TV series and watched seven seasons total (the kind that have 30+ episodes per season). It is amazing how much I have learned these past few months!

I decided to start this blog so that I could post exclusively on Classic Movies. I have already written posts on my other blog, solidmoonlight, on Lauren Bacall and James Garner, both of whom have died this past year. However, I wanted to have a separate place where I could post exclusively about classic movies ~ hence this blog.

            
 
The format of this blog is going to be simple. Once a month I will (hopefully) bring you a Monthly Movie History post. On the 15th and 30th of every month there will be an Actor Spotlight with a brief bio, best films, trivia, and quotes from the most well known to the lesser known actors. And at least once a week there will be a post on a classic film with trivia, my thoughts on the film, and of course lots of photos. There will also be the random holiday films posts, lists of favorite films in each genre, and some Director Spotlights, and probably a post on Edith Head at some point. The problem here is which ones to choose first! There are so may great movies and actors!

That being said, I hope you enjoy this blog and return to it often!

~ Phyl