Ghost Upon the Floor

 “The Old Dark House” is a film I only more recently discovered. Last year during the pandemic, when I subscribed to the exclusively horror film streaming service Shudder, I was browsing some of their older titles when I came across a film from 1932, starring Boris Karloff, Charles Laughton and Gloria Stuart, featuring a stormy night and a creepy old house. As a fan of old school horror, finding this film— directed by James Whale no less! — was such a gift. I loved its old-fashioned charm, and quickly the novel it is based on “Benighted” by J. B. Priestley, and read it. 

 And so last night we watched this film. The plot is simple: during a storm, strangers find their way to a creepy house in the Welsh country side, where the rain forces them to spend the night. The family who lives in the home— Ernest Thesiger of “Bride of Frankenstein” fame— is odd and unusual— and their hulking, bearded, silent servant played by Boris Karloff the stuff of legends. I loved seeing the birth of so many horror characters, tropes, novels and film in this story; Karloff’s character, especially, seems to have given birth to the Addams Family’s Lurch. 

 Now in my Halloween rotation, I feel that I will watch this film for— I hope— many Octobers to come. This film is a gorgeous, visual treat of Hollywood visionaries of the macabre from so many decades in the past— the rain, the lighting, the windows banging in the wind, the creepy characters with dark family secrets. “The Old Dark House” is a perfect film for any October night. 

  Last night the October film series visited an old friend. I had not seen M. Night Shyamalan’s now classic “The Sixth Sense” in I don’t know how many years, and I thought on a whim to add it to the Halloween film project. And I am so glad that I did. 

 Released in 1999, “The Sixth Sense” was a gigantic hit, that became a cultural phenomenon, and found critical success that landed it several Oscar nominations; an extreme rarity for horror films. In reading about the film after watching, I came across several articles that cite star Toni Collette as saying that she didn’t even really realize that it was a horror film until after she’d signed on, as she had been so drawn to the emotional aspects of the film. And boy, do I agree with Collette. 

 So much has been written about the twist, and for a 20 year old film, I just may discuss spoilers here. I remember being blown away in shock along with the characters when the twist is revealed back in theaters in 1999. But for me, the real brilliance of “The Sixth Sense” is how well the twist works even if you know it. 

This is absolutely a perfect film. The performances— lead by masterworks from young Haley Joel Osment as the child Cole who says he sees ghosts, and Toni Colette as his mother who is tortured by the unknown pain her son is going through— and, even, Bruce Willis as our lead Malcolm, the psychiatrist tasked with helping Cole is brilliant. This script is so brilliant, and beautiful, without one even half ounce of fat on it. It is a brilliant mix of so many real emotions— the humor, when cracked, is so funny and appropriate, each joke earned, and the scares and emotional pay offs are so beautifully earned it will bring tears to your eyes. Each ghost has a purpose, each interaction helps the characters along to where they need to be in life. I don’t think there is a scene in any horror film that hits harder than the scene Collette and Osment share in their car during a traffic jam, when Cole is finally ready to tell his mother her secret. 

 Watching this film again after so many years away, I was also struck at how restrained it is, how gorgeous and appropriate the music is— and, ultimately, how beyond good Toni Collette is in this. Colette has made a career of playing mothers in movies, and, in more recent years with films like “Krampus” and “Hereditary,” she has become something of the go to scream queen mother for horror films. And she deserves such acclaim, and is so, so good here. 

 I was so happy that I chose “The Sixth Sense” to revisit this October; one of my favorite horror— and all around— films. 

 Last night, it was 2012’s “Dark Shadows” turn on the stage for 31 days of scary movies. Tim Burton’s film version of the beloved 1960s ABC soap opera that has seen decades of television, novels, comics and the like continue on its tradition, this is a film that I enjoy so much, and do not feel gets enough due. 

What isn’t there to love in “Dark Shadows?” There are vampires, ghosts, witches, werewolves and curses— all soap operatically entwined together. This film feels at once a quintessential Burton film, made for his talents; and yet freshly original. His staples are present— Johnny Depp in the lead as cursed vampire Barbara’s Collins, Helena Bonham Carter as Dr. Hoffman, and even Michelle Pfeiffer as Elizabeth Collines Stoddard. The film is set against a gorgeous backdrop; an autumnal New England town, full of old, dark houses and pumpkin patches. And the script, by Seth Grahame-Smith, does a fantastic job at summing up what fans of the “Dark Shadows” canon love, while being something entirely new at the same time. The author of the novels “Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter” and “Pride and Prejudice and Zombies,” the humor here is wicked, whip smart, and is very much the result of these spooky characters and their happenings— but rarely at their expense.  

 Watching this again, I had some thoughts. Depp is excellent here as Barnabas, and the humor is— while acted out in the flamboyant character of the undead vampire Barbara’s— noticeably restrained, in all the best ways. The film also makes wonderful, nostalgic use of its 1970s setting. We have seen so many films— and so many scary films— that have a time displaced character navigating modern times; and the twist here, that the times are modern, though a bit in the past now, is extremely clever, and always hilarious. Seeing Michelle Pfieffer at her full talents in a Burton film is wonderful as well, and the secondary cast down to Jackie Earle Haley and Chloe Grace Moretz are wonderful. For any Halloween fan, and fan of Burton, “Dark Shadows” is also breathtakingly beautiful to look at. 

I was also struck by the fact that this film came out in 2012, a whole 9 years ago. I remember carving Depp as Barnabas into a pumpkin that Halloween, but I doubt I would have said this happened as long ago as a decade. I am glad I added this to the Halloween rotation; Burton’s “Dark Shadows” is an October-keeper. 

 If there is a movie that makes me laugh more than 1993’s “Addams Family Values,” I had not yet found it. A sequel to 1991’s “The Addams Family,” which saw the family popularized in comics in the 1930s— and was made even more famous by the television program years later— have their very own movie for the first time. I have seen “Addams Family Values” countless times, and will go on to watch it even more; it was a selection I picked for my 31 Days of Scary Movies, without hesitation. 

 There is so much to love in this film. Paul Rudnick’s script is— with its rapid fire jokes and quips— wickedly witty, and understands deeply what makes the creepy and kooky family so popular; and knows just how knock down hilarious putting them at odds with what they are not can be. The performances are revelations across the board. Christina Ricci, as Wednesday Addams, stands out with a deadpan, comic timing beyond her years. As her mother Morticia Addams, Angelica Houston mirrors Ricci in the best ways. One wonders how much they learned from playing off each other. The rest of the cast is brilliant: Raul Julia as Gomez, Christopher Lloyd as Fester, Carol Kane as Grandma. And, of course, Joan Cusack is worthy of all the Oscars she never received in the world for playing Debbie, the black windowing murdering rich men for their money who is after Fester. 

 Watching this yet again, I was stuck by how perfect the set design is. The atmosphere— the Addams house, grounds, and cemetery— is so lovingly and creepily designed it reminds you of every creepy house and cemetery you have seen before, and feels all its own and right at home. I also thought quite a bit about how I doubt a script this unflinching and bold and dark in its satire could be made today as a family film. 

What a perfect fit for October, and every month of the year. 

1998’s “Practical Magic” isn’t your typical scary movie. There is maybe a jump scare or two, but as a film, the Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman starring witch tale of family and romance does not set out to scare you. But scare it can, and it does with a tremendous amount of witches, spells, zombies and necromancy. The film— based on the novel by Alice Hoffman— is a no brainer to include on my October list; I viewed it again last night. 

 “Practical Magic” is one of those movies that has only seen its popularity gain in the last decade or so. It is absolutely a product of its time; 1990s country star Faith Hill’s “This Kiss” makes an appearance on the score. And yet it is timeless. Two sisters, raised by their aunts (also sisters) are looked down on as outcasts in their town, for their special abilities. Talents that just so happen to be an inherent knack for witchcraft. “Practical Magic” has endured for many reasons, the least of which are the charming and effortless cast— Nicole Kidman, Sandra Bullock, Stockard Channing, Diane Weist— but maybe it’s story is the reason most of all. There is something incredibly, newly wholesome and comforting about a tale of witches— sisters who grow apart inseparable, who have love threaten to part them, and explore those familial ties that do not break. The storyline of Nicole Kidman’s Gillian and her abusive relationship with her awful boyfriend played by Goran Vinsjic is, while containing no shortage of wacky plot elements, quite profound in its commentary on an abusive relationship, and if and how it is possible to escape one. 

 The image of the witch stands tall over this season, and though we are now hundreds of years from the tragedy of witch hysteria which saw countless innocent women and men murdered out of the fear of witches, there is something very powerful, still, in the reclamation of the witch, and a film like “Practical Magic” which shows witches as empowered, powerful, natural forces for good, remains life affirming. For any fans of the film, please check out Alice Hoffman’s novels: “The Rules of Magic,” (a prequel story of aunts’ Jet, Franny and their brother Vincent), “Magic Lessons” (the prequel story of family ancestry Maria Owen’s) and this October’s “The Book of Magic” (the sequel to it all.) And, of course, the original novel “Practical Magic.” 

  A few years ago I discovered the original “Tales from the Crypt” film made in 1971, and based off the beloved horror comics of years before that. Before seeing the film, I had no idea it existed— and I was immediately taken, on a cold October night, by its cemetery and crypt filled appeal. 

 And so it was my pick for the next scary film to watch in October. There is a lot of horror movie camp in here; that you wouldn’t want any other way during a “Tales from the Crypt” tale. The story is simple— against the backdrop of organ music, strangers take a tour in a cemetery, and get lost in an underground crypt, where they meet a mysterious robed and hooded man, the original Crypt Keeper Each character has a stand out story they are shown, to varying degrees of success. The stand outs are far and away Joan Collins’ tale of murder interrupted by a murderous Santa on Christmas, and Peter Cushing’s story of a feud between neighbors.

 There is heightened style here— in the performances, the paint red blood, the organ music used and the obvious conclusion of the tales— but the twisted morality tales that made the Crypt Keeper and his yearns famous are absolutely the charm, and make this a Halloween film that deserves more discussion than it gets today.