The Geek’s Watch List for Halloween 2014

Halloween is coming! It’s time for jack-o-lanterns, popcorn balls, costumes, candy and classic fright films. This is a list of  what we will be watching at my haunted house this October.

 

1.   The Bride of Frankenstein (1935) I have seen this every year for the last two decades, not only is it a favorite it’s a tradition.

 

2.   The Body Snatcher (1945) This is one of my favorite classic horror films. Karloff and Lugosi deliver one of their best performances.

3.   Dracula (1931) Not the greatest film, but if it were not for Dracula (1931) there might not have ever been the Universal horror cycle.

4.   Frankenstein (1931) truly a remarkable film for its day it is still a favorite with fans 83 years after its release.

5.   Son of Frankenstein (1939) This film restarted the Universal horror cycle after the studio halted production of horror films in the mid-30’s and is one of the better Frankenstein films.

6.   Halloween (1978) This is one of the best horror/slasher films ever. Besides its Halloween, when is there a better time to watch it?

7.   The Phantom of the Opera (1930) This is actually the sound version of the 1925 classic. This re-issue was released on February 16, 1930.

8.   The Birds (1963) Got’ta have a dose of Hitchcock. A friend is coming over to see this one who has never seen The Birds (1963), I cannot wait to see his reaction.

9.   House of Wax (1953) You can’t have Halloween without Vincent Price.

10.   Silver Bullet (1985) is based on Stephen King’s novella Cycle of the Werewolf.  King is one of my favorite authors and I love Gary Busey in this film; his role helps make this one of my favorite werewolf films.

11.  House of Dark Shadows (1970) This film scared the crap out on me when I was a kid.

12.   Witch Finder General (1968) This film is more drama than horror but it still has a strong creepy element in it especially with Vincent Price. Based very loosely on the life of Matthew Hopkins, the infamous self-proclaimed Witch finder General. Do not expect a history lesson here, there is a lot of fiction and very little fact in this flick.

13.  Man Made Monster (1941) It’s been a long time since I‘ve seen this film. This is the one that helped launched Lon Chaney’s horror film career.

14.   The Exorcist (1973) In my humble opinion this is one of the best horror films ever made. After 40 years it still packs a punch.

15.  Nosferatu (1922) I have to have a silent classic in the mix and what better one to have than Nosferatu (1922).