So, the spooky season is officially over, but I still have three more I was able to get it under the wire to post.
MOVIE #70
The Wolf Man (1941)
Werewolves ended up being a pretty significant fixture in what I chose to watch this year, so I guess it only makes sense as the season draws to a close that I'd revisit the granddaddy of all werewolf movies, while simultaneously continuing the Universal Monsters series.
The Wolf Man is a classic, one that I've seen several times and never get sick of. Larry Talbot is one of horror's most tragic protagonists, played to perfection by Lon Chaney Jr. He's the prototypical cursed victim, a man plagued with an affliction he not only doesn't understand, but has his doubts is even real and not just some extreme form of psychosis. Of course, his worst fears end up becoming a reality, and it all comes together in the saddest conclusion of any Universal Monsters film yet. It's a masterpiece, not just for setting the standard for all werewolf cinema to follow, but as a very well-made drama featuring one of cinema's most iconic lycanthropes.
Rating:
I always love coming back to this every year around Halloween. This is probably the first Universal Monsters movie I ever watched and I still count it as one of the best. Every location in this is just stunning to look at; the foggy cemetery, the gypsy campsite, the observatory, they're all...
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MOVIE #71
Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man (1943)
Treating this as an epilogue to my
Frankenstein watches, as well as a direct sequel to
The Wolf Man. It works decently as a continuation of Larry Talbot's story, but the Frankenstein stuff here leaves much to be desired. That poster up there gives away the only part of the movie that's worthy of the title, which happens in the last five or so minutes. Plus, while they reportedly did Lugosi's performance dirty in the editing room, his take on the monster pales in comparison to Karloff, who you constantly wish was in this role facing off against Lon Chaney Jr.'s Wolf Man instead. Overall, though, it was still a lot fun to watch a Universal Monsters film on Halloween. It had just the right atmosphere to be watched on the holiday, so even if it was one of the weaker ones, I still enjoyed my time with it.
Rating:
"I can't die." A definite downgrade from previous Universal Monsters entries, with cheaper production values and a less consistently entertaining story. It's a bad sign when your movie doesn't even crack 75 minutes, yet you still feel the need to fill time with a three-minute musical number...
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MOVIE #72
Trick 'r Treat (2007)
Ending this season with one I've made it a tradition to watch every year, preferably on the night of Halloween if possible. To me, it's the perfect seasonal staple, it evokes everything fun and awesome about this spooky time of year and I love every second of it. This is one of the few anthologies I've seen where each segment is extremely strong, though it probably helps that the stories are intertwined
Pulp Fiction style. One of the best parts of rewatching it is looking for all the connections and cameos. If I had to rank them, it'd probably go
brian cox vs. sam, little red riding hood, father-son bonding, school bus
but they really are all enjoyable in their own way. A perfect conclusion to my watches this year. Happy (late) Halloween, friends!
Rating:
"Charlie Brown's an asshole!" This has pretty much become required viewing every year; I'm worried if I don't watch it, Sam might come to my house and teach me a lesson. I genuinely don't think anyone will ever make a better Halloween movie than this. Sure, there might be other seasonal staples...
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