With horrorthon coming to a close for another year, I figured why not allow Conal Cochran to get in a word or two.
This is from Halloween III: Season of the Witch. Playing Conal Cochran, of course, is the great Dan O’Herlihy.
We hope you’ve all had a wonderful Halloween.
For our final horror scene that I love of the 2021 Horrorthon, how about the ending of George Romero’s 1978 masterpiece, Dawn of the Dead?
Keep an eye out Tom Savini, going over that railing.
For today’s scene that I love, here is the classic scene from 1980’s Inferno, Dario Argento’s follow-up to Suspiria. In this scene, Irene Miracle takes a fateful swim. I’ve seen this film several times and this sequence still creeps me out!
Today’s scene is from Roger Corman’s 1967 film, The Trip. Corman dropped acid himself before filming Peter Fonda doing the same thing in this film. Regardless of how one views Corman’s cinematic recreation of Fonda’s experience with acid, The Trip is considered to be one of the first nuanced drug films. While it doesn’t endorse drug use, it also doesn’t descend into the hysterics of a film like Reefer Madness. Interestingly enough, the script was written by Jack Nicholson.
Here is Peter Fonda, exploring the city on LSD, in The Trip:
Today’s horror scene that I love is from Mario Bava’s 1963 classic, Black Sabbath. The dead are a lot more difficult to get rid of than you might think.
Since I paid tribute to John Carpenter earlier today, it only seems appropriate that today’s horror scene that I love should come from one of his best films. The final scene of 1982’s The Thing is chilling, both literally and figuratively. Watch below but remember, it’s also a spoiler if you haven’t seen Carpenter’s film yet.
Okay, so it’s not Halloween yet.
But it is close! And, even more importantly, it’s Pumpkin Day! So, in honor of all of the holidays that we celebrate this week, here’s a classic song and scene from 1993’s The Nightmare Before Christmas!
From 1963’s The Birds and directed by Alfred Hitchcock, this is one of the best horror endings ever.
The birds have won. Or, at least they have until Birdemic….
Only 8 more days to Halloween!
That, of course, is from 1982’s Halloween 3: The Season of the Witch. The makers of the new Halloween films might not care for the original sequels but just try to get that Silver Shamrock song out of your head! Even more importantly, just try to listen to it without thinking about the mask melting into your face and turning into a bunch of spiders and snakes. It can’t be done. That’s the sign of an effective horror movie. An effective horror movie is all scaring the audience and not about worrying about whether or not the critics are going to get it.
Speaking of horror, just 8 more days til Halloween Halloween! Just 8 more days til Hallowen! Silver Shamrock!
Over the course of his long career, Christopher Lee often cited his performance as the charismatic but ultimately sinister Lord Summerisle in 1973’s The Wicker Man as one of his personal favorites. It’s easy to see why. The role not only showcased Lee’s ability to be menacing but it was also one of the few films that allowed him to be witty as well. Lord Summerisle may be a pagan who maintains his power by sacrificing virgins but he’s still quite charming. With his longish hair, sideburns, and turtleneck, Lord Summerisle is the perfectly aristocratic 70s rogue.
Today’s scene that I love comes from the original The Wicker Man. (Sorry, the Nicole Cage “bees” scene from the remake will have to wait for next year’s horrorthon.) In this scene, Lord Summerisle expalins the ways of the island to a skeptical police detective. Little does the detective know that he’s already been selected to be the next sacrifice. Lee’s avuncular performance holds up wonderully.
Through the Shattered Lens 