I’m in a beach-y kind of mood today and today’s song of the day reflects that! From 1975’s Jaws, here’s a piece of music that everyone should instantly recognize, whether they’ve seen the film or not.
Tag Archives: movie
Bonus Horror Song of the Day: Hanging Out With My Family by Damien Carter
Whenever I watch 2010’s Birdemic, I wonder how the birds could possibly want to destroy a civilization that is capable of something like Hanging Out With My Family.
Horror Scenes I Love: The Birds Attack in Birdemic
Today’s scene that I love comes from 2010’s Birdemic: Shock and Terror!
Those who claim that Brian De Palma stole too much from Hitchcock obviously never met director James Nguyen.
4 Shots From 4 Alfred Hitchcock Films
4 Shots From 4 Films is just what it says it is, 4 shots from 4 of our favorite films. As opposed to the reviews and recaps that we usually post, 4 Shots From 4 Films lets the visuals do the talking.
Today, we honor the master of suspense, Alfred Hitchcock. Not all of his film were horror films, of course. In fact, the majority were not. But his influence on the genre cannot be overstated. Just try to keep track of how many horror films owe a debt to Psycho or The Birds.
It’s time for….
4 Shots From 4 Alfred Hitchcock Films
Rebecca (1940, dir by Alfred Hitchcock, DP: George Barnes)
Shadow of a Doubt (1943, directed by Alfred Hitchcock, DP: Joseph A. Valentine)
Psycho (1960, dir by Alfred Hitchcock, DP: John L. Russell)
The Birds (1963, dir by Alfred Hitchcock, DP: Robert Burks)
Horror on the Lens: The Lodger (dir by Alfred Hitchcock)
A serial killer known as “The Avenger” is murdering blonde women in London (which, once again, proves that its better to be a redhead). And while nobody knows the identity of the Avenger, they do know that the enigmatic stranger (Ivor Novello), who has just recently rented a room at boarding house, happens to fit his description. They also know that the lodger’s landlord’s daughter happens to be a blonde…
Released in 1927, the silent The Lodger was Alfred Hitchcock’s third film but, according to the director, this was the first true “Hitchcock film.” Certainly it shows that even at the start of his career, Hitchcock’s famous obsessions were already present — the stranger accused of a crime, the blonde victims, and the link between sex and violence.
Also of note, the credited assistant director — Alma Reville — would become Alma Hitchcock shortly before The Lodger was released.
Horror Song of the Day: Main Theme From Psycho by Bernard Herrmann
Today’s horror song of the day really needs no introduction.
From 1960, here is the main theme from Alfred Hitchcok’s Psycho, composed by Bernard Herrmann.
Horror Scenes That I Love: “You left the bodies!” from Poltergeist
Admittedly, this is a pretty short scene. It’s only 16 seconds, taking from the much longer climax of 1982’s Poltergeist.
That said, this is one of the greatest over-the-top moments in cinematic history. I defy anyone to watch Poltergiest without shouting “YOU LEFT THE BODIES!” afterwards. As an actor, Craig T. Nelson has never been one to worry about subtlety so, when you give him an excuse to yell about headstones and bodies….
(Also, give some praise to the great James Karen, heroically matching Nelson’s intensity throughout the scene.)
4 Shots From 4 Horror Films: Special Tobe Hooper Edition
4 (or more) Shots From 4 (or more) Films is just what it says it is, 4 (or more) shots from 4 (or more) of our favorite films. As opposed to the reviews and recaps that we usually post, 4 (or more) Shots From 4 (or more) Films lets the visuals do the talking.
Today, I am proud to pay homage to a director from my home state, a man who changed the face of horror and the movies but who was treated terribly by a jealous film industry. I am talking, of course, about Texas’s own Tobe Hooper. Hooper redefined horror with The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Though his later films were never quite as critically or financially successful as that classic, many of them have since been rediscovered by audiences who now better appreciate Hooper’s quirky sensibility. Hollywood may not have known how to handle Tobe Hooper but horror fans like me will always appreciate him.
It’s time for….
4 Shots From 4 Tobe Hooper Films
Live Tweet Alert: Join #ScarySocial for Wrong Turn!
As some of our regular readers undoubtedly know, I am involved in a few weekly live tweets on twitter. I host #FridayNightFlix every Friday, I co-host #ScarySocial on Saturday, and I am one of the five hosts of #MondayActionMovie! Every week, we get together. We watch a movie. We tweet our way through it.
Tonight, at 9 pm et, Deanna Dawn will be hosting #ScarySocial! The movie? 2003’s Wrong Turn!
If you want to join us this Friday, just hop onto twitter, start the movie at 9 pm et, and use the #ScarySocial hashtag! I’ll be there tweeting and I imagine some other members of the TSL Crew will be there as well. It’s a friendly group and welcoming of newcomers so don’t be shy.
Wrong Turn is available on Prime!
See you there!
Horror on the Lens: Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (dir by John S. Robertson)
Ever since the birth of film, Robert Louis Stevenson’s Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde has been a popular subject for adaptation. Not only does the classic story of a good doctor who unleashes his evil instinct via potion serve as a potent metaphor for everything from sexual repression to drug addiction, but the dual role of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde has provides an excellent opportunity for an actor to show off.
The first film adaptation of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is believed to have been made in 1908. Two more version followed in 1912 and 1913 and then, suddenly, 1920 saw three different film versions.
The best known of the 1920 version is our film for today. This version is best remembered for John Barrymore’s powerful performance in the title role but it also holds up remarkably well as a work of cinematic horror.
