CAT PEOPLE (1942) starring Simone Simon, Kent Smith, Tom Conway, Jane Randolph and Jack Holt.
THE UNINVITED (1944) starring Ray Milland, Ruth Hussey, Donald Crisp, Gail Russell, Cornelia Otis Skinner and Alan Napier.
THE GHOST BREAKERS (1940) starring Bob Hope, Paulette Goddard, Willie Best, Richard Carlson and Anthony Quinn.
THE INVISIBLE MAN RETURNS (1940) starring Sir Cedric Hardwicke, Vincent Price, Nan Grey, John Sutton and Cecil Kellaway.
SON OF FRANKENSTEIN (1939) starring Basil Rathbone, Boris Karloff, Bela Lugosi, Lionel Atwill and Josephine Hutchinson.
THE WOLF MAN (1941) starring Lon Chaney, Jr., Claude Rains, Evelyn Ankers, Warren William, Ralph Bellamy, Patric Knowles and Maria Ouspenskaya.
ABBOTT AND COSTELLO MEET FRANKENSTEIN(1948) starring Bud Abbott, Lou Costello, Lon Chaney, Jr., Bela Lugosi, Glenn Strange and Lenore Aubert.
THE THING From Another World (1951) starring: Kenneth Tobey, Robert Cornthwaite, Margaret Sheridan, Douglas Spencer, Dewey Martin and James Arness.
THE CAT AND THE CANARY (1939) starring Bob Hope, Paulette Goddard, Gale Sondergaard, Elizabeth Patterson, John Beal, Douglas Montgomery and George Zucco.
ARSENIC AND OLD LACE (1944) starring Cary Grant, Priscilla Lane, Raymond Massey, Peter Lorre, Josephine Hull, Jean Adair, Jack Carson, Edward Everett Horton and James Gleason. (This is the Italian poster since all the other posters online are pretty bad.)
I watch two or three or more of these favorites every year around this time and truth be told, other times as well. Far as I'm concerned there's never a bad time to watch a creepy classic. (Though falling leaves and howling wind do add a bit of atmosphere.) Nothing in color, you'll notice. No ugly 'real-life' frights. No gruesome blood-letting in vivid Technicolor for me. Sorry. I'm fairly specific when it comes to my chills and thrills preferences: I prefer my chills in black and white. I also like some humor thrown into the mix whenever possible. I have a very low thresh hold for blood and guts and nightmare stuff.
The most 'modern' film in the post is 1951's
THE THING. Obviously I'm living in the past. And why not? It's very comfortable there.
Todd Mason's blog, Sweet Freedom, hosts Tuesday's Forgotten (or Overlooked) Films, Television and/or Other Audio-Visuals, so don't forget to check in to see what what's today.
I love Arsenic and Old Lace.
ReplyDeleteMe too. One of my all time favorites. A very special movie.
DeleteGreat choices for Halloween. I think I've seem them all. If TCM doesn't show some of them over the next week, I'll be watching on line or via Netflix or AppleTV. Must have scary movies for Halloween!
ReplyDeleteYes, and these are our type of scary movie - right? No blood-letting for us. I had a copy of THE UNINVITED (bought last year) but it went bad almost right away so I'm hesitant about buying another. I think it was one of those 'manufactured to order' copies. But I've had good luck with several of the others on my list. I suppose it's hit or miss when ordering these old classics.
DeleteTerrific list! The only ONE I don't thoroughly enjoy is CAT AND THE CANARY. it's fun...but no GHOST BREAKERS.
ReplyDeleteOh, definitely NO GHOST BREAKERS - for sure. I was late to get this one but I do enjoy it. It has a really creepy vibe that's perfect for Halloween. But GHOST BREAKERS is - to my mind - a true classic.
DeleteYvette, frankly, I'd like to see every one of these Halloween movies and especially "Arsenic and Old Lace" that I have heard so much about.
ReplyDeleteOh, Prashant, I do hope you get the chance to watch ARSENIC AND OLD LACE sometime. It is SO funny and so weird and utterly perfect. I've always thought Cary Grant deserved an Oscar nod for his crazed performance. (Which, foolishly, he never liked. Go figure.)
DeleteWould love to see THE UNINVITED. Will look on TCM
ReplyDeleteIt's so WONDERFUL, Patti. The perfect movie for this time of year. One of the very best ghost movies ever. Make a point to watch it, you will be rewarded. :)
DeleteA & C MEET FRANKENSTEIN is a terrific movie. I first saw it as a kid and later showed it to my daughter when she was in grade school. She loved it, too. And CAT PEOPLE is one of the greatest ever. The creepiest moment for me is when the woman approaches Simone Simon in the restaurant and calls her her sister.
ReplyDeleteDefinitely a great scene in the movie, Elgin. A favorite with me as well. I can't wait to show ABBOTT AND COSTELLO MEET FRANKENSTEIN to my grandchildren when they get a bit older. I just know they're going to love it.
DeleteCAT PEOPLE is brilliant, isn't it? So are many of the others. And what most of them have in common is that the true horrors are left to your imagination. As you say, no Technicolor blood scenes. The most frightening movies, to me, show the least - like CAT PEOPLE and also my favorite, THE HAUNTING (based on The Haunting of Hill House). A "newer" picture in that line (which shows MY age! HA!) would be ROSEMARY'S BABY, where the horror again is in what you don't really see.
ReplyDeleteYes, I agree, Less. SO brilliant. Except for the rather bland leading man but you know my opinion of Kent Smith. HA! I never saw ROSEMARY'S BABY, just couldn't bring myself to the starting line. But I do remember THE HAUNTING. Scary movie. Julie Harris. Russ Tamblyn. I always thought that was just an odd casting combo. :)
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