horror movies

Oct. 4th: The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad (1949) & Sleepy Hollow (1999)

Friday Night Double Feature!

We’ll start off this double feature with the 1949 Disney classic The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad.

Though wonderful in and of itself, The Wind in the Willows adaptation isn’t exactly necessary viewing for our purposes, and one could skip straight to the incredibly faithful adaptation of Washington Irving’s The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.

Positively brimming with Halloween and autumnal atmosphere, the tale of Ichabod and The Headless Horseman is essential holiday viewing. Its classical animation is further enhanced by some fantastic sound design and Bing Crosby’s great narration. Plus, ole Bing gives us a Halloween song for the ages.

 

If just viewing the Disney cartoon feels a bit brief however, follow it up directly with 1999’s undervalued Sleepy Hollow.

Sure, it may not be a terribly faithful adaption, but Tim Burton’s love letter to the classic Universal and Hammer Horror’s of old is rich with a sinister beauty I think no fan of Halloween can deny.

Factor that together with a fine performance from Johnny Depp plus 18 awesome decapitations from Kevin Yagher and you have a truly memorable horror effort from the typically more quirky, light and sentimental Burton.

Now I’m not sure, off-hand, if Halloween is actually ever mentioned in this live action revamp, but few movies look as much like Halloween as Sleepy Hollow.

While it’s certainly not my favorite Tim Burton film (that would be Ed Wood) or without it’s share of flaws (some poor plotting with a sticky 3rd act that disappointingly grounds the supernatural aspects more than I would have liked) there aren’t many movies that I think are as gorgeous to view. Half the time I watch it without the sound just to look at it. If I had to pick a movie to live inside forever, I’d choose Sleepy Hollow, without question.

With its incredibly seasoned and talented supporting cast, beautiful cinematography and absolutely jaw-drawing production and set design, Sleepy Hollow is in a Gothic class all of its own, and should definitely grace your eyes at some point in October for a truly seasonal escape.

Oct. 1st: Something Wicked This Way Comes (1983)

Such a great movie this is to usher in the season that even it’s title sets the mood for what is to come.

This adaptation of Ray Bradbury’s story of the same name was brought to us by Disney during a period where they produced more mature titles to offset their image of being  strictly purveyors of children’s animation.

Set in Green Town, Illinois in late October, two young boys encounter Mr. Dark’s Pandemonium Carnival, which enters their burg under the cover of night and sets up with supernatural speed.

Seemingly magical at first, soon Mr. Dark’s carnival exudes a sinister force that seems to infect the whole town and it inhabitants.

Light, creepy and perfectly Halloweeny, the film builds slowly with tons atmosphere and is the perfect way to start any October off right. Something Wicked This Way Comes indeed.

31 Days of Halloween Horror

Halloweeners rejoice! Your season is upon yo!

For the christening of our hallowed month, I thought I’d begin my 31 days of Halloween Horror movie list.

Numerous bloggers and Internet “news” outlets will surely be posting similar lists, if not in truncated form, with a dozen or so horror movies perfect for the holiday.

Anyone halfway versed in horror can toss anywhere from 5 to 31 suitable genre movies your way in the spirit of the season. Hell, one could conjure completely different lists of movies a few years running and still knock it out of the park each time.

But how many of those lists will be exclusively Halloween movies? Welp, at least 1, cause that’s how The Shindig rolls.

So forget about Freddy and Friday, pass on Pinhead and leave Leatherface in the lurch. This year, celebrate the eve of all Hallo’s with 31 tailor-made titles.

Like the playlist, the order here is by no means rankly or definitive. You could sock any one of these titles closer to, or further away from Halloween as you’d like. I’ve place them in terms of personal preference during the month and generally Halloweeniness, simply for orderings sake.

Unfortunately, I’m not sure how many gifs and songs I’ll be able to post this month, a disappointing sensation for a Halloween themed blog, I know, but this movie list is my consolation, as fashioning simple text posts once a day is something I can probably manage.

So keep an eye on The Shindig for suggestions on filling your October movie nights with maximum Halloweeniness.