19 Days Until Halloween (& A Poll!)

[eldritchhobbit]

I've been thinking about good Halloween films (not necessarily horror movies, and definitely not lame slasher pictures, but suspenseful, atmospheric films that put a chill up the spine) that are "off the beaten path" -- that is, films that are independent, foreign, direct to DVD, or somehow under promoted, and thus might easily slip under the proverbial radar.

For example, we recently watched the 2009 Gothic film Dorian Gray, which I believe was never widely released in theaters in the U.S. I thought it was quite well done, true to the spirit if not the letter of Oscar Wilde's story, admirably restrained with the special effects, and graced by compelling performances by Ben Barnes, Colin Firth, and Rachel Hurd-Wood. It's perfect for the Halloween season, to my way of thinking. Here's the trailer:

Last year for Halloween we watched 2008's The Burrowers, an independent science fiction/horror Western that was short on cheap gore and long on psychological terror (just the way I like it), and we thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it. Here's the trailer:

Watch on YouTube

Some of the other recent "off the beaten path" films that I find chilling enough for the season include the following:

• the Finnish historical fantasy/horror/morality play Sauna (2008 - thanks to mr_earbrass for the recommendation),


• the surreal dark fantasy Franklyn (2008),


• the chilling, true crime-inspired Borderland (2007),


• the Spanish science fiction thriller Timecrimes (2007),


• the moody, Lovecraft-inspired Cthulhu (2007),


• the gorgeous, silent Lovecraft adaptation The Call of Cthulhu (2005),


• the U.S. Civil War-era dark fantasy/horror Dead Birds (2004),


• and the dystopian psychological thriller Final (2001).

Your mileage, of course, may vary.

Your turn!
[Poll #1630581]


Text of the Day: Do you have the Tuesday blues? I have the solution for you: the short story "Vampires of Venus" by Anthony Pelcher (1897-1981). Why? Because it has vampires. On Venus.

Teaser: Leslie Larner, an entomologist borrowed from the Earth, pits himself against the night-flying vampires that are ravaging the inhabitants of Venus.

Read the complete story here.

Comments

[sittingduck1313.livejournal.com]

For a movie, I would suggest The Uninvited. Specifically the 1944 film with Ray Milland. A very stmospheric ghost story. Good luck finding it though. I don't think it's been released on DVD. You'll have to scrounge E-Bay or Amazon Marketplace for the videotape release. Or hope that AMC will show it on Halloween.

For radio, there's the Quiet, Please episode The Thing on the Fourble Board.

http://www.archive.org/download/QuietPlease/qp60.mp3

And recently I got a Call of Cthulhu campaign entitled Tatters of the King. As the title suggests, it focuses on The King in Yellow. A lot of the sequences are very unsettling. As a bonus, there's a cameo appearance by none other than J.R.R. Tolkien.

[eldritchhobbit.livejournal.com]

I need to search for The Uninvited via my DVR this season. Thanks for reminding me, and for the audio recommendation.

As the title suggests, it focuses on The King in Yellow. A lot of the sequences are very unsettling. As a bonus, there's a cameo appearance by none other than J.R.R. Tolkien.

How terrific is that? Awesome!