Tag Archives: classic horror films

Regal theater chain showing 31 nights of horror films for Halloween

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I’m not sure what’s better – watching a good horror movie in the (darkened) comfort of your home or watching in a theater.

(You notice I’m not including the stone-age choice here of watching a horror movie in a drive-in theater, although I watched plenty that way growing up and as a young adult. Bless the drive-in theaters that operate today, but going to a drive-in these days is more of a fun “going to a drive-in” exercise, not a “going to see a movie” exercise.)

I’ve certainly seen many more horror films at home in the past decade or two, more than I’ve seen in theaters. But back in the day, including the period from 1978 to 1990 when I was reviewing movies for my hometown newspaper, I saw a lot of horror movies in the theater. I mean: “Halloween.”

That’s why I believe seeing any movie in a theater, especially a horror movie, is such a great experience. I definitely saw horror movies in theaters before I saw “The Exorcist” in 1973. (I’m still not quite sure how I saw the film, one of the greatest films and one of the greatest horror films ever, in the theater. I was years too young to have bought a ticket for an R-rated film. And yet …)

Anyway, I think I’ll always prefer seeing a good horror film in a theater. The big screen. The great sound. The cathartic feeling of an audience sharing a scare. And yes, even the shouted warnings from excited members of the audience. (“Watch out! He’s behind you!”)

And while I can’t say I’ll definitely see one of the horror films that the Regal theater chain plans to show in October, it’s very tempting to try to work that into my schedule.

Across the country, Regal is offering its “31 Screams on Screens” promotion, screening horror films from decades of scary movies for the low price of $7.99 a ticket.

The selection of films includes some of my favorites as well as some I haven’t seen. Here’s the list:

Oct. 1 — The Blackcoat’s Daughter (2015)
Oct. 2 — The Shining (1980)
Oct. 3 — Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1992)
Oct. 4 — The Conjuring (2013)
Oct. 5 — Poltergeist (1982)
Oct. 6 — The Haunting (1999)
Oct. 7 — Crimson Peak (2015)
Oct. 8 — Tales from the Hood (1995)
Oct. 9 — In the Mouth of Madness (1994)
Oct. 10 — Pet Sematary (1989)
Oct. 11 — Drag Me to Hell (2009)
Oct. 12 — The Thing (1982)
Oct. 13 — The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2003)
Oct. 14 — Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer (1986)
Oct. 15 — Psycho II (1983)
Oct. 16 — Candyman (1992) and Candyman (2021)
Oct. 17 — Scream 2 (1997)
Oct. 18 — A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984) and A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors (1987)
Oct. 19 — The Blob (1988)
Oct. 20 — Evil Dead (2013)
Oct. 21 — Dawn of the Dead (2004)
Oct. 22 — Cabin Fever director’s cut (2002)
Oct. 23 — Midsommar director’s cut (2019)
Oct. 24 — Us (2019)
Oct. 25 — The Blair Witch Project (1999)
Oct. 26 — Constantine (2005)
Oct. 27 — The Cabin in the Woods (2011)
Oct. 28 — It Follows (2014)
Oct. 29 — Christine (1983)
Oct. 30 — Halloween (1978)
Oct. 31 — Trick ‘r Treat (2007)

There’s something for almost everyone there.

Here’s the link to the Regal site:

https://www.regmovies.com/horror-movies

Classic sci-fi: “It! The Terror from Beyond Space”

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It_the_terror_from_beyond_space 50k

If there was a heyday of black-and-white, low-budget science fiction movies, “It! The Terror From Beyond Space” might have been smack in the heart of it.

It’s startling to think now that the 1958 release date of “It!” came just 10 years before “2001: A Space Odyssey” and less than 20 years before “Star Wars.” Those movies – although decades old now – seem much more contemporary than “It!”

When you make those comparisons, though, it’s funny to note that a movie that still feels contemporary despite the passage of years, Ridley Scott’s 1979 sci-fi thriller “Alien,” was in many ways inspired by “It!” A lot of people have called “It” the inspiration for “Alien.”

Plot-wise, they have more than a few similarities. An expedition to another planet – Mars in the earlier movie – results in a dead crew and suspicion on the survivor. When a second ship is sent to investigate, the only survivor of the earlier crew – played by Marshall Thompson – is to be brought back to Earth to be tried for killing his crew.

it the terror girl on shoulder

But there’s another addition along for the ride: A stowaway, a monster, a scaly hulk played by stuntman and actor Ray “Crash” Corrigan. The creature killed the earlier crew and, on the trip back, begins picking off the second crew, stalking them in the hidden recesses of the ship.

“It!” is most effective when it doesn’t show the monster. Shots of the creature’s big, rubbery feet and pigeon-toed walk sap some of its menace, that’s for sure. While the hulking monster is appropriately kiddie-matinee scary for its time, every shot of it reduces the mystery and menace.

it the terror lobby card

Random thoughts:

Although the movie is called by some the inspiration for “Alien,” it’s almost like a sequel instead.

The movie’s action is set in 1973, which as we all know was a big period for Martian exploration.

“It” came out during the great period of 1950s black and white science fiction with craggy alien landscapes and beautiful star-filled backdrops and graceful rockets with Buick-style fins.

There’s a lot of science-defying action here, with the crew firing guns pretty indiscriminately at the monster. Lots of gas bombs are thrown and there’s a token wearing of gas masks, but only when hatch doors are open. What about the the air-handling system? The monster and his victims spend a lot of time in the vents, so I’m pretty sure that gas would get all around the ship.

dabbs greer

Look for Dabbs Greer, familiar to “Little House on the Prairie” watchers, as one of the crew.