FAVORITE BLACK & WHITE HORROR FILMS

1. NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD (1968)
2. CARNIVAL OF SOULS (1962)
3. PSYCHO (1960)
4. THE HAUNTING (1963)
5. FRANKENSTEIN (1931)
6. BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN (1935)
7. NOSFERATU, A SYMPHANY OF HORROR (1922)
8. MAN BITES DOG (1992)
9. VILLAGE OF THE DAMNED (1960)
10. THE MUMMY (1932)
11. DIABOLIQUE (1955)
12. INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS (1956)
13. BLACK SUNDAY (1960)
14. SPIDER BABY (1968)
15. FREAKS (1932)

FAVORITE FILMS OF THE ‘80s

Here is a list of my favorite horror films of the '80s!

1. VIDEODROME (1983)
2. THE FLY (1986)
3. THE THING (1982)
4. PRINCE OF DARKNESS (1987)
5. THE SERPENT & THE RAINBOW (1988)
6. RE-ANIMATOR (1985)
7. THE EVIL DEAD II (1987)
8. George A. Romero’s DAY OF THE DEAD (1985)
9. NIGHT OF THE COMET (1984)
10. CREEPSHOW (1982)
11. LEVIATHON (1989)
12. CHILD’S PLAY (1988)
13. FRIGHT NIGHT (1985)
14. A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET (1984)
15. POLTERGEIST (1982)

FAVORITE HORROR FILMS OF THE ‘60s

Here is a list of my favorite horror films of the '60s!

1. NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD (1968)
2. CARNIVAL OF SOULS (1962)
3. PSYCHO (1960)
4. THE HAUNTING (1963)
5. THE BIRDS (1963)
6. ROSEMARY’S BABY (1968)
7. KILL BABY, KILL (1966)
8. WHIP & THE BODY (1963)
9. VILLAGE OF THE DAMNED (1960)
10. HORROR HOTEL (1960)
11. SPIDER BABY (1968)
12. THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA (1962)
13. BLACK SUNDAY (1960)
14. LAST MAN ON EARTH (1964)
15. THE CURSE OF THE WEREWOLF (1961)

FAVORITE FILMS OF THE ‘70s

I thought it might be interesting for some of you to know what I think are some of the best horror films of the '70s.

1. THE EXORCIST (1973)
2. THE STEPFORD WIVES (1975)
3. ALIEN (1979)
4. THE BROOD (1979)
5. JAWS (1975)
6. INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS (1978)
7. HALLOWEEN (1978)
8. THE LEGEND OF HELL HOUSE (1973)
9. THE HILLS HAVE EYES (1977)
10. MARTIN (1977)
11. THE CRAZIES (1973)
12. DAWN OF THE DEAD (1978)
13. RABID (1977)
14. SUSPIRIA (1977)
15. DEEP RED (1975)
 

Going ‘80s!

Over the last few days I’ve been in an ‘80s horror film mood having watched THE KISS (1988), THE TOMB (1986), DEATH SHIP (1980), DEADLY OBSESSION (1989), and GHOST TOWN (1988). Some of these films have gone on to become cult classics while others have simply been forgotten and ignored. While DEATH SHIP is a highly sought after DVD item, who actually remembers DEADLY OBSESSION or the offbeat Egyptian vampire of THE TOMB?

When I was young I watched all of these films when they came out (with the exception of DEATH SHIP at which time I was too young). I saw all these films before I was even a teen (I was born in ’76) and therefore many of these films had me in total suspense and awe and (dare I say it) may have even scared me. It’s now more than twenty years later and I’ve still got a fondness for THE KISS, I still love DEATH SHIP, and GHOST TOWN and THE TOMB are fun anomalies. DEADLY OBSESSION is just too dated to really do anything for me anymore; I know recognize it as a very cliché film with no whit or substance or even any campy nostalgic charm.

What watching these films did remind me of (other than that many horror films weren’t really all that scary) is that there was more to the genre than Freddy or Jason or Michael Myers and that there were many films that never made it to franchise level yet still remain worthwhile films even to this day. Watching these films reminded me of the quality and quantity of horror films being released then (during the VHS boom) and just how much diversity there was.

Whereas, GHOST TOWN had a cop being thrust into a cursed town in search of a missing girl who was kidnapped, DEATH SHIP had survivors of an ocean liner disaster plagued while on a ship with a mind of its own. The former was played with a tinge of dark humor (it was produced by Charles Band) while the later was played dead serious. THE TOMB was very tongue in cheek (as directed by Fred Olen Ray) while THE KISS had nuances of sexual overtones played serious. Each film had its own identity.

As I was watching these films I couldn’t help but realize how innovative the filmmakers of yesterday were compared to today. Although there will always be filmmakers who “jump on the band wagon” with copying from recent hit films (i.e. the hit PARANORMAL ACTIVITY verses the straight to DVD copycat PARANORMAL ENTITY) its more prevalent now than then. As soon as the remakes of TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE and THE HILLS HAVE EYES were hits you had every Sam, Dick, and Harry making a low budget film about people who get abducted by hillbilly throwbacks (these films still seem to pop up even after the sequels to those hits failed at the box office). In the ‘80s it took a little longer for films to become unquestionable hits and copycats may not have arrived for a year or two. I don’t really recall another film about a haunted ship until 2002’s GHOST SHIP.

Every young filmmaker wants to emulate the films of the ‘80s and for good reason. Some were sexy, some were scary, and some were even funny, but most important of all the films of the ‘80s never felt like other films of the ‘80s. It was unique era in horror cinema in which not only fans of the genre enjoyed the films but also people of all ages and groups (I was only 11 or 12 at the time when I saw THE TOMB and I still remembered parts of it before re-watching it) unlike today where it is a rare occurrence when a true horror film connects with a large audience (PARANORMAL ACTIVITY anyone?).

I miss the ‘80s like many people who grew up in that decade like I did and it is a gem when a filmmaker takes the time to acknowledge these classics and produce a film that reminds us of what the films of that decade were really like. Although filmmakers like Eli Roth, Rob Zombie, and Quentin Tarantino claim to be making throwbacks to the ‘80s, I remember very few films from then like HOSTEL, the remake of HALLOWEEN, or DEATH PROOF. There were films back then like those, don’t get me wrong, but they were few and far in between. I remember the ‘80s as being a mixture of thought provoking horror (i.e. THE DEAD ZONE, DEAD RINGERS, THE SERPENT & THE RAINBOW) or horror spectacle (i.e. C.H.U.D., THE EVIL DEAD, SCANNERS, THE THING, THE FLY, RE-ANIMATOR, FROM BEYOND) or all out great fun (i.e. WATCHERS, ALIGATOR, CHRISTINE, SHOCKER, TH EVIL DEAD 2, DOLLS). That’s what I remember about the ‘80s and these handful of films just reminded of why I loved horror films from that decade when I was growing up.

"I Love NOTLD"

Someone I just met (and I hope to get to know better) asked me what my favorite film was and I said THE BEST OF YOUTH and NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD.  Having already heard of NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD, she was more interested in the film THE BEST OF YOUTH.  This being Cryptshow, I’m sure you all are more interested in what I have to say about George A. Romero’s classic 1968 film NIGHT OF THE LIVING THE DEAD.  Suffice it to say, I’ve already talked long and hard about NOTLD about as much as I want to for the next several years but it got me wondering “why” I liked it so much.

The film NOTLD is the only film of which I watch at least 1-2 times a year and I never get tired of it.  I own several different versions of the film both digitally remastered and not, black & white or color (although I’ve not seen the colorized version yet) and I even own a plethora of documentaries on the making of not only the original film but all of Romero’s original dead trilogy.  The funny thing is that NOTLD is not the best of the Dead films, in fact, this honor goes to Romero’s DAWN OF THE DEAD which is superior to NOTLD on so many levels.  I’ve seen both films more than I can count but whereas I may only put DAWN in and use it as background noise, I always sit down and watch NOTLD (which also happens to be only one of the two films I’ve ever listened the commentary track for).

When I was growing up my only real icon was Sydney Poitier.  He was the only African American whose films we ever saw in school (I remember seeing LILIES OF THE FIELD for the first time at school and I declared that he was my favorite actor of all-time).  I grew up with Cosby and Pryor but they all did comedies whereas Poitier did comedies, drama, action, and generally anything he could get his hands on.  I bring this up because NOTLD presented one of the only films I ever watched as a child that starred an African American who wasn’t a caricature but was stronger than any of the other characters in the film.  The character of Ben is the driving force of the film (and he even slapped a white woman!) and to me that was something I never saw in a horror film.  Poitier did this all the time in his films but race became such a theme in his films that it sometimes over shadowed the overall impact of the film.  In NOTLD Ben was a character that only wanted to survive at any cost and wasn’t going to let anyone, white or black, get in his way.  He was not a character that died within the first ten minutes of the film nor was he someone who was a servant to others.  He was a character that had “balls” and would stand up to anyone who got in his way.

As a child I identified with the Ben character.  I didn’t allow anyone to stand in my way.  I wanted to be like Ben despite the fact that he was killed at the end of the film by “country hillbillies” (which is exactly what I thought of them).   I even remember – when I was younger, getting in trouble for being belligerent to some of my teachers.  If I felt a few “country hillbillies” were standing in my way I would shoot first before they shot me.  My parents were none too happy when I got into trouble at school.

 I took their copy of NOTLD and made it my own.  My parents had bought a cheap VHS copy of NOTLD distributed by Good Times Home Video which was the only film in “My” video collection.  As a fan of not only this film but horror films in general we tend to claim ownership over our films whether they be Box Office sensations or duds that go onto cult status.  NOTLD was this film to me which is why I can watch it over and over again with the glee of a small child as if seeing the film for the very first time.

We all have a similar memory of a film that for one reason or another has touched us.  Has made us a horror fan for life whether it be THE EVIL DEAD, THE EXORCIST, THE SHINING, or SILENCE OF THE LAMBS.  This website Cryptshow is here to celebrate the horror film and fan both big and small.  Whether you think THE EXORCIST is the greatest movie ever made or you think a man by the name of Michael Myers is the greatest screen villain, there is a place on the website for everyone.

So, if there is one thing I hope that you all take away with you each and every time you walk away (or log out) of this website, it is that you are not alone and even if you’re holding onto your copy of John Carpenter’s HALLOWEEN refusing to let go know in your heart that there are others out there just like you clutching their copy for dear life as well.  I hope that this site helps you find them and you can enjoy the same film together in harmony…and not kill each other.

"Blood Work"

Had to go to the labs to have some blood work taken.  The process took all of about 5-10 minutes but I held off for almost 4 weeks before having it done.  I wasn't sure how long it was going to take so I put off going to the lab until after I finished shooting the indie film BETWEEN LOVE & A HARD PLACE.  I didn't want to end up spending a lot of time waiting at a doctor's office so I waited until I had the time.  It was all for naught as the office had no one waiting and I was in and out within 10 minutes.

Since I had so much time on my hands I decided to go by my old neighborhood where I grew up.  It had been almost 15 years since I last visited the place so I was a little taken back by how much things change and how much they remain the same.  I almost wish that my old high school of Forest Park had been open; I may have just stepped through the doors and had a walk down memory lane.

All in all it was an interesting journey and one that got me thinking about the future.  I've been thinking about how much my life has changed and how much it still remains the same and maybe its time for a few major changes for 2010.

One of these changes are I hope writing in this blog.  So long and I'll see you next time.