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BOOKS: David J. Skal Curates ‘Fright Favorites’ in New Book from TCM

Published

4 years ago

September 28, 2020

Film and cultural historian David J. Skal is well known for his research and writings on the history of the horror genre, and in his new book from Turner Classic Movies, Fright Favorites: 31 Movies to Haunt Your Halloween and Beyond, he once again puts his considerable knowledge on display.

Hollywood and Halloween have been inextricably tied together since the early decades of the 20th century, Skal notes in his introduction. The first mention of the holiday came as early as 1914 in a brief scene in the silent film, The Three of Us. In 1920, the holiday was featured more prevalently in the film Do the Dead Talk? which dealt with the subject of the seances and spiritualism that had taken many social circles by storm.

Of course, no one could ever forget early Disney short films like The Skeleton Dance or Donald Duck facing down his nephews and a real witch in Trick Or Treat.

The spooky, the surreal, and the all-out terrifying have been fodder for filmmakers from those very earliest days, and Skal picks out some of his own Fright Favorites providing background and production trivia on each film as well as suggestions for companion films for each entry.

With the introduction complete, Skal begins with two of the greatest silent horror films ever made: F.W. Murnau’s Nosferatu and Rupert Julian/Edward Sedgwick’s The Phantom of the Opera starring Lon Chaney. The author dives deep into the history of both films and sets the tone for the rest of the book providing history that is never dry or boring.

Most people know that Nosferatu was based on Dracula and that Stoker’s estate sued Murnau for copyright infringement. The film was only saved because they “forgot” about a couple of prints that existed after Murnau was ordered to destroy the negatives. What you might not know is that the film’s production designer and producer was Albin Grau, a famed German occultist who filled the film with hermetic, alchemical, and Enochian symbology.

The Phantom of the Opera, meanwhile, had its own tests and trials. When it was presented to audiences in early 1925, it was almost universally panned and in an unprecedented move, the studio ordered major reshoots, replacing director Rupert Julian–who repeatedly clashed with the film’s star Lon Chaney–with Edward Sedgwick, adding comic relief and subplots to “fill out” the film.

Lon Chaney famously clashed with The Phantom of the Opera‘s original director so much that he took it upon himself to direct many of his own scenes.

The changes drastically altered the overall tone of Phantom, but it also guaranteed its success. When it opened later that same year, audiences and critics alike raved about the film, cementing its place in horror history.

These are just two very brief examples of the kind of information you’ll find in Skal’s book, and believe me when I tell you there is so much more included about Nosferatu and The Phantom of the Opera that I simply don’t have time to cover.

I’ll fully list the titles included in the book below, but I must say that Fright Favorites is almost a perfect list of films that could easily serve as a haunted advent calendar to count down to Halloween. The author’s choices might not all be the scariest, but they are certainly a representative sample of some of the best genre filmmaking of the last century. Covering Skal’s 31 movie in 31 days might just be what we need in a year that’s presented one setback after another for most of us.

And yes, you get bonus points if you watch the film and its “you might also like” companion.

Fright Favorites is available in bookstores and online. The hardcover version retails for $23 and you can order yours by CLICKING HERE. Check out the full list of movies covered in depth in the book below and let us know which are your favorites and what you would add!

Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror
The Phantom of the Opera
Dracula
Frankenstein
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
The Mummy
Mystery of the Wax Museum
The Wolf Man
Cat People
Them!
Creature from the Black Lagoon
Invasion of the Body Snatchers
The Curse of Frankenstein
Horror of Dracula
House on Haunted Hill
Black Sunday
The Pit and the Pendulum
The Birds
The Haunting
Night of the Living Dead
Rosemary’s Baby
The Exorcist
Young Frankenstein
Halloween
The Shining
The Thing
A Nightmare on Elm Street
Beetlejuice
Hocus Pocus
Scream
Get Out

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Movies

Trailer for ‘The Exorcism’ Has Russell Crowe Possessed

Published

11 hours ago

April 25, 2024

Timothy Rawles

The latest exorcism movie is about to drop this summer. It’s aptly titled The Exorcism and it stars Academy Award winner turned B-movie savant Russell Crowe. The trailer dropped today and by the looks of it, we are getting a possession movie that takes place on a movie set.

Just like this year’s recent demon-in-media-space film Late Night With the Devil, The Exorcism happens during a production. Although the former takes place on a live network talk show, the latter is on an active sound stage. Hopefully, it won’t be entirely serious and we’ll get some meta chuckles out of it.

The film will open in theaters on June 7, but since Shudder also acquired it, it probably won’t be long after that until it finds a home on the streaming service.

Crowe plays, “Anthony Miller, a troubled actor who begins to unravel while shooting a supernatural horror film. His estranged daughter, Lee (Ryan Simpkins), wonders if he’s slipping back into his past addictions or if there’s something more sinister at play. The film also stars Sam Worthington, Chloe Bailey, Adam Goldberg and David Hyde Pierce.”

Crowe did see some success in last year’s The Pope’s Exorcist mostly because his character was so over-the-top and infused with such comical hubris it bordered on parody. We will see if that is the route actor-turned-director Joshua John Miller takes with The Exorcism.

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News

Win a Stay at The Lizzie Borden House From Spirit Halloween

Published

13 hours ago

April 25, 2024

Timothy Rawles

Spirit Halloween has declared that this week marks the start of spooky season and to celebrate they are offering fans a chance to stay at the Lizzie Borden House with so many perks Lizzie herself would approve.

The Lizzie Borden House in Fall River, MA is claimed to be one of the most haunted houses in America. Of course one lucky winner and up to 12 of their friends will find out if the rumors are true if they win the grand prize: A private stay in the notorious house.

“We are delighted to work with Spirit Halloween to roll out the red carpet and offer the public a chance to win a one-of-a-kind experience at the infamous Lizzie Borden House, which also includes additional haunted experiences and merchandise,” said Lance Zaal, President & Founder of US Ghost Adventures.

Fans can enter to win by following Spirit Halloween‘s Instagram and leaving a comment on the contest post from now through April 28.

The prize also includes:

An exclusive guided house tour, including insider insight around the murder, the trial, and commonly reported hauntings

A late-night ghost tour, complete with professional ghost-hunting gear

A private breakfast in the Borden family dining room

A ghost hunting starter kit with two pieces of Ghost Daddy Ghost Hunting Gear and a lesson for two at US Ghost Adventures Ghost Hunting Course

The ultimate Lizzie Borden gift package, featuring an official hatchet, the Lizzie Borden board game, Lily the Haunted Doll, and America’s Most Haunted Volume II

Winner’s choice of a Ghost Tour experience in Salem or a True Crime experience in Boston for two

“Our Halfway to Halloween celebration provides fans an exhilarating taste of what’s to come this fall and empowers them to start planning for their favorite season as early as they please,” said Steven Silverstein, CEO of Spirit Halloween. “We have cultivated an incredible following of enthusiasts who embody the Halloween lifestyle, and we’re thrilled to bring the fun back to life.”

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Spirit Halloween is also preparing for their retail haunted houses. On Thursday, August 1 their flagship store in Egg Harbor Township, NJ. will officially open to start off the season. That event usually draws in hordes of people eager to see what new merch, animatronics, and exclusive IP goods will be trending this year.

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Movies

’28 Years Later’ Trilogy Taking Shape With Serious Star Power

Published

15 hours ago

April 25, 2024

Timothy Rawles

Danny Boyle is revisiting his 28 Days Later universe with three new films. He will direct the first, 28 Years Later, with two more to follow. Deadline is reporting that sources say Jodie Comer, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, and Ralph Fiennes have been cast for the first entry, a sequel to the original. Details are being kept under wraps so we don’t know how or if the first original sequel 28 Weeks Later fits into the project.

**Jodie Comer, Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Ralph Fiennes**

Boyle will direct the first movie but it’s unclear which role he will take on in the subsequent films. What is known is Candyman (2021) director Nia DaCosta is scheduled to direct the second film in this trilogy and that the third will be filmed immediately afterward. Whether DaCosta will direct both is still unclear.

Alex Garland is writing the scripts. Garland is having a successful time at the box office right now. He wrote and directed the current action/thriller Civil War which was just knocked out of the theatrical top spot by Radio Silence’s Abigail.

There is no word yet on when, or where, 28 Years Later will start production.