Halloween Movies (part 2): Must-See Classics

October 12, 2018April 2, 2022 Alina H. Hansen Writer & Poet

Here are six classic horror films that are must-sees in my opinion. I always pick out one or two of these and rewatch them during the month of October. This year I will probably do The Wolf Man and The Mummy.

Category: Sci-fi

Frankenstein (1931)

It’s hard not to have compassion for the Frankenstein monster. Boris Karloff does an amazing job working with his platform shoes and makeup. A scene that will always stick out for me is when he throws the little girl in the water. Heart-wrenching yet still terrifying, there will always be a special spot for Frankenstein for years to come.

Category: Vampires

Dracula (1931)

The vampire movie that started it all, well the most popular early vampire movie that influenced a lot of stuff later. This classic Tod Browning film cemented the sexy vampire in horror films. Bela Lugosi with his mysterious eyes and foreign accent drew the audience in and never let them go. Still today we feel the wrath of the ‘sexy’ vampires in cinema. It has become so customary that vampires are regarded as sexually alluring in movies that it’s hard to find any truly terrifying (and not ‘woe is me’) vampires. Regardless of the legacy, nothing compares to the creepy castle Dracula and of course Dracula’s assistant Renfield.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L7C7pX17aDs

Category: Supernatural/Curses

The Mummy (1932)

I love The Mummy, what a truly strange and scary movie. There is something alluring and yet disturbing about this story. To see a Mummy come to life, to know that curses have real power. The Mummy can be wrapped up with westerners fascination with Ancient Egypt and the mysterious Curse of King Tut’s Tomb 1923.

Category: Werewolves

The Wolf Man (1941)

One of my all-time favorite stories is The Wolf Man. I adore all things werewolf, they are one of my favorite creepy creatures. I really enjoy watching The Wolf Man and The Wolfman (2010) close to each other so I can analyze their similarities. It strikes me how each movie tells the story in their own way and of course in the style of their time. All in all, definitely prefer the complicated character of the werewolf to Dracula any day.

Compare to The Wolfman (2010)

Category: Creatures

Creature from the Black Lagoon (1954)

Oh yes, I bet some of the people who saw The Shape of Water (2017) last year decided to watch the 1954 Creature from the Black Lagoon. This creature is a whole lot of weird and I think has been unfairly neglected until last year. This water creature, mannish looking and frightening, pops up here and there (Hellboy’s Abe) but has never truly gotten a good amount of spotlight until now. What I do love about Creature from the Black Lagoon is that he is not afraid of coming aboard.

Category: Sci-fi/Aliens

The Blob (1958)

I probably watch this movie about three or five times a year. I love this one because I think it is truly frightening, plus the Steve McQueen/Car stuff is pretty cool. What’s creepy about the blob is how it looks, not a monster with fangs, fur or glowing eyes but a mass of goo that will swallow you whole. The Blob’s blobbiness makes it an unsettling fright that is both entertaining and disturbing.

Thanks for reading, please feel free to leave comments/suggestions below!

Coming up next: Review of Haunted Nights (A Horror Writers Association Anthology)

A Review that Bites: “Dark Shadows” TV Series(1966-1971)

April 21, 2018April 2, 2022 Alina H. Hansen Writer & Poet2 Comments

For the last couple of months I have been completely obsessed with the classic TV series “Dark Shadows” that originally ran from 1966 to 1971. I was skeptical of “Dark Shadows” at first since I was one of those people that went and saw Tim Burton’s revamped movie that came out in 2012. I remember having my hopes up pretty high that I might like this Burton movie but by the end of the film I was completely let down, rolling my eyes at the over-the-top silliness that I was witnessing. Now I have begun to think that the silliness may have been on purpose.

I decided to start watching the TV series after getting tired of re-watching my favorite shows on Netflix. What a ride! This show is a horror fueled soap opera that has too many plot lines to sum up in one sentence. So far I am on season four which involves some time travel (hahaha) but I plan on finishing the series in the next few weeks.

Main Story Line

In the town of Collinsport, the Collins family is the oldest and probably the wealthiest with a family history that is unsettling and mysterious. The series starts when Barnabas Collins (a family member who was turned into a vampire at the turn of the 19th century) is released from his imprisonment (chained up coffin) with the help of Willie (a criminal of sorts with loose ties to the current Collins family). The first few episodes establish the Collins family, the current family members and characters that are key to the main story line.

Note: An interesting parallel that I noticed in the first season is the “Dracula-esque” vampire elements. Barnabas’s attire, history, and mannerisms all reflect the classic vampire icon Dracula played by Bela Lugosi in 1931. Just goes to show that the vampire’s traditional qualities were really cemented into popular culture.

Image result for bela lugosi dracula — Bela Lugosi as Dracula

Each episode is about 30 minutes long with anywhere from 3-5 minutes of introduction with the standard opening credits including an update from the latest episode. In these short episodes the mysteries of the Collins family and the evil-doings of Barnabas are slowly unraveled.

Acting and Overreacting: The Humor of the Scary Soap Opera Drama

The acting is usually over the top, and the camera work is not the greatest. I often noticed that the camera will jolt left or right suddenly when trying to follow characters moving around the room, or will even go out of focus sometimes. These aspects add to the series cheesy and campy feel, and while at first this drove me nuts now it keeps me laughing and on the lookout to notice these consistent mess ups.

WIKIPEDIA INFO ON DARK SHADOWS SERIES : SEASON BREAKDOWNS AND RECEPTION

Image result for why the camera work sucks in the original Dark shadows series — Character: Angelique Photo Source: pinterest.com

Conclusion: I’m Not Done Yet

Since I am not done with the series yet and I have become aware there are actually a few feature-length films that were released as well I might take my time deciding on a definitive rating. If anything I would say my rating will only be based on the plot structure and coherence of the main story.

If there are any fans of campy horrors films I would definitely recommend this series.

And if you are familiar with this show and you want to start up a convo or want me to talk about some aspect in particular to “Dark Shadows” leave your comments below!

Liked this post? Try these:

Sabrina & Hill House: Perfect for a Spooky Netflix and Chill

A Vampire Mockumentary: “What We Do in the Shadows” (2014)

Halloween Movies (part 1): My Favorite Yearly Re-Watches

Currently Reading: Postmodernism, 1920s, and Fiction

February 23, 2018April 2, 2022 Alina H. Hansen Writer & Poet2 Comments

This semester is pretty crazy for me as I am sure some of you have noticed I have not been posting as much because I have no time! My last semester is jam-packed and I’ve been reading a book a week alongside 200 pages of required reading for classes and writing up articles for my job at The Chrony.

Just to keep in touch,

Here is my current reading list (NOT including required reading for class)

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