Five Great Vampire Movies For Halloween — Or Any Time

Five Great Vampire Movies For Halloween — Or Any Time

Sure, it’s only August, but those Halloween decorations are creeping into stores, not that anyone needs Halloween as an excuse for a good vampire flick. What’s better than a good vampire movie any time of year? Why, five good vampire movies, of course. And by vampire movies, we’re not talking about the kind where they sparkle in sunlight. We’re talking bloodsucking, garlic-hating, and exploding in the daylight, like a vampire should.

The Most Interesting Man in the World

When people think of vampires, they often think of sexy immortal beings, but once again, we are not talking about Robert Pattinson. We’re talking about the legend of the silver screen who preyed on those damsels in distress and made them swoon: the late, great Sir Christopher Lee.

Lee gave up his capes and his coffins long ago, but even after his passing, his legendary portrayal of The Count remains one of the favorite Draculas of all time. Some of the later films were of somewhat uneven quality, that you can’t go wrong with Horror of Dracula, according to ScreenRant.

An Homage to the House of Hammer

Francis Ford Coppola’s take on the vampire film, Bram Stoker’s Dracula, harkens back to the Victorian-style of the old Hammer horror films, which regularly featured Lee and Peter Cushing. Coppola made the great decision to cast Gary Oldman as the legendary bloodsucker, although paired with a somewhat questionable casting of Keanu Reeves, but it still made the cut for one of Movie Pilot’s all-time favorites. Both of them fight over Winona Ryder to win her heart and soul, in classic Gothic melodramatic style.

With lush sets, costuming, and style, Bram Stoker’s Dracula spins the vampire story as a dark, Victorian romance.

Lost and Found Again

The CW has announced plans to develop a TV version of The Lost Boys, the vampire classic with Jami Gertz and loads of eye candy for the ladies. Kiefer Sutherland and Jason Patrick starred in this movie, along with the “two Coreys,” Corey Haim and Corey Feldman. This film makes a lot of favorite lists, including this one by Horror Movies.

Not only does The Lost Boys play up the sex appeal of vampires in a more modern setting, but it gives them a rock ‘n roll edge. With those motorcycles, it plays a bit as Nosferatu meets Sons of Anarchy. Bonus for the always delightful Dianne Wiest as the naïve mother who has no idea her sons are dealing with vampires right under her nose.

All in the Family

Another fresh take on vampire movies comes from The Queen of Scream, which recommends Near Dark. You may not have heard of this one, as it was only a small independent film when it was released back in 1987. This sexy little vampire western was directed by Kathryn Bigelow, of Point Break and The Hurt Locker fame. It features Bill Pullman and Lance Henriksen, who are part of a family of outlaw vampires roaming the country for victims.

At the heart of the story is the romance between a nice vampire girl who falls in love with a nice farm boy. Suffice it to say, the vampire family is less than enthused with her choice, and not so patient with that farm boy’s unwillingness to adapt to their ways.

Stick with the Original

One of the many horror classic remakes of recent years was a modern take on Fright Night, which originally starred Chris Sarandon as a suave and sexy vampire who somehow falls for the annoying and dorky girlfriend of the kid next door. I don’t care who she looks like from the past, that’s really pushing one’s ability to suspend disbelief. But Den of Geek recognizes Fright Night as a horror classic that should make about any vampire flick list.

This Halloween camp classic casts Roddy McDowell as the fading late-night horror movie host recruited by a vampire-hunting teen, and Chris Sarandon as some serious eye candy with a little too much bite. The hallmark of a great vampire performance is when you root for the vampire to win. It’s fair to say that most ladies watching Fright Night will be solidly #TeamSarandon.

This is far from an all-inclusive list but will make a great vampire movie marathon for your Halloween party or any time you want a great scary night of vampire films.

Get In The Holiday Spirit With These Five Halloween-Themed Movies

Get In The Holiday Spirit With These Five Halloween-Themed Movies

If you’re planning your Halloween party or just a night at home with your own horror marathon, here’s a perfect list to draw from to create your perfect Halloween movie night. Or if you just want to get in the spirit while you’re putting up your Halloween decorations, these movies will set the mood.

The Obvious

At the top of any list of Halloween-themed movies it’s no surprise to find the original Halloween movie by John Carpenter. Originally called The Babysitter Murders, this small film made both its director and Jamie Lee Curtis stars. While Rob Zombie put his own spin on this horror classic a few years ago, you have to go with the original on this one.

As an interesting side note, trivia buffs may not know that the mask for Michael Myers was a modified mask of William Shatner, from Star Trek. Another tidbit of trivia for this film is the soundtrack was written by Carpenter himself. Was it born out of talent, or a really low budget? Who cares, because the soundtrack really adds to the suspense and tension.

Halloween has become so iconic it was even featured in the film Scream, with characters from that movie gathered at a party watching Jamie Lee fighting off one of the greatest screen villains of all time.

Zombie A Go-Go

Speaking of Rob Zombie, the metal musician turned horror director paid tribute to a lot of classic horror films and his favorite holiday with his first full-length release, House of 1000 Corpses. Some poor kids break down in the wrong place at the wrong time and find themselves the guests of honor at the Halloween celebration of a homicidal family. And this is a case where being a guest of honor is definitely not an honor or a good thing.

Some horror fans hated the film and accused it of being derivative. It’s a fine line between being derivative and paying homage to the horror films of your youth, but when you cast cult actress Karen Black in a film, it’s fair to give the benefit of the doubt and side with homage.

Go with the Source Material

While most horror remakes pale in comparison to the original, Night of the Demons may have one of the worst remakes in history. You definitely want to go with the 1988 original film where a group of not-so-bright high school kids decide to have a Halloween party in a mortuary. Then they double down by holding a séance that calls up a demon who begins to possess the partygoers and slaughter everyone else.

A New Halloween Classic

While one should always include John Carpenter’s Halloween in any Halloween movie list, a more recent film has become a holiday favorite among horror fans. Trick ‘R Treat is a horror anthology that intertwines Halloween night stories and overlaps characters, serving up the perfect blend of horror and humor. The film also introduced the world to a brand-new villain, Sam (as in Samhain.)

Due to studio battles, the film almost didn’t see the light of day, which would have been a terrible shame as this has become a real favorite among horror fans. Trick ‘R Treat mixes in some real Halloween mythology into the stories and creates a Halloween street party that someone needs to re-create in real life. Werewolves, witches, zombies, and serial killers — Trick ‘R Treat has at all.

More Halloween Tales

Tales of Halloween wants to be the new Trick ‘R Treat, with an anthology of 10 different Halloween stories. While it fails to rise to its predecessor, there’s no shame in that. It’s a fun anthology of short stories that never lingers long enough on one tale to bore its viewers.

With a huge cast and some of horror’s hottest directors, you know you’re going to rock things old school when a film is introduced by Adrienne Barbeau. Most people know her from the TV series Maude and her rather sexy role in the cult classic Swamp Thing, but Barbeau was once married to John Carpenter, hence her appearance in many horror films of the time.

Five Must-See Werewolf Movies For Halloween Or The Next Full Moon

Five Must-See Werewolf Movies For Halloween Or The Next Full Moon

Werewolf movies can be some of the hardest to produce, with the need for elaborate special effects makeup or costuming to create realistic transformations. But when they’re done right, werewolf movies are some of the scariest movies you’ll ever see. Here is a great playlist of five must-see werewolf movies, plus a couple of more obscure suggestions you may not have heard about that you should check out if you get a chance. These are great for Halloween, or any full moon when you want to embrace your inner beast and howl at the moon.

Roaming the English Moors

An American Werewolf in London has become a cult classic and remains one of the most critically acclaimed werewolf movies ever. You won’t find any CGI here, and this old-fashioned transformation scene is still putting a lot of CGI to shame. It may be known for its humor, but this John Landis werewolf movie also has a couple of very scary and disturbing dream sequences.

E.T.’s Mom Gets Primal

The Howling stands up to the test of time, with Dee Wallace (E.T.) trying to recover from a near-fatal arrow werewolf attack at a remote retreat in the country. Even though some of the effects in this werewolf classic are a bit crude, there is one classic animatronic transformation scene and some great ironic humor. That ironic humor delivers one of the most chilling aspects of the film, as smiley face stickers are used to mark places that don’t inspire smiles. Check out the actress who plays the very feral Marsha, Elisabeth Brooks, who could pass for the Angelina Jolie of the day.

Werewolves + Stephen King = Awesome

Horror fans have been going nuts over the Netflix original Stranger Things, a retro-style home eyes to classic Stephen King films. And one of those Stephen King classics is the werewolf movie Silver Bullet, starring Gary Busey before he went kind of crazy, and the late Corey Haim. Great campy fun and always some scares when the material is sourced from the mad genius of Stephen King. If you haven’t seen it before, you may be surprised at who is the big, bad wolf.

Werewolves + Puberty = Not So Awesome

Werewolves are terrifying enough in their own right, but when you combine them with the horrors of coming of age, especially for girls, you’re really onto something. One of the most original and inspired werewolf movies in recent years was the not-so-sweet coming-of-age story, Ginger Snaps. Suffice it to say that the smell of first blood draws a werewolf attack on one of the most emo pairs of suicidal sisters ever, with cheeky and scary results that follow. This movie brings all new meaning to having “The Curse,” and anyone who’s ever felt like the outcast will empathize with these two sisters in their suburban nightmare.

When Remakes Work

The Wolf Man (2010) retells the tale of the 1941 classic, with Sir Anthony Hopkins and Benicio del Toro doing justice to the role of Lawrence Talbot, the tortured soul transformed into a beast by the light of the full moon. Lush sets and costuming enhance some nice CGI work, transforming the original into a modern gothic classic.

Off The Beaten Path

There are a few other werewolf movies worth looking up, even though they are a bit more obscure. Dog Soldiers is a low-budget thriller with some good scares, as well as Full Eclipse, with Mario Van Peebles. And for more of a dark version of the Little Red Riding Hood fairy tale, try The Company of Wolves. It’s more surreal than scary, but has one of the best werewolves ever, seducing his own Little Red Riding Hood.

Halloween may fall around the dark moon this year, but you can still enjoy some full moon scares with these classic werewolf horror films.

Retro Cinema: ‘Hellraiser’

Retro Cinema: ‘Hellraiser’

It’s no coincidence that this week’s Retro Cinema choice is “Hellraiser.” Because in case you haven’t heard, the remake has been given a green light. Now, I know you hard-core horror fans like me are out there saying “Oh, God no, not another remake!” But fasten your seatbelts kids, because for once this is good news: Clive Barker is gonna direct and Doug Bradley is coming back as Pinhead.

Now that’s how you do a freakin’ remake.

When Barker first directed “Hellraiser,” he had a very limited budget and in fact, he confesses in the DVD commentary that he basically got the resurrection scene special effects done for much less than what it should’ve cost (only $25,000) because the studio liked what they saw of the film and threw a few more dollars their way. That scene wasn’t even in the original script due to not having a budget for it.

I think it’s fair to say that this time around, Barker won’t face those kinds of problems. Nor have to resort to the cheesy painted in special effects he did himself — those being my main criticism of the original as well as the pretty dreadful acting of Ashley Laurence (sorry, but it’s true.) Sure, there are a few things that went wrong, but a whole lotta things went right.

While I’m sure most people reading this have seen the film, I don’t want to give away too much just in case, but let’s just say after “Hellraiser,” people really didn’t look at hooks and chains quite the same way again. Nor their prim and proper British wives.

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Retro Cinema: ‘The House That Dripped Blood’

Retro Cinema: ‘The House That Dripped Blood’

When people think of Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee, they think of legendary film studio Hammer. But there was another British film studio that liked to pair the two in horror movies, Amicus films, who put out some great horror anthologies. Not only did we have the House of Hammer, but the House of Amicus, and like it’s better known rival, Amicus was a house that dripped plenty of blood.

One of the best anthologies produced by Amicus was “The House That Dripped Blood.” This four-part anthology featured Cushing and Lee, although they performed in separate segments. It also featured legendary Hammer vixen Ingrid Pitt, vamping it up in her typical fashion. Basically, that woman just played herself in each of her roles, with “herself” being utterly fabulous with her long cigarette holders and plenty of cleavage.

The first of the four segments features a writer and his wife who move into the old house that serves as a backdrop connecting the four stories. He wants to finish his novel about a vicious murderer. Problem is, it seems his murderer is coming to life and stalking him and his wife. Sounds very Stephen King, doesn’t it? Well, this was before Stephen King made it big, as the film was produced in 1970. Although one has to wonder if this didn’t inspire “The Dark Half” just a little bit. For the record it was Robert Bloch who wrote these stories.

Anyway, writers in particular will get a kick out of the whole writing process and the way writers tend to try to make their characters so real — Sometimes a little too real. The Dominic character is very sinister on the page and as a flesh and blood stalker. And oh, that creepy laugh.

Is he real or is he just a figment of the writer’s imagination? Watch it and find out the twist at the end.

Then we move into the second segment, with Cushing looking mighty sharp in a red smoking jacket… so elegant and refined. As he listens to his classical music and goes through his theater programs, he comes upon a photo of a beautiful woman and walks into town looking quite lovelorn. He happens upon a “Museum of Horror” and decides to check it out.

As he wanders around the museum, which is basically a waxworks, he comes upon a rather interesting display of Salome with the head of John the Baptist on a platter. And this Salome seems to have a mesmerizing effect on Cushing… Her eyes remind him of the woman in the photo he was looking at earlier.

“She is beautiful isn’t she? My Salome…” says the proprietor out of the blue. Where did that guy come from? “Perhaps she reminds you of someone? You see, she has a strange effect on people. They seem to see in her all sorts of things.”

As it turns out, not only does she remind Cushing of his long-lost love, but she’s modeled after the proprietor’s deceased wife, who he says was a murderess who was executed for her crime. So he created the tribute to her to preserve her beauty for all time.

Suffice it to say that dead or not, he doesn’t take too kindly to other men ogling his deceased wife. First, he takes out his jealous rage on a friend of Cushing’s who stops in after a visit, then on Cushing himself when he finds he can’t stay away.

That’s quite a woman, wax or not.

The third segment features Lee, as a rather uptight widower and father of a young girl. Seems his little girl has an unnatural fear of fire, and Lee has a rather unnatural fear of just what powers this little girl might possess. Seems Mama dabbled in some of the dark arts, so Lee doesn’t like to have any dolls around the house. Unfortunately, the young woman he hires to tutor the little girl doesn’t really quite understand the complexities of the situation, and when he destroys the doll given to his daughter as a gift, she doesn’t just get mad, she gets even with Daddy.

This old house has a whole lot of old books, and some of those books have some witchy spells in them. Mix that with some candles melted down to make a brand-new doll, and I think you see where this is going. It doesn’t end well.

The final story of the anthology is where Pitt finally gets to shine. An actor moves into the house and his current role is playing a vampire in a horror film. He hates the cheesy sets and the bad, fake looking costumes, so he takes upon himself to find his own vampire cloak. He goes to a vintage clothing an antique store and finds a something much more real. Little does he know how real it is.

But when he puts on the cloak on set, funny things happen. Funny, as in him sprouting fangs and trying to bite his costars. But no one seems to believe him when he tries to tell them the cloak has magical powers to turn him into a vampire, least of all Pitt. When he sets out to prove to her that the cloak is real, let’s just say he’s in for quite a surprise.

All four stories of this anthology featured great actors, great stories and some really creepy moments. You can’t go wrong with Lee and Cushing, even outside the Hammer franchise. If you haven’t heard of Amicus before, I strongly suggest you not only check out this movie, but some of their other titles as well: Another big favorite of mine is their feature film “The Skull,” featuring Cushing. You may have a great Hammer collection, but your horror collection is far from complete without some Amicus, as well.

 

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‘Near Dark’ brilliantly mixes westerns and vampires

‘Near Dark’ brilliantly mixes westerns and vampires

Near Dark just may be one of my favorite vampire films ever. This little horror sleeper features Lance Henriksen, which gets you off to a pretty good start right there. Throw in Bill Paxton, the criminally-underrated Jenette Goldstein, a Tangerine Dream soundtrack, a forbidden romance, cowboy vampires and have Kathryn Bigelow direct it all and you have the recipe for greatness.

In addition to adding the unconventional twist of combining the Western with a vampire film, Bigelow expertly handled how to do a vampire romance right. You have elements of forbidden love, a family that doesn’t like the boy you brought home, but it doesn’t fall into tweenie, puppy love drivel. It’s sort of a westernized, modern-day Romeo and Juliet. Or something like that.

All I know is that this movie is the shit.

near dark vampire western

Bigelow directed Near Dark long before her Oscar-winning days and even before her cult classic Point Break. I believe this wasn’t long after she divorced mega-successful director James Cameron, and she “borrowed” some of the actors he’s used in his films, including Goldstein with a small part in Titanic as well as Bill Paxton. She also throws James LeGros a small part in this film, who would go on to play one of the bank robbers in Point Break.

This film has a real dark, moody, gritty feel to it and the romance between Caleb (Adrian Pasdar) and Mae (Jenny Wright) feels real. Mae makes you want Caleb to run off with her forever, foregoing his human life for the eternal thrill of running with the night. It’s hard to capture in words in a review, but when Mae tells Caleb to listen to the night, you feel that lure of the inhuman freedom that’s being offered to him.

near dark vampire movie

Henriksen and the rebel family he’s created are true sociopathic desperados, especially Paxton’s character with his jugular splitting spurs and sick humor. It’s all just perfectly woven together, and proves you don’t need a big budget or special effects to make an amazing movie.

This is simply a must-see film not only for horror fans, that anyone with a remote interest in the genre.

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