Each of the TCM Movie Morlocks bloggers have chosen to write about a different film produced by the little studio in Britain that made so many memorable horror flicks from the late '50s through the 70s. My own entry will be appearing on Wednesday, Oct. 6th. Throughout the month of October, the network will also be showing twenty movies in this ghoulish vein every Friday night. You can read more about the scheduled films here.
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| An antique mirror shows a mysterious room rather than a reflection of the real world in one of the stories in Dead of Night (1945). |
To get all of us (even scaredy cats like me) ready for Halloween, TCM will devote Oct. 28th to an evening of Atmospheric Thrillers, including the not to be missed classic, Dead of Night (1945). Superbly directed by Alberto Cavalcanti, this film gives an English twist to five stories of the uncanny, all prompted by a guest (Mervyn Johns) who knows everything that is going to happen at a country house party because he has dreamt about all of it repeatedly. You can see more about all the films scheduled for that night here.
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| The cast of The Haunting (1963): Claire Bloom, Russ Tamblyn, Julie Harris and Richard Johnson. |
Finally, on Halloween night, Oct. 31st, you might want to turn out the lights and cozy up with an evening of Haunted Houses on TCM. Three films in this genre will be shown, House on Haunted Hill (1958), The Haunting (1963) and Poltergeist (1982). If you have never seen Robert Wise's highly imaginative and well acted adaptation of Shirley Jackson's novel, The Haunting of Hill House--or if have unfortunately only seen the leaden 1999 remake, do yourself a favor, and watch this black and white beauty. Director Wise was an astute co-worker of Val Lewton. The film's suggestive use of light, shadow, sound and a great cast, led by Julie Harris, presents a story of the supernatural without the need for explicit gore .
