Season of Horror: Halloween Safety (1977)

Happy Halloween! I rewatched Carnival of Souls this evening, and afterwards came across director Herk Harvey's short educational film, Halloween Safety, which recalled nostalgic memories of Halloween in the 1970s that I thought some of you may also enjoy.  

The narrator introduces the topic while menacing music plays: 

There's one magical, haunted evening each year when all the scary creatures come out to prowl through every neighborhood. But here's the scariest monster of all. Do you know why? This little witch doesn't know it, but she's taking some frightening chances of being hurt. Maybe badly hurt.

What follows is a traumatizing look at how this little witch is transformed into a lame Princess with a costume bedecked with reflective tape, while wearing a witch's hat turned white. Her cool plastic mask is at first mutilated and then discarded. Was this really about Halloween safety or a message to girls about the importance of becoming more appealing? I guess it depends on your perspective. Either way, truly frightening stuff. Watch for yourself, if you dare.

I've had a post lingering in draft for this year's Season of Horror, which I will hopefully get around to posting before next year. Suffice to say, I've been having difficulty getting things done lately. I have recently discovered Letterboxd, and have been logging brief thoughts on movies I've been watching. Maybe that explains in part why I'm not getting things done. If you'd like to follow along, here's my profile page: https://letterboxd.com/aging_broad/

Happy Silent Movie Day!

It's that time of year again to celebrate Silent Movies. Learn more about this celebration at the Silent Movie Day website. 

You can find an interesting collection of silent films available for viewing at the National Film Preservation Foundation. Choose to sort by year to find them easily. Enjoy oddball shorts like Torture DeLuxe, a somewhat salacious showcase of "What Broadway's beauties will do to stay that way," and Dog Factory, a disturbing sketch where dogs are turned into sausages. The NFPF is a great place to learn and explore history. 

Other places to find silent movies:

Internet Archive - There are a vast number of silent films to explore at the Internet Archive. 

The Criterion Channel - Of course, there are many quality films to choose from at CC, though you will need to be a subscriber to access them. Find comedy, horror, mystery, drama, romance and historical movies from some of the greatest directors and actors of the silent era. 

Lon Chaney films you can find free on Amazon Prime (if you're a Prime member): The Unholy Three, The Monster

Also free on Amazon Prime is an Alfred Hitchcock film I have not seen, The Pleasure Garden. I'll be checking that out today.

Check out some of the silent movies I have posted about in the past, as well my post on Silent Movie Day 2021. Enjoy the Silents!

The Season of Horror Lives: Genocide (1968)

Way back when, during the inaugural Season of Horror, I purchased the Criterion Eclipse Series 37 set, When Horror Came to Shochiku, to broaden my horror horizons. Eight years later, I'm finally getting around to digging in to the set with today's featured film, Genocide. It seemed an appropriate time to explore some good old fashioned ecological horror, and this one is a doozy. It is currently streaming on the Criterion Channel. 

"The Earth doesn't belong to human beings alone. We don't care if mankind destroys itself with nuclear weapons, but we refuse to let you take us with you. Destroy the human race! Genocide. Exterminate all humans!"