Whatever Happened to The Season of Horror?

This post is part of a new series I'm calling Stale Crumbs, a collection of posts I've written months or years ago that have never been published. Hopefully, they won't be as unpalatable as actual stale crumbs. Of course, it's entirely possible the Stale Crumbs series may end up going nowhere, that my posts on The Dunwich Horror, Psych-Out, and Mystery of the Wax Museum, among others, may continue to lurk in draft form. I always have the best intentions to get back into blogging and then something suddenly comes up. 

The following post was written back in January 2023.

My absence from blogging during this year's Season of Horror may have led my dwindling readership to ponder whether the Aging Broad may have made it to the final curtain. Good news, everyone! I'm still here. Despite not finding time to write, the Season of Horror came. Somehow or other, it came just the same. Here are a few highlights from this year's viewing:

I started off by diving into an exploration of the many movies based on the Mexican folktale of La Llorona. 

The Curse of La Llorona (2019)

I saw The Conjuring and this felt like more of the same with La Llorona as the featured malevolent spirit. It had some scary elements that ended up being less effective since I'd seen them before. Meh. 

 

The Legend of La Llorona (2022)

This movie didn't make much sense, was poorly written and, for the most part, terribly acted. I should have listened to other reviewers who said the same thing. There were a few parts that made me laugh, though that was not the intention, and my misplaced amusement did not make up for the WTF feeling I had through the rest of the film. 

"Vaya con dios, Maria."

 

La Llorona (2019)

This retelling does not adhere strictly to the traditional legend and focuses more on the Mal hombre who wronged La Llorona. Interesting and well done. Unsettling more than scary. It is the best of all versions I watched. 

La Llorona (1933)

This version seemed more of a mystery than horror. It covers two of the folklore origins which makes for a long digression, but also gives it a greater sense of authenticity. I enjoy it mostly for the period in which it was made, which makes it my favorite version of the tale thus far.

La Llorona (1960)

I enjoyed this retelling, though it was rather frustrating that La Llorona was reluctant to carry out her curse in the end. She may have had the best wail of all the Lloronas. "Ay! Mis hijooooooos!"

Next, I revisited some movies featured in the '80s Horror Collection on the Criterion Channel. 

Near Dark (1987) 

I've seen a lot of vampire movies. For the time, this was a novel take and is still enjoyable to watch. 

 

Christine (1983)

I have not seen this since the '80s. As with many movies based on King novels, the book is better. Quite a bit is lost in the screen adaptation. 

After that, I got sidetracked by Noirvember before returning to some classic horror. 

Godzilla: King of the Monsters (1956)

I watched this on Thanksgiving. It's a great movie that the whole family can enjoy, especially Raymond Burr fans. I do enjoy him, but the constant voiceover does detract. 

 

Gojira (1954)

Of course, I had to follow up with the original Godzilla, which is much more enjoyable without the incessant narration. It's interesting to revisit this well known movie monster from childhood and wonder how it became such a beloved monster. Son of Godzilla may have been a factor.

 

The Devil Bat (1940)

Now this was a real humdinger! Bela Lugosi engineers a giant bat that kills anyone wearing a special aftershave he formulated in order to exact revenge on his greedy employers who have enriched themselves from his work while he remains a poor mad scientist. This bat has a wail that could rival La Llorona. It's an absolutely ludicrous movie that entertains nonetheless. 

Somehow I missed out on my usual 70s horror fare this season. That will have to be remedied during the next Season of Horror. 

New Year, New Movie: La maldición de la Llorona (1963)

Saturday nights were made for horror, and The Curse of the Crying Woman is just the sort of movie to watch on a foggy winter night. 

"You're entering the Kingdom of the Supernatural...the origin of Evil!"

Movies Every Day 5: The Black Pit of Dr. M / Misterios de ultratumba (1959)

"Since time immemorial, mankind has been concerned with a question.  The answer to that question is not yet known. What lies beyond death?"

Why I'm Watching

• It's a good day to enjoy some classic Mexican horror.

The Gist

Dr. Masali badgers Dr. Jacinto Aldama, as he's dying in bed, to remember they promised each other that whoever died first would find a way to help the other visit the afterlife without dying. Dr. Aldama keeps his promise, and Masali agrees to suffer a horrible fate as payment for the knowledge of what lies beyond death.

Things I Like

• The creepy organ music and the way it cuts off suddenly with the sound of a doorbell or appearance of a character.
• Beautifully filmed.
• The shadowy, moody atmosphere.
• Elmer's acid ravaged face reveal.
• The fantastic, wonderfully lit gallows scene.
• Aldama's unexpected, ludicrous, convoluted plan from beyond the grave to keep his promise to Masali.
• Crazy people waving crazy arms through their barred doors at the asylum. 

Things I Don't Like

• The romantic melody that plays whenever Dr. Jiménez and Patricia are together.
• The way the doctor is convicted on pretty lame evidence, as well as Elmer's hasty burial, to serve the plot. 
• Patricia and Dr. Jiménez saying they've dreamed about each other though it's not clear why.

Interesting Moments

• The nightclub where Dr. Jiménez first sees Patricia performing something like a ballet dance with long, flowing fabrics has a dreamlike quality, which is appropriate, since the good doctor claimed he'd been having dreams about her.
• Dr. Masali convinces Patricia to stay at his home after she was sent by the apparition of her dead father, yet somehow she acquires a lovely new dress to wear the following day when Dr. Masali accompanies her to visit her father's grave. Even stranger is the way the graves are oddly situated on the hill, looking as though they could easily topple. 
• Elmer clawing his way out of his fresh grave. Good thing he made it known he didn't want to be buried in a coffin. 

Notable Quotes

Dr. González: So what is there beyond death, Dr. Masali?
Dr. Masali: I still can not control this brain. The ideas are very slow, it is sluggish in the thinking process. That is what happened with the body. In the beginnning the movements were rigid, now I have more freedom of motion. But I know it, Doctor, I know it, my spirit knows it. It would be imposible to explain what I am telling you. The brain can not interpret it with words yet, but it will. The truth is in me. I know it. Little by little it will become more clear and I will finally transmit it.

Dr. Masali (to Patricia): Do not pay attention to my face. True beauty is in the soul.

Narrator: What is there, then, beyond death? Saint Luke warns in his Gospels that there is nothing covered that should not be uncovered nor anything hidden that should not be known. Why, then, tear up the mystical enigma, if you, me and everyone, sooner or later, will inexorably know it?

Memorable Moments

Love It or Leave It

Love it!!! It was a plot worthy of the Twilight Zone, with a warning not to seek the answer to life after death prematurely since you'll find out soon enough. Despite some of the plot weaknesses, Dr. Masili's payment for knowledge of the afterlife was pretty awesome. This will be a fun film to watch again during the Halloween season.