Monsterfest on AMC October 22 - 31st 2007

Each October, AMC (American Movie Classics) hosts Monsterfest, airing some of the greatest horror films that have shown throughout the years. This year Monsterfest will run from October 22 to October 31st so mark your calendars and get the popcorn ready.

Last night while flipping through channels I ran across an old Dracula movie with Bella Lugosi and of course the channel surfing immediately came to a standstill. I love the old monster movies on AMC this time of year and find myself glued to the television for hours. There has always been something about Bella Lugosi as Dracula that has captivated my attention. I think he played the ultimate Dracula and haven't found another actor who has done it so well. Perhaps it's because the movies are in black and white, and were shown at a time when the paranormal wasn't a mainstream event on television. The movies aren't high in technology and at times have some cheesy music and props, but I cannot drag myself away.

Shower Anyone?

AMC wouldn't normally be my choice for movies, but I know from past experience that each October they play the best of the best horror movies non-stop for half of October. Everything from Psycho made in 1960, to The Exorcist, and more recent movies like Gothika. I had heard of Hitchcocks's Psycho many times over the years but had never watched it until last year during AMC'S Monsterfest. For those of you who were like me and haven't seen it, tune in to AMC on October 21st for your chance to finally brave the shower scene and see this movie. No, it didn't scare the pants off of me, but the storyline is awesome and Anthony Perkins did a great job of playing the part of a psycho who seems to be harassed by his cranky old mother who never shows her face or comes out of the creepy old mansion near the hotel. Made in 1960 and done in black and white, Psycho is a psychological thriller that doesn't have gory or bloody scenes, but uses mind games and the 'what-ifs' to captivate the audience.

The Night He Came Home

The night he came home.....Michael Meyers, that is. Made in 1978, John Carpenter's Halloween was one of the greatest, and still is. It's the story of Michael Meyers, a boy who is institutionalized after slashing his sister at the age of six. On Halloween of 1978, Michael escapes and starts following a teenager, played by Jamie Lee Curtis. What follows is..well, you probably know the rest, but if you don't you can watch the original Halloween starting October 25th on AMC. Once you see the first Halloween you can view the sequels too. There are quite a few, so this will keep you pretty busy. FYI, there is also the latest release of Halloweenwhich came out just a few weeks ago in movie theaters. Directed by Rob Zombie, the latest Halloween movie digs deep into what turns a child into a serial killer.

The Exorcist

Halloween just wouldn't be complete without watching The Exorcist. Based on a novel by William Peter Blatty, The Exorcist was a best-seller that was based upon the last known Catholic-sanctioned exorcism in the United States. The exorcism was done on a boy, but in the movie the one being exorcised is a girl, played by Linda Blair. When this movie came out in 1973, it was so disturbing to many movie-goers that some of them fled the movie theaters, gasping, crying, even fainting during the movie. For many Catholics this movie touched something deep and was difficult to watch, if not impossible. Because of the possibility of someone actually being possessed by a demon seemed real after this movie came out, this is one of the greatest horror movies ever made, if not the greatest.
This is another movie that I had never watched, simply because I thought I would be too scared. I had heard all the stories from other people, saw clips of it on various television programs and I didn't want to have nightmares for years to come. Since I run a paranormal group now, last year I thought it was time to finally bite the bullet and see the movie. I actually did things backwards, watching the second movie first (Exorcist II: The Heretic-1977). The second movie flashes back to the beginning of how everything began. I survived both movies, with no nightmares and liked them both equally.

So if horror is your thing, don't forget to tune into AMC this month and catch up on all the great horror flicks that you have seen, and some you may not have seen. I love the fact that I can turn on AMC and find something Halloween-ish on at virtually any time of day!