LUCID FORGE

October can only mean one thing: Canadian Thanksgiving. But if it can mean two things, it’s the 2008 Federal election. Alright, but if it can mean three things, it’s Halloween. And with 31 days to get you in the mood, I offer my Movie-A-Day calendar for this, the tenth month of the year.


October can only mean one thing: Canadian Thanksgiving. But if it can mean two things, it’s the 2008 Federal election. Alright, but if it can mean three things, it’s Halloween. And with 31 days to get you in the mood, I offer my Movie-A-Day calendar for this, the tenth month of the year.

October 1st – Ghostbusters I recommend starting off slow with a bit of comedy in your scares. But is Ghostbusters necessarily scary? No, not really. But it’s a darn good movie, funny and it still looks good, effects-wise, after nearly a quarter of a century. We’re still waiting for the new game though. October 2nd – Night of the Living Dead (1968) George A. Romero’s first and, in my opinion, his best zombie picture catches because the graveyard opening quickly segues to a gathering horde of flesh eaters and a night filled with bouts of cabin fever before culminating in a disheartening conclusion.

October 3rd – Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974)
The reason the original still stands head and shoulders above the 2003 remake is because of one word: style. The remake has too much and the original has none. The documentary feel gives TCM its gritty tone and hardcore edge.

October 4th – Sleepy Hollow Tim Burton revisited one of the most well-known tales of American folklore by glamming it up in bloody style in the mould of England’s Hammer Studios. Over the top gore with a Merchant-Ivory spin makes this Headless Horseman tale a cutthroat success. October 5th – Shaun of the Dead Simon Pegg and Edgar Wright’s big screen breakthrough is so much more than a spoof. It’s got heart, it’s got brains, and it’s got a funny bone, everything a growing zombie-lover needs to feed on.

October 6th – Dracula (1931)
It’s not the first Dracula, but it’s perhaps the most fondly remembered and often cited, with Bela Lugosi as the ultimate version of the Transylvanian Count, setting the standard for Dracula for the following 77 years.

October 7th – Dracula (1958) For my money, the second best Dracula is Christopher Lee in Hammer Studios series of increasing ludicrous vampire tales. Adding to the awesomeness of this film, and its follow-ups, is Peter Cushing as Van Helsing. October 8th – The House on Haunted Hill (1958) Fitting right in amongst filmdom’s haunted house oeuvre, and pre-dating do-anything-for-a-buck reality television by about 40 years, Vincent Price creepily acts as host for five strangers, who will either leave a ghostly domicile with $10,000 in cash, or leave in a hearse.

October 9th – Evil Dead
The set-up was simple, the look obviously indie and low rent, but the filmmaking involved was energetic and daring. The only way to possibly top it was to do it all again as a remake/sequel and call it Evil Dead II.

October 10th – Quarantine It’s The Blair Witch Project meets Dawn of the Dead, which would be great if Diary of the Dead hadn’t already done that. But hopefully this remake of the Spanish film will be far more successful than Romero’s last zombie effort. October 11th – Psycho (1960) Worst. Hotel. Ever. But one of the best suspense thrillers of all time thanks to Alfred Hitchcock’s stunning use of the quick cut to punctuate the terrible, on screen violence.

October 12th – Hellboy
This one is interesting because it makes the monster the good guy, the every man and the romantic lead and in the end it all makes sense. Besides, it isn’t Halloween without Lovecraftian monsters and Nazi occultists.

October 13th – Friday the 13th Before the remake pollutes your fond memories next year, re-visit this slasher classic which actually has very little to do with Jason Vorrhees. But it’s the best of the Halloween rip-offs. October 14th – A Nightmare on Elm Street Wes Craven’s seminal character has become a mere caricature of his former self, but Freddy Krueger was once a breath of fresh air in a field of silently morose psycho killers. Also, it was the film debut of Johnny Depp.

October 15th – The Wolfman (1941)
Next year, Benicio del Toro will fill Lon Chaney’s considerable shoes as the original big screen werewolf. The make-up isn’t exactly Rick Baker calibre, but the story is still as powerful as ever.

October 16th – The Blob (1958) Before Steve McQueen was the hero of The Magnificent Seven, The Great Escape and Bullitt, he saved the world from the gelatinous alien life-form. It’s actually, better than it sounds. October 17th – Carrie (1976) You have to sit through nearly the entire movie before getting to its iconic massacre at the high school dance, but it’s worth it every time.

October 18th – The Rocky Horror Picture Show
If it’s a Saturday night than the time is right to get dressed up, whether it’s in a Mary Widow or a simple white T and glasses, and (karaoke) party all night long doing the Time Warp.

October 19th – The Exorcist
Still one of the most frightening films ever made. When it was released it sent people fleeing the theatres in disgust and scared a generation of Catholics straight.

October 20th – Saw With five Saws you can now build a week’s worth of fun around the franchise, starting with number one, which I consider the best of the bunch; effective and shocking without having to work too hard to prove it. October 21st – Saw II A little more generic than part one, but interesting to watch because of the various traps and Donnie Wahlberg’s tough cop interrogation showdown with the cool and collected Jigsaw played by Tobin Bell. It’s like watching the McCain-Obama debate all over again.

October 22nd – Saw III
Everybody dies. ‘Nuff said.

October 23rd – Saw IV
Somehow, the franchise carries on in despite of the fact that everybody died in Part III.

October 24th – Saw V
What happens next… (sigh) I really have no idea.

October 25th – The Nightmare Before Christmas It’s the perfect opportunity to watch the recently released special edition with the digital print of the film. It remains one of the most influential animated films in the last 20 years. October 26th – Monster House This animated film takes the haunted house to a whole new level, in a story that’s a great throwback to The Goonies and 80s era Spielberg.

October 27th – Silence of the Lambs
While Silence wasn’t the first Hannibal Lector movie, it is simply the most unforgettable thanks to Anthony Hopkins’ iconic, and award-winning, portrayal of the cannibalistic shrink.

October 28th – Donnie Darko According to pagan tradition, the day after Halloween is the New Year, which is another little subtle level added to this gloomy tale of time travel, adolescent confusion and weird giant bunnies. It’s an engrossing mind trip that works on multiple levels and multiple dimensions. October 29th – Bride of Frankenstein This is a seminal film, an iconic one with several memorable characters. It’s probably even better known than it’s predecessor; a rare early case of a sequel that outstrips, and overshadows, the original.

October 30th – Silent Night, Deadly Night
If your movie had an axe-wielding psycho dressed up as Santa Claus, it’d probably be banned in places too. It can be hard to find, but it’s well worth the search because it’s appropriately hardcore, especially for anyone with sour feelings about the holidays.

October 31st – Halloween (1978)
That’s the John Carpenter original. Not the sequels, not the Rob Zombie remake, but the first and best Halloween, with all its low-key, 70s charm. It’s the Shape that launched a thousand imitators and remains highly influential for a reason.