3 Tales of Terror...

I’ve been waiting a good while for this day! Today marks the first day in my 31 Days of Halloween in which I will post (at least) one post a day until All Hallow’s Eve. Yes, I have been waiting for this.

As I thought about the 31 Days of Halloween I knew that there some posts that I was going to do. I tried to come up with a list of those and then see how many more I would have to come up with as time went on. After I came up with some ideas to post on and things to look out for, I then realized…what about the first post?

Since today is Monday, I am going to begin the 31 Days of Halloween with something that I will do every Monday this month: Tales of TERROR! Basically...it's a brief synopsis of some of my favorite Halloween-themed films.

I've said it before, and I'll probably say it again, but there is nothing I like more during the Halloween season that cuddling up with my sweetie and watching some spooky on TV. Whenever the season comes, I love to sit back, relax, and watch one of these....

Yea, big shock that this one was picked, right? An evil killer escapes from a mental institution, dawns a scary mask, and goes on a killing spree on Halloween...it has everything there is to love about the holiday!

If you haven't seen it, I strongly recommend watching the extended-edition, that features scenes not in the original release. You see, after the success of the original Halloween, NBC purchased the film and were planning on airing it during All Hallow's Eve.

Save for one problem. When you took out a few of the more violent moments and the boob scenes, the movie was too short to air in the two-hour time slot. Even with commercials. In order to fill the remaining time, Carpenter shot 12 minutes of additional scenes while filming Halloween 2.

So with the extended addition, you get cool new scenes, and the blood and boobs. It's definitely the way to go.


I don't think there is any one character more associated with Halloween than Count Dracula. He's featured everywhere, and is often one of the first "horror characters" that kids are introduced to.

Dracula is a character that has been played by many many actors, from Leslie Nelson to Christopher Lee, but without question the best Dracula was Bela Lugosi. In 1931, Dracula was released with much praise.

No one actor ever exuded a greater aura of mystery than Bela Lugosi. With his tall stature, dark handsome features, piercing eyes and well-modulated Hungarian accent, the actor was very able to project the image of suave evilness.

There can be no doubt that Bela Lugosi possessed more personal charisma than did his others who played the part, both before and since. Lugosi, with his portrayal of Count Dracula is perhaps the most readily identifiable performer ever to make horror pictures.

Though Lugosi is most identified as "Dracula," Hhe only played the part of the blood sucker on two occasions. Once in this film, and again years later in Abbot and Costello Meet Frankenstein.

Lugosi passed away in and was actually buried wearing his Dracula cape.

The film itself is a classic in every sense of the word. It is extremely well done, even when considering how long ago the movie was shot. It comes off slow at times, but the mere appreciation of the film makes up for the more boring parts. If you haven't seen this one before...well, I really don't know how to finish this except to suggest that you get a copy and watch it.


The Creature From the Black Lagoon was the last of Universal's Classic Monsters. Unlike most of the 50's vintage horror/Sci-Fi/Monster Movies he wasn't an alien invader or caused by the bomb gone wild. He was a living fossil...a relic from a long gone age. He always appealed to me as a kid mainly because he just looked so darn cool. I think the suit holds up remarkably well even now.

I also felt sorry for him when his world was invaded and he was destroyed because he was defending it. As an adult maybe I read too much into the movie. I just try to sit back take a few deep breaths and relax. I become a child again and enjoy the Creature for what it is...a darn good monster movie.

The Creature was able to spawn two sequels...The Return of the Creature, and The Creature Walks Among Us. Return is much better than Walks but both are fun to watch.

The Creature is one of my favorites, despite there being nothing "Halloweenie" about it. There's just no other time in the year when it's as enjoyable to watch.