Wednesday, October 31, 2018

BOO! Scary movies


HALLIE EPHRON: It’s HALLOWEEN! I feel as if this is my holiday since once upon a time my husband made me a cartoon Halloween card that wished me a HALLIE HAPPOWEEN.

Instead of taking the fattening route and discussing our favorite candies (Swedish Fish, if you’re taking notes), I’m going to take a detour into scary movies.

I haven’t see any of the HALLOWEEN movies, though #11 is just out starring Jamie Lee Curtis who starred in #1. I’m a huge fan of Jamie Lee Curtis. I will see A FISH CALLED WANDA any time I find it. But I’m done with movies that kill girls.

I’m much more a fan of THE BLOB. 1958. You remember: ambulatory alien blob of protoplasm that devoured everything in its path. Did you know it starred Steve McQueen?

And PSYCHO. The poster looks like an ad for Maidenform. That movie scared the bejesus out of me. Wide open eye resting on the tile floor, cue scary music. The dessicated mother sitting ‘looking’ out the window. SO terrifying even when you know it’s coming.

I was a lot less enthusiastic about FRENZY, another Hitchcock movie about a serial killer who rapes and then strangles women with a necktie. MUCH too creepy and explicit for my taste. Wish I could erase my memories of that one. It's that line I try to walk between CREEPY and ICKY. 

Around now we should be asking ourselves: why are the victims always women and the truly scary creatures OLD women or Jell-O?

Can I count THE SIXTH SENSE? Loved it loved it. Ditto SILENCE OF THE LAMBS. And Catherine Deneuve feeling her way down the claustrophobic hallway with hands reaching out for her in REPULSION, which I must have seen when I was in high school, is seared into my brain.

THE FLY (with Jeff Goldlblum looking fly-like even before the transformation; Geena Davis plays his girlfriend.) ROSEMARY’S BABY (Mia Farrow faces off against Ruth Gordon). THE STEPFORD WIVES (with Katharine Ross and Paula Prentiss and Tina Louise). And the divine BEETLEJUICE (Alec Baldwin, Geena Davis, Michael Keaton, Winona Ryder) which I gather is now being made into a Broadway play! Sign me up!

On this Halloween night, what scary movies would you be up for watching again? Oh, and what candies do you hope you’ll have left over after the trick or treaters have swarmed through? Sadly they were out of Sour Patch Kids when I got to the supermarket to buy candy.

100 comments:

  1. Our concert last night was to play a newly written score under the classic 1931 Frankenstein, with the marvelous Boris Karloff. Did you know that the film was released without a score? There is music under the main title, and some ambient music they recorded on the soundstage, but none of the tension-heightening music of, say, Psycho.

    That said, I don't really enjoy horror films. When I was a little kid, I was too chicken even to watch "The Ghost and Mr. Chicken," so . . . yeah. I did like "The Sixth Sense," though.

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    1. I would love to have seen that, Gigi. Who wrote the new score? And how did the concert go?

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    2. And another not-scary with ghosts: the TV show Topper

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    3. I would rather listen to your concert Gigi than watch any scary movie!!!

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    4. The score was written by Michael Shapiro, a composer/conductor who lives in New York. Everything went off without a hitch, and I didn't have to kill anyone. Soooo much easier that way. The crew hates helping me hide the bodies. If you want to listen to one of our concerts, Roberta, I'd recommend a trip to Dallas around November 13, or March 26. I know someone who can get you tickets. ;-)

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    5. Anyone but Me 'n Hallie watch "Forever" with Maya Rudolph?

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  2. “It Came From Outer Space” was the movie that scared me the most . . . it still makes me cringe, but I’m always up for watching it again. The same is true for the original “Dracula” . . . .

    And since the trick-or-treaters won’t swarm through [John says it’s because the houses are too far apart], we don’t get a lot of candy in the first place. John’s happy if there are Snickers left; Reese’s Peanut Butter cups and Kit Kats are good, too . . . .

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    1. How did I miss that movie... wondering if I can find it on Amazon or Netflix.

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  3. I do not watch scary movies, but it would be interesting to revisit Rosemary's Baby. And the Exorcist...and The Shining. I watched Psycho for the first time only a few years ago. And LOVED The Sixth Sense. Hallie Happoween, indeed!

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    1. And candy - I get a big bag of types I don't care about to hand out - but also a bag of Baby Ruths and two bags of peanut M&M. Those are my pre-Halloween stash, and there are actually a few left for tonight (I don't eat them at all the rest of the year)! They will go at the bottom of the bowl, of course. ;^)

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    2. I used to buy only candy I didn't like - but I ate it anyway so I switched to candy I DO like. Because a calorie is a terrible thing to waste on something that doesn't taste good.

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    3. Hallie - I feel like this belongs on a tee shirt or a coffee mug!! It'm my new motto, if I may.

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    4. Goodness Edith. I think the Exorcist is the scariest movie I ever say, and I've seen Halloween!

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  4. I am so not a scary movie fan. I've never seen any of the Halloween or Freddie movies. I've never even seen Psycho. BUT, going way back, I loved Invasion of the Body Snatchers. We watched it last year and it's still creepy as all get out. Loved John Carpenter's The Thing. Alien. Michael Mann's Manhunter starring William Peterson. And I did love The Sixth Sense, although I don't think I'd classify that one as scary.

    We don't have many trick-or-treaters, but I'll buy Hershey's Kisses and mini-peanut butter cups. I may not eat all the leftovers but Rick will...

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    1. Ooh, Debs, The Invasion of the Body Snatchers, the original, scared the bejeebers out of me when I was a kid. I would not go down in our basement for years, and would tear back up the steps like the hellhounds were chasing me, thanks to that movie. It was in black and white, too.

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  5. I am generally not into horror movies. If I was going to watch anything tonight it would be The Silence of the Lambs. However, I don't consider it a horror movie. It is more of a suspenseful thriller in my opinion.

    My comic books are all laid out already and I'll set up the special prizes when I get home. As for candy, I have 2 five pound bags of Tootsie roll products (the various lollipops, flavored Tootsie rolls, Dots and various sizes of the regular Tootsie rolls), a bag of the Dum-Dum lollipops, a bag of Hershey Kisses and a bag of mini candy bars from the Mars company.

    As for those Halloween rules of mine:

    PARENTAL RULES

    1. Parents should accompany their children on their rounds. And yes, that includes those that are in the 8th grade. This would cut down on mob groups of unruly 8th grade boys and girls who think that they are ENTITLED to this candy we pass out by right of natural law.

    2. Parents accompanying their children should leave their beer at home.

    3. Parents should make sure that their teenage daughters aren't wearing "costumes" that would make hardcore strippers blush and say, "Girl put some clothes on."

    4. Parents who have children that aren't even on solid food should not expect candy for those kids. Seriously, do you think we are stupid? The kid is still breastfeeding but they are going to gum to death a Tootsie Roll? You aren't fooling anyone.

    TRICK OR TREATER RULES

    1. The phrase "Trick or Treat" when a house door opens to give you candy is required, not optional. A "thank you" at the end of the transaction wouldn't kill you either.

    2. Costumes are REQUIRED! If you want candy, you have to have a costume and be wearing the entire thing when you come to the door. Wear a Darth Vader costume, you better have the mask on. The clothes you wore to school, your dirty clothes from yesterday, or your Wareham Tigers uniform do not count as costumes. You don't have to spend money on a costume, but at least TRY to be creative. You never know when you'll hit a house that gives out extra candy or special prizes for the best costume of the night.

    3. Since giving out candy is not a requirement, be thankful for what you are getting. Especially to those people who go above and beyond the standard 1 or 2 small pieces of candy. Also, we are not DJs, we don't take requests for candy. You get what you get.

    4. Everyone will get their turn at the door. Pushing and shoving on line waiting to get the candy, will get the door shut and light shut off on everyone. And you will be the one pointed out as the reason no one is getting candy.

    5. If you are in high school, your free candy days are OVER. Either get a job and buy your own candy or stay at home and hand out the candy yourselves and see how annoying it is for rude teenagers to come to your house and metaphorically take the candy out of the mouths of younger kids that the "holiday" is intended for.

    6. When there is a clearly defined and well lit driveway and walkway, USE THEM! Don't walk up the yard that people have spent money on trying to make look nice.

    7. If you don't live within the town borders, stay home. We are not the state government and we shouldn't have to provide candy welfare to people who live 4 towns away.

    8. Teenage girls, your chest is not as interesting or as impressive as you seem to think it is. Unless you are actually working the pole at The Foxy Lady, stop dressing like it and calling it a costume. If I was a 14 year old boy, I'd love it. But I'm not and frankly all it makes me want to to is call child services on your supposed parents.

    9. Be safe, have fun and enjoy the night. But being polite and respectful to those of us who drop more than 100 bucks on candy, comic books and other doodads and thingamajigs should be in the forefront of your mind.

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    1. Jay, everyone should have a copy of your rules! We just turn our lights off about 7 or 7:30 to discourage the teenagers.

      And I would add my own Halloween rule: Keep your pets, especially your cats, inside!

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    2. This cracked me up. Yes, everyone should have a coy.
      Cold nights cut out on the number of chesty teenagers...
      We turn lights out at 7. And bless the short days that make it dark at 5:30.

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    3. I usually wait until 8pm, but no matter what time it is, the teenagers are out looking for candy.

      And yes, pets inside is a good idea Deborah. I don't have any so that's not a consideration for me though.

      Hallie, you'd be surprised at how many girls come out in fairly inappropriate costumes regardless of how cold it is.

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    4. Thank you, Jay. This is going in my "collection", a file of things that should be common sense in an increasingly uncommon world.

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    5. I will add one: If your little daughter wears a floor-length princess gown, either instruct her to left the hem as she goes up and down steps, or help her! I do not want to be responsible for the poor thing's head injury when she trips on my concrete stairs.

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    7. That's lift, not left, obviously...

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    8. "Candy Welfare" makes me laugh. I'm guilty of this, I'm afraid. When my kids hit the sweet spot of trick-or-treating -- the years between 7 and 11 -- we would go to a friend's house in Portland and go house to house with a bunch of kids from church (which is on town.) Our country road was fine for when the kids were small - six houses and you're done at age 6 - but older kids want that haul.

      Also, all smart parents know you don't ask for candy on your behalf - you sneak it out of your kid's bag. :-)

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    9. Lyda, you are welcome for the addition to your collection.

      Karen, thank you.

      Hank, I'm thrilled you like it as well.

      Edith, I'm sure that I will see plenty of floor length princess gowns tonight.

      Julia, sadly my town is not seeing an overabundance of smart parents. As for the Candy Welfare, I'm glad you thought it was funny. I get what you mean about the older kids wanting the haul. My "complaint" about it is just when they are coming from so far away. I mean, they live in a city and yet they come here. It's a bit different when you live in a country setting and there are very few houses.

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  6. I don't like movies whose sole purpose is to scare. Have never watched any of the Halloween or similar movies. But I do remember seeing Whatever Happened to Baby Jane and that scared me witless!

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    1. Scary old women...hmmm. At least they were in on the joke.

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  7. I’m not a fan of horror movies but scary movies are a different thing. My favorite scary movie is “Duel” with Dennis Weaver and a very large truck. It was a made-for-tv movie (remember those?) and I believe it was one of Steven Spielberg’s earliest works. Scared the daylights out of me. There was another to movie “Trilogy of Terror” that had a little guy - a little statue - that was wicked! I think Karen Black was his prey.

    Happy Halloween/Samhain!

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    1. Ooooh, I'm pretty sure I saw Trilogy of Terror. Karen Black. She had a little cottage industry in horror movies though I remember her best for Five Easy Pieces.

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    2. Oh right, yeah! That little South American souvenir someone sent her...wait--Devil Doll!

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    3. I remember that! It gets a little comical at the end with Karen Black screaming and stuck (???) in a corner or something with a badly animated little doll going after her with a paring knife. I remember thinking a good swing of a frying pan would finish Devil Doll off.

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    4. Duel was amazing, and might have been Spielberg's first feature-length film.

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    5. I loved Duel. I just looked it up on Google, and Wikipedia says it was indeed Spielberg's feature-length film debut. Also, its budget was $450,000. Can you imagine that?

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  8. Psycho finished me off in high school. I still think twice about taking a shower at night in an empty house. Snickers bars.
    Halloween was postponed till Friday! Torrential rain in the forecast. Of course, one block away in a different town, it's on. So the local kids will get two nights to trick and treat this year. For evermore, "remember the year we got two Halloweens?"

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  9. No, thank you, on scary movies. My speed is Young Frankenstein.

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    1. That's our yearly New Year's Eve movie.

      Mary/Liz

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    2. We're having gorgeous weather tonight for the trick or treaters.

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    3. It just started what is supposed to be record rainfall for this date, with flood warnings. It will not be fun for kids tonight.

      Some of the surrounding communities, knowing this forecast, changed their begging time to last night.

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  10. My mother was a fan of all the Ed Wood, B reel, black and white horror movies. As a result, I saw The Blob, Attach of the Killer Tomatoes and countless others from the backseat of the family car at the local drive-in. Remember those? Also, the local tv channel showed old black and white movies from the 1940's. The scariest movie I ever saw, the one that gave me nightmares, was The Beast With Five Fingers. Look it up on Wikipedia. Just reading the synopsis will give you the willies.

    As for candy, we don't get trick or treaters in my apartment building. I avoid the candy aisle at all costs because who am I kidding? Anything in that market cart is all mine.

    Hallie Happoween Everyone!

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    1. PERFECT drive-in movies! I think I saw The Beast with Five Fingers. And wasn't there a really scary movie called THE HAND?

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    2. The Beast With Five Fingers is the first scary movie I ever saw, and I'm still having nightmares seven decades later. My fav sci fi is Plan 9 From Outer Space, hysterical with those hub caps on a wire masquerading as flying saucers.

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  11. I like suspenseful movies, so I enjoyed "The Sixth Sense" and "Silence of the Lambs." But straight up horror? No thanks. I remember watching "The Exorcist" in college - I made it through about the first 20 minutes.

    And who doesn't like "Beetlejuice"?

    Mary/Liz

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    1. Nowadays most horror films are less about being horror and more about being torture porn.

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  12. Scariest movie I’ve ever seen, absolutely bar none, is The Vanishing. Real one, it’s in Dutch, not the new one to remake with Kiefer Sutherland. The original the Vanishing is so terrifying I wish I could unsee it. Really. And if I remember correctly, there’s not one gruesome or violent scene. It’s all just imagined. Oh my gosh, do not see it.
    The Sixth Srnse, loved it. And Silence of the Lambs, of course. A master class and editing. And, oh! Rosemarys baby. Now that was a scary scary scary movie.

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  13. Sour patch kids, Hallie? Yuck. I am a twizzlers girl. Snickers, Almond Joy. Love those too. I don’t like any kind of sour candy. And I can eat one Swedish fish, then, yuck. My mouth is coated with red slime.

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    1. No idea what a Swedish fish is. Is that a regional thing? Should I be glad I have no idea??

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    2. Gummy red candies in the shape of a fish? I love them. But I"m a sucker for fruity jelly candies, the more flavor the better. And of course (almost)
      anything red.

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    3. Twizzlers, Hank? Sorry, It's Red Vines for the win!!!

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    4. I'm with Hank on this. Swedish Fish are profoundly weird.

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    5. I love Swedish Fish. But I'm with Hallie, I'm usually a sucker for fruity, chewy/jelly candy. I can limit my chocolate, but put out things like Twizzlers or Swedish Fish and my self-control goes out the window.

      Mary/Liz

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  14. I don’t like scary movies or horror movies. The first time I saw Wizard of Oz was sixty-three years ago. The nightmares began. If I saw it again today, I would most likely have nightmares again within the next few days!

    Invasion of the Bodysnatchers?! Yikes! I don’t need to watch it again!

    No candy here, because there haven’t been trick or treaters here in over twenty years. I assume the kids are going to parties somewhere. I used to love getting dressed up for Halloween at work. Last year I was a pregnant pirate, Mary Read, who was a real person. She was sentenced to death for her crimes but managed to escape the death penalty when her pregnancy was discovered.

    DebRo

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    1. Mary Read - Fascinating! Anyone else who wants to see more https://www.historic-uk.com/HistoryUK/HistoryofEngland/Mary-Read-Pirate (her mother disguised her as a boy so she could keep getting an income from the family of the father of her dead son... she went on to have a military career! Married. Husband died. Used male disguise to pirate... then gets off because she's pregnant. Someone should MAKE a movie.

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  15. The Night of the Living Dead. At the drive-in. In the back of a pick-up truck--so there were no walls around you and the living dead could snatch you right out of the truck :-) The Birds. I don't do scary/suspenseful too well.

    No candy here--I live a couple of miles out of town, so no trick-or-treaters. I always enjoyed seeing the little ones in their costumes and always gave out candy I'd want to eat! And a generous treat--no parsimonious handing out of a single mini chocolate bar!

    Happy Halloween, everyone!

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    1. Similar here, Flora. There are seven houses in my country neighborhood and only one has a young child in it. I'm getting a bag of Hershey's mix that has candy I like, because if I get more than one trick-or-treater, I'll be surprised.

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  16. Has no one seen Something Wicked This Way Comes? Based on a novel by Ray Bradbury, it’s my favorite film to watch at Halloween.
    The something wicked is Dark’s Pandemonium Carnival, arriving by train in the dark of night, on the outskirts of a small midwestern town. The carnival’s main attraction is temptation. Jason Robards (I love him!) is wonderful as an aging librarian who must save the souls of the townspeople and his own young son, from the evil Mr. Dark, who literally feeds on their desires. Wicked, indeed!

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    1. Bonus: the frightening show-down scene takes place in an old library!

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    2. This sounds very familiar. Of course I read the book it comes from. As I recall the movie feels like a Twilight zone.

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  17. I'm such a scaredy cat. The only scary movie I've seen and enjoyed is "Jaws." I saw "Poltergeist" at a sleepover in middle school and still haven't recovered. I've tried watching "Aliens" a few times and can't seem to make it past about minute seven when the scary music kicks in. I've never even seen the Queen, just pictures of her!


    I love the trick or treating in our high rise. Residents opt-in, and then the kids get a list of units they should visit. We only end up with about 15 kids (only about six actually live in the building), and it's all done by 7:00pm. Target was all of Reese's PB cups last week, so I had to make do with Kit Kats and M&Ms. We'll suffer through the leftovers!

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    1. On a completely unrelated note: I started Loyalty last night. I'm loving it!!!!

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    2. Wait til Lyda gets to Duplicity!

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    3. You're the best, Jay! And your neighborhood kids are so lucky!

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  18. I can't believe no one's mentioned THE HAUNTING, the 1963 classic made from Shirley Jackson's THE HAUNTING OF HILL HOUSE (scariest book ever, in my opinion.) Unlike the jump-scare-shriek version currently on Netflix (which, as near as I can tell, has nothing in common with Ms. Jackson's classic except the title) THE HAUNTING captures the particular creepiness of the novel - are these things really happening? Is it all in the participants' heads? Like the book, it's all suggestion and atmosphere. Very spooky, and a good choice for those of us who can't stand blood n' guts.

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    1. Is that the one with Claire Bloom? Yep. That's a film I've only ever seen in short snatches by peeking between my fingers.

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    2. Yep, The Haunting scared the bejeebers out of me and would still, if I had the courage to watch it. “It’s you, Eleanor. The house wants you.”
      I could not breathe.

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    3. Are you kidding?! The book scared the daylights out of me in the daylight--no way I would be able to watch the film!

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    4. Julia, I agree that one of the classics has to be the 1963 The Haunting of Hill House. While the Netflix series was really only connected through the title and that there was an evil house, I enjoyed it, too. Watched all of the episodes a few weeks ago.

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  19. I like scary movies but Julie, not so much. If you would like to see a really good one, poignant scary, check out the Orphanage, El Orfanato. I read the review in The New Yorker and went right out and saw it, two days in a row. It's avail for streaming. Trust me.

    Last night we started watching the newest American Horror Story, and we bought the series, so that's what we'll be doing tonight. This year looks more promising than the last few. Kathy Bates is back, and Sarah Paulson. There's a rumor that Jessica Lange will return too. But best of all is Joan Collins. She must be a hundred by now. Well 85 anyway.

    We will hand out little candy bars until we either run out or get tired, then turn off the outside lights. Most of the small ones will be here by six. We get a lot of drop offs too, but if I lived in the inner city, I'd bring my kids to my neighborhood where the likelihood of getting shot for a bag of candy is minimal. I don't mind at all, as long as they're in costume and under 13.

    Hallie Happoween everyone xox

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    1. Gosh, The Orphanage is a Guillermo del Toro movie...
      And I just added American Horror Story to my watch list on Netflix

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    2. Hallie, when you and I get put in the old folk’s home, we can watch TV together and beat off with our canes any old fool who tries to change channels on us.

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  20. I agree with "The Sixth Sense," and "The Silence of the Lambs"--great movies. I like suspense, but gore and mutilation, no thanks! I would never, ever, watch "The Exorcist" because I know I'd never be able to unsee it (the thought of vomiting green liquid turns me off just as much as the rest). But I did see one horror movie with an old boyfriend that I thought was excellent and didn't disturb me too much. It's "The Omen" from the 1970s, where the child of Gregory Peck and Lee Remick might just be the Antichrist. Some of those images, such as the one where a metal fencepost comes loose in a wind storm and just happens to fly up, then pierces a priest's heart, are indelible, but not too gory. I may not be remembering the details correctly, but I had to admire the filmmaking.

    As for candy, we now buy one very large bag from Costco and let trick or treaters pick two for their bags. My absolute favorite is Mounds, which don't seem to be in any mixed bags, unfortunately. Anyway, we still end up with extras. We keep some of our favorites, then take the rest to Toastmasters and encourage members who are working to take them back to their workplace.

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    1. The Omen sounds like one I should see. You had me at Gregory Peck & Lee Remick.

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  21. I don’t generally like to watch scary movies. That being said, I enjoyed the entire Hitchcock canon over the years. I think I avoided Psycho for many years, only to appreciate it very much when I finally did see it. For one, he is never overly graphic. Two, he has a marvelous sense of humor. Rosemary’s Baby is also one I don’t think I saw in the theaters when it first came out, but saw on the big screen at some point and liked it very much. I did see the movie Trans-Siberian in a theater and I enjoyed it, although I had to look away or close my eyes during some of the more graphic scenes. I do like suspense or thrillers but sometimes when watching them at home, I have to take a break or two if the story gets too intense.

    I don’t buy candy. I have lived in my apartment for eight years and we’ve never had a trick or treater. My roommate, who is sort of like a child despite being in his fifties, dresses up like a pirate and goes on a hunt for candy. People, mostly, humor him.

    When I was younger, Halloween for adults, was sort of a big drinking holiday. I did my share but frankly, I didn’t need a holiday to overindulge.

    Stay safe everyone. Thanksgiving is on the horizon.

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  22. THE SHINING. Jack Nicholson will never be the same after I watched that terrifying pic.

    My suburban-type neighborhood gets swarms of trick or treaters. We flip off the front lights when the cute little pirates and wonder women give way to teenaged wise guys and gals. I give out handfuls when that transition starts, so there'll be none left in the bottom of the basket when we close the door. Is it me, or does mass market candy not live up to your childhood memories? When I was a kid I savored a Nestle Crunch or Butterfinger. Now it all tastes kind of stale and grainy.

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    1. I'm trying to image how much money it would take to make me watch "The Shining." Can't come up with a figure...:)

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    2. And here I was just marveling at how a Snickers bar is still pretty darned good. Chocolate salt and caramel... before its time.

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    3. Brenda, I agree that the classic candies of my childhood are almost tasteless. And for ME, that’s a good thing; no temptation!

      DebRo

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    4. Snickers are an exception to the "candy was better in the olden days" rule, as are M & Ms (old school plain or peanut, not the fancy flavors on offer today.

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  23. Some of my all-time favorites have been mentioned--The Haunting of Hill House, Psycho, Duel, The Sixth Sense, Beetlejuice, and The Shining. Oh, I do so love The Shining, probably my favorite of all scary movies. One old movie that at some point I watched with my kids (not when they were young, young) was Night of the Lepus, about giant mutant rabbits, starring Stuart Whitman and Janet Leigh. It is supposed to be scary, but it's one of those you want to watch to poke fun at. A few more I've watched and enjoyed are The Others (with Nicole Kidman), Get Out (the surprise 2017 hit), and Misery (which I watched last night for the thousandth time). Oh, and The Birds. I saw that movie in a theater where they simulated birds flying into the audience. Yes, I ducked.

    Trick-or-Treaters. We don't have any at our house, as our road isn't conducive to walking along. They changed trick-or-treating to last night here and in the surrounding areas, as today is rainy insaney. Of course, not having trick-or-treaters doesn't mean I don't buy candy for them/me. Orange colored, white chocolate Kit Kats are my favorite, and I eat them in honor of the kids who stop elsewhere. Hahaha!

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    1. I haven't seen GET OUT but I'm dying to. How could we forget MISERY.

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    2. Maybe Misery hits a little too close to home.

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  24. I read that in Psycho when Janet Leigh decides to steal that money, she is in a black bra rather than the white one. Gone over to the dark side. I watch scary movies (or a lot of old, old classics which aren't scary compared to the gore I guess) all month. Last night watched The Fury (John Cassavetes, Kirk Douglas, Andrew Stevens, Amy Irving) - looks dated and hokey but I think that movie scared me more than any other. Tonight will be The Wolfman with Lon Chaney. And a few Tootsie Rolls will be good if there are any left.

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    1. Janet Leigh's purse goes from white (before she steals $$) to black (after), too.

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  25. By the way, I usually take some of the leftover kid friendly comics and drop them off at my barbershop and dentist. And I give away some of the leftover candy to co-workers.

    One year, a friend from high school's daughter was sick on Halloween and couldn't go out. She was about 5 years old or so I think. So I asked her mom for some inside information like nicknames and such, wrote up a letter from Jack O. Lantern, the chief pumpkin duster and bagged up a couple of big bags of candy and sent them off to her.

    When she got the candy and the letter, her mom posted a couple pics on Facebook for me to see. One of the girl holding the bags on either side of her face with this huge grin on her face and one of her father reading her the letter.

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    1. This is so sweet and thoughtful! How unfair to be sick in bed for Halloween.

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    2. I used to write little letters like that for my niece when she was young. I made up characters (usually with weird job titles, like Vinnie the Valentine Substitute, a king of the leprechauns, a princess in the land of peppermint reindeer, stuff like that.) and kept track of the continuity so I could refer to the previous letter when I wrote the next one. And they went over quite well.

      When a friend of my mom's found out what I did, she asked me to write one for her 3 year old nephew who wanted a real horse for Xmas. So "Santa" had to tell explain why he wasn't getting one. It was a hit too.

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  26. I know I'm super late to the party today, but I can't believe no one has mentioned "Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?" Maybe I'm dating myself with that one, but my mom let me watch that at some unconscionably young age and I've never forgotten it. I shudder just thinking about it.

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    1. I saw that at the drive-in with my grandmother, Susan, and I'm STILL scared!!!

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  27. I would love to watch Baby Jane, too! It replays regularly on TV, so I'm hoping to find it listed, or I can order it online to watch on the TV. I love that they started doing that! Or The Birds! That was scary and really good! I'm not sure I will ever watch the one with the shower scene again. Although in black and white... that shower scene... no, cannot watch that. Happy Halloween!

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  28. I am still in recovery from the Creature Double Feature Saturday morning terrors of my childhood. Now they are ridiculous but at the time...AHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!! That being said, I love scary movies as an adult. The campier the better.

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