ANDY FISH

ANDY FISH is a comic book artist

Sunday, September 2, 2012

Halloween Approaches!


Every Fall I usually break out the Universal Monsters DVDs and have them on in the studio while I'm working-- the sounds of Frankenstein, Dracula and the Wolf-Man are a constant reminder that The Season is upon us!

I've loved Halloween as long as I can remember-- even more so than Christmas.

Favorite Halloween Movies (in no particular order);

1. Bride of Frankenstein (1935) Dark humor and gothic cinematography.
2. Halloween (1978) Nowhere near as gory as you think it's going to be, and except for the totally annoying character in the movie its a real classic.
3. Arsenic and Old Lace (1944) Cary Grant is Mortimer Brewster who discovers his aunts are mass murderers-- fantastic comedy from Frank Capra.
4. The Wolf Man (1941) Every member of the cast recites the Wolfman poem, and it's good cheesy fun.
5. Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein (1948) The Monsters are treated with respect and the comedy duo is at their best.
6. Son of Dracula (1942) Lon Chaney makes a fat Dracula but this one is underrated and worth watching.
7. The Black Cat (1934) Lugosi and Karloff teamed up for the first and best time.
8. Army of Darkness (1982) The first one of you to even look at me...
9. The Invisible Man (1933) Claude Rains makes his film debut as a man you can't see.  Black humor from James Whale, one of my favorite directors.
10. The Ghost Breakers (1940) Bob Hope shows Bill Murray how to hunt ghosts.
11. The Mummy's Hand (1940) Not as literate as the original, but Tom Tyler is great as a more athletic looking monster and it has a great cast.
12. Ghost of Frankenstein (1942) Lon Chaney makes a fat Monster but its wacky enough to keep you entertained through it.
13. Mark of the Vampire (1935) Could of been the best Bela Lugosi Dracula movie ever made if they had stuck with the supernatural.
14. Return of the Vampire (1943) Talking werwolves and Bela Lugosi once again not playing Dracula but coming pretty close.  Great WWII horror film.
15. The Scarlet Claw (1944) Basil Rathbone as Sherlock Holmes takes on a ghost-- good fun!
16. Murders in the Rue Morgue (1935) Bela Lugosi is out of control.
17. King Kong (1933) this is more of a Thanksgiving movie, but its a classic.
18. Hold That Ghost (1941) Abbott and Costello in their first haunted house pic.
19. Salem's Lot (1978) Tobe Hooper brings Stephen King's Vampire tale to life in this great (long) thriller!
20. The Exorcist (1973) Bam!  This one knocks it out of the park-- great dialogue, commanding performances and a story that takes off and never slows down.
21. Homicidal (1961) William Castle gives Alfred Hithcock a run for his money, inspired by Pscyho-- this one is pretty wild.
22. Macabre (1958) William Castle brings it in this one-- crazy, creepy and nightmarish.
23. Suspiria (1977) So disturbing I won't watch it again.  I would have jumped out  a tall window if I'd seen this as a kid.
24. Abominable Dr. Phibes (1971) Vincent Price hams it up, this is one crazy revenge film.
25. It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown (1965) It ain't Halloween without this one.
26. Frankenstein (1931) Karloff is great as the Monster, it's a bit more creaky than the sequel, but its still a winner.
27. The Devil's Reign (1973) William Shatner and Ernest Borgnine-- this is one crazy 70s horror film.
28. Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974) I screened this for a horror film class I was doing-- it's iconic and the title is scarier than the actual movie, but this is better than you think it's going to be.  Directed by Toby Hooper.
29. Nosferatu (1922) Stick with it-- it's slow and creaky at the beginning but once Count Orlack shows up you have a movie.
30. Dracula (1931) Bela Lugosi is Dracula-- there is no other choice.  Watch the first half and then put in something else.
31. Psycho (1960) Hitchcock's classic-- it's scary when it needs to be.  Still holds up.


There you have it.