It's here, folks: the season to hit the streets and commit wanton acts of depravity, albeit only for one night. Alternatively, if you don't feel up to braving the elements, why not invite a few friends round, hit the Jack Daniels and have a good old moviethon?
"But Richard!" I hear a stifled cry, "What would someone with your vast and eclectic tastes recommend?"
I'm glad you asked...
* * * * *
The Curse of Frankenstein
(d. Terence Fisher, 1957)
It may not be the most faithful adaptation of Mary Shelley's novel, but The Curse of Frankenstein remains one of the best screen outings for Victor and his patchwork spawn. The ever-wonderful Peter Cushing delivers one of his finest performances as the haunted, maniacal Baron, while Christopher Lee's creature manages to be wholly sympathetic without lapsing into vapid sentimentality.
Carry On Screaming
(d. Gerald Thomas, 1966)
The Carry On films have come in for some knocks in recent years, but I defy anyone not to raise a few chuckles at this little gem. Kenneth Williams is on fine form as the deliriously sinister - not to mention outrageously camp - Dr Watt, while Harry H. Corbett and the perpetually befuddled Peter Butterworth make a fine double act (their interplay in the Abbot and Costello-inspired "Watt's His Name" routine is a particular delight.)
Schalcken the Painter
(d. Leslie Megahey, 1979)
This meditation on art, commerce and sexual politics remains one of the greatest of all TV ghost stories. By turns eerie, macabre and droll, this dramatization of Sheridan LeFanu's classic tale of an artist struggling with his own muse manages to hit both the intellect and the senses without short-changing either.
Zombie Flesh Eaters
(d. Lucio Fulci, 1979)
Lucio Fulci's loopy masterpiece isn't just a cheap Dawn of the Dead cash-in, but an effective slice of top-drawer adventure-horror in its own right. So what if the story's a little scant: the appeal of Fulci's work is its visceral thrills rather than narrative fulfilment. Plus you've got a zombie going limb to fin with a shark, watched by a topless scuba diver... Just writing that sentence puts a smile on my face..
The Young Ones: "Nasty"
(d. Paul Jackson, 1984)
Not strictly speaking a Halloween episode, but it warrants inclusion because... this is my list, okay? In addition to Alexei Sayle playing a South African vampire, The Damned perform the fuckin' awesome title song specially written for this episode. Oh, and there's lots of jokes about Video Nasties and anti-Thatcher gibes. I miss the '80s.
The Simpsons: "Treehouse of Horror IV"
(d. David Silverman, 1993)
Yes, "Treehouse of Horror V" has "The Shinning", a time-travelling toaster and an inside-out chorus line, but "IV" remains my favourite of the entire Simpsons Halloween cycle. Everything works here, from the Night Gallery-inspired wraparounds through to the ridiculous Peanuts send-up in the closing credits. I would gladly take this episode to a desert island with me as my sole source of entertainment purely for the hysterically funny spoof of the Twilight Zone episode "Nightmare at 20,000 Feet".
* * * * *
Right, I'm off to fire up the DVD player (we're old-school in my house - would it surprise you to know I still have a VCR?), but stay tuned to WordJam for some meatier pieces winging their way in your direction. Oh, I haven't been idle this last couple of months...
