Carly's blog

It's pretty safe to assume that every October most of us go into horror movie overdrive, watching anything and everything horror. One of my favorites to watch this time of year, "Lady in White," is about a boy who witnesses a ghostly reenactment of a murder that occurred in his school's coat closet 10 years earlier. Not quite horror, but more of a family friendly ghost story, "Lady in White" is packed full of nostalgia, a few laughs, and some genuinely creepy moments.

"Lucy Harbin was declared legally insane today," narrates a voice during the opening sequence of the 1964 film "Strait-Jacket." Directed by William Castle, "Strait-Jacket" is a fun little gem about a scorned wife, Lucy Harbin (Joan Crawford) who hacks up her husband and his mistress with an axe in front of her 3 year old daughter. 20 years later, after being released from a mental hospital, suspicions begin to arise about her behavior. If you haven't yet seen this one, it's available on Netflix, packaged as a double feature with another William Castle flick, "Homicidal."

"Ginger Snaps" is a quirky, fun werewolf movie. It's certainly no "Twilight", but unfortunately, not every movie can be a masterpiece. All sarcasm aside, the 2000 Canadian film directed by John Fawcett, offers a different take on the whole werewolf flick, as the film uses lycanthropy as a metaphor for puberty. Teen sisters Brigitte and Ginger (Emily Perkins and Katharine Isabelle) are awkward high school outcasts who are obsessed with death.

Many horror films are derived from a classic myth or legend and in that sense, "Teeth" is no different. "Teeth" tackles the myth of "vagina dentata" in the coming of age story of virginal teenager Dawn (Jess Weixler), who discovers that her vagina has teeth. Written and directed by Mitchell Lichtenstein, Dawn realizes that her difference in anatomy can actually be a physical advantage over men. Don't let the heavy subject matter scare you; the film doesn't take itself too seriously.

I'll always remember walking down the aisles of the horror section at our local mom and pop video rental store, Gary's Take-Out Video. While my parents were busy chatting it up with Gary, I was introduced to VHS cover art of the horror variety. Wandering down the aisle, I was greeted by hundreds of VHS tapes, each one displaying promises of chainsaw wielding maniacs, scantily clad women meeting their macabre ending and monsters straight out of the depths of hell. I was in love.

It goes without saying that "The Twilight Zone" is one of the most famous and influential television shows in horror history. Episodes were typically a mix of sci-fi, horror and fantasy elements and concluded with a twist ending. Created by the late Rod Serling, the series ran a total of 5 seasons with 156 total episodes.

Tod Browning's "Freaks" is a film centered around the beautiful trapeze artist Cleopatra (Olga Baclanova), who schemes with her lover, Hercules (Henry Victor), to seduce and marry a circus sideshow midget, Hans (Harry Earles), in order to obtain his large inheritance. The film depicts the so-called "freaks" in a sympathetic and human manner, while showing the most cruel and monstrous sides of the "normal" characters.

Over the weekend, I stumbled across the 80's slasher flick "Intruder" in my Netflix Instant Queue, and I must admit, I was pleasantly surprised. The film, which was written and directed by Scott Spiegel, co-writer of "Evil Dead 2", is set entirely in a local supermarket. In the opening sequence, the ex-boyfriend of one of the checkout girls, Jennifer (Elizabeth Cox), shows up at closing, starts a fight and is kicked out. One by one, members of the crew are stalked and brutally murdered.