31 Days of Halloween: Day 12

Day 12

The Exorcist (1978)



Ah, The Exorcist. This is a classic horror movie of the finest quality. Demon possession in its highest form. This movie would become a cult classic, a base of future horror movies and even a platform for some horror farces.

When Regan MacNeil starts to act strangely, her mother, Chris, calls in a set of priests to see what seems to be the problem after doctors have failed to diagnose her. The demon extraction, or exorcism begins.

This movie is home to not only the creepy head spinning scene and the pea-soup vomiting sequence (I say that, because that's what they used for the film to get that particular color) but if you watch the remastered version with never before seen footage, you also get the crab and spider like crawling sequences too.

All of the voices, Linda Blair's banged up face, her body being thrown around like a rag doll created some of the greatest horror movie images and scenes at the time. It actually is one of my favorites, as I have a lot of memories centering around this movie when it was re-released in theatres in 2000. I encourage those who have not seen the movie, to watch it, especially if you are a fan of horror films. You need to see where the current films got there start.


Similar Films:
The Exorcism of Emily Rose (2005)
Repossessed (1990)


Up Next:

The Watcher In The Woods (1980)

31 Days of Halloween: Day 11

Day 11

Sleepy Hallow (1999)



This is one of my favorite movies of all time, not just for this season. It was also one of the first DVD's I personally owned. It is also one of my favorite Tim Burton movie's as well (even Johnny Depp); an overall favorite.

Part of the reason is the classic story. I remember reading the infamous Ichabod Crane story while I was in high school and I loved it. And while Johnny doesn't look like the description of Crane (hooked nose, etc) and the fact that he wasn't a school teacher in the movie, I still enjoy his portrayal. Depp actually wanted to do the full look, nose and all, but it was vetoed. Apparently, this movie needed looks as well as acting. :-)

What's also nice about this Burton adaptation is the realism. Sure, the blood is way too red (but that's Tim's MO) and of course the story itself is a bit fantastical (really, a headless horseman?) but everything else is fairly realistic. No odd colors extremely out of place or over the top characters that have no business in the story.

I'm not a fan of Crane's flashbacks in this movie though. I understand why they are there (to build bridges between his character and some of the other characters) but I'm just not a fan of them. In some ways they interrupt the continuity of the movie. What I do like is the fantastic cast of actors that came together for this movie, including Michael Gambon, Christina Ricci, Miranda Richardson, Richard Griffiths and of course Johnny Depp. The ensemble cast is actually what brings this movie to life. They play their respective roles extremely well, especially Christopher Walken as the Horseman.

Overall, the movie is great and for those how remember seeing the Disney cartoon of The Adventures of Ichabod Crane that came out originally in the late 40's....this ain't the same movie, so you're in for a shock. Check it out!

Similar Movies:

The Adventures of Ichabod Crane & Mr. Toad (1949)
Edward Scissorhands (1990)
The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993) (coming soon)
Sweeney Todd (2007) (coming soon)
The Corpse Bride (2005) (coming soon)


Up Next:

THE EXORCIST (1973)