Earlier this week,I was thinking about horror anthology movies in the fictional form and now that got me to thinking about the nonfictional version(talk about your vicious circle there,folks!)that highlights fright flicks via clips from the past and the present. They're sort of like cinematic popcorn for the mind-fun to munch on but not meant to be long lasting.
Most of those are made for TV,but every now and then a feature length film is put together. Terror In The Aisles actually was released into movie theaters back in 1982 but is hard to find these days on video(due to the numerous copyright clearances needed for all of the movies represented here). I did see it on cable many years ago and it was a blast.
Donald Pleasance and Nancy Allen do the hosting honors as members of a typical movie audience sitting and staring at the gruesome terrors unfolding onscreen. It's interesting to see just how many of these movies used the same grab bag of basic scenarios in different ways:
The narration and movie knowledge given was more atmospheric than informative,yet it was chillingly done well:
For something more family friendly,Disney's Halloween Treat features a number of memorable villains and spooky scenes from classic Disney films and cartoon shorts. Alas,finding the original version on video is just as tricky as Terror In The Aisles. Altho it was put on VHS in the mid- nineteen eighties,DHT has not hit the DVD marketplace .
That's a real shame,because it offers up some of the best Disney had on hand in the way of wickedness such as the Night on Bald Mountain sequence in Fantasia. It does get replayed on TV every now and then,so catch it if you can. Speaking of catchy,DHT has a very charming theme song for humming along to on your trick or treat route:
Keeping the terror movie clip genre alive is Bravo,with their "100 Scariest Movie Moments" series. While you may not agree with the placement of certain films in their rankings(the first special had Jaws at number one,something I wholeheartedly find disappointing there),it is a good way to get nostalgic for those big screen "boo!" scenes.
The selections don't just come from the standard set of horror films known to all. Many of the picks are from mainsteam fare from thrillers like Fatal Attraction to even the kiddie classic Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. You have to admit,that boat ride bit was a real freakshow moment there:
The other good thing about the Scariest Movie Moments specials is that they don't just focus on big league movies that most of the viewing audiences are already familiar with. Smaller movies like the original Stepfather and old school fare such as The Black Cat were nicely featured as well:
Like many other successful scare shows,a number of sequels followed. As we speak,a new one is debuting tonight and I can't wait to see it. Most of the clippage these days highlights some very current creepiness but there are some real cringe worthy moment worth remembering. The needle pit scene in Saw II still gives me the shudders. I'm almost tempted to cover my eyes at the mere thought of it:
No matter what favorite scary movie scene is a must-see for you,it's great to have a yearly excuse like Halloween as a good reason to curl up on the couch and chill to the thrills. Of course there's no rule that says you have to stick to the cinema for your spooky snippets-plenty of TV shows have wonderful All Hallow's Eve themed episodes that bring back delightful creepy memories. Maybe someday,they'll get a special of their own. Until then,we'll always have DVD or homemade homages to watch online-a rather scary thought,indeed:
No comments:
Post a Comment