Adam and I’s Halloween scary movie tradition stayed alive this year with Night of the Living Dead (1968). This film, directed by George Romero, is about a strange night where people who have recently died are not staying dead. They are coming back to life and murdering other people. The tagline to this movie is “they won’t stay dead!” and it is a very fitting description of this film.

While this film is 45 years old, it is still delivers everything you would want in a classic horror film. With this film, Romero revolutionized the horror-film genre and the idea of a “zombie,” even though in Night the undead are referred to as “ghouls”. Even though when this film was made they did not have the modern special effects, these “ghouls” are actually still quite scary, which is pretty impressive. At one point while Adam and I were watching the movie and the ”ghouls” were trying to get into a house, there was banging on our front door and I jumped because I thought the ghouls were trying to come into our house!

I really enjoyed this horror film and believe that it is a true horror classic. Hopefully you find it as frightful and surprising as I did.

If you’re looking for a post-Halloween thrill check out this movie from the Milligan Library!
Milligan Library Call Number  PN1997.N57 2008

No plans for Halloween this year? Why not check out a scary movie for a movie night? For the past four years, my husband Adam and I have had a tradition of watching a scary movie on Halloween. We always picked movies that neither of us had ever seen, which guarantees that both of us are surprised. We have watched some good ones over the years. There has not been one year yet where we have been disappointed by our scary movie choice. Here are the movies that we have watched over the years, maybe you will be inspired to start a scary movie tradition of your own.

The first year, while we were still dating, we watched Psycho (1960), directed by Alfred Hitchcock and starring Anthony Perkins and Janet Leigh. Hitchcock movies are some of my favorites, and this was on that I had never seen. All that Adam and I knew about this movie was the “shower scene.” This movie definitely surprised us, and it is a great one for Halloween night. Even though it is 53 years old, it is still one of my favorite movies.

The next year we went classic scary movie with Halloween (1978). Surprisingly both of us had made it 20 years of our life without seeing this scary movie, and did we love it. Adam and I would both name one of our favorite movies ever. We were so scared. John Carpenter did an amazing job with creating suspense with his camera angles and memorable score. Whenever I hear the classic theme I immediately feel a chill and look over my shoulder. This would be a great movie to check out and watch with a group of friends this Halloween.

When deciding what to watch the next year, I decided to do some research on the scariest movie ever made and I was surprised to find The Exorcist (1973) listed number one on three of the lists that I found. Adam and I decided to watch this one. We also rented Raiders of the Lost Ark to watch after The Exorcist so that we would go to bed thinking of action scenes instead of exorcisms. Adam and I found The Exorcist to be a different kind of scary movie. It is not so much a scary movie where things jump out and scare you or has crazy twists. No, it’s more of a scary movie because it is just plain creepy and disturbing. It is not really a movie that I would say we enjoyed watching and probably will never want to watch again, but it was a good scary movie to continue our Halloween tradition.

Last year Adam and I decided to continue in the Halloween series and watch Halloween 2 (1981). While not as good as the John Carpenter original, this movie was still very scary. It continues the story from where the first movie leaves off. We enjoyed this one as well, but this is one case where the sequel did not quite live up to the original for us.

Adam and I still have not decided what to watch this year, we have a couple ideas, but sometimes it is hard to choose. I’d like to see what you think. Which movie should Adam and I watch this year to continue our Halloween scary movie tradition?

[polldaddy poll=7500526]

Look for my review of this year’s scary movie after Halloween.

Milligan Library Call Numbers for the scary movies mentioned above:

Psycho  PN1995.9.H6 P8 1999
Halloween  PN1997.H348 2000
The Exorcist  PN1995.9 H6 E9 2010

For other ideas for scary movies to watch, check out the display in the Milligan Library. And remember another great thing about the Milligan Library: If they don’t have it, they can Interlibrary Loan it for you!

Growing up, my parents used to pick “classic” movies for my sister and I to watch. Some of these classics were Citizen Kane, The Maltese Falcon, Rear Window and True Grit, to name a few. The Hitchcock and John Wayne movies I didn’t mind so much, but the other, boring, black and white ones, I did not care for. Most of the time when my parents chose a movie I would ask, “Is it in black and white?” And the answer usually determined whether or not I would like it. In my mind, in most cases, black and white meant boring. Now that I am older, and more appreciative, I realize how wrong I was.

This last week I watched an amazing black and white film, 12 Angry Men (1957). This movie, directed by Sidney Lumet, is one of my favorites that I have watched recently. It is only 96 minutes long and I was captivated throughout the film.

The scene—a jury room

The characters—the twelve jurors deliberating a case (some of the stars include: Henry Fonda, Lee Cobb, Jack Klugman, and John Fiedler, you might recognize him as the voice of Piglet).

The problem—eleven men are convinced that an eighteen year old boy from the slums is guilty of stabbing his father, and one has a reasonable doubt and thinks the boy innocent.

I found this story intriguing and dynamic. The acting and directing is superb. What I liked about this movie was that it starts when the jury leaves the courtroom to deliberate. Everything you learn about the case is from the juror’s arguments. You learn a lot about the characters through their arguments. I found myself pulled back and forth between guilty and not guilty.

I highly recommend this movie. It will not take a large chunk of your time, and the escape into this story is well worth it. Check it out tonight from the Milligan Library!

12 Angry Men  Call Number:  PN1997.T84 2001

If you are looking for a movie to watch this fall break weekend, I would recommend Memento (2000). I checked out this movie having no idea what to expect and found myself gripped by the story and shocked at the ending.

Memento follows Leonard (Guy Pearce) on a personal vendetta to find his wife’s murderer and kill him. There is only one problem. Leonard has a short term memory disorder–he has none. Leonard copes by having a system that he follows with discipline. But how can he be sure the system is not being used against him?

Memento, written and directed by Christopher Nolan, is told in an unusual narrative fashion. It is intriguing and the story will grab hold of you and not let go until the end. I highly recommend this movie, but I will say that you will need to strap on your thinking caps while you watch this movie. It requires your full attention, otherwise you might miss something. With this movie, you do not want to miss a minute of it.

Check it out tonight at the Milligan Library using this Call Number:  PN1997.M65 2002

Is there one movie that just screams summer to you? For me it is The Sound of Music (1965) starring Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer. Whenever the sun is bright and the grass is green, I sometimes cannot help myself from thinking of Maria singing “the hills are alive, with the sound of music.” Seeing the Von Trapp children running around town, playing in the trees, singing on mountaintops, and swimming in the lake in their old drapes makes me wish I could do the same. Every time there is a warm summer thunderstorm, I think of Rolfe and Liesl dancing in the gazebo and of all my favorite things.

The Sound of Music is one of my favorite movies of all time. I love the music, the scenery, and the very captivating love story. It is a little on the long side, almost three hours, but I would say that it is well worth it. In 1965, The Sound of Music won several Oscars including Best Director and Best Picture. It is truly beautiful to watch and hear.

If you have not seen this classic musical, I highly recommend it, especially on a cool summer evening with the threat of a thunderstorm. Check it out tonight from the Milligan Collection!

The Sound of Music PN1995.9.M86 S6 2002

What movie screams summer to you?