Day 15: Repulsion (1965)
Posted in2016 31 Days of Horror Classics

Day 15: Repulsion (1965)

Welcome back for Day 15 of this year's 31 Days of Horror series! Today we'll be talking about Roman Polanski's 1965 thriller, Repulsion. First of all, this is a weird, weird movie. There is so much symbolism, and so much psychological commentary, that it leaves the viewer unsure how to separate the real from the imagined. Even after watching, I still don't know which aspects were exclusively happening inside the main character's mind, and which aspects legitimately occurred. I'm certain that this is intentional on the part of Mr. Polanski, but it is a bit of a negative as well as…
Day 13: House of Usher (1960)
Posted in2016 31 Days of Horror Classics

Day 13: House of Usher (1960)

Day 13 begins our discussion on horror films of the 1960s, and we're kicking things off with Roger Corman's House of Usher. The movie is based on the grim, gothic short story by Edgar Allan Poe, and said story is hella bleak. Fittingly, it stars camp horror legend Vincent Price (House of Wax, The House on Haunted Hill), with whom you are familiar even if you think you're not. Don't believe me? Listen to Michael Jackson's "Thriller" again. That creepy, gravelly voice doing the narration and maniacal laugh at the end belongs to none other than Mr. Price! Here's the thing about House of Usher, though: it somehow…
Day 12: Tarantula (1955)
Posted in2016 31 Days of Horror Classics

Day 12: Tarantula (1955)

It's Day 12 today, and we're closing out the 1950s! I admit that after reviewing the less-than-stellar It Came From Outer Space on Monday, I watched 1955's Tarantula with a slight trepidation. I had begun thinking that maybe Creature Features just weren't up my alley, but thankfully, I enjoyed today's film about 100 times more. There is still a certain B-movie feel to it (the premise is that a gigantic tarantula is terrorizing the town, after all), but for the most part it succeeds where many other monster movies of this era fail. It doesn't go over the top with kooky, animatronic creatures and silly…