Hi folks! I’m AJ, one of the leaders for Horror Society! As part of Reconnect Week, I’m here to encourage you all to reconnect with some ‘classic’ films.
I definitely have a bias towards horror, which will take up most of this blog. But, I have linked some more broad resources and recommendations at the end of this blog!
My New Year’s resolution has been challenging myself to watch a movie EVERY DAY to encourage myself to watch those DVDs that have been unjustly collecting dust. I kicked the year off with Psycho (1960). It was one of those films that I forgot to watch as part of my journey into horror. Now, I know it is common that people brush off films from before the 80s, 90s or even 2010s! But some of the best films are older films. So, let me (re)introduce these to you!
Universal Monsters: Frankenstein (1931)
With Lisa Frankenstein (2024) coming out at the start of march and Jacob Elordi playing the monster himself in Guillermo Del Toro’s reimagining, why not watch the original material? The 1931’s classic is directed by James Whale, an openly gay man. Queer horror is a huge interest of mine. Have you ever considered how many films were created by queer people or how they could be analysed with a queer lens?
The biggest perk of the Universal Monster movies, they’re really short! Frankenstein is 1h 11 mins long. This is because people didn’t have TV's at home, so they would go into the cinema to spend time with their friends. Sometimes, screenings would have cartoons, a newsreel and a first feature before showing the main feature. Frankenstein (1931) is considered a longer feature.
Frankenstein is not the only Universal Monster. The list includes: Dracula, The Invisible Man, The Creature from the Black Lagoon, The Wolf Man, The Mummy and even Phantom of the Opera. Have you seen a remake of these? Read the books? I recommend you dig deeper and enjoy at least one of these films!
Curious? Check out this Universal Monsters playlist on Box of Broadcasts. BoB is a service the library has subscribed to which means you can watch nearly any film or tv show for FREE! (here's help on how to get it set up!)
Happy Halloween (1978)
Praise John Carpenter! He has made some of my favourite films, specifically Halloween (1978) and The Thing (1982). I’m going to take this time to praise some of the best films from the 70s. So many iconic films came out during this time, like…
Jaws (1975), one of the highest grossing films of all time (adjusted for inflation). And shortly behind that is The Exorcist (1973). I actually got the pleasure of watching this for the first time in the cinema. Thanks to cinemas like Vue showing films for their anniversaries! Make sure you scroll down to the bottom of the week's screenings because you never know what gems you will find.
I can’t talk about the 70s without acknowledging The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974). This is Caitlin, the other Horror Society leader’s favourite franchise. If you like this film, you should definitely come to our meets and talk to them about it.
Body Horror: The Fly (1986)
Shhh… can you hear that buzzing? I think The Fly (1986) has gotten into LAU!
That's right, we're screening The Fly (1986) as part of reconnect week! Come join us as we enjoy David Cronenberg subject Jeff Goldbloom to his horror. Check out the end of the blog for more information.
The 80s definitely was Cronenberg’s era. With his other great hits Scanners (1981) and Videodrome (1983) running alongside the great John Carpenter with the body horror of his hit film The Thing (1982). Did you know that The Thing (1982) and The Fly (1986) are remakes? Respectively they are remakes of the 50s films The Thing from Another World (1951) and The Fly (1958).
Alongside the body horror we got to meet the Pinhead in Liverpool’s Clive Barker’s Hellraiser (1987). If you enjoy anything leather, this is a must watch! If gore makes your stomach turn, there is Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining (1980), another film I got the fortune of watching in cinema.
‘I read that book!’: The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
One of my favourite films is The Silence of the Lambs (1991). It is one of the very few horror movies to win awards, thanks to Anthony Hopkins and Jodie Foster’s performances. But, like many films, it is a book adaptation. It would be boring if I told you which of the previously mentioned films were based on books. But, I know a lot of people enjoy reading books if they have seen the film first, I included.
Written by Stephen King, Misery (1990) has Kathy Bates as an obsessive fan. American Psycho (2000), originally written by Brent Easton Ellis, has had a huge resurgence in the last year. Some people hate this film, partially from misinformation. Patrick Bateman is a parody of 80s Stock Brokers and the book is written by a gay man and the film was directed by a woman. Going in with that information will hopefully make this film a lot more enjoyable. The Ring (2002) surprisingly was a novel by Koji Suzuki, which was first adapted by Hideo Nakata in Ringu (1998). On the topic of Japanese films, the gruesome Audition (1999) is an adaptation of the 1997 novel by Ryu Murakami.
Where to Watch
I have created a playlist of personal recommendations for several decades of horror which all can be streamed via BoB.
If your not signed up to BoB don’t forget that the library has a collection of DVDs you can borrow too and the Horror Society runs film regular screenings that you can get involved in to watch some of my recommendations!
Horror Society
I obviously have to introduce you to Horror Society if you don’t already know us!
We consist of AJ (he/him) Level 6 Fine Art And Caitlin (they/them) Level 5 Comic and Concept Art. We meet every Friday in G22 (just before the mac suites) 4-6pm where we hang and usually play quizzes! We even go see some new releases together!
And as I mentioned before, we are screening The Fly (1986)! Head down to G03/04 on Friday 26th January at 5pm for the screening. Thank you so much for reading my blog! Go enjoy some movies and I hope to see some fresh faces at our next meet!
Don't forget to sign up to the Horror Society here and check out the rest of our Reconnect Week Events.
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