Hello!

CineSavant does its best to get into the Halloween spirit. We have three reviews, even if two of the most touted titles were delayed until sometime in November — Hammer/WAC’s  Horror of Dracula, and The Warner Archives’  Phantom of the Rue Morgue in 3-D. Radiance Films’  Planet of the Vampires in 4K, plus their intriguing set called   Fantastique: The Dreams and Nightmares of French Cinema, were always for November, but distinctions like that never get in the way of disc collectors’ irrational grudges.

Meanwhile, we have a some images with a Halloween theme, namely, photos of a holiday lawn display in Washington, D.C..  Is it just me, or have giant Skeletons overrun Halloween decorating this year?  We particularly like the skeleton ballet dancers. Not only did one D.C. resident go crazy with the bones and the cobwebs, some serious political statement-making came along as well. Here’s hoping that not all of the blessings of democracy end up in the graveyard. This creative skeleton-poser even depicts the Statue of Liberty as down for the count, in big need of a lift.

The photos only capture a bit of this particular display. Correspondents have been sending me images of decorations that engulf entire houses, with lighting and animation that must have cost thousands. For me, a pumpkin on the porch is Halloween fun enough. My gang of close associates that are really into Halloween either pick their favorite chiller show for the big night, or look forward to Day of the Dead celebrations.

 

---

 

Good timing at Trailers from Hell!  Our favorite trailer-narrating TFH Guru is none other than director Brian Trenchard-Smith. His camera presence is so smooth, he should be seeking a second (third?) career as an actor. We double-checked — the image just above is not a photo of Brian.

Mr. Trenchard-Smith contributes a typically excellent commentary for Terence Fisher’s 1959 The Mummy, the classic with Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing. Beyond his clever sense of humor, Brian dispenses a bounty of interesting facts about the film’s production and its censorship challenge. Will this movie about the love-sick Kharis be my own Halloween treat? … other pictures I typically turn to on Halloween include  Circus of Horrors,  Mystery of the Wax Museum and  Island of Lost Souls.

 

Brian Trenchard Smith on “The Mummy ’59” 

Thanks to Charlie Largent for the deco banner for Halloween … Charlie’s own vintage Halloween Triple Bill post is called

 

How Much Shock Can You Stand? 

 

 

Thanks for reading! — Glenn Erickson