October 1, 2019

Halloween, Not-too Scary, Movie Watching Fun

I display my first Halloween blog post from 2013.

In 2013, when this blog was in its infancy, I wrote my first Halloween post,
Happy Not -So- Very- Scary Halloween . You can read it again, here.

With today, being the first day of October, I pulled this post out of “moth balls”, and share with you my annual Halloween-watching picks.  To be honest, I am feeling a bit giddy at the prospect of watching all of these goodies this month.  Enjoy!

Annette’s list of fun Halloween Movies/TV

My trio of Mickey jack-o-lanterns decorate my dining room.

(This list starts with my “must see” selections at the top, descending to the
“if there is time to watch” toward the bottom.)

It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown (1966)
I have been watching this 1966 made for TV special, since its inception.  (Yes, I am THAT old!) I never miss it.

The Ghost and Mr. Chicken (1966)
No one looks, or acts, more scared than Don Knotts in a haunted house.  Very funny!

Tickle Me (1965)
Elvis in a haunted house, need I say more?
(Julie Adams co-stars in this, and is also in Creature from the Black Lagoon, below.)

Meet Me in St. Louis (1944)
Young Margaret O’Brien steals the spotlight from Judy Garland with her Halloween night pranks.

Mom’s Got a Date with a Vampire (2000)
A Disney made- for -TV movie that has been a favorite in our family for years.
Charles Shaughnessy, of The Nanny fame, stars as the not overly frightening vampire.
(I found this on iTunes.)

Young Frankenstein (1974)
(Yes, I AM old enough to have watched this film in the movie theater, when it was first released!)
Gene Wilder stars as Dr. Frederick Frankenstein in this comedy classic.

Blackbeard’s Ghost (1968)
Dean Jones, the “face of Disney films” in the 1960’s, stars in this lesser known Disney tale.  All the fun and silliness of Disney films of that era.

TV and Movies Based off TV Series

The Dick Van Dyke Show

Episodes:

It May Look Like a Walnut- Season 2 (1962)

The Cat Burglar-Season 2 (1962)

The Ghost of A.Chantz – Season 4 (1964)

Long Night’s Journey into Day -Season 5 (1965)

Uhny Uftz-Season 5 (1965)

For episode details go to
http://the-haunted-closet.blogspot.com/2010/10/spooky-dick-van-dyke-show-episodes.html

The Classic Halloween Episodes DVD of The Dick Van Dyke Show include
It May Look Like a Walnut, The Cat Burglar, The Ghost of A.Chantz , and
Long Night’s Journey into Day. 

The Andy Griffith Show
The Haunted House-Season 4 (1963)

Don Knotts stars in this precursor of The Ghost and Mr. Chicken (above).

The Brady Bunch
To Move or Not to Move-Season 1-23 (1970)

The Slumber Caper Season 2-3 (1971)

Fright Night-Season 4 -6 (1972)
For the episode’s details go to
http://the-haunted-closet.blogspot.com/2008/08/fraidy-bunch.html

Out of This World-Season 5-16 (1973)

The Munsters (1964-1966)
Any and all episodes

(Fun Fact for ya–The Munsters was created by the original think tank for the earlier TV classic Leave it to Beaver (1957-1963).
The Munsters is sort of a ”Leave it to Beaver”, but with friendly monsters.

 Munsters Go Home! (1966)
This is the 1966 color movie based on The Munsters TV series.

 Bewitched (1964-1972)
Any and all episodes

Bewitched (2005)
First, let me say that this movie got a bad rap when it came out.  I like it, and I think
it is cute. Basically, in this film, Will Ferrell‘s character is set to play Darren in a remake of the classic “Bewitched” TV series, with Nicole Kidman starring as his Samantha.  Unbeknown to those working on the new TV show, Kidman’s Samantha really IS a witch!
(Note-This film is rated PG-13.)

The Addams Family (1964-1966)
Any and all episodes

The Middle (2009-2018)
Starting with the second season, this family series has had an annual Halloween episode filled with laughs.

Halloween (Season 2)

Halloween II (Season 3

Halloween III (Season 4)

Halloween IV (Season 5)

 Halloween V (Season 6)

Halloween VI (Season 7)

Halloween VII (Season 8)

Halloween VIII (Season 9)

For a rundown on all of these episodes, go here.

More Movies

Ghost Breakers (1940) & Scared Stiff (1953)
Ghost Breakers stars comedian Bob Hope;
the second film, Scared Stiff,  is a musical remake
of Ghost Breakers, this time starring Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis.
Both films are “scary” comedies.

You’ll Find Out(1940)
Another comedy “horror” movie, this time with big band leader Kay Kyser and his band.
This film also stars horror legends Boris Karloff, and Bela Lugosi, plus Peter Lorre!
Just fun, with a touch of scary.

Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein (1948) and
Hold that Ghost (1941)
The first film is a funny horror spoof with Lon Chaney Jr. joining the comedy team of
Abbott and Costello.
(Lon Chaney Jr. was the star of The Wolf Man, see below)

The second movie mentioned is a haunted house horror comedy, also with Abbott and Costello, along with Richard Carlson.

Check out other Abbott and Costello titles shown in the photo below,
for a hint of silly scariness. :o)

 Wizard of Oz (1939)
Because I love to watch this one anytime, and the Wicked Witch, Glinda, Scarecrow,
Tin Man, Cowardly Lion, and Dorothy (Judy Garland) have become Halloween costume staples.

Batman: The Movie (1966)
Because this is MY blog, after all.
I love the campy Adam West as Batman! (The best Batman, ever!)
Besides, he is dressed in a costume, as is his trusty sidekick and his four criminal foils, right?
This is the 1966 movie based on the Batman TV series.

The Canterville Ghost (1944)
Margaret O’Brien (of Meet Me in St. Louis) stars again, this time with Charles Laughton as the inept and unscary ghost.

Wallace & Gromit:  The Curse of the Were-Rabbit (2005)
My family are fans of the British claymation characters Wallace and Gromit (Aardman Animation).  This dog and his master have come up with an animal friendly machine to keep rabbits from eating the community’s vegetables.  All in good fun, keep an ear out for all of the jokes.

Diary of a Wimpy Kid (2010)
I am a fan of the Wimpy Kid movies.  They make me laugh. This one finds Greg (Zachary Gordon) in trouble, as always, including on Halloween.

 The Spy Next Door (2010)
Jackie Chan stars as, you got it, the spy next door! I threw this one in, as it occurs around Halloween. Cute family film.

I Married a Witch (1942)
Veronica Lake stars as a beautiful witch, who falls in love with the ancestor of the man who persecuted her in the witch trials. A fun comedy.

Beware!

If you do not like anything remotely scary, skip past the suggestions below!

But, if you desire slightly scarier stuff…

My Mildly Scary Picks

Alfred Hitchcock Movies

The master of suspense is a great addition to movie watching this month.
Here are a few:

To Catch a Thief (1955)-They wear costumes in this, so, of course, it is perfect for Halloween (May I remind you that this is MY list), and besides, Cary Grant and
Grace Kelly star.
This one is not scary.

Rebecca (1940)-Joan Fontaine marries a widower, Laurence Olivier, and moves into mysterious Manderley.

Rear Window (1954)-James/Jimmy Stewart is laid up with a broken leg, and, apparently, even the attentions of the beautiful Grace Kelly are not enough to detour him from snooping on his neighbors.

The Birds (1963)-A bunch of birds become hostile in Bodega Bay.

 North by Northwest (1959)-Great movie and Cary Grant stars in this.
(Not scary enough for Halloween? Again, this is MY list.)

Scarier Movies

Them! (1954)
James Arness (of Gunsmoke fame) and really giant ants!

The Blob (1958)
Steve McQueen stars, with a ball of silicone, playing the alien amoeba, that terrorizes his Pennsylvania town.

Creature from the Black Lagoon (1954)
A funny- looking beast becomes captivated by beauty, Julie Adams.
A few years later, Elvis seems captivated, too, in the funnier, Tickle Me.

The Wolf man (1941)
A werewolf bites Lon Chaney Jr., and his looks begin to change. Claude Rains also stars.

I Walked With a Zombie (1943)
Val Lewton, known for his horror films, produced this RKO film, and this is the scariest film on my list. A nurse moves to the West Indies to care for a sick woman.
Jane Eyre was the inspiration for this script.

This film can usually be seen on Turner Classic Movies in October.

Zombies on Broadway (1945)
This is a comedy parody of the zombie horror film above, complete with Bela Lugosi.
This film has sort of an Abbott and Costelloish feel, and is not scary.

Cat People (1942)
Another Val Lewton produced RKO film.
A man unwittingly marries a woman who periodically turns into a very grouchy panther, literally.

This film can usually be seen on Turner Classic Movies in October, too.

Other Halloween and October Posts to Enjoy

Happy-Not-So-Very-Scary-Halloween, October 2013, here.

Time to Make Some Carmel Corn!, October 2015, here.

Dracula!, October 2015, here.

Autumn in October: Young Frankenstein, a Not-So-Scary Halloween, and Pumpkin Cake…, October 2016, here.

A Halloween Movie/TV Show, October 2016, here.

October!, October 2018, here.

Trick or Treat!, October 2018, here.

Thank you for reading,

I’m Annette Stuff

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This is about as scary as things get around my house.  :o).