PG
Blacula (1972)
Well, we’ve made it through an entire month. And now it’s February. In the US (and Canada, I think), February is Black History Month. I want to be clear that I am not qualified to, nor do I intend to, go deep into any racial critiques here - but I did seek out movies made by and starring Black artists.
Otherwise, and as always, everything on here is strictly my personal opinion and about my personal enjoyment.
Cape Fear (1962)
So many old movies feel SO SLOW. Like everything is a slow burn telling of a story. And I find old acting performances so strange. Everything feels somehow stilted and overacted at the same time. And that’s kind of how I felt throughout this movie.
Day of the Animals (1977)
(Sorry, lots of spoilers, and brief mention of sexual assault) If you’ve ever wanted to see Leslie Nielsen wrestle a bear, this is the movie for you! This is like the American version of Long Weekend, basically. Though I guess this one came first.
Frogs (1972)
In honor of the fact that I’m being eaten alive by mosquitoes this month, I watched yet another “eco-horror” movie.
Sadly, it doesn’t seem like eco-horror is quite my cup of tea. I liked this one about as much as Long Weekend and Day of the Animals, which is to say…not very much.
Jaws (1975)
I always liked this one, though its PG rating is a bit deceiving (it’s another from before the PG-13 rating existed).
Poltergeist (1982)
This is one of the first horror movies I ever saw (on purpose, anyway) and boy, did it stick with me. I remember when I was younger I used to wake up in a cold sweat after nightmares about this movie. Luckily, I haven’t had one of those in years…but then again I also hadn’t watched this movie in years.
One thing that definitely went over my head when I was younger is the sense of humor this movie has. From the parents getting stoned in their bedroom to the teenage daughter letting it slip that she “remembers” the Holiday Inn down the street, there are several jokes in this that land much better now that I understand them. This movie hasn’t just held up over time, it’s actually gotten better – or I’ve gotten smarter or more experienced or something. Either way, I like this movie even more now than I did when I was a kid.