Well, it's October again...

[Mr. Arkadin]

...which means Horror films will be showing all month!

Here's what's in the TCM schedule. Make your case for what you plan on seeing (with both hands over your eyes):


3 Saturday

White Zombie (1932) A zombie master menaces newlyweds on a Haitian plantation. Cast: Bela Lugosi, Madge Bellamy, John Harron. Dir: Victor Halperin. BW-67 mins, TV-PG

I Walked With A Zombie (1943) A nurse in the Caribbean resorts to voodoo to cure her patient, even though she's in love with the woman's husband. Cast: Frances Dee, Tom Conway, James Ellison. Dir: Jacques Tourneur. BW-69 mins, TV-PG, CC, DVS

4 Sunday

Beast With Five Fingers, The (1946) After a famous pianist's murder, his hand returns to wreak vengeance. Cast: Peter Lorre, Robert Alda, J. Carrol Naish. Dir: Robert Florey. BW-89 mins, TV-PG, CC 7:45 AM

Mad Love (1935) A mad doctor grafts the hands of a murderer on to a concert pianist's wrists. Cast: Peter Lorre, Frances Drake, Colin Clive. Dir: Karl Freund. BW-68 mins, TV-PG, CC

9 Friday

Boys From Brazil, The (1978) A Nazi hunter tracks a mad scientist out to bring back Hitler. Cast: Gregory Peck, Laurence Olivier, James Mason. Dir: Franklin J. Schaffner. C-125 mins, TV-MA, Letterbox Format

Evil Dead 2: Dead By Dawn (1987) Lovers vacationing in the woods unwittingly unleash a horde of demons. Cast: Bruce Campbell, Sarah Berry, Kassie DePaiva. Dir: Sam Raimi. C-84 mins, TV-MA, CC, Letterbox Format

Horror House (1969) A wild teenage party turns deadly when someone starts killing the guests. Cast: Frankie Avalon, Jill Haworth, Dennis Price. Dir: Michael Armstrong. C-92 mins, TV-14, Letterbox Format

10 Saturday

Tales Of Terror (1962) Three Edgar Allen Poe stories feature murder, hauntings and a fiendish hypnotist. Cast: Vincent Price, Peter Lorre, Basil Rathbone. Dir: Roger Corman. BW-89 mins, TV-PG, CC, Letterbox Format

Pit And The Pendulum (1961) A young man investigates his sister's death in a mysterious castle. Cast: Vincent Price, Barbara Steele, John Kerr. Dir: Roger Corman. C-80 mins, TV-PG, Letterbox Format

11 Sunday

Body Snatcher, The (1945) To continue his medical experiments, a doctor must buy corpses from a grave robber. Cast: Boris Karloff, Henry Daniell, Bela Lugosi. Dir: Robert Wise. BW-78 mins, TV-PG, CC

Isle Of The Dead (1945) The inhabitants of a Balkans island under quarantine fear that one of their number is a vampire. Cast: Boris Karloff, Ellen Drew, Helene Thimig. Dir: Mark Robson. BW-72 mins, TV-PG, CC

Unknown, The (1927) In this silent film, an escaped killer pretends to be a sideshow's armless wonder. Cast: Lon Chaney, Joan Crawford, Norman Kerry. Dir: Tod Browning. BW-50 mins, TV-PG

16 Friday

Picture of Dorian Gray, The (1945) A man remains young and handsome while his portrait shows the ravages of age and sin. Cast: Hurd Hatfield, Angela Lansbury, Donna Reed. Dir: Albert Lewin. BW-110 mins, TV-G, CC

Lured (1947) A woman helps the police catch the serial killer who murdered her best friend. Cast: George Sanders, Lucille Ball, Boris Karloff. Dir: Douglas Sirk. BW-103 mins, TV-G

Lodger, The (1944) The inhabitants of a boarding house fear the new lodger is Jack the Ripper. Cast: Merle Oberon, Laird Cregar, George Sanders. Dir: John Brahm. BW-84 mins, TV-14

Videodrome (1982) A sleazy TV programmer begins to see his life and the future of media spin out of control when he acquires a new kind of programming for his station. Cast: James Woods, Sonja Smits, Deborah Harry. Dir: David Cronenberg. C-87 mins, , CC

TerrorVision (1986) A family's satellite television becomes a gateway to an alien invasion. Cast: Diane Franklin, Gerrit Graham, Chad Allen Dir: Ted Nicolaou C-85 mins, TV-MA, Letterbox Format

17 Saturday

Freaks (1932) A lady trapeze artist violates the code of the side show when she plots to murder her midget husband. Cast: Wallace Ford, Olga Baclanova, Harry Earles. Dir: Tod Browning. BW-62 mins, TV-PG, CC

Devil Doll, The (1936) A Devil's Island escapee shrinks murderous slaves and sells them to his victims as dolls. Cast: Lionel Barrymore, Maureen O'Sullivan, Frank Lawton. Dir: Tod Browning. BW-78 mins, TV-PG, CC


18 Sunday

Walking Dead, The (1936) A framed man comes back from the dead to seek revenge. Cast: Boris Karloff, Edmund Gwenn, Marguerite Churchill. Dir: Michael Curtiz. BW-65 mins, TV-PG, CC

Bedlam (1946) When an actress tries to reform an asylum, its corrupt keeper has her committed. Cast: Boris Karloff, Anna Lee, Billy House. Dir: Mark Robson. BW-79 mins, TV-PG, CC

Phantom of the Opera, The (1925) In this silent film, a hideously deformed man haunts the sewers beneath the Paris Opera. Cast: Lon Chaney, Mary Philbin, Norman Kerry. Dir: Rupert Julian. BW-90 mins, TV-G

Vampyr - Der Traum des Allan Grey (1932) Classic tale of a young traveler finding himself in a sinister castle. Cast: Julian West, Maurice Schutz, Rena Mandel. Dir: Carl Theodor Dreyer. BW-72 mins, TV-PG

Fearless Vampire Killers, The (1967) A bumbling professor tracks vampires in the wilds of Eastern Europe. Cast: Jack MacGowran, Roman Polanski, Sharon Tate. Dir: Roman Polanski. C-108 mins, TV-MA, CC, Letterbox Format

19 Monday

Man With A Cloak, The (1951) A mystery man tries to help a young innocent escape a murderous housekeeper. Cast: Barbara Stanwyck, Joseph Cotten, Leslie Caron. Dir: Fletcher Markle. BW-81 mins, TV-PG, CC

20 Tuesday

Mr. Sardonicus (1961) A man whose face is frozen in a horrible smile forces a doctor to treat him. Cast: Oskar Homolka, Ronald Lewis, Audrey Dalton. Dir: William Castle. BW-90 mins, TV-PG, CC, Letterbox Format

Strait-Jacket (1964) Murder follows an axe murderer home when she's released from a mental hospital. Cast: Joan Crawford, Diane Baker, George Kennedy. Dir: William Castle. BW-93 mins, TV-14, CC, Letterbox Format

Tingler, The (1959) A scientist discovers an organism that lives on fear. Cast: Vincent Price, Judith Evelyn, Darryl Hickman. Dir: William Castle. BW-82 mins, TV-PG, CC, Letterbox Format

13 Ghosts (1960) A family inherits a house haunted by 13 ghosts and a living killer. Cast: Charles Herbert, Rosemary DeCamp, Martin Milner. Dir: William Castle. BW-82 mins, TV-PG, Letterbox Format

Old Dark House, The (1963) An eccentric millionaire invites a car salesman to visit his decaying family home. Cast: Tom Poston, Robert Morley, Janette Scott. Dir: William Castle. BW-86 mins, TV-PG, CC, Letterbox Format

Old Dark House, The (1932) A storm strands travelers in a house full of dangerous eccentrics. Cast: Boris Karloff, Melvyn Douglas, Charles Laughton. Dir: James Whale. BW-72 mins, TV-G

23 Friday

Night Of The Hunter, The (1955) A bogus preacher marries an outlaw's widow in search of the man's hidden loot. Cast: Robert Mitchum, Shelley Winters, Lillian Gish. Dir: Charles Laughton. BW-93 mins, TV-PG, CC, Letterbox Format

Dragonwyck (1946) A farm girl signs on as governess in a gloomy mansion. Cast: Gene Tierney, Walter Huston, Vincent Price. Dir: Joseph L. Mankiewicz. BW-103 mins, TV-14, CC

24 Saturday

Corpse Vanishes, The (1942) A mad scientist kills brides and uses their glands to keep his wife alive. Cast: Bela Lugosi, Luana Walters, Elizabeth Russell. Dir: Wallace Fox. BW-63 mins, TV-PG

Mark Of The Vampire (1935) Vampires seem to be connected to an unsolved murder. Cast: Lionel Barrymore, Elizabeth Allan, Bela Lugosi. Dir: Tod Browning. BW-61 mins, TV-PG, CC

Poltergeist (1982) Evil spirits abduct a suburban family's daughter causing chaos and havoc. Cast: Craig T. Nelson, Beatrice Straight, Dominique Dunne. Dir: Tobe Hooper. C-115 mins, TV-MA, CC, Letterbox Format

They Only Kill Their Masters (1972) A small-town sheriff attempts to clear a Doberman of murder charges. Cast: James Garner, Katharine Ross, June Allyson. Dir: James Goldstone. C-98 mins, TV-14, Letterbox Format

25 Sunday

Doctor X (1932) A reporter investigates a series of cannibalistic murders at a medical college. Cast: Lee Tracy, Lionel Atwill, Fay Wray. Dir: Michael Curtiz. C-76 mins, TV-PG

Mystery Of The Wax Museum, The (1933) A disfigured sculptor turns murder victims into wax statues. Cast: Lionel Atwill, Fay Wray, Glenda Farrell. Dir: Michael Curtiz. C-77 mins, TV-PG, CC

Nosferatu (1922) In this silent film, a beautiful woman risks her life to end a vampire's plague of death and pestilence. Cast: Max Schreck, Gustav von Wangenheim, Greta Schroder. Dir: F.W. Murnau. BW-89 mins, TV-PG

27 Tuesday

Poltergeist (1982) Evil spirits abduct a suburban family's daughter causing chaos and havoc. Cast: Craig T. Nelson, Beatrice Straight, Dominique Dunne. Dir: Tobe Hooper. C-115 mins, TV-MA, CC, Letterbox Format

Haunting, The (1963) A team of psychic investigators moves into a haunted house that destroys all who live there. Cast: Julie Harris, Claire Bloom, Russ Tamblyn. Dir: Robert Wise. BW-112 mins, TV-PG, CC, Letterbox Format

Village Of The Damned (1960) After a mysterious blackout, the inhabitants of a British village give birth to emotionless, super-powered offspring. Cast: George Sanders, Barbara Shelley, Michael Gwynn. Dir: Wolf Rilla. BW-77 mins, TV-14, CC, Letterbox Format, DVS

30 Friday

Behind the Mask (1932) A Federal Agent goes undercover in prison to break up a drug syndicate. Cast: Jack Holt, Constance Cummings, Boris Karloff. Dir: John Francis Dillon. BW-68 mins, TV-PG

Mask Of Fu Manchu, The (1932) A Chinese warlord threatens explorers in search of the key to global power. Cast: Boris Karloff, Lewis Stone, Myrna Loy. Dir: Charles Brabin. BW-68 mins, TV-PG, CC

Ghoul, The (1933) An ancient Egyptian returns to punish those who violated his tomb. Cast: Boris Karloff, Cedric Hardwicke, Ernest Thesiger. Dir: T. Hayes Hunter. BW-81 mins, TV-G, CC

Black Room, The (1935) An evil twin brother disposes of his enemies in a secret death chamber on his estate. Cast: Boris Karloff, Marian Marsh, Katherine Demille. Dir: Roy William Nell. BW-68 mins, TV-G, CC

Walking Dead, The (1936) A framed man comes back from the dead to seek revenge. Cast: Boris Karloff, Edmund Gwenn, Marguerite Churchill. Dir: Michael Curtiz. BW-65 mins, TV-PG, CC

Man They Could Not Hang, The (1939) A mad scientist uses an artificial heart pump he invented to seek revenge after he is executed. Cast: Boris Karloff, Lorna Gray, Robert Wilcox. Dir: Nick Grinde. BW-64 mins, TV-14

Man With Nine Lives, The (1940) A doctor's attempts to cure cancer lead to a series of grisly murders. Cast: Boris Karloff, Roger Pryor, Jo Ann Sayers. Dir: Nick Grinde. BW-74 mins, TV-PG

Before I Hang (1940) A mad scientist experiments with a serum tainted with a psychopath's blood. Cast: Boris Karloff, Evevlyn Keyes, Bruce Bennett. Dir: Nick Grinde. BW-62 mins, TV-PG, CC

Ape, The (1940) A mad doctor dresses as an ape to kill victims for their spinal fluid. Cast: Boris Karloff, Maris Wrixon, Gertrude Hoffman. Dir: William Nigh. BW-62 mins, TV-PG

Devil Commands, The (1941) A scientist kills innocent victims in his efforts to communicate with his late wife. Cast: Boris Karloff, Richard Fiske, Anne Revere. Dir: Edward Dmytryk. BW-64 mins, TV-14

Isle Of The Dead (1945) The inhabitants of a Balkans island under quarantine fear that one of their number is a vampire. Cast: Boris Karloff, Ellen Drew, Helene Thimig. Dir: Mark Robson. BW-72 mins, TV-PG, CC

Psycho (1960) A woman on the run gets mixed up with a repressed young man and his violent mother. Cast: Anthony Perkins, Janet Leigh, Vera Miles. Dir: Alfred Hitchcock. BW-109 mins, TV-PG, CC, Letterbox Format

Zaat (1972) A mad scientist transforms himself into an aquatic killer. Cast: Marshall Grauer, Wade Popwell, Paul Galloway. Dir: Don Barton. C-99 mins, TV-14

Swamp Thing (1982) After a violent incident with a special chemical, a research scientist is turned into a swamp plant monster. Cast: Louis Jordan, Adrienne Barbeau, Ray Wise. Dir: Wes Craven. C-91 mins, TV-MA, Letterbox Format

31 Saturday

Woman In White, The (1948) Classic mystery about the adventures of a young tutor sent to a ghostly country estate. Cast: Gig Young, Eleanor Parker, Sydney Greenstreet. Dir: Peter Godfrey. BW-109 mins, TV-G, CC

Dead of Night (1945) Guests at a country estate share stories of the supernatural. Cast: Mervyn Johns, Roland Culver, Michael Redgrave. Dir: Alberto Cavalcanti, Charles Crichton, Basil Dearden, Robert Hamer. BW-103 mins, TV-14, CC

Haunting, The (1963) A team of psychic investigators moves into a haunted house that destroys all who live there. Cast: Julie Harris, Claire Bloom, Russ Tamblyn. Dir: Robert Wise. BW-112 mins, TV-PG, CC, Letterbox Format

Abominable Dr. Phibes, The (1971) A madman uses the plagues of ancient Egypt to avenge his wife's death. Cast: Vincent Price, Joseph Cotten, Virginia North. Dir: Robert Fuest. C-95 mins, TV-14, CC, Letterbox Format

Diary of a Madman (1963) The body of a French magistrate is taken over by the soul of a murderer. Cast: Vincent Price, Nelson Olmsted, Nancy Kovack. Dir: Reginald Le Borg. C-97 mins, TV-14, Letterbox Format

Martin Scorsese Presents, Val Lewton: The Man In The Shadows (2007) This TCM original documentary looks at the imaginative producer who fashioned a lasting body of beautiful and unsettling films on meager budgets. Cast: Martin Scorsese Narrates. BW-77 mins, TV-PG, CC

Cat People (1942) A newlywed fears that an ancient curse will turn her into a bloodthirsty beast. Cast: Simone Simon, Kent Smith, Tom Conway. Dir: Jacques Tourneur. BW-73 mins, TV-PG, CC, DVS

Curse of the Cat People, The (1944) A lonely child creates an imaginary playmate with surprisingly dangerous results. Cast: Kent Smith, Simone Simon, Julia Dean. Dir: Robert Wise, Gunther von Fritsch. BW-70 mins, TV-PG, CC

Dr. Jekyll And Mr. Hyde (1941) A scientist's investigations into the nature of good and evil turn him into a murderous monster. Cast: Spencer Tracy, Ingrid Bergman, Lana Turner. Dir: Victor Fleming. BW-113 mins, TV-PG, CC, DVS
Murders in the Zoo (1933) A crazed zoologist uses zoo animals to dispose of his wife's suitors. Cast: Charlie Ruggles, Lionel Atwill, Gail Patrick. Dir: Edward Sutherland. BW-62 mins,

Body Snatcher, The (1945) To continue his medical experiments, a doctor must buy corpses from a grave robber. Cast: Boris Karloff, Henry Daniell, Bela Lugosi. Dir: Robert Wise. BW-78 mins, TV-PG, CC

Circus of Horrors (1960) A deranged plastic surgeon travels with a circus troupe. Cast: Anton Diffring, Erika Remberg, Yvonne Monlaur. Dir: Sidney Hayers. C-92 mins, TV-14, Letterbox Format

Dr. Jekyll And Mr. Hyde (1932) Robert Louis Stevenson's classic tale of a scientist who unleashes the beast within. Cast: Fredric March, Miriam Hopkins, Rose Hobart. Dir: Rouben Mamoulian. BW-96 mins, TV-PG, CC

Son of Dr. Jekyll, The (1951) The son of the notorious scientist fights to clear his father's name. Cast: Louis Hayward, Jody Lawrance, Alexander Knox. Dir: Seymour Friedman. BW-78 mins, TV-PG

[Ollie]

Thanks for this listing. TCM, you're about 40 years too late! For a long time, I'd confused BEAST W/5 FINGERS and MAD LOVE, but only now is TCM showing them back to back! Finally! There are a couple of other hand-as-monster films, too. Rich (SCSU) has done a great commentary on at least one of those.

Some of the other match-ups are great, too - the OLD DARK HOUSE twosome, for example. It might have been fun to have inserted Herzon/Kinski's 1979 NOSFERATU as well. Fine, though... at least all of those are on DVD.

I don't know THE WOMAN IN WHITE, so that's a treat for me.

And DIARY OF A MADMAN? How can I have missed this Vincent Price film? Another treat.

For those that may not have seen MARK OF THE VAMPIRE, this seems to have a lot of polarized commentary - some hate the ending, some love it. I'm one of its fans - I might give Bela some of his best-performance points in this one if only for the twist ending.

[Mr. Arkadin]

The morning and afternoon of the 30th look great to me--nothing but Karloff as far as the eye can see!

Seriously, Behind the Mask (1932), and The Man with Nine Lives (1940), are new ones for me. On the other days I'll be checking out:

Circus of Horrors (1960)
They Only Kill Their Masters (1972)
The Corpse Vanishes (1942)
Mr. Sardonicus (1961)
The Man With A Cloak (1951)

The rest I've seen, but it's always pleasant to revisit them.

Never seen or heard of Diary of a Madman? Enjoy the theme song (not really, but inspired by the movie)!

[youtube][/youtube]

[CineMaven]

Aaaah, October.

Many of these films I have seen before as a card-carrying member and lover of horror films. The ones that stand out for me in anticipation are:

"THE PIT AND THE PENDULUM" simply for the luscious queen of horror: Barbara Steele

"ISLE OF THE DEAD" the atmospheric nature of it and the woman in white walking the grounds after having been buried alive. ("Vorvalaka!)

"MR. SARDONICUS" the leading lady, the masked face...the choice William Castle gives us.

KARLOFF He has a day and we have the chills. I'm really looking forward to many of those Grade A "B" films, back-to-back-to-back. I wait for the last line in "The Walking Dead."

Aaaah, October.

[Mr. Arkadin]

The Walking Dead is one of my personal favorites as well. It will finally be released to DVD on the 6th:

http://tinyurl.com/yc5rn7l

This is a great example of how Karloff adapts to a role. Check out how he holds his upper body and gait in this movie compared to something like The Mummy (1932), where he seems to effortlessly glide in and out of scenes. It's also interesting that while this can be seen as a modern retelling of the Frankenstein tale, Karloff does not reprise his acting or mannerisms from the earlier movie, but instead creates something altogether different.

[Mr. Arkadin]

"THE PIT AND THE PENDULUM" simply for the luscious queen of horror: Barbara Steele.

I dig Barbara quite a bit. Probably my favorite of her horror works is Castle of Blood (1963):

[youtube][/youtube]

A nice tribute with a fitting song:

[youtube][/youtube]

[knitwit45]

Tingler, The (1959) A scientist discovers an organism that lives on fear. Cast: Vincent Price, Judith Evelyn, Darryl Hickman. Dir: William Castle. BW-82 mins, TV-PG, CC, Letterbox Format

Mr. A, a fond ( ) remembrance of The Tingler:
When I was just a sprout, I was talked into going to see this movie at a small town movie house (I was the visiting city cousin). The theater seemed especially dark, but then I really disliked scary movies, and was very nervous about being there. Anyway, the movie started, and as it progressed, I kept squirming in my seat, vaguely aware that my seat was either broken or slightly askew on its moorings. As the tension onscreen continued to build, so did my discomfort. Finally, at the scariest part, when the victim is supposed to scream to release the power of the tingler, I let out a bloodcurdling yell and jumped straight up in the air, as did several others in the audience. It seems some of the theater seats had been wired to vibrate (TINGLE) in increasing strength as the movie progressed. I was one of the unlucky victims whose seat was rigged. Apparently my cousins had already seen the movie, and knew where the rigged seats were located......that cinched my opinion of all monster/terror/scary movies!

Nancy, the faint of heart

[JackFavell]

What a great story! Of course, not so great when you are living through it....

I am really looking forward to the Karloff films you all have recommended so highly.

I saw Mr. Sardonicus last year and have to say I just LOVED it. I am a huge Oskar Homolka fan, and I think I can say that the film would not have been nearly as good without his splendidly creepy performance.

[Mr. Arkadin]

Mr. A, a fond ( ) remembrance of The Tingler:
When I was just a sprout, I was talked into going to see this movie at a small town movie house (I was the visiting city cousin). The theater seemed especially dark, but then I really disliked scary movies, and was very nervous about being there. Anyway, the movie started, and as it progressed, I kept squirming in my seat, vaguely aware that my seat was either broken or slightly askew on its moorings. As the tension onscreen continued to build, so did my discomfort. Finally, at the scariest part, when the victim is supposed to scream to release the power of the tingler, I let out a bloodcurdling yell and jumped straight up in the air, as did several others in the audience. It seems some of the theater seats had been wired to vibrate (TINGLE) in increasing strength as the movie progressed. I was one of the unlucky victims whose seat was rigged. Apparently my cousins had already seen the movie, and knew where the rigged seats were located......that cinched my opinion of all monster/terror/scary movies!

Nancy, the faint of heart

Hi Nancy, I've read of all the gimmicks that Castle employed, but it's great to know someone who actually had the experience. I've often wondered if these ideas worked and now I have my answer!

A lot of my favorite horror films don't contain lots of blood or gore, but are interesting morality melodramas that peer into man's psyche. I would encourage you to give some of these films a chance:

The Picture of Dorian Gray (1945)
Oscar Wilde's great short story. There's an old write up I did (that probably needs revising badly) here:
http://silverscreenoasis.com/oasis3/vie ... f=1&t=1068


I Walked With a Zombie (1943)
A voodoo remake of Jane Eyre. Great atmospheric film with lots of layers and depth.

The Walking Dead (1935)
The Devil Commands (1941)
Isle Of The Dead (1945)
The Body Snatcher (1945)

These works of Karloff will give you a new perspective of his depth and range. He was not just Frankenstein, but a talented actor who could move you to tears and his characters always connect with our heartstrings. Proof that horror acting is much more than a rubber mask or makeup.

Happy viewing, just remember to scope out your chair first!

[Mr. Arkadin]

I am really looking forward to the Karloff films you all have recommended so highly.

Karloff is similar to Rains, Bogart, Grant, etc. in the sense that any project he is in is worth viewing for his performance alone. Sadly, he never experienced similar press because of the genre he worked in.

[sandykaypax]

I don't really watch horror films--I am a scaredy-cat. BUT, I just wanted to chime in briefly since Mr. Arkadin mentioned The Picture of Dorian Gray. This summer, hubby and I went to the Art Institute in Chicago and imagine our surprise when we saw the "picture of Dorian Gray" hanging in one of the galleries! It was the scary picture that is hanging away in the attic--the actual prop that was painted for the MGM film. The picture is quite large, colorful, and extremely detailed. Hubby took a photo of it to keep on his phone--he's a big horror film fan.

Sandy K

[CineMaven]

Mr. Arkadin...thank you for the YouTube clips of Barbara Steele. Are you trying to make me fall in love with you??

[JackFavell]

I have very fond memories of Karloff from my childhood, watching him on Saturday afternoon ( I think he had a tv show in which he introduced horror movies, it may have already been in reruns when I was a kid). I always thought he was a great actor... and I always cry at the end of the Grinch, listening to his voice.

[MichiganJ]

I have very fond memories of Karloff from my childhood, watching him on Saturday afternoon ( I think he had a tv show in which he introduced horror movies, it may have already been in reruns when I was a kid). I always thought he was a great actor... and I always cry at the end of the Grinch, listening to his voice.

Karloff hosted "Thriller", which was on from 1960-1962. I saw them in syndication and still think the show remains one of the best horror anthology programs.

While his performance doesn't make you cry, his voice was also used in the terrific stop-motion animation film, Mad Monster Party? playing Baron Boris von Frankenstein. (Who else?)

[knitwit45]

Hi again, Mr. A.
I guess I should have been more specific about the kind of "scary" movies that are not my cup of tea. I meant the current slash and gore, cruelty for vicarious thrill type of stuff. Portrait of Dorian Gray is a great movie, and I don't really think of it as a "scary" one. Sure, the portrait is awful, but it is a peek into his soul, not a body cut open for us to peruse. The Karloff/Lugosi/Chaney movies are all fun, creepy and scary but not nasty-scary. I might sit on the edge of my chair and squirm a bit, but I don't leave the room or turn them off.
I don't think of them as Horror, perhaps because of the obscene stuff we are subjected to now, should we choose to watch. Those stories of the 30s, 40's and early 50's were character driven, rather than "how much can we get away with before someone yells uncle..or gets sick.." I remember a warning at the beginning of The Tingler, something about not being liable for anyone who suffered a heart attack during the viewing. Nowadays they need to issue sickness bags!
Sorry, I'll climb down from the soapbox now....and more power to those who enjoy the new stuff..