Netflix Halloween Favorites

I became alarmed last week when a reader asked if there were "any other" horror movies from the '70s besides what was available on Netflix Instant - I was actually never so sure that Mike Judge was being optimistic when he assumed everyone would be a moron by the year 3000, and that someday Idiocracy might be looked at as a documentary instead of a comedy. Hell, I wouldn't be surprised if Ass: The Movie came out before I die of old age.

But I can't deny that Instant is a terrific tool, especially around this time of the year when it's getting colder and people are staying in more often, particularly those who enjoy horror movies. Not only are there the October marathoners that opt to watch nothing BUT scare fare all month, but there are folks who don't often watch such things and figure they might as well see what all the fuss is about. As luck would have it, Netflix has capitalized on this extra attention toward my beloved genre, putting together a "Halloween Favorites" section on the Instant page, populated with a mix of older and newer titles.

And I must say, they've done a fine job of covering the bases. You got old school Universal Monsters like Dracula and The Wolf Man, '70s sleaze such as I Spit On Your Grave and Last House On The Left, slasher icons (most of the Jason films, Scream sequels), modern classics like Let The Right One In and Session 9, and even a few "not really" horror movies for your mom, like Ghost and The Crucible. Hell, even the kids are covered thanks to stuff like Alvin and the Chipmunks Meet the Wolfman. Obviously it's not ALL of their horror selections, just the ones they've selected for this particular grouping. A die-hard fan probably won't even find much in here they haven't seen (though if you've never seen Sugar Hill - easily one of the most obscure in the list - I highly recommend it).  But for you casual fans, this is a fine place to start building up a Collinsian level obsession.

It's also peppered with remakes, which is kind of annoying. So here's the list of titles presented chronologically, so you know WHICH Dracula (Lugosi!) and WHICH Psycho (the fucking remake that you'd have to be some kind of asshole to watch!) are in the lineup - a lifesaver if you aren't familiar with the box art and think Frankenstein is the one with Karloff or even DeNiro. Sorry - it's Crow 2's Vincent Perez!

1919
The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari

1920
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

1929
Nosferatu

1931 
Dracula

1932 
The Mummy

1941 
The Wolf Man

1947 
The Ghost and Mrs. Muir

1948 
Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein

1954 
Creature from the Black Lagoon
Dial M for Murder

1955 
Abbott & Costello Meet the Mummy

1959 
House on Haunted Hill

1966-1971 
Dark Shadows (TV Series)

1967 
Mad Monster Party

1972 
The Last House on the Left

1973 
Don't Look Now

1974 
Sugar Hill

1976 
Burnt Offerings The Omen

1977 
Audrey Rose

1978 
I Spit On Your Grave

1980 
The Fog

1981
An American Werewolf in London
Omen III: The Final Conflict

1982 
Amityville II: The Possession
Creepshow
The Thing

1984
Children of the Corn
Night of the Comet

1986 
Haunted Honeymoon
Little Shop of Horrors
Poltergeist II

1987 
Hellraiser
Flowers in the Attic

1988 
Elvira, Mistress of the Dark
Monkey Shines
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: A Family Portrait

1989 
Heathers
Little Monsters

1990 
Ghost

1994
The Stand

1995 
Dracula: Dead and Loving It
Tales From The Hood
Village of the Damned

1996 
From Dusk Till Dawn
Primal Fear
The Canterville Ghost
The Crucible

1997 
Scream 2
The Unexplained: Hauntings

1998 
In Search of History: Salem Witch Trials
Psycho The Faculty

1999 
Stigmata

2000 
Alvin and the Chipmunks Meet the Wolfman
Bless the Child
Dracula 2000
Scary Movie
Scream 3

2001 
Donnie Darko
Hannibal
Session 9
South Park Spook-Tacular!

2002 
Carrie
Halloween: Resurrection
Salem Witch Trials

2003 
Dead Like Me

2004 
Frankenstein
Hellboy
House of Voices
Monster Island
Seed of Chucky
Shutter

2005 
Dracula III: Legacy
Land of the Dead
Skeleton Key

2006
Ancient Mysteries: Witches
Day of the Dead
Wicked Little Things

2008
Ghost Adventures
Let the Right One In
The Good Witch

2009
Dead Snow
Dread
DreamWorks Spooky Stories
Paranormal Entity
The Haunted
The House of the Devil

2010
Paranormal Activity 2
Saw: The Final Chapter
The Last Exorcism
Tucker and Dale Vs. Evil

2011
Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark
Fred 2: Night of the Living Fred
Hostel: Part III
Insidious
Season of the Witch
Stephen King's Bag of Bones

2012
Area 407