Halloween viewing is a strange thing. I’ve failed to finish more than a few movies this run*. But I have managed to catch the first four episodes of Eli Roth’s docu-series History of Horror on AMC and having just finished episode four… I’m here to give it a strong endorsement as Halloween ‘film’ experience #29.
This has to be one of the more digestible/coherent/comprehensive documentaries and as the series continues, I hope you’ll all tune in.
It’s for mega-fans and the horror-curious alike. The best possible spoiler-filled introduction to these movies. Spoilers do abound… so if that’s of concern… just know. : )
Each episode focuses on a sub-genre of horror and traces it from its humble beginnings to its most iconic moments. This is great as an introductory course — but spoilers abound in each episode, so if you’ve got a good memory… maybe skip it.
Is the last thing in the world we need another batch of people dissecting movies and talking about them? Absolutely. But when the group includes Mary Harron, Jamie Lee Curtis, Quentin Tarantino, John Landis, Diablo Cody, Bryan Fuller, Jordan Peele, Robert Englund, Bruce Campbell, Stephen King, Karyn Kusama, and Edgar Wright… one has to tune in.
Eli Roth cut his teeth making genre door-kickers like Cabin Fever and Hostel — found himself acting in two Tarantino films — but I think this series may just be the strongest thing he’s produced and it showcases his love of cinema and horror in a way nothing else he’s been involved in has.
Anyhow…
Episode 1 – Zombies
Everything is covered from the films of George A. Romero to The Walking Dead for that sweet sweet AMC network tie-in.
Episode 2 & 3 – Slashers
A comprehensive look at slasher films that eventually dominated the horror film market for a decade — only to fall out of semi-popularity/and into parody… and, of course, the resurgence.
Episode 4 – The Demons Inside
Perhaps the best episode of the bunch, covers possession/exorcism/the feeling of not being one’s self.
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Hilarious and interesting tidbits abound – some filmmakers open up more than they ever have in these interviews and it’s great to hear everybody get excited to dissect, celebrate, and tell stories about horror films/filmmaking.
I think this has to be one of the more digestible/coherent/comprehensive documentaries and as the series continues, I hope you’ll all tune in.
It’s for mega-fans and the curious alike.
The eps are all streaming with a cable sign in here:
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A Note About Active Viewing:
Sitting in a movie theater and watching things is crucial (for me) and haphazard viewing is passive viewing and I think movies deserve one’s full attention so I can’t confidently say I watched the following films with my full attention, so much as threw them on and/or fell asleep to them.
Watching things at home can be difficult. Distractions a’plenty — phones, computers, food, your kids etc. — so in the rare opportunity you get a chance to sit down and focus, do it.
Leave everything else behind and get lost in the stories again.
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Okay… so in regards to the near-misses
All were enjoyable to some degree and deserve your eyes if you’re into that sorta thing… so do check them out if you get hard-up for some last minute horror/sci-fi/thriller flicks this spooky Halloweek:
*Movies I Failed to Finish/Rewatch
Some titles include: Hardware – A post-apocalyptic scavenger brings home a cyborg skull for his metal-sculptor girlfriend. But this steel scrap the brain of the military’s most ferocious combat droid. It is cunning, cruel, and tonight, it is reborn — and no flesh shall be spared.
(a rewatch of) Dressed to Kill – A psycho-killer stalks two New York City women–one a frustrated housewife, the other a street -smart hooker who teams up with the first woman’s son to trap the murderer. The film reaches a shocking climax when the slayer’s real identity is revealed.
Rewatches: The Witch, Scream 4, Blade II, Cruel Intentions, The Stranger, Beyond the Gates
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Eli Roth’s show… a real gem.
Those flicks — also some gems there.
That’s all I’ve got. Lotta words.
One dollar. Check it out.
Recommendations for further Halloween TV viewing: Unsolved Mysteries (1987), The Curious Creations of Christine McConnell (2018), Night Gallery (1969)