Jessica Singleton

Why I love horror movies on Halloween.

I started a tradition in my thirties. Every year on Halloween I watch a movie that has Vincent Price acting in it. It has nothing to do with fitting in or being like someone else. I watch other movies too but I wanted to be entertained by things on the back shelf. I watch horror movies all year round. I noticed vintage film when I was younger. It really does not get the writing credits it deserves. Some of those films would be considered monumental art movements that were idolized but they are shunned because they deal with the murder aspect. Some of their storylines sound like the next great America novel. To kill a Mockingbird deals in some of the most vulgar topics. Racism gave a lie the right to kill a black man for committing rape. That in itself is ridiculously cruel and insane. But most horror films get lost in the mix between bad porn and obnoxious teenagers who slaughter silly monsters. I wanted to see what else was out there. I wanted to be entertained and I wanted to see where it all started. I started collecting rare horror films in my twenties. I found a few typical duds. But I also found some of the most amazing pieces of art in cinema known to my mind. I think Vincent Price was a name mostly associated in the bizarre of horror. But he was also a gentleman who was an amazing performance artist. The Tingler for example is a brilliant film. Cat and mouse trust games between married couples. And the only cure is to scream. A puppet master alien insect creature that can kill you by your own fear. Very before it’s time. Opening the door to shows like the Xfiles and movies like What Lies Beneath. I think Vincent Price reminds me of great Friday night movies and I want to celebrate Halloween by entertainment. I am not obsessed and I doubt that I have seen even half of Vincent Price’s films but I am happy with continuing. The Last Man on Earth is a Price film where he plays a scientist. He watched everyone in the world die of a mystery illness. Then he realized that the disease was turning the human race into vampire zombies. He was trying to save the world by killing the vampires. Then the government killed him along with anyone else to cover it up. They didn’t want to take the time to look for hope or the possibility that anyone in the area was still human. They resorted to atomic bombs and bullets. I am a Halloween fan. Anything with the phrase Michael Meyers in it would turn my head. I have seen everything to do with the Halloween franchise. I love John Carpenter’s work. He is an inspiration to me. Michael Meyers is a sad story of a child who was brainwashed by mad scientist who wanted to dabble in Druid witchcraft in hopes of gaining power. They never considered the abused child who incurred years of brain damage . They also never cared for the fact that he would wake up someday and realize that he murdered his whole family. In some insane trip of rage triggered by the hands that robotically controlled him.