Happy Haunted Halloween 2025!
Well, we all know what month it is: Shocktober!
And that means a month of scary movies to celebrate, so here is my “A – B – C” of horror to get you started!
“Alien”
Not only one of the greatest horror films of them all, it also has an iconic poster and tagline!
Meet The Crew Of The “Nostromo!”
Here they are: crew members on a transport freighter who are asked to make a detour in outer space.
In 1979, Director Ridley Scott shocked moviegoers with a futuristic sci-fi horror film that used that simple premise – and the film became an instant classic.
As we look at the film, here are five reasons I love the original “Alien”.
5- The Who!
Yes, the seminal rock band had a role in creating the moody atmosphere of the film.
The blue laser lights that were used in the alien ship’s egg chamber were borrowed from the band, who were testing out the lasers for their stage show in the soundstage next door.
4 – The Face Hugger!
The first look at the “alien” takes place when unfortunate Astronaut Kane and the others visit The Who’s moody egg chamber – when he leans over an alien “egg” he gets a big surprise: the face hugger!
Here is why this baby alien looked so creepy. The dead face hugger that is autopsied after being pried off Kane’s face was made using fresh shellfish, four oysters and a sheep kidney to recreate the internal organs. Yum!
This all leads to the next reason I love this film:
3 – The Bursting Chest!
Yes, after Kane has the face hugger pried off, he is seemingly OK again. Well, at least until he attempts to eat a meal, and the crew discover that the alien was inside him!
Here’s a fun fact: the chest bursting scene was filmed in one take with four cameras.
This scene was voted the second most shocking moment in movie history, right before “The Exorcist”…and even before moviegoers made it to the theater, there was a palpable sense of dread, thanks to the next reason this film is a classic:
2 – The Poster!
As you can see from the one sheet, the poster offers haunting imagery with one of the greatest tag lines ever:
“In space no one can hear you scream.”
The egg with the green sizzling crack is such an unsettling image, it really sets the viewer up for the great horror film that awaits.
It’s one of the most iconic movie posters ever – here are some more:
Finally, there is one scene in “Alien” that all fanboys remember:
1- Sigourney Weaver’s Disrupted Sleep!
After killing the Alien, Sigourney gets ready to go back into hibernation, only to discover that she isn’t alone on the freighter. This raw vulnerability sets up another great action sequence, and cements Weaver as a classic Action Hero!
A perfect slice of Halloween horror – check out this classic trailer:
What a classic! In fact, I’m going to celebrate with THIS CAKE!
Well, maybe not, but here are some really wacky treats you can make for Halloween night:
Up next is another classic 70’s shocker, also one of my favorite films of all time:
“IF THIS PICTURE DOESN’T MAKE YOUR SKIN CRAWL – IT’S ON TOO TIGHT!”
I mean, what a tagline! And one of the great images on a poster as well:
A classic 70’s horror film that has been rediscovered thanks to home video, “Black Christmas” is a tight, vicious thriller that is one of my top five horror films of all time!
Let’s look at the original trailer, which is not only lengthy at four minutes, but scary as hell as well:
The plot is straightforward: it’s time for Christmas break, and a group of sorority sisters make plans for the holiday – but for a few, they will remain at the sorority house, when the horrifying anonymous phone calls begin. Olivia Hussey stars in the film…
Hussey starred in “Romeo & Juliet”, but this is no love story…one of the reasons the film works so well is that her performance is so grounded in reality – she is very much like Jamie Lee Curtis in “Halloween” – a “real” person who makes the horror all the more real…
Margot Kidder also stars as one of Olivia’s sorority sisters, and she’s got a wicked sense of humor and an acid tongue…this was just prior to her breakout role as Lois Lane in “Superman”…
Kidder really elevates the film with her caustic wit…and the film is full of familiar faces…
Kier Dullea also stars in the movie – Dullea of course was in Stanley Kubrick’s masterpiece, “2001: A Space Odyssey…”
Great character Actor John Saxon also stars – and action movie fans will always remember him showcasing his kung fu moves in the Bruce Lee classic “Enter The Dragon.”
Since this was a low budget film, Keir Dullea worked only for a week, and never met Margot Kidder! He barely met John Saxon either, but the film is edited in such a way that he appears to be present throughout the film…
“Black Christmas” Fan Steve Martin!
Around 1986, Olivia Hussey met Steve Martin for a role in “Roxanne”, and Martin said “Oh my God Olivia, you were in one of my all time favorite films”. Hussey assumed it was her role in “Romeo and Juliet” – but she was surprised to find out it was “Black Christmas!” Martin claimed he had seen it over 20 times!
This is a tight, claustrophobic thriller with a terrific ending….avoid the remake!
Finally, the letter “C” take me to another of my favorite films of all time, and another 70’s shocker:
“Carrie”
More than a great horror film, “Carrie” is a beautifully made movie, which began as a Stephen King novel – his first novel in fact!
In 1976, Director Brian DePalma took a very young cast – including Sissy Spacek, John Travolta and Nancy Allen – and made a classic film that will stand the test of time:
It’s not just a great horror film – it’s a great movie – classic cinema from a master filmmaker – let’s look first at the trailer for “Carrie”:
“Carrie” is a master class in filmmaking. I mean, how can you top this opening credits sequence, when Carrie takes a shower after gym class and discovers an unknown horror…
After her class mates taunt her about her horrified reaction to her totally unexpected first period, the story takes a dual path: both “good” and “bad” girls at school have plans for Carrie, while she discovers that she is “gifted”, and you really don’t want to get her angry.
Casting “Carrie” – AND Princess Leia!
Here’s great trivia: George Lucas and Brian De Palma held a joint audition for “Carrie” and “Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope”. There is a long-standing rumor that originally, Sissy Spacek was cast as Princess Leia, and Carrie Fisher as Carrie, but when Fisher refused to appear in nude scenes and Spacek was willing to do them, they switched parts.
Princess Leia Says “NOT TRUE!”
However, Fisher refuted this story in a Premiere magazine article called “The Force Wasn’t With Them,” about actors who auditioned unsuccessfully for “Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope.” That article got into the “switched roles” legend, and quoted Fisher as saying:
“Not only do I love being nude, I would’ve been nude then… But anyway, it’s total bullshit that Fisher refused to play Carrie.”
Spielberg’s Set Visits!
In a 2010 interview with “The A.V. Club”, Actress P.J. Soles said that Steven Spielberg often came to the set at Brian De Palma’s invitation – because DePalma told him that there were “a lot of cute girls down here.”
Soles said that Spielberg asked out most of the women on the set, Soles included, and Amy Irving was the only one who accepted. Irving and Spielberg were married from 1985-1989 and had one son together.
Travolta’s Smarmy Supporting Role!
John Travolta broke out big in as small role as Billy Nolen, a punk who just wants to make his girlfriend, Chris Hargenson, happy. Chris is played by DePalma favorite Nancy Allen. Their big dramatic scene takes place underneath the stage where Carrie White is about to be crowned homecoming queen:
Billy Nolen: “Keep the light straight!
Chris Hargenson: [blood drops onto the flashlight] Watch it, you stupid shit, you’re getting blood all over the place!
Billy Nolen: [starts laughing] Who are you calling a stupid shit? I mean you can’t even keep that fuckin’ light straight
Chris Hargenson: [whines] Just hurry up, I wanna go home!
Billy Nolen: [drawls] Yes, Ma’am! We’re doing the BEST we can, we sure are!
Billy Nolen: Just keep your tits on, and I’ll let you pull the rope!
Chris Hargenson: I intend to!
Billy Nolen: I know…”
That leads to a shocking scene and so much carnage follows, before Carrie goes home to find her knife-wielding Mom ready to kill her….what a story!
Piper Laurie was Oscar-nominated as Carrie’s crazy, religious Mom…in a virtuoso performance that was central to the film’s success…
“Carrie” is a masterpiece, and brilliantly directed by a master filmmaker – check out all of the special editions DVD’s and Blu-rays that delve into much more great behind-the-scenes trivia about the making of the film…
“Carrie” is a great film that transcends horror, as do some of these films:
So, there are some of my favorite “go to” scary movies for this Halloween season – and if you want to keep that scary vibe alive all month long, here’s an idea:
Yes, you can own this wild Pennywise “IT” clown door mat!
Click here to see more!
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Categories: 70's Cinema, Cult Movies, Film Fight Club, Great Films, Halloween, Horror films, Movies, Pop Culture, Revenge Movies, Talent/Celebrities, True Hollywood Mystery
johnrieber 
Creepy!!!
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I did scroll! I did quickly look! Honest injun 😦 ! Way, way, way back I remember seeing ‘Psycho’ . . . no way, and I don’t understand but ‘thank you’ for putting all of this together . . . my simple, childish question of course is ‘why’ 🙂 ?
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Carrie is one of my all time faves and the ending… I hit both people on either side of me in the theater!
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Yes, after the great thrill ride – and all of the emotion you feel for Carrie at the end, that last scene is a hilariously scary way to end it! Thanks for the comment!
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I had forgotten that John Travolta was in Carrie. It’s the only one of these three I’ve seen. I remember that awesome Aliens cake
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Thanks for the note…Alien is one of the best sci-fi horror films of all time…beautifully directed with a great cast…and what I love is that the guys who are employed on the spaceship bitch and moan about pay, overtime, etc because that’s the way people are, even in outer space! Makes them real people and so what happens to them matters more!
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I’ll see if I can steel myself to watch something like this. It’s not that I don’t like movies, it’s just that I like painting more.
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No need – keep painting
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Interesting….but this genre is not my cup of tea. chuq
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Great post!
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All too scary for me! I prefer ‘nice’ films where everybody’s not dead in the end.
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Understood but it’s the time of year where lots of movie fans go this route and I guess I’;m one of them! Thanks for the comment!
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I was wondering when your October film season would start. As you probably know, there is a lot of debate online about whether ‘Alien’ (and ‘The Thing’) is a sci-fi film or a horror film. I come down firmly on the side of sci-fi, as it is set in space, and in the future.
Best wishes, Pete.
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I let it straddle both categories, as it absolutely is sci-fi – thanks for the comment and for sharing as always!
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