War of the Worlds 1953

It's here! Halloween has arrived and we're at the end of our horror movie trailer festival. Time for one last screening, then don your costume to join the other ghost, ghouls and beasties in celebrating the spookiest, most enchanting time of the year.

It just wouldn't feel like Halloween in The Hollow without a screening of Orson Welles 1953 "War of the Worlds". I also include the original radio broadcast which aired on October 30, 1938. I was fascinated to be able to find the broadcast in working order. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

It's been my pleasure to be your host this month. Have a safe and spooky Halloween!


War of the Worlds

Or listen here:

Night of the Living Dead 1990

Although not directed by George Romero, he co-wrote the script for it, this remake of his 1968 zombie flick is great to watch.

John Carpenter Double Feature!

It was too hard to choose either "The Thing" or "The Fog", so I decided to post a double bill. Enjoy!

Easy Candy Apples

Treat time again campers! You can't sit glued to the big screen all the time. So let's get out to the kitchen and make a batch of this classic Halloween treat.

Rumour has it an American, William Kolb, made the first batch of candied or, as their known here in England, toffee apples in 1908. But he was experimenting with it as a Christmas treat, rather than for Halloween. The rest is sweet history.

What you need:

15 popsicle sticks
15 apples, preferably a sweet variety
2 cups white sugar
1 cup light corn syrup
1-1/2 cups water
8 drops red food coloring

How to:

Lightly grease cookie sheets. Remove any stems from the apples then insert sticks into the fruit.

In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, combine sugar, corn syrup and water. Heat to 300 to 310 degrees F (149 to 154 degrees C), or until a small amount of syrup dropped into cold water forms hard, brittle threads. The experts advise you DO NOT stir the mixture, rather gently swirl the pan as it cooks. Remove pan from heat and swirl in the food coloring.

Holding each apple by its stick, dip and swirl in the syrup, coating evenly. Place on prepared sheets to harden, about a half hour.

Hint: you can roll the tops of the still wet apples in nut pieces to make a crunchy layer.

Halloween 1978

One of my favourite John Carpenter films with a theme tune that you never forget. It also helped establish a young Jamie Lee Curtis as the "Queen of Scream".

The Exorcist 1973

Controversial at the time and one of the highest grossing films of it's genre, you either loved The Exorcist or you hated it. I read the book by William Peter Blatty before I saw the movie and was scared silly. The film came to town at least three times before I got the nerve to go see it and well, I found it more of a gross-out than a scare.

But that's just my opinion. Regardless of what you think, this deserves a place in the Hollow Theatre line up.

Psycho 1960

No horror review is complete without this Hitchcock classic! It's worth it for the score alone.

Night Of The Living Dead 1968

Cry of the Banshee 1970

Two gentlemen I have to thank for starting me on my lifelong love of horror and thrillers; the deliciously dark Mr Edgar Allen Poe and my very favourite spine tingling actor, the late Mr Vincent Price.

"Cry of the Banshee" was the first Vince Price horror movie I saw, screened in a tiny community hall in rural New Brunswick. Scared me silly!

Thanksgiving

It wouldn't be October in the Hollow without a post about Thanksgiving. Unlike my American friends, I celebrate the holiday more than a month earlier; on the second Monday of the month. Supposedly this is because of an earlier harvest in Canada.

Canada's First Nations people, in common with Native Americans, held harvest festivals long before the arrival of Europeans in North America. The earliest recorded "Thanksgiving" and several thereafter, were not about harvest but rather survival. In the 16th century, English explorer Martin Frobisher, held a ceremony of Thanksgiving in Newfoundland to commemorate his safe return from the search for the fabled Northwest Passage.

French settlers, arriving in the 17th century with Samuel de Champlain, also held large feasts of thanks, forming the "Order of Good Cheer" and sharing the meal with the native people.



Thanksgiving as we know it today is thought to have originated with American immigrants to Canada. After the American Revolution in the latter half of the 18th century, American citizens who still held loyalties to Great Britain, moved to Canada. They brought the custom of the modern Thanksgiving with them. While the holiday was an annual observance, it wasn't until after the First World War that the date was finally fixed to October 11th.

And the rest, as they say, is turkey!

Reptilicus 1961

Ok, time for a really BAD B-movie. And I had to troll through quite a few before I nominated this raspberry. "Reptilicus" is so awful it's funny. Any wonder the Danes moved onto producing bacon and Lego.

Oven Caramel Corn

I hope you're enjoying Holiday Hollow Theatre and our line up of B movie trailers from the misty past! You must be getting hungry and nothing says Autumn and Halloween like caramel corn. I found this simple recipe recently;

1/2 cup popcorn kernels
2 cups brown sugar
1/2 cup corn syrup
2 sticks butter or margarine
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon baking soda
Pecans, if desired

In air popper, pop the popcorn and set aside.

Boil brown sugar, syrup, and salt in a 6 quart kettle for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and add baking soda. Stir well. Have popcorn in a greased roaster and pour the hot mixture over popcorn. Place in 200 degree for 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes with greased wooden spoon. Pour on greased tabletop or wax paper spread on table to cool. Store in covered container to keep crisp.

Or be nice and make up cellophane bags of it, tied with thin orange and black ribbon to give as treats to visiting ghoulies and beasties....c'mon! Surely you can't eat it all yourself? Now back to the movies.

Thanks to The Homemaking Cottage for that recipe. And Inspire Me Crafts for the photo!

The Wolf Man 1941

One of Lon Chaney's finest scary roles. Say what you will, the original can more than hold it's own against the modern remakes.

The Blob 1958

Great effects, great acting and a very young Steve McQueen! One of my all time favourite B movies.

Welcome!

To Holiday Hollow's Horror Movie Trailer Festival!

As a participating blog in the Cryptkeeper 2010 Blog Party, I decided it would be a kick to feature trailers from horrors and thrillers, old and new. The first two weeks of October, I'll be screening the flicks of the 1950s, 60s and 70s. Its a tough job, choosing from the dozens and dozens of movies available, so doubtless I'll have missed some you might like to have seen. All of them are favourites of mine and I hope they'll inspire you to see the full length features.

The last two weeks of the month will take us from the 1980s to today. In between screenings there's be a few special interest posts, geared to the Halloween season.

Audience participation is always welcome at the Hollow, so sit back, relax and enjoy a slice of the best, and the worst!, that the big screen has to offer.

Attention theatre goers; please note that posts will update every other day, rather than daily. Be there or be square.