By Susan Granger
Special to WestportNow
This is the most popular time of year for the horror genre, which scares us by manipulating our emotions. And the best horror films are those that rely on suggestion, rather than on-screen violence.
Looking back into early Hollywood history, here are some of the best:
“The Phantom of the Opera” (1925), the highpoint of silent horror, starring Lon Chaney.
“Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde” (1932), Robert Louis Stevenson’s tale, starring Fredric March.
“Freaks” (1932) Tod Browning’s carnival performers wreak vengeance on a lovely acrobat.
“The Hunchback of Notre Dame” (1939), starring Charles Laughton and Maureen O’Hara.
“Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde” (1941), starring Spencer Tracy, Ingrid Bergman and Lana Turner.
“Cat People” (1943), starring Simone Simon (forget the 1982 remake with Malcolm McDowell).
“The Picture of Dorian Gray” (1945) with George Sanders, Hurd Hatfield, Donna Reed & Angela Lansbury.
“Them!” (1954) David Moreau’s home invasion with Oscar-nominated special effects.
“The Bad Seed” (1956), starring Nancy Kelly, Eileen Heckart and Patty McCormack.
“Psycho” (1960), Alfred Hitchcock’s thriller starring Janet Leigh and Anthony Perkins.
“The Haunting” (1963), starring Julie Harris and based on Shirley Jackson’s novel.
“Night of the Living Dead” (1968), George Romero’s classic.
“Rosemary’s Baby” (1968), Roman Polanski’s gem with Mia Farrow.
“The Exorcist” (1973), William Friedkin’s introduction of Linda Blair as the possessed girl.
“Carrie” (1976), Brian DePalma cast Sissy Spacek as the telekinetic teen.
“Halloween” (1978), John Carpenter’s starter of legend of homicidal Michael Myers.
“The Silence of the Lambs” (1991), starring Anthony Hopkins, the only horror picture to win an Oscar.
“Get Out” (2017), Jordan Peele’s horror picture that won a Best Original Screenplay Oscar.
Now a recent Halloween film:
Back in 2015, the horror comedy “Goosebumps” starred Jack Black, Dylan Minnette and Odeya Rush. “Goosebumps 2: Haunted Halloween” is a silly sequel with Black returning as writer R.L. Stine and the devilish voice of Slappy the Dummy.
When middle-schoolers Sonny (Jeremy Ray Taylor) and his friend Sam (Caleel Harris) go into business, clearing out junk from neighborhood homes, they discover a treasure trove in an old abandoned house.
In a hidden room, they discover a creepy chest containing an unfinished book by R.L. Stine called ‘Haunted Halloween’ and a mischievously menacing ventriloquist’s puppet known as Slappy, who not only helps the boys with their homework but humiliates Tommy (Peyton Wich), the local bully.
But sneaky Slappy, working out of an old electricity plant, hatches a sinister plot to take possession of the boys’ hometown of Wardenclyffe, New York, with the help of a monster mash of ghoulish Halloween decorations, including seed-spitting Jack-O-Lanterns, giant Gummi Bears, and a big purple spider.
So it’s up to Sonny, his older sister Sarah (Madison Iseman) and Sam to prevent a catastrophe.
Lending support, there’s Sam’s harried, single mother, Kathy (Wendi McLendon-Covey), and her admirer, the store clerk Walter (Chris Parnell), along with quirky Mr. Chu (Ken Jeong), who has a conveniently handy costume collection.
Sketchily scripted by Rob Lieber and Darren Lemke, it’s directed by Ari Sandel. Although ostensibly family-friendly PG, children under eight, who cannot separate fantasy from reality, might have nightmares.
Real-life author R.L. Stine does a brief cameo. His contribution to children’s literature is immense, dating back to the summer of 1992, when the first “Goosebumps” book – “Welcome to the Dead House” – was published.
On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, “Goosebumps 2: Haunted Halloween” is a fright-fest 5, yet paling in comparison with its predecessor.
(Editor’s Note: Westport resident Susan Granger grew up in Hollywood, studied journalism with Pierre Salinger at Mills College, and graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with highest honors in journalism. In addition to writing for newspapers and magazines, she has been on radio/television as an anchorwoman and movie/drama critic for many years. See her reviews at www.susangranger.com.)
