Musty TV's Maniacal Movie Countdown - Day 12

I just read a book called Rabid: A Cultural History of Rabies, so of course it brought to mind the movie and book Cujo, about a rabid great dane.

I read Cujo the book as a pre-teen, and went to see the movie with my parents in 1983, (I think whilst on summer vacation), and it's kind of weird to even classify it as a horror movie, because it's really more of a thriller, or at least closer to real-life horror than your typical horror movie tends to be.

It's also a hard movie to watch, as it's totally gut-wrenching, and also makes you realize, since the invention of the cell phone, its whole scenario is most likely something that would never happen today. (Unless, of course, the phone battery dies, or you just plain forget to bring it along on the day you have a run in with a rabid dog.)

It's on AMC at 6pm.

Musty TV's Maniacal Movie Countdown - Day 11

For years I've wanted to be Baby Jane from Whatever Happened to Baby Jane? for Halloween, and push around a friend in a wheelchair as my sister, Blanche. Alas, it won't be happening this year, but I have high hopes that it will happen one day. (And preferably before I am as old as Bette Davis was when she was in the movie!)

Here's one of those "making of" types of trailers...



And the best line in the movie...



Watch the whole thing at 7:30pm on TCM!

Musty TV's Maniacal Movie Countdown - Day 10

When you get right down to the brass tacks, you'll realize there really aren't that many great vampire movies out there. For whatever reason, that's one monster that's tough to get right, (and yes, I think Twilight is one of the wrong ones).

Near Dark, which came out in 1987, and basically stars everyone from Aliens--minus Sigourney Weaver, and plus Adrian Pasdar--is one of those rare good vampire movies, and you can watch it at 1pm on IFC.

Musty TV's Maniacal Movie Countdown - Day 9

Today's pick is going up early, because the movie is airing early this morning.

It's 1941's Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, starring Spencer Tracy as the Dr. (and the Mr.), and Ingrid Bergman and Lana Turner as the Madonna and Whore in his life. And if you think it's obvious that Lana Turner would play the sexual one, and Ingrid Bergman the virgin, you're way off. And that's why the movie is kind of brilliant.

It's also brilliant because of the following hallucination scene...



Watch it at 6:45am on TCM.

Musty TV's Maniacal Movie Countdown - Day 8

I think, for some reason, I actually went to see today's pick in a movie theater, though I have no memory of the event, or of the movie for that matter.

The movie is Cursed, and it's about teenage werewolves. Being that it came out in 2005, it was a little ahead of its time, at least in terms of the Twilight craze.

My seeing it in a theater probably had something to do with the fact that it was directed by Wes Craven, and written by Kevin Williamson, and being that they had a big hit with that first Scream movie, perhaps expectations were high.

I believe those expectations were not me, however. Alas.

Watch it at IFC at 5 P.M.

Musty TV's Maniacal Movie Countdown - Day 7

Trick 'r Treat is a movie I kind of stumbled upon, getting it from Netflix after putting it in my queue for reasons I can't really remember since it was a direct-to-DVD release, so didn't have much buzz.

It turned out to be surprisingly good, and a lot like Creepshow, in that it's an anthology of sorts, and filled with black humor.

It's showing on Logo, which is just weird, and I can't attest to that network's practices when it comes to editing for content, so I would of course advise a rental of some sorts as a first choice. But if you don't choose that route it's on at 5:30pm.

Musty TV's Maniacal Movie Countdown - Day 6

The Exorcist tends to go on most people's lists of top ten scariest horror movies, but I have to admit, I never found the movie that scary. Disturbing, yes. Spooky, yes. But it never really haunted my dreams.

Maybe that's because I didn't have a religious upbringing, so it's not taping into any residual trauma such an upbringing can sometimes result in.

Or maybe I just don't fine pea soup that horrifying.

I WILL say this, though. The hospital scenes made me terrified of getting x-rays, which was not a good thing since I ended up having to get a lot at a young age. So let me reassure anyone with the same fears: X-rays are not scary.

MRIs on the other hand...hoo-boy!

(Just kidding. They aren't scary either. Just intensely annoying.)

Watch it at 5pm on IFC.

Musty TV's Maniacal Movie Countdown - Day 5

Let's Scare Jessica To Death is one of those weird 1970s horror movies that's more a psychological thriller than something truly horrorific. Unless bad 70's clothing and hairdos send you over the edge, of course.

It's on TCM at 1:15am tonight, which is technically tomorrow, but whatever. You can watch it then, or watch it over on YouTube right now!

Musty TV's Maniacal Movie Countdown - Day 4

I saw Videodrome when it was released in 1983, and I don't think thirteen was the best age to see it. Granted, I had seen a lot of weird horror movies by that point, but Videodrome is something else, and its inherent...sleaziness was just off-putting at the time. And because of that early dislike, I think I only ever watched it once more in ensuing years.

I'm gonna try and watch it again tonight at 11:10pm on Indieplex. Perhaps it will come off better when viewed with adult eyes...

Musty TV's Manical Movie Countdown - Day 3

Mystery of the Wax Museum isn't the one in 3D featuring Vincent Price and a paddle-ball. Instead, it's the original version that movie was based on. Released in 1933, it was also one of the first Technicolor movies, which at the time was just two colors. Lionel Atwill and Fay Wray star.

You can watch it at 5pm on TCM, or right here right now!