White Pongo Report: What To Watch On Halloween?

What To Watch On Halloween?

Labor Day came and went this week and next month we will celebrate Halloween. Some of us are too old to be going out trick or treating, but we can still enjoy Halloween.

While growing up in the 1960s, it was a tradition to tune in to the local CBS affiliate, KNXT-TV Channel 2, to watch Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein. The movie played every Halloween on the station's Early Show, which had vintage movies every afternoon at 4:00 PM. Those days are long gone. Programs like the Early Show has been replaced by news programs or stuff like Ellen or Dr. Phil.

Thankfully, we have the advantage of doing our own programming via VHS tapes or DVDs. We can now pull out Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein on DVD or video tape and watch it to our heart's content and maintain an old childhood tradition.

For Halloween viewing fare, Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein is still my top recommended movie to watch on Halloween. However, there are others that can also be shown.

Virtually any of the 1930s and 1940s Universal horror classics are quite suitable for Halloween viewing. From the 1930s: Frankenstein, Dracula, The Mummy, The Wolf Man (it's a 1941 movie, but it is a classic akin to the ones of the 1930s), The Invisible Man and Dracula's Daughter are perfect flicks to watch on Halloween. So are the ones from the 1940s (which are more in the B-movie category): Ghost of Frankenstein, Frankenstein Meets The Wolf Man, the Kharis/tana leaf Mummy movies, House of Frankenstein and House of Dracula.

If those aren't your cup of tea, newer classics can also be screened on your home theater for your Halloween party. The original Alien, the original Halloween (the introduction of Michael Myers) or the 1950s or 1980s versions of The Thing would also be good choices. I generally don't feel giant monster movies are quite in keeping with Halloween, although some can be nice and scary. Halloween seems more suited for ghost, vampire, werewolf or other human-sized monster movies. Don't forget the Creature From The Black Lagoon or its sequels.

Back in October 2005, I was vacationing in Japan and I noticed Halloween decorations, costumes and other items in stores at shopping malls and train stations in Tokyo. It appears that some Japanese have adopted Halloween and are getting into the Halloween spirit. I wonder if the aforementioned movies are available in Japan for Halloween parties there? Speaking of Japan, the original Japanese version of The Ring (or Ringu) would be a good movie to screen.

Whatever your choices for Halloween, you really can't go wrong with the movies that I mentioned above. The idea is to have fun!

P.S. You can even watch White Pongo on Halloween!