People always ask me why I love horror movies so much. That, I can't answer ... though probably for some dark, disturbing psychological reason we needn't speculate upon here. More concrete is when I started getting into horror movies. There was the first time I saw Poltergeist (at a slumber party in fifth grade; a year later, at the sixth-grade slumber party for my own birthday, I gleefully played host to a roomful of terrified classmates as we huddled in my basement, watching Psycho). Recently, I unearthed a junior-high creative-writing exercise entitled "How to Watch a Scary Movie Alone in the Dark." I must have been around 13 when I wrote that. But I think the horror-movie thing goes even further back. In fact, I blame Walt Disney, from whose Haunted Mansion-spawning mind sprung this impression-maker:
Whose light is on up there??
Side one, as I recall, was more terrifying, as there's context to all the spooky sounds. This link takes you to a page with mp3 files for each sound. The un-PC "Chinese Water Torture," tantalizing "Very Long Fuse," and eerie "Your Pet Cat" remain branded in my memory. And, of course, the classic "Haunted House," which I used to imagine would actually conjure some kind of ghoulie from beyond the grave. That's how scary it was.
From whence this terrifying LP came I can't recall, but it got more spins on my kiddie turntable than even the Annie soundtrack. And look at me now ... a sicko to the core! Thanks Disney! Happy Halloween!
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Comments (3)
OMG OMG OMG! I still have nightmares about "Chinese Water Torture" -- I used to listen to this over and over when I was 7 in Jonathan McKinney's basement -- I had such a boy-crush on him ...
Posted by Marke B. | October 10, 2007 04:58 PM
Thank you Cheryl. Yes, the nostalgia here runs as thick and gelatinous as the 'stage' syrup in all those Hitchcock films. Reminds me of why I am so obsessively connected to Raymond Scott's 'cartoon' jazz and Danny Elfman soundtracks. It was the very first 'music' I heard whilst parked in front of the TV on Saturday morning. Those early Disney features are the best because they are essentially German Expressionist paintings for American kiddos.
What's your favorite horror movie, Marke B.?
Posted by erik m. | October 10, 2007 08:00 PM
Hi Erik M! My favorite horror movie for the past 20 years is Suspiria, but I wet my pants in my grade school gymnasium when they showed us Escape To Witch Mountain -- and I had to sneak out and home. I think it was because I was moving to England the next day ... or maybe it was just Aristotle Bolt's strange, beady eyes and lascivious offers of pony rides.
BTW re: Witch Mountain (and "your pet cat") -- Best IMDB Keywords EVER:
Helicopter / Cat / Map / Revolver / Cat Attack
Posted by Marke B. | October 11, 2007 08:04 PM