I REMEMBER

From very early on in my life, movies have been a big part. I enjoy all types of movies, from the classics like, "Of Mice and Men" and "The Grapes of Wrath" and "to kill a Mockingbird", the offbeat and bizarre martial arts classics like "Enter the Dragon" and "Enter the Fist "and "Kung Fu Hustle."

. But, my favorite genre is horror. As a young boy approximately 6 years old, my father would wake me on Friday nights at midnight to sit and watch the program called "Shock Theater." It was hosted by a gentleman who called himself, M. T. GRAVES. He was a ghoul who sat in a graveyard and introduced horror films. I cut my teeth learning about vampires and werewolves and serial murderers and became fascinated with the types of films that fill your body with adrenaline.I've never had a nightmare or bad dream that was generated by this viewing. Then in 1969 as a Marine Boulevard drive-in theater, I was introduced to the master of horror films, George A. Romero, when I caught his cult classic "Night of the Living Dead." And from that point post-apocalyptic zombie movies have been my favorite.

On another blog yesterday, I mentioned that George Romero was the barometer by which all other horror movies are measured. This is as true today as it was in 1969. For my birthday in August I got a copy of George's last two movies Diary of the Dead, and Survival of the Dead. Unlike most horror movies that try to interject some humor to keep the film from being completely bizarre, Living Dead Movies, have no such inclination.


I have read essays and articles to try to portray zombie movies as metaphors for racial discrimination and hatred. Long drawnout diatribes about how the white race mistreats the others. I disagreed vociferously. I did read a paper in the early 1980s the said George Romero had made a statement, or more correctly an allegory on immigration to America with his trilogy of living dead movies.

Stage I, Night of the Living Dead, shows the initial reaction toward the latest group of immigrants. Hatred, anger and violence.

Stage II, Dawn of the Dead, describes how we move away in droves to avoid being near the new immigrants.

Stage III, Day of the Dead, shows stage III as how we tend to accept the new immigrants by trying to find them jobs in menial labor, in the service industries.

Please note that I use the term "immigration" and not race. These allegories on immigration applied to the Irish, Italians, Asians and other nationalities as they came in droves to realize the American dream. John Steinbeck's novel, "The Grapes of Wrath" describes what happened when people fled from the dust bowl to find work as agricultural laborers in the fertile fields of California. The friendly loving citizens of the state California committed murder and mayhem to protect their jobs from the influx of fellow Americans.

Back to the topic, Horror Movies, I love horror movies and during the last half of the month of October I am in hog heaven. Serious vampire movies, not your namby-pamby, team Edward or team Jacob drivel with vampires and werewolves have love affairs and tender sentimentality. Where that crap come from? I believe it began with Anne Rice in her series of novels about the vampire Le Stat, in Interview with the Vampire. I like my vampires to be ruthless, cunning, heartless, cruel, evil, nasty, vile, blood thirsty predators. Not romantic semi-heroic starcrossed souls suffering under the burden of immortality. And from now until Halloween I'm going to highlight some of my favorite vampire movies for you.

first on the list of must-see:

DUSK TIL DAWN

Dusk till Dawn, starring George Clooney and Quentin Tarantino. This movie starts out with a pair of brothers who are sadistic sociopathic bank robbers and murderers. After a particularly brutal string of crimes they decide to head south of the border, in search of refuge. If you hold the romantic image of George Clooney, this movie may change that for you. The kicker is, despite the fact that he is a miserable murderer in pretty short order you find yourself cheering for him and hoping that he survives. Because the vampires in this movie are my kind of vampire.