Are My Childhood Horror Films Still Scary to Me as an Adult?

I'll admit it, I don't like scary movies.  It's not because I don't think they are entertaining it's because my over active imagination turns into overdrive after watching them.  I have nightmares.  I can't take my dogs out at night without thinking that someone is going to jump over the fence with a knife.  And now since it's Halloween scary movies are on tv all the time.  So I decided to put a theory to the test. Would movies that scared me as a kid scare me now?  The answer...sort of!

Poltergeist-Still Scary

Entitled the clown scene!  A clown in a chair that's possessed, add some scary music, and that's me not sleeping for a few days!  Add a creepy little girl, some very scary catchphrases, and a underground cemetery, yikes!

Ghostbusters-More fun than scary

I really only remember being scared during this, the library scene.  I still get those butterflies of anticipation waiting for the ghost to show it's face.  For years I never actually knew what happened because my brother would shout, "Close your eyes!"  And I would wait for the scary face to be over.  I really see this movie as a fun look into NYC in the 80's.  And the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man is definitely more cute than scary.

A Nightmare on Elm Street-Idea is scarier than the movie

Someone able to kill you in your dreams, no thanks!  However, Tina's death scene watched as an adult is really funny.  The special effects are so old-school that you can't help but look for the string when she is being lifted off the bed.  Still, it's a classic and the original.

What are your scariest movies from your childhood in these spooky tales from a video store?

I hate Simon and Garfunkel

I really don't want to but I do, I hate Simon and Garfunkel, and it's not my fault.  Paul Simon can probably be argued as one of the best song writers, maybe ever.  He and Garfunkel are one of the best folk duo's with many hits, that people adore, but every time I hear Bridge Over Troubled Water, I die a little on the inside.  Why, you ask?

Image courtesy of Amazon.com

When I first started working at West Coast Video I had a male boss probably in his mid to late forties.  He was a nice, harmless man, and really gave me my first taste of the world of movies.  In our store we had a sound system, under the counter, that was hooked up to a VCR, and surround sound speakers with monitors throughout the floor.  Whoever was in charge of the store that day got to select what was played in the VCR.  Well my boss liked Simon and Garfunkel so much that he played Simon and Garfunkel-The Concert in Central Park (1982) every day he was in charge.  When the 90 minute concert was over, I got maybe a 2 minute reprieve as the VHS was rewinding, and then he started it over again.  This proceeded all day, every day for about a year.  It was like living in a folk inspired jail.  Then out of the blue one day he put in Billy Joel- Live From Long Island (1990) and that was it.  The last straw, he was NOT going to ruin Billy for me!  I had enough, spoke to my assistant manager and asked to never work with my boss again.  Fortunately for me he left West Coast Video and my assistant manage became my manager and Simon and Garfunkel were never heard from again.

I got to continue to love Billy in this story from a video store.

Some of the best Musicals you have probably never seen

I am a sucker for a musical.  It doesn't even have to be particularly good, if someone is singing, I'm watching.  There are many popular well known musicals that are everyone's favorite.  There are a few lesser known or maybe even under-appreciated musicals that I love and think if you like this genre, are a must see:



Fast Forward

Directed by Sidney Poitier this 80's classic has it all!  It is a movie about a dance crew from Ohio moving to New York City to make it big.  The crew consists of well trained dancers that think they have all the right moves until a rival crew challenges them to a dance battle.  They quickly find that they are a little old-fashioned in the "moves" department with the end leading up to being featured in a big dance competition with their new dance hall grooves.  80's nostalgia at it's finest.  So go on YouTube and watch, they have the whole movie for viewing!

Cry-Baby

This 1990 musical is a little more well known on this list however I feel that it's totally under-appreciated. A screen-goer's first taste of Johnny Depp.  When he arrives on the screen I think my breath actually caught in my throat. It's your classic- bad boy wants good girl, the bad boy isn't actually bad, just misunderstood, and gets the girl in the end.  It also takes place in the 50's so it's a neat homage to that era.  This musical is directed John Waters, who also directed another fave of mine, The original Hairspray starring Ricki Lake. The only disappointing thing is that Johnny doesn't actually sing the songs himself because the soundtrack is awesome.  Can't get this one on YouTube but it's available on Netflix.

Back to the Beach

Do you know who Annette and Frankie are?  If you don't, google them both.  Annette Funicello was America's sweetheart in her day.  Frankie Avalon sang the famous 1959 song "Venus".  They came together cinematically in the 60's for some fun beach themed romps.  Beach Blanket Bingo is my favorite of the bunch.  Back to the Beach (1987) sees Frankie and Annette 20 years later returning to their youth with their teenage son in tow to visit their beach living daughter played by Lori Loughlin (of Full House fame).  I love getting a glimpse into California in the 80's since I only experienced the East Coast version of it.  Frankie and Annette both sing a few catchy tunes in this light-hearted movie that you can also catch completely on YouTube.


Eddie and the Cruisers

Definitely the most serious movie in the list.  This 1983 cult classic starring Michael Pare was marketed with the tagline Rebel. Rocker. Lover. Idol. Vanished.  How could I resist?  Set mostly in flashbacks of the band's earlier days, with a New Jersey background setting (Can anyone say Bruce Springsteen?), the premise of the story is a re-release of Eddie and the Cruiser's first album and the telling of how Eddie hit fame and then vanished, assumed dead...or is he?  Again disappointing that Michael doesn't actually sing in the film, but he sells it well and the song really became a hit in the 80's.  There is also a sequel: Eddie and the Cruisers II-Eddie Lives! (1989).  BOTH can also be seen, in full, on YouTube.

I hope you like the suggestions!
Sincerely,
Stories from a video store

My First Movie

Everyone has a first everything.  Do you have a first film memory?  Where I grew up there was a small video store called Palmer Video.  It was a little bit of heaven that had steps to walk down into all the movies.  There literally was a poster of an angel as you walked in: Date with an Angel, starring Michael E. Knight (known primarily as Tad Martin on All My Children).

 It had red carpeting and a huge counter that I couldn't see over.  As you walked in directly to the right there was a little section filled with as many movies as I thought I could see in all of my 6 years of life!  And down on the very bottom shelf, maybe a smart ploy for a 6 year old, was the very first movie I asked my mom to see over and over again:

The Garbage Pail Kids Movie starring Mackenzie Astin.  Do you remember the trading cards like Ali Gator, Messy Tessie, and every 6 year old's favorite Valerie Vomit?!!  I couldn't believe these characters came to life on the screen, the very first taste of my imagination unfolding into 90 glorious minutes.

I think what I remember most were the clothes!  Remember when fingerless gloves were an essential man-accessory?  In the movie the character Tangerine actually made and sold her own designs!  Oh did I long for a gold mini-skirt and heels!  I remember the way her sequin shirts sounded as she moved, Tangerine was so cool.

As for the story, who cares, I was 6!  It certainly touched on points like bullying and that nice guys can finish first with the help of some disgusting little friends with magic powers!  But the point is, it's the first memory I have of watching a movie: location, soundtrack, set design, actors and the magic 90 minutes can create.

What is your first story from a video store?