NIGHT AND DAY: A Virtual Halloween and Dracula Before He Was Cool

This week I'm going to put my thoughts on A2 arts spaces on hold and instead get into the spirit of the season...

Kicking things off with a plug for the Michigan Theater's very cool showing of F. W. Murnau's 1922 vampyre classic, Nosferatu. Not only is this silent film a terrific imagining of Dracula before he became the sexy, goth chick-worshipping icon he is today, it's a wonderful window into the practices of early filmmaking. Even better, the movie will be accompanied by live organ music.

Too bad the Michigan Theater didn't make it a triple feature with the darkly humorous Shadow Of The Vampire (which uses the making of Nosferatu as its clever setting) and Werner Herzog's crazed remake starring Klaus Kinski.

Speaking of spook films, far below I offer up a list of lesser known horror flicks (I am a film critic, after all) for those of you who choose to stay in and celebrate the season of the witch with a bucket of popcorn and a creepy movie. Or, of course, you could also join the throngs of screaming teenagers who are lining up for the lo-fi scarefest Paranormal Activity.

Virtual Halloween

For those who are reluctant to leave the basement but are still seeking a way to celebrate, Facebook has a pair of pumpkin carving applications: There's HalloweenBuilder, developed by Austin-based SiteGoals, and the digital carving app HalloweenPumpkins.

Want to participate in a seance using Twitter? Sure you do. Check out "Tweance," a Twitter-based event where users can nominate "departed spirits" they want self-proclaimed psychic medium Jayne Wallace, of Essex, England to speak to. Needless to say, we're talking dead celebrities here... with Malcolm X, Charlie Chaplin and John Lennon leading the pack of suggestions.

Closer to home, Meijer has launched a website that lets you try on costumes and  masks while sitting at your home computer. Got a webcam? Then you can upload your image and rifle through a multitude of selections. The site lets you record a 30 second message then share your costumed video image via Facebook or email. Who knew the store formerly known as Thrifty Acres could be so cool.

Ann Arbor = Halloween Town

I have the good fortune to live at ground zero for Halloween trick or treaters. Well, one of the many ground zeros that dot Ann Arbor and Ypsi. On Granger Avenue we see north of 600 costumed kids and much of the neighborhood gets in on the action. House decorations are the norm and my neighbor two houses down turns his lawn into a veritable pumpkin patch, with the inevitable 900 lb jack o' lantern gracing his doorstep. The kids love him best, however, because he offers up full-sized candy bars - the Holy Grail for trick or treaters.

My street's enthusiasm for Halloween reminds me of Peacock Lane in Portland, Oregon. Each Christmas season, the Southeast Portland block becomes a winter wonderland of decorations and lights, drawing thousands upon thousands of visitors. Horse-drawn carriages pull sight seers down the street, hot apple cider and chestnuts are sold, and, of course, traffic snarls for the neighboring streets (where I used to live). But you'd be Scrooge to complain. In fact, to buy a house in the neighborhood requires that you sign a contract agreeing to decorate for the holidays.

While I don't think we should go that far, I'd love to see my own neighborhood more fully embrace its Halloween rep, close the street off to traffic (after all, kids are everywhere) and become Ann Arbor's most spooktacular set of blocks. We'll see if I can rally the locals to my cause. Check in with me next year for an update.

In the meantime, we have a long way to catch up with Brandywine Cemetery. Eight years ago former Disney animator Robert Beech moved to Ann Arbor and began the annul ritual of transforming his yard into a neighborhood Hallowe'en attraction. For two days, 2727 Brandywine (between Packard and Washtenaw) becomes the trick or treat destination for local kiddies. Touring the cemetery is free but donations are encouraged. This year's charity will be Ann Arbor's Food Gatherers. Check it out!

Until next week. consume your entertainment locally.

Jeff Meyers
Editor

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MOVIES TO WATCH ALONE IN THE DARK

This is a by no means comprehensive list of scare flicks. I tried to skip the obvious faves like The Thing, Alien, The Exorcist, The Ring, etc. and suggest a few you might have missed. Enjoy!

Poltergeist - Directed by Tobe Hooper but Steven Spielberg's fingerprints are all over the thing. For a PG haunted house flick it's really well done, and tame enough to allow older tweens to watch with you.

The Mist - Stephen King's otherworldly horror show of freaky monsters invading a small town gets under your skin. And its black-hearted, sadistic ending will send you off to bed in a funk.

The Orphanage - This Spanish creeper provides plenty of supernatural chills while examining the profound power of a mother's love. Probably the darkest hopeful ending you'll ever see.

REC - Since we're talking films from Spain, check out this claustrophobic zombie flick with wall-to-wall scares. Yeah, there was an American remake but don't be duped. The real thing is a lot better.

Session 9 - An asbestos removal crew works at an abandoned mental hospital. What could go wrong? Wrong question. The right one is: Is it the work of supernatural forces or a mad man? Atmospheric and unsettling.

The Brood - David Cronenberg is always good for a freak out, and this 1979 flick about a weird therapy techniques and murderous mutant children is equal parts bloody and dread-inducing.

Jacob's Ladder - The paintings of Francis Bacon provided Adrian Lyne with the imagery he wanted in this spiritual spookfest about a Vietnam vet --Tim Robbins-- who is haunted by monstrous apparitions.

The Gate - Another teen-friendly flick about young boy who discovers that the weird hole in his backyard just might be the gate to Hell. Yikes!

Audition - Not for the faint of heart. A lonely widower holds auditions to find the girl of his dreams. The good news? She's  a real beauty. The bad news? She has a thing for needles.

Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978) - Once you get passed the commentary on new age SF culture, this very creepy remake does a great job of creeping you out... right up to its nihilistic end.

The Changeling - For those who are looking for a bit of class and restraint when it comes to their horror. Long on atmospherics, far from a thrill ride, it stars George C. Scott who retreats to a mansion after losing his family in a tragic accident. Of course, the place is haunted.