Flicks worth watching on fright night

The horror genre has lasted throughout the history of movies with just one agenda: to scare the sweet tarts out of us. Fright flicks, however, have undergone more transformations than Lady Gaga’s wardrobe.

In the 1930s and ’40s, horror films such as Dracula, Frankenstein and The Cat People were actually morality plays in which good was triumphant over evil. And because of so-called decency codes during that period, studios mandated their filmmakers be careful not to offend the church-going public.

In the 1950s, horror films turned goofy. The Saturday matinee screen was full of giant lizards, ants, and even a 50-foot woman. The ’60s saw frightening fiends resurrected by Hammer Studios with an emphasis on sex appeal. That studio also was known for using vivid color to captivate, especially with the use of a thick red liquid that looked more like candy apple syrup than the gushing blood it was supposed to represent.

In the 1970s and ’80s, horror films became gruesome showcases for studio special effects departments. Indestructible ghouls such as Nightmare on Elm Street’s Freddie Krueger returned sequel after sequel to kill as many hormonal teenagers as possible in 96 minutes.

In recent years, Universal Studios has remastered the original Dracula and his buddy, Frankenstein, and the other iconic children of the night from the crypts.

Added to those classic creepy creatures are commentary tracts and documentaries that not only spotlight the ingenuity of those bringing the new genre to movie theaters, but also give a perspective on the culture of the time. Because of all the bonus features, film buffs will find Universal Classic Monsters: The Essential Collection, now on Blu-ray, worth viewing.

Occasionally a newer entry in the thriller genre stands out such as Signs from 2004. Suspenseful, Hitchcock-ian elements serve to unnerve the audience in M. Night Shyamalan’s psychological thriller about aliens coming to take over Earth.

Added to the unsettling atmosphere, the story’s subtext concerns a man losing and then regaining his faith. The film also has an intriguing take concerning coincidence in our daily lives: Do things happen by chance, or is something else at work? Signs is about finding our way—or finding our way back.

Listen to Phil Boatwright’s spooky DVD recommendations on The World and Everything in It: