31 Days of Horror 2015: It Begins

I didn't even come close to watching 31 horror movies last October, and I gave up on the blog after only a few posts. This October is going to be busy, and I probably won't make it through 31 horror movies this year either, so I'm approaching this year's month of horror a bit differently. Rather than focusing exclusively on horror movies, it will be filled with horror events, which means lots of horror movies, but also the Halloween party and Ghost and Danzig concerts. I'll count each movie as an event, and that gives me a realistic chance of enjoying 31 horror events this October.

1. "Kill Baby, Kill" (1966)

Kids in Italian horror movies are either insufferable or terrifying. For an example of the former, subject yourself to the first ten minutes of Lucio Fulci's "Manhattan Baby," in which an annoying little shit calls his sister a "lousy lesbian." Mario Bava's "Kill Baby, Kill" is the best example of the latter. The terrifying child is the ghost of a little girl who chases her ball through the streets of an isolated village. Residents who see her end up dead with coins in their hearts.

Sometimes referred to as the "grandfather of Italian horror," Bava made several very effective gothic horror movies and is often credited as creating the "giallo," a distinctively Italian subgenre that combines elements of thrillers and slasher films. Bava is one of my favorite directors, but my attempts to get Vicki excited about him have been mixed. I'm happy to report that she likes this one as much as I do.

2. "The Prowler" (1981)

For casual horror watchers, slasher movies begin and end with "Halloween" and "Friday the 13th," but those of us who dig deeper quickly learn that there are dozens of lesser-known gems, and Joseph Zito's "The Prowler" is one of the best. Its brutal killer is a man in camouflage fatigues who stalks a graduation dance. His arsenal includes a pitchfork and a serrated knife that he uses in inventive ways.