Three Classic Movies to Watch on Halloween

As Halloween is tomorrow, I wanted to do just a little post in connection with the holiday. I thought it should be useful as well, so here are three classic movies that are perfect for Halloween!

      

    
                       

 

 

 

 

1. Mad Love (1935) : This is definitely the worst movie on the list, but it was just so perfect for Halloween, I couldn't resist adding it. From what I remember when watching, a creepy doctor (Peter Lorre) has a *mad* crush on this one actress, and to get her to like him he offers to do surgery on her pianist husband's hands after a terrible accident. Only in this particular case, the cure is worse than the problem, as Mr. Crazy replaces the pianist's hands with a dead serial killer, knife-thrower's hands. This may not sound like the worse thing ever, but it turns out that the hands still have a desire to kill!!!! It's as crazy as it sounds. I would recommend it if you want a good laugh, although I must state that there is one part in the movie that is actually quite frightening. It's when Mr. Crazy is coming home from being dressed as the ghost of the knife-wielding serial killer (again, as crazy as it sounds) and the main heroine is in his house and is trying to find a place to hide. It's probably the best part in the movie, as it really is scary. Perfect for a G-rated Halloween! Well, maybe PG.

2. The Picture of Dorian Gray (1945) : This one is actually one of my favorite movies. I won't disclose too much, as I want to write a more in depth review some day. If you don't know the classic story by Oscar Wilde, here's a little bit about that: Dorian Gray is a young, handsome man who wishes to never grow old. In his desire for eternal youth, he gives away his soul. Instead of his body growing old and ugly, Dorian Gray will remain forever young, and a portrait of him shall bear the marks of his evil life. It's a really great story, and the movie is quite a work of art. It illustrates the effect that each evil deed one commits has on one's soul. It's very scary and the whole film is moody and dark. It's also very entertaining and beautifully shot, and all the actors are top notch. I would recommend it to anyone. We all watched it last Halloween and it was just perfect.

3. The Thing from Another World (1951) : Don't be fooled by the cover of this movie. It's actually really fun! There were a lot of cheap sci-fi horror films made in the 50's, so you might be a little wary when trying this one out, but never fear, it's rather good! The plot, roughly speaking, is this: An American military base in the arctic is nonplussed when a little shuttle from outer space comes crashing into the ice outside their research center. They don't know what it is, but they sure as heck soon find out, as a monster comes out in the night and starts to kill the sled dogs, feasting on their blood. It's not gruesome, but it is pretty scary when they find out that the monster is made out of plant material and grows on blood. Most of the movie is the hero and his men (along with his girlfriend who just happens to be there and is pretty fun) trying to find ways to stop the monster from eating them all up. The characters come up with many ingenious ideas and the acting is decent. It is never too serious either, so you can enjoy some horror without being really horrified. Howard Hawks directs the movie, and he does not disappoint. The Thing from Another World is one fun movie, that's all I can say.

Well, there you have it. Three classic movies that I whole-heartedly recommend you watch on the scariest of all holidays, or whenever you wanna be scared, but not too scared. Have a happy Halloween!!!👻🕷😈

 

At the Heart of the White Rose: Letters and Diaries of Hans and Sophie Scholl Edited by Inge Jens

                                                    

 I just recently finished reading the letters and diaries of Hans and Sophie Scholl, so I wanted to share some of my thoughts on them. I wrote about the anti-Nazi resistance group White Rose (resisting Nazis, not resisting anti-Nazis) lead by Hans Scholl in my brief write-up on Alexander Schmorell, but every single member of the group was awesome and presents plenty of subject material.

I think through Hans' letters and diaries one can conjure up a pretty vivid picture of his personality and life philosophy. Hans is very serious in his writings, and you can tell that he's hurting inside at his inability to stop the Nazi regime. Just reading the letters of Hans and Sophie, you actually don't really notice they're in a tyrannical regime, (at least not like the movies show) except for little, tell-tale signs. For example, Hans, and I believe Sophie as well, were investigated by the Gestapo for being part of a youth group in the early days of Nazism that wasn't the Hitler Youth. It's just mentioned casually, but the notes at the back of the book illuminate the situation a great deal. I would definitely recommend checking out the notes whenever you come to a numbered word, name, or phrase. I found it explained a lot of helpful details and gave a fuller view of the big picture. Also on the note of little signs of tyranny, about half way through the book, Hans starts writing in his letters to the Gestapo agents that he knows are reading through his private correspondences. It's rather funny. Hans is always lamenting that he has difficulty in writing letters, which I certainly didn't notice. I was constantly amazed how people would just randomly break into a philosophical dissertation in the middle of a letter. Hans was obviously very smart, and he is always throwing ideas around and discussing them with his family, friends, and girlfriend.

Hans never reveals in his letters or diary that he has started the White Rose. It was definitely a enormous weight to carry. In his diary entries he never puts a name on anything, but you can tell that he couldn't just accept the evil that was alive in his country. He had to do something about it. He also tried so hard to be good, and to trust in God. I'll say it once and I'll say it again. The members of the White Rose, including Hans, are so epic and inspiring, it's not even funny.

Sophie reminds me more of me. She's flippant and light-hearted in her writings, although as time goes on she grows more and more serious. In the latter part of the book she writes about how an enormous melancholy overtakes her whenever she is alone. 

Both her and Hans had an obvious love for nature, but I think Sophie describes it more, and she describes it so beautifully. She said she sometimes longed to be a piece of bark on a tree. I think I get that. Sophie is very witty in her letters but her heart is poured out in her diary. I don't know about you, but I sometimes feel uncomfortable and self conscious reading other people's diaries. Like, it was written in confidence, privately, and not to be seen by prying eyes. But luckily Sophie doesn't write anything stupid in her diary like me. She often writes about how difficult it is to pray, but how she has to try and talk to God, even if she can't feel his presence. In one of the last letters the book shows, Sophie, before she and Hans were captured and killed by the Nazis, is writing about listening to Schubert's Trout Quintet, how she felt how well the music described a trout swimming in a stream. It's a touching moment, because as the reader, we know she's about to die, and it's just so... I don't know. Simple, wholesome, pure? I can't think of the word, but as I said, it was very touching.

Reminds me of the tree bark comment.

Paul Robinson (I don't know who he is either, but he commented on the book) said the collection of letters and diary entries 'Conjures up an uncanny sense of the spiritual and physical world inhabited by young Germans during the war,' and he's so right, although I didn't feel like I had that insight until the near-end of the book. I also picked up many interesting historical bits whilst reading the letters, as well as some fan-girl inspiring bits about Alexander Schmorell. It was so cool whenever he was mentioned, as it gave an actual real description of him, not just some third-hand account on Wikipedia. Sophie especially had some interesting things to say about him, but I'll leave that for you to read. There was also a neat section where Hans attends a Russian Orthodox liturgy, and as it bears a resemblance to a Byzantine Catholic liturgy and church, I was quite delighted.

August 9, 1942

'... A week ago today we were in Vyaz'ma. I managed a visit to the Russian church there. The service differed from those familiar to prosaic Central Europeans like us. I entered a spacious hall. Warm semidarkness filled the interior, except where candles beneath the altar and the icons showered the sacred pictures of gold. People stood together in haphazard groups, bearded men with kindly faces, wearing the finest of sarafans [actually, caftans], women with their hair done up in colorful kerchiefs, forever bowing low and making the sign of the St. Andrew's cross with splendidly ceremonious gestures. Many bowed their head to the ground and kissed it. The liquid gold of the candles tinged their faces with red, their eyes shone, and the murmur of voices gradually died away as the priest raised his own voice in song. A choir responded with some magnificent chords. Again the priest sang, and again the choir answered him, reinforced by many additional voices, bell-like tenors and wonderfully mellow basses. The hearts of all believers vibrated in unison. One could sense the stirring, the outpouring of souls unfolding after a long and terrible silence, souls that had at last found their way back to their true home. I could have wept for joy, because my heart, too, was loosing its bonds one by one...'

Although our liturgy and church is not exactly the same, I still smiled to read about the 'sacred pictures of gold' and 'the splendidly ceremonious gesture' as well as the choir singing with the parish after the priest chanted, and the colorful kerchiefs. Makes me a little homesick, even though I'm not away from home. I can't boast of our cantoring resulting in 'magnificent chords', but our head cantor is quite talented and we don't sound half bad. I wish Hans could have come to our church.

Anyhow, if you get the chance, pick up a copy of the Letters and Diaries of Hans and Sophie Scholl. They were so brave and deeply religious, they really are inspiring.