31 Days of Halloween with The Kelly Society Day 18 - George

31 Days of Halloween with

The Kelly Society

Day 18

Hello fellow Halloween enthusiasts! I am George, and I’m the CGI guy Neal mentioned earlier. I do the tech stuff for his niece Julie (even at 11 years old she’s the CEO of Halloween). She and I put our heads together to create the best special effects in that hallway everyone has to enter to reach Neal’s restroom on the night of his Halloween party. It’s a scary trip!

Anyway, I want to contribute one of my favorite traditions of the Halloween season—hosting a spooky movie party! Now, some movies are lighter and more fun than scary—then again, others truly hold up to the word—spooky. Nowadays people are into horror, but I like to stick to a good old-fashioned ghost story or lighthearted paranormal film.

Which brings me to my two favorite movie party choices: Hocus Pocus & The Haunting (original 1963 black and white version).

My teenage kids, my nieces and nephews, and their friends all come over to see Hocus Pocus every year! We pop up a huge batch of popcorn, order pizza, and break out the candy. My wife insists on putting out some veggies and making a salad to round out the sugar and carbs, and then we all cozy up to see our movie. When the ladies sing in the Halloween Ball scene (with Bette Midler leading the vocals), we all get up, dance, and sing along. The kids love it! So do the older ones among us!

Shifting gears—I invite the adults over (my buddies and their wives) when we show The Haunting. My teenagers don’t like seeing it in black and white, and since it’s a bit more on the psychological horror side, they want more action. In fact, they watched the updated series on Netflix called The Haunting of Hill House.

I keep telling them about the terrifying scene where the two women are trapped in their bedroom in a huge gothic mansion listening to a sonic boom coming down the hallway, getting closer and closer to their door! Nah—does nothing for them. Oh, well. Let the adults have some fun, then. We get liquored up and watch our classic. Just kidding. We do serve spirits (pun intended), but we don’t get snockered. Otherwise, we couldn’t enjoy our film.

Julie Harris (the lead actress) and Claire Bloom were always some of my favorites on screen, and their presence in this story made it a hit.

Then, there is the most incredible scene when the big wooden door breathes. Russ Tamblyn has the best reaction I’ve ever seen in film, and drops his bottle of booze upon seeing thick solid wood breathe in and out like it was putty.

So, whether you go for something light paranormal, or something dark and frightening, have yourself a Halloween Movie Party, and don’t forget the popcorn and candy!

George

for TKS