Author: Jeff Mitchell

31 Scary Movies: ‘Hour of the Wolf’

Jeff Mitchell

“Hour of the Wolf” (1968) – Taking a sharp detour away from blood, guts and gore and toward surreal imagery and artful horror, writer/director Ingmar Bergman’s “Hour of the Wolf” is a bizarre, but mesmerizing film. Although the movie’s title suggests that Bergman’s picture is about a wolf man, no such creature makes an appearance.  Instead, “Hour of the Wolf” is a haunting tale of isolation and madness that is also beautifully filmed, edited and packaged, and it will most likely leave the audience with many questions at the film’s…

31 Scary Movies: ‘Village of the Damned’

Jeff Mitchell

“Village of the Damned” (1960) – “I’ve seen it all in a small town.” – John Mellencamp, “Small Town” At first glance, the residents of Midwich, a small British village, seem to be living a comfortable Norman Rockwell-existence, as this country town is complete with a local general store, friendly neighbors and is surrounded by green, rolling hills. When we first meet Professor Gordon Zellaby (George Sanders), he is enjoying a pleasant morning.  The good professor is conversing on the phone in his study with his handsome dog Bruno by…

31 Scary Movies: ‘Psycho’

Jeff Mitchell

“Psycho” (1960) – Film students have marveled at director Alfred Hitchcock’s macabre movie of misdirection for decades, and his picture forced millions of moviegoers to think twice before taking a motel-shower. Rightfully so, as “Psycho” instantly became meshed within pop culture in 1960 and to this day. To this day, every movie aficionado knows that the lonely Bates Motel is the film’s setting, and Norman Bates’ (Anthony Perkins) place may be 15 minutes away from fictional Fairvale, CA, but it actually begins in the bustle of Phoenix, Arizona. Young Marion…