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Sound of Movies – Halloween Special hosted by Ashley Wincer and Ann Pulbrook. With special guest Tegan Dawson from Haunted Hills Tours to talk about Ghost Tours in Latrobe Valley and her most frightening horror movies. We covered a horror movie double feature as part of the Halloween special, Friday the 13th (1980) and Halloween (1978).
Friday the 13th (1980):
The first film was the 1980 American horror film Friday the 13th. Directed by Sean Cunningham and written by Victor Miller. Friday the 13th consisted of a group of teenagers, murdered one by one while attempting to re-open an abandoned campground. Friday the 13th is considered to be one of the first “true” slasher movies.
As far as horror movies go, Friday the 13th is quite tame by current standards. In fact I would not go as far as to call it scary at all. Friday the 13th is quite a slow starting movie, but for some unknown reason, I’ve always really enjoyed this horror movie. I’ve never been able to put my finger on it, but it has been in my DVD player stuck on repeat for days at a time in the past. Perhaps it came down to being one of the first horror movies I rented on VHS all those years ago? I don’t know?
Ann took the time to watch Friday the 13th for the first time before broadcasting the Halloween special. Ann compared Friday the 13th to some elements of the original Psycho by Alfred Hitchcock. There are some similarities to the music and the warped family dynamics. It’s the warped family dynamics that play a part in the motive behind the murders.
Ann found the blinding fade to white effect to be jarring, making the movie watcher uncomfortable. The character in frame is confronted like a rabbit caught in the headlights. Ann could see how elements of Friday the 13th influenced horror movies that followed. Some additional horror movies that followed Friday the 13th to get an honorable mention included; Madman (1982) and The Burning (1981).
Press the play button above to listen to the podcast or watch the official trailer below.
Halloween (1978):
The second film; Halloween is a 1978 American independent slasher film directed and scored by John Carpenter. Co-written with producer Debra Hill. Starring Donald Pleasence and Jamie Lee Curtis as the lead character Laurie Strode in her first feature. Halloween is set in the fictional Midwestern town of Haddonfield, Illinois.
On Halloween night of 1963, a six-year-old Michael Myers dressed in a clown costume murders his older sister by stabbing her with a kitchen knife. Fifteen years later, 21 year old Michael Myers escapes from a psychiatric hospital, returning home to Haddonfield. Michael Myers stalks Laurie Strode and her friends. Michael Myers psychiatrist, Dr. Sam Loomis, suspects Michael’s intentions of returning to Haddonfield to kill again.
Halloween was most likely what first triggered the early 1980s horror movie trend. Halloween was a low budget movie ending up with large profits. I have no doubt, it was the large profits that grabbed the attention of the major studios. Therefore leading to the first horror movie to be distributed by a major studio, Friday the 13th. Once again the profit margin was high. The horror movie flood gates were officially opened. Which of course led to the likes of; Mother’s Day, Maniac, Motel Hell, Don’t go in the Woods, Bloody Birthday, Prom Night, The Prowler, Dead & Buried, Madman, The Burning and so much more.
Press the play button above to listen to the podcast or watch the official trailer below.
Haunted Hills Tours – Tegan Dawson
Tegan Dawson from Haunted Hills Tours joined The Sound of Movies in the Gippsland FM studio as part of the Halloween special. Tegan discussed the various Ghost tours available through Haunted Hills Tours and spoke about her scariest horror movies.
If you have any questions about Haunted Hills Tours in Latrobe Valley, contact Tegan Dawson by visiting the official website; hauntedhillstours.com. You can also find Haunted Hills Tours on Facebook, Twitter and Flicker.
Thank-you so much to Tegan Dawson for taking the time to come into Morwell from Yallourn North to be part of The Sound of Movies – Halloween Special. We appreciated your stories and horror movie insight.
We hope you enjoyed listening to this episode of the Sound of Movies – Halloween Special. It was broadcast from the Gippsland FM studios on Saturday October 31st at 12pm.
If you have any questions about the Sound of Movies, please feel free to contact either Ashley Wincer or Ann Pulbrook by e-mail. You can follow the Sound of Movies on Facebook, Twitter or on iTunes. Thank-you.
