Monster Movie Marathon Tips for Halloween

We all know how to throw a decent party. One former friend of mine said all you need is two or more sports lunatics and a keg of beer. Well, that's a simplified, everday type of party. We're talking once in a year Halloween Party. Not just a party but a 24 hour monster movie marathon.

Let someone plan the popcorn and food and drinks. Let someone else answer the door to those hungry halloweeners begging for sweets. Your plan is JOB 1.

And that is planning what movies to play, in what order, and arranging intermission breaks.

You need to have the classics for that old-tyme atmosphere. Black and white film. Scary, huh? (Don't play them last or some will fall asleep-that's just how old movies are!) Start with the classics: Frankenstein, Bride of Frankenstein, Son of Frankenstein. Play them in that order. Then Dracula (Bela Lugosi), then the Wolfman. Maybe even Karloff's The Mummy.

Then break for a stupid Abbott & Costello Meet Dracula. Then show The Fly with Vincent Price.

• Side Note: you need to add all the times for each film and when you play your DVD's make sure you cut out all the other clutter that starts off DVD's like stupid coming attractions, etc.

Then show these movies: The Tingler (Vincent Price), I Bury The Living, original King Kong, Orson Wells The War of The Worlds, then break for some 3 Stooges humor, preferably the episodes where they deal with ghosts and skeletons. Shemp is my hero, by the way.

Keep checking time and allow for bathroom breaks and food.

Let's move into the world of color. let's start with Equinox, then Q starring David Carradine, then The Stuff. And let's end it with Don Knotts humor in The Ghost and Mr. Chicken.

Keep your audience on its toes by introducing some Hammer films, like the Horror of Dracula and Dracula Has Risen From The Grave starring Christopher Lee and a couple of others with Peter Cushing. Through in a couple early "Casper the Friendly Ghost" cartoons and move into House of Dark Shadowsstarring Jonathan Frid and Roger Davis, followed by the original The Haunting in beautiful black and white, Halloween with Jamie Lee Curtis, and the original Night of the Living Dead.

Then to drive your audience nuts introduce these 3 films: Ringu, The Grudge,and Laid to Rest (with appearance of Richard Lynch).

If you have more time or could not get all of those movies on DVD, here are some more suggestions: The Blob, with Steve McQueen, a couple of episodes of One Step Beyond, hosted by John Newland, a couple fo episodes of The Veil, hosted by Boris Karloff and a couple of episodes of the Twilight Zone, hosted by creator Rod Serling.

Then break that with some more humor, may I suggest a Munsters episode, Addams Family episode, or a Bowery Boys flick with, who else, Bela Lugosi, in -I think the title is . . . Spooks Gone Wild. Do your own research.

If you want alternate flicks try adding Hitchcock's The Birds, Man with the X-Ray Eyes with Ray Milland (or any film with Ray Milland that is produced by Roger Corman), Sleepy Hollow, Predator, Godzilla with Raymond Burr, Valley of Gwangi, 7th Voyage of Sinbad, The Invisible Man, Tremors, Any of the Night of the Living Dead sequels, the Exorcist (first film only), Saw, The Cube, White Zombie with Bela Lugosi, The Ring, The Others, Sixth Sense. I see dead people.

Do we have 24 hours yet? If you've got a big screen TV, you may want to ask your guest prior to arriving to bring whatever horror movie they have, to make your job easier. If you cannot get enough for a 24-hour marathon, then make it a short marathon.

Party like it's October 31, 1999, er, 2009.

May you have no nightmares after the marathon. Or rather, may you have no marathons after your nightmares!