Fright Night Feature: When Milestone Anniversaries Turn Chilling
By: Kevin Vickery
Welcome once again to the monthly feature of my column, where we dive into classic films celebrating major milestone anniversaries. Each month I pick a common bond that ties together these cinematic treasures of our past and look back at how these stories shaped our culture, our memories, and in this case, our Friday nights.
With pumpkin spice season settling in and October finally here, it is high time we traded our usual action blockbusters, and sports feel-good films for a trip into the shadows of the unknown. Like last month, there’s no need for guessing the obvious theme so I will just give it to you upfront. We are dedicating this month’s spotlight to the natural choice for a seasonal theme, just in time for Halloween: “The Evolution of Cinematic Terror.” We are looking back at three distinct genre masterpieces celebrating their 50th, 40th, and 30th anniversaries this year to see how they terrified audiences, shattered box office records, captured our imaginations and gave us nightmares.
“Carrie”: 1976, Rated R
We begin five decades ago in 1976 with a film celebrating its 50th anniversary that changed how Hollywood viewed literary horror. Directed by Brian De Palma, “Carrie” stands as the definitive adaptation of Stephen King’s very first novel.
The film stars Sissy Spacek as Carrie White, a timid, intensely bullied high school outcast, and Piper Laurie as Margaret White, her fanatically religious, abusive mother. The plot centers on Carrie as she discovers that she possesses volatile telekinetic powers. When a cruel prom night prank pushes her past the breaking point, she unveils her supernatural wrath upon her tormentors and her hometown in a blazing, blood-soaked climax.
“Carrie” became an explosive commercial success, pulling in a massive $33.8 million worldwide. It shattered the historical stigma that horror couldn’t achieve critical prestige, capturing two Academy Award nominations for Spacek and Laurie.
Critics were impressed by De Palma’s split-screen visuals and the raw emotional weight. Renowned critic Roger Ebert described it as an “absolutely spellbinding horror movie.” Personally, I agree as it is a movie I always enjoy revisiting, especially for how De Palma builds the slow, tragic tension. Plus, I tend to gravitate towards any Stephen King novel being brought to the silver screen since you can always count on your comfort level being pushed to the limit with creepiness.
The legacy of the 1976 original paved the way for multiple sequels and remakes, though none matched the gritty, practical tension of De Palma’s original vision.
Hulu and HBO Max subscribers can watch “Carrie” at no additional charge or there are rental options available through Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV, and Fandango.
“The Fly”: 1986. Rated R
Moving ahead ten years to 1986 for a classic celebrating its 40th anniversary, we shift our dial to the grotesque, heartbreaking world of body horror. This triumph is actually a complete reimagining of the 1958 sci-fi classic directed by Kurt Neumann, which famously starred David Hedison as a scientist who swaps heads with an insect.
Directed by David Cronenberg, “The Fly” remains a gold standard for how to do a remake, turning a tacky B-movie premise into a deeply tragic, slow-burn medical metaphor. The film stars Jeff Goldblum as Seth Brundle, a brilliant, eccentric scientist, and Geena Davis as Veronica Quaife, an investigative journalist who falls in love with him. The plot follows Brundle as he invents a revolutionary set of teleportation pods. Believing the technology is perfected, he tests it on himself, unaware that a common housefly slipped into the pod with him. What follows is a tragic mutation as his DNA fuses with the insect, slowly unravelling his body and mind.
On a completely personal note, for me, this movie triggers a bizarre, vivid core memory. Back when I was in the 7th grade, our junior high school administration made the logical decision to gather the entire student body in the gym to watch the original 1958 version of “The Fly” as an official school convocation on the Friday of Halloween weekend. Why a public-schoolassembly thought a monster movie about a man with a fly head was appropriate Friday afternoon education remains a mystery, but looking back, it was a perfectly weird way to kick off Halloween.
The 1986 version of “The Fly” was a triumphant box office success, grossing $60.6 million worldwide marking the largest commercial victory of Cronenberg’s career. It won the Academy Award for Best Makeup for Chris Walas and Stephan Dupuis’ revolutionary practical effects.
Critics showed the film massive acclaim, praising its terrifyingly realistic gore and the profound romance at its core. Reviewers universally hailed Goldblum’s performance as a career-defining masterclass. I am right there with the critics on this one. It is a great piece of filmmaking that I enjoy from start to finish.
“The Fly” is available for rental on Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV, Fandango and Google Play Movies & TV.
“From Dusk Till Dawn”: 1996, Rated R
We close out this month’s column by fast-forwarding to 1996 to look back at a wild ride currently celebrating its 30th anniversary, “From Dusk Till Dawn” is a film that starts as a crime thriller and completely morphs into a supernatural monster movie. Of the three milestones we are looking at this month, this one is easily my favorite.
Directed by Robert Rodriguez, this project boasts heavy involvement from Quentin Tarantino, who penned the full screenplay and co-stars as one of the leads. Anyone who knows me knows that Tarantino is my absolute favorite director of all time. However, it is an important bit of trivia for movie buffs that this film does not count toward his famous self-imposed retirement quota of only making 10 feature films before he steps away from the camera. Because Rodriguez sat in the director’s chair, this magnificent piece of cinema exists safely outside that rigid tally.
The film stars George Clooney as the smooth-talking Seth Gecko and Quentin Tarantino as his unhinged, psychopathic brother Richie Gecko, a pair of notorious bank-robbing fugitives. The plot follows the brothers as they take a preacher (Harvey Keitel) and his two children (Juliette Lewis and Ernest Lou) hostage to sneak across the Mexican border. They stop to seek temporary refuge at a raucous desert strip club only to discover that the entire staff is a violent clan of ancient vampires which is why the bar is open only as the film title implies, “From Dusk Till Dawn.” Although they had smaller roles with minimal screen time, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the excellent performances of Salma Hayak, Cheech Marin and Danny Trejo in the later half of the movie.
I will never forget seeing this one in the theater with a group of friends when I lived in Nashville, TN, when it first opened. None of us had any idea what the plot line was actually about, expecting a straight-up, gritty road movie about criminals on the run. When the narrative completely flipped halfway through, we were all absolutely shocked but couldn’t stop laughing as the glorious absurdity of it set in and we realized we were suddenly trapped in a full-blown vampire movie.
The film was a solid financial success, opening at number one in the United States and going on to gross over $59 million worldwide. While it didn’t march into the traditional Academy Awards, it won a Saturn Award for Best Horror Film and earned George Clooney an MTV Movie Award for Best Breakthrough Performance.
Critics at the time were definitely polarized by the film’s jarring, midway narrative twist. Some mainstream reviewers were turned off by the over-the-top, gratuitous splatter violence, while others fiercely championed its campy energy and sharp dialogue, cementing its status as an enduring cult classic. I stand firmly with the critics who loved it. I respect the sheer boldness of the plot twist, and it remains a movie I never get tired of watching.
“From Dusk Till Dawn’s” soundtrack is also a great listen, and I would highly recommend it as well. It’s full of Tex-Mex-Blues-Rock featuring lesser-known tracks from well known artist like Stevie Ray Vaughan, ZZ Top and The Mavericks with other tracks like “Dark Night” by The Blasters and Tito & Tarantula’s, “After Dark” which sound like they were specifically written with the film’s vibe in mind. The soundtrack is also peppered with classic dialogue clips from the movie like Seth’s line to Richie, “Everybody be cool… You… be cool.”
You can stream “From Dusk Till Dawn” for free on Pluto TV, rent through Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV, Fandango, Sling TV or do what I do and dust off that old DVD copy.
That puts the wraps on this edition of “Let’s Make Some Noise, vintage movie style.” Whether you prefer the tragic telekinesis of 1976, the heartbreaking science-fiction body horror of 1986, or the chaotic vampire mayhem of 1996, these films prove that true terror never really goes out of style. Keep your porch lights on, your wooden stakes sharp, and we will see you right back here next month for a whole new cinematic theme!
