Interesting stuff coming up on TCM.

On Thursday, 10/27 they're showing a slate of 70s Musicals including Fiddler on the Roof, Man of La Mancha and Hair.

Of particular note, they're showing Ken Russell's 1971 musical The Boyfriend starring Twiggy and Tommy Tune. It's only recently come out on DVD and well worth checking out. Russell uses it as an opportunity to go all whackadoo Busby Berkeley, but the story itself is a fun, light backstage drama and Twiggy is quite charming as the lead.

On Mondays in October, they're showing Horror movies. This Monday they're showing two fantastic movies worth checking out.

Horror of Dracula (1958) was the second movie in Hammer Studios reclamation of the classic Universal horror stable, and the role that made Christopher Lee a star. For many horror fans, it's Lee rather than Lugosi who is the definitive Dracula.

Later that night they're showing Curse of the Demon (aka, Night of the Demon), also a British film, and also from 1958. This movie, however, is quite different from the Hammer aesthetic.

It's directed by Jacques Tourneur, one of the great Hollywood noir directors and also a key figure in Val Lewton's RKO horror movies in the forties. Tourneur directed Cat People, and brings that aesthetic to this movie based on an M.R. James story ("Casting the Runes").

The movie is famous for two things: 1) It's reclamation of the Lewton aesthetic, which is lyrical and poetic, shadowy and suggestive. (In other words, the opposite of Hammer.) 2) The producers forced Tourneur to use a giant puppet special effect for the demon. Opinion is split on this with many people feeling this is in direct contradiction the vibe of the movie, and others think it's the coolest hairy monster puppet ever. (Tourneur wasn't against using the puppet entirely, but wanted to strongly limit what was visible of it. The producers wanted more monster for their money.)

The best parts of the movie, however, have nothing to do with the puppet demon and it's a very taut thriller with some extremely cool and creepy scenes.

Also, that little sample that Kate Bush uses at the beginning of Hounds of Love ("It's coming! It's in the trees!") is from this movie.

Keeping with this theme there's a whole night of Val Lewton horror movies on TCM and Halloween itself will be nonstop Hammer Horror, then a trio of movies - The Haunting, The Innocents, and Repulsion - which are notable explorations of horror/repressed female sexuality.

I'll second Hec's recommendations on the horror movies. I think the only one I might not own on DVD is Curse of the Demon. If I don't, it's because it never got a definitive release (and probably have it on my old VHS tapes somewhere).

I remember seeing Hair in the theater when it came out. My dad took my sister and me to see it, I think later to his horror once he realized there was full frontal male nudity in it--I was 13, and sis was 15. We walked out of there humming "Sodomy."

If I don't, it's because it never got a definitive release

I just saw a DVD version at Amoeba that has both the original British cut, and the shorter American edit.

Though TCM is billing it as "Curse of the Demon" it is the full length Brit version (which was released as "Night of the Demon).

We walked out of there humming "Sodomy."

I hope you didn't walk out in the middle of "Sodomy"!

I actually thought the "White Boys/Black Boys" song to be the most salacious.

Oh no, we stayed through the whole movie. My dad is so conservative, especially about his "little girls," that, looking back, I'm surprised he didn't hustle us out of there midway through.

I love "White Boys/Black Boys," especially the idea of the board ogling the draftees. The movie also has my favorite performance of "Easy to be Hard."

And Treat Williams is sex on a stick in that film.

Ghosts of Italy is a great Sophia Loren comedy. Which I won't be able to see again, because they cut me off TCM on-demand.

I watched Let the Right One In last night.

I was curious about both the book and the movie since they originally came out, so I'd actually sought out the book synopsis to get more background on the characters as I knew there were lots of details (particularly Eli's - the vampire - backstory) not included in the movie.

Loved the movie - it was gorgeous and harrowing and melancholy.

One thing, though, in my spoilishness I read interviews with the author, Lindqvist that addressed some of the ambiguity of the ending.

The author actually wrote a separate five page epilogue short story which was published titled "Let the Old Dreams Die." (The book's title comes from a Morrissey song, and that is the following lyric. "Let the right ones in / Let the old dreams die...")

Anyway, the epilogue definitely changes the way a lot of people see the ending of both the book and the film.

I won't spoil it here but if you google on "Let the Old Dreams Die" there's a Facebook page dedicated to discussing the book and movie and there's a plot synopsis.

The short story will be published in English in early 2012.

Anybody going to see The Skin I Live in?

Almodovar's latest looks like a perfect three way splice between Eyes Without A Face, Vertigo and Frankenstein.