What music they make…
In keeping with the Halloween season, I thought that line was appropriate. Bela Lugosi’s role as Dracula still is one for the ages. Today, that movie seems quaint and common, but in 1931 it terrified the audience. I’ve been told and read that the 1922 silent movie Nosferatu was even more chilling. Someday I must see that film.
Other versions of Dracula were horrific, bad, funny and just plain campy. There was Dracula vs Frankenstein, Dracula vs Batman. There was a Son of Dracula (Young Dracula) and an Old Dracula. Dracula was even Dead and Loving It. He even discoed in Love at First Bite. Today there are many more vampire stories out there, they all started with Dracula.
Why this fascination? Hard to say. Terror lurks in dark places. We as a society gather in light areas. We bring light into the dark. We try to chase away all shadows. Vampires, werewolves and their ilk are creatures of the shadows and dark. They strike a nerve with us. They chill our bones. They the moral of a story. Live a good life and evil will not happen to you. Stay with the group, do not go off alone after dark. There is evil out there and it has a name.
Today, we try to scare ourselves and we call it fun. We have horror movies, haunted mazes and houses, horror books. Things designed to get a bit of thrill in our lives. Things designed to get our blood flowing.
I do love the Halloween season. I wish that our haunted theater had been a reality, now I have no plans for Halloween. I’m too old to go “Trick or Treating” and I know of costume parties yet. Last year, even without the party, I put on my Dracula cape and went around the local area. Maybe this year, I’ll shop at Wal*Mart.
And what brought all this up….
The Children of the Night, what music they make…. Owls in the trees, a dog or coyote howling in the distance on a chill dark night. Yes, the children of the night make music, and to my ears there is nothing better….
And yes, this is a play our theater should do… if we don’t do a haunted house in October, we should at least do one themed play…
I agree. It would be great to do Dracula. And I agree 100%… the originals ARE much better than the remakes. I dare anyone to name one that is not. Just the black and white picture creates a more realistic, sinister atmosphere. I loved Young Frankenstein in b/w although it was made long after color movies were the norm.
Maybe we’ll go back to Screamacres Halloween weekend, now that we’re free. Or have a costume party – I’ve always wanted Chris to dress as a pirate complete with parrot (however legendary) on his shoulder. It’s usually too cold to do this costume outdoors, so a costume party at our house would be the way to do it… will have to see if I’ll need a break from the busyness by then…
And if you don’t have anything else to do, you’re welcome to help escort our brood trick-or-treating… that’s pretty scary. Last year we had one throwing a tantrum for half of trick-or-treating. Right when she got into it, it was time to go home. I’ll give you one guess as to who it was…