I've been letting you folks off too easy so now it's time for a test. Prepare for the 30 Day Horror Movie Challenge.
The 30 Day Horror Movie Challenge was something I found on FaceBook and I thought it would be fun to put out there to Cinema Junkie fans. So on the Cinema Junkie FaceBook page I will be posting a challenge a day about your favorite horror movies. It would also be great if you "Liked" the Cinema Junkie FaceBook page and checked out some of the fun things I have going on there. Last month the challenge was to find a film a day that challenged gender stereotypes.
I hope some of you will join the conversation on FaceBook. So, Day 1. The first question to kick off June and a month of horrors is: "What was your first horror movie?"
I can't remember specifically what the first horror film I saw was. It might have been "King Kong" or "The Creature From the Black Lagoon." But I distinctly and clearly remember the first film that gave me nightmares: "The Collector." In it, Terrence Stamp plays a man who kidnaps women and keeps them locked up. Samantha Eggar is his latest victim. I was 5 or 6 when I saw the film and it gave me nightmares. It's not really a horror film but it scared me!
Here's a sampling of some of the responses that were posted:
From Baltimore filmmaker Kevin Perkins: The first one I remember with any great clarity is "Angry Red Planet." If you don't consider that a horror movie, I'd say "Attack of the Killer Shrews."
From Tijuana filmmaker Aaron Soto: Maybe was an El Santo film. Yeah I know that is a complete cliche because I born in Mexico but back then El Santo films used to be a regular thing on TV.
From Celia Ingersoll Vasquez: The original "House on Haunted Hill." I had night terrors over that movie for years. and my older brother and cousins got into BIG trouble for watching it while I was in the room. i had no idea that it was that particular movie until i saw it again when I was 13. It seems that a Vincent Price movie was a lot of people's first horror movie.
From Federico Zamora: "Halloween" (1978). My cousins strapped me down ("Clockwork Orange"-style) and forced me to watch it when I was about 8. I was scarred for life. I STILL have nightmares with Myers chasing me through the empty, silent streets of my childhood in the middle of the night.
From Brian O'Rourke: When I was a child, my brother and I would watch "Dr. Shock's Mad Theater" on one of Philadelphia's UHF channels. One of the earliest memories I have of horror movies is that of being completely freaked out by "Attack of the Giant Leeches." I still hate and fear leeches. Sad to hear the co-star of that cheapie flick, Yvette Vickers, died alone in her LA home, undiscovered for a year.
So I hope you will join in the fun and games. Plus, get ready for some more Cinema Junkie quizzes to come... some will even have prizes!