Golden Oldies: House on Haunted Hill (1959)

Williams Castle's House on Haunted Hill stars Vincent Price as an aberrant millionaire playboy named Fredrick Loren who has taken the liberty of inviting five individuals to a house known for its strange occurrences and fatalities. Fredrick promises that each guess, if still living by the following morning, will leave with a whopping 1,000 dollars (way bigger deal back then). As the night unfolds strange events continue occur, from sightings of ghouls to appearances of severed heads. This night is not only beginning to seem stranger and stranger, it is beginning to appear hardly survivable. This cult classic is a perfect formula for a horror film- it's eerie, humorous, black and white, and it features the legendary Vincent Price. Haunted Hill not only treats its audience to fine filmmaking, it simulates a halloween fun house in the viewer's living room. The film serves as a great reminder that not all horror shows have to include computer generated monsters and Michael Bay explosions. If nothing else, House accomplishes thrills and laughs through Price alone with his historically charismatic performance. Additionally, the old-fashioned music of the film only improves on the spectral atmosphere. Whether the viewer's intentions are to take a time capsule back to 1959 for some antique chills or rather laugh at the anti-hero black humor of Price, House on Haunted Hill pleases on all levels without flaw- earning it 4 stars.

Golden Oldies: Evil Dead 2: Dead by Dawn (1987)

Director Sam Raimi's Evil Dead 2: Dead by Dawn stars Bruce Campbell as Ash, everyone's favorite zombie slaying hero. The first Evil Dead, released in 1983, told the tale of five friends that spent the night in a cabin in the woods and accidentally unleashed demons that would in turn ruin their night. Evil Dead 2 was brought to us four years later in 1987 as if there was no such thing as the original film. There was neither a recap nor even a hint of the first film mentioned in the sequel, making Evil Dead 2 that much more bizarre. Though the film does not consist of much more than Bruce Campbell holding up a cabin from the undead with a group of strangers, 2 has every element of a perfect sequel: more laughs, chills, and thrills, a larger body count, and a bigger budget. Much like Raimi's other trilogy- Spiderman, the second film was arguably more exceptional than the initial film. From the convivial one-liners, to the boundless gore, to the alluring Campbell, Evil Dead 2 is not only everything a horror fan could ask for, but a comedy fan as well. Sure, the film is very campy, but did it ever promise not to be? For this viewer it only adds to the thrilling fun. Having begun as a very low budget, simplistic fright show to becoming a cult-classic horror trilogy, to having its own nation-wide musical, the Evil Dead trilogy has come a long way. For this viewer, Evil Dead 2 contained more laughs, more thrills, and more fun than the others, scoring it a solid 4 stars.

Golden Oldies: Cocoon (1985)

Ron Howard's Cocoon tells the tale of a group of adventurous elder men living in a retirement community who decide to take a stroll on the wild side. The group of men (Wilford Brimley, Don Ameche, Hume Cronyn) stumble across a set of mysterious cocoons in their "foreign" neighbors' pool. Upon diving in, the men began experiencing a sensation of youth not felt in many years. As if to have discovered an extra-terrestrial fountain of youth, the gang experience a vast array of youthful side effects. The seniors sex life sky-rockets, and Cronyn's character's cancer is gone. Although like most good things, there's a catch; there is only so much to go around. Howard's Cocoon not only differs from many Science Fiction films in the sense that it doesn't thrive on action and laser beams, but its characters are just as interesting as its premise. Cocoon's space men (one of which portrayed by Brian Dennehy) are just as humane and sympathetic as its human figures, nevertheless the film's glue is in the four senior men and their wives being twice as lively as the younger characters. Additionally there is the ethical dilemma of wether or not it's morally wrong to go against nature, therefore daring the viewer to decide which set of characters' morals closely resembles their own. Cocoon may go a bit over the top on a couple of occasions with the older gentlemen acting a bit too young. Otherwise Cocoon not only fulfills the viewer's dream of a new-found youth, but allows them to experience exceptional film-making. I give Ron Howard's Cocoon a solid 3 stars.

Golden Oldies: Bonnie and Clyde (1967)

Where do I start? Bonnie and Clyde is f@*#ing amazing. It tells a true tale of love and bank robbery as it follows Bonnie Parker (Faye Dunaway), a small town girl who's bored with her life; bored until she meets Clyde Barrow (Warren Beatty). Clyde is everything Bonnie's mother doesn't want for her daughter. He's trouble, he's a convict, and fun. The charismatic duo were madly in love from the beginning. He had her at: "I rob banks". Never staying too long in one town, the couple robbed banks, picking up new members as they traveled. A few members of their crew included a handyman they picked up as a getaway driver, Clyde's brother Buck (Gene Hackman) and his wife, and a pleasing appearance from a young Gene Wilder as a hopeless civilian. Along their journey and path of wreckage they manage to gather both fans and enemies, which is a recipe for an excellent crescendo of thrills. Directed by Arthur Penn, "Bonnie and Clyde" sucks you in to it's dynamic, lovable characters and forces you to root for the bad guys and not feel guilty about it. The movie may have been filmed in 1967, and it may have taken place in the southwest 1920's, but "Bonnie and Clyde" is a timeless display of the wild side in all of us that just wants to high-jack a car, grab a gal, and live out the rest of our days as outlaws. Containing strong performances from the charming Mr. Beatty, the stunning Miss Dunaway, and the pleasantly outrageous Hackman, "Bonnie and Clyde" grabs you by the hand and runs without letting go. You'll laugh, fall in love, and experience heartbreak all in 111 minutes. I give this classic a well-deserved four stars!