Friday Night Double Features Vol. 35

 by Adam Riske and Patrick Bromley

Ten more spooky double features for the back half of your Scary Movie Month.

Double Feature 1:

Adam: #1: Hold That Ghost (1941)
Patrick: #2: Transylvania 6-5000 (1985)
Patrick: Trailers/Shorts: “Haunted Spooks” short, Haunted Honeymoon, High Spirits
Patrick: Theme: Funny People in Haunted Houses

Patrick: Having never seen Hold That Ghost (I want to!), I went for a softball here. This kind of horror comedy is a subgenre I can watch anytime despite the fact that I don’t really like most of the movies in the lineup. Transylvania 6-5000 has moments mostly thanks to Geena Davis, but has there ever been a really good version of this idea? Maybe it’s Hold That Ghost!

Adam: I can’t think of a standout version of this idea unless you count The Addams Family (1991) but it’s an irresistible premise. Hold That Ghost is surprisingly tough to find so I’ll be stopping by the theater for this double feature. I haven’t seen Transylvania 6-500 either, though the promise of Geena Davis will get me to watch it this month.

Double Feature 2:

Patrick: #1: Satan’s Little Helper (2004)
Adam: #2: Amusement (2008)
Adam: Trailers/Shorts: Biohazardous, Hellraiser: Hellworld, Choose
Adam: Theme: HalloWinnicks!

Adam: I’ve had a crush on Kathryn Winnick since Satan’s Little Helper, so I wanted to program an evening for her. This is like Travis Kelce trying to woo Taylor Swift with a friendship bracelet. Have you seen Amusement? I vaguely remember it being a thing; but now I want to watch it since I saw it’s an anthology with Winnick in the cast.

Patrick: I programmed this because it was the one leftover movie from my marathon with Erika this year and I’m due for a revisit. I like pairing it with an anthology I haven’t seen (but will now be watching this month; thanks, Tubi) because it feels like the whole night will go down easy. I like that Winnick has done so much horror, but it concerns me that Satan’s Little Helper might be her best movie.

Double Feature 3:

Adam: #1: Ganja & Hess (1973)
Patrick: #2: Da Sweet Blood of Jesus (2014)
Patrick: Trailers/Shorts: Daybreakers, Blood Diner, I Drink Your Blood, The Thing (1982) Blood Testing Scene
Patrick: Theme: It’s About the Blood

Patrick: I know showing a movie and its remake is probably a bad idea, audience-wise, but I haven’t seen either of these and selfishly couldn’t resist theming them around a great Adam story.

Adam: I need to finally see Ganja & Hess this October. I have seen its remake/re-imagining Da Sweet Blood of Jesus and think it’s underrated in Spike Lee’s oeuvre (with a great soundtrack too!). What Patrick’s referring to is when I saw a Spike Lee Q&A at Ebertfest, and someone asked him what his new movie (Da Sweet Blood of Jesus) was about and he said “It’s about the blood. Who’s got it. And who needs it!”

Double Feature 4:

Patrick: #1: Tales from the Crypt: Ritual (2006)
Adam: #2: Hellraiser: Hellworld (2005)
Adam: Trailers/Shorts: Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2, Exorcist II: The Heretic, Friday the 13th: Jason Takes Manhattan, Halloween: Resurrection, I Still Know What You Did Last Summer, Jaws: The Revenge, the entire 7th (London) season of Tales from the Crypt
Adam: Theme: Look How They Massacred My Boy

Adam: You started this so if we’re gonna lead with garbage let’s really lean into it with a night celebrating franchises we love (or at least like) at their worst. The masochistic side of me decided we should watch all the awful last season of Crypt before rewarding ourselves with Hellraiser: Hellworld. I wonder if we’ll get any extra attendance from people who went to the HalloWinnick double feature and saw the Hellworld trailer.

Patrick: I didn’t mean to start off with garbage! I just haven’t seen Ritual and there was a 7-word review that referred to a sweaty Jennifer Grey and now I want to. I can’t believe Hellworld has made it into two double features this month. That movie is the worst.

Adam: I was wrong. Just watched Ritual and it’s not garbage.

Double Feature 5:

Adam: #1: The Craft (1996)
Patrick: #2: End of Days (1999)
Patrick: Trailers/Shorts: The Island of Dr. Moreau (1996), Scream, Embrace of the Vampire
Patrick: Theme: All of Them Witches in Other ‘90s Horror

Patrick: I know the ‘90s get a bad rap for horror, but I look at a night like this and I wouldn’t be able to buy a ticket fast enough. I’ve wanted to revisit End of Days since Elric programmed it as part of his New Beverly all-nighter, so this is a great excuse. Plus, Tunney!

Adam: It doesn’t get a bad rap from me! I think pairing it with The Craft is my best bet to get me to revisit End of Days again. I’ve tried maybe 3 or 4 times over the years, and I don’t love that movie despite really wanting to. Double Tunney!

Double Feature 6:

Patrick: #1: The Boogeyman (1980)
Adam: #2: He Knows You’re Alone (1980)
Adam: Trailers/Shorts: Dressed to Kill, Fade to Black, New Year’s Evil
Adam: Theme: 1980 Slasher Movies

Adam: This theme’s a little lazy. I wanted to do a night of Ulli Lommel-Suzanna Love movies and call it “I Love Ulli” but they didn’t collaborate enough times on horror movies to make it work. I programmed He Knows You’re Alone with The Boogeyman since it’s one of the only Tom Hanks movies I still haven’t seen. The trailers are all slasher movies I recommend from 1980.

Patrick: I just rewatched He Knows You’re Alone last weekend and it’s still really good. I haven’t seen The Boogeyman for years but I remember it being bonkers in a way that’s commentary-worthy. I actually think this is a really solid double!

Double Feature 7:

Adam: #1: The Others (2001)
Patrick: #2: Hush (2016)
Patrick: Trailers/Shorts: A Quiet Place, Midnight, The Innocents
Patrick: Theme: Shhhhhh

Patrick: This is the opposite of our first double feature in that it’s two movies I like from a subgenre I generally don’t (“Quiet” horror). I mean, I don’t know. Even the trailers are good so maybe I do like this subgenre.

Adam: Haha. I understand where you’re coming from since this subgenre doesn’t grab me either despite liking both The Others and Hush. The Others Kidman passes the “When would I bail?” test. I’m not proud of this but I would never leave her.

Double Feature 8:

Patrick: #1: Race With the Devil (1975)
Adam: #2: The Legend of Hell House (1973)
Adam: Trailers/Shorts: Jaws, Poltergeist, Tales from the Crypt (1972)
Adam: Theme: PG-rated Horror

Adam: I’m looking forward to this double feature because I haven’t seen either movie. How are they? I love that there used to be PG-rated horror still aimed primarily at adults.

Patrick: These are both really good! I’m surprised they’re PG, though. My memory is that they’re pretty intense even if they don’t show much. This lineup rules.

Double Feature 9:

Adam: #1: Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit (2005)
Patrick: #2: ParaNorman (2012)
Patrick: Trailers/Shorts: Corpse Bride, “Vincent” short film, Monster House, Hotel Transylvania
Patrick: Theme: Toony Terrors
Patrick: You know, for kids.
Adam: Darn right! Linderground Cinemarink is for everyone! This would be a really fun evening.

Double Feature 10:

Patrick: #1: Bones (2001)
Adam: #2: Bubba Ho-Tep (2002)
Adam: Trailers/Shorts: Sleepwalkers, Demon House, We Summon the Darkness, Eerie, Indiana episode (“Scariest Home Videos”)
Adam: Theme: Indy Horror

Adam: This double feature is a bit autobiographical. When I was in college, neither Bones or Bubba Ho-Tep were playing on campus or in town, so I had to convince one of my friends (twice) to drive me an hour to Indianapolis to see these movies because I didn’t have a car on campus at the time. Totally worth it! The trailers are horror movies and shows that are set in the state of Indiana.

Patrick: I love this theme! What an awesome night of movies. Can we start a petition to bring back Ernest Dickerson? I know he mostly directs stuff like The Walking Dead but movies haven’t been as good without him.