Spin Cycle: Spooky Stories

This week's Spin Cycle Assignment: Ghost Stories. Rather than spinning a yarn (or web) of my own, I thought I would review a few movies instead.

My wife usually likes to pick out movies that embody the season. When fall rolls around she picks some really great classics. Here are the two she loves to watch and why:

Meet Me in St. Louis

Even thought this movie goes through the entire year, the scenes during Halloween make it worth watching. The Victorian house in the opening shot truly sets the scene with the shadows and eery lights. It's an honest look at how a child experiences Halloween. The dialog that the children use is very typical. Phrases like "Tootie killed the Braukoffs single-handed. She's the bravest of them all!" seem to show the sophisticated play that the children have. Traditions such as burning trash in the middle of the street, going up to the spooky house and throwing flower in people's faces to kill them make the scene worth watching.

The Nightmare Before Christmas

A great transitional movie that gets you ready for Christmas. The characters in Halloween land stumble upon Christmas land and the main character Jack the Pumpkin King decides to give "Sandy Claus" a break and do Christmas himself. The dedication that Jack has towards wanting to do it right is very touching. Unfortunately, he does not get it entirely right and things go terribly wrong. Will Christmas be spoiled? You'll have to watch the rest of the movie to find out.

So, put that DVD in the player and give it a spin and enjoy the season.

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