Trick or Treat : 10 for Halloween

'Topper' (1937 - Norman Z. McLeod)

Fun-loving free spirits return from the dead to lend a helping hand.

'Topper' is based upon a story by majestic Maryland-born fantasist Thorne Smith who'd seen one of his novels turned into 'Night Life Of The Gods' (1935) by actor-turned-director Lowell Sherman. Franchise-forming 'Topper' helped develop the facade of the frolicking ghost whose sadness is carefully concealed from the living. Its influence can be seen on some of the great fantasy films of the 1940s such as 'Here Comes Mr. Jordan' (1941), 'The Canterville Ghost' (1944), 'Blithe Spirit' (1945), 'Sylvie And The Phantom' (1946) and 'The Ghost And Mrs Muir' (1947). Smith's spectre lives on in the "wall street wave" of the golden Ronald Reagan era's final days which presented the colourful apparitions 'Beetlejuice' (1988), 'Always' (1989), 'Chances Are' (1989), 'Field Of Dreams' (1989), 'Ghost Writer' (1989), 'Ghost' (1990) and 'Ghost Dad' (1990).

'I Married A Witch' (1942 - Rene Clair)

A persecuted witch casts a wicked spell against the descendants of her prosecutor.

'I Married A Witch' brings another tale by Thorne Smith to the screen. Director Rene Clair engaged in fanciful flights of French fancy with a fantastical slant before setting forth on his global travails. He directed the classics 'The Ghost Goes West' (1935) and 'It Happened Tomorrow' (1944), and in between produced the satirical witchcraft fantasy 'I Married A Witch', a tale of eternal longing, lost hope and suspect redemption that contains Faustian elements. Purgatory blues felt very real during the 1940s and common themes are redolent in 'The Devil And Daniel Webster' (1941), 'The Devil's Envoys' (1942), 'Heaven Can Wait' (1943), 'A Matter Of Life And Death' (1945), 'Angel On My Shoulder' (1946) and 'The Bishop's Wife' (1947). I believe 'I Married A Witch' was a source of inspiration to the creators of hit tv shows 'Bewitched', 'I Dream Of Jeannie' and 'Sabrina The Teenage Witch'.

'The Little Girl Who Lives Down The Lane' (1976 - Nicolas Gessner)

A girl living alone in a small town in Quebec fabricates an artificial existence to prevent herself from being taken into custody. Her secret double-life creates a dangerous and disturbing situation.

'The Little Girl Who Lives Down The Lane' is one of the darkest Quebecois community dramas of the 1970s. It's based on a novel by Laird Koenig and directed by the Hungarian Nicolas Gessner whose countrymen Peter Medak and Tibor Takacs also shot horror movies in Canada.

'Halloween' (1978 - John Carpenter)

Fifteen years after murdering his sister on Halloween night in 1963, it's believed indestructible force Michael Myers has escaped from a mental hospital intent upon terrorising the teenagers of Haddonfield, Illinois.

'Halloween' is a dark, ominous adult fairy tale with a strong sense of foreboding. The nagging, insistent, ticker-tape electronica score composed by director John Carpenter remains relentless throughout this blistering vision of suburban doom. The 'Halloween' franchise is one of the longest-running in horror cinema history.

'The Amityville Horror' (1979 - Stuart Rosenberg)

In November 1974, a family tragedy occurred. A new family is being threatened by paranormal phenomena at the same address in Amityville, Long Island, New York.

'The Amityville Horror' is directed by crime filmmaker Stuart Rosenberg and based on a book by Jay Anson (it's scripted by Canadian filmmaker Sandor Stern). The storytelling is permeated by an atmosphere that captures the autumnal aftermath of Halloween's accursed spirit. The current wave of found footage horror and digital-based paranormal activities borrows heavily from this spooky supernatural drama. The 'Amityville' franchise is one of the most successful horror series to date.

'Lady In White' (1988 - Frank LaLoggia)

A boy is locked in a school closet during Halloween, 1962. He's drawn to an old house that may hold the key to solving a murder.

Frank LaLoggia made three genre films in his career, 'Fear Of Evil' (1981), 'Mother' (1995), and this one. 'Lady In White' is a creepy fable that's honest, heartfelt and deeply personal, touching upon many of the fears children experience during those difficult schooling years.

'Night Of The Demons' (1988 - Kevin Tenney)

Teenagers crash a satanic party at an abandoned funeral parlor on Halloween night. An evil curse unleashes demonic spirits.

'Night Of The Demons' is a surreal punk-metal fancy dress party that ends in tears. It's weird, wild and deadly, producing one of the horror genre's most radical franchises. Trick or treat?

'Casper' (1995 - Brad Silberling)

A paranormal investigator and his daughter scare up some crazy ghost action at a haunted house.

'Casper The Friendly Ghost' is the timeless creation of Seymour Reit & Joe Oriolo who both worked at the Fleischer Animation Studios. Chances are you're bound to love spending some quality time with Casper the ghost and his entertaining friends. Like 'Halloween', Brad Silberling's big screen, special effects fantasy 'Casper' is beautifully photographed by spotlight wizard Dean Cundey.

  'Betty Boop's Hallowe'en Party' (1933)

'Jack-O' (1995 - Steve Latshaw)

An ancient curse sends Mr. Jack the Pumpkin Man back for revenge against a family and their resourceful babysitter.

Halloween time brings the promise of candy and pumpkins for young children. You could sit back in a recliner chair and enjoy 'Hack-O-Lantern' (1988), 'Pumpkinhead' (1988) and 'Pumpkinhead 2 : Blood Wings' (1993) in preparation for the sheer eerieness of 'Jack-O'. It's a perfect fantasy adventure about a boy's indomitable spirit and his resourceful minder.

'Trick 'R' Treat' (2007 - Michael Dougherty)

A horror anthology collection weaved together by Ohio animator Michael Dougherty.

Join the festivities ... on Tuesday October 31, 2017 ...