Enzian schedules scares for October
show a newly remastered film.”
The 13 films come from Germany, France, Italy, the United Kingdom and the United States. “Caligari” is the oldest.
The animated “Hotel Transylvania 2” from 2015 is the newest. Adam Sandler supplies the voice of Dracula, and the film screens Oct. 22 as part of a children’s Halloween party. (The 10th anniversary Halloween party at the nearby Eden Bar will be Oct. 28.)
Big-name directors are represented in the festival: Tobe Hooper (“Poltergeist”), Danny Boyle (“28 Days Later”), William Friedkin (“The Exorcist”), Francis Ford Coppola (“Dracula”), Wes Craven (“A Nightmare on Elm Street”) and Brian De Palma (“Phantom of the Paradise” on Oct. 16).
There are directors that horror fans should know more about: Eli Roth (“Cabin Fever” on Oct. 10), Mario Bava (“Kill, Baby … Kill!” on Oct. 21) and Alexandre Aja (“High Tension” on Oct. 24).
Jones, who occasionally introduces films at Enzian, says she loves 13 Films of Halloween. “For me, it’s about the mix,” she said.
Hollywood’s best horror films can stand with the finest musicals, Westerns and gangster films, Jones said. She cites the 1930s as a particularly rich period and praises the original “King Kong” and “Frankenstein,” made when sound film was new.
“I’m not as big a fan of the slasher films of more recent years,” Jones said. “Occasionally, somebody really hits a terrifying note,” she added, citing “The Grudge” and “The Ring.”
“In the recent ones, you never know who’s going to pop out or get stabbed. I don’t love the macabre,” she said. “I like the story and the buildup. When they’re just gore, it doesn’t do much for me.” Her pick for scariest film? “Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde,” the 1932 version that won Fredric March a best-actor Oscar. “That one is really terrifying,” Jones said. “The big scene reminds me of Desdemona’s death in ‘Othello.’ It’s a movie that as a whole that really works. There’s a story, you care about the characters, it has something to say, which isn’t always the case with horror movies.”