31 Days of Horror: Week Three

Welcome back everybody to The Void of Celluloid’s 31 Days of Horror. The whole concept of this series is to go through each week of October and pair snacks, drinks and double features to The Void’s picks. This is the first year of this series, so the standard calendar is a lot of staples and not a lot of sleeper hits. However, it is not a bad thing to revisit some of the classics. We are hitting the halfway point of October, so we have to celebrate spooky season every second we got! Here is the calendar:

I’m really excited to revisit the picks of this week, as we have some killer classics here. You can find the kick off of this series here and the bloody sequel here. Alright, let’s set up this trilogy of good spooky fun, shall we?

A Micro-rant from The Void

For those that are going to stay away from some of these films because of tiny little words you have to read, please try and push yourself to do so. There will be another subtitled movie this week as well as next week, and if you aren’t open to subtitles, you’re going to miss out on a lot of good horror. As Bong Joon Ho says “Once you overcome the 1-inch-tall barrier of subtitles, you will be introduced to so many more amazing films.” Alright, micro rant over, let’s get to the goodies.

OCtober 15th: THe Orphanage

If you somehow missed this movie during its long Netflix reign during the early 2010s, you missed out. That’s why it’s here. El Orfanato or The Orphanage is a compelling ghost tale that will have you rethinking every time someone knocks on a wall. Laura moves her family back into her childhood home, which was once an orphanage specifically for handicapped children. Not long after, her young son combats transition by having an imaginary friend. However, it turns out this friend might not be so imaginary. You might wanna have some tissues with you if you’re a hair-trigger weeper like I am when anything is remotely sad.

The double feature for this one has to be Guillermo del Toro’s The Devil’s Backbone. He actually produced The Orphanage and both this film and Pan’s Labyrinth became the top grossing Spanish films of all time. Since both films take place in Spain, we have to indulge ourselves with some Spanish food and drinks. One of the most popular cocktails in Spain is the Agua de Valencia, a delicious drink reminiscent of a mimosa. For our zero-proof crowd, there is a delicious dessert drink known as Leche Merengada which is a creamy, spiced milkshake style drink (for those lactose intolerant and savvy in Google Translate/fluent in Spanish, you can find a dairy free version here). As far as snacks go, almost everyone loves potatoes, so pair all of this with a simple, spicy Patatas Bravas.

OCtober 16th: Psycho

As we know, Halloween Kills is out and while it is general trivia knowledge for most horror fans, a lot of people do not know that Jamie Lee Curtis is Janet Leigh’s daughter. Psycho is a must see and showcases stellar performances from all of its cast, especially Leigh and Anthony Perkins. Despite Peeping Tom being the first slasher film by technicality, it never reached as great of heights and praise as Psycho did. Marion Crane decides to make a run for it with her employer’s precious deposit, but due to a storm has to take refuge in the Bates Motel. I think we all know where it goes next… Nevertheless, Psycho still packs a punch despite its second biggest twist being spoiled for most film lovers and therefore, it makes it onto the calendar.

Psycho just screams classic to me, so therefore I pair this one with a nice Negroni. Believe it or not, I actually found a non-alcoholic Negroni which I thought was impossible, but it has great ratings, so check it out. What pairs nice with the sophisticated Negroni? A bunch of snooty (but tasty) things, but for some reason, these rich Bacon Mac and Cheese Bites from Entertaining with Beth will do too. Double feature wise, you could go with the previously mentioned pioneer Peeping Tom or you could go with another Hitchcock horror The Birds. It’s the simple decision of not trusting men or not trusting birds, you decide.

OCtober 17th: THe Conjuring

Ah, there’s nothing like family and building a home together, right? Gathering together and playing Hide-and-Clap sounds like a very wholesome thing to do? Well, when there is a possible witch/demon terrorizing your family each night, it’s not as picture-perfect as you would imagine. This is the first installment of the now expansive Conjuring Universe, but nothing quite beats the first one, which delivers the suspense upon every single viewing. Too bad that it spawned another wave of copycats and cheap spinoffs, but I don’t think any of its expansions can take away from this gem.

The film takes place in the 70s, complete with Patrick Wilson sporting some epic sideburns. Therefore, I’m going vintage with these pairings. If you’ve never had a cheeseball before, you have to try this classic cheeseball recipe from Tastes Better from Scratch. In the mood for something sweet and more with the season? Check out this this pumpkin cheesecake ball. If we’re keeping it classic 70’s, we should go for a nice bright Harvey Wallbanger (here’s a virgin one) to lighten up the mood for this dark, grim film. The double feature for this one is surprisingly not from the Conjuring-Verse, but rather a Mike Flanagan film Ouija: Origin of Evil. It matches The Conjuring‘s tone and because of its predecessor, some horror fans missed out on this one.

October 18th: The Shining

In October, you try to shuffle in some new finds, but sometimes nothing beats the tried and true classics. That is why The Shining is on here. I watch it at least once a year, mainly to play detective to see if I get anything new from it. I feel like I don’t really need to explain the plot of this one other than it deters heavily from the book. Why I bring this up is mostly due to my double feature, but also a push for people to read the book, as it has a lot of sentiment that the Kubrick film is obviously lacking in.

There is now an obvious double feature for The Shining which is its sequel Doctor Sleep. Yes, Mike Flanagan again. Here he does the impossible task of marrying the two versions of The Shining, and he pulls it off beautifully. You can read more about it on The Void of Celluloid here: We Love You, Mike Flanagan. For this film, I went more with a themed cocktail meets generic yummy carbs, since alcohol is such an important plot point in the story. Yes, suggesting a cocktail is opposite of the point which is why I will lead with this mocktail recipe that sounds utterly amazing: Cranberry Apple Cider Mocktail. Which is red. I think you can see where this is going, just don’t spell this REDRUM cocktail backwards. The delicious side I chose to pair with this deep red punch is the viral Cheese and Garlic Crack Bread.

October 19th: Scream

This film is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year so it’s time to rewatch it if you haven’t caught it in theaters yet. This film is Wes Craven’s comeback as well as the father of meta-horror that a lot of modern horror comedies use today. Also, I think it is impossible to not fall in love with Sidney Prescott’s badassery. Oh, and Matthew Lilliard’s acting. There’s a lot I love about this film.

Its double feature has to go to its sequel Scream 2, as I think there is a lot that they did better in regards to it being a horror movie. There is scarier moments in the second one at least, so if you want to go more pedal-to-the-metal with your scares, don’t skip this one. These two films drip with teenage/college student energy, so I decided to go for a dive bar meets high school party aesthetic with the pairings. We got a lovely light beer cocktail known as a Chelada, which is like a Corona with lime on steroids. Since we already did Shirley Temples last week, we’re going to go with another non-boozy classic: the Roy Rodgers. Pair this off with some adorable, salty Bacon Cheeseburger Bites and you got yourself a spooky rager.

OCtober 20th: Housebound

If you couldn’t tell, I am quite a fan of Kiwi humor. Housebound is another title that lurked around Netflix for a while, and I remember watching it without any prior knowledge. I was confused, but once you realize it is a comedy through and through, it gets absolutely hilarious. Therefore, I want to use this platform to clarify and shine some more light on this lost gem. Kylie is forced to return to her childhood home under house arrest, trapping her inside with the supposed evil entity that lives among her and her family.

This is a fun movie and should be paired with equally fun things. Therefore I’m pairing it with one of my favorite movies The Lost Boys. Because who could say no to some glam punk 80s vampires? This is a mixed bag of a night, so why not mix it up some more with this Halloween Sangria or a prom-style punch? In my mad search for recipes, I came across these jalapeno popper pigs in a blanket that I could not help but share. Say hello to a wild Wednesday night!

OCtober 21st: Ringu

I’ll be honest, I am not a big fan of the American The Ring. I feel like it’s a cheap knockoff of the rich story that is Ringu. If you have only seen the American version, I urge you to watch Ringu this week. It is genuinely one of the creepiest films out there. It still centers around the cursed tape that is well known but its use of practical effects as well as the absence of that blue filter that was so popular in early 00s horror (and promptly killed by Twilight) make this film soar above the American remake.

The obvious double feature is another story done so dirty by American film studios: Ju-On: The Grudge. A “slower” burn than the first film, but a truly rich and amazing ghost story through and through. Since we are enjoying two classic Japanese horror films, I decided to pair it with onigiri, which is impossible to hate given its endless combinations and simpler assembly. Of course, I involved sake, so please enjoy the highly rated Sake Southside from Tasting Table (a Japanese Cream Soda for the non alcohol drinkers).

Conclusion and what’s Next

I’m so happy to see people enjoying this series and I enjoy making it (even though it makes me hungry). There is a lot coming up with The Void of Celluloid in the next few months from a podcast to a Patreon startup to oh so much more and I am excited to share this journey with all of you. Please be sure to follow and share this with your friends and loved ones and I will see you next week as we celebrate the final ten days of TVOC’s 31 Days of Horror.