Terrifying Tuesdays: Week Four of My Scary Movie Recommendations from the 1970s-1990s

From Amazon

Time for my final week of scary movie recommendations for the month.  First up is "The Shining" (1980), which is arguably the best known film adaptation of Stephen King's works.  You have two chances to watch it on BBC America on Halloween day, at 2:00 AM and then again at 1:30 PM on the east coast (check local listings for times in your area).   It is also available on a number of streaming services for a fee.

Next on my list is "The Sixth Sense" (1999), the first and probably best known scary movie from director M. Night Shyamalan.  Watch this movie on Halloween day as well, on FX at 8:00 PM on the east coast (again, check local listings for times in your area).  This film is also available on a number of streaming services for a fee.

Tim Burton's "Sleepy Hollow" (1999) is in my opinion one of his best movies and also a great adaptation of the classic tale by Washington Irving.  While not available on TV before Halloween, it is coming up in early November on several networks, and is available on a number of streaming services, some with seven day free trials if you wish to go that route.  If so inclined, you can also read Irving's short story here.

"Tales from the Crypt" (1972), based on tales from mid-century horror fiction comics, is one of the earliest of many horror anthology movies from this time period, and is one of the better offerings.  Another plus for me is that it also stars Peter Cushing in one of the five segments!  This one is currently streaming for free (with ads) on Tubi, or watch it on YouTube here.

I tend to prefer horror films to science fiction, but "Total Recall" (1990) is in my opinion one of the better movies of the genre, not least because of two strong female characters.  The film is based on a short story by well known science fiction writer Philip K. Dick (which you can read here).  While not available for Halloween, you can watch the movie on IFC on November 9th.  It is also available on streaming sites for a price.

Next on the list is the creature feature "Tremors" (1990), which is a fun and effective blend of comedy and horror.  I could not find this one free online anywhere, but of course there are a number of streaming service options.

"Trilogy of Terror" (1975) is a different sort of horror anthology in that it stars actress Karen Black as the main character in all three tales, the most memorable of which is the last one featuring a killer doll.  All of these stories are based on original short works by science fiction author Richard Matheson.  You can watch this movie on YouTube here.

There are two more movie recommendations for my list this month, and I will add them to this post as soon as I put them on the list. This month seems to have flown by, so enjoy the remaining days to come, and have a fun Halloween! 👽👻🎃💀👿

Okay, the next film recommendation has been posted, and it is "The Uncanny" (1977), which is another horror anthology.  This one has three tales, all featuring cats, and I wish I could have posted it yesterday, which was National Cat Day!   Better a day late than never, though, so if you are an ailurophile, you can watch this movie on YouTube here.

My final movie recommendation for the month is yet another horror anthology (that makes a total of seven for the month!).  "The Vault of Horror" (1973) consists of five short stories told by five men who find themselves inexplicably stranded together in a building sub-basement.  This is admittedly not one of the best anthologies, but it is decent enough if you like this sort of film (as I do).  You can watch it on YouTube here.

And this is it for my October movie recommendations from the 1970s-1990s!  I hope you enjoy at least some of them, and I am already compiling my list for next year with movies from the 2000s.  Happy Halloween! 👽👻🎃💀👿