From Cradle to Crypt, A History of Horror Films

If you are looking to get into the Halloween spirit and learn about the history of horror film, this is your year to hit up big-screen October showings in the Tristate region. Between these four events, you can get the full range of horror film history and genres.
It’s Alive: The Horror Film Is Born
Horror got its start in the silent era. The Bardavon in Poughkeepsie, N.Y., is hosting a screening on Oct. 29 of what some call the very first (and in my opinion, still scariest) horror film: “Nosferatu,” released in Germany in 1922 and the U.S. in 1929.
This first film version of the Dracula mythos was an unofficial and unauthorized adaptation of the 1897 novel by Bram Stoker; the names of the characters had to be changed for the film.
Although truly terrifying, “Nosferatu” is also beautiful. It uses shadow and light to create an atmosphere of mystery and foreboding. It was one of the first films to use special effects to create an impossible monster, one that can only exist on the screen. This movie shows where it all started with horror movies and is a must-see for anyone interested in not just horror but film in general.
“Nosferatu,” directed by F.W. Murnau and released in 1922, will be shown on Friday, Oct. 29, 7:30 p.m. at Ulster Performing Arts Center, on Broadway in Kingston, N.Y., with live organ accompaniment by John Baratta.
All seats are $6, Bardavon members are free. There will be costume contests, photo booths and more. Go to www.bardavon.org for information.
Romance and Gothic Terror
Moving forward chronologically through film history, the Kent Memorial Library in Kent, Conn., is offering weekly showings of “vintage horror” on an outdoor screen this month.
Featuring movies from the 1930s and early 1940s, the library’s film choices (curated by Ben Rybeck from House of Books) offer a Gothic and atmospheric lineup of black-and-white classics. These films may be less gory and shocking than modern horror — and are therefore good for all ages.
But they are also important moments in film history; and they offer a different type of horror than the modern viewer is used to: the slower build of terror, a reliance on an atmosphere of creepiness full of cobwebbed and candle-lit castles dancing with shadows and foggy, moonlit nights — rather than kill counts and jump scares.
There is also the romance of the Gothic monsters. Unlike the modern horror slashers who are stoic, silent juggernauts of strength who kill single mindedly, the Gothic villain is psychologically complex — and often even sympathetic.
“Dracula” was shown on Oct. 7. Next in the series is “The Old Dark House” on Oct. 14. This 1932 release is a lesser known black-and-white horror film by James Whale — best known for directing “Frankenstein” and “Bride of Frankenstein.”
This film was recently featured on the Criterion Channel’s collection called Queersighted Horror (Queer Fear). Whale’s own sexuality has caused many of his films, including “The Old Dark House,” to be re-analyzed through the lens of queer subtextual themes in pre-code Hollywood.
Whale’s films set a precedent for the horror film as a place for the outsider, “the othered,” to find comfort — which is why horror films are often so closely entangled with queer sensibility. After that is “Cat People” on Oct. 21; and another Whale film, “Bride of Frankenstein” Oct. 28.
The free outdoor movies at the library begin at 7 p.m. Blankets, chairs and cozy apparel are encouraged. Registration is not required but is helpful, kla-bmcallister@biblio.org.
Three Decades of Horror
The Millerton Moviehouse in Millerton, N.Y., has an October lineup that covers the history of modern horror through the decades. Manager Casey Lehman has curated a list that spans three different decades, starting in the 1960s and ending in 1990.
Each film is one that was influential on horror as we know it today — both their story themes as well as their cinematic techniques used to instill fear.
The series started on Oct. 6 with Alfred Hitchcock’s 1960 film, “Psycho.”
The feature on Oct. 13 and 16 was “The Bird with the Crystal Plumage,” representing the “giallo” genre from Italy in the 1970s that, while lesser known in the States, has been hugely influential on the aesthetics of modern horror worldwide.
The two remaining films this month are both based on Stephen King novels.
Representing the 1980s is Stanley Kubrick’s “The Shining,” which remains one of the most beautifully shot and psychologically complex and terrifying horror films, with legendary acting from Jack Nicholson and Shelley Duvall. Don’t miss the chance to see it on a big screen on Wednesday, Oct. 20, at 7:30 p.m. and Saturday, Oct. 23, at 9 p.m.
Finishing the Moviehouse lineup is “Misery” from 1990. Kathy Bates won an Oscar for her performance as a crazed fan of the novelist main character, whom she traps in her isolated home during a snowstorm. The COVID-19 isolation of the past two years will add to your appreciation of this film’s claustrophobic suspense.
See “Misery” on Wednesday, Oct. 27, at 7:30 p.m. and Saturday, Oct. 30, at 9 p.m. For more information and to order tickets go to www.themoviehouse.net.
And at Last: It’s ‘Halloween’
Arrive in the cinematic modern day at the Four Brothers Drive-In in Amenia, N.Y., with a double feature: the brand-new “Halloween Kills” and “Halloween” from 2018.The two most recent installments in the long-running Halloween franchise, started by John Carpenter in the 1970s, these two films are slick and modern but with plenty of homages to their horror history — and Jamie Lee Curtis reprising her role as the Final Girl.
There are other activities that evening as well. For information, go to https://playeatdrink.com and www.blackholemonoplex.com/HOLEAWEEN.
Join The Lakeville Journal for a community celebration, featuring local nonprofits and businesses, festive family fun, great food, and engaging activities.
What to Expect:
See you at the Lakeville Journal Street Fair!
If you have any questions, please email streetfair@lakevillejournal.com
Cobbler n’ Cream
5 to 7 p.m.
Freund’s Farm Market & Bakery | 324 Norfolk Rd.
Canaan Carnival
6 to 10 p.m.
Bunny McGuire Park
Canaan Carnival
6 to 10 p.m.
Bunny McGuire Park
Cocktail Party
5 to 7 p.m.
Douglas Library | 108 Main St.
Canaan Carnival
6 to 10 p.m.
Bunny McGuire Park
Boot Drive
8 a.m. to 2 p.m.
North Canaan Fire Co. | 4 E. Main St.
3rd Annual Fly-In
8 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Triumph Airfield | 547 W. Main St.
Canaan Railroad Station Museum
10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Canaan Union Station
New England Accordion Connection
9 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Canaan Union Station
Canaan Carnival
3 to 10 p.m.
Bunny McGuire Park
Berkshire Resilience Brass Band
5 to 8 p.m.
Canaan Union Station
Barbecued Chicken Dinner
5 to 7 p.m.
St. Martin of Tours | 4 Main St.
Canaan Fireman’s parade
6 p.m.
Rosa setigera is a native climbing rose whose simple flowers allow bees to easily collect pollen.
After moving to West Cornwall in 2012, we were given a thoughtful housewarming gift: the 1997 edition of “Dirr’s Hardy Trees and Shrubs.” We were told the encyclopedic volume was the definitive gardener’s reference guide — a fact I already knew, having purchased one several months earlier at the recommendation of a gardener I admire.
At the time, we were in the thick of winter invasive removal, and I enjoyed reading and dreaming about the trees and shrubs I could plant to fill in the bare spots where the bittersweet, barberry, multiflora rose and other invasive plants had been.Years later, I purchased the 2011 edition, updated and inclusive of plants for warm climates.
On the cover of the new edition, a quote from Adrian Higgins of The Washington Post boasts, “Michael Dirr is the oracle of ornamental horticulture. I trust his judgements implicitly.”I heartily disagree with Mr. Higgins:I blame this book — and my poor use of it — for some of my worst tree and shrub choices.
I realize some readers might find this declaration inflammatory. The book still occupies a place of high regard among experienced and novice gardeners alike, so please allow me to explain.
In addition to giving the reader his opinion on the aesthetic worthiness of the woody plants included in the book, Mr. Dirr makes good on the book’s title with a review of each species’ hardiness. What makes a tree hardy?It thrives in its intended site, resisting disease with leaves and bark not readily eaten by insects and other critters.
Non-native plants make up the majority of the recommended hardy plants in the book.And here is why:Native trees and shrubs are, by evolution’s design, food source and host to our native fauna — critters large and small. There is no substitute equal to the fauna’s co-evolved flora.A native caterpillar cannot eat a kousa dogwood leaf, as it has not evolved to digest it.Non-native plants seemingly have the advantage if the lens we look through values pristine, uneaten leaves.
In the days when there were sufficient thriving ecosystems to maintain local habitats, a non-native specimen tree here and there was just fine.But where we live in Northwest Connecticut, our woods, meadows, marshes and other natural areas have, for a couple of decades, been severely compromised by invasives that have almost entirely removed the food sources for native insects. It is up to us — now — to plant native plants to save the food chain.Without insects, not only will native animals die, but human food sources will also be at risk.
The security of our food pipeline seems a worthy exchange for some caterpillar-eaten leaves — and to be clear, we’re not talking about non-native infestations such as spongy moth, but rather native caterpillars, which are the singular food source for nesting birds.
My issue is that, in being a trusted source for plant selection, Dirr’s book should give equal — if not prioritized — space to information on ecological impact.For example, it would be good to know when selecting a tree, that a native oak provides food and other ecosystem services to more than 400 native animal species, while a native tulip poplar supports fewer than 30 — though that includes the Eastern tiger swallowtail. Including information on the birds and insects attracted to a given plant would enable reader to weigh these factors in choosing what to grow.But this information is not mentioned at all.
Dirr makes no mention of the role some of these plants have played in the degradation of our natural areas — an omission that is highly relevant, as many of the plants featured in his book are, in fact, invasive culprits. Plants like barberry, porcelain berry and tree of heaven are showcased for consideration alongside native plants without recognition of the devastating infestations they can manifest. Tree of Heaven is now responsible for hosting the spotted lanternfly, which is devastating crops.
Similarly Euonymous alatus (winged euonymous) and Actinidia arguta (hardy kiwi) — two highly invasive plants touted in the book — have been banned or are close to being banned for sale from nurseries in the state of Massachusetts. To his credit, Dirr does point out the invasive nature of Ligustrum sinense (Chinese privet), calling it “a terrible and devastating escapee that terrorizes floodplains, fencerows and even open fields, reducing native vegetation to rubble.” Yet Japanese honeysuckle gets an understated warning, with Dirr describing this massively invasive shrub as “bullying their way into understory and open areas.”
The latest edition of Dirr’s book devotes seven pages of copy and photos to various Berberis species, about which Dirr waxes poetic. He notes the addition of “30 new cultivars” in the latest revision and complains that “this species is under assault for its aggressive invasive nature.” He refers to Berberis thunbergii — Japanese barberry, the most invasive of them all — as “the species of major importance in garden commerce.” This plant has already been outlawed for sale in New York, Pennsylvania, New Hamphsire and Maine.A few weeks ago, a bill was passed in Connecticut recognizing the harm of a broad group of invasive plants. Under this new legislation, barberry will be phased out from sale or transport by October 2028.
In understating the invasive nature of many non-natives and de-prioritizing the importance of native species, Dirr’s widely used reference may be partly responsible for many a devastated woodland, forest, meadow and marsh in New England — if not across the U.S.Certainly, the evolution of species, and scientific knowledge about the environment, is changing faster than new editions of books can be printed. I can only hope that if a new edition of Mr. Dirr’s reference book is in the works that it will account for this criteria we now know to be vital in plant selection.
Which brings me back to that quote on the cover from The Washington Post and the larger issue it suggests:Should “ornamental horticulture” get a pass when it comes to ecological survival?I think we can agree — it should not.The consequences are simply too destructive.
Dee Salomon ‘ungardens’ in Litchfield County.
Foxtrot Farm & Flowers’ historic barn space during UAW’s 2024 exhibition entitled “Unruly Edges.”
Art lovers, mark your calendars. The sixth edition of Upstate Art Weekend (UAW) returns July 17 to 21, with an exciting lineup of exhibitions and events celebrating the cultural vibrancy of the region. Spanning eight counties and over 130 venues, UAW invites residents and visitors alike to explore the Hudson Valley’s thriving creative communities.
Here’s a preview of four must-see exhibitions in the area:
1. Wassaic Project (37 Furnace Bank Road, Wassaic)
“So It Goes” is a powerful group exhibition curated by Eve Biddle, Bowie Zunino, Jeff Barnett-Winsby, and Will Hutnick. The title, drawn from Kurt Vonnegut’s “Slaughterhouse-Five,” signals a reckoning with how we process the horrors of the world. Through play, reflection, and immersive scale, 43 artists respond with urgency and imagination. Installations can be seen throughout the town of Wassaic at Maxon Mills, Gridley Chapel, and Luther Barn, each space transformed by this deeply thoughtful show.
2. Foxtrot Farm & Flowers (6862 Route 82, Stanfordville)
“Queer Bestiary,” a group show curated by Charlotte Woolf, is inspired by Patricia Ononiwu Kaishian’s book “Forest Euphoria.” The exhibition investigates queer ecology and human relationship to land through the work of 10 artists using painting, sculpture, textiles, and photography. The exhibit is accompanied by a variety of interactive experiences including tattoo pop-ups, karaoke, book readings, and pick-your-own flowers.
3. ChaShaMa North/ChaNorth (2600 Route 199, Pine Plains)
ChaShaMa North (ChaNorth) will have open studios all weekend and has partnered with Paradice Palase, a platform for emerging artists, to mount a site-specific sculpture exhibition featuring 20 artists entitled “Alone, You Are Heard.” On Saturday evening, July 19, stop by for Weird Music Night for an audio-visual synthesis of experimental music, performance art, and unexpected happenings. Don’t miss this opportunity to experience an eclectic lineup of acts that redefine the boundaries of performance.
4. Millbrook Arts Project(3 Friendly Lane, Millbrook)
The Millbrook Arts Project is hosting a curated exhibit entitled “Generated Utility” at the newly renovated gallery at the village library. The exhibit will feature the work of artists Natalie Beall and Kathy Greenwood. Additionally, visitors will have access to 12 open artists studios across town. The weekend culminates in a free outdoor concert on Saturday evening at 6 p.m. at the Millbrook Bandshell. Enjoy the Indie-Folk sounds of Strawberry Runners and She Keeps Bees.
For more information and a complete list of participating artists and locations, visit: upstateartweekend.org