I’m definitely on board with the whole nostalgia fascination, but I have to say…it’s making me feel so damn old! Digging back into The Sexy Archives has really made me start to think that I need to reserve my space at the senior citizens home. I guess that’s what I get for keeping old stuff.
Here’s my ticket to a special Halloween showing of Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein on October 29th, 1998 at the Union County Arts Center in Rahway, NJ. The Union County Arts Center is the former Rahway Theater which was an old silent movie palace built in 1928 that has been fully restored. The theater is listed on the National and State Registers of Historic Places.
It was free to get in to see the film since it was sponsored by
AMC’s Monsterfest House of Horrors. Every year AMC is known for showing a shitload of great horror movies during the month of October. Earlier today during an exciting fun filled weekend of doing laundry, I was lucky enough to catch AMC’s marathon of Halloween films! When a movie is airing on TV, I’m more inclined to watch than if I have to dig into the vast abyss of my DVD collection to find the specific film. For this year’s lineup you can check out
AMC’s Fear Fest schedule.
Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein (1948) has always been a favorite film of mine, especially as a kid during Halloween. My father showed me a bunch of the Abbott and Costello films and I always enjoyed their brand of humor. This film was the ultimate meeting of humor and horror. The universal horror icons, Dracula, Frankenstein, and Wolfman (and perhaps another special guest!) were all weaved into the plot in an ingenious way. What makes the film stand out as a classic film, not just a horror film or comedy, was its atmosphere. There were some genuinely spooky parts of the film that always attracted me to watching it, but there were also a slew of really funny moments. The typical Abbott and Costello hijinks are present and the “funny” seems to be intensified since they were both experts at acting scared out of their minds.
From Wikipedia:
– In 2001, the United States Library of Congress deemed this film “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant” and selected it for preservation in the National Film Registry
– In September 2007, Reader’s Digest selected the movie as one of the top 100 funniest films of all time.
I’m glad I got a chance to see Abbott and Costello meet Frankenstein in a classic movie house. It’s disappointing because there aren’t too many opportunities in the NY/NJ area to get to see classic films on the big screen. It’s a treat to visit
The Landmark Loews Jersey Theater when they have film festivals, and it’s rare but Radio City Music Hall has them once in a while as well. I wish there was a theater that was dedicated to showing only horror movies old and new. That’s an idea that would rake in the dough. I know I’d be there at least once a week!
Check out Denizens of Darkness who has a great original piece of artwork inspired by a scene from the film.
