For 1428 Elm, I shared a list of my favorite black and white horror movies, a mix of new and old. It got me thinking about why I enjoy such movies so much, especially at the start of September, as we get closer and closer to Halloween. Upon reflection, I realize that it traces back to my bad, as does my general love for horror.

I’ve said this before, but growing up, my dad took me to the local video store. He was a genre fan, but in particular, he dug the movies that he grew up with, such as Psycho, The Birds, and Night of the Living Dead. Yep, my dad came of age during horror’s second gold age in the 60s and into the early 70s. Though my dad also rented the latest Friday the 13th with me, these classics are some of the first movies I recall seeing with him. They held a strange sort of power that still resonates with me today, especially watching them with the lights out.

Besides those iconic 60s film, we also watched the Univeral Monsters. Though my memory may be a little faulty at this point,, I do recall watching some of the Frankenstein movies with him, Creature from the Black Lagoon, and The Wolfman. Something about those Gothic settings simply fascinated me, and I still hold dear those great Universal films. I remember watching the Gil-man swim just beneath Kay (Julia Adams), or feeling empathy with the Wolfman and Frankenstein’s Monster, both tragic characters in their own right.

A few of these films I share with my students, and though we’re living with 21st Century standards now, there’s still an alure, a strange sort of power that these films have. I have my dad to thank for my love of them and those gateway horror rentals.