The Film Detective, a classic film and television company, is celebrating Halloween this year by premiering “31 Hours of Horror” starting on the eve of Halloween (October 30th) and going into “All Saints Day” (November 1st).
“All Saints Day” a.k.a. “All Hallows Day” is a day commemorating all the saints of the church, both known and unknown, who have attained heaven. The origin of this day is uncertain, however, the first evidence for celebrating “All Hallows Day” on the November 1 occurred during the reign of Pope Gregory III (731–741), who dedicated a chapel in St. Peter’s, Rome, on November 1 in honor of all saints.
In medieval England, the festival was known as “All Hallows”, and its eve is known today as “Halloween”. The period from October 31 to November 2 (All Souls’ Day) can also be called “Allhallowtide”.
“All Hallows Eve” dates back to the pagan times and is thought to originate with the Celtic pagan festival of Samhain. Samhain was a celebration of the end of the harvest season, meaning ‘summer’s end’. This night was once thought to be the one time of year when the veil between the worlds of the living and the dead were thin and porous, enabling spirits to pass through. Many feared this and would light bonfires and wear costumes to ward off ghosts, as well as other rituals and tasks. Things we do today such as trick-or-treating, costumes, carving pumpkins, feasts, bobbing for apples- all extend back to a much older and much more sacred time.
It is interesting that The Film Detective has decided to place it’s “31 hours of Halloween” from the eve of “Halloween” to “All Saints Day”. Perhaps it was unintentional, yet it certainly will be entertaining.
The Film Detective has filled its lineup with movies starring horror icons like Bela Lugosi, Lon Chaney, and Vincent Price. The roster will satisfy horror fans who are looking for less CGI and gore and more classic Vampires, Zombies, and Ghouls to give you a flashback look at what “Halloween” used to be. Maybe not as far back as the 700s, but at least to when Halloween actually meant being spooky, not terrifying.
Starting on October 30th on The Film Detective’s channel, classic horror fans can binge 31 hours of films including The Bat (1959), Revolt of the Zombies (1936), The Monster Walks (1932), Indestructible Man (1956), and the famous color sequence in Phantom of the Opera (1925). True horror fanatics will be delighted to kick off the evening with White Zombie (1932), which is the Bela Lugosi classic that is considered to be the first zombie film ever made. For the trick-or-treaters out there who are still not ready to leave the pumpkin patch, The Film Detective will also be showing “friendly” monster films such as Panther’s Claw (1942), Phantom from 10,000 Leagues (1955), and The Gorilla (1939).
Later in the evening viewers will be able to watch Teenage Strangler (1964) and Hands of a Stranger (1962). At midnight, though, there will be one chance for fans to catch the gory Night of the Living Dead (1968) during its 50th anniversary Halloween season. Other films on the list include House on Haunted Hill (1959), Invisible Ghost (1941), and the newly HD restored version of A Bucket of Blood (1959), which will be airing through to the next morning.
Be sure to catch “31 Hours of Horror” on The Film Detective channel through the Hollywood Extras package, available for $5 per month with a subscription to Sling Orange and/or Sling Blue.