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Library Halloweek 2023

Halloweek_23

 

Join the library in celebrating Halloween with two classic horror movies. The first will James Whale's The Old Dark House and the other is Henri-Georges Clouzot’s Les Diabolique. 

Both films are available for viewing through the library's Kanopy database through hyperlinks on the title above their descriptions.

  • The Old Dark House
    • "One of the first openly gay filmmakers in any genre, horror or otherwise, James Whale directed several spooky stories have been reinterpreted through a queer lens. It’s easy to see why someone whose identity made them an outsider would be so attracted to stories about monsters and pariahs. Until its recent rediscovery, The Old Dark House was largely forgotten compared to the likes of Whale’s Frankenstein, though it holds the unique distinction of being the film that inspired The Rocky Horror Picture Show. The premise is essentially the same: a group of strangers find themselves trapped in a mysterious mansion during a storm, during which all manner of curious and disquieting events begin to occur. Produced before the rigid censorship of Hollywood’s Hays Code, The Old Dark House is much more explicit than horror films in the years to follow, dripping with provocations and innuendos, with a daring sensibility befitting a director whose own personal life flew in the face of convention. — Nadine Smith"
  • Diabolique
    • "A devilish little mystery with a twist ending, Henri-Georges Clouzot’s Hitchcock-inspired classic Les Diaboliques follows a murder scheme: the wife and mistress of a despotic boarding school principal team up to kill their tormenter. To say more would be to literally give away the plot, but there’s plenty of queer subtext throughout, even if the film is ultimately constrained by the norms of its era. — Samantha Allen"

The descriptions of both films are taken from a them.us article on "The 55 Best LGBTQ+ Horror Movies of All Time".

Please find the links to doesthedogdie.com for trigger warning by clicking on the titles The Old Dark House and Diabolique.