Not that any excuses are necessary to start rambling on endlessly about horror and/or suspense movies, but here's a good one: it's less than a month until Halloween.

I just got my hands on Radley Metzger's '78 remake of the '27 silent film The Cat and the Canary. The relatives of a recently deceased eccentric gather in his massive old mansion to hear the reading of his will. They're all invited to spend the night, only to learn that a nutbar has been murdering the locals and he's on the loose in the house. The mysterious villain is a man-cat, who mercilessly scratches his victims to death. Metzger, best known for his landmark erotica (I am Frigid... Why? among them), manages some spooky hilarity here, and is dead-on with his casting. Edward Fox, Olivia Hussey, Carol Lynley and Wilfrid Hyde White have a field day with this bit of high camp.

Also on the Halloween wish list is the 25th anniversary edition of The Rocky Horror Picture Show. Naturally, most will want to witness this spectacle with an audience, so as not to miss the rice, toilet paper and lines being shouted out by various enthusiasts. Fox Home Video, however, is releasing an interactive DVD, which allows fans the luxury of responding to this rather kinky film in the privacy of their own home. :

--Matthew Hays