Val Lewton isn’t quite the household name he ought to be. Today, his films are seen as prime examples of low budget horror that rely on simple lighting and strong storytelling rather than special effects makeup or schlocky monsters.
Celebrating Val Lewton [31 Days of Halloween: October 30]
Filmmaker Val Lewton was hired by RKO to make movies to rival the Universal monster movies that had made that studio tons of money. Lewton took a different approach to the scary movie. With a smaller budget than Universal, Lewton managed to create a slate of psychological, atmospheric films that hold up today.
31 DAYS OF HALLOWEEN – Day 26
Many people enjoy watching scary movies to celebrate Halloween. Some like gory slasher flicks, but I prefer creepy, moody, psychological films. Some of the best are by RKO producer and writer Val Lewton (many of them directed by Jacques Tourneur). They usually run them on TCM this time of year, so keep an eye out…