Double Feature Time: Hang 'em High/Night of the Living Dead

To say 1968 was a turbulent year would be putting it mildly. There were race riots, the Tet Offensive, not to mention the shocking murders of Dr. Martin Luther King and Sen. Robert Kennedy. I have an aunt who was in Indianapolis when Kennedy gave his eulogy on King. It could be argued that the types of movies put out that year reflected that turmoil, such as Planet of the Apes and Witchfinder General. Two such films that I've always found fascinating from that year were Hang 'em High and Night of the Living Dead. Both of these films are harsh but very well made productions. Hang 'em High was Clint Eastwood's first American-made western after the three he made in Spain with Sergio Leone made him a movie star. Living Dead was a low-budget production from George A. Romero, who had previously worked on television, including Mister Rogers' Neighborhood. Intentionally or not, both movies must have been cathartic for audiences who first viewed them in '68.

Double Feature Time: Star Wars/Halloween

A while back, I wrote and article about films that I thought would make great double features. Two films that I always thought would are the original Star Wars (1977) and Halloween (1978). Not only did they premiere within a year of each other, but both had profound effects on the science fiction/fantasy and horror genres. Both films also have legendary musical scores, and villains wearing awesome Halloween costumes. Almost immediately, cinemas were flooded with films attempting to imitate both films. In fairness, some were quite entertaining, like The Slumber Party Massacre (1982) and The Last Starfighter (1984). Also, I've always gotten a kick out of the coincidence that both their first sequels, The Empire Strikes Back (1980) and Halloween II (1981) also came out within a year of each other and both brought a plot twist involving family to their respective stories.