ABC MOVIE OF THE WEEK 1972 WHEN MICHAEL CALLS

   

"I am like a small creature swallowed whole bu a monster, she thought,
 and the monster feels my tiny little movements inside."

~Shirley Jackson

The Haunting Of Hill House

Well, I said I might be showing a movie or two this year, and it seemed like a good day to do just that, especially in that Blogger isn't allowing me to upload the picture I would have been posting. Shrug. It happens. I don't know, maybe it's a good thing. Movies are a big part of my interests, especially horror movies, and this one is definitely one of my favorites, since childhood.

It first aired as the, Saturday Movie Of The Week, on February 5th, 1972, although this recording is the, Tuesday Movie Of The Week. I suppose it was a repeat of the original broadcast. But that's fine, because I remember loving it so much, that I am pretty sure I would have watched the rebroadcast, and I am fairly sure dad was sitting on the couch right next to me. Watching scary movies with my father, are some of the most rewarding memories I have of being a little girl. Dad and I had a difficult relationship, but he and I shared a lot too. We had the same sense of humor. We both loved horror movies, and we both enjoyed cooking. He loved autumn as much as I did. His birthday was in early autumn, and always included the first pies of the year.

My father passed away, August 29th, 1995, and while I don't watch for the date on the calendar, I do tend to miss him a bit more. He loved the color of the early autumn sun, and I finally saw that autumn light coming through the bedroom window yesterday. It's here. Autumn is here, and it's just a matter of the official hand-off from summer to autumn in a few weeks! I just wish dad was here to enjoy it with me.

 Dad would be the first to say, don't look back, just enjoy where you are, right this moment, so I am excited to immerse myself into the season, and vacation this year, and look for as much beauty as can be found. I feel a bit more optimistic, but I am not being naive, I know that positive outlook will probably come and go. So, for right now, I am going to roll with all the happiness a favorite old movie or book can bring. I have never read the book, so maybe I will do some looking around, perhaps I can find a copy of it at a used bookstore.

When Michael Calls, is based on the 1967 book of the same name, by John Farris. It's equal parts ghost story, and detective story, but more than anything else it's just good all around storytelling. A few twists, that might be a bit predictable, and would otherwise leave me cold, is negated by the excellent acting of Michael Douglas, Elizabeth Ashley, and Ben Gazzara. The story was sufficiently spooky, but not so much that it would have given me nightmares as a child. Of course I learned at an early age to see the story through, so I could arrive at the explanation of what was actually going on, because, after all, there are no such things as ghosts, right?

Having watched the film, I know whether or not there was a ghost, but you don't, so you will just have to sit back, hit the play, and enjoy a really good film that will put you in the mood for autumn. 2020 has been a truly dreadful year so far, so it owes us all one. I am hoping that autumn, as it leads us into the last couple weeks of the year, will have gently corrected everything that has gone wrong, or caused pain. Perhaps I am pinning to much on autumn, but I think it's okay to embrace a little hope.

Now, go watch the movie, and if you feel like it,

 tell me what you think of it in the comments.

Enjoy

~Carly

Stockton, California

September 1st 2020