I was just looking through the Chan movies and considering which would be the most appropriate for viewing during the Halloween season.
In my view, 'Treasure Island' is tops in the spooky department as far as Chan movies go. 'Wax Museum' is also quite a good pick for Halloween.
Of the Oland Chans, 'Opera' certainly has the spookiest vibe, with Karloff almost in a Phantom of the Opera role. (Although Lugosi is in 'Black Camel', the movie as a whole is not oriented to the supernatural.)
Others are runners up for me. For example, 'Egypt' and 'Dead Men Tell' both have supernatural elements. 'Paris' is very atmospheric with a very creepy beggar to menace Chan and a spooky trip into the sewers. 'Secret' has a very gothic feel. I haven't given the same level of thought to the Monograms. Perhaps 'Jade Mask' is a spooky one?
So, besides 'Opera', 'Treasure Island', and 'Wax Museum', I'm a bit unsure what would be my fourth or fifth pick. I'd be curious to know what others consider the spookiest of the Chans.
I agree with the choices that you have suggested, and would like to nominate a couple more. "Black Magic" (AKA "Meeting at Midnight") also has its share of spooky moments, including a seance during which a murder occurs. Another one would be "The Chinese Cat," which also has its moments, complete with eerie fog-shouded scenes.
Douglas,
I am notoriously biased toward Secret but one Chan that doesn't get enough press is The Black Camel. Is it spooky? All it has to offer in the way of Halloween is the seance scene between Tarneverro and Shelah Fayne but what a scene!!
Oh yes, I think 'The Black Camel' is terrific. Although not spooky throughout, it is a fantastic movie and has that very memorable scene with Lugosi.
I also enjoy 'Secret' which clearly deals with supernatural topics. I guess my reaction to it is partly influenced by all the comedy of the Herbert Mundin character. His comedic antics tend to stick in my mind from that film and detract somewhat from the spookiness for me. That said, there are certainly some fine atmospheric scenes there, especially the big scene at the end of the movie. The house is also weird and wacky. Besides that though, Charlie does some really great detective work in 'Secret', such as figuring out how the shot was fired from a distance and so forth.
