Night of the Hunter (1955)
Ah, Evil. The substructure of the scary movie. The heart of Halloween. Many an actor has attempted to truly personify Evil but few have been so successful as Robert Mitchum in Night of the Hunter, a creepy suspense thriller in which Mitchum stars as an evil preacher who uses powers of brutal force and psychological mind-games to find a hidden fortune in a small town. Yikes!
Pairing: Wyndham Estate 2004 Show Reserve Shiraz, Australia, $18*
To smooth out the wickedness of this dark and edgy film, try this delicious new release from Wyndham Estate, a legendary winery known for blazing the wine trail in the Hunter Valley of Eastern Australia. In 1828, English immigrant George Wyndham made Australia's first commercial Shiraz on the Dalwood property in the then rather primitive region. Today, the fruit used to make this exciting wine is sourced from the winery's estate property in the valley and other premium locations in South Australia. With a gracious amount of plums, berry, vanilla, chocolate, and a spicy note of eucalyptus on the finish, this flavorful wine is graceful enough to invigorate and refresh the palate on the first sip yet strong enough to be paired with something as muscular as red meats and lamb.
The Shining (1980)
Based on the Steven King novel and directed by Stanley Kubrick, The Shining stars Jack Nicholson as Jack Torrance, a family man and the off-season caretaker of a remote hotel during wintertime. Influenced by the loneliness of this desolate setting and myriad malevolent ghosts, Jack goes off the deep end and begins chasing his family and other unsuspecting prey within the confines of the haunted hotel. Supernatural and sinister, The Shining is a cerebral horror flick from start to finish.
Pairing: Howell Mountain 2003 Cabernet Sauvignon, Howell Mountain, Napa Valley, $60
In keeping with the isolation theme, try the 2003 Howell Mountain Cabernet, a powerful wine made with a blend of mountainside fruit from the Beatty Ranch and the Black Sears Vineyard, two of the oldest vineyards in this extremely rugged appellation. In the glass, this wine features brilliant aromas of vanilla and violets; rich, concentrated flavors of dark fruit, cherries, exotic and savory spices; and a magnificent finish with nuances of freshly cut cedar logs burning in the fireplace. Deep, dense and delicious.
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Click sommelier Jill Vanderkooy pairs 1983's vampire slasher flick The Hunger with an awesome label from Romania, revealing why the movie's way-hot lesbian sex scene between Susan Sarandon and Catherine Deneuve will leave you breathless and howling. Click here to read more.
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Rosemary's Baby (1968)
In director Roman Polanski's heady horror flick, Mia Farrow is the titular Rosemary, a pregnant and naïve young woman married to an actor on the rise. But while her husband is busy following his path to stardom, lonely Rosemary is battling some serious demonic stuff and a bunch of pesky neighbors including Minnie Castevet -- a haunting role that won Ruth Gordon the 1968 best supporting actress Oscar.
Pairing: Couly-Dutheil 2005 Gravières, Chinon AOC, France, $18
A great pairing with this film is a wine able to complement the popular and aromatic herb, rosemary. In countries along the Mediterranean, the spiky leaves and delicate blue flowers of rosemary are typically used to accent the flavors of specialty dishes This is especially true in Chinon, a legendary winegrowing region located in France's Loire Valley, where the taste-tempting herb is commonly used to enhance lamb, pork, stews and other types of cuisine paired with Cabernet Franc-based wines. Made with grapes grown on clay-limestone soils and aged in naturally formed caves in the region, the Couly-Dutheil 2005 Les Gravieres is a delightful wine featuring fresh fruity flavors, earthy spices, soft tannins, and a long elegant finish. The underlying beauty of this wine will calm the horror and lingering tension in the film.
