Svengoolie’s January Films Will Make the New Year a Scream

BLOOD FROM THE MUMMY'S TOMB, from left: Valerie Leon, Andrew Keir, 1971 — Everett Collection

What To Know

Svengoolie’s January 2026 lineup on MeTV features classic and modern horror films every Saturday night at 8pm EST, including Blood from the Mummy’s Tomb, The Skull, Flight 7500, and King Kong vs Godzilla.
Blood from the Mummy’s Tomb is notable for its troubled production, including the death of its director on set, while The Skull stars horror legends Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing in a story inspired by the Marquis de Sade.

Happy New Year … or should we say, happy new fear? Svengoolie’s January film picks bring us a possessed skull, an evil mummy’s tomb (does anyone ever stumble upon a good mummy’s tomb?), the first battle between King Kong and Godzilla, and a plane trip where turbulence is the least of anyone’s problems. Every Saturday night, on MeTV‘s Svengoolie Classic Horror & Sci-Fi Movie, Svengoolie and his Sven Squad bring you the very best in retro, throwback spooky cinema. It’s a whole new year, and that means you have a whole new chance to scare yourself silly.

All films begin at 8pm EST on MeTV.

Everett Collection

This film, about an evil Egyptian queen whose eternal slumber is disturbed, bears two unusual distinctions — it was much better reviewed than Hammer Horror’s other mummy movies, and it had an infamously troubled production. The film went into production earlier than planned, and the producer and writer got into it so often, the write was banned from the set. Hammer mainstay Peter Cushins was able to complete only one day of filming before leaving the film due to his wife’s emphysema. But most horribly, the director, Seth Holt, died on set, collapsing from a heart attack close to the end of production. Michael Carreras, son of Hammer founder James Carreras, finished up the shoot.

December 10: The Skull (1965)

THE SKULL, from left: Patrick Wymark, Peter Cushing, 1965

Everett Collection

UK horror greats Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing once again join forces for this story of a cursed skull, once belonging to infamous French libertine the Marquis de Sade, which exerts a pernicious influence on anyone who owns it. The story was adapted from a short story by Psycho author Robert Bloch. Fun fact: the actual real-life skull of the Marquis de Sade was also exhumed from his grave, and remains missing to this very day (yes, that’s a very loose usage of the word “fun”).

January 17: Flight 7500 (2014)

FLIGHT 7500, (aka 7500), from left: Amy Smart, Ryan Kwanten, Jerry Ferrara, Nicky Whelan, Scout Taylor-Compton, 2014.

House of Svengoolie brings you this modern pick from Japanese filmmaker Takashi Shimizu, who directed both the original Japanese version and the American adaptation of The Grudge. J-horror hits the skies as a malevolent presence torments and plane and its passengers, which include White Lotus star Leslie Bibb, 2000s comedy mainstay Amy Smart, Entourage’s Jerry Ferrara, and True Blood‘s Ryan Kwanten.

January 24: King Kong vs Godzilla (1962)

black and white still from the 1962 movie "King Kong vs. Godzilla." Godzilla, on the left of the photo, and Kong, on the right, face off against each other with an old Japanese castle between them.

Was there a clear winner in this initial clash between the classic movie monsters depending on if you saw the Japanese or American version?

Though it seems like King Kong and Godzilla can’t stop getting together these days, their original battle occurred in the Swingin’ Sixties, in this, the first Toho-produced film to feature everyone’s favorite giant ape. The roots of the idea began with original King Kong stop motion animator Willis O’Brien, who wanted to pit Kong against an enormous Frankenstein’s monster. The idea was then changed to Kong taking on Godzilla, and sold to Toho, without O’Brien’s knowledge and without giving him credit.