Halloween Horror Marathon 2017
The Halloween month is once again upon us and I'm digging into my pile of unwatched horror films I've amassed over the year(s). This year its looking like I've got a large amount of Code Red releases as well as many older and less known films, which is always a mixed bag.
5/51. Halloween (1978) - John Carpenter
35th anniversary bluray version from Shout/Anchor Bay Box setAfter many previous years of attempting (and failing) to watch 31 horror movies in 31 days during October I've decided to kick off the month with something I've seen before as well as a known good commodity. The film "Halloween" has obviously become synonymous with the Halloween season as well as the horror film genre. You'd be hard pressed to find someone who hasn't seen or at least heard of it anywhere you go. The plot is very minuscule and benefits the overall film because of it. Michael Myers kills his sister on Halloween night, and years later after being locked in an insane asylum, returns to his hometown to kill again. If this sounds like the plot of every slasher you've ever heard of, it usually is, but this is the one that kicked off a thousand imitators. And while some of the imitators are very good, none match the overall dread and fear this film is able to conjure (even 39 years after release). I've seen this film at least 100 times and will most likely watch it at least 100 times more. For anyone that hasn't seen it you are missing out on one of the best horror films ever made. The fact that Carpenter not only directed but scored the film as well just showcases what a creative powerhouse he is. His synthesizer use in scenes to emphasize scares ratchets up the tension throughout. The cinematographer, Dean Cundey (who would go on to shoot Back to the Future, Jurassic Park, John Carpenter's The Thing, and many others), uses darkness to allow Myer's mask to float in and out of camera vision with chilling effect. Everything about the film from the pacing to the camera work is top notch and should not be missed. If you haven't seen this one you need to put it at the top of your list. 2/52. Waxwork (1988) - Roger BellonVestron Video label bluray release The Vestron Video label has been on a solid streak lately of releasing films I vividly remember seeing in the horror section of the video stores (RIP). This release had gotten solid reviews so I had no problem picking it up after enjoying their other releases. I had no idea what to really expect from just seeing the cover artwork so the actual plot came as somewhat of a surprise. A few college kids decide to check out a new "Waxwork" in their neighborhood, which is apparently what they used to call wax museums. There are displays of many of the great evil men of ages such as the wolf man, Marquis De Sade, Dracula, etc. Apparently when someone crosses the velvet ropes they enter into the display for real and have a tendency to become victims of whichever evil entity is displayed. There ends up being some more complicated fight between good and evil (which doesn't make much sense) and Marquis De Sade is featured prominently (which is an odd choice considering the other options), and in the end the plot really just uses a large amount of exposition to make sense. The real standout of this film are the effects as there are some great gore/creature effects. For some reason they also made the wolf man look ridiculous, but the rest are great. Also, I couldn't figure out if the film was meant to be comedic on purpose or if the comedy was just unintentional. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't, which leads to some scenes (a fight around a guy with a half eaten leg) being hilarious and others (the Marquis De Sade torture scenes) being awkward and strange (are they overacting on purpose? Is the dialogue supposed to sound like a bad adult film?) Overall worth a rental but maybe not a purchase. But, I can't give a definitive answer until I check out the sequel (also included on the Vestron release), called "Waxwork II: Lost in Time", which apparently has little to nothing to do with the first film. 2.5/53. Deadly Dreams (1988) - Kristine PetersonCode Red bluray releaseThis film was a bit of a surprise due to the fact I had always assumed it was about aliens judging from the cover that I never inspected thoroughly. It turns out I was way off as its actually a wolf-skin-face-mask (I think that is what its called). The film opens with a family celebrating Christmas and a man entering the home and killing the mother and father and then chasing after the young boy, Alex. As an adult Alex constantly dreams of the wolf-masked man chasing him or killing those he cares about. The film attempts to frame it as a question of what Alex is seeing is real or fake and it tends to fail spectacularly at this as after the first 20 minutes or so it isn't too hard to tell when he's dreaming or not. The film feels long though and it only runs 79 minutes which is never a good thing. After the first 3 or 4 dream sequences they start to become repetitive and nothing much really happens until about an hour in except Alex meets girl, falls in love on first or so date, and then weird stuff keeps happening. Most of t he dialogue is yelled between actors which is actually slightly funny. There was also a long sex scene that popped up out of nowhere about an hour in which causes a twist to occur, but it comes out of nowhere and too late in the run time to really mean anything. There are actually two twists in this film that both come out of nowhere (if you can make it through without turning it off due to boredom). The acting is awful, and the film doesn't really fall into the so-bad-its-good category but more the we're-trying-too-hard-and-it-shows category. It has a very made-for-tv feel to all of it with mostly small scenes and interior action taking place. You never really end up rooting for Alex, and I found myself wanting the wolf-faced guy to actually get him since he was such a whiny main character who fell in love and trusted some random woman with his life from a bar within one date. Would recommend skipping unless you're a Code Red completest (like me!) or want to see all of the strange horror the 80s had to offer (also like me). 3/54. Sasquatch (1975) - aka Sasquatch: The Legend of Bigfoot - Ed RagozzinoCode Red bluray releaseThis film is on a 2-film bluray release from Code Red along with "Encounter with the Unknown" and the films are pretty much completely unrelated but are from the same era. "Sasquatch" takes on the form of a documentary regarding an expedition that is trekking into the wilderness to find the real big foot. I will say I am a sucker for these types of films (i.e. The Town that Dreaded Sundown, Legend of Boggy Creek, etc.) and really enjoy the docu-drama-type narrative that they use. This film has the benefit of having the look and feel of the expedition group actually going out into the wilderness in the west and searching for big foot, although once any of the actors open their mouths or "act" in front of the camera that entire feel is shattered. The wilderness footage is a highlight of the film and stories about other people's encounters with big foot are told as recollections around a campfire. Although the acting isn't great and it becomes clear quickly this isn't anywhere near a documentary, the film still remains interesting and throughout its run time. I kept thinking of another film, Cannibal Holocaust, as similar narrative type (except without gore or shocking scenes). The film is very tame and contains almost no blood or gore, although there are some horses-in-peril sequences that becomes slightly tough to watch (and probably would not be allowed to be filmed today). The filmmakers craft enough of a narrative where you are hoping the expedition finds some evidence of big foot and they keep the plot moving with the trials and tribulations they encounter along the way. Their interactions with animals are entertaining and keep the film moving a decent pace. Recommended for anyone interested in big foot, docu-drama films, or just general 70s low-budget filmmaking. 2.5/55. Encounter With The Unknown (1973)Code Red bluray releaseThe other feature on the Code Red Releasing double bill with Sasquatch is the 1973 anthology film Encounter with the Unknown. This can't be mistaken for a good film by any stretch of the imagination, but at least having three separate parts vaguely connected by their focus on the entity of death (its a very flimsy way to tie them together) allows for quick 30-ish minute stories. Rod Sterling narrating the entire trilogy makes the film sound like it is more interesting than it is. His narration is easily the best thing about the entire film hands down. The stories are all fairly tame and extremely average in quality. The first revolves around a group of friends who play a prank on a nerdy guy and it backfires and he is killed. His mother, at the funeral, puts a hex of spell on them of some sort saying they will each die 7 days apart. The 2nd story revolves around a mysterious hole that appears and people can't figure out whats in it. The 3rd story is about a senator and his wife who find a lost and dazed girl on bridge and take her back home, where upon she disappears as she had died years earlier when eloping with her fiance. The first segment is the most interesting and engaging, while the 2nd is fairly uninteresting and the 3rd is very boring. Overall this film is very easily skipped unless you're a Rod Sterling completist. 3/56. Psycho IV: The Beginning (1990)Scream Factory BlurayHaving seen the first 3 films in the Psycho series it made sense to finally check out the 4th entry, titled Psycho IV: The Beginning. Norman Bates has been fully rehabilitated and living in suburbia when he calls into a talk show under a false name and begins to discuss his relationship with his mother and what pushed him to kill. The film switches between present day and flashbacks to Norman's teen years to try and show what pushed him to kill. To say Norman and his mother had a dysfunctional relationship is doing the film a disservice. There are more than a few creepy and unsettling scenes between them. The film is more memorable than Psycho II or III (I can't recall which is which at the moment plot-wise) and provides a watchable explanation of why Norman is the way he is. Unfortunately as the sequels progressed they attempted to make Norman a much more sympathetic character and with this one they pretty much peg all his issues on his mother and tend to shy away from the fact he's killed a decent amount of people throughout the series. There is also the issue of Norman's new relationship in the film, the genesis of which makes little to no sense in and of itself. But beyond those things when this 4th series entry is taken as a whole of the series, it can be considered one of the better sequels (none of them are spectacular). Interesting bit of film trivia is that the actor who plays Norman as a teen (Henry Thomas) also was Elliot in E.T. 4/57. Ernest Scared Stupid (1991)DVD Release While not strictly a horror film "Ernest Scared Stupid" is about Halloween and is a film I've seen more times than I can count since it's release in 1991. For anyone that grew up on the Ernest films they know the slapstick comedy and ridiculous character acting Jim Varney was known for in these films and you either love it or hate it. I fall into the "love it" category and enjoy most of the Ernest films for what they are; dumb, mindless entertainment aimed mostly at children. The film opens with a troll being captured and buried under a tree in Briarville, Missouri (fictional town I'm assuming) and it vows revenge on the townsfolk. Ernest inadvertently wakes the troll, who turns children into wood statues, and he must stop the troll with help from a group of kids who are his friends. The child actors are not great by any stretch of the imagination but Varney is hilarious as Ernest P. Worrell. His slapstick works very well as a mix with some of the horror elements. And speaking of horror the elements are there and I much prefer this film over Hocus Pocus, another film geared towards a similar age group. Overall decent troll make-up effects and some good atmosphere as well as decent comedy help keep this film interesting for its short run time. While not for everyone if you're someone who has seen Ernest Goes to Jail and Ernest Saves Christmas and enjoyed those, you'll love this entry in the Ernest cannon of films. Just don't expect any real scares or horror.4/58. Children of the Corn (1984) - Fritz Kiersch
Arrow Video Bluray ReleaseAnother film that I vividly remember walking past many times in the video store in the horror section. The scythe raised against red sky with the title against corn (which I just realized had people in it this week). Its iconic and sums up the film pretty well actually. The film opens innocently enough with a small boy eating with his father and narrating at a diner in the town of Gatlin, Nebraska. Then the children turn on the adults and kill them in a variety of ways. And a creepy boy preacher named Isaac (played to perfection by John Franklin) who leads the new religion based around a deity known as "He Who Walks Between the Rows". Three years later a couple, Burt and Vicky, are travelling to Burt's new job as a physician. They stumble upon the town of Gatlin where they slowly uncover what has become of the town and the devout children. The film has good pacing and overall and never really drags. The feeling of desolation and dread in the scenes in and around Gatlin works very well and helps to heighten this film over most of the horror films of this era. Another thing to point out is just how great of a job all of the child actors do in the film. Even in some of the more ridiculous scenes that involve the child-cult the kids sell it and it never really feels like the kids aren't really as psychotic as they appear. Having a high quality of child actors just is another feather in the cap of this creepy 80's horror gem. There are some cracks that begin to show when the film starts to delve into some more supernatural elements but luckily those only compromise a small part of an otherwise stellar entry into the 80's horror canon. Not to be missed.1/59. The Rage: Carrie 2 (1999) - Katt SheaHulu StreamingThe original Carrie is one of the better known horror films of all time. The sequel, The Rage: Carrie 2, has rightfully been forgotten and is rarely mentioned anymore for any reason whatsoever. How could the sequel to one of the most popular Stephen King film adaptations of all time (the 2017 It most likely now holds that crown) miss the mark by such a wide margin? Well the entire plot is weak and no character really feels fleshed out. The film opens with Rachel (Emily Bergl) witnessing her mother losing her mind and painting a red line around the living room (and really putting some time in getting it perfect on a lamp). Years later she's in high school starting the day and she talks with her friend Lisa (Mena Suvari), and Lisa informs her she just lost her virginity to football player Eric (Zachary Ty Brian of Home Improvement fame). Lesa ends up jumping off a roof because she finds out Eric just used her. It is then revealed the football team plays a game where they get more points if they sleep with ugly or unpopular girls. Rachel starts to realize she has psychic powers and also has a connection to the original Carrie White and the film ends with Rachel getting revenge at a party and killing everyone there. The acting by all parties is pretty bad, and if I had to pick someone who did a decent job, Zachary Ty Brian as Eric was most likely the standout as he basically plays a more evil version of Brad from Home Improvement, and also chugs gin out of a bottle in one scene, which no person has ever done without vomiting. This film tries to convey why Rachel eventually loses it but it never clicks and the weird motivations and stereotypical high school students never really give any reason to root for either side. When an an animal being injured is the most cliffhanger/interesting part of a film revolving around high school girls with telekinesis you have failed your audience. Skip this and forget it exists.
