Movies

Time flies when you’re terrified beyond the capacity for rational thought. The Six Weeks of Halloween went as fast as ever this year, and now we’re already at the big day. In accordance with tradition, this is when we engage in a Speed Round of brief thoughts on films I watched during the 2024 marathon, but haven’t otherwise covered. Usually because it didn’t fit with a weekly theme. Or maybe I just didn’t have much to say about it. Or I had too much to say about it, but the moment and/or inspiration has passed. Or it’s a rewatch of an all time classic (or, uh, a non-classic) and you don’t need anyone, let alone me, telling you more about it.

As of right now, I’ve seen 56 horror or horror-adjacent films during this Halloween season. Due to this being posted a bit before the big day, I expect that number to rise by two with the traditional Halloween night blowout tomorrow. Regardless, this number is well below last year’s count (which rivaled the pandemic fueled record of 71 back in 2020), but it’s worth noting that one of the TV shows I watched last year tracked each episode as a separate entry on Letterboxd (while this year’s big series was just one entry). Even with that, I’ve basically reverted to pre-Covid levels of viewing, which is… probably a good thing.

In accordance with tradition, we’ll have one final 6WH post next week about the horror books I read during the 2024 Halloween season, but for now, let’s dive into this 2024’s Speed Round:

Six Weeks of Halloween 2024: Speed Round

Dracula (1931) – I read Bram Stoker’s novel of the same name early on in the marathon and went on a bit of kick of adaptations (and derivative novels, which we’ll cover in another post), resulting in a mid-week theme post, but I watched a few other adaptations, including a revisit of the Tod Browning original. I’ve actually covered this several times during the 6WH, most recently watching both this and the Spanish language version a few years ago (for the record, I prefer Browning’s take over the Spanish one). This rewatch was interesting in light of having just read the book, but while they changed or condensed lots of elements, it’s still a pretty good adaptation (especially given the svelte 74 minute runtime). It’s a movie that’s grown on my every time I’ve watched it, even if it has some flaws. ***1/2

Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1992) – Which would probably be more accurately titled as Francis Ford Coppola’s Dracula, since so many liberties were taking with the story. I mentioned in an earlier post that Dracula is a character that tends to suffer from Flanderization, and this is a prime example of that tendency. Coppola adds a tragic backstory and romantic subplot to make Dracula’s character more sympathetic. Did I say romantic? It’s probably more accurate to call this movie horny. Just incredibly horny. Almost comically horny.

All of this is pretty interesting considering that of the straight adaptations of Dracula, this one probably contains the most elements from the book. It’s just that they added more to the story, and tweaked tons of things. In any case, it’s a gorgeous movie – Coppola throws every practical effects trick in the book at you (a sorta last gasp before CGI took hold), and he knows how to harness that sort of stylistic virtuosity in a way that doesn’t overwhelm. But as a narrative? It’s a total mess. If I hadn’t read the book or watched countless other adaptations, it would probably be difficult to follow (and indeed, that’s my memory from watching this on cable back in the early 1990s). Still a fascinating movie with tons of memorable shots, and the 4K looks great. **1/2

In Search of Darkness: Part III (2022) – Basically a talking heads documentary about 80s horror, split up into various themes or years. If you’ve seen any of the previous installments in this series, you know exactly what you’re in for. Usually this sort of thing focuses on the big hits and more famous movies, but by this point in, they’re reaching for more and more obscure movies to cover, which is nice. It’s pushing 6 hours in length (and indeed, I started watching this last year, and only finished it this year), but given the nature of the movie, it’s very easy to pop in and out of it. Nothing exceptional, but always fun to reminisce or even discover something new. **1/2

Children of the Corn (1984) – Part of The Last Drive-In Nightmareathon, an all night marathon that actually aired in August. I obviously didn’t stay up all night back then, but I caught up with some of the remaining overnight segments after the fact. I actually covered this a little over a decade ago, and my feelings about this haven’t changed very much. Fun, but basically functional and more than a little silly (one of those things that works on the page better than it does on screen). **

The Silence of the Lambs (1991) – This is an annual rewatch, I’ve already said my piece on this, but it remains a classic standby and according to Letterboxd, it’s the movie I’ve rewatched the most in the past 10 or so years in which I’ve been tracking my movie watching there. Go figure. ****

Deep Red (1975) – After the Argento theme week, I revisited this with Arrow’s excellent 4K edition. This time around, I watched the extended cut, which is a bit odd in that the surviving audio is mixed between Italian and English language. This is one of those weird quirks of Italian cinema of a certain age in that absolutely everything was dubbed. In this case, the actors are all clearly speaking English, and the American version has an English language audio track to match. The extended cut has more footage, but the English audio never survived (but they do have the Italian). So it’s a bit of an awkward watch (if you watch it in all Italian, it would be consistent, but the actors are clearly speaking English, which would still be odd), but the movie is still great. I think I probably prefer the American cut, but it’s still one of the better Giallos out there, the Goblin soundtrack still rips, and the Arrow 4K looks great. ***1/2

Student Bodies (1981) – A slasher parody made in 1981? It probably speaks to how firmly the slasher tropes and conventions were established even that early on that such a parody was possible. Tons of effective gags here: a runny tally of deaths shows up after each attack, graphics and text show up on screen indicating character’s obvious mistakes (door unlocked, etc…), the movie is set on Halloween, Friday the 13th, Jamie Lee Curtis’ birthday, the night of the big game, big parade, and the big prom. And so on. The best, and most famous bit, is when the movie basically stops so that a censor can come on screen and scold the audience (while ensuring that the film gets an R rating). It’s not perfect and some of the humor doesn’t land, but I actually quite enjoyed this. **1/2

Race with the Devil (1975) – A couple vacationing in an RV witnesses a satanic ritual and is subsequently chased by the cult (which is seemingly comprised of everyone in the tri-state area (or wherever; it’s more fun to say tri-state than “region”). At first it seems like they’re going to fumble this solid premise (doesn’t really capitalize on the isolation of the terrain or the paranoia of being amongst the local townfolk, who aren’t really off kilter enough), but the vehicular mayhem in the third act saves it. Not quite Road Warrior-levels gratuitous action, but it’s a welcome development, and you’re left with the typical 70s bleak ending. Given my general dislike for sequels and remakes, it’s worth noting that this one seems ripe for such a treatment (i.e. good premise but not a classic, could benefit from an action and suspense auteur’s talents)… **1/2

It’s What’s Inside (2024) – Technically more horror-adjacent, this body-swapping SF flick does generate plenty of suspense. It requires you to pay close attention (keeping track of who is in who’s body), but I quite enjoyed that aspect, and they put the premise through its paces, developing multiple effective conundrums with plenty of twists and turns.

The only problem is that the characters are quite obnoxious. Nowhere near as bad as Bodies Bodies Bodies in that respect, and this struck me as a much better version of that sort of thing, but it’s still a tad annoying. Really wish I got to see this one in a theater (stupid Netflix), but it’s something that will probably show up in our year end festivities… ***

The Last Horror Film (1982) – Cheapo Troma attempt at American Giallo with Caroline Munro and Joe Spinell. Set during the 1981 Cannes Film Festival, there’s tons of obscure (and not so obscure) movie dork references (Possession! Thief! And several others are featured in background posters, etc…). The horror elements are a little more uneven, but Spinell is great (this would make a good companion piece to the superior Maniac) and the ending was better than expected. **1/2

Galaxy of Terror (1981) – The last of the aforementioned Last Drive-In Nightmareathon movies I caught up with, this is a sleazy Alien-ripoff, a cheapie Roger Corman production that looks surprisingly great but has a dull, nonsensical story. There’s some neat stuff for sure, and you get to see a pre-Freddy Robert Englund running around, but this is another one that actually might be a good candidate for a loose remake. As it is, it’s got its moments (I kinda liked the ending twist, as goofy as it was) and it’s a little fun, but it’s mostly just a curiosity. **

Scary Movie 3 (2003) – After watching the first two, I did continue to this third entry in the much maligned parody series. I would probably still recommend the aforementioned Student Bodies over any of these, but this one holds up favorably to the first two entries in the series. The targets this time around are more J-Horror related (or rather, the American remakes of J-Horror that were popular at the time), particularly The Ring, to solid effect. **1/2

The First Omen (2024) – Handsomely appointed prequel to The Omen that generates some solid scares, has great atmosphere, and a twist that I actually did not see coming. That said, the premise is ludicrous in the way a lot of modern Religious horror can be, and so it never really coheres in a way that really gets to me. It almost feels like an accelerationist plot by Hollywood, but that instinct falls into the same conspiratorial trap this movie does (not to mention its companion piece, Immaculate, which came out on top of The First Omen – both were probably in theaters at the same time – and features nearly identical Catholic born conspiracies.) As pure entertainment, it’s fine, if derivative (the last line in the film is an abomination), but deeper readings don’t hold up. Director Arkasha Stevenson is someone to keep an eye on though; she made something better than the franchise slop it could easily have become. **1/2

Transylvania 6-5000 (1985) – Dumb horror comedy about tabloid reporters going to Transylvania to track down… Frankenstein? Whatever, it’s got a great cast, with Jeff Goldblum, Ed Begley Jr., Carol Kane, Jeffrey Jones, Michael Richards, and an absolute smokeshow in Geena Davis. Alas, much of the humor falls flat, with some of the bits (particularly Kane and Richards) going on for an interminably long time (and not in the way where something can be funny, then go on too long, then go on so long that it boomerangs back to being hilarious – it just sorta lingers in that unfunny zone). The ending is pretty good though, and some of the jokes land fine. Ultimately mediocre stuff that should have been much better than it was. **

King on Screen (2022) – Bizarrely erratic documentary looking at Stephen King adaptations. Mostly talking head stuff, and the best interview comes from Frank Darabont, but the documentary just doesn’t have a good organizing principle and it’s not even particularly comprehensive either, so it ends up feeling like the sort of thing produced on a deadline that meant they just had to use what they found, rather than having some sort of overarching thesis or theme. On the other hand, it’s fun watching people talk about King and adaptations, so it’s not a complete waste either. **

Mute Witness (1995) – Underrated thriller about a mute woman who witnesses a crime and must escape from Russian mobsters. The first act is almost ludicrously tense, just perfectly executed cat and mouse stuff.

Tons of unexpected twists and turns, and some clever developments in the end (trying to be vague here, as I’m guessing most have not seen this, and the less you know about it, the better). There’s even some well integrated comedic relief that doesn’t undercut the overall suspense. Highly recommended, and the newish Arrow 4K looks great. ***1/2

Ninja III: The Domination (1984) – Wildly entertaining mashup of action, horror, and 80s cheese. A classic childhood cable discovery that seemed lost for a while, at least until Scream Factory rescued it. I always forget how much this relies on the 80s fitness craze, almost rivaling the other seminal entries (Killer Workout and Death Spa), but the added Ninja lore and action is just great. Not conventionally good, but I still kinda love it. ***

Woman of the Hour (2024) – Anna Kendrick directed and stars in this recounting of an odd bit of lore in which a serial killer went on The Dating Game (and won). The game segment and immediate aftermath is the real centerpiece of the movie, and Kendrick does a great job capturing how this happened and the immediate aftermath. The sequence at the tiki bar is expertly crafted (the way Kendrick moves from simple shot/reverse shot to a more isolated side-on angle is subtly unnerving), as is the parking lot scene. Kendrick makes good use of the frame without getting overly showy or hamfisted about it. Outside of that gameshow centerpiece, the movie is a little more disjointed, but I chalk this up to the limitations of basing this on a true story (even if I’m sure some elements are exaggerated). Really curious to see how Kendrick proceeds from here, as she’s clearly got some chops. **1/2

Tragedy Girls (2017) – Interesting little comedic slasher about two teenagers who want to increase their social media clout by usurping a local serial killer’s reputation and murdering their enemies. All well and good, but the murders tend to look like accidents, so the police don’t really put it together. Womp womp. Great lead performances from Brianna Hildebrand and Alexandra Shipp, with solid supporting roles by the likes of Jack Quaid and Kevin Durand.

Much of the humor lands, but the commentary and satirical japes often come off as insufferably smug. If you can get past that, it’s a darkly fun movie that’s worth checking out. **1/2

Slayers (2022) – Every year, for some reason, I end up watching some sort of godawful vampire movie. Sometimes I’ll enjoy it despite it still being quite bad, other times, I’m not as fortunate. This is the latter. What a dog. It’s got a solid cast though (Thomas Jane, Abigail Breslin, Malin Åkerman, etc…) and there’s a nugget of an idea here, but man they pad the hell out of this and spend an awful lot of time delivering dry exposition about vampire lore. It’s pretty stupid and not recommended, even for fans of bad movies. *

The Convent (2000) – This is a throwback to mid-80s cheese, complete with a typical teen cast spending the night in an abandoned church, and Adrienne Barbeau wielding a shotgun. It even kinda looks like it’s from the 80s (it definitely doesn’t have that slick, early aughts nu-metal feel). It’s short and sweet and a total blast. Spoiler Alert: The doggy gets posessed.

Special thanks to Final Girl’s Shocktober post ranking this #336 for pointing this one out, really glad I took a flier on it. ***

Silent Madness (1984) – A slasher from the tail end of the Golden Age, but remains true to nearly every trope and convention of the subgenre. Escaped mental patient who suffered a tragic “prank” in the past and is now out for revenge, promiscuous teens, a sorority house massacre, lots of stalking and gnarly kills (was this originally made in 3D? Some pretty blatant shots of sharp objects being pushed directly at the screen here…), the list goes on. A bit bumpy at the start, but it’s a solid little slasher. (Another obscure movie rescued by Vinegar Syndrome a few years ago…) **1/2

Strange Darling (2024) – Covers the end of a serial killer’s spree using clever nonlinear storytelling. Visually impressive, well acted, with plenty of interesting twists and some good lead performances. There are some divisive components to the story, but I don’t want to spoil anything and I was able to go with it just fine. The only really annoying thing about this is actually a text card that shows up at the beginning of the film informing us that the film was shot entirely on 35 mm (which is great, and the movie looks great, but please don’t hit us in the face with it before the movie even begins – throw it in the end credits or something – ultimately this is a small quibble, but still.) Well worth seeking out. ***

Satan’s Little Helper (2004) – Part 1 of Joe Bob’s Beelzebub Bash, this is a movie we’ve covered briefly before, but it still holds up reasonably well. Not my favorite or anything, but it’s got a goofy, mean-spirited charm that might work for some. **1/2

Jason X (2001) – I’m cheating a little, as I watched this on Friday, September 13 – a little early for the marathon, but worth calling out as one of the more fun entries in the Friday the 13th series. Three great components of this: The Cronenberg cameo, the liquid nitrogen gag, and the sleeping bag callback to part VII. Lots of other ridiculous but fun wrinkles in this (and very much a product of its time), but it may be a bit underrated at this point. **1/2

Smile 2 (2024) – Well executed sequel that suffers a bit from, you know, being a sequel. The novelty of the premise is gone and at over two hours long, that could get a bit tedious, but it’s all executed well enough that it doesn’t really get boring. After an amazing first scene (shot as one take) that provides the connective tissue between the first movie and this sequel, the Smile curse is passed on to a pop-star about to embark on a comeback tour. Honestly, while there are several crafty jump scares and the trademark smiling face remains creepy, the daily rigors of being a pop star seems almost as horrific. The ending cheats a bit, and implies that a pretty significant portion of the film didn’t actually happen, but it capitalizes on something kinda clever (even if it’s a bit predictable when you find out who our protagonist is, it’s still effective when you see it come to fruition). Just a dumb observation – the demon is presenting our protagonist with an alternate version of reality, while presumably driving her body in the real world, so, like, did the demon have to learn the dance routines (like, pop, twist, shake, pivot, then hop) and meet with fans, sign autographs, and stuff? It’s unclear. Anyway, it’s better than expected, but still suffers from sequelitis. **1/2

Horror in the High Desert (2021) – Interesting mock documentary with a found footage climax that works reasonably well. It starts off a bit slow and conventional, profiling a dorky outdoorsman who can’t pronounce his Rs and went missing after going out on a multi-day hike. The mock doc stuff works reasonably well, though it suffers a bit from amateur acting and overuse of its soundtrack. The overall photography doesn’t look great (still functional, but clearly some budget would have helped here), but the final 15 minutes are so are quite effective (YMMV, but it worked fine for me). Also, they devised a clever and logical reason for him to keep filming, always a bit of a challenge in found footage. Not exactly a classic, but a solid entry in the sub-genre, and there are multiple sequels that I’m interested in checking out (was actually going to make this a mid-week theme, but ran out of time this year). **1/2

Late Night with the Devil – Part 2 of Joe Bob’s Beelzebub Bash, I was actually fortunate enough to see this in the theater earlier this year. Not exactly a found footage film, but not quite a mock documentary either, it sorta features elements of both… and more. Indeed, I think it probably cheats a little bit, straying from the idea that you’re watching a late night talk show that aired live in 1977 (with behind-the-scenes documentary footage spliced in). On the other hand, I found it riveting from start to finish. David Dastmalchian plays the talk show host and does quite well (it’s a departure from the types of roles he is usually cast in, and he rises to the challenge) and the supporting cast is all great, particularly Ingrid Torelli as the young possessed girl and Ian Bliss as the skeptic. It doesn’t quite reach the level of verisimilitude that Ghostwatch (a clear analogue) achieved, but it’s worthwhile. It’s a shame that there’s an AI controversy over some minor imagery used in the film (which was done before any recent AI provisions in contracts, etc…) that has dominated the discourse about this, because it’s actually quite good and worth seeking out. ***

Phantom of the Paradise – Phantom of the Rock Opera. Or cantata. Whatever. Built on the foundation of Phantom of the Opera, but incorporating elements of Faust and even The Picture of Dorian Gray, with Brian De Palma’s delirious visual style ramping up the energy. The story also has some prescient criticisms of the music industry, including an anticipation of auto-tune that was pretty amusing to see. It’s all very relevant, even to this day. Unfortunately, the music is kinda pants, though you could convince me that it gets better with repeated viewings (and especially with a crowd).

I can see why this has garnered such a cult following, though the near universal praise is a bit strange to me. I mean, who among us hasn’t felt the urge to don a cape and seek revenge against those who’ve wronged us, but this sort of kitschy experience doesn’t always work for me. I’m just not much of a musical guy either, and while De Palma’s bravura camerawork kept my attention, I just didn’t really connect with this the way everyone else seemingly does. **

The Rocky Horror Picture Show – I had this idea to do mid-week Horror Musicals theme, but ran out of mid-weeks to do it. I really wanted to catch up with the aforementioned Phantom of the Paradise, and while I was at it, I thought I’d give another chance to The Rocky Horror Picture Show. I’d seen bits and pieces of this one over the years, usually in the background of some party or bar or something, but I’ve never seen it all the way through, and sadly, I still have not seen it in its true environment: a midnight screening at a movie theater with a raucous crowd. Like Phantom, I can see why this has such a big cult following, and while the music isn’t exactly my thing, it’s absolutely catchy and totally the sort of thing that I could see a participatory crowd getting into. That being said, I’m just not a musical guy, maybe there’s something broken in here, whatever, but I just don’t seem to connect with this sort of thing. **

Trick ‘r Treat – An annual tradition on Halloween night, I’m excited to try out the brand spankin new Arrow 4K. Will hopefully be an upgrade over the old Blu-Ray, though it’s not like that one was bad or anything (and the difference between BD and 4K is not as big as DVD to BD). ***1/2

Halloween – Duh. (Another Halloween night tradition for tomorrow, will be watching the Scream Factory 4K.) ****

Another successful Halloween season in 2024, and I already have ideas for the 2025 marathon. In the meantime, stay tuned, as we’ll cover some Halloween season’s readings on Sunday. Have a great Halloween everyone!

After the mean-spirited excess of the Terrifier movies, I was ready for something more formulaic and comforting, which can only mean… slasher movies. It’s a sub-genre I inexplicably have a lot of affection for, and frequently revisit during the Six Weeks of Halloween. I probably haven’t exhausted the golden-age slashers yet (indeed, I just watched one last night), but I figured I’d give another shot to the Neo-Slasher. Yes, I tackled this weekly theme a decade ago, but the Neo-Slasher is a sub-genre that tends to get short shrift, so let’s take a look at a few more of them.

For the purposes of this post, any slasher made after Scream represents a Neo-Slasher. We’ve got a couple from that immediate post-Scream rush below, as well as a more recent updating of the sub-genre. Let’s get to it:

Six Weeks of Halloween: Week 6 – Neo-Slashers

• Thursday the 12th (Robot Chicken)
• King in the Box (short)
• Urban Legend (trailer)

Urban Legends: Final Cut – At the (fictional) most prestigious film school in the country, someone is vying for the coveted Hitchcock Award (complete with a sizeable cash prize and pretty much a guarantee for a job in Hollywood) for their student film… by knocking off the competition. Hijinks ensue.

I actually don’t remember much about the original Urban Legend other than that I thought it was a neat idea, but that it didn’t really capitalize on the premise of exploring urban legends in any real depth. After a promising start, this sequel pretty much abandons the premise about halfway through as well. We do get a few solid examples, including Kidney Thieves and Humans Can Lick Too, but others are given short shrift and the whole proposition falls by the wayside as the increasingly convoluted plot starts heading towards a climax. As a sequel, it doesn’t really connect in any meaningful way with its predecessor (a security guard from the first film shows up and her presence works well enough without bringing too much baggage), which is probably for the best (there’s another sequence at the very end, a sorta epilogue, that I guess also connects in an odd way.)

As a humble slasher, I do think this works, and indeed, it’s better than a lot of the immediate post-Scream imitators. The killer, this time sporting a fencing mask and black robe, is a definite upgrade over the first film. Why he’s wearing the costume doesn’t really make any sense, but it’s visually effective. Speaking of which, the film is set during winter at a university campus that has lots of neat architectural features; it’s a setting they make good use of, and gives the film a somewhat unique look. Being a film school, there are tons of filmic references that film dorks can geek out over. There’s a little bit of history that’s driving the story, and the red herrings are numerous. The kills are reasonable, if a bit tame, even by the standards of the day (the most effective one is the aforementioned Kidney Thief segment, which ends in a surprising and well executed decapitation).

The cast is pretty solid too. Jennifer Morrison (probably best known for her work on House) isn’t the most memorable final girl or anything, but she gets the job done. Loretta Devine reprises her role as the security guard from the first film, and her presence actually lightens the mood a bit. Hart Bochner (he was in Terror Train but is probably best known as the platonic ideal of coked-up, go-go 80s businessmen – Ellis in Die Hard) plays the film professor, and he provides some level of gravitas (I mean, not much, but he’s an adult). There are some larval roles for the likes of Eva Mendes and Anson Mount, and Joey Lawrence shows up being suitably bitchy. Anthony Anderson and Michael Bacall are essentially playing Chainsaw and Dave, and thus provide some comedic relief.

Look, this isn’t a perfect movie or anything. In a lot of ways, it’s simply going through the motions of a slasher. On the other hand, that’s mostly what slashers actually are – they’re formulaic and conventional in the extreme, and this movie hits the appropriate notes. Is it the best neo-slasher? No way. Is it cliched? You betcha. Do all the twists and turns make a lot of sense? Not especially! Is the killer’s revealed motivation insanely ludicrous? Absolutely. Does any of this really matter? Apparenly not. I enjoyed this way more than I thought I would. It’s certainly not fine cinema, and there would be better neo-slashers in the following years, especially once they emerged from the shadow of Scream. But after a week of Terrifier films, this was like putting on a warm sweater. **1/2

• My Bloody Valentine (trailer)
• Hardly Working: Slasher (Short)
• Slaughter High (trailer)

Valentine – A group of college students start getting threatening Valentine’s cards, and soon enough, a masked killer shows up as Valentine’s Day approaches.

Of the group of immediate post-Scream imitators, this is the rare one that plays its slasher shenanigans almost completely straight. There’s no self-aware winking or homages or anything like that. It’s like someone found an unproduced script from 1983, did a minor rewrite to update the technology, slang, and fashions, and just made that. It’s still got all the hallmarks of a 2001 production. Slick, music video style looks with beautiful cast members mostly pulled from, like, the CW casting couch. The fashions and music and mannerisms are all vintage 2001. But the structure, right down to the tragic prank in the past being revisited upon the present, not to mention a fantastic mask and costume for the killer, is pure slasher cliche.

This sort of modern and retro at the same time take on the genre fell flat at the time (the bottom was really falling out of the teen horror boom by 2001), but it has garnered a bit of a cult following over the years. That said, it still only really rises to the level of a curiosity these days. For dorky students of the genre like me, it represents an interesting tipping point, but the text of the film itself isn’t as interesting as its place in the history.

The cast is once again pretty solid though. Denise Richards is sometimes thought of as a punchline as an actress, but she’s perfect for this sort of role. David Boreanaz hits his marks and does what’s needed. Even Katherine Heigl shows up, however briefly. Most of the characters are folks you don’t mind seeing killed, and the kills are long on the stalking, which sometimes works really well.

This isn’t perfect either, but I can see why it’s developed a following over the years, and it’s worth checking out for students of the genre. It’s certainly not going to overtake My Bloody Valentine‘s (or maybe even the remake‘s) stranglehold on the holiday though. **1/2

• It’s the Gifts That I Hate (Robot Chicken)
• The Simpsons: Treehouse of Horror VI: Nightmare on Evergreen Terrace
• Wet Nightmares (short)

The Ranger – After a run in with the cops at a punk concert, a group of kids decide to lay low at an old, abandoned family cabin in the woods. There they come under the watchful eye of an overzealous park ranger who knows about one of the punks’ past.

Look, I’m no expert on the world of “punk”, but there seems to be a few different strains. The bold fashions and hard hitting music are obvious, but there’s often an underlying political sensibility and even principle driving the transgression. These people are a little hard to handle, but they have a point of view that’s hard to shake. Then there’s a different stripe who have all the superficial appearances of punk, but are pure narcissistic types who don’t care about anyone or anything but themselves because “Fuck you, we’re punk.” The clothes fit, but there’s nothing underneath. This movie is filled with the latter.

As a result, the whole Punks vs Park Ranger battle that is being set up feels a bit lopsided. It would be one thing if there was an actual exploration of punk here (even the latter types), but all we really get is the outfits and kids being really shitty to each other. There are occasional glimpses of care, I guess. Two of the punks are in a gay relationship that’s barely established, and the final girl clearly has more going on in her head than everyone else (not to mention a connection with the park ranger). But the first half of the film is spent almost exclusively with this insufferable crew of assholes, such that I really wanted to see the Ranger start messing with them.

Things pick up once he does exactly that. And while he’s not the usual slasher villain, he wears his Ranger uniform like costume. The hat and aviators frame a strong jawline in a way that almost resembles a mask, and he is suitably menacing even before the fireworks begin. Of course, he’s not exactly a likable guy either (and we later find out just how unlikable he can be). There’s clearly something sinister bubbling under the surface of his short monologues and quoting of laws. This isn’t a gore-focused slasher either, though there are brief bursts of intense violence that are reasonably effective. Unfortunately, that means that there’s no real catharsis in the kills either. If you’re going to do the thing where you set up characters to be genuinely horrible, like drug dealers and murderers with little to no redeeming qualities… I dunno, I guess they didn’t let the characters off the hook and there’s something to be said for subverting that trope, it still comes off a little muddled.

First time director Jenn Wexler does have a keen eye, and the movie looks pretty good. I may find the characters annoying, but the punk aesthetic is visually striking, and Wexler does a good job contrasting that with the more subdued nature of the surrounding countryside. The soundtrack also takes full advantage of punk music, infusing the occasional jolt of energy into the proceedings.

The final showdown with the Ranger and the final girl works well enough and the history between them is effective, if a bit clumsily presented. When this movie is good, it’s great, but there’s definitely a lot of not-so-good elements that really hold it back in my mind. Interestingly, I thought I spotted Larry Fessenden in the flashbacks and sure enough, this was a movie made under Fessenden’s production company, Glass Eye Pix, and Wexler has worked with them in other capacities (mostly as a producer) before. Even if I don’t love it, this is a movie that shows a lot of promise, and there are some really great elements, it just didn’t really come together for me. **

Hard to believe we’re almost done with the Six Weeks of Halloween. All that really remains is the customary Speed Round of short reviews, the big day itself, and next week, a recap of Halloween season’s readings.

Those who celebrate the Halloween season do so in many and varied ways and hard as it may be to believe here in 2024, they even maintain blogs to document their celebration. Here, we do the Six Weeks of Halloween horror movie marathon, but there are lots of other approaches. As with last year, I goofed off with some AI image generators using the prompt “Fellow Travelers in the Halloween Ways” and I guess this works well enough (I kinda like last year’s better though).

Old Hands

Film Thoughts – Zack, previously the only other practitioner of the Six Weeks of Halloween, has decided to expand his marathon to the full two months of September and October. As per usual, his output is prolific, typically covering two movies and a smattering of television episodes nearly daily. He’s also quite thoughtful and insightful in his reviews, and his curation is eclectic (always find new things to watch reading his blog).

Cinema Crazed – I only started following these folks a few years ago, but I guess that qualifies as an Old Hand at this point, and they’re still going strong, covering everything from old silent flicks to recent horror based festival releases.

Horror Movie a Day – Brian doesn’t post every day anymore and his output this Halloween season has been somewhat limited, but the man watched and wrote about a horror movie every day for several years, so his archives are invaluable this time of year.

Hellowe’en Horror -Well curated collection of images, posters, screenshots, and gifs from various horror flicks, still marching along with the season…

Final Girl – Standard Shocktober shenanigans are well underway, this year doing another reader poll and counting down the films mentioned. She asked readers to submit a top 20 list, then ranked the results by number of votes, resulting in a list of 816 films. She’s done this a few times before, and it’s always surprising how many of the films I haven’t seen or even heard of… I mean, I know there are 800 films on the list, but still.

New Hands

Action Figure Barbecue – Covering the realm of Halloween specific toys and action figures, including reviews by a dog? Sure, why not?

Classic Horrors Club – Lots of movie reviews ranging from the obscure to the popular to the… not popular… (as all Halloween movie marathons should be!)

Dispatches from the Macabre Republic – I want to say that I’ve included this one before, but regardless, there’s lots of reviews of horror literature and short stories here, amongst the usual oddball stuff.

Severed Hands

Wonderful Wonderblog – Spreading the love beyond just movies and into various spooky versions of stuff like lottery tickets and records and whatnot.

Halloween Mixes – Well, technically, this blog is titled “The Murderer’s Plague Of The Phantasmagoric Beast Of The Haunted Screaming Horror Of The Mad Scientist’s Monster’s Bride Of The Vampire’s Bloody Psychotic Alien Werewolf Curse Of The Ghost Of The Zombie That Ate The Return of Dav’s Ultimate Halloween”, but uh, yeah it’s got an archive of nice playlists of Halloween themed music (including a recently compiled 2024 list)

Countdown to Halloween – Long list of blogs and websites doing some sort of Halloween theme…

So there you have it. Halloween blogs are still a thing, kinda. It’s not just me. Anywho, stay tuned, we’ve got some Neo-Slashers coming on Sunday, followed by the traditional Speed Round (not to mention the big day itself) and a Halloween Reading Roundup as well…

Least you think this year’s Six Weeks of Halloween were softening a bit too much, what with all the parodies and old standards, we jumped aboard the Terrifier franchise this week. Even amongst the horror dork crowd, this is a somewhat controversial series. There is definitely a school of thought that says that horror movies should push boundaries, be dangerous, make you feel miserable after watching. It’s… not especially my perspective, but I can respect the sentiment, and the Terrifier series, which makes the New French Extremity look like Pixar fluff, certainly qualifies.

I actually watched All Hallows’ Eve last year, and that’s the first film featuring Terrifier‘s fledgling horror icon, Art the Clown. It’s more of a demo-reel or proof-of-concept though, as it’s really just a fix-up collection of previously released short films with a poorly conceived wraparound narrative added after the fact. Inconsistent and slipshod, it had its moments and showed a little promise, but didn’t really move the needle. But writer/director Damien Leone soldiered on for years in obscurity, building a reputation amongst the horror extremophiles. When Terrifier 2 showed up in theaters after the Covid hangover and did surprisingly solid business (at least, relative to it’s paltry budget), more people started to take notice. Just this past week, Terrifier 3 debuted to #1 at the box office, beating out Joker 2 (which, to be fair, has been poorly received and experienced an 80% drop in its second week, but still, no one expected the unrated schlock sequel to beat the comic book sequel). So despite my reservations, I dove in the deep end this week, and watched all three Terrifier films.

Six Weeks of Halloween: Week 5 – Terrifiers

• All Hallows’ Eve (trailer)
• Driving Lessons – Deleted Scene from Halloween 1978 (short)
• The Simpsons: Treehouse of Horror III: Clown Without Pity (Disney+)

Terrifier – Two women trying to get home on Halloween night get stranded and wait for their ride when they run afoul of a maniacal clown-costumed man named Art, who massacres everyone in his path, from pizza shop employees to janitors to homeless cat ladies.

Once again, it does still feel like we’re in demo-reel/proof-of-concept mode here, though this is more consistent and cohesive than the aforementioned All Hallows’ Eve. And there does seem to be an overarching purpose to this movie, which is to subvert nearly every horror trope in existence. Art the Clown is often referred to as a new slasher icon, but this movie really seems hostile to the general conventions. The only real exception is that the killer has a unique appearance and there’s creative violence and plentiful gore (including one particularly gnarly, mean-spirited kill), but beyond that, everything gets tweaked. There’s no tragedy of the past being revisited upon the present, no motivations, no harbingers, and the characters don’t even rise to the level of cardboard cutouts. At one point, when it appears that a character has gotten the jump on Art, he pulls out a gun and just shoots her (generally a no-no in slasher films, which mostly rely on, you know, slashing and bashing motions). Even the ostensible Final Girl doesn’t exactly count as a true Final Girl, given where she ends up (mild spoiler here, but her “victory” isn’t much of a victory).

There can be value in this sort of thing, but Terrifier veers perhaps a little too hard into its nihilistic extremity to be genuinely effective. There’s a reason so many of these things became conventions in the first place – they work.

It’s not all bad news though. David Howard Thornton plays Art the Clown with reckless abandon, and despite never talking, manages to express some level of personality and even a sorta sick, demented sense of humor. The scene at the pizza shop starts out genuinely creepy, and even later in the film, he does darkly humorous things like riding a tricycle and honking his little clown horn in a goofy way. I suspect his performance alone is what makes these early appearances notable.

Shot on a literal shoestring (something on the order of $35,000), it’s hard to fault the movie for its locations or some of its visual repetitiveness. They know where their bread is buttered though, putting most of their budget towards gory effects work, and that part of it is pretty well executed. As much as I don’t particularly care for the philosophy behind the movie, there was some thought put into it, and writer/director Damien Leone is clearly growing his talents, even if the movie remains somewhat shapeless. Ultimately, this is not my thing, but it has its moments. *1/2

• Thanksgiving (fake trailer)
• It (trailer)
• Hatchet (trailer)

Terrifier 2 – A year after the events of the first film, Art the Clown returns to stalk teenage Sienna and her younger brother Jonathan on Halloween. Together, they try to figure out who Art is and how they’re possibly connected.

While the first film was almost an anti-slasher, this one actually deigns to have something of a real narrative. You’ll noticed in my (still quite brief, let’s not get carried away) plot description above, I actually named a couple of characters. That’s because the film actually spends a surprising amount of time getting to know them, their family, and their friends. We even find out a little about Art, and he gets something of a sidekick in a creepy little Clown girl (we later learn that she may have been his first victim). To be clear, we’re not entering A24 elevated horror territory here or anything, but compared to the first film, this thing is like Citizen Kane.

There’s still plenty of subversion to be had. Art pulls out a gun again (on multiple occasions), his powers and that of his new sidekick are vaguely established (at best), and plenty of kills border on bad taste. This sort of thing is always a little hard to justify, but I dunno, I’ve read some history. We’re a species that invented all manner of gruesome torture devices and grotesque methods of dismemberment. I mean, sure, Art will cleave someone in half using a hacksaw in an acutely revolting manner, but we are the species that invented drawing and quartering. And as much as we might like to pretend, those tortures weren’t conducted by demonic Clowns.

The budget has increased, but is still quite low ($250k), but you see all of it onscreen. The settings are more varied and interesting, it’s visually more consistent and while it still has some of the digital sheen of modern filmmaking, it also gives off a bit of the throwback vibe it’s clearly going for. Damien Leone has clearly grown as a filmmaker, and he makes some surreal creative choices here that were unexpected. David Howard Thornton continues to evolve Art into a fledgling horror icon, and Leone gives him time and space to cook, especially in the early goings. A long sequence at a Halloween costume shop is quite effective and actually builds and releases tension the way horror movies should.

Of course, all of this comes at the expense of the runtime, which clocks in at an unwieldy 138 minutes. A judicious editing could perhaps bring it down to a more manageable length, but there is something to the shaggy dog nature of the proceedings that is effective. It may get a bit exhausting by the end, but it’s never boring. Indeed, the weird digressions and even the strangeness of the post credits sequence are part of what make it noteworthy. And unlike the previous films featuring Art, this is actually noteworthy. It’s still not for everyone and I find it hard to recommend, but there’s something here. This sort of mean-spirited nihilism is definitely not my favorite thing in the world, but there is some sort of alchemy at work here that’s interesting, even from the outside looking in. I can actually see why this movie has struck a chord. It’s a big leap forward creatively and I was genuinely curious to see where they’d take things. **1/2

• Black Christmas (trailer)
• Santa and Coke (Robot Chicken)
• Silent Night, Deadly Night (trailer)

Terrifier 3 – Five years later, Sienna and Johnathan struggle to put their traumatic experience behind them, but are planning to have a nice Christmas holiday together with their remaining family. Naturally, Art the Clown and his new sidekick have their own holiday plans that may throw a wrench into the proceedings. Hijinks ensue.

By this point in the series, you pretty much know what to expect, and this new entry retains the increased level of creativity and craft established in the second film. Indeed, and maybe this is just because I was watching this one in a nice theater, it actually just looks fantastic. It wasn’t shot on film, but something about the lensing or graininess lends it a distinct vintage feel. The Christmas setting and great production design helps, what with all the colorful lights and decorations. I was genuinely surprised at how great this looked.

As befitting the slow establishment of a new horror franchise, this one also features tons of cameos, including the likes of Tom Savini, Clint Howard, and several other recognizable faces. David Howard Thornton continues to work wonders with his expressive performance (his delight at encountering Santa Claus in a bar and subsequently messing with him is quite well done). Victoria Heyes returns from the first movie as the final girl turned villain and basically becomes Art’s sidekick, to middling effect. One of the great things about Art is that he doesn’t speak, and while we’ve started to establish a bit of “lore” about him, we really don’t know much. Heyes’ sidekick is clearly some sort of demonic presence, and she speaks too. It’s implied that there’s some sort of connection between her and Sienna, though it’s all very hand-wavey.

It comes off a bit as one of those things where the series started off trying to subvert conventions, but is now diving headfirst into the same conventions it was trying to subvert earlier. Is that a good thing? I dunno, it’s all still mostly just an excuse to engage in gory mayhem, which is obviously still on the menu here. It’s more or less on par with Terrifier 2 in terms of the mean-spirited and gruesome kills, including multiple kids (usually considered a cheapshot in horror films, but not unheard of either, especially in stuff like this series). A few kills happen offscreen, which is a bit odd, but I suspect here may be a reason behind that. Clocking in at just over two hours, this one is shorter than Terrifier 2, but still perhaps a hair too long.

Again, this is not a series for everyone, and if you’ve gotten to this point, you pretty much know what you’re in for. The Christmas setting breaths a bit of fresh air into the series, while the establishment of lore is perhaps a bit less successful. There is an actual plot and characters, even if it can be a bit clunky at times (and honestly, by this point, setting the bar so low in the first movie will only get you so far). The ending isn’t exactly a cliffhanger, but we know there’ll be another movie coming. I suspect this series will run out of steam at some point, but I think it’s probably safe to say that we do have another horror icon on our hands, even if Art the Clown won’t quite reach the mainstream heights of his predecessors (but then, box office for this is at $38 million and counting, which is mighty impressive for an unrated splatter flick) **1/2

Well that was… interesting. Even if these movies aren’t exactly my thing, watching them feels a bit like anthropology or something. I can certainly appreciate these movies on some level, though I doubt I’ll be revisiting them often. I am genuinely curious to see where it goes though, and will probably catch them at the theater. One thing I thought about this series is that even though I don’t love them, I like them a lot more than several of the recent attempts to revive longstanding franchises (I was particularly thinking of David Gordon Green’s recent Halloween movies, which were mostly just a slog). Anywho, we’re already in the homestretch of the Six Weeks of Halloween. These Terrifier movies gave me a hankering for some more conventional slasher type movies, so I think we’ll be tackling some neo-slashers next week.

I usually cover Halloween season’s readings towards the end of the 6 Weeks of Halloween, so just to preview this year’s offerings, one of the things I’ve read was a large selection of Edgar Allan Poe stories (amongst other writings, poems, etc…) Obviously, I was already familiar with some of the more famous stories and poems (i.e. The Raven, The Tell Tale Heart, etc…), but I wanted to have Poe fresh in my mind before watching Mike Flanagan’s The Fall of the House of Usher Netflix series.

Flanagan had found something of a patron in Netflix, at least for a while, and it seemed that every year brought a new series around Halloween. I’ve never watched them in a timely manner, but I appreciate the effort and Flanagan is a talented guy who’s collected an accomplished repertory cast (it’s almost like an anthology series, similar to American Horror Story, only these are actually good.) The Fall of the House of Usher turns out to be the last of Flanagan’s Netflix productions. Rumors abound for the reasoning behind the breakup (Netflix cancelling the underperforming The Midnight Club after one season is often referenced as a flashpoint), but Flanagan is now working with Amazon Studios (and it seems like he will be taking yet another swing at Stephen King’s Dark Tower series), and I’m assuming we’ll see some familiar faces in future series. Until then, I’ll be catching up on some of the stuff I haven’t watched yet, like The Fall of the House of Usher:

Six Weeks of Halloween: Week 4.5 – The Fall of the House of Usher

Despite the title, this isn’t an adaptation of any one Poe story, but rather an ambitious mashup, remixing tales into each other while retaining Poe’s trademarks of death, decay, premature burial, antagonism, and betrayal (amongst others). It even layers in some of Poe’s poetry, which adds a dreamlike vibe to the proceedings, while relegating some other Poe tales to backstories that underline and reinforce the overall narrative. It also incorporates some non-Poe elements, most notably of the Faustian variety, and it’s all been modernized, so there’s an eat-the-rich component that’s popular these days.

While each episode is named after a different Poe story, this is not exactly an anthology series, even if there is a discernable structure to the 8 episodes, and the titular stories are heavily referenced. However, as mentioned above, they’ve all been blended together into one fluid, unified narrative with overarching themes. It’s an impressive feat of adaption, and despite Netflix’s tendency to dump all episodes at once, this is a little too dense to really binge.

That being said, it’s also probably the most fun of Flanagan’s Netflix series, which feels weird to say given its deeply macabre tone (after all, the series centers around the horrific deaths of Roderick Usher’s six children), but there’s a certain ironic gallows humor under the surface that keeps things moving. Once the structure becomes clear, some of the deaths are robbed of their impact a bit, but there remains a distinct Grand Guignol influence, such that even when you see it coming, it works surprisingly well, and by the end I was really relishing the mayhem. Maybe it’s telling that the first (inspired by The Masque of the Red Death) and last (inspired by The Pit and the Pendulum) of the deaths were my favorites, though I’m not sure exactly what to make of that (and it’s not like the others aren’t effective or anything).

As usual, the cast is great, anchored by Flanagan regulars Bruce Greenwood and Carla Gugino, with some new but recognizable names like Mary McDonnell and Mark Hamill fitting in seamlessly. The rest of Flanagan’s reparatory group pitches in admirably, as per usual, and it’s become interesting to recognize these folks mostly through their collaborations with Flanagan. Visually solid, as always, with particular attention played to the sound design. Many of Flanagan’s trademarks are there, like Easter Eggs and details hidden in the background and showy monologues, but they’re all filtered through Poe’s prose and poetry, which actually has the effect of making this feel more restrained than Flanagan’s other Netflix efforts.

Overall, it all works well, and it’s quite entertaining. Thematically, there’s lots of room for interpretation, including some perhaps unintended endorsements of conservative ideals (the Usher family got filthy rich off of an evil drug company that falsified records in order to get everyone addicted to an Oxy-like drug, the kids are all sexual deviants and druggies, one of the more evil characters denounces the traditional concepts of family and motherhood, they’re all punished for their sins (with one notable exception), etc…), but it’s actually quite well conceived in its approach and execution. Recommended!

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I’ve watched a few episodes of some other Halloween season appropriate shows, but nothing that could approach Usher’s level, so we’ll just save those other shows for the inevitable Speed Round post at the end of the 6WH. Next up in the Six Weeks of Halloween? Terrifier(s). Is Art the Clown a new horror icon, or is it all smoke and mirrors? Stop by on Sunday to find out.

Sometimes these weekly themes are more rigid than others. This week is really more of a three movies I’ve always wanted to watch but never found the time and am now catching up with them than anything else. Of course, there’s a long list of movies that fit that criteria, so filtering by Sci-Fi Horror makes it easier to narrow down to three. All of which is to say that Sci-Fi is somewhat loosely defined for the purposes of this theme. I’m a big fan of science fiction and could probably bang out 10,000 words giving a good definition of the genre, but that’s overkill for the purposes of the Six Weeks of Halloween. Anyway, here’s three movies I watched this week:

Six Weeks of Halloween: Week 4 – Sci-Fi Horror

• The Fly (trailer)
• Invasion of the Bunny Snatchers (Looney Tunes Short)
• Them (trailer)

The Incredible Shrinking Man – Richard Matheson has this knack for coming up with goofy sounding premises that he somehow manages to wrangle into grounded, interesting stories. This mode of operation was perfect for things like the Twilight Zone, a series where he contributed some of the more memorable episodes (most notably Nightmare at 20,000 Feet), but some of his pitches could sustain a full feature film too.

Due to a hand-wavey exposure to radiation and insecticide, Scott Carey is shrinking, slowly but surely. He eventually becomes so small that he begins to live in a doll house, and as he becomes even smaller, his home becomes an obstacle-laden wilderness. As he continues to shrink down to mere inches (and even smaller), he must survive encounters with the likes of house cats and spiders.

50s science fiction has a certain reputation as being a little silly or hacky, and reading the plot here, you can’t help but feel that the high concept is probably all their is to it. To be sure, the film delivers on the exasperation of exploring a familiar environment from a radically different perspective, and there’s plenty of action. The effects are often quite simple, but they remain remarkably effective, even to this day (when he gets really small, there are some shots that are perhaps not perfect, but they’re still quite good – I’ll take those over some of the weightless CGI slop of today’s blockbusters.) The cat chase is pretty fantastic, the challenges of navigating the basement to find some food are also quite well executed, and the spider is genuinely terrifying (it helps that they use the biggest, hairiest tarantula they could find rather than a simple daddy long-legs or orb weaver).

What you’re probably not prepared for are the dark, existential monologues that Matheson peppers throughout, particularly in the ending, which contains a bittersweet glimmer of hope. Again, it’s one of those things where Matheson takes what could be a deeply unsatisfying ending and turns it entirely around, even though all the unsatisfying stuff is still there. There’s a few elements that aren’t entirely baked (an abortive romance with a circus performer, the way his wife just assumes he’s dead), but at just 86 minutes long, it never wears out its welcome. Great stuff. ***1/2

• The Thing (trailer)
• Hell No: The Sensible Horror Film (fake trailer)
• The Blob (trailer)

Mimic – Guillermo del Toro began his career in Mexico with Cronos, a unique blend of vampires, alchemy, and del Toro’s distinct brand of fairy tale. This garnered enough success that he was able to make the jump to Hollywood to make Mimic at Miramax, which was apparently quite an ordeal:

“I really hated the experience,” del Toro said to the crowd at the festival. “My first American experience was almost my last because it was with the Weinsteins and Miramax. I have got to tell you, two horrible things happened in the late nineties, my father was kidnapped and I worked with the Weinsteins. I know which one was worse… the kidnapping made more sense, I knew what they wanted.”

Yikes. Apparently tons of studio interference here, but enough of del Toro’s style remains that the film is worth a look, and the idea behind the film is kinda interesting, though a little far-fetched.

In order to combat an emerging epidemic in NYC, an entomologist genetically engineers a breed of insect that will kill the cockroaches that spread the disease. The insect was specifically designed to die off after one generation but life, uh, finds a way. What’s more, their heightened metabolism has allowed them to evolve the ability to mimic their greatest predator, human beings. Hijinks ensue.

This turns out to be del Toro’s most conventional film, and while there are some interesting ideas bubbling under the surface here, they’re pretty clumsily presented. The cautionary theme of unfettered science is presented through overly literal exposition and on-the-nose dialogue; there are much better explorations of this sort of thing that are more subtle and thorough. The titular mimicry is an interesting idea, but ultimately, you are left having to believe that 6 foot tall cockroach monsters are walking around New York undetected (in the dark, from a distance, maybe, but with the creature design they have, it would not survive any real scrutiny). del Toro gets around this a bit with the way he frames and blocks these sequences, so it’s probably good enough, but this movie requires you to make several leaps that make suspension of disbelief a bit of a challenge.

On the other hand, the set design and atmosphere are impressively moody, and the creature itself is well done. Goopy and gross at times, these things all play to del Toro’s strengths. The more ambitious effects are perhaps a bit dated, but it’s pretty good for a low-budget attempt. The cast is actually quite good, with Mira Sorvino leading the pack as the entomologist who figures everything out, and Charles S. Dutton playing the thankless role as a subway cop who gets caught up in events (that guy deserved better in the 1990s, he always brings a gravitas to the proceedings that elevates anything he’s in…)

Unfortunately, perhaps due to the studio interference, the film’s pacing grinds to a halt on a few occasions. It’s an interesting movie, well worth a look, especially for fans of del Toro, but it’s not exactly a classic. **1/2

• The Hitchhiker’s Guide To Murder (short)
• Duel (trailer)
• “Gremlins 2” Brainstorm (Key & Peele)

Maximum Overdrive – By the mid-80s, Stephen King had parlayed his phenomenal success in the writing world into films, with tons of successful adaptations, and he finally got a chance to direct his own movie, an adaptation of his short story, Trucks, in which a group of people at a truck stop are terrorized by a bunch of tractor trailers which have become animated by some unknown force and mow down every human they can find. In this movie, King expands on the concept beyond the Trucks of the story, with all technology betraying mankind, and the result is a fine example of cocaine-fueled 80s excess.

This is quite obviously not a strictly good movie, but man it’s wildly entertaining. I would say that it’s unintentionally hilarious, but I don’t know, I suspect everyone knew what they were doing with this one, even if they never actually wink at the audience. I mean, this is a movie where Stephen King himself has a cameo in which his ATM repeatedly calls him an asshole. Emilio Estevez is putting on some kind of bizarre accent. After the trucks start their rampage, the scummy manager of the truck stop whips out an actual rocket launcher and starts blowing up trucks (a trend from the 80s we desperately need to bring back). The vehicular mayhem is suitably destructive and frequent (something we also need to bring back: massive practical explosions). One of the trucks is inexplicably sporting a giant Green Goblin mask strapped to its grill. AC/DC provides the soundtrack. There’s a weird romantic subplot. The cast is a veritable who’s who of character actors, including the aforementioned Estevez, the woman who would go on to voice Lisa Simpson, Barney from Silence of the Lambs, a bartender from Deadwood, and probably a dozen other recognizable “that guy” or “that gal” faces.

Look, it’s not really scary in any way, but it’s such a singular oddity of 80s cheese that I can’t help but love it. I’m glad that King would sober up and mostly return to writing, because he’s just so great in that arena, but this is actually an interesting film to have under his belt. This is one of those things that sorta defies ratings, but what the hey: ***

Next up, some televised (er, streamed) horror. After that, I’m planning on a few things. I should probably catch up with the Terrifier movies at some point this year (ah, I see the new one just came out), and I’ve got some Neo-Slashers on the schedule too, not to mention a few other potential themes. A few other themes may have to be relegated to the Speed Round, but I wanted to watch some Fly sequels, horror musicals, and moar. Stay tuned!

Watching nothing but horror movies for six weeks can get a bit grueling if you don’t know how to pace yourself, by which I mean incorporating something a little less dour into the marathon so you don’t completely burn yourself out. I already managed to sneak one parody into this year’s proceedings, but it’s not like there’s a quota or a maximum or anything, so let’s watch a couple of Scary Movies. That is, movies from the Scary Movie franchise, a series of horror parodies that was developed by the Wayans brothers around the turn of the century.

Today, we’ll take a look at the first two movies in the series, which happens to coincide with the Wayans’ involvement (the series would shamble on under the leadership of Jason Friedberg and Aaron Seltzer for a few more movies, and they would also attempt to expand the concept to other genre parodies, mostly to disastrous reviews.) I may get to some additional Scary Movie entries in the inevitable 6WH Speed Round, but for now, we’ll just hit the first two.

Six Weeks of Halloween: Week 3.5 – Scary Movies

• Scream (trailer)
• How Scream Should Have Ended (short)
• Student Bodies (trailer)

Scary Movie – As a genre, horror experienced a bit of a boom in the 1970s and 80s but had mostly run out of steam by the early 90s (still good stuff if you know where to look, but definitely not as popular or accessible.) That changed in 1996 with Scream, the self-aware neo-slasher that ignited a stream of mainstream deconstructions of horror flicks. This wave of ironic meta-takes on horror only lasted a few years, but there were enough movies to warrant a string of parodies in the Scary Movie series.

This first entry mainly spoofs Scream and I Know What You Did Last Summer (including their sequels), and follows the stories closely. It’s a bit of an odd target. Scream and it’s ilk aren’t precisely parodies, but they’re already a comedic rendition where the folks in the movie know about horror tropes and joke about subverting the conventions. So this plays a bit like a parody of a parody, resulting in less scares and more jokes for sure, but it’s cruder and less intelligent. Which, like, has its place, don’t get me wrong (I like a good fart joke as much as the next guy), but I probably laughed more at Scream than I did at this. This is partly due to some dated humor (much of which runs afoul of current mores, especially amongst the gender and sexuality crowd), but hard as it may be to believe, things were like that 24 years ago (jeeze, has it really been that long, ugh).

The only bit that really hit home in a memorable way was when Shannon Elizabeth was attacked by the killer and gives a sorta play-by-play of how the tropes are supposed to play out that continues even once she’s been beheaded. That’s actually pretty clever and well executed. Plenty of other movies (and, um, Budweiser commercials) get referenced, including some weird non-horror choices – in particular, there’s a big Matrix-style bullet-time sequence that seems kinda incongruous. I dunno, it’s not like other classic parodies don’t contain far afield references (i.e. Airplane referencing Saturday Night Fever), but they usually seem more in line with the main thread of the parody.

So this isn’t exactly a classic genre spoof or a must-watch, but if you can get past some of it’s dated elements, it displays a reasonable degree of cromulence and it made me chuckle a few times, which is always a welcome change of pace during the six weeks of Halloween. **

• The Simpsons: Treehouse of Horror: Bad Dream House (Disney+)
• There’s Nothing Out There (trailer)
• Grindhouse: Don’t (Fake Trailer)

Scary Movie 2 – The gang is back, this time being invited to stay the weekend in an old spooky house at the behest of a professor who wants to see how their trauma (from the first movie) impacts the ghosts that are living in the house. Or something like that.

This time around, they take a much broader cross-section of the horror genre, spoofing the likes of The Exorcist, House on Haunted Hill, The Haunting, 13 Ghosts, and many more. Many of these movies had received prominent, big budget remakes in the years preceding this movie, but the general premise is something of a horror staple anyway, so this aspect tends to work a little bit better than the first movie (on the other hand, there’s nothing as memorable or creative as the aforementioned Shannon Elizabeth bit from the first movie). It’s only a year later, so you get the same crude behavior and style of joke, and while I laughed plenty of times, this ain’t exactly a classic either. Also, they do the thing where they spoof other popular movies of the day, this time Charlie’s Angels, which again, doesn’t really fit with the horror theme, but whatever.

I never really mentioned the cast when discussing the first movie, but most of them return in this one. The series is led by Anna Faris and Regina Hall, who are actually solid, have good comedic timing, and decent chemistry with each other and the rest of the cast. Shawn and Marlon Wayans are also doing their usual schtick to decent enough effect. David Cross and Tim Curry are always fantastic and provide a bit of a boost, but Chris Elliott is perhaps overused here and gets a little grating (I like Elliott, but he’s best in smaller doses).

Again, not exactly a classic, but it’s always nice to break things up a bit during a horror marathon. **

These aren’t exactly the best horror comedies out there, but I’ll likely hit up a couple more of them in the remaining weeks as a palate cleanser. Anywho, stay tuned for some Sci-Fi Horror (eh, loosely defined Sci-Fi), coming on Sunday.