Halloween IV on the Big Screen!

Last night, my wife and I were lucky enough to have

one of my favorite horror films show on a big screen!

Halloween IV: The Return of Michael Myers was screened in 35mm

at the Columbus Theatre in Providence, R.I.

thanks to The Arkham Film Society and Rock and Shock

to benefit the sCare Foundation.

Not only was Halloween IV screened, but we got to see a ton of old trailers

for classic films like Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Final Exam, Slumber Party Massacre

- as well as all the trailers for the Halloween films from Part 2 to 6!

On hand was Justin Beahm, who is the writer of You Can't Kill the Bogeyman, a short about the impact of Michael Myers and the Halloween films and who is currently writing what he calls "the definitive book on the Halloween franchise." I will be getting that book! He talked last night about the films, not just Part IV, but all of the movies and he answered questions, as well. It was interesting to hear him talk about something he obviously has a lot of love for. Very cool.

After Halloween IV and the trailers, there was a screening of a second film, Boo, from 2005. It was good to see this again, as I didn't recall my first viewing. After this film, its writer/director Anthony C. Ferrante was on hand to talk about the making of the film and answer questions from the audience. Interesting to hear him talk about the movie, which was his first film, and what he would do differently now. You might know him better as the director of Syfy's Sharknado.

It was a great night in a very old, beautiful theater.

Thanks to Joshua Thomas Gravel and the Arkham Film Society for this event.

I truly hope they do more in the future!

Here's one of the trailers that they showed last night,

for the 1981 film Final Exam,

one I have never seen but want to now so badly!

Dumb Scenes in Horror Movies

Here are a couple of scenes from horror films I think are just stupid.

WARNING

Horror movie scenes.

Watch at your own risk!

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In Halloween: Resurrection, there are lots of scenes to shake your head at.

Here, Freddie Harris (Busta Rhymes) thinks he is berating

his crewman dressed as Michael Myers.

But it is the real Michael he is yelling at.

And what plays out is beyond stupid:

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The outhouse scene/serenade from

Friday the 13th Part 5: A New Beginning:

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Two I couldn't find YouTube clips for:

Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers,

the scenes with the two cops who are played for comedic effect -

complete with zany musical cues.

WTF?

and

Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan,

the next-to-final scene, where nightly the New York City

sewers are flooded with deadly toxic waste.

Waste which transforms Jason from a horribly disfigured adult

zombie-man into a non-disfigured young boy.

Yeah.

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So, do you have a scene that makes you cringe or

leaves you shaking your head in disbelief?

Let me know in the comments!

Hammer Films in 90 Seconds

Here's another great video that covers Hammer Films up to this year's The Woman In Black.

Enjoy!

Thanks again to Horror-Movies.ca!

163 Horror Movies

163 horror movies in 2 1/2 minutes.

Enjoy.

thanks to horror-movies.ca for the heads up on this

100 Greatest Horror Movie Quotes of All Time

Awesome video!

Enjoy!

Thanks to All the Wonder Things for the heads up!

Horror Portfolio - 64 in 5

Let's kick off October and The Countdown to Halloween!

THE HORROR PORTFOLIO

Sixty-Four Horror Movies in a Five Minute Montage

Created by hatinhand

Go here for the list of films in the montage.

Thanks to The Captain's Ramblings for the heads up on this!

The Day After...

...well, two days after, but hey...
 
 One year 'til October and another full month of Halloween, Candy and Horror!

Happy Halloween!

Today is the big day - Halloween!

Hope you find a scary way to celebrate, whether its online -

find tons to do @ the Countdown to Halloween -

between the covers of a book, on television or DVD,

at a party or out trick-or-treating!

To get you in the mood, here's a great horror movie mash up,

done to the great Michael Jackson classic, Thriller!

Enjoy & Happy Halloween!

Great Scenes #7 - Dracula

Great Scene #7, the last for the Halloween season,
is from the 1931 classic, Dracula.

What do I like? What don't I like??

From the creepy setting of a decrepit, mysterious, eerie castle

to the general unease Renfield senses, you get the mood of the film and

the charming creepiness of the Count all at once.

Also love Dracula's classic line about the "children of the night"

and when he walks through the spider-web, leaving Renfield quite confused.

An awesome introduction to the Prince of Darkness.

Thanks to — MOVIECLIPS.com

Great Scenes #4 - Night of the Living Dead

Great Scene #4 is from the beginning of the 1968 George Romero classic,

Night of the Living Dead.

What do I love? Well, the line from Johnny to his sister is a classic, of course: "They're coming to get you, Barbara!" Simple line, but sends shivers down my spine still.

And the fact that the zombie is already there, in the background of the scene, ever so slowly making his way closer and closer to the siblings. Quite creepy!

This zombie is played perfectly, I think. He almost tip-toes on his feet as he stumbles around, like walking is no longer something he does well or with thought. And the way he fights Johnny and attacks the car with Barbara inside. Just not very human-like in his actions, making it unnerving.

We know, from this scene on, that things are never going to be the same in this world.

Thanks to — MOVIECLIPS.com

Great Scenes #3 - Halloween

For the third Great Scene we go to the true classic,
my favorite film, John Carpenter's Halloween.



What do I like? Well, at this point in the film, we know Michael has escaped. Now we meet Laurie, the sweet, innocent teen walking to school and stopping to run a simple errand for her father. We also meet little Tommy, eager about Halloween and nervous about the old Myers house. And we almost see Michael as he watches them, barely hidden. Very creepy!

I love the subtlety here. And how Michael just chooses Laurie and Tommy to stalk because they just happen to be the ones outside his house that morning.
Remember, Laurie wasn't turned into Michael's sister until Part 2!
Here, it is all just random coincidence.

Very scary.

Great Scenes #2 - Halloween H20

For the second installment of Great Scenes,

I have Halloween H20: 20 Years Later,

when Laurie and Michael come face-to-face again after so many years.

What do I like here? Well, to start, the tension and suspense is great, with Michael in pursuit of the teens, especially the bit where they are trying to get into the courtyard foyer as Michael slowly advances on them. Molly struggles with the keys and John has been stabbed by Michael, which is quite the homage to the first film, where Laurie had been stabbed and was desperately trying to get back into the Doyle's house as Michael slowly crossed the street.

And then Michael and Laurie come face-to-face,

with just a single pane of glass separating them. Chilling.

The one problem I have is the mask Michael wears in this film. It has too much of an "evil expression" on it. I wish they had gone with a simpler mask, like he wore in parts 1 and 2.

Anyway, a great scene that was much anticipated and which delivered on the tension.

Thanks to — MOVIECLIPS.com

Great Scenes #1 - Jeepers Creepers 2

New Feature!

Great Scenes will feature scenes from films I like.

Now, the films they come from might not be Oscar-worthy,

but why hold that against them?

Sometimes, good entertainment is found in strange places.

Anyway, to kick off the first Great Scenes, here is the opening to Jeepers Creepers 2.

Yeah, I know, not the best movie, but it is an okay way to spend some time.

The Creeper is a great horror movie villain, I think, and I'd like to see a part 3, eventually.

What do I love here? Well, to start, the Creeper hiding out in plain sight as a scarecrow? Scary! And then he snatches up the kid and off he goes into the wild, blue... er, gold yonder. Not many mainstream films follow through with something like this, but much like the end of part 1, they don't hold back here. And it sets up the rest of the film, the pursuit of the Creeper by the boy's brother and father. Definitely the better part of the rest of the movie.

Any scenes you'd like to see spotlighted here? Let me know!

Thanks to — MOVIECLIPS.com

100 Greatest Scary Movie Moments

Before I get to today's post, I wanted to mention that I am taking part in

The Halloween Fifteen @ the great The Moon is a Dead World blog.

Check it out to read my review of Child's Play 2!

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I loved the horror movie countdown specials from a few years back that aired on Bravo, The 100 Scariest Movie Moments. It was followed up by 30 Even Scarier Movie Moments and then 13 Scarier Movie Moments. I wish it was airing somewhere this year, but many of these can be found on YouTube.

I also found this special on YouTube, one I had not seen before, which appears to pre-date the US versions. Maybe this was the inspiration for them?

From the UK, this is 100 Greatest Scary Moments, from 2003.

 

Thanks to YouTuber faym1982 for posting these!

Horror Movie Openings

Read a review of Halloween 4 last night, and it mentioned

the very moody, wonderful opening of that film.

I decided to share some favorite horror movie opening scenes today.

~WARNING~

If you don't care for horror films, skip these!

Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers

Such a love of Autumn and Halloween here. Just great.

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Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter

Effectively creepy recap of the saga up to that point.

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Halloween H20: Twenty Years Later

This is the credit sequence after the opening scene, but I love the fact that this not only captures the essence of the films with the theme, but it recaps the story, the characters and explains what became of Dr. Loomis. Quite an opening!

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Halloween III: Season of the Witch

This opening grabs you from the get-go, telling you this is going to be a different Halloween movie than any you have seen before. And they aren't kidding!

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Spider Baby

Lon Chaney Jr. narrating in a spoken-word style to the opening theme

with the credits and illustrations of the characters. Fun stuff!

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Ghost Ship

Implausible? Yeah.

Damned great? Hell yeah.

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Scream

One of the best opening scenes.

Just so much unexpected here, and it works.

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Halloween (1978)

Truly the best.

Nothing like a classic.

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Wanted to include A Nightmare on Elm Street,

but Google and YouTube weren't cooperating!

You can view it here, if you'd like.

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Halloween: Resurrection - My Cut

In 2002 we were "treated" to Halloween: Resurrection, the eight film in the Halloween series. It follows the events of 1998's Halloween H20: Twenty Years Later.

Summary: At the end of H20, Laurie beheads who she thinks is her brother, Michael Myers. In Resurrection, we learn that Michael had changed places with a paramedic, crushing the man's larynx so he couldn't speak. Laurie had killed an innocent man and she has been locked up in a psychiatric hospital for three years. On Halloween 2001, Michael finds her at last. But Laurie has been preparing for their showdown and has Michael trapped, hanging from the roof. But her reluctance to kill another man in a mask leads her to reach out to Michael. He grabs her and pulls her to him, stabbing her in the process. Laurie falls off the roof into the trees and to her (supposed) death.

Michael then heads back to Haddonfield and the old Myers family home, to apparently live in the basement. But the cast and crew of a reality show is also heading to the house, to film six young people as they attempt to spend Halloween night 2002 in the Myers' home. Michael is not happy to have intruders and the requisite murders occur.

By the end, only one student, Sara, and the head of the reality show, Freddie, survive and Michael is supposedly killed and taken to Haddonfield morgue. But as the movie ends, he opens his eyes, once again.

Okay... Let me first say that this is NOT my favorite Halloween film. There are a few scenes that are okay, but overall, I think this movie is just a sub-par entry in the series. Sadly, it ends up being the final film in this original series, as the next to follow from here is Rob Zombie's Halloween reboot/reimagining/whatever.

But, since the first time I saw this flick, I have had an idea of how much better it could have been if it had been edited differently. Now, I don't mean it would be a great film, by any means. But if it had played out like I think, it would have been at least a memorable send off for the original series and the characters.

Here's how I think it should have played (and remember, I am going with the storyline as we have it here, just edited in a different way.)

The film begins with Freddie and his DangerTainment reality show setting up at the Myers' home. Michael is in the basement, biding his time while he waits to find out the whereabouts of his sister, Laurie. The whole reality show part plays out as we see in the film, with Michael finally being "killed" and wheeled off to the morgue.

At the morgue, an orderly or nurse mentions that Laurie just happens to be a patient in the psychiatric wing of this very hospital and Michael opens his eyes at this news. A few more killings ensue as Michael makes his way to Laurie, who has been waiting for this confrontation, as we see in the beginning of the real film. Their battle occurs on the roof, with Michael grabbing Laurie and stabbing her and she falls.

Michael makes his way down to the grounds to see his sister's body, after all these years stalking her for this moment. But, when he arrives, all he finds is an impression in the lawn. Laurie is gone, off into the night, and the film ends with the "Halloween theme" playing as the camera shows the now deserted places from the movie - Laurie's hospital room, the morgue, the different rooms in the Myers' home - all empty and abandoned. The end.

Not only would it have played off better for the viewer, it would have given what turned out to be the final "original" film a tie-in to the first Halloween, with Laurie being the one off into the night, possibly finally free of Michael after all these years.

I know what you're thinking: Why put so much thought into an obviously badly written and ill-conceived sequel when the writers and producers themselves didn't put the thought into it? Well, what can I say? I love the Halloween films, love the characters of Michael Myers and Laurie Strode. I just wish it had ended with a better movie than the one we were given.

So, that's my thought. I have no "film editing" talents, so this will just have to remain how the movie should have played out in my head. But I do think it would have been a more satisfying conclusion to what was a great horror movie series.

Dark Night of the Scarecrow

Dark Night of the Scarecrow (1981)

Directed by Frank De Felitta

Starring Charles Durning, Robert F. Lyons, Claude Earl Jones, Lane Smith, Tonya Crowe, Larry Drake, Jocelyn Brando, Tom Taylor, Richard McKenzie

Plot: In a small town, a man is wrongfully killed for a crime he didn't commit. Soon, someone - or something - is exacting vengeance for his death.

This movie has been mentioned a lot recently on blogs, due to the fact that it has been released on DVD for the first time a couple of weeks ago. I was lucky to fall into a good spot in the Netflix line, so my wife and I watched it this weekend. And we enjoyed it.

The gore/blood is at a minimum, mainly due to the fact that this was a made-for-TV film. But this works in the film's favor, as more time is spent on the characters and their interactions with each other. The real villain here doesn't turn out to be who we expect, rather we are left rooting for vengeance to be exacted on those who have done wrong due to their nature, be that pure evil or just plain cowardice.

Some of the dark themes here are only lightly touched upon, so that it can appeal to a broader (younger) audience. With sparse diaolgue at times, the thoughts or intentions of some characters are hinted at, but we are left to let our own imaginations fill in the blanks. As usual, this works to add deeper, creepier layers that would be lost if things were more blatantly shoved in our face. As I have said before, less truly is more in thriller, suspense and horror movies.

Acting and directing is all well done here, as everyone brings their best to the production, from Larry Drake as the simple-minded man (how often was he cast in these roles?) to Tonya Crowe as his young, non-judgmental friend. A couple of surprises for me were Durning as a highly-unlikable man with a superiority complex and Jocelyn Brando (Marlon's sister) as Drake's caring mother, soon turned angry and mournful.

Highly recommended, this film may be almost 30 years old, but is great for those looking for a good, scary film on a dark and spooky night!

Dracula vs the Atheist

I have new horror movie hero!

While watching the classic 1969 Hammer Horror film "Dracula Has Risen From the Grave" the other day, I was surprised by a scene where a character professes himself an atheist. And not only does he profess this in a small town held hostage by being so close to Castle Dracula, he does it at his girlfriend's family home, where her uncle is visiting - her uncle who happens to be a Monsignor. Quite a brave lad, eh?




Maria and Paul, before they meet the Count!

Paul (played by actor Barry Andrews) risks losing the very beautiful Maria (Veronica Carlson) over his belief, since her family is quite connected to the church. But he sticks by his views and is honest in front of her very religious family, and refuses to quickly change his mind when the Monsignor, gravely injured by an encounter with the vampire, tells him he has to protect Maria and destroy Dracula. Even though Paul drives a stake into Dracula, he refuses to pray for the vampire's death at the pleas of a priest, preferring to battle him physically.




skip to 5:00 in to see the scene

In the end, Paul again battles Dracula (Christopher Lee), inadvertently sending the Count over a balcony to be impaled on a fallen crucifix. He then clambers back up to comfort Maria, leaving any praying for Dracula's demise to the priest. Whether Paul remains an atheist after confronting the supernatural so blatantly, we will never know.

A great review of the film can be found over at The [Horror] Film Connoisseur, along with more pics like the one above.

If anyone knows of other atheists in horror flicks, drop me a comment or an email!

Movie Monday: The Other

The Other (1972)



Cast: Uta Hagen, Diana Muldaur, Chris Udvarnoky, Martin Udvarnoky, Norma Connolly, Victor French, Jenny Sullivan, John Ritter

Director: Robert Mulligan

Writer/Screenplay by: Tom Tryon

Plot: Set in bucolic 1935 Connecticut, this chiller follows identical Perry twins Niles and Holland as a string of tragedies befalls their family. With the Perry clan still reeling from the untimely demise of the boys' father, their mother ends up paralyzed, and a corpulent cousin is impaled on a pitchfork. But Niles soon begins to see a link between Holland and the "accidents."


This film was one I had never seen nor even heard of until recently. It is a dark movie, dealing with the dark side of childhood imagination and despair. Once you understand what is going on, it is hard not to sympathize with all who suffer here.


The children who play the twins are quite good, the boy playing Niles in particular. He comes off as a real boy dealing with situations beyond his ability to understand.


Hagen is also great in the role of the twins' grandmother, dealing with the darkness she thinks she has controlled, and soon realizing she has underestimated the problems of those around her.


Muldaur has a relatively small role as the boys' mother, lost in her own grief and soon trapped within her own body. I have never seen her look more beautiful than she does at the beginning of this film.


Recommended, for fans of thrillers and mysteries.

Halloween Month Begins!

The Countdown to Halloween begins!

Make your own collage @ Wordle!



Enjoy this month of movies, monsters and the macabre!