Day 31: Halloween Day...

It's here! The countdown is complete, and Halloween is upon us! I'm actually surprised, yet very happy that I was able to complete the 31 days of Halloween countdown. I was a little worried I'd run out of things to post on, or just get tired of it.

I have to be honest though, I'm kind of relieved that it is over. It's a lot of work! But I enjoyed and, and am thinking of doing a 25 Days of Christmas come December. That should be fun.

You know it’s really strange…for someone that looks forward to Halloween the way I do, I don’t have very many memories of Halloween when I was young. I don’t really know where I got this near obsession with the holiday…it just kind of happened several years ago.

I was in late elementary school when I first started decorating my room for All Hallows Eve. I think that I knew I couldn’t trick-or-treat any longer, so in order to have some fun on Halloween, decorating was the next best thing.

Even then, they were old, crappy, left over decorations from my mom and dad’s collection. They were big, ugly cardboard cutouts that my mom had gotten on clearance after Halloween back in 1979. I wanted to decorate my room, for some reason, and she gave me all I needed.

Every year after that my collection seemed to grow a little bit. For several years I didn’t have a job, and only could get what my folks would buy more or hand down to me. I didn’t mind. By Jr. High I had a cheesy, yet still festive display. Complete with inflatable pumpkins, orange lights, and a strange fountain thing my mom bought me, I thought my Halloween decorations were awesome!

Looking back, they really sucked.

My friend Shaun and I would decorate our rooms every year, and we both had a strange obsession with Halloween specials. I started recording every special I could back in 1993. I remember recording one show in my room and lying under the kitchen table and watching another while my mom fixed something. Strangely, that is one of my earlier memories of Halloween.

I remember trick or treating, but nothing special about it. I remember this one lady used to give out apples and little things with bible verses. I always thought that was strange, and I guess I still do. I don’t really remember many of my costumes I had, but do remember waiting on the porch to go trick or treating but my mom and dad wouldn’t let me yet. It started at like 7:30 or something, and it was only 7:25. Figures.

I remember every Halloween I’d walk to my grandparent’s house and try to fool them. I’d change my voice and try to trick them into thinking I wasn’t there grandson. Which is all good, I suppose, but seeing photographs of my childhood costumes have me wondering how they wouldn’t know it was me. There were a few costumes that I had a little face paint and one or two where I didn’t wear a mask or any kind of makeup. Still, they played along.

After trick-or-treating, I remember going home and dumping my candy out on the floor so it could be “checked,” by my mom and dad. They said it was because people could put razor blades and what not in the candy, and it could hurt me real bad. But I am still convinced that them “checking” the candy was code for “picking out the candy they liked.”

After a couple of days the candy just gets gross. It didn’t matter if you were eating a tootsie roll or a snickers, for they all tasted funky from being mixed in a bag with all different kinds of other candies. Yuck…I still don’t like to think about that.

I don’t remember carving a pumpkin when I was young, but I know that I did every year. I don’t remember ever picking out a costume, but I know that I did.

I do remember my dad used to do Haunted Houses and he did one at our Elementary School. Think they could do that nowadays? Think not, and it’s a shame too.

I was too young to even want to go in, but recall my mom holding me and finding my dad so she could tell him something. He was dressed in all white and had white face paint on. Evidently he lead groups through the Haunted House. I just don’t know what he was supposed to be dressed up as.

One year my dad couldn’t do the Haunted House, but let others borrow some of the decorations and items he had. After Halloween, these items were never returned…and every year my dad would tell us his anger over that fact. To this day, I could ask my dad about the Haunted Houses he used to do, and I am certain the first thing out of his mouth would be, “I still don’t know what ever happened to that stuff or who took it…” He’d always say it was the “last time he’d let anyone use that stuff.” And he was right…he never had it again to loan out.

Sadly, That’s all I can remember about Halloween’s from long ago. I don’t know, maybe someday something else will come back to me. But until then, I’ll just take what I can get.

That's actually part of the reason why I wanted to do the 31 Days of Halloween, in hopes of creating some new traditions and memories, and perhaps remember a few along the way.

Now that's the countdown is complete and the big day is here, there's just one thing left to say...

Day 30: Halloween Movie Reviews Part V...

Basic Story:
Michael Myers pays Laurie Strode a visit in a sanitarium and then heads home for some downtime. When he gets there, he finds a group of paper cut-outs posing as teenagers chilling in his crib with web cams attached to their freaking heads. What’s a psychopath to do with that kind of scenario going down in his pad? Mike polishes the kitchen knife and does the teen laundry...Myers style!

The Lowdown:
I personally didn’t care for "Halloween: H20". Keeping with that pattern, "Halloween 8" also mostly discards (except for Laurie’s involvement) all of the previous Mike Myers carnivals. But the worst sin which H8 commits is discarding what should have been the focus of this film: Michael back to stalk his nephew. Instead, teen wastes are in his house, Michael be cleaning…that’s it. That’s the plot of H8! Not even one mention of Laurie’s son, John!

Screenplay-wise, this has to be the thinnest of all the Halloween films. The lead characters are so beyond underdeveloped it’s a screenwriting crime. Why the hell was Tyra Banks’ character Nora in this movie? Sure, we get a close up of her heart shaped bootie but other than that, she’s absent most of the way. And what about our heroine Sara? You know the LEAD girl? She’s also abandoned for a long period of time and I can’t say that I found out anything about who she was throughout the film. And then we have the lousy dialogue which made me chuckle a few times. It’s not a horrible movie, it’s just not all that great either.

Now, Mack Daddy Busta Rhymes is a whole other ballgame. I actually liked his character. Was it good for a Halloween film? No. But it will still fun nevertheless. When faced with Michael, Busta did these over-the-top martial arts like gestures that were funny at times when you don’t want to laugh…you want to be scared. Now, it’s not really Busta’s fault that he didn’t fit in this movie. The screenwriter (Larry Brand) or the director is to blame. I still can’t believe how much his character got away with! All Michael had to do was snap his neck like a twig and move on but nooooo! Busta wound up making an ass of Michael Myers and that didn’t go down well with the Myers “fanboy” piece of my soul.

Structure-wise, the flick is very simple...maybe too simple. We only get one subplot that has to do with Sara and some Don Juan kid flirting with her via, but even that angle isn't explored to its fullest. The d00d drooling over her is a loser, and I just found myself wanting HIM to be a Myers victim.

The finale here made the father popping out of the lake in "Friday the 13th: Part 7" seem like a swell idea. What a waste! NOTE: Why didn’t the teens just leave the house at any point? Like jump out a window or something? Sure beats going toe-to-toe with a psychopathic killer.

I do have some positive jive to spit out about this sequel though. First off, I relished seeing Laurie kicking it again. Her scene with Michael is most likely the best in the film. Brad Loree (Michael) also comes on strong as our masked fiend. The man IS scary! Also, since all of the teen characters didn’t appeal to me, I was raving with aggressive joy when Mikey started offing them in gruesome ways. I was rooting for our white faced killer like I've never rooted for him before!

The murders here are way slick. I also enjoyed the “Blair Witch” type vibe the film put out with the web cams. Rosenthal splits the screen 4 ways at times and the constant POV shots from the main players gave this sequel a more involving aura that often made up for the non-existent screenplay. Last but not least, I grooved on the small nods to "Halloween" and "Halloween 2" and really got into the Myers vs Rudy knife battle in the kitchen. Fun stuff!

But overall, as a Halloween sequel...this one didn’t cut it. Loomis is gone, Laurie is gone and there’s no story left to tell. Even the mood is off! Did this sequel take place in Haddonfield, Illinois on Halloween? Felt like Vancouver BC on any day to me. As a stand alone slasher, there is some easy fun to be had here, the murders are kool, the mask is a mean machine again and the pace is quick.

Blood and guts:
Michael is pissed here and being in his shoes...I would be too…some punks running around your house with video cameras! We get bloody stabbings, a knife in the head, a crushed skull, a beheading, an impaling, a guy stuck to a door with knives and more!

The good stuff:
A little skin in a scene down in Myer’s basement. Of the other women in this movie, this is probably the last one you’d want to see some skin from. But it could still be worse.


The music:
Danny Lux gives the score a very dark mood and re-interprets Carpenter’s classic Halloween ditty in a good way.

The Bottom Line:
I’m actually going softer on this one than I should. It’s fun to watch, but how Michael Myers went from hunting his sister, to hunting his niece to hunting a rapper and ex-supermodel is still beyond me. It has NOTHING and I stress the word NOTHING to do with the Halloween I grew up with.

Trivia:
This flick was originally set to come out on September 21st, 2001 but the producers at Dimension Films weren’t fully pleased with the movie so re-shoots took place between September and October 2001.

Jacinda Barrett was first cast as Sara Moyer but dropped out at the last minute.

The many titles of Halloween Resurrection included: Hall8ween / Halloween 8 / Halloween H2K / Halloween H2K: Evil Never Dies / Halloween: Evil Never Dies / Halloween: Homecoming / Halloween: MichaelMyers.com / Halloween: The Homecoming.



The Basic Story:
Young Michael Myers has it rough; stripper mom, alcoholic step-pops and sister is a whore. His surroundings eventually take a toll on him and slaughter becomes his outlet. He’s then slapped in the loony bin but years later; adult Michael escapes his cage and makes a group of dumb-dumb-dames pay… via…you guessed it…more killing!

The Lowdown:
I mucho enjoyed the leaked Work Print of HALLOWEEN i.e. Zombie’s initial cut before the Studio sent him on his way to re-shoot land after some lukewarm test screenings. The Work Print was more focused, economic, had less plot holes and sported a way more satisfying (if not Halloween 4-esque) ending than the final cut. With that said; here are my thoughts as to the theatrical release.

Personally, I was very excited for this remake. So when I heard that Rob Zombie was going to be behind the Halloween remake, I was even more excited. I enjoyed both House of a 1000 Corpses and The Devil's Rejects and let’s face it, Rob Zombie has his own voice and he makes it heard loudly. I like that about him. I knew that at least with Zombie at the helm I wouldn't get a shot by shot remake or anything that would stick close to the original in terms of approach or tone.

It wasn't a sequel and not really a remake either; just an alternative take on already established material. So I took it as a stand alone and didn't expect or craved Carpenter's Halloween to surface. Zombie’s Halloween started off on the right swing of the aluminum bat. It gave me compelling insight on Michael Myers’ upbringing and his twisted family environment; all communicated via an aggressive, grungy and 70s ish visual style. Granted Baby Mike’s world was mucho akin to an After School Special gone wrong; I mean anything that could go sour for the kid went down. It was heavily clichéd no doubt…but with that said…clichés are sprung from reality and I didn’t have a hard time buying into young Myers' world and his plight.

Consequently I was right there with little Mike, feeling his frustrations, anger and eventually, sharing in his need for slash-slash rebuttal. In my overrated opinion, the first half of Zombie’s Halloween was the best part of the film; somewhat white trash uninspired in terms of meat - yes.

It’s when the film shifted to Carpenter territory that it failed me a little. First it served up 3 dames that even in a cold day in hell I could never warm up to. Annoying, crude, vacuous and cackling like chickens with broomsticks up their butts; Laurie and her cohorts spelled only two words for me “noisy and dumb” and I couldn’t wait for them to check out. Then the film went about getting that job done in such a rushed manor. I mean how did Mike know what is his sister looked like? Why did he feel the need to waste everybody else in the neighborhood ON HIS WAY TO HIS sister? He hid the mask/knife for 17 years why again (and cops didn't find them-great cops)?

Here by grounding Michael to "serial killer" status, making him a "human being" as opposed to what he was in the other Halloween films; an almost supernatural entity, evil on two legs if you will, Zombie opened himself up to a couple of traps and sadly he got pinched in a couple of them.

So the second half of the movie I managed to enjoy purely as a suspense-less (hard to feel tension when you DON'T CARE about anybody) yet deliciously brutal body-count party. Mike killed brutally and mercilessly and I appreciated that. The bonus was; when he did, I cheered cause the moron leads and their inane dialogue were coming to an end. I don’t think that was the reaction Zombie was hoping for.

I was all for Zombie’s exploration of young Mike and what drove him to nix out peeps - no matter how basic in terms of "white trash" stereotypes it was. Actually, Zombie should've shot a full prequel if you ask me! I would've killed to see that! The second block of the film though failed me in terms of characterization, suspense and smooth narrative evolution. In closing; Rob Zombie’s Halloween had a clear and gripping vision until the halfway mark when it threaded on the "be a remake" path.

Blood and Guts:
You know what, I was taken aback by a lot of the kills, they brought lots of smiles to my face, hence I won’t ruin them here. I will say this though; the flick is not particularly graphic but its brutal and harsh. The scenes weren’t disgusting, as more times than not you just heard the impact, and your mind made up the rest.

The Good stuff:
Nudity all over this one. Its still weird seeing Danielle Harris (who played in Halloween 4 and 5 as a child) nude. It’s just very strange.


The Bottom Line:
Had Rob Zombie carved all over it - it felt like it came from the bottom of ones dead beat heart and I so grooved to that. The second half, although beautifully brutal and sporting a Michael Myers that didn't mess around when it came to the human laundry, was uninspired, rushed, plot hole laced and filled with annoying characters. So on the whole I’m so-so on this theatrical, Studio tarnished cut – the Work Print has my respect though – its more Rob and less Dimension – in a perfect world that's the version that would’ve been released. Hey at least both cuts were better than H20 and H8… I guess some solace is to be found in that.

Trivia:
The clown mask that little Mike wears in the film was inspired by a mask design originally considered to be the Michael Myers mask in Carpenter's original.

Looking out for the movie White Zombie playing on a TV in the film. That's the film that Rob Zombie took his band name from.

Day 29: Halloween Movie Reviews Part IV...

I was able to get my hands on a copy of this one, and I was very surprised with just how good it was. Without a question, this is the version that true fans of the series will prefer.

The basic story:
What happened to Jamie at the end of Part 5? Who is the man in black? Is Michael a daddy? Is Loomis doomed? Why wasn’t this the theatrical cut??? All these questions and finally some answers.

The Lowdown:
This is a review of the first cut of Halloween 6, the version the studios didn’t want to release.

This flick is closer to the feel of the previous Halloween flicks, no quick flashes and no trippy montages. In the theatrical cut the flash made up for the chopped up storyline but here it’s not needed since the storyline makes sense and is fuller.

Loomis (who narrates the film instead of Tommy in this cut) has a deeper part in the story (as it should be), Jamie’s fate at the end of part 5 is shown instead of verbally implied, the Cult stuff is clearly explained (except for why some of them wear silly jumpsuits…lol), Jamie’s death has more purpose and Jamie’s baby’s roots are now crystal clear (Michael rapes Jamie in a flashback).

The ending is completely different that the one in the theatrical cut. Although I was never a fan of that druid/thorn mumbo jumbo, at least this ending stays true to the rest of the film, makes sense and ends with a shocking last image.

This version does have the same problems as the Theatrical cut: Michael's knack for teleportation, Michael planting one of his victims body up a tree, cardboard characters, side haracters we don't care about, lots of druid bullcrap, a whodunit that's way too easy to figure out and lack of true suspense.

But in the end this version is more complete and satisfying than its theatrical counterpart.

Gore:
Here the killings are less axed on the gore. They’re closer in feel to the first Halloween. The exploding head is gone and so is the death by farm equipment. Michael sticks to axes and knives. The gore is low but the violence is still there.

T & A:
Disposable girlfriend shows us her bits in this version too…yippee!

SOUNDTRACK:
The lean guitar twang is gone and instead we get a score that’s closer to the original Halloween score.

BOTTOM LINE:
The only question I have left is: Why didn’t the studio release this cut? It’s clearly a superior film to the version they delivered. If anyone knows the answer…let me know. This version stays true to the Halloween spirit and brings the storyline brought up in Part 5 full circle. It’s more linear, makes sense and is subtler. I personally enjoyed this version more, specially the ending…it hits hard. Too bad most of you won’t see it.

BULL'S EYE:
- The ending in the Producer's Cut was the first to be filmed. After Donald Pleasance's death in 1995, the ending was rewritten and re-shot due to the fact that Pleasance would've been needed for the next installment. The released ending was written by Champelle.

- Also, in the last 15 minutes of the theatrical release when everyone's at Smith's Grove, the Shape is actually played by A. Michael Lerner, because Wilbur was not available for the ending's re-shoot. So, it's actually A. Michael Lerner's father that he is chasing down the hall and slamming his face against the metal door.

- The original script called for a chase scene between Barry Simms and Michael where Simms thought that Michael was another costumed kid. Simms climbs into Michael's van to hide. Michael smashes the window and kills him. Also, Tim and Beth were supposed to see Michael carrying Barry Simms to the tree while they were leaving much like when Tommy saw him carrying Annie in the first one. And when the little girl is feeling red rain, it was originally a group of kids.

- The writer of the script, Daniel Farrands wanted the film to be shot in Pasadena where the original was filmed but it was instead filmed in Salt Lake City like the previous two.

- The script went through 11 drafts.

- Most of the music on the soundtrack is the music from the Producer's Cut, but it doesn't feature the much better version of the Halloween theme in the Producer's Cut.


I remmeber going to see this one with some friends on opening night, and was very anxious and excited to see ANOTHER Halloween movie. There's something about being there on opening night, watching with other fans of Halloween. It just makes for a better time and a better show. Once I went back and watched it on DVD, I kind of got bored with it...and still do.

The Baisc Story:
Halloween 4-5-6 are discarded and this one takes place 20 years after the second one. Laurie Strode now in the witness relocation program and head mistress of a posh school has become one messed up woman. She drinks like a sailor, swears like a truck driver and is one paranoid mess. Her young son John takes care of her but he’s getting fed up with her crap and just wants to go on with his life. Just when Laurie decides to chill out and give her son some space, uncle Michael comes to town with his bag of goodies.

The Lowdown:
This movie is what would happen if Michael Myers would walk on the set of Dawson’s Creek. Now, I have nothing against Dawson’s Creek but it has jack all to do with horror flicks. This movie has two things going for it. 1: The relationship between Laurie and John. 2: 15 minutes of suspense at the end. It definitely has its moments, but just falls short of what I was hoping it would be. Steve Miner, the director of this one, knows a thing or two about horror flicks (directed Friday The 13th 2-3 and Warlock). Too bad he only remembered them in the last 15 minutes of the film.

The Blood and Guts:
Weak…but Michael really gives it to Jody Lyn O’ Keefe, ouch…I guess Mike also saw "She’s All That".

The good stuff:
Nudity is not in "the new teens" contracts. LL Cool J could have at least shown his ass or something.


The Music:
Reworking of Carpenter’s score. It works well.

The Bottom Line:
I know I’m hard on this one but I love "The Shape" and I hate to see him become an "Egg Mc Muffin" or a "Clearasil" tube. The movie does have good production values and some tension in the end but it has nothing to do with the spirit of "Halloween". They took the Michael Myers character and packaged him in a commercial teen flick. Hardly anybody dies in this one, it’s full of fake scares, scenes that lead nowhere and it reeks of Williamson. If I want to see the car Janet Leigh drove in "Psycho", I’ll rent Psycho.

Trivia:
What's with the tag line: Blood is thicker than water. Even that’s a joke (H20…get it?)

Day 28: Halloween Movie Reviews Part III...

I wanted to like Halloween 5, I really did. And while I think it's the worst in the series, I do hold a special place for it, as I am a fan of all of the Halloween films. More Michael Myers is all I want, period.

The Basic Story:
With the shocking cliffhanger part 4 ended with you’d think Part 5 would be something special. Instead, part 5 begins with The Shape getting shot gunned into a tomb, falling in a river and being found by some bum. The bum babysits Michael for a year, but when Halloween comes he wakes up and his thirst for killing Jamie hasn’t toned down. Jamie is now in a hospital, she can’t talk and it winds up that she’s somehow psychologically linked with her uncle. Loomis is still around, waiting for the inevitable and some mysterious guy dressed in black enters the picture. Halloween becomes a bloody soap opera.

The Lowdown:
This one should be called: Halloween 5: The Sabotage Of Michael Myers. I think Dominique Othenin-Girard set out to destroy the Halloween series. No director in their right mind would direct a movie like this and actually think they’re doing a good job. Where do I begin…First off not going with the ending of Halloween 4 was a big mistake, it would have opened so many possibilities for the series, Jamie should have taken Michael’s place…I guess somebody got cold feet. This time around Loomis’s ranting feels very redundant, poor Mr. Pleasence, it shows he doesn’t want to be on set…just the paycheck (he and the director were at odds about the movie’s direction).

The movie is filled with nerve testing characters, from Jamie who can’t speak, from her stuttering sidekick, to the two comic relief bumbling cops who always show up accompanied by clown like sound effects. We are treated with the worst teen to teen dialogue, a lagging pace, awful writing, a Michael that cries and a dumber than Forrest Gump ending.

The Blood and Guts:
The kills are bloody but quite boring. The Shape’s new mask doesn’t look nearly as cool.

The Good Stuff:
A blonde bimbo with the IQ of a cockroach show us some skin.

The Music:
The "Carpenter" classic theme is remade in a blah, ho hum way.

The Bottom Line:
This is the worst Halloween of the series. Even Michael Myers looks bored in it. The previous Halloween films at least showed sign of intelligence among the carnage, this one is a donkey. The introduction of the man in black is interesting but far from enough to save this turd.

Trivia:
Donald Pleasence quote about Halloween 5: "I do think the story is a bit stupid, and there’s a lot more blood. They’re obviously taking the Halloween series in a different direction. I don’t know if I’m thrilled with that direction, but I guess it doesn’t make a difference, since I won’t be around."


I remember going to the theater to see this one with my friend Shawn. We used to stay at one-another's house often and whenever we did we would rent all kind of horror movies and watch them. I was only 14 at the time, but my mom was super-cool and let me go see it. My sisters were pissed that I was able to see a rated-R movie at an earlier age than they were, lol.

Basic Story:
This is the plot from what I gather…Jamie after part 5 got kidnapped by the man in black and brought to his cult’s domicile. Six years later Jamie is all grown up, she’s pregnant (Michael you dirty dog) and once she gives birth, she runs away with her newborn. The cult send Michael after her to get the baby back. In Haddonfield, the man in black is attempting to recruit a new child. He’s the son of Kara Strode. Kara and her son now live with Kara’s parents in the old Myers house (they’re all somehow related to Laurie Strode).

Mentally unstable Tommy Doyle (he was one of the kids Laurie Strode babysat in the first one) lives across the street and is now obsessed with Michael Myers and his origins. He eventually gets his hands on the baby, joins forces with Dr. Loomis and Kara, the identity of the man in black is uncovered and Michael Myers kills a few one dimensional characters…Oops, and I forgot to mention that Haddonfield has a rally to make Halloween fun again, it’s hosted by some obnoxious radio "shock jock" (a part offered to Howard Stern).

The Lowdown:
Rumor as it this movie had lots of "suits" on the set, got butchered in the editing room and that too many cooks pissed in the stew…or something like that. After viewing this flick, I believe the rumors. It’s too bad cause you feel a good movie trying to come out. Joe Chappelle’s directing style is very different from all the other entries and is as far off from "Carpenter" as can be. That’s actually positive. This new approach brings a new kind of energy to the series, it’s bleak in a flashy way and I personally love it. But all the style in the world can’t make me ignore that the storyline is a mess.

What was once a good script (I assume) got slashed and diced. The bad seed planted by Halloween 5 grows even more sour. Associating Michael with druids or are they monks in jumpsuits is a ridiculous idea. Why complicate things so much? Michael Myers is just evil on two legs that feels compelled to kill his siblings...that's it! What’s with all this cult business? Also Michael’s tie to the clan is very blurry, is he with them, against them, who’s suppose to take over Kara’s son or Jamie’s baby…in other words: What the hell is going on? A once very simple series made overly complicated.

The Blood and Guts:
Michael is still cranky and unlike part 5 this time his heart is into the killings. Death by farm equipment, some good axe fun, an exploding head, and some good old fashion stabbing. It’s nice to see Michael enjoying himself again.

The Good Stuff:
The skanky girlfriend shows her bits.

The music:
The Halloween theme is hardly used and instead we get a mean electric guitar twang…it works very well with the way it’s directed.

The Bottom Line:
It’s a shame cause the movie looks good, is somber and very flashy. The different approach is very cool, I love the strobe light carnage at the end. The suspense scenes are decent, the actors are mostly good and Michael is in top form but alas the movie feels incomplete, the story is a jumbled mess, too many ideas not enough explanations and we don't get enough of Loomis. What started with Part 5 is complete with this entry. The last nail as been nailed in "The Shape’s" coffin as we know him.

Trivia:
Quentin Tarantino was once attached to the project.

The Shape is played by George Wilbur who played The Shape in part 4.

The man Michael chases down the hospital hall and then bangs his head against the metal door is none other than Wilbur’s dad.

There’s a version out there called the "Producer’s Cut". It’s not legally out but it contains all the footage that was cut and offers us a very different movie. We see more of Loomis and Dr. Wynn, Jamie doesn’t die the same way, it’s shown that Michael impregnated Jamie and the ending is totally different.

Day 27: Halloween Movie Reviews Part II...

The third film in the Halloween series is strange. There is no Michael Myers, and the movie just kind of stinks. Why create a Halloween 3 when there is no mention of the first two films? It just doesn’t make a lot of sense. Even though this is highly regarded as the worst film of the series, I still like it. At least, a little. It’s completely different than the others, and the masks look pretty cool!

Here’s the review of the third installment of Halloween….

The Basic Story:
Michael Myers is nowhere to be seen in this one, so Halloween 3 is about an Irish Halloween mask company called : Silver Shamrocks run by a Conal Cochrane. His masks are the hottest thing, the commercial plays all the time and kids love them. What the brats don't know is that on Halloween the commercial will trigger the masks to do something real gross to them. Nosy doctor Daniel and dumb bimbo Ellie are on the case, trying to figure out what’s going on and how to stop the evil mask maker.

The lowdown:
The first five minutes pulls you in, with a man being chased by human looking androids. It’s scary and violent. But the setup is the only good thing about this film. The "Shamrock" commercial had me singing along to it immediately, and still does to this day. Not much really happens here, the characters are boring, Cochran’s motives have to do with druids or some crud like that, the story lags and never really pays off. It’s a cool-concept of masks that attack, but it doesn’t work that well. I can imagine that had it been a better story, there would actually be some reluctance to putting on Halloween masks….much like the Texas Chainsaw Massacre keeps you weary of locals.

The Blood and guts:
Some skull crushing, beheadings and neato mask effects. Stuff missing from the first two Halloween films, but nothing enough to save this one.

The Good stuff:
No skin to speak of. If there is, I didn’t notice…signs of a very bad movie.

The music:
Great, Carpenter did it and it’s in the same vibe as the other Halloween flicks.

The Bottom Line:
The only good things about this movie are: Nice looking masks, good effects, some violence a great score and a clip from a "Michael Myers" Halloween on a TV set...that's it. It’s too bad the script sucked cause the idea was pretty good.

Trivia:
This film cost 2.5 million dollars. The reason it was made, was because Debra Hill and John Carpenter didn’t want another Shape entry, they wanted to take the Halloween series in the "Twilight Zone" direction, different story every film. Boy did they fail.

The voice in the commercial is the director’s Tommy Lee Wallace.



Halloween 4 is just completely different from the others, and is truly a nice gem in the Halloween installments. It has its moments where it is very creepy and Michael's return is a good one. With Danielle Harris playing in Rob Zombie's Halloween this year, that adds another cool tidbit about this film.

Basic Story:
Michael Myers (Wilbur) thought dead and burned alive cheats the grave and heads back to "Haddonfield", this time to seek and kill his young niece Jamie. Dr. Loomis (also thought dead) tracks him down… again…god this guy must have a weak social life. Will Myers get to his niece? Will Loomis save the day? Will teens die horrible deaths? Um…yea they will! Michael is back!

The Lowdown:
It’s nice to see The Shape back on his two feet. The Myers-less "Halloween 3: Season Of The Witch" left a bad taste in many Halloween fans mouths…so this entry was welcomed with open arms. Is it any damn good? It’s actually pretty decent. Lets discard the fact that at the end of part 2…our poor psycho had his eyes shot out by Laurie and that Loomis was blown up to smithereens, this is the horror genre and when money talks, bullshit walks. Myers has no problems driving a truck, sees perfectly well and Loomis has a few burn scars and hobbles when he walks.

This movie is basically a muscled up version of the original with Michael taking it to the next level. He blows up a gas station, wipes out an entire police station and kills the town's electricity (yes the whole town), all that so he can murder his niece without any hassle. One thing I particularly appreciated is that this time Michael is after a little girl. It gives the movie a meaner edge and makes it scarier. Add to that intense chase scenes, some nifty kills, genuine suspense, an edge of your seat rooftop stalk scene and a powerhouse ending and you get a solid sequel. It's far from the "subtle" horror film "Halloween" was but it sure is good pumpkin fun.

GORE:
It’s alright…Michael seems to be pissed off in this one. He impales a chick with a shotgun, stuffs his thumb in some dudes forehead, crushes a few skulls and rips one poor schmuck’s head off.

The Good Stuff:
Miss Kinmont gives us a half baked tit shot but graces us with a g-string butt shot.

The Music:
A reworking of "Carpenter’s" classic score, it will send shivers down your pants when it kicks in.


Bottom Line:
This entry propelled Michael to the commercial level of Freddy and Jason. It made money. The movie is tight, has good murders and a kicked my butt ending. The Shape is back and in good form. Too bad Part 5 cheats itself out of following the road part 4 opened up with it’s cap off…but that's a whole other story.

Trivia:
After viewing a rough edit the director realized that the movie was too soft so they brought in effect dude John Buechler (directed Friday The 13th 7) for one day of extra "blood" filming. The thumb in the forehead, the redneck's head getting twisted…all his.

Day 26: Halloween Movie Reviews Part I...

With Halloween within a week, I’m getting super-psyched! I had plans doing this earlier in the 31 Days of Halloween, but just had other things to post on. Now, I love Horror movies. I love the scary ones, and I love the cheesy ones that never should have been made…or thought up. Seeing as though I love Halloween and horror movies, I especially love Halloween-themed horror movies. Imagine that, right?

Well there are more than what you’d think to chose from, but not one of them comes close to that of the Halloween series. As part of the 31 Days of Halloween, I’ll be posting a review of each film, including the 2007, Rob Zombie film. I hope you enjoy…


A true classic, and one of, if not my favorite horror film. I was watching the 100 scariest movie moments on Bravo, and was shocked that this one came in at #13. I thought it would be higher than that. This film captures everything that is so wonderful about Halloween, like nothing else has been able to since.

I remember watching this movie at a very young age with my dad, who would make me closes my eyes during the good parts.

Basic Story:
From the dark "pumpkin" opening credits, I knew I was in for something special. The first 10 minutes where the director puts us behind the eyes of the killer are sheer brilliance and what follows is an atmospheric, simple, subtle thriller with an ambiguous ending. This movie has many daytime scenes, where Michael stalks, and those scenes are chilling to say the least. If you’re not safe from Michael Myers in the daytime, you’re doomed when the sun goes down.

For me The Shape is more than a robotic killer, he’s all the evil energy that’s in the air compassed into one being. He can be anywhere and everywhere, day or night, you’re never safe… Once Death arrives in Haddonfield, Michael’s presence seems to swallow the town…he’s death on two legs and he’s ready to strike. Halloween night belongs to him!

Acting:
Jamie Lee Curtis (Laurie) is dead on and has great lungs. She owns the title of top scream queen hands down. She’s also an excellent actress. Donald Pleasence (Loomis) gives a focused and engaging performance. It also helps that the dialogue he has is very well written. Nancy Kayes (Annie) gives an OK performance surpassed by the exquisite shape of her bootie. John Michael Graham (Bob) and P.J. Soles (Lynda) are both very annoying to the eyes and ears, lucky for us they annoy Michael too and he takes care of them quickly…thanks Mike…we owe you one…

The Gore:
Very light, but you don't need gore when you have pure, unfiltered terror.

The Good stuff:
P.J. Soles showcases her knockers, too bad her constant giggling and airhead posturing consumes most of our attention. “See anything you like,” she asks. Yes. Yes, I do.

The Music:
One of the best scores ever put to a genre film. It consists of piano and synthesizer. Its a very simplistic score and is one of the films strongest elements.

The Bottom Line:
This movie isn’t without its faults. Annie (Kyes) splashes a few drops of something on her shirt while cooking and proceeds to strip down to her underwear?!? Also who has a washer and dryer outside and far away from the house, kind of inconvenient. But those "slasher flick" inconsistencies are quickly ignored. Halloween has a simple plot, simple soundtrack and proves that sometimes simplicity can be as strong or even stronger then a movie with too many things going on.

Many people condemn the horror genre, saying it’s dumb and overly violent. Well if those people don't see art in Halloween, then they’re blind and missing out on the best slasher film ever.

Trivia:
Nick Castle (Michael) went to film school with Carpenter. He helped co-write "Escape From New York" and directed "The Boy Who Could Fly" and "The Last StarFighter" (I loved both those movies when I was a kid.)

Funny how the movie the kids are watching on TV (the original The Thing) was later on remade by Carpenter.

The Shape mask is a "William Shatner" mask they painted white.


You know, I watched this one the other day, and I had forgotten just how much I liked it. This is one of the best horror-movie sequels ever. It captures the fear and chaos left over from Halloween, and continues it in a very good, chilling way. I've never stayed the night in a hospital since I have seen this...and I can honeslty say that I don't want to.

Basic Story:
Continuation of the first Halloween, Michael Myers is on the loose in Haddonfield, Laurie Strode is taken to the hospital, the dumb cops can’t find Michael and Dr. Loomis is losing his mind trying to find our mask-wearing killer.

Michael kills a few people in town but really gets cranking when he reaches the hospital and decides to inflict his own brand of medicine upon big boobed nurses and the doctors drooling over them. Will he get to Laurie? Will Dr. Loomis save the day? Will we get more than one gratuitous boob shot? All those questions…and all I will say is that the Shape is back and he’s not happy. Myers sets out to make sure this is a Halloween no one will forget.


Behind the Scenes:
Plagued by creative differences between director Rick Rosenthal and writer John Carpenter, the movie does suffer from the: "it could have been better" syndrome. The first half could be called "Michael Myers’s Big Adventure" where we see way too much of Myers, follow him around as he goes from house to house killing characters we couldn’t give a damn about. But when Michael and Laurie meet up again, the film gets hit with an adrenaline shot of suspense and terror.

The scene where Michael kills that nurse in front of Laurie is way intense and more scenes like that would have made the film better. A great opening credit scene (pumpkin ripping open to reveal the face of death), good writing, the on and off "feel" of the original, "Night Of the Living Dead" cameos on TV and an intense finale saves this film from being another run of the mill slasher.


The Gore:
Michael seems to enjoy torturing his victims in this one. He drowns a girl in a tub of boiling water, inserts a needle in a girl’s eye (owie!), hammer hits to the head, scalpel action but the worse: he drains this girl of all her blood, through hospital tubing… I supposed shot 6 times made old Mikey really pissed!

The Good stuff:
Some horny tease of a nurse shows us her round, luscious basket balls. For the ladies some fat doctor gives us a shot of his flabby ass…God I love being a man.

The Music:
Carpenter’s classic score is remade (by Carpenter). It’s faster, meaner and it’s awesome.

Bottom Line:
A bleaker sequel with way more violence than in the first one. We find out more about Laurie’s tie to Michael and it’s that kind of back story that elevates this film a notch higher. Seeing less of The Shape would have made the movie scarier, in this one he’s the main character. Halloween 2 could have been better (maybe if Carpenter would have directed) but it still satisfies. Probably one of the best horror sequels ever. And that’s saying a lot.

Movie trivia:
Jamie Lee Curtis wore a wig so her hair would look the same as in the first one.

The kid with the boom-box Michael bumps into is none other than Dick Warlock’s (The Shape) son.

Dick Warlock pulled a "Tom Cruise", he’s only 5’9 so they gave him elevator shoes.

Day 25: Cursed Films...

There have actually been many films that have a supposed "curse" on them that has affected the production, and even the cast and crew. The most famous are probably the Poltergeist series, The Exorcist, and The Omen. It is rumored that cast members have died because of the curses. Supposedly, there is something out there that did not want these movies to be made...

Poltergeist

In 1982, Steven Spielberg and Tobe Hooper released the horror hit Poltergeist, which spawned two sequels and even a television series. The trilogy comprises of Poltergeist (1982), Poltergeist II: The Other Side (1986), and Poltergeist III (1988). Each film recounts an episode in the lives of the Freelings, a family who unfortunately moves into a house filled with evil spirits.

But beneath the ghosts on screen, there is something even more chilling. An unusually large amount of deaths have occurred among the former cast of the movies. These deaths have risen the rumor that the productions were cursed due to the stories of the films. It was as if the monsters of the movie world were claiming victims of our world where monsters don't exist. Although coincidence would be a much more common response, four of the cast members have died from this trilogy, two were expected, the other two were not.

22-year-old Dominique Dunne died on November 4th, 1982 at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. It was four days after her boyfriend choked her into a coma from which she never awoke. A few weeks earlier, Dunne had ended her abusive relationship with Los Angeles chef John Sweeney. On the night of October 30th, 1982, he dropped by their former shared residence to plead with her to take him back. The visit did not go as he had hoped, and with what he thought was going to be a quiet conversation, ended with him strangling her for what was later determined to be 4 to 6 minutes, then leaving her for dead in her driveway.

Sweeney was convicted of voluntary manslaughter, sentenced in November, 1983, and released in 1986 after serving only 3 years, 8 months of a 6 and a half year sentence. His sentence is controversial to this day.

Poltergeist, the film in which Dunne appeared, had been released earlier that year, in June.

12-year-old Heather O'Rourke (Carol Anne Freeling) died of septic shock in on February 1, 1988 at the Children's Hospital in San Diego. What had been thought to be a bout of ordinary flu launched her into cardiac arrest during the drive to the hospital as bacterial toxins set loose by a bowel obstruction made their way into her bloodstream. Her heart was successfully restarted and she was flown by helicopter to the larger Children's Hospital where she underwent an operation to remove the obstruction. The toxins destroying her system proved too much, and she died on the operating table.

The circumstances surrounding her passing rendered her death even more of a shock than it otherwise would have been. She went overnight from a little girl who had the flu to a dead little girl who expired during an operation to save her life. Of course such an unexpected death would fuel rumors, especially when considered in conjunction with Dominique Dunne's murder only six years earlier.

O'Rourke appeared in all three Poltergeist movies. Poltergeist III had been completed at the time of her death although it had yet to be released, which lead to rumors that she had expired during shooting and a double had to be used to complete the picture. Gary Sherman eventually decided to use a double and shoot the alternate ended. In an interview he said that the worst time of his life was carrying that little girl out of the church in a casket.

The other two deaths were of seasoned actors well into their careers, both suffering from serious illnesses that would in time take their lives. Because their deaths were not unexpected, only rarely is either one mentioned in connection with the Poltergeist "curse."

60-year-old Julian Beck died of stomach cancer on September 14, 1985 at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York. Beck died during the end of filming and the release. Unlike O'Rourke, his death was not unexpected; he had been battling the cancer for 18 months.

53-year-old Will Sampson died on 3 June 1987 in a Houston hospital after receiving a heart-lung transplant 6 weeks earlier. The cause of his death was ascribed to severe pre-operative malnutrition and post-operative kidney failure and fungal infection. It has been said he knew his chances for survival were small due to his weakened condition prior to surgery.

The Exorcist

Considered the scariest movie of all time, "The Exorcist" won two Academy Awards after it's release in 1973. One for Best Adapted Screenplay, and the second for Best Sound. Most people would think that the book (written by William Peter Blatty) is a made up story. Well it's not. A similar incident occurred in New England with a 13-year-old boy; but this is not what we're discussing today. Today, we are talking about The Exorcist curse.

Due to the accidental deaths and fires on set, and even supposed mental breakdowns from the young Linda Blair (Regan), some would say that an actual demon was trying to stop the filming of this movie. Some rumors state that four to nine people died during the fifteen month filming period. Jack McGowen had just wrapped up filming his small part for the film when he died of a heart attack. Another rumor states that the man who Regan said would die up there was accidentally killed while filming. There were other deaths too. One was that of Max Von Sydow's brother and Linda Blair's grandfather. A night watchman for the set, a crew member that refrigerated the bedroom for the exorcism scenes, and a cameraman's newborn baby were also part of the unexplained deaths.

There was also strange behavior and panic by the cast and crew reported by while filming. Future interviews from the makers of the film have them saying that the filming was a very creepy experience. Another big rumor was that the set caught on fire on night when no one was there. It still remains a mystery to what caused the fire.

There were also strange happenings at screenings for the film. They were filled with people vomiting, fainting, and breaking into hysterics. The Exorcist has proven to have some of the strangest audience reactions of all time. For some reason, the death tolls rose in the areas surrounding Georgetown after the movie was released. Heart attacks were recorded all over the world during premiers. There was even a lightning strike that destroyed a 400-year-old cross during the Italian premiere at the Metropolitan Theater in Rome. Some of these rumors have been confirmed false, but many still believe that something was trying to stop the film. Although there were no incidents on the film's sequels, the original director for the prequel Exorcist: The Beginning, John Frankenheimer, died before filming began.

The Omen

In 1976, The Omen was released which was a hit. It follows the story of an American ambassador who learns that his son is actually the Antichrist.

On the first day of filming, a crew member was in a car accident which destroyed a company car. Harvey Bernhard was driving Richard Donner to his apartment, as Donner was getting out of the car, another came round the corner, tore the door off of the car and trapped Donner between the two. The crew shot a scene at Windsor Safari Park including lions, that was eventually cut. The day they finished shooting with lions, a guard was killed by two of them.

A flight from LA to London with Gregory Peck on it was hit by lightning, and an engine was knocked out. Then eight hours later, a plane with the screenwriter, David Seltzer, on board was also hit by lightning. The crew had hired a private jet, which they would use to some ground scenes. However, the charter company had become booked, and so the Omen's crew flight was canceled. It took off with business men on board.

The jet crashed onto a road, crashing into another car, which crashed into another car, killing all which included the wife and child of the jet's pilot who were in the second car.

Then, after The Omen, the special effects director John Richardson, went to Holland to make A Bridge Too Far, with his girlfriend. He was involved in a car crash, and his girlfriend was beheaded, just like David Warner was

In Damien Omen II, the curse continued. The best friend of William Holden was stabbed while they were on holiday. Also, the entire cast came down with a rare form of influenza, even though no outbreaks had been reported.

Day 24: Halloween Photography...

With only 7 days until Halloween left, it’s time to brush up on your photography skills so you can artfully capture your memories of the big night. After all the preparation you’ve done with decor and costumes, you’re going to want to document it all on film.

It’s easy to end up with Halloween photos that are overexposed, monotonous, or just plain unattractive to the eye. Using a few easy design and photography techniques, you can make sure that your photos are well-lit and “draw the eye”.

1 - Use the Rule of Thirds - Place the main subject or points of interest off-center to achieve striking composition.

2 - Learn to shoot in low light - Don’t rely on a flash, which is often times too harsh for pictures that are taken at night or in otherwise very low light. You can utilize higher film speeds/ISO, slower shutter speeds, and varied lens aperture/f-stops to achieve well-lit shots. Using a tripod when taking long exposures will help prevent camera shake and blurred images.

3- Diffuse your flash - There are times when you simply must have additional lighting. You can soften the light from your camera’s flash by placing a DIY diffuser in front of it. Try using any of the following: women’s nylon stockings, a square cut from a translucent juice or milk jug, scarf or other very thin piece of material, tissue paper, or frosted disposable cups (like Dixie brand).

For more detailed tricks, the New York Institute of Photography has an excellent article that addresses specifics like photographing trick-or-treaters and Jack-o-Lanterns. For a shorter read and more general tips, Digicam Help offers 8 Tips to Keep in Mind for Halloween.

Day 23: Cornfield Maze...

I’m still reeling from my camping trip over the weekend, it really seemed to have kicked my butt. I even went to sleep at 9:30 last night, and not much later the night before.

The trip itself was awesome, and turned out to be much more fun than I had expected it to be. We went to Cowen, W.Va., and camped in the middle of nowhere. I never really knew what “the middle of nowhere,” looked like until this trip. We had to drive a good 30-40 minutes to the nearest gas station, which was also the town’s hang out. But I have to be honest, the drive was beautiful. The leaves were changing and were as bright as I have ever seen.

I took some amazing pictures, but unfortunately I don’t have them to post. Yet. My digital camera broke, so it’ll take a little while for me to get the pictures on here.

Anyway, last friday night, me, my wife, and some of our friends traveled to Milton, W.Va., for the annual Haunted Cornfield. We had to park behind a middle school and then walk/hike a good ways to get to the cornfield. It takes a little while, but eventually you’ll see it, and it’s a pretty impressive site.

You see the start of endless rows of corn, that lead to nothing but darkness. There’s a big books stationed just before the cornfield where you can buy your pass inside and candy, drinks, candy apples and such. A new addition this year was a big video wall that plays Horror movies while you wait in line. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning was playing while we were in line, which added to the spookiness.

By the time we got there, a pretty good line had already formed, but I had seen it longer in previous years. As soon as it got started you could hear the terrorizing sounds of chainsaws coming from somewhere inside the cornfield. Yea, the Texas Chainsaw Massacre ended up being a nice touch.

We were grouped in with some others, and then we made our way into the cornfield. It is such an eerie feeling, being surrounded by corn, not knowing what is lurking near you, and having the moon be your only source of light. I love it.

We laughed, and had a really good time, but the Haunted Maze seemed to have lost some of its appeal compare to previous times out.

The Good:

The Cornfield – I don’t care if there were people jumping out at you or not, being in a huge cornfield at night is very spooky in itself. Throw in the element that people are trying to scare you, and you’re going to have a good time, even with just the pure novelty of it. You can only see a little ways between the tows of corn, and though you never know when someone is coming out at you, you know it’s coming.

The Food – You can by candy, popcorn, candy apples, and so much more. It’s Halloween time, and they have all of your favorite treats for sale. It’s a nice touch.

The Duration – Man it seemed like we were walking through this cornfield forever. It came a time where I questioned if we’d ever get out, or if we were just going to be walking in this field forever. Too many Haunted walk-throughs are too short, but not this one.

The Frightened little girl – We had a girl about 10 in our group, and she was terrified from the get-go. At first, I thought she was playing around…but ohhh no she wasn’t. She was freaking out, and was even crying. It was really kind of sad, and the guide let the little girl and her mom walk up with her. Which was a good idea, for most of the ScareActors were aiming for those in the back of the group. But at one scenario, these two guys with chainsaws came busting out of the corn, weapons of choice in hand and swinging them violently. They went STRAIGHT toward the front of the line, and were chasing and circling this little girl, and other little ones around her. I didn’t want to laugh, but I couldn’t help it. The guys with chainsaws never even looked at us behind…their focus was on this little girl. She was freaking out, and I couldn’t stop laughing.

The Bad:
The ScareActors – While it is very cool that people take time out of their lives to participate in a Haunted Cornfield Maze, they did a better job out of scaring people in previous years. Previously, most of them were decked out in full costume, but this year everyone was wearing jeans, a shirt, and a Halloween mask. It just wasn’t as fun. One guy had a Michael Myers mask, one the ghost face from Scream, but it didn’t have the full effect with them wearing jeans and a t-shirt.

Wasn’t Scary – Aside from being in a cornfield and people screaming, “boo!,” the Haunted Cornfield Maze just wasn’t scary. It was fun. Just not scary.

Day 22: MORE Classic Halloween Episodes...

Though I can't honestly claim that kids of this generation would still be way into Halloween specials, I can solemnly swear to force my own kids to watch them year after year. They’ll watch them as they sit tied in a chair, if need be. I don't have kids yet, but when I do, Abram and Audry will know the entire scripts these specials by heart by age 3. Or they will be disowned. Just kidding.

But not really.

Here are some more of my favorites...

Doug's Halloween Adventure...
Doug remains one of my all-time favorite cartoons. It’s a shame you can’t catch the reruns anymore, and an even bigger shame that the series hasn’t been released on DVD. There’s something very wrong with that.

I have several episodes of Doug that I absolutely love, and Doug’s Halloween Adventure is one of them. The Halloween specials are always memorable, for it is a break from their normal formula and hits a subject that you can only do once a year. There’s just something about them.

In Doug’s Halloween Adventure, a spooky new amusement ride, Blood Stone Manor, opens up at Funkytown on Halloween night. Skeeter wants to check it out instead of trick or treating since it seems too childish. Story has it that the ride was closed because the ride testers rode it and the only things that came back were their shoes. OOOOOHH…SCARY! Moreover, the house that hosted the ride, has a haunting past.

Doug, after being tormented by Roger and being made fun of for Trick or Treating, reluctantly agrees to go, but when the park closes before their turn comes up, Roger convinces them to go on the ride anyway. While on the ride, Doug and Skeeter are having a blast, while it is Roger that scared silly. The ride shuts down halfway and Skeeter and Doug go to walk around to find help. Roger, who realizes how big of a chicken he was being on the ride, decides to scare Doug and Skeeter by exiting the ride, but only leaving his shoes. With help from an unexpected friend, Doug and Skeeter find a way out, and in the meantime come up with a trick to get back at Roger.

It’s silly, it’s fun, and it’s Doug at his finest. A Halloween treat, this one it.

Mad Monster Party?...
The Rankin-Bass Christmas specials are a huge part of my yearly Christmastime traditions. Likewise, their Halloween-themed Mad Monster Party? Has quickly became a holiday favorite of mine.

Classic monster movies were enjoying a resurgence in popularity in the late 1960's, and humorous monsters like The Addams Family and The Munsters were enormously popular.

Dr Frankenstein decides to retire, leaving the monster business to his nephew, Felix. Frankenstein plans to announce his decision at a convention of monsters that includes his monster, Dracula, the Werewolf, the Creature from the Black Lagoon, Dr Jekyll & Mr Hyde and many more. However when Felix proves to be an incompetent (and unsuitably kind-hearted) human, the monsters plot to eliminate him and gain control of Frankenstein's latest discovery: the secret of total destruction!

The songs are terrible, and the story is a little lame, but I just can’t help but to enjoy it. Despite being a special targeted toward children, there is some dark humor that only the older audiences would get. And to my knowledge, this is the only “children’s program,” that ends in a mushroom cloud. How cool is that?


Alvin and the Chipmunks: Trick or Treason...
I originally saw this special many many years ago on the USA Network. I stumbled on USA airing the animated version of “The Canterville Ghost,” and hit record on my VCR. After Ghost ended, Alvin came on with a true Halloween Treat!

It’s days before Halloween, and the chipmunks are at home partaking in events of the season. Simon is displaying a flying ghost decoration he invited, while Theodore puts icing on his Halloween cookies. Alvin wants to join a gang that is well known for playing pranks on Halloween, and practices on his brothers.

The group that Alvin wants to be accepted into is the Monster Club, whose members seem to think its cool to be cruel. Thing is, there's a hefty initiation required to join…he’ll have to display a trick to the Monster’s with the hope that they’ll use his trick for their “Monster Mash,” on Halloween night! One target they wish to pull a prank on is a boy with a deformed face who they call PumpkinHead (I kid you not)!

Why would Alvin want to join this group of thugs? Easy. According to Alvin, their jackets are really cool. In fact, their jackets are so cool, that women and nice cars flock to them.

Hell…after watching this, I wanted to join!

It takes Theodore's friendship to Michael (PumpkinHead), to show Alvin that being a true friend is really a lot more cool than trying to be a popular Monster. Awww…


Home Improvement...
I'm a huge fan of the show, and it gets even funnier the more I watch it. I have the first 7 season on DVD, and like Roseanne, it's Home Improvement's holiday specials that seperate them from other great sitcoms.

There are about 10 Halloween episodes, but every one of them are very entertaining in their own right. Seeing the writers work a holiday into a show about home improvement, shows off the talents of the writers, as they delivered with some classic, and just plain funny episodes. One of my favorites was titled Crazy For You. In terms of Halloween specials, it doesn't get much better than this one.

It's Hallowe'en and Jill plans to get even with Tim "The King of Halloween" Taylor, who always plays a trick on her and everybody else on Halloween. Marie, their neighbor, pretends to be "Rose," a fan of Tim on Tool Time. She sends him cookies but Wilson thinks they might be poisoned. When "Rose" calls Tim at home, she says that she loves him and wants him. In no time, Tim is a total wreck, picking up a bat before opening the door, and so on. Just before shooting a Tool Time show, he realizes that the audience is full of women from the "Sharpshooters Club" and he gets a letter from "Rose" telling him that she's sitting in the front row and will be at Tim's Halloween Party that night.

It's a great Halloween-themed episode and you can tell the cast is having a good time filming it. Watch Home Improvement re-runs during this week and next...I'm sure TBS or WGN will be airing it.


RELATED POST(S):
http://teeerav.blogspot.com/2007/10/day-19-classic-halloween-epsiodes.html

Day 21: Gross Halloween Candy...

One of my favorite things about Halloween is the candy. You can get tons of treats that you just can't find at any other time during the year. I stumbled across some pretty weird (and disgusting) looking candy. These candies are tasty treats that, for the most part, just look kind of creepy.

Here's a collection of the 10 Grossest Candy to munch on!

Candy #10: Scorpion Suckers

Eating these suckers makes you feel like your living in a nightmare. What do you think the thought process was for this one? This takes the “fly in the icecube” gag to a whole new level. Personally, I don’t know why anyone would get the idea, “hey, let’s put scorpion’s inside of a lollipop,” but whatever. It still seems pretty gross, yet intriguing at the same time.


Candy #9: Toxic Waste!

This candy is literally toxic! If you're up for adding more sourness to your life, let me introduce you to Toxic Waste. This is designed to be the biggest sour sensation you've EVER experienced. I tend to pass on the sour stuff anyway, but it being names Toxic Waste just adds another level of gross to it. The candy inside the Toxic container is actually a lollipop with three layers: the outer layer is sour, the middle layer is sweet, and the third layer is extremely sour. It’s supposedly the only double-action sour flavor on the planet. If you like sour, this is THE choice in candy for you.


Candy #8: Skeleton Pops

What could be creepier than eating another person? The brilliant creator of this candy takes advantage of this phobia, and turns a part of the human anatomy into a tasty treat: your bones! Don't worry; this nifty candy tastes like strawberries and not blood or bones, so go on… Lick those bones clean.





Eyes of Terror GumballsCandy #7: Eyes of Terror Gumballs

This candy is a gumball, and gives a pretty good imitation of a human eyeball. These little candies will creep just about anybody out, especially when they try to eat it. I love to gew on some bubblegum, but I would hesitate for a second about popping one shapped like an eye. I wonder if there is juice in the middle?



Candy #6: Gummy Snakes


If you like gummi bears, you’ll like these. I don’t like Gummies, and I one thing I absolutely hate is snakes. I don’t care how good the flavoring might be, I won’t be sticking a snake’s head in my mouth. Ok…that sounded really, really gross. I’ll just move on now.




Candy #5: Lick Your Wounds Candy Scabs

The idea of watching someone pick at their scab is weird (even though we all do it) The thought of having to watch someone lick and eat their scabs is totally disgusting. But teasing someone with this cool treat could be kind of fun. It’s shaped like a Band-Aid, and really sticks to your arm. So get close and comfortable to the one you want to gross out, peel back the Band-Aid and start licking your scab! And have fun watching their faces turn away in disgust.



Candy #4: Cockroach Bites

Bugs are probably the last thing on this entire earth that you want to pick up and start eating. The Cockroach Bites look just like real cockroaches, so this candy can truly gross you out. I found that the crunchy outer layer to this candy is the most disturbing, because it makes you feel like you're actually eating a big crunchy bug. How gross is that?



Candy #3: Dripping Boogers Candy

How many times have you been stopped at a traffic light, and the guy/gal next to you is digging for gold? We’ve all seen it, and we all have that same look of disgust on our faces. Dripping Bookers Candy? I don’t know why you’d buy this when you can get it for free.






Candy #2: Ear Wax Candy

Delicious candy fruity paste oozes from the ear holes of this disgusting dispenser.... just like real ear wax! It comes with a custom q-tip type stick to eat it with. This is another one…I don’t care how good the flavoring of the candy is…I’d have a hard time with it. It’s just nasty.





Candy #1: Chocka Ca-Ca

This is by far is the most repulsive candy I have ever seen in my life; but it’s also my favorite! Ca-Ca is a fudge candy that comes wrapped in a diaper, and is even shaped like liquid piled on top of liquid. It's like eating poo right out of a diaper! While eating this candy, you could keep reminding yourself that it is just fudge, but I would still find it difficult to get it down, for how would you know if it’s chocolate fudge, or the kind your butt makes? I see a sick joke waiting to happen.

That’s my article on gross candy! Hope you enjoyed it, and feel free to read some of the other Days of Halloween!
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Day 20: Scary Sci-Fi...

The Sci-Fi Channel is doing their part to bring some scare into Halloween. This year Sci-Fi has scheduled their 13 Days of Halloween, and will feature a wide-variety of films from Psycho to Final Destination 2. In reality, their lineup looks pretty good! Maybe not QUITE as good as Monsterfest, but definitely better than the ABC Family junk.

Of all of the films and specials that they will be airing for Halloween, there are four of them that really stand out to me. The Ghost Hunters Live (which I already covered), The Wraiths of Roanoke, the Headless Horseman, and Ghost Adventures all look pretty damn good.

Wraiths of Roanoke

This movie is a Sci-Fi original, and if you’ve never seen one of their films, you should. It’s usually hit and miss, but the funding they get for their films is pretty impressive. They’re not your normal “made-for-tv” productions…not by a long shot.

Based on the lost Virginia colony of Roanoke Island, colonists are attacked by three wraiths (ghosts). Crops won't grow in the island's soil, and there are no animals in the forest. Settlers begin dying, and it soon becomes apparent that there is a supernatural presence on the island. The acting governor tries to understand what is happening while the people are being killed off. Finally piecing together half remembered Norse legends and local Native American tales he realizes these are the spirits of 3 Viking witches, trapped on the island with the colonists. The settlers look to find a way to end the siege and survive the winter against these unwelcome ghosts.

The scenery looks pretty impressive, and the setting is something that doesn’t get tapped into that much, which adds to the novelty.


The Headless Horseman

We all know the story of the Headless Horseman….

The man who became the Headless Horseman was a Hessian mercenary hired by the British Army in 1776 in order to assist British soldiers in the Revolutionary War. Among the 548 Hessian mercenaries who lost their lives in that war, he was killed in battle near Sleepy Hollow, New York when his head was blown off by a cannonball. According to later local legend, the Horseman returned in spirit form to take the heads of the living. Ichabod Crane ignores the warnings of danger from the legendary Horseman and later meets an unknown fate at the hands of the horseman. Although Crane's rival Brom Bones may have been masquerading as the Horseman, it is not explicitly determined whether Crane encounters the actual Horseman or Brom Bones.

Since the Horseman's introduction into popular culture he has become a horror staple, and has had appearances or been parodied in dozens of television shows, comic books, and movies. The Horseman was played by Christopher Walken and Ray Park in Tim Burton's 1999 film adaptation. In Burton's movie, the horseman meets his end at the hands of the American forces who ambush him, killing his horse, and then overtake the Horseman and decapitate him.

But Sci-Fi has set out to change it a little bit. They will air a new, slasher movie take on the legend titled Headless Horseman which takes the tack that the Washington Irving story was the "white-washed" version and the events in this horror film is the real story.

So basically, it’s a bloody, good time with the feared Headless Horseman packing a punch like he never has before. This could be good! This could be very, very good!


Ghost Adventures

On Wednesday, July 25th millions tuned into the Sci-Fi Channel for the TV premiere of "Ghost Adventures," a raw documentary' in which Zak Bagans, Nick Groff, and Aaron Goodwin go to Virginia City, NV and Goldfield, NV on a ghost-hunting expedition.

Zak and his crew venture into places where others fear to tread. "Ghost Adventures" is probably one of the most convincing paranormal documentaries that viewers have seen, or will ever see. Along with the usual orbs there are noises, EVP (electronic voice phenomena), mysterious shadows, flying objects, and the coup de gracea…a full-bodied apparition.

This film and the Zak's techniques have been described as "extreme ghost-hunting" due in part to the taunts Zak slews at potential spirits in a highly controversial way, to the areas that they visited, and partly due to the evidence that they captured. A friend of mine, who has seen the documentary said, “it is the most convincing evidence of a haunting that I have ever seen.” Coming from him…it meant a lot.

The Sci-Fi channel has this scheduled on Halloween, so be sure to catch it. I know I will

Day 19: Classic Halloween Epsiodes...

I have dozens of 6-hour VHS tapes full of nothing but Halloween episodes of TV shows. LIsted below are some are my favorites...

Simpson’s Treehouse of Horror
The real title of this episode was The Simpsons Halloween Special and remained that title for the other Halloween episodes up until the 13th Halloween episode the title was changed to Treehouse of Horror. I hope this show never gets canceled just so I can get a new Treehouse of Horror every year. These combine some really weird and often classic stories, while presenting it in the usual whip smart Simpsons way.

The first few Treehouse episodes were the best, for they at least had a central “Halloween” theme in them. They had Homer trick-or-treating and overhearing Bart and Lisa telling scary stories (the mini-episodes) or Homer, Bart, and Lisa eating too much Halloween candy that it gave them nightmares (the mini-episodes). So that much, I miss. The Simpsons have released one DVD of Treehouse of Horror episodes, but there are only 5 on the DVD. Of course, you can also see these on the Simpsons Season DVD sets.

Roseanne
Most TV shows celebrated the holiday season with warm & fuzzy Christmas specials. But for the Roseanne, the year’s best celebrations always belonged to Halloween. Roseanne and her family always had fun on Halloween…to them it was a time for family.

This finally came out on DVD in 2006! The Connor family celebrates Halloween in wicked style with elaborate pranks, gross costumes, parties and haunts, and lots of unexpected surprises. As an adult, if you’ve ever lost your Halloween spirit, Roseanne will rekindle it for you. Trust me!


The Adventures of Pete & Pete: Halloweenie
I was always a big fan of Pete and Pete, and always felt as though it was a bit ahead of its time. In a way, I consider it my generation’s version of The Wonder years.

It shows the two main emotions felt around the holiday: excitement (little Pete's quest for glory) and fear (older Pete's fear of being unmasked). You see, Big Pete is growing up, and just doesn’t look at Halloween the way he used to. Little Pete can’t understand why.

The brothers Pete are trying to reconcile their ages and interests. I’m years past the struggle, and never gave up hope as Big Pete did, but I strongly sympathize with the disillusionment he feels, and the abandonment Little Pete feels in response. You might, too.

Garfield’s Halloween Adventure
Garfield fashions himself a pirate costume then pursueds Odie to go out trick-or-treating to ensure extra candy. But when attempting to cross a river on a boat, Garfield and Odie end up at a house haunted by Pirate ghosts!

For an 80’s child, this special is gold. I watched this so frequently as a child that even now I can repeat it almost line for line, sound for sound. I got a copy a few years ago on DVD, and enjoy the nostalgia it evokes and the Garfield humor of days gone by.

Released in 1985, it is probably my all-time favorite Halloween Special. The humor, the music, the setting, everything is spot on and it is just magic. Oh, this special also marks the first appearance of Binky The Clown…a piece of trivia you might not have known.

It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown
Its initial broadcast took place on October 27, 1966, on the CBS network; CBS re-aired the special annually through 2000, with ABC picking up the rights beginning in 2001. As Linus and Charlie Brown's little sister, Sally Brown, sit in the pumpkin patch, the gang of Charlie Brown, Lucy, Schroeder, Pig-Pen, Patty and Violet go trick-or-treating. Everyone gets candy (except for Charlie Brown, who for some reason always gets a rock in his bag). At the pumpkin patch, Linus faints when he thinks he finally sees his mysterious hero, which turns out to be nothing but a silhouette of Snoopy in his World War I Flying Ace outfit. Sally comes to the realization that she’s wasted her Halloween, while Linus keeps hope.

Behind Garfield, this may be the greatest Halloween special of all time. Except, of course, for the far-too-long scene involving Snoopy (aka the Red Baron) shooting down WWII planes. Thank goodness for fast forwarding! Aside from that, truly a classic and a must see every Halloween.