Poltergeist

       I was ten years old when I first experienced "Poltergeist".  I went to a friend's house to watch it because it had just hit HBO.  I was told that I must see this movie immediately.  I was dying to see it anyway.  Needless to say, I was completely blown away by what I was seeing on the screen in front of me.  "Poltergeist", directed by Tobe Hooper (although let's be fair here- this movie has Steven Spielberg's stamp all over it...), literally scared the hell out of me.  But it was so much fun- a non-stop roller-coaster ride that never lets up for one second. It's completely entertaining on all levels.  Besides being a top-notch thrill ride, it has the added bonus of some great writing and even greater acting.

     Craig T. Nelson, JoBeth Williams, and the kids are sensational in their roles- they're 100% believable and even though the film boasts some astonishing special effects, the acting is what makes "Poltergeist" work. On top of the great family, we're treated to the wonderful Beatrice Straight and Zelda Rubinstein.  This was every family I knew in the 80's.  I lived this.  I completely identified with every single frame of that movie.  I was Robbie- terrified of the shadow on my closet door by the tree outside my window at night.  I also had a super scary clown, I just chose not to keep it.  "Poltergeist" was the second, big haunted house movie I had seen- the first being "The Amityville Horror".  As much as I enjoyed "Amityville", "Poltergeist" seemed real to me at the time.  It really made you think that it could happen to anybody, at anytime.

       "Poltergeist" is hands down one of the greatest haunted house movies ever made.  Besides having the talents of  Tobe Hooper and Spielberg involved, we get the delicious and chilling score by Jerry Goldsmith and one of the most well-known and parodied lines from any movie... "They're heeere.....".  "Poltergeist" is Steven Spielberg's vision of a haunted house/ghost story, and a great one at that.  For some reason taking the haunted house out of the gloomy, cobwebbed mansion and bringing it into contemporary suburbia only made it all the more scary.  It became the standard for haunted house movies to come. The film is making a comeback of sorts, it seems.  I see it talked about more and more on horror blogs in the past couple of years, and next year (2012) will be the films 30th anniversary.

     "Poltergeist" was one of the biggest and most influential movies of my youth, and it's impossible not to think of this movie when you talk of the 1980's.  I know I had never seen anything like this before.  It quite literally blew my mind.  Sadly I did not get to witness this on the big screen, so I can only imagine the effect this had in that environment.  Just watching it on a dark, rainy afternoon on a reasonably large tv as I did was extremely powerful.  It was like "E.T." sort of... only scary.  And as unbelievable as it all is- Craig T. Nelson, JoBeth Williams, Oliver Robins, Dominique Dunne, and Heather O'Rourke firmly make you believe every second of it.  They're very believable, and my mother actually resembled JoBeth back then.  This movie, like so many from the 80's, never fails to entertain me.  It's just such a huge part of my childhood.  Luckily, I've never outgrown it, because it's still a hell of good movie.  Maybe slightly dated because of the whole channels signing off at midnight thing, but overall it's still as sharp and witty as always, with the banter between Nelson and Williams priceless.

     "Poltergeist" was so successful and popular it would start not only a franchise, but an undying urban legend about the so-called "Poltergeist" curse that is slowly and methodically killing off all involved with the films.  The film would garner 3 Academy Awards, and ranked # 80 on Bravo's 100 Scariest Movie Moments and #69 on AFI's 100 Years... 100 Movie Quotes for "They're Heeere...".  "Poltergeist" would gross over $78 million dollars and become the highest-grossing horror film of 1982.  It has become a bona fide horror classic, and well deserved at that.  This was some serious nightmares for many kids my age, and I know of a few who are deathly afraid of clowns because of it.  But overall, it's still such a fun movie to watch.  I love this movie.  Dearly.

Halloween 3: Season of the Witch

"The Night No One Comes Home!"

     Yes I know- it's the most hated of the franchise. Virtually everybody in the world it seems to absolutely detest HALLOWEEN 3: SEASON OF THE WITCH.  But in all honesty, that's hard for me to swallow.  I'm used to being in the minority anyway when it comes to the things I truly dig, so here goes. I actually find the third installment much more entertaining and creative than the rest of the franchise. Yes, I said it. It's true. And I'm not ashamed to admit this either...

     This was a terrible flop when released,  as audiences in 1982 simply wanted gore and more gore, and they wanted Michael Myers providing it. HALLOWEEN 3 came hot off the heels of the sequel, which grossed $25.5 million in 1981.  Movie-goers didn't quite feel the same way about the third, and I just can't understand why.  I honestly believe that if the movie was never released as a HALLOWEEN film at all, it would have an entirely different reputation. The only reason people hate this movie so much is the absence of Michael Myers and Jamie Lee Curtis. If it had simply been titled SEASON OF THE WITCH, with no reference to the HALLOWEEN films at all, I think the film's reputation would have been far greater today.

     Because in all honesty, it's actually quite good. I'm being totally serious here. This movie is nowhere as "bad" as it's supposed to be, and there's lots to love here.People just can't seem to grasp the concept that Carpenter and crew figured that Michael Myers was actually dead at the end of HALLOWEEN 2,and that they never intended to be an anthology of films featuring him anyway, so why bring him back?

     Instead, they thought that a whole slew of spooky stories about October 31st would be a much more creative and energetic series. The original idea was to do a Twilight Zone-like series of movies, all having something to do with the actual date of October 31st, but not the storyline of the original. No Haddonfield. No Laurie Strode. No Dr. Loomis. No Michael Myers. Just a bunch of creepy stories centering around Halloween and all its rich atmosphere. So after the success of HALLOWEEN 2,  the powers that be figured audiences would be ready for this new direction in the series. Which... they weren't. Slashers were white hot at the time- fantasy/horror hadn't become popular yet.  Audiences still wanted a masked killer with a knife offing horny teens, and I think this film was a bit too intelligent and ahead of its time.

      I still firmly believe that the original concept would have been a much more rewarding and creative series of movies. I mean, think about this for a minute. Imagine the possibilities of say, ten different films, all taking place on or around October 31st, but all different, original storylines... Are you seeing what I'm getting at here?  Imagine the possibilities!

      SEASON OF THE WITCH is actually much better written, has much better cinematography, direction and acting, and is honestly just put together better overall than all of those later HALLOWEEN films combined.  It's actually a dark and strange little horror movie, the kind of story you might find in an old issue of "Tales From the Crypt" or a hoary old episode of that late-night staple, "Tales From the Darkside". It offers a taste of what the series could and should have been, instead of the disappointing and annoying HALLOWEEN 4: THE RETURN OF MICHAEL MYERS...  This movie offers an amazing sense of dread and fear- great atmosphere.  Superb October atmosphere, to be exact.

     The film is based on an idea that there is a evil plot by a mask company who with the aid of witchcraft,  intend to kill the children of America on Halloween night through a series of masks- witch, skull, and jack-o-lantern. Sounds silly, right?  Sure. It is silly. But HALLOWEEN 3 really is just like a good episode of the old "Tales From the Darkside" that I used to watch late at night.  I mean, you get Tom Atkins,  first and foremost, which I'll take in any movie. It's Tom Atkins!  Plus you get a great and eerie electronic score (brilliantly synthesized and moody!), creepy Stepford-like men in suits, an INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS-type conspiracy, witchcraft, tons of bugs and snakes, and some clever homages to the original HALLOWEEN and other classic horror films. Oh and that damn Silver Shamrock jingle that will not leave your head once you've heard it.  I find myself endlessly fascinated and mystified by SEASON OF THE WITCH, because it's just so different and daring. And dark. This really is a twisted and diabolical little movie.  It's just frustrating because so many people have such a closed mind when it comes to this movie.

     Now as far as actually being as 'scary' as the original?  No, it's not. But it is a quietly disturbing little horror movie that actually does have a lot to offer, if only given the chance. People complain about how formulaic and un-creative Hollywood can be, yet when they actually do try something creative, they're crucified for it.  Let's face it- the latter HALLOWEEN movies are just nowhere near the level of the first two films in the series.  They are mindless sequels only made to satisfy the masses and to top the latest FRIDAY THE 13TH and A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET installment. And it shows. Get some half-assed Michael Myers killing teenagers.  That's basically about it.  If you ask me, those movies have tarnished the good name of the series, not the third installment.  At least this movie had some creative thought behind it, even though it didn't turn out as good as it could have been.  Not a perfect movie by any means, but it's still far better than most make it out to be. I actually find this to be a very cool movie, and there's a reason why it's always shown on television around Halloween.  I love it!  The original, the sequel, and this one make the perfect October trilogy.  Skip the rest.  Trust me.

Friday the 13th Part 4: The Final Chapter

     Believe it or not, FRIDAY THE 13TH: THE FINAL CHAPTER actually was intended to be the very last Jason Voorhees movie. But with it grossing $32 million dollars at the box office, the powers that be said they weren't retiring the hockey mask so quickly after all. And it's a shame, because it's such a doozy of a film that it could've ended the series with a strong bang. 

FRIDAY THE 13TH: THE FINAL CHAPTER is one of the last, great slashers of the 80's, and unfortunately the last truly good film of the franchise (well, besides the sixth installment, which we'll get to later...). Picking up right

where the previous FRIDAY left off with Jason lying in a barn with an ax in his head, the fourth installment kicks off in high gear and never lets up for a second.

     THE FINAL CHAPTER was the goriest entry to date, with the great Tom Savini returning in the effects department. Savini has said that since he basically "created" Jason, he wanted to be the one to "destroy" him once and for all, which makes perfect sense to me. Jason is still a hulking, scary menace- he's superbly portrayed by Ted White, who perfectly continues what Richard Brooker did in Part 3.

     Director Joe Zito generates some genuine unease and good, solid scares along the way- which blend well with the top-notch effects by Tom Savini. Zito also throws in some nice homages to the first three films, bringing the story full circle.

     It really should have ended for good after this one. They would have had 4 relatively strong and influential slashers to go down in history as a remarkable series- but they didn't. They have honestly milked Jason Voorhees for all the poor guy's worth- the same fate has also been bestowed on Michael Myers and Freddy Krueger, if you ask me.

      This is it kids- the last, great one before the franchise would mercilessly jump the shark and become more and more ludicrous with each passing film. This is Jason's swan song. It's over the top, more of a rollercoaster ride than a movie. There's not much of a plot here, but does it really matter at this point? Jason is found dead in a bard and taken to the morgue. Of course he's not dead, and escapes. He goes back to the woods to kill more. That's pretty much all you need to know- and it's a helluva lot of fun.

    THE FINAL CHAPTER provoked strong audience interaction and participation in theaters as the movie-going public ate up every single frame flickering on the big screen. The film was a hit, grossing $32.9 million in the US- even though the slasher film craze was starting to end. Besides, you know you're usually in for a good time when Corey Feldman shows up. Throw in Kimberly Beck who makes a great Final Girl, some DoubleMint Twins, Crispin Glover, and a wicked sense of humor and you've got a great 80's slasher that holds up well today.

Silent Scream

       A gloomy seaside boardinghouse occupied by college students who can't find on-campus housing is the setting for this lost slasher.  The house is owned by Mrs. Engels (Yvonne DeCarlo), her strange son, Mason (Brad Reardon), and her daughter Victoria (Barbara Steele), who's suffering from a botched lobotomy.  Her surgery has left her elusive and dangerous, and like a dirty secret, she's kept locked in the attic.  On top of all this madness, a mysterious killer with a knife is lurking...

      "Silent Scream" has finally found it way to DVD, and for those of you who haven't seen this little-known slasher flick from 1980, it may surprise you.  I watched it again last night, and thoroughly enjoyed the experience.  This movie was exactly as I remembered it from 1987 when I first saw it, and I had a blast with it.  This is exactly the type of movie that made me such a fan of horror in the first place.

   

     Rebecca Balding plays Scotty, who's just a gal out looking for some affordable off-campus housing, and soon finds herself up to her Tenille in the eerie old house full of dark, family secrets and a murderous psychopath on the loose.   Scotty moves into the strange residence, meeting Mason and eventually his mother.  She instantly senses that something is just a little off in this crazy house.  (And boy, is there...)  We're also treated to wisecracking Doris, another residence of the house, along with a hunky college student whom Scotty instantly takes a shine to. Doris is certainly a hoot, but things waste no time turning sinister as we're immediately treated to creepy eyes peering through vents and a frenzied stabbing of another student on the beach.  The student was also living in Mrs. Engels' house, so after the body is found, a police investigation is launched, and the mystery of the mansion and its strange owners is all unraveled.  But not after some serious stabbings occur in the dark, dusty mansion.

     "Silent Scream" is a marvel.  Practically nobody has even heard of this little movie, yet I find it far more entertaining than say, "My Bloody Valentine".  This is a great little slasher, simple and to the point.  It moves along nicely, and you kind of dig Scotty- she's quite likable.  Mason is super weird and creepy, and his mother, (who's actually Lily Munster herself!) manages to be spooky on her own.  But Barbara Steele owns this movie.  She is truly scary in her role- she never utters a word in the entire film, yet completely steals the show. This would be her only on-screen performance in the 80's.

       "Silent Scream" was released slightly before the bloody onslaught of hundreds of copycat slashers, and kind of just got lost in the shuffle.  It's a shame, really, because it's actually quite good.  Predictable and cliched?  Sure.  But it does deliver some genuine shocks and suspense.  And it's chock full of dark cobwebbed hallways, frenzied stabbings, spooky music, and days of atmosphere.  All that on top of Barbara Steele's unnerving, eerie stare...  It doesn't hit you over the head as say "Friday the 13th" did, instead going for more of a disquieting, eerie effect.  It's a nifty mix of Gothic and Slasher flick, and I can't stop talking about the chilling Barbara Steele.   It borrows heavily from "Psycho" and "Halloween", and that's part of what makes it great.  Bottom line, "Silent Scream" is nothing spectacular, but it is a neat and underrated little thriller that certainly deserves an audience.  I love this little forgotten movie.  This is the kind of movie that you might stumble across at 11:30 one night and get completely caught up in.  If you enjoy gloomy mansions, spooky cellars and secret passageways that lead to certain doom, then "Silent Scream" is for you.  And it's available on Netflix!

  

      The film received a high-definition 1.78:1 transfer with a 5.1 surround soundtrack, so "Silent Scream" looks great.  Nothing you haven't seen before, but this one did leave an impact on me when I first saw it years ago on VHS.

Creepshow

     It's absolutely true. CREEPSHOW is the most fun you'll ever have being scared, and I love, love, LOVE this movie. Inspired by the wonderful E.C. comics of the 1950's, it's a loving tribute to the horror genre, and deliciously brought to life by the combined talents of Stephen King, George A. Romero, and Tom Savini. CREEPSHOW is a horror fans dream, and dammit why aren't these types of films made anymore?  (I'll get toTRICK 'R TREAT later...)  Perfection this movie is, in every way possible.  Any movie that combines corpses and cockroaches and features the likes of Adrienne Fucking Barbeau, Leslie Nielson, Tom Atkins, and Ted Danson is alright by me.

     CREEPSHOW begins with some young kid being punished for reading an old horror comic by his douchebag father, played by the awesome Tom Atkins. Dad throws the comic out the window, which magically comes to life.

     The fun starts with "Father's Day". This is your typical, 50's-style, back-for-revenge tale complete with a rising corpse crawling out of his grave to terrorize Aunt Bedelia and family on Father's Day.  Look for a very young Ed Harris disco dancing. It's irresistibly creepy and entertaining.

     "The Lonesome Death Of Jordy Verrill" is the second story, and it's a valentine to those nifty sci-fi/horror films of the 50's.  Stephen King himself plays a dumb-witted farmer who discovers an asteroid in his back yard and stupidly picks it up.  Soon, he finds his farm and himself overgrown with weeds, being slowly consumed by the alien foliage. Probably my least favorite segment, but it's still a lot of fun.

      "Something To Tide You Over" is definitely one of the scariest of them all, as it offers a cold-blooded Leslie Nielsen who catches his ex-wife and Ted Danson in an affair. Before they know it, the lovebirds find themselves up to their necks in the sand... with the tides about to come in... Of course, being a horror comic, Danson and partner return from the dead for a little old-fashioned revenge on poor  Leslie.

      "The Crate" is the most awesome story of the bunch, as the divine Adrienne Barbeau plays wonderfully loud-mouthed and sassy Wilma, the wife of hen-pecked Hal Halbrook. Seems ole' Hal has discovered a huge crate hidden under the stairs at the university where he works that's obviously been there for many years, with something alive inside it. Adrienne Barbeau is a tour-de-force in this segment- she delivers one of the best performances of her career, if you ask me. She's a total delight here, delivering a perfectly sarcastic and bitchy performance. She rocks and rocks it hard.

     Finishing off the mayhem is "They're Creeping Up On You", a squirm-inducing tale about cruel Upson Pratt (E.G. Marshall) who suffers from a severe phobia of germs and bugs. He lives inside a futuristic, bug-proof penthouse apartment, in a paranoid and angry state of mind. But, during a blackout, he discovers he's not alone in his fortress as he's overrun by literally thousands upon thousands of cockroaches.  This one is definitely not for the squeamish.

     Chock full of gruesome black humor, some genuine scares, and rad actors, CREEPSHOW is a true 80's gem that only looks better as the years go by. It's certainly one of the better horror anthologies, if not THE best. This is classic stuff, kids. CREEPSHOW perfectly straddles the line between horror and humor, and was obviously a labor of love for King, Savini, and Romero. This was when scary movies were made by people who genuinely loved horror movies, and loved making them.  Like kids in candy stores, and it usually showed in the final product. You can easily sense the love of the genre that went into the making of this movie. CREEPSHOW was a huge part of my childhood, and it's still a hell of a lot of fun to watch.  This is essential Halloween viewing, for sure.

Count Dracula

  

     There have been countless film versions of the story of Count Dracula.  Unfortunately, very few have been memorable.  Of course, we have Bela Lugosi's immortal incarnation, closely followed by the great Christopher Lee.  But for the most part, bleh.  However, in 1977, the BBC offered up a version of Bram Stoker's classic that follows his story more than any other adaption, I think.  Louis Jordan portrays the legendary Count, and for the most part, delivers an all-around creepy and chilling performance.

      This marvelous production provides loads of scary atmosphere and quite a few startling images.  Some complain about how the interiors are shot on video and the exteriors shot on film, but I think it gives the whole thing a delicious, "Dark Shadows" vibe to the  fun and doesn't bother me one bit.  If you've ever actually read the novel by Bram Stoker on which all of this is based on, you'll find this BBC production to be by far the most accurate and faithful.  Many horror fans claim this is the definitive Dracula brought to life, so to speak, beating out all the other Hollywood productions.  Arguable, to be sure.  But Jordan does deliver a kick-ass performance.  And it's certainly in the Top 5 all-time portrayals of the Count.

     This is essential October viewing, and still remains one of the best visions of the immortal Count Dracula.  There is just something about this version... something haunting.  It takes a miminalist approach, and honestly, it works far better than Francis Ford Coppola's over-blown, big-budget version.  This production proves once again that you can do wonders with very little as long as you have imagination.  For instance, the scoreless scenes of the wind howling through the castle and the wolves howling outside are extremely effective and atmospheric.  I would have to say that this is the spookiest Count Dracula I've ever seen.  No disrespect to Lugosi or Lee here, but Jordan's Count Dracula is by far the scariest. The entire production is scary.  There is an underlying sense of dread that permeates this production- it really does get under your skin. So, if you want to experience the fog-drenched world of Transylvania pretty much as Bram Stoker himself imagined it, then this is the one for you.  "Count Dracula" is must-see viewing, and here is a taste of the lush terror that awaits you.

="" frameborder="0" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/o_w3acFydk4" title="YouTube video player" width="480">