My Halloween Viewing Guide

As Halloween season seems to get earlier and earlier every year I figured I'd put out there my own personal favorite films (in addition to continuing a yearly tradition of giving a "top of the decade" list) and organize them into a sort of viewing guide for anyone looking to do some sort of crazy Halloween marathon, which I've always considered doing but never found the right time to.  Here goes nothing. Sorry this is late! Happy (belated) Halloween!

First, a few briefings, I would recommend from my own personal experience that if you wish to turn this marathon into a viewing party of sorts, to seriously consider limiting the amount of people you invite, and seriously think about who you are inviting. Whenever I've hosted a viewing party with more than 3-4 people, and these people aren't necessarily big into movies or binge-watching, the evening often devolves into just talking while movies play in the background. Now, I love going to social events with friends and parties as much as anyone, but if you actually want to watch some movies with friends, I suggest you pick a group of friends who would be ready to commit to several hours of movie watching, with maybe some funny banter.
    Now if you want to do a Halloween party, I recommend you do that separately. You can do both, but don't try to blend them because then the party/social atmosphere always eclipses the viewing aspect. I had this problem just last year, and surreally, in James Rolfe's terrific video here: http://cinemassacre.com/2015/10/31/celebrating-halloween/ , he and his friend Mike Matei hit the nail right on the head about my problem literally a day later, as this vid was posted on Halloween.
    Even when I have hosted a viewing party with friends who love movies recently, and as fun as it was, we still only watched a total of three movies. Why? Well, it often happens that we would end up talking at length ABOUT movies but never actually settling in and watching one, so hours ticked by like nothing. So if you're really thinking of strapping down for some ultimate Halloween marathon, I would suggest considering going solo or having an equally die-hard friend or two.
    Also, no one says this marathon has to be done on the date of Halloween. For one, there's lots of cool stuff to do like going to parties, going to corn mazes and haunted houses and such on the day other than sitting around watching TV, so you may consider doing it a day or two before OR just within the month of October.
     And you can spread this out into several days, too, or a few shorter bursts of bingeing is what I tend to do around the season, so feel free to mix and match or do whatever, this is by no means a definitive listing, and no one should be expected to follow this schedule to a rigid extent otherwise it's no fun at all.
    As for the films selected, these are personal favorites, and while there's plenty on here that others have on their top Halloween movies lists, there are some I have yet to find on anybody's lists. Also: you'll find not every film on this list is a horror classic or even particularly scary (or objectively good), but like I said these are personal picks, so some are nostalgic for me, others I have a genuine respect for, some are guilty pleasures, you get the gist. And for me, Halloween is all about finding that right balance of fun and scary, so I actually tend to gravitate less towards truly unnerving or disturbing films around the season.
    Just because this is a Halloween list doesn't mean a "horror" list. I love movies like The Witch and The Devil's Rejects but that doesn't mean I feel like watching them around Halloween. They just aren't really part of that fun vibe that Halloween has. Sure, something like Eraserhead or Requiem for a Dream or Irreversible may be gut-wrenching to watch, but so are a lot of other movies and you don't see those showing up on Halloween lists (not saying these films do usually show up on such lists but I think you know what I'm going for).
   Here are some videos by others I enjoy listening to about movies for their Halloween picks:

Chris Stuckmann-
(Original two-parter)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VYIz6Mexxy8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MuC-A2lHigo

(Guilty Pleasures)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NvoG9YYtfNs

(Binge-Watch)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tijMPZFAul0

YourMovieSucks-
(Underrated horror list; however, a lot of his picks are more geared towards the genuinely chilling, so if that's not your cup of tea, or, like me, just don't think of those as "Halloween movies," maybe just save this list for another day)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uPc5DGsudzs

   Now with that monster (seriously, no pun intended here, it just happened that way) list of stuff out of the way, time to delve into my picks.

1. Start the evening off light: 

I recommend something along the lines of nostalgic or ironic viewing with something like Hocus Pocus or Halloweentown, something dumb and airy and not exactly requiring attentive viewing. This will give you time to chat amongst the boring parts and laugh at the dumb moments and just kick the marathon off.

Other options include: Scooby Doo! Where Are You?, Ernest Scared Stupid, The Witches, Casper, and The Halloween Tree, and really any of the in-hindsight-awful Disney Channel movies like Tower of Terror, Phantom of the Megaplex, or Don't Look Under the Bed; again, keeping with the nostalgia/non-serious theme, these little nuggets that evoke fond childhood memories as well as uncontrollable laughter at the bad acting and production values set the mood for the evening.

2. Treading into darker territory:

Now while I said there wouldn't be too many dark/disturbing movies, this is about as dark as I'll go, and this includes the balls-to-the-wall, campy, gruesome House of 1,000 Corpses, which is Rob Zombie's rock n' roll tribute to grindhouse cinema, and the short film Off Season. Now that short is genuinely chilling and well-produced, and I really put it on here because I feel it's kind of an unknown gem that doesn't take up much time (I believe it's about 12 minutes long), and can be found for free online.
   Other options include: Misery, the ever-praised adaptation of the Stephen King novel starring James Caan and Kathy Bates in a brilliant part which won her an Oscar; Hellraiser, Clive Barker's twisted journey into the underbelly of society, using a unique and interesting ideology and mythos and introducing the world to horror icon Pinhead, leader of the S&M demon troupe the Cenobites, is still as effective and eerie today as it was in 1987; Candyman, Clive Barker's equally nightmarish and disorienting vision of urban legend culture and the power of fear, featuring an understated and excellent performance by Tony Todd; May, Lucky McKee's debut and an equal-parts upsetting, awkward, funny, depressing, and frightening character study of a young woman whose lack of social skills leads her life to fall apart around here. While that sounds like more of a drama than a horror, I assure you McKee delivers on the chills, particularly in the Halloween-set finale, which, by the way, is spoiled in the trailers so just trust me, it's worth a look; Ju-On: The Grudge, the original Japanese version, and the only version I feel is worth a look, with a cool visual style and some very creepy concepts; The Blair Witch Project; forget the sequel (most people already have), forget the abysmal-looking reboot, and forget the Paranormal Activity films, this is found footage at its best. Funnily enough, I never thought of this as much of a Halloween movie, I always watch it over summer (that's when I first saw it, and I think the woods setting always contributed to me seeing it like a summer campfire story), but it definitely fits the feeling of a good scare. A lot of people feel it's more historically significant than genuinely a good movie, but I beg to differ, as I experienced it in the perfect way: I was in sixth grade, on a camping trip in a wooded area, with my friend, watching it on an old shitty VHS copy at night. If there was ever a way to see a movie, that was it, so I may be biased because of memories of how it first effected me, but the lore and the final moments of the film still stick with me to this day. Sinister and Insidious make solid picks as well from the past few years, but I rarely watch them around this season because I kind of tired them out through rewatches soon after I first saw them. V/H/S and V/H/S/2 are mixed bags, but each have some great individual shorts (the first has "Amateur Night," "10/31/1998," and "Second Honeymoon;" the second is far more thoroughly enjoyable, but "Safe Haven" in particular sticks out, followed by "A Ride in the Park" and "Slumber Party Alien Abduction"). Skip the abysmal third film. The ABCs of Death is far too mixed a bag for me, but look up some individual ones on YouTube if you wish, just look up the sypnoses on Wikipedia and make your own call.

3. Wash that bitter taste out with some so-bad-it's-good fare:
    While it may seem a bit counter-intuitive to follow up a negative ending to a film with a bad movie to boot but these films will provoke laughter, often intentionally, and sometimes unintentionally, and some even pack in some decent scares top top it off. These type of films include Jeepers Creepers, the Francis Ford Coppola-produced mystery thriller-turned-B-monster fest which actually has a really effective ending; Eight Legged Freaks, a tongue-in-cheek David Arquette vehicle following his success with Scream, which sees the star and a group of quirky townsfolk face off with goofy giant spiders in true 50's B-movie fashion; Killer Klowns from Outer Space, my personal favorite of this genre, which is exactly what it sounds like: aliens who looks like crazy clowns land on Earth in a beach town to harvest humans in cotton candy cocoons for food. It's crazy, self-aware, silly, while also packing in a few genuine scares and some awesome 1980's effects. One of my favorite films of all time also falls in here with The Blob, the fun, poppy drive-in classic starring Steve McQueen and featuring a number of iconic scenes and a uniquely basic monster: literally a blob of slime. I definitely recommend it, it's just a fun throwback to the 50's.
    Two nostalgic television shows I find are some of the best "so-bad-it's-funny" watches are Goosebumps, and Are You Afraid of the Dark? (though the latter has some more genuinely good moments than the former). Seriously, if you or your friends have an affinity for laughing at some trash than throw on some old Goosebumps episodes and prepare to laugh till your sides hurt. While it may be long, I also recommend the 1990 miniseries Stephen King's IT. Though you've probably seen it and remember being terrified as a kid, rest assured, the boring segments are well worth powering through to see some decent child performance and the most incredible Tim Curry performance since Rocky Horror, and I mean it, Curry is having such a blast just being absolutely ham-fisted and laughable as Pennywise the Dancing Clown. His borderline cum-face as he tells little Georgie how the balloons float and his ridiculous library rant at the adult Richie have me rolling on the floor every time.
     I would also throw in watching some old 50's films like Tarantula or Them!, perhaps the homage to the genre The Lost Skeleton of Cadavra, and Troll 2 as possible alternatives. Return of the Living Dead is also a good 80's-style, pure rock n roll party type movie where nothing is subtle and it's all just a blast. Anything from Troma Entertainment, which has produced some of the most hilariously debauched and ridiculous horror movies of all time, including The Toxic Avenger, Terror Firmer, and Poultrygeist, is a great pick. If you're looking for a real trip then definitely check out the nigh-forgotten late 70's special Halloween is Grinch Night, and if you want some low-budget camp fare look at Monsters Crash the Pajama Party, whose DVD features hours of Halloween party stuff like background music, radio ads, and old unreleased shorts, so a great investment.

4. The Classics (Or Critical Darlings):
Now of course for the obligatory, can't-skip-because-it's-tradition horror genre classics. These are films that everyone seems to love or at least appreciate on some level and these are my favorites from that vast selection. I would say you have to have a Romero zombie film, so out of those, Dawn of the Dead is the one to go with, though Night of the Living Dead and Day of the Dead come close, neither have quite the same amount of striking visuals and plethora of memorable moments and lines the sequel does. The social commentary may be obvious to current viewers and bit dated (mall culture is nowhere near the heights it once was), but this doesn't drag down the movie all that much because that's just one element. The Exorcist and The Omen are, of course, terrific choices which have starkly different tones to their endings, but both are incredibly ominous films that are about as "realistic" and effective as Satan-centered movies have ever been. The Shining, another classic from the visionary Kubrick, brings with it a sense of dread and tension which has been nearly unmatched in the 30-odd years since its release. An American Werewolf in London is a terrific choice as well as it perfectly blends some oddball humor and witty dialogue with a more realistic and urban take on the werewolf legend, with groundbreaking, award-winning effects which still are talked about to this day.

    Others to choose would be the original The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, which has a documentary-style, low-budget feel that puts you right with the characters, and has a still-terrifying portrayal of madness from the Sawyer family, played by Edwin Neal, Jim Siedow, and of course, Gunnar Hansen as Leatherface, still one of the most raw looks at insanity in film history. I would also throw out John Carpenter's The Thing as a great pick, as it is still an entertaining, slow-burning thrill ride with some very impressive effects and a cast of terrific character actors led by Kurt Russell. And the score by Western legend Ennio Morricone is fantastic for a man who, to my knowledge, never experimented with synth music before. The 1976 adaptation of Carrie from Brian DePalma which saw recognition of Sissy Spacek and Piper Laurie for their breathtaking interpretations of the tormented and tragic Carrie and her domineering, horrifying devout mother Margaret, is another classic which should be considered.

5. Transition into Slashers, and more Action-Oriented Fare: 

     I would say that my top choices for this genre would be Scream and Scream 2 (Scream 3 and 4 if you are a completionist), the original A Nightmare on Elm Street, Friday the 13th (either the 2009 version, the original, or anywhere between II and VIII, depending on if you want a quality slasher or just something to laugh at), and of course Hitchcock's Psycho. Peeping Tom is a more genuinely unsettling British film that is from the same era as Hitchcock, and some 80's cheese like The Burning and Prom Night is always welcome. As for action, I would recommend The Crow and Nightbreed. The Crow is not only set in Halloween season, but also has a Gothic style that fits perfectly in with the likes of Batman and Spawn, and is an entertaining cult thriller starring the late Brandon Lee (Bruce Lee's son), which would've definitely shot him to mainstream stardom had he not tragically died in an onset accident. Nightbreed (more specifically The Director's Cut), is Clive Barker's underrated if a bit uneven attempt at making another series of films, based on his short story "Cabal." It has some of that weirdness and "root for the monsters" feel that Tim Burton films do, while also packing in Barker's trademark gross-out imagery. It honestly balances tones between dark epic fantasy, horror, and a bit of superhero film with the final battle feeling torn straight from the pages of a comic book like Hellboy or Spawn.

Plus, it has cult classic filmmaker David Cronenberg in the role of a murderous psychiatrist with a uniquely creepy and cool mask, who is the foil to the main hero.
    Despite the holiday settings, Silent Night, Deadly Night and particularly A Christmas Story director Bob Clark's raw Black Christmas are great choices for classic cult slashers as well, though I personally save those with the likes of Gremlins and Krampus for the Christmas season.
     Some more cult movies that are fantastic choices for fast-paced entertainment are Sam Raimi's classic horror-comedies The Evil Dead , Evil Dead 2 and Army of Darkness (though the earlier two are more horror, while Army is where the comedy really came out). Raimi practically invented "splatstick" (a subgenre which combines Three Stooges-esque slapstick with excessive violence and gore), which continued with Peter Jackson's early work like in Braindead/Dead-Alive (which cranks up both the vulgar humor and the gruesome violence from Evil Dead to unbelievable levels).

    Saw, the first film, is a terrific little genre thriller with a cool gimmick and a stellar cast of character actors like Cary Elwes, Danny Glover, Michael Emerson, Shawnee Smith, Tobin Bell, and Ken Leung (a few Lost alumni there). The sequels get progressively stupider but also more "satisfying" from a slasher film sense/for pure entertainment factor.

6. Try some comedies and parodies:

    For this spot of lighter fare, some of my favorites are The Simpsons: Treehouse of Horror annual specials (my personal picks from this vast selection are I, V, VI, XIII, and XIX). The parodies are amusing, the stories short enough to digest easily, and the wit of the writing staff at an all-time high. They just have so much fun with these specials and they're at this point the only reason people watch the more recent episodes.
     The Family Guy special episode "Three Kings" isn't really specifically horror but features some amusing adaptation of Stephen King works so I like it. It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia features some good Halloween episodes with "Who Got Dee Pregnant?" (extensive flashbacks to a costume party at the bar) and "The Maureen Ponderosa Wedding Massacre" (I believe their first proper Halloween episode). The character-driven dark comedy is so perfect already and it's just an excuse to watch it honestly. I'm a sucker for Sunny. And South Park; speaking of, they have some classic Halloween episodes with "Cartman's Incredible Gift," "Spookyfish," "Korn's Groovy Pirate Ghost Mystery," "A Nightmare on Face Time," "Pinkeye," "Hell on Earth 2006," and "Goth Kids 3: Dawn of the Posers."
    Other classic spooky sitcoms like The Addams Family and The Munsters provide some campy nostalgia, along with TV horror hostesses like Elvira and Vampira, and the Bay Area's old Creature Feature specials. Classic sitcoms like Roseanne, Family Matters, Perfect Strangers, and Home Improvement, as well as newer ones like The Office, have some decent if outlandish Halloween specials, though the Roseanne ones are the best and most grounded. The BBC provides some twisted black comedy in the form of Psychoville and The League of Gentlemen, which are great for lovers of British comedy and the blackest of morbid humor, like myself.
    Tim Burton's Beetlejuice and Mel Brooks' Young Frankenstein are indisputable classics of Halloween comedy, still being screened around the season to this day, so these are the most obvious choices, and they definitely still hold up. I would say The Goonies might also be a good choice, though it hasn't aged very well at all. Gremlins I see as more of a Christmas film so I wouldn't include it myself.
    Tales from the Crypt is gorey and has some more chilling episodes, but the general camp of the series gives it enough leway to fall into this category. Continuing in the tradition of tributing EC comics, George Romero, Stephen King, and Tom Savini's Creepshow is a fun, visually striking, and star-studded homage to the classic horror comics of the 50's. Fido is an indie dark comedy satire with a talented cast and a unique concept and soundtrack. Kevin Williamson's Scream series and The Faculty are teen mystery-comedy-horror films which fall loosely in here but I like them a lot so I include them and they're a good dose of 90's nostalgia.
    Re-Animator is an ultra-gorey cult schlock fest in line with Evil Dead, Demons, and Braindead in tone. The Rocky Horror Picture Show and Little Shop of Horrors (either version), are great little cult classics with some nice music and a fun atmosphere for friends to laugh at and sing along with. The 90's films based upon The Addams Family series are terrific selections as well.


7. Black-And-White for Late at Night:

    It really isn't Halloween without taking a look at some of the all-time classics that have aged well throughout generations. The Universal Classics are the best choices: Dracula, Frankenstein, The Bride of Frankenstein, The Wolf Man, The Invisible Man, The Mummy, The Creature from the Black Lagoon, the list goes on. But those are the ones that jump to my mind the most. Despite some over-the-top acting and lack of music (most of these were at the dawn of the sound age when the sound of talking itself was a novelty) are minor complaints when compared to the iconic imagery and lines, so much so these are the instant images and tropes that jump into people's minds when they think movie monsters.

    1950's monster and alien films are excellent as well. The Thing from Another World was produced by the influential Howard Hawks, known for his then-novel use of overlapping dialogue, which provides a naturalistic sense of comraderie to the men in the film and also grounds this from being pure schlock into something more. This film is on par with the more famous remake by John Carpenter, which was so influenced by this film and the short story it itself comes from that Carpenter recreated the title screen and references it in Halloween.
    Val Lewton's excellent psycholgical thrillers Cat People and The Leopard Man are extremely important and still chilling for their use of sound design, jump scares, and psychosexual subtext, all fairly uncommon for the time. Right up there is the German classic M, starring then-unknown Peter Lorre in his greatest role as a both monstrous but ultimately strangely understandable child killer (his ending speech as the mob comes to kill him actually makes us question our thirst for vigilante justice over rehabilitation for psychopaths like him), which today is one fo the most eerie noir thrillers ever made.
    Tim Burton has some terrific black and white projects as well. Vincent, his short film from 1982, is perfect Halloween fare and is featured on The Nightmare Before Christmas DVD I believe, and also on YouTube. Franken-Weenie, both the 2012 stop-motion film and the original live-action short from 1984, are very sweet and not as weird as Vincent, and are perfect for Halloween.
    RKO's original King Kong may be more categorized as an adventure film, but there's enough frightening imagery in it and a giant monster for it to be considered horror. It's pretty brutal for 1933 and also extremely technically impressive, utilizing groundbreaking camera and stop-motion effects and a full score by Max Richter, practically unheard of at the time. Without a doubt one of the best ever and more easily palatable than the 3-hour Jackson remake from 2005, though I love that one as well. This one clocks in at the more feasible 1 hour 40 mins, long for the time but now a common runtime. RKO also had the best film version of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, which raises eyebrows even today for its racy content (it was Pre-Code and therefore not subject to heavy editing), and Frederich March was nominated for an Oscar for his role. The Hyde makeup is still imitated today, portraying the animlisitic monster as almost Simian in nature.
    Toho's original Gojira, in its original Japanese cut, is a dark and foreboding disaster film, inspired by the tragic fallout of Hiroshima. The Godzilla monster can actually be taken seriously here, being portrayed as a straight-up monster and not a hero as in later films. Don't let the campy nature of later films fool you (though I love those, too), this is a melancholy and brutal film that reflects the culture of Japan in the 1950's.

8. Literary Classics: 

    These are some of the more high-caliber films, based upon Gothic literature and modern novels. Some of these are based upon the same materials as the Universal classics, but have their own distinct vision.
    Francis Ford Coppola, legendary Renaissance man and film director, directed one of my absolute favorites of this genre: Bram Stoker's Dracula. Considered the most faithful adaptation of the source novel, James V. Hart's screenplay takes some major deviations at times but to me, they elevate the material, not detract from it. Gary Oldman is fantastic as Dracula, being young and old, detestable and tragic, etc. His hairdo is a bit ridiculous in the early stages of the film, and Winona Ryder and Keanu Reeves are the weakest players here, but they are outshined by the rest of the stellar cast (including Anthony Hopkins, Cary Elwes, Richard E. Grant, Bill Campbell, Monica Bellucci, Sadie Frost, and musician Tom Waits), and the impressive and unique visual style, produced by Coppola's insistence on using often-forgotten techniques of early cinema instead of modern visual effects.
     The companion piece to this, the Kenneth Branagh-helmed Mary Shelley's Frankenstein is nowhere near as good or coherent, being far more Shakespearean and operatic than the material warrants (this may be the result of Branagh's own background in stage and screen), but it isn't as terrible as people often make it out to be, just not the best, so I would give it a shot. Again, far more faithful than most adaptations, while taking liberties and inspirations from other adaptations.
    The Hammer horror cycle, which shot Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing among others to horror stardom, is a great example of Gothic cinema. These were the first times many viewers were exposed to more faithful adaptations of the classic Gothic novels such as Dracula and Frankenstein, as well as in full color with more graphic sex and bloodshed. The best of these films, Horror of Dracula (as it's known in the US) and The Curse of Frankenstein, hold up wonderfully well.
    Tim Burton's Sleepy Hollow is pure schlock and doesn't follow the short story at all but it's a great little Halloween piece. The Oscar-nominated stop-motion short The Sandman is loosely inspired by the short story of the same name by E.T.A. Hoffman, is chilling and provides a quick and unique horror experience with terrific visuals and sound design. The original 1953 The War of the Worlds modernizes the H.G. Wells novel and has some great special effects for the time and it's in full color, another uncommon thing for the era.
    This subgenre also includes some great musicals, including Tim Burton's excellent Sweeney Todd film and Joel Schumacher's faithful and underrated adaptation of Andrew Lloyd Webber's The Phantom of the Opera, which was based on the classic French horror novel.

9. Films that center on the actual holiday:

Now for films that are more specifically geared toward the real holiday, finally. These are films that really have to do with the date and the traditions surrounding it, making them the perfect picks for a Halloween viewing session, or just capture the spirit a lot more than others.
    While it is technically more a general slasher, it is far too iconic and important a film to ignore, that really does have a feeling of Halloween spirit to it, so John Carpenter's original Halloween is a pick to obvious to not make the list. Here is James Rolfe's video on the film, coupled with his plan on how to make the viewing of it on Halloween night perfect:http://cinemassacre.com/2011/10/24/halloween-3/
    Also highly recommended is the underrated and often unfairly hated Halloween III: Season of the Witch, which was intended to be the beginning of the series as an anthology after Michael Myers' death in Halloween II. This third film has a great score by John Carpenter himself and ultimately is far more centered on the roots and spirit of the holiday than even the original, and the plot of the villain is a hell of a lot darker.

    My ultimate pick, however, for getting into the spirit of the holiday, would be Michael Dougherty's Trick r Treat, which was rushed into a limited release before going to DVD in 2007 for some reason despite being planned as a major release. It has slowly built a cult following over the years. It is just dripping with Halloween atmosphere, and functions as a black comedy/horror anthology exploring every possible aspect of the holiday. Everything from the impressive special effects, refusal to shy away from darker moments, coupled with the dark humor and commitment to authentically replicating the feel of Halloween night (hand-carved jack-o-lanterns, all unique, adorn the entire film) make this an absolute joy to watch.
    Let's not forget the dark and morbid but critically acclaimed cult hits Ginger Snaps and Donnie Darko, which have a spooky feel for the season, as well as featuring Halloween prominently in major scenes. Dark indie director Jeremy Saulnier's black comedy Murder Party is an up-and-coming favorite for fans of something a bit bloody and different. Even the frankly cheesy Goosebumps episode "The Haunted Mask" captures the spirit of the evening pretty well.

10. Childhood Specials:

Now, after celebrating the holiday in a complete way, close out the evening, or welcome the rising sun, with a nostalgic trip back to childhood. My personal picks that I can't go through the season without watching: It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown! and The Nightmare Before Christmas. The former is not always loved these days for being slow and kind of old-fashioned, but it has such a unique charm and relaxing quality and puts me right in the spirit of the season. The music, the characters and jokes, as well as the inclusion of almost everything fall related into the story (from Halloween parties and games and trick or treating to rolling in leaves and playing football) are redeeming of any minor faults in the animation, and so I say it is essential.
    The latter was actually directing by Henry Selick, who has since directed numerous beloved and twisted animated features, but is still very much Tim Burton's vision. The short poem (narrated by Christopher Lee) is also available as a special feature on the DVD and is absolutely worth a look this season. This one practically needs no introduction, as it is both a classic Halloween tale and a Christmas movie, so it capture the essence of the two best holidays perfectly.
     Disney's Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad is also a necessary fall selection. The Mr. Toad segment can be skipped optionally as it really doesn't have to do with fall or Halloween, but it too is an excellent short. But the Sleepy Hollow segment is definitely the big hook of the film, as the music and narration by Bing Crosby is timeless and mixes humor with the horror, and the look and feel of the short perfectly captures the harvest season, and the final confrontation between Ichabod and the Horesman is so fluent and beautifully animated and exciting, it makes the somewhat slow and aimless first half of the story come together perfectly.
     A newer choice is the genuinely eerie and brilliantly directed Coraline (there's Henry Selick, again), based on Neil Gaiman's chilling young adult novella, which scared kids and adults alike. Overlooked specials gaining a cult following (some ironically, some for genuine talent behind them) include The Worst Witch, Casper Saves Halloween, Fat Albert's Halloween, The Halloween Tree, and Garfield's Halloween. Tim Burton's Corpse Bride and FrankenWeenie are heartwarming and incredibly charming little movies, as are ParaNorman and Hotel Transylvania (which has its share of dumb moments, such as the final musical number, but also features incredibly lively animation).

    The TV specials I mentioned before Home Improvement, Roseanne, Family Matters, etc. also offer some 80's and 90's cheese, and cartoons like Spongebob Squarepants, The Batman, Invader ZIM, Grim Adventures, and Courage the Cowardly Dog, among others, offer some darker fare for the Halloween season.
     TV classics like The X-Files, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Charmed, Twin Peaks, The Twilight Zone, and Tales from the Crypt are another excellent source of some short-term horror for those not looking for a whole feature. A Twin Peaks marathon would provide a genuinely creepy and mind-bending Halloween night for sure. My favorites- at least as far as straight horror- from the anthology series are: The X- Files: "Home," "Humbug," "Fire," and "Jersey Devil." The Twilight Zone: "The Masks," "Nick of Time," "To Serve Man," "The Monsters are Due on Maple Street," "Eye of the Beholder," "Printer's Devil," and "Nightmare at 20,000 Feet." (The Twilight Zone movie is another terrific choice which retells some classic episodes as well as newer stories.) Tales from the Crypt: "Three's a Crowd," "Dead Wait," "Til Death," "Dig That Cat, He's Real Gone," "Collection Completed," "The Third Pig," "Strung Along," "The New Arrival," "Split Personality," "People Who Live in Brass Hearses," "None But the Loneley Heart," "Only Skin Deep," "Death of Some Salesman," "Report from the Grave," and "Last Respects." (Not to mention the motion comics featured on the DVDs being very entertaining.)

    Some oddball choices on the last minute here are Bag of Bones, Idle Hands, and The Skeleton Key, just some stray observations I figured I'd throw in here.

Anyways, again sorry this is late, it depresses me I had nothing up for October this year, but this will give plenty of time to plan before next Halloween! Cheers!

(Image credits: Walyou.com, Pinterest, zombiepumpkins.com, Escape Adulthood, Doux Reviews, Comediva, Danny DoDat, Yell! Magazine, The Rhinestone Housewife)

Hardcore Henry: Ever seen a videogame you felt should've just been a movie? How about a movie that should've just been a videogame?

I followed news of this film from the original music video that inspired it ("Bad Motherfucker" by Biting Elbows for those that don't know, as well as its precursor "The Stampede"), to its sneak previews and premieres at film festivals, all the way to its anticipated release internationally this past April. So, did it live up to the hype?

Hardcore Henry:
You, the audience, awake in a POV state. Your scientist wife, Estelle, addresses you as Henry, and says there was an accident that has led Henry to becoming a cyborg. Suddenly, mercenaries burst in, slaughtering the staff and kidnapping Estelle. Henry barely escapes the facility, and must travel the countryside without memories, chasing his wife with your mysterious new associate Jimmy (who may or may not be trustworthy), pursued by the mercenaries, led by the telepathic and gleefully theatrical villain Akan. Learning the extent of his newfound powers, Henry shoots, stabs, and bludgeons his way across Russia, becoming a hardened killer and super solider on his quest for revenge.
    I was very excited for this film, having heard it compared tonally to films like Mad Max: Fury Road and Crank for its emphasis on style over substance, and mindless and bloody fun over plot or character. Not that I don't love films with deep, fleshed-out characters and intricate plotting, but I also enjoy a well-made piece of escapism as well. Now, the actual film was disappointing on a few fronts, and I'll cover those right away. I felt the use of GoPros for the limited budget and goal of entirely being in first-person was impressive and practical, but the quality of the cameras does not exactly translate to the big screen all that well, as many shots were slightly fuzzy-looking. The special effects for many shoot out sequences were fine, but the CGI blood sprays and explosions often looked like a YouTube video, which is not to disrespect CG animators on YouTube, but for a feature film, it's a little more noticeable.
    Also: the lack of plot and incredibly rigid structure of this film made it often exhausting. While that sounds contradictory, I mean there was no real characters (just archetypes) to get into, so the action took center stage, But after a while, the rinse-and-repeat formula (crazy action scene, then calm break of about two minutes, then next action scene) left me feeling drained, and that this would function better as a web series or video game, something where you can take breaks at your leisure or that felt more interactive. There was also a sound issue in the final battle (the song was quieter than the sound effects), and the way the film ended felt abrupt and kind of awkward and amateur but those are incredibly minor.
    Other than those minor issues, I felt the film delivered on its promise of weird, crazy, chaotic, fun, violent action and the set-pieces were incredibly well-constructed for a first time feature director, and the lack of characters and over-the-top acting often added to the charm of this wild movie. There were non-action sequences that were incredibly Neveldine and Taylor-esque (a song and dance number near the climax of the film added some much-needed comic relief as well as tied together a mysterious plot line). The final battle was jaw-dropping, as I was not expecting the film to pack the amount of gore it did, especially not in its' final moments. It was exhilarating and entertaining as hell. Also: the opening credits sequence was very Bond, while also foreshadowing the possibly Evil Dead inspired splatstick style of humor.
    Danila Kozlovsky was entertaining as the tongue-in-cheek and ridiculous villain Akan, Haley Bennett played a decent damsel in distress (though the reveal with her character is very predictable towards the climax), and Tim Roth has a nice cameo. But the only character i can truly say is impactful in any significant way is Sharlto Copley as Jimmy. Once again, Copley shows his incredible range as an actor: he spend the movie doing silly accents and wearing goofy outfits, but is also some good comic relief and ultimately a bit of a tragic character who I actually grew to care about on some level (he is supposed to be the audience's guide/companion of sorts).
    Do not go into Hardcore Henry expecting a traditional moviegoing experience. If you like any sort of linear narrative or strong central characters, then I suggest looking elsewhere. But if you love so brainless, energetic, if a bit gruesome action and humor, then I would highly recommend it (if you've seen the music videos the film is based on, or listened to the director's band Biting Elbows' punk-style pop rock, you'll know pretty much what to expect). It is a lower budget indie film, so it may not have the special effects many Western audiences are used to expecting from action films, but the impressive choreography and insane sequences will provide ample distraction. Bravo to Ilya Naishuller on a terrific first outing, and I'd like to see him pursue more films in the future. 7/10 stars.

                                                           (Image: Wikipedia)

Deadpool: Finally, something new from the comic-book film genre

Today, I review the incredibly popular new film Deadpool, which I saw two weeks ago.


Deadpool:
Wade Wilson is a wise-cracking former military guy who runs a business where he is paid by people to rough up those who have wronged them. After being diagnosed with terminal cancer, he is approached by a mysterious government operation which promises to save his life in exchange for his body for science experiments. Thinking the payments will go to his wife, he agrees. After being turned into a mutant with regenerative abilities, he finds out the people running the facility, led by the sadistic mutant Ajax, plan on selling the mutants as slave soldiers to foreign powers, and if not, simply kill them, and that no payments are being made to their loved ones. Wade escapes the facility, but the process leaves him horrifically burned. Seeking vengeance on Ajax and his associates, he becomes the fast-talking vigilante "Deadpool," who begins a state-wide killing spree searching for Ajax, all while attempting to reconnect with his wife, who believes he has left her or is dead.
    I've never really been a big fan of the Deadpool character. I find his humor often obnoxious and feel he appeals mostly to teenaged boys for his edgy humor style. However, the trailers for this film made me excited to see a balls-to-the-wall, funny, gruesome comic book movie. And I got that.
    Despite not every joke landing for me, I found myself laughing quite a bit at this movie, as well as being impressed in the creative way the directors handled the smaller-scale action sequences.
    The storyline is a typical origin-type movie, nothing too special, but the humor and non-linear style were somewhat effective in covering this up. Ryan Reynolds had to prove himself as Deadpool after the atrocious portrayal in X-Men Origins: Wolverine and his role in the equally bland Green Lantern (both of which the film jokes about). Reynolds is extremely charismatic in the role, bringing to life Deadpool's quirky and flamboyant humor, and his penchant for extreme carnage, but never making him feel either too noble nor too cruel. The film's tone juggles the lighthearted humor with the graphic bloodshed really well, never feeling like it went too far.
    The climax was a little too small-scale, only featuring a small band of mercenaries and a rather dull location, but I'd take a more reserved climax over the bullshit "save the city/planet from the blue laser cannon" which has plagued the genre for the past several years.
    The cast were serviceable, even if Ed Skrein's villain Ajax suffered from underdevelopment. T.J. Miller and Leslie Uggams bring some added humor to the cast as Wade's best friend and blind housemate, respectively. The two X-Men featured: Colossus (voiced by Stefan Kapičić) and the obscure Negasonic Teenage Warhead (Brianna Hildebrand) also were welcome additions, serving as some quirky and noble balances to Deadpool's unfiltered violence and ruthless attitude.
    Some of the jokes (especially one at the end) were very predictable, and if you aren't familiar with comic book movie history or lore, some of the references may fly right over your head, but ultimately, I think fans of the comics book genre will be pleased, and general audiences can have a laugh at most of the movie as well.
    Deadpool is a fun popcorn movie that packs in gore, profanity, sex, drugs, alcohol, etc., all usually no-no's for the comic book film genre, but I think that's what has made this film the biggest R-rated film of all time. Aside from the hype and excessive promotion, I think people wanted something new and fresh from this stale genre on movies. And I guess it took a movie where the protagonist beheads people, gets sodomized with a dildo, and calls people "cocksuckers" to show people that comic book movies can do more than just the usual "hero saves the city story." Ultimately, I did't love Deadpool, I thought the film had highlights but I'd be strained to say I'd ever watch it again as a whole. However, the movie is very entertaining on a superficial level and on a first watch and I was sometimes pleasantly shocked by how far it took certain jokes or action scenes. Reynolds carried the movie on his shoulders, and this may be his career-defining role, other than Van Wilder. I really respect the film and enjoyed it for the simple fact that it's something new. Though knowing Hollywood, soon every comic book film will be like this, and kind of defeat the point. 7/10 stars.

Two other terrific reviews which cover everything else I could've said but didn't have the time to:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eXEhfeESgCY

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F2C2Svm-r1M



                                                          (Image: Wikipedia)

My Picks for Non-Traditional Holiday Films/Specials

Merry Christmas! This year, I've been watching a lot more untraditional holiday specials and movies, or rediscovering ones I don't watch as much anymore, trying to find new annual favorites, and to break the mundanity of forcing myself to sit down and watch the same holiday films every year. So here's a list of my personal favorite non-traditional holiday watches:

Film:
Joyeux Noel
Die Hard
Lethal Weapon
Black Christmas
Krampus
Silent Night, Deadly Night
Kiss Kiss Bang Bang
Batman Returns
Edward Scissorhands


TV Episodes/Specials:
"Kegel the Elf" from The League
The Snowman
"Night of the Meek" from The Twilight Zone
"And All Through the House" from Tales from the Crypt
"A Krampus Carol" from The League
"Confrontation" from Wilfred
A Claymation Christmas Celebration
"A Very Venture Christmas" from The Venture Bros.
"Mr. Grumpy-Pants" from Superjail!
Mr. Magoo's Christmas Carol
The Cricket on the Hearth
The Leprechaun's Christmas Gold
Ernest Saves Christmas (if you hate yourself)
"A Very Sunny Christmas" from It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia
"Silent Night" from American Horror Story: Asylum
"Birth" and "Afterbirth" from American Horror Story
"O Holy Moly Night" from F is for Family
Arthur's Perfect Christmas
The Town that Santa Forgot
"Christmas Special" from The League of Gentlemen
The Star Wars Holiday Special (only if you enjoy so-bad-it's-funny specials)
"A Very Special Family Guy Freakin' Christmas" from Family Guy
"Road to the North Pole" from Family Guy
"Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire" from The Simpsons
"The Fight Before Christmas" from The Simpsons
"Tis the Fifteenth Season" from The Simpsons
"Woodland Critter Christmas" from South Park
"Sabrina's Christmas Wish" from BoJack Horseman
"It's Christmas in Canada!" from South Park
"A Very Crappy Christmas" from South Park
"Merry Christmas, Charlie Manson!" from South Park
"Mr. Hankey, the Christmas Poo" from South Park
"Mr. Hankey's Christmas Classics" from South Park
"Red Sleigh Down" from South Park
"HappyHolograms" from South Park
"Black Friday" trilogy from South Park
"A History Channel Thanksgiving" from South Park
"Helen Keller! The Musical" from South Park
"Merry Christmas, Mister Bean" from Mister Bean
"The Draft Dodger" from All in the Family
"Blackadder Christmas Carol" from Blackadder

Krampus: The latest holiday horror film from the director of "Trick r Treat"

Krampus:

It's the modern holiday seasons: an upper middle-class family is reluctantly having their obnoxious redneck in-laws over for Christmas. Hijinks ensue, resulting in the youngest son taking back his Christmas wish for his family to better themselves. Suddenly, an intense blizzard knocks out the neighborhood's power and prevents road travel. Very quickly, the family begins to realize that a supernatural force is tampering with their lives: the Krampus, the ancient German demon who comes to punish those who do not embrace the Christmas spirit.

    I've found the legend of the Krampus fascinating for a while now. The irony of this dark and morbid story being told to children around the happiest season of the year was intriguing to me. So when I heard Michael Dougherty (director of the Halloween horror film Trick r Treat) was doing a film about a family who encounters this creature, I was hyped. Initially the trailers were very dumb, but I was confident it would be a fun little movie. And it was. Slightly disappointing, considering how great Dougherty's first effort was, but still enjoyable.

    The humor of the film blends with the horror surprisingly well, and Adam Scott, Toni Collette, Allison Tolman, David Koechner, and Conchata Ferrell were great comic relief in the film, and while initially seeming very unlikable, slowly start to grow on you as the survival portion of the film sets in. Krista Stadler, Emjay Anthony, and Stefania LaVie Owen were good supporting characters, playing the grandmother and two kids, respectively. Some reviewers complained the family was unlikable for the most part, but I found myself sympathizing them more and more as the film went on, and I believe that was Dougherty's intention. However, characters often make dumb, horror movie mistakes, but the tongue-in-cheek nature of the film makes this more understandable.

    Krampus himself takes a backseat most of this movie, which was slightly disappointing, but also built suspense to his eventual arrival. His design was pretty great in this movie, paying homage to traditional portrayals, while trying its' own thing. The special effects of the monsters in this film were fantastic, mostly practical effects, though at times the effect of the Jack-in-the-Box creature looked like a Power Rangers monster suit, and one key scene of a character falling was laughable looking and almost ruins the climax. There is, however, a short clay-mation/CG sequence that looks amazing and shows Dougherty hasn't forgotten his background in animation.

    The story at times had holes (how much of the town Krampus' snowstorm has enveloped is unclear), and the ending (as Chris Stuckmann pointed out in his review) felt a little too similar to the ending of Jeepers Creepers. The jump scares felt a little cheap, and I know from watching Trick r Treat that Dougherty can do better, and overall you can tell he wasn't having as much fun with the Christmas horror concept as with the Halloween one. In fact, the PG-13 rating seems to drag down this project with its' obviously censored dialogue ("Get away from my kids, you fudger!") and lack of blood. I'm all for "what you see is less scary that what you don't", but with a big, dumb, in-your-face monster movie like this, some gore would be a good payoff but I never got that. Trick r Treat was rated R, and therefore went all-out with the gore and was better for it. 

    The film felt longer than it was, but that's a good thing. It felt like a solid length for this type of movie. Krampus is an entertaining movie, albeit a slight let-down. Best case scenario: it encourages more viewers to check out Dougherty's Trick r Treat, which, unlike this film, was given a criminally limited theatrical run and then went straight to video and on demand for vague reasons, despite having a good budget and cast. Worst case scenario: it disappoints people and discourages them from watching ore of Dougherty's horror films, which would be a shame, as Dougherty is a talented filmmaker who should branch out and do more work outside of just writing. Give this one a watch, and then go out and buy Trick r Treat for next Halloween (or just watch it now, it doesn't matter). 7/10 stars.

                                     

(Images: Wikipedia, comingsoon.net)

The Peanuts Movie: The first movie I've seen this year to surpass expectations for it

Today, I look at the first modern big-screen adaptation of Charles M. Schulz's classic comics.

The Peanuts Movie:
Charlie Brown, the social pariah of his school and community, seems to never have the upper hand on life. His constant embarrassments and failures only reinforce his peers' views of him. Suddenly, a new student arrives: a little red-haired girl. Instantly becoming infatuated with her, Charlie Brown must find a way to impress her while not making a fool of himself, as he always does.
    It's probably the most basic film I've seen this year. There's no twist or action scene or grand epic finale, it's just a simple, nice film. The only surprise I had was how much I enjoyed it. Even though I'm very nostalgic for the Peanuts cartoons, I was kind of on-the-fence about this film. BlueSky Animation is sometimes hit-or-miss with their projects, and I'm so nostalgic for the characters it seemed like it would be surreal to see these characters in a new, modern take. Luckily, the people who wrote the film are Schulz's own son and grandson, and the studio was able to get his widow on board, so my worries were slightly eased. Finally, after seeing the film, I can say it felt like a full-length Peanuts special, though with slightly more cohesion, and that's the highest compliment paid to it. It didn't update any of the timeless feel of the strips and specials, with the characters making no references to any modern tech or social media, which is something they could have so easily done to appeal to the modern audiences. This was a film made by people who cared enough to try and accurately replicate the look and feel of the original material, while adding in the polish of modern animation and adding in their own takes on characters.
    The animation is so unique, it looks exactly like a 3D version of Schulz's original drawings, and some of the sequences, such as Snoopy's fantasies, provided some nice visual flair among the sometimes simplistic environments explored by our main characters, and showed the full scope of what can be done in a Peanuts cartoon now. The opening animated short featuring Ice Age's scrat was fairly amusing as well and had some nice animation, but felt a little jarring when placed next to the tonally so distinctive Peanuts.
    The opening 20th Century Fox logo's theme music being played by Schroeder on piano reminded me of The Simpsons Movie featuring Ralph Wiggum wailing the Fox theme music. The ending credits feature a character dancing by whatever credit is being shown on screen at the time, and they put the detail of having Schroeder as the music icon, and it's the little touches like that that show me that people who made this put a lot of thought into it.
    The story, like I said, is charming in its' simplicity. While the ending is not nearly as melancholy or bluntly realistic as the strips and specials could sometimes be, it still retains the theme of failure as just a part of life that Schulz included many times in his work. The writers included some nice references to the strips and previous specials if you are familiar with them (a moving truck company is named after Peanuts producers Lee Mendelson and Bill Melendez), but doesn't rely on one's nostalgia for them to make it a great movie. There were time in the film where I was actually on the edge-of-my-seat because I could so relate to Charlie Brown's fear of being in front of his peers trying to do something, his fears of failure in front of his peers, etc.
   The music by Christophe Beck is great, as it is able to try and replicate Vince Guaraldi's unmistakable style that he used in scoring the original cartoons, but doesn't feel like a carbon copy. The only complaints about the music are the uses of pop songs: once in a montage, and over the end credits, with at least one being by Meghan Trainor. They don't fit with the end of the movie at all and I feel are the only things that could date the film.
    The voice acting is excellent, with most of the performers replicating the sound of the original voice actors remarkably. Bill Melendez, who passed away, still voices Snoopy and Woodstock through archival voice recordings.
     The only other complaint I have with the film is the fact that it would make for a great film to watch for the holidays, only the climax takes place in summer, which kind of throws that off. But you almost can't watch it any other time of year, because 3/4 of it is set in the holiday season.
    The Peanuts Movie is brilliant in its' simple, down-to-earth approach. It is non-pretentious, and has no need for the spectacle seen in so many animated features these days. Not since Wreck-It-Ralph has an animated film come along that has touched me in a way that I can't really explain, but one came around again: this one. Especially after the disappointments of Frozen and Big Hero 6 and the semi-disappointment of Inside Out, and unlike Goosebumps, it doesn't almost entirely rely on nostalgia to keep you entertained. No need to modernize or reference pop culture every few minutes for cheap laughs, just telling a nice, uplifting story. I don't know if it's just my nostalgia talking, but it made me feel almost like a kid again watching it, and it's the first film this year to surpass expectations I had for it, and the first film since Sicario I've wanted to go back and see again, only even moreso than that film. I can see myself watching it in coming years during the holiday season along with the other Peanuts specials. If you have no attachment to the franchise at all, you can still appreciate it as an above-average family film. If you do enjoy the franchise, you'll probably love this movie. This is something I think it is safe to say Charles Schulz would have been proud to call his own. 8/10 stars.

                                                           (Image: Wikipedia)

Goosebumps: R.L. Stine's children's series finally gets the big screen treatment

For Halloween, I figured I'd review two new horror movies I saw. Well, this isn't much of a horror film, but is a perfect fit for the Halloween season.

Goosebumps:
Shortly after moving into a small town in Delaware, teenaged Zach becomes infatuated with his next door neighbor Hannah. However, Hannah's mysterious and reclusive father doesn't want Zach around and warns him about leaving them alone. One night, Zach and his new friend Champ break into the home, thinking Hannah is in danger from her father. They discover her father is author R.L. Stine, who has every Goosebumps manuscript locked in his study. Upon opening one of the books, they discover opening them unleashes the monster from each book upon the world. Unfortunately, they unleash Slappy the Dummy, who begins opening and then destroying the manuscripts, preventing the monsters from being contained. With every monster Stine ever created wreaking havoc on the town, Zach, Hannah, Champ, and Stine must find a way to stop the monsters and recapture them before they destroy the town and move on to the rest of the world.
    Now, despite being a fan of the books and TV show as a kid and therefore having a nostalgia for it, I find them to be just ok now. The books are leagues above the TV show, which is downright hilarious most of the time. Now, this movie didn't blow my expectations out of the water or anything. It was exactly as good as I expected it to be. Jack Black was decent as Stine and had some funny moments, and Amy Ryan and Jillian Bell were good supporting actresses. Black also voices Slappy. The main three kids, played by Dylan Minnette, Odeya Rush, and Ryan Lee, were decent leads and I think kids will enjoy them. R.L. Stine has a little cameo near the end as Mr. Black (get it? Because Jack Black plays him in the movie? Yeah, nothing too clever there.)
   But about the kids, I think that's the best way to view this movie: remember that it really is made for kids. However, because of this it still can't be fully enjoyed by me. One of the worst parts was as nice as the huge monster fight at the climax was, it was way too tame. The Cabin in the Woods had a similar sequence, but because it was rated R, it could go all out with the violence and it was awesome. This movie keeps it PG and therefore the violence is comical and no one ever feels in genuine danger, and the monsters never get to do anything truly scary, and Stine's insistence about not having death in his books keeps the movie from having any balls. Also, there's a reveal in this film that provided the opportunity to really have kids face the reality of death in a mature fashion, and it almost did, and then they soil it with a forced happy ending. The ending "twist" also makes little sense at all. The scariest monsters are the zombies which are just slightly creepy, and Slappy's weird thing about him and Stine being one in the same made no sense to me and seemed like trying to force more of a relationship between the two into the movie. The best part of the movie is the credits sequence whose animation style mimics that of the Goosebumps book cover art. It was really a treat to see.
    Goosebumps captures the spirit of the original books, and is leagues better than that 90's TV show (at least in terms of quality; funny wise, it doesn't hold a candle). The cast is good, the special effects are hit-or-miss (Slappy being a real dummy was cool, but some of the CG was so-so), and the story was a clever way to work in all the monsters from the books in one place. It's definitely the perfect Halloween movie for families to go see. 6/10 stars.

                                                                  (Image: Wikipedia)

September Movies: The Visit and Black Mass

Today, I look at two movies I've seen recently.

The Visit:
Two young kids, a pretentious teenaged girl who likes making movies, and an idiotic boy who thinks he's a rapper, go for a week to visit their estranged grandparents and reconnect with them. However, spending more time with them, they realize something is very wrong with their grandparents...
    M. Night Shyamalan has been the laughingstock of Hollywood for the past ten years. A pariah, who is despised by critics, and whose fans have even grown tired of his constant churning out of garbage. Suddenly, this film, which looked ridiculous and stupid, was getting good reviews. People were saying he was turning his career around at last. I went in knowing this movie would be bad. No matter what people said, I knew it, deep down. And it was gloriously bad. It's supposed to be this found footage horror comedy, but the parts that I could tell were supposed to be scary were hilarious, and the parts that were supposed to be funny just cringey and awkward.
    The found footage angle doesn't work at all because it's essentially unnecessary except for budgetary reasons. There's still opening credits despite the "real" style, and the equipment being used by the main character is way too good for a teenage girl to have. The camerawork is so crisp and clear, it's like a professional camera. And the webcams being pretty much perfect, with no delay or bad audio is another pet peeve of mine as of late.
    Olivia DeJonge and Ed Oxenbould are the two annoying main characters. The girl spouts movie equipment explanations and terms to the audience like we're stupid and talks in an incredibly condescending voice. The boy is just plain irritating. I do admire the two actors, who are Australian, putting on such convincing American accents, but the material they were given is just awkward. Peter McRobbie and Deanna Dunagan play their grandparents, who are some great scenery-chewing villains. They are without a doubt the best part of the whole movie. Kathryn Hahn appears as the kids' mother, who is fine, but for a found footage movie, it's distracting to see such a recognizable face.
   The Visit is packed with jump-scares and unintentionally hilarious moments (grandpa's poop is used as a plot point and a scare), and is just painfully awkward at times in a way only Shyamalan can do. While I was thoroughly entertained, I feel it was still a failure as a horror-comedy, and should be seen as an all-around comedy. The only remotely suspenseful scene is the final confrontations with the grandparents, which are ruined by a poop scare and with a callback to football earlier in the movie that is absurdly forced. Overall, see it if you want a good laugh, or put it on at a Halloween party. This movie is a prime example that these day, Blumhouse will produce anything to make a quick buck. 5/10 stars.




Black Mass:
Telling the story of infamous Boston gangster James "Whitey" Bulger (a criminal whose exploits have inspired many other films), this movie follows his rise to power, family struggles, and the controversial alliance between Bulger and the FBI.
    Johnny Depp has been in a bit of a career rut lately. Being typecast as the eccentric oddball for the past twenty-or-so years hasn't helped. In this movie, he gets to actually be an actor again by portraying a character who is different than is others, who has a semblance of depth to him. His portrayal of Bulger is the crowning achievement of the film. He's empathetic at times, but is mostly cold, intimidating, and other times, disgusting and skeevy. The makeup job on him was excellent, with some subtle touches like a bad tooth and pock marks, and more noticeable ones like his receding hairline and icy blue eyes. Johnny still looks a little too handsome to be the real life Whitey (who had big teeth and looked much older), but his performance makes up for it.
    The rest of the cast do a fine job. It's too lengthy to list all here, but I will say Joel Edgerton was a good tragic hero character, who had moments of idiocy.
    My main problem with the movie was its' often repetitive nature (if Bulger is alone with someone or with just him and his guys and someone else, it's a guarantee that he's going to either kill them or do something creepy, it's like a formula). There's also no suspense in certain scenes after awhile because you can predict how it's going to end based on the information above, plus obvious music cues, so it's not great a suspense thriller. Even as Bulger story, it's a lot more boring than most. The Departed has more leeway because it was a fictional story, so they could do more with the story to make it more investing, but here, it's all facts, so after awhile it gets quite dry. The first act definitely felt more intriguing and fast-paced than the second, which dragged its' feet too much.
    Some of the camera angle choices were cool (in one death scene, they pan away to leave it kind of unclear what exactly was done, which was somewhat unique.
    I know it's the title of the book this was based on, but I don't know exactly why they decided to call this film "Black Mass". I mean, it's an eye-catching title, but it really has nothing to do with the film's content.
    Regardless, Black Mass is a decent gangster biopic, but nothing to write home about. It's essentially a straightforward telling, with little visual flair. I was disappointed, because director Scott Cooper has had a fairly good track record. Depp's performance may be enough to save this movie from pure mediocrity, but it's nothing compared to the other films based on Bulger's life. It's also a  bummer when the dinner scene from the first trailer was done better in that trailer than in the actual film. 6/10 stars.

                                                                (Images: Wikipedia)