Freaky Weekend
October08, film October 10th, 2008By Daniel Halal, October 2008
Halloween is a time to dress up, go out and have a good time. It’s one of two holidays when you can play pranks on your friends and get away with it. Although I fully support that, it’s expected that our local video stores’ entire horror sections will virtually be checked out until Halloween night. Here are some less popular (but probably a little more fun) picks to consider this Halloween.
Ginger Snaps: 2000, John Fawcett
What’s scarier than teenage hormones? Ginger and her sister are two late-developing teens who just so happen to be dark and mysterious. On one of their many late night full-moon outings, a werewolf attacks Ginger while she’s getting her period for the first time. As Ginger starts to grow a tail, get hairy arms and sharper teeth, she and her sister Brigitte accidentally murder the popular girl from school. It is all downhill from there as Brigitte spends the rest of the movie hanging out with her druggy boyfriend and cleaning up Ginger’s bloody messes.
The Gruesome Twosome: 1967, Herschell Gordon Lewis
Gruesome Twosome takes place in a small Florida college town much like Gainesville. It starts with one of the most bizarre title sequences ever made: lip-syncing wig heads with paper collage faces talking about the plot of the film to a circus soundtrack. The rest of the movie is just as weird, in a classic H.G. Lewis way. A family wig company that’s not doing so hot has a crazed, mentally ill son who conspires with his mother to start making human wigs. The villains put a “Room For Rent” sign in the window and start scalping all the college co-eds that come to check out the apartment. When young Kathy starts getting curious about all her friends disappearing she discovers the family’s secret.
The Hunger: 1983, Tony Scott
This film opens with a strange but great title sequence featuring ‘80s Goth kings Bauhaus playing “Bela Lugosi’s Dead.” The bulk of this incredible film sees David Bowie and Catherine Denevue starring as two aging vampires eating their way through the big city club scene, as every youngster they kill gives them a little more time on earth. Susan Sarandon plays the role of a skeptical medical specialist whom David Bowie seeks out for help. Sarandon eventually goes bloodsucker and falls in love with the ailing Catherine Denevue. If you are (somehow) not convinced yet, maybe it’s because Mr. Bowie was not exactly in his prime in 1983, but you should still watch this film for its touching subplot about aging.
The Monster Squad: 1987, Fred Dekker
A kid wearing a “Stephen King Rules” shirt discovers that Dracula, the Werewolf, the Creature from the Black Lagoon, the Mummy and Frankenstein are all invading his town. Dracula needs a mystical amulet that Van Helsing stole from him hundreds of years ago so he can really do some damage beyond sucking blood. “Stephen King Rules” and his weirdo horror-obsessed friends go on an all-night crusade to save their town and the world. Frankenstein turns good and the kiddies kill a surprising number of vampiresses before finding a virgin to read a spell, casting all the evildoers away from their town and into a vortex where evil cannot exist.
Killer Klowns from Outer Space: 1988, Stephen Chiodo
It’s hard to describe Killer Klowns From Outer Space beyond the title because it really does say it all. Clowns are quite possibly the scariest things in America (John Wayne Gacy, IT, etc.), and being from another planet doesn’t help either. Our heroes spend most of the film riding around in an ice cream truck to a horrible soundtrack and taking care of business. Most of us who were young and saw this movie in the ‘80s still cannot eat cotton candy without giving it a thorough inspection first.
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Freaky Weekend
October08, film October 10th, 2008By Daniel Halal, October 2008
Halloween is a time to dress up, go out and have a good time. It’s one of two holidays when you can play pranks on your friends and get away with it. Although I fully support that, it’s expected that our local video stores’ entire horror sections will virtually be checked out until Halloween night. Here are some less popular (but probably a little more fun) picks to consider this Halloween.
Ginger Snaps: 2000, John Fawcett
What’s scarier than teenage hormones? Ginger and her sister are two late-developing teens who just so happen to be dark and mysterious. On one of their many late night full-moon outings, a werewolf attacks Ginger while she’s getting her period for the first time. As Ginger starts to grow a tail, get hairy arms and sharper teeth, she and her sister Brigitte accidentally murder the popular girl from school. It is all downhill from there as Brigitte spends the rest of the movie hanging out with her druggy boyfriend and cleaning up Ginger’s bloody messes.
The Gruesome Twosome: 1967, Herschell Gordon Lewis
Gruesome Twosome takes place in a small Florida college town much like Gainesville. It starts with one of the most bizarre title sequences ever made: lip-syncing wig heads with paper collage faces talking about the plot of the film to a circus soundtrack. The rest of the movie is just as weird, in a classic H.G. Lewis way. A family wig company that’s not doing so hot has a crazed, mentally ill son who conspires with his mother to start making human wigs. The villains put a “Room For Rent” sign in the window and start scalping all the college co-eds that come to check out the apartment. When young Kathy starts getting curious about all her friends disappearing she discovers the family’s secret.
The Hunger: 1983, Tony Scott
This film opens with a strange but great title sequence featuring ‘80s Goth kings Bauhaus playing “Bela Lugosi’s Dead.” The bulk of this incredible film sees David Bowie and Catherine Denevue starring as two aging vampires eating their way through the big city club scene, as every youngster they kill gives them a little more time on earth. Susan Sarandon plays the role of a skeptical medical specialist whom David Bowie seeks out for help. Sarandon eventually goes bloodsucker and falls in love with the ailing Catherine Denevue. If you are (somehow) not convinced yet, maybe it’s because Mr. Bowie was not exactly in his prime in 1983, but you should still watch this film for its touching subplot about aging.
The Monster Squad: 1987, Fred Dekker
A kid wearing a “Stephen King Rules” shirt discovers that Dracula, the Werewolf, the Creature from the Black Lagoon, the Mummy and Frankenstein are all invading his town. Dracula needs a mystical amulet that Van Helsing stole from him hundreds of years ago so he can really do some damage beyond sucking blood. “Stephen King Rules” and his weirdo horror-obsessed friends go on an all-night crusade to save their town and the world. Frankenstein turns good and the kiddies kill a surprising number of vampiresses before finding a virgin to read a spell, casting all the evildoers away from their town and into a vortex where evil cannot exist.
Killer Klowns from Outer Space: 1988, Stephen Chiodo
It’s hard to describe Killer Klowns From Outer Space beyond the title because it really does say it all. Clowns are quite possibly the scariest things in America (John Wayne Gacy, IT, etc.), and being from another planet doesn’t help either. Our heroes spend most of the film riding around in an ice cream truck to a horrible soundtrack and taking care of business. Most of us who were young and saw this movie in the ‘80s still cannot eat cotton candy without giving it a thorough inspection first.
