Halloween Movie Wrap Up
Darron Young
Issue date: 10/27/06 Section: FreeStyle
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Well, Halloween season is upon us once again. Some of us are going to attend Halloween-themed costume parties. Others are going to take their younger children, siblings or relatives out for a bit of Halloween fun. And for those who are still kids at heart, they'll go out and roam the streets for a while themselves. For those of you choosing to go out with friends and enjoy a movie at the local cineplex, here's a list of movies that'll be good choices for a potential Halloween night out.
Saw III: The "Saw" series just gets more and more twisted. After the unforgettable twist ending of the first "Saw," and the gore of the secondone, one wonders just how part three could possibly top its predecessors. The Jigsaw Killer is a criminal mastermind who arranges elaborate traps and mindgames for his victims. He gives them choices that will either save their lives and/or the lives of others, or not. In this new offering, for example, a man is presented with the opportunity for vengeance against a judge who was overly lenient towards the person who killed his son. The judge is pinned down by the neck above a vat of liquified pig entrails and will drown in the vat if the man standing above it doesn't do something to save him. So the judge who let his son's killer go free, now finds himself with his life in this man's hands. In "Saw III," the deathtraps get even more elaborate as Jigsaw takes a break and passes the responsibilities of his elaborate torture games to Amanda, his disturbed "understudy." Fittingly, this one is set to hit theaters just a few days before Halloween.
The Grudge 2: "The Grudge 2" picks right up where its predecessors left off. Only this time, Aubrey, the sister of Karen (Sarah Michelle Gellar), the main character from part one, arrives in Japan to help her sister, who she learns has been in a terrible accident. Expect a lot more dark shadows creeping along the ceilings and walls; expect a lot more creepy zombie-like ghosts staggering about; expect a few more pale fingers emerging from people's hair and especially expect many more extremely pale ghost kids with really long hair popping up at the least expected places at the least expected times. Unfortunately, it appears part two veers into the same territory that part one does in terms of creating a coherent storyline that one can ably follow. I found part one a really good "scarefest" movie, but the plot just seemed to be all over the place. And by all critical indications, this one is no exception. If you go into this one expecting an easy-to-follow plot, prepare to be disappointed. However, if you just want to sit down, relax and get scared a little, this one is well worth the price of admission.
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre-The Beginning: In this movie, we get to see the beginning stages of what would become one of the most disturbing urban legends in modern history. We get to go back and see the events and people who influenced the man who would one day become "Leatherface." R. Lee Ermy ("Full Metal Jacket") makes a return as corrupt town sheriff, Sheriff Hoyt, luring another batch of unsuspecting twenty-something's to that quaint white house in the country. Expect much more gory, chainsaw deaths in this one. Please note, though, that RottenTomatoes.com gave this one a "Rotten" rating, as it has been given generally negative reviews by critics. So if you're looking for anything remotely resembling decent plot in this one, I wouldn't advise it. However, if you like Texas, chainsaws, massacres or any combination of the three, this one might be the movie for you.
Now for those movies out on DVD. Here are some suggestions that will make for one memorable Halloween. These should be good entertainment on a dark and stormy Halloween night. (Or any other Halloween night for that matter.)
An American Haunting: This film is very interesting, and it's based on real events. With a girl running through the snow trying to escape some unseen force, this movie starts off as seemingly yet another straightforward "ghost story." But after awhile, a flashback sequence transports us to the 19th century, showing us the events that led to the creation of the Bell Witch. John Bell, Sr., gets into a land dispute with Kate Batts, a local woman widely thought to be a witch, who puts a curse on Bell's family. Afterwards, strange events begin to take place at the Bell home. John's daughter, Betsy, begins to experience frequent nightly visits by a tormenting spirit who snatches the covers from her bed, slaps her viciously and tosses her around the room. The family calls in a holy man to help them purge what they see as a demonic visitor who is inhabiting their house. However, somewhere towards the middle of the movie we begin to get the idea that something infinitely more sinister is at play here.
The movie does start to get repetitive at some points; we are shown over and over again the nightly attacks, which almost begs us to ask, "If they know she's going to be attacked whenever Betsy is asleep, why don't they put someone else in there with her, or just let her sleep in her parents' room?" When we are shown the truth about the Bell Witch, though, everything about these supposed "ghost" attacks begins to come into clear, unsettling focus. Ultimately, this movie is a disturbing testament to the fact that, no matter how sinister the monsters we put in our movies may be, nothing ever really compares to the truly evil things that we do to one another. It's a good movie, and it's got a great ending, which redeems it.
Monster House: This CGI feature has many funny bits, while still remaining kind of spooky in it's own right. DJ is a young kid who's convinced that the house next door is haunted. He watches creepy old neighbor, Nebbercracker through the telescope from his window. Anything that lands on Nebbercracker's lawn becomes his property, so numerous balls and toys from the neighborhood have ended up there, never to be seen again. Most kids know to steer clear of Nebbercracker's place. When DJ's friend, Chowder, accidentally lands his basketball on Nebbercracker's lawn, he and DJ find themselves drawn in to discover the mystery behind the "monster house." While on the surface this one might appear to be just for kids, it still maintains enough bite to be a movie that older audiences can watch and enjoy as well.
Slither: This recent DVD release looks very promising. In this one, numerous worm-like alien creatures are infesting a local city. Written by James Gunn, the screenwriter of the "Dawn of the Dead" remake, "Slither" presents a disturbing imagining of a city where these tiny worm creatures are infecting people like a plague and turning them into zombie that are mentally linked, all of them being controlled by the "head" zombie and the first townsperson to be transformed, a man by the name of Grant...err... Grant. (First and last name of Grant, that is.) In case you can't tell by this unlikely handle, "Slither" poises itself as a horror/comedy and offers as many silly moments as those of genuine horror. "Slither" has received many positive reviews, and while it didn't perform exceptionally well at the box office, it will probably become a cult movie that people will discover at a later date and really come to love.
Saw III: The "Saw" series just gets more and more twisted. After the unforgettable twist ending of the first "Saw," and the gore of the secondone, one wonders just how part three could possibly top its predecessors. The Jigsaw Killer is a criminal mastermind who arranges elaborate traps and mindgames for his victims. He gives them choices that will either save their lives and/or the lives of others, or not. In this new offering, for example, a man is presented with the opportunity for vengeance against a judge who was overly lenient towards the person who killed his son. The judge is pinned down by the neck above a vat of liquified pig entrails and will drown in the vat if the man standing above it doesn't do something to save him. So the judge who let his son's killer go free, now finds himself with his life in this man's hands. In "Saw III," the deathtraps get even more elaborate as Jigsaw takes a break and passes the responsibilities of his elaborate torture games to Amanda, his disturbed "understudy." Fittingly, this one is set to hit theaters just a few days before Halloween.
The Grudge 2: "The Grudge 2" picks right up where its predecessors left off. Only this time, Aubrey, the sister of Karen (Sarah Michelle Gellar), the main character from part one, arrives in Japan to help her sister, who she learns has been in a terrible accident. Expect a lot more dark shadows creeping along the ceilings and walls; expect a lot more creepy zombie-like ghosts staggering about; expect a few more pale fingers emerging from people's hair and especially expect many more extremely pale ghost kids with really long hair popping up at the least expected places at the least expected times. Unfortunately, it appears part two veers into the same territory that part one does in terms of creating a coherent storyline that one can ably follow. I found part one a really good "scarefest" movie, but the plot just seemed to be all over the place. And by all critical indications, this one is no exception. If you go into this one expecting an easy-to-follow plot, prepare to be disappointed. However, if you just want to sit down, relax and get scared a little, this one is well worth the price of admission.
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre-The Beginning: In this movie, we get to see the beginning stages of what would become one of the most disturbing urban legends in modern history. We get to go back and see the events and people who influenced the man who would one day become "Leatherface." R. Lee Ermy ("Full Metal Jacket") makes a return as corrupt town sheriff, Sheriff Hoyt, luring another batch of unsuspecting twenty-something's to that quaint white house in the country. Expect much more gory, chainsaw deaths in this one. Please note, though, that RottenTomatoes.com gave this one a "Rotten" rating, as it has been given generally negative reviews by critics. So if you're looking for anything remotely resembling decent plot in this one, I wouldn't advise it. However, if you like Texas, chainsaws, massacres or any combination of the three, this one might be the movie for you.
Now for those movies out on DVD. Here are some suggestions that will make for one memorable Halloween. These should be good entertainment on a dark and stormy Halloween night. (Or any other Halloween night for that matter.)
An American Haunting: This film is very interesting, and it's based on real events. With a girl running through the snow trying to escape some unseen force, this movie starts off as seemingly yet another straightforward "ghost story." But after awhile, a flashback sequence transports us to the 19th century, showing us the events that led to the creation of the Bell Witch. John Bell, Sr., gets into a land dispute with Kate Batts, a local woman widely thought to be a witch, who puts a curse on Bell's family. Afterwards, strange events begin to take place at the Bell home. John's daughter, Betsy, begins to experience frequent nightly visits by a tormenting spirit who snatches the covers from her bed, slaps her viciously and tosses her around the room. The family calls in a holy man to help them purge what they see as a demonic visitor who is inhabiting their house. However, somewhere towards the middle of the movie we begin to get the idea that something infinitely more sinister is at play here.
The movie does start to get repetitive at some points; we are shown over and over again the nightly attacks, which almost begs us to ask, "If they know she's going to be attacked whenever Betsy is asleep, why don't they put someone else in there with her, or just let her sleep in her parents' room?" When we are shown the truth about the Bell Witch, though, everything about these supposed "ghost" attacks begins to come into clear, unsettling focus. Ultimately, this movie is a disturbing testament to the fact that, no matter how sinister the monsters we put in our movies may be, nothing ever really compares to the truly evil things that we do to one another. It's a good movie, and it's got a great ending, which redeems it.
Monster House: This CGI feature has many funny bits, while still remaining kind of spooky in it's own right. DJ is a young kid who's convinced that the house next door is haunted. He watches creepy old neighbor, Nebbercracker through the telescope from his window. Anything that lands on Nebbercracker's lawn becomes his property, so numerous balls and toys from the neighborhood have ended up there, never to be seen again. Most kids know to steer clear of Nebbercracker's place. When DJ's friend, Chowder, accidentally lands his basketball on Nebbercracker's lawn, he and DJ find themselves drawn in to discover the mystery behind the "monster house." While on the surface this one might appear to be just for kids, it still maintains enough bite to be a movie that older audiences can watch and enjoy as well.
Slither: This recent DVD release looks very promising. In this one, numerous worm-like alien creatures are infesting a local city. Written by James Gunn, the screenwriter of the "Dawn of the Dead" remake, "Slither" presents a disturbing imagining of a city where these tiny worm creatures are infecting people like a plague and turning them into zombie that are mentally linked, all of them being controlled by the "head" zombie and the first townsperson to be transformed, a man by the name of Grant...err... Grant. (First and last name of Grant, that is.) In case you can't tell by this unlikely handle, "Slither" poises itself as a horror/comedy and offers as many silly moments as those of genuine horror. "Slither" has received many positive reviews, and while it didn't perform exceptionally well at the box office, it will probably become a cult movie that people will discover at a later date and really come to love.
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