tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-49648856321318486602024-03-13T03:44:22.451-07:00Dinner With Max JenkeNew Horror Opinions at '80s Prices.Jeff Allardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04265550466781988388noreply@blogger.comBlogger655125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4964885632131848660.post-10476341166634920532021-10-31T09:25:00.004-07:002022-09-28T12:51:52.235-07:00Dangertainment Is Off The Air! <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-U72vx5172rw/YX7AUh1bGVI/AAAAAAAAHHQ/WpNrsgCm6e0vzwhdZ1O-D9wuvjO7kzEcACLcBGAsYHQ/s768/halloween_resurrection_freddy.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="326" data-original-width="768" height="136" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-U72vx5172rw/YX7AUh1bGVI/AAAAAAAAHHQ/WpNrsgCm6e0vzwhdZ1O-D9wuvjO7kzEcACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/halloween_resurrection_freddy.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;">Hey, I had a blast looking back on the many ups and downs of the </span><i style="text-align: left;">Halloween</i><span style="text-align: left;"> series for this year's round of Trick or </span><span style="font-family: inherit; text-align: left;">Trailers but I'll close out by giving the last word over to someone who fought the boogeyman head on, who got in his face, who walked in his house like he owned the place, and yet still lived to tell the tale, </span><span style="text-align: left;">the head of Dangertainment himself, Freddie Harris:</span><span style="text-align: left;"> </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GRSgnvzRx_0/YX6ZSCiVFLI/AAAAAAAAHG8/ImNnjqCYPdoZkenPnQeQjJfqZvIioQ7IwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1936/halloween_resurrection_busta_airhorn.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="932" data-original-width="1936" height="154" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GRSgnvzRx_0/YX6ZSCiVFLI/AAAAAAAAHG8/ImNnjqCYPdoZkenPnQeQjJfqZvIioQ7IwCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/halloween_resurrection_busta_airhorn.png" width="320" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">"...Michael Myers is not a sound bite, a spin-off, a tie-in, some kind of celebrity scandal. Michael Myers is a killer shark in baggy-ass overalls that gets his kicks off of killing everything and everyone that he comes across. That's all."</span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"> </span></p><p style="text-align: center;">Happy Halloween, everyone! </p><p style="text-align: center;">Cheers! </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-eFpI3S4ddGY/YX6Zp7FNY8I/AAAAAAAAHHI/d8M1GcI0bqUm6L9Uh_gqupUlPzM8OA7HACLcBGAsYHQ/s853/halloween_resurrection_toast.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="853" height="225" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-eFpI3S4ddGY/YX6Zp7FNY8I/AAAAAAAAHHI/d8M1GcI0bqUm6L9Uh_gqupUlPzM8OA7HACLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h225/halloween_resurrection_toast.JPG" width="380" /></a></div>Jeff Allardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04265550466781988388noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4964885632131848660.post-46474219341706739682021-10-30T20:03:00.006-07:002022-09-25T08:25:46.596-07:00Trick or Trailers: Halloween (2018) & Halloween Kills (2021)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-eeCRHcSlGNY/YX1UaAXrY-I/AAAAAAAAHFY/p78U7_FRESMlx_tsUXk9tpljyb0rcPF0ACLcBGAsYHQ/s1199/Halloween_2018_teaser_poster.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1199" data-original-width="758" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-eeCRHcSlGNY/YX1UaAXrY-I/AAAAAAAAHFY/p78U7_FRESMlx_tsUXk9tpljyb0rcPF0ACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Halloween_2018_teaser_poster.jpg" width="202" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;">Even though there'd been many times over the years when it looked like <i>Halloween</i> had as much life left in it as a rotting jack o'lantern, it was probably inevitable that in time the franchise would land in the hands of horror fans turned pros who would be primed to fulfill the series' promise in a way that previous filmmakers hadn't, that eventually <i>Halloween</i> wouldn't just be lurching clumsily from one film to the next. </p><p style="text-align: center;">By rights, Dimension Films should have been an ideal home for Michael Myers but in the end it ended up yielding the usual uneven stretch of films, some of them the most reviled of the series. For all the bad luck the franchise has suffered over the years, you'd think its namesake holiday was Friday the 13th. But in 2016 it looked like things might finally turn around once it was announced that the next <i>Halloween</i> would involve genre powerhouse Blumhouse Productions. </p><p style="text-align: center;">In time for the series' 40th anniversary, <i>Halloween</i> continuity would once again be rewritten, with the new film now stemming solely from the events of the original <i>Halloween</i>, discarding everything afterward, finally untethering <i>Halloween </i>from its first sequel. </p><p style="text-align: center;">For years, <i>II</i> was piggybacked onto <i>Halloween</i>, due to its storyline picking up immediately from the end of the original. The two were seen as one seamless story, detailing the events of Halloween night, 1978. And because of that, every sequel had to contend with the misguided reveal in <i>II</i> that Michael and Laurie were siblings. Now, the series was free to forge a new direction that wasn't about Michael obsessed with killing his other sister and the rest of his bloodline. </p><p style="text-align: center;">And with Jamie Lee Curtis back again as Laurie, there was a fresh chance for her to give the character a more fitting final bow than she received in <i>Resurrection</i>. </p><p style="text-align: center;">The trailer was about as good as you could possibly ask for:</p><p> <iframe frameborder="0" height="270" src="https://youtube.com/embed/ek1ePFp-nBI" width="380"></iframe> </p><p style="text-align: center;">Right off the bat this looked like the best return for Michael since <i>H20 </i>and upon its release, the consensus was that, yeah, for the most part they nailed it. Director and screenwriter David Gordon Green and his co-writers Jeff Fradley and Danny McBride and the rest of their Blumhouse collaborators relaunched <i>Halloween</i> in style, complete with a new score from John Carpenter and his son Cody. </p><p style="text-align: center;">And now we have the just released <i>Halloween Kills</i>, the second chapter in Green's <i>Halloween</i> trilogy, originally meant to hit theaters in 2020 but delayed until this year due to Covid. </p><p style="text-align: center;">When the trailer hit, it looked well worth the wait:</p><p> <iframe frameborder="0" height="270" src="https://youtube.com/embed/hL6R3HmQfPc" width="380"></iframe> </p><p style="text-align: center;">Woo, that looked like it was gonna be brutal! And as it turns out, it was! Some trailers promise a lot and the movies don't deliver but <i>Kills</i> gave me everything the trailer set me up for. Namely, a massive body count. Even for this jaded slasher buff, the kills in <i>Kills</i> were insane. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Uw22cqzr_uI/YX3T3pWhFXI/AAAAAAAAHFg/r8ZtxhdZ3ZEIQ-o1b7M7e8yGHWv9-tHrwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1500/halloweenkills_poster.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1023" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Uw22cqzr_uI/YX3T3pWhFXI/AAAAAAAAHFg/r8ZtxhdZ3ZEIQ-o1b7M7e8yGHWv9-tHrwCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/halloweenkills_poster.jpg" width="218" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;">These films are way too new to say for certain how they'll stand up over time, especially as we still have yet to see how the trilogy ends, but as time has softened my views of even the shittiest <i>Halloween</i> sequels, I feel confident that these movies will age just fine. At this point, even if the last film tanks, I'll be happy with the two we got. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lCJ5VOxxwp4/YX3UAE4PwrI/AAAAAAAAHFk/qVvV_OsQgRgDwb5sYt1FOdrVuphZvSLZwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1200/halloweenkills_michael.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="632" data-original-width="1200" height="169" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lCJ5VOxxwp4/YX3UAE4PwrI/AAAAAAAAHFk/qVvV_OsQgRgDwb5sYt1FOdrVuphZvSLZwCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/halloweenkills_michael.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;">I know <i>Kills </i>rubbed some fans wrong but from my perspective it rocked. Not only did it rock, it fixed my issues with the previous film. </p><p style="text-align: center;">Even though <i>Halloween</i> '18 established that Laurie and Michael weren't related, the movie still turned on the idea that it was all about Laurie vs. Michael and it felt like the plot shoehorned that confrontation in, facilitated by an out of left field plot twist involving Michael's psychiatrist. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cZWOQa4F-zI/YX3UKboMaOI/AAAAAAAAHFs/t-WWVQbpe5wqaMOh0qV6bH15hfCnZrDNgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1200/halloween_2018_curtis_gun.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="1200" height="160" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cZWOQa4F-zI/YX3UKboMaOI/AAAAAAAAHFs/t-WWVQbpe5wqaMOh0qV6bH15hfCnZrDNgCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/halloween_2018_curtis_gun.png" width="320" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;">At a certain point in <i>Halloween</i> '18, there was that need to physically transport Michael from point A to point B so that big confrontation between he and Laurie could play out but the plot mechanism to make that happen was so awkward and it seemed that if that was where the movie was obviously going, if Michael's mission was always to get to Laurie, why couldn't it have been done in a smoother way? </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bNyo1mij4ZE/YX3UUBlnhdI/AAAAAAAAHF0/N_2uaR8gU1sndbpAbuWBziAQMg3RT7v7ACLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/halloween_2018_curtis_kitchen.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" height="180" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bNyo1mij4ZE/YX3UUBlnhdI/AAAAAAAAHF0/N_2uaR8gU1sndbpAbuWBziAQMg3RT7v7ACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/halloween_2018_curtis_kitchen.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;">However, in <i>Kills</i>, it is established that Michael never gave a shit about facing Laurie again. Bringing Michael and Laurie together again was all to do with his psychiatrist's obsession and for all the preparing that Laurie did in her certainty that Michael would one day come back to finish the job, we understand now that he didn't care at all. </p><p style="text-align: center;">He would have been perfectly fine never seeing Laurie again. His impulse is simply to kill. The scenes in '18 where he is just going into random houses and killing people felt like filler to me at the time, just scenes to pad out the body count, spinning wheels until the movie could get us to that big final act with Laurie and Michael. Now, in light of <i>Kills</i>, those scenes feel right to me. That was what Michael cared about. It was only his psychiatrist that forced him off course. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2qeStPhl2B4/YX3UcJcDqCI/AAAAAAAAHF4/fxp8tPDvRn8Sl4A8YmZ31XIbfMyDMpbggCLcBGAsYHQ/s1440/halloween_2018_curtisgreer.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1440" height="213" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2qeStPhl2B4/YX3UcJcDqCI/AAAAAAAAHF4/fxp8tPDvRn8Sl4A8YmZ31XIbfMyDMpbggCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/halloween_2018_curtisgreer.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;">As fans we've been as conditioned as Laurie to believe that Michael has a special, singular obsession for her, even if they weren't related. This movie makes it absolutely clear that, no, Laurie is not special to Michael. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-abMCHWFoEug/YX3UijIcAwI/AAAAAAAAHF8/eiacWeXLR6c1Pxr48120Tpz9BLtH93qdwCLcBGAsYHQ/s440/halloween_2018_door.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="293" data-original-width="440" height="213" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-abMCHWFoEug/YX3UijIcAwI/AAAAAAAAHF8/eiacWeXLR6c1Pxr48120Tpz9BLtH93qdwCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/halloween_2018_door.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;">You could say that <i>Halloween</i> '18 already did that but we don't fully feel it there because that movie is so rooted in Laurie's perspective. </p><p style="text-align: center;">Laurie believes that Michael is coming for her and, because of the history of the franchise, we believe it too. If anything, I thought it was a weakness of '18 that Michael was so passive about getting back to Laurie, that he was manipulated into facing her again rather than choosing to go after her. As it turns out, that was the whole point. </p><p style="text-align: center;">Laurie's belief that Michael was planning to come for her was given superficial credence by the actions of Michael's psychiatrist but that was <i>his</i> machinations, not Michael's. </p><p style="text-align: center;">For Laurie, and us, to realize that killing her is no more important to Michael than murdering the next ten random people he encounters is a major corrective move. It liberates the series from the bad baggage it's been carrying since 1981. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7yCq4i5tPrw/YX3U9onJsPI/AAAAAAAAHGM/-rSrVNZuQ3AARa8iI2o71RT1DMgbcO7vwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1362/halloweenkills_clown.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="716" data-original-width="1362" height="168" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7yCq4i5tPrw/YX3U9onJsPI/AAAAAAAAHGM/-rSrVNZuQ3AARa8iI2o71RT1DMgbcO7vwCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/halloweenkills_clown.png" width="320" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;">Since <i>Halloween II</i>, the sequels have been trying to explain Michael. </p><p style="text-align: center;">It is the single biggest mistake the series made. It instantly put the sequels on the wrong foot, and, until now, the subsequent films acted as though they were obliged to forever perpetuate that mistake. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-y5HL7GtCI-s/YX3VJxD8ieI/AAAAAAAAHGQ/W01m4sOABDs1NzbbAcLgTBwfmlAFSf22ACLcBGAsYHQ/s1280/halloweenkills_stairs.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="180" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-y5HL7GtCI-s/YX3VJxD8ieI/AAAAAAAAHGQ/W01m4sOABDs1NzbbAcLgTBwfmlAFSf22ACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/halloweenkills_stairs.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;">It's ok for us to get where Jason is coming from. He's protecting his turf, he's avenging his mother, he's punishing misbehavior. Whatever. </p><p style="text-align: center;">All of that is fine. It doesn't take away from the fun of the character to know all that. The fun of Jason and the scariness of him is knowing that if you set foot in his territory, he's going to get you. </p><p style="text-align: center;">And with Freddy it's also not detrimental for us to have the full picture on him. He was a sick fuck, the parents of his victims got themselves some street justice and the children have to pay for the sins of the parents. But Michael is a character that works best when we have no idea why he does what he does, when he is a blank. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gST1k28Lfqs/YX3Xrwgl5XI/AAAAAAAAHGY/E7XH5nlhcQU4f0wslgnbgTBSODp31QaIwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1686/halloweenkills_hall.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="948" data-original-width="1686" height="180" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gST1k28Lfqs/YX3Xrwgl5XI/AAAAAAAAHGY/E7XH5nlhcQU4f0wslgnbgTBSODp31QaIwCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/halloweenkills_hall.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;">There's a lot of overripe dialogue in <i>Kills</i> from both Laurie Strode and Tommy Doyle concerning Michael. I think that's fine and fully in line with <i>Halloween</i> tradition. They're referring to Michael in the same kind of hyperbolic terms that Loomis used to. Some may roll their eyes when Tommy urgently tells a crowd that Michael is an "apex predator" but I love it. That's some prime <i>Halloween</i> shit right there. </p><p style="text-align: center;">Past all the talk about evil and transcending, though, <i>Kills</i> has the single best line of dialogue spoken about Michael in the whole series, save for the classic Loomis lines from the original. When Robert Longstreet as Lonnie says about Michael that "<i>he creeps, he kills, he goes home</i>," it's a statement so unsettling in its utter plainness. It describes Micheal in the simplest terms but rather than reduce him, it only affirms his essential sense of mystery. "He creeps, he kills, he goes home" should be the mantra that any future caretakers of Michael Myers should be guided by once Green and co. are done. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XsLhP4vGmdM/YX3aSK3ejUI/AAAAAAAAHGg/torFRIlBtZMDhBfHWxAKNluy4XOMs1SLgCLcBGAsYHQ/s850/halloween_2018_mask.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="358" data-original-width="850" height="135" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XsLhP4vGmdM/YX3aSK3ejUI/AAAAAAAAHGg/torFRIlBtZMDhBfHWxAKNluy4XOMs1SLgCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/halloween_2018_mask.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;">Given how well <i>Kills</i> addressed my issues with <i>Halloween</i> '18, I hope that's reason to believe that Green has had a solid final chapter mapped out from the start. Right now, they're two for two in my opinion. A kick ass third film would be pure <i>Halloween</i> heaven. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_RAhQNdEBNI/YX4Ada6tyuI/AAAAAAAAHGo/zw9S_uxYF3gFlV4zz_X1wo1fLy7fl4fcwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1246/halloweenkills_78.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="735" data-original-width="1246" height="189" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_RAhQNdEBNI/YX4Ada6tyuI/AAAAAAAAHGo/zw9S_uxYF3gFlV4zz_X1wo1fLy7fl4fcwCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/halloweenkills_78.png" width="320" /></a></div>Jeff Allardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04265550466781988388noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4964885632131848660.post-9077515562947075922021-10-29T13:18:00.001-07:002021-11-03T04:11:19.118-07:00Trick or Trailers: Halloween II (2007)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-eyCo7iEaHRg/YXxA2T_mZbI/AAAAAAAAHEc/AQfB3qAZ07g6T7Vcr4m__SOHypPHiardgCLcBGAsYHQ/s768/h2_poster-2009.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="520" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-eyCo7iEaHRg/YXxA2T_mZbI/AAAAAAAAHEc/AQfB3qAZ07g6T7Vcr4m__SOHypPHiardgCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/h2_poster-2009.jpg" width="217" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;">In 2009, the good times kept rolling with Rob Zombie's sequel to his successful 2007 <i>Halloween</i> reboot. Unhappy Childhood Michael was back and looking to bring the pain again. Everything seemed to be in place for another hit. But it turned out Rob Zombie had other plans. </p><p style="text-align: center;">In the franchise's cursed tradition of taking one step up, two steps back, Zombie's <i>Halloween II</i> - or <i>H2</i> - delivered the latest death blow to the series with a sadistic, psychedelic installment that served as a turn off to many who had enjoyed his first <i>Halloween</i>. </p><p style="text-align: center;">The producers had clearly kept a firm hand on Zombie during the remake but when they gave him the sequel, they let him loose. </p><p style="text-align: center;">Whether that was wise or just another example of the kind of self-sabotage that has always plagued the franchise, is up to individual viewers to decide. </p><p style="text-align: center;">Let's take a look at the trailer and see what was supposed to hype us:</p><p><iframe frameborder="0" height="270" src="https://youtube.com/embed/OWBOfbZaA8g" width="380"></iframe> </p><p style="text-align: center;">Watching at this trailer for the first time since the theaters, this looks to me like the clear tail end of that particular era of horror. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Wnb_CJr7hl0/YXxKOU1sxzI/AAAAAAAAHFI/I1hHfVFdEawP0hxunkhQnbmzz48xQ_c7gCLcBGAsYHQ/s480/h2_finger.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="360" data-original-width="480" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Wnb_CJr7hl0/YXxKOU1sxzI/AAAAAAAAHFI/I1hHfVFdEawP0hxunkhQnbmzz48xQ_c7gCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/h2_finger.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;">Hardcore suffering was the order of the day back then, a long ugly streak that started in 2003. But by 2009, I think the appetite for that was finally starting to wane. After awhile, enough is enough. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CHSBDcYiIrM/YXxD_QIG34I/AAAAAAAAHEk/0_Y8gox3vJwVttCTd2TcotfSrpbJTDW7ACLcBGAsYHQ/s800/h2_michael.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="800" height="160" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CHSBDcYiIrM/YXxD_QIG34I/AAAAAAAAHEk/0_Y8gox3vJwVttCTd2TcotfSrpbJTDW7ACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/h2_michael.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;">Zombie's first <i>Halloween</i> was certainly no walk in the park but <i>H2</i> looked to be an even nastier, more ponderously grim affair. Is that what people wanted? Guess not. I know I wasn't excited for it. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FkoNspkdYg8/YXxLqQeFfcI/AAAAAAAAHFQ/7AsnOvOiClE9DJLNI9h6GDPNZ4agjOTbwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1282/h2_momandmichael.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="1282" height="250" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FkoNspkdYg8/YXxLqQeFfcI/AAAAAAAAHFQ/7AsnOvOiClE9DJLNI9h6GDPNZ4agjOTbwCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/h2_momandmichael.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;">My main issue with <i>H2</i> is tied in with why Zombie's first <i>Halloween</i> wasn't for me - I'm not down with the idea of Michael Myers just being a dude who was shaped by a shitty childhood to grow into a psycho. </p><p style="text-align: center;">If there isn't a supernatural component to <i>Halloween</i>, I don't care. </p><p style="text-align: center;">Jason as just some backwoods psycho who's just hard to kill? Sure. I arguably prefer that version to Zombie Jason. But Michael? Always gotta be supernatural. It doesn't have to go into Druids and Cult of Thorn territory. You can even keep the Samhain shit. But he has to be a true boogeyman. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rKShh3vmN0Y/YXxEI024cYI/AAAAAAAAHEo/2S6vN55MxbgFQt9OKoyWg3Pf9W8XtaQAgCLcBGAsYHQ/s893/h2_publicityshot.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="893" data-original-width="720" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rKShh3vmN0Y/YXxEI024cYI/AAAAAAAAHEo/2S6vN55MxbgFQt9OKoyWg3Pf9W8XtaQAgCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/h2_publicityshot.jpg" width="258" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;">The promise that in this second Zombie <i>Halloween</i> entry "the secret behind (Michael's) madness will finally be revealed" was not enough to compel many audiences to check this out. For a guy who had the opportunity to break free of all the shit that had hindered the other sequels, Zombie sure was happy to repeat those previous mistakes. </p><p style="text-align: center;">Making Michael and Laurie siblings? Check. Try to explain Michael's motivations? Check. Stylistic choices aside, there was not much thinking outside the box in Zombie's entries. And in the end, after just two movies, the franchise was once again looking for a re-do. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fqDpTLqlGfw/YXxEmqW5WXI/AAAAAAAAHE0/eH7RwF_L9TIL1T9u1KlNsHnDeiaKp-1VwCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/h2_weirdshit.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="345" data-original-width="640" height="173" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fqDpTLqlGfw/YXxEmqW5WXI/AAAAAAAAHE0/eH7RwF_L9TIL1T9u1KlNsHnDeiaKp-1VwCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/h2_weirdshit.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;">This sequel definitely has a fanbase, though. Maybe one that's separate even from Zombie's first <i>Halloween</i>. There's something about the trashy trippiness of <i>H2</i> that really works for some people. </p><p style="text-align: center;">Knowing how so many like it is almost enough to make me want to give it another try but nah. I'm cool that others found something to love about it. Not every movie, not even every <i>Halloween</i> movie, has to be for me. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ptRY20P_9Eo/YXxFShmpSmI/AAAAAAAAHFA/fxmGUa9tSBgd1ne2cOyC_iAyUucV_VoFQCLcBGAsYHQ/s726/h2_hospital.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="299" data-original-width="726" height="132" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ptRY20P_9Eo/YXxFShmpSmI/AAAAAAAAHFA/fxmGUa9tSBgd1ne2cOyC_iAyUucV_VoFQCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/h2_hospital.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;">On the upside, everyone can agree this did have a cool horse in it. </p><p style="text-align: center;">That's something, right? </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uA7ZS81fG44/YXxEsfSzejI/AAAAAAAAHE4/JtZJIlQtLdYKHPiE4elESH5ApFr2QTDbQCLcBGAsYHQ/s800/h2_horse.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="800" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uA7ZS81fG44/YXxEsfSzejI/AAAAAAAAHE4/JtZJIlQtLdYKHPiE4elESH5ApFr2QTDbQCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/h2_horse.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Jeff Allardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04265550466781988388noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4964885632131848660.post-46664160931614013362021-10-28T13:31:00.001-07:002021-11-03T04:10:14.161-07:00Trick or Trailers: Halloween (2007)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/--7hoOh5ZVu0/YXqzatud17I/AAAAAAAAHDE/mtS6G5bDqCYJIp_Y8svTUw48Zy_P5y6CACLcBGAsYHQ/s1000/halloween_2007_poster.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="683" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/--7hoOh5ZVu0/YXqzatud17I/AAAAAAAAHDE/mtS6G5bDqCYJIp_Y8svTUw48Zy_P5y6CACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/halloween_2007_poster.jpg" width="219" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;">Remaking <i>Halloween</i> is an idea that came one film too late for the series. Starting over after <i>H20</i> would have made much more sense rather than trying to carry on. Still, in 2002 the idea of remaking <i>Halloween</i> would have likely been greeted as heresy. Remakes of movies from the olden times of the '50s or '60s, fans were cool with that. But to start remaking the iconic fright films of the '70s? No way. </p><p style="text-align: center;">That just wasn't going to happen. </p><p style="text-align: center;">Until it did. </p><p style="text-align: center;">As the '00's went on, and horror exploded in the wake of films like <i>Saw</i> and <i>Hostel </i>with a renewed emphasis on the kind of hardcore, visceral thrills that defined much of '70s horror, suddenly once unthinkable remakes of everything from <i>Dawn of the Dead</i> to <i>The Texas Chain Saw Massacre</i> to <i>The Hills Have Eyes</i> became a reality. </p><p style="text-align: center;">Once that dam burst, it was inevitable that the next step in reviving the <i>Halloween</i> franchise would be to reboot it. I forget what my reaction was to hearing that Rob Zombie would be directing the new movie. At that point, he had directed only <i>House of 1,000 Corpses</i>, which I absolutely hated, and <i>The Devil's Rejects</i>, which I thought was much better, even if it wasn't really my thing. If nothing else, Zombie was definitely a choice in perfect tune with where the genre was then. <i>House</i>, along with <i>Cabin Fever</i> and <i>Wrong Turn</i>, was one of the first films to start the trend towards a return to '70s style horror. </p><p style="text-align: center;">But how would this guy handle a retelling of <i>Halloween</i>, a model of classic suspense? The answer is that he would just make it entirely in his own fashion and fuck it with even trying to ape Carpenter. </p><p><iframe frameborder="0" height="270" src="https://youtube.com/embed/-qKmXIy9Juk" width="380"></iframe> </p><p style="text-align: center;">Even though this is not that old, watching this trailer, it feels further in the past to me than <i>Resurrection </i>from '02 does. Maybe it's just that the style of horror from the mid to late '00s was so specific to that era that it's strange to revisit it and be reminded of that vibe. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kSeiEkX-f-c/YXq583gHuFI/AAAAAAAAHDM/V1yaHxn-Pr8qDKfUZryGD3VWlN3pOo4EgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1494/halloween_2007_mcdowell.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="1494" height="214" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kSeiEkX-f-c/YXq583gHuFI/AAAAAAAAHDM/V1yaHxn-Pr8qDKfUZryGD3VWlN3pOo4EgCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/halloween_2007_mcdowell.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;">From the trailer, seeing Malcolm McDowell in action as Loomis, it's clear - as if anyone could doubt it - that casting him in that role was a killer move. You can't better Pleasance, no, but if you've got to go with a second choice, McDowell is perfect. Even in '78 he would have been great. </p><p style="text-align: center;">As for Tyler Mane as Michael, well, I say it's a very on brand choice. Of course Zombie would cast Michael as a hulking monster. Nothing about Michael has ever been about his size. Here, though, it looks like he could stride through a cement wall without missing a step. </p><p style="text-align: center;">When you see him holding a knife, it's laughable. It looks like a toy in his giant mitt. If you ever saw this guy coming at you, the knife would be the last thing you'd worry about. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sPx2eiQgJvU/YXrAl7pnnGI/AAAAAAAAHD0/BrWOw3KLdbMGJNEQupJdmPkRXnJ-LfqOgCLcBGAsYHQ/s960/halloween_2007_jail.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="960" height="167" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sPx2eiQgJvU/YXrAl7pnnGI/AAAAAAAAHD0/BrWOw3KLdbMGJNEQupJdmPkRXnJ-LfqOgCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/halloween_2007_jail.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;">From the trailer there is also the reveal that even in this rebooted reality, Michael and Laurie are siblings. Why you wouldn't get away from that, given the opportunity, I don't know. Zombie has claimed that he came up with this idea independently, not remembering or knowing it had been introduced in <i>Halloween II</i> but I call bullshit. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MdzuIoIcZpI/YXq6GY-5y-I/AAAAAAAAHDQ/lDiivLgxgsgP1jGYBNSEIO7Amy5Ff5yhACLcBGAsYHQ/s1296/halloween_2007_car.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="730" data-original-width="1296" height="180" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MdzuIoIcZpI/YXq6GY-5y-I/AAAAAAAAHDQ/lDiivLgxgsgP1jGYBNSEIO7Amy5Ff5yhACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/halloween_2007_car.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;">It's like Zombie wanted everyone to know that he was too cool to have the slightest awareness of what happened in any of the other lame <i>Halloween</i>s and yet here he was repeating the hackiest mistake of the sequels. Completely under his own inspiration, apparently. But whatever. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dQzuxKFIGE0/YXq6ajqR2LI/AAAAAAAAHDc/PaZ4ZxL1Y30Wz4GQkLHGDbtdCo_T9-gpwCLcBGAsYHQ/s735/halloween_2007_girls.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="492" data-original-width="735" height="214" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dQzuxKFIGE0/YXq6ajqR2LI/AAAAAAAAHDc/PaZ4ZxL1Y30Wz4GQkLHGDbtdCo_T9-gpwCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/halloween_2007_girls.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;">Also, I had forgotten the <i>Halloween</i>s were still summer releases at this point. Of all the dumb moves that Dimension Films made with <i>Halloween</i>, putting them out in the summer might be the dumbest. </p><p style="text-align: center;">Call me crazy but when Halloween is in your title and your movie takes place on Halloween, just put the movie out in October. Not September, not November, and certainly not in fucking August. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5ZspyARi9ew/YXq8cfWvJiI/AAAAAAAAHDs/UZ--qqWgJqkvnhh0AvBOqmQISLOfOXnwgCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/halloween_2007_laurieandloomis.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1371" data-original-width="2048" height="214" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5ZspyARi9ew/YXq8cfWvJiI/AAAAAAAAHDs/UZ--qqWgJqkvnhh0AvBOqmQISLOfOXnwgCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/halloween_2007_laurieandloomis.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;">For what it's worth, I believe the case can be made that this is the best <i>Halloween</i> to come from the franchise's Dimension Films years. </p><p style="text-align: center;">As that's a group that also includes <i>Curse</i> and <i>Resurrection</i>, that might not be high praise but I do think this is a solid movie in its own right, even if it feels more like a curious snapshot of its particular era rather than a film that has endured beyond it. If <i>Texas Chain Saw</i> were to go trick or treating dressed as <i>Halloween</i>, this would be it. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7O6WOZLmz64/YXq8AOBTFUI/AAAAAAAAHDk/-8chLfFVgwIJgZErRNl8AWWimHWIU0boACLcBGAsYHQ/s400/halloween_2007_publicityshot_zombie.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="268" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7O6WOZLmz64/YXq8AOBTFUI/AAAAAAAAHDk/-8chLfFVgwIJgZErRNl8AWWimHWIU0boACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/halloween_2007_publicityshot_zombie.jpg" width="214" /></a></div><p></p>Jeff Allardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04265550466781988388noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4964885632131848660.post-86995400062637818882021-10-27T13:33:00.001-07:002021-11-03T04:09:06.807-07:00Trick or Trailers: Halloween: Resurrection (2002)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/--roJEMSmg50/YXmH8yoFayI/AAAAAAAAHCI/iMMnRli_oHYZF4aZgW1A5GvupHxfPpmawCLcBGAsYHQ/s1500/halloween_resurrection_poster2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1006" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/--roJEMSmg50/YXmH8yoFayI/AAAAAAAAHCI/iMMnRli_oHYZF4aZgW1A5GvupHxfPpmawCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/halloween_resurrection_poster2.jpg" width="215" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;">Oddly for a major franchise, the <i>Halloween</i> series has never had what you'd call a hot streak. Until arguably the current incarnation of the series, for the bulk of its existence the <i>Halloween</i> films never had a point where they, even briefly, hit their stride. With both the <i>Friday the 13th</i> and <i>Nightmare on Elm Street</i> series, they had points where they were undeniably at their peak, where they had at least a two or three film stretch where they were on a roll, commercially and creatively. You might say that having just two good movies back to back isn't much of an actual "roll" but it's more than <i>Halloween</i> had. </p><p style="text-align: center;">The pattern that the <i>Halloween</i> series followed throughout most of its existence is that a back to basics entry will connect with fans and audiences and right the ship only for the very next installment to tank the franchise all over again. There was no instance of <i>Halloween</i> sequels improving from one to the next or even just holding ground from one to the next. It was always a hit, followed by a train wreck. </p><p style="text-align: center;">Which brings us to <i>Halloween: Resurrection</i>. 1998's <i>H20</i> had been well received by critics, fans, and general audiences. It scrapped off the narrative barnacles that had accumulated on the series over the years and seemed to be the big "fix" that the series sorely needed. </p><p style="text-align: center;">It also ended on a very definitive note. It looked like Laurie Strode and Michael had finally fought their last battle and that Laurie had permanently vanquished the boogeyman. </p><p style="text-align: center;">Now, I don't think any hardcore <i>Halloween</i> fans truly believed the series was done, no matter how things looked at the end of <i>H20</i>, but the question was just one of "ok, how do you go forward after that ending?" A full reboot would have probably been the smart way to go, allowing <i>H20</i>'s ending to stand within that continuity. Or, if not that, then to have evil - or Evil! - re-manifest itself in some creative way. </p><p style="text-align: center;">But to have the finale of <i>H20</i> be exposed as a cheap fake-out and just carry on from there...hmm, not great. </p><p style="text-align: center;">When <i>H20</i>'s trailer was released, it was met with a universal cry of "Yeah, <i>Halloween</i>'s back!" That was <i>not</i> how the <i>Resurrection</i> trailer was received. From the jump, it looked like this was gonna be rough. Although, from the vantage point of 2021, I'm really loving the cheesy early '00's vibes here. </p><p><iframe frameborder="0" height="360" src="https://youtube.com/embed/q06jksUgtBo" style="background-image: url(https://i.ytimg.com/vi/q06jksUgtBo/hqdefault.jpg);" width="380"></iframe> </p><p style="text-align: center;">Sometimes when a movie makes so many stunningly wrong choices, it perversely earns my respect. That's the case here. I will not try and make a convincing case that <i>Resurrection</i> is actually good. However, I would be lying if I said that I didn't enjoy it. How is that even possible, you ask? I don't know. This is just a fun one for me. One thing I love in horror movies is when they try too hard to be of their time and jump on then-current trends. It makes them look hilariously dated as soon as they hit theaters and that is what <i>Resurrection</i> is. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-n0dyxMemnSA/YXmnEP0L2bI/AAAAAAAAHCc/Ya3bMFb4UsI25FwIxq9beg_t4e0lZlWzgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/halloween_resurrection_tyra.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1066" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-n0dyxMemnSA/YXmnEP0L2bI/AAAAAAAAHCc/Ya3bMFb4UsI25FwIxq9beg_t4e0lZlWzgCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/halloween_resurrection_tyra.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;"><i>Resurrection</i> is such a early '00's time capsule with its reality show premise and heavy use of the internet and cell phones as they were then. Everybody's rocking old-timey flip phones. And when they text, it's in full sentences, with proper punctuation! No abbreviations, no emojis! The original <i>Halloween</i> still manages to feel timeless while <i>Resurrection</i>, being so locked into its era, looks absolutely ancient. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-avqbZ1NhzDc/YXmmzBq9zBI/AAAAAAAAHCQ/aIgI-8vKsUgx0wPrWFA2Ue_BM5975-KoQCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/halloween_resurrection_publicityshot.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1621" data-original-width="2048" height="253" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-avqbZ1NhzDc/YXmmzBq9zBI/AAAAAAAAHCQ/aIgI-8vKsUgx0wPrWFA2Ue_BM5975-KoQCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/halloween_resurrection_publicityshot.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;">The biggest problem that most people had with <i>Resurrection</i> is with the head of Dangertainment himself, Freddie Harris, played by rapper Busta Rhymes. This is an area in which I will strongly disagree with the haters and say that I genuinely love Busta in this movie. He brings a completely different type of energy to the series. He may be loud and obnoxious and abrasive to some but I'm all for it. And he ends up delivering one of my favorite lines regarding Michael, describing him as a "killer shark in baggy ass overalls." And of course, the immortal "Trick or Treat, motherfucker!" is all him. Freddie rules. If only he and Loomis could have met. Inject that movie into my fucking veins! </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-u17lVOxnjcU/YXmm75rQ8KI/AAAAAAAAHCU/rqGTTN68rc0oXViUZfYQIcN8R1Lngp-kQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1936/halloween_resurrection_busta_airhorn.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="932" data-original-width="1936" height="154" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-u17lVOxnjcU/YXmm75rQ8KI/AAAAAAAAHCU/rqGTTN68rc0oXViUZfYQIcN8R1Lngp-kQCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/halloween_resurrection_busta_airhorn.png" width="320" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;">Like <i>Curse</i>, <i>Resurrection </i>came at a low point for the genre, just before horror enjoyed a fresh resurgence. The early '00's were a time when the post-<i>Scream</i> horror boom had ebbed and the genre was floundering in the new decade, with filmmakers not quite knowing what audiences wanted. The genre wasn't quite down and out but it was definitely waiting for the next big wave to happen. Even the <i>Resurrection</i> poster looked like a relic from the fading <i>Scream</i> era. </p><p style="text-align: center;">The whole movie had a "last nail in the coffin" vibe, not just for <i>Halloween</i> but for the slasher sub-genre. It all felt played out. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tsRKf2Dgvto/YXmoNpLa7wI/AAAAAAAAHCk/WSIuPdpxxTgxVZSaD6X_ilGyiBOhoNxVwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1386/halloween_resurrection_michael_flames.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="764" data-original-width="1386" height="176" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tsRKf2Dgvto/YXmoNpLa7wI/AAAAAAAAHCk/WSIuPdpxxTgxVZSaD6X_ilGyiBOhoNxVwCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/halloween_resurrection_michael_flames.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;">Although no one knew it at the time, <i>Resurrection</i> would mark the second time that a line of <i>Halloween</i> continuity would be brought to an ignominious close. </p><p style="text-align: center;">Personally I wish they would have continued on from the end of <i>Resurrection</i>. Not only would I have loved to see more of Freddie Harris (really!) but given that, for the first time, the series would have had to carry on without any of its familiar touchstones like Laurie, Loomis, or even the Myers house, it would have been cool to see what the next <i>Halloween</i> might have been like. But, of course, no one wanted to bother with that. Rather than the resurrection its title promised, this <i>Halloween</i> felt more like a funeral, or a kiss good bye. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3gCJBvlPxVw/YXmpYbXzY1I/AAAAAAAAHCw/0k5SNtZvLYMTGAsoN3dnMgkYIPUVNEV_gCLcBGAsYHQ/s1280/halloween_resurrection_kiss.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="180" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3gCJBvlPxVw/YXmpYbXzY1I/AAAAAAAAHCw/0k5SNtZvLYMTGAsoN3dnMgkYIPUVNEV_gCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/halloween_resurrection_kiss.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Jeff Allardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04265550466781988388noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4964885632131848660.post-69605504840950221872021-10-26T14:37:00.004-07:002021-11-03T04:08:05.163-07:00Trick or Trailers: Halloween H20 (1998)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Qr1DBtd7BYM/YXhOEDpeEHI/AAAAAAAAHBU/xpnDbFGkOjUCzyobRnvhn3ug4BXBZpmwACLcBGAsYHQ/s755/halloween_h20_poster.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="755" data-original-width="513" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Qr1DBtd7BYM/YXhOEDpeEHI/AAAAAAAAHBU/xpnDbFGkOjUCzyobRnvhn3ug4BXBZpmwACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/halloween_h20_poster.jpg" width="217" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;">With horror franchises, there's always another chance to get it right. Even if those chances are continually, routinely squandered they're still there. So just because the Dimension Films era for <i>Halloween</i> got off to a less than spectacular start with <i>Curse of Michael Myers</i>, it didn't mean that the franchise couldn't thrive under their banner. It wasn't time to give up. No, it was just time for another sequel and this time it was going to be everything the fans were clamoring for! </p><p style="text-align: center;">After all, since <i>Curse</i>'s release, Dimension had re-ignited the horror genre with the success of <i>Scream</i> in 1996. Horror, specifically teen slashers, was hot again so the prospects for a new <i>Halloween</i> were looking considerably better than they had when <i>Curse</i> came out. </p><p style="text-align: center;"><i>Scream</i> screenwriter Kevin Williamson had a hand in developing the script for <i>H20</i>, reliable genre director Steve Miner was behind the camera, and Jamie Lee Curtis was making her big return to the series. <i>Halloween</i> was going to celebrate its twentieth anniversary by staging a major comeback. Or at least that's how it looked on paper. </p><p style="text-align: center;">In reality, when <i>H20</i> was released in August of '98, it was something of a dud. Yes, it did great business but the movie itself was a pretty limp affair. </p><p style="text-align: center;">But to look at the trailer, you would have never believed that:</p><p><iframe frameborder="0" height="270" src="https://youtube.com/embed/WEEZCo8WS4k" width="380"></iframe> </p><p style="text-align: center;">The classic <i>Halloween</i> vibes are strong here! Despite the fact that within the course of this trailer, Michael wears about three different masks and the design on all of them raises a concerned eyebrow, this just looks like a <i>Halloween</i> movie that's going to fire on all cylinders. </p><p style="text-align: center;">It looks <i>fun</i>, right down to the cameo from Janet Leigh. Whenever I watch this trailer, it makes me want to watch <i>H20</i> again and give it another chance. But I've done that enough times to know that I always just end up remembering what a letdown this movie is. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-92vmUjexU-8/YXhZJupbzHI/AAAAAAAAHBg/vbSXgvw9-twf9fpOpG8nrKYYXnFe7wtJwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1904/h20_leigh.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="816" data-original-width="1904" height="137" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-92vmUjexU-8/YXhZJupbzHI/AAAAAAAAHBg/vbSXgvw9-twf9fpOpG8nrKYYXnFe7wtJwCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/h20_leigh.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;">I wouldn't say that <i>H20</i> is the bottom of the barrel but it isn't good, either. If anything, I prefer some of the crummier <i>Halloween</i>'s to this just because they have a little more energy and quirkiness to them. They're legit junk, occasionally interesting for their flaws, rather than just being a dull, straight down the middle entry like <i>H20</i>. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CctN9s55bPU/YXhZr1hcoUI/AAAAAAAAHBo/BlcqTbTxPB8Y-AfbGjBIuQ0YG-J_2oQswCLcBGAsYHQ/s1280/h20_curtis_harnett.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="180" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CctN9s55bPU/YXhZr1hcoUI/AAAAAAAAHBo/BlcqTbTxPB8Y-AfbGjBIuQ0YG-J_2oQswCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/h20_curtis_harnett.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;">The most notable aspect of <i>H20</i> is not just that Jamie Lee Curtis is back but that her return triggered the first of the franchise's do overs. While <i>H20</i> was conceived with the initial idea of keeping the previous films in continuity, in the end it was meant to be regarded as a direct sequel to <i>Halloween II</i>, with the events of <i>4</i>, <i>5</i>, and <i>6 </i>having<i> </i>never happened. After <i>H20</i>, whenever the series reached a dead end, rather than course correct within continuity, the storylines of the previous films would be scrapped in favor of a fresh start. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2a05NsC6bgM/YXhbnIcVj1I/AAAAAAAAHBw/uRyPn_Y406om_sJuTzrPE3HoNH5UWJgRACLcBGAsYHQ/s1200/halloween_h20_teens.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="675" data-original-width="1200" height="180" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2a05NsC6bgM/YXhbnIcVj1I/AAAAAAAAHBw/uRyPn_Y406om_sJuTzrPE3HoNH5UWJgRACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/halloween_h20_teens.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;"><i>4</i> had been a back to basics movie but it had continued with the established continuity. Here, seven movies in - or technically six Myers-themed movies in - it was deemed easier, and just plain wiser, to abandon the convoluted mythology that the Thorn Trilogy had created and get back to a streamlined <i>Halloween</i> experience. </p><p style="text-align: center;">You had Michael, you had Laurie, you had a group of teens to be terrorized. Done. Cue the <i>Halloween</i> theme. Somehow, though, freeing the franchise of its accumulated baggage didn't make <i>H20</i> a better film. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yTSzcMGUo4M/YXhju_WsFnI/AAAAAAAAHB4/EqKBMwXflgYdRI1Sz48IaWbhmrhX2QmYQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1400/h20_michael_end.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="700" data-original-width="1400" height="160" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yTSzcMGUo4M/YXhju_WsFnI/AAAAAAAAHB4/EqKBMwXflgYdRI1Sz48IaWbhmrhX2QmYQCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/h20_michael_end.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;"><i>H20</i>'s big moment, of course, is the shocking finality of Laurie and Michael's climatic confrontation. Boogeyman or no, it's hard to come back after a decapitation. Any genre fan, though, could have told you as soon as the credits rolled on <i>H20</i> that there was no way they were going to just leave it at that. More resilient than the boogeyman is the golden goose. Many may roll their eyes at the cynicism of filming such a definitive end while having zero intention of letting it stand but I'm fine with it. I mean, come on. These things never just end. </p><p style="text-align: center;">Had <i>H20</i> been better, I might have been more irate at undoing its most memorable moment but as it stands I would not have wanted this to be the end of Michael. He deserved a better final bow than to limp his way through a banal, late '90s teen slasher. A banal, late '80s teen slasher, on the other hand? Well, speaking for myself, that might have been more acceptable. Either way, I think we all know that the best way to avoid a disappointing end for Michael is if he never dies. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0L5Mg_VIr7Y/YXhmXUP538I/AAAAAAAAHCA/5_FHCEovZF8o7ehvm4k7_6oFlnuSGJOqwCLcBGAsYHQ/s900/h20_laurieandmichael.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="900" height="213" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0L5Mg_VIr7Y/YXhmXUP538I/AAAAAAAAHCA/5_FHCEovZF8o7ehvm4k7_6oFlnuSGJOqwCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/h20_laurieandmichael.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Jeff Allardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04265550466781988388noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4964885632131848660.post-70162881844904152232021-10-25T09:57:00.004-07:002022-09-25T08:26:21.624-07:00Trick or Trailers: Halloween 6: The Curse of Michael Myers (1995) <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BcGxLbkAUWk/YXWZrCRvUII/AAAAAAAAHAc/v5E0yV_fyRYAm4B1r1E6M1CaH9Kuw10jwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1687/halloween6_poster2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1687" data-original-width="1140" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BcGxLbkAUWk/YXWZrCRvUII/AAAAAAAAHAc/v5E0yV_fyRYAm4B1r1E6M1CaH9Kuw10jwCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/halloween6_poster2.jpg" width="216" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;">With subtitles like <i>Revenge of</i> and <i>Curse of</i>, Michael Myers, by his sixth movie, was beginning to have the air of an old-timey movie monster. While I don't think that there was much in the way of actual revenge in<i> 5</i> and the "curse" is pretty vaguely defined in <i>6</i>, just the same I'm just sorry that we never got to see a <i>Son of</i> or a <i>Ghost of Michael Myers</i>.</p><p style="text-align: center;">By 1995, fans had been left hanging for six years (!) to find out what happened after the mysterious Man in Black had blown Michael out of a Haddonfield jail cell at the end of <i>Revenge</i>. </p><p style="text-align: center;">The fact that we were finally going to get some answers was, in itself, cause for celebration. It was also just cool to have a new <i>Halloween</i> to look forward to. Horror had taken an extended downturn in the '90s with the franchises that had been box office champs throughout the '80s putting out last gasp final installments. </p><p style="text-align: center;">In what seemed like potentially promising news, <i>Halloween</i> <i>6</i> was arriving under the Dimension Films banner, the genre-specific division of Miramax Films that had already brought franchises like <i>Hellraiser</i> and <i>Children of the Corn</i> to theaters. Those movies might not have been good but, you know, at least it gave genre fans something to check out. And in the '90s, that wasn't anything to sneeze at, man. </p><p style="text-align: center;">And I gotta say, the first <i>Halloween 6 </i>trailer had me intrigued. </p><iframe frameborder="0" height="360" src="https://youtube.com/embed/rAaPBxBxaV8" style="background-image: url(https://i.ytimg.com/vi/rAaPBxBxaV8/hqdefault.jpg);" width="380"></iframe> <div style="text-align: center;">You've got an unusual vibe going on with cult members and what looks like a hint of some computer or internet stuff and a lot of talk about the mythology of Halloween and the promise of an explanation for Michael and, above all that, Loomis was back so, hey, even though I'm wondering why Michael Myers looks kind of paunchy now, I'm in! </div><div><div><br /></div><div>
<iframe frameborder="0" height="360" src="https://youtube.com/embed/8NpA82QWczY" style="background-image: url(https://i.ytimg.com/vi/8NpA82QWczY/hqdefault.jpg);" width="380"></iframe></div></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Once it came out, though, <i>6</i> was greeted as a low point for the franchise, acerbated by the fact that Donald Pleasence had passed away before its release and this now had to stand as his swan song for Loomis. I mean, we know the filmmakers were put in an awkward position by the end of <i>5 </i>but I don't know. Seems like a lot of this stuff should have been thought better of before it got off the ground. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DwDa9t8J_Lc/YXaxxN5m0fI/AAAAAAAAHAk/jtfVCMakwKcKTVuUdpdQoYfZRrfFVvYqwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1200/halloween6_newspaperad.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="995" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DwDa9t8J_Lc/YXaxxN5m0fI/AAAAAAAAHAk/jtfVCMakwKcKTVuUdpdQoYfZRrfFVvYqwCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/halloween6_newspaperad.jpg" width="265" /></a></div><br /><div><div style="text-align: center;">And recasting the part of Jamie Lloyd away from Danielle Harris and then dispatching this beloved character in such a cruel way...not great. But the idea of bringing Tommy Doyle back was an A+ move and even better was casting a pre-superstardom Paul Rudd in the role. That fact that <i>Halloween Kills</i> decided to bring Tommy back as well feels like a nice bit of vindication for <i>6</i> in that respect. They can always say they did it first! And while Anthony Michael Hall makes a for a solid Tommy, I dig Rudd's portrayal of him as a twitchy weirdo. </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_7OMKBx871s/YXay1C63meI/AAAAAAAAHA0/WsjanYWCMbQiR_y8Xb2hXHzlbU8JXzY6gCLcBGAsYHQ/s902/paul-rudd-halloween-6.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="507" data-original-width="902" height="180" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_7OMKBx871s/YXay1C63meI/AAAAAAAAHA0/WsjanYWCMbQiR_y8Xb2hXHzlbU8JXzY6gCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/paul-rudd-halloween-6.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;">Overall, though, this was not a roaring return for the franchise. If anything, it seemed poised to finally tank it altogether. Rumors of a Producer's Cut fueled hopes that a better version of this movie might exist but it turned out that the different cut was not a miracle fix. </div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2VIz-I47teA/YXa7SiOA1HI/AAAAAAAAHBE/VIyceK-ZyWEo017_4S5wsXelhRIzIxe5gCLcBGAsYHQ/s1050/halloween6_druids.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="425" data-original-width="1050" height="130" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2VIz-I47teA/YXa7SiOA1HI/AAAAAAAAHBE/VIyceK-ZyWEo017_4S5wsXelhRIzIxe5gCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/halloween6_druids.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;">I gotta say, though, I've come to dig this a little more than I do <i>5</i>. If only it had a better ending! It's crazy that both the theatrical and the producer's cut endings are totally unsatisfying but, oh well. Whaddya gonna do? Other than that, I've warmed up to how batty this one is. </div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">For what it's worth, this is where the original continuity of the series ended. That alone gives it a special place in <i>Halloween</i> canon. After this, reboots would keep splitting up and rewriting the timeline that began in 1978. Given that, I think the fact that <i>6 </i>made<i> </i>such crazy retcons to Michael's backstory makes it more fun in retrospect. It's much easier to enjoy all the Cult of Thorn nonsense as a one-off. </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UJtPqkOEtj8/YXb6SvN2mNI/AAAAAAAAHBM/7iKR4pqvK4kF7LwUsggjHC8pFHjEMQgWgCLcBGAsYHQ/s807/halloween6_loomis_tommy.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="558" data-original-width="807" height="221" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UJtPqkOEtj8/YXb6SvN2mNI/AAAAAAAAHBM/7iKR4pqvK4kF7LwUsggjHC8pFHjEMQgWgCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/halloween6_loomis_tommy.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;">Or maybe just the fact that it didn't prove to kill the franchise is all it took for <i>6</i>'s "curse" to be lifted and allow it to be regarded a little more fondly. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DfbBb2Ut5YM/YXaztn6O9YI/AAAAAAAAHA8/YQiP94xUrTwJMeLOfej7-CeNzxufo4xywCLcBGAsYHQ/s1159/halloween6_michael_axe2.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="637" data-original-width="1159" height="176" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DfbBb2Ut5YM/YXaztn6O9YI/AAAAAAAAHA8/YQiP94xUrTwJMeLOfej7-CeNzxufo4xywCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/halloween6_michael_axe2.png" width="320" /></a></div><div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div></div></div>Jeff Allardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04265550466781988388noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4964885632131848660.post-6258182742275626732021-10-24T09:13:00.001-07:002021-11-03T03:26:57.318-07:00Trick or Trailers: Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers (1989) <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Cj4S0pVg5MI/YXTXOKb2HOI/AAAAAAAAG_k/uxDjC5GZgTs3xrZY34xP5lR4mBKXw4d3ACLcBGAsYHQ/s1500/halloween5_poster.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1125" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Cj4S0pVg5MI/YXTXOKb2HOI/AAAAAAAAG_k/uxDjC5GZgTs3xrZY34xP5lR4mBKXw4d3ACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/halloween5_poster.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;">Unlike the <i>Friday the 13th</i>s, which saw new installments arrive almost every year, <i>Halloween</i> sequels were not churned out on a regular basis in the '80s but yet hot on the heels of <i>Halloween 4</i> in '88, suddenly we had <i>Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers</i> in theaters the following October. After striking gold with <i>4</i>, producers had a newfound urgency in getting Michael Myers back on screen. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">As it turns out, they really should've pumped the brakes and taken the time to put together a movie that was as well-crafted as <i>4</i>. But hey, where's the fun in that? Better to rush through something shitty that will immediately blow up all the new momentum the series just got. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">But at the time, from the fan's perspective at least, it felt pretty cool to be getting a new <i>Halloween</i> movie so soon. After <i>4</i>, there was every reason to feel like things were in safe hands so there wasn't the feeling yet of "Oh, here we go again with another shitty sequel." And things had been so dry on that front throughout the '80s that it didn't seem so bad that the producers were eager to make up for lost time. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Halloween</i> sequels in back to back years? Hell yeah, finally! </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bXMG8EDDa6M/YXVrRyGJUKI/AAAAAAAAG_0/lBGwQ4iv4vMcrUU9Tn0N0p0nXHQT1_3qwCLcBGAsYHQ/s733/halloween5_newspaperad.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="683" data-original-width="733" height="298" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bXMG8EDDa6M/YXVrRyGJUKI/AAAAAAAAG_0/lBGwQ4iv4vMcrUU9Tn0N0p0nXHQT1_3qwCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/halloween5_newspaperad.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">And hey, we can all agree that the trailer looked pretty good:</div><div><br /></div><div>
<iframe frameborder="0" height="270" src="https://youtube.com/embed/UPwAtB65dCs" width="380"></iframe>
</div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Ok, this is great! Loomis is back, Jamie Lloyd is back. Michael's back. We're picking up from where <i>4</i> left off and everything is awesome. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Then, of course the movie comes out and, well...</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YFZGNdThbwo/YXVqb7RdmXI/AAAAAAAAG_s/8AUssQJ5YKMArX5R_cwQyoB0mP5-fNQqwCLcBGAsYHQ/s853/halloween5_tinaandloomi.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="853" height="180" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YFZGNdThbwo/YXVqb7RdmXI/AAAAAAAAG_s/8AUssQJ5YKMArX5R_cwQyoB0mP5-fNQqwCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/halloween5_tinaandloomi.png" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">But hey. 1989 was a bad year for slashers all around with <i>Friday the 13th</i>, <i>Nightmare on Elm Street</i> and <i>Halloween</i> all hitting rock bottom at once. It was probably the only way that the '80s could have ended, with all the big slasher franchises putting out their worst installments in one miserable year and everything collapsing into a trash heap. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Just the same, as time has gone on, I've learned to savor every <i>Halloween</i> sequel that gave us more Donald Pleasence, the true lynch pin of the franchise, the cinematography is the most stylized of the old school sequels, KNB's FX work (as much as the MPAA allowed to pass through) is solid, and it has to be said that Danielle Harris was excellent in her final performance as Jamie Lloyd. So <i>Halloween 5</i>...not a complete wash, in my adjusted for nostalgia opinion. </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RullhBa3lS0/YXVsrVtOOAI/AAAAAAAAG_8/OoHxtJnhbcELnDcEGQbOm_ymnQbEan0FgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1200/halloween5_jamie.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="675" data-original-width="1200" height="180" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RullhBa3lS0/YXVsrVtOOAI/AAAAAAAAG_8/OoHxtJnhbcELnDcEGQbOm_ymnQbEan0FgCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/halloween5_jamie.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;">The craziest thing about <i>5</i> remains its cliffhanger ending. As much as it might've been a poorly planned move, I will attest that it really got the attention of my crowd back in '89. Who is this Man in Black? What the fuck is even going on? </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XwRWFXBsRjM/YXV8cvqP6-I/AAAAAAAAHAE/WsepzJi1OjcUjK_ywvy-RCvMBWKjLE3WwCLcBGAsYHQ/s524/halloween5_man-in-black.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="262" data-original-width="524" height="160" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XwRWFXBsRjM/YXV8cvqP6-I/AAAAAAAAHAE/WsepzJi1OjcUjK_ywvy-RCvMBWKjLE3WwCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/halloween5_man-in-black.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;">As much as I'm glad we now live in a time where there's much more forethought given to sequels and where storylines are mapped out far in advance, I will say there is something charmingly bullshit about the way things used to be done. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">I just wish that we had been able to get a <i>Halloween 6</i> in 1990, with a still young Danielle Harris continuing as Jamie, Donald Pleasence still in good health and a more timely reveal for the Man in Black. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">It would have been pretty wild though, don't you think, if we had never gotten another <i>Halloween </i>and <i>5</i>'s ending was the last we saw of Michael. Man, what an end to the franchise <i>that</i> would've been. </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SohmOXAkdlQ/YXV8sph6YKI/AAAAAAAAHAM/gk41XtgD7dUbnBS71IkH6nWptVJkF3S8ACLcBGAsYHQ/s1068/halloween5_michael.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="601" data-original-width="1068" height="180" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SohmOXAkdlQ/YXV8sph6YKI/AAAAAAAAHAM/gk41XtgD7dUbnBS71IkH6nWptVJkF3S8ACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/halloween5_michael.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div>Jeff Allardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04265550466781988388noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4964885632131848660.post-19875625517402210592021-10-20T14:27:00.004-07:002021-11-03T03:26:00.388-07:00Trick or Trailers: Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers (1988)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-27uIUgA02QM/YXBv5ZD_WNI/AAAAAAAAG-Y/kTk1pYEwNzgJak4CncSlHQDPn7-3Mw6IgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1500/halloween4_poster.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="996" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-27uIUgA02QM/YXBv5ZD_WNI/AAAAAAAAG-Y/kTk1pYEwNzgJak4CncSlHQDPn7-3Mw6IgCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/halloween4_poster.jpg" width="212" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;">Even though the original <i>Halloween</i> was still regarded as the gold standard of the slasher genre, by the late '80s the competition had left Michael Myers behind. While the <i>Halloween</i> franchise had spent most of the decade languishing, Jason and Freddy had racked up body counts, sequels and multiple Fangoria covers. But for the tenth anniversary of Carpenter's classic, producer Moustapha Akkad was out to reestablish Michael's boogeyman cred. In the fall of '88, the long-awaited return of Michael Myers was finally due to hit theaters.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">When the trailer was released, it had everything that fans had been waiting for, save for the return of Jamie Lee Curtis. The message was clear: <i>Halloween</i> was back, with none of that Silver Shamrock crap. </div><div><br /></div><div>
<iframe frameborder="0" height="270" src="https://youtube.com/embed/BN-tYVNOvtQ" width="380"></iframe></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">After so long away, having a "real" <i>Halloween</i> movie again, with Michael back as the OG slasher was cause for celebration. While the fact that he kept coming back eventually made his return a case of "beware what you wish for," back then it was a legitimate thrill when <i>4</i> was released. All the better for the fact that <i>4</i> felt like it was assembled with real care rather than being just a crass cash in. </div><div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PtxBDR0GmFs/YXB_1NevLwI/AAAAAAAAG_U/ircyDB0AfwIL2jrPXhcJYVnVWCBj_x6xQCLcBGAsYHQ/s695/halloween4_carruthers-house.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="398" data-original-width="695" height="183" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PtxBDR0GmFs/YXB_1NevLwI/AAAAAAAAG_U/ircyDB0AfwIL2jrPXhcJYVnVWCBj_x6xQCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/halloween4_carruthers-house.png" width="320" /></a></div><div><div><br /><div style="text-align: center;">After<i> 4</i>, the series frequently struggled to maintain the same level of quality but back in October of '88, it was exciting to be a <i>Halloween</i> fan. At the time, returning to what made <i>Halloween</i> work felt as natural as Loomis slipping back into his familiar trench coat again. </div></div><div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3ZbMsX0j1EY/YXB-1HAwtdI/AAAAAAAAG_E/N4j97FSQDSQGTHYs_sx8J5Y-inJqzxNDQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1934/halloween4_pleasance.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1088" data-original-width="1934" height="180" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3ZbMsX0j1EY/YXB-1HAwtdI/AAAAAAAAG_E/N4j97FSQDSQGTHYs_sx8J5Y-inJqzxNDQCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/halloween4_pleasance.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div></div></div></div>Jeff Allardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04265550466781988388noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4964885632131848660.post-40286278801327070022021-10-19T10:30:00.003-07:002021-11-03T03:25:25.497-07:00Trick or Trailers: Halloween III Season of the Witch (1982) <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Vhj0hUcwpOc/YW7YPASjLAI/AAAAAAAAG9Q/sCjjDfZGyCQgIS5olL8NyxsGpu2bUvIlQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/halloween3_poster.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1204" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Vhj0hUcwpOc/YW7YPASjLAI/AAAAAAAAG9Q/sCjjDfZGyCQgIS5olL8NyxsGpu2bUvIlQCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/halloween3_poster.jpg" width="241" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">I forget when opinion eventually started to shift on <i>Halloween III: Season of the Witch</i>, going from it being seen as the bottom of the barrel to a highpoint of the series, but I do know that it's been this way for so long that younger fans, while knowing that it wasn't a hit, can't fully appreciate just how <i>vehemently</i> this movie was rejected. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">A lot of movies bomb but this was something else altogether. This wasn't like, say, <i>Cats</i> where people laugh at what a turkey it is and move on. Or a dud like <i>The Fog</i> remake that is quickly shrugged off as a nothing movie. No, when I was in junior high, it was like "Fuck this movie." You didn't even have to see it yourself. You were just told it was the worst movie ever and everyone would immediately back that up, even if they hadn't seen it for themselves. The hate for <i>III</i> was so hardcore that there was no dissension. It sucked and we all knew it. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">If there had been an internet back then, oh man. </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FKDVBRMuzw4/YW7eacUtjtI/AAAAAAAAG9Y/DvVbA-fZ3AQWgeSyY_1kGdrK03VjKsMWwCLcBGAsYHQ/s679/halloween3_publicityshot.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="679" data-original-width="463" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FKDVBRMuzw4/YW7eacUtjtI/AAAAAAAAG9Y/DvVbA-fZ3AQWgeSyY_1kGdrK03VjKsMWwCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/halloween3_publicityshot.jpg" width="218" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;">Now, of course, it's a different story. Now it's actually weird if someone <i>doesn't</i> like <i>III</i>, which just blows my mind. In the '80s, you couldn't have imagined anyone saying anything even vaguely favorable about <i>Season of the Witch</i>. If anyone had said in '84 or whatever that, "you know what's actually good? <i>Halloween III</i>?" they would have quickly found themselves upside down in a trash can. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">But times change, right? </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-j9v7oXftzEc/YW7gq_ApxlI/AAAAAAAAG9g/zTenTrRHZlMJxNA6hP-5C1IqCfIIHGIAwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1079/halloween3_masks.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="1079" height="190" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-j9v7oXftzEc/YW7gq_ApxlI/AAAAAAAAG9g/zTenTrRHZlMJxNA6hP-5C1IqCfIIHGIAwCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/halloween3_masks.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;">Fans say that they should have just called this <i>Season of the Witch</i> but I get why Universal wanted to brand it, for commercial reasons, as a <i>Halloween</i> film. What I don't get is why they did not do a better job - or <i>any</i> kind of job - of explaining what was going on. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Sure, there's no mention of Michael Myers in the trailer. There's no Laurie or Dr. Loomis but the <i>Halloween III</i> of it all supersedes that. That <i>III</i> says to audiences that this is the next chapter in the story. Of course they're going to feel burned when they don't get that. </div><div> </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QKW8I3nMZgQ/YW7kDPPtWzI/AAAAAAAAG9w/cbNQzSFPmjEA_eTPxQb3PdjWdnhYipyzwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1000/halloween3_ad.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="744" data-original-width="1000" height="238" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QKW8I3nMZgQ/YW7kDPPtWzI/AAAAAAAAG9w/cbNQzSFPmjEA_eTPxQb3PdjWdnhYipyzwCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/halloween3_ad.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">I love that <i>III</i> eventually came to be celebrated. I remember seeing it for the first time on TV while I was in college in the late '80s and thinking "Holy shit, everyone said this sucked but it's pretty awesome!" But I get the initial reaction. When I see documentaries about <i>III </i>on Shout Factory discs or whatever, I always wish that, aside from talking to Tommy Lee Wallace and Tom Atkins and so on that they talk to whoever was working in marketing at Universal back then. That's the story I really want to hear. I mean, really. You can put All-New on a poster and think that covers it but people are still going to look at that and think "Yeah, all new Michael Myers. Got it!" </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Season of the Witch</i> has enjoyed such a surprising rebirth that I sometimes wonder if it could actually spawn its own stand alone remake/reboot one day. I just wonder how they'd decide to sell it. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>
<iframe frameborder="0" height="360" src="https://youtube.com/embed/9MnaYzBhx0A" style="background-image: url(https://i.ytimg.com/vi/9MnaYzBhx0A/hqdefault.jpg);" width="380"></iframe></div>Jeff Allardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04265550466781988388noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4964885632131848660.post-42324764858196882442021-10-18T07:50:00.001-07:002021-11-03T03:24:30.858-07:00Trick or Trailers: Halloween II (1981) <div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YHwL4dWF8QU/YW1lewxgocI/AAAAAAAAG8o/IHBmhjpG2YYSb1K4gZDWTsR7qOJkKBmcwCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/halloweenII_poster.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1317" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YHwL4dWF8QU/YW1lewxgocI/AAAAAAAAG8o/IHBmhjpG2YYSb1K4gZDWTsR7qOJkKBmcwCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/halloweenII_poster.jpg" /></a>
</div><div style="text-align: center;">At one time, when a horror movie was successful it didn't automatically mean
that a franchise was born. For decades, Norman Bates remained incarcerated. After Leatherface danced by daybreak in the wake of Sally Hardesty's
escape, his chainsaw stayed silent for years. </div><div style="text-align: center;">So even though Michael Myers
disappeared from the lawn of the Doyle house after taking six bullets in the
chest at the end of <i>Halloween</i>, it didn't necessarily mean that audiences
would ever see him again.</div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LLQdZUH_nSY/YW16Gl9b2vI/AAAAAAAAG84/3CnLc1-Rt7cHyIHx_FnVADW8bKFnwajfwCLcBGAsYHQ/s600/Myers_on_ground.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="350" data-original-width="600" height="187" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LLQdZUH_nSY/YW16Gl9b2vI/AAAAAAAAG84/3CnLc1-Rt7cHyIHx_FnVADW8bKFnwajfwCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Myers_on_ground.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Halloween</i>'s open ending may look like an
obvious, even cynical, sequel set up from today's standpoint but it was simply
ambiguous. The only curtain call Michael needed to make was the
sound of his breathing playing over the film's final shot of his childhood home. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">That said, in 1981 it was hard not to be excited by the prospect of More of the Night He Came Home. The trailer promised to give us more of Dr. Loomis' dogged pursuit of Michael and more of Laurie Strode in peril. Slasher movies were booming and surely this sequel would show the makers of all the <i>Halloween</i> knock-offs how it's really supposed to be done. As it turned out, though, not so much.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Halloween II</i> began the long tradition - celebrating 40 years now! - of fans finding themselves largely disappointed in <i>Halloween</i> sequels. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">It also began the cherished tradition of fans continuing to hope, against all logic, that the magic of that first film might one day be recaptured. </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lEg5AVgUs7I/YW16_RCpXNI/AAAAAAAAG9A/AmnlN2JvV-oX2cFOAhoEKbY2byIlgszlgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1200/halloween2_nurse.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="632" data-original-width="1200" height="169" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lEg5AVgUs7I/YW16_RCpXNI/AAAAAAAAG9A/AmnlN2JvV-oX2cFOAhoEKbY2byIlgszlgCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/halloween2_nurse.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;">The fact that <i>II</i>, even in the hands of Carpenter and Debra Hill, entirely missed the point of <i>Halloween</i>, though, should have been a strong indicator that this ship would never quite be righted. I don't think there's a single franchise that so immediately got off on the wrong foot with its first sequel as <i>Halloween</i> did. All the subsequent mistakes that other <i>Halloween</i> films have made were born from the mistakes of this one. They stumbled on the first try and they've been falling forward ever since. </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TY4q3gBAsoE/YW1_R5JFp4I/AAAAAAAAG9I/jAx3Nuf7V78bhoZ_eaHVfylOZQTG-InGwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1280/Halloween-2-Laurie-Elevator-Cover.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="180" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TY4q3gBAsoE/YW1_R5JFp4I/AAAAAAAAG9I/jAx3Nuf7V78bhoZ_eaHVfylOZQTG-InGwCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Halloween-2-Laurie-Elevator-Cover.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;">Some of the <i>Halloween</i> sequels and reboots have been better than others. Some have been pretty nifty in their own right. But none of them have really, truly made a convincing case that <i>Halloween </i>should have ever gone past the first movie. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">What <i>Halloween II</i> had that none of the other entries would (because of <i>Halloween II</i>!) is the benefit of the doubt. Once <i>II </i>was released, every future <i>Halloween </i>was forced to live in the shadow of that first disappointment. It will forever be the only sequel where the trailer had fans mostly expecting a treat rather than being wary of a trick. </div><div><br /></div><div>
<iframe frameborder="0" height="270" src="https://youtube.com/embed/W34hF0rsj94" style="background-image: url(https://i.ytimg.com/vi/W34hF0rsj94/hqdefault.jpg);" width="380"></iframe></div></div>Jeff Allardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04265550466781988388noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4964885632131848660.post-42804199595585752042020-10-31T09:49:00.002-07:002020-10-31T15:20:53.492-07:00Trick or Trailers: Candyman (2021)<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QtY-T_6leXE/X52JabheMrI/AAAAAAAAG20/nZtpbIRkMUcv0RjhT5aHDhciRNiR_NhzACLcBGAsYHQ/s960/candyman_banner.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="421" data-original-width="960" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QtY-T_6leXE/X52JabheMrI/AAAAAAAAG20/nZtpbIRkMUcv0RjhT5aHDhciRNiR_NhzACLcBGAsYHQ/s400/candyman_banner.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
In a different world, we would have already seen director Nia DaCosta's <i>Candyman</i> remake by now. It was originally meant to premiere in June, then was pushed to this October, and now is scheduled to hit theaters in August of next year. Will the world be in a better - or at least a more normal - place by then? Will theaters be busy again with new releases? We'll see. As we know, everything is so tenuous and uncertain the these days. <div><br /></div><div>When it comes to <i>Candyman</i>, all we have for now is this effective trailer: </div><div><br /></div><div><iframe frameborder="0" height="270" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ikDJlfuU758" width="380"></iframe> </div><div><br /></div><div>I'll admit, I was highly skeptical of a <i>Candyman</i> remake or reboot (although I guess this is actually more of a sequel of sorts) but this trailer immediately turned me around on that. </div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZYj-EeJOilk/X52OGS3OicI/AAAAAAAAG3A/wDwCXCJQ0I43M6ZN_rcYusuP9Mizbad6ACLcBGAsYHQ/s670/candyman_trailerscreenshot.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="377" data-original-width="670" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZYj-EeJOilk/X52OGS3OicI/AAAAAAAAG3A/wDwCXCJQ0I43M6ZN_rcYusuP9Mizbad6ACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/candyman_trailerscreenshot.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><i><div><i><br /></i></div>Candyman</i>, as a franchise, always had a tough time replicating the success of Bernard Rose's original. Both 1995's <i>Farewell to the Flesh</i> or 1999's <i>Day of the Dead</i> were weak follow-ups so the prospect of a new <i>Candyman</i> seemed likely to be yet another so-so entry. And, for all we know, it still might be. </div><div><br /></div><div>But hey, you gotta say the trailer looks extremely promising, right? </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QJt-dfKgf-E/X52RJn3X6wI/AAAAAAAAG3Y/tgbBLZr2YdUXQhV9lqop96YeewWsd3S2QCLcBGAsYHQ/s791/candyman_painting.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="386" data-original-width="791" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QJt-dfKgf-E/X52RJn3X6wI/AAAAAAAAG3Y/tgbBLZr2YdUXQhV9lqop96YeewWsd3S2QCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/candyman_painting.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div>Sure, that's what trailers do - convince us to part with our money for the cost of a ticket. Even when they have to deceive us about the movie in question. But I always like to take the optimistic view. No matter how many times I get burned by a horror trailer, it doesn't stop me from getting excited all over again for another new movie. </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2uZCZgfv9gA/X52QdCedSdI/AAAAAAAAG3M/GrCdqn_QF8A5g05xrimYE6l2yNufnbd3gCLcBGAsYHQ/s1386/candyman_trailerscreenshot_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="699" data-original-width="1386" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2uZCZgfv9gA/X52QdCedSdI/AAAAAAAAG3M/GrCdqn_QF8A5g05xrimYE6l2yNufnbd3gCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/candyman_trailerscreenshot_2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div>At this point, of course, the idea of getting excited for a new movie in the theaters seems like something of a distant memory. There's so much real tragedy attached to the pandemic that whining about the lack of movies on the big screen is just a trivial concern but yet it's these trivial distractions in our lives, those reliable sources of escapism, that are often able to buoy our spirits in tough times. </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JZlzDND9CWk/X52RBatNDGI/AAAAAAAAG3U/m8Cw8hD8gkQwjXbRF3VoRldKGKD9L6cxACLcBGAsYHQ/s950/candyman_mirror.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="530" data-original-width="950" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JZlzDND9CWk/X52RBatNDGI/AAAAAAAAG3U/m8Cw8hD8gkQwjXbRF3VoRldKGKD9L6cxACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/candyman_mirror.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div>I know that a lot of people are happy streaming and maybe for them not going to the movies on a regular basis doesn't feel like much of a loss. But to me it does. Even if these delayed movies, like <i>Candyman</i>, were released to streaming, it just wouldn't be the same for me. </div><div><br /></div><div>I like the ritual of going to the theater, I like the experience of seeing a movie on a big screen, with a crowd. Without it, life feels a bit, well, empty. </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WEDyT-xQd3c/X52TrwSUGSI/AAAAAAAAG30/4uLiSo5dyv0qOng8ER1pqslz4c4UhJEGgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1300/candyman_street.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="529" data-original-width="1300" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WEDyT-xQd3c/X52TrwSUGSI/AAAAAAAAG30/4uLiSo5dyv0qOng8ER1pqslz4c4UhJEGgCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/candyman_street.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div>Whether or not I end up liking the new <i>Candyman</i>, if I do see it on the big screen, I know I will consider the experience to be a sweet one. </div>Jeff Allardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04265550466781988388noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4964885632131848660.post-82195133862344240932020-10-30T12:35:00.002-07:002020-10-31T08:51:19.062-07:00Trick or Trailers: Wishmaster (1997)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gwkprxknCdA/X5xSnogZZuI/AAAAAAAAG18/n793TmUE-igXH9lIzKlO53Dy218dyyuZgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1920/wishmaster_poster.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1920" data-original-width="1280" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gwkprxknCdA/X5xSnogZZuI/AAAAAAAAG18/n793TmUE-igXH9lIzKlO53Dy218dyyuZgCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/wishmaster_poster.jpg" /></a></div><p>I believe that only a certain type of person could ever be hyped for <i>Wishmaster</i>. That isn't a knock on it at all, just a statement of fact. </p><p>No matter how this movie was marketed, it was only going to speak to a certain segment of movie goers. While there's definitely a non-genre audience that can get excited for the likes of, say, <i>Misery</i> or <i>Bram Stoker's Dracula</i> or whatever, <i>Wishmaster</i> is another matter. </p><p>Released in 1997, <i>Wishmaster</i> had '90s direct to video written all over it and yet was given a wide theatrical release. Anyone catching this trailer knew immediately whether it was for them or not. </p>
<iframe frameborder="0" height="270" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/XNQ-t0aVNxc" width="380"></iframe> <div>Every second of that trailer is pitched squarely to FANGORIA subscribers, not to the kind of wider audience that was fueling the then-resurgence of theatrical horror, kicked off by <i>Scream</i> in '96. </div><div><br /></div><div>Right from the Live Entertainment logo to the "Wes Craven Presents" label to the appearance of genre faves like Tony Todd and the corny vibe of the Wishmaster himself (played to hammy perfection by Andrew Divoff), this was not the stuff of mainstream blockbusters. </div><div><br /></div><div>No, this was something that you'd grab off the shelf of your local video store, alongside <i>Leprechaun 4: In Space</i>. But that's what I love about <i>Wishmaster</i>. It's a movie for hardcore horror nerds that somehow got an unlikely break and played on the big screen. </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LvAmBpZVH4I/X5xXNw3S5GI/AAAAAAAAG2I/gMQM_c0wItUMWuTmF9PKy1LyZ9RsbGESwCLcBGAsYHQ/s700/wishmaster_statues.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="394" data-original-width="700" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LvAmBpZVH4I/X5xXNw3S5GI/AAAAAAAAG2I/gMQM_c0wItUMWuTmF9PKy1LyZ9RsbGESwCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/wishmaster_statues.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div>The month after <i>Wishmaster</i>'s release, both <i>Devil's Advocate</i> and <i>I Know What You Did Last Summer</i> were released to theaters, just in time for Halloween. Both of those films had the kind of mainstream appeal that <i>Wishmaster</i> didn't. In the case of <i>Devil's Advocate</i>, you've got big stars like Keanu Reeves and a big budget and in the case of <i>I Know What You Did</i>, you had stars on the rise like Sarah Michelle Gellar and Jennifer Love Hewitt and a screenplay penned by <i>Scream</i>'s Kevin Williamson. With <i>Wishmaster</i>, on the other hand, you had a screenplay by the guy who wrote some of the <i>Hellraiser</i> sequels and cameoes by Ted Raimi, Kane Hodder, Robert Englund and Tony Todd - with a voice over appearance by <i>Phantasm</i>'s Angus Scrimm to boot! </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zectPIXIPUQ/X5xXUkLYJ7I/AAAAAAAAG2M/c-_2NAFYXTEJoe4mAt3QGwgVLSBG1WIvQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1366/wishmaster_englund.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1366" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zectPIXIPUQ/X5xXUkLYJ7I/AAAAAAAAG2M/c-_2NAFYXTEJoe4mAt3QGwgVLSBG1WIvQCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/wishmaster_englund.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div>And yet, <i>Wishmaster</i> did well enough to spawn three direct to video sequels! So many efforts to deliberately create a new horror icon tank that you have to give <i>Wishmaster</i> credit for actually successfully launching a franchise. True, <i>Wishmaster</i> may not be a household name like Freddy or Jason but, hey, he's got four movies to his name and that's the kind of success that the people behind Dr. Giggles or the Trickster would have made their own wish to the Djinn for! </div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ykxPqlpqBiw/X5xZ2pwNobI/AAAAAAAAG2c/DXDjy3Wo9_YWSTeBVx4hJfQGhLH5UIfMACLcBGAsYHQ/s600/wishmaster_kane.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="600" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ykxPqlpqBiw/X5xZ2pwNobI/AAAAAAAAG2c/DXDjy3Wo9_YWSTeBVx4hJfQGhLH5UIfMACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/wishmaster_kane.jpg" width="320" /></a></div></div>Jeff Allardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04265550466781988388noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4964885632131848660.post-34210398345948879982020-10-29T10:27:00.001-07:002020-10-29T10:30:03.376-07:00Trick or Trailers: The Forgotten (2004)
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pnVZZErOPkI/X5rVUXgYXKI/AAAAAAAAG1g/rv3BnoeNc5IVVqALlBZrhpIRba0w6M06gCLcBGAsYHQ/s317/forgotten_poster.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="317" data-original-width="220" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pnVZZErOPkI/X5rVUXgYXKI/AAAAAAAAG1g/rv3BnoeNc5IVVqALlBZrhpIRba0w6M06gCLcBGAsYHQ/s0/forgotten_poster.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div>It's a weird thing that, somehow, the early 00's seem like a far more ancient, mist-enshrouded time to me than the '90s and even the '80s do. Maybe it's because I spend so much time revisiting the films and TV shows of the '80s and '90s that those years are still somehow able to seem "current" to me whereas I hardly give the 00's much thought and when I am occasionally reminded of a film from that era it seems like unearthing a relic from a lost, long ago age. </div><div><br /></div><div>Case in point, ironically, is 2004's <i>The Forgotten</i>. This trailer was on a DVD for another movie that I recently watched and as soon as it came up it was shocking to be suddenly reminded that it ever existed. </div><div><br /></div><div>
<iframe frameborder="0" height="270" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/HYdiGm7im1I" style="background-image: url(https://i.ytimg.com/vi/HYdiGm7im1I/hqdefault.jpg);" width="380"></iframe>
</div><div><br /></div><div>I probably haven't thought about this movie since seeing this in the theaters back in '04. Never mind probably, I can guarantee I haven't. </div><div><br /></div><div>Even seeing the trailer again, I couldn't recall a thing about what the big reveal in the film was, how people's memories were being taken from them or why. </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DQE2YIsT6PQ/X5rVjgzlaJI/AAAAAAAAG1o/KKiO9niU0gkkqXsUizKJ0UBYsNFzF2dZACLcBGAsYHQ/s800/forgotten_moore.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="552" data-original-width="800" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DQE2YIsT6PQ/X5rVjgzlaJI/AAAAAAAAG1o/KKiO9niU0gkkqXsUizKJ0UBYsNFzF2dZACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/forgotten_moore.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div>I'm guessing it wasn't a very good movie but *checks Wikipedia* oh, man, it was directed by Joseph Ruben, who directed some of my favorites, like <i>Dreamscape</i> and <i>The Stepfather</i>. And with Julianne Moore, Anthony Edwards and Gary Sinise, it certainly has the kind of cast that would give anyone hope that they were going to see a quality movie. But, *checks Wikipedia again* yeeeah, I just read the synopsis and I can see why this one didn't stick with me. It's a safe bet that I walked out of this one disappointed, vowing never to think of it again. What a letdown this must have been after the trailer! </div><div><br /></div><div>Maybe some movies should exist only as trailers. So many mediocre-to-bad movies have such cool and intriguing trailers that it's a shame that seeing the actual movie causes them to evaporate from memory entirely, after months of anticipation. </div><div><br /></div><div>There's such a Schrodinger's Cat thing with trailers, isn't there? If we never looked at the movies themselves, the movie that the trailer conjures in our imagination would forever be a living thing. But often times, as soon as we see the movie, we discover that what we were so excited for was already dead long before the first trailer was cut.</div><div><br /></div><div>That just makes me love trailers all the more, honestly. They may occasionally trick you into getting your hopes up but, in the end, these disappointments are easily forgotten. So much so that, years later, you may be surprised to be reminded that they ever happened at all. </div><div> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_mU06DM8PBY/X5rVdHDIUMI/AAAAAAAAG1k/cl5BXET7wWgaCTF5vr3LztUZ686ZmSQdACLcBGAsYHQ/s352/forgotten_poster2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="352" data-original-width="250" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_mU06DM8PBY/X5rVdHDIUMI/AAAAAAAAG1k/cl5BXET7wWgaCTF5vr3LztUZ686ZmSQdACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/forgotten_poster2.jpg" /></a></div>Jeff Allardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04265550466781988388noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4964885632131848660.post-30314078146348973252020-10-28T11:28:00.002-07:002020-10-28T11:31:07.825-07:00Trick or Trailers: My Bloody Valentine 3D (2009)<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-n3A8EUhdSFU/X5muFg5kLYI/AAAAAAAAG00/dIkCk1wsV8YTbK1mbOJEpwHed9aLLOjHACLcBGAsYHQ/s512/mybloodyvalentine_09_poster_3D.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="512" data-original-width="346" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-n3A8EUhdSFU/X5muFg5kLYI/AAAAAAAAG00/dIkCk1wsV8YTbK1mbOJEpwHed9aLLOjHACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/mybloodyvalentine_09_poster_3D.jpg" /></a></div><p></p><p>A lot of times I find that modern attempts to recapture the slasher heyday of the '80s fall flat. It's just a vibe that isn't easy to nail and seem authentic rather than second hand. One notable exception, in my book, is 2009's <i>My Bloody Valentine</i> remake. The original is one of my favorites and yet I find the remake to be a completely satisfying update, boasting some wonderfully nasty creative kills that would have made it a legendary gore flick had it come out in the early '80s. </p><p>One of the best aspects of <i>My Bloody Valentine</i> '09, though - the element that it was primarily marketed on - is sadly lost on home viewings. This was a movie that really had to be seen in the theater in order to get the full effect. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cOkg_vn1n5s/X5mvo1ihDRI/AAAAAAAAG1A/S4xrUU5D3N4lXAF7Ekw_H2JSQ_r6WIx5ACLcBGAsYHQ/s1024/mybloodyvalentine_09_supermarket.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="682" data-original-width="1024" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cOkg_vn1n5s/X5mvo1ihDRI/AAAAAAAAG1A/S4xrUU5D3N4lXAF7Ekw_H2JSQ_r6WIx5ACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/mybloodyvalentine_09_supermarket.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p>This was the first horror movie to utilize the new 3D technology that was ushered in with 2007's <i>Beowulf</i> and this trailer goes all out to hype the exciting novelty of seeing a modern horror movie in 3D: </p><p>
<iframe frameborder="0" height="270" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/mJFCJaSr2Xk" width="380"></iframe> </p><p>Cinema snobs typically label 3D as a cheap gimmick but I say screw that. Anything that makes for a more exciting experience should be used to its full potential. I'm sure back when color was introduced to film, some wet blankets probably rolled their eyes and saw it as just pandering to people who needed too much to hold their interest. </p><p>I say not only is there no shame in milking 3D for all its worth, I say it's a crime against the audience if you don't! When this trailer shows me Harry Warden hurling his pick axe over an audience, I say that's a ride I want to take! </p><p>To its credit, this movie absolutely goes all out to squeeze everything it can out of the 3D format - perhaps more than any modern 3D horror movie has since (although I remember <i>Final Destination 5</i> being very solid in this regard). And it's not just about objects flying at the screen, it's about using depth, too. Director Patrick Lussier is consistently ingenious in finding ways to immerse viewers in the action, like having a victim holding a spring bed frame between themselves and Harry Warden as he swings his pick axe. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nm2Mb2yoORE/X5mzM2nt_2I/AAAAAAAAG1M/_tczNHCLOnkU_9so_yHcHirfhkSrieT1QCLcBGAsYHQ/s864/mybloodyvalentine_09_springs.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="467" data-original-width="864" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nm2Mb2yoORE/X5mzM2nt_2I/AAAAAAAAG1M/_tczNHCLOnkU_9so_yHcHirfhkSrieT1QCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/mybloodyvalentine_09_springs.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p>Some might say that the 3D format is long played out, that the novelty isn't there anymore. I say not even close. I think too few filmmakers have even tried using 3D to its best potential, with <i>My Bloody Valentine</i> being one of the exceptions. When the theatrical experience eventually comes back, as I fully believe it will, I think 3D could be one way to entice audiences back. </p><p>Watching the <i>My Bloody Valentine 3D</i> trailer is a reminder that there's just some experiences that you can't have sitting at home.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-U7mJc1LGHXc/X5mzS0z3qYI/AAAAAAAAG1Q/LrosK4wTHPcc0zzQ_25E1j5ea3nygC46gCLcBGAsYHQ/s512/mybloodyvalentine_09_teaserposter.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="512" data-original-width="345" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-U7mJc1LGHXc/X5mzS0z3qYI/AAAAAAAAG1Q/LrosK4wTHPcc0zzQ_25E1j5ea3nygC46gCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/mybloodyvalentine_09_teaserposter.jpg" /></a></div><br /><p></p>Jeff Allardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04265550466781988388noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4964885632131848660.post-73778689330307681802020-10-22T11:39:00.000-07:002020-10-22T11:39:06.810-07:00Trick or Trailers: Jason X (2002)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MOJHmKf8zxw/X5GpWBwd8QI/AAAAAAAAG0Q/ayurHZIhwrYRzUXt9AovbgoYkN_ImLEogCLcBGAsYHQ/s500/jasonx_poster.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="337" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MOJHmKf8zxw/X5GpWBwd8QI/AAAAAAAAG0Q/ayurHZIhwrYRzUXt9AovbgoYkN_ImLEogCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/jasonx_poster.jpg" /></a></div><p>Man, it feels like these October days are just burning away faster and faster. Honestly, how is it possible that we're little over a week away from Halloween? I'm telling you, there's just no keeping up! But anyhow, as much as this Halloween season (along with the rest of 2020) is feeling like a dismal wash, one bright spot this month has been the arrival of Scream Factory's glorious <i>Friday the 13th</i> box set. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IBPbLD98chI/X5HHixIEA-I/AAAAAAAAG0o/8Jv8pCBxGyMZPSUENJWAwuSP_6qUQTNWgCLcBGAsYHQ/s768/friday_set.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="714" data-original-width="768" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IBPbLD98chI/X5HHixIEA-I/AAAAAAAAG0o/8Jv8pCBxGyMZPSUENJWAwuSP_6qUQTNWgCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/friday_set.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p>The fact that I own all of these movies many times over in various formats doesn't diminish any of my geeky excitement over having them all together for the first time in one beautifully designed package. The box, the casings, the discs themselves, it all looks wonderful - such a difference from the "who cares?" attitude that Paramount always seemed to bring to the original eight films. </p><p>Warners/New Line was always a little better in packaging their entries but having all twelve films together in a set that shows real care across the board is awesome. The only reason any fan will ever need to upgrade now is if the legal obstacles to a new film are ever cleared and we finally get <i>Friday the 13th Part 13</i>. I have to imagine it will happen at some point. I mean, come on, how could it not? </p><p>In the meantime, though, having this set is compelling me to revisit the entire series (which is only making it seem even <i>less</i> like October - I associate <i>Friday</i> with the spring and summer, not the fall!) and, of course, all the trailers. </p><p>One of the best of the bunch, in my opinion, remains <i>Jason X</i>. </p><p><iframe frameborder="0" height="270" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/HV8w1tiWW_U" style="background-image: url(https://i.ytimg.com/vi/HV8w1tiWW_U/hqdefault.jpg);" width="380"></iframe> </p><p>What a splendidly cheesy trailer this is! While there's an automatic eye roll effect that happens as soon as fans hear a slasher series is heading to space, I love that this trailer doesn't care about that. It leans into the premise and sells it hard, like it's the coolest thing that ever happened. </p><p>Sure, one could say that it gives away too much. It could be argued, I suppose, that it would have been better to keep Uber Jason under wraps as a surprise to be delivered by the movie itself but I say to hell with that. Far better to just put it out there. It's the movie's big selling point so why hide it? You can't have your tagline be "Evil Gets An Upgrade" without showing what that upgrade's gonna look like. </p><p>Of course, all the coolness of the Uber Jason design aside (how much of a bummer is it, by the way, that we never got a <i>Jason X 2</i>? I would have loved to have seen Kane Hodder come back and rock that look at least one more time), it's really the Drowning Pool song that makes this trailer. It was a stroke of genius on whoever it was in the New Line marketing department who thought to slap "Bodies" on this. </p><p>Call that song corny if you will but as soon as it kicks in, it's like "Oh yeeeeaah!" And from the vantage point of 2020, hearing it now brings on a such warm rush of early '00 vibes. </p><p>Back then, those years did not feel like such a great era but, you know, we got through 'em and so now that time has its own kind of nostalgic glow. Let's hope we'll be able to say the same about this time we're living through now one of these days. No matter what, as <i>Jason X</i> shows us, we've always got to keep our eyes on the future. </p><p>Chances are, some cool shit is likely to go down there. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Y1krLuwdovw/X5GtXb3VJ3I/AAAAAAAAG0c/fjxvsEeqZRcRXW5jZem1w4pqol902IuRgCLcBGAsYHQ/s512/jasonx_uberjason.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="288" data-original-width="512" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Y1krLuwdovw/X5GtXb3VJ3I/AAAAAAAAG0c/fjxvsEeqZRcRXW5jZem1w4pqol902IuRgCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/jasonx_uberjason.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p></p>Jeff Allardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04265550466781988388noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4964885632131848660.post-67722906182869795642020-10-14T11:41:00.001-07:002020-10-14T11:41:32.609-07:00Trick or Trailers: Paranormal Activity (2009)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uQtDVtOCs74/X4c8LzMNCNI/AAAAAAAAGzk/0Xp1bMWjVfIp2g0NXLwdq2qRRsnysb74ACLcBGAsYHQ/s752/Paranormal_Activity_poster2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="752" data-original-width="500" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uQtDVtOCs74/X4c8LzMNCNI/AAAAAAAAGzk/0Xp1bMWjVfIp2g0NXLwdq2qRRsnysb74ACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Paranormal_Activity_poster2.jpg" /></a></div><p>Are we really in October already? Like halfway through it, at that? </p><p>Well, according to the calendar we definitely are. But it seems like time doesn't really have the same meaning as it used to, right? The weather changes with the seasons and we come up on holidays and other milestones but yet it feels like we went into limbo way back in March and still haven't come out of it. </p><p>But no matter how different things might feel, officially being in October means that another round of Trick or Trailers is due! I haven't checked on how many years I've been doing this but I know it's been more than a few. Early on, I was conscious of trying not to repeat any trailers from years past but at this point, I'm not going to bother to go back and double check. I'm just going with my gut and hoping that I'm not just rehashing things. We'll see how it goes! </p><p>First up, 2009's effective trailer for the original <i>Paranormal Activity:</i> </p><p>
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</p><p>This is one of my absolute favorite styles of horror trailers - selling people on the reactions of an audience. But man, everything about this trailer makes me want to cry now. An audience lined up to see a movie! In a packed theater, no less! Everybody screaming and hiding their eyes and clutching their companions and just sharing the rush of that communal fright! God, how I want to get back to that. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QC0aXWMe7BQ/X4c-0XLA5DI/AAAAAAAAG0A/P1WIt26MQawQCx_afmweG2TsgaYMT6qAwCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/paramount_home_video.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1377" data-original-width="2048" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QC0aXWMe7BQ/X4c-0XLA5DI/AAAAAAAAG0A/P1WIt26MQawQCx_afmweG2TsgaYMT6qAwCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/paramount_home_video.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p>With theater going pretty much on pause, as studios continue to hold back most of their product until the pandemic situation improves, I'm desperately missing the joys of getting hyped for new movies and anticipating trekking to the theater on opening night to have that experience with an audience. I know there's no shortage of new genre product on streaming services but, I'm sorry, pulling something up on Netflix or Hulu is no substitute for seeing a new horror movie on the big screen. Especially ones that caution you to "Don't See It Alone!" </p><p>That experience is so key to appreciating movies and to horror movies, especially, that it is so dispiriting (no ghost pun intended!) to have it on hold and with such uncertainty as to when it might return. </p><p>Watching the first <i>PA</i> trailer these days makes for a bittersweet reminder of better times, of the kind of simple, silly pleasures that we took for granted, never expecting that they might one day end. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NDkJaCULfkU/X4c-g0tUk5I/AAAAAAAAGz4/bzyUmBnJjIw4lgHg_Y-bgifF6jqivhP9gCLcBGAsYHQ/s650/Paranormal_Activity_audience.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="336" data-original-width="650" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NDkJaCULfkU/X4c-g0tUk5I/AAAAAAAAGz4/bzyUmBnJjIw4lgHg_Y-bgifF6jqivhP9gCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Paranormal_Activity_audience.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p></p>
Jeff Allardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04265550466781988388noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4964885632131848660.post-48438074510734720892019-10-31T19:51:00.000-07:002019-10-31T19:51:30.615-07:00Trick or Trailers: The Horror Show (1989)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-qHA0lvp88l8/XbsfTxCYWkI/AAAAAAAAGrg/B_tFWqyusI40EDcPHMWAGQcVxdx1pjM3ACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/horrorshow_poster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-qHA0lvp88l8/XbsfTxCYWkI/AAAAAAAAGrg/B_tFWqyusI40EDcPHMWAGQcVxdx1pjM3ACLcBGAsYHQ/s400/horrorshow_poster.jpg" width="266" height="400" data-original-width="333" data-original-height="500" /></a></div><br />
Back when I named this blog, way back in (gasp!) 2007, I didn't put much thought into it. Truth be told, I've always kind of hated it and wish I'd taken a moment or two to come up with something better. <br />
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But what I definitely <i>don't</i> hate is the movie that the name hails from, 1989's <i>The Horror Show</i>. I mean, what's to hate about this: <br />
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Pure gold is what that is! <br />
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Originally meant to be <i>House III</i> (and released overseas as such), <i>The Horror Show</i> was re-titled in the US due to its intensity being out of step with the lighthearted nature of the first two <i>House</i> installments. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-7bHa3Le6_uU/Xbsfg3Wr4jI/AAAAAAAAGro/9ufGRJHBHyMegCS-QczxIqtFAe-l0MTRQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/horrorshow_chair_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-7bHa3Le6_uU/Xbsfg3Wr4jI/AAAAAAAAGro/9ufGRJHBHyMegCS-QczxIqtFAe-l0MTRQCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/horrorshow_chair_2.jpg" width="380" height="250" data-original-width="800" data-original-height="500" /></a></div><br />
Casting classic character actor Brion James as horror icon in the making, "Meat Cleaver Max," was an inspired move that should have guaranteed that <i>The Horror Show</i> would spawn its own franchise. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-mnZEo9s78NY/XbsfoIQJGqI/AAAAAAAAGrw/5weMrAmKj5Avhs6bPG2hhWnTZit5poKdwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/horrorshow_max_tie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-mnZEo9s78NY/XbsfoIQJGqI/AAAAAAAAGrw/5weMrAmKj5Avhs6bPG2hhWnTZit5poKdwCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/horrorshow_max_tie.jpg" width="380" height="212" data-original-width="660" data-original-height="350" /></a></div><br />
Certainly, James tore into his role with all the gusto you'd expect, giving Max Jenke a signature maniacal laugh and spitting out lines like "<i>I'm coming back to tear your world apart...I'm going to fuck you up!</i>" with pure commitment. Brion <i>had</i> to be the first and only choice for this. I can't imagine anyone else even trying to out-Jenke James. <br />
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Pairing an actor as formidable as James with one as equally formidable as Lance Henriksen as the cop that Jenke torments was a masterstroke of casting. Having these two acting powerhouses face off against each other is not just rare in the slasher sub-genre, it's completely unheard of. That alone makes <i>The Horror Show</i> notable. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-vKurUIZ39DE/XbsftZKPh9I/AAAAAAAAGr4/HpYQ5Eh1UUYPbZGz20zEE2u_EYVfMrxEQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/horrorshow_vhsbox.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-vKurUIZ39DE/XbsftZKPh9I/AAAAAAAAGr4/HpYQ5Eh1UUYPbZGz20zEE2u_EYVfMrxEQCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/horrorshow_vhsbox.jpg" width="211" height="400" data-original-width="235" data-original-height="445" /></a></div><br />
Sadly, all that talent and the name of <i>Friday the 13th</i> and <i>House</i> producer Sean Cunningham couldn't get audiences to buy enough tickets to <i>The Horror Show</i> back in the day and James never got the chance to be the next Freddy Krueger. <br />
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Hardly seems fair but those are the breaks. In life, you take your shots and you make the best of them. In the case of <i>The Horror Show</i>, Brion James made every moment count. When you've got the chance to become the next horror icon, you've got to think of it as the opportunity of a lifetime and swing for the fences. And you can't just chew some of the scenery, you've got to chew <i>all</i> of it. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-43NZnai11D8/Xbsfx0LLh3I/AAAAAAAAGsA/VsurSxVEwBMmVNUfrh8xqPkaIbgZWtZyACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/horrorshow_chair_wideshot.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-43NZnai11D8/Xbsfx0LLh3I/AAAAAAAAGsA/VsurSxVEwBMmVNUfrh8xqPkaIbgZWtZyACLcBGAsYHQ/s400/horrorshow_chair_wideshot.jpg" width="380" height="226" data-original-width="500" data-original-height="282" /></a></div><br />
Above all, win or lose, make damn sure they remember you. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wVjz1fEXs1U/Xbubly8eLWI/AAAAAAAAGsk/gOljH5GucHAqYKQ9AvfGA1-FM552fAiFQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/horrorshow_james2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wVjz1fEXs1U/Xbubly8eLWI/AAAAAAAAGsk/gOljH5GucHAqYKQ9AvfGA1-FM552fAiFQCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/horrorshow_james2.jpg" width="380" height="225" data-original-width="1600" data-original-height="900" /></a></div>Jeff Allardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04265550466781988388noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4964885632131848660.post-65572440842340347722019-10-30T07:23:00.000-07:002019-10-30T07:23:03.011-07:00Trick or Trailers: Demons (1985)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-rds0PD5wrMw/XbmNwJ6THQI/AAAAAAAAGrA/DNalAj7Cd1k4SFIXOzYPLyNtiXHjoN0kACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/demons_poster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-rds0PD5wrMw/XbmNwJ6THQI/AAAAAAAAGrA/DNalAj7Cd1k4SFIXOzYPLyNtiXHjoN0kACLcBGAsYHQ/s400/demons_poster.jpg" width="264" height="380" data-original-width="330" data-original-height="500" /></a></div><br />
"<i>The preview you are about to watch is for a movie that is unlike any you have seen before. It is for a movie that goes beyond temporary fear to everlasting terror. It is a movie called Demons</i>." <br />
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Damn, now THAT is a trailer!! Talk about giving a movie a hard sell! <br />
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And the great thing is, <i>Demons</i> doesn't disappoint! When you can hype a movie as heavy as this trailer does and still deliver, that's an impressive feat. In a true horror movie miracle, <i>Demons</i> is everything you'd want it to be. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-RkB64yhusLM/XbmOaDCfRvI/AAAAAAAAGrI/9RvGez9YML4MVsILsliHCu4mgiVB6BWZwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/demons_demon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-RkB64yhusLM/XbmOaDCfRvI/AAAAAAAAGrI/9RvGez9YML4MVsILsliHCu4mgiVB6BWZwCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/demons_demon.jpg" width="380" height="225" data-original-width="758" data-original-height="427" /></a></div><br />
The '80s were a robust decade for horror but it wouldn't have been half as memorable without Italian horror and its enthusiastic embrace of the splatter era. <br />
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For me, that was the trend that truly defined the '80s. Sure, I loved all the home grown horrors, like <i>Friday the 13th</i> and <i>A Nightmare on Elm Street</i> and so on but Italian horror was what the hardcore horror aficionado gravitated to - especially teen horror buffs. In the '80s, watching Italian horror movies like <i>Demons</i> was the cinematic equivalent of blasting the most raucous heavy metal you could find. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-9oJQqJMklGY/XbmMhokquUI/AAAAAAAAGqw/erC-mWzcaVUv9_BRV6RMu4vzh1QuUh63QCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/demons_vhsad.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-9oJQqJMklGY/XbmMhokquUI/AAAAAAAAGqw/erC-mWzcaVUv9_BRV6RMu4vzh1QuUh63QCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/demons_vhsad.jpg" width="293" height="400" data-original-width="702" data-original-height="960" /></a></div><br />
Being a teen is all about being rebellious and Italian horror felt rebellious. It didn't matter whether the movies were often ridiculous or that the dubbing sucked. You just weren't a real horror fan in the '80s unless you knew all about Argento and Fulci and Bava (Mario and Lamberto). That was like the secret handshake among horror fans. If you met someone who was into this stuff, you knew they weren't just into the mainstream shit. They had to be at least a little bit cool. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-M07IHM3T8-k/XbmZRauSIRI/AAAAAAAAGrU/LQoV8ttzyuMNbY1MwQLpaCyGBtYxBQFzwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/demons_mask.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-M07IHM3T8-k/XbmZRauSIRI/AAAAAAAAGrU/LQoV8ttzyuMNbY1MwQLpaCyGBtYxBQFzwCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/demons_mask.jpg" width="380" height="225" data-original-width="853" data-original-height="480" /></a></div><br />
Or just a lot nerdy, like I was. I didn't have many actual friends as a teen back in the '80s but watching movies like <i>Demons</i> made me feel like I was part of a secret club, invisibly connected by a shared love of movies most would find appalling - if they even knew they existed. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_j5YHxPwZVQ/XbmMaj_LE_I/AAAAAAAAGqs/kW0DpF7QdRU-qOxSznPJ3uFTcgS62OhkQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/demons_pimp.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_j5YHxPwZVQ/XbmMaj_LE_I/AAAAAAAAGqs/kW0DpF7QdRU-qOxSznPJ3uFTcgS62OhkQCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/demons_pimp.jpg" width="380" height="246" data-original-width="1200" data-original-height="738" /></a></div>Jeff Allardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04265550466781988388noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4964885632131848660.post-20843612752232678342019-10-29T08:42:00.000-07:002019-10-29T08:42:05.767-07:00Trick or Trailers: The Crow (1994)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-aP_sWaC1kFE/Xbg8tmEsqnI/AAAAAAAAGpg/3Bbg06xTxgM-_i46kU7MDpIPIIHPmBZFgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/crow_poster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-aP_sWaC1kFE/Xbg8tmEsqnI/AAAAAAAAGpg/3Bbg06xTxgM-_i46kU7MDpIPIIHPmBZFgCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/crow_poster.jpg" width="270" height="400" data-original-width="338" data-original-height="500" /></a></div><br />
Every so often movie studios are tasked with the difficult job of marketing a film after its star has passed. One of the most famous examples of which being the release of the dark comic book adaptation <i>The Crow</i> after Brandon Lee's tragic on-set death in 1993. <br />
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How do you promote a movie like this, given the circumstances, and not seem like a ghoul? Well, maybe you don't. All things considered, I think they did a fine job. <br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="344" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/i8VkIhOCybQ" width="359"></iframe><br />
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I know some people believe that <i>The Crow</i> should never have been released but I don't get that. Had Lee's family felt that way, sure, no argument. But if the family believed that the movie should be released and stand as a lasting tribute to Lee, I don't see the issue. <br />
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Certainly it's undeniable to anyone who watches <i>The Crow</i> how completely invested in the role of Eric Draven Lee was and, had he lived, there's no doubt that this is the movie that would have vaulted him to another level of stardom. <br />
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For it to just sit in a vault would have been a terrible waste. <br />
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Especially when the movie is as good as this. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Qvh3OXwDeQI/Xbg9gNwYvZI/AAAAAAAAGpw/h7i8QWCkT4gFbym_Pi68nFdzjp7gM9ERwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/crow_lee_church.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Qvh3OXwDeQI/Xbg9gNwYvZI/AAAAAAAAGpw/h7i8QWCkT4gFbym_Pi68nFdzjp7gM9ERwCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/crow_lee_church.jpg" width="380" height="217" data-original-width="600" data-original-height="325" /></a></div><br />
As a fan of James O'Barr's comic, I was thrilled when I heard it was being made into a movie and I was stunned at how well director Alex Proyas brought it to life. Right from the opening shot going over a cool miniature of a decaying Detroit neighborhood, gliding up to the shattered window of Eric and Shelly's apartment, I knew that this was going to be something special. Few comic book adaptations honor their source material as well as Proyas and co. did with <i>The Crow</i>. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-d9u_aT7CVro/Xbg85XuOZnI/AAAAAAAAGpk/9gIDZP3BPRcr_DD7CG7-_GfRSKF1XhudgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/crow_20thanniversaryposter.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-d9u_aT7CVro/Xbg85XuOZnI/AAAAAAAAGpk/9gIDZP3BPRcr_DD7CG7-_GfRSKF1XhudgCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/crow_20thanniversaryposter.jpg" width="268" height="400" data-original-width="1071" data-original-height="1600" /></a></div><br />
I'm surprised that <i>The Crow</i> doesn't get a lot more mention around Halloween time. After all, it does take place on the night before Halloween. Even though it's not a horror film, per se, it does overlap the genre and has plenty of Goth vibes to spare. It also won the Fangoria Chainsaw Award in 1995 for Best Wide Release Film - beating out <i>Wes Craven's New Nightmare</i>, <i>Interview with the Vampire</i>, <i>Wolf</i>, and <i>Mary Shelley's Frankenstein</i> (Ok, it didn't have much competition. But still, it won!) and Lee for Best Actor - beating out the likes of Tom Cruise and Jack Nicholson (yes, cynics will say it was a sympathy win and, yes, these cynics would be absolutely right but I think Lee's performance is still worthy of sincere admiration). <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-fC16p_m2DR0/Xbg9AcaflxI/AAAAAAAAGpo/jahE7s7WprEVjEKt-wx4mdE7QwSxFE8GgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/crow_illustratedposter.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-fC16p_m2DR0/Xbg9AcaflxI/AAAAAAAAGpo/jahE7s7WprEVjEKt-wx4mdE7QwSxFE8GgCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/crow_illustratedposter.jpg" width="269" height="400" data-original-width="1074" data-original-height="1600" /></a></div><br />
<i>The Crow</i> spawned a number of sequels, all of 'em lousy, and a TV series, which I've actually heard good things about but have never watched myself. Every now and then, talks of a big screen reboot come up but eventually fade away. Who knows what shape a <i>Crow</i> franchise would have taken had Lee lived? The first movie seems so self-contained and brings Eric's story to a satisfying close, I don't see where the point would be of having Lee come back to the part. <br />
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And surely, after <i>The Crow</i>'s success (and I <i>do</i> think it would have succeeded every bit as well without the morbid attraction of it being the film Lee died on) he would have been moving on to bigger things, right? <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ozjgsmvyhko/Xbg9Guq8VOI/AAAAAAAAGps/fSilqGcAV0M-yThfpz68hUgt9-6LyYkFACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/crow_quad.webp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ozjgsmvyhko/Xbg9Guq8VOI/AAAAAAAAGps/fSilqGcAV0M-yThfpz68hUgt9-6LyYkFACLcBGAsYHQ/s400/crow_quad.webp" width="380" height="281" data-original-width="569" data-original-height="400" /></a></div><br />
It's nice to think so. Why believe anything less? <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-bmpLbYNaep0/XbhS0OURiFI/AAAAAAAAGqY/rQcFQ7BNsAkt-Kl9q0120_7SVED5iLnLwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/crow_makeup.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-bmpLbYNaep0/XbhS0OURiFI/AAAAAAAAGqY/rQcFQ7BNsAkt-Kl9q0120_7SVED5iLnLwCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/crow_makeup.jpg" width="380" height="221" data-original-width="761" data-original-height="421" /></a></div><br />
Lee died twenty six years ago. He'd be fifty four now, had he lived. In other words, he'd <i>still</i> be relatively young. I mean, we don't think of Tom Cruise or Brad Pitt as old and they're both older than fifty four. <br />
<br />
Crazy as it is to think, if Lee were alive today and passed, we'd say that it was far too soon. And yet a whole lifetime has gone by since. <br />
<br />
I don't know what to say to that other than I think that's why <i>The Crow</i> endures. Beyond being a stylish, moody action/horror film, it's also a reminder that life is fragile and the tomorrow we dream about is not always the tomorrow that we live to enjoy. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-xq_QlNu0QcQ/Xbg-4rBmliI/AAAAAAAAGqM/TuL1fa71OzkDmI0dJdqHMidvN-Wf2bM9wCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/crow_graves.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-xq_QlNu0QcQ/Xbg-4rBmliI/AAAAAAAAGqM/TuL1fa71OzkDmI0dJdqHMidvN-Wf2bM9wCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/crow_graves.jpg" width="380" height="225" data-original-width="1600" data-original-height="900" /></a></div><br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="344" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/j60h_P7RZz4" width="359"></iframe><br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="344" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/L17gpBLrGI8" width="359"></iframe>Jeff Allardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04265550466781988388noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4964885632131848660.post-72327164518528441952019-10-28T08:02:00.001-07:002019-10-28T08:02:22.427-07:00Trick or Trailers: The Hills Have Eyes (2006)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-47zT9xq4DJw/XbbrYSNemcI/AAAAAAAAGoU/WHbp-Ht7lacLzTH1n7t_HB3M-GlDJ8CBQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/hills_poster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-47zT9xq4DJw/XbbrYSNemcI/AAAAAAAAGoU/WHbp-Ht7lacLzTH1n7t_HB3M-GlDJ8CBQCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/hills_poster.jpg" width="274" height="400" data-original-width="811" data-original-height="1185" /></a></div><br />
I'm waiting for the day - surely in the not-too-distant future - when some horror fan born around '93 or so will write a book about the Golden Age of Horror as being from 2003 to 2007. You might find that an appalling - or at the very least absurd - thought but bear with me. <br />
<br />
I don't think anyone would argue that the horror films that we see at an impressionable age are the ones that stay with us. That's just how it goes, right? <br />
<br />
Being born in 1968, the years from '78 to '82 were <i>my</i> golden age for horror. The movies from those years are the ones that imprinted on me the most. I was old enough to see movies and understand them but yet young enough to not be jaded about them yet. It just so happens that those were very good years for horror by most objective standards but, at the time, there were also plenty of complaints from critics and adult fans about the slasher trend and the rise of splatter FX. It wasn't until fans of my generation got older that the virtues of, say, <i>Friday the 13th</i> or <i>My Bloody Valentine</i> were fully appreciated. <br />
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I think the mid-'00s are going to be a lot like that. Movies that may have seemed like forgettable junk to people my age are going to be revealed to have be defining movies for younger fans. <br />
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Which brings me to <i>The Hills Have Eyes</i> remake of 2006: <br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="270" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/CUQd9OB75dw" width="380"></iframe><br />
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Boy, this movie is <i>peak</i> mid-'00s, isn't it? <br />
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That time just has an unmistakable vibe to it. <br />
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Everything seemed so hardcore then! Horror movies had been safe and tepid for so long all through the late '80s and the entire '90s and the 00's might well have continued on that same path but once 2003 came around with the <i>Texas Chainsaw</i> remake, <i>Wrong Turn</i>, <i>Saw</i>, <i>Cabin Fever</i> and <i>House of 1,000 Corpses</i> (I'm not saying all those movies are <i>good</i>, by the way, only that they came out around the same time!) it was like horror was suddenly back in the business of trying to hurt the audience again in a way it hadn't been in ages. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-AyJBcCchRA4/Xbbzxv62DuI/AAAAAAAAGo4/kONCkdtsQJ8iuUsVRBrSrxv3A-6hYSv8ACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/hills_bloody.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-AyJBcCchRA4/Xbbzxv62DuI/AAAAAAAAGo4/kONCkdtsQJ8iuUsVRBrSrxv3A-6hYSv8ACLcBGAsYHQ/s400/hills_bloody.jpg" width="380" height="172" data-original-width="600" data-original-height="258" /></a></div><br />
Was it due to our collective trauma from 9/11 and the Iraq War? <br />
<br />
Maybe. Probably. I don't know. Your guess is as good as mine. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/--waqRjlbm5E/XbbrgTY5WaI/AAAAAAAAGoY/DYve0TLVRrYKsg5njK46xkBRhHOiOjwWwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/hills_axe.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/--waqRjlbm5E/XbbrgTY5WaI/AAAAAAAAGoY/DYve0TLVRrYKsg5njK46xkBRhHOiOjwWwCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/hills_axe.jpg" width="380" height="198" data-original-width="1000" data-original-height="496" /></a></div><br />
Point being, horror of the mid-'00s was all about being fucking gnarly and <i>The Hills Have Eyes</i> remake embraced and embodied that style. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Nmss1kKpBJU/XbbrmDjcfHI/AAAAAAAAGoc/zdjXrKppH9U2cerLPns11YeBC-_d-FocgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/hills_flag.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Nmss1kKpBJU/XbbrmDjcfHI/AAAAAAAAGoc/zdjXrKppH9U2cerLPns11YeBC-_d-FocgCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/hills_flag.png" width="380" height="172" data-original-width="701" data-original-height="301" /></a></div><br />
Just as I have vivid memories of being traumatized by trailers and TV spots for slasher movies like <i>He Knows You're Alone</i> and <i>Night School</i>, I have to imagine the generation of kids who grew up in the '00s were convinced that every horror movie was a depraved orgy of violence. <br />
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How could they not be? <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fmO_QssbK2M/Xbbrr2m_kDI/AAAAAAAAGok/2yZsMbqCeOwbQt3N447CDWve--PQuC7ZQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/hills_dummy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fmO_QssbK2M/Xbbrr2m_kDI/AAAAAAAAGok/2yZsMbqCeOwbQt3N447CDWve--PQuC7ZQCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/hills_dummy.jpg" width="380" height="179" data-original-width="800" data-original-height="357" /></a></div><br />
The generation before grew up with horror being jokey and semi-ironic. The horror films of the '00s, whatever their respective merits may be, wasn't about that. Movies like <i>Hostel</i> and <i>The Hills Have Eyes</i> were a long way from <i>The Craft</i> and <i>Urban Legend</i>. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5Vx5W6pkrwY/Xbb6YvwyoZI/AAAAAAAAGpE/ulc0CUGop-YYh1DF3kIxhQHt_ViaO4JgACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/hills_swings.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5Vx5W6pkrwY/Xbb6YvwyoZI/AAAAAAAAGpE/ulc0CUGop-YYh1DF3kIxhQHt_ViaO4JgACLcBGAsYHQ/s400/hills_swings.png" width="380" height="267" data-original-width="750" data-original-height="500" /></a></div><br />
Of course, like every trend, the appetite for torture porn faded out. <br />
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The <i>Paranormal Activity</i> films supplanted the <i>Saw</i> series as the big annual Halloween event and it was like the '00s had never happened. Kind of like when grunge got replaced by Britney Spears and 'N Sync. <br />
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When grunge was at its peak, no one thought music would ever go back to pop bullshit again but things can only stay so intense for so long, I guess. Sure, things aren't totally soft now. Some of that 00's vibe still lingers here and there but back then, it was like horror was on an united mission. There's no way the kids of that time don't think back to those days and say "man, remember when horror movies used to kick ass?" <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-4jJI_6ADSuE/XbcAYJuC5rI/AAAAAAAAGpU/n2LWaq4SuFAO2VxER5RCYeYt1EY6FIOeACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/hills_camper.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-4jJI_6ADSuE/XbcAYJuC5rI/AAAAAAAAGpU/n2LWaq4SuFAO2VxER5RCYeYt1EY6FIOeACLcBGAsYHQ/s400/hills_camper.jpg" width="380" height="225" data-original-width="856" data-original-height="482" /></a></div><br />
That might seem silly to those who lived through that time as adults but, past a certain age, no one ever believes the time they're living through is going to be well-remembered. That's because the present always compares poorly to the memories of when we were younger.<br />
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You know, the good old days. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-5mKiUpt_BCA/Xbb6fNzprKI/AAAAAAAAGpI/UqnaSfWNRhIzi5Lvk09O6Reqm8gugPbswCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/hills_hug.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-5mKiUpt_BCA/Xbb6fNzprKI/AAAAAAAAGpI/UqnaSfWNRhIzi5Lvk09O6Reqm8gugPbswCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/hills_hug.jpg" width="380" height="170" data-original-width="1050" data-original-height="445" /></a></div>Jeff Allardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04265550466781988388noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4964885632131848660.post-24376617573343387512019-10-24T07:27:00.000-07:002019-10-24T07:35:17.832-07:00Trick or Trailers: Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991) <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-aENRxlKjJ8k/Xa7-XV1Uz7I/AAAAAAAAGl0/-lY5W8IVxrISrvqbD58BJk91JKNQDyTuACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/terminator2_poster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-aENRxlKjJ8k/Xa7-XV1Uz7I/AAAAAAAAGl0/-lY5W8IVxrISrvqbD58BJk91JKNQDyTuACLcBGAsYHQ/s400/terminator2_poster.jpg" width="269" height="400" data-original-width="1077" data-original-height="1600" /></a></div><br />
Sure, I hear you: "<i>T2</i> isn't a horror movie!" But with positive early word coming in on <i>Terminator: Dark Fate</i>, I've got <i>Terminator</i> on the brain at the moment. Besides, <i>T2</i> got plenty of coverage in FANGORIA back in the day so that alone makes this a valid candidate for Trick or Trailers! You can't argue with a Fango cover - it makes any film legit! <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/--jYjTa-2QMM/Xa7-fq30jwI/AAAAAAAAGl4/EvbycvyfBK0bHaKhBh5yUBqyDx5z3USYACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/fango_t2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/--jYjTa-2QMM/Xa7-fq30jwI/AAAAAAAAGl4/EvbycvyfBK0bHaKhBh5yUBqyDx5z3USYACLcBGAsYHQ/s400/fango_t2.jpg" width="293" height="400" data-original-width="600" data-original-height="819" /></a></div><br />
And as trailers go, you've got to admit, this one's pretty awesome: <br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="270" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/-W8CegO_Ixw" width="380"></iframe><br />
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This trailer brings me back to a time that doesn't really exist anymore, back when the summer movie season was THE time of year that genre fans - with their subscriptions to mags like Starlog, Cinefantastique and Fangoria - looked forward to, the months when studios would bring out their big guns and everything else would have to step aside to clear the way for this year's blockbuster behemoths. <br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="344" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/fAVsQWEI0u0" width="399"></iframe><br />
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Now, of course, that time is year round. The summer movie season no longer is confined to the summer. We live in a world where what was once nerd fare begrudgingly tolerated by the adults in the room is now the center of popular culture.<br />
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Once upon a time, a <i>Terminator</i> sequel represented a genuine event that the whole movie year could legitimately revolve around. Now <i>Dark Fate</i> is simply one of many big budget franchise films. It's a drop in the bucket. Practically small potatoes in the scheme of things. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-BhOFfPfJ18U/XbGgHLxTyJI/AAAAAAAAGmY/s3D8LXhoeOonxAWZO_gy34HOXa5VlamfQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/terminator2_group.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-BhOFfPfJ18U/XbGgHLxTyJI/AAAAAAAAGmY/s3D8LXhoeOonxAWZO_gy34HOXa5VlamfQCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/terminator2_group.jpg" width="380" height="170" data-original-width="1600" data-original-height="680" /></a></div><br />
The world has changed so much that rather than be a summer tentpole, <i>Dark Fate</i> is opening at the beginning of November, on Halloween weekend. That's a release date that would have, in years past, been reserved for the low rent likes of <i>Vampire in Brooklyn</i>, not a new <i>Terminator</i> movie. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-4UD-h3oXIbo/XbGyuIMsWNI/AAAAAAAAGn8/s0QlSr28O7o-sB1zxqIM685S3rbmbx6pgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/terminator2_hamilton.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-4UD-h3oXIbo/XbGyuIMsWNI/AAAAAAAAGn8/s0QlSr28O7o-sB1zxqIM685S3rbmbx6pgCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/terminator2_hamilton.jpg" width="380" height="225" data-original-width="928" data-original-height="523" /></a></div><br />
In the summer of 1991, there was nothing that could even touch <i>T2</i>, spectacle-wise. Absolutely nothing. It was the summer of <i>The Rocketeer</i>, <i>Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves</i> and <i>Point Break</i>, if you even want to try and call that a "summer," for crying out loud. Now it's a far more competitive market where spectacle is commonplace. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lFod0k8X7dY/XbGgthIsChI/AAAAAAAAGmg/MzoiDV-RuGkQ2BSkwe7x1pzR7vHohPQlQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/rocketeer_teaserposter.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lFod0k8X7dY/XbGgthIsChI/AAAAAAAAGmg/MzoiDV-RuGkQ2BSkwe7x1pzR7vHohPQlQCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/rocketeer_teaserposter.jpg" width="270" height="400" data-original-width="338" data-original-height="500" /></a></div><br />
Of course, that does <i>not</i> sit well with some people. <br />
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We've all seen the recent headlines, right? <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-5laL2mUVaOk/XbGmFsHTDNI/AAAAAAAAGm4/DPnt4FbBcBI3sLJz0atbw2pun3D63HwpACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/simpsons_cloud.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-5laL2mUVaOk/XbGmFsHTDNI/AAAAAAAAGm4/DPnt4FbBcBI3sLJz0atbw2pun3D63HwpACLcBGAsYHQ/s400/simpsons_cloud.jpg" width="380" height="225" data-original-width="680" data-original-height="383" /></a></div><br />
I have to think about what Joe Dante said in Maitland McDonagh's 1995 book <i>Filmmaking on the Fringe</i>, talking about how his career path co-incided with the rise of what were formally B-movies to A-pictures: "<i>All of a sudden, ideas that would once only have been considered suitable for second features or serials were being blown up to A-feature proportions. If you told someone twenty-five years ago that there was going to be a multimillion-dollar version of Dick Tracy or The Lone Ranger or The Addams Family or any of those things that were once considered cultural detritus when I was a kid, nobody would have believed you.</i>" And this is back in the mid-'90s we're talking about. It should be no surprise that, twentysomething years later, things have only gone much further down that road. <br />
<br />
Much like the upgrade from the T-800 to the T-1000, we're always looking to build a better machine and improve on last year's model. <br />
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That's why we've gone from this: <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-k94T4YBDnnk/XbGspYngjhI/AAAAAAAAGnE/OH4qUVSSCu4Td-g8QVBXfFgz5LMsWc9xQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/cap_serial.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-k94T4YBDnnk/XbGspYngjhI/AAAAAAAAGnE/OH4qUVSSCu4Td-g8QVBXfFgz5LMsWc9xQCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/cap_serial.jpg" width="380" height="317" data-original-width="720" data-original-height="570" /></a></div><br />
To this: <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-9HmA5bFTwl4/XbGs50E-izI/AAAAAAAAGnM/qa3eMeNNUFwENvIe55lPOmzIWtWPZR4HACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/cap_tvmovie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-9HmA5bFTwl4/XbGs50E-izI/AAAAAAAAGnM/qa3eMeNNUFwENvIe55lPOmzIWtWPZR4HACLcBGAsYHQ/s400/cap_tvmovie.jpg" width="380" height="306" data-original-width="1174" data-original-height="899" /></a></div><br />
To this: <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-e92YhLfPJbs/XbGtNUJKOkI/AAAAAAAAGnU/uTobLT8PFi8nwVhntLty0PO3wdwO7YjMgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/cap_1991.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-e92YhLfPJbs/XbGtNUJKOkI/AAAAAAAAGnU/uTobLT8PFi8nwVhntLty0PO3wdwO7YjMgCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/cap_1991.png" width="380" height="206" data-original-width="860" data-original-height="442" /></a></div><br />
To this: <br />
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You can't stop progress, right? You can bitch about it and you can absolutely kick and scream about it, but you can't actually fight it. Fighting the future, well, that's the kind of stuff that only happens in the movies. <br />
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Jeff Allardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04265550466781988388noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4964885632131848660.post-37019091957258955992019-10-21T07:06:00.000-07:002019-10-21T07:08:45.781-07:00Trick or Trailers: The Devil Inside (2012)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-wA7GEcuDdZ0/Xa2pCuoFm4I/AAAAAAAAGlM/Uqin2tGwauA9KLIpCQMOANMRix-Svp8-gCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/devilinside_poster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-wA7GEcuDdZ0/Xa2pCuoFm4I/AAAAAAAAGlM/Uqin2tGwauA9KLIpCQMOANMRix-Svp8-gCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/devilinside_poster.jpg" width="271" height="400" data-original-width="410" data-original-height="606" /></a></div><br />
It's not easy to make a great exorcism movie, as much as filmmakers keep trying. It is, however, a good deal easier to make a great trailer for a mediocre exorcism movie. <br />
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Case in point: 2012's <i>The Devil Inside</i>. Man, this trailer! <br />
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Combining the found footage genre with the exorcism genre, that's a slam dunk. Not for the movie itself, that was a dud. But for the purposes of the trailer and selling an audience on the pseudo veracity of this story, it's perfect! <i>The Last Exorcism</i> got there first in 2010 with that particular combo but <i>The Devil Inside</i> sold itself far better.<br />
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The marketing of horror movies is, often times, easier for me to appreciate and admire than the movies themselves. I suppose that's just one way of saying the trailers are often better than the movies they're promoting but I genuinely love the excitement that a great trailer can generate - even if the final product is an unfulfilling one. <br />
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I saw <i>The Devil Inside</i> with a packed house when it premiered in January of 2012 and I still remember the chorus of angry boo's that erupted when the end credits rolled! But yet it played to full houses across the country and every single ticket got sold because the trailer and killer TV spots like this hyped the living hell out of this movie. <br />
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Some people might resent trailers that dupe them into paying good money to see movies that don't live up to the hype. But not this guy! <br />
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No, while I would certainly prefer that every horror movie with a great trailer delivered on that promise, I never feel like a trailer misled me. Life is full of disappointments, you know? That's just a given. But while movies might frequently let you down, trailers rarely do. Trailers, for me, are an experience completely unto themselves. <br />
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They instill a sense of excitement that can last for weeks or months until the movie is released. If the movie ultimately fails to pay off on that anticipation, it's almost inconsequential to me. <br />
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When I look back at a trailer like the one for <i>The Devil Inside</i>, my thoughts are less about how much the movie wasn't what I'd hoped it would be but rather "wasn't it fun to be so pumped for this movie?"<br />
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No matter how many times I've been burned by a lame horror movie, I've never become cynical about them. A good trailer can still put me in a giddy mood. <br />
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Anything that can do that, to lift someone's spirits, that's invaluable. Trailers...they do God's work. Even when they're selling devil movies! <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-NjXmvHlOYXo/Xa2pIL7tHEI/AAAAAAAAGlQ/S5Ayoo9IaicAaRy3PfkrXlGdghOWXhtrwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/devilinside_twisted.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-NjXmvHlOYXo/Xa2pIL7tHEI/AAAAAAAAGlQ/S5Ayoo9IaicAaRy3PfkrXlGdghOWXhtrwCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/devilinside_twisted.jpg" width="380" height="225" data-original-width="648" data-original-height="365" /></a></div>Jeff Allardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04265550466781988388noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4964885632131848660.post-7792722633246786992019-10-16T06:47:00.000-07:002019-10-16T06:55:05.727-07:00Trick or Trailers: Resident Evil (2002)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2StBiGIHvLQ/XacS_By7K3I/AAAAAAAAGko/yKklXf8wcv4PTUeYJI_qpGMyW6gVFcl8wCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/residentevil_poster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2StBiGIHvLQ/XacS_By7K3I/AAAAAAAAGko/yKklXf8wcv4PTUeYJI_qpGMyW6gVFcl8wCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/residentevil_poster.jpg" width="267" height="400" data-original-width="570" data-original-height="853" /></a></div><br />
Kind of crazy how the movies from the early 00's are old now. If you don't believe me, just take a look at the trailer for 2002's <i>Resident Evil</i> and tell me that it doesn't look like a relic from a bygone age. <br />
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It's <i>so</i> early 00's, right? I mean, not a lot of movies today would consider it a selling point to boast "new music from Slipknot."<br />
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The world of 2002 was certainly a different place for the horror genre. Dark Castle was still a thing with the release of <i>Ghost Ship</i>. Eli Roth debuted as the hot new name in horror with <i>Cabin Fever</i>. And the J-Horror trend just hit the US with Gore Verbinski's remake of <i>The Ring</i>. 2002 was so long ago that not only were we in a pre-Blumhouse time but Liongate hadn't even had its day yet as the studio to beat for genre fare. if you can believe it, we were still in the Dimension Films era with the release of <i>Halloween: Resurrection</i>. <br />
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Seems more like the last century, not the last decade. <br />
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Something else that was different then that seems hard to imagine now is that the zombie genre was dead. Before <i>Resident Evil</i> I don't think there'd been a new, serious zombie movie in theaters since the remake of <i>Night of the Living Dead</i> in 1990. <br />
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There was the comedy <i>My Boyfriend's Back</i> in 1993 but as far as serious, flesh-eating ghouls, nothing. <i>Resident Evil</i> brought back the living dead in a big way when it was released in March of 2002. I'm not a gamer so the fact that this was an adaptation of the popular game meant nothing to me but as a zombie fan eager to see the sub-genre make a comeback I was thrilled when I saw the trailer for <i>RE</i>. <br />
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A lot of people credit Danny Boyle's <i>28 Days Later</i> for kick-starting the zombie craze but while I agree it helped, <i>RE</i> is what got the ball rolling. <br />
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<i>Resident Evil</i> came out in March of '02 while <i>28 Days Later</i> didn't premiere until November '02 in the UK and not until January '03 in the US. So <i>RE</i> was very much ahead of it and was a bigger box office hit to boot. There seems to be a revisionist history at work these days where discussions about horror in the '00s give all the credit for the return of zombie movies to <i>28 Days Later</i> and forget <i>Resident Evil</i>. <br />
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Maybe it's because Boyle's film was more critically acclaimed and it's just more fashionable to laud it than to give Paul W.S. Anderson any credit but the truth is that Anderson made zombies into a bankable thing again. He brought an energy and excitement to zombie movies that they hadn't had in ages. <i>RE</i> was a new breed of zombie movie for a new decade - a new century even! - and it re-introduced zombies as a still-viable movie monster to a whole new generation of fans. <br />
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Yes, <i>28 Days Later</i> came along and further amplified that but <i>RE</i> was there first. Credit where credit is due. And for me, personally, I just like <i>Resident Evil</i> better. <i>28 Days Later</i> is perfectly fine but it doesn't have Milla Jovovich kicking ass, does it? <br />
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Of course, these days I can't think of an aspect of the horror genre I'm <i>more</i> ready to see go away than zombies. <i>The Walking Dead</i> beat my love of the undead out of me. That's another thing I couldn't imagine back in 2002 but that was whole other time and whole other world.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/--SUotkSxA2s/XacdLY_LnDI/AAAAAAAAGlA/5KR9pqia-rI_xaKd3QJMKN6G_Ty04gENACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/residentevil_end.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/--SUotkSxA2s/XacdLY_LnDI/AAAAAAAAGlA/5KR9pqia-rI_xaKd3QJMKN6G_Ty04gENACLcBGAsYHQ/s400/residentevil_end.jpg" width="380" height="215" data-original-width="601" data-original-height="323" /></a></div>Jeff Allardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04265550466781988388noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4964885632131848660.post-55957562766301537772019-10-11T12:27:00.000-07:002019-10-11T12:27:04.676-07:00Trick or Trailers: The Legacy (1978)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uOikFivS5bs/XaCs_wPyamI/AAAAAAAAGj0/CuqsaWXEZwcAahTej_3r-FNZ05W4s8i0ACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/legacy_poster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="330" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uOikFivS5bs/XaCs_wPyamI/AAAAAAAAGj0/CuqsaWXEZwcAahTej_3r-FNZ05W4s8i0ACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/legacy_poster.jpg" width="211" /></a></div><br />
It's that time of year again! Time to blow the accumulated dust off this blog and celebrate the season, Trick or Trailers style! I did think about letting it go this year but, you know, some traditions shouldn't be allowed to die! <br />
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I've been doing this yearly column so long that, honestly, I can't remember which movies I've already gotten to by now but I have a feeling I haven't covered 1978's <i>The Legacy</i> yet so I'm going with it!<br />
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While the '70s are known for the iconic likes of <i>Halloween</i>, <i>The Exorcist</i>, <i>The Hills Have Eyes</i>, <i>The Omen</i>, <i>The Texas Chain Saw Massacre</i>, <i>Alien</i>, and other mainstays of the genre, as a kid in the '70s, my perception of the decade's horror offerings was very different. For me, all the classics I just mentioned were completely out of reach. Thanks to a protective mother, I wasn't even able to see <i>Jaws</i>! <br />
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My horror diet in the '70s was very much PG and G-rated, and was mostly limited to whatever aired on commercial television. That's fine by me because just keeping things on that level was enough to have me frequently scared shitless. <br />
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In my child's eye view of '70s horror, the decade's heavy hitters weren't John Carpenter or George Romero, they were Bert I. Gordon and whatever dude directed <i>The Car</i>. <br />
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I wasn't an educated consumer back then, let's say. I couldn't differentiate between movies on grounds of their likely quality, which was actually nice. For me, going by TV spots and newspaper ads and not being old enough to read or care about reviews yet, something like <i>Halloween</i> was on the same playing field as <i>Kingdom of the Spiders</i> and held equal weight. A scary movie was just a scary movie. <br />
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So the fact that <i>The Legacy</i> was actually regarded as being pretty lame didn't register with me at all as a kid. All I knew was that the commercials freaked me out. So when the opportunity came to check out <i>The Legacy</i> when it came to TV a couple of years later when it premiered on <i>The ABC Friday Night Movie</i>, I was stoked, believe me. <br />
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<i>The Legacy</i> definitely lived up to my expectations with an eerie premise and some big scares (the scene where a swimmer dies in an indoor swimming pool when the surface of the water inexplicably turns solid terrified me). As far as I was concerned, it was as good a horror movie as I'd ever seen. That it was already a half-forgotten piece of schlock by the time I watched it would have been news to me. <br />
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In our internet age, where every place you look someone is slagging something that someone else loves, I wonder if people can still have that innocent time in their life when it comes to movies anymore. I hope so. To have those simpler times to bond with films without picking them to pieces is where a love of movies is able to take root. <br />
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Once it does, all the cynicism that comes later can't pull that loose.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-BaPO1yIjQh4/XaDVc06CR1I/AAAAAAAAGkE/jKoXCioK8j4n2jqAQPE6VgMgc9TbtMYoQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/legacy_poster_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-BaPO1yIjQh4/XaDVc06CR1I/AAAAAAAAGkE/jKoXCioK8j4n2jqAQPE6VgMgc9TbtMYoQCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/legacy_poster_2.jpg" width="320" height="251" data-original-width="500" data-original-height="392" /></a></div>Jeff Allardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04265550466781988388noreply@blogger.com2