And here is part three on me being a film geek this Halloween.

Glorious (2022)

This is the kind of genre filmmaking I love. A good story told well, told on a small scale with larger implications. What makes it doubly impressive to be is that it is entirely character driven between two characters trapped in one room. Oh, and did I mention it is also a cosmic horror film with a nice twist. Well, it is. So there.

Wes (Ryan Kwanten) is on a road trip and is starting to nod off. We see flashes of what he is leaving behind. A woman & the end of a relationship. He pulls over to a rest stop to wake up. After a brief interaction with a woman who helps him work a vending machine, she leaves Wes alone. He precedes to burn the remains of his old life and get rotten drunk.

The next morning, he wakes up on the ground, hung over and with no pants, just boxers. Suddenly Wes runs into the public restroom, straight into a stall and vomits for a comically long time. Then a voice from the next stall asks if he is okay. The voice, as it is later revealed, is a God named Ghat (voiced by J K Simmons) who we see only in the tiniest of glimpses.

Ghat tells Wes that they are linked. He for he was made by an elder god to destroy all life. But he has grown attached to humans and wishes to save them by going back to the ether. But to do this he needs a part of Wes he must give freely.

The whole film is an emotional wordplay, a conversation between man and God (Simmons at his best here). The humour is amazing and made me chuckle whilst knowing that there is something else under it all. And the twist is a lovely touch, that puts into sharp focus the motivation of the two main characters. And the allusions to H P Lovecraft’s work made this old horror geek happy.

The director Rebakah McKendry, this being her third feature, is damn good. She uses the one set well, uses lighting more effectively than most seasoned filmmakers and uses practical and CGI mixed together for maximum effect.

This film should be on everyone’s list. It’s on Shudder right now.

Queer for Fear and 101 Scariest movies Moments of all Time.

Something a little different today. After I watched Glorious of Shudder, I started watching two docu-series. The episodes are being released weekly, so it isn’t all out yet.

The first is Queer for Fear. It’s a series that looks at the representation, in all its forms, of the LGBTQ+ community in horror films. It also looks at horror stories and characters in the genre through a queer lense.

The documentary series does have the talking heads that most film docos have. These talking heads are actors, writers, directors and other filmmakers talking about and examining these films and characters and the last nature of them.

This is a good series. I mean, very good. I love these kinds of docos about films that teach me something I didn’t know or hadn’t considered before. And entertain you at the same time. Only three episodes down at the moment, and more coming. Shudder has been knocking it out of the park with doco features and series. If you have Shudder check this out, and follow it with Horror Noir. Well, worth it.

The other series, currently with more episodes (6 at the time of writing), uses the title of The 101 Scariest Horror Movie Moments of All Time. And it is exactly what it has on the tin. Its actors, director, writers, comedians, and fans discuss the Scariest Moments in the history of film, with each episode dealing with a certain number of ‘moments’. For example, episode one covers 101 – 89, episode two covers 88 – 76, and so on. These kinds of series are really fun for me. They allow me to relive the past, relive these movies, and think about why I love them. And I can build up a list of rewatches, or add to the list of must watch for those titles I hadn’t seen. So far there is only one I haven’t seen, Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s 2001 J-Horror, Pulse. It’s on my list now.

If you have Shudder, I would check both of these series out. Informative and fun and you may fill up your Halloween viewing list pretty quickly. And while you’re there, check out some of the other documentaries they have. Behind the Monsters and Cursed Films are both good.

Halloween Ends (2022)

So, you know this was going to happen at some point this month. A Halloween Season without talking about a Halloween movie just seems wrong somehow. The franchise is as old as I am, and this horror fan has always felt a kinship of sorts to these movies.

Halloween Ends is the conclusion to the new trilogy that started in 2018 with Halloween (following on directly from the 1978 Halloween), and followed by Halloween Kills in 2020, ignoring everything else.

This film takes place four years after the events of the last film as the town and the remains of the Strode family try to move on. Laurie (the great Jamie Lee Curtis) has bought a house in Haddonfield and lives there with her granddaughter Allyson (Andi Matichak). Laurie is trying to write a book and Allyson is working as a nurse in a clinic.

A new secondary story is added also. That of Corey (Rohan Campbell), a young man who was involved in a babysitting incident year’s prior and has become demonised by the town. We follow him as he tries to navigate life in a town that hates him and his transformation after meeting Laurie and Allyson, the latter he begins a relationship with. His transformation takes a dark turn when he discovers the hiding Michael Myers, after he disappeared at the end of the last film. The two form a silent teacher/student dynamic. And the story moves forward to a brutal conclusion.

This film seems to have been attacked, but I’m not entirely sure why. It’s a great entry. It adds something different and new to the horror dining table while keeping all the delicacies and side dishes.

Treating the town as, not only infected by its own fear, anger and uncertainty, but also by the very nature of pure evil personified by Michael Myers is a wonderful touch and makes the unfolding story more engaging. Adding the character of Corey, being the most altered by the effects of the nightmare, someone you begin to care about, makes this film more important than the last.

Directing, cinematography and editing are all tight, but serve the story. Carpenter’s score is another masterpiece. And the ending is final. And I want to be Will Patton’s Frank when I grow up.

And yes, that is the original Shape Nick Castle cameoing as the flasher in the party.

Cast A Deadly Spell (1991)

Have you ever heard of this film? No! What a shame. This flick is a wild ride.

The film was released in 1991 by HBO. That’s right. This is a TV movie, from back when HBO briefly gave a shit about original genre movies. The talent involved here elevated the material from the usual fare.

Written by Joseph Dougherty (the remake of Attack of the 50Foot Woman), directed by Martin Campbell, who has helmed Goldeneye, Casino Royale and The Mask of Zorro, and produced by The Terminator producer Gale Anne Hurd. What, not impressed yet. It stars the Kurgan. Ah, now you’re listening.

The film takes place in an alternate 1948 Los Angeles. A world where everyone uses magic. A world where mystical creatures exist alongside the then modern world.

The story revolves around ex-cop Private Investigator Harry Phillip Lovecraft (Fred Ward) as he takes a case from millionaire Amos Hackshaw (David Warner) to retrieve his stolen Necronomicon. He was hired because Harry doesn’t use magic.

His investigation brings him face to face with his ex-partner and now gangster Harry Bordon (Clancy Brown) and his old flame Connie (Julianne Moore, this films femme fatale) who works as a singer in Harry’s nightclub. Along the way, Harry navigates around zombie henchmen, gremlins, a killer gargoyle, and Amos’ daughter Olivia (Alexandra Powers), the virginal last of the unicorn hunters.

As you can expect, there is mystery, betrayal, sexual tension, classic dialogue and a good dose of humour. And the climax is pretty cool, in a nostalgic way.

The film is a mashup of horror (specially the H P Lovecraft Cthulhu mythos) and the detective Film Noir genre of the classic Hollywood era. Surprisingly, this actually works.

The special effects don’t completely hold up, but the story and performances more than make up for that. And it even has a positive, but outdated, representation of a trans woman.

This movie is so fun. It drips with imagination and joy in a horror tale that feels like anything but. It has always been one of my favourite Friday night movies.

Physical media of this film are hard to find (believe me, I’m still looking) but you can find it on streaming services. Find it, if you can, and enjoy this fun oddity. 

Chopping Mall (1986)

This is the kind of movie that is so of the 1980s, that the 80s would look at you and say, “Yeah, I was going through some shit back then.” This film has a delightfully goofy premise, but damn is it fun.

Chopping Mall is a Roger Corman produced, Jim Wynorski directed horror film that is almost a slasher. It features robots that look like R2D2 and Johnny Five made a baby.

A big mall in California agreed to just robotic security sentries at night to patrol the mall. They are equipped with knock out darts, tasers, and for some reason lasers that can be fired out of their eye. Yeah, what could go wrong.

A group of teenagers (in their 30s) decide to lock themselves in the furniture store that some of them work in for an all-night party. Which in 80s fashion features more drinking than an alcoholic’s fever dream, loud music, and hook-ups (with all that visually entails). When a lightning storm strikes the mall, it almost destroys the computer controlling the robots. And they go on a crazy rampage. The kids have to fight to get out.

You may think this sounds a bit stupid, and it is, but it is made incredibly well for its small budget. Mainly because they use an actual location in the Sherman Oaks Galleria, a massive mall that was featured in films like Terminator 2, Commando, and Fast Times at Ridgemont High. And they use it for all its worth. That allowed the budget to get to the robots, effects and actors in front of the camera. And they do an awesome job.

The actors pull off their parts with ease and are all given little character quirks that inform who they are before opening their mouths. Barbara Crampton is the stand out with her more impressive career. Kelli Maroney from Night of the Comet, plays the final girl with hidden talents wonderfully.

This movie drips the 80s all over the floor. From the effects and imagination, to the music, fashion and hair (Oh God, the hair), it may be over the top but it is all the better for it. This movie is best enjoyed with friends.

Chopping Mall also has one of the best exploding head sequences since Scanners.

Elvira Mistress of the Dark (1988)

IF you don’t watch Elvira Mistress of the Dark in October, do you even Halloween?

For those who don’t know, Elvira was a creation of the amazing Cassandra Peterson, as a comedic host for late-night show Elvira’s Movie Macabre. And the character became an instant hit and a cultural icon. So much so that in 1988 the character got her own movie. This movie is so fun. Seriously, if you don’t like this film, you’re dead to me. And no, I will not be reanimating your corpse.

In the film, Elvira (Peterson) quits being a horror host on TV after her new boss sexually harasses her. Wanting to start up a Vegas act, she needs $50,000 in stake money to make it happen. Upon learning she is a beneficiary of her late Morgana’s estate, she high-tailes it to Fallwell, Massachusetts, to claim the inheritance. Only to find that inheritance consists of an old mansion, a recipe book, and her aunt’s poodle, Algonquin.

She tries to make the best of her situation, befriending the owner of the local movie theatre Bob (Daniel Greene) and many of the town teenagers. But the rest of the town is made up of puritanical party poopers and tries to run her out of town. What wakes it worse is her evil Uncle Vincent Talbot (the great W. Morgan Sheppard), who is actually a warlock, is obsessed with obtaining Morgana’s recipe book, actually a spell book, as Morgana was a powerful witch who up until her death bested Talbot at every turn. Elvira now must use the book to defeat Talbot, save the town, the world, and get her Vegas show.

I love the humour in this film. Everybody looks like they were having fun here, and it shows. Petersen excels here, with the natural charm, strength, beauty, and comedy of the character. Everything about her is memorable, down to her car and the look she gives her dog. And while everything is mostly played for laughs, the creature and makeup effects are damn cool. And there are some awesome set pieces.

This is the reason Elvira is an icon. Feminist, comedic and horror icon. All fit her, like her figure-hugging dress.

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 (1986)

Imagine if you will, Dennis Hooper dressed as a Texas lawman, wielding a massive chainsaw, with two others strapped to his body, screaming out, “I’m the lord of the harvest!” before getting into a sword like duel with Leatherface. Imagine no further, just watch the great Tobe Hooper’s follow up to his iconic horror classic, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2.

This was one of the three films Tobe Hooper made for Canon Films in the 80s, the others being Lifeforce and the remake of Invaders From Mars. All masterpieces in their own ways. But this one has a wicked sense of humour and bat shit insane delivery. And I freakin’ love it.

This film sees the return of the Sawyer family, the strange family of oddball cannibals from the first. The film starts with two idiots calling a local radio station to talk to the DJ Stretch (Caroline Williams) on the car phone as they drunkenly shoot at road signs. They are live on air, as a pick-up truck carrying Leatherface and his chainsaw attack. The two idiots do not survive.

Lieutenant Boude “Lefty” Enright (Dennis Hopper) arrives to investigate the killings. He has spent years looking into the disappearance of his niece and nephew, victims from the first film. He is contacted by Stretch with the recording of the attack. Lefty convinces her to replay the recording on air, to lure out the killers. Stretch is visited at the radio station by Chop Top (Bill Moseley) and Leatherface. And everything heads towards an insane, wacky, brutal and blood-soaked climax.

Hooper has always made good movies, even his lesser stories are still pretty solid. Here he brings his sense of humour to bear on the proceeding, not just retelling the same story but racketing up everything to eleven. While Dennis Hooper is amazing to watch, it’s Bill Moseley’s performance that has become a fan favourite.

Everything is done well here. Cinematography gives a beautiful backdrop to the insanity, the lighting tells a lot of the story, and the production design, especially the Sawyers hideout, are freakin’ off the wall.

Even if you don’t like these kinds of movies, you have to watch it at least once. It has to be seen to be believed.

Cellar Dweller (1988)

I hadn’t actually seen this movie before. Being from Empire International Pictures, Charles Band’s company before Full Moon, I’m not sure how I could have missed it. Scrolling through a streaming site, I came across a cover, the top poster and the cast list mentioned Jeffery Combs. So, you knew I had too.

Cellar Dweller is a horror fantasy film made in the glorious 80s era of through everything at the wall, and see what sticks. In the beginning of the story, we see comic book artist Colin Childress (Jeffery Combs) working in this basement studio. He is the creator of a popular horror comic called Cellar Dweller. But he adds passages from an old spell book to give the tales a bit of flare. But this brings the monster he has created on the page to life and kills a woman living in the house. Childress dies killing the monster.

Years later, Childress’s biggest fan and fellow comic book artist moves into Childress’ old house, now an exclusive artist’s retreat. Whitney Taylor (Debrah Farentino) plans to revive the Cellar Dweller comics she loves so much. She moves into the basement and finds the old spell book reads from it, and the Cellar Dweller for her artwork comes to life and starts taking out the mean and snooty asshats that make Whitney’s life hell. And then things end out of hand, to put it lightly.

This movie has a really good idea. I mean really, really good. But like many low budget films, its execution becomes limited due to lack of means. Like your eyes being too big for your stomach in reverse. And at times it suffers from pacing issues that slow down the film. It’s only a brisk 77 minutes and it feels padded. I think the film could have benefited from a rewrite and a tighter editing job.

The creature is well done and effective for the film’s budget, and the actors do an amazing job with the material they had. And being an artist myself, I got a kick out of the artwork created for the film.

In the end, not a bad film. But it should have been a good film, at the very least. Instead of a merely passable one. I like it for what it was.

Needed more Jeffery Combs.