And here, ghouls, is the final compilation of the Spooky Season reviews. They may be short, but its how I use them that counts.

Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein (1948)

Okay, I know what you’re thinking. But this is one of the first successful horror comedies. And in my opinion, a damn fine movie. It still makes me laugh like a crazy person, high as a kite, watching Road Runner cartoons at 3am.

This comes at the end of both Universal’s horror cycle and the waning of the comedy boom at Universal. The idea was to go out with one last hurrah for both by combining the talents of Abbott and Costello and Universal Studios big three monsters, Frankenstein’s Monster, Dracula and The Wolf Man. But it wasn’t quite the last hurrah, as there were more Bud and Lou crossover movies with the classic monsters to come. Lease days they would just send them into space.

Anyway, the story starts as Larry Talbot, whilst in London makes a frantic phone call to a railway station in Florida, trying to stop a shipment. The two baggage handlers are Chick and Wilbur (played by Bud and Lou). Larry then turns into the wolf man in the middle of the phone call.

The shipments are two long crates headed towards McDougal’s House of Horrors, but actually contain a very alive Dracula (Bela Lugosi) in his coffin and a boxed by Frankenstein’s Monster (Glenn Strange). Later on, Talbot arrives to help. The ending is one hell of a cross between farce and slapstick and a real fight scene featuring all three monsters.

The amazing wordplay blended with slapstick that Abbott and Costello were known for is on display here. And they are in top form, despite that they were not happy with the film’s script. But the pairing of Bud frustrated straight man and Lou’s dim-witted comic with the Universal monsters was a stroke of comedy genius. And I think this is the best thing that they have done. Well, according to this old film nerd.

Bud and Lou, movie monsters, beautiful dames, amazing set pieces and Bela returning to play Dracula for the second and final time. What’s no to like? Oh, and a cameo by Vincent Price as the Invisible Man.

Chick Young:

Why don’t you go take a look at yourself in the mirror.

Wilbur Grey:

Why should I hurt my own feelings?

The Stepfather (1987)

This would have to be one of the best psychological horror films I’ve seen. And it’s masquerading as a slasher film. Add an amazing performance by Terry O’Quinn, and you have a cult classic, if not outright classic.

The film opens up with a bearded Henry (O’Quinn) going into the bathroom. He saves his beard, dresses in completely different clothes, and then with suitcase in hand, walks out of this house whistling ‘Camp Town Races’. Leaving the dead and mutilated bodies of his family behind him.

Cut to a few years later, and Henry is now a real estate agent named Jerry Blake in the quiet suburbs of Seattle. He also has a new family having married widow Susan Maine (Shelley Hack) and has become stepfather to Stephanie (Jill Schoelen).

Stephanie has a lot of issues revolving around the death of her father, and is very suspicious of Jerry. Even after her therapist suggests giving Jerry a chance, she decides to find out everything about him. And this starts a chain of events that leads to many people dying so Jerry can keep his secret and his new family. The climax, which is creepy in places, is a tension filled thrilling set piece.

I do like this movie. O’Quinn is charming as the broken man who just wants to have a family. He brings a lot of emotion to the role in both his ‘nice guy’ and ‘evil serial killer’ modes. Even though he is a killer, you kind of root for the guy to get what he wants. In short, O’Quinn is amazing. I would recommend seeing this film just for him.

The same can’t be said of the character of Stephanie. She comes off as this batty little bitch who uses her tragedy to basically ruin another human being. She is redeemed in the story because she just happens to be right about Jerry. There is little to like about her. Her mother Susan is a fuller character, but with less to do in the film.

There is a subplot in the film about Jerry’s ex-brother-in-law that goes nowhere. Missed opportunity there.

This is a great movie you should check out. It also spawned a good sequel, a bad third instalment and a shitty remake in 2009.

Elvira’s Haunted Hills (2002)

This is another one of those movies you can just have fun with at Halloween, alone or with friends. This is Cassandra Peterson’s follow-up (not sequel) to Elvira: Mistress of the Dark.

The story takes place in 1851 in the Carpathian Mountains, as travelling entertainer Elvira (Cassandra Peterson) and her put upon servant Zou Zou (Mary Jo Smith) are ousted from their hotel room into the street. After walking a while, they are picked up by a coach carrying Dr. Bradley Bradley (Scott Atkinson) who is headed to Castle Hellsubus. The two accompany him to the castle in hopes of getting a ride from there to Paris.

At the castle they meet Lord Hellsubus (Richard O’Brien) and his second wife Lady Ema (Mary Scheer) who act very odd towards Elvira. Also in the mix are the other residents of the Castle, the sickly Lady Roxanna Hellsubus (Heather Hopper) and the romance novel cover model Adrian The Stable Stud (Gabriel Andronache). And everyone is entangled in a story full of crumbling castles, ghosts, affairs a torture dungeon and gothic betrayal.

Oh, and did I mention, this is a comedy. And an out there one. It has theatrical and even campy performances, tongue in cheek set pieces, boobs, an over dose of sexual double entendre, a heroine who speaks like she is from the twenty-first century and more forth walls breaks than a Deadpool story. 

This film was written as an homage to the Hammer Horror films and Roger Corman’s Edgar Allen Poe movies of the 60s. As well as everything Vincent Price. It’s not an outright parody, but it has fun within the confines of the setting. And even busting out of it a time or too.

O’Brien’s unhinged oddball performance is a highlight here, as is Adrian’s dialogue not matching his lip movements like a bad dubbing common in Italian horror movies of the period. But the show, as always, belongs to Peterson’s Elvira, who never strays too far away from the comedy that made her a household name on TV. The story and dance number that comes out of nowhere is even choreographed by the best in the business and friends of Peterson’s.

If you like Mistress of the Dark, you will love Elvira’s Haunted Hills.

Beetlejuice (1988)

It’s Showtime!

It wouldn’t be Spooky Season without something Tim Burton related. I picked one of my all-time favourites, the 1988 supernatural comedy, Beetlejuice. Now, if you don’t enjoy this movie. You have serious issues that you need to work out. Until then, you belong over there.

Beetlejuice tells the story of Barbara and Adam Maitland (Geena Davis and Alec Baldwin), a young couple living the idyllic life in a small country town, who unfortunately die in a car accident in the middle of their home renovation vacation. They return to their beloved house as ghosts. And there is a strange book in their house now, Handbook for the Recently Deceased.

After the Deetz family, Charles, Delia and Lydia (Jeffery Jones, Catherine O’Hara & Winona Ryder) move in, they decide they have to get them out. They use the book to visit the limbo-like world to visit their haunting caseworker Juno (Sylvia Sidney) who advises them of their options. Their hauntings fail, and come off as party games rather than scares. In the commotion, Delia’s friend Otho (Glenn Shadix) finds the Handbook, and develops plans to force the Maitland’s to do his bidding.  

In desperation, the Maitland’s employ the services of a bio-exorcist, Beetlejuice (Michael Keaton). And that’s when things heat up, ending in a visual feast of a climax.

This movie is Burton at the height of his creativity. Everything works here, despite the odd plot hole. Makeup, set and production design, greenscreen effects, stop motion animation, costume design and the icon and memorable score by Danny Elfman all blend well to make the cocktail that is this cult classic comedy. In a cast of amazing performances, Michael Keaton as the titular Beetlejuice is the stand out for sure.

This movie is endlessly quotable, eternally watchable, and is constantly discovered and re-discovered. It has launched a server of memes, an animated series, more merch to rival a sci-fi geekdom, a Broadway musical (not kidding there), and more reimagining and fan art than the internet can contain.

This movie not only has an amazing legacy and a passionate fan base, it is also a GREAT film.

So, fire up this gem, and in the words of the ghost with the most, “Let’s turn on the juice and see what shakes loose”.

Terrifier (2016)

Do you like unapologetic slasher films? Do you like the odd creepy clown movie? Well, have I got the flick for you. 2016’s Terrifier is a mean spirited and effective little slasher film made on a small budget of $35, 000 and became a cult classic almost instantly.

Written and directed by Damien Leone, this movie successfully gives us a movie monster for the 21st century to rival the big slasher icons of the 80s.

The film takes place on Halloween night. Two friends, Tara (Jenna Kanell) and Dawn (Catherine Corcoran) leave a Halloween party drunk and tired. On the way to their car, they notice a strange man in a clown costume, who then follows them into a pizzeria when they decide to grab a bite to eat. Art The Clown (David Howard Thornton) starts to creep them out, so they leave. Unbeknownst stalked by the evil party entertainer. They discover their tyres are slashed so they call Tara’s sister Vicky (Samantha Scaffidi) to come and get them. While they are waiting, they ask Mike (Matt McAllister), a pest control worker, if they can pop into the building that he is working on to use the bathroom while they wait. He agrees. But Art follows them in and the blood-soaked carnage begins.

This movie manages to creep me. I mean, seriously unnerve me, and that rarely happens anymore after all the horror films I have consumed. The all-practical effects used for the kills are extremely effective. The mean, almost sleazy presentation, not only is it a call back to the glory days of the R-rated slasher film, but is a revelation watching this film unfold.

There is one makeup job for a character that bookends the film is quite impressive. And there is one death scene involving a hacksaw which is a definite set piece of the film. I won’t spoil it if you haven’t seen it. And for those who have, you know what I am talking about.

The acting is pretty good here. But the wordless performance by actor and mime Thornton as Art The Clown is the obvious standout.

Art did appear in two short films that later appeared in the 2013 anthology film All Hallows’ Eve. And this year Terrifier 2 hits theatres worldwide. If you are a fan of hard slashers, please check this out.

Popcorn (1991)

Thanks to The Last Drive-In: Joe Bob’s Haunted Halloween Hangout on Shudder, I finally got a chance to see the film Popcorn. It has been on my list for a long while now.

The film claims the involvement of Bob Clark, the director of the classic 70s horror film, and proto-slasher, Black Christmas. So, right off the mark, the film has horror legs. But the reason I was desperate to watch this, is that the film centres around film, filmmaking and film gimmicks in a hard candy shell of a slasher film.

The film starts with a heroine, Maggie (Jill Schoelen) having strange recurring dreams about a man trying to kill her. She is a film student and wants to turn them into a movie one day. Maggie’s classmates and teacher, in a way to get the new film program at the university some attention, decide to put on a show. They rent an old theatre, The Dreamland, and show three classic horror films in a marathon. All the films had a William Castle style gimmick attached to them. 3D, Shock-O-Scope and Odorama. They get everything they need from Dr Mnesyne (Ray Walston); the owner and curator of a film memorabilia shop to put on the show. Decked out in costumes, and a fixed-up theatre, they are ready to go. But there is a killer among the customers. Or is it one of the students? And people start dying in elaborate ways.

One nice touch I liked is the movies within the movie. We see parts of the three films that the students show. These are not snippets from existing films, these are little sequences filmed for Popcorn. And they are just fun to watch. There is also a subplot that connects to the main plot of a crazed film cult from the 70s who’s leader liked to make art films. When his film Possession is mocked by critics, he tries to kill his followers at a screening in theatrical fashion.

This film is a mess. It really is. Plot holes and continuity problems abound. But it has some marvelous ideas and a memorable villain. The filmmakers were obviously fans of old Hollywood genre films. And the cast is a mix of classic character actors, horror icons and fresh young faces. Not a bad way to spend 90 minutes. Endlessly riff-able.

Wendell and Wild (2022)

So that last film I watched this Halloween was not an R-rated gore fest. It was a glorious stop motion animated feature, brimming with talent and released on Netflix.

Wendell and Wilde, tells the story of Kat Elliot (Lyric Ross), an embittered, punk rock-loving juvenile delinquent, as she starts at a private Catholic school in the town of Rust Bank. She had lost her parents in a car accident years before, and after spending some time in Juvenile Detention, she has made her way to the school run by Father Best (James Hong). She avoids the other students as much as possible, but makes a friend in trans boy Raúl (Sam Zelaya).

Kat has a dream about two demons, Wendell and Wild (Keegan-Michael Key & Jordan Peele) who tell her she is a Hell Maiden and if she can summon them to the living world, they can bring her parents back to life with their father Buffalo Belzer’s (Ving Rhames) hair cream.

So, she steals a cursed bear from Sister Helley (Angela Bassett) to guide her and Raúl to the cemetery to raise the demons, who just want to build the Dream Fair, and possibly Kat’s parents.

Then the comedy of errors begins, as many of the dead are resurrected, evil property developers plan to destroy the town and the school to build a prison, Belzer comes to the surface to get his sons and the magical hair cream, the unpredictable titular characters and guided by Sister Helley and the odd Manberg (Igor Naor), Kat finds out what a Hell Maiden is capable of. So, just your average coming of age story.

This story is great. Directed by stop motion king Henry Selick, responsible for The Nightmare Before Christmas, James and the Giant Peach and Coraline, and co-written by Selick and Jordan Peele, who also produced.

I personally think this film is better than Nightmare Before Christmas, with its darker humour, kick-ass punk rock soundtrack, misunderstood characters, and amazing visual style. Seriously, the horror visuals from background to character design is freakin’ awesome. This may go down as a Halloween classic to rival anything Disney could hope to offer.  

Oh, and if Gabby Goat doesn’t melt your heart, your ass needs the magical hair cream.

Bonus Review: The Relic (1997)

One last little review before I say goodbye to Halloween 2022.

This film, The Relic, is a horror film. Duh! But it is full of suspense, action, great atmosphere, A-list actors delivering great performances and one hell of a freakin’ cool monster. It is a creature feature after all.

An anthropologist for the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago is studying a tribe in South America where he drinks a special soup made by the tribesmen. After getting into an argument a little later with a merchant ship captain about the cargo, he sneaks aboard. The cargo is headed for his museum.

Later at the museum, a series of grizzly deaths featuring the extraction of part of the victims’ brains starts happening in and around the Museum. An evolutionary biologist, Margo Green (Penelope Ann Miller), and Detective Lt. Vincent D’Agosta (Tom Sizemore) start working on the mystery from different angles, and when they connect, the monster is revealed. And there is much carnage, screaming, and wetting of pants.

This flick is cool in so many ways. Some may complain about the film being too dark, but I don’t think that is an issue. That, to me, just adds to the atmosphere and the building of tension. The creature effects were handled by Stan Winston and his team, and they did present to us a very unique movie monster that does not get enough credit. Unless you were a dinosaur, Hollywood movies were hard on movie monsters in the 90s.

The director Peter Hyams made a name for himself doing thrillers, but has always tried to find films in other genres to stretch his range. In doing so, he not only gave us The Relic, but the High Noon in space flick Outland (1981), one of my all-time favourite buddy cop movies Running Scared (1986), The Presidio (1988), The oddball comedy Stay Tuned (1991), the Van Damme action sci-fi flick Timecop, and the apocalyptic End of Days (1999). And that is just a taste. When this journeyman director takes on a monster movie, you know it’s going to be special.

One last little shout out to the character actors Linda Hunt, James Whitmore and Clayton Rohner to do well with their small roles.

Thanks for joining me this Halloween. Ciao.