James got married in an epic Halloween wedding. We partied till dawn, drinking all the things — I’m pretty sure his wife stapled money to a man’s face. The Cubs finally won the World Series. And our very own little podcast got a killer review in Rue Morgue Magazine! My life is complete.
We’re back in action this episode — or as much as we can be after all the excitement — so bear with us.
Kick back a couple cold ones. You’re tuned to the 40oz. Of Horror Podcast.
I was raking my brain with what movie I was gonna write about this week. You see, as much as I love Halloween, horror, and all things gory, I’m also one of those assholes so full of Christmas spirit. As soon as Labour Day passes, my brain starts thinking about decorating! Now with Halloween being a week behind us, the sickness becomes even stronger. I have to physically stop myself from watching Holiday movies until December. Pretty much the month of November becomes as useless of a month as Wednesday is in the work-week.
Check it out… Rachel from ‘Friends’ is in this movie!
As I try to power through these next thirty days, debating what movies to write about, I decided to turn on one of my favourite shows. While not knowing it, this show would hold my inspiration. “An Idiot Abroad” is a show where comedian Ricky Gervais sends his bonehead best friend Karl around the world to learn and experience different cultures. Well for the first two seasons he travelled alone, but by the third season, Karl expressed how he “would enjoy a little company this season while traveling.” Well, Ricky took that literally, and for season three, sent this pint-sized bundle of joy alongside – yes Warwick Davis himself.
And there was my inspiration for this article, Mr. Warwick Davis. A legend. A man with a credits list as long as Jason Voorhies’ kill count. It’s no secret that we really know him for just one major accomplishment (maybe two for Jedi fans out there) and that is: Leprechaun.
Now as usual, I’m not gonna review this movie. I’m simply gonna write about what I like and try to honeydick you into watching or re-watching it again. BUT – how can you not want to watch this? It’s about a cereal box character that came to life to hunt down his missing gold. All the while we get to see Rachel from Friends clumsily try to run away, while her co-stars deliver some of the most choreographed acting off all time. I mean this all in a good way. Also, some of the 90s fashion in this badboy is worthy of the watch alone.
Leprechaun has one of my favourite kills ever
To this day, Leprechaun has one of my favourite kills in any movie ever. And – SPOILER ALERT – it comes when he decides to use a pogo stick on a guy’s chest. This movie also has one of my favourite chase scenes of all time, and I don’t mean car chase, but maniac after victim chase. I’m talking the classic part where Jennifer Aniston is running through an empty hospital while that Irish small fry is chasing her on a wheelchair! It gets better when he fixes himself a miniature go-kart and T-bones a full size truck causing it to roll head-over-asshole straight down a hill.
With the entire pot of Grade-A cheese in this movie, there is nothing that makes it not fun to watch. What it lacks in dialogue, it makes up for in creativity. Where it lacks in logic, it corrects itself in fun. I know this movie is labelled a Horror/Comedy, and maybe it was when it was released in 1993 but in 2016, the only scary thing about this movie is how it doesn’t get the praise it deserves.
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This movie won’t keep you up all night, or have you fearing another jump scare, but it will make you appreciate how perfect Warwick Davis is in the role as Leprechaun. Sequels, and the remake aside, the original film had an undeniable blend of phenomenal make-up FX, hilariously clichéd catchphrases, and constant use of the absolute most random items as weapons. This movie/franchise is so overlooked despite having an impressive five additional entries to the original series.
So as we mosey our way thru this useless month known as November, kill some time watching this Leprechaun penguin walk his way to the end of the rainbow. Then do it all again in March for St. Patrick’s Day.
SPOILER ALERT x2! Leprechaun dies by having a piece of bubble gum, wrapped in a four leaf clover, slingshot down his throat (Bart Simpson style). Yeah, you read that right, go experience it for yourself.
UPDATE 11/15/2016: Ringside Collectibles has restocked Paige Zombie!
Everyone loves his or her horror toys. For adult collectors over the past 20 years, it has been your onslaught of McFarlane Movie Maniacs to Neca’s Cinema of Fear and beyond. As children, we enjoyed The Real Ghostbusters and who could not love when the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles became the Universal Monsters. In a retro move to recapture the creative imagination of our youth, Mattel recently put out a new line of WWE toys which has proved to be very popular among not just the action figure community but the horror community as well.
This Triple H WWE Zombie would rather eat your face off than hit you with the sledge hammer.
Yes, it seems Zombies are everything these days thanks to The Walking Dead so it is no wonder that the creative, along with WWE, would license this new line to bring a bit of horror to the wrestling ring. Considering the WWE’s PG conservative position they have taken (much to the dismay of us Attitude Era generation – or the classic 80’s & 90’s for that matter), this is a bold move.
Consisting of seven toys in the line, each sports a different articulation to make these wrestlers look like they’ve been hit with a running chainsaw than a stalling suplex. John Cena, The Rock, Triple H, Bray Wyatt, Dean Ambrose, Paige and Roman Reigns make up the WWE Zombies line; offering a diversity of detail – some for better and some for worse. Any wrestling fan knows that The Undertaker and Bray Wyatt are staples of any horror related elements found on WWE TV, so to see The Rock with rotting eyes is quite the sight.
For all the controversy involving Paige and her continual suspensions from WWE, her likeness is still one valued by collectors and kids. Hence, if you’re looking for Paige, she is the most difficult to find in the line and even Ringside Collectibles sold out rather quickly. Honestly, the figure isn’t that detailed and perhaps Mattel should have picked a more suitable Charlotte or Sasha Banks to decompose. The same with The Rock – both of these toys are probably the most lackluster of the line. On the opposite end, The Undertaker has purple flames around his ripped tissue forearms and that is beyond cool. A supernatural phenom in your hands!
The best of this line falls to Triple H; doing the best Mortal Kombat Shao Khan look complete with battered and bloodshed articulation. He doesn’t even have a jaw for crying out loud! Ripped right off. Muscle tissue galore. It’s just a glorious toy. Even a non-wrestling, horror genre fan, would be hard pressed to leave this one sitting on the shelf.
Released in stores two months before Halloween was a great way to stir up the seasonal interest and make them a commodity on the collector shelves. The line has proved so popular that Mattel is releasing a second wave, this time, having WWE talent appear as Mutants! Whether PG or GORE-ified Rated R Superstars (a little nod to Edge there), there is no doubt that horror is strong across the board and it is refreshing to see the genre respected and incorporated into other entertainment brands.
In comparison to William Peter Blatty’s original, Exorcist II: The Heretic is not a horror film and isn’t all that scary. The issue of one’s own faith and the effects of their beliefs were told tremendously through the characters and so, for the sequel, there was no need to retread that holy ground. Instead, writer William Goodhart and Director John Boorman changed the aesthetics to a more visceral setting and the mind.
Before delving into this film further, let’s make it clear that there is no defending the poor visual effects of the opening sequence involving a possessed healer burning in flames. It is awful and why there were not better efforts made is beyond me. Otherwise, the only real problem with the film is that it doesn’t have the same atmosphere as its predecessor and asks too much of the viewer. Perhaps even a poor execution of what is a really cool story. So rather than dwell on the negatives that have earned it such hatred and rejection among fans, and scoring a 3.7/10 on IMDB, let’s instead explain the story, the positives and maybe offer some explanation.
Picking up four years after the original, Regan MacNeil (Linda Blair) now lives in a penthouse apartment in New York; attending school and practicing tap dance while honing her artistic skills at home. While her Mother, Chris MacNeil (Ellen Burstyn), did not return (the character is said to be away on location in a new job), the MacNeil family’s aid Sharon (Kitty Wynn) is back and watching over Regan. While seemingly free of the horrors endured, Regan struggles and it’s up to Dr. Gene Tuskin (Louise Fletcher) to use hypnosis and dream interpretation to evoke the memories inside her. Meanwhile, Father Philip Lamont (Richard Burton) is recruited by the Cardinal of the Church to conduct an investigation into Father Merrin’s (Max von Sydow) death. Merrin’s writings are in jeopardy of being discarded by the church completely as they find his premonitions that evil is growing and will eventually take over good are heresy (hence The Heretic subtitle).
Does the Exorcist II ask too much of the audience?
Seeking out Regan, and much to the objection of Tuskin, Lamont stands by during their first hypnotic session. Here is where we learn that by synchronizing their brainwaves (for those curious – normal sleep patterns range from Beta to Alpha waves, but it is the Theta wave tones that create much of the deeper imagery found in our slumber), they go to a next level of consciousness; could even say the astral plane. Tuskin is lost though during the session and Lamont attaches himself to the device to go after her. Once he is opened up to that world, he becomes in sync with Regan to discover that Father Merrin, in spirit, is protecting Regan while Pazuzu, the inhabiting demon, still tries to maintain a grasp on her soul. Through Pazuzu, Lamont is taken on a journey that shows one of Merrin’s earlier exorcism successes, young and later on, older, Kokumo (James Earl Jones), who has the power to control the Locusts. See the evil demon has chosen the locust because, as the audience learns later, inherits a natural evil once they brush their wings together in swarms thus changing their nature and not being the peaceful grasshopper that they can be.
Sound confusing yet? Told you it asks a lot of the viewer. It is not that thrilling for anyone who not interested in artistic expression of the dream world either. Understanding the battle raging inside Regan, Lamont goes against the Church to travel to Africa and seek out Kokumo. Meanwhile, now that Regan’s mind has become active to the evil inside her, she struggles and tries to guide Lamont in his quest, but Pazuzu also guides him as a minion that culminates in a final battle. Kokumo, now an adult, does meet with Lamont and explains that there is a good locust among the swarm and it is their hope that she alone can reverse the brushing of the wings; restoring harmony and good to the evil that resides in the world. The allegorical good locust is obviously a representation of Regan and what she is meant to become. Lamont isn’t the only one brushed with evil, as Sharon begins showing her dark side and she is recruited by Pazuzu to prevent Tuskin from stopping Pazuzu’s total inhabitancy of Regan’s soul.
This climax battle takes place at the famous Prospect Street home in Georgetown, Washington. Credit to the set designers who recreated the house as the original owners would not allow production there after the first film. Evil Regan seems to be in control, even sending swarms of locusts to attack Regan, to weaken her, so that Lamont can kill her. However, as Kokumo predicted, it is Regan who has the power of pure good; backed by the essence of Father Merrin. She overthrows Pazuzu’s hold on Lamont. Lamont is then able to rip out Evil Regan’s heart. Regan, performing the same controlling hand gestures as a young Kokumo once did, is able to reverse the Locust swarm and turn them back into peaceful grasshoppers. Tuskin witnesses the salvation of Lamont and the victory by Regan but at the price of Sharon’s life. Pazuza had Sharon self-sacrifice herself in a car fire that was meant to barricade any outside interference during the climactic battle. As the film closes, we see the hypnotic light shining in cycles over Tuskin as she watches Lamont and Regan walk off, through the destructed home, and into the sunrise.
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What does this all mean? It is an entire ethereal canvas of good overcoming evil. It’s a massive art film. Here is where the film deserves credit, because rather than still be a victim, Regan is now portrayed as a fighter, a savior to the world, and it is her story (her soul) that must be protected. This also shows exactly what went down in Father Merrin’s last moments with the possessed Regan in the original (something that was left to the imagination of the viewer). Are we to believe that all this stuff has really happened? That’s debatable. The Prospect Street property is still standing come Exorcist III (though they admittedly ignored events that occurred in Exorcist II) so why would anybody rebuild that house as it was? Nope, my theory is different: I feel the majority of this entire film is an adventure through various stages of the dream session; locking us all inside the theta waves connected to the subconscious. When Regan feels Lamont’s pain as he is rejected by the Africa natives, she collapses on the floor and we hear the safety bell of the hypnotic device therefore preventing the self-destruction of her psyche. Regan also lies in bed, connecting to Lamont, albeit through Pazuzu, with the light shining in its cycle over her face. Lastly, once Regan restores the grasshoppers, they disappear therefore confirming they were not actually there. Lamont and Regan walk off into the sunrise, rather than descend the famous staircase beside the house, and the cycling light and hypnotic sounds engulf Tuskin as she looks on. This tells us that Tuskin was never brought out of the dream state by Lamont during that session, and that all of them were entangled in the astral plan and spiritual realm to save Regan’s soul.
When looking at the film this way, it makes way more sense and would justify why there was such reliance on the exaggeration of reality. I had the opportunity to meet Linda Blair at a Horrorhound convention in 2010, and she signed my Exorcist II DVD with “Sweet Dreams”. To me, that confirms what this film is: a dream; or a set of dreams depicting an entire soul searching battle beyond our time and space.
Whatever version you watch, the original Theatrical version on VHS, or all subsequent releases of John Boorman’s full cut, spend that 117 minutes thinking beyond what is known in our reality and let your dreams carry you away on the wings of the locust.
What did you think of The Exorcist II: The Heritic?
Does a 40oz. Of Horror-approved Halloween party involve knocking back a buttload of booze? Does Bigfoot shit in the woods? Well, we’re not sure about that, but the first one’s a no-brainer. What better time to mix up weird or even dangerous-looking drinks than Halloween? The following American Horror Story-themed Halloween cocktail recipes are creepy, creative and perfectly customized for your All Hallow’s Eve soiree.
Hypodermic Sally
AHS: HOTEL – Serves 4
Ingredients:
4 oz. Vodka
2 oz. Licor 43
6 oz. Soda Water
2 oz. Orange Juice
3 oz. Raspberry Syrup
Directions:
Pour the vodka and Licor 43 into a shaker over ice and shake it like crazy.
Mix in the orange juice and soda water, then strain the mixture into chilled glasses.
Serve with raspberry syrup in a plastic syringe.
Witches’ Coven
AHS: COVEN – Serves 6 – 8
Ingredients:
10 oz. Brandy
32 oz. Blackcurrant Juice
12 oz. Soda Water
3 tbsp Sugar
Directions:
Mix brandy and sugar in a large bowl, then stir in blackcurrant juice.
Refrigerate for around an hour, then add soda water just before serving.
Serve in a martini glass or better yet a coupe — martini glasses spill too easy once you’ve had a couple of these, ya dig?
Now that we’re in single digits in our countdown to the greatest day of the year — Halloween, if you’re new here — it’s only proper to acknowledge the definitive granddaddy of all seasonal horror series. Always important to any project is the marketing, and theatrical trailers have become a staple of anticipation, no matter the genre, as they are the first introduction to the characters and the world of the film. Sometimes the hype is better than the final product, but that’s the art of a good theatrical trailer. I’ve reviewed theatrical trailers for the entire Halloween series and ranked them, starting with the least effective. This article is purely subjective, but I trust some of you out there will agree.
10. Halloween II (1981)
Ironically, my favorite entry in the franchise actually ranks least in the trailer department. It starts with a bang and keeps the momentum going — complete with the more gothic version of the theme. However, it seems too choppy, and when we reach the closing moments of Michael Myers chasing Laurie Strode, they employ the same formula as the original trailer. It works, but this trailer should have felt larger than the original, and it didn’t happen.
9. Halloween: Resurrection (2002)
Some consider Halloween: Resurrection to be the worst film in the franchise, but it certainly has its moments — and the trailer rings true to the hype of being greater than the film. It establishes the story, and offers something fresh and modern to the millennium while making sure it gives credit to the franchise history. The payoff is seeing Laurie ready to take on Michael once more. The downfall? It begins to risk giving away too much and, sigh, shows Busta Rhymes kicking Michael out the window. Boo!
8. Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers (1989)
I love that the trailer for Halloween 5 gets right to business, and the narration does the trick that the Halloween II trailer didn’t: pack the pace and make it clear that this film is going to be a thrill ride with higher stakes. But, like many trailers, it just reveals too much and runs too long to make it the magic that it could’ve been.
7. Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers (1988)
The opening to this trailer for Halloween 4 immediately brings any viewer who knew the original two entries to the immediate realization that it’s a Halloween film returning to its roots. While it does seem choppy at the time, it shows that Michael is strong, that a child is in danger and that fan favorite Dr. Loomis is back on the hunt. Donald Pleasance’s delivery of the dialogue carries this trailer from start to finish.
6. Halloween 6: The Curse of Michael Myers (1995)
One of the greatest things of the series is Mrs. Blankenship’s monologue explaining why we celebrate Halloween. It’s chilling and intriguing at the same time. We are Danny, sitting and listening as she combines the sincere and the sinister. It’s only fitting, then, that Dimension Films used this moment to carry the entire trailer and give us a glimpse into where Michael is now and what these characters are going to face — and it feels like the Halloween season. Nothing is spoiled! It leaves eyebrows raised, pleasantly wondering what is in store.
5. Rob Zombie’s Halloween (2007)
Is it a sequel? No. Is it a remake? Let’s call it a “re-imagining.” Is it Halloween 1978? Hell, no! This trailer is edited so crisp and uses the fantastic tableau shot that Zombie incorporated into a key crime scene moment to send a chill into the audience. This is going to be like nothing seen before while giving us more of Michael, for better or worse, and bringing the horror to the extreme.
4. Halloween H20: 20 Years Later (1998)
It’s 20 years later. The scene is established. The mood is set. Jamie Lee Curtis is back, and is Michael the predator or the prey? The late ’90s setting is apparent. We know Laurie is haunted, we know she’s been in hiding, and when that moment comes, we know that she’s going to stop running and confront Michael in an all-out war. That’s something worth 20 years of waiting. The trailer is also capped off by a light-hearted but welcome moment between Curtis and real-life Mom Janet Leigh, giving a respected nod to the original in the process.
3. Halloween (1978)
Part of the corruption of innocence, the unexplained phenomena of psychopathology, was an inspiration behind young Michael Myers, and never had the audience seen something where the child was directly responsible for some kind of brutal murder (Village of the Damned aside). What was to be a shocker to the audience is actually revealed when Myer’s parents pull the clown mask off and we see the kid in full view. This is the classic film that sets the benchmark, and while the trailer does a fantastic job in setting up the narrative and the suspense, including the cliffhanging moment of Michael chasing Laurie, it exposes certain moments that should have remained out of it — and that’s why it just can’t rank #1 in my book.
2. Halloween III: Season of the Witch (1982)
What the hell am I thinking? This is a weird trailer because the teaser is tacked on at the top. If it really played like that, then it’s just off-setting from the beginning. Similar to Mrs. Blankenship, Dan O’Herlihy’s fantastic monolog about the dark roots and rich heritage of the Halloween season sets the tone that none of the other trailers possibly could. Because this is a Halloween film, even Myers-less, it has to establish the season. Masks, murder, children in danger, robots and science fiction? This is just something incredibly creepy, and we aren’t given any insight into how this film will play out. They even worked in the closing moment of the film without viewers realizing it. Clever!
1. Rob Zombie’s H2 [Halloween II] (2009)
You can love it or hate it — whichever way you want — but this trailer is beautifully strung together. The scenes transition nicely. It does not hide the violence. Any clip of Michael is fast and kept to the bare minimal so as to not overexpose his signature masked look or the new unmasked jacket version. The scene of Annie (Danielle Harris) looking in the bathroom mirror only to see Michael is back haunts me to this day; I still turn when looking in my mirror. It’s a great scene, and its placement in this trailer segues nicely into something even more bizarre: the haunting resurrection of Sheri Moon’s Deborah Myers in spirit form cueing Michael during his murders. It’s bizarre, it’s some seriously fucked-up, hardcore shit, and it’s coming at us as fast as Michael himself. Dr. Loomis (Malcolm McDowell) says it best… Michael is more evolved. This is everything I want to see in a theatrical trailer, to the point where I may just go and watch the movie again right now.
There you have it, everyone. Making any ranking list, especially on one’s favorite series of all time, is not an easy task, and sometimes I was bouncing the numbers around just by one spot. I also wanted to be as honest with you, the reader, as I could. I couldn’t just put the original trailer in the #1 spot — just couldn’t. It would seem like a sell-out.
In closing, I simply say, no matter the rank you might give each trailer, I only wish you one thing — and that’s “Happy Halloween.”
When you ask a horror fan what their favorite Friday the 13th film is, they will usually reply “the original” or “Part VI easy, no question about it.” Yet for anyone who has asked me, my reply makes them stop and think. I am referring to the third entry in the Friday the 13th franchise: Friday the 13th Part III: 3-D. For Paramount Pictures, the early 80’s saw a short-lived burst of three dimension productions so that was the logical next step to bring their Jason killer back from the dead once more. On an estimated budget of $2,300,000.00, they moved production to the west coast and got those lenses equipped to bring horror from the screen and into the viewer’s seat. Thanks to Blu-Ray, this original 3-D version is now available and comes with the classic red and blue lenses though I personally wish they would do a release that is specific to 3-D televisions and not so harsh on the eyes.
17 years ago, I didn’t watch the series in sequential order upon first renting so when I got to Part 3, I was already somewhat aware of the established Jason and where he ended up. Getting to see exactly how he started sporting the trademark hockey mask was a moment to remember from this film. Outside of Alice (Adrienne King of F13 Part 1 and Part 2), any of the entries I watched didn’t have a stand out female lead that connected with me the same way Chris (Dana Kimmell) did. She was, from the get go, a straight up American girl taking her friends up to Higgins Haven (a branch of Crystal Lake) for a weekend getaway and confront a fear from her past. Turns out two years prior, Chris was attacked by Jason who had stumbled upon her while she was resting in the woods. Some say the supporting characters were the blandest fodder for the kill however each one had their own distinct persona and strengths in my personal opinion. The girls felt natural and on point with the times; Debbie (Tracie Savage) was pregnant and yet even though she still hooks up with boyfriend Andy (Jeffrey Rogers), declines to have a beer therefore making a wise decision, and Vera (Catherine Parks) doesn’t have any sex, barely drinks and doesn’t really do any drugs either – yes these girls are not blatantly stupid. Chili (Rachel Howard) is the oldest of the girls and while a seemingly ditsy pothead along for the ride (while stretching the viewer’s “Just kill that dumb bitch already” mentality even I will agree), actually shows a caring but timid personality. Horror movie rules wouldn’t even dictate Vera should die outside of her honest in-your-face-but-kind-turning-down of Shelley (Larry Zerner) when he asks her out. Back to Chris though, she doesn’t make all the right decisions all the time. She has to grow! I respect that she doesn’t become this super-powered heroine who can fully fight back – she can lay in a punch and sure bring down an axe – but Kimmell plays every take like it’s her first time being involved in this horrifying situation. Word to fans – Dana Kimmell actually did a rare commentary track for the movie that was available on the 2004 DVD Box Set so seek that out because it’s worth the listen.
We all know that couple that is slightly older and hanging out with the group, or the outcast nerd who resorts to exhibitionist gags and pokes fun at himself rather than take insults and rejection, or the boy who has some talent but can’t get his mind off his girl for two seconds – these characters are just natural. Let the eye rolls begin because that is one of the main criticisms of the film topped off by the weak backstory and premise. It is not genius and it is not fantastic but it just pure, present and pleasant and that is why I like it. The deliberately enjoyable camp brought by the three bikers, or Crazy Ralph Version 2, named Abel (David Wiley) holding some semblance of an eyeball at the camera, all make for a pleasurable simplistic horror movie experience. It is also the only entry that definitely takes place not on the Friday but on Saturday the 14th and Sunday the 15th (Jason X and Freddy vs. Jason isn’t calendar confirmed either I don’t think).
Don’t mess with Jason Voorhees
There are some damn fine kills (MPAA cuts aside) and Vera even gets that distinct pleasure of being the first victim ever to see Jason don his mask – and she receives an arrow for doing just that. Andy’s death is probably my favorite – I liked the character – but it’s just gruesome and swift. Harold (Steve Susskind) is just a downright pig and deserves his death; I reach for the sanitizer just watching that character. Thank God they didn’t go with the original alternate ending that would have Chris get her head chopped off after thinking she defeated Jason though because that would have been a hard pill to swallow. Interestingly, that alternate ending would exist since the film was also one of the few entries to receive a novelization tie-in; written by Michael Avalione and quite highly sought on the collector market! (This particular writer here has a copy which took him 19 years to hunt down – longer than I had even been watching the movies).
In summation, many say it sucks and I say it’s one of the best and I will stand by that! It was one of the highest grossing too as it pulled in $36,200,000.00. Hopefully this Halloween season, this retrospective will inspire you to take a look back; making sure to really take note of the characters internal struggles and what subtext each carry. Lastly, crank those surround sound speakers up and enjoy the only uniquely weird Friday the 13th theme in the history of the series. Trust me when I say…you can’t NOT enjoy it.
Hypodermic Sally
Witches’ Coven
Freak Show Lemonade
Communion Wine
Smoking Gun
