Samhain Project '24: Full Circle

 

If you've been reading this thing for the last 4 years, you'll know that November 1st is what the Celtic called Samhain (or Sow-in).   End of summer.  Beginning of the dark part of the year.  And the night when the membrane between the living and the dead is at it's most easy to penetrate.  Today is that day.

Ain't no secret to any readers that as a kid my face was frequently buried in comic books.  Some of my fondest memories lay in deposits of four color artwork pressed into newspaper substrate.  This may be my age calling, but I'll take the dulled out vintage color over today's glossy hyper-brite, over-detailed stuff that exist today in the format.  

Yes, my comic book life blood is known as "The Bronze Age".

Almost as much as I loved the tales of my superheroes and other characters, I adored the advertisements.  Especially the seasonal ones.  Like legendary artist Jack Davis' Dracula and Wolfman snappin' into a Slim Jim that came around in the fall of 1977's comics.  That was the good stuff, folks.

There was one ad that bugged me a bit as an 8 year old though.  It was for the horror comic known as Unexpected.  It featured a woman performing on stage while half of her face is melting off, and staring from behind her appears to be the individual responsible for it with a twisted, evil grin on his face.  I guess it's disturbing in general, but as young as I was, it really weirded me out. 

I was never a reader of horror comics minus this issue of House of Secrets that was part of a past Samhain Project.  Click on the title, and flash back if you wish to.  Otherwise, I subscribed to the philosophy of Sammy from The Lost Boys, and pretty much avoided horror comics as a whole. But this image really got under my skin.

A couple of months back I was at a mercantile, digging through a gentleman's wares which consisted of wall art, vinyl albums, and a handful of longboxes of comic books.  And there, in the box farthest to the right, adjacent to a cabinet with slews of Lego mini-figures I found it. 

And there it was. 

That old familiar inhale of nostalgia.  The vibe absorbed when seeing something you once saw so often, but hadn't in decades.  That feeling is quite a rush when you grew up with the interests that I had.  This particular issue of Unexpected was $1.00 in it's day, some 45 years ago, and the tag on it now only asked for $3.00.  It seemed really stupid not to make the purchase.  So I did.  

However, I still haven't popped it open to read the story behind that stupefyingly creepy imagery.  It's not that I'm afraid to, but part of me feels as though I may ruin something by removing the mystery.  Maybe I'll peel back the tape and pull the book out of its bag and board for next Halloween. 

Anyway.  It's November 1st, and it's Samhain.  So, as depressing as it is for me to say goodbye to what many are now calling Spooky Season, (and lord knows, I did all I could to hold on to it and make it last as long as it possibly could) I can look forward to possibly reviewing it for next year's Samhain Project. 

And what better way to rock in November and Fall, then with Glenn Danzig and Samhain.....

Samhain Project '24: The Night Flier

 This year I seem to be doing quite a few Stephen King films on the project, including a documentary. Thus I decided to track down a lesser known film based on his work, called The Night Flier. 

The Night Flier is based on a short story called Popsy which appears in his collection Nightmares and Dreamscapes, which is a fantastic gathering of stories, really. This one stars Miguel Ferrer, one of my all-time favorite character actors, and he has the lead and does not waste the opportunity. His character is a journalist of sorts; he cuts corners, he lies, he cheats to get his information, and yet somehow he’s really good at what he does.

The only problem in my thinking is that the publication he works for is one of those true life, dark crime, ghastly murder, conspiracy theory, UFO mags that really, most people in their right mind don’t read. 

The story is that someone is landing in the middle of the night, in the middle of nowhere, in rural airports in his dark black Cessna. Someone dies when this happens and then he gets out without being found. Ferrer wants to track this guy down before the authorities catch on, and he ends up competing with a brand new reporter that has just been hired by Pee-wee from Porkys at the newspaper.  The pursuit portions of the film are interesting and  Ferrer is absolutely fantastic in this movie as the tension builds. He gives this very odd vampire story a performance that is above and beyond what films of this nature normally get from their leads. 

In one particular scene, Ferrer's character has seen a bit too much and spends some time emptying himself into a sink.  He knows something is going on behind him, but as he looks up in the mirrors in front of him, he sees nothing, but oh, there's plenty going on.  The scene is tense, scary, and Ferrer plays it beautifully.  Only an actor of his caliber can make you sympathize with a person that is almost completely an asshole.

As he gets further and further involved and obsessed, he pulls himself further and further into the advice that he gives the young reporter at the beginning of the film: “Never publish the truth”, and  that may be his downfall. 

KNB FX  does terrific work, as does director Dan Pavia, a chap whom I don’t really think I’ve ever seen his work before.  The Night flyer is again one of Stephen Kings Lesser known adaptations, which is why I sought it out.  However, it doesn’t show out as beneath the other Stephen King films. 

This is actually a pretty good piece of Work. 

Samhain Project '24: Maxxxine

 Maxxxine is the final piece of Ti West's trilogy that began with the exceptional X and Pearl.  And I gotta say, as entertaining as it is, it is by far the weakest of the trilogy.  If it existed in a vacuum, I'd be singing its praises much higher, so it's clearly not a piece of crap.  Even if the only reason was the fantastic performance put on by Mia Goth, reprising her role from X.

It seems Maxxxine has made it out of the quasi-Texas Chainsaw Massacre she encountered in X at the end of the 70's and is rumbling forward in the California adult film scene.  However, she has caught the eyes of film producers and has latched onto a role in an upcoming sequel to a popular horror film.  A legitimate non-adult industry release.

As one would recall from X, Maxxx would do anything to be famous, and she's only become more hardened and shall I say, vicious, in that direction.  Her past appears to be sneaking up on her though. Is it directly linked to the events of X, or something much more attached to whatever in her past drives her forward so harshly?  As those around her start to drop like flies, she flounders in struggles with law enforcement, who she just can't seem to trust, and a Kevin Bacon weirdo, threatening to blow up her past and ruin her forward momentum on behalf of someone else unknown.

Maxxxine takes place in the 80's and feels like an 80's film. It swings like a blending of the B-Movie classics Angel and Vice Squad.   So with those pedigrees, it has a lot to offer.  But even featuring slick casting, like that of the terrific Bobby Cannavale and Michelle Monaghan as detectives, it still doesn't reach the heights of the much lower budgeted predecessors in the series. 

Unlike X, and to a lesser extent, Pearl, Maxxxine isn't really as much a horror film as it is an example of the sleazy crime dramas of the era it pays homage to.  

But don't let that stop you.

Samhain Project '24: More TV

                                     

A couple of Halloweens back, Frani and I sat down to some "horror" television to throw some different flavorings into THE PROJECT.   This year we decided to try it again.

The X Files:  HOME.  

This infamous episode of the legendary sci-fi/conspiracy program of the 1990's still gets skipped over in syndication to this day due to its subject matter.  Aired on October 11, 1996, Mulder and Scully are called in to examine a ghastly finding in a field in rural Pennsylvania.  It doesn't take long before they're wrapped up in a hideous family of murderers who are several generations into, let's say, self programmed reproduction.  Their abode is a horrid, squalid nightmare equally as awful as their way of life.  Somehow, Duchovny and Anderson work some of their humorous chemistry into this extremely dark storyline.  If you feel like venturing down this dark path, it can be found on Hulu. 

Thriller:  The Hollow Watcher

This early 60's anthology series put out some memorable vignettes to be enjoyed, and as I've mentioned in my review of Pigeons From Hell, Stephen King called it the best television horror of its day.  This episode features a young Warren Oates whose mail order bride appears to be up to something after the murder of her father in law (Uncle Jesse from the Dukes of Hazzard).  Oates' character is okay with this killing, as he doesn't dig his old man anyway.  Things began to happen in this North Carolina burg involving a local scarecrow named "The Hollow Watcher" afterwards.  Let's be honest, it's a dopey looking scarecrow indeed,  but in its day, its look and eventual actions were probably terrifying.  Especially once it becomes animated with the arrival of Oates' bride's "brother".  Entertaining stuff. 

Tales From the Darkside:

Inside the Closet

Most Saturday nights my friend Jon would come over and we'd watch the Dick Ebersol era SNL followed by an episode of George A Romero's syndicated "Tales from the Darkside".  This particular episode was directed by Tom Savini and features a young college girl renting a room from the local veterinary professor in his very large house.  His daughter's former room features a half-door closet that cannot be opened as it is locked and the key is "lost".  But there are noises coming from the closet and this new occupant is a little too curious for her own good.  Fritz Weaver is really slick as the professor with facial tics and twitches in constant circulation,  leaving his motives an ongoing question. 

Sorry, Right Number

This Stephen King scripted episode isn't really scary, or even suspenseful as much as heartbreaking.  Our leading lady catches a distressing phone call that she fears is from a relative.  After much investigation with the help of her author husband, they are unable to solve the issue at hand.  A tragedy ensues that leaves a Saw type whirlwind montage that answers all the questions that came before.  Well, in a way....

I love anthology television.  Thriller, Tales From the Darkside, Night Gallery, Twilight Zone (which I'll get to later in the year as SYFY has somehow attached Rod Serling's masterwork with New Year's).  This year's dip into TV Terror maybe wasn't perfect, but it was a fun travel down memory lane. 

Samhain Project '24: The New Kids

 The New Kids is an 80's extravaganza. Directed by Friday the 13th's Sean Cunningham, it features a bevy of Jon Parr-knock off rockin' tunes to back montages, and a score from normally legendary Lalo Schifrin that sounds like either one of two things: 70's cop procedurals or 80's sitcoms. 

But it has Tom Fucking Atkins in it.  That alone gives it at least an extra point and a half on whatever scale you're grading with. 

Our two leads, teenagers Shannon Presby and Lori Laughlin have lost their parents and are taken in by their obnoxious Uncle Charlie, who owns a cheesy amusement park they go to work at.  At one point, homeboy even says something about "farting through silk".  I mean, what the fuck?  As they try to fit in, they are continually accosted by a local group of teenage redneck mafia slobs led by a Boondock Tony Montana played by James Spader and some extra hair. 

Now we've seen this before, recently repositioned kids having a hard time fitting into the new surroundings (I mean, hell, it feels like the same high school Ralph Macchio went to in The Karate Kid) and being bullied by local fartfaces.  But, this IS Sean Cunningham, and shit gets dark, bloody, and violent in the third act.  I hate to say it, but it's kind of a refreshing kick in the booty as the first hour, minus the use of the F bomb, is fairly saccharine. 

Is The New Kids a good movie?  Nah.  But something about it is entertaining enough, the cast is game, and the nifty packaging it comes in is the bomb.  It's a blu-ray, but the slip cover utilizes the original Columbia Pictures box art, and looks like a VHS tape is sliding out of said box.  Nifty concept, and I suppose they feel it makes up for the complete and utter lack of features.  There's not even a trailer here, folks. 

Besides the cast members mentioned, You got Eric Stolz whose hair appears to be suffering from the same swollen condition as James Spader's.  There's a few other guys you know by their faces, but haven't a clue what their names are.  

Overall, I guess it's not really a horror film, minus the last half hour, but close enough.

And it has Tom Fucking Atkins in it. 

Samhain Project '24: The WNUF Halloween Special

This is a truly unique experiment in filmmaking. 

Chris LaMartina has put together a film that makes the viewer feel like they're watching an old video tape recorded off the air on Halloween Night, 1987.  The broadcast being from Channel 28, WNUF in Kirk County, somewhere. 

The first part of the tape (complete with glitches and occasional fast-forwarding) is a local newscast that drops hints of the evening's programming as well as elements of its background, and even a little foreshadowing.  Thrown into the mix are commercials that do a wonderful job of reminding me of late night UHF business spots done on the cheap when I was in junior high.  It's all well done, and achieves what it's trying to accomplish. 

Except in one area.  There are multiple commercials for TV shows that no UHF channel would have the budget or tools to create.  UHF channels do broadcast movies and shows, but they're not originals from the channel. They're leased re-runs.  So the cheap-looking nature of these program ads took me out of it a little bit, but thankfully, they're few and far between. 

The newscast winds down to a live program that the channel is airing with a local correspondent and a couple of paranormal researchers (clear Ed and Lorraine Warren rip-offs) as they venture into a local residence that was the location of multiple murders and is apparently haunted.  Now, this is heavily influenced by the infamous 1992 British found footage TV program Ghostwatch, which was far more effective, but drew negative controversy that resulted in it being buried.  I review that here. 

Most of this is pretty fun for its experimental nature, and has a pretty nice group of twists at the end.  The acting leaves much to be desired, with the exception of our wisecracking correspondent who pretty much carries this thing. 

It's not particularly scary, but it is Halloween related, so we gave it a spin.  If you can track it down whilst in a mood for something spontaneous and different, I say go for it. 

Samhain Project '24: King on Screen

                                       

                                         

"...and if he got you when you were young, he had you forever"

If anyone's adaptations from book to film require a lengthy analysis, it's Stephen King.  This documentary is unique and informative. 

It starts with a short film where a young woman wanders about a small town immersed in easter eggs all related to Bangor, Maine's pride and joy.  This is interesting enough,  but it then slides into the words of many talking heads. 

Many directors have much to say here, from those who've directed him once, to those with a long resume of adapting "Steve". 

The most time is spent with Frank Darabont (The Shawshank Redemption, The Green Mile, The Mist), and Mick Garris (Sleepwalkers, TV's The Stand, Riding the Bullet, TV's The Shining, among several others) and George A. Romero, one of King's favorite collaborators.  George is not there to speak as we've lost him to time, but the work is deeply explored.  Then even more of the chaps out there who have brought King's work to the screen once or maybe twice jump in with contribution.   They all have different takes on what is needed to transpose his work from the page to the visual medium, and they're fascinating to watch and listen to. 

Modern guru Mike Flanagan speaks of the touch and go nature of adapting Doctor Sleep, a fascinating portion of the doc, and the difficulty of Gerald's Game.  Flanagan is the next generation of the adapters, the one who seems to get him best.  He's no rookie with the adapting game, having done Shirley Jackson's The Haunting of Hill House, and Henry James' The Haunting of Bly Manor (The Turn of the Screw), but he is capable of his own masterpieces, as evidenced by the incredible Midnight Mass.

All of them speak of him richly, bringing out my favorite part of the documentary.  The segments discussing the warmth of the man capable of inducing so many chills.  The generosity of the man, so freely giving permission for others to do with his work as they please, for better or worse. 

And the humor of a man writing stories more often than not in a fantasy/horror setting, whose work is so very serious.

I was hooked on Stephen King with Salem's Lot at the age of 8.  

And he's still got me.