For this, the third annual installment of horrifying Halloween viewing recommendations by the Review’sArts/Entertainment reporter — and resident scary movie junkie — Luciano Marano, the theme is double features.
Double your terror, double your fun, I always say.
The double feature is a cinema staple most often associated with drive ins and grindhouse theaters.Historically, one of the two offerings on the bill was far and away superior, with the second screening tacked on as a sort of bonus feature way before anyone imagined such a menu item on a DVD (or such a thing as a DVD either, for that matter).
For this list, though, both titles definitely deserve top billing. I’ve taken the liberty of basing my pairings on a theme, but feel free to mix and match if that’s your thing. The cardinal rule of All Hallow’s Eve is fun, after all. It’s no time for rules.
Anyone can celebrate the scariest time of year by cranking up “The Exorcist” AGAIN, or “Halloween” for the millionth time. They’re classics, and rightfully so. But if you’re bored with the boogeyman and “Saw”makes you seriously sleepy, read on and consider getting to know – or rediscovering – a title among this year’s dangerous duos.
I have watched and personally recommend them all … if you’ve got the guts.
1. For the little boils and ghouls…
“Frankenweenie” (2012) and “The Witches” (1990)
Two delightfully dark films to watch with the kiddies. Remember, the family that scares together cares together.
The first, based on the chilly children’s classic from the morbid master himself: Roald Dahl. “The Witches” recounts the story of Luke and his grandmother enjoying an English holiday by the sea at the same hotel where all of England’s witches – including the terrifying Grand High Witch (played by Anjelica Huston) – are attending their annual meeting, masquerading as the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children. The cackling crones have a new diabolical plot to rid the world of children, and it’s up to Luke and Grandma to stop them.
“Frankenweenie,” from Tim Burton, is a suburban retelling of the classic Frankenstein story with a canine twist. Budding young scientist Victor is devastated when his beloved dog Sparky dies, and he decides to revive his puppy pal with a heavy dose of lightning. The experiment works and all is right with the world, until Victor’s classmates steal his secret and resurrect other dead animals. Lots of them.
2. For the haunted history buff…
“Black Death” (2010) and “Fire in the Sky” (1993)
Straight from the dusty tomes of yesteryear, these two films celebrate historical horror at its finest.
In “Black Death,” set during the height of the bubonic plague in old timey England, a young monk volunteers to lead a pack of witch hunters, commanded by Ulric (Sean Bean), through the swamp to a remote village where blasphemous rumors have it that a necromancer is raising plague victims from the dead. This is a seriously good movie, even for those on the fence about horror. There’s enough atmosphere, character development and historical detail for even the highest of highbrow cinema fans.
Based on a true occurrence in 1975, “Fire in the Sky” recounts the tale of five lumberjacks who return to town late one night minus a buddy – who they say was abducted by aliens. Everyone assumes foul play’s afoot – until the missing man mysterious turns up days later. The effects are masterful and the extraterrestrials really chilling. It’s easy to forget how scary the idea of abduction can be in a post-X-Files world of tabloid headlines and schlocky sci-fi cliches. This movie also boasts a great cast, including Robert Patrick, D. B. Sweeney, James Garner, Craig Sheffer, Scott MacDonald, Henry Thomas and Peter Berg.
3. For a truly monstrous marathon…
“Late Phases” (2014) and “Sasquatch Mountain” (2006)
Its’ all about the creepy creatures here, because what’s Halloween without a good monster movie?
“Late Phases” pits a blind Vietnam vet (the truly awesome Nick Damici) against a vicious werewolf that’s preying on the elderly residents of a shady retirement community way out on the edge of town. Great effects, a solid story and some surprisingly touching moments of characterization make this an obvious choice for those in a full moon kind of mood.
Boasting some of the greatest Bigfoot effects I’ve ever seen, “Sasquatch Mountain” (aka “Devil on the Mountain”) is about a fleeing group of would-be bank robbers and their hostage who hightail it into the woods to escape the pursing cops. They all, of course, run afoul the titular large-footed cryptid, and must be saved by none other than Lance Henriksen, the local crazy who has for years been telling folks that a monster stalks them thar hills. Some of the characters are annoying, but so much the better as you won’t weep when things get, um, hairy (sorry). Henriksen though, delivers with great gravitas.
4. For the gore groupies…
“Hobo with a Shotgun” (2011) and “Red, White & Blue” (2010)
Like a wise man once said, “If you want blood, you’ve got it.” These movies, one a gloriously exaggerated gore-soaked fever dream and the other startling realistic in its depiction of violence, will sate any blood thirst.
The aptly titled “Hobo with a Shotgun” stars Rutger Hauer (he of “Blade Runner” fame) as a homeless drifter with no name who comes to the city hoping to work and save enough money to start his own landscaping company. What he finds instead is a vile cesspool of crime and hate ruled by a brutally sadistic gangster family – who he promptly sets about eliminating by equally violent means.
You could be forgiven if, after the first 20 or 25 minutes of “Red, White & Blue” you forget that you’re watching a scary movie. It at first seems to be a troubled kind of indie love story. You might be tempted to turn it off. Don’t. Trust me. That complacency only makes the second half all the more horrifying. The story is misleadingly simple: a troubled young girl attracts the attention of a quiet loner in the boardinghouse where she stays and a weird romance blossoms. They become involved, but she’s unable to quit her promiscuous ways. It’s only later, when she finds herself in trouble with a different man, that we see the awful lengths to which crazy people in love will travel.
Catch up on all the creepy: See Luciano’s picks for 2014 and 2015.
